REDEFINING MOBILE SUITS FOR THE 21st CENTURY

Our interviewee today is Takaharu Shimomura, who is responsible for setting development and desk assistance. He has also worked on projects such as Infinite Ryvius, Silent Service, and the Brave series.

SEALING OFF NUCLEAR FUSION: UNLOCKING NEW POSSIBILITIES FOR MOBILE SUIT DESIGN

―― Let’s talk about the mobile suits in Gundam SEED. How would you describe their role in this world?

Shimomura: In this universe, I get the sense that humanoid machines originated from powered suits. It’s unlikely that a weapon like the GINN could be developed just one year into the conflict. We envision that they gradually transformed into combat units as tensions escalated. By the time we see them, GINNs are mass-produced and relatively cost-effective. The five Gundams, however, are a different story. They’re experimental units built using technology gleaned from captured GINNs, intended as prototypes for future mass production. Naturally, they’re far more expensive.

――Regarding terminology, it seems ZAFT refers to them as mobile weapons, while the Earth Alliance calls them mobile suits?

Shimomura: Actually, mobile suits are exclusive to ZAFT. That’s why ZAFT personnel refer to Gundams as mobile weapons or MS-like machines. In the SEED world, strictly speaking, Gundams aren’t mobile suits. For the Alliance, “Gundam” is the term used for humanoid mobile weapons. Interestingly, “Gundam” is just an acronym from the OS, which Kira first used as a name. Alliance military strictly use designations like X105 or Strike.

――Various concepts like the Neutron Jammer seems to be reshaping the battlefield for these 18-meter weapons. What are your thoughts on this?

Shimomura: We introduced the Neutron Jammer concept to establish certain rules of engagement for this war. In the story, it was implemented following the “Bloody Valentine” incident. We reasoned that if nuclear weapons were available, they’d likely be used despite any sort of “Antarctic Treaty.” So we made nuclear fission impossible in this world. Consequently, all mobile suits, Gundams included, run on batteries. We wanted to avoid fusion engines, partly because the concept of infinite power could be problematic. Energy limitations add depth to the narrative. For instance, in episode 5, when the Strike Gundam runs out of energy but regains power after a battery pack replacement – it’s a classic hero moment. The visual cue of the PS armor color fading is similar to Ultraman’s color timer, indicating depleting energy. Weapons, whether tanks or anything else, run on fuel. If it runs out of fuel, it cannot fight. It is a tactic to see how effectively you can deliver a blow within a limited time.

――How are Neutron Jammers utilized?

Shimomura: On Earth, Neutron Jammer generators are buried in various locations, completely neutralizing nuclear capabilities. In space, jammers are activated during combat situations. These could be small generators or satellite-sized units. This technology significantly reduced the Earth Alliance’s power, as they lost access to nuclear energy, bringing them to a similar level as ZAFT. While ZAFT may have lower national strength, they compensate with superior technology and intellectual resources.

――Is this why mobile suits don’t explode because they use batteries instead of nuclear power?

Shimomura: The lack of nuclear power means no massive chain reactions. However, they do carry propellant, so a hit to those tanks can cause significant explosions. The extent of the explosion depends on where the mobile suit is hit.

――I noticed that units like the GINN can detach damaged parts when hit.

Shimomura: It’s about practical combat considerations. Being able to quickly detach damaged parts improves maintenance and operational efficiency. We established these details in the planning stages and refined them in collaboration with the artists and animation directors.

MOBILE SUITS IN SEED’S WORLD: OVERWHELMINGLY STRONGER THAN OTHER WEAPONS

――Where do mobile suits stand in the hierarchy of weapons in SEED?

Shimomura: As weapons, mobile suits are the strongest. Partly due to the suppression of nuclear weapons, but even today, cruise missiles might seem effective, yet they can be shot down by Aegis ships. Thus, we set it up so that mobile suits, as combat weapons directly operated by humans, are more effective. The power balance between the Alliance’s Moebius mobile armor and the GINN is about 1 to 5. So when GINNs appear, Alliance battleships have no choice but to flee. Even a single destroyer can’t defeat one GINN.

