Flit Asuno

Flit Asuno (フリット・アスノ) is the first generation main protagonist of the anime series Mobile Suit Gundam AGE. He is both a Mobile Suit Developer and pilot of the military organization Earth Federal Forces. He pilots the AGE-1 Gundam AGE-1 Normal and its variants.

Personality & Character
In many ways Flit's personality is a dichotomy. He is generally a very friendly person who is easy to get along with. He could also be considered hopeful from his constant belief that the Gundam will turn the tide of the war. When it comes to the Gundam, Flit takes everything very seriously, getting very angry even with friends if they mess with the mobile suit without his permission.

After Yurin's death, his personality takes a dark turn, vowing to exterminate the Veigan despite them being human beings.

Skills & Capabilities
Flit Asuno is a recognized genius and is the principal engineer behind the creation of the AGE-1 Gundam AGE-1. Though not a soldier (at the time) his great intimacy and knowledge of the Gundam makes him the most qualified person to pilot it. He possesses early indications of X-Rounders abilities such as precognition and sensing the presence of others. In his later years Flit showed to be a great strategist when necessary.

25 years later, his skill didn't deteriorate. He proved himself capable of defeating Desil Galette despite piloting the outdated AGE-1 Gundam Flat while his enemy used a more up-to-date and X-Rounder specialized Khronos. He also proved to be a great battlefield commander, having defeated Veigan twice, at Big Ring and Nortram. He also turned out to be a perfect investigator like Grodek, leading him to expose former Federation's Prime Minister Olfenoa's secret of collaborating with Veigan and began a systematic purge against other collaborators, extensively replacing the Federation leadership.

Early Childhood
Flit was born in AG 101. Flit's early childhood is not clearly defined but it was shown that he had lived with his mother, Marina Asuno, and their family butler at the Asuno mansion in the Ovan colony. It was here he first heard and became enamored with the stories of the Gundam, a savior that his family built in the old wars.

In AG 108, an unknown group of mobile suits, known at the time as UE (Unknown Enemy), attacked and destroyed Ovan. Flit was one of the few survivors, though his mother was killed during the attack. Before being buried under the burning rubble, Flit's mother entrusted to him the AGE Device, which contained the blue prints for the Gundam. He was later moved to the Nora colony, where he was put under the care of Nora Commander Hendrick Bruzar.

Flit's traumatic experience led him to focus his sights on building the Gundam and fight against the UE. Despite his young age, he was regarded as an important member of Gundam development. He also kept up with news about UE and even obsessively made different formulas to predict their next attack. Flit grew up together with his childhood friends, Dique Gunhale and Emily Amonde.

Attack on Nora
Flit's peaceful days in Nora continued until AG 115, when a group of UE mobile suits, known as Gafrans, attacked the colony. Seeing the Gafrans destroy everything on their path, Flit decided to launch the AGE-1 Gundam AGE-1 Normal, which just got its mobility tests completed earlier. However, there were no pilots available to take the Gundam. In desperate situation, Flit took it upon himself to operate it. Senior Engineer Vargas Dyson and Commander Bruzar were first against Flit piloting the Gundam, but both relented after seeing Flit's determination to fight the UE. Flit later was able to defeat one of the Gafrans using its Beam Dagger; it was the first victory against the UE in 14 years of war. The remaining Gafrans retreated after destroying their fallen comrade. They later regrouped to attack the colony from the outside using their colony destroyer.

With Nora on the verge of collapse within 6 hours, citizens were evacuated into the colony core. Flit was asked by Vargas to evacuate the Gundam to the Diva battleship by himself. While on the way, Flit chanced upon a young girl, named Yurin L'Ciel, who was by herself during the evacuation, and decided to take her with him in the Gundam. As the Gundam was about to reach the elevator towards Diva, the ground it stood collapsed due to an explosion and the Gundam was trapped underneath the bulkhead in the colony's lowest level. Yurin offered assistance by showing Flit the way out, even predicting which path will eventually give way due to subsequent explosions. Outside, they immediately encountered a lone Gafran and the Gundam's immediate armaments were ineffective against it. Fortunately, the AGE Builder provided a new weapon, called the DODS Rifle, and, with it, Flit was able to defeat the Gafran in one shot.

Two more UE mobile suits arrived, and Flit was immediately locked in combat against the purple Gafran among them. Flit was frustrated at first because the Gafran kept on dodging his shots, but he eventually defeated it thanks to Yurin's advice and assistance. After that, Diva ordered Flit to engage the other enemy unit and distract it away from their operation of pulling out Nora's colony core. The enemy Zedas, which boasted great speed, appeared before the Gundam. Flit and Yurin were able to hit the enemy several times, but the DODS Rifle eventually ran out. In an act of desperation, Flit moved the Gundam, with its arms spread open, to block Zedas from going to the Diva. Surprisingly, the Zedas decided to retreat.

