MSN-02 Zeong
Encyclopedia
The MSN-02 Zeong is a fictional mobile suit designed by Kunio Okawara
for the anime
Mobile Suit Gundam
. It has also appeared in many video games and other media, including, but not limited to, the PlayStation 2
titles Federation vs. Zeon
, Encounters in Space
and Climax U.C., the Gundam Battle Assault series of fighting games, Super Robot Wars
, the motion simulator attraction Gundam the Ride: A Baoa Qu, and in its Perfect form, the PSP
titles Gundam Battle Royale
and Gundam Battle Chronicle
.
in Mobile Suit Gundam
, appearing at the end of One Year War
to defend the A Baoa Qu space fortress. It was portrayed as the first combat-ready mobile suit intended specifically for Newtype
pilots. Previously, Psycommu systems had only been installed in large mobile armors due to bulky size. While the Psycommu system had been scaled down somewhat, a very large mobile suit was still required, and normal-sized mobile suits would not be equipped with Psycommu technology until the events of Zeta Gundam
, set 8 years later.
To help make up for its large size, the Zeong is exceptionally heavily armed, mounting nearly a battleship's worth of mega particle cannons. Each of the mobile suit's digits
mounts the barrel of one cannon, and a pair are installed in its torso. A final cannon is mounted in the mobile suit's face directly under its mono-eye track. The Psycommu system allows the Zeong's forearms to detach and operate independently of the main body, enabling it to perform "all range attacks", the Gundam franchise's term for a multi-directional attack. A wire connects the arms to the mobile suit's main body, presumably to provide power and/or commands from the Psycommu system, somewhat limiting its maximum range when compared to a completely wireless bit. Unlike most mobile suits, the Zeong's cockpit is positioned in its head. If the main body is destroyed or otherwise rendered inoperative, the head can be ejected to escape, or continue fighting.
Three MSN-02 units are confirmed to be built, though only one appeared in the animation. At Kycilia Zabi
's behest, Captain Char Aznable
requisitoned a Zeong to help defend A Baoa Qu against a large-scale attack by the Earth Federation Space Force in episode 42 of Mobile Suit Gundam. This Zeong was only "80% complete" as its legs had yet to be installed; otherwise, it was fully combat capable (in zero gravity, at any rate). Char made a single sortie with the Zeong, sinking a Federation warship in the process, before it and Amuro Ray
's RX-78 Gundam
were mutually destroyed within A Baoa Qu during the final episode of the anime. Indeed, RX-78 Gundam
received a hit which destroyed, first, its head, and, then, one of its legs. Both Char and Amuro escaped their crippled mobile suits to continue their battle in hand to hand combat
.
card game
, have erroneously referred to it as a mobile armor) for the 1979 animation. The legged version, known as the "Perfect" Zeong and sharing the same model number, appeared in Mobile Suit Variations in 1983, entering canon as the "completed" design. Of the three Zeongs built, two of them were completed to Perfect form (the other remaining suit was sortied against the Gundam by Char Aznable before it was finished in the incomplete state near the end of Mobile Suit Gundam). Aside from the Perfect version's greatly increased height from its legs, it also features additional armor plating on its limbs and a new setup of head-mounted thrusters. The enormous Master Grade Perfect Zeong model kit is also furnished with an extremely long solid-state sword. According to the manual's historical section, this is purely an aesthetic accessory for the model, and was not used in the canon universe. It is speculated that this is a throwback to the 1982 manga
Plamo Kyoshiro, where the Perfect Zeong appeared with a prodigiously-sized blade (having almost the same height to the unit), but this is unsubstantiated by any official source. In the PlayStation Portable game Gundam Battle Chronicle
, the Perfect Zeong's special attack is a powerful sweep of this weapon, marking the second instance of the mobile suit being fitted with the giant blade in official media.
