AMURO REI -- Protagonist of the original series and pilot of the original RX-78 Gundam MS (and later the Dijeh, the Re-GZ, and the Nu-Gundam). Legendary for his lifelong rivalry with Char Aznable, his combat prowess, and his NewType abilities. Served with the Federation, then the Kalaba, and then the Londo Bell forces. Romantic ties to Frau Bow, Lalah Sun, Sayla Mass (in the novels), Kusko Al (in the novels), and Belotica Irma (he marries her by the time of the Char's Counterattack feature film).
SHIRO AMADA -- Protagonist of the 08th MS Team. Pilots a Ball spacepod in the first episode and a production type RX-78 Gundam in subsequent episodes. I don't know very much about him, but it appears he is one of the few Earthborn heroes of the Gundam saga.
ALFRED IZURUHA -- Protagonist of War in the Pocket. (You Thought it would be Chris or Bernie...didn't you?) This thrill-seeking kid gets more than he bargained for when the Cyclops Team, searching for the Gundam Alex, literally drops in his back yard. The Romeo & Juliet tragedy that follows changes Al's life...but nothing is known about his life after the One-Year War.
KOU URAKI -- Protagonist of Stardust Memory. Pilot of Gundams 01, 01FB, and 03. Romantic interest is Nina Purpleton. Mecha-Press calls him a re-tread of Amuro Rei, but I disagree ... he's much more human and sympathetic.
CAMILLE VIDAN -- Protagonist of Zeta and pilot of title mecha, which he rebuilt from a Gundam Mark II. Many parallels to Amuro, especially his rivalry with Jerid Mesa and his tragic love affair with Four Murasame. Barely survived the final battle with Paptimus Scirocco in the end of Zeta, but appears in Double Zeta as well. Served with A.E.U.G.; romantic ties to Fa Yuri, Four Murasame and Emma Sheen.
JUDE ASHITA -- Protagonist of Double Zeta...and guess what? Other than the fact that his sister Reina is also in the story, along with many repeat characters from Gundam and Zeta, I know almost nothing about him. Served with A.E.U.G. Probable romantic ties to Elu Bianno (whoever she is). He's the thief forced to carry a vending machine on his back in SD Gundam Mk II!
BRIGHT NOAH -- One of the few constant characters in the whole story (up to Formula 91). Inherited the command of Pegasus in the first series, was demoted to a shuttlecraft job by Zeta -- was recruited by A.E.U.G. to command the Ahgama, had an (to me) unknown role in Double Zeta, and led the Londo Bell fleet in Char's Counterattack. Married Mirai Yashima, his love interest in the original series.
HATHAWAY NOAH -- Partial protagonist in the Char's Counterattack movie (where he pilots a "junior Mobile Suit" spacepod ... and then hijacks a Jegan MS), Hathaway later becomes a Gundam pilot in Tomino's novel Flash of Hathaway (his machine is the RZ-105 Xi-Gundam). Romantic ties to Quess Paraya (and maybe a new character if Flash is ever animated).
SEABOOK ARNO -- Protagonist of Formula 91. What is there to say? Doesn't really serve the C.E.M.F. except in a de facto sense; love interest is Cecily Fairchild. Piloted a museum-piece Guntank prior to the Gundam F91.
TOKIO RANDALL -- Pilot of the Neo Gundam (Silhouette Formula, a plastic model series by Bandai). Whether this storyline was intended for animation is subject to theory, but it is still official Gundam, so he and fellow cast members will be included here. At the same time Seabook Arno was fighting the Crossbone Vanguard at Frontier side, Tokio and the other mecha pilots of the E.M.F./Anaheim Electronics "Silhouette Project" were up against the Dark Tiger -- CV's elite unit. Nothing like earning your combat pay. Tokio's love interest is Layra laGhiorr.
USSO EVIN -- Protagonist of Victory Gundam. Too young to have any romantic interests, but is good friends with Shakti Karin. At first he pilots a stolen Rig Shokew prototype, and then the V-Gundam and later V2-Gundam. Usso seems to combine the better character traits of Hathaway Noah and Alfred Izuruha. Affiliated with the Ligua Militia.
