Zeon
Encyclopedia
In the television anime Mobile Suit Gundam
(Universal Century
series) universe, Zeon can refer to the Republic of Zeon, the Principality of Zeon or Neo Zeon. It is also referred to as the Duchy of Zeon or the Zeon Dukedom. Before the English translation of Japanese name to Zeon was canonized by Nippon Sunrise in the late 1990s, it was sometimes translated as Zion or Jion, with the latter being closer to actual pronunciation in Japanese. This fictional faction appeared in various plots of the meta-series, including animated series Mobile Suit Gundam, Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket
, Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory
, Mobile Suit Gundam MS IGLOO
, Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam
, Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ
, Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack
, Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn
and many novel and manga
series. The main events of the early Universal Century timeline revolves around wars between the Earth Federation and Zeon and its different splinter factions.
, the Principality of Zeon is given as an example of a realistic Conquer the world reason. It is a rare example (for its time) of an anime arch-enemy having a clear reason for conquering the world (the other major example being Space Battleship Yamato
). It is also an uncommon example of a rebellion group under an unjust rule being portrayed as evil instead of just.
The Principality of Zeon can also be compared to World War II Nazi Germany. The strategy and tactics used in the war is enlarged to a global (or space) scale, yet the ideal and methods are basically the same.
The uniform for the Hong Kong comic world 2009 voice over competition's workers uniform were replicas of the uniforms of the 4 different ranks of the Zeon forces.
(father of Char Aznable
), who declared the colony located at the second Earth-Luna Lagrangian Point, named Side 3, independent from the Earth Federation
in U.C. 0058. For the next several years, Zeon Zum Deikun and his followers dealt with diplomatic issues surrounding their independence, chiefly the economic pressure applied to Side 3 by the Earth Federation, in their efforts to force Side 3 back into the Federation. During this time, Side 3 formed its first national guard unit. Unfortunately, for the Republic of Zeon, Zeon Zum Deikun unexpectedly died (almost certainly assassinated by the Zabis) in U.C. 0068, leaving Side 3 without a leader. After the end of the One Year War
, the Republic was re-established with a pro-Earth Federation
puppet government.
, became the new leader and renamed the Republic the Principality of Zeon, changing its flag as well. Degwin rapidly expanded the colony's national guard units into a full fledged army. Mobile suits and other unique weapons made their first appearance. War was soon declared unilaterally on the Earth Federation. Outside of the armed forces ranks, Degwin Sodo Zabi is sometimes referred to as the "Sovereign of Zeon".
The resulting conflict against the Federation was known as the One Year War. The first week of the war, known as the "One Week Battle" (from January 3 U.C. 0079 to January 10 U.C. 0079) resulted in the deaths of 3 billion people (2.8 billion colonists, by indiscriminate use of NBC weapons, and an estimated 200 million from nuclear winter
, as a result of Operation British) and the total destruction of Side 1, 2 and 4. Following the Battle of Loum on January 15 U.C. 0079 killed most residents of the Side 5 colony. The combined attacks during this period resulted in the death of nearly half of the total human population around the Earth sphere.
Initial estimations put the death toll of the colony drop at 2.32 billion: 0.32 billion as a direct result of the drop itself, and an additional 2 billion due to the drop's after-effects (that is, many places in the vicinity of the drop zone losing contact with the rest of the world, and thus losing any aid in their survival). Post-war research, however, lowered the number to a total of 0.2 billion deaths directly related to the drop. As a consequence of the astounding losses, the Earth Federation and the Principality of Zeon signed the Antarctic Treaty
on January 31 U.C. 0079, banning the use of NBC weapons and colony drops.
The next day, immediately after the treaty was signed, Zeon began the formation of its Zeon Earth Attack Force. By the middle of U.C. 0079, the Zeon forces had controlled over 70% of the Earth's surface. Nevertheless, after several major operations (Velvet, Odessa, et al.), the Earth Federation regained much of their lost ground. The war eventually climaxed in the Battles of Solomon and A Baoa Qu, where the Earth Federation's superior forces took control of both Zeon fortresses. The Principality of Zeon finally surrendered with the Treaty of Granada, on January 14, U.C. 0080.
