New York Comic Con happened over the weekend and the folks over at Bandai Namco Filmworks / Sunrise used this event to reveal details on the next installment to the Gundam SEED series — Mobile Suit Gundam SEED FREEDOM ZERO. Everyone knew it will be a prequel to SEED FREEDOM and will chronicle how the Strike Freedom Gundam was stolen and apprehended (i.e., destroyed) with the “help” of Foundation.
What we didn’t know is it will also be a Shinn Asuka story. First teaser trailer below.
After the collapse of the Destiny Plan proposed by Dullindal, which would have decided people’s fates based on genetics, Cagalli, the chief representative of the Orb United Emirates, has been working to bring about a peaceful new order by establishing a global peace monitoring agency called COMPS (pronounced “Compass”).
C.E.74. The great war is over, but Shinn has yet to decide what course he should follow. Then a mobile suit which has survived many past battlefields is transferred from ZAFT to COMPS’s temporary base on Onogoro Island. That night, however, the Strike Freedom Gundam is stolen by persons unknown.
To stop the situation from escalating, to recover the stolen machine, and for the sake of everything they must protect, Shinn and his comrades once again throw themselves into battle…
The Cosmic Era timeline is such a chaotic place, with all of SEED to SEED FREEDOM happening within the span of five years. And again, Shinn is back to main character status for this installment, which is always appreciated. We also have the animation debut of Leonard Valway, who was mentioned in the Moonlight Valkyrie side story for SEED FREEDOM.
I’m not expecting significant in terms of mobile suits, given it’s a prequel to SEED FREEDOM. The official website even lists Shinn piloting a Murasame Kai, though I will expect we’ll see the Immortal Justice and Rising Freedom towards the end of the film.
I won’t cover SEED FREEDOM ZERO as much as the movie it leads into, but I will be in Japan in the middle of its marketing run so I’ll be happy to report what I can find. Mobile Suit Gundam SEED FREEDOM ZERO is slated for release in Japanese theaters on January 15, 2027 while the North American release will be on February 2027. Release information for other territories are yet to be announced.
