Andrew Waltfeld

Andrew Waltfeld is a fictional character from the anime series Gundam SEED and Gundam SEED Destiny.

Personality
Andrew has a brash personality in both terms his nice and likeable but a serious person when fighting in battle. In the moment he first met Kira & Cagalli, his personality is more like a know-it-all stranger, but as it progresses, he changes his personality to that of a strict individual, towards his enemies, and would kill them on the spot. Later, Andrew resumes a commanding role, when he captains the Eternal. He is sly, cool headed and dedicated to keeping the peace and prevent war, as a member of Terminal.

Skill & Abilities
Due to his skill and piloting the ground unit in desert, Andrew Waltfield gained the nickname of "Desert Tiger". As the pilot of the LaGOWE, Andrew was well known for the operation his unit, while Aisha are became his gunner. However, due to the loss of his left arm and left eye after the destruction of LaGOWE, it can be conjectured that Andrew might have lost some proficiency in operating a mobile suit. During the assassination of Lacus Clyne, the former ZAFT commander had improved his handgun skill, against the specially trained assassins, while also using the shotgun that was concealed in his prosthetic left arm. It can be assumed that Andrew eventually regained enough of his former piloting skill, as evidenced by his operation in his custom Murasame and Gaia Gundam.

Pre SEED
Andrew Waltfeld (aka Andy, Desert Tiger) is one ZAFT's best commanders and pilots. Waltfeld is commander of the ZAFT forces in the PLANT-pledged African Community, headquartered at Banadiya, and is ably assisted by his executive officer Martin DaCosta. Andy earned his appellation for his great tactical skill at desert combat, as demonstrated on May 30, CE 70, when he defeated a huge Eurasian Federation tank corps at El Alamein, using the new TMF/A-802 BuCUE and older TFA-2 ZuOOT mobile suits. His passions are archeology (especially Egyptology), paleontology, and coffee. Andy seems to have an obsession with coffee and experiments with different blends and flavors oftentimes making odd combinations for himself such as adding kona to one of his blends. He lives with his girlfriend-companion, Aisha, who also assists him in his military operations and actually serves as the co-pilot of his orange-colored customized TMF/A-803 LaGOWE. Not much is known about Aisha, and her last name is conspicuously left out in the anime. But the one thing that is evident is that Andy cares for Aisha very much and the latter is very much devoted to this benevolent ZAFT commander; in both series he keeps a picture of her close by. His flagship is the land battleship Lesseps, which is escorted by the land cruisers Petrie and Henry Carter.

Gundam SEED
While the Archangel is traveling through the desert, He deploys his forces accordingly to deter the Archangel's escape from the desert as long as possible but his plans are marred by the unexpected intervention of reinforcement from Cagalli's Desert Dawn anti-ZAFT guerrilla force. He is also the first ZAFT personnel on Earth to not underestimate the pilot of the Strike Gundam as seen in one scene where he chuckles in his calm evaluation of the Strike Gundam's sudden adaptation to the sandy terrain of the desert. Andy inadvertently becomes acquainted with Kira Yamato, and grows fond of the young pilot, which makes the subsequent inevitable confrontation between them more difficult. In his battle with Kira and the Strike, his LaGOWE is summarily destroyed, seemingly killing both Aisha and Waltfeld as they both hug each other as their unit becomes engulfed in explosions. However, luck seemingly befalls Andy when Lowe Guele and his Junk Guild companions discover and rescue him and he is soon back in the PLANTs. Andy claims loyalty to Chairman Patrick Zala in the name of vengeance, and is assigned as captain of the support ship Eternal; however, along with Martin DaCosta and other Clyne Faction loyalists, he helps Lacus Clyne steal the ship and joins up with the Archangel and Orb's Kusanagi, and despite obviously training for ground battles, he has proven to be a competent captain of the Eternal.

Gundam SEED Destiny
After the Bloody Valentine War, Waltfeld lives in the Orb Union with Archangel captain Murrue Ramius, who also lost a lover in the war. He receives a prosthetic arm, which conceals a shotgun. Apparently, he was also made Captain in the Orb Union's Military. In CE 73, after the assassination attempt on Lacus, he leaves Orb aboard the Archangel with Kira, Lacus, and Murrue. While Murrue offers him command of the ship, Andy declines, instead serving as a pilot for both Archangel, as well as for his custom MVF-M11C Murasame mobile suit. When Lacus decides to go to the Eternal, Andy goes with her, and the two coordinate with their allies from Terminal's asteroid base until early C.E. 74. When ZAFT forces discover the location of the Eternal, Waltfeld pilots an custom-colored ZGMF-X88S Gaia reminiscent of his LaGOWE unit in an attempt to hold off the enemy forces as the Eternal sends off the new Justice and Freedom mobile suit units to Earth. Kira Yamato's timely arrival in Cagalli's Strike Rouge (its PS armor painted in Strike's colors) helps even the odds and promptly gives him the opportunity to tell the young Coordinator to dock with the Eternal and claim his new mobile suit. After regrouping with Kira Yamato, Waltfeld returns to being captain of the Eternal for the duration of the series and leaves the fighting to other units.

In the Special Edition ending, Andrew is seen making coffee for Murrue Ramius and Mu La Flaga.

Trivia
Andy's words reflect his choice to keep his scar in Gundam SEED Destiny. Signifying that he is ashamed of living while Aisha died in the battle against an Earth Alliance soldier (Kira), or is committed to making things right (possibly in honor of his beloved Aisha).
 * Waltfeld's name in the original Japanese has also been spelled "Andorew Waldfeld", and because of the pronunciation, his last name has also been interpreted as "Bartfeldt". Waltfeld's fated encounter and battle with Kira Yamato in the desert is reminiscent of Ramba Ral's encounter with Amuro Ray in Mobile Suit Gundam. However, while Ral died not long after meeting Amuro, Andy didn't have the same fate. Instead, he assisted Kira and thus became one of his friends.
 * Nicknamed "Desert Tiger" ("Sabaku no Tora" - likely a reference to the "Desert Fox" moniker of famed WWII general Erwin Rommel)
 * Andy once commented on Yzak's scar, stating that: "When one doesn't have a bad scar removed, some might think it's a symbol of... commitment." When Yzak looked away from Waltfield, the latter said "Or since you turned your head maybe it's a symbol of your humiliation."
 * In both series, Andrew appears to be quite knowledgeable on coffee and its preparation.
 * There has been a strong question on the topic of how Andrew Waltfeld survived his battle with Kira Yamato, while in his TMF/A-803 LaGOWE. The last scene of the battle showed him and Aisha hugging each other. To this date it remains a mystery on how he survived the destruction of his Mobile Suit.