Several years later, in U.C. 0083, the Delaz fleet, under Aiguille Delaz, sought to rebuild Zeon in Operation Stardust. The resulting colony drop destroyed much of the North American farmland. The Delaz fleet was soon defeated, but the war led to the Earth Federation's creation of a force called the Titans to prevent future insurrections.
The Axis Zeon (or simply Axis) were remnant members of the Principality of Zeon who, for various reasons, retreated to the giant asteroid Axis, at the end of the One Year War. Most members of this group seek to forcibly re-establish the Principality of Zeon. They were led by Haman Karn, who was chosen to rule over the Principality supporters, until Mineva Lao Zabi
, remaining survivor of the Zabi family, became old enough to do so on her own. However, Mineva was merely Haman's puppet and tool to establish her right to lead.
Axis returned to the Earth Sphere on October 12, U.C. 0087, during the height of the Earth Federation's civil war, the Gryps Conflict. Both the Titans and the AEUG were eager to ally with the Axis fleet, thus virtually doubling their fleet. The AEUG was the first group to open negotiations with Axis, but failed as Haman chose to side with the Titans. Later, the AEUG secretly opened a second round of negotiations, where Haman agreed to assist them against the Titans. In truth, Haman's goal was to play the Titans and the AEUG against each other, so that whichever side emerged victorious would be sufficiently weakened, allowing her forces to overcome them and seize control of the Earth sphere.
For the next year or so, the bulk of the Earth Federation's military fought the newly created Neo Zeon army, led by the former anti-Titans group, Karaba and surviving members of the AEUG from the Gryps Conflict, as a group of young civilians from the Shangri-La colony, led by Judau Ashta, joined the Argama's crew, becoming the pilots of the Federation's new ZZ Gundam
, which struck a severe blow on Neo Zeon's forces. Despite this, many inside the Federation government chose to appease Haman, even after Haman dropped a colony in Dublin, as a show of Neo Zeon's strength and having their forces prevent all civilian attempts from evacuating to further the act. This caused massive civilian casualties that resulted in the near genocide of Dublin's population, had Karaba not intervened and rescued some of the civilians with the Audhumla before the Colony hit while the AEUG held off Haman's forces. Haman's movement, however, died with her not long after, due to the rebellion of the self-proclaimed clone of Gihren Zabi
, Glemy Toto which resulted in a Neo Zeon civil war, thus concluding the first Neo Zeon movement after both had died during the final battle against the AEUG.
, the "Red Comet"), created a second Neo Zeon. This movement was founded under the ceremonial goal of "speeding up" the space migration of all of humanity, so the theoretical evolution of humanity into Newtypes could be realised. Char's plan involved a series of massive asteroid drops against the Earth, ultimately leading to an eternal nuclear winter, rendering the planet uninhabitable. The final collision attempt was to involve the Axis asteroid, headquarters of the previous Neo Zeon movement. The plan was ultimately foiled by the Federation's Londo Bell taskforce, headed by Bright Noa
, and his old adversary from the One Year War, Amuro Ray
, when Amuro managed to push the falling Axis away, sacrificing himself and killing Char in the process (while their deaths were never officially confirmed in the movie, their deaths are confirmed in the novelization of Char's Counterattack).
