is a fictional character

Fictional character

A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...

 in the anime Mobile Suit Gundam

Mobile Suit Gundam

is a televised anime series, created by Sunrise. Created and directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino, it premiered in Japan on Nagoya Broadcasting Network on April 7, 1979, and lasted until January 26, 1980, spanning 43 episodes...

 universe. He was the absolute dictator

Dictator

A dictator is a ruler who assumes sole and absolute power but without hereditary ascension such as an absolute monarch. When other states call the head of state of a particular state a dictator, that state is called a dictatorship...

 of the Principality of Zeon and came to power in UC 0068 after the suspicious death of Zeon Zum Deikun

Zeon Zum Deikun

is a philosopher and politician in the fictional Gundam stories, in which he developed Contolism, which was both about Ere-ism and Side-ism . This philosophy was welcomed by Side 3 , which made him leader of the Side...

.

Rise to Power

Degwin was Zeon's chief of staff and claimed that on his deathbed, Zeon, with his dying words, declared Degwin his successor. Given this much, general consensus tends to automatically connect Degwin Zabi with the sudden death of Zeon Deikun, but nothing concrete has ever been uncovered.

Degwin initiated a purge of Deikun loyalists and declared Side 3 colony the Principality of Zeon and himself as Sovereign. He initiated a war with the Earth Federation

Earth Federation

The is a fictional organization in the Universal Century timeline of the Gundam anime series. The name also made a reappearance outside of the Gundam series in following media.* Godzilla vs...

 and set his children up in high ranking positions.

War with the Federation

While initially fiercely promoting war with the Federation, Degwin is also consumed by the intrafamilial feuding between his ambitious children, most notably Gihren

Gihren Zabi

is a fictional character, and antagonist from the universe of the Gundam anime series. He was voiced by the veteran seiyu, Banjo Ginga in the original Japanese version. In the English dubbed series and movie adaptations the character was voiced by Hiro Kanagawa and Doug Stone respectively.American...

 and Kycilia

Kycilia Zabi

In the fictional Mobile Suit Gundam series, is the only daughter of Degwin Sodo Zabi. While Yoshiyuki Tomino's novel version of MSG indicates her as the fourth of his five children and youngest except for Garma, the ongoing Gundam: The Origin manga by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko identifies her as his...

.

Also, Degwin never recovers from the death of his youngest and most unspoiled son Garma. He falls into a depression and leaves most of the day to day operations to Gihren, his eldest. As a result, Gihren effectively becomes the self styled "führer

Führer

Führer , alternatively spelled Fuehrer in both English and German when the umlaut is not available, is a German title meaning leader or guide now most associated with Adolf Hitler, who modelled it on Benito Mussolini's title il Duce, as well as with Georg von Schönerer, whose followers also...

" of Zeon, leaving Degwin as little more than a figurehead.

Although Gihren dismisses his father as a tired old man, Degwin does not hide his disgust for Gihren's ruthlessness. Never having any respect for Gihren's lofty ideals, Degwin once humiliated his son by stating that he would never be Zeon's idea of a Newtype but only a caricature of Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...

. And he anticipated that as with Hitler, Gihren's own followers will eventually want to kill him.

Death

Although Degwin gives Gihren approval for the Solar Ray laser project, Degwin is genuinely tired of war and arranges for a meeting with General Revil

General Revil

In the original Mobile Suit Gundam anime, General Revil is one of the Earth Federation's leading Space Force commanders...

 to discuss peace negotiations. When the two sides' fleets arrive at the neutral area for discussion, Gihren arranges for an "accidental" firing of the Solar Ray laser that incinerates his flagship, The Great Degwin, as well as the flagship of General Revil and much of their accompanying fleets. However, in the novelizations by Yoshiyuki Tomino

Yoshiyuki Tomino

is a Japanese mecha anime creator, director, screenwriter and novelist. He was born in Odawara, Kanagawa Prefecture, and studied at Nihon University's College of Art...

, it is simply mentioned that he was dethroned on Zeon with no further details, suggesting that he survived the war.