Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack

Released in Japan in 1988, Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack is the first original theatrical Gundam feature film. Its release came a year after the TV series Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ. Franchise creator Yoshiyuki Tomino served as director, with returning staff members that included lead mechanical designer Yutaka Izubuchi, character designer Hiroyuki Kitazume and composer Shigeaki Saegusa. Set in UC 0093, the film returns its focus to Amuro Ray, the hero of the original Mobile Suit Gundam series. Amuro faces off against his former rival Char Aznable, who has emerged from hiding to lead another Neo Zeon movement with a goal of forcing humanity off Earth and into space. More than 20 years after its original release, Char’s Counterattack received a follow up with Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn, an OVA adaptation of the novel series of the same name. The movie was originally released on home video in North America by Bandai Entertainment, but it has since been re-released by Right Stuf’s Nozomi Entertainment.