Mobile Fighter G Gundam: The Show That RUINED Gundam? 

You cant seriously say that a show with the line “This hand of mine glows with an awesome power! It's loud roar tells me to defeat you! Take this! My love! My anger! And all of my sorrow! Erupting... burning... FINGER!” ruined anything!

I will say, the bit about how "the Ultimate Gundam was made to regenerate the Earth, and it was only after a major malfunction that its computer reached the conclusion that in order to do that, it must exterminate humanity and became the Devil Gundam" was actually a major revelation that only comes fairly late into the story - from the outset, you're meant to assume that it was merely a powerful weapon that was stolen, WITH THE HELP OF KYOJIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

This episode basically describes my relationship with Gundam perfectly: I was in the sweet spot for Wing when it came out, around junior high/high school, and the subsequent Gundams just didn’t quite have the same appeal to me. Then G Gundam hit and I was like GIMME GIMME GIMME I’M GONNA WATCH EVERY EPISODE OF MOBILE SUIT STREET FIGHTER

i will always push this as the best Gundam series because it delivers what Gundam is always advertised as to the people that aren't already familiar with the franchise; "GIANT ROBOTS FIGHTING OTHER GIANT ROBOTS: THE SHOW"

RIP to Yoshifumi Ushima, he's Flying in the Sky now.

G Gundam was the very first Gundam series I've watched through. I was in high school at the time and I never had Cartoon Network until my sophomore year. I never got to see Gundam Wing until my college years when it came out on DVD. But I love G Gundam, Master Gundam always looked so cool. Maxter was a close second followed by Noble and Shadow.

R.I.P Yoshifumi Ushima G-Gundam was my 2nd gundam series that I've watched way back 1999.

As a Sailor Moon fan who is proud of their Swedish ancestry, I was overjoyed when I found out Neo-Sweden's gundam looked just like a sailor soldier. And her pilot; spunky and tomboyish gamer-girl Allenby Beardsley, is still in my top ten waifu list.

Imagawa is a legitimate mad lad. The story of Giant Robo the OVA's production is pretty hilarious. Intended to be an animated tribute to Mitsuteru Yokoyama's landmark manga and live action series(Johnny Sokko in the USA) Imagawa was ready to go all out. Until they were informed early in production that they couldn't use the vast majority of the characters from the original work in the new adaptation. This would force them to basically rewrite the entire story from scratch, making it a pretty poor re-adaptation or tribute to the original. Instead of being discouraged, Imagawa went straight to Yokoyama and asked him for permission to use characters from throughout his entire manga career. Yokoyama said yes. So instead of adapting just Giant Robo, it became a celebration of nearly all of Yokoyamas published manga with dozens of characters from works spanning decades. With that change the Giant Robo OVA took the form of a globe spanning adventure including characters plucked from time, all thrown into a neo-50's sci-fi setting full of wuxia masters, cold war spies, ancient samurai, ninjas, giant robots, wizards, zombies, shapeshifters, cyborgs, and a guy who cuts people in half by snapping his fingers. The resulting OVA series is considered to be one of the best anime ever made. The kicker is that he was wrestling this nightmare of a production, at the same time as he was directing G Gundam.

G Gundam is hands down my favorite entry of the Gundam franchise. It's not even funny how little the other entries matter to me when compared to G Gundam.

It's definitely one of if not the most unique entry in the Gundam franchise. While it opened the door for new installments to ignore the UC canon if they so desired, most of the ones that followed still decided to tell more conventional war stories that borrowed heavily from the original universe. I still think that the Universal Century Gundam shows could have been almost as big a deal in America as they were in Japan if somebody had somehow managed to get the original series onto American television in the 1980s.

The show that got me into Gundam. Not the best, but not terrible. Closer to Street Fighter with mechs than traditional Gundam, but still fun.

Yeah I'm glad you brought that up because here in the United States it was just another Gundam movie. But it shows you how fandoms can quickly become involved in a civil war.

