"If we were going to retreat, we would've been on the run from the start."
-Duo Maxwell
"When nothing makes sense, I'll fight believing only in myself."
-Heero Yuy
A gundam is a giant MS (mobile suit / robot / mecha) made of gundanium, an alloy which can only be produced in space and which is nearly indestructable. Each gundam is supposed to be controlled/piloted by a single human. However, a gundam requires super-quick reaction time amongst other things, and most humans aren't physically capable of piloting a gundam. Each gundam has unique weapons and capabilities, and is equipped with a self-destruct system. All gundams are kamikaze machniches, designed to be piloted by someone who is ready to die.
Each colony cluster builds a gundam and finds and/or trains a pilot. The pilots are sent to Earth and end up fighting the military factions for the freedom of the colonies. A lot of political and military coups happen. Tired of war, the colonies betray the gundam pilots and support the Earth military regime. In the end, the gundam pilots join together against all the military forces present in space, defeat them all, and bring about peace.
Note: the original gundams are destroyed in various ways and new gundams are built and some get new names.
"Life is cheap...especially mine."
Origin: L1 colony cluster
Ethnicity: at least part Japanese
Background: Code-named after the assasinated Colonial Representative. Trained by Professor J. (one of the gundam creators), and before that by Odin Lowe (an assasin, possibly the one to have killed the original Heero Yuy). J says Heero was rained to be a perfect weapon, but used to be a really nice kid.
Gundam: Wing and Wing Zero, main weapon: really large buster rifle(s).
What's with the number: Heero is named for the Chinese number One, Hii. Also, Heero's last name, Yuy (Yui) means "the only" in both Japanese and Chinese.
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"I might run, and I might hide, but I never lie."
Origin: L2 colony cluster
Ethnicity: American, whatever the hell that means for someone who comes from a space colony. Background: Self-named after a friend (Solo) who died in the plague. Trained (or just recruited without training?) by Professor G. (one of the gundam creators), before that briefly raised by a Catholic priest, father Maxwell. Sometimes wears priest's clothes. Allegedly spent most of his childhood homeless. Wears his very long hair in a braid. Supposed to be super-stealthy. Sometimes refers to himself as "Shinigami" (means "god of death", "Death", or "the Devil" in Japanese). Gundam: Deathscythe, Deathscythe Hell, main weapon: beam scythe.
What's with the number: Duo is Latin for "pair".
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"I am a nameless soldier that has been in the battlefield for as far back as I can remember."
Origin: L3 colony cluster
Ethnicity: I am not sure.
Background: Worked on his gundam as one of the mechanics. Was recruited as a pilot by Doktor S. (one of the gundam creators), after the orinial Trowa Barton, son of Dekim Barton (head of the Barton Foundation) was killed by one of Doktor S.'s crew. Prior to being a mechanic, was part of the group of mercenaries, from very young age. A good actor and a talented acrobat. Performs with a traveling circus. Really admires Heero.
Gundam: Heavyarms, main weapon: umm... missiles, guns coming out of everywhere, including a huge gatling gun, plus a knife.
What's with the number: Trowa's name kind of sounds like the French number Three, Trois.
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"They're afraid of dying aren't they? THEN THEY SHOULDN'T BE FIGHTING AT ALL!"
Origin: L4 colony cluster
Ethnicity: Arab, yes, that's right, a blonde, blue-eyed Arab.
Background: Heir to the obscenely wealthy Winner family. Raised by a pacifist father. Gets chosen by Instructor H. (one of the gundam creators) to pilot Sandrock. Also has previously gained the loyalty and friendship of the Maganac Corps, a special unit of Independent Middle East Resistance Forces. Has 29 older sisters. Has a strange empathic ability ("Space Heart"). Appears to be mild-mannered and gentle, but I guess everyone has their limits.
Gundam: Sandrock, main weapon: two curvy swords.
What's with the number: Quatre is the number Four in French.
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"I don't fight bleeding hearts and I don't fight women."
Origin: L5 colony cluster
Ethnicity: Chinese
Background: Last member of the Long Clan. A widower at 15 (or younger?).. Originally a scholar, but ends up piloting the gundam meant for his wife. Gives the name Nataku to the gundam he receved from Master O. (one of the gundam creators). Prefers to fight alone. Owns a sword.
Gundam: Shenlong and Altron, main weapon: a thermal trident and dragon claw(s).
