Gundam Series Watch Order Guide

Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway came onto Netflix within a few weeks of the long-awaited premiere in Japanese theatres.

It was an outstanding and accommodated move by the most acclaimed Real Robot franchise.

Hathaway is the newest instalment in the Gundam ‘Universal Century’ storyline the creator of the series Yoshiyuki Tomino conceptualized and presented to the world in 1979.

The fact that it continues to be up-to-date to the present day is a testimony to its importance both in the science-fiction genre and anime in general.

Popular western titles that many have grown up with, such as the Wing and G Gundam are completely distinct from the renowned UC Timeline, but that is a good reason to clarify people who were fans of Gundam Wing on Toonami when they were kids and put it off until Netflix forced it in their minds this week.

In addition, this guide for ordering a movie from Universal Century Gundam will serve anyone who is curious but doesn’t believe the mythology of UC Gundam is the only genuine Gundam.

Every story is rapid-paced and packed with suspense. If you are a fan of sci-fi, then the animated stories will grab your attention and you’ll be immediately hooked.

Since it’s a mecha-based animated series, Gundam is full of robots and does an excellent job of explaining technology functions.

The characters are diverse and well-developed. There’s a reason behind every scene and each event that occurs.

The soundtrack is a perfect match for the pace and animation perfectly and makes each episode extremely engaging.

Yes, it’ll take some time to get through the entire series, and with each story chapter, your appetite will increase!

Table of Contents

Release Order

I. TV Series

Mobile Suit Gundam (1979)
Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam (1985)
Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ (1986)
Mobile Suit SD Gundam (1993)
Mobile Suit Victory Gundam (1993)
Mobile Fighter G Gundam (1994)
Mobile Suit Gundam Wing (1996)
After War Gundam X (1996)
Turn A Gundam (1999)
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED (2002)
Superior Defender Gundam Force (2003)
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny (2004)
Mobile Suit Gundam 00 (2007)
SD Gundam Sangokuden Brave Battle Warriors (2010)
Mobile Suit Gundam AGE (2011)
Gundam Build Fighters (2013)
Mobile Suit Gundam-san (2014)
Gundam Build Fighters Try (2014)
Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans (2015)
Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn (2016)
Gundam Build Divers (2018)
Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin (2019)

Also Read: Madoka Magica Watch Order Guide

II. Movies

Mobile Suit Gundam compilation movies (1981)
Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack (1988)
Mobile Suit SD Gundam (1988-1993)
Mobile Suit Gundam F91 (1991)
Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory compilation movie (1992)
Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team compilation movie (1998)
Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz compilation movie (1998)
Turn A Gundam compilation movies (1998)
Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam (2005)
Mobile Suit Gundam 00 (2010)
SD Gundam Sangokuden Brave Battle Warriors (2010)
Mobile Suit Gundam 00 the Movie: A Wakening of the Trailblazer (2010)
Gundam Build Fighters Try (2016)
Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt compilation movies (2016)
Mobile Suit Gundam: Twilight AXIS compilation movie (2017)
Gundam Build Fighters: GM’s Counterattack (2017)
Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative (2018)
Gundam Reconguista in G compilation movies (2019 onwards)
Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway’s Flash (2020 onwards)

III. OVAs

Mobile Suit SD Gundam (1989)
Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket (1989)
Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory (1991)
Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz (1997)
Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team (1998)
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED (2004)
Mobile Suit Gundam MS IGLOO: The Hidden One Year War (2004)
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny (2004)
Mobile Suit Gundam MS IGLOO: Apocalypse 0079 (2006)
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED C.E. 73: Stargazer (2006)
Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ (2009)
Mobile Suit Gundam 00 (2009)
Mobile Suit Gundam MS IGLOO 2: Gravity Front (2009)
Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn (2010)
Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin (2015)
Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin (2015)
Mobile Suit Gundam: Twilight AXIS (2017)
Gundam Build Fighters: Battlogue (2013)
Gundam Build Divers (2018)

3. Specials

Mobile Suit Gundam Wing (1996)
Gundam Evolve (2001)
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny (2004)
Model Suit Gunpla Builders Beginning G (2010)
Mobile Suit Gundam AGE (2013)
Gundam Build Fighters (2013)
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED (2013)
Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team (2013)
Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn (2013)

Net Animations

SD Gundam World Sangoku Soketsuden (2019 onwards)
Gundam Build Divers Re:Rise (2019 onwards)

Our Recommended UC Gundam Watch Order

It is possible to might be able to watch UC Gundam in chronological order, however, we don’t recommend it. Not only was the series produced at different times, making the transition from new to old back to old animation unsettling, certain of the chronologically older, however, later produced efforts are best appreciated in a larger context.