During the operation, extraction was suddenly halted by a blockage on the colony core. As Flit figure out what was going on, Commander Bruzar called him in the communication and commended him for the completion of the Gundam. Flit wanted rescue Bruzar, who was still in the colony, but Bruzar insisted Flit to help the Diva instead. In his last moments, he told Flit to become the saviour of humanity. Bruzar then blew himself up to free the colony core and to help finish its extraction. As the Nora collapse and burn, Flit mourned the loss of his mentor and his second home.

With the Earth Federation Forces headquarters doing the rest of the civilian evacuation, Flit and Yurin parted ways. Before leaving, Yurin left her pink ribbon to Flit as a sign of their new found friendship.

Colony of Fardain
The Diva later headed towards the Fardain Colony to get resupplies. On the way, Flit met the White Wolf, Woolf Enneacle, who just woke up from his deep sleep inside the ship. At first, Flit was irritated by Woolf's apparent cockiness. His patience eventually reached its tipping point when Woolf started claiming the Gundam Age-1. Flit didn't want to hand it to anyone, and the two of them ended up dueling for its rightful ownership. During their duel, they accidentally met a huge UE battleship and were trapped fending off its accompanying Gafrans. They eventually managed to escape from the ordeal together, and the experience led both of them to finally respect each other. Woolf gave up his pursuit of the Gundam and even encouraged Flit to continue fighting.

After the previous encounter, Flit could not shake off the feeling that his power is lacking when it comes to fighting the UE. Occupied by this, Flit almost hit a young boy, Desil Galette, while riding his scooter in Fardain Colony. With Desil injured, Flit decided to take him and fix his wounds inside Diva. Flit noticed that he sensed something familiar whenever he touches Desil's hand. After being treated, Desil displayed playfulness, even taking the Gundam when the Diva detected UE mobile suits. Flit and Woolf launched in RGE-B790 Genoace and RGE-B790CW Genoace Custom to rescue Desil, but found out that the little boy was doing amazing against the Gafrans. Flit then remembered that the feeling he got from Desil was the same as the one he got from Yurin when she was helping him against UE. After Desil had returned the Gundam and left, Flit wondered if he will get stronger if he got the same power as Yurin's and Desil's.

One of Flit's friends, Emily, ran off from Diva after learning that Flit had decided to fight the UE and not resettle with them to Tordia Colony. Flit found her later in the city, but they were then caught in the middle of mobile suit battle that was happening on the streets. Flit and Emily were locked out from the city's defensive wall when a man named Iwark Briar came to their rescue. Iwak led the two underground and introduced them to his daughter, Riria. Through Iwak, they learned about the situation in the colony and the ongoing battles between the Euba and Zalam factions, whose feud dates back from the past Colony Nations Wars. Riria later went missing and they found her crying near a mobile suit skirmish. In fit of rage, Iwak attacked the Euba and Zalam mobile suits using his old Desperado. Knowing that Iwak might die in battle, Flit launched the Gundam to save him. Surprisingly during the fighting, a new UE mobile suit, Baqto, appeared and Flit was forced to use his DODS Rifle against it. The Baqto eventually retreated, but Flit was accused by the Zalam of deliberately attacking the city.

Flit was taken in with his Gundam to the Zalam estate, where he met the Zalam boss, Don Boyage. Diva's Captain, Grodek Ainoa, was also there, to Flit's surprise. Flit tried to reason with Don Boyage to let them go, telling the importance of the Gundam against the UE threat. However, the Zalam boss was not concerned by such matters. He even tried to bargain for the Gundam, in exchange for warships, so he could use it against the Euba; Grodek rejected it. In defense of their tradition, Don Boyage argued that Flit and Grodek were fighting for their own past, too: Flit lost his parents from UE attacks, while Grodek, his wife and child. After Don Boyage had left, Flit asked Grodek about the mentioned warships. Grodek told Flit that he had learned the UE's whereabouts and was preparing for an attack. He explained that the EFF could not fight, and urged Flit to fight along with him.

