Terry Sanders Jr. (テリー・サンダーズJr. Terī Sandāzu Jr.?) is a character who first appeared in Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team.
Personality & Character[]
Sanders is a serious and reserved man, and at 29, he is the oldest member of the 08th MS Team. On the surface, Sanders appears to be a grizzled veteran; underneath, however, Sanders grapples with survivor's guilt, and is insecure as a result.
Among the members of the 08th MS Team, he is the most loyal to Shiro Amada.
History[]
Sanders was a veteran Earth Federation Space Forces test pilot long before he joined the 08th Mobile Suit Team. On October 10, UC 0079, Sanders and his team engaged an experimental Zeon MS-06RD-4 Zaku High Mobility Test Type mobile suit and its escorts. The battle went poorly; all of Sanders' teammates were killed, and Sanders himself was pinned down after running out of ammo. However, Sanders was saved by the timely intervention of Shiro Amada, who attacked the experimental Zaku II Prototype in a measly RB-79K Ball Type K, which allowed Sanders to retreat to a nearby shuttle.
With his old team dead, Sanders was transferred to the Kojima Battalion in Southeast Asia, and assigned to the 08th Mobile Suit Team under the direct command of Shiro Amada— the young man who had just saved his life. Sanders would pilot the RX-79[G] Gundam Mass Production Ground Type unit 083, and he would quickly prove his worth as a heavy weapons user.
However, not all was well with Sanders. Within the E.F.F., he gained a reputation of being cursed due to several notorious strokes of bad luck: every team he was assigned to would be completely annihilated on their third mission together, save for Sanders himself. This earned him the unfortunate nickname of "Sanders the Reaper" (死神サンダース Shinigami Sandāzu?, lit. "Death God Sanders"). Rumours of the circumstances of his past teammates' demise spread throughout the battalion, and Sanders was subject to harassment. This weighed heavily on Sanders, and he began to lose confidence in himself and believe he was indeed cursed. Shortly before the 08th Team's third mission together, Sanders attempted to resign, believing his continued involvement would prove fatal for his team.
However, Shiro refused to believe in the rumor, and rejected Sanders' request. Sanders, though worried, dutifully accepted Shiro's decision. On their third mission, the 08th Team encountered the massive Apsaras I mobile armor, and although the units all came out of the fray damaged, all of the pilots survived. With his jinx broken, Sanders regained his confidence and would continue to be a valuable member of the 08th Team.
After the E.F.F. learned of Shiro's relationship with Aina Sahalin and suspected him of espionage, Sanders was ordered by Isan Ryer to keep a close watch on Shiro, and execute him if he tried to desert. For Sanders, however, his loyalty to and trust in Shiro trumped his orders; when Shiro announced he was leaving the service to deal with Aina in his own way, Sanders made no attempt to stop him.
In the manga Mobile Suit Gundam 0083 Rebellion, he appears as a MS pilot belonging to the Lhasa base. His rank is still Sergeant, and the machine he pilots is the GM Ground Type. At first, he ignores the brawl that breaks out when his colleague interferes with the Albion pilots who stop by for supplies, but when Alpha A. Bait punches and provokes him, he gets mad and eventually joins in. He sees the image of his former superior Shiro in the straightforward gaze of Kou Uraki. Later, while drinking alone at a bar lounge on the base, he expresses his displeasure when he sees his superiors hitting on Nina Purpleton in a demeaning tone of voice, and when Kou appears there and is about to get involved, he verbally restrains his superiors and drives them out of the bar.
Gallery[]
Anime[]
Illustrations & Artwork[]
0083 Rebellion[]
References[]
External links[]
The 08th MS Team characters
| ||
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Earth Federation | 08th MS Team | Shiro Amada | Karen Joshua | Eledore Massis | Terry Sanders Jr. | Michel Ninorich |
Jidan Nickard | Kojima | Isan Ryer | Sally | Rob | Pietro | Mike | Agent Jacob | Alice Miller | ||
Principality of Zeon | Aina Sahalin | Ginias Sahalin | Norris Packard | Yuri Kellerne | Cynthia | Bone Abust | Topp | Arth | Dell | Barry | Masado | Niever | Runen | Walter Janowitz | Military Woman (Kergerenko) | Zhukov | |
Others | Guerillas | Kiki Rosita | Baresto Rosita | Chibi | Hige | Noppo |
Civilians | Maria | B.B. |