Of interesting note, the Zeong is the first mobile suit in the Gundam franchise to feature a detachable arm-based attack; it has since appeared sporadically in a handful of animations (including, but not limited to, ZZ Gundam's
Hamma Hamma, Char's Counterattack's
Alpha Azieru and Gundam 0083's
Neue Ziel). While certainly not uncommon at the time (1979) in the giant robot
genre (Go Nagai
's Mazinger Z
and Getter Robo
come to mind), it did put a new "spin" on the concept: the Zeong's arms utilize beam cannons to perform a ranged attack, as opposed to the commonly-seen melee attack, often in the vein of Mazinger Z's famous "Rocket Punch" or Getter-2's "Drill Missile".
Despite its brief appearance in the animation, limited to a single sortie, the Zeong has enjoyed considerable coverage in the merchandise area. As with most mobile suits from the series, the Zeong received a 1/144th-scale model kit in 1981. It was featured in the 1/250th scale A Baoa Qu diorama, along with the RX-78 Gundam and an MS-09R Rick Dom, released in the same year. A 1/250th-scale Perfect Zeong was released along with other MSV kits in 1983. More recently, a 1/144-scale High Grade Universal Century kit was released in 2001, a Mobile Suit in Action (MSiA) figure in 2004, a 1/100th-scale Master Grade kit in 2002, and again in its enormous "Perfect" legged form in 2004. This kit is the largest, heaviest, and most expensive 1/100th-scale Master Grade kit to date. Expensive, high-detail resin kits have been released by B-Club. In addition to model kits and figures, the Zeong's likeness, specifically its unique mono-eye track, has appeared on Gundam-themed clothing items.
Perhaps the most bizarre iteration, a "Puchuu-ified" Zeong appeared in a Gundam
/Leiji Matsumoto
-themed episode of Excel Saga
, along with a similarly Puchuu-ified RX-78.
The Zeong was also mentioned in the manga Crossbone Gundam Skull Heart where it was stated that it was built to counter a "Giant Gundam," which in reality was a GM Ball with a Gundam faceplate.
Kunio Okawara
is a mechanical designer in the Japanese anime industry. A mechanical designer is similar to a character designer, but the design is for robots, ships, and other mechanical items found in a particular show. Okawara was the first in the industry to be specifically credited as a mechanical designer...
for the anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
Mobile Suit Gundam
Mobile Suit Gundam
is a televised anime series, created by Sunrise. Created and directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino, it premiered in Japan on Nagoya Broadcasting Network on April 7, 1979, and lasted until January 26, 1980, spanning 43 episodes...
. It has also appeared in many video games and other media, including, but not limited to, the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
titles Federation vs. Zeon
Mobile Suit Gundam: Federation vs. Zeon
Mobile Suit Gundam: Federation vs. Zeon is a 2001 arcade video game based on the TV anime series Mobile Suit Gundam. An upgraded edition of the game, Federation vs. Zeon DX , includes 360-degree, zero-G space battlefields...
, Encounters in Space
Mobile Suit Gundam: Encounters in Space
Mobile Suit Gundam: Encounters in Space is a Third-person shooter video game for the PlayStation 2 released in 2003. The game is centered on space based mobile suit combat...
and Climax U.C., the Gundam Battle Assault series of fighting games, Super Robot Wars
Super Robot Wars
is a series of tactical role-playing video games produced by Banpresto, which is now a Japanese division of Namco Bandai. The main feature of the franchise is having a story that crosses over several popular mecha anime, manga and video games, allowing characters and mecha from different titles to...
, the motion simulator attraction Gundam the Ride: A Baoa Qu, and in its Perfect form, the PSP
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
titles Gundam Battle Royale
Gundam Battle (series)
Gundam Battle is a series of games exclusively made for the Sony PlayStation Portable game console, all based on a same game engine. Currently there are 5 games in the series.-Gundam Battle Tactics:...
and Gundam Battle Chronicle
Gundam Battle (series)
Gundam Battle is a series of games exclusively made for the Sony PlayStation Portable game console, all based on a same game engine. Currently there are 5 games in the series.-Gundam Battle Tactics:...
.
