Garrod Ran

Garrod Ran (ガロード・ラン) is the main protagonist, a Vulture, in After War Gundam X. He's the main pilot to GX-9900 Gundam X, later upgraded to GX-9900-DV Gundam X Divider, and pilot to GX-9901-DX Gundam Double X.

Personality & Character
In the beginning, Garrod was a immature survivalist. He was shrewd, distrustful, and a non-team player. While he had a conscience against men of bad intentions, he learned to lookout for himself with his resourceful intelligence. His life turned around after falling in love with Tiffa. He found sympathy and a personal connection of a person that's always being bullied and used; he vowed to never let anymore bad things happen to her. Because of her involvement with Jamil's Vulture group, Garrod stayed to look after her, but because of his immaturity, distrust, and impulsive nature against the Vultures, he caused a lot of inconvenience to the group as well. Eventually though, adapted life with Vulture and became a valued member of Vulture.

He eventually became a reliable, trusting, and competent person in many situation. Through their travels, those who fought with Garrod earned their respect as a opponent; some even became friends. While he at first focused on Tiffa, his view of the changing world motivated him to focus more on worldly matters and he desired to do more to help bring peace. When the New United Earth Nations (NUNE) was created, he saw first-hand their aggressive planetary unification campaign and helped countries resist their expansion, but being a small group, they eventually lost. Ultimately, his life was refocused back to Tiffa.

Not long establishing a romantic relationship, their lives were torn apart after both the space-noids and NUNE battled for possessing Tiffa. Both believed she's the key to their future in the evolution of Newtypes' as well as wrestling control for the moon base, DOME. After the great stalemate between the colonies and NUNE, Tiffa and Garrod retired from Vulture and decided to quietly disappear. By that time, public knowledge of Garrod's exploits and Newtypes became popular topics of public conversation. Wishing to spend a peaceful life with Tiffa, Garrod from then on feigned ignorance of his own identity and knowledge of Newtypes.

Skills & Abilities
Garrod is an experienced thief. Forced to survive since little, he has strong street smarts and knows how to take down an enemy MS combatant simply by removing the pilot out of the cockpit. He has minor technical skills and throughout his time with the Vultures, his mechanical experience evolved. In the beginning, his MS combat skills were rather low, but through experience, he became a highly skilled pilot.

History
Born shortly after the end of the 7th Space War, Garrod Ran is the son of a United Nations Earth technician that was killed during the war. Raised by his mother on the post-war Earth, he found that he had an ability to repair machinery and know how to operate mobile suits. After the death of his mother in a raid by bandits piloting mobile suits left over from the war, Garrod lived on his own. Putting his skills and knowledge of mobile suits to use, he started working odd jobs capturing suits piloted by bandits and Vultures alike, selling the mobile suits to black market dealers. His other skills include espionage, as well as lock picking and safe cracking, which he uses as needed to escape situations or complete a job he is hired to do.



The Dice of Fate, Meeting Tiffa
After stopping a mobile suit pilot from robbing a town, he is hired for a job to rescue Tiffa Adill from a Vulture ship on the orders of the Alternative Company. In the progress stolen Jamil Neate Gundam Controller. When forced to escape from his former client, he found themselves surrounded by enemy mobile suits. Following the girls directions he finds the GX-9900 Gundam X in an abandoned United Nations Earth factory, and uses it to protect her from harm. However, upon confronting the GW-9800 Gundam Airmaster and the GT-9600 Gundam Leopard. Garrod was forced to retreat as despite his Gundam's capabilities, he was no match for two professional Vulture Pilots and lost his shield beam rifle in the progress. When forced to fight against an huge army of Vultures out to capture his mobile suit. Tiffa out of desperation activates the Satellite Cannon, destroying the assailants but Tiffa goes comatose from the shock of all the death she has caused while he winds up being captured by the Freeden forces.

When the Alternative company hires the Frost Brothers to retrieve Tiffa, it was revealed that Garrod cares for Tiffa and decides that he will fight to protect her as while he easily subdues Shingo as he goes and gets flowers for her rather then escape. During his first battle against the Frost Brothers, he fires the Satellite Cannon once again, destroying the MA-06 Grandeene.

Joining the Freeden
Due to Garrod's lone wanderer attitude, he has a difficult time with the rest of the Freeden Crew. With only Tiffa as the only one he can trust, it was quite obvious that trouble is bound to happen. After an attempted salvage run goes sour when Garrod had to fight against Ennil El. The ensuing struggle leaves Jamil badly wounded and Garrod straining his relations with the Freeden crew even worse, including Tiffa who was angry at Garrod's callous attitude.

