There is hardly anyone born after 1980 who does not know about Gundam. This is one of the biggest Japanese pop culture phenomena that has changed the giant robot genre.
Of course, giant humanoid robots have been in anime since the Tetsujin of the 28th Osamu Tezuka (known overseas as Gigantor). But gundam was different.
Yoshiyuki Tomino's writing was realistic, the robot designs were sleek, and the anime's anti-war message was true to the Japanese public.
After over 30 years of Gundam shows and movies, it's hard to know where to start, especially if you're a beginner who can't tell the difference between the RX-78-2 and the Zaku 2.
To save you some time and point you in the right direction, I've compiled a list of the best Gundam shows every fan should watch.
20. Gundam Build Fighters Try (2014).
Era: Anno Domini
Length: 25 episodes
GBF Try brings us even more of the same fantastic characters and beautifully animated Gunpla battles that made the original show so much fun.
It's fun to watch Sunrise animate a timeline based show in which their favorite IP became the biggest cultural event in modern history.
The plot is not as solid as the original. But watching an underdog team perform against the odds never gets old.
Check it out if you're craving cool gundam battles.
19. Mobile Suit Gundam SEED (2002)
era: Cosmic era
Length: 50 episodes
Gundam SEED became popular by emulating what made Gundam Wing so successful:
Seductive composition and captivating storytelling.
SEED is studying the racial tensions that the emergence of a new subspecies of humans, coordinators, can create, and how this can lead to war.
This is a rough but honest look at how human societies have operated since time immemorial.
Because it takes place in a completely different, isolated continuity, Gundam SEED could be a great starting point for the franchise.
18 Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn RE: 0096 (2010)