――Mu’s Moebius Zero seems to hold its own…

Shimomura: Well, that unit is set to have taken down five GINNs (laughs). But you can see he struggles to take down even one GINN. It’s only because Mu is piloting it that it can fight at all. However, we consider him to be a human who excels in combat, not a Coordinator.

――In episode 3, Mu says he can’t pilot the Gundam. Are mobile suits exclusively for Coordinators?

Shimomura: At the point of theft, they only had the basic OS. Kira, being a Coordinator, fine-tuned the OS extensively. It’s like asking a novice driver to operate an F1 machine. Currently, it’s impossible for Naturals to operate a Gundam at full capacity. That’s how much potential it has. When stolen, it was in a state where it could barely walk normally, and they were at the stage of developing an OS that even Naturals could operate.

――From our conversation, it seems SEED has reconstructed the mobile suit concept from scratch.

Shimomura: Our goal was to treat Gundams like proper military hardware, while still keeping them flashy. We wanted that sweet spot between realism and “rule of cool.” In episode 3, Strike Gundam throws a boomerang, but being a beam weapon, it wouldn’t really return (laughs). We also create signature poses for each Gundam – unrealistic, but visually appealing. We’re always juggling practicality with theatrics..

――The Gundam designs do seem more visually distinct this time around.

Shimomura: We’re particularly conscious of appealing to younger audiences with the five Gundams. Director Fukuda has a 10-year-old son, and when playing the game Federation vs. Zeon, he surprisingly liked Char’s Gelgoog. Apparently, he liked the gimmick of swinging the naginata. Partly because of this, Blitz became a mass of weaponry at Director Fukuda’s suggestion, and we even added an absurdly long sword, an anti-ship sword, to Sword Strike (laughs).

INCORPORATING CUTTING-EDGE WEAPON TRENDS IN MECHA AND TECH SETTINGS

――I’m impressed by how the flashy elements and setting consistency blend seamlessly without dissonance, particularly in the Gundam designs.

Shimomura: Many of our special setting staff and writers are weapon enthusiasts, and considering military realism has become mainstream. We have to incorporate settings that are commonplace in novels and manga. The first Gundam had a World War II vibe, right? But now we’re in the era of modern warfare, so we have to incorporate trends from the latest weapons. That’s why we don’t have “Lay down a barrage!” this time (laughs). For example, even when firing missiles, they lock on with laser guidance before shooting.

――Just watching the first episode, I found the depiction of technology fascinating, like the car-sharing system actually implemented in Toyota City, or the system tracking human movement within the research facility using chips.

Shimomura: We actually saw that when we visited a research facility. If it’s being used in civilian factories to this extent, it would naturally be adopted in military factories. We try to adopt as much information that’s generally available as possible. This ultimately adds depth to the story.

――Was it a conscious decision to move away from the World War II feel of the original Gundam?

Shimomura: It’s not so much about being different as it is about keeping up. Both we and our audience have access to way more info than back in the day. Conversely, World War II-like elements can only work as retro-feel anime now. So we need to create according to current standards.

――Even the Gundam startup scenes are clearly different from the first series. Countless monitors display information, and startup screens appear. If the mobile suit in the first Gundam felt like machines with engines, SEED’s feel more like computers.

Shimomura: Sunrise has been incorporating such expressions since around The King of Braves GaoGaiGar. GaoGaiGar was a pioneering work that could fuse realistic setting research with flashy elements.

SEED’s MOBILE SUITS BASICALLY DON’T MOVE THEIR HEADS?!

――I was also surprised by how un-anthropomorphized the mobile suits. For example, in episode 2, when Gundam attacks a GINN, it doesn’t turn its face to track the enemy.

Shimomura: We intentionally avoid turning the mobile suits head. Pilots don’t look back either – no dramatic “There you are!” moments (laughs). This time, it’s set up so that the front monitor can cover everything.

――In the first series, Gundam was quite heroic, but in SEED, it has limitations like running out of battery and isn’t an almighty super machine. I felt it was going in a different direction from the first series.

Shimomura: While the design inevitably looks heroic, we wanted to drive home that they’re just another piece of military hardware, like tanks. We might loosen up on the movement later, but in those first couple of episodes, we wanted to set the tone for how we’re approaching mobile suits.