In U.C. 0100, the Republic of Zeon officially rejoined the Earth Federation.
series Gundam F90, the Mars Zeon was a group of Zeon rebels who fled to Mars
, rather than to Axis, after the One-Year War. Surviving on their own for a long time, the Mars Zeon was later reinforced by remnants of the second Neo Zeon movement. Using the former Neo Zeon members' AMS-119 Geara Doga mobile suits, the Mars Zeons were able to produce mobile suits outwardly, similar to the Principality's most famous designs, but possessing performance superior to the Geara Doga. Mars Zeon first made their presence known in U.C. 0120, when they stole one of the prototype F90 Gundam F90 units, leading the 13th Autonomous Corps to pursue them back to Mars. There, it was learned that the Mars Zeons had converted Olympus Mons
into a gigantic rail cannon, and were planning on bombarding the Earth and destroying the Federation. Thanks to the efforts of the 13th Autonomous, however, the Mars Zeons were defeated and the Olympus Cannon was destroyed.
The Mars Zeons were also nicknamed the Oldsmobile Army by the Federation, because of their use of mobile suits of old-style appearances. The Oldsmobile Army eventually invaded Earth in U.C. 0122, allying with the Crossbone Vanguard. However, when the Federation started to deploy their down-scaled mobile suits, such as the F71 G-Cannon and the RGM-109 Heavygun, they proved to be very effective against Mars Zeon's larger mobile suits.
, which is also a religious/political term in the real world. In the Cartoon Network
run and English localization of Mobile Suit Gundam
, the Zeons were also derisively referred to as "Zeeks", originally taken from Gundam Sentinel
: 0079, one of the many Gundam side stories
written by Masaya Takahashi and added by translator Neil Nadelman, to reflect the tendency to nickname war enemies, i.e. Yankees/Rebs (Civil War), Jerries/Tommies (World War I), Japs (World War II), Commies (Cold War), Charlie (Vietnam). The Zeons use similar nicknames for the Earth Federal Forces, such as "Feddies".
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...
(Universal Century
Universal Century
is the original timeline of the Gundam anime metaseries. The official English name U.C. is often used instead in recent production like MS Igloo and Master Grade model instructions and official pages is the original timeline of the Gundam anime metaseries. The official English name U.C....
series) universe, Zeon can refer to the Republic of Zeon, the Principality of Zeon or Neo Zeon. It is also referred to as the Duchy of Zeon or the Zeon Dukedom. Before the English translation of Japanese name to Zeon was canonized by Nippon Sunrise in the late 1990s, it was sometimes translated as Zion or Jion, with the latter being closer to actual pronunciation in Japanese. This fictional faction appeared in various plots of the meta-series, including animated series Mobile Suit Gundam, Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket
Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket
is a 1989 Japanese science fiction original video animation series, the first such series in the Gundam franchise. Directed by Fumihiko Takayama, it was also the first time anyone other than creator Yoshiyuki Tomino was given a chance to direct a Gundam story. Released in 1989, it serves to...
, Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory
Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory
is a 13-episode anime OVA series set in the Gundam universe. The first volume containing two 30-minute episodes was released in Japan on May 23, 1991. Subsequent volumes, containing one 30-minute episode each, followed every one or two months; the final volume went on sale on September 24, 1992...
, Mobile Suit Gundam MS IGLOO
Mobile Suit Gundam MS IGLOO
is a series of CGI feature short films of the popular Gundam meta-series. The series' storyline takes place during the One Year War of the Universal Century. The first under the main title is , which was exclusively shown at Bandai Museum in Matsudo, Japan but has seen a limited release on DVD,...
, Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam
Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam
is a television anime, part of the Gundam series and a sequel to the original Mobile Suit Gundam. The show was created and directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino, with character designs by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, while the series' mechanical designs is split amongst Kunio Okawara, Mamoru Nagano, and Kazumi Fujita...
, Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ
Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ
is a TV series aired on Japanese TV from 1986–1987, was the third Gundam series, and a direct follow up to Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam. Director Yoshiyuki Tomino returned to lead the series, and he assembled a new team consisting of character designer Hiroyuki Kitazume, who had been one of Zeta...
, Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack
Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack
is a 1988 anime film set in Gundam's Universal Century timeline of Gundam, specifically U.C. 0093.Making its theatrical debut on March 12, 1988, Char's Counterattack is the culmination of the original saga begun in Mobile Suit Gundam and continued through Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam and Mobile Suit...
, Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn
Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn
is a novel by popular Japanese author Harutoshi Fukui . The novel takes place in Gundam's Universal Century timeline. Character and mechanical designs are provided by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko and Hajime Katoki, respectively...
and many novel and manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
series. The main events of the early Universal Century timeline revolves around wars between the Earth Federation and Zeon and its different splinter factions.
Cultural significance
In the book "Seikai Seifuku" wa kanou ka? by Toshio OkadaToshio Okada
is an anime producer, author, and lecturer. He is a co-founder and former president of the production company Gainax.-Childhood:Okada was born on July 1, 1958 in Osaka, Japan and attended Osaka University of Arts....
, the Principality of Zeon is given as an example of a realistic Conquer the world reason. It is a rare example (for its time) of an anime arch-enemy having a clear reason for conquering the world (the other major example being Space Battleship Yamato
Space Battleship Yamato
is a Japanese science fiction anime series featuring an eponymous spacecraft. It is also known to English-speaking audiences as Space Cruiser Yamato; an English-dubbed and heavily edited version of the series was broadcast on North American and Australian television as Star Blazers...
). It is also an uncommon example of a rebellion group under an unjust rule being portrayed as evil instead of just.
The Principality of Zeon can also be compared to World War II Nazi Germany. The strategy and tactics used in the war is enlarged to a global (or space) scale, yet the ideal and methods are basically the same.
The uniform for the Hong Kong comic world 2009 voice over competition's workers uniform were replicas of the uniforms of the 4 different ranks of the Zeon forces.
Republic of Zeon
The Republic of Zeon was initially founded by Zeon Zum DeikunZeon 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...
(father of Char Aznable
Char Aznable
, born is a fictional character from the Gundam franchise. He is originally one of the main antagonists in Mobile Suit Gundam and later becomes one of the protagonists of Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam. In his final appearance in Char's Counterattack, he assumes leadership of the Neo Zeon movement,...
), who declared the colony located at the second Earth-Luna Lagrangian Point, named Side 3, independent from 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...
in U.C. 0058. For the next several years, Zeon Zum Deikun and his followers dealt with diplomatic issues surrounding their independence, chiefly the economic pressure applied to Side 3 by the Earth Federation, in their efforts to force Side 3 back into the Federation. During this time, Side 3 formed its first national guard unit. Unfortunately, for the Republic of Zeon, Zeon Zum Deikun unexpectedly died (almost certainly assassinated by the Zabis) in U.C. 0068, leaving Side 3 without a leader. After the end of the One Year War
One Year War
The is a fictional conflict from the Universal Century timeline of the anime Mobile Suit Gundam metaseries. The One Year War is very similar to World War II, the major difference being that The One Year War is in a science fiction setting and some major battles occurred in space...
, the Republic was re-established with a pro-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...
puppet government.
Principality of Zeon
After Deikun's death, his advisor, Degwin Sodo ZabiDegwin Sodo Zabi
is a fictional character in the anime Mobile Suit Gundam universe. He was the absolute dictator of the Principality of Zeon and came to power in UC 0068 after the suspicious death of Zeon Zum Deikun.- Rise to Power :...
, became the new leader and renamed the Republic the Principality of Zeon, changing its flag as well. Degwin rapidly expanded the colony's national guard units into a full fledged army. Mobile suits and other unique weapons made their first appearance. War was soon declared unilaterally on the Earth Federation. Outside of the armed forces ranks, Degwin Sodo Zabi is sometimes referred to as the "Sovereign of Zeon".
The resulting conflict against the Federation was known as the One Year War. The first week of the war, known as the "One Week Battle" (from January 3 U.C. 0079 to January 10 U.C. 0079) resulted in the deaths of 3 billion people (2.8 billion colonists, by indiscriminate use of NBC weapons, and an estimated 200 million from nuclear winter
Nuclear winter
Nuclear winter is a predicted climatic effect of nuclear war. It has been theorized that severely cold weather and reduced sunlight for a period of months or even years could be caused by detonating large numbers of nuclear weapons, especially over flammable targets such as cities, where large...
