For all my love of Gundam, there are certain things about
it I just cannot stand…mostly in the character department.
Not every character in every Anime is going
to be a hit but the act of watching certain characters in a Gundam series is a
freaking chore.
Poor decisions, crappy
attitudes or just plain annoying, sometimes the problem characters of Gundam
will be lucky they don’t make or break a series.
I actually did a list like this a few years
back (wow time flies) and I kept it to just the shows and movies I’ve covered
here on this blog.
Well, since it has
been years, and I have seen and reviewed a lot more Gundam since then, I think
it’s time we added to that list of characters who just seem to bring Gundam
down with every second of screentime they have.
I actually thought about doing an update of the previous list but
realized…I have a whole new 5 I can talk (or rant) about.
So it’s sequel time on today’s Top 5
Wednesday, it’s the Top 5 Gundam Characters I Absolutely Hate (Part 2).
BTW if you want to know who the other five
poor souls I despise are, the first list is right here:
http://gundamanimeblog.blogspot.com/2016/06/t5w46-top-5-gundam-characters-i.html.
#5-Kou Uraki (Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust
Memory)
Usually it’s fate that brings a young man to the cockpit
of a Gundam, be it Amuro Ray, Kamille Bidan or even Judau Ashita.
Unlike those aforementioned examples, Uraki’s
skill in piloting is downright laughable and his survival in battle, much less
in a Gundam, is just dumb freaking luck.
When he isn’t getting Gundams torn to pieces due to poor piloting or
poor decisions in battle, Uraki is constantly trying to whine about how good he
is to his chief rival, Anavel Gato, the Nightmare of Solomon.
Kou Uraki is a crybaby brat who lucked into
getting assigned to the Gundam and has a life of continuous luck that carries
him through to the end of the series.
With such a brat as the lead character, it’s no wonder I kind of hoped
Zeon would actually win this time…and they kind of did in a manner of speaking,
way to go Kou.
#4-Flay Alster (Mobile Suit Gundam SEED)
Gundam SEED deals with racial discrimination quite
heavily when it comes to Naturals and Coordinators.
The attitude towards Coordinators from the
bulk of the Earth Alliance is hugely racist and Flay is a product of that
society.
After learning Kira is a
Coordinator, she refuses to even sit near him and after her Dad dies, demands
all Coordinators should be exterminated, Kira included (she blames him for her
Dad’s death too FYI).
Flay’s a cold
hearted girl but not just because she’s a stinking racist.
No Flay goes the extra mile, seduces AND
SLEEPS with Kira in order to manipulate him into keeping her safe on the Archangel
with the added secret desire that he’ll get himself killed in doing so.
I usually try to keep the language to a
minimum but Flay is the absolute definition of a Total Bitch.
No amount of last minute heart to heart
spirit messages with Kira just before she dies will change that opinion.
I don’t get why Kira guilt trips himself at
not being able to save her, everyone was waiting for Flay to bite it for the
bulk of the series and only plot armor protected her until the very end.
#3-Sochie Heim (Turn A Gundam)
Turn A Gundam is a nearly flawless entry in the
franchise.
However, no amount of shine
can hide the black spot that is Sochie Heim.
The younger of the two Heim’s, Sochie is an entitled and spoiled rich
girl who constantly berates her servant Loran.
Even after their relationship changes due to the war and they become
pilots in the Militia, Sochie still treats Loran like absolute trash.
At one point Sochie even brags she can be a
better pilot than Loran but constantly ends up botching missions or needing to
be saved by Loran and the Turn A.
And
apparently, Sochie does actually have feelings for the Moonrace Gundam Pilot…uh
huh, I don’t buy it, never bought it and actually didn’t feel the least bit sad
when her trigger happy fiancée set off an ancient nuclear device when he was
continuously warned not to do so…Sochie you know how to pick em.
Honestly, it’s a miracle Sochie didn’t get
the entire Militia wiped out all on her own.
#2-Natola Einus (Mobile Suit Gundam AGE)
The third arc of Gundam AGE is where the series really
fell apart and chief among those reasons is the third Captain of the legendary
battleship Diva.
Natola basically has
her name chosen out of a hat without other candidates.
She’s made Captain of the still kick ass
Federation flagship…and has no idea what the hell to even do.
Was she ever on the track to become a
commanding officer?
If so did she just
get started?
I know the Vagan attack on
Earth was unexpected but there was no one else suitable to command?
Natola spends the back half of Gundam AGE
second guessing and almost outright crying in the Captains chair while Flit
Asuno backseat commands so much he might as well be in charge.
If Natola was supposed to be AGE’s attempt at
Bright Noa, aka the young cadet who rose to the challenge of command and nailed
it…God AGE botched this so freaking hard.
#1-Shinn Asuka (Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny)
You all knew this was coming.
He’s the Gundam pilot meant to be the hero
but gets patted on the back for freaking war crimes.
Shinn is a ball of anger who refuses to listen
to wise council (not that there’s much of that in SEED Destiny) and is
basically cheered on for his bad behavior by his shipmates and superiors.
We’re supposed to feel for him but Shinn
never learns, never grows, he only stays stuck in the same mode of chaos we saw
in the very first episode.
Even at the
end of SEED Destiny when he (somehow) accepts Kira’s offer to work together, it
doesn’t feel earned, cause Shinn didn’t learn squat across 50 episodes where he
was given a Gundam and sent to take out his anger as violently as
possible.
Gundam Seed Destiny is my
least favorite entry of the Gundam franchise…and Shinn Asuka is probably the
main reason in a very long list of reasons why that is so.
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