DOMON KASSHU -- Protagonist of G-Gundam and pilot of the Neo-Japanese "Shining Gundam" Mobile Fighter (and the later "Burning Gundam" as well). His romantic interest is Rein Mikamura. (Side notes: I'm not listing the majority of Domon's adversaries as "BAD GUYS" because, well, I don't think they compare to the villainy below.)
HEERO YUY -- Protagonist of Gundam Wing and pilot of the Wing Gundam MS. He shares several traits with Zeta's Camille Vidan (effeminate looks and manner, leadership and combat skills, recklessness, emerging emotional awareness, etc.). His romantic interest is the heroine RELENA Dorian.
CHAR AZNABLE -- The apex of all known anime villainy.
[Born name: Cassoval Rem Daikun.] Involved at first purely out of self-interest...namely the revenge of his father's death at the hands of the Zabi family. After the end of the original series, Char
becomes "Quattro Bagina" for a while and founds the A.E.U.G. with Blex Forra (his motive being the "Emergence of the NewType", his father's cause). Does not appear in Double Zeta after his cliff-hanger end in Zeta ... but manages to seize Neo-Zeon after Haman Khan's death in Double Zeta. Pilots many mecha designs, including Zaku, Gelgoog, Z'Gok, Rick Dom, Zeong, Rick Dias, Gundam Mark II[!], Hyaku-Shiki and Sazabi. Romantic ties to Lalah Sun, Haman Khan, Reccoa Londo, Nanai Miguel, Quess Paraya and possibly others. His sister is Sayla Mass [Born, Artesia Som Daikun] -- but you already knew that.
Char is the first of a series of Gundam characters who wear
masks for various reasons. Followers of this fashion statement
include Kishiria Zabi (Gundam), Korozo Ronah (Gundam F91), Chronokle Asha (Victory Gundam), Schubertz Bruder and Urube (G-Gundam), Zex Peacecraft and Trowa Barton (Gundam Wing).
THE ZABI FAMILY -- This collection of scumbags and Hitler wannabe's are to blame for everything that happens in Gundam. Degin kills Char's father and forms the Zeon Archduchy in his victim's name; Giren launches the war on the Federation; Kishiria, Garma, Dozuru and other siblings ruthlessly prosecute the war. The only good Zabi is Minerva, but she's just a baby during the One-Year War and doesn't appear till Zeta, as the puppet ruler of Axis/Neo-Zeon.
HAMAN KHAN -- De facto ruler of Axis/Neo-Zeon and the biggest bitch in the whole story (Cima Garahau included). Hates Char, hates Camille, hates Earthers, hates A.E.U.G., and is out for herself. Also is a NewType, and pilots a Qubeley in the last part of Zeta.
ANAVEL GATO -- The antagonist of Stardust Memory. Unlike Char, Anavel is totally devoted to the Zeon cause, which makes him more like Jerid Mesa. Pilots the Gundam 02, a Gelgoog, and the Neu-Ziel in the series. Romantic ties to Nina Purpleton.
AUGUILLE DELAZ -- Gato's commander and leader of Operation Stardust ...the overthrow of the Federation. He commands from a Gwajin-class Zeon battleship.
PAPTIMUS SCIROCCO -- Total villain of Zeta...with allegiance To nobody except himself (formerly a member of the Titans, apparently a Zeon before that[?]). He plays all three sides of the Gripps War against each other in hopes of conquering Earth. [...gee, sounds like T. R. Edwards of Robotech II: the Sentinels. Suffice it to say that Scirocco inspired the Edwards character, since Zeta was still running when Sentinels was in production.] Scirocco's only grace was his killing-off of Jamitov Hyman (he arranged for Haman Khan to take the blame). Captains the ship Jupitoris, and pilots MS Messala and "The O". Romantic ties to Sara Zabiarov (vague ones). [By the way, it's Scirocco who's the poor dude that couldn't get in the Shuraku nightclub party in the SD Gundam video!]
JAMITOV HYMAN and BOSQUE OM -- The two leaders of the Titans and the worst scumbags since the Zabis. Hyman is the "mind" and Om is the "muscle" for their schemes. They think nothing of killing hostages and of gassing colonies to deal with political protests.
