By the 2010s, anime was well on its way to experiencing a second boom period in the West. While Gundam wasn't leading the charge the way it did in the 2000s with Gundam Wing, it was still enjoying the benefits. After a decade with the Universal Century on the sidelines, Sunrise finally made their main timeline relevant again with Gundam Unicorn.
Sunrise kept up the other Gundam series as well, introducing one of the best alternate universe anime of all time and an amazing side universe with the Gundam Build franchise. By the end of this decade, Gundam was in a stronger place than it had been since the '80s.
14 Mobile Suit Gundam Twilight Axis Is A Collection Of Trailers Masquerading As A Story
Twilight Axis is supposed to be an adaptation of a light novel story. Unfortunately, Sunrise gave the animators involved neither the time nor the budget to adapt it properly. Instead of Twilight Axis being a full on sequel to Gundam Unicorn and a prequel to Gundam F91, it's just a mess.
There are six episodes, but they're all around three minutes in length. There's no benefit to watching them except for hardcore Gundam fans to claim that they've seen every iteration of the franchise.
13 Mobile Suit Gundam AGE Wastes A Great Idea
Gundam AGE felt like a great idea when it was first pitched. A war between two sides lasts for one hundred years and shows three generations of Gundam pilots. It begins with a young genius named Flit Asuno after he loses his family to an army known as the UE.
Afterwards, Flit builds the AGE-1 to fight back, and this should've started an epic story. But Gundam AGE never goes anywhere interesting with its characters, so the show is just an excuse to look at pretty Level-5 designs. Sunrise really should've just kept this as a video game, as it's a Gundam storyline that aged poorly.
12 Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative Adds Too Much To The NewType Ideal
Gundam NT is meant to be a sequel to Gundam Unicorn, which is one of the more beloved Gundam anime from the 2010s. But the film makes a lot of mistakes, starting with leaning too much into all the NewType stuff.
There's a lot of talk about psycho-frames and the power of NewTypes that starts to sound less like the next evolution of humans and more like magic. Gundam Narrative is gorgeous to look at, but even fans of the Universal Century timeline can't begin to make any sense of the story.
11 Mobile Suit Gundam 00: A Wakening Of The Trailblazer Is An Unnecessary Epilogue
Gundam 00 is one of the best Gundam series of the 2000s era, and the series was popular enough to revive Gundam for television. It's unsurprising, then, that Sunrise wanted to continue the series with a film.
However, Gundam 00 ended with enough finality that there wasn't a need to add a story like this. Somehow, everyone's favorite True Innovator Setsuna F. Seiei winds up with a new Gundam and dealing with aliens. The idea of aliens in Gundam is laughable, so everyone pretends this film never happened.
10 SD Gundam Sangokuden Brave Battle Warriors Places Gundam In A New Setting
SD Gundam series are a toss-up in terms of quality. Some series are fun and cute, like the shows from the '90s. SD Gundam Sangokuden Brave Battle Warriors decides to take things a bit more seriously, placing the Gundams themselves in a Romance of the Three Kingdoms setting.
A show like this is never going to be considered a mech anime that every anime fan needs to watch, but it can be entertaining as a cute time-waster. With 51 episodes that are only twelve minutes long, it's not even a tough watch.
9
Gundam Build Divers Has Bold Ideas But Doesn't Utilize Them Well
Gundam Build Divers was the third in the Gundam Build series. Where the first two series were closely connected and resued some of the same characters, Build Divers is different. It takes place in the same universe, but doesn't use the old characters.
The augmented reality boards are in the past now and characters now login to a VR world. This new VR location makes Sword Art Online feel like the Virtual Boy, and allows for cooler match-ups and ideas. Unfortunately, Build Divers takes way too long to do anything interesting with its best ideas. It's remembered the least fondly among the Gundam Build series.
8 Gundam: Reconguista in G Welcomes The Creator Of Gundam Back
Gundam: Reconguista in G was supposed to be the triumphant return of Yoshiyuki Tomino, the creator of Gundam. But while fans welcomed the eco-punk setting and the Man Versus Technology feel of the series, something about the series wasn't quite right.
