30 Years Ago Today, Gundam Wing Was Ready to Change Everything

Thirty years ago in Japan today, Heero Yuy infamously tore up the birthday invite of Relena Peacecraft and threatened to kill her—and it was more than just meme history that was forever changed. It would take just shy of another five years for it to happen, but Gundam had laid the groundwork for its first major hit outside of Japan—and bring its big robots, and even bigger ideas, to a whole new audience. Released in Japan on April 7, 1995—to celebrate the Gundam franchise’s 16th anniversary on the same day—Gundam Wing was the franchise’s second dip into the world of alternate timelines beyond the series’ iconic primary continuity, the Universal Century. Its predecessor, Mobile Fighter G Gundam, had juked where, up to that point, Gundam had jived, trading broad astropolitical worldbuilding for more shonen and super robot influences. Wing then, would return to jiving, establishing a precedent that practically every alternate universe series has followed since: new characters, new settin ... Read full article.