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, also known as ''Gundam IBO'' and , is a 2015 Japanese television
mecha In science fiction, or mechs are giant robots or machines, typically depicted as piloted, humanoid walking vehicles. The term was first used in Japanese (language), Japanese after shortening the English loanword or , but the meaning in Japan ...
anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...
series and the fourteenth mainline entry in
Sunrise Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning, at the start of the Sun path. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon. Terminology Although the S ...
's long-running ''
Gundam is a Japanese military science fiction media franchise. Created by Yoshiyuki Tomino and Sunrise (now Bandai Namco Filmworks), the franchise features giant robots, or mecha, with the name "Gundam". The franchise began on April 7, 1979, with ...
'' franchise, succeeding ''
Gundam Reconguista in G , also referred to as , is a 2014 Japanese science fiction anime television series and the thirteenth installment in Sunrise's long-running ''Gundam'' franchise. Created for the Gundam 35th Anniversary celebration, it is the first ''Gundam ...
''. The series is directed by
Tatsuyuki Nagai is a Japanese director and anime storyboard artist. He is known for being one third of the creative team Super Peace Busters. He made his directorial debut for the second season of '' Honey and Clover''. He then worked on the anime series, '' Ido ...
and written by
Mari Okada is a Japanese screenwriter, director and manga artist. She is one of the most prolific writers currently working in the anime industry. She won the 16th Animation Kobe Award. Among her credits, Okada is best known for her writing and produci ...
, a team which previously collaborated on ''
Toradora! is a Japanese light novel series by Yuyuko Takemiya, with illustrations by Yasu. The series includes 10 novels released between March 10, 2006, and March 10, 2009, published by ASCII Media Works under their Dengeki Bunko imprint. Thre ...
'' and '' Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day''. It aired in Japan on
MBS MBS may refer for: People * Mohammed Ben Sulayem (born 1961), president of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile * Mohammed bin Salman (born 1985), crown prince and prime minister of Saudi Arabia * Mohan Bikram Singh (born 1935), Nepales ...
and other JNN stations from October 4, 2015, to March 27, 2016, making this the first Gundam series to return to a Sunday late afternoon time slot since ''
Mobile Suit Gundam Seed is an anime series developed by Sunrise and directed by Mitsuo Fukuda. The ninth installment in the ''Gundam'' franchise, ''Gundam SEED'' takes place in a future calendar era, in this case the Cosmic Era. In this era, mankind has devel ...
''. A second season premiered the following year on October 2, 2016. ''Iron-Blooded Orphans'' follows the exploits of a group of juvenile soldiers who establish their own security company after rebelling against the adults who betrayed them on a futuristic, terraformed Mars. The series deals with several real-life problems such as war, slavery,
child soldiers Children in the military, including state armed forces, non-state armed groups, and other military organizations, may be trained for combat, assigned to support roles, such as cooks, porters/couriers, or messengers, or used for tactical adv ...
, poverty,
neo-colonialism Neocolonialism is the control by a state (usually, a former colonial power) over another nominally independent state (usually, a former colony) through indirect means. The term ''neocolonialism'' was first used after World War II to refer to ...
, and corruption. The catchphrase of the series is


