Gihren watches Degwin depart on the flagship Great Degwin to initiate peace negotiations, and he thinks to himself his father is too old to be able to do anything. He receives a report that the Solar Ray will be ready for use after the final tests are completed. On the Gwaran, Kycilia asks Char why he’s given up his quest for vengeance against the Zabis, so he explains that he’s been feeling something strange, which she believes it has to do with Lalah. Char believes Lalah is a Newtype, and Kycilia tells him to hold off his plans until the war ends. On the White Base, Bright and the others discuss the possibility of Newtypes, and Amuro says he’s not special just because he is a Newtype. He wonders if everyone fighting on the ship is a Newtype, and Bright thinks that might be a possibility. On the Zanzibar, Char tells Lalah she should focus on attacking the Gundam and that he will follow her orders. She asks him to wear a normal suit, and he gives her a kiss. The Elmeth launches with several Rick Doms and approaches the fleet of the 13th Autonomous Corps. Amuro, Sayla, Kai and Hayato head out into battle followed by GMs and Balls from the other ships. Kai and Sayla attack several Rick Doms and destroy them. Amuro senses the Elmeth’s presence and closes in on it. The Gwaran attacks the EFF fleet, and Char lends support with the Zanzibar. Amuro is attacked by the Elmeth’s bits and begins to destroy them. He concentrates for a moment and is able to predict their movements and destroy many of them. He’s momentarily distracted by Lalah’s presence, which allows her to destroy his beam rifle. Amuro switches to his beam saber to destroy the bits and asks her why she fights. She tells him she has to fight him because he hurt Char. Lalah tells him he’s too late and asks why she had to meet him now. She then asks him why he’s fighting, since he has no family or home to protect, and Amuro asks what that has to do with anything.
Kai, Sayla and Hayato continue to fight off Rick Doms, and Char launches from the Zanzibar in his Gelgoog. Amuro tells Lalah he doesn’t need to protect anything to fight, and she tells him she’s fighting to protect the person who saved her life. She asks him why they met, and they both agree it was fate. Lalah believes that if it’s fate, then life is cruel. Amuro feels himself drawing closer to Lalah and sees strange images. As Amuro and Lalah move in closer, Char tells her not to listen to Amuro and attacks him. Sayla shows up and tells Char to leave, and Amuro tells her it’s too dangerous for her to be around. Amuro destroys Char’s beam rifle, and they begin to fight with beam sabers. Sayla flies by, and Char accidentally slices into some of the G-Fighter. As they duel, Sayla attacks Lalah and suffers some more damage. She loops around Char, and he slices into the G-Fighter again. Amuro attacks him, and Char nearly destroys the G-Fighter before he realizes Sayla is the pilot. While he’s distracted, Amuro slices off the Gelgoog’s left arm, which was holding the beam saber. As he closes in to finish off Char, Lalah moves the Elmeth into his path. Before Amuro can react, he slams the beam saber into the Elmeth’s cockpit. Lalah calls out to him and asks if he believes people are constantly changing. Amuro believes that one day people will control time, and he has visions of running on an island with Lalah. The Gundam slowly drifts away as the Elmeth explodes. Amuro begins to cry and says that he’s done something he can never take back, and Char screams out in anger. The White Base presses its attack and destroys a Musai and the Zanzibar. Char is forced to retreat to the Gwaran and report his loss to Kycilia. She receives a message from Gihren that the EFF is sending its fleet to A Baoa Qu, so he will fire the Solar Ray at them. As Revil plans the final attack on A Baoa Qu, he’s informed that the Great Degwin has arrived and that Degwin wants peace. Nearby, the Solar Ray’s position is adjusted for optimal accuracy. Gihren estimates that one shot will destroy a third of the EFF fleet. The Solar Ray fires, and Amuro shouts out that thousands of people will die in the light of hatred.
This is the episode of the series that changes everything. If there is such a thing as fate, then it is cruel as Lalah said. This episode seals the fate of Amuro and Char as rivals. Before, Char wanted to defeat Amuro because of his pride as a pilot, but now it’s personal. I think Char just realized that he loved Lalah, and in his eyes what Amuro has done to him is as bad as what the Zabis did. Before Lalah dies, she brings up an interesting question: what would have happened if she met Amuro first instead of Char? Would she have ended up fighting and dying? I should note that in the original 52 episode version, Lalah was killed by a Zeon Newtype cadet who thinks she’s a traitor, but Amuro still blames Char. Cancellation forced Tomino to rewrite the last arc of the series, and I think this version works out much better. Char hates Amuro for killing Lalah, and while Amuro feels intense guilt over killing her, he blames Char for allowing her to fight. There’s still two episodes left, and the fighting isn’t over yet.
Mobile Suit Gundam Info
Director(s):
Yoshiyuki Tomino
Ryoji Fujiwara (movie 1)
Writer(s):
Yoshiyuki Tomino
Masaru Yamamoto
Kenichi Matsuzaki
Yoshihisa Araki
Hiroyuki Hoshiyama
Mechanical Designer(s):
Kunio Okawara
Yoshiyuki Tomino
Character Designer:
Yoshikazu Yasuhiko
Musical Composer(s):
Yuji Matsuyama
Takeo Watanabe
Format:
43 episodes; 3 compilation movies
Airdates:
Japan 04.07.1979 – 01.26.1980
U.S. 07.23.2001 – 09.12.2001
Theatrical Release:
Japan 03.14.1981 – 03.13.1982
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