| Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance | |
| 機動戦士ガンダム 復讐のレクイエム (Kidō Senshi Gandamu Fukushū no Rekuiemu) | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Mecha,Military science fiction |
| Created by | |
| Original net animation | |
| Directed by | Erasmus Brosdau |
| Produced by | Ken Iyadomi |
| Written by | Gavin Hignight |
| Music by | Wilbert Roget II |
| Studio |
|
| Licensed by | |
| Released | October 17, 2024 (2024-10-17) |
| Runtime | 23–25 minutes |
| Episodes | 6 |
Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance (機動戦士ガンダム 復讐のレクイエム,Kidō Senshi Gandamu Fukushū no Rekuiemu; "Mobile Suit Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance") is a JapaneseEnglish-languageoriginal net animationweb series co-produced bySunrise and SAFEHOUSE. Part of theGundam franchise, it is set during the final stages of theOne Year War and follows Zeon mobile suit pilot Iria Solari and her Red Wolf Squadron as they defend the European front against the Earth Federation's counteroffensive.[1]
The series is written and co-executive produced by Gavin Hignight and directed by Erasmus Brosdau, with mechanical designs byKimitoshi Yamane,[2] character designs by Manuel Augusto Dischinger Moura,[3] and sound direction byHiroaki Yura.[3]Wilbert Roget II composed the music, and Australian actress Celia Massingham stars as Iria Solari, performing both voice acting andmotion capture for the role.[4]
It is the secondGundam production to be created entirely incomputer animation afterMobile Suit Gundam MS IGLOO, and the first to be animated usingEpic Games’Unreal Engine 5.[5][6] The series premiered worldwide onNetflix on October 17, 2024.[7]
Set during the closing months of the One Year War, the story follows Captain Iria Solari, a Principality of Zeon mobile suit pilot and leader of the Red Wolf Squadron. Stationed on the European front, Solari is tasked with holding Zeon-controlled territory against the Earth Federation’s final offensives.[1] When a powerful new Federation mobile suit, the Gundam EX, enters the battlefield, her unit is drawn into a desperate struggle for survival.[8]
The series follows Solari as she balances her duty to Zeon with her personal convictions, encountering allies and adversaries in a war-torn Europe. Themes of loss, loyalty, and the human cost of war are explored against the backdrop of large-scale mobile suit battles. As the conflict intensifies, Solari is forced to confront not only the Federation’s military might but also the moral ambiguities that define her role in the final days of the war.[1]
An original anime series co-produced by Bandai Namco Filmworks (credited under its Sunrise branding) and SAFEHOUSE,Mobile Suit Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance was first revealed duringAnime Expo 2023. Director Erasmus Brosdau and writer–executive producer Gavin Hignight led the project, featuring music by Wilbert Roget II and character designs by Manuel Augusto Dischinger Moura; the animation producer and sound director was Hiroaki Yura, with mechanical designs byKimitoshi Yamane.[10][12]
The series is notable for being entirely animated inUnreal Engine 5, the first Gundam television production to do so and the franchise’s second fully CG installment afterMobile Suit Gundam MS IGLOO, with six 30-minute episodes released worldwide via Netflix.[12][13]
Multiple staff interviews describe the project’s global brief and creative stance. Producer Kenichi Yatomi recounts that discussions with Netflix specifically explored making a full-length Gundam in Unreal Engine. This led to recruiting Brosdau after test footage, with the team aiming for a “Gundam for the world.”[14] In a roundtable, Brosdau, Yatomi, and Yura say the main language was set as English and that the direction emphasized battlefield realism (scale, weight, and vulnerability of infantry) while depicting the Gundam as a fearsome “white devil” from a Zeon point of view.[15][14]
A production feature prepared forCGWORLD (and excerpted by Gundam.info) details how the cross-border team built its workflow. According to Yura and director of photography Jumpei Kasaoka, all six episodes were produced in parallel with frequent workflow revisions. Initial “Western-style” boards were replaced by the Japanese anime storyboard process (roughs, checks, finals) from episode 3 onward to better control continuity and motion between cuts. Episodes 1 and 6 were led by the German unit while the Japanese unit led 2–5, with both sides assisting. The same feature notes that Yura, being a violinist, handled motion capture for the protagonist’s violin performance shots to keep the production nimble.[16]