In Mobile Suit Gundam
The Zeong is the last mobile suit piloted by primary antagonist Char AznableChar Aznable
, born is a fictional character from the Gundam franchise. He is originally one of the main antagonists in Mobile Suit Gundam and later becomes one of the protagonists of Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam. In his final appearance in Char's Counterattack, he assumes leadership of the Neo Zeon movement,...
in Mobile Suit Gundam
Mobile Suit Gundam
is a televised anime series, created by Sunrise. Created and directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino, it premiered in Japan on Nagoya Broadcasting Network on April 7, 1979, and lasted until January 26, 1980, spanning 43 episodes...
, appearing at the end of One Year War
One Year War
The is a fictional conflict from the Universal Century timeline of the anime Mobile Suit Gundam metaseries. The One Year War is very similar to World War II, the major difference being that The One Year War is in a science fiction setting and some major battles occurred in space...
to defend the A Baoa Qu space fortress. It was portrayed as the first combat-ready mobile suit intended specifically for Newtype
Newtype
A Newtype is theorized to be the next stage of human evolution in the fictional Gundam universe. This minor but groundbreaking metamorphosis is usually expressed as a heightened mental awareness, the result of an evolutionary adaptation to life in space....
pilots. Previously, Psycommu systems had only been installed in large mobile armors due to bulky size. While the Psycommu system had been scaled down somewhat, a very large mobile suit was still required, and normal-sized mobile suits would not be equipped with Psycommu technology until the events of Zeta Gundam
Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam
is a television anime, part of the Gundam series and a sequel to the original Mobile Suit Gundam. The show was created and directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino, with character designs by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, while the series' mechanical designs is split amongst Kunio Okawara, Mamoru Nagano, and Kazumi Fujita...
, set 8 years later.
To help make up for its large size, the Zeong is exceptionally heavily armed, mounting nearly a battleship's worth of mega particle cannons. Each of the mobile suit's digits
Finger
A finger is a limb of the human body and a type of digit, an organ of manipulation and sensation found in the hands of humans and other primates....
mounts the barrel of one cannon, and a pair are installed in its torso. A final cannon is mounted in the mobile suit's face directly under its mono-eye track. The Psycommu system allows the Zeong's forearms to detach and operate independently of the main body, enabling it to perform "all range attacks", the Gundam franchise's term for a multi-directional attack. A wire connects the arms to the mobile suit's main body, presumably to provide power and/or commands from the Psycommu system, somewhat limiting its maximum range when compared to a completely wireless bit. Unlike most mobile suits, the Zeong's cockpit is positioned in its head. If the main body is destroyed or otherwise rendered inoperative, the head can be ejected to escape, or continue fighting.
Three MSN-02 units are confirmed to be built, though only one appeared in the animation. At Kycilia Zabi
Kycilia Zabi
In the fictional Mobile Suit Gundam series, is the only daughter of Degwin Sodo Zabi. While Yoshiyuki Tomino's novel version of MSG indicates her as the fourth of his five children and youngest except for Garma, the ongoing Gundam: The Origin manga by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko identifies her as his...
's behest, Captain Char Aznable
Char Aznable
, born is a fictional character from the Gundam franchise. He is originally one of the main antagonists in Mobile Suit Gundam and later becomes one of the protagonists of Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam. In his final appearance in Char's Counterattack, he assumes leadership of the Neo Zeon movement,...
requisitoned a Zeong to help defend A Baoa Qu against a large-scale attack by the Earth Federation Space Force in episode 42 of Mobile Suit Gundam. This Zeong was only "80% complete" as its legs had yet to be installed; otherwise, it was fully combat capable (in zero gravity, at any rate). Char made a single sortie with the Zeong, sinking a Federation warship in the process, before it and Amuro Ray
Amuro Ray
is a fictional character from the anime series Mobile Suit Gundam and its sequels, Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam and Char's Counterattack, voiced by Tōru Furuya , Brad Swaile , Michael Lindsay and Matthew Erickson is a fictional character from the anime series Mobile Suit Gundam and its sequels, Mobile...
