Gundam is a franchise that spans several decades and multiple alternate universes, but none of them have been nearly as prolific as Yoshiyuki Tomino's original Universal Century timeline. A gritty world where war seems to be neverending, there’s always a need for new, young protagonists to hop in the cockpit of a new Gundam to try and bring peace to Earth and the colonies.
This time around, we’ll be taking a look at the best of the best Gundam pilots in the Universal Century. This specifically points to Gundam pilots, so we won’t be looking at characters who’ve only ever hopped in Zeon mobile suits. Get ready for a wave of the most powerful Newtypes and most talented aces.
10 SEABOOK ARNO
Seabook Arno was the lead character of the film Mobile Suit Gundam F91. During the film, he manages to take out multiple mobile suits despite having only minimal piloting experience, and that alone is enough to land him on the list. However, he only increased his abilities on the battlefield during the sequel to F91, Mobile Suit Crossbone Vanguard.
There, not only is it revealed that Arno spent ten years building up forces to fight the Jupiter Empire, but he pilots the XM-X1 Crossbone Gundam X-1 to aid the forces in the Crossbone Vanguard to win their battles.
9 IO FLEMING
One of the “lead” characters of Gundam Thunderbolt, Io Fleming is the unhinged, jazz-loving pilot responsible for flying the Full Armor Gundam. One of the few characters on this list with no connections to Newtypes, the pilot’s incredible abilities in the face of overwhelming numbers continue to land him opportunities that wouldn’t be afforded to anyone else.
Fleming is incredible with mobile suits and has been handed two hi-spec Gundams that most people wouldn’t be allowed anywhere near without some manner of Newtype abilities. Although he’s a bit more sadistic in his love of combat than most of the people on this list, he’s still not one to be trifled with.
8 ANAVEL GATO
Anavel is the main antagonist of Gundam 0083: War in the Pocket. Referred to as the “Nightmare of Solomon,” he was once able to single-handedly hold off a group of Earth Federation soldiers, allowing fellow Zeon members to retreat. Another ace pilot with no Newtype abilities, Anavel managed to sneak into an Earth Federation base to steal the Gundam “Physalis,” a prototype with nuclear weaponry.
Afterward, Gato spends most of his time dominating Kou in battle. At the end of the series, Gato finally switches into the Neue Ziel mobile armor but is taken out in combat while attempting to drop a colony on Earth.
7 SHIRO AMADA
Potentially the best of the non-Newtype pilots, Amada entered the One Year War as a wide-eyed rookie but had immense potential that he realizes almost from the very beginning. The instance everyone talks about the most happens in the first episode of Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team, where before even going into battle on Earth, Amada goes up against a Zaku and defeats it using only a Ball.
The RB-79 Ball is a largely useless mobile suit, as they were originally civilian worker pods retrofitted to have weaponry. This displayed Shiro’s versatility in combat, and he only gets better after acquiring the “Ez-8” Gundam.
6 USO EWIN
Uso is the youngest pilot to enter a Gundam in the Universal Century at a mere 13 years of age. He witnesses the effects of the Zanscare Empire’s military force the BESPA first-hand and winds up piloting the Victory Gundam. Though he is far too young to be thrown into battle, once again the powers of the Newtype shines through, allowing Uso to make an impact on the side of League Militaire, the resistance movement working in place of a far weaker Earth Federation.
Uso isn’t some kind of legendary pilot but, honestly, the mere fact that he can go up against experienced aces like Chronicle Asher and come out on top says a lot.
5 BANAGHER LINKS
Born after the One Year War, Banagher Links is an incredibly powerful Newtype, boasting abilities that make him look almost superhuman while piloting his Gundam Unicorn. His mobile suit is incredible, capable of hacking into other suits’ NewType weaponry and use it to attack them.
While this is a product of the suit itself, it is Banagher’s incredible Newtype skills that make it possible. While he spends the early parts of Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn as a punching bag for characters like Full Frontal, by the end, his abilities have massively grown, making Banagher one of the more dangerous threats on a battlefield.
4 JUDAU ASHTA
Though the beginning of Double Zeta is much more light-hearted than its predecessor, that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of battles where Judau gets to prove himself, earning a spot on this list. Only 14 years old, he manages to steal the Zeta Gundam and pilot it into combat against the Neo Zeon, though it isn’t very long before he grabs the Double Zeta and becomes the biggest threat to Zeon empire.
As usual, Ashta's Newtype abilities help get him through, proving to be one of the most powerful yet. Still, he requires Kamille’s psychic powers to put the ZZ Gundam together without other pilots.
3 KAMILLE BIDAN
One of the strongest Newtype pilots in the Universal Century, Kamille is immediately a difference-maker from the moment he joins the AEUG (Anti Earth Union Group). He starts out piloting the Gundam Mk-II, helping the small crew of the Argama to work against the larger forces of the Titans.
Later on, Kamille personally designs his own Gundam in the form of the Zeta Gundam, with his Newtype abilities developing even more as he continues to go into battle. Eventually, Kamille even attains the ability to use the energy of his deceased friends to defeat the head of the Neo Zeon forces, Paptimus Scirroco.
2 CHAR AZNABLE
This might feel a bit cheap, but Char Aznable did pilot the RX-178 Gundam Mk-II, so that does make him one of the Gundam pilots. Char Aznable is one of the most popular characters in anime history, with his signature mask becoming a staple for the Gundam franchise for the next 40 years.
Known as the Red Comet for his penchant for red mobile suits that were designed to be faster than normal, Char was known to have some minor skills as a Newtype. However, it was always expressly pointed out that these skills had very little to do with his abilities as a pilot. This is why he was able to survive two separate wars before finally perishing during Char’s Counterattack.
1 AMURO RAY
Though Char is the more popular and possibly the more influential of the two, Amuro is the better pilot. The two met time and again during the One Year War in Mobile Suit Gundam, and each time Amuro only got better and better, while Char turned to newer mobile suits and whatever tricks he could find.
In fairness, Amuro had superior Newtype abilities, but when it came down to it, once they had a fair fight during Char’s Counterattack, Amuro finally managed to get the win, once and for all.