A quote about G Gundam from series mech designer Kunio Okawara (who had been doing the design of Gundam since the beginning: "Within the larger Gundam franchise, I believe that “Mobile Fighter G Gundam” is a show with immense meaning. I believe it was an amazing achievement for director Yasuhiro Imagawa, with his Tatsunoko sensibilities, to shatter the image of Gundam to such a degree. When I began working on the show, I was quite serious. However Imagawa came up to me and said “It’s OK to make it more like Yatterman” - and so without feeling any shame I decided to make the Gundam for Holland into a windmill. It was a very interesting show to work on. It was almost like going back to working on Yatterman. There was a lot of criticism of course, but we managed to overcome it and get G Gundam on air. The projects that came after, Gundam Wing and Gundam SEED, also overcame similar odds. The younger directors working on Gundam these days often like to have a message they want to get across, I believe that you can trace this back to G Gundam."

Son, G Gundam saved the franchise from dying off completely. Show so god damn respect.

G Gundam: Came for the robots, stayed for the stereotypes. While some of the designs are truly out there, God Gundam is still one of the all time best. For it's time, the animation was solid. The voice acting was superb (Seki Tomokazu) and the music was phenomenal. While the story was a hot mess, the fact that it went so far outside of the established Gundam format, it truly opened the way for future series - by setting the boundary. Anything between 0079 and G Gundam is permissible. Its importance to the overall franchise is simply being what it is. The criticisms may be warranted, but no one can deny that G Gundam has spirit. Imagawa stayed with the project to ensure this was the case - that while vastly different from anything that had come before, at the core of its being, it was still Gundam. Imagawa-san, hountou-ni arigatou. 🙇 Chibodee Crockett is my spirit animal.

Everyone wants a Tequila Gundam.

This isn't just my favorite Gundam of all time, it's my favorite anime of all time. Regardless of how over the top or corny it is I love everything about it, I watch it at least every two years, it gives me so much nostalgia from when it premiered in the US on Toonami in 2002 when I became a fan. Good times.

I loved watching G Gundam while it was airing on Toonami. 08th MS Team, too. Gundam Wing never struck the same chord with me as either of those and while I understand its place in the US fandom, G Gundam gets crowded out too easily because of it.

"Model kits are for older kids who felt like adults." I feel personally attacked

This hand of mine is burning red! Its loud roar is telling me to leave a comment!

A Dragonball crossover would be hillarious. Can you imagine Saiyaman Gundam doing all those poses?!

The show wasn't what killed gundam in America. It was the management of the US toyline for the G Gundam waves. They over produced gundams that were one off in the show in solid packs. By Seed stores still had clearance pegs full of zebra gundams and scud gundams mixed with repacked uc toys on g gundam cards. They barely sold Seed wave 1 and that cancelled the American packaged gun dam toyline.

Great video Dan, but unlike the masses I loved this show! "This hand of mine is burning red! Its loud roar tells me to grasp victory!.... Erupting Burning FINGER!". That show had some great battle cries throughout the series especially Domon and Rain's "These hands of ours are burning red. Their loud cries tells us to grasp happiness! -Erupting Burning Finger! -Sekiha Love Love Tenkyoken!”

When people point out a live-action Gundam movie is being made, I always make the joke this is the one they oughta adapt. Get Donnie Yen as Master Asia and go from there. Or don’t because the show is completely insane in a way that works best in animation.

G Gundam was awesome. It's the only Gundam show that actually clicked with me. I could never get behind fighting with a giant robot with a bunch of pedals and knobs, but someone actually controlling a robot with their body and using their actual skills, that got me right on board as a kid. Never bothered with any of the others since they just never captured my interest. I recently gave it another watch this year, and while it's a bit iffy at times, it's alright. Honestly the best part were the different designs for each country, gotta love Windmill Gundam, and the giant space sombrero for Neo Mexico.

G Gundam is THE most quotable gundam series of all time.

I love how they always plug the dates when it first aired in the US and get a little nostalgic to say that was my childhood and tuned in for all that amazing anime that first hit the US and happy to have been there for it.

It was "culture" shock, G is unlike any other Gundam show, a love letter to Hong Kong martial arts films as opposed to the fairly hard sci fi of the UC. However while show flopped the merch was a hit, the mech designs of the series are top notch.

You can't forget about the Windmill and the Bull Gundam. The design was so unique and whacky it gave so much character for the show. Hopefully we can get a story about Zeta gundam since it is so good and also so dark as well!