JERID MESA -- The tragic antagonist of Zeta, Jerid blindly follows the Titans' orders and pays for it with an ongoing war versus Camille Vidan. A NewType, he pilots a series of Titans MS: Hi-Zack, Galbaldy-Beta, Marasai, Gabthley, Byalant, and Bound Doc. Romantic ties to Lyla Mira Lyla and Maure Faroh (both of whom get killed off in combat with Camille). Talk about being damned by the mecha gods!
YAZAN GABLE -- Combat ace for the Titans...and later the Axis in Double Zeta! From the miniscule information I have, he and Mashmir Cello seem to be Jude Ashita's main opponents in the story. He also seems to be the best non-NewType MS pilot in the whole storyline; in Zeta he pilots Gaplant and Hambrabi [I have yet to find information about his actions in Double Zeta].
GYUNEI GASU and LEZUN SCHNEIDER -- Ace Neo-Zeon pilots (Char's Counterattack). Relatively minor compared to other characters in the series, they still cause trouble for the Londo Bell forces. Gyunei pilots a Jagd Doga; Lezun pilots a custom Geara Doga.
THE RONAH FAMILY -- Carbon copies of the Zabis but nowhere near as slimy (Formula 91). Scharn Horst Ronah founded the family soon after the One-Year War, and gained power quietly through the wars that followed (first as the Buhho Corporation, and then as the Crossbone Vanguard). Meitzer is the political leader, Korozo is the fleet leader, and Dorel is the combat leader. Nadia tried to escape them with her daughter Bella (later Cecily Fairchild), but both were later brought back into the family's fold.
ZABINE CHAREUX -- Combat ace for the Crossbone Vanguard ... but not as evil as the Ronahs. (Is he the son [legitimate or otherwise] of Char Aznable? Looks that way!) Unfortunately, neither he nor his leader/rival Dorel Ronah are thrust into direct battle with Seabook Arno. (Maybe that's another mistake in Gundam F91. Please make a sequel...with a better story!) Romantic ties to Anna-Marie Broughia. Zabine pilots a Berga-Giros, followed by a Denan-Gei MS.
MORRIS OBARY -- Another Crossbone ace, this time for the Dark Tiger, attempting to conquer the moon (Silhouette Formula). Morris crosses sabers with Tokio Randall and Kevin Forrest of the Silhouette Project team. Morris' MS of choice is a variant of the Denan-Zon.
CHRONOKLE ASHA -- Evin's rival in Victory Gundam, he appears to share a few characteristics of Dorel Ronah and Jerid Mesa. He is a prince of Zanscarl, the Side 2 nation trying to take over Earthspace. Apparently, he pilots a Rig Shokew MS at first, then a Bespa Zolo, and then a Zollidia.
FARA GRIFFON -- Ace MS pilot for Zanscarl and one of the meanest women I've ever seen in Japanese cartoons. This lavendar haired avatar of Kali (the Hindu Goddess of Death) is an extremely powerful NewType and doesn't mind blowing away her own wingmen to get her target. (She even murders her copilot in cold blood during a battle.) She treats combat the way a nymphomaniac treats sex -- she can't get enough.
URUBE -- Or to be more specific, the thing that once was Urube (G-Gundam)...a soldier for the Colonial Earth Defense Forces and Neo-Japan's champion Mobile Fighter until he was defeated by Master Aja. (This happened in the Gundam Fights that preceded the storyline in the series.) It's hard to say whether he made the Death Army and the Devil Gundam or if they made him -- but he would end up leader of this organization. Revenge against the entire world isn't enough for Urube...now corrupted by the power of the nanotechnology/psychommu he craves the extinction of the human race! In the Mobile Fights, he piloted the machine that would later become the Shining Gundam -- and when he faced Domon Kasshu he had the Grandmaster Gundam as his mount.
ZECHS PEACECRAFT -- Heero Yuy's opponent in Gundam Wing, combat leader of the OZ. History is doomed to another repeat, for Zechs is nearly a carbon-copy of Char Aznable in his origin, motives, NewType abilities, charisma, family and fashion choices. (Zechs also has some character properties of Anavel Gato and Zabine Chareux.) He's a mobile suit pilot who favors the Tallgeese and probably the Gundam Epyon.
