Trant Clark
OZ engineer who tested the ZERO System and piloted Wing Zero.
Trant Clark was an OZ mobile suit pilot and engineer who became the only non-Gundam pilot to operate the XXXG-00W0 Wing Gundam Zero during the Eve Wars of AC 195. His obsession with understanding and mastering the ZERO System led to his death when the system’s psychological demands overwhelmed him during combat with Duo Maxwell.
His name derives from the French word trente, meaning “thirty”, following the After Colony series’ tradition of naming characters after numerals.
Physical appearance
Records from OZ depict Trant in the organisation’s dark pilot suit layered beneath a white engineering coat, with auburn hair kept short and a data visor often perched across his brow whilst monitoring the ZERO System.
Biography
Trant’s career follows an OZ engineer who believed the ZERO System could eclipse the mobile doll programme, only to succumb to its psychological toll.
Testing the ZERO System
Trant Clark first appeared after the Wing Gundam Zero was abandoned by Heero Yuy and Quatre Raberba Winner, who had both experienced the ZERO System’s overwhelming psychological effects. Although ordered by Tubarov Bilmon to destroy the Gundam to erase all evidence of its existence, Clark believed that the Gundam’s ZERO System held the key to turning the tide in the war, especially to render the mobile doll system obsolete.
Working independently to understand the system, Clark captured Heero Yuy, Quatre Raberba Winner, the Gundam scientists, and soldiers of the Treize Faction. He forced Heero to test the system, determining that a pilot using ZERO could fight even more efficiently than a mobile doll. Unfortunately for Clark, Heero took control of the Gundam whilst under ZERO’s influence and went berserk, attempting to kill anyone he perceived as a threat before eventually abandoning the machine.
Pursuit of perfection
Undeterred by the danger, Clark continued to use the Gundam to record results, believing he could master the system where others had failed. However, the complexities of the ZERO System made it increasingly difficult for him to maintain control after prolonged periods of use. The system’s ability to show all possible futures simultaneously began to take a psychological toll on Clark.
When it was discovered that he had used numerous mobile dolls to gather data on the system’s capabilities without authorisation, Tubarov sent soldiers to apprehend him and destroy the Wing Gundam Zero.
Final battle
During the same period, Trant tracked down Gundam pilot Duo Maxwell and forced him to battle mobile dolls in order to gather more accurate combat data on the ZERO System’s effectiveness. Duo became overwhelmed by the ZERO System’s visions and was pulled out of the cockpit by Trant just as OZ soldiers arrived to retrieve Trant and destroy Wing Zero.
Trant immediately piloted Wing Zero himself and easily dispatched the OZ soldiers and their accompanying mobile dolls. However, the ZERO System quickly overwhelmed his mental state, making him crave more destruction. The system’s continuous stream of possible futures drove him into a state of madness.
Duo, now piloting his XXXG-01D2 Gundam Deathscythe Hell, prevented Trant from destroying a nearby colony. In the ensuing battle, Trant’s deteriorating mental state made him unable to effectively use the ZERO System’s predictive capabilities. Their attacks collided, and Trant was killed in the explosion.
In the Glory of the Losers manga adaptation, Trant’s death is depicted differently: he activated the Wing Gundam Proto Zero’s self-destruct system whilst losing his mind from the ZERO System during the battle with Deathscythe Hell, killing himself in the process.
Personality & traits
Within OZ, Trant projected an obsessive confidence that the ZERO System would validate his theories, even as it frayed his judgement. He was characterised by an obsessive drive to understand and master advanced technology. His fascination with the ZERO System bordered on dangerous fixation, leading him to disobey direct orders from his superiors to pursue his research. This independent streak demonstrated both intellectual curiosity and a reckless disregard for authority when it conflicted with his goals.
Unlike many OZ officers who relied on the mobile doll system, Clark recognised the ZERO System’s superiority and was willing to risk everything to unlock its potential. His belief that human pilots enhanced by ZERO could surpass automated systems showed a faith in human capability, albeit one twisted by his obsession.