's RX-78 Gundam
RX-78 Gundam
The RX-78 Gundam is a fictional manned robot, introduced in 1979 in Yoshiyuki Tomino's and Sunrise's anime series Mobile Suit Gundam. In the series, it is a testbed weapon for the Earth Federation when it falls into the hands of Amuro Ray, the son of a weapons designer, who goes on to pilot it in...
were mutually destroyed within A Baoa Qu during the final episode of the anime. Indeed, RX-78 Gundam
RX-78 Gundam
The RX-78 Gundam is a fictional manned robot, introduced in 1979 in Yoshiyuki Tomino's and Sunrise's anime series Mobile Suit Gundam. In the series, it is a testbed weapon for the Earth Federation when it falls into the hands of Amuro Ray, the son of a weapons designer, who goes on to pilot it in...
received a hit which destroyed, first, its head, and, then, one of its legs. Both Char and Amuro escaped their crippled mobile suits to continue their battle in hand to hand combat
Hand to hand combat
Hand-to-hand combat is a lethal or nonlethal physical confrontation between two or more persons at very short range that does not involve the use of firearms or other distance weapons...
.
Elsewhere and Miscellany
Chronologically, Kunio Okawara designed the Zeong as a legless mobile suit (some sources, such as the Gundam WarGundam War Collectible Card Game
Gundam War: Mobile Suit Gundam the Card Game also known simply as Gundam War is a collectible card game based on the Gundam anime series produced by Bandai. Players can simulate battles in the anime series. The game is designed for 2 players, though there may be different fan-created multiplayer...
card game
Collectible card game
thumb|Players and their decksA collectible card game , also called a trading card game or customizable card game, is a game played using specially designed sets of playing cards...
, have erroneously referred to it as a mobile armor) for the 1979 animation. The legged version, known as the "Perfect" Zeong and sharing the same model number, appeared in Mobile Suit Variations in 1983, entering canon as the "completed" design. Of the three Zeongs built, two of them were completed to Perfect form (the other remaining suit was sortied against the Gundam by Char Aznable before it was finished in the incomplete state near the end of Mobile Suit Gundam). Aside from the Perfect version's greatly increased height from its legs, it also features additional armor plating on its limbs and a new setup of head-mounted thrusters. The enormous Master Grade Perfect Zeong model kit is also furnished with an extremely long solid-state sword. According to the manual's historical section, this is purely an aesthetic accessory for the model, and was not used in the canon universe. It is speculated that this is a throwback to the 1982 manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
Plamo Kyoshiro, where the Perfect Zeong appeared with a prodigiously-sized blade (having almost the same height to the unit), but this is unsubstantiated by any official source. In the PlayStation Portable game Gundam Battle Chronicle
Gundam Battle (series)
Gundam Battle is a series of games exclusively made for the Sony PlayStation Portable game console, all based on a same game engine. Currently there are 5 games in the series.-Gundam Battle Tactics:...
, the Perfect Zeong's special attack is a powerful sweep of this weapon, marking the second instance of the mobile suit being fitted with the giant blade in official media.
Of interesting note, the Zeong is the first mobile suit in the Gundam franchise to feature a detachable arm-based attack; it has since appeared sporadically in a handful of animations (including, but not limited to, ZZ Gundam's
Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ
is a TV series aired on Japanese TV from 1986–1987, was the third Gundam series, and a direct follow up to Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam. Director Yoshiyuki Tomino returned to lead the series, and he assembled a new team consisting of character designer Hiroyuki Kitazume, who had been one of Zeta...
Hamma Hamma, Char's Counterattack's
Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack
is a 1988 anime film set in Gundam's Universal Century timeline of Gundam, specifically U.C. 0093.Making its theatrical debut on March 12, 1988, Char's Counterattack is the culmination of the original saga begun in Mobile Suit Gundam and continued through Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam and Mobile Suit...
Alpha Azieru and Gundam 0083's
Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory
is a 13-episode anime OVA series set in the Gundam universe. The first volume containing two 30-minute episodes was released in Japan on May 23, 1991. Subsequent volumes, containing one 30-minute episode each, followed every one or two months; the final volume went on sale on September 24, 1992...