TRAZE KUSHRINADA -- The man who holds Zechs's leash ... supreme leader of the OZ, though his ambitions point to the total domination of all mankind. Traze is a super NewType of Paptimus Scirocco caliber, so I expect he'll eventually be a huge threat to the good guys of Gundam Wing. (I've yet to see him in a mobile suit, but judging from his marksmanship with an ordinary rifle and the fact he beat Chang Wu Fei in fencing, Traze is not an opponent you'd want to encounter!)
LALAH SUN -- Char Aznable's pre-One Year War lover and one of the first confirmed NewTypes...which meant it would be inevitable that she'd be sent into battle for Zeon. Before the fighting started for her, however, she met Amuro Rei (psychically in the novels; in person in the third movie!) and they hit it off famously. Amuro almost persuaded Lalah to give up Zeon, but she loved Char too much. In battle, Amuro and Lalah encountered each other again and again until their NewType senses merged. Sadly, Amuro's fight with Char put an end to this and Lalah got herself killed saving Char from Amuro's wrath. (In SD Gundam, she merely dies of embarrassment!) In death, Lalah would continue as an important character...on to Char's Counterattack. Her mobile armor is the Elmeth.
SAYLA MASS -- Char Aznable's sister and moral opposite, Sayla grew up on Earth and refused to follow Char's path of vengeance. At the time of the One-Year War's opening, she was a medical specialist on the home station of Amuro Rei. She joined the Pegasus' crew and became a combat pilot (at one time using the Gundam against a Zeon MS in battle! More often, she piloted the Core Booster). Despite her role in events of the One-Year War, her appearances in Zeta are limited to a few cameos.
She reappears in Double Zeta, but her role in that series is not known to me. In the novels, she falls in love with Amuro Rei; in the MS Gundam movies they are just good friends.
MIHARU RATOKIE -- An Earthwoman forced to spy on the Pegasus' crew (second MS Gundam movie), Miharu became romantically involved with Guncannon pilot Kai Shiden, who helped her get revenge on the Zeonists who control her. Unfortunately for her, she didn't live long enough to enjoy her just desserts -- or the love of Kai.
INA -- Shiro's opposite number in The 08th MS Team. She's a Zeon MS pilot (all I've seen her use are Zakus) and she met Shiro when he came to rescue a fellow Federation soldier from her wrath. Forced together for survival's sake (aboard a crippled Federation Magellan-class space cruiser they end up destroying), the two seem destined to meet again and again. Ina looks an awful lot like Four Murasame (q.v.), but I doubt they are one and the same ... they have different voice actresses!
BERNARD WEISMAN and CHRISTINA MCKENZIE -- Both tragic heroes of War in the Pocket. Both soldiers following orders, for cross purposes. Both thrown together by circumstance, and for their trouble, into a cruel spiral of love and doom. For the record, Bernie pilots a Zaku FZ. Chris is the Gundam Alex' pilot.
CIMA GARAHAU -- A good soldier gone bad -- and mad. A commando Colonel with Zeon in the One-Year War, Cima was given the War's "dirty work" and was paid for it with the ultimate dishonor of abandonment. Her motive in Operation Stardust was revenge... against Delaz and Gato! She captains a Musai-class cruiser (the Peer Gynt) and pilots first a Gelgoog Marine, and finally the Gerbera Tetra in the Stardust Memories series.
NINA PURPLETON -- [Stardust Memories series] A systems engineer for Anaheim Electronics who (in Mecha-Press' version of events) tried to forget her lost Zeon ace lover, Anavel Gato, by working hard on her Gundam prototype MS. Too bad for her that he returns-to steal her work in the form of the Gundam 02! And at the same time, Kou Uraki shows up -- what's a girl to do? Love me, love my Gundam...!
FOUR MURASAME -- Zeta Gundam is full of women who end up on the wrong side of the Gripps War at the wrong time, and Four is the predominant one. Her life prior to her entering the Murasame program is never revealed, and her memories were erased in the process that transformed her into a NewType. It's this void ("A darkness on her heart") that enslaved her to the Titans. She tried to break free, but all that happened was a futile love affair with Camille Vidan. In the end, she sacrificed herself to save him from Jerid Mesa. As a NewType, she piloted the Psycho-Gundam Mk I.