However, Clark’s greatest flaw was his overconfidence in his own mental resilience. He believed he could master a system that had driven multiple Gundam pilots to temporary madness, underestimating the psychological demands it would place on him. This hubris ultimately led to his death.
Skills & abilities
Trant balanced OZ engineering expertise with field piloting, using the ZERO System to amplify both—until it overwhelmed him.
Engineering expertise
As an OZ engineer, Trant possessed significant technical knowledge about mobile suit systems. His ability to understand and attempt to optimise the ZERO System demonstrated advanced comprehension of complex combat prediction algorithms and neural interface technology.
Mobile suit piloting
Trant was a capable mobile suit pilot, able to operate the Wing Gundam Zero effectively against OZ mobile dolls and soldiers. When enhanced by the ZERO System, he easily dispatched multiple opponents. However, his piloting skills were insufficient to handle the system’s psychological demands during extended combat.
Research methodology
Clark’s systematic approach to testing the ZERO System showed scientific rigour. He methodically gathered data using captured pilots and mobile dolls, attempting to understand the system’s parameters and limitations. However, his methods were ethically questionable, as he forced unwilling participants to risk their mental health.
Relationships
Trant’s connections revolved around the Gundam pilots he coerced and the OZ superiors whose orders he defied.
Heero Yuy
Clark captured and forced Heero to test the ZERO System, treating him as a test subject rather than a person. This resulted in Heero going berserk whilst piloting the Wing Zero, demonstrating the danger of Clark’s methods. Despite being Clark’s step-nephew through marriage, there is no indication they had any familial relationship.
Duo Maxwell
Clark tracked down Duo and forced him to fight mobile dolls whilst using the ZERO System to gather combat data. Duo ultimately killed Clark in battle, preventing him from destroying a colony whilst under ZERO’s influence.
Tubarov Bilmon
Tubarov was Clark’s superior officer who ordered the destruction of the Wing Gundam Zero. Clark disobeyed these orders, working independently to study the ZERO System, which eventually led to Tubarov sending soldiers to apprehend him.
Family
Trant’s brother was Seis Clark, and through Seis, he was brother-in-law to Aoi Clark, making him step-uncle to Heero Yuy (the son of Aoi and Odin Lowe). There is no indication these family connections influenced any of his actions.
Military career
Serving as an OZ officer during the Eve Wars, Trant managed mobile doll development labs, secured the Wing Gundam Zero for clandestine research, and led data-gathering sorties against resistance fighters such as Duo Maxwell. His defiance of Tubarov Bilmon’s orders to destroy Wing Zero ultimately placed him at odds with his own command, culminating in the rogue engagement that claimed his life.
Mecha
XXXG-00W0 Wing Gundam Zero
Trant commandeered the Wing Gundam Zero to test the ZERO System against mobile dolls and Gundam pilots alike. The suit’s predictive feedback granted him momentary superiority, but the system’s neural strain shattered his composure, leading to his death during combat with Gundam Deathscythe Hell.
Legacy
Trant Clark’s experiments with the ZERO System provided valuable data on the system’s capabilities and dangers. His death served as a stark warning about the psychological costs of attempting to master ZERO without proper preparation or mental resilience. His fate reinforced what the Gundam pilots had already discovered: the ZERO System could grant incredible tactical advantages, but only to those who could maintain their sanity whilst experiencing all possible futures simultaneously.
Clark remains the only non-Gundam pilot known to have operated the Wing Gundam Zero, a dubious distinction given that it cost him his life.
Behind the scenes
Trant’s name follows the After Colony numeral motif—echoing French trente for “thirty”—and his portrayal varies between the anime and the Glory of the Losers manga, which depicts him triggering the Proto Zero’s self-destruct. In the English dub, voice actor David Mackay also covered Doctor S and various minor roles.
Appearances
- Mobile Suit Gundam Wing – episodes 31–33
- New Mobile Report Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz – Glory of the Losers
See also
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