T5W#358-Top 10 Gundam Fantasy Duels I’d Like to See

For over 43 years, the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise has given us some of the most iconic and talented pilots to ever sit in the cockpit of a Giant Robot.  Each new series either creates a whole new universal sandbox to play in or expands on a previous one with both heroes and villains getting to show off how bad ass they can be when given the power of a Gundam.  But there’s one thing that’s always been in my mind when it comes to Gundam, something I’m surprised I haven’t thought about for more than 350 Top 5 Lists…who would win in a fight?  Well for the next two weeks of Top 5 Wednesdays, I’m gonna answer my own question.  And considering I haven’t been keeping up with my “Gundam Exclusive” Month of T5W’s (one for a good reason), I’m making it up to you today with a special TOP 10 List.  That’s right, it’s my Top 10 Gundam Fantasy Duels I’d Like to See
 
Couple of ground rules before we get started.  First I’m trying to keep this to one pilot per series and I’m choosing their Gundams based on how well they’d be matched against one another, trying not to make one more OP than the other.  Other than that, show down gentlemen.
 
#10-Domon Kasshu vs. Wufei Chang (GF13-017NJ2 God Gundam vs. XXXG-01S2 Altron Gundam Cutsom)

Domon and Wufei might be better suited to a proper duel outside of the Gundams.  Both are amazing martial artists and are deadly hand to hand combatants.  Domon’s Street Fighter esque capabilities are what made him a big favorite in the Gundam Fight.  Gundam v Gundam though, it’s a tough call.  The Motion Control Cockpit of the God Gundam allows Domon to push it well past the limits of a normal Mobile Fighter and pull off some killer Dragon Ball Z esque moves.  To make the match a bit more even, I gave Wufei his customized Altron Gundam from Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz.  The extendable Dragon Arms and that upgraded double bladed beam trident made it a fierce opponent against Heero.  I wouldn’t want to be a Mobile Suit ensnared by one of those things.
 
Who Would Win: Domon, easily.  The God Gundam is more maneuverable than the Altron and it’s Burning Finger Attack’s power is so awesome it would shatter Wufei’s confidence.
 
 
#9-Kou Uraki vs. Seabook Arno (RX-78GP01-Fb Gundam Full Vernian Zephyranthes vs. F91 Gundam)

One of these two pilots a highly underrated Gundam.  The other pilots a Gundam he really doesn’t deserve.  The Full Vernian is a souped up version of the bare bones GP01 but those added thrusters give it a ton of boost and the added armor is nifty too.  The F91 has a lot of potential too with its advanced beam weaponry and beam shield.  Plus it can make mirror duplicates to fool opponents too.  It kind of comes down to the pilot on this tone.  Seabook has a bit of an edge due to Newtype abilities but even those cant always win the day.  Kou, on the other hand…has a ton of dumb luck on his side. He isn’t a great pilot and more or less whines his way into surviving a ton of fights he should not have lived through.
 
Who Would Win: Seabook.  Calm Newtype intuition trumps whinny brat pilots any day.
 
 
#8-Christina Mackenzie vs. Shiro Amada (RX-78NT-1 Alex Gundam vs. RX-79GEz-8 Ez8 Gundam)

Chris and Shiro are both amazing pilots in their own right.  I always give Chris proper cudos for being able to handle the Alex even though it was intended as a Gundam upgrade for Amuro Ray AND she isn’t a Newtype.  Shiro is also 100% human and has a great deal of ingenuity too, being able to come up with battle plans that cause a ton of damage but also limit the cost of Human life.  As for their Mobile Suits, the Alex and Ez8 are kind of evenly matched really.  While we never got to see the Alex in Space Combat, it’s ground capabilities are top notch with its speed and deadly arm cannons.  Shiro, meanwhile, has a Gundam cobbled together from spare parts and he still makes the thing dance the dance of death flawlessly. 
 
Who Would Win: This is tough…but I’m gonna say these two would fight each other to a Draw.  They’re great pilots with great machines, it’s too close to call.
 
 
#7-Kamille Bidan vs. Alleluia Haptism (MSZ-006 Zeta Gundam vs. GN-011 Gundam Harute)

This is a bit of a grab bag match but hear me out.  When it comes to characters, Kamile and Alleluia have little in common.  Alleluia is a super soldier with a psychotic split personality that isn’t afraid of making his kills last an agonizing long time.  Kamille is a powerful Newtype with a problem with authority.  Personality wise, theyre as different as they come.  No this fight is purely about the Mobile Suits they fly. Both the Zeta and Harute have transformable fighter modes a la Macross and are super maneuverable and fast.  Both also back an awful lot of firepower with missiles and beams galore…again a la Macross.  And both are the final evolutions of their original Mobile Suits, the Gundam Mark II for Kamille and the Gundam Kyrios for Alleluia. In the end, this could come down to a pretty lengthy dogfight. 
 
Who Would Win: Pure Newtype vs. Super Soldier (who is basically a Cyber Newtype), hmmmm…I’m gonna go with Kamille.  His edge: hand to hand combat.  We don’t see Alleluia pull out his beam saber too often and he relies on his beams and missiles too much.  Once he runs out of those, Kamille’s got it in the bag.
 
 
#6-Kira Yamato vs. Banagher Links (ZGMF-X10A Freedom Gundam vs. RX0 Unicorn Gundam)

Oh boy this one.  Banagher might be one of my least favorite Gundam protagonist tbh.  For a guy who is supposed to be the epitome of all Newtypes since Amuro Ray, he whines a lot and sits in the cockpit of one of the most powerful Gundams in existence and doesn’t want to do anything with it, even when the situation demands he should.  While it isn’t without admirability,  Kira’s got the approach down better.  He doesn’t want to fight but he will and God help you if you push him that far.  The Freedom from Gundam Seed is a one man army with all the beams and sabers needed to take down a fleet. Same goes for the Unicorn, which might be my favorite Gundam of all time.  Once it’s NTD Mode activates it’s Game Over for whoever is fighting it…shame it’s in Banagher’s hands.
 
