Will Gundam Ever be Dethroned As a Mecha Franchise?

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Anime fans new and old might not know every franchise out there—as there are quite a few of them—but they tend to know one series by name alone. Mobile Suit Gundam was originally created in 1979 by Yoshiyuki Tomino and would end up becoming one of the longest lasting anime franchises of all time, especially in the mecha world. There have been dozens of anime series and movies focusing on numerous stories from the Gundam lore and we have seen nearly all of them here at Honey’s Anime. In the mecha genre, Gundam has sat upon a throne that seems unreachable by any other mecha series created. Studio Sunrise—the main studio behind most Gundam series—doesn’t seem to reach the end when it comes to Gundam but does that mean what we think it means? Will Gundam always remain as the king of mecha anime or can it one day be dethroned?

Throughout the Ages

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The Gundam franchise has nearly been around longer than some of us here at Honey’s Anime. “Why does this matter?” you ask? When a franchise has been around for as long as Gundam, it’s hard to just say it will be overthrown by a pop up new series. We have seen some incredible mecha anime like Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, Shinseiki Evangelion, and Eureka Seven but none of those have blown up like Gundam. Needless to say, even with some of those series having several spinoffs and movies associated with them, Gundam has the time and fan base making it a franchise that has its roots well established in the anime world.

Merchandise and More

Mobile Suit Gundam hasn’t just reigned supreme in the anime world but in the merchandise market too! Gunpla—or model kits—are some of the most famous pieces of Gundam merchandise that can be found nearly worldwide! There is even a Gundam cafe—located in Akihabara—just showing the huge world Gundam encompasses. If you can name a popular merchandise brand then we guarantee you can find a Gundam version of it somewhere out there.

Deep Lore, Deeper Love

One way the Gundam franchise could have been dethroned ages ago is if the series followed a simple theme. Thankfully, Gundam is far from simple. The lore of the Gundam universe spans out as vast as the space it explores. There has never been a shortage of Gundam stories—such as Gundam Seed and G Gundam—which explored various pilots in their numerous struggles. There was even a spinoff that focused on chibi Gundams—titled SD Gundam Gaiden or Super Deformed Gundam Gaiden—which gave kids a nice entryway into the franchise. No matter your flavor of mecha anime there is no doubt a Gundam series just waiting to be watched by you if you haven’t already.

Gundam Will Always be On Top

Here’s the reality readers out there. Gundam might have had some weaker spinoffs and some underappreciated side stories but this franchise is—and will always be—bulletproof. As we mentioned before, there are so many Gundam-themed concepts out there in the world from models, toys, restaurants, movies, anime and the list goes on. The Gundam franchise could suffer several failed series back to back and even then we’d bet that it wouldn’t be dethroned by a single other mecha creation. Gundam will remain popular as long as the world loves giant robots and the idea of them fighting in the void of space.

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Final Thoughts

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Gundam will always be a franchise loved by fans like us. It has been around for nearly forty years and we doubt it will ever go away. Here’s a question for you readers out there. What is your favorite Gundam series? Comment with your answer below! Be sure to keep stuck to our mech loving hive here at Honey’s Anime for even more articles like this one!

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