Anti-war messaging is the heart of Gundam, and that messaging may come off as too on-the-nose when juxtaposed against the current global landscape. Kenji Kamiyama knows that concern all too well, as he’s at the helm of the latest title in the franchise, Mobile Suit Gundam RG: XARX-ZERO. Pronounced “RG Alex Zero,” the story follows Ray Azumi, an orphan who is set to pilot the new-generation mobile suit, Gundam ZERO. Humanity, after a period of prosperity and expansion across the solar system, is forced to abandon Earth due to a hostile silicon-based lifeform called Apocalypse.
Originally revealed at San Diego Comic-Con in July, XARX-ZERO will take place outside the Universal Century, Gundam’s primary timeline. Known for his work on several sci-fi series, including Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, and Star Wars: Visions, Kamiyama is expected by longtime fans to bring his genre expertise to the Gundam universe. During a panel at SDCC, Kamiyama shared how the Gundam franchise inspired him to work in the anime industry.
At the same time, he feels immense pressure to craft a new storyline that honors the series’ legacy. According to producer Yasufumi Kohashi, executive producer Naohiro Ogata requested that the setting be a “hardcore sci-fi world” which has “never been done in Gundam.” Kohashi, who has worked with Yoshiyuki Tomino, recalled seeing the words “You have to break taboos to create something new” on the Gundam creator’s desk. This motto is what has shaped this project overall and provided Kamiyama with the space to take the story to new heights.
Speaking with Kotaku, Kamiyama laid out his approach to Gundam as a whole and the pressures that come with taking on the mantle of a nearly 50-year-old franchise. The interview kicked off with the obvious question around the peculiar name of his series, as it follows the unique reading pattern set by its 2025 predecessor, GQuuuuuuX.
“We started with Alex Zero because it’s a brand new timeline in the universe,” said Kamiyama. “I wanted to remake what Gundam is for myself. RX is the codename for Gundam, and it’s my way of wordplay as well.”
As a fan himself, Kamiyama is very familiar with the franchise’s core messaging, which integrates political tension and character conflicts. “Gundam’s theme is war, and the message is anti-war. In a time of real war, like now, I wasn’t sure how much impact animation can have. I don’t think animation is something that will stop the war.” Here, Kamiyama turns to the characters to lead the audience in the right direction. “I’ve tasked the characters that I’ve made with hope. Perhaps if we have people like this, then possibly we can improve upon the great separation that we have these days. With people at each extreme, perhaps there can be empathy for others. Hopefully, that might help what’s happening right now in Japan and the rest of the world, which is something that I wanted to explore.”
In addition to the anti-war messaging, he shared the second most important takeaway from Gundam is how one can’t change the past. “Although you can’t change your past, you can take positive action toward the future. By emphasizing those positive contributions and actions towards the future, perhaps that might help reassign or rewrite the meaning of the past and how that affects you.”
For someone who has worked on both pre-existing series—including Ultraman and Star Wars—and original ones like Eden of the East, Kamiyama weighs the pros and cons of working on either. “The difficulty working within a franchise is that there are existing fans. There are certain expectations that you have to meet, and conclusions that fans have already preconceived of what that is. You have to deliver on that. But on top of it, you need to surprise them and betray their expectations at the same time, which is a conflicting approach.”
In contrast, he shared how an original series can also be challenging to spin up from nothing. “At the same time, the whole process of coming up with a new story, trying many different things, and anticipating how this could surprise someone is very exhilarating. Ultimately, it’s tough to do an original series because you’re starting from zero.”
When it comes to XARX-ZERO, the director admits it’s a little of both. “Since it’s a franchise, you’ve got to deal with expectations, but it’s a brand new story and universe. In a way, this was double the effort and difficulty,” he laughed.
At San Diego Comic-Con, Kamiyama ruminated over what makes Gundam the juggernaut that it is. He lightheartedly said that the face of the Gundam was the focus and that its “cool face” was intentional. For a more serious answer, the director simply said, “the theme of war and humans.” Whether it’s a future with advanced technology or not, Kamiyama places “human nature and conflict” as a central feature of the Gundam franchise. “Mobile suits themselves are weapons of war. So how have humans evolved their way of fighting through that? It’s inside of a fantasy setting, in a sense. At the same time, there’s some scientific explanations that the creators came up with to explain why it is the way it is. It’s a feature that other robot anime titles didn’t have, and that’s why it probably isn’t called a robot.”
Last but not least, no Gundam anime series would be complete without a signature Char clone. Ultimately, Kamiyama didn’t share any details on the design, form, or traits of the Char-like being in XARX-ZERO. However, he reaffirmed the importance of the character in the story. “A Char-type character is a villain, but also a rival to the main character. It’s reflective and a mirror image of the main character. It’s also another important feature of Gundam as well.”