Story

It is the year 323 P.D. (Post Disaster), more than 300 years after a disastrous, interplanetary conflict known as the "Calamity War". Mars has been successfully terraformed and colonized by humans. However, even with the technological advancements, the humans on Mars crave freedom against the government of Earth and seek to improve their livelihoods. Furthermore, while most of Mars' nations have received autonomy, the planet is virtually dependent on Earth for economic development with many living in impoverished conditions. Kudelia Aina Bernstein, a Martian noblewoman, employs the civilian security company Chryse Guard Security (CGS) to transport her to Earth to negotiate the independence of her nation, Chryse, from Earth. But the Earth Military organization Gjallarhorn, attacks CGS in an attempt to halt the Martian independence movement. During the attack, Orga Itsuka, the leader of the Third Army Division within CGS, which is composed of children, decides to rebel against the adult higher-ups who had escaped and left the child and teen foot-soldiers to fight and die as disposable decoys. As all hope seems lost, a young orphan under Orga's command named Mikazuki Augus enters the battle, piloting a hastily repaired mobile suit: the legendary Gundam Barbatos. After repelling Gjallarhorn's attack, Orga and the rest of the Third Army Division dispose of the adult higher-ups who betrayed them and take control of CGS, refounding it as the mercenary company "Tekkadan" (Japanese for "Iron Flower"). In Tekkadan's first job, they accept to escort Kudelia to Earth for her to take part in the negotiations with the government of Arbrau, the superpower that rules over Chryse. However, Gjallarhorn's continuous attempts to stop their progress leads Tekkadan to join forces with Teiwaz, a business conglomerate that operates around Jupiter. Under Teiwaz's protection and being secretly assisted by McGillis Fareed, one of the top echelons of Gjallarhorn with his own agenda, Tekkadan successfully takes Kudelia to Earth, and safely escorts her to Arbrau's capital where she successfully negotiates more economic freedom for Mars, while McGillis takes advantage of their success to overthrow his own adoptive father and bolster his position within Gjallarhorn. Some years later, Tekkadan establishes itself as a prominent military company, while Kudelia establishes a mining company in Chryse, working to improve the inhabitants' conditions and McGillis moves forward with his agenda to reform Gjallarhorn. However, one of Gjallarhorn's factions opposing him, the Arianrhod Fleet, led by Rustal Elion, starts working in the shadows to sabotage both McGillis and Tekkadan. McGillis convinces Tekkadan to help him destroy Arianrhod under the promise that once he manages to take full control of Gjallarhorn, he will transfer all authority over Mars to Tekkadan, making them the ''de facto'' rulers of the planet. However, they are defeated and forced to flee to Mars, where McGillis is killed after a last, failed attempt to kill Rustal and Tekkadan is disbanded after Arianrhod launches an attack to exterminate all members and make an example out of them, but only a few, including Mikazuki, sacrifice themselves to hold out the enemy long enough for the rest to escape safely. In the aftermath several years later, Gjallarhorn repeals its council system and reforms into a more democratic organization, with Rustal as its head. Kudelia becomes the chairwoman of the now independent Mars Union and the surviving Tekkadan members follow their separate ways while remaining in touch, each looking to honor their friends who died to give them a new, brighter future.


Development

The series was first teased by Sunrise through a new teaser site for the series, with a countdown to reveal the new main Mobile Suit on July 15, 2015. As it was only referred to as ''G-Tekketsu'', the details for the new lead Gundam was shown day by day until the full reveal at Sunrise and Bandai's press conference. Following the official unveiling of the series, Sunrise plans for a new wave of merchandise for the series, including Gunpla kits and video game tie-ins. A second Promotional video was then revealed, confirming the voice actors for the series's main cast. The series ran for 25 episodes. During the end credits of episode 25, a second season was confirmed.


Production

For episodes 24 and 25, the battle in
Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...
in the fictional state of Arbrau features backgrounds based on actual locations of the city in
Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...
, Canada.