SAFEHOUSE’s modeling team explained that full-scale mobile suit work began around September 2020. Yamane provided rough takes for the Zaku II F-type and the Gundam EX based on a “military-leaning, real-taste” brief. Bandai Namco Filmworks set an early direction of “slightly character-leaning” designs appropriate to the One Year War period. To grow staff judgment, the studio deliberately started from rough silhouettes rather than finished three-view sheets, modeling and testing in Unreal in parallel to determine specs. Existing assets were generally avoided for the new Zaku and Gundam silhouettes, though some vehicles like the Type-61 tank were adapted.[17]
In a separate interview, Yamane, serving as mechanical supervisor, describes pushing the Gundam EX toward a demonic, horror-tinged presence with bone-like forms and red optics, while adjusting armor masses and jointing (for example hip and toe details) to read as plausible machinery in CG motion. He also highlights SAFEHOUSE environment and modeling supervisor Takuya Suzuki’s role in surfacing and silhouette checks to preserve readability and weight on screen.[18][14]
Brosdau citesMobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team,White Tiger (2012), andFury (2014) as touchstones for the show’s “on-the-ground” realism, an approach echoed by staff across the CGWORLD feature and related coverage.[16][15]
Netflix secured exclusive global streaming rights, officially announcing the acquisition in December 2023.[19][20] The series premiered worldwide on Netflix on October 17, 2024.[21]
Following the release, a panel featuring Gavin Hignight, Hiroaki Yura, and producer Ken Iyadomi took place at New York Comic Con in October 2024. It included a special screening of the first ten minutes of episode one, followed by a discussion on narrative choices and production philosophy.[22]
To coincide with the premiere, Bandai Namco Filmworks collaborated with Epic Games to release a limited-timeFortnite game mode featuring the Gundam EX and Solari’s Zaku II (Unidentified Type), available during the launch period.[23]
| No. | Title | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Haunted Forest" | October 17, 2024 (2024-10-17) | |
In the year 0079, a Zeon force moves in to attack an Earth Federation base inRomania, but are ambushed by Federation forces. The elite Red Wolf Zaku unit led by Captain Iria Solari deploys and helps turn the tide of the battle, but when they arrive at the base, they find it completely abandoned. That night, Iria apparently has a premonition of danger just as the Federation stages a surprise attack on the base. A Federation Gundam EX mobile suit then appears and easily destroys the Zeon forces, including the Red Wolves. | |||
| 2 | "Broken" | October 17, 2024 (2024-10-17) | |
Iria is barely able to escape her wrecked Zaku and rescues one of her squadmates, Kneeland LeSean. She manages to regroup with other Zeon survivors led by Second Lieutenant Hayley Arhun. She orders Hayley to evacuate her men while she and LeSean commandeer abandoned Zaku Tanks. Second Lieutenant Ander Heaton volunteers to drive a fuel truck into position to act as a signal for the evacuation. Iria is able to detonate the fuel truck to temporarily slow down the Gundam and allow Hayley's unit to escape. However, the Gundam EX continues to pursue the convoy into the countryside before being ambushed by a pair of Goufs. Though the Gundam EX easily destroys the Goufs, it inexplicably decides to let the convoy escape. | |||
| 3 | "Junkyard" | October 17, 2024 (2024-10-17) | |
The convoy arrives at Brigade HQ, but are dismayed to find it has already been destroyed by the Federation. After recovering survivors, they head to a nearby junkyard which is still occupied by Zeon forces and commanded by Major Rolph Ronet and an old friend of Iria's, Captain Alfee Zydos. Alfee confides to the soldiers that Iria's husband Daltum was killed in a Federation airstrike months ago, leaving just her son as her remaining family. Iria then receives another premonition, and spots the Gundam attacking a nearby base. Iria convinces Alfee and the junkyard mechanics to rebuild two Zakus from salvaged parts. Rolf attempts to put a stop to the construction right when the Federation attacks the junkyard, and allows Iria and LeSean to mobilize. Upon boarding their Zakus, they see the Gundam EX and a GM mobile suit approaching. | |||
| 4 | "Night Caller" | October 17, 2024 (2024-10-17) | |
