Mobile Suit Victory Gundam
The final Universal Century Gundam television series directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino.
Mobile Suit Victory Gundam (機動戦士Vガンダム, Kidō Senshi V Gandamu), also known as V Gundam, is a 1993 Japanese science fiction anime television series directed by Gundam creator Tomino Yoshiyuki. It consists of 51 episodes and was first broadcast on TV Asahi from 2 April 1993 to 25 March 1994.
The series is the fourth television anime instalment in the Gundam franchise, the first series released during Japan’s Heisei period, and the final full series to be set in the Universal Century timeline until Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX. Set in UC 0153, the series follows 13-year-old Üso Ewin as he becomes the pilot of the Victory Gundam and joins the League Militaire in their fight against the authoritarian Zanscare Empire.
Synopsis
Victory Gundam is set in Universal Century 0153, seventy-nine years after the One Year War. The Earth Federation has been greatly weakened by decades of conflict, most recently the Crossbone Vanguard conflict thirty years earlier. Taking advantage of this power vacuum, the space colony-based Zanscare Empire declares its independence and begins an invasion of Earth under the justification of creating a new space-based order.
Living peacefully in the remote Eastern European town of Kasarelia, 13-year-old Üso Ewin and his childhood friend Shakti Kareen are thrown into the conflict when they encounter ace BESPA pilot Chronicle Asher. Üso finds himself joining forces with Marbet Fingerhut and the rest of the League Militaire, a ragtag resistance movement standing as the only opposition to Zanscare’s conquest. As the pilot of the League Militaire’s secret weapon, the Victory Gundam, Üso must confront the harsh realities of war whilst searching for his missing parents.
The series explores themes of war, politics, and personal growth as Üso and his allies fight to protect their loved ones and free the world from Zanscare’s tyranny, which employs violent means including public executions with guillotines to strike fear into those living on Earth.
Development
Conception
Following the lukewarm reception of Mobile Suit Gundam F91, Tomino decided not to continue that storyline but instead jumped forward in time to introduce a new generation of characters and warring factions. The new series was originally intended to attract a younger elementary school age demographic that SD Gundam was popular with at the time. To this end, the show featured the youngest protagonist in the Gundam franchise at that time: the thirteen-year-old Üso Ewin.
The title “Victory Gundam” was established by December 1991, although Tomino was still considering alternative titles in his April 1992 proposal. A design competition was held around the beginning of 1992 to select the designer for the new Gundam, with three contenders under consideration: Ishigaki Junya, veteran Gundam designer Okawara Kunio, and Katoki Hajime. The candidates were asked to design a transforming and combining mobile suit made up of upper and lower body parts connected to a Core Fighter, in the tradition of the original Gundam.
Unlike previous Gundam series that started in space colonies, Victory Gundam begins in Eastern Europe before moving to space fifteen episodes later. Tomino’s intent was to dispel the association between Gundam and space. However, the mature themes and high casualty rate meant the show attracted an older audience—the young adults who had seen Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam and Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ a decade earlier.
Production challenges
Victory Gundam was produced during a particularly difficult period in Tomino’s career. The director later described this as the lowest point of his professional life, marked by increasing demands from Bandai and other sponsors. The Bandai acquisition of Sunrise was in the planning stages during Victory Gundam’s development, with the former looking to address the declining popularity of the Gundam franchise.
Tomino found himself forced to include elements he disagreed with, including battleships in the show to appeal to younger audiences. In response to what he saw as unreasonable demands, he deliberately made controversial design choices, such as creating ground-based battleships with wheels. The production tensions and Tomino’s deteriorating mental state would later influence his decision to distance himself from the Gundam franchise for several years after Victory Gundam’s completion.
At a Victory Gundam afterparty, a member of the photography team approached Tomino to apologise for camera-work in the final cut of the last episode. This incident, where someone else covered for what Tomino viewed as his own error, served as a final blow to his confidence and marked the culmination of his struggles during the series’ production.
Release
Japanese broadcast
The series premiered on TV Asahi and its ANN stations on 2 April 1993 and concluded on 25 March 1994. It was later broadcast by the anime satellite television network Animax across Japan and subsequently on its international networks worldwide, including Hong Kong, Southeast Asia, East Asia, Latin America, and other regions.
Victory Gundam was the first of four Gundam television series that aired on TV Asahi in Japan sequentially from 1993 through 1996. Despite being designed to attract younger viewers, the show’s commercial performance was mixed. While it managed to more than double the sales of “real” Gundam models, which had been greatly lagging behind SD Gundam model sales, it still missed Bandai’s targets of 10 million units sold.
International release
Victory Gundam was never dubbed into English, due to both the Universal Century’s unpopular reception overseas and Tomino’s public disdain for the final product. In 2016, Sunrise released the series on both Blu-ray and DVD in North America via Right Stuf Inc. in two collection sets, featuring Japanese audio with English subtitles only.