Media


Anime

''Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans'' premiered in Japan on
MBS MBS may refer for: People * Mohammed Ben Sulayem (born 1961), president of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile * Mohammed bin Salman (born 1985), crown prince and prime minister of Saudi Arabia * Mohan Bikram Singh (born 1935), Nepales ...
and TBS on October 4, 2015, Sunday at 5:00 pm, replacing ''
The Heroic Legend of Arslan is a Japanese fantasy novel series written by Yoshiki Tanaka. It was published from 1986 to 2017, with sixteen novels and one side-story in the official guidebook ''Arslan Senki Dokuhon''. The story and setting is inspired by the history ...
'' on its initial timeslot. It is the first Gundam series to return on the late afternoon schedule since ''
Mobile Suit Gundam AGE is a 2011 Japanese science fiction anime television series and the twelfth installment in Sunrise's long-running ''Gundam'' franchise. The series was first announced in the July issue of Shogakukan's '' CoroCoro Comic'', and has gaming co ...
''. Sunrise announced that the series will be streamed worldwide on YouTube via the Gundam.Info Channel,
Funimation Funimation was an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming service. Launched in 2016, the service was one of the leading distributors of anime ...
,
Hulu Hulu (, ) is an American Subscription business model, subscription streaming media service owned by Disney Streaming, a subsidiary of the Disney Entertainment segment of the Walt Disney Company. It was launched on October 29, 2007, initially as ...
,
Crunchyroll Crunchyroll is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming service owned by Sony, Sony Group Corporation. The service primarily distributes fi ...
, and
Daisuki Daisuki may refer to: * Daisuki (website), a Japanese anime streaming website * ''Daisuki'' (magazine), a German manga magazine * "Daisuki", a 1997 song by Yuki Uchida * ''Daisuki'', a Malaysian comic by Kaoru and published by Gempak Starz * "Dai ...
. On October 9, 2015, Sunrise announced at their panel at
New York Comic Con The New York Comic Con is an annual New York City fan convention dedicated to comics, Western comics, graphic novels, anime, manga, video games, cosplay, toys, Film, movies, and television. It was first held in 2006. With an attendance of 200,00 ...
that the anime will get an English dub to be produced by
Bang Zoom! Entertainment Unforseen Productions, Inc., doing business as Bang Zoom! Entertainment is an American audio post-production studio with its headquarters in Burbank, California, in Greater Los Angeles. Founded in 1993, it has worked on anime, video games, tel ...
.
Turner Broadcasting Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. was an American television and media conglomerate founded by Ted Turner in 1965. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it merged with Time Warner (later WarnerMedia) on October 10, 1996. As of April 2022, all of its ass ...
began broadcasting the series on
Adult Swim Adult Swim (stylized as
dult swim Dult is a village in Batala in Gurdaspur district of Punjab State, India. It is located from sub district headquarter, from district headquarter and from Sri Hargobindpur. The village is administrated by Sarpanch an elected representativ ...
and s is an American adult-oriented television programming block that airs on Cartoon Network which broadcasts during the evening, prime time, and Late-night television, late-night Dayparting, dayparts. T ...
's
Toonami Toonami ( ) is an American late-night television programming block that broadcasts Japanese anime and American action animation. It was created by Sean Akins and Jason DeMarco and currently produced by Williams Street, a subsidiary of W ...
programming block on June 5, 2016, with season 2 premiering on October 8, 2017. Following the conclusion to the anime's 25th episode, it was announced that a second season would premiere in the fall of 2016. The anime concluded on April 2, 2017, with the second season's 25th episode, bringing the overall episode count in the series to 50.
Bandai Visual was a Japanese anime, film production, and distribution company, established by Bandai and a subsidiary of Bandai Namco Holdings. They focused mainly in international distribution of anime properties in North America. Most of the anime and ...
released the first volume of the series in both
Blu-ray Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...
and DVD on December 24, 2015, containing a serial code for ''Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme Vs. Force'' to obtain the Gundam Barbatos. In the 2017 Anime Expo,
Funimation Funimation was an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming service. Launched in 2016, the service was one of the leading distributors of anime ...
announced that the series will be released on home video in partnership with Sunrise for North American Territories, marking as the first Gundam series to be co-licensed by a company other than Right Stuf Inc. and Nozomi Entertainment. Both seasons of the series were later added to
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
for paid streaming on November 5, 2019.


Manga

A manga adaptation by Kazuma Isobe began its serialization in the December Issue of ''
Gundam Ace is a monthly Japanese shōnen manga magazine published by Kadokawa Shoten. It largely focuses on the ''Gundam'' franchise. There was a Chinese version published by Kadokawa Media (Taiwan) Co., Ltd, discontinued in 2008. Overview Gundam Ace s ...
'' on October 26, 2015. A side story manga titled was published in ''Gundam Ace'' from April 26, 2016, to March 26, 2018, and collected into four volumes.