Who Would Win: Kira.  The Unicorn is amazing but if Banagher doesn’t want to use it to it’s full potential, it has no chance against Kira’s death dealing bringer of peace.  (Sorry Unicorn)
 
 
#5-Shinn Asuka vs. Flit Asuno (ZGMF-X42S Destiny Gundam vs. AGE-FX Gundam Age-FX)

These two pilots bring out the worst in me when talking about Gundam protagonists.  Shinn lost his entire family during the Bloody Valentine War and used that rage and despair to join ZAFT and become one of their “best” pilots, getting patted on the back for war crimes.  Flit lost his Mother and the love of his life to the Vagans and spent a lifetime on revenge, even grooming his Grandchild, Kio, to carry on the fight.  Admittedly, Flit actually has an arc compared to Shinn but we’re not here to talk about that.  I’m kind of breaking my own rule on this one because I don’t remember Flit actually piloting the Age-FX.  But if I wanted to pit him against the close combat behemoth that is the Destiny, it’s the strongest Gundam in Gundam AGE. 
 
Who Would Win: As much as I hate to say it, Shinn. Shinn is pure rage and has burned down surrendering soldiers for less.  Flit has a smidge more humanity to him, which would be a detriment in this case.
 
 
#4-Garrod Ran vs. Judau Ashita (GX-9901-DX Gundam Double X vs. MSZ-010 Double Zeta Gundam)

Simply put, this is a battle of the biggest guns.  Garrod is my favorite of the two pilots in this match up for his good heart and strong bond with Tifa Adill. Judau takes a while to shake his bratty, junkyard dealer ways but he eventually becomes a worthy successor to the legacies of Amuro Ray and Kamille Bidan.  Now, Mobile Suits.  The ZZ has a chest cannon and a double barrel beam cannon on its arm.  Plus it can transform into a tank like fighter for maximum mobility and damage.  The Double X doesn’t have a transformation but what it does have…is a beam cannon POWERED BY THE MOON!!!  And this thing could take out an island or worse if used to its maximum potential.
 
Who Would Win: I’m gonna go with Garrod.  Simply put, he’s less greedy, more focused and there’s no doubt in my mind that MOON POWERED BEAM CANNON would make the ZZ’s firepower feel miniscule by comparison.
 
 
#3-Heero Yuy vs. Mikazuki Argus (XXXG-01W Wing Gundam vs. ASW-G-66 Gundam Barbatos)

This is probably the duel that inspired this entire list.  Heero and Mika have been soldiers since birth and have few qualms about doing what they have to do in battle or on a mission to achieve victory.  Both have their personal close connections through friends and love interests but when it comes to battle, theyre both stone cold serious.  While the Wing Gundam has a Buster Cannon that can cut down battalions in one shot, the Barbatos is a whole other Beast of a Gundam.  It was made for extreme close quarters combat and it was made to hit so hard that no one would be getting back up again.  This fight actually calls back to the Kamille V Alleluia fight in a way and…
 
Who Would Win: Mikazuki.  Heero is a great pilot and capable tactician.  But he doesn’t have the Zero System of Wing Zero and in CQC, the Barbatos decimates all.
 
 
#2-Loran Cehak vs. Uso Evin (SYSTEM ∀-99 (WD-M01) ∀ Gundam vs. LM314v21 Victory 2 Gundam)

Here we have two of the best and most compelling leads in the franchise.  Uso and Loran want nothing but peace for their friends and their people but are forced into impossible situations in which they have to fight to protect what they hold most dear.  Really, these two would be great friends and allies.  In terms of Mobile Suits, it might not be much of a brawl really.  The Victory 2 has a flight advantage and draws a lot of power through it’s Wings of Light, which can give is a solid power boost.  As for the Turn A, it’s got a lot of ground game but Loran can make its weapons suit any situation.  Plus, the Moonlight Butterfly weapon did nearly end humanity once…so the Turn A is a walking weapon of mass destruction.
 
Who Would Win: Loran.  The V2 isnt anything really special outside of the Wings of Light and the Turn A can be truly ferocious when Loran really lets loose.  Still, think we’d both agree these two would just hug it out in the end.
 
 
#1-Amuro Ray vs Setsuna F. Seiei (RX-93 Nu Gundam vs. GNT-0000 00 Qan[T] Gundam)

The OG vs. the First Innovator.  The Battle of the Brad Swaile voiced characters.  By the time we see him in Char’s Counterattack, Amuro is far from the whinny brat he was at the beginning of Mobile Suit Gundam. He’s a seasoned veteran with a ton of combat experience and his own personally made Gundam to boot.  Same actually goes with Setsuna.  The 00 QuanT was made specifically to tap into his innermost potential as an Innovator, to get the entire battlefield to hear everyones thoughts.  The QuanT and Nu Gundam’s are not simply peace bringers though as both are armed to the teeth and in the hands of pilots that know how to put that arsenal to good use.
 
Who Would Win: You know what…this is a Draw.  No matter who might come out on top, Setsuna’s deep desire for a peaceful world of coexistence would resonate with Amuro and the two would see little reason to actually fight one another.  Not what I predicted when I started writing this but I’m happy with this result.
 
What do you think?  What duels would you like to see and should I do a follow up to this one day?