The series has been distributed in multiple regions through Animax’s international networks but has largely remained a Japan-exclusive franchise entry in terms of widespread availability.
Home media
The entire series was released on DVD in Japan on 23 January 2004. The limited-edition DVD box release was notable for containing an interview with Tomino titled “This DVD should not be bought as it is not intended to be seen!!” In this interview, Tomino expressed his dissatisfaction with the series and advised viewers not to purchase it.
In 2015, Sunrise released Victory Gundam on Blu-ray in two box sets using a new HD master and telecine. The sets included audio commentary, exclusive booklets, and cover art by mechanical designer Katoki Hajime. As with the DVDs, Tomino reiterated his disdain for the series in promotional materials, claiming that he wished to “deny [the show] completely” and asked viewers to “find what went wrong with ‘Mobile Suit V Gundam’.”
Reception
Critical response
Victory Gundam has garnered a mixed reception from fans and critics over the years. The series is often noted for its extremely high casualty rate on both sides of the conflict, earning it recognition as one of the darkest entries in the Gundam franchise. Many fans appreciate the series for expanding the lore of the Universal Century timeline and for its unflinching portrayal of war’s consequences.
However, the series has also been criticised for its tonal inconsistencies, unusual narrative choices, and what some viewers perceive as gratuitous character deaths. The show’s reputation has been further complicated by Tomino’s own public statements disavowing the work. Critics have noted that whilst some individual episodes and mobile suit designs are strong, the overall execution suffers from production difficulties and creative compromises.
Commercial impact
Despite its mixed reception, Victory Gundam had a significant impact on the franchise’s direction. The show’s failure to attract its intended target audience, combined with the declining popularity of the Gundam franchise at the time, led to the cancellation of Sunrise’s next planned Gundam series. This was to have been a war story featuring a conflict between Earth and Mars colonists, with the working title “Polca Gundam.”
Instead, Sunrise decided to take the franchise in a dramatically different direction with Mobile Fighter G Gundam, the first alternate universe Gundam series. This marked a significant shift away from the Universal Century timeline for television series, though it would continue in OVAs and movies.
Legacy
Victory Gundam holds the distinction of being the final original television series set in the main Universal Century timeline for over three decades, until the announcement of Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX. The series is notable for featuring the first totally original cast since the original Mobile Suit Gundam, with no returning characters from previous entries.
The series introduced several concepts that would influence later Gundam productions, including mass-produced Gundam units and advanced miniaturisation technology. The Victory Gundam itself was noted for being the first mass-produced Gundam design, breaking from the tradition of unique prototype units.
Related media
Novels
A series of five novels was written by director Tomino Yoshiyuki and initially published under the Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko label. This adaptation generally follows the plot of the anime but is notable for additional scenes and dialogue that contain graphic sexual references. The novels also differ from the anime in that the Victory 2 Gundam does not appear.
Manga
A more lighthearted manga adaptation by Toshiya Iwamura was published in Comic BomBom magazine. The serious atmosphere from the show was replaced with gags, less serious personalities, and more super robot-style action scenes. A gag parody manga by Tsukasa Kotobuki entitled “Go! Go! Our Victory Gundam” was published from 1993 to 1994 and later republished in 2012.
A spin-off by Yuichi Hasegawa, “Mobile Suit Victory Gundam Outside Story,” was also published, later republished in 2012 as “Mobile Suit Victory Gundam Side Story.”
Music
The series features four pieces of theme music—two opening themes and two closing themes. The opening theme for the first thirty-one episodes is “Stand Up to the Victory” by Tomohisa Kawasoe, whilst the opening theme for the remaining twenty episodes is “Don’t Stop! Carry On!” by RD. The closing theme for the first thirty-one episodes is “Winners Forever” by INFIX, and the closing theme for the remaining twenty episodes is “Tenderness Once More” by KIX S.
Notably, the first ending theme “Winners Forever” was originally composed for the live-action film Kamen Rider ZO under the title “Rider Forever.”
Credits
Cast
| Character | Japanese |
|---|---|
| Üso Ewin | Sakaguchi Daisuke |
| Shakti Kareen | Ichihara Yumi |
| Katejina Loos | Watanabe Kumiko |
| Chronicle Asher | Dan Tomoyuki |
| Marbet Fingerhut | Yokozawa Keiko |
| Oliver Inoe | Sonobe Keiichi |
| Haro | Matsumoto Rica |
Crew
- Directed by Tomino Yoshiyuki
- Mechanical design by Katoki Hajime, Okawara Kunio, and Ishigaki Junya
- Character design by Ōsaka Hiroshi
- Music by Senju Akira
- Script by Ōkeya Akira, Sonoda Hideki, and Gōdo Kazuhiko
External links
- Mobile Suit Victory Gundam on the Gundam Wiki
- Mobile Suit Victory Gundam on Anime News Network
- Mobile Suit Victory Gundam on MAHQ