XXXG-01S Shenlong Gundam

The XXXG-01S Shenlong Gundam was a close-quarters combat Gundam-type mobile suit deployed during Operation Meteor in After Colony 195. One of five Gundam units sent to Earth by the space colonies, it was piloted by Chang Wufei, who affectionately called it “Nataku” after his deceased wife. Designed for close combat with the highest fighting ability amongst the original five Gundams, it possessed joints with sufficient range of motion to reproduce Chinese martial arts.

Overview

The Shenlong Gundam was built by Master O in the L5 Colony Cluster. Reflecting Master O’s philosophy, who specialized in mobile suit drive systems, the Shenlong excelled in close combat and possessed exceptional agility. The mobile suit’s joints featured an extraordinary range of motion sufficient to reproduce Chinese martial arts techniques, giving it the highest level of fighting ability out of the five Gundams.

Its primary armament consisted of head-mounted vulcan guns, a Chinese/Japanese-style beam glaive, a shield on the left arm, and a Chinese-inspired “Dragon Fang” on the right forearm. The Dragon Fang, a claw-like weapon shaped like a dragon’s head, was not part of the Shenlong’s original design; it was added after initial construction, replacing the standard right arm with an extending weapon system incorporating flamethrowers. This modification enhanced the mobile suit’s close-range lethality whilst reinforcing its dragon motif.

The name “Shenlong” literally means “god dragon” in Chinese, with the dragon and flame motifs possibly referencing Nezha, a Chinese war god known in Japanese as Nataku—the name Chang Wufei gave his mobile suit.

Design

Concept and development

The Shenlong Gundam was designed and constructed by Master O in the L5 Colony Cluster. As the Shenlong Gundam neared completion, Meilan Long, who was Wufei’s wife and had taken the name “Nataku”, headed out in the Tallgeese Zi-Long when the colony was attacked. Unfortunately, the ensuing battle took its toll on Nataku, and she later died in Wufei’s arms. Her death caused Wufei to take up the role of piloting the Shenlong against the United Earth Sphere Alliance and OZ. Throughout the conflict, Wufei affectionately called the Shenlong Gundam “Nataku” after his deceased wife.

Like the Wing Gundam, the Shenlong was derived from the XXXG-00W0 Wing Gundam Zero prototype, though it diverged significantly to emphasize martial arts combat capability. The mobile suit was constructed from Gundanium alloy, providing superior defensive capabilities compared to standard mobile suits.

The Dragon Fang was not part of the Shenlong’s original design. The mobile suit was initially constructed with a standard right arm identical to the left, but this was later replaced with the extending Dragon Fang weapon system, demonstrating the adaptability of the Gundam’s design.

Technical features

The Shenlong Gundam’s design emphasized close-quarters combat capability and exceptional agility. The mobile suit’s joints possessed an extraordinary range of motion, sufficient to reproduce Chinese martial arts techniques—a unique capability amongst the Operation Meteor Gundams. This flexibility, combined with Master O’s expertise in drive systems, gave the Shenlong the highest fighting ability of the five Gundams.

A unique feature was the Fighting Sight, a sensor system installed in the shoulders and chest that instantly calculated the precise position, movement, and weak points of an opponent during combat. This system enhanced the pilot’s ability to execute precision strikes with the beam glaive or Dragon Fang.

The cockpit was a spherical capsule located in the torso with shock mitigation functions similar to the other Operation Meteor Gundams. The simple and compact design of the Shenlong’s systems attested to the mobile suit’s emphasis on melee combat over complex weaponry.

Notably, the Shenlong Gundam was the only one of the original five to not have any clavicle-mounted weaponry such as missiles or machine guns, reflecting its pure close-combat specialization.

Armament

Beam Glaive

The Shenlong Gundam’s main weapon in close combat was this naginata-like weapon. The beam blade at its tip could pierce a target’s weak spots with pinpoint precision. The beam glaive was stored on the Gundam’s back when not in use and could be wielded with devastating effect, capable of slicing multiple mobile suits in single sweeping attacks.

