The Gundam franchise has been around for over four decades. Over that time, the franchise has given us several classic series, created an entirely new sub-genre within mecha anime, and made some of the most iconic characters both in anime history and fiction as well. But there are countless Gundam anime series, and who knows where to begin?
Well, that’s where this list comes in. We’ll be looking at an array of the best Gundam series (OVAs and television shows) of all time, and ranking them according to where they all stand on IMDb. Which series should newcomers watch next? What series made it to the top? We can answer both of those questions.
Updated on October 1, 2020, by Richard Keller: There have been several Gundam-based shows since the original was launched in 1979. They've delved into various aspects of the Universal Century and gone beyond. Some are original concepts that are outside of the regular continuity. A few more examples and their IMDb ratings are below.
15 Mobile Suit Gundam I
One of the many sequels placed in the Universe Century, Mobile Suit Gundam I is about a reluctant young man who's the only one to pilot a new mech. The main reason is the space station where the Gundam was located is destroyed.
Though he doesn't want to fight the Principality of Zeon, he has no other choice. The new Federation suit he controls is one of the only things that stands between conquest and success. This 1981 series has a 7.4 rating on IMDb.
14 Gundam Build Fighters
The 2013 series seems to take place in the continuity of the Universe Century. Or, at least has some connection to it. Gundams are certainly popular, to the point they have their own TV shows.
The show's main character, Sei Iori, wants to be a Gundam champion like his father. However, he doesn't know where to start. Things change when he meets a Gundam fighter named Reiji. Gundam Build Fighters has an IMDb rating of 7.4. It also features the voice of Mr. Ral from the original 1979 Gundam series.
13 Mobile Fighter G Gundam
This 1994 series with an IMDb rating of 7.5 is like Pokémon. Except, Pikachu has been replaced by a giant Gundam. Also like Pokemon, there's more to the plot than a simple battle royale between mechs.
Set in a series of orbital space colonies, Mobile Fighter G Gundam is about the Gundam Fight -- a tournament created to prevent war. Whoever wins the battle becomes the leader of the space colonies for a four-year term. Not only is this about the battle between neo-countries but it's also a story of capturing and destroying the elusive Devil Gundam.
12 Turn-A Gundam
Turn-A Gundam takes place hundreds of years into the future, citizens of Earth no longer explore the stars. In fact, the technology they use is at World War I levels. That is, until a Gundam reveals itself in a coming-of-age ceremony.
This is a good thing. An advanced race of humans who live on the Moon and still have Gundams is on the way to take Earth back. As the threat gets closer, other Earth-based Gundams are revealed. The show's storyline and pace give Turn-A Gundam a 7.6 on IMDb.
11 Mobile Suit Gundam Seed
The first series in the "Cosmic Era," Mobile Suit Gundam Seed takes place in a time where humans are divided. Those on Earth are the Naturals while genetically-altered ones from space are the Coordinators. Eventually, war breaks out between the two factions. This means the introduction of mech suits.
The series tells the story of several Gundam pilots who work to get through enemy lines and stop the war. They utilize ultra-advanced mechas from a neutral consolidation of nations. Yet, Coordinators and Naturals alike are brought together to set things right. The series ranks on IMDb at 7.7.
10 GUNDAM: THE ORIGIN
Gundam The Origin was a modern foray into the world of Universal Century, returning to an era seldom seen in Gundam history: the time before the One Year War. Delving into the history of the Red Comet, The Origin tells us the story of how Casval Rem Deikun becomes Char Aznable.
This series eschews most of the usual Earth Federation Forces stuff and centers in on the Zeon side of things, showing how the Principality of Zeon rose to power, with all of the dark actions they had to take to get there. The Origin ranks at a 7.8.
9 MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM UNICORN
After years dealing solely with multiple Alternate Universe timelines, Sunrise decided to return to the Universal Century by adapting Gundam Unicorn, one of the more popular light novels based on the series.
Taking place a few years after Char’s Counterattack, the storyline follows Banagher Links, a teenaged boy who saves a young girl named Audrey Burns, and winds up dragged into the conflict between Londo Bell and the Neo-Zeon forces over something known as Laplace’s Box. A series of seven OVAs, this series ranks at a 7.9.
8 GUNDAM 0083: STARDUST MEMORY
Stardust Memory occurs in the aftermath of the One Year War and shows how the losing side of a war is rarely ever willing to simply give up peacefully. The crew of the Earth Federation Forces carrier Albion find themselves going up against remnant Zeon forces who’ve stolen an experimental Gundam suit.
