As many Gundam fans know, Legendary Pictures and Bandai Namco Filmworks are teaming up to create a live-action movie that will present the Universal Century Arc in a brand-new way. With the likes of Sydney Sweeney, Noah Centineo, and Jason Isaacs making up the cast, Hollywood is looking to get in on the mech franchise with some serious backing. Unfortunately, while the Gundam film is revving its engines, a major real-world tribute to the franchise is preparing to say goodbye. While Gundam has made its way to North America, it still reigns supreme in Japan, though the country will lose a life-sized statue sooner than you might expect.
Erected in 2017, a life-sized statue of the RX-0 Unicorn Gundam, made popular by Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn, has stood watch over the citizens of Japan. Unfortunately, the mech facsimile is planned to be stripped down this month, with only the statue only having two days remaining until it is removed from Diver City. Specifically, August 29th will present a farewell ceremony to bid a fond farewell to the life-sized statue that has been around for years. Luckily, the ceremony is planned to be livestreamed when it takes place at 7:30 PM later this week, Japan time, on the official Gundam YouTube channel. You can access the event by clicking here.
While the Gundam Unicorn statue has been standing tall since 2017, it is far from the only mech statue that was set up in Japan. In 2020, at the Gundam Factory Yokohama, a “Walking Gundam” was erected, which could take several steps under its own power. Unfortunately, the statue took its last step in 2024 when it was retired, leaving the franchise without a major monolith to the mech franchise. At present, it’s unknown whether a new statue will replace Unicorn or if the anime universe’s time at Diver City will be permanently absent. Unicorn might not be the most popular entry in the long-running franchise, but the series has warranted quite a few spin-offs and side stories in its time.
Many Gundam anime series have received continuations following their initial debut, with Unicorn being no different. The storyline was first introduced in 2007 as a novel series, before it landed as a manga and anime adaptation in 2010. The last time we witnessed this particular storyline animated was with 2018’s Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative, a continuation of Unicorn’s storyline that adapted the eleventh novel of the series. While it didn’t make the same profits as Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Freedom, which netted tens of millions of dollars, it had a respectable run and gave Unicorn enthusiasts the first anime for the universe since the conclusion of 2016’s Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn RE: 0096.