Dragon Fang

A claw-like weapon shaped like a dragon’s head, mounted on the right forearm and flipping forward when in use. The Dragon Fang could be extended for medium-range combat, as the right arm had additional segments folded in the shoulder. It was often used for crushing enemies and mounted a pair of flamethrowers, adding to the dragon motif.

The Dragon Fang could execute the deadly “Dragon Fang Fire” attack, in which the Shenlong Gundam seized its target with the claw and then fired a burst from the flamethrowers, melting the enemy’s armor. The extending capability provided unexpected reach in close combat.

Flamethrowers

Built into the sides of the Dragon Fang, the pair of flamethrowers were short-to-medium range weapons. They were most effective when used in conjunction with the Dragon Fang’s grasping attack, concentrating flame on immobilized targets.

Shenlong Shield

The simple and compact design of this shield attested to the mobile suit’s emphasis on melee combat. It could also be thrown as an offensive weapon, providing ranged attack capability. The shield was mounted on the left arm and could deflect beam and physical attacks.

Vulcan Guns

A pair of shell-firing armaments built into the head. Whilst possessing low offensive power, they were used to restrict enemy movement and lay down suppressive fire due to their rapid-fire capability. They served as the mobile suit’s anti-personnel and light-armor weapons.

Beam Cannon

A large, long-range weapon originally used by the OZ-12SMS Taurus, firing a powerful beam that could destroy even Gundanium alloy armor. This optional armament provided the Shenlong with long-range capability when required.

Beam Saber

A handheld weapon that emitted a blade-shaped beam for close combat. It was used in Episode Zero manga, due to the fact the Shenlong had yet to be equipped with proper weapons at the time.

Dober Gun

A weapon borrowed from Meilan Long’s Tallgeese Zi-Long, it was an accurate, high-powered, long-range gun. This powerful weapon was clip-fed and possessed a huge recoil when fired.

Special equipment

Fighting Sight

A unique sensor system installed in the shoulders and chest that instantly calculated the precise position, movement, and weak points of an opponent during combat. This system provided significant tactical advantage in close-quarters engagements, enabling precision strikes.

Self-destruct system

The Shenlong Gundam was built with a self-destruct system that the pilot could activate via a remote detonator in the cockpit. The system was designed to overload the mobile suit’s power systems and had sufficient explosive power to destroy several city blocks. It served as a last-resort tactic to prevent the Gundam from falling into enemy hands or could be used as a large explosive device against major targets.

Operational history

Operation Meteor

The Shenlong Gundam was sent to Earth with Chang Wufei to commence Operation Meteor in April AC 195. After making Earthfall, Wufei used the Shenlong to attack OZ naval forces around China and India, moving south to attack the Lake Victoria Base in Africa.

Wufei continued to attack OZ bases with the Shenlong and uncovered a plot by OZ officials to leak the location of a secret meeting of the United Earth Sphere Alliance leaders and trick the Gundams into assassinating them. Unfortunately, Wufei and his Shenlong arrived at New Edwards Base too late to warn the other Gundam pilots of OZ’s treachery. Heero Yuy mistakenly killed many of the Alliance’s dovish faction using his Wing Gundam, allowing the war hawks to seize control.

Duel with Treize

In the aftermath of the New Edwards incident, Wufei decided that the quickest way to end the hostilities was to kill OZ’s leader Treize Khushrenada, and attacked his fleet using the Shenlong. Treize challenged Wufei to a duel outside of a mobile suit, which Wufei accepted. Wufei was defeated, but Treize spared his life due to his bravery in accepting the duel. Wufei then escaped into the sea in the Shenlong, with doubts in his mind about his own strength.

Returning to Asia, Wufei assisted local guerrillas fighting against OZ with his Shenlong and eventually regained his confidence. The mobile suit’s martial arts-inspired combat capabilities proved highly effective in guerrilla operations.

