What gundam series should i start with

Gaining an understanding of the different Gundam universes and all of the associated shows will give you a better idea of where to start. In , Mobile Suit Gundam was born.

It was the beginning of the many Gundam franchise shows which led to the Gundam models. Mobile Suit Gundam is the beginning of the Universal Century universe.

There are several universes in the franchise, which will be discussed in further detail in the next section. There are many shows that come after Mobile Suit Gundam that continue the storyline. The first series sets up the storyline of this universe. If you know anything at all about the Gundam shows, you probably have some knowledge based on this storyline. As previously mentioned, there are different Gundam universes. Each universe has its own storyline.

Different shows tie into the different universes. The After Colony show has almost nothing to do with Universal Century shows. If this is difficult to follow, think about the Power Rangers. The One Year War takes place in this universe. Obviously the space guys are the villains, and the viewer is supposed to cheer on the earthlings. This is the largest and most developed universe in the franchise.

Each show is given a year in the universe that it takes place, so you can watch it chronologically. The shows listed in Universal Century chronological order are:. It has one show and a movie. In this universe, the earthlings are portrayed as the villains as the show focuses on five different Gundam pilots.

Instead, it tells the stories of the five pilots and why they fight. The show is Gundam Wing and the movie is Endless Waltz.

You have to watch the show first in order to understand the movie, as the movie goes more in depth into the characters of the show. The Cosmic Era basically polishes the Universal Century. It keeps the political undertones but brings in a new style of animation. What makes this one different, however, is the shift in focus.

There are several one-shot universes within the Gundam franchise. What are these? While this sounds like a lot of content and it is! While there is more content in the U. Timeline that follows Char Counterattack , these are the big titles you ought to see if you're interested in getting into Gundam for the first time in this manner.

For those who want a softer introduction to Gundam before diving into the deep lore of the franchise -- you're in luck! Gundam has a ton of relatively stand-alone timelines that you can enjoy without knowing four decades-worth of lore.

The most obvious starting point for many new Gundam fans who might not want to jump into the U. Timeline is Mobile Suit Gundam Wing. For many growing up with Toonami in the late-'90s into the '00s, Mobile Suit Gundam Wing served as an introduction to the franchise as a whole. While it is simplistic compared to the UC Timeline, it is similar enough to immerse audiences with all the material the UC Timeline is famous for.

All three of these series are more complex than Gundam Wing , while still offering the core appeal of Gundam : sci-fi mecha wars that balance messy politics with nuanced depictions of violence. One of the wildest Gundam franchise entries that's incredibly easy for new viewers to watch and enjoy is Mobile Fighter G Gundam , which features a shonen-esque tournament for control over the Earth featuring some of the most strange and tacky cultural stereotypes ever put to television.

If you're not sure if G Gundam is for you, consider the following: Mexico in the series is represented by "Tequila Gundam," a sombrero-wearing Gundam. While clearly highly insensitive, if that sounds too ridiculous to believe, you should check G Gundam out for yourself. There are, as we've gone through, at least three good ways for new fans to get into Gundam.

But there are also wrong ways to get into the franchise. As such, 08th MS Team has a reputation as being the most "grounded" Gundam anime, which has made it extremely popular among newcomers to the franchise. It also helps that it features some of the franchise's most outstanding action scenes, which have an excellently established weight and realism to them that sets them apart from other Gundam battle sequences.

The original Mobile Suit Gundam is a masterwork of the era, one of anime's all-time great war stories , and a classic of the mecha genre. Although it stands as one of the most influential and greatest anime ever produced, that doesn't necessarily mean it's perfect. Gundam infamously suffered from myriad production difficulties during its original run, including the hospitalization of certain key staff and a less-than-generous budget.

Although those setbacks don't harm the core themes of the show, they do result in some occasionally janky animation which can be a turnoff for newcomers. It's still a classic, but it's perhaps difficult to penetrate for those without much of a background in '70s anime. Iron Blooded Orphans is an AU story about a group of insurrectionary mercenaries fighting a battle against the military arm of a government that seeks to keep Mars and its people exploitable for Earth's profit.

The show has a gritty, grimy aesthetic that helps sell the atmosphere of the setting, and it sets itself apart from other Gundam shows by featuring predominantly close-quarters melee battles between mobile suits, as opposed to ranged beam engagements. A cast of likable characters, exhilarating action, and a gritty atmosphere have made Iron Blooded Orphans one of Gundam 's most popular alternate universes, and its availability on Netflix makes it easily accessible for franchise beginners.

Gundam 00 is among the best-regarded AU entries in the franchise, and its self-contained narrative and unique identity among Gundam anime make it an ideal entry point for new fans. This makes 00 feel much closer to our own world than the distant futures depicted in other entries in the franchise, giving the story the air of a nuanced political thriller asking questions about how armed non-state actors can influence the global balance of power.

It's also got some pretty awesome robots. The Mobile Suit Gundam film trilogy is a condensed version of the original series released shortly after the anime's T. The main advantages that the film trilogy has over the original series are some improved animation and pacing, as well as the inherent advantage in accessibility that a shorter product has over a longer one. The "trilogy vs. Still, those who don't have much experience with old anime, mecha anime, or Gundam , will probably want to dip their toes into the franchise via a more digestible package, and in this case, that's the film trilogy.