Garrod decides to leave yet again and sells off the mobile suit for a hefty amount of money to Ennil El but does not give her the Gundam. When asked about his loneliness of being a Vulture, Garrod rejects Ennil's advances and leaves only to meet the Frost Brothers in person for the first time. As he soon realizes however, he is truly lonely and decides for the sake of Tiffa's safety returns to save the Freeden. When Zakott plans another attack on the Freeden with the aid of the Frost Brothers over Witz's gold. Garrod returns to battle and destroys the Trieste using the lake as a conduit for the microwave system. This seals two things, one is his rivalry with Ennil and the other is becoming a pilot for the Freeden.

Battle of Fort Severn and losing Gundam X
On Tiffa's predictions as a Newtype, the Freeden goes to Fort Severn to find other Newtypes. Little did Garrod know, this will be his first true battle against a true Newtype. Tiffa gives Garrod a vision that he may die in the following battle but he disregards that vision and goes into combat in the snowy terrain. The first battle against Fort Severn's forces were a complete disaster. Juracg Cold Climate Types were able to easily overwhelm the Gundams as Carris Nautilus demonstrates his abilities as a Newtype against Garrod, destroying the Satellite Cannon and taking Tiffa with him. This leaves Garrod in despair as he enters a depression while the Gundam X Divider was being built. However, with Garrod in his current state, he was in no condition to fight. To rekindle Garrod's spirit, Jamil forces him to pick up the Gundam Controller tossed on to thin ice. Garrod accomplishes the task and decides that he will fight again. Garrod in the X Divider easily overwhelms both brothers and wounds Shagia, putting his brother in a state of shock.

After attempting to train against the bits and failing. Garrod decides to attempt to rescue Tiffa himself while confronting Caris, however Caris learns that he was an artificial newtype and eventually challenges Garrod to a duel, Garrod defeats the bits and Carris in the duel and wounds him when attempting to capture him. Caris muses on about how he wants to die but Garrod tells him that death will not change the fact he will not be a true Newtype like Tiffa and that he was a worthy opponent. However he was taken back by Ennil and several Juracgs and was used to pilot the Patulia. The Mobile Armor then devastated the city, as Nomoa uses it to punish the Earth. By reminding Carris that he does not want to fight him due to his skill, Carris stops but Nomoa attempts to exert more control towards him. Tiffa however reaches out to him and Carris stops, allowing Garrod to save him and destroy the Patulia. Carris and Garrod parts ways after the battle at Port Severn as the Freeden is on the move yet again.

Stealing the Double X and the 8th Space War
After a month at sea, Tifa has been changing a lot since her meeting with Garrod, however his personality still remains the same. Realizing that the comment was meant to call him out as impulsive and the only motivation to stay on the Freeden is for her's sake. As he questions himself if he really is just here for Tiffa's sake. Things are about take a turn for the worse.

Katokk Alzamille, a soldier for hire by Imzat was sent to capture the Freeden and the newtypes aboard. His plan to do so fails and was captured instead. When Enil El reveals the coordinates to Zonder Epta and testing site of the GX-9901-DX Gundam Double X, They were soon under attack by the Frost Brothers. The Double X was also deployed to activate its Twin Satellite Cannons to force Jamil to surrender. The plan succeeds and the Freeden Crew was captured.

Upon the capture of the Freeden crew, Garrod and the other members of the Freeden Crew plot an escape plan where as they escape, they find out that Tifa and Jamil as well as the gundams are about to be taken into the Berkomo where they will be taken the the Newtype Research Facility. As Garrod plans to rescue them, Katokk assists Garrod in the rescue and boards the Zonder Epta as Garrod decides if he wants to change the future. As they attempt to rescue the two Newtypes, Garrod attempts to steal the Gundam Double X but fails. Under heavily fire from Zonder Epta security, Katokk sacrifices himself to protect Tifa and tells Garrod that he needs to prevent the tragedy 15 years ago. Garrod realizes Tifa, activates the Gundam X. Destroying Zonder Epta as well as several Balients in his first sortie.

Seperation, the siege of Estard and Tiffa's abduction
The events at Zonder shook Garrod's personality, when he decided that for Tiffa's sake that he would not fire the Satellite Cannon on the New UNE Fleet, he wonder if he did the right thing. On one hand he prevented Tiffa from suffering from the countless deaths like the last time they fired the cannon but he had also allowed the New UNE to begin their reunification plan with haste. As the Freeden forces attempt to protect the Republic of Estard against New UNE forces, Garrod had to fight against 4 Aces the Frost brothers had chosen along with the experimental mobile suits while befriending Willis, the ruler of Estard. The fighting however proves futile as the New UNE and the experimental mobile suits proves to be too much against the forces. Faced with absolute defeat against the enemy, they were forced on the run yet again.