Time to go listen to the Shining Finger theme on repeat again. Love this series. A gloriously over the top, ham and cheese fest with great animation, memorable characters, and giant robots punching each other in the face. What's not to love?

Saw G Gundam after Gundam Wing and I absolutely loved it. Its still my favorite Gundam series. Over the top in every way that is awesome.

I was skeptical of G Gundam at first, but it grew on me. Now I really appreciate the audacity of it all. Shadow/Spiegel Gundam is probably my favorite; it's like crossing a ninja with that weird clockwork German assassin zombie from the first Hellboy movie, or if Vega from Street Fighter 2 was German and a robot.

Domon Kasshu's English dub VA also voiced Zero in Megaman X4, and presently works as a dentist somewhere.

"What if the nationality based designed were considered offensive?" MWHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Some of them were offensive as all hell... and people loved them. My Hispanic friends saw Tequila Gundam and were pissed that they couldn't get a model kit for it.

When you learn the head writer also wrote the first Giant Robo anime and the Shin Mazinger series it all starts to make sense. Unlike all the other Gundam shows G Fighter requires a love of classic super robot shows to truly enjoy.

12:12 I was absolutely fascinated by the 5 Gundam pilots each having their own unique mech. to me it was VERY Power Rangers and I ate it right up.

Thank you for this. Great work as always. This remains my absolute favorite Gundam series, as I feel that it presents the most succinct encapsulation of the key themes of the original Universal Century, albeit in a far more bombastic style. That said, I take mild exception to the video's early dismissal of Super Robot shows as less mature. They're scifi, so they can definitely get a little silly, but many of them were exceptionally violent and presented really challenging story concepts. Tadao Nagahama's Romance Trilogy paved the way for Gundam in the first place by embracing the idea of sympathetic villains and more nuance to the conflict. Voltes V showcased the clash of classism and slavery, while Daimos outright portrayed racial stereotyping as a means for the elite to stoke conflict and perpetrate war for personal gain. There would be no Char Aznable were it not for those shows' antagonists. Tomino learned a lot from working with Nagahama.

This makes total sense, now that we have access to most Gundam content in North America. Victory Gundam, despite being set in the UC timeline was so radically different from all that had come before it, that any further change would necessitate the need for new continuities starting with G Gundam. However I appreciate as new content is added, Gundam can both add new worlds, and still go back and create new stories in the UC timeline for classic fans as well. I wish Hasbro would take note of this for Transformers.

I loved this series. It was different and over the top which was a nice change from the real robot style.

I really liked the random Gundams thrown into cameo roles in the background during the climactic battle near the end of the series. A bunch of Universal Century suits, from the RX-78-2 all the way to the F91, and even the Wing Gundam, which hadn't even made its debut on television yet.

SECRET GALAXY ALL SET? READY, GO!!!!!

G Gundam was my introduction to the franchise back when I first saw it on Toonami back in 2002 (it & Rurouni Kenshin were my introduction to Toonami, essentially), and I still absolutely loved it when I finally re-watched it again a few years ago. The rewatch was especially fun, because in the years since it was on Toonami I learned more & more about the show's influences & inspirations, particular how much of Masami Kurumada's works Imagawa infused into it. Shining Gundam's Super Mode & God Gundam's Hyper Mode were an homage to the Soul of Gold power-up seen in Saint Seiya (not a Super Saiyan reference, as most would believe), the usage of international stereotypes (while not Imagawa's idea, originally) definitely wound up paying homage to how Ring ni Kakero did the same with its World Rivals, the New Shuffle Alliance Domon forms with his former rivals are a direct homage to the World Jr. Union seen in RnK, & even a legendary episode where everyone seemingly dies to defeat their opponents so that Domon can focus on fighting Master Asia 1-on-1 was admitted by Imagawa to be taken wholesale by a similar fake-out death situation seen in RnK. G Gundam is that delicious stew comprised of so many inspirations & loves of Imagawa's, and it will forever remain one of all-time favorite anime ever.

In early 2000s when this aired on Toonami I was the hardcore UC purist that was angry that we didn't get Zeta Gundam at the time since it was the logical follow up to Mobile Suit Gundam. So I was a bit hesitant to warm up to this one. I gave G Gundam a chance and watched it and though It took a bit to get used to it, after a few weeks I was hooked and ended up loving it anyway. such a great, fun series.

