As pointed out by Japanese literary scholar Kajipon Marco Zangetsu on X recently, the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise’s original mind behind the series, Yoshiyuki Tomino, has recently shared his views on contemporary politics and how Gundam is being engaged with today.
As an artist who carries memories of witnessing incendiary bombs fall near his hometown during WWII, Tomino’s creation of the Gundam universe was deeply rooted in anti-war themes. The inaugural anime series’ One Year War was specifically inspired by the American Civil War. Tomino has previously indicated his dissatisfaction with how Gundam is being approached and produced these days, and he has become quite vocal about this in the May 2026 issue of Animage.
“Even among Gundam enthusiasts, there are many who express opinions that are far removed from anti-war ideals. They appear to be fixated on the aspects of military enthusiasts, and ultimately, it seems nothing meaningful is being conveyed,” he remarked. Kajipon connects this to a 2025 statement by Tomino where he said, “The things Gundam fans say are, Mobile Suit battles are so cool. Now, younger creators are helming Gundam, but their works lack any sense of war experience—they’re just visual narratives. That’s my failing for not having imparted that to them.” Along similar lines, Tomino informed Kyodo News last year that he also holds the media accountable for the public’s limited grasp of war’s true nature, for not delivering “the voices of actual soldiers and the politicians who authorized suicide missions.”
Tomino’s latest comments seem to stem from his disillusionment with today’s political climate, particularly in Japan, as he observes, “You don’t need to look at Nazi Germany to see that dictatorships are often brought into power through elections. This is precisely what’s happening in Japan now, and I find the ignorant masses truly appalling.”
Mido