, as a result of Operation British) and the total destruction of Side 1, 2 and 4. Following the Battle of Loum on January 15 U.C. 0079 killed most residents of the Side 5 colony. The combined attacks during this period resulted in the death of nearly half of the total human population around the Earth sphere.
Initial estimations put the death toll of the colony drop at 2.32 billion: 0.32 billion as a direct result of the drop itself, and an additional 2 billion due to the drop's after-effects (that is, many places in the vicinity of the drop zone losing contact with the rest of the world, and thus losing any aid in their survival). Post-war research, however, lowered the number to a total of 0.2 billion deaths directly related to the drop. As a consequence of the astounding losses, the Earth Federation and the Principality of Zeon signed the Antarctic Treaty
Antarctic Treaty (Gundam)
The Antarctic Treaty is a fictional wartime treaty in the Universal Century timeline of the sci-fi mecha anime Mobile Suit Gundam.The Antarctic Treaty states that:* All uses of nuclear weapons are prohibited...
on January 31 U.C. 0079, banning the use of NBC weapons and colony drops.
The next day, immediately after the treaty was signed, Zeon began the formation of its Zeon Earth Attack Force. By the middle of U.C. 0079, the Zeon forces had controlled over 70% of the Earth's surface. Nevertheless, after several major operations (Velvet, Odessa, et al.), the Earth Federation regained much of their lost ground. The war eventually climaxed in the Battles of Solomon and A Baoa Qu, where the Earth Federation's superior forces took control of both Zeon fortresses. The Principality of Zeon finally surrendered with the Treaty of Granada, on January 14, U.C. 0080.
Several years later, in U.C. 0083, the Delaz fleet, under Aiguille Delaz, sought to rebuild Zeon in Operation Stardust. The resulting colony drop destroyed much of the North American farmland. The Delaz fleet was soon defeated, but the war led to the Earth Federation's creation of a force called the Titans to prevent future insurrections.
Zeon armed forces
Within the storyline, the Zeon army was composed of three branches in U.C. 0079:- Zeon Space Attack Force
- The equivalent of the Earth Federation Space Force, the Space Attack Force consisted of six battle fleets, modeled after the Earth Federation Navy, with space battleships and mobile suit carriers used as their primary weapons.
- The Commander of the Space Attack Force was Vice Admiral Dozle ZabiDozle ZabiIn the fictional Mobile Suit Gundam series, is the second oldest son of Degwin Sodo Zabi and the Principality of Zeon's Space Attack Force Commander...
. The Space Attack Force's headquarters were based in the Fortress of Solomon.- Zeon Mobile Assault Force
- The Commander of the Mobile Assault Force was Rear Admiral Kycilia ZabiKycilia ZabiIn 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...
. - Its headquarters were based at the lunar city of Granada. Consisting of the equivalent of about one battle fleet, Kycilia's forces include intelligence services, research projects, like the Flanagan Institute, resource and mining operations, and special forces teams, like the Black Tri-Stars, Chimaera Corp and the Midnight Fenrir Corp.
- Zeon Earth Attack Force
- Commanded by Captain Garma Zabi, the Earth Attack Force was headquartered in California.
- According to the story, the Earth Attack Force was presumably the largest of the other three branches, the role of Garma Zabi was practically ceremonial, since the Earth Attack Force consisted of an army, navy, and air force and he was at the time only in his early twenties. Other senior officials who still reported to Garma hold the reins in the army, navy and air force, respectively. Garma's main duty was to serve as commandant of Zeon-occupied North America.
