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Kai Shiden (カイ・シデン?) is a character that appears in Mobile Suit Gundam.
Personality & Character[]
Originally a civilian and evasive about the war, he was initially a bit hateful and resented by Bright Noa and the rest of the White Base crew. On the surface, he was a jovial character, often sarcastic and lying to hide his embarrassment. His attitude remained poor throughout the One Year War and was often tempted to abandon the White Base altogether.[1]
Skills & Abilities[]
He is mechanically inclined and holds several large special licenses. Following training, Kai Shiden went into action as a RX-77-2 Guncannon pilot.[1] After the end of the One Year War, he retired from the military. With the assistance of a reintegration program, he studied journalism at the University of Belfast. After working for a news agency, he became a freelance journalist.
History[]
One Year War[]
Kai is an 18-year-old Puerto Rican immigrant living on Side 7. After surviving the Zeon attack on Side 7, Kai evacuated to the SCV-70 White Base to make his escape. However, because most of the regular crew (military personnel) aboard the White Base were killed or wounded in the war and they were short of manpower, and because he had a work equipment license, he was halfway-forced to be sent out as a machine gunner and RX-75 Guntank pilot. After the White Base descends to Earth, he also pilots the Gunperry, and he helps with the aerial conversion of the RX-78-2 Gundam. From then onward, he mainly pilots the Guncannon, and while he is at the mercy of Zeon ace pilots such as Ramba Ral and the Black Tri-Stars, he is helped by his machine's performance in a series of fierce battles.
When the White Basemakes a stop in Belfast, Kai attempts to desert out of because he hates being a soldier. He meets Miharu Ratokie, a Zeon spy, and sees that she has turned herself into a spy to support her younger siblings, and sympathizes with her because he senses the cruelty of war. Unable to see the White Base crew struggling against the attack of amphibious Mobile Suits, especially the MSM-07 Z'Gok, he returns to the White Base and fights back with the Gundam while returning fire with the Guntank. Miharu takes advantage of the chaos of the battle to infiltrate the White Base, where she is reunited with Kai in the captain's quarters, where she gathers information, and is sheltered as a stowaway/lover. Together they went into battle in a Gunperry. As a result, Miharu is able to operate the missile directly from the hangar due to an electrical malfunction caused by being hit by a bullet, and contributes to the destruction of Z'Gok, but is blown away by the blast at the time of launch and falls to her death from the Gunperry. Her death has a great impact on Kai's later actions, and in episode 29, during the Battle of Jaburo, he shows a strong determination to stop grieving over the vision of Miharu and to thoroughly defeat Zeon so that no more victims like Miharu will be lost, destroying a single MSM-03 Gogg with the Guncannon. At Jaburo, Kai is promoted to corporal (second lieutenant in the movie version).
After going into space, he was active as a mainstay of the White Base with Amuro and others, and shot down many enemy units in the major invasions of Solomon and A Baoa Qu. At Solomon, he made a breakthrough in landing at the fortress in cooperation with the Gundam, and at A Baoa Qu, he made a calm decision to land in the S-field while complaining to himself, "In times like this, it's just as well to be timid," achieving great results. He fought in the One Year War as the second ace pilot of the 13th Autonomous Corps.
During the decisive battle at A Baoa Qu, his Guncannon is destroyed, but he escapes and defends the White Base in a hand-to-hand combat. Later, he hears Amuro's "voice" and escapes with other crew members in a Space Launch.
Gryps War[]
After the One Year War ended, Kai Shiden retired from the military and returned to Belfast, attending school there to became a journalist and investigative reporter. In order to investigate the internal situation of the Earth Federation Forces, he sneaks into Jaburo dressed in a white suit. There, he encounters Reccoa Londe of AEUG, who has gone undercover as a reconnaissance mission, but both are captured by Federation soldiers.[2] He is rescued by Kamille Bidan, who descends to Jaburo, and joins Karaba, but he is doubtful and dissatisfied with Char Aznable, who has the ability to lead, but is only a pilot under the pseudonym of "Quattro Bajeena". He then continued to provide his own support to AEUG and Karaba in his capacity as a journalist. He leaves Hayato Kobayashi a note saying that Quattro was Char (in the movie version, he directly tells Hayato) and also questions the idea of fighting together. He reunites with Sayla Mass and interviews her about Char.
