TheGundamfranchise is bigger than ever, but its creator fears it might be for the wrong reasons.Gundamhas always been one of the biggest anime franchises around, and recent years have seen even more growth for it, asGQuuuuuuXis a thrilling collaboration with Studio Khara ofNeon Genesis Evangelionfame, and the previous series,The Witch from Mercury, wasGundam’s most profitable series in years.
There’s no denying thatGundamis a big franchise, but for its creator, Yoshiyuki Tomino, it might be big for the wrong reasons. Tomino recently spoke about howGundamhas been defined by its depictions of war and the military-industrial complex, and as he did, he criticized the current state of the franchise, saying thatmodernGundamfans only care about the fighting and modernGundamcreators don’t care about war.
“When you say ‘I like Gundam,’ the words that come up are, of course, ‘mobile suit battles are cool.’ That is not the point. At all. My younger colleagues are making Gundam series today, and I don’t feel a sense of experience with war.” -Yoshiyuki Tomino
That idea can be felt in some ofGundam’s more recent output, but whether that’s a bad thing is far more complicated than one might think.
Why Gundam’s Creator’s Criticisms Of The Franchise Make Sense
Yoshiyuki Tomino Isn’t Completely Wrong To Criticize Modern Gundam
As harsh as Yoshiyuki Tomino’s criticisms of modernGundammight be, it’s not completely unfounded. The two most recentGundamanime,The Witch from Mercuryand2025’sMobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX, are both focused more on character writing than any sort of war drama, and their narratives became notably muddied whenever that writing is forced into the plot. Despite that, however, fans and critics have taken to them more thanIron-Blooded Orphans, which was a much more traditionalGundamstory, somodernGundamfans do seem to be drifting away from the war stories that once defined the franchise.
None of that is new forGundam, of course. As great asGundamshows tend to be, the series has always thrived off of its commercialization via Gunpla kits and other toys and accessories, with the success of Gunpla even allowingGundamto become a franchise afterthe firstGundamanime’s infamous failure.Gundamfans have always prioritized the flashiness of stories over the stories themselves, and the only thing that’s changed is that modernGundamis leaning more into it than ever.
Is The Current State Of Gundam Here To Stay?
What Are The Chances Of A More Traditional Gundam Story?
ModernGundamhas become incredibly commercialized and increasingly removed from what it once was, and that’s not going to change anytime soon. While Yoshiyuki Tomino has said that he thinks the nextGundamanime should take inspiration from the wars in Israel and Ukraine, that’s not up to him, and considering how successful the modern shows have been when not focusing on war, it’s highly unlikely to happen. Add in recent comments abouta newGundamanime every year, andthe aesthetic of modernGundamwill likely be thestatus quofor years to come.
It’s hard to deny the commercialization of modernGundam, but that might not be a bad thing. WithGundambeing as big as it is, that means it’s attracting more fans than ever before, and the ones who stick through the flashier parts of the franchise will likely watch the more traditional war-based stories if they want to stay invested.Gundambeing as big as it is makes it easier than ever for people to see the biggest stories to its name, and if they end up liking modernGundamalong the way, that’s also great.