What's with the number: Wufei is named for Wu, the Chinese number Five. This number thing is ever so witty and imaginative.. :PP
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left to right: Relena Darlian, Zechs Merquise, Treize Khushrenada
Treize Khushrenada (13) is a general with his own ideas of noble warrior conduct. He is an accomplished swordsman. He keeps count of all the soldiers who died under his command and makes sure to remember all their names.
Zechs Merquise (06) is an a friend of Treize Khushrenada. He has a secret past and hides his face behind a mask.
Relena Darlian doesn't get a number, because... she is a girl! Well, I don't really know why. She is a wealthy and privileged (but unhappy) daughter of Vice Minister Darlian, a politician working for peace between Earth and the colonies. She has a loving mother and is adored by her classmates.
(Zechs builts and pilots gundam Tallgeese, and Treize builts and pilots gundam Epyon. So technically, there are seven gundam pilots, not five.)
Eventually these two go against each other, each heading a large military group, and both are destroyed by the five gundam pilots. Relena becomes a world-famous pacifist and holds various political titles.
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left to right: Lady Une, Dorothy Catalonia, Sally Po, Lucretia Noin, Catherine Bloom, Hilde Schbeiker
Lady Une is Treize Khushrenada's loyal aide. She starts out as a pretty ruthless character who will not hesitate to destroy a whole colony or even Earth in order to get things done. Eventually she sees the error of her ways.
Dorothy Catalonia is a military brat/orphan who has a facination with war and a talent for battle strategy.
Sally Po is a military surgeon, who joins the Earth Resistance, and ends up helping the gundam pilots quite a bit.
Noin was Zechs' classmate at the military academy. She has a soft spot for him, and tries to join him, but due to philosophical differences ends up protecting Relena and helping the gundam pilots instead.
Catherine is Trowa's fellow circus performer, a knife-thrower, who takes him under her wing and treats him as her younger brother. She is possibly his real long lost sister.
Hilde starts out as a pilot for OZ (the bad guys), and even takes Duo prisoner, but eventually ends up risking her life and getting seriously injured in order to help the gundam pilots.
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- The gundams come to Earth, and for the first time we get to hear Heero's maniacal (hysterical?) laughter as he blows things up, as well as the first of Duo's and Trowa's many renditions of that catchy phrase: "you've seen my gundam - prepare to die!"
- Relena finds Heero unconscious on the beach. We get the first taste of his excellent people skills as we watch him hijack the ambulance, leaving Relena still standing there with her hand extended, going My name is Relena Dorlian....And you are?"
- Relena invites Heero to her 15th birthday party. He tears up the invitaion in front of all her friends, wipes the tear from her eyes, and quietly says to her, "Omae o korosu" (that he will kill her).
- Heero aims a gun at Relena, only to be shot twice by Duo.
- Duo and Heero jump out of the 50th floor window. Heero doesn't open his parachute until meters from the ground. He later sets his own broken leg.
- Quatre and Trowa fight and then surrender to each other. They play a duet of flute and violin, and then Quatre watches from the bedroom window as Trowa walks away. Apparently this is the Japanese way of hinting that they "did it".
- Zechs pilots a gundam for the first time and has a heart attack.
- Wufei attacks Treize's ship. Treize challanges him to a duel, and Wufei leaves his gundam to have a sword fight. He loses, but Treize lets him go. It must be lurve!
- Une threatens to destroy the colonies in order to get the gundam pilots to surrender. Professor J. contacts her, promising that the gundams will be out of her way, but that she will never control them. Heero hears this, says "ninmu ryokai" ("mission accepted") and self-destructs.
- After some time in a coma, Heero wakes up to find that Trowa has been taking care of him. He tells Trowa that "dying hurts like hell" and we see Trowa laugh for the first time.
- Trowa infiltrates OZ and has to prove his loyalty by destroying Duo's gundam. Trowa does it, and we see him cry for the first time. Duo, who is on Earth, sees the broadcast of Deathscythe's demise and screams.
- Quatre tries the Zero system for the first time and decides to destroy the colonies to avenge his father's death. Was it the Zero that made him evil?.. Trowa and Heero try to stop him, and Trowa ends up drifting into space in a mobile suit about to blow up, still trying to talk some sence into Quatre.
- Trowa loses his memory and we discover that his face CAN express emotions.
- Trowa still doesn't remember who he is, but steals an MS to follow Quatre into space.
- Heero puts himself (and his gundam) between the Earth and the very large, rapidly moving chunk of a space ship, not knowing for sure if he'll be able to destroy it and/or survive (he does).
- Heero sneaks into Relena's shuttle and leaves her a present for her 16th birthday.