Mobile Suit Gundam 00

"Season 1 tagline"

- Rebirth begins through destruction

is the 11th installment of Sunrise's long-running Gundam franchise. It is directed by Seiji Mizushima and written by Yōsuke Kuroda, with character designs by Yun Kōga and music by Kenji Kawai. Uniquely, Gundam 00's 50 episodes were split into two 25 episode seasons, the first Gundam series to do so.

Season 1
In the year 2307 AD, fossil fuels have all but vanished and the distribution of energy is unbalanced. Humanity now relies on three large-scale solar power systems controlled by three multinational power blocks: the Union of Solar Energy and Free Nations (Union), the Human Reform League (HRL), and the Advanced European Union (AEU). With this nearly inexhaustible source of energy benefiting only these three powers and their allies, constant warfare erupted around the globe among minor countries for precious fuels and energy. Countries whose economy relied solely on the sale of fossil fuels were plunged into poverty and some even believed that the solar power system threatened the "promised land of God", resulting in the twenty year-long Solar Wars. Such a chaotic reality has lead to the creation of a paramilitary organization in possession of four highly advanced humanoid mobile suits called "Gundams" and a mysterious technology known as the "GN Drive". They call themselves Celestial Being, and their goal is nothing less than the complete eradication of war through the use of war itself.

Season 2
Four years have passed since the United Nations Forces' victory over Celestial Being. Humanity, having established the Earth Sphere Federation, forms an independent police force separate from and with authority over the ESF Army known as the Autonomous Peace-Keeping Force, or A-Laws. Given unfettered discretion, A-Laws is charged with the duties of further unifying the world's nations, enforcing the will of mankind, and disposing of resistance groups and terrorist cells as they see fit. Unknown to the general public, however, is that the A-Laws use their unchecked power as a means to oppress freedoms, doctrines, and ideologies through the use of inhumane tactics under the guises of "unity" and "world peace". Celestial Being, fully aware of the A-Laws' misuses of power, has arisen from the ashes of defeat to eradicate the A-Laws and set the world on the true path to peace once more. Armed with Aeolia Schenberg's gifts of the Trans-Am and Twin Drive Systems, Celestial Being hopes to correct their past mistakes and atone for the damage caused by the A-Laws, aided by the resistance group Katharon. Unknown to both Celestial Being and the A-Laws, however, a third party calling themselves the Innovators is manipulating both sides of the conflict from the shadows, all the while claiming they are carrying out Aeolia Schenberg's true plan.

Movie
Two years have passed since the defeat of the Innovators and the exposure of the A-Laws' crimes against humanity. The A-Laws have been abolished and their infrastructure integrated into the ESF Army, which has become the mainstay force of world peacekeeping and humanitarian aid. Meanwhile, their goal accomplished and Veda recovered, Celestial Being has returned to the shadows to rebuild and quietly observe the infantile peace that has taken hold; however, the world's exposure to GN Particles has resulted in many people awakening as True Innovators. Realizing the military benefits of such individuals, the Earth Sphere Federation has begun to research Innovation and exploit the emerging Innovators' abilities, creating new tensions with Celestial Being as an external threat arrives at the scene. As Celestial Being and its Gundam Meisters begin their final mission to save humanity from this unimaginable threat, Setsuna F. Seiei will soon discover the true purpose of his evolution as an Innovator and the nature of the "dialogues to come", for which Aeolia Schenberg's plan had prepared the human race.

Protagonists
Setsuna F. Seiei — Pilot of GN-001 Gundam Exia (season 1), GN-0000 00 Gundam/00 Raiser & GN-001REII Gundam Exia Repair II (season 2), and GN-0000RE+GNR-010 00 Raiser Condenser Type & GNT-0000 00 Qan(T) (movie).

Lockon Stratos (Neil Dylandy) — Pilot of GN-002 Gundam Dynames (season 1)

Lockon Stratos (Lyle Dylandy) — Pilot of GN-006 Cherudim Gundam & GN-006GNHW/R Cherudim Gundam GNHW/R (season 2), and GN-010 Gundam Zabanya (movie).

Allelujah Haptism — Pilot of GN-003 Gundam Kyrios (season 1), GN-007 Arios Gundam & GN-007GNHW/M Arios Gundam GNHW/M (season 2), and GN-011 Gundam Harute (movie).

Tieria Erde — Pilot of GN-004 Gundam Nadleeh/GN-005 Gundam Virtue (season 1), GN-008 Seravee Gundam/GN-009 Seraphim Gundam & GN-008GNHW/B Seravee Gundam GNHW/B/GN-009 Armed Seraphim (season 2), and CB-002 Raphael Gundam/GN-008RE Seravee Gundam II (movie).