Music

The soundtrack is composed by Masaru Yokoyama ('' Nobunaga The Fool'', ''
Freezing Freezing is a phase transition in which a liquid turns into a solid when its temperature is lowered below its freezing point. For most substances, the melting and freezing points are the same temperature; however, certain substances possess dif ...
''). The first season's opening theme song is titled "Raise your flag", performed by
Man with a Mission Man with a Mission (stylized in all caps and sometimes shortened as MWAM) is a Japanese Rock music, rock band which was formed in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, in 2010. The band currently consists of five band members, with stage names of Tokyo Tanaka ( ...
, while the ending theme is " Orphans no Namida" performed by
Misia commonly known as and stylized in all caps, is a Japanese singer and songwriter. Born in Tsushima, Nagasaki, Misia moved to Fukuoka at the age of 14 to pursue a recording career. There, she continued her secondary education and briefly attend ...
and co-written by
Shiro Sagisu Shiro, Shirō, Shirow or Shirou may refer to: People *, leader of the Shimabara Rebellion *, Japanese boxer *, Japanese football player 1923–1925 *, Japanese composer *, Japanese weightlifter *, Japanese microbiologist and lieutenant general * ...
. From episode 14 onwards the opening theme is "Survivor" by Blue Encount, while the ending theme is titled by
TRUE True most commonly refers to truth, the state of being in congruence with fact or reality. True may also refer to: Places * True, West Virginia, an unincorporated community in the United States * True, Wisconsin, a town in the United States * ...
. The ending theme for episode 19 is by Yūko Suzuhana., and " Orphans no Namida" is used again for the ending of episode 21. First used as the end track of episode 26, "RAGE OF DUST" by
Spyair Spyair (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese rock band from Nagoya, formed in 2005. The band consists of Yuji "UZ" Nakai (guitar, programming), Kenji "Momiken" Momiyama (bass guitar, leader), Kenta Sasabe (drums) and Yosuke (vocals). The band's n ...
is the opening theme beginning with episode 27, while the ending theme for episodes 27 and following is by
Granrodeo Granrodeo (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese rock band, specializing in creating music in Japanese animation, anime soundtracks. Career In 2005 Voice acting in Japan, voice actor Kishō Taniyama ("Kishow") and musician :ja:飯塚昌明, Masa ...
. From episode 39 onward, the opening theme is "Fighter" by
Kana-Boon Kana-Boon (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese rock band formed in 2008. They made their major debut with Ki/oon Music in 2013. Ever since, they've had four albums reach the top ten on the weekly Oricon Albums Chart, with ''Doppel'' being their ...
while the ending is performed by Uru.


Video games

The series's main mobile suit (1st form) first appeared on the
PlayStation Vita The PlayStation Vita (PS Vita) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 17, 2011, then in other international territories on February 22, 2012, and was produced ...
game ''Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme Vs. Force'' through the first Blu-ray volume serial code. The mobile suit (4th form) also appeared in the
PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...
and PlayStation Vita game ''
Gundam Breaker 3 The popularity of the Japanese anime metaseries ''Gundam'' since its release in 1979 has resulted in a spread of merchandise across various forms, with video games among them. This is a list of video games that are set in the franchise's vario ...
'' and the arcade Game ''Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme Vs. Maxi Boost ON''. Later, Gundam Barbatos 6th form, Gundam Barbatos Lupus, Gundam Gusion and Gusion Rebake, Gundam Kimaris and Gundam Astaroth was released as DLC units for ''Gundam Breaker 3''. Gundam Kimaris Trooper is added in ''Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme Vs. Maxi Boost ON''s expansion pack and later supplant by the Second Season's main mobile suit, Gundam Barbatos Lupus and later, Gundam Gusion Rebake Full City and Gundam Bael. In ''Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme Vs. 2'', Gundam Barbatos Lupus Rex is a playable unit. The Graze Ein serves as a boss unit. Gundam Kimaris Vidar was later added as a playable unit. In ''Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme Vs. 2 XBoost'', Gundam Flauros (Ryusei-Go) was later added as a playable unit. An official spinoff game, titled was announced on January 7, 2019, for
iOS Ios, Io or Nio (, ; ; locally Nios, Νιός) is a Greek island in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea. Ios is a hilly island with cliffs down to the sea on most sides. It is situated halfway between Naxos and Santorini. It is about long an ...
and
Android Android most commonly refers to: *Android (robot), a humanoid robot or synthetic organism designed to imitate a human * Android (operating system), a mobile operating system primarily developed by Google * Android TV, a operating system developed ...
, as part of Gundam's 40th Anniversary celebration, with animated scenes done by
Sunrise Beyond was a Japanese animation studio that was owned by Bandai Namco Filmworks. The company was established on March 1, 2019 in order to facilitate the transfer of several assets of Xebec, a subsidiary of IG Port due to the studio closing its doors t ...
. It is directed by
Tatsuyuki Nagai is a Japanese director and anime storyboard artist. He is known for being one third of the creative team Super Peace Busters. He made his directorial debut for the second season of '' Honey and Clover''. He then worked on the anime series, '' Ido ...
and written by Hajime Kamoshida. The game was part of the ''Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron Blooded Orphans G'' mobile game, which was released on November 15, 2022, and began to be released in 2022. ''Iron Blooded Orphans G'' ended service on January 11, 2024. An anime adaptation of ''Urðr Hunt'' was announced by Sunrise in November 2023 and is currently under development.


