Aside from "Are Amuro and Char alive at the end of Char's Counterattack?", one of the longest-running debates in Gundam involves discussing who are the best pilots in the franchise. This is a difficult discussion to have as Gundam has been going for decades at this point, and it's made all the more complex by having so many talented pilots that are either just naturally skilled or were literally evolved forms of humans that just happen to have a better bond with machinery than any normal human ever could.
There have been pilots who are so skilled they can survive against entire armies alone, or wipe out whole battalions without getting a scratch on their mobile suit. Which of them stands at the top of the heap?
10 Shiro Amada Is One Of The Most Talented Non-Enhanced Human Gundam Pilots (Gundam 08th MS Team)
Shiro Amada is one of the best “normal” pilots, someone who didn’t have special abilities. Most Gundam fans are aware of what Shiro could do when he was forced. He managed to outmaneuver and survive against a Zaku in a Ball, which is usually a guaranteed loss.
Later still he held his own against ace pilot Norris Packard, though it was only because he had a superior mobile suit in the Ez-8 and combat got crazy. He’s a great pilot, but on the lower end compared to the others.
9 Norris Packard Was A True Ace Pilot That Took On An Entire Mobile Suit Squad By Himself (08th MS Team)
Norris Packard was the bodyguard of Aina Sahalin, a member of Zeon royalty basically. He was an incredibly talented pilot and took his Gouf Custom into battle alongside Aina several times.
When he goes up against the 08th Mobile Suit squadron, he’s easily able to hold his own even though Shiro has a superior mobile suit. His overall talent allows him to accomplish his mission despite being defeated in battle by Shiro.
8 Ramba Ral Was Able To Scare Amuro Ray With The Power Of His Gouf (Mobile Suit Gundam)
Ramba Ral is the pilot of the successor suit to the Zaku mobile suit; the Zeon originally used to turn the tide of the war, the MS-07 Gouf. Ramba’s incredible skill with the Gouf left even Amuro shaken during their first confrontation.
Ramba Ral and his forces spent several episodes of the original Gundam chasing after White Base. Amuro grows powerful enough to defeat him, but that’s only due to his rapid growth as a NewType. Ramba Ral is still one of the best human pilots in Gundam history, and one of the few respectable people fighting in the Zeon Army.
7 Char Aznable Is Easily The Most Talented Member Of The Zeon Forces (Mobile Suit Gundam)
Char was the first of many NewTypes to appear in the Universal Century. Incredibly gifted, he excelled no matter what mobile suit he had to pilot. His skill with mobile suits allows him to tune his suits to move faster than any normal mobile suit can. He excels at everything from military strategy to weaponry and fencing.
While he’s naturally gifted and his NewType powers place him above any average soldier... he doesn’t compare to most NewTypes in terms of power, which is why Amuro Ray so easily decimates him in combat by the time of Char’s Counterattack.
6 Heero Yuy Was Able To Control The Strain Of The Zero System & Survive Against An Army Of Robot Mobile Suits (Gundam Wing)
Heero Yuy was the main character of Gundam Wing, and of course the most powerful member of the group as well. He piloted the Wing Gundam, and in doing so embarrassed most of the OZ forces for quite some time.
Heero’s talent is also so impressive he was able to survive in a Leo against an entire army of AI-piloted Mobile Dolls. His will is strong enough that he was able to resist the ZERO System and use it to his advantage.
5 Judau Ashta Is An Incredibly Powerful NewType Who Fought As A Pilot For Decades (ZZ Gundam)
Judau Ashta was a powerful NewType that became the ace pilot of the Argama, even though he never took himself seriously. He was the protagonist of Gundam ZZ and started out as a simple junk dealer before starting to pilot the Zeta Gundam.
He battled against the forces of the Neo-Zeon in the Zeta Gundam but eventually upgraded to the ZZ Gundam. His power helps him shield the ZZ Gundam in combat, and he’s probably one of the Gundam pilots to last the longest, making appearances even in his old age to help the Crossbone Vanguard.
4 Kamille Bidan Is The Most Powerful NewType Ever & Can Fire Energy Made Of Pure Psychic Energy (Zeta Gundam)
Kamille Bidan was naturally gifted as a mobile suit pilot. The character found his way into the Gundam Mk II and survived against the threat of the Titans. But that wasn’t enough —eventually he found himself in a desperate battle against the Titans, but he and Quattro were able to constantly whittle down their forces.
Kamille was even smart enough to build his own Gundam, which was made to his specifications and made him capable of going up against powerful mobile armors and winning, even though winning sometimes caused him even more problems.
3 Kira Athrun Was Such A Talented Coordinator He Fought Most Of A Season Without Being Damaged (Gundam SEED)
While Gundam fans everywhere have mixed feelings about Gundam SEED, if there’s a list discussing the best pilots, Kira has to show up. His Coordinator abilities allowed him to pick up the nuances of piloting the Strike Gundam fairly quickly, learning how to pilot and defeating vastly more experienced soldiers on the fly.
By the time the second season comes around in SEED Destiny, fans are quick to point out how Kira is so talented that in the Strike Freedom his suit is never even damaged. Hard to put many people higher than him.
2 Setsuna F. Seiei Surpassed Every Other Coordinator In His Series (Gundam 00)
The main character of Gundam 00, Setsuna started out as a kid soldier trained by Ali-al Saachez. He believed so much in Saachez’s cause that he even killed his own parents, but came to realize how wrong he was after he was nearly brought down in a battle himself.
Being saved by a Gundam, Setsuna devoted himself to the ideals of Celestial Being and to the idea of becoming a Gundam, something that stopped war. Ultimately, Setsuna would become a True Innovator, and prove himself to have piloting skills beyond anything any other pilot would display in 00.
1 Amuro Ray Is One Of The Most Powerful Gundam Pilots & Decimated Char In Their Last Battle (Mobile Suit Gundam, Char's Counterattack)
It’s hard not to think highly of Amuro Ray’s skills. The teenager started out not even knowing how to pilot a Mobile Suit, but his natural NewType abilities were able to help him stand up to Char Aznable, one of the most talented pilots of the One Year War era.
As Amuro got more experienced against different models and types of pilots, he only improved his skill. Eventually, he proved to be one of the most capable pilots on either side of the war.