T5W#479-Top 5 Ladies of Royalty in Gundam

Soooo this is a little random.  When I was setting up a new Lacus Clyne statue on my shelf, I posed the bikini clad, Haro holding beauty next to Mineva Zabi from Gundam Unicorn and it looked like she was introducing Lacus in epic fashion.  It made me think of a Princess introducing a Princess but funny thing, Lacus isnt a Princess.  For all her prominence in the Cosmic Era making her seem like it, Lacus isnt a daughter of Royalty.  Mineva however, very much is the heir to (and I believe current head of) Zeon.  It made me wonder about who else sits on her level in the Gundam Multiverse which brings us to todays Top 5 Wednesday, the Top 5 Ladies of Royalty in Gundam (and naturally, Mineva is on this list too).

 
#5-Cecily Fairchild (Mobile Suit Gundam F91)

Cecily is the long lost daughter of a demented mad man with a Darth Vader masque who was taken from him for her own protection when she was little.  If it sounds a little Star Wars, that’s because it is and it’s not even the most blatant rip off F91 commits.  When it comes to Cecily, however, despite the same lack of character arc everyone else gets in the film, she’s still a strong willed bad ass who could perfectly be capable of leading the Crossbone Vanguard into a better age…if F91 ever went that route.

 
#4-Relena Peacecraft (Mobile Suit Gundam Wing)

As one of the two last scions of the Peacecraft monarchy, Relena tries her darndest to uphold her familys commitment to total pacifism, even when there’s an army of autonomous Mobile Dolls marching on her kingdom.  While she does have a ton of growing to do throughout Gundam Wing, Relena is actually able to sway the world with her words during her brief stint as the Romafeller Foundations’ Queen Figurehead.  But arguably Relena is at her best in Endless Waltz when she takes a stand against the Mariemea Army and urges the people to fight for their freedom against the tiny Kushrenada’s ten minute play for power.  She definitely comes a long way from the girl who used to stalk a guy who kept flat out telling her he’d kill her.
 

#3-Dianna Soreil (Turn A Gundam)

Probably the only character in the Gundam franchise you could literally call “The Queen of the Moon”, Diana is also one of the oldest, having been in suspended animation for centuries at a time.  Her rule can be a bit questionable considering how the initial return of the Moonrace leads to war and her battle hungry subordinates manage to undermine her at every turn.  But Diana learns from her mistakes and thanks to swapping with the perfectly identical Kihel Heim, manages to get a first hand look at planet Earth and the people her people are fighting against.  Though, one could also argue that Kihel ends up doing a better job than Diana, so much so that they permanently swap places in the Series Finale so Diana can live her final days on Earth with Loran.
 

#2-Cagali Yula Atha (Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Franchise)

Cagali is a Princess with a ton of fire in her heart and personality.  Like Relena, she’d rather not fight unless she absolutely has to.  But when pushed too far, either by the enemy or her own incompetent advisors (in the better parts of Gundam Seed Destiny), Cagali wont hesitate to throw down and get in your face.  She even has a couple of her own personal Mobile Suits at her disposal if she wants to jump into battle and lead her nation in person.  At times, she may be in over her head but if her father is the Lion of Orb, Cagali’s clearly his offspring causse this girls got teeth and will bite your ass if you step out of line.
 

#1-Mineva Zabi (Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn)

Ever since her birth during the final days of the One Year War, Mineva Zabi has been raised in conflict.  Luckily this hasn’t hardened her into the same egotistical figureheads that have ruled over Zeon during and after that legendary conflict.  Mineva has had to grow up quite a bit in the chaotic Zeon society and looks to see a better future for her people that doesn’t involve conquest or revenge.  Her efforts during the Third Neo Zeon War, aka the Laplace’s Box Incident, saw her going up against massive egos interested in their own sole glory and she came out on top.  Who knows, maybe under her leadership this sole Zabi heir could lead her war weary people to a better tomorrow.