I look at the Skull Gundam and I think, "This... THIS is a Gundam that Dr. Wily would design for himself!" I enjoy the classic UC Gundam series, and I enjoy Wing in its own way, but this series, THIS SERIES... I freaking love it! IT MAKES ME CRY. Just thinking of the endings of episodes 44, 45, and 49, can get me teary-eyed.

While i definitely prefer many other Gundam Series, I thought G gundam was ok. I think G gundam WOULD have 'ruined' gundam if that was the trend that gundam had KEPT going forward as it would have become too much like a super robot show instead of the real robot genre it helped create.. But seeing as it didn't, it becomes this one off, kind of gem, and I think I can appreciate it more for that. Same with Turn A gundam but for very different reasons.

*walks in in a Cobra Kai shirt and breaks all your stuff behind you on those shelves and leaves*

The thing about G Gundam is that it freed Gundam from being itself, specifically from the UC. By no means a deep series, it struck at the creator doldrum that had set in, essentially creating something that held its own, but was still distinctly Gundam. What followed afterwards allowed the designs to change and constantly reinvent itself to fit different narratives. The resurgence of UC has been noted in this age, but I look forward to whatever tends to stand by itself when the next series is announced.

My first Gundam. Always felt a rush when he screamed SHINING Finger and I remember the episode where he got his hands on the Erupting Burning Finger. I still do feel the rush too, that voice actor really did it for me.

G Gundam is one of my favorite Gundam shows. I love the ending so much and the Burning Finger theme. After this video I know I'll pull up the clip from the final episode with the Domon and Rain doing the Sekya Tenkyoken (sp?)

Hey Dan, why do you have the two Rejuvenique facial toner masks hanging on the left-hand side?

Looks both ways for gundam fans This was actually my favorite gundam series

WITH THE HELP OF KYOJI!

If the point was over the top Mechs, then the best has to be the Butler Gundam piloted by The French fighter's actual butler/man servant. And yes, even that one got a toy in the MSIA line.

As certified fan of G Gundam myself is very knowledgeable to others why it's so high popular in the 90's. Not just because it has Dragonball-ish action scene, outrageous nationality theme design or some cringest dialogue ever had(especially in the dub of course😁)but more on the deep storyline of the each 5 gundam protagonist also another characters include in the series.That's the reason is still my favorite no.1 Gundam Anime all time (Wing, After War, Stardust Memories, 8th MS team and IBO In my list). Almost forgot Thank you Mr. Dan Larson and Co. for the Great episode today 👊🏻 to dig deeper(Cons)G Gundam early stage and(Pros) recognition to mainstream media in the world and have more gundam history to come in the future. I'm From the 🇵🇭.

I'm so on board with G Gundam.

I literally shouted "oh hell yeah!",when I saw your shirt,Dan. G Gundam was my favorite series of toys from the franchise!

Larson has acquired the knowledge of G Gundam with the help of KYOJI!!!

Ah, G Gundam. The most gonzo mecha anime I watched until I discovered Tenga Toppa Gurren Laggan. (By the way Dan, please find a reason to do a show on that!) I was fortunate enough to have the Bandai DVDs when I got sick one time, so I binged much of the second half of the show while I recouperated. One of my favorite moments was Sai Saici and Argo versus Michelo Chariot. Also got to give props to Rain. She wasn't a Gundam fighter but when she wanted to help Domon, she jumped into the Rising Gundam and took on a beserker Allenby. That lady's got guts!

Another Gundam episode? Yes, please!!

When I was young I despised it... now that I'm older it's probably my favorite Gundam series simply for the fact that it's having fun and not trying to make you as a viewer miserable lol... It's unintentionally hilarious and emotionally moving

For me, G Gundam feels like someone in the staff said "Let's get weird!" and for some reason everyone else agreed and went all-in which made the show weirdly charming in it's own way.

Nice video! Hope Toy Galaxy can do videos on some of the classic super mecha series like Danguard Ace, Super Electro Magnetic Machine Voltes V, Raideen & Jeeg, as well as a video on the anime Starzinger.

To me the Devil Gundam was absolutely fun to build. This Gundam although flawed in some sense was great. Like street fighter but for Gundams!