Kindred spirits of Four in Zeta include: Gundam Mk II pilot EMMA SHEEN (who left the Titans to join A.E.U.G., and got killed by Yazan Gable), Methuss pilot RECCOA LONDO (who defected from A.E.U.G. to join Scirocco -- killed by Gable at the same time as Emma Sheen[!]), Gabthley pilot MAURE FAROH (also see Jerid Mesa's entry; she was offered a place with Scirocco but refused, staying instead with Jerid and the Titans), Marasai pilot SARA ZABIAROV (a Titans soldier who fell in love with Scirocco and then Katsu Kobayashi [one of Camille Vidan's A.E.U.G. comrades]), and Gaplant pilot ROSAMIA BADAME (a Titans artificial NewType who took Four's place in the Titans after her death and was forced to take her NewType personality as well [!]; she was killed by Camille to prevent her destroying the Ahgama. It is rumored that Camille and Rosamia may be blood relations).
QUESS PARAYA -- A rebel girl with a cause...and a father in too high a place for her own good. Events force her into space (and Hathaway Noah's arms) during Char Aznable's Neo-Zeon uprising... and the combination of her father's actions and Char's cult of personality bring her into the battle against Earth. Would she have been better off if she had stayed on Earth -- and Hathaway had never known her? A strong and incredibly capable NewType, she pilots a Jagd Doga and the Alpha Azieru in the Char's Counterattack movie.
CECILY FAIRCHILD -- Born Bella Ronah, Cecily was taken away from the Crossbone Vanguard by her mother Nadia. Knowing her past but keeping it a secret, she grew up with Seabook Arno and his friends. It is this loyalty to her Frontier IV friends that holds her back from the Crossbone Vanguard cause. A NewType, Cecily pilots a Vigna-Ghina in the Formula 91 movie.
ANNA-MARIE BROUGHIA -- A Crossbone Vanguard pilot who listens to her heart more than her NewType senses...and suffers for it, paying the ultimate price for her jealousy and vanity. Defecting to the C.E.M.F. with her Dahgi-Iris, she fights a futile duel with the man she loves, Zabine Chareux.
LAYRA LaGIORR -- A woman from the colony Zebra-Zone who just barely escapes its destruction by the Crossbone Vanguard. She joins up with the Silhouette Project...piloting an ex-Neo-Zeon Geara Doga MS. What adventures await? One of them is named "Tokio"!
SHAKTI KARIN -- Usso's girlfriend/travelling companion throughout Victory Gundam. Apparently, both she and Chronokle Asha are children of Queen Maria Amonias of Zanscarl.
MASTER ASIA -- Defending Champion of the Gundam Fights (G-Gundam) who has, it appears, sold out to the terrorist Death Army. Asia doesn't seem particularly evil, but he gives Domon Kasshu and company a rough time. Whose side he is really on isn't shown till his death...at the hands of Domon!
Master Asia pilots the Master Gundam (modified from his previous Kowloon Gundam), with or without his Mobile Horse unit Fuun-Saiki.
RELENA DORIAN -- A princess-in-exile who is targeted for assassination by Heero Yuy in his campaign against OZ...but things turn out differently (to say the least). She, like the other principals in Gundam Wing, seems to be a re-tread of a previous character. Which one? Sayla Mass! [RELENA's born name: Zelda Peacecraft.]
Orignal MS Gundam: Frau Bow (Amuro's girlfriend), Ryu Jose, Hayato Kobayashi, Kai Shiden, and Sreggar Rau (all wingmen of Amuro), the "Gang of Three" (children later adopted by Hayato and Frau -- Katsu, Retsu and Kikka), Mirai Yashima (Pegasus helmswoman and love interest of Bright Noah), Matilda Ajane (Pegasus fleet liason officer), Ranba and Hamon Ral (husband-and-wife Zeon warriors who plague Pegasus' progress), Haro (a spherical toy robot Amuro built for Frau).
War in the Pocket: Al's friends (Telcott, Chay, and Dorothy), the Cyclops Team (Capt. Schneider, Garcia, Misha, and Andy), Commander Killing (the villainous Zeon officer).
Stardust Memories: Chuck Keith, Dick Allen, Raban Karcs, Chap Adel, Alpha Baits, and Bernard Monsha (Kou's MS squadron-mates), South Burning (Kou's commander), Capt. Sinapus and the crew of Albion, Kelley Layzner (the Zeon Val-Walo pilot), Lucette Audevie (Nina's Anaheim co-worker...and "romantic rival"[!]), Sgt. Karius (Gato's wingman), Gaily, Adamski, and Bob (Gato's retrieval team).
