By In New York City, Neo America, a parade is held for the recently returned Gundam Fighter Chibodee Crocket and his Gundam Maxter. The once desolate New York is now filled with life as everyone hopes that Neo America will win the tournament. Nearby, Domon sits in a bar and watches the parade on TV. The bartender tells him that Chibodee fulfilled the American dream because he was a thief as a kid but went to the colonies to improve his life. A kid in the bar shows him a poster of the upcoming Universal Unification Boxing Match that Chibodee will be fighting in. In a gym, Carmela Conomy trains to fight Chibodee when Domon shows up. With one punch, Domon takes down Conomy. Chibodee is warned by Shawn Douglas and Kennedy Grumman from the Department of Defense not to fight because Domon might show up. Chibodee says he isn’t worried because he has a crew to protect him, including Janet Smith, Shirley Lane, Cath Ronary and Bunny Higgins. In the arena, the crowd cheers when Chibodee shows up with the Gundam Maxter. He enters the ring to face his hooded opponent Conomy, which is actually Domon. Domon attacks Chibodee unfairly and knocks him down. He challenges Chibodee to a Gundam Fight, and Chibodee responds by going into a rage and attacking Domon. After a brief fight, Domon escapes and leaves the arena. Chibodee fumes with rage over his embarrassment at the boxing match. Douglas and Grumman want to assassinate Domon, and Chibodee tells them to leave. Against their wishes, he sends Bunny to find Domon and tell him where and when to meet for a Gundam Fight. As Bunny leaves and enters the elevator, she is grabbed by Grumman. Domon stumbles in a park from his wounds in the boxing match when three armed men show up.
Domon prepares to fight them, but Rain shows up on a boat and shoots at them. Rain asks Domon if he is all right, and he passes out. Chibodee thinks about how he fought his way up to the top as a child to make his dreams a reality. Domon wakes up in a dirty hotel room, and Rain examines him. She tells him to be careful when someone knocks on the door. Bunny tells Domon to meet Chibodee on Broadway, but she is being coerced by Grumman. When Domon arrives at Broadway with his Core Lander, he finds Douglas and Grumman waiting to ambush him in two transforming Murphy mobile suits. Chibodee sees the battle from the stadium where he’s waiting and flies over to Broadway. He attacks the Murphys to give Domon enough time to get into the Shining Gundam. Domon summons the Shining Gundam, which is hidden inside the Statue of Liberty. Domon uses his beam saber to destroy one of the Murphys, and Chibodee destroys the other. With the other obstacles out of the way, the Gundam Fight begins. The Gundam Maxter’s massive shoulder pads disconnect and become boxing gloves. As the fight begins, Chibodee is surprised his punches aren’t hurting Domon. During the battle, Domon shows him the picture and asks if he knows the guy in it. Chibodee says he doesn’t know him, and Domon uses the Shining Finger to destroy one of his arms. Chibodee thinks his dream is ruined, but a crowd shows up and urges him to fight on. Domon tells him that a man who dreams of victory can still come back later in the fight and enter the Finals.
Well, it was certainly interesting to see G Gundam‘s spin on America. Like the rest of the world, it seems to be a ruined and desolate place. Chibodee Crocket is the stereotypical lowly American who made his dreams come true. That’s not the way all Americans are, nor does everyone follow the “American Dream.” It’s a stereotype that does not apply to everyone. Douglas and Grumman’s trap was well set, and I was surprised to see guys like them in this series. Interestingly, their names are both references to two American defense contractors: Northrop Grumman and McDonnell Douglas. One thing I don’t like so far is that no matter how the fight is going, Domon can always end it easily with the Shining Finger final move. I hope it doesn’t become a pattern of being used in every episode. That’s a super robot cliché this series can do without.
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