If we're talking about franchises that have come to define the Mecha Genre, the Gundam series stands head and shoulders above all of its competitors. Since April 7th, 1979, Gundam has introduced millions of viewers to thousands of awe-inspiring, hard-hitting, planet-busting giant robots. Many of the Mobile Suits from the Gundam series are some of the most iconic figures in pop culture; the RX-78-2 Mobile Suit is so popular that Steven Spielberg and crew opted to feature the fighting robot in Ready Player One's grand finale!
But for all the Gundams that are famous for their fresh and iconic designs, there are a few that are stick out like sore thumbs. Funnily enough, most of the really gaudy-looking Mobile Suits in the franchise tend to be designed by the bad guys. However, the good guys also pilot their fair share of wonky robots from time to time. Some of these strange mechs have practical, in-universe justifications for their strange designs. Others simply look like waking scrap heaps that the artists drew out of boredom. Down below are fifteen of the weirdest Gundams of all time, presented in no particular order.
Updated by Caleb Bailey on March 2nd, 2020: With the second season of Gundam Build Divers Re: Rise on the way, we figured we had a good enough excuse to revisit this topic. While we don't exactly know what kinds of mechs we'll see in Re: Rise season 2, we've got a feeling that we'll see a few familiar faces and experience several blasts from the pasts. Re: Rise has done an excellent job paying homage to the Gundam mythos so far - as well as expanding on it, on several occasions. Hopefully, we'll see updated versions of some of the series' strangest Mobile Suits.
15 MSM-04G Juaggu
Okay, you're going to see the Principality of Zeon's name pop up a lot in this article. For whatever reason, these space Nazis love building some of the strangest looking Mobile Suits in the entire Gundam franchise. Case in point, the MSM-04G Juaggu - a Mobile Suit that first debuted in Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn.
The Juaggu is a hodgepodge of, shall we say, "interesting" design choices; it features three meaty "gun-fingers" on both of its hands, has a giant elephant trunk glued to its face for no apparent reason, and possesses the overall appearance of a trilobite. This thing looks more like a mechanical Pokemon than a Mobile Suit.
14 The "High Heel" Gundam
Another name that you're going to encounter several times as you read ahead is Turn A Gundam; it refers to both a Gundam series from 1999 as well as said show's titular Mobile Suit. For every innovative and inspired Mobile Suit that Turn A Gundam introduced to the mythos, it produced several oddballs.
The FLAT-L06D FLAT stands in a league of its own - no doubt due to its needlessly long legs as well as the "high heels" attached to its feet. In fairness, this Mobile Suit wasn't designed for combat; its sole purpose is to stand on its tippy toes and grab items that other Mobile Suits can't reach.
13 MSM-10 Zock
We've got another Mobile Suit that's coming to you straight from the psychopaths at the Principality of Zeon. The MSM-10 Zock is an amphibious Mobile Suit that can operate both on land and in the sea. Sounds pretty awesome, right? However, the moment you see this mech's design, you begin to question just how well it can do either of those things.
How the heck is the Zock going to travel around on land with those stubby little legs? Does Zeon think the Earth Federation will wait for the Zock to waddle over to them? Moreover, Zock's design would cause it to sink to the bottom of the ocean - if physics applied to anime.
12 The "Walking Dome" Gundam
The JMA-0530 (Model U) Wodom Mobile Suit is another mech from Turn A Gundam. In-universe, the men and women of the Militia refer to this thing as the Scarecrow. However, we prefer the "Scarecrow's" other nickname - the "Walking Dome" Gundam.
Quite frankly, we can't figure out what the Hell the designers of this thing were thinking; from an engineering standpoint, this thing is about as structurally sound as a Jenga tower. Moreover, its stooped down posture also makes the "Walking Dome" perpetually look like its dropping a tactical nuke - if you catch our drift. If you want to pilot this mech, you'd better stock up on air freshener.
11 EMS-05 Agg
Alright, be honest - how many of you thought that EMS-05 Agg sounded like something that we completely made up? After all, there's no way that the showrunners of the Gundam franchise would purposely make a mech with such a goofy name and design, right? Well, in the words of the great sage Naruto Uzumaki "believe it!" dear readers.
The Agg is every bit as canon to Gundam lore as the RX-78 Mobile Suit is. In our opinion, the Agg looks like the sort of thing that Dr. Eggman would cook up to kill Sonic. However, that hasn't stopped the Agg from appearing in several Gundam shows and manga chapters.
10 The School Girl Gundam
After coming up with so many creative and nuanced designs for decades, it was only a matter of time before the men and women behind the Gundam franchise would create a Mobile Suit that resembles Sailor Moon if she were a 16-meter mech. To be more accurate, this particular Gundam's design takes inspiration from Sailor Venus.
Officially designated GF13-050NSW Nobel Gundam, the "School Girl Gundam" first debuted in the Mobile Fighter G Gundam series back in 1994. Nobel hails from Neo Sweden and belongs to Allenby Beardsley. Despite her looks, she can kick tons of tail thanks to her "Berserker System."
9 The Viking Gundam
We've got another Mobile Suit from Mobile Fighter G Gundam and trust us, this one's just as bizarre. The GF13-012NN Viking Gundam is a Mobile Suit that got manufactured in Neo Norway. An homage to the Scandinavian warriors of old, the Neo Norwegian engineers that created the GF13-012NN drew a lot of inspiration from their ancestors.
