Mobile Suit Gundam is one of the most influental sci-fi franchises in the history of japanese animation. It has completely redefined the mecha genre and shaped the future of the franchise for decades to come. It is hard to put the impact of this franchise into words, so we are gonna leave it at this short description. The franchise itself has spawned countless anime, manga, toys & games. Most anime series can be devided into set timelines, with the main timeline, the "canon" timeline being the Universal Century.
Generally it is recommended to watch at least Mobile Suit Gundam before watching any other entries, but almost all Alternative Timelines are freely watchable on their own. There are some unconnected shorts like Gundam EVOLVE or the Gundam vs. Hello Kitty Spin-Off which aren't included in here.
All timelines:
Note: Since the entries should be watched individually the 'Episodes' column purely serves as an indicator for how long certain parts are
The Universal Century (short: U.C.) timeline of Gundam is ultimately considered to be the main parts of gundam. This is the central timeline and the main story. With the size of the Gundam franchise it comes to no surprise that not every single entry in the Universal Century is important to the main storyline. There is a lot of sidestories that at time don't even play remotely close to the main story. The Universal Century can be put into these orders:
Note: It is not included here but generally the Correct Century is seen as the finale of the Universal Century and although not confirmed it is theorized to play a few thousand years after the events of the Universal Century timeline
These are the main entries that should be watched if you want to watch the Universal Century timeline of gundam. Although not all of these parts start where the previous part ends they should be watched in order and no part should be skipped.
| Type | Entry | Episodes | Start Date | U.C. Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TV | Mobile Suit Gundam | 43 | Apr 07 1979 | 0079 |
| TV | Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam | 50 | Mar 02 1985 | 0087 |
| TV | Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ | 47 | Mar 08 1986 | 0088 |
| Movie | Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counter Attack | 1 | Mar 12 1988 | 0093 |
This order puts all Universal Century entries into the order they play in chronologically, based on the U.C. Years. Main Parts and generally big / noteworthy parts are marked bold and with a (*). To keep the names shorter, the "Mobile Suit Gundam"-Part of each name is left out and in cases like Zeta or ZZ it will be turned into -> "Zeta Gundam" & "Double Zeta" to make it more clear which part is meant.
Note: Cucuruz Doan's Island (2022) is a modern retelling of the infamous episode 15 of the original Mobile Suit Gundam, which was removed out of the official english broadcast because of subpar animation.
Note 2: In the case of Thunderbolt 1 & 2 most people prefer the alternative movie version, which are included under Summary Entries
| Type | Entry | Episodes | Start Date | U.C. Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OVA | The Origin (*) | 6 | Feb 28 2015 | 0068 |
| TV | Mobile Suit Gundam (*) | 43 | Apr 07 1979 | 0079 |
| Movie | Cucuruz Doan's Island | 1 | Jun 03 2022 | 0079 |
| ONA | Thunderbolt | 4 | Dec 25 2015 | 0079 |
| ONA | Thunderbolt 2 | 4 | Mar 24 2017 | 0079 |
| OVA | MS IGLOO: The Hidden One Year War | 3 | Nov 03 2004 | 0079 |
| OVA | MS IGLOO: Apocalypse 0079 | 3 | Apr 26 2006 | 0079 |
| OVA | MS IGLOO 2: Gravity of the Battlefront | 3 | Apr 24 2009 | 0079 |
| OVA | The 08th MS Team | 12 | Jan 25 1996 | 0079 |
| Special | The 08th MS Team - Battle in Three Dimensions | 1 | Feb 22 2013 | 0079 |
| OVA | 0080: War in the Pocket | 6 | Mar 25 1989 | 0080 |
| OVA | 0083: Stardust Memory | 13 | May 23 1991 | 0083 |
| Special | 0083: Stardust Memory - Mayfly of Space | 1 | 1992 | 0083 |
| TV | Zeta Gundam (*) | 50 | Mar 02 1985 | 0087 |
| TV | Double Zeta (*) | 47 | Mar 08 1986 | 0088 |
| Movie | Char's Counter Attack (*) | 1 | Mar 12 1988 | 0093 |
| OVA | Unicorn (*) | 7 | Feb 20 2010 | 0096 |
| ONA | Twilight AXIS | 6 | Jun 23 2017 | 0096 |
| Movie | Narrative | 1 | Nov 30 2018 | 0097 |
| Movie | Hathaway | 1 | Jun 11 2021 | 0105 |
| Movie | F91 | 1 | Mar 16 1991 | 0123 |
| TV | Victory Gundam (*) | 51 | Apr 2 1993 | 0153 |
These entries purely exist as summary or alternative entries for pre-existing entries listed in the above list. In some cases like Thunderbolt people prefer the alternative version, but in most cases the general rule is to prioritize the original version first and if you want to relive the story again you can watch the alternative. The entries are put in chronological order again to make it easier to find the respective alternative version.