The war in Estard and his meeting with Katokk has left a scarring image in Garrod's mind, never faced with such a harsh world as during his vulture days where he would had been comfortable being a lone wolf. He had became distant to the only person who had cared for him so much. When trying to admit his feelings to Tiffa, he promised that he would spend more time with her. But when Shagai attacks Garrod and co. as well as the abduction of Tiffa. Garrod was completely devastated by the incident and was left in a cataconic state. However, persuaded by the Freeden crew to head off into space, he gets on board a shuttle with the Double X in a desperate attempt to get him into space at the sacrifice of the Freeden as well as the capture of the entire crew.

The Moon will always be there, the final stages of the 8th Space War
As Garrod arrives on the Cloud Nine Colony, he began immediately a quick rescue operation to save Tiffa as he shot his way out of the colony, the battle goes poorly for Garrod as his skills are no match against the Crouda nor the Septem Mobile suits and the Newtype skills of Lancerow. Paula manages to rescue Garrod and get him to safety on the Satyricon flagship Varona. The time as a Satyricon member was short lived as the SRA managed to find them and with their advanced Mobile Suits and Photon Torpedos destroyed the resistance forces, however Garrod and Paula were able to escape but not before meeting Lancerow again and telling him Jamil was no longer part of the New UNE. When Paula and Garrod Decides to try and rescue Tiffa again, they were met with a Colony Laser poised to aim at them, using the Twin Satellite Cannon as both a threat and then using it to destroy the SRA superweapon, however. The rescue plan goes sour when the Frost brothers attacked and during the battle was forced to surrender when Olba threatened to kill Paula. During his meeting with Bloodman, Garrod soon realized that both the SRA and UNE heads are corrupt and evil and that neither have good intentions of uniting the Earth and Space, with the Frost Brothers killing the moderates of UNE, starting a war between both sides while Garrod and co. escaped.

As Garrod is reunited with Jamil and co. he finds a moment to spend some time with Tiffa, given a promise that he won't die as they shared a kiss. As Tiffa fell into an unconscious state, she wakes up to tell them of DOME's Location and that SRA and the UNE was planning to head there to find DOME. With the Freeden II, they head off into space and begin the final battle that can result in another bloody war. As the battle raged on, Garrod learns of the Frost Brother's intentions: To eradicate all Newtypes and thrust humanity to another era of eternal war. Angered by their disregard for the world just because their resentment towards the world. Garrod fights off both of them to get to DOME with the rest of the Freeden Crew

Once arriving at the site where the first Newtype lies, DOME told the leaders that Newtype were neither living weapons to be used nor the next stage of evolution but rather a mutation and that because of conflicting views. Another war, especially one started by the Frost Brothers could lead to the doom of humanity. When asked about the future of humanity, he told them that the future can only happen if one act upon it and that Garrod of all people managed to change his own fate through sheer will and optimism. As they were left with food for thought. Garrod faces the Frost Brothers one last time as they attempt to destroy everything and killing Bloodman and Siedel. Firing the Satellite Cannon at the Frost Brothers, he prevents what could have been another bloody chapter in human history as the resulting afterblast also destroyed DOME.

While piloting the Gundam X, he forms a rivalry with Shagai and Olba Frost, two pilots of other Gundams that are bent on destroying the world. He is later able to defeat them both in battle using the GX-9901-DX Gundam Double X, bringing an end to the 8th Space War.

Tiffa Adill
Even though Garrod never admits that he has feelings for Tiffa, or calls her his girlfriend, it is quite obvious to everyone around them that he has an attraction to the young NewType. After Jamil Neate recovers from an accident that Garrod caused, and the Vulture Captain learns of other things that the boy has done, he orders him to protect Tiffa as his punishment. Garrod follows through with his orders as well as his feelings for the girl, defending her from enemies who plan to make use of her. Before the final battle of the 8th Space War, Tiffa and Garrod sit on a hill together at the New Orleans base of the resistance against the New UNE, looking at the moon together. After the war, Garrod keeps another promise to Tiffa, traveling around the world by her side.

Jamil Neate
Garrod and Jamil first met after the later hijacks the Gundam X, thus mirroring Garrod's move during the first episode. Initially seen by Garrod as an enemy only trying to use Tiffa's ability for their own means. Garrod eventually learned to trust Jamil after hearing the captain's real objective of locating every Newtype. This was the reason why Garrod decided to abandon his former life and join the Freeden. Jamil being a veteran pilot from the 7th space war also acts as a mentor to the young pilot, the same way Char was like a mentor to Kamille in Zeta Gundam.

Trivia

 * Wataru Takagi provided the voice for Garrod Ran during the Gundam X series, who also did Rikdo Koshi (Excel Saga) and Cheetas/Cheetor (Beast Wars).
 * Garrod and Judau have a very good relationship in Super Robot Taisen due to their similar parts as orphaned scavengers which in spite of the situation remains relatively optimistic about their situation.
 * In the episode "I Can See the Moon!" Garrod Ran used the nickname The Blazing Mobile Suit Pilot to blackmail Seidel Rasso to release Tiffa Adill