Commentary: "Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt" Io's mobile suit

Yasuo Ohtagaki's manga "Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt" is expected to conclude in just two more chapters, bringing the series to a close after 13 years of serialization, and there's been a lot of buzz about this. It's a popular series that's also been adapted into an anime and Gundam model kit, and one of its charms is the design of its mobile suits. This article will explain the representative mobile suits piloted by Io Fleming, the protagonist of the Earth Federation Forces.

◇ A Gundam with a villainous face?!

The series began serialization in Big Comic Superior (Shogakukan) in 2012. It depicts the battle between the Earth Federation Forces and the Principality of Zeon in the Thunderbolt Sector during the One Year War, as well as the battles between the Zeon remnants, the Federation, and the South Seas Alliance after the One Year War. It has been announced that the final episode will be the 20th issue of the magazine, which will be released on September 26th.

The Gundam-type mobile suit most people associate with Io's piloting machine is the Full Armor Gundam. Its joints and backpack are sealed to protect it from debris during missions in the Thunderbolt space zone, and the backpack is equipped with sub-arms that can hold up to four shields. The mountain of shields and armaments make a big impact, and its equipment is different from that of the Full Armor Gundam that appears in the "Mobile Suit Variation (MSV)."

The Full Armor Gundam also appears to have a "villainous face." Boasting overwhelming strength, the Gundam is sometimes called the "White Devil" from the perspective of the Zeon forces, and the film also emphasizes its threat.

The Atlas Gundam, developed after the One Year War, was also innovative. A prototype mobile suit equipped with sublegs (flight units), a general-purpose support device designed for use under gravity, and a railgun, it was also designed for underwater combat.

Ohtagaki once explained, "I wanted to create my own Gundam. It was inspired by the swimsuits worn by Olympic swimmers," and "The Atlas Gundam, developed after the war (the One Year War), also has a streamlined design. The fact that we have that kind of playfulness is proof that peace has been achieved." The sharp-looking Atlas Gundam was an MS with a different impact from the Full Armor Gundam.

◇Federation's Perfect Zeong

Many fans were surely surprised by the appearance of the Perfect Zeong. The machine was based on a Zeong seized by the Earth Federation Forces, and the Federation's markings were designed on the chest. Perhaps because it thought "legs were just for decoration," it did not have any legs, but it did have large propellant tanks and boosters. It was a two-seater, and Io teamed up with the Newtype Lily Sherina to pilot the Perfect Zeong.

I was also surprised by the plot development in which the Federation's Perfect Zeong battled against the Perfect Gundam of Zeon remnant Darryl Lorenz. The Perfect Gundam was a disguised and modified Psycho Zaku Mk-II, but...

The MS in "Thunderbolt" have an atmosphere similar to "Mobile Suit Gundam (First Gundam)" and "MSV," with a unique down-to-earth feel, and while they hit the spot for old fans, they also look new.