The series didn't quite feel up to Tomino's old standard. Though it was meant to continue the Universal Century timeline, fans didn't really seem to like the series. Notably, there are five compilation films being released that aim to do the anime justice.
7 Gundam Build Fighters Try Emphasizes The Value Of Teamwork In Combat
Gundam Build Fighters is a series that stands alongside all things Gundam. It lovingly references all manner of different Gundam anime and has some amazing fight scenes for fans who really enjoy watching epic battles.
But Fighters Try is a bit different. Instead of trying to replicate the success of Gundam Build Fighters, it tries something new. Set in the same universe, the focus is now on 3-on-3 combat. It's impossible to win without a team, so people have to find those who work perfectly with them. While the fight scenes might be better here, the character development isn't nearly as sharp.
6 Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt Is A Dazzling Animation Showcase
Gundam Thunderbolt is a gorgeous anime. Taking place during the One Year War, it focuses on a specific area in space known as the Thunderbolt Sector. There, a war is waged between Zeon and Federation forces. But which side is actually the "good" side is debatable.
Daryl Lorenz is just a Zeon pilot who cares about his friends while Io Fleming is a psychopath who wants to wipe out every Zeon soldier he sees. Thunderbolt was a great pair of OVAs that any Gundam fan who isn't tired of the One Year War should check out.
5 Gundam Build Fighters Is Better Than It Has Any Right To Be
Gundam Build Fighters was a series that was meant to sell Gunpla but wound up capturing its viewers hearts. From characters like Mr. Ral to other well-known Gundam characters making guest appearances, Build Fighters is a treat for longtime fans.
Gundam Build Fighters balances between having a hot-headed protagonist in Reiji and a quiet kid who thinks too much in Sei, who have to work together if they want to succeed in the world of Gunpla battle.
4 Gundam Build Divers Re:Rise Takes The Gundam Build Story To Serious Levels
Gundam Build Divers was the first sign that the Gundam Build franchise might be on a downward trend. However, Build Divers Re:Rise immediately turned that idea around. A sequel to the original Build Divers, Re:Rise uses a mostly new set of characters.
As the new VR world they log into becomes more realistic, this new team soon learns the truth behind the place they've been treating as a game. With a more likable cast than Build Divers and a better story, this was the strongest Gundam Build series.
3 Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn Returns Fans To The Universal Century
Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn was the first time fans had returned to the Universal Century in animated form for years. Based on a popular light novel, Unicorn was adapted perfectly. Using the OVA format, Unicorn wasn't restricted by run-times and got to offer superior animation to create a truly beautiful series.
Unicorn also got to show how awesome the Unicorn Gundam is. Considering how long Gundam had gone alternate universe, this is one of the most nostalgic mecha anime that's aired in the last 20 years. The series looks and feels retro, like an updated version of a '80s or '90s mecha anime.
2 Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin Tells The Origin Of Char Aznable
If Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn was good, Gundam: The Origin took it to another level. Though fans were expecting it to be based on the manga of the same name, this version took another direction. The series reached into the past of the Universal Century era and focused on one of Gundam's most iconic characters: Char Aznable.
The Origin tells viewers how he got his start, why he despises the Zeon, and how he got his name. This series was so well done it had fans wishing for a remake of the original Gundam series and certainly reignited some interest in the franchise.
1 Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans Presents A Tragic Yet Gripping Tale
Iron-Blooded Orphans was the last new alternate universe Gundam series. Sunrise hasn't attempted another since then and it's easy to see why: this series was just too good. Iron-Blooded Orphans follows the organization Tekkadan, a group of child soldiers rebelling against the brutal conditions on Mars.
Watching these kids trying to survive against a corrupt system built to crush groups like theirs is heartbreaking, but that's what makes the series so captivating. They're a group who's easy to root for, even though from the beginning, it's obvious that they're headed for a tragic end.