Planning Director
An Interview with Kotaro Nakayama

As the first Gundam series set outside the Universal Century timeline, Mobile Fighter G Gundam is often considered a standout title in the franchise, complete with its own legendary behind-the-scenes stories. This interview series aims to explore and verify these accounts by speaking with those involved. Our first guest is Kotaro Nakayama, who served as a project planner and was involved from start to finish. What is the real story behind the “G Gundam legends?”

NOTE: This interview recounts perspectives from around 1994, when Mobile Fighter G Gundam was produced. The viewpoints expressed reflect the general international perceptions in Japan at that time and do not necessarily correspond with today’s global circumstances or current evaluations.

BORN FROM A PROJECT REVISION AT BANDAI’S BEHEST

――This year marks the 30th anniversary of Mobile Fighter G Gundam. It was the very first Gundam series not set in the Universal Century, and it’s well-known that the path to getting the project approved was far from smooth. Bringing an entirely new form of Gundam to life must have posed numerous challenges, and in retrospect, the show itself was quite a bold endeavor. As the project planner, could you describe the nature of your role at that time?

Nakayama: Back then, Sunrise (now Bandai Namco Filmworks) specialized in producing original titles, and they had a dedicated planning department. We would develop concepts there, present them to toy manufacturers like Bandai and Takara (at the time), and once we secured approval, the concept would move into actual production. Before G Gundam, I was involved in setting and production work on Shippū! Iron Leaguer. After finishing that project, I joined the effort on what would become G Gundam, working closely with Bandai and staying deeply involved right through to the end. Originally, the slot following Mobile Suit V Gundam was to be filled by a new Gundam series under the direct supervision of Bandai’s Boys’ Toys Division—then led by Katsushi Murakami, ensuring it would be a product aimed squarely at a young male audience. And that’s precisely how G Gundam came into existence.

――Shifting the franchise, which was traditionally anchored by Gunpla, toward a product line geared more directly to young boys sounds like a major directional change.

Nakayama: Sure it was. Before that, we had been working on a new Gundam project with director Yasuhiro Imagawa, tentatively titled Polca Gundam. It followed the original Gundam flow we’d had for years. But when Masahiro Ueda, who was an executive at the time (and would later become president of Sunrise), along with producer Masahiko Minami (who would later become president of BONES), and Imagawa made their pitch to Bandai, the response was, “No, that’s not what we want. Do this instead.” That directive laid out the core concept of G Gundam. The climate then was heavily influenced by the arcade fighting game boom triggered by Street Fighter II, with titles like Samurai Shodown and Fatal Fury, where fighters from around the world would duel it out. Bandai told us, “Make an anime where Gundams from various countries fight each other. Imagine a regulated street fighting competition.” That’s how the concept was handed to us. I had been involved since the planning stages of the rejected Polca Gundam project, which would have featured mechanical designs from Kunio Okawara for the main Gundam, with Yutaka Izubuchi and Hajime Katoki handling the enemy designs. At that stage, Director Imagawa had this concept, “Let’s make the main Gundam speak, like KITT from the overseas TV show Knight Rider, and let it have a female voice.” I remember Bandai pushing back, concerned that a female-voiced Gundam might hurt sales.

THE FIRST GUNDAM SERIES NOT DIRECTED BY YOSHIYUKI TOMINO

――In the lineage of Gundam productions, and setting aside works like SD Gundam, your series was the first to take place outside the Universal Century. Was the canceled Polca Gundam concept also set outside the Universal Century?

Nakayama: Yes, it was. It introduced an entirely new world. Director Imagawa studied under Yoshiyuki Tomino, but rather than following directly in his mentor’s footsteps, he wanted to create something new. By the time we asked Imagawa to take on the role of director, the decision had already been made to set the story in a different world. G Gundam was the very first TV installment in the franchise not helmed by Tomino, so we essentially had to start at zero and ask ourselves, “What does Gundam even mean?” We discussed that a lot. No single conclusion emerged; and once we pushed the concept all the way to a kind of Gundam fighting game scenario, we reached a point where we half-jokingly said, “If it’s white and has antennae, let’s just call it a Gundam,” and leave it at that (laughs). Tomino himself gave us some ideas and was enthusiastically sketching rough concepts. For instance, he proposed a Ninja Gundam that had a giant shuriken mounted on its back. I remember him getting really fired up, saying, “You can throw that shuriken, then jump onto it and go flying!” Ultimately, we never used that in the show, though.

――Murakami at Bandai is known for having contributed design ideas to Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, such as concepts for the Psycho Gundam. Did he provide any sketches or images when formulating G Gundam?

Nakayama: In the beginning, it was all about articulating the concept. Later on, he handed us a sketch featuring about twenty different Gundam heads lined up in a row. After that, we sat down with Okawara and the reps at the toy division at Bandai to kick off concrete design work. When told to create “Gundams from all over the world,” Okawara apparently decided early on that the hero’s machine would evoke a kamishimo, a type of formal samurai attire. The very first design he brought to the table had a remarkably strong kamishimo influence.

――When the project suddenly pivoted, how did Director Imagawa react?

