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Kai Shiden (カイ・シデン?) is a character in the manga Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin and its theatrical OVA, as well as the movie Mobile Suit Gundam: Cucuruz Doan's Island.
Personality & Character[]
A classmate of Amuro Ray, Kai's family had immigrated to Side 7 recently. He is a little older than his classmates because he has been held back a year, so he and his gang of friends, Kal, Howard and Maximilian, all have a reputation as delinquents. He is nihilistic, with a flippant attitude, and often tries to be the comic relief in tense situations.
Skills & Abilities[]
History[]
Before the One Year War[]
Kai was originally just a student from the same school as Amuro Ray, Hayato Kobayashi and Fraw Bow in Side 7. When Amuro learns of the RX-78-02 Gundam from his father's notes, Kai and other schoolmates join Amuro's attempt to sneak into a military base. The group is caught by the base's soldiers, and though Amuro escapes punishment due to his familial connections, Kai is not so lucky and is beaten up before being sent home.
Seeing that Amuro was still obsessed with the "Gundam", Kai attempts to taunt Amuro over the failure in the next day, but his comments are ignored.
Outbreak of War[]
The One Year War would finally make its way to Side 7 when members of Zeon, having been tipped of a new experimental unit, arrive to attack the colony. Kai would be among the first to evacuate to the carrier ship, White Base but is slapped by Sayla Mass for his lethargy in a dire situation.
In response, Kai becomes somewhat more active, volunteering to join the White Base's undermanned crew and eventually becoming a gunner and later the pilot of the RX-77-02 Guncannon. Kai would have his first sortie at Luna II against the legendary Char Aznable. Though the Federation forces would not have the Gundam to assist, Char is forced to withdraw thanks to supply issues, giving Kai and Hayato their first victory. Kai was nearly killed during this sortie but was rescued by both Hayato and Ryu Jose.
Earth[]
When the White Base descends to Earth, Kai would accompany Ryu in sortieing as Amuro once again refused to fight and the pair would engage forces of Garma Zabi. Kai and Ryu would be heavily outnumbered during the battle, but Amuro would finally step out with the Gundam and manages to force the Zeon army into a retreat after shooting down Garma's plane. Shortly after, a riot ensues inside the ship as refugees, now fed up by the constant battles, take Fraw, Kikka, Letz and Katz hostage and demand to be allowed to exit the ship.
As a result, Amuro is ordered to board a Gunperry to escort the civilians from the White Base while Kai remains in the Gunperry's cockpit are ordered to remain in case of a Zeon attack. True to their expectations, Char's forces arrive and attack the Gunperry; forcing it to land. Due to this, Kai and Amuro board their units and fight their way back to the White Base to repel Zeon's forces. The White Base soon receives reinforcements from Matilda Ajan's Medea.
The crew soon make a quick stop to rest, and Kai initially remains on the beach with most of the crew, but Bright receives orders to aid the Federation's assault on LA and the break is put to a halt. Amuro, who traveled separately from the crew, was now nearing accidentally entering Zeon's territory, and Kai is tasked with joining Sayla in retrieving Amuro via jeep. An air battle would erupt between Zeon's planes and Ryu's Core Fighter, forcing Sayla to act as a gunner while Kai continued to drive. The two would rescue Amuro and successfully returned back to the White Base
In the battle for LA, Amuro would be sent to attract the attention of Garma's Gaw while, Kai and the rest of the White Base's crew would lie behind enemy lines. Once Garma is brought out, Kai and the others emerge from behind and deal heavy damage to Garma's carrier, and the commander would die in a failed attempt to ram his ship into the White Base. Following Garma's defeat, the White Base would continue its journey to Jaburo, where they are attacked in the mountains by Ramba Ral's forces alongside his MS-07B Gouf. Kai and the others would also watch the broadcast of Garma's funeral as well as Gihren Zabi turning his brother's demise into a political magnet.
During their next battle against Ral's forces, Amuro, too obsessed by with defeating the Gouf, overextends and is nearly killed, but Kai arrives to rescue Amuro, as well as capturing a Zaku and its pilot. During the night, Amuro would slip out after his previous failure, and the White Base is forced to sit and hide until they can learn what he intends to do. Kai, with the other pilots, believe Amuro will be court-martialed as soon as he returns for either treason or desertion. Fraw would leave the ship to try and convince Amuro to return, but she is unknowingly trailed by Ral's men, leading to another battle in the desert.
