Warning: Contains spoilers for Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX: Beginning.Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX is the latest Gundam anime and a collaboration with, of all people, Neon Genesis Evangelion’s Studio Khara. The series takes place in an alternate take on the Universal Century timeline where Char Aznable stole the Gundam from the Earth Federation and won Zeon the war, albeit unconventionally, and five years later, the new status quo is wrapping itself around a mysterious fledgling Newtype named Machu.

While GQuuuuuuX properly premieres in April 2025, fans can now get a sneak peek in a preview compilation film, Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX: Beginning, and they should jump on it as soon as they can. As the latest entry in Gundam’s most storied sub-franchise, some parts won’t make sense to newcomers, and I, myself, needed to look a few things up, but overall, Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX is already looking to be an incredible Gundam anime for old and new fans alike. There’s plenty more in store for GQuuuuuuX, but I can’t imagine it faltering after such a tremendous start.

Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX Has The Perfect Prologue For Its Story

What Makes GQuuuuuuX’s Prologue So Great

The main hook of Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX is that it takes place in an alternate version of the Universal Century timeline, and that comes together in an amazing prologue. It would have been easy to quickly explain away all the divergences before moving on to the main story, but an entire third of Beginning’s runtime is dedicated to the fallout of Char’s actions, and because of that, Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX: Beginning does a perfect job of explaining how its world ended up the way it is while also making things largely accessible to newcomers.

That heavy dedication to exploring the new take on the One Year War also does a lot for Gundam’s most iconic villain, Char Aznable. The heavy focus on Char perfectly fleshed him out in a short time and sold him as someone who’s blatantly evil, yet still charismatic enough to root for, and it makes sense that a large part of Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX’s plot is set to revolve around his mysterious disappearance in the Zeknova event. I finally understand why Char is so iconic, and I hope it won’t be long until I see more of him.

Everything great about the prologue, of course, all comes together under its fabulous direction. It’s one thing for the art and animation to be consistently great, but the prologue is made even better with its plethora of remixed tracks from the original Mobile Suit Gundam anime, something Hideaki Anno and Studio Khara used to great effect in their iconic Shin Japan Heroes Universe. Overall, every visual and narrative facet of Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX’s prologue excels at selling its divergent Universal Century story, and the further ramifications of it all will be great to watch play out.

Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX Created The Perfect Hero To Follow The Witch From Mercury

What Makes Machu Such A Great Gundam Protagonist

Following the prologue is the introduction into the world following the new take on the One Year War, and with that is the introduction of GQuuuuuuX’s protagonist, Machu. Right from the gate, Machu is painted as an eccentric and outgoing protagonist with how aggressive she is with Nyaan, and that culminates in her barely hesitating to pilot the GQuuuuuuX and jumping right into Clan Battles to uncover the truth of her Newtype abilities. Machu is a great Gundam protagonist because of how outgoing and wily she’s been made out to be, and I can’t wait to see more of her.

What makes Machu even better is how she contrasts The Witch from Mercury’s Suletta Mercury. Suletta was always characterized by her shy and awkward personality, something she never fully grew out of by the time the series ended, and as fun a character as she was, it would have been a mistake for the next series to go with that same archetype if it wanted to stand out. Machu’s ᴀssertive personality works so well thanks in large part to her being the exact opposite of Suletta, and it works to make GQuuuuuuX a great contrast to The Witch from Mercury.

That contrast is sold even further by Machu’s dynamic with Nyaan and Shuji. With Nyaan being a shy and reserved person and Shuji being an eccentric Newtype, Machu is the one who always takes the initiative with them and gets them to be part of the plot, and Machu and Nyaan’s dynamic can even be seen as an inversion of Suletta and Miorine’s. Machu’s interactions with others further cement how Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX is positioned as a direct contrast to 2022’s Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury, and that’s going to make me love it even more.

Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX Doesn’t Shy Away From Gundam’s Biggest Trademark

Gundam Doesn’t Shy Away From Its Biggest Themes

The element that ties all the great parts of the prologue and main story together, of course, is its unabashed political themes. The entire One Year War was as unsubtle as ever, and even though Zeon won the war, the damages they incurred meant they couldn’t become an unstoppable superpower, and tensions between them and the Earth Federation are still high in what’s supposed to be an era of peace. Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX continues to show how Gundam excels at portraying the realities of war, and I’m excited to see what sort of spin it puts on things.

The political messaging doesn’t stop with Zeon, of course. When a fight breaks out on Machu’s colony, most of the damage is caused by the Earth Federation either acting recklessly or using their conflict as an excuse to wreck the homes of refugees, with Nyaan even remarking that even though Zeon won the war, Spacenoids still aren’t safe from violence and discrimination. Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX takes the time to emphasize that even though Zeon are the bad guys, the Earth Federation was never completely innocent, and that sort of writing will be great to see later down the line.

GQuuuuuuX’s Movie Makes Me More Excited For The Anime Than Ever Before

I’ve Never Been More Excited For A Gundam Anime Before Now

GQuuuuuuX was already one of my most-anticipated anime of 2025, and Beginning tells me I was right to think so. Between the incredible animation and overall direction, the engaging way the series builds off the original Gundam series, and how unafraid it is of trying something new while maintaining Gundam’s core aspects, Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX already has the makings to be one of the best anime of the year, if not the best. Gundam collaborating with Neon Genesis Evangelion’s team was truly a match made in heaven, and I can’t wait to see how far things will go.