First Neo Zeon movement
Several more years passed as the Titans reigned with brute force. In U.C. 0088, the Titans were defeated by the Anti Earth Union Group (AEUG).The Axis Zeon (or simply Axis) were remnant members of the Principality of Zeon who, for various reasons, retreated to the giant asteroid Axis, at the end of the One Year War. Most members of this group seek to forcibly re-establish the Principality of Zeon. They were led by Haman Karn, who was chosen to rule over the Principality supporters, until Mineva Lao Zabi
Mineva Lao Zabi
In the TV anime Gundam universe, is the last surviving member of the Zabi family and heir to the Principality of Zeon; she is the daughter of Dozle Zabi and Zenna Zabi.Mineva was born during the One Year War...
, remaining survivor of the Zabi family, became old enough to do so on her own. However, Mineva was merely Haman's puppet and tool to establish her right to lead.
Axis returned to the Earth Sphere on October 12, U.C. 0087, during the height of the Earth Federation's civil war, the Gryps Conflict. Both the Titans and the AEUG were eager to ally with the Axis fleet, thus virtually doubling their fleet. The AEUG was the first group to open negotiations with Axis, but failed as Haman chose to side with the Titans. Later, the AEUG secretly opened a second round of negotiations, where Haman agreed to assist them against the Titans. In truth, Haman's goal was to play the Titans and the AEUG against each other, so that whichever side emerged victorious would be sufficiently weakened, allowing her forces to overcome them and seize control of the Earth sphere.
For the next year or so, the bulk of the Earth Federation's military fought the newly created Neo Zeon army, led by the former anti-Titans group, Karaba and surviving members of the AEUG from the Gryps Conflict, as a group of young civilians from the Shangri-La colony, led by Judau Ashta, joined the Argama's crew, becoming the pilots of the Federation's new ZZ Gundam
ZZ Gundam
The MSZ-010 ΖΖ Gundam , designed by Makoto Kobayashi, is a fictional weapon from the Universal Century timeline of the anime Gundam metaseries. Its popularity has led to many variations, upgrades, redesigns and influenced later design works such as S Gundam...
, which struck a severe blow on Neo Zeon's forces. Despite this, many inside the Federation government chose to appease Haman, even after Haman dropped a colony in Dublin, as a show of Neo Zeon's strength and having their forces prevent all civilian attempts from evacuating to further the act. This caused massive civilian casualties that resulted in the near genocide of Dublin's population, had Karaba not intervened and rescued some of the civilians with the Audhumla before the Colony hit while the AEUG held off Haman's forces. Haman's movement, however, died with her not long after, due to the rebellion of the self-proclaimed clone of Gihren Zabi
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...
, Glemy Toto which resulted in a Neo Zeon civil war, thus concluding the first Neo Zeon movement after both had died during the final battle against the AEUG.
Second Neo Zeon movement (aka Char's Rebellion)
In U.C. 0093, Zeon Zum Deikun's son, Casval Rem Deikun (aka Zeon's legendary ace, Char AznableChar Aznable
, born is a fictional character from the Gundam franchise. He is originally one of the main antagonists in Mobile Suit Gundam and later becomes one of the protagonists of Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam. In his final appearance in Char's Counterattack, he assumes leadership of the Neo Zeon movement,...
, the "Red Comet"), created a second Neo Zeon. This movement was founded under the ceremonial goal of "speeding up" the space migration of all of humanity, so the theoretical evolution of humanity into Newtypes could be realised. Char's plan involved a series of massive asteroid drops against the Earth, ultimately leading to an eternal nuclear winter, rendering the planet uninhabitable. The final collision attempt was to involve the Axis asteroid, headquarters of the previous Neo Zeon movement. The plan was ultimately foiled by the Federation's Londo Bell taskforce, headed by Bright Noa
Bright Noa
is a fictional character from the Japanese science fiction anime television series Mobile Suit Gundam and the related films. In the anime, he is only mentioned as Earth-born...