Emily and the kids appeared in front of the Zalam mansion to complain about Flit's arrest. While it was happening, Euba mobile suits suddenly appeared in the vicinity and the Zalam forces engaged them in combat. With his friends caught in battle, Flit quickly launched in Gundam to save them. He also tried to stop both sides from fighting, but with no success. UE mobile suits then appeared, with the Baqto among them going after the fleeing truck where Emily and the rest were on. Leaving the Zalam-Euba fighting, Flit faced the Baqto, but the Gundam was no match against it. Covering for Flit, Largan Drace in his Genoace appeared and told about the new equipment that the AGE Builder was making. After refitting in Diva, Flit returned to defeat the Baqto using the AGE-1T Gundam AGE-1 Titus.

Flit returned to the place where he had left the Zalam and Euba forces, only to find them almost decimated by the UE. Flit pleaded again to their leaders to fight together for the sake of their colony. At the wake of the UE slaughter, Don Boyage and Euba's leader, Ract Elfamel, agreed to make a temporary truce. After dispatching the remaining Gafrans, the three of them went to the city terrorized by newly arrived Baqtos. Boyage and Ract evacuated the citizens, while Flit faced the UE. Flit was having a hard time fighting one of the Baqtos when another arrived on the scene. Fortunately, Woolf, in his new WMS-GEX1 G-Exes, came and assisted Flit in dealing with the remaining enemies. At the end of the battle, Flit joined the others as the Zalam and Euba reaffirmed their alliance to fight against the UE.

Reunion at Minsry
After receiving an urgent call, Woolf took Flit, Emily and Dique to the Madorna Workshop, where they met the maker of Woolf's G-Exes, Mukured Madorna. After some acquainting, Mukured showed to Flit and his friends a suspicious mobile suit that he had wanted them to check. It turned out to be the UE's Zedas, and Flit was anxious to know how Mukured had acquired it. Just then, the Zedas activated and started wrecking havoc in the facility. To control the damage, Flit and Woolf launched in CMS-B/67 Shaldolls; Flit later called Diva for the Titus. However, they were no match compared to the Zedas. Surprisingly, the Zedas later decided to leave. Flit and Woolf later learned from Mukured that the one who had left the Zedas was a mysterious client named Yark Dole. They reported what they had learned to Diva, and Grodek revealed that Yark Dole was a black merchant who had introduced mobile suit blueprints to Fardain.

With three days remaining until their departure, Grodek announced that they will head to Minsry Colony, instead of Tordia Colony, and prepare to attack the suspected UE base, Ambat, together with Zalam and Euba. Crew member Adams Tinel suggested that they should report this first to EFF, but Grodek revealed he was not Diva's intended captain. The crew was shocked, but Emily were quick to tell that if not for Grodek, they all would had been abandoned back then in Nora. Nevertheless, Adams exclaimed that what they were about to do was a military violation. Flit stepped in and revealed that Grodek's family had died in a UE attack, an event known, according to Grodek, as "The Day Angel Fell". Grodek told the crew he would not force anyone, but he would fight alone if he had to. Flit expressed his support to Grodek's cause; he had lost his parents because of UE and he didn't want anyone to lose their loved ones as well. The rest of the crew decided to fight, for the sake of ending UE's terror.

(...)

Legacy and Vengeance
Flit's obsession with the Vagan has shaped his way of life. The Vagan's destruction came before being an active part of his son Asemu's life. His legacy and his skills prove to be a lofty shadow under which Asemo tries to emulate. In one of Asemu's first missions Flit points out his weaknesses in regards to his fighting skills.The gulf between father and son widened when Flit took the Gundam AGE-1 into battle against his longtime foe Desil and held his own despite his age and antique-technology of his Mobile Suit. This drove Asemu to steal an X-Rounder-enhancing helmet to reach Flit's level of skill.

He played a larger role in his grandson Kio's life, but even then he had an alternate agenda. He purposely bought a MS Simulation System for Kio for the sole purpose of making him into an experienced pilot. This implies that his vendetta comes first above all else, and that he sees things only as tools to better aid his goal of Vagan's destruction. He cannot simply let go of the past, no matter what the cost.

Earth Federal Forces

 * Emily Asuno: Emily Armond has been Flit's childhood friend ever since he moved to the colony Nora. Ever since they have know each other, she always looks out for his well being, and cares deeply for him. By A.G. 140 they are married and have a son, Asem Asuno as well as a daughter, Yunoa Asuno.

Vagan/Unknown Enemy

 * Desil Galette:

Civilians

 * Yurin L'Ciel: A girl Flit rescues during the collapse of Nora who temporary assisted and advice him during the following battle while they were inside the cockpit of the AGE-1. He later falls in love with her, but she is killed in war. Causing him to intenstify his hatred of Vagan.

Notes and Trivia

 * Flit is one of the few protagonists besides Amuro Ray and Kamille Bidan to become the pilot of a mobile suit that they designed.