Zeon remnants
Zeon remnants were military forces of the Principality of Zeon that refused to surrender after the One Year War and continued resistance against the Earth Federation. After the One Year War, the Principality of Zeon’s military units that did not accept the defeat of the Principality of Zeon went into hiding in various regions.
Following the Battle of A Baoa Qu, more than half of Zeon’s space vessels refused to recognize the Republic of Zeon and escaped from A Baoa Qu. These forces scattered across the Earth Sphere and beyond, establishing bases on asteroids, hidden colonies, Earth, and even Mars. Their objectives varied from unit to unit, and conflicts arose between different remnant groups due to ideological differences, though they generally remained united in their opposition to Federation rule.
Most of them do not have major military bases, living in abandoned villages or wreckage of battleships and engaging in guerrilla activities using ready-made equipment, but there are rare organizations like Axis Zeon that have large-scale production facilities and develop new mobile suits and mobile armors. Some organisations received support from anti-Federation factions within the Republic of Zeon and Anaheim Electronics.
The Federation regarded Zeon remnants as a persistent security threat, leading to the formation of elite units like the Titans and later Londo Bell to hunt them down. However, some Federation factions viewed the remnants as useful adversaries to justify military budgets and occasionally tolerated their existence.
Major organisations
The largest and most influential Zeon remnant groups evolved into significant military movements that challenged Federation authority throughout the Universal Century.
Coming soon
- Mars Zeon
- ReZeon
Neo Zeon
Neo Zeon was a term given to three distinct spacenoid military movements that emerged from Principality of Zeon remnants after the One Year War. These movements sought to restore Zeon’s power and achieve spacenoid independence through different approaches and leadership.
Axis Zeon
Axis Zeon were remnant members of the Principality of Zeon who retreated to the giant asteroid base Axis after the end of the One Year War. Led initially by Maharaja Karn and later by Haman Karn, they became the largest organised remnant force outside of Earth. Using Mineva Lao Zabi as a figurehead, they returned to the Earth Sphere in UC 0087 during the Gryps Conflict, eventually forming the First Neo Zeon movement. Under Haman’s leadership, they successfully occupied Side 3 and challenged Federation authority until internal civil war led to their downfall in UC 0089.
Newborn Neo Zeon
Newborn Neo Zeon was the Second Neo Zeon movement led by Char Aznable, who revealed himself as Casval Rem Deikun, son of Zeon Zum Deikun. Emerging in UC 0092, Char seized control of the refugee colony Sweetwater and declared war on the Federation in UC 0093. Unlike previous movements that sought to restore the Principality, Char’s Neo Zeon aimed to force humanity’s complete migration to space by rendering Earth uninhabitable through asteroid drops. The movement died when the Second Neo Zeon War ended with the disappearance of both Char and Amuro Ray during the battle to prevent Axis from falling to Earth.
The Sleeves
The Sleeves, so-called by Federation Forces because of the ornate sleeve designs on their mobile suits, were formed from the survivors of Newborn Neo Zeon and led by Full Frontal. Operating primarily from Palau, they emerged in UC 0096 seeking to obtain Laplace’s Box to challenge Federation authority. Though they maintained no formal ties to the Republic of Zeon government, they received covert support from sympathetic officials and anti-Federation factions. The organisation was effectively destroyed following the Laplace Incident and Full Frontal’s death.
Delaz Fleet
The Delaz Fleet emerged when Aiguille Delaz withdrew his forces from A Baoa Qu upon learning of Gihren Zabi’s death. They established their base called the “Garden of Thorns” in the shoal zone of former Side 5 and launched Operation Stardust in UC 0083, successfully dropping a colony on North America despite their ultimate defeat. The fleet included the Cima Fleet led by Cima Garahau, which ultimately betrayed Delaz during the operation’s climax.
ReZeon
ReZeon was formed from remnants of Axis Zeon and Titans survivors who fled to Mars after their respective defeats. Led by Alicia Zabi, who claimed to be a descendant of the Zabi family, ReZeon established control over much of Mars in the late UC 0080s. They engaged in conflict with the established Mars Zeon forces, ultimately emerging victorious and ruling Mars as an enlightened monarchy. ReZeon thoroughly removed old Principality of Zeon military technology while reproducing TR Plan and Titans mobile suits at their Mars facilities.