Drama CDs

 * Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Another Story

Music

 * Openings:
 * "Daybreak's Bell" by L'Arc-en-Ciel (Season 1, ep. 1-13)
 * "Ash Like Snow" by The Brilliant Green (Season 1, ep. 14-25)
 * "Hakanaku mo Towa no Kanashi (Fleeting and Eternal Sorrow)" by UVERworld (Season 2, ep. 2-13)
 * "Namida no Mukō (Past the Tears)" by Stereo Pony (Season 2, ep. 14-25)


 * Endings:
 * "Wana" by The Back Horn (Season 1, ep. 1-13)
 * "Friends" by Stephanie (Season 1, ep. 14-24)
 * "Daybreak's Bell" by L'Arc-en-Ciel (Season 1, ep. 25)
 * "Prototype" by Ishikawa Chiaki (Season 2, ep. 1-13)
 * "Tomorrow" by Ayumi Tsunematsu (Season 2, ep. 14)
 * "Trust You" by Yuna Ito (Season 2, ep. 15-24)
 * "Daybreak's Bell" by L'Arc-en-Ciel (Season 2, ep. 25)


 * Inserts:
 * "Love Today" by Taja (Season 1, ep. 9, 24)
 * "Unlimited Sky" by Tommy Heavenly6 (Season 2, ep. 7, 8, 18, 22 & 25)
 * "Tomorrow" by Ayumi Tsunematsu (Season 2, ep. 14, 15 & 25)


 * Movie
 * "CHANGE" by UVERworld
 * "Closed World" by The Back Horn
 * "Mou Nanimo Kowakunai, Kowaku wa Nai" by Chiaki Ishikawa
 * "Qualia" by UVERworld

Publications

 * Mobile Suit Gundam 00: Aoi Kioku
 * Mobile Suit Gundam 00F
 * Mobile Suit Gundam 00I
 * Mobile Suit Gundam 00I 2314
 * Mobile Suit Gundam 00P
 * Mobile Suit Gundam 00V
 * Mobile Suit Gundam 00V: Battlefield Record
 * Gundam 00 - Crossword Puzzle Comic Characters Black!
 * Mobile Suit Gundam 00 -A wakening of the Trailblazer- (Manga)

Video Games

 * Mobile Suit Gundam 00 (video game): A Nintendo DS game released on March 27, 2008. This game follows the series plot, ending with introduction of Team Trinity. The game was produced by BEC.


 * Mobile Suit Gundam 00: Gundam Meisters: A PS2 game released in October, 2008. The game covers the entire first season.

Trivia

 * Mobile Suit Gundam 00 is the first Gundam series animated in widescreen and high-definition.


 * Licensing for a North American release of Mobile Suit Gundam 00 was announced by Bandai Entertainment at New York Comic Con 2008 on April 18, 2008.


 * Team-Kraft Racing, participant in GT500 class of Super GT with Bandai as one of their main sponsors, replaced their 2006 model of Lexus SC430 "Bandai Dunlop SC430" with the 2007 model painted in Gundam 00 Color Scheme since SUGO 300km in 2007 season. The car has been renamed as "Bandai OO Dunlop SC430" which will be used for the remaining season.


 * The series has apparently earned the nickname "Gundam DD", a parody of "Gundam 00", due to several of the female characters, notably Ptolemaios crew members Feldt Grace, Sumeragi Lee Noriega, and Christina Sierra, having large bust sizes.


 * The PS3 and XBOX 360 game, Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 3, features Mobile Suits and characters from all series from Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2, plus Mobile Suits from Mobile Suit Gundam 00. The 00 Raiser and Reborns Gundam appear, as well as their pilots, Setsuna F. Seiei and Ribbons Almark. Also, GNX-Y901TW Susanowo, GN-006 Cherudim Gundam, GN-008 Seravee Gundam and GN-007 Arios Gundam along with their pilots Graham Aker, Lyle Dylandy, Allelujah Haptism and Tieria Erde are featured as a downloadable content.
 * Many mobile suits in Gundam 00 are similar to mobile suits from the Universal Century timeline, some to a greater degree than others. The three factions' mobile suits in season one all feature the Mono-Eye System used by every generic mobile suit in Gundam 0079, Zeta Gundam, Gundam ZZ, and Char's Counterattack. Most of the technology also works exactly like their UC counterparts, most notably GN Particles working the same way that Minovski Particles do.
 * In one of the episodes in season one, in a scene at the JNN, one of the computers shows the classic Windows XP GUI.
 * In season 2, when Setsuna sees the Masurao for the first time, there is a small reference to Ramba Ral's most memorable line from the Original series: "This is no Zaku, boy . No Zaku.". The only difference is Setsuna says "That Mobile Suit is... no Flag?". This is probably also an unintended pun, as Zaku is pronounced "Zak" in Japanese, while Flag is spelled "Furaggu" and is pronounced "Flag".
 * Gundam 00 makes numerous religious references throughout the series, like Celestial Being and the origins of names of the Gundams used by them, as well as certain GN-T drive equipped machines/Gundams.
 * Mobile Suit Gundam 00 won the second place in Animage's Anime Grand Prix in 2007, inferior only to another Sunrise's masterpiece, Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebelion. In another category, Setsuna F Seiei was ranked second, once again lost to Code Geass, which its protagonist; Lelouch Lamperouge/Lelouch Vi Britannia occupies the highest position in the category of favorite male anime character of the year.
 * Only the 1st Generation GN-000 0 Gundam as well as the 3.5/4th Generation Gundams in this series are shown to have the traditional Gundam Face vents.