Merchandise

Merchandising of the series is officially linked to
Bandai is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational toy manufacturer and distributor headquartered in Taitō, Taitō, Tokyo. Its international branches, Bandai Namco Toys & Collectables America and Bandai UK, are respectively headquartered ...
's long running
Gunpla Gundam Plastic models, Gundam Plamo, or are Plastic model kit, model kits depicting the mecha machinery and characters of the fictional ''Gundam'' multiverse by Bandai Spirits. These kits became popular among Mecha anime and manga, mecha anime ...
model line and related collectable merchandise. Both the High Grade and 1/100 scale models of the titular mecha, Gundam Barbatos, were unveiled during the press conference and both stated for a Fall 2015 release, alongside the standard and commander versions of the HG Graze and weapon packs for the main mobile suit. A NXEDGE Style version of the Gundam Barbatos was also revealed. The titular gundam, Gundam Barbatos is also released as part of the Master Grade line of gunpla models.


Reception

The series premiere received generally positive reviews from critics. ''
Anime News Network Anime News Network (ANN) is a news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, video games, Japanese popular music and other related cultures within North America, Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan. The website offers reviews and ot ...
''s Nick Creamer gave the first episode a 4 out 5 stars, saying that "Iron-Blooded Orphans hits the ground running, establishing its world in the natural conversations of its many characters." He goes on to say that "Mari Okada's an inconsistent writer, but definitely a talented one, and given the focus of a traditional Gundam-style opening, her gift for illustrating character shines through." Zac Bertschy gave the series a 4.5 for the first episode, saying "Iron-Blooded Orphans has a lot of moving parts, but it's only deceptively complex; this episode starts out confusing (due to the relatively haphazard way they introduce all the various factions and the sizable cast) but as it goes on it all becomes very clear". He also adds "Instantly likable characters, desperate battles, a broad science fiction story about a colony struggling for independence, giant robots and even a Char-like smooth-talking pretty boy weirdo who's working with the bad guys; what's not to love?" However, the series has received some criticism from the Japanese Broadcasting Ethics and Program Improvement Organization, regarding the harsh themes and depictions of child soldiers in the anime. They also stated that "several nonresistant prisoners and enemy soldiers are gunned down by the young male protagonist. If you look at the title, one would immediately think of this as a children's show and that many children would be watching.", referring to one scene in Episode 3, and that "If you want to broadcast such material, please provide some sort of age limit for viewers."


References


External links


Official site

Official site
(MBS)
Official Adult Swim website
* {{Nichigo 2015 anime television series debuts 2016 anime television series debuts 2017 Japanese television series endings 2018 Japanese television series endings Animated television series about orphans Animation controversies in television Anime and manga controversies Fiction about discrimination Television series about rebellions Funimation Gundam anime and manga Hobby Japan manga Mainichi Broadcasting System original programming Mars in television Military anime and manga Shōnen manga Sunrise (company) TBS Television (Japan) original programming Television shows written by Mari Okada Real robot anime and manga Anime and manga set in Canada