Beginner's Guide to the Gundam Universe

Recently, a new TV series in the Gundam universe, the Witch from Mercury, ended its run. It was a resounding success that rejuvenated interest in the ancient franchise. However, the Gundam series has been going on since 1979, so a lot of people interested in hopping into the endless wars and romance with giant robots can get a bit lost. Which one is the best to start with, or which one requires years of lore before watching?

The Gundam Universe has many alternative universes, most of which don’t share continuity between each other. The main universe is the Universal Century (or UC), and it began in 1979 and keeps getting continuations to this day. The only way to start with UC is the original Mobile Suit Gundam, which means to start with UC properly, your viewing list should be:

Mobile Suit Gundam (1979)

Zeta Gundam (1985)

Gundam ZZ (1986)

Char’s Counterattack (1988)

They are the crux of the UC storyline, and the newest movie trilogy Hathaway’s Flash is a direct continuation of Char’s Counterattack storyline. What helps is that all of these series are not only the best Gundam series, they are also some of the best anime ever made. And it goes without saying, even adjacent OVA series such as:

War in the Pocket (1989)

Stardust Memory (1991)

The 08th MS Team (1996)

Gundam Unicorn (2009)

Gundam Thunderbolt (2015)

Origin (2015)

While having independent storylines, these still require a fair amount of understanding of the UC’s political background.

But on the other hand, it’s a lot easier when it comes to Alternative Universes (or AU), which is an umbrella term for all non-Universal Century Gundam shows. Witch from Mercury is an AU Gundam series, so it can be viewed safely by casual viewers. The first AU Gundam series can be considered Victory Gundam, although technically it is set in the future of the Universal Century timeline, its storyline makes no references to its plotlines or characters. But the first Gundam series that is completely detached from established storyline was Mobile Fighter G Gundam, which really shows how different Gundam series can be, concentrating on fighting tournaments as opposed to telling a story about war.

The following series could be watched with no prior knowledge of the Gundam universe:

Victory Gundam (1993)

Mobile Fighter G Gundam (1994)

Gundam Wing (1995)

After War Gundam X (1996)

Turn A Gundam (1999)

Gundam SEED (2002)

Gundam 00 (2007)

Gundam AGE (2011)

Gundam Build Fighter (2013)

Gundam Recongiusta in G (2014)

Iron-Blooded Orphans (2015)

Witch from Mercury (2022)

Some of them have sequels, such as Gundam Wing Endless Waltz (1997) or Gundam SEED Destiny (2004), and they are set entirely within their respective continuities. With these series you don’t have to think too much and have only your preferences to consider.

Currently, Witch from Mercury is the most recent Gundam TV series that really made a splash in the anime world, so it’s the best gateway into the thriving and sprawling Gundam universe that sees no end in sight.