Kai also searches for Miharu's younger siblings and, although he does not find her brother, Jill Ratokie, he finds and takes in her sister Milly Ratokie. He cooperates with Karaba and AEUG in the Gryps War as well, but together with selected members, he infiltrates the Kilimanjaro base, claiming to be a Federation soldier.
U.C. 0094[]
Following Amuro's disappearance and being listed as officially deceased after the Second Neo Zeon War, Kai would be contacted by Kikka Kobayashi in the hopes of helping her write a book on Amuro's life. Kai would use his network to send Kikka a full list of the White Base and Karaba's members alongside a small group of acquaintances in the Federation and other civilians to help Kikka. Before Kikka moves to meet Kamaria Ray, Kai admits to becoming emotional after hearing from a junk dealer of the wreckage of a Gundam only to find it unrelated to Amuro. He then hopes for Kikka to complete her work in order to finally give him closure regarding Amuro's death.
Laplace Incident[]
In May of 0096, Kai is directly appointed by Federation Senator Ronan Marcenas and travels to Dakar after the attack by the Neo Zeon remnants. He is presented with evidence of the Vist Foundation's involvement in the series of incidents surrounding Laplace's Box, and asked to disclose it, but Kai refuses the offer, and negotiations end in failure. He is later contacted by Bright Noa to negotiate a joint operation with Suberoa Zinnerman of Neo Zeon as a trusted figure in the anti-Zeonist camp. He later sets up a rendezvous for the Garencieres with the Nahel Argama in order to have the RX-0 Unicorn Gundam safe from conspirators.[3]
Notes & Trivia[]
- Kai's name is derived from the name of a World War II-era Japanese fighter plane, the Kawanishi N1K2-J Shiden-Kai.
- During Mobile Suit Gundam: The One Year War, in Mission 16, where Kai temporarily leaves the White Base, he can be found near Miharu's cabin and can be seen riding a motorcycle back to the Federation base. Similarly in the following mission, the player can catch on to his conversation with Miharu aboard his Gunperry, including the eventual scene where her body flies off of the plane.
- G Generation DS has Kai joining the AEUG later in the game as an active MS pilot, and in the events leading to the rival route (Amuro's death, for one), Kai ends awakening his Newtype powers. It's revealed that later on in the Rival Route, he's the pilot of the RX-93 ν Gundam and has the matching Hyper Mode for it.
- In Gundam 0079: The War for Earth, Kai is an enlisted Federation pilot by default. Moreover, instead of the sarcastic, oftentimes cowardly facade of the original character in the animated series, he was depicted as a carefree, fun-loving individual. He is often seen chatting with Duke Jose while on standby.
- Kai appears in the Extreme Vs. series as the pilot of the RX-77-2 Guncannon. He can also summon Amuro's Gundam for support. Aside from the Guncannon's primary weapons, Kai can also hurl boulders at foes or smash them with said boulders. As the Guncannon does not have any close combat weapons, Kai is forced to rely on kicks and punches for his melee attacks.
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Simmons, Mark and Wright Benamin (2002) Animerica Gundam Official Guide (p.20)
- ↑ Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam Episode 9, A New Bond
- ↑ Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn RE:0096 Episode 13, Banagher Links, Soldier
Unicorn characters
| ||
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Civilians | Banagher Links | Audrey Burne | Takuya Irei | Micott Bartsch | Tikva Sant | Kora Sant | Tucci Sant | Kai Shiden | Beltorchika Irma | Anna Links | Marie Zinnerman | Fee Zinnerman | Tom | Marco | Denis | Douglas Doillon | Ester | |
Vist Foundation | Cardeas Vist | Gael Chan | Syam Vist | |
Anaheim Electronics | Martha Vist Carbine | Alberto Vist | Aaron Terzieff | Bancroft | |
Neo Zeon | Full Frontal | Suberoa Zinnerman | Marida Cruz | Angelo Sauper | Flaste Schole | Alec | Besson | Gilboa Sant | Hill Dawson | Tomura | Savoir | Sergi | Loni Garvey | Yonem Kirks | Russet | |
Earth Federation | Riddhe Marcenas | Otto Mitas | Liam Borrinea | Daguza Mackle | Mihiro Oiwakken | Hasan | Conroy Haagensen | Bright Noa | Meran | Daryl McGuinness | Watts Stepney | Norm Basilicock | Sercel Mitukale | Jonah Gibney | Sydow Omoki | Utalde Husher | Bollard | Galom Gorga | Helm Converse | Homare | Nashiri Lazar | Ronan Marcenas | Ricardo Marcenas |