Despite all the units being deployed against the Gouf, Ramba is able to easily outmaneuver Kai and the others, destroying one of the Guntanks and the Guncannons. Amuro would finally return to save Kai and destroys the Gouf. Despite saving them, Amuro is kept in confinement for desertion, and Kai suggests to the surviving pilots that Amuro may well be executed for his actions. Believing the White Base to be finished without the Gundam's pilot, Kai and the others slip off at night but are caught by Ryu. While the two groups argue, Ral's forces appear and begin moving to the White Base. With little time, Kai and the others are forced to return as Ral's forces break into the White Base through a hole it suffered from the previous battle. Though the Zeon forces would inflict casualties, the invading soldiers are eventually killed with Ral himself committing suicide.
Kai convinces chief mechanic Omur Fang to attach a Guncannon's head onto the body of Cozun's captured Zaku II, and dubs it the "Cannon Zaku." The White Base would make its final stretch for Jaburo, but would be hounded by Zeon's forces once more at the Urubamba Gorge by surviving members of Ramba's forces and the Black Tri-Stars. Thinking that they were just against Magella Attack tanks, Kai is ambushed by Tachi O'Hara's Zaku I, who beheads the Cannon Zaku with a heat hawk, but Kai is able to grapple it, allowing Daniel Schoenberg and Hayato to destroy it with the Guntank. During the battle, Crowley Hamon, the lover of the late Ramba, would come close to avenging Ral by sending her Gallop-class ship to crash into the White Base, which forced Kai, Amuro, Job and Hayato to drop their weapons in an attempt to stop the ship's movements. Amuro would have been killed by Crowley's attack from behind had it not been for Ryu crashing his Core Fighter into Crowley's Magella top. It is only after the three successfully stop the Gallop that they learn of Ryu's demise.
During a short stop to pay respects for Ryu, Amuro and Hayato get into a fight, and Kai is forced to mediate both his schoolmates. Later that night, the White Base finds itself under attack once more, now by Black Tri-Stars and their MS-09 Doms. While they kill one of the Tri-Stars, Matilda Ajan is killed trying to provide cover for allied units. After another stop to pay respects, the White Base finally reaches Jaburo, and the ship's volunteers, including Kai, are officially enlisted into the Federation's forces; with Kai receiving the rank of Corporal.
Meeting Miharu[]
The peace in Jaburo would not last as Char's forces are able to infiltrate the base through the underground waterways. Amuro quickly informs Kai and the others, leaving them to rescue the White Base orphans before boarding their units to stop Zeon's forces. Having prevailed at Jaburo, Admiral Revil orders the White Base to head for Odessa for a decisive battle against the remaining Zeon forces in Earth. In response, however, Kai, fed up with the soldier's life as well as taking orders from the losers at Jaburo, chooses to leave the White Base. He is seen off by Amuro, who provides Kai with a tool kit so that he can at least try and make a living afterwards.
Kai is then met by Miharu Ratokie, a local vendor that failed to sell her goods to the White Base's crew, and she offers to let him stay at her home alongside her younger siblings. The power is soon cut out due a nearby battle involving the White Base against Zeon's naval forces, but an unconcerned Kai attempts to sleep while Miharu leaves the house. The noise from the battle eventually causes Kai to exit the cabin, however, to see the battle, and he initially inches closer to rejoining the fight. Kai ends up reflecting the harsh words from Bright, Sayla, Amuro, and Ryu before finally choosing to jump back when he sees Hayato in danger.
Able to make it back in time, Kai saves Amuro and Hayato before receiving a slap on the wrist for his previous decision. By coincidence, he ends up finding Miharu within the ship, and keeps her in his room to cover for her. Though he advises her to leave and return home on their next stop, the White Base makes a stop on water during their trip to Gibraltar. A small group of fishermen soon arrive, but Kai suspects them to be Zeon spies though Bright dismisses the claims as the fishermen have the proper documents. Kai's fears come true as the ship is now being attacked by both MSM-07 Z'Goks and a MAM-07 Grublo.
Kai is quickly ordered to sortie with a Gunperry to support Amuro, but Miharu insists on accompanying Kai; revealing that she was a Zeon spy that informed her peers of their location and destination. Unable to shake her off in this precarious situation, Kai eventually relents; kicking his gunner out to let Miharu join him. Despite this, he refuses to allow her, as an untrained person, to fire the Gunperry's missiles. After a direct strike damages the Gunperry's missile pods, Miharu moves to the lower deck to try and help as Kai specifically instructs her to only release the missile's safety mechanism. Despite Kai's instructions, an eager Miharu chooses to fire the missile instead. Though she lands a direct hit, the force of the missile's exit blows her off the Gunperry to her death.
