For over 40 years, the Gundam franchise has thrilled millions of fans worldwide as pilots board the eponymous robotic battlesuits to confront one another in epic conflicts.Now, a trilogy of light novels written by franchise creator Yoshiyuki Tomino known as Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway's Flash is being adapted into three anime films. The first of these will premiere in Japan on July 23, with Kenso Ono voicing the titular protagonist Hathaway Noa.
Published in Japan from 1989-1990, Tomino wrote the novels as a followup to Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack. Set 12 years after the Second Neo Zeon War, the novel trilogy follows Hathaway as he founds a terrorist organization in response to the injustices carried out by the Earth Federation against its colonies.
An anime adaptation was announced in 2018, produced by Japanese animation studio Sunrise, which is behind Cowboy Bebop and numerous Gundam anime adaptations. Elements of the novels have also been adapted into video games and merchandise, including Hathaway's signature Gundam the RX-105 Gundam.
Directed by Shuko Murase and written by Yasuyuki Muto, Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway's Flash premieres July 23 in Japan.