They also gave the Viking Gundam a large boat (officially called the Oseberg) and humungous oars for weapons to emphasize the GF13-012NN's Viking inspired aesthetic. Interestingly enough, the weirdest things about the GF13-012NN is that it's piloted by some dude named Eric—who thinks that he's a genuine Viking!
8 Gump
Often, you can tell a lot about a Mobile Suit just by reading its name; the Wing Gundams have wings, the RX-0 Unicorn Gundam has a big old horn on its head, so on and so forth. Other times, you'll come across a Mobile Suit whose name might throw you for a loop.
Gump is a prime example of a weird Gundam that's also got a bizarre name. First appearing in the manga Mobile Suit Crossbone Gundam: Skull Heart, Gump is a Mobile Suit that was cobbled together by Judau Ashta. Gump has all sorts of random weapons at its disposal, making it a very strange and surprisingly dangerous Mobile Suit.
7 The Cowboy Gundam
The GF13-006NAII Gundam Max Revolver is a delightfully odd Mobile Suit with a design that's seriously over the top. You honestly can't help but love this Mobile Suit's look in some small measure. Max Revolver's got all the bells and whistles associated with Cowboy Culture; its shoulders resemble revolver cylinders, it's got a pair of big old spurs—that both jingle and jangle—and it's wearing a gigantic freakin' Cowboy hat!
Max Revolver first debuted in Super-Class! Mobile Fighter G Gundam: Shinjuku/Undefeated of the East! Max was manufactured in Neo America and belonged to ex-boxer Chibodee Crocket. Max Revolver is a successor to the GF13-006NA Gundam Maxter whose design is inspired by football players.
6 The Moon Gundam
The AMS-123X-X Moon Gundam is a mystifying Mobile Suit that first debuted in the manga series Mobile Suit Moon Gundam. Many of the other Mobile Suits on this list are weird in a funny, lighthearted sort of way. The same ideas don't apply to the Moon Gundam, who was developed by the enigmatic Neo Zeon organization.
You see that big, crescent moon looking array hovering behind the Moon Gundam's back? Those are super dense plates of metal that pilots can control via telekinesis. In other words, you pretty much have to be a psychic to make the most out of the AMS-123X-X Moon Gundam's armaments.
5 The "John Bull" Royal Gundam
Back to the more lighthearted fair! Here's a Mobile Suit that looks like a mechanical member of the Queen's Guard. The GF13-003NEL John Bull Gundam is a beast of a machine that specializes in long ranged combat and rocking bearskin hats like none other.
Manufactured by Neo England and piloted by veteran Gundam Fighter Gentle Chapman, the GF13-003NEL has seen a lot of action over the years. Chapman and his Mobile Suit would eventually fall under the thrall of the evil JDG-00X Devil Gundam. When this happened, the Royal Gundam transformed into the Grand Gundam—a Mobile Suit that lacked all of Royal's style and impeccable fashion sense.
4 The Nether Gundam
The GF13-066NO Nether Gundam another Mobile Suit from the Mobile Fighter G Gundam series (are you noticing a pattern yet?) This bad boy hails from Neo Holland—a land whose inhabitants live meek and humble lives. The Nether Gundam reflects Neo Holland's straightforward approach to life; if all the other countries are making Gundams that embody their nation's ideas, let's make our look like a giant windmill!
The Nether Gundam may look harmless at first glance, but this can blow opponents away with its Nether Typhoon technique. This Mobile Suit belongs to Rutger Verhoeven, a Neo Holland pilot with insane skills.
3 The End
RX-END Gundam The End earns major weirdness points due to its design alone. However, things get even freakier when you start judging The End based on its armaments. As you've probably noticed, The End has four arms and three faces! These extra extremities aren't decorations; The End can fire off devastating blasts of energy from the Gundam faces implanted in its extra palms.
Ace pilot Saga Adou pilots The End. Adou has a few screws loose, so he uses The End's immense power to spread terror and destruction wherever he goes. The End's appearance definitely makes it one of the strangest Mobile Suits out there. The power that it possesses, however, makes it one of the strongest villains in the entire Gundam series.
2 The French Gundam
The GF13-009NFII Gundam Versailles has an enormous rose superglued to its shoulder. At all times, the Versailles looks like it's going to try and serenade you with a flamenco guitar. In a series that mostly focuses on intergalactic battles and the casualties of war, the Versailles feels out of place.
Granted, the GF13-009NFII Gundam Versailles isn't the strangest looking Mobile Suit in the entire Gundam series, as Gump could be a strong contender for that title. But, when you compare the Versailles to Mobile Suits from other shows, it just doesn't really fit in. The Versailles looks more like something that a fan came up with it. Weirdly enough, it's actually piloted by one of the main characters from Mobile Fighter G Gundam.
1 The Spoon Wielding Gundam
Back in 2017 CoCo Ichibanya, a chain of Japanese curry restaurants, partnered with the creators of the Gundam series to run a special promotion; any customers who spent at least $8 (900 Yen) at any participating CoCo Ichibanya stores would be eligible to win an exclusive prize, that being the HGUC 1/144 RX-78-2 Gundam CoCoICHI Extra Finish Ver!
Yes, the CoCoICHI has a spoon for a weapon. Yes, you can buy one of these bad boys online. No, these rare figures don't come cheap. Most of the other strange Mobile Suits featured on this list at least have in-universe explanations for their weird designs. CoCoICHI exists because of product placement.