| Type | Entry | Episodes | Start Date | U.C. Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TV | The Origin - Advent of the Red Comet | 13 | Apr 20 2019 | 0068 |
| Movie | Mobile Suit Gundam I | 1 | Mar 14 1981 | 0079 |
| Movie | Mobile Suit Gundam II: Soldiers of Sorrow | 1 | Jul 11 1981 | 0079 |
| Movie | Mobile Suit Gundam III: Encounters in Space | 1 | Mar 13 1982 | 0079 |
| Movie | Thunderbolt: December Sky | 1 | Jun 25 2016 | 0079 |
| Movie | Thunderbolt: Bandit Flower | 1 | Nov 18 2017 | 0079 |
| Movie | 08th MS Team - Miller's Report | 1 | Aug 01 1998 | 0079 |
| Movie | 0083: The Afterglow of Zeon | 1 | Aug 29 1992 | 0083 |
| Movie | Zeta Gundam: A New Translation I - Heir to the Stars | 1 | May 28 2005 | 0087 |
| Movie | Zeta Gundam: A New Translation II - Lovers | 1 | Oct 29 2005 | 0087 |
| Movie | Zeta Gundam: A New Translation III - Love is the Pulse of Stars | 1 | Mar 04 2006 | 0087 |
| TV | Unicorn RE: 0096 | 22 | Apr 03 2016 | 0096 |
| Movie | Twilight AXIS - Remain of the Red | 1 | Nov 18 2017 | 0096 |
Main Entries
| Type | Entry | Episodes | Start Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| TV | Mobile Suit Gundam Wing | 49 | Apr 07 1995 |
| Special | Gundam Wing: Frozen Teardrop Picture Drama | 1 | Jan 29 2014 |
| OVA | Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz | 3 | Jan 25 1997 |
Alternative/Summary Entries
| Type | Entry | Episodes | Start Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| OVA | Gundam Wing: Operation Meteor | 4 | Apr 25 1996 |
| Movie | Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz - Tokubetsu-hen | 1 | Aug 1 1998 |
Main Entries
| Type | Entry | Episodes | Start Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| TV | Mobile Suit Gundam Seed | 50 | Oct 05 2002 |
| OVA | Gundam Seed MSV Astray | 2 | Mar 01 2004 |
| Special | Gundam Seed: After-Phase Between the Stars | 1 | Mar 26 2004 |
| Special | Gundam Seed: Character Theater | 4 | Jun 22 2007 |
| TV | Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny | 50 | Oct 09 2004 |
| ONA | Gundam Seed C.E.73: Stargazer | 3 | Jul 14 2006 |
| OVA | Gundam Seed Destiny Final Plus: The Chosen Future | 1 | Dec 25 2005 |
| Movie | Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Freedom | 1 | Jan 26 2024 |
Alternative/Summary Entries
| Type | Entry | Episodes | Start Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Special | Gundam Seed: Special Edition | 3 | Aug 27 2004 |
| Special | Gundam Seed Destiny: Special Edition | 4 | May 2 2006 |
Note: GM's Counterattack can be watched either before or after Fighters Try
Note 2: Metaverse seems to be connected to both Build Fighters and Build Divers
Main Series
| Type | Entry | Episodes | Start Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| TV | Gundam Build Fighters | 25 | Oct 07 2013 |
| Special | Fighters: SD Kishi Fighters | 3 | Mar 26 2014 |
| ONA | Fighters: GM's Counterattack | 1 | Aug 25 2017 |
| TV | Gundam Build Fighters Try | 25 | Oct 08 2014 |
| OVA | Fighters Try: Island Wars | 1 | Aug 21 2016 |
Other Entries
| Type | Entry | Episodes | Start Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ONA | Gundam Build Fighters: Battlogue | 5 | Aug 04 2017 |
| ONA | Gundam Build Divers Prologue | 1 | Feb 02 2018 |
| TV | Gundam Build Divers | 25 | Apr 03 2018 |
| ONA | Divers Re:RISE | 13 | Oct 10 2019 |
| ONA | Divers Re:RISE 2nd Season | 13 | Apr 09 2020 |
| ONA | Divers Battlogue | 1 | Nov 13 2020 |
| ONA | Gundam Build METAVERSE | 3 | Oct 06 2023 |
These are centuries/timelines with only a few entries, that are 100% unrelated to any other Gundam entries. These are standalone timelines, or how ANN calls them: One-shot centuries.
