Top 5 Gundam Intro Themes

When I was planning my various top five lists for this year, most of them leaned toward the video game side of my blog. While I still plan on posting at least one top five list per month, some months (like this month) will see two lists. For February's anime-related top five, I decided to revisit one of my all-time favorite franchises, the king of mecha, Mobile Suit Gundam. I have not viewed every single series in the franchise in their entirety, but I have seen all of the opening and endings at least once. I've decided that I will only allow one intro per series, so the likes of SEED Destiny would be a bit more constrained than, say, Zeta Gundam. These top five are my favorites not just because of how catchy the themes might be, but also because of how well I feel they reflect the mood of each respective series.

#5) Victory Gundam - "Stand Up to the Victory"

Victory Gundam is sort of an odd duck, as it presents the harsh realities of war through the eyes of innocent Uso Evin. The intro theme harkens back to the original Mobile Suit Gundam with its chant-style lyrics. It's certainly an exciting intro theme, though the 'dirty' guitar riffs sort of tie it back to the more adult theme of the series.



#4) Gundam SEED - "INVOKE"

The first Gundam series to be digitally rendered, Gundam SEED is a lot about flash and flair. While the story gets stuck in some cheesy pitfalls during its second half, it's still a series that is a lot of fun to watch. This theme echoes many of the intro themes that preceded it, but takes on an identity all its own.



#3) Zeta Gundam - "Mizu no Hoshi e Ai wo Komete"

A bit more mellow of a tune than the other entries on this list, I feel this song embodies the tragic tale that Zeta Gundam turns out to be. Though I love Kamille Bidan, Lt. Quattro, and practically every other character in Zeta Gundam, not all of their hopes and dreams become realized before their time has come.



#2) Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory - "The Winner"

This is the essence of classic nineties rock. It has a goofy electronic undertone, a singer with soul, and a bit of a repetitive drum part. But I love every minute of this tune. It's a great parallel to Kou Uraki's hopes to become a strong enough pilot to take on Anavel Gato.



#1) After War Gundam X - "Dreams"

The only tune more rockin' than Stardust Memory's "The Winner" belongs to one of the most overlooked, most underrated Gundam series. I think this song suits both the sort of post-fallout world where the story unfolds, as well as Garrod Ran's antics and aims as one of the most entertaining lead characters in any of the Gundam series to date.