1. Begin With One or Two Of The UC Gundam Treats to Ease Yourself into.

Gundam 0080
08th MS Team
Gundam Thunderbolt

If you’ve seen some of the other universe Gundam programs or a previous UC Gundam experience, this first step isn’t mandatory.

We’re not saying that it is essential to participate in Gundam 0080 or 08th MS Team and Gundam Thunderbolt at some point in your life because they’re arguably the most condensed and concise anime that the series offers.

But they aren’t the most interesting. Universal Century side-stories are all brief and have no relevance for the primary story.

This is precisely the reason, for people who have little or no Gundamhistory or knowledge of the series, we suggest starting with one of these short masterpieces to provide them with an easy but captivating introduction to the Gundam series.

2. The Core Yoshiyuki Tomino Gundam Works

Mobile Suit Gundam
Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam
Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ
Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counter Attack.

Mobile Suit Gundam. Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam. Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ. Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counter Attack. These four works constitute the core of UC Gundam, elucidating the ongoing battle with Zeon and the Earth Federation and various variants of the Zeon resistance, most notably by introducing their characters including rookie pilot Amuro Ray, and the legendary, and the ever-popular Char Aznable.

It is not mandatory to be chronological for these four movies, but we highly recommend that fans of the classic Mobile Suit Gundam series choose the compilation film option over the TV version, since it will make it easier for you to watch and is considered to be canon.

The same isn’t true with the ZetaMovies.

3. Filling in the UC Gundam Gaps

Mobile Suit Gundam F91
Mobile Suit Victory Gundam
Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory
Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway

You’ve completed Char’s Counterattackbringing Amuro as well as Char’s story to an end however, it’s not the Universal Century canon.

From now all of these stories up to Unicornare distinct and are available to watch at any time.

Also Read: Hajime no Ippo Watch Order Guide

F91 features fantastic animation and Victory Gundam was Tomino performing his act one final time before doing it again a few years afterward.

Stardust Memory takes place between the original show and Zeta However, it’s most enjoyable after watching both shows.

We think Hathaway would be in this category right now. However, if a full trilogy is ever released this could be considered a separate sub-category.

4. The UC Gundam Sub-Series Gundam Unicorn

Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn
Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative

The first Unicorn came onto the scene in the year 2010 in 2010, it was the Universal Century that hadn’t been properly updated for nearly 20 years.

Fans of the franchise for a long time were looking for a return to the basics after the myriad alternate universe installments diverged from the original series’ roots.

With characters that have proper Tomino-like names like Banagher Links or Full Frontal and being based around ‘Laplace’s box’ and further advancing the Newtype sub-mythos.

Unicorns became an iconic subseries of The Universal Century.

After the OVA series ended in 2016 A direct sequel was scheduled to be released a few years later as Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative.

5. UC Adjacent Outliers to Further Broaden Your Education.

Turn A Gundam
Gundam Reconguista In G

In addition to the ones you’ll see within the U.C.chronological list, there are several other outliers linked with the timeline but aren’t part of the developing storyline. The two shows that first spring to the mind include 1999’s Turn A Gundam and the 2014 Gundam Reconguista Both were created with and written by the original franchise’s creator Yoshiyuki Tomino.

Both are considered to be in the distant in the future Universal Century but far enough that they’re both within their canons and we’d like to recommend the latter show since it’s the director’s masterpiece artistic opus.

A movie that is said to be in Canon is in the works, thanks to Netflix, however, you can look up the earlier television movie G-Savior which is a canonical film that takes place at UC 0223.

Are all Gundam series connected?

It’s not true, there is no connection between the two.

This means that you could watch every single one independently of the other, and you will not miss any pertinent information about the selected selection. They do however have similarities.

Which Gundam series is the best?

A few other instances and the IMDb ratings are listed below.

1 ZETA GUNDAM.

2 MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM 00.

3 MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM WING.

4 MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM: 08TH MS TEAM.

5 MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM.

6 GUNDAM 0080: WAR IN THE POCKET.

7 GUNDAM: IRON-BLOODED ORPHANS.

8 GUNDAM 0083: STARDUST MEMORY

Do I need to watch Gundam in order?

It is not mandatory to follow chronologically with these four films, however, we strongly suggest for those who have the first Mobile Suit Gundam series choose the compilation film method over the original TV version, since it will make it easier for you to follow and is accepted as canon.

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Gundam Series Watch Order Guide