Nakayama: I expected that, after having his initial efforts overturned, he might quit. But instead, he said he’d do it. I imagine he was under a tremendous amount of stress. At the same time, Imagawa was a huge fan of Hong Kong cinema—films like the Once Upon a Time in China series—and I believe he thought to himself, “Let’s bring the essence of those kung fu films into Gundam.” In fact, during planning sessions, we all watched that entire series together at Imagawa’s home.

――Once Upon a Time in China starred Jet Li (then known as Li Lianjie) as Wong Fei-hung, the legendary martial artist. Hong Kong movies were hugely popular back then, and if you look at G Gundam now, you can see that it borrowed countless elements from that genre. Take Master Asia (Tōhō Fuhai), for instance. He originated in wuxia novels, but for Hong Kong film fans, he calls to mind the Swordsman series starring Brigitte Lin as a cross-dressing, gender-defying character—also based on that source material. By the way, it’s well-known that manga artist Kazuhiko Shimamoto contributed to the project. Producer Minami, who went to college with Shimamoto, reached out to him. Shimamoto even drew a manga depicting their university connection, so fans know this story already.

Nakayama: Yes. After Shippū! Iron Leaguer, Minami—who had studied together with Shimamoto at Osaka University of Arts—asked him to help out again by drafting initial character ideas.　We set up something called the Gundam Preparation Room in a single apartment room. We had Shimamoto come there and said, “We need rough concepts for three main characters.” He basically camped out, working around the clock to deliver sketches. I remember it clearly: Shimamoto was alone in that room, but we could hear him talking. He would say things aloud as he drew, like, “And now the hair goes all… whoosh!” That must have been part of his creative process. It left quite an impression.

KIDS SINGING THE THEME SONG: A GUNDAM UNLIKE ANY BEFORE IT

――I’ve heard that Bandai’s initial request included having five main characters and five Gundams, including the protagonist’s. Is that correct?

Nakayama: At the time, it was becoming common practice to present multiple main characters so viewers could pick their favorites. As a result, Okawara had to redraw the main Gundam’s design over and over—he must have revised the Shining Gundam about ten times.

――How did you decide on the visual themes for each country’s Gundam?

Nakayama: Those concepts came from Okawara himself, drawing inspiration from each of the nations in question. He’s the one person capable of pushing Gundam designs that far without losing their essence. It really was a job only he could handle.

――Some designs, like the Nether Gundam, really went beyond the usual boundaries. How did you settle on each of those Gundams?

Nakayama: We started with a kind of playful approach: “Let’s go all-in on these stereotypical images of other countries.” But we ended up making them so direct that before the show aired, we got a bit nervous, wondering if people from those places might be offended (laughs). Still, if we watered them down, the unique characteristics of each Gundam would be lost. So in the end, we decided to just go with it as is.

POPULARITY IGNITED BY MASTER ASIA’S ARRIVAL

――It’s well known that in the early stages, the show struggled with low ratings and heavy criticism.

Nakayama: For about the first three months, it was what you might today call a total firestorm. The Comic BomBom (published by Kodansha) manga tie-in was landing dead last in their popularity polls. TV ratings were dismal. The merchandise hardly sold at all. It performed even worse than Mobile Suit V Gundam, which had been considered a tough sell, and we found ourselves in a real crisis. On top of that, there were purist Gundam fans back then who sent razor blades through the mail after each broadcast, accompanied by messages like, “How dare you do this to my Gundam.” We were receiving that kind of pushback every single week.

In the midst of all this, Producer Minami told me something along the lines of, “Kotaro, you’re not just going to wash your hands of this after planning it. I’m holding you accountable until the end.” I think that was his reasoning when he decided to list my name under ‘Planning’ in the end credits (laughs). From that point forward, the planning staff credit became standard. You could say this set the precedent. This uphill battle went on for about three months, right up until Master Asia’s appearance. Until then, it really was dire. But once Master Asia showed up, everything turned around. I think it also took about three months for younger viewers—both lower and upper elementary school kids—to discover the show and get behind it. I have a vivid memory of this: at one of the hobby shows in Shizuoka or a toy show in Tokyo, Bandai’s booth was looping the G Gundam opening song, and as I watched, ordinary kids passing by started singing along with it.

Katsumi Kawaguchi (known as Meijin Kawaguchi) from Bandai’s Hobby Division at the time said, “I’ve never seen anything like this in a Gundam show before.” Even though the series itself was still far from a major hit, I was a bit pleased to see it become something so different from previous Gundam installments.

――After that, it seems older fans followed the kids’ lead and came on board as well.

Nakayama: Master Asia’s character was absolutely pivotal. Until he showed up, no one could really grasp what this Gundam series was aiming for. The first episode’s direction was handled by Goro Taniguchi, who would later direct the Code Geass series. I remember the two of us talking, saying things like, “Is this even entertaining? Are we doing the right thing here?”

――Once Master Asia appeared, I remember anime magazines saw a huge increase in positive reader feedback. Was this planned?

