Garrod Ran

Garrod Ran is a fictional character from the After War Gundam X anime.

=Profile=

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 Tifa
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 force 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.

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. As he soon realizes however, he is truly lonely. Not being too trustful of anyone, save Tiffa...when Zakott plans another attack on the Freeden with the aid of the Frost Brothers. Garrod returns to battle and destroys the Trieste using the lake. 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...

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.

=Relationship with Tiffa=

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.

=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.

=Source Notes and External Links=
 * http://www.mahq.net
 * http://www.gundam-x.net

=Gallery=