| Type | Entry | Episodes | Start Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| TV | Mobile Fighter G Gundam | 49 | Apr 22 1994 |
| Type | Entry | Episodes | Start Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| TV | After War Gundam X | 39 | Apr 05 1996 |
Main Series
| Type | Entry | Episodes | Start Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| TV | Mobile Suit Gundam 00 | 25 | Oct 06 2007 |
| TV | Mobile Suit Gundam 00 2nd Season | 25 | Oct 05 2008 |
| Movie | Mobile Suit Gundam 00 the Movie: A Wakening of the Trailblazer | 1 | Sep 18 2010 |
Summary Entries
| Type | Entry | Episodes | Start Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Special | Gundam 00: Tenshitachi no Kiseki | 1 | Sep 25 2008 |
| OVA | Gundam 00: Special Edition | 3 | Oct 27 2009 |
Note: The OVA is a summary of the TV Series with a focus on two of the main characters
| Type | Entry | Episodes | Start Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| TV | Mobile Suit Gundam AGE | 49 | Oct 09 2011 |
| OVA | Mobile Suit Gundam AGE: Memory of Eden | 1 | Jul 26 2013 |
Main Series
| Type | Entry | Episodes | Start Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| TV | Gundam: Reconguista in G | 26 | Oct 03 2014 |
| Special | Gundam: Reconguista in G - From the Past to the Future | 1 | Mar 21 2015 |
Summary Entries
| Type | Entry | Episodes | Start Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Movie | Reconguista in G the Movie I - Go! Core Fighter | 1 | Nov 29 2019 |
| Movie | Reconguista in G the Movie II - Bellri's Fierce Charge | 1 | Feb 21 2020 |
| Movie | Reconguista in G the Movie III - Legacy from Space | 1 | Jul 22 2021 |
Note: Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Oprhans - Urdr Hunt was excluded because it is not available anywhere
| Type | Entry | Episodes | Start Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| TV | Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans | 25 | Oct 04 2015 |
| TV | Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans 2 | 25 | Oct 02 2016 |
| Type | Entry | Episodes | Start Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Special | Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury - PROLOGUE | 1 | Jul 14 2022 |
| TV | Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury | 12 | Oct 02 2022 |
| TV | Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury Season 2 | 12 | Apr 09 2023 |
Theoretically the Correct Century falls under the one-shot century category, there is one key difference tho. It is theorized / highly likely that the Correct Century is a continuation of the Universal Century thousands of years later. Many people see Turn A Gundam as the gundam that most resembles Yoshiyuki Tomino's ideology and it is generally recommended not to watch this part early on, but rather watch a few other Tomino Gundam Series (or if you want to go to extreme lengths: as many as possible) before watching this part, as this is a culmination of gundam themes and ideas.
Main Series
| Type | Entry | Episodes | Start Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| TV | Turn A Gundam | 50 | Apr 09 1999 |
Summary Entries
| Type | Entry | Episodes | Start Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Movie | Turn A Gundam I: earth Light | 1 | Feb 09 2002 |
| Movie | Turn A Gundam II: Moonlight Butterfly | 1 | Feb 10 2002 |
SD Gundam which is short for Superior Defender Gundam, or also Super Deformed Gundam, is a part of the Gundam Franchise which is completely unrelated to any century, other than the fact that some of the suits and in some cases some characters are taken from other entries. The series was mainly targetted towards the kid fans of the Gundam universe and also started its own Gunpla series, which is still very popular to this day.
Note: Unless they share a name / part of the name, the entries can be watched in any order. They are simply put in release order.
Note 2: SD Gundam's Counterattack is a spin-off of the first SD Gundam.
Note 3: Since all of the names include some form of "Mobile Suit SD Gundam" that part of the name is left out, unless the name of the series is directly connected to it.
| Type | Entry | Episodes | Start Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Special | Mobile Suit SD Gundam (MK. I) | 3 | Mar 12 1988 |
| OVA | Mk. II | 3 | Jun 25 1989 |
| OVA | SD Gundam's Counterattack | 2 | Jul 15 1989 |
| OVA | Mk. III | 6 | Mar 23 1990 |
| OVA | Gaiden | 4 | Apr 25 1990 |
| OVA | Mk. IV | 2 | Sep 25 1990 |
| OVA | Mk. V | 3 | Oct 25 1990 |
| OVA | Musha Knight Command Emergency Sortie SD Gundam Scramble | 2 | Mar 16 1991 |
| Movie | Festival | 1 | Mar 13 1993 |
| TV | Force | 52 | Jan 07 2004 |
| Movie | Chou Deneiban Sangokuden Brave Battle Warriors | 1 | Feb 27 2010 |
| TV Short | Sangokuden Brave Battle Warriors | 51 | Apr 03 2010 |
| ONA | World Sangoku Soketsuden | 10 | Jul 26 2019 |
| ONA | World Heroes | 24 | Apr 08 2021 |