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Warning: Contains spoilers for Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX episode #12.Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuXhas finally come to an end, and calling the finale unhinged would be an understatement. The story progressed as rapidly and as surreal as one would expect from a show made by the creators ofNeon Genesis Evangelion, and despite some obvious shortcomings, it did a surprisingly good job of tying everything together.
After recovering the Rose of Sharon, which turned out to bea Lalah Sune from an alternate universe, Kycilia got to work on having Nyaan operate the Yomagn’tho to destroy humanity and turn Earth into a paradise for Newtypes. At that time, Challia enacted his coup against Kycillia to create a proper Newtype paradise, and to that end,Machu fought with Nyaan to dismantle the Yomagn’tho and free the alternate Lalah. What followed was a series of escalating twists and turns, and it led to a finale that, for better or worse, won’t soon be forgotten.
How Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX Sets Up Its Final Battle
Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX’s Final Battle Explained
As Machu and Nyaan fought, their fight was interrupted by the brief reappearance of Shuji, whose figure led to Machu getting separated from the GQuuuuuuX and ending up at a confrontation between Kycilia and the mysterious Shirouzu. There, it was revealed thatShirouzu was secretly Char Aznable, having survived the Zeknova Incident and infiltrated Zeon as an engineer, and with Machu’s help, he escaped Kycilia and made his way to the Red Gundam.
After returning to the Red Gundam, Char revealed his intention to make the Rose of Sharon disappear by sending Lalah back to her own universe, and Machu, fearing the worst, chased after him. Machu ended up back where Kycilia was, with her now joined by Nyaan, and when Kycilia tried to shoot Machu,Nyaan, in a panic, shot Kycilia with the gun she had given her before running off in the GFreD.
Once Machu was back in the GQuuuuuuX, she fought with Char to protect Lalah, and as she did, Shuji reappeared and dragged them all into the Kira-Kira. Char reiterated his plans to Shuji, but Shuji said that the Gundam told him he had to destroy their world to protect Lalah, and as it turned out, the Gundam he was referring to wasn’t the Red Gundam, butthe original White Gundam that came from a facsimile of the original Universal Century timeline.
Shuji then revealed that Lalah came from an alternate version of the original series where the White Gundam killed Char to protect her. In her grief, Lalah began creating alternate timelines until she could find one where Char lives, but no matter the timeline, Char always dies. Therefore,Shuji, heavily implied to be an alternate version of Amuro Ray, has decided to kill Lalah to end her suffering, even if doing so destroystheGQuuuuuuXtimelinein the process.
How Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX Ends Its Final Battle
Who Survives Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX’s Final Battle?
Machu, refusing to let Lalah die, buried the hatchet with Nyaan so they could try to reason with Shuji, and while the two of them made a powerful team,Shuji and the ever-evolving abilities of his Gundam quickly overwhelmed Machu and Nyaan. Meanwhile, Char successfully killed Kycilia amidst all the chaos, and immediately after doing so, Challia tried to kill Char because as much as he respected him, he didn’t believe he was right to rule Zeon and was secretly making plans to put Char’s sister, Artesia, in charge.
Char and Challia’s fight ended in a draw, and as the White Gundam continued to grow in power, Machu unlocked the full power of the GQuuuuuuX, really a Gundam made with parts from an alternate universe called the Endymion, to match him. Machu and Shuji’s Newtype powers resonated once more as Machu said Lalah could only be free if she were allowed to make her own decisions, andMachu’s words were reiterated by the Gundam GQuuuuuuX, heavily implied to have the consciousness of Amuro Ray.
Shuji thanked Machu for helping him and said that he loved her before kissing her within the Kira-Kira. A Zeknova soon appeared that got rid of the Yomagn’tho and sent Shuji to parts unknown, andthe alternate Lalah, having broken free of her self-imposed bonds, returned to her original universe. Char escaped with the promise not to do anything that would make Chalia want to kill him, and the conflict finally came to an end.
It’s implied that Lalah, upon returning to her universe, sacrifices herself to protect Char, thus restoring the original Universal Century timeline.
Sometime later, Char’s sister, Artesia, was made the new leader of Zeon, Challia and his crew went into hiding for their rebellion against Kycilia, and Char found Lalah and rescued her from the brothel. Elsewhere, Machu and Nyaan finally made their way to the ocean, andMobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuXended with Machu telling Nyaan about her plans to traverse the multiverse and find Shuji.
Is Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX Setting Up A Sequel?
Is There More In Store For Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX?
Despite its attempts at a conclusive ending,Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuXended with plenty of loose ends. Not only is the current state of Zeon and the Federation left largely unaddressed, but Machu and Nyaan’s relationship still has room to grow, and with the idea of Machu traveling the multiverse to look for Shuji,there are plenty of waysMobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuXcould continue its story.
That being said, people shouldn’t get their hopes up for a sequel. Betweenrecent comments fromGQuuuuuuX’s directorand the way the series was structured,Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX, despite its various loose ends, appears to be done as a story, and while there might be more content eventually, it’s unlikely to be anytime soon.
Did Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX End On A High Note?
How Good Was Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX’s Ending?
Overall,Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuXwas very much a mixed bag. While the series was visually gorgeous, most of the characters lacked the development they needed to truly shine, and thanks to the anime’s short length, the story never had time to properly explain all of its story beats, no matter how bizarre they were. In short,Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuXis a show ultimately brought down by its quick pacing, and that’s truly unfortunate.
That doesn’t meanGQuuuuuuXwas a bad show, of course. The action was always fun, Machu was given a great arc of maturing and learning to be happy with her life, and as confusing as the story could be, it still managed to get to the heart of what makes the Universal Century so iconic in a way that’s largely accessible to newcomers.Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuXhad plenty going for it from start to finish, even if, unfortunately, not everything worked.
As confusing as the story could be, it still managed to get to the heart of what makes the Universal Century so iconic in a way that’s largely accessible to newcomers.
GQuuuuuuXwas a legendary experiencenot just for its collaboration with Studio Khara, but for how much that was used to build a story unlike anythingGundamhas ever done before.Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX, if nothing else, isGundam’s most ambitious project in years, and in many ways, it was worth watching for that reason alone.