Space deployment and destruction

As the war in the colonies began to intensify, Wufei linked up with Duo Maxwell and Quatre Raberba Winner to attack a spaceport in Singapore and return to space. The Shenlong, which was designed for combat on Earth, fared poorly in space, and multiple sorties took their toll on the Gundam.

The Shenlong was finally disabled when Wufei attacked OZ’s lunar base. Wufei was taken prisoner, but the Shenlong was secretly upgraded by the five Gundam scientists, who were also captive there, into the XXXG-01S2 Altron Gundam, addressing the original’s weaknesses in space combat whilst retaining and enhancing its close-combat specialization.

Production

Design and development

The Shenlong Gundam was designed by Okawara Kunio for the 1995 anime series Mobile Suit Gundam Wing. The initial design draft followed the nationality trend from Mobile Fighter G Gundam, with the Shenlong Gundam’s design being Chinese and based on the GF13-011NC Dragon Gundam.

The final design emphasized Chinese aesthetics with the dragon-themed Dragon Fang weapon and martial arts-inspired mobility. The dragon and flame motifs may reference Nezha, a Chinese war god, reinforced by Wufei referring to the mobile suit as “Nataku”, the Japanese name for this deity.

The model number ending in “S” rather than a two-letter code like the Sandrock’s “SR” was likely intentional, with the Sandrock receiving two letters to avoid confusion with the Shenlong’s single-letter designation.

Reception

The Shenlong Gundam became popular amongst fans for its distinctive Chinese design and unique Dragon Fang weapon system. The mobile suit has been featured extensively in model kit releases, including multiple High Grade versions from Bandai, with a new HGAC version finally released in 2022 after years of fan anticipation.

Prior to its High Grade After Colony kit announcement, the Shenlong Gundam had become a subject of general ridicule in both Japanese and international fandom, particularly after a February 2021 Bandai Spirits Twitter post promoting HGAC and Real Grade Gundam Wing model kits conspicuously omitted the Shenlong, as it had not yet been confirmed for production. The eventual 2022 release was celebrated by fans who had waited over two decades for a modern High Grade version.

Specifications

Specification	Details
Model Number	XXXG-01S
Code Name	Shenlong Gundam
Unit Type	Close-quarters martial arts combat mobile suit
Manufacturer	Master O
Operator	Colony Liberation Organization, G Team
Pilot	Chang Wufei
Overall Height	16.4 metres
Weight	7.4 tonnes
Armor Material	Gundanium alloy
Power Plant	Ultracompact fusion reactor
Accommodation	Pilot only, in spherical cockpit in torso
Fixed Armament	2 × vulcan gun; dragon fang with 2 × flamethrower; Shenlong shield
Hand-carried Armament	Beam glaive; beam saber (Episode Zero); dober gun (optional); beam cannon (optional)
Special Equipment	Self-destruct system; fighting sight

Variants

XXXG-01SB Blizzard Gundam

An alternate configuration appearing in G-Unit manga.

XXXG-01SD Twin-Headed Lizard Gundam

An alternate configuration appearing in G-Unit manga.

XXXG-01SS Shooting Star Shenlong

An alternate configuration appearing in G-Unit manga.

XXXG-01ST Aqua Shenlong

An alternate configuration appearing in G-Unit manga.

Catastrophe D

An alternate configuration appearing in side stories.

Shenlong Acguy

A hybrid variant appearing in side stories.

Appearances

The XXXG-01S Shenlong Gundam appeared in the following works:

• Mobile Suit Gundam Wing (anime series, episodes 1-40)
• Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: Episode Zero (manga, incomplete form)
• Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: Glory of the Losers (manga)
• New Mobile Report Gundam Wing: G-Unit (manga, variants)
• Gundam Build Fighters Try (cameo, customized version)
• Gundam Build Divers (episode 12)
• Various video games including SD Gundam G Generation Cross Rays and Gundam Breaker Mobile

External links

• XXXG-01S Shenlong Gundam on the Gundam Wiki