As the latest Gundam anime, Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX, headed into its final stretch, last week's eleventh episode, "Alpha Busters," absolutely blew up online, leaving viewers reeling.
The finale, titled "Dakara Boku wa..." ("And So, I..."), aired late on June 25, and fans who had been on the edge of their seats were not disappointed. While many had been speculating on how the series would end, the final episode still managed to explode on X with a ton of incredible surprises.
( This article contains major spoilers for the twelfth and final episode of Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX. Reader discretion is advised. )
▼ Of course the finale is trending on X. That's a given. lol
Picking up from episode eleven, the story finds Shuji from "the other side" arriving in Jeknova's spacetime, bringing with him the one thing that can stop this universe: the original Gundam. He reveals that this reality, "Sharon's Rose," is a world created by Lalah Sune in a desperate attempt to prevent Char Aznable's death, endlessly creating new timelines to stop him from being killed by the pilot of the white mobile suit.
Across these countless universes, Char pilots everything from a Gouf, Zudah, Bigro, and Big Zam to a Galbaldy Beta and even the Sazabi (specifically, the Yasuhito Yamashita version), but he always falls to the white MS. In a jaw-dropping twist during this sequence, the voices of Char and Lalah were none other than the original Mobile Suit Gundam legends themselves, Shuichi Ikeda and Keiko Han, a reveal that stunned audiences.
Macchiu and Nean are powerless against Shuji's original Gundam. To end this universe for good, Shuji even makes the Gundam go "giant-sized," a spectacle rarely, if ever, seen in the franchise's history.
▼ Just look at the reactions from Japanese viewers to see how absolutely wild things got. lol
To counter the colossal Gundam, Macchiu decides to activate the GQuuuuuuX's "Omega Psycommu," causing the mobile suit to open its mouth and unleash its full power. But as Macchiu and Shuji confront each other again in Jeknova's spacetime, the system voice of the GQuuuuuuX's Endymion Unit speaks:
"I don't want to see that scene again... the scene where the Gundam kills Lalah..."
Viewers immediately recognized the all-too-familiar voice: it was none other than Toru Furuya, the voice of Amuro Ray.
(As explained by the character Sharian, the Endymion Unit appears to be integrated into the Omega Psycommu and also originates from "the other side.")
Fans also speculate that the name "Endymion Unit" is a clever nod to another of Toru Furuya's iconic roles: Tuxedo Mask (Mamoru Chiba) from *Sailor Moon*, whose future self is known as King Endymion. It's a deep-cut easter egg that fans are absolutely loving.
And sure enough, the ending credits confirmed what every old-school Gundam fan was hoping to see:
Shuichi Ikeda, Toru Furuya, and Keiko Han.
We won't spoil any more of the plot here, but this epic finale brings the 12-episode, three-month run of *Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX* to a close. With the ambitious collaboration between Khara (*Evangelion*) and Sunrise (*Mobile Suit Gundam*) now complete, what did you think of the series?
▼ On a final note, Kenshi Yonezu has released a brand-new edit of the opening theme, "Plazma," featuring scenes from the finale. Check it out if you're interested.