There has been a rumor floating around on the internet regarding the design process behind Gundam 00’s units, and it has my otaku senses tingling in response. This hasn’t been confirmed, and was initially found on 2ch; but it sounds real, and nothing beats sounding real. According to an anonymous translator, the main gundam units of Gundam 00 were based on chess pieces, and were actually named off the pieces as well.
We could have gotten a Bishop Gundam, or a Pawn Gundam, but they decided to use different names instead. Originally the Gundams were supposed to be like chess pieces, used like chess pieces in a more strategy based war. The strategy aspect stuck, but perhaps the chess nomenclature was a little too campy for the dramatic atmosphere they were trying to establish. What really is cool about this is how well it fits. After the jump I will explain more about each individual unit, and how it fits its chess counterpart.
Pawn Gundam = Exia
A pawn doesn’t really have any special abilities, all its good for is close range fighting. Exia is the same way, it’s basically a close-ranged fighter, but an extremely good close-ranged fighter. Almost like a super pawn. However, the pawn has another special ability, though we will talk about that one later.
Knight Gundam = Dynames
A Knight can jump around the battlefield, and can access places that other units can’t access; almost like sniping an enemy. The Knight Gundam was originally supposed to command the other Gundams as a leader unit on the front lines, given orders by the King Gundam himself. However that was dropped and Haro was put in its place. Dynames sniper rifle is equivalent to the Knight’s strange movement pattern.
Bishop Gundam = Kyrios
The bishop is a piece that has a high movement ability, able to move in diagonal line forever and slice through the enemy’s defenses. Kyrios is the same; when transformed he can move at a high rate of speed and cut a path into the enemy. Originally the Bishop Gundam was supposed to be more animal-like, with talon and scissor weapons. Obviously, they changed the design completely, but left some traces with Kyrio’s claw shield.
Rook Gundam = Virtue
The rook is all about defense and offence, and so is Virtue. However, the Rook Gundam was gong to be only about its heavy armored form, and not have its cast-off form. That went to the King Gundam as a means of castling itself; another Gundam would pop out and protect it! The Rook Gundam also was going to have the ability to resupply other units, but that idea was dropped and they gave the Virtue an abundance of GN particles instead.
Queen Gundam = Nadaleeh
A Queen has almost every option available to her, with power to boot; it can move anywhere and almost attack everything. The Queen was originally supposed to be a psychic-like Gundam, that would also have the ability to attack with wireless weapons. She would only appear when the King was in danger, and can easily destroy the units by it. The Queen looked feminine, with long hair and a feminine bodyline, much like the Nadaleeh of today. However, they decided to stick to four Gundams, so the Rook and the Queen became one unit, and her wireless weapons were giving to the Gundam Throne Zwei.
King Gundam = 0 Gundam, Veda
The King piece is weak in chess, because it is the most important piece in the game; not something you want as a frontline piece. The King Gundam was originally going to have the same qualities. It was full of battle strategy plans and tactics and analytical gear, but have no offensive abilities whatsoever. It was also stated that the unit was an older unit which was more active in the story’s beginning. Gundam 0 was the same way, It helped Setsuna in the beginning of the anime when he was just a little kid, but disappeared to obscurity later on.
Second King Gundam = 00 Gundam
In chess, if a pawn travels all the way to the end of the board it can become any chess piece, except the king. However, Gundam changed the rules by making the pawn into the king, thusly you have the 00 Gundam. The real kicker is that 0 or “Ou” in Japanese translates to king, so the 00 Gundam would be the King of Kings Gundam.
Remember, this is all just a rumor, and hasn’t been verified. But damn it makes so much sense, how can it be wrong? I can understand why they made the changes to the anime, but I think I would enjoy it just as much—maybe even more—with the chess theme. What about you?
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