Considering the emotional gut punch that was Mondays set of episodes, I was a little worried the final four episodes wouldn’t be able to deliver a truly good finale. After all, Domon had basically settled all of his most personal accounts with Kyoji, Schwarz and Master Asia. Even the Devil Gundam seemed down for the count (even though I knew it wasn’t). So what was left to do? Well if you can ignore the poor handling of introducing the final villains of the saga, G Gundam still managed to pull off a very entertaining and possibly most hopeful finale in the entire Gundam franchise.
Let me start by saying that Ulube and Dr. Mikamura being revealed as villains for the series should have been set in motion way before now. I mean there were sprinkles of hints recently but Ulube’s sudden heel turn in particular comes out of nowhere. Sure we saw the true flashbacks but how about a hint or two when he was on Earth, maybe having a cryptic side conversation with Dr. Mikamura or something like that. Most of Ulube’s motivations and backstory are front loaded into the last couple of episodes and its about as generic as you can get: use the ultimate power of the Devil Gundam to abolish the Gundam Fight and take over the world and space. Likewise, Mikamura’s jealousy of Domon’s fathers accomplishments could have been established much sooner, though he does get points for making the ultimate sacrifice to free Domon’s father and give the good guys a huge resource needed to win.
Whereas the battles on Lantau Island were the most personal of the series, the final battle against the Devil Gundam was about as grand and bombastic as you could make it. First it took over the Neo Japan colony. Then it started sprouting tentacles to being devouring the Earth. THEN it resurrected the Four Kings and fused them into some kind of combiner like Devastator from The Transformers so Ulube could face off against Domon and the others. But the Devil Gundam wasn’t the only one bringing the excess. Turns out when you threaten world peace, the world might take issue with that. Allenby led the charge with a literal army of Gundams from every nation, including many tournament fighters Domon hadn’t pissed off and a couple surprising cameos from Gundams across the franchise til this point. Guess I forgot to mention that G Gundam arrived at the 15th Anniversary of the Gundam franchise. So I’m a little surprised it took this long for familiar faces like theOG RX-78-2, GP01 Full Vernian, Gundam Mark II, V2 Gundam, Gundam F91, Zeta Gundam…and a Guncannon (?) to make an appearance. Bonus points for sneaking in a brief glimpse of the Wing Gundam ahead of Gundam Wings Japanese debut (it started the week after G Gundam ended).
Ok, I take back what I said about this not being a personal battle. Past all the Gundams of the world uniting and the continuing nasty transformations of the Devil Gundam, this finale was all about Domon and Rain finally admitting how they feel and using that power to save the world. Rain has more or less told Domon how she feels on a couple of occasions. So this was more about Domon telling Rain those three little words to free her from the Devil Gundams core. I like that Allenby was the one to tell Domon to buck up and be with Rain. It isn’t often you see a romantic rival concede the battle in such a friendly manner. But Rain did risk her life to save Allenby and Allenby has never been a selfish girl, so it works. This final battle was a true amazing finale for Domon, a man who has come so far from the brooding revenge driven Gundam Fighter he was back at the beginning of G Gundam. He shares a laugh with his friends, boldly declares he wont sacrifice Rain even when his father says it’s the only option. Domon may communicate best with his fists. But his heart is what won the war against the Devil Gundam. He saved the world, he got the girl and even got to do a spectacular final attack that put a giant heart shaped hole through the Devil Gundam to finish it off…bravo Domon, you’ve done what Shinn Asuka could never do in Gundam Seed Destiny, have a well defined and well rounded character arc. Also, Domon inherited Funnsaiki and thus got to say, “Anyone who tries to thwart another’s love shall be sent to Hell by the hooves of this horse” before he finally killed Minister Wong (oh yeah he was still alive for another second but not much longer).
Let’s see, what other odds and ends to look at before we wrap things up. Ulube might’ve been a weak antagonist but GODDAMN bro do you even lift? The guy was mega jacked and after learning he was an ex Gundam Fighter, I kind of hoped we’d see him fight in a normal Gundam against Domon. My favorite sub couple of the series got surprise payoff too. Nastasha did Argo the biggest solid by releasing him and his imprisoned crewmates so the Support Crews and Shuffle Alliance could use his ship for the final battle. They’ve never played up a romantic relationship with Argo and Nastasha but she has probably grown the least cold other than Domon over the course of the series. Don’t think I didn’t notice the little kiss on Argo’s cheek during the sign off, oh yeah, Nastasha’s not letting him go any time soon. It’s funny that I said the Grand Master Gundam reminded me of something from Transformers. The interior of the Devil Gundam colony looked like the interior of Unicron from Transformers: The Movie…so yeah The Touch and Dare (the theme songs of that film) would’ve been appropriate music for this last battle. Also, it looks like world peace is still gonna be a thing and the show ends appropriatley with the promise of another Gundam Fight in 4 years, the 14th Gundam Fight. It’s a shame we haven’t been back to this universe since. I wonder how a new Gundam Fight would go. Would Domon fight again or would he find peace with Rain and pass the reigns of Gundam Fighter to a new generation? Huh, Ive liked this show throughout but never thought I’d be wishing it had a sequel.
Mobile Fighter G Gundam is one of the most unique entries in the Gundam franchise and is a very, very fun ride if you’re willing to accept how different it is. Domon Kasshu is one of the most well rounded and developed Gundam protagonists and his relationship with Rain became the backbone of the series more than the mission to save the world. The Shuffle Alliance and the multiple Support Teams were all well written and fun too. Whether or not you agree with all the designs, getting a chance to workshop Gundams for multiple world nations yielded some crazy results and the fights were entertaining, brutal and well choreographed, a perfect marriage of Gundam, Street Fighter and Dragon Ball Z. I was surprised that G Gundam was capable of being serious and highly emotional at times, making it feel like the normal kind of Gundam series, just with more robot punching. It’s not a series for everyone but its definitely not a Gundam series that should be ignored or pushed to the side. After all, had this first alternate universe not succeeded, Gundam Wing, Gundam X and Turn A Gundam might not have gotten their chances in the 90s. G Gundam took the Gundam concept, paired it up with classic Super Robot fighting tropes from the 70s and 80s and told the franchise to go have fun with it. I liked this show a lot and I might have to redo my Top 10 Favorite Gundam Entries list down the line cause I’ve seen a few shows that belong there along with it.
Mobile Fighter G Gundam receives a nicely deserved 9/10. Gundam will return to the Gundam Anime Corner later in 2021 with Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron Blooded Orphans coming in July and Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam and Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ set for December. Til then, GUNDAM FIGHT ALL SET. READY? GO!!!!!!
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