Gundam: Where the heck do I start?

On a recent podcast, there was a question about where would be a good place to start in the Gundam franchise. There are many movies/TV series that jumped around into continuing stories, side-stories, and alternative universe stories. It makes the Star Trek franchise look simple in comparison. First, let’s lay all the facts on the table.

Here is a rundown of Gundam in order of the year it was released:
Mobile Suit Gundam TV series/Movie Trilogy (1979/1981)*
Mobile Suit Gundam Zeta (1985)*
Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ (1986)
Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack (1988)*
Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket (1989)*
Gundam F-91 (1991)*
Gundam 0083 (1991)*
Mobile Suit Victory Gundam (1993)
Mobile Fighter G Gundam (1994)*
Gundam Wing (1995)*
Mobile Suit Gundam: 08th MS Team (1996)*
Gundam X (1996)
Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz (1997)*
Turn-A Gundam (1999)
Gundam SEED (2002)*
Gundam 00 (2007)*
Gundam Unicorn (2010)*
* = series/movies that have been released in America on DVD

The series/movies on that list, however, are not in any particular story order. Many follow the timeline of Universal Century, but others are alternative universes. Since the Universal Century is the main and largest timeline in the Gundam franchise, here is a list of the events in chronological order in that universe.

Universal Century timeline chronology:
Mobile Suit Gundam TV/Movie trilogy (UC 0079)
Mobile Suit Gundam: 08th MS Team (UC 0079)
Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket (UC 0080)
Gundam 0083 (UC 0083)
Mobile Suit Gundam Zeta (UC 0087)
Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ (UC 0088)
Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack (UC 0093)
Gundam Unicorn (UC 0096)
Gundam F-91 (UC 0123)
Mobile Suit Victory Gundam (UC 0153)

As for where to start, there are several options. Most of us who grew up watching Toonami were first exposed to Gundam Wing, which I would say was a great primer for the Mobile Suit Gundam TV series that would later follow.

Normally, I would say start from the original Gundam TV series from 1979, but it’s hard to recommend to those anime fans that have this distaste of anything made before 1995. Generally, Gundam Wing is the most well-known of all the Gundam titles because of it’s pretty boy aspect. Don’t let that element fool you, however, as that is just the candy to lure you into the real meat of the story which is more political and morally based than any other Gundam series. So if those type of fans have watch just one Gundam series, it might as well be this one.

If you’re a fan who is more into Go Nagai and like anime that is more campy and fun than deep and serious, G Gundam is the way to go. Simply put, it’s a national fighting tournament with giant robots. It’s silly and ridiculous, but it’s also the most fun you’ll ever have watching a Gundam series.

However, all those recommendations are from the alternative universes. I haven’t really recommended any from the Universal Century timeline. Mostly because I’m not sure what to compare it to. The best place to start is with either the Mobile Suit Gundam TV series or the movie trilogy. Not just because it’s the first, but it’s also the best. Its dark, it’s operatic, and truly feels like a real war, more than any other Gundam title. So unless you feel dedicated to following Gundam from the start, the only other types of people I could recommend this to are anime fans who feel burnt-out on mecha shows.

So there you go. You have several options of where to start and where to go from there. Sure, I haven’t explained too much about these series, but you know what: DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH! I ain’t your daddy. You have the internet. I’ve pointed you in the right direction, now go follow it.