Nakayama: Not at all. Master Asia, who pilots the Master Gundam, is the antagonist to Domon, but let’s face it, he’s not exactly a young handsome rival. Bandai was strongly opposed to that. They wanted a handsome rival character, maybe one wearing a mask (laughs). We held firm and allowed Director Imagawa’s vision of an older male rival to stand. So it was a huge relief when he caught on and helped the show’s popularity. Imagawa really seemed more invested in Master Asia than in Domon. But whether the market would embrace that dynamic was another matter entirely.

――It also felt like fans of Hong Kong cinema and wuxia novels gave the show a very positive reception.

Nakayama: Master Asia wasn’t like any typical “master” character you’d find in Hong Kong kung fu entertainment. The mentor-student relationship between Master Asia and Domon might also be an echo of the relationship between Director Tomino and Director Imagawa. When Master Asia repeatedly calls Domon “foolish pupil”, I cannot help feeling that those words carry that kind of subtext.

――Speaking of Domon, he was straightforward in a way that broke the mold of traditional Gundam protagonists.

Nakayama: The plan was always for this to be about martial arts and to aim it at a younger audience. Initially, Domon’s age was set at sixteen. We wanted him to be closer in age to elementary and middle school viewers. But since he fights with his bare hands, the TV network requested that he be depicted as an adult, and so he became twenty. We wanted him passionate and troubled, and the end result was basically “an adult who acts like a reckless kid” (laughs).

――How was the heroine, Rain, conceived?

Nakayama: Rain represents what Imagawa envisioned for a female character at that time. She’s the type of woman who follows a few steps behind, loyal and pure-hearted, almost old-fashioned in her sincerity. In any case, G Gundam was very much Imagawa’s film. It felt close to a personal work for him.

WHAT ON EARTH IS GERMAN NINJUTSU?! THE STAFF FINALLY LET LOOSE

――In the end, G Gundam became a hugely influential entry in the Gundam franchise.

Nakayama: From my perspective, back then I thought, “This might be the end of Gundam altogether.” But once Master Asia and then Schwarz Bruder appeared, everyone just started embracing the absurdity. We were all like, “German Ninjutsu… what even is that?! (laughs)

――I think the audience also loosened up at that point. How was the title decided?

Nakayama: With the sudden shift in direction and re-planning, we knew that Sunrise preferred series titles that included strong, voiced consonants. So we simply figured, “We need something punchy—maybe a Z or a V?” In the end, “G” stood out. That’s how we got G Gundam. The reason Domon starts out piloting the Shining Gundam and not a “G Gundam” is because we came up with the series title and the mecha designations separately. After settling on G Gundam for the title, we decided to introduce a unit named “God Gundam.” The unit names weren’t what inspired the title; the title came first.

――And where did “Mobile Fighter” (Kidō Butōden) come from?

Nakayama: Since it wasn’t set in the Universal Century, we decided not to use “Mobile Suit” anymore. But since it was still Gundam, I felt we had to keep “Mobile” in the name. The rest, (lit.) “Fighter’s Legend,” was a straightforward choice. We wanted something that would clearly signal to children that “this is about martial arts.” Just from the title alone, we wanted them to get the idea immediately.

――The show also featured distinctive technique names and stylized kanji for dialogue.

Nakayama: Many of those came straight from Director Imagawa himself. The Sekiha Love-Love Tenkyoken was one such example. At the time, everyone was thinking, “Love-Love? What’s that supposed to mean?” Then Imagawa said, “If you’re so annoyed, then come up with something even more striking than this!” Of course, no one could (laughs).

COMMITTED TO THE MAX, GOING ALL OUT

――G Gundam was born as a truly unconventional entry in the series, but looking at it now, its fictional setting seems to resonate with the real world we live in today. Whether it’s about war or the environment, the show raises a host of issues that feel quintessentially Gundam.

Nakayama: When we were drafting the proposal, there was a catchphrase that went, “Gundam vs. Gundam. The Earth is your ring—enter the Gundam Fight.” At that time, ecology was becoming a topic of conversation, and I thought, “If we don’t say something socially relevant, it won’t look cool.” So, on my own initiative, I wrote “ecology” into the project plan. Imagawa took that idea seriously and expanded upon it, which led to the creation of the Devil Gundam. And from that point onward, the story evolved into this theme of eliminating humanity.

――The Gundam Fight as a kind of proxy war feels like an abstraction of how Gundam has always engaged with the theme of warfare.

Nakayama: I think that’s close to the mark. When we asked ourselves “What exactly is Gundam?” we knew it was inherently about war. But G Gundam does not depict a conventional war. Instead, we thought, “Okay, it’s not a direct war, but what if there’s such a thing as a proxy war?” That’s how we approached it.

――By doing that, it feels like the essence of Gundam’s worldview and imagery was preserved. It’s not as if we just turned it into martial arts or a sports tool overnight. You can tell a lot of serious thought went into how Gundam’s principles were carried over into this new framework.

Nakayama: People often say G Gundam was full of ridiculous elements, but we were anything but frivolous about it. We were deadly serious—unbelievably earnest. If you don’t treat it seriously, viewers will see right through you. The idea was to go all-in, to commit wholeheartedly. I believe that sense of sincerity is something children picked up on.

Source: Great Mechanics G Winter 2024 (page 030-033)