The mobile suits on both sides engage in a fierce battle, with all of the suits suffering severe damage. Eventually, the GM attempts to withdraw and LeSean disobeys orders and pursues it into the forest. Both Iria and LeSean manage to corner the crippled GM while the Gundam EX attempts to protect it, but upon seeing the GM pilot attempting to bail out, Iria orders LeSean to hold fire. The Gundam EX then recovers the GM pilot before retreating. Rolf is shaken by the fact the attack cost so many lives, but Alfee reminds him he has a duty to protect his remaining men. Hayley is distraught to learn her unit was wiped out. Rolf then attempts to arrest Iria and LeSean before being interrupted by the arrival of Major GeneralKellerne. Kellerne briefs Iria, explaining the war is turning against Zeon due to the mass production of GMs, and he orders Iria to steal one so that it can be studied for weaknesses. | |||
| 5 | "The River" | October 17, 2024 (2024-10-17) | |
Iria, Alfee, Hayley, and Ander disguise themselves as Federations soldiers and steal a Federation transport, but are forced to ditch it and travel on foot after being ambushed by a pair of Midnight Goufs. On the way to the Federation base, Alfee muses that Iria may be a Newtype, an evolved human being due to her premonitions. They manage to infiltrate the base, and Iria comes across a boy genius she has an odd feeling about. Despite their cover being blown, Iria and Alfee are each able to hijack a GM, but the Gundam EX then appears and disables Alfee's GM. Iria realizes the Gundam EX is being piloted by the boy she met earlier. The Gundam EX disables Iria's GM, and LeSean arrives in his Zaku and sacrifices himself to give Iria and her team the opportunity to escape. | |||
| 6 | "Convoy to Oblivion" | October 17, 2024 (2024-10-17) | |
Iria wakes up to find herself in an evacuation convoy heading forOdessa Spaceport to escape back to space, but the city is already under attack by the Federation. She is left shaken at the fact that her entire unit is dead, and that the Gundam EX's pilot is a young, scared boy not much older than her son. With Federation forces already in the city, Iria volunteers to pilot her Zaku to help defend the convoy despite her injuries. As Iria and the Zeon forces mount a fierce defense, the Gundam EX finally arrives on the field. Iria manages to buy enough time for the HLV-8 carrying her friends to launch and reach space safely, and she asks the Gundam EX pilot to cease hostilities and allow Zeon to retreat since they have lost. The Gundam EX pilot knocks Iria in her Zaku out of the way of the falling HLV-9 upon finding out Iria is a mother, only to be killed by another Midnight mobile suit, to Iria's horror. After the battle, Iria notes that the new Federation mobile suits have turned the tide of the war against Zeon, and she has joined a Zeon remnant force in Africa and continues to fight in hopes of ending all wars that would force children to fight. | |||
Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance received mixed reviews from both Japanese and English-language critics upon its release. Praise was often directed toward its visual presentation, grounded atmosphere, and faithful tone, while criticism was aimed at its limited character development and storytelling depth.
In Japan, the user review aggregator Filmarks reported an average rating of 3.6 out of 5, with commentary noting impressive battlefield visuals and nostalgic touches such as the inclusion of Zaku-themed mobile tanks, although some viewers felt that the emotional impact was limited due to underdeveloped characters.[24] The review site mono-post.com highlighted the impressive animation and moody tone, stating that the series successfully captured “the fearsome presence of a Gundam” and presented its European battlefield setting in a dark, realistic style that enhanced immersion.[25] SquareWheel.jp similarly praised the series as “foreign-produced but unusually tuned to domestic Gundam sensibilities,” pointing to the battle logic, framing, and tone as particularly well executed.[26]
English-language coverage was also divided. Forbes described the series as “a flawed, ersatz ‘Gundam’ show,” citing stiff character animation and rigid performances that detracted from the experience, despite interest in the premise.[27] Den of Geek called it a “’90s OVA wannabe,” praising its grounded atmosphere and focus on the plight of Zeon infantry, but noting that the writing lacked emotional resonance and strong characterization.[28] On Rotten Tomatoes, audience reactions were polarized, with some viewers praising it as “a great Netflix animated series” and others critiquing its limited narrative scope and emphasis on spectacle.[29]
| Preceded by | Gundam metaseries (production order) 2024 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | GundamUniversal Century timeline U.C. 0079–0080 | Succeeded by |
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