We need more shows like this, just ones that are utterly completely batshit insane and just have legit fun with their mecha designs. Not even Gurren Lagaan, the anime that gave a giant galaxy dwarfing blue man ever lived up to this, with even a HORSE getting a mecha and another being a freakin' windmill. Enough said. And really, any anime which gives us 'This hand of mine glows with an awesome power! It's loud roar tells me to defeat you! Take this! My love! My anger! And all of my sorrow!" is an A ++ in my book. Kudos to Build Fighters Try for homaging Domon years later. Kudos to this show for giving us one of the manliest protags in history.

I love G Gundam. It was over the top and crazy, but just so much damn fun. And has one of the best "finishing attack" sequences of any anime ever. Sekiha Love Love Tenkyoken is epic beyond words. But the horse is the silly thing.

Fast forward to 2022, and the 1:144 scale Real Grade Burning Gundam is a God Tier Gunpla! I don't hate the Americanized names, and I think calling the lead mecha Burning Gundam actually works as a successor to Shining Gundam. This series still has the best creator's cameo in its second OP (see the old man in the Star Trek Federation uniform), and Mobile Suit cameos in its final episodes including the RX-78-2 riding a rocket and the debut of Wing Gundam.

As soon as I read the title, I was ready to fight, since G Gundam is my favorite Gundam series.

I learned in the last year or two that Japan was not receptive to G Gundam, and I understand what a departure it was, but it’s not like ZZ and Victory are perfect and without criticism. 😏 Still, G rules. Bless you, Toonami. And, indeed, the fact that there hasn’t been a Gundam series where, at least, all the mobile suits have Beast Modes if not being, basically, Zoids is a damn shame. 😼

My Favorite Gundam Anime

What is the name of that video you used for the "pretty goood" clip? I've been looking for that for years, it's so freaking funny lmao

Just wanted to say thank you. Earlier this month I was hit by a car while riding my bicycle and I’ve been laid up since then. This channel and specifically your histories have helped me a lot to stay out of the negative rut I could have dug myself into. Please continue to make these, I really love learning about toys and series that I grew up on and learning about ones I had no idea existed until seeing your videos. Thank you again 😊

It was a jarring change going from Gundam Wing to G Gundam when I was a kid. It was a completely different tone that didn't click with me; I wanted space battles not gundams fighting in country sized boxing rings. Later as an adult I revisited G Gundam and enjoyed it way, way more.

I Love G Gundam!

I think I love G Gundam for the same reasons I love the Build Gundam universe. It has balls and the audacity to take what is usually a depressing story about the horrors of war and makes it more shonen based. It's unapologetic to have fun with itself and to create machines that, in almost any other universe, would be vastly overpowered to the point that it's comical. And for it's silliness, it's very consistent within the logic of its own world.

08th MS Team is still one of my favorite storylines!

I'm just glad we can enjoy so many variations of the franchise, the original stories about the horror of war and the absurdist nature of G Gundam are both at the top of the franchise for me.

This is legit my favorite gundam if not anime of all time. I am extremely happy that you guys are covering this. Please continue to do more videos catered to me only. Thank You!

Domon Kasshu is tied with Mobile Suit Gundam 00's Setsuna F Seiei for my favorite Gundam protagonist, he's such a genuinely charming character!

G Gundam's storyline is easy to digest, with a touch of drama and a lot of fights. It doesn't try to be like it's predecessors and that's a plus point for me.

Didn't ruin Gundam. In fact it's popular in its own right as a series. I love this show! It's the first series to actually put the question of pitting Gundams against each other, whether in same timeline or crossing over to the alternate universes.

To tim his date this is the only Gundam series I truly love. The lack of a traditional wartime setting is why I love it.

Great episode. Also, Yasuhiro Imagawa wrote and directed Giant Robo: The Day the Earth Stood Still, the greatest anime ever made. He’s one of the best.

People say the designs are terrible, but I say that the windmill Nether Gundam from Neo Holland is peak Gundam design. I love this show, and still quote it to this day, though I've always wondered how accurate the dub is to the original, too. "THE SCHOOL OF THE UNDEFEATED EAST! SEKIHA! TENKYOKEEEN!"