, and his old adversary from the One Year War, Amuro Ray
Amuro Ray
is a fictional character from the anime series Mobile Suit Gundam and its sequels, Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam and Char's Counterattack, voiced by Tōru Furuya , Brad Swaile , Michael Lindsay and Matthew Erickson is a fictional character from the anime series Mobile Suit Gundam and its sequels, Mobile...
, when Amuro managed to push the falling Axis away, sacrificing himself and killing Char in the process (while their deaths were never officially confirmed in the movie, their deaths are confirmed in the novelization of Char's Counterattack).
The Sleeves
In U.C. 0096, a Neo Zeon splinter group called 'The Sleeves', led by Full Frontal, described as being 'The second coming of Char', fought with the Earth Federation over Laplace's box and the secret of the Universal Century.In U.C. 0100, the Republic of Zeon officially rejoined the Earth Federation.
Mars Zeon
Appearing in the mangaManga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
series Gundam F90, the Mars Zeon was a group of Zeon rebels who fled to Mars
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
, rather than to Axis, after the One-Year War. Surviving on their own for a long time, the Mars Zeon was later reinforced by remnants of the second Neo Zeon movement. Using the former Neo Zeon members' AMS-119 Geara Doga mobile suits, the Mars Zeons were able to produce mobile suits outwardly, similar to the Principality's most famous designs, but possessing performance superior to the Geara Doga. Mars Zeon first made their presence known in U.C. 0120, when they stole one of the prototype F90 Gundam F90 units, leading the 13th Autonomous Corps to pursue them back to Mars. There, it was learned that the Mars Zeons had converted Olympus Mons
Olympus Mons
Olympus Mons is a large volcanic mountain on the planet Mars. At a height of almost , it is one of the tallest mountains in the Solar System, three times as tall as Mount Everest and more than twice the height of Mauna Kea the tallest mountain on Earth. Olympus Mons is the youngest of the large...
into a gigantic rail cannon, and were planning on bombarding the Earth and destroying the Federation. Thanks to the efforts of the 13th Autonomous, however, the Mars Zeons were defeated and the Olympus Cannon was destroyed.
The Mars Zeons were also nicknamed the Oldsmobile Army by the Federation, because of their use of mobile suits of old-style appearances. The Oldsmobile Army eventually invaded Earth in U.C. 0122, allying with the Crossbone Vanguard. However, when the Federation started to deploy their down-scaled mobile suits, such as the F71 G-Cannon and the RGM-109 Heavygun, they proved to be very effective against Mars Zeon's larger mobile suits.
Variations in name
Early official romanizations were rendered "Zion". Early English language anime publications frequently used the alternate spelling "Jion" when writing articles about Gundam. Frederick Schodt chose to use "Zeon" when he translated the Gundam novels into English, and this later became the official romanization. Schodt mentions in his notes to the Gundam novelizations that he chose this to keep the sound correct, yet avoid unintentional offense problems concurrent with the use of the term ZionZion
Zion is a place name often used as a synonym for Jerusalem. The word is first found in Samuel II, 5:7 dating to c.630-540 BCE...
, which is also a religious/political term in the real world. In the Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
run and English localization of 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...
, the Zeons were also derisively referred to as "Zeeks", originally taken from Gundam Sentinel
Gundam Sentinel
is a novel set in the Universal Century timeline of the Gundam universe, originally serialized in Model Graphix magazine between September 1987 and August 1988. Gundam Sentinel became a cult hit, due to its super-detailed mechanical designs and an intricate story by veteran writer Masaya Takahashi...
: 0079, one of the many Gundam side stories
Side story
A side story is a story that occurs alongside established stories set within a fictional universe. As opposed to a prequel, sequel, or interquel, a side story takes place within the same time frame as an existing work....
written by Masaya Takahashi and added by translator Neil Nadelman, to reflect the tendency to nickname war enemies, i.e. Yankees/Rebs (Civil War), Jerries/Tommies (World War I), Japs (World War II), Commies (Cold War), Charlie (Vietnam). The Zeons use similar nicknames for the Earth Federal Forces, such as "Feddies".