Mars Zeon
The Mars Zeon Independence Army, shortened to Mars Zeon, was a group of Principality of Zeon army remnants who fled to Mars after the One Year War. They established themselves beneath Olympus Mons, constructing the massive Solomon Fortress and Olympus Cannon for long-range bombardment of Earth. In UC 0120, they emerged to challenge the Federation and attempted to steal advanced Gundam technology, earning the nickname “Oldsmobile Army” from Federation forces due to their vintage mobile suit designs.
Smaller remnant groups
Numerous smaller Zeon remnant organisations operated throughout the Universal Century, engaging in guerrilla warfare and terrorist activities.
Wolf’s Hammer
A small asteroid base for the Zeon remnants of Wolf’s Hammer. It became the launch base for the Silver Lance, a suicide attack weapon, as the basis for the execution of the Silver Lance terrorist plan against [Side 3](/side-3. Led by former Mobile Suit Special Duty Guerrilla Squad members, they attempted to bomb Side 3 in UC 0084 to remind the people of Zeon that the war had not ended. All members were eventually captured and imprisoned by the Republic of Zeon.
Invisible Knights
Operating from bases on Earth, including facilities on the Arabian Peninsula, the Invisible Knights conducted Operation Tears of Varuna in UC 0081. They managed to temporarily recapture territory from Federation forces and used it as a staging ground for operations in space.
Terrestrial remnants
Various Zeon remnant cells remained hidden on Earth, particularly in Africa and other remote regions. These groups often received limited support from larger organisations and conducted small-scale guerrilla operations against Federation installations. During the Laplace Incident in UC 0096, terrestrial remnants coordinated with The Sleeves to launch attacks on Dakar and Torrington Base.
Equipment and resources
Zeon remnants typically operated with limited resources, relying on salvaged equipment from the One Year War and subsequent conflicts. Most of them do not have major military bases, living in abandoned villages or wreckage of battleships and engaging in guerrilla activities using ready-made equipment.
Mobile suits used by remnant groups ranged from outdated MS-06 Zaku II units to captured Federation machines and modified designs. Larger organisations like Axis Zeon and Mars Zeon maintained production facilities, allowing them to develop new mobile weapons. The Sleeves notably used refurbished machines dating back to the One Year War alongside newer designs obtained from Anaheim Electronics.
Many remnant groups modified their mobile suits with distinctive markings to identify their allegiance. The Sleeves became famous for their elaborate sleeve designs, while other groups adopted variations of traditional Zeon emblems or symbols commemorating significant events like colony drops.
Impact and legacy
The existence of these remnants, which engage in armed uprisings and resistance activities in various regions, is a serious social problem for the Federation, and from UC 0080s to the 0120s, Zeon remnant organizations of various sizes sprang up. Their persistent resistance influenced Federation military policy throughout the Universal Century.
The activities of Zeon remnants directly led to the formation of the Titans in UC 0083, following the colony drop during Operation Stardust. Later, the continued threat posed by various remnant groups justified the creation of Londo Bell as an elite anti-Zeon force. The Federation’s often heavy-handed responses to remnant activities contributed to ongoing tensions between Earth and the space colonies.
Despite their ultimate defeats, Zeon remnant organisations kept alive the ideological struggle for spacenoid independence. Their actions inspired subsequent independence movements and demonstrated the lasting appeal of Zeonist philosophy among spacenoid populations. Even after the Republic of Zeon rejoined the Earth Federation in UC 0100, remnant groups like Mars Zeon continued to emerge in the outer solar system.
The fragmented nature of the remnant movement, with groups often fighting amongst themselves due to ideological differences, ultimately weakened their overall effectiveness. However, their persistence across multiple decades of the Universal Century timeline ensured that the Federation could never fully suppress the desire for spacenoid autonomy that Zeon Zum Deikun had originally championed.
Behind the scenes
Zeon remnants have been a recurring element throughout the Universal Century timeline in various Gundam media. The concept was first introduced in Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory with the Delaz Fleet, establishing the template for post-war resistance movements. Subsequent series and manga expanded on this concept, with groups like Axis Zeon appearing in Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam and Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ, while The Sleeves featured prominently in Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn.
The Mars-based remnant groups were introduced in manga series such as Mobile Suit Gundam F90 and Advance of Zeta Re-Boot: Gundam Inle, exploring how Zeon ideology persisted in the outer solar system. These various media portrayals have maintained consistent themes of spacenoid independence and the long-term consequences of the One Year War.