Mobile Suit Gundam Wing is probably the most popular series in the Gundam franchise among U.S. viewers. For a lot of people, it was their first experience with a Gundam anime, since it appeared on Toonami and was easily accessible.
Consequently, for many, Wing is the definitive Gundam series, the one that introduced them to the franchise and that they have judged all of the other series by. But there are a lot of Gundam series, and Wing is not the first or the last of them. Let’s look at five reasons Gundam Wing is the definitive Gundam anime, along with five reasons why it isn’t.
10 Definitive: Series Introduced Western Fans
As mentioned above, the series introduced a lot of Western fans to the Gundam franchise. If it weren’t for Wing, most American fans would have come to Gundam much later and by a different route.
Because of this position, there aren’t many other Gundam series that will ever be as powerful or important as Gundam Wing was for an entire generation of anime fans and Gundam fans in particular.
9 Not: Mobile Suit Gundam
Mobile Suit Gundam is the original anime series in the Gundam franchise. It wasn’t especially popular when it was airing, and it ultimately got canceled, but its popularity bounced back enough with toy sales and fan interest that the series spawned a myriad of other shows that all take place in the same timeline.
Every Gundam series has its roots in what Mobile Suit Gundam accomplished, and even 40 years later, it is still the best known Gundam anime.
8 Definitive: Super Sentai Sensibilities
Gundam Wing was on the air at the same time that people were really into series like Power Rangers or even Sailor Moon, where characters in brightly colored costumes teamed up to fight evil together.
Gundam Wing has a similar sensibility, with a team of mobile suit pilots working together. This was the first time this kind of team existed in a Gundam series, which otherwise involved lots of lonely people taking on the burden of being a pilot all by themselves.
7 Not: Rehashes Mobile Suit Gundam Plot Points
Gundam Wing is one of the first series to take place outside of the Universal Century timeline. The series suffers a little bit for this because, unlike its predecessor, Mobile Fighter G Gundam, the plot of Gundam Wing doesn’t feel especially original.
In fact, it rehashed a lot of the plot points that made Mobile Suit Gundam so special. This can make Wing feel a little derivative, instead of a series that stands on its own.
6 Definitive: Opening Theme
The music of Gundam Wing is, in general, iconic, and everyone remembers hearing the first opening from when they first watched the series.
It’s a surprisingly jaunty electronic pop song, complete with mobile suit sound effects that feel frankly quaint and adorable 25 years later. “Just Communication” is instantly recognizable and is still one of the best openings of any Gundam series.
5 Not: The Animation
This is often the case for older anime; the animation doesn’t hold up. Animation technology has changed so much in the past two decades, and the difference in the expenses of making sure something looks cool has really changed.
Where Mobile Suit Gundam, the animation of which also hasn’t aged especially well, has a certain charm about the ways it cut corners, Gundam Wing tends to just feel a little cheap by comparison to more recent Gundam series.
4 Definitive: Gundam Designs
When a series features more than one mobile suit, it’s important that they all look distinct and impressive. Gundam Wing definitely manages this goal, with awesome, super recognizable Gundam designs that any Gundam Wing fan would be able to immediately identify.
When there are so many mobile suits, it is a difficult task to make each one stand out, but Wing accomplishes this.
3 Not: Characters Aren’t Great
Where the Gundam designs from Gundam Wing are very impressive and are exciting to look at and watch in action, actually spending time with the characters is a little less interesting.
The series has five main characters, so it’s difficult to root for any of them; they all feel slightly undercooked instead of being fully-fledged the way other series’ characters feel.
2 Definitive: Straightforward Themes
Gundam Wing delves into similar themes as Mobile Suit Gundam, with considerations of child soldiers and how war affects those who may not be directly involved in fighting it.
The series handles these themes very carefully and without too much melodrama. It presents an honest account of death and despair, creating a sense of not understanding why war and devastation happen the way they do.
1 Not: Gundam 00
Gundam 00 is a series with a similar setup, with a team of Gundam pilots, called Celestial Being, working together. While the themes and central plot are pretty different from Gundam Wing, the way the team works together and how the presence of a unit of mobile pilots acting as a police force affects the rest of the world is very thoughtfully put together. By comparison, Gundam Wing can seem less solid.