A 90’s era OVA from Sunrise, it’s unsurprising that the series features excellent animation and some of the best designs in Gundam. But it’s 7.9 ranking is pretty shocking, though one could easily attribute this to the wet doormat of a lead character, Kou Uraki.
7 GUNDAM: IRON-BLOODED ORPHANS
Surprisingly, this series is ranked so low, only making as far as a 7.9 on IMDb. The series is set around a group of literal orphans, humans on Mars who’ve been treated as slaves, used as decoys in battle, and referred to as “human garbage”. A collection of these orphans overthrow their masters and form a new group known as Tekkadan, seeking to carve out a measure of freedom in this complex world.
Iron-Blooded Orphans’ ranking probably happens for several reasons: it’s strange, un-Gundam-like designs for most of its mobile suits, it’s stoic lead protagonist, and its ending—one in which the heroes are conclusively defeated, with Tekkadan shattered while others go on to make changes to the world in their place.
6 GUNDAM 0080: WAR IN THE POCKET
Tying with the original Gundam series as well as 08th MS Team, Gundam 0080 is probably unlike any other series in the Gundam franchise. While most series occur right at the center of the action, War in the Pocket couldn’t be further from it, showing a young man learning the horrors of war from another perspective.
It follows Alfred, an elementary school kid who meets two adults on opposite sides of the One Year War: Bernie, a Zeon soldier, and Christina Mackenzie, a Federation test pilot. Over six episodes, what should have been a sweet romance turns to bitter tragedy, as duty pushes them both into action against one another. This series serves both as a great character study while also building up the world of the Universal Century.
5 MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM
The original series of the franchise ties with several other series at a solid 8. It’s this series that managed to revolutionize the world of mecha, with young Amuro Ray struggling to survive aboard White Base, a ship staffed with an inexperienced crew and stuffed with refugees after a surprise attack on the colony housing it by the Zeon.
Barely into his teens, Amuro deals with the struggles of simultaneously being the ace pilot of the ship and going up against Zeon soldiers who are vastly more talented than him. This would also introduce the key villain of the early half of the Universal Century, the Red Comet, Char Aznable, and start a rivalry that would last for years to come.
4 MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM: 08TH MS TEAM
Tomino’s vision for Gundam involved the transition from Super Robot into Real Robot, where the mecha are mass-produced and used as primary devices for war. Though all of his series move in this direction, few ever quite hit the levels of 08th MS Team. The specialized prototypes and psychic space people are kept to a minimum, instead turning into a gritty drama about being trapped in a war in the middle of a jungle.
The characters are all down-to-Earth, feeling like people any of us might have known before they went off to war—ones we pray manage to survive and come back just how they left. It’s no surprise this series scored an 8.0 with the fans.
3 MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM WING
Tied with second place at 8.1, Gundam Wing is probably the most popular series on this list worldwide. It was how the West was introduced to Gundam—five pretty boy pilots, some of the most unique mecha designs (at the time) anyone had ever seen, and catchy music provided by Two-Mix.
First appearing on American airwaves in March of 2000, the series delved into some pretty complex topics for the target audience of Toonami: the meaning of pacifism, the place of remote-controlled weaponry in war, and more. This wasn’t especially new for Gundam, but it was certainly new for people watching cartoons 20 years ago.
2 MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM 00
Coming in at an 8.1, this series feels like the perfected version of Gundam Wing. A group of young, attractive teenage guys work together to put a stop to war, using mobile suits that are significantly more advanced than anything else being used by other military forces.
Though it’s a little hypocritical to attempt to stop war with war, Gundam 00 gave us a cohesive organization in Celestial Being, and in doing so made the end goal of our heroes seem less out of reach and haphazard. Add in the way they delved into the backstory of these characters and you get one of the best series of the 2000s.
1 ZETA GUNDAM
Unsurprisingly, Zeta Gundam sits at the very top of this list with an 8.2. After making the Gundam series popular through the theatrical version of the show, this series doesn’t have the problem of coming to an end too quickly. It’s able to tell a gritty war story that includes how war affects the young, how easy it is for alliances to shift, how there aren’t any good guys.
But most importantly, the end of Zeta Gundam teaches us that anyone can die, and there isn’t always a happy ending for our heroes. While it might not be a perfect series, it feels like it represents what Tomino’s vision for Gundam was more than any other.