Zeta: Fa Yuri (Camille's girlfriend), Belotica Irma (Amuro's girlfriend), Katsu Kobayashi (former "Gang of Three", now a fighter pilot for A.E.U.G.), Blex Forra (A.E.U.G. leader), Apori and Robert (Char's wingmen), Dankle and Ramses (Jerid's wingmen), Shinta and Qumu (children friends of Char), Henken Bekner (captain of A.E.U.G.'s flagship), and Astonauge Mendosa (Ahgama's chief MS mechanic -- and co-creator of the Zeta Gundam [with Camille]; later he is Kayra Su's fiancé).
Double Zeta: This is only the tip of the iceberg...Elu Bianno (Gundam Mk II pilot), Lou Luka (Zeta Gundam pilot [?]), Elpy Ple and Ple II (supposedly an MS pilot and her clone sister), Mashmir Cello, Rakan Dacaran and August Geatan (Neo-Zeon MS pilots). Many Zeta characters return as well.
Char's Counterattack: Kayra Su (Londo Bell MS pilot), Chien Agi (Anaheim Electronics engineer, and co-creator of Nu-Gundam), Adenauer Paraya (The E.U.G. politician who foolishly gives Char the means to destroy Earth; also Quess' father -- a combination that proves his damnation by the mecha gods!), and Nanai Miguel (Char's "aide").
Formula 91: Liz Arno (Seabook's sister), Monica Arno (Seabook's mother -- and S.N.R.I. engineer in the Gundam F91 project [!]), Dwight Camry, Sam Ehrug, Arthur Jung, George Azuma, and Dorothea Mua (Seabook's friends on Frontier IV), Capt. Edaberry and the crew of Space Ark, Berghito Pirieau (pilot of Space Ark's Heavy Gun MS) and Gruce Erras (Space Ark's MS mechanic).
Silhouette Formula: Kevin Forrest (pilot of the RXF-91 Silhouette Gundam, and Tokio's wingman/rival), Iris Orlando (the team's Anaheim Electronics MS engineer), Albert Ellsner ([Silhouette mothership] Breiudd's chief engineer), Eitoll Horst (commander of the Silhouette Project and the Breiudd), Vas Garemson (Tokio and Kevin's squadron commander), Karl Spitz (a former Neo-Zeon soldier who joins the Silhouette Project with Layra), Shilf Sheffield (commander of the Dark Tiger and captain of the Zammoth-class warship Flame Tiger).
Victory Gundam: Another iceberg...another tip. Suzy Liren, Woren Trace, Odeo Henriku, and Mabetto Fingerhut (Usso's "gang"; Mabetto is a Core Fighter/MS pilot...and later the Captain of the space carrier White Ark), Katejina Ruth (a friend of Usso who becomes romantically involved with Chronokle [!]), The "Shrike" Team: Helen, Junko, Peggy Lee, Mahelia, Connie and Kate (a group of female MS pilots fighting alongside Usso's team).
G-Gundam: Rein Mikamura (heroine, pilots Rising Gundam), Michelo (pilots Neo-Italian Neros Gundam and Death Army Gundam Heaven's Sword), Chibodee Crocket (pilots Neo-American Maxter Gundam), Sai Saishi (pilots Neo-Chinese Dragon Gundam), George deSand (pilots Neo-French Gundam Rose), Argo Gulski (pilots Neo-Russian Bolt Gundam), Natasha (Argo's "keeper"), Schubertz Bruder (pilots Neo-German Gundam Speigel), Allenby (pilots Neo-Sweden Nobel Gundam and Death Army Walter Gundam), Gentile Chapman (pilots Neo-English John Bull Gundam and Death Army Ground Gundam).
Gundam Wing: Duo Maxwell (pilots Gundam DeathScythe), Trowa Barton (pilots Gundam Heavyarms), Katherine (Trowa's love interest, a circus knife-thrower), Quatre Raberba Winner (pilots Gundam Sandrock), Chang Wu Fei (pilots Shen-Long Gundam).