This was my favorite of the non-Zeon timeline series. The crazy designs of the Gundam fighters were great. Plus, who doesn't love Tomokazu shouting KYOJI like a mad man?

Title is heresy

Don't know about anybody else, but my brother and I totally played the Famicom G Gundam fighting game on our PC emulator back in the early Ots. We were actually looking for Gundam Wing games (which we found) but that was our first intro into any other version of Gundam that we had seen. My favorite will forever be the Tequila Gundam, but also its subsequent upgrade, the Daniel Custom, in the Build Fighter series.

I was waiting for you to mention Tequila Gundam when you were listing all the gundams For Neo Mexico.. Also there are only two lines Quotable from any Gundam Series. "Its a Gundam!" and "This hand of mine glows with an awesome power! Its burning grip tells me to defeat you! TAKE THIS! MY LOVE, MY ANGER, AND ALL OF MY SORROW! SHINING FINGER!"

G Gundam remains my favorite Gundam show. The storyline is amazing, and no other Gundam show has glory of Master Asia.

I disagree with the title. Personally I feel that G Gundam was and still is the best gundam series of all time. Gundam fans are just so uptight and couldn't stand a gundam plot that isn't space war.

Never liked any of the usual Gundam series except this one. The way the pilots drove their robots by their moves was the first thing I remembered when I saw how the Jaeger were driven in Pacific Rim and was happy when I saw what I think Guillermo del Toro was referencing.

The golden 'Kuji" figure tradition WILL NOT DIE. Just yesterday the Japan only Transformers Alliance game announced golden Seekers as special drops.

Easily the most fun and unique Gundam, I love it. Gundam colonies are usually so functional and G Gundam says nope, that's boring, we're having a party with the designs and you're living in a sombrero!

Cosplays as the grim reaper? How dare you sir, my Deathscythe Hell Custom is a saint! Wait...

Is it me or is the audio messed up. Sounds almost like the lapel mic isn't working and camera mic is being used instead?

Took me years to finish watching this series. SHINING FINGER!

I recently just finished G Gundam in the beginning of September and I absolutely loved it. For years I was never interested in Gundam due to friends and Internet opinions being extremely high brow and snobbish regarding the Gundam series, and how they dissed other robot series or super robots in general. Acting as if they were better than others Two of my friends who are Gundam experts had to do a lot of convincing to get me to watch G Gundam, and now I finally did thanks to the Gundam Info official channel having the full series subbed. I think G Gundam masterpiece and it was amazing throughout. It had an old school feel, that reminded me of the classic Super Robot shows like Mazinger and Getter Robo, all with the same kinda over the top action and heart breaking emotional drama you'd see in an 80's-90's Shounen manga or anime. Domon Kasshu is an inspiring protagonist who never gave up on his ambitions or goals, trained hard to refine his techniques, fought countless challenging battles and saw his goals through to the end. My favorite character and Gundam in the series are Schwarz Bruder and Gundam Spiegel! Who doesn't love a Giant Ninja Robot?? Schwarz is also voiced by Hideyuki Hori the voice of Ryu Hayabusa in DOA and Ninja Gaiden, so I'm incredibly biased towards the German Ninja man lmao

As an edgy teenager who only wore black, I loved Deathscythe from Wing. And naturally when G Gundam came out on Toonnami, I loved the similarly designed Gundam Spiegel. And of course I built models of both 💚

The Crazy thing is that later on to Celebrate the 35th Anniversary of the Franchise they made the Gundam Build Fighters series where people would make their own Customized Gundpla fight. The Series is filled with References and Character Cameos from all over. In GBF: Try the Protagonist used a Custom Burning Gundam which honestly they can do a 14th Gundam Fight if they wanted to. As for my imagination of the 14th Fight. I can imagine Neo Japan Continuing with the Project to restore the Earth with a New Ultimate Gundam created by Dr. Kashu. Domon & Rain tying the knot while living in a Rebuilt Tokyo. Chibodee found his Mother after so long and Training for the Gundam Fight. Sai teaches his Students the ways of the Shaolin. Argo having his Sentence expunged and working in Space Exploration. George testing out the Performance of his new Gundam.

You're right .. now that you mention it .. I do want to see a show with a giant flying mecha dolphin - piloted by a talking cat.