For the first time since its debut in 1979, a Mobile Suit Gundam series will feature a female main character.
The still-unnamed protagonist was revealed in a new teaser for Gundam: The Witch From Mercury, where she was shown alongside her new Mobile Suit — the Gundam Aerial. The anime was announced in September of last year and is now scheduled to air this October.
TV ANIME "Mobile Suit Gundam : Suisei no Majo (The Witch From Mercury) 機動戦士ガンダム 水星の魔女" TEASER 1 pic.twitter.com/L6f9UKTYT3
— oecuf.xyz ─ Anime Trailer Account (@oecuf0) March 29, 2022
Bandai Namco released a new teaser trailer for The Witch From Mercury showing the protagonist's short red hair blowing in the wind, and Gundam Aerial booting up towards the end. The series looks to have a modern art style and inspirational music if the trailer is anything to go by.
Produced by studio Sunrise, this is the first Gundam TV show since 2015's Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Oprhans. There will also be a prologue to The Witch From Mercury, which features two other Mobile Suits, Beguir-Beau and Gundam LFRITH. Details about the plot and characters for The Witch From Mecury have not been revealed yet, but more information should be coming later. It's also currently unknown which timeline this series will take place.
Women have played a prominent role in the Gundam multiverse going back to the original series, with some of the most famous examples including Sayla Mass, Emma Sheen, and Christina Mackenzie. However, Gundam's leads have generally been male teenagers who happen to fall into the cockpit of a powerful mobile weapon. It'll be interesting to see how Witch From Mercury changes up the formula after more than 40 years of Gundam stories.
In the meantime, there will be Gunpla for the three Mobile Suits. Gunpla models of Aerial, LFRITH, and Beguir-Beau will be available for purchase at a later date. Bandai Namco is also working on some other Gundam-related projects, including a game called Gundam Evolution, a 6v6 FPS game, and a brand-new Gundam Metaverse.
George Yang is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @yinyangfooey