By the time Kai returns back to the White Base, he is a sobbing wreck at his failure to protect her. He eventually converses with Miharu's spirit, who admits that she did want to spend more time with Kai and her siblings. When Kai apologizes for missing the previous shots that forced Miharu to descend, she advises him not to mull over things of the past. She soon bids him goodbye as she must return to port to sell her wares to a new ship.
Kai's remaining roles in Earth is less expanded, but it is presumed he also served at Odessa and was with the White Base when it returned to space and made a stop to Side 6 for supplies
Final Stages of the War[]
Kai and the other pilots would be assigned to enter the Texas colony in Side 5, but Amuro senses an ambush and has Kai pull back first. Amuro's warnings would help Kai avoid the initial attack of the new MAN-03 Braw Bro, though Kai's Guncannon would lose both legs from the new unit's attacks. Kai would be rescued by both Hayato and Sleggar Law, and ends up becoming the gunner for Sleggar's Guntank while the Guncannon is out of commission. With Zeon's Zakus on the retreat, Sleggar and Sayla continue on mission to secure information within the colony.
Sayla soon is allowed by Sleggar to depart and reminisce of her former home within the colony, but Kai is ordered to follow Sayla as she made her way back to her ruined house. Though Kai is hidden, he would be startled as he learns that Sayla is the daughter of Zeon Zum Deikun and that her brother, Casval, was actually the Char Aznable that they had been engaged with for so long. What's more, he would overhear Char's belief of humanity's next step of evolution; Newtypes. Kai would take this information to both Sleggar and Bright, who promise to keep Sayla's secret within the ship.
Kai would also take part in the battle at Solomon which would see the sacrifice of Sleggar to defeat Dozle Zabi and provide a direct route into Zeon itself. During the final battle of A Baoa Qu, he and Hayato would spearhead the White Base's attack on the space fortress while Amuro was busy fighting Char's MSN-02 Zeong. The pair help make way for the ship's violent landing on the base and would fiercely defend it as more Federation troops followed behind them.
When the base's self-destruct sequence is activated, he and Hayato pick up Amuro's telepathic message to the others, and the pair are able to rescue Sayla before escaping the fortress. The two would first reunite with the remaining White Base members after the ship had to be abandoned, before being joined by Amuro, who was left with only the Gundam's Core Fighter.
Relationships[]
Amuro Ray[]
Kai initially had a terrible relationship with Amuro primarily due to their contrasting personalities, and Kai often found humor in pushing Amuro's buttons. When the war breaks out, the two maintain a working relationship at best, but Kai would continue to taunt and poke fun at Amuro, especially as Amuro became a more hardened soldier as the war dragged on. Despite this, the constant battles would give the two some camaraderie as Kai would be concerned for Amuro when he accidentally enters Zeon territory just to see his mother as well as calming an emotional Amuro down following Ryu's death. Amuro was likewise saddened to see Kai's decision to leave despite their trials together and was pained at Kai's sorrow from Miharu's death.
When Kai finally matured, the pair would share a better professional relationship.
Hayato Kobayashi[]
Kai would interact with Hayato the most over the course of the White Base's travels where the latter typically had to silence Kai's inflammatory comments. Nonetheless, Hayato would often act as the middleman between Kai and Amuro, and Kai would reciprocate this by treating Hayato better than Amuro. It was also due to Hayato's plight that Kai finally made the decision to return back to the White Base to rescue his friends. As Amuro's Newtype abilities emerge, Kai would relate to Hayato especially due to Hayato's growing jealousy towards Amuro.
Hayato also takes Kai's words more seriously than most of the other members of the White Base, believing Amuro would be killed as punishment for desertion as well as disbelief that Kai would leave so quickly.
Sayla Mass[]
Similarly to Amuro, Kai had a tumultuous relationship with Sayla, who was angered by both Kai's laziness and cowardice in the face of danger. Unlike Amuro, Sayla held nothing back when criticizing or hitting Kai for his faults. Kai would see Sayla in a terrible light due to her haughtiness as she regularly ignored him. Sayla's opinion of Kai would improve slightly when the pair rescued Amuro together, and she immediately noticed that Kai was a kinder person than he would like to let others believe.
After Kai matured over the course of the war, the pair held a better working relationship with one another. After the One Year War, the pair would briefly chat with one another, and Kai would become heavily indebted to Sayla after she revealed that she was now caring for Miharu's remaining siblings.
Gallery[]
