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Across all Gundam universes, there is always at least one character based on Char Aznable from the original Gundam series. (I say "at least one" because sometimes there is a softer character that is less obviously based on Char.)

  • In Gundam Wing, the obvious Char knockoff would be Zechs Marquise; the tell-tale characteristic is the mask. He was the sister of Releena and the child of the Peacecraft family. This an obvious nod to the fact that Char was really Casval Rem Deikun, son of Zeon Dum Deikun. His sister was Artesia Rem Deikun, who took the alias Sayla and was an active member aboard White Base.
  • Quatra is the less obvious Char clone, who shares Char's blonde hair and is named after the number 4. (Char in multiple Indian languages means four and his alias in Zeta Gundam was Lt. Quatro.)
  • In the most recent Gundam Unicorn, Full Frontal is obviously the main Char character (many in the show itself believing him to be the famed Red Comet) while Ensign Ridhe is the softer Char character (indicated by his blonde hair, his family's ancestry, and rivalry with the main character).

The Char character usually has some kind of "cool" nickname; Char's is Red Comet, and Zechs has the name Lightning Count. Additionally, their mobile suit is usually colored red or white. Would this make Athuran Zala also a Char character, with his signature Red mobile suits?

Basically, what I'm wondering is: Is there a defined set of characteristics like the above mentions and their occurrences across all Gundam series (whether they be Universal Century or not)?

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  • When adding more context to a question, it is usually better to edit the information into the question rather than post comments, especially since no one has replied to you yet; there's no need to preserve the conversation :)
    – WendiKidd
    May 3, 2013 at 3:54
  • This might be a good place to look at: tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CharClone
    – Fikko3107
    Mar 16, 2016 at 5:57

2 Answers 2

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It seems that there is always a masked antagonist in the Gundam series, but they vary in how much they resemble the original Char.

In Gundam Seed, it is Rau Le Creuset . Masked, and related by blood to a member of the protagonists camp. IIRC he is also a noble who stands to inherit, but unlike Char Aznable,

his family is not usurped.

In G-Gundam, it would be Schwarz Bruder. It is a bit tricky to bring him in the equation, though, because G-Gundam is much simpler than the other Gundam series.

Going by these examples and the ones mentioned in the question, the constant features seem to be

  • The character wears a mask to hide his true identity.
  • The character fights for the (apparent) enemy.
  • The character is male.
  • The character is related by blood or cloning to the protagonist or a close ally.

The features that vary among the Char Aznable knockoffs are

  • The character has a strong sense of honour and fair-play (IIRC Rau Le Creuset is the exception here).
  • The character is a noble.
  • The character bears a secret grudge (Schwarz Bruder would be the exception).
  • The character has a nickname (again Schwarz Bruder is the exception).

With respect to Quatre in Gundam Wing, I don't think he is a Char-based character. Quatre makes no secret of his identity and doesn't wear a mask. His name is not a clue IMO; almost all characters in the show were named after numbers in French. The role of Char is aptly fulfilled by Zechs Marquise.

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    actually, I read elsewhere that Quatre was in fact loosely a Char clone (I believe it was anime news network). Furthermore, I would go to point out that aside from Rau Le Crueset, Athrun Zala would also be a char clone. He is the son of Patrick Zala (Char is the son of Zeon Dum Deikon), pilots exclusively red mobile suits, and was made rival to the main character.
    – Nil
    Jun 10, 2013 at 20:15
  • Maybe we should have separate lists for "hard" Chars and "soft" Chars. The "soft" Chars don't hide their identity and descent.
    – Vixen Populi
    Jun 10, 2013 at 20:22
  • Feel free to edit that into your answer. I constantly find new themes regarding Char every time I go to research Gundam, that's why I went ahead and decided to ask a question to see if we can get a complete answer to the question regarding Char. Add anything you can think of regarding Char and his clones.
    – Nil
    Jun 10, 2013 at 20:24
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I can't remember the character's name, but he was in Gundam 00. First season, he was one of the nations' Aces (blue...so he flew for Union?). He was one of a very small number of antagonists that could hold his own against the meisters, but got seriously messed up along the way. He returns in the second season wearing a mask (black and red though) and a new MS. This new MS was a melee focused unit.

He was a bit odd, in that he came into his archetype later in the show, originally being little more than a dedicated, if only slightly stronger mook.

Also, could Yzak from SEED (he piloted Duel Gundam) be considered here?

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  • You seem to asking more questions than you're answering, lol. The Guy from Gundam 00 was Graham Aker, and (SPOILER ALERT) in the movie, he fights along side the Gundam(END SPOILER). I don't know about Yzak as Athrun, Ra Le Crueset, Rey Za Barrel, and Neo/Mu La Flaga were all already Char Clones. What characteristics does Yzak have that would label him a Char clone?
    – Nil
    Jul 11, 2013 at 16:00
  • Yzak has the single-minded drive and motivation to take out the Strike. It's like he i a corrupted char...but perhaps that's looking too much into things lol.
    – acolyte
    Jul 11, 2013 at 16:26
  • Did you see gundam seed destiny? Sorry for dragging on a discussion, but I don't see Yzak wanting to take down the strike beyond the beginning of Gundam Seed. Then again, he shoots down that shuttle carrying civilians much in the same way Lt. Jerid did to Camille's mother in Zeta, and Jerid was a Rival to the protagonist, Camille.
    – Nil
    Jul 12, 2013 at 1:22
  • @Nil i did not, in fact see destiny. i didn't like SEED enough to see a continuation, and from what I've read it looks like destiny was less cohesive plot-wise and had lower-quality writing all around.
    – acolyte
    Jul 12, 2013 at 12:55
  • ...yeah...good soundtrack though
    – Nil
    Jul 12, 2013 at 15:28

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