Gundam Straight Jacket

by Ben

July 22, 2005

In Gundam, it goes without saying that most Gundam pilots are a little
bit livid, maybe even a little over the edge. It also goes without saying
that they are rarely your typical soldier, doing his duty with nothing
personal in mind. More often than not, Gundam pilots have to be under
the age of 21, and completely emotionally unstable.

It is no surprise then that a Gundam pilot is at his best, or at least
at his most violent when they finally snap. Whether it's through the
influence of some outside power such as the Zero or Psycommu system,
anger at the loss of someone close, or just plain old "I'll break you
in two 'cause you piss me off", a Gundam pilot's ability to be
effective in battle, and their anger, also has the consistent effect
of rendering their opponents unable to accept, nor anticipate their
next move.

It is assumed that a Gundam pilot, in their normal, sane state is not
capable of using all of their potential, because they always think
methodically. It is only when they lose all sense of reason and logic
due to one reason or another that they become truly unstoppable.
Another unique side effect of these breaks is that it seems to
actually cause the MS to become quicker. Not only do the pilot's own
reflexes and reactions increase, but the MS they are using manages to
unseal some kind of unknown booster or ability.

Now there are some known exceptions to this. Seabook Arno, the pilot
of the F91, kept his cool all through the fight, never quite slipping
into insanity. Shiro Amada, the pilot of the Ez8 also retains his
sanity, even though he performs some rather heroic and somewhat stupid
actions in the effort to stop the Aspalus III. It honestly all comes
down to the past and history of the individual. A defining moment of
tragedy typically is the sign of a good psychotic break waiting to
happen. Shinn Asuka in SEED DESTINY is a perfect example of a man
driven to the brink of madness by his past, and at times, he lets it
slip.

I also love how when Gundam pilots snap, they tend to horribly abuse
military hardware. Did you ever notice that until a pilot reaches his
limit, his machine tends to take little or no damage? I suppose you
could chalk it all up to the fact that when he is sane he is more
careful, but wouldn't you think that a beam cannon when you're being
careful and a beam cannon when you're not would do the same thing?
The Strike Rouge managed to deflect a large amount of beam weaponry
for years without taking any significant damage, and in all of one
minute, and three shots, Kira manages to get its shield, arms and legs
shot off. Score one for the "We don't need it no more" mentality. That same mentality is also illustrated at the end of Gundam ZZ. The Gundam Mk II and Zeta Gundam survive years of punishment through two consecutive wars, but in one moment they're both damaged beyond repair, forcing the pilots to abandon them.

So in the end, it isn't so much a requirement of Gundam pilothood
that you be able to snap like a twig, but it sure makes life a lot
more interesting. Anti-heroes are always more fun than plain old boring heroes.

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