Neue Ziel). While certainly not uncommon at the time (1979) in the giant robot
Mecha
A mech , is a science fiction term for a large walking bipedal tank or robot, including ones on treads and animal shapes.-Characteristics:...
genre (Go Nagai
Go Nagai
, better known by the penname , is a Japanese manga artist and a prolific author of science fiction, fantasy, horror and erotica. He made his professional debut in 1967 with Meakashi Polikichi, but is best known for creating Cutie Honey, Devilman, and Mazinger Z in the 1970s. In 2005, he became a...
's Mazinger Z
Mazinger Z
, known briefly as Tranzor Z in United States, is a Super Robot manga and anime series created by Go Nagai. The first manga version was serialized in Shueisha Weekly Shōnen Jump from October 1972 to August 1973, and it later continued in Kodansha TV Magazine from October 1973 to September 1974. In...
and Getter Robo
Getter Robo
is a Super Robot manga series created by Go Nagai and Ken Ishikawa, as well as an anime series produced by Toei Animation. The series was broadcast on Fuji TV from April 4, 1974 to May 8, 1975, with a total of 51 episodes.- Plot :...
come to mind), it did put a new "spin" on the concept: the Zeong's arms utilize beam cannons to perform a ranged attack, as opposed to the commonly-seen melee attack, often in the vein of Mazinger Z's famous "Rocket Punch" or Getter-2's "Drill Missile".
Despite its brief appearance in the animation, limited to a single sortie, the Zeong has enjoyed considerable coverage in the merchandise area. As with most mobile suits from the series, the Zeong received a 1/144th-scale model kit in 1981. It was featured in the 1/250th scale A Baoa Qu diorama, along with the RX-78 Gundam and an MS-09R Rick Dom, released in the same year. A 1/250th-scale Perfect Zeong was released along with other MSV kits in 1983. More recently, a 1/144-scale High Grade Universal Century kit was released in 2001, a Mobile Suit in Action (MSiA) figure in 2004, a 1/100th-scale Master Grade kit in 2002, and again in its enormous "Perfect" legged form in 2004. This kit is the largest, heaviest, and most expensive 1/100th-scale Master Grade kit to date. Expensive, high-detail resin kits have been released by B-Club. In addition to model kits and figures, the Zeong's likeness, specifically its unique mono-eye track, has appeared on Gundam-themed clothing items.
Perhaps the most bizarre iteration, a "Puchuu-ified" Zeong appeared in a Gundam
Gundam
The is a metaseries of anime created by Sunrise studios that features giant robots called "Mobile Suits" ; usually the protagonist's MS will carry the name Gundam....
/Leiji Matsumoto
Leiji Matsumoto
is a well-known creator of several anime and manga series. His wife is also known as a manga artist.-Space opera:Matsumoto is famous for his space operas such as Space Battleship Yamato...
-themed episode of Excel Saga
Excel Saga
is a manga series written and illustrated by Rikdo Koshi. It has been serialized in Young King OURs since 1996, with individual chapters collected and published in tankōbon volumes by Shōnen Gahosha. The series follows the attempts of Across, a "secret ideological organization", to conquer the city...
, along with a similarly Puchuu-ified RX-78.
The Zeong was also mentioned in the manga Crossbone Gundam Skull Heart where it was stated that it was built to counter a "Giant Gundam," which in reality was a GM Ball with a Gundam faceplate.
External links
- Zeong at GundamOfficial.com
- Zeong at MAHQ
- Perfect Zeong at MAHQ
- Mobile Suit Gundam at the Gundam Project (courtesy of the Wayback Machine)
- Mobile Suit Gundam plot synopsis at GundamOfficial.com
- (2002-5-6) Gundam: The Official Guide. Mark Simmons. ISBN 1-56931-739-9
- (2002-7-9) Gundam Technical Manual 4: Char's Counterattack. Hajime Yadate. ISBN 1-59182-050-2
- Zeong products at Hobby Search (English)