Gundam GQuuuuuuX Breaks the Original Series’ Timeline in a Massive Way

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The Gundam series boasts one of the more intricate multiverses found within popular media. Unlike its early installments which followed a single continuous storyline, each subsequent Gundam anime started its own narrative thread starting with Mobile Fighter G Gundam in 1994. The original series timeline is frequently revisited through mini-series, OVAs, and films under the label of Universal Century. Each new Gundam timeline has a distinct name, leading to labels like Cosmic Era, After War, and Correct Century, among others. To add to the confusion, Turn A Gundam suggests that the entire franchise might occur within a single timeline, with each Gundam show taking place during a unique era that is significantly distant from the rest.

Warning: Spoilers Ahead for Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX!

Certain storylines and periods produce spin-offs and follow-ups, such as “Gundam Seed Destiny,” a continuation of the initial “Gundam Seed” set in the Cosmic Era. The series “Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX” adds another layer to this multiverse by being an alternate reality of the original 1979 “Mobile Suit Gundam” anime, belonging to the same Universal Century timeline as its predecessor but featuring the same characters and background. The final episode of “Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX” discloses what caused a rift in this timeline, leading to the development of alternate yet distinct storylines from the classic Universal Century.

Char’s Death Broke the Gundam Multiverse

In the anime “Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX”, characters were pursuing something known as the Rose of Sharon. However, it was later revealed that the Rose of Sharon was none other than Elmeth, a mobile armor from the original series, controlled by Lalah Sune who was trapped in an unusual state of stasis. Towards the end of the series, Shuji Ito disclosed that the Lalah in Elmeth originated from an alternate universe similar to the original “Mobile Suit Gundam” anime. The key difference being that in this alternate timeline, Char survived the fateful battle between him, Amuro, Lalah, and Sayla Mass – a battle where Char originally perished. In this version of events, it was Char who took the damage intended for Elmeth, causing immense distress to Lalah. Using her Newtype abilities, she fractured the timeline at that very moment.

In her quest, she dreamt up numerous distinct realities, aiming to establish one where Char would reside. Each endeavor resulted in disappointment until she fashioned a universe where Char seized the RX-78-2 Gundam, making it impossible for any mobile suit to halt him. With Char at the helm of the Gundam, the Principality of Zeon emerged victorious in the One Year War, thereby empowering the Zabi family to rule over the colonies in space, resulting in the timeline known as “Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX“. Kycilia Zabi sought to discover the Rose of Sharon, a source of power for the Yomagn’tho, a potent artifact capable of summoning Zeknova, an extraordinary event causing radiant lights to envelop a person. Machu, who formed a bond with a Lalah variant in the “Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX” universe, resolved to liberate the Lalah residing in Elmeth.

Was the original Gundam Series Not The Main Timeline?

In summary, Shuji’s interpretation at the end of the series proposes that the initial Gundam timeline is the one where Amuro defeats Char during the One Year War, contrary to the original storyline in Universal Century. In the traditional Universal Century timeline, Amuro and Char would survive the war, initially becoming reluctant allies in the “Zeta Gundam” anime series. Their rivalry would resurface when Char rebuilt Zeon and planned to bombard Earth with a meteor, forcing humanity to colonize space. In the final moments of the “Char Counterattack” movie, they are last seen together, vanishing after Amuro in the Nu Gundam prevents the meteor from striking Earth. While they are presumed missing, “Gundam Unicorn” hints that they may have transformed into spirits.

In simpler terms, if Shuji’s theory is correct, it suggests that the main timeline in Universal Century is an alternate reality where Char does not die. The traditional series might represent a failed effort by Lalah to save Char, making it an exception rather than the primary universe. However, there’s a chance that the universe where Elmeth’s Lalah exists could be the original Universal Century timeline. In Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX, Lalah leaves this reality to return to her own timeline, potentially sacrificing herself as she did in the original series, thereby restoring the original Universe as the primary one, although this is just speculation. Additionally, Gundam GQuuuuuuX introduces the concept that Newtypes can summon Zeknova to travel between dimensions or realities, raising the possibility that Amuro and Char from the end of Char’s Counterattack still exist in some other reality.

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2025-06-27 15:10