Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt

Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt (Japanese: 機動戦士ガンダム サンダーボルト, Hepburn: Kidō Senshi Gandamu Sandāboruto) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yasuo Ohtagaki. It has been serialized in Shogakukan's seinen manga magazine Big Comic Superior since March 2012, with its chapters collected in twenty-five tankōbon volumes as of February 2025. The story takes place in the Universal Century timeline during and after the events of Mobile Suit Gundam. The manga is licensed in English Viz Media in North America and by Shogakukan Asia in Southeast Asia.

Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt
First tankōbon volume cover
機動戦士ガンダム サンダーボルト (Kidō Senshi Gandamu Sandāboruto)
Genre	Adventure, science fiction[1]
Created by	Hajime Yatate Yoshiyuki Tomino
Manga
Written by	Yasuo Ohtagaki
Published by	Shogakukan
English publisher	NA: Viz Media SG: Shogakukan Asia
Magazine	Big Comic Superior
Original run	23 March 2012 – present
Volumes	25
Original net animation
Directed by	Kō Matsuo
Written by	Kō Matsuo
Music by	Naruyoshi Kikuchi
Studio	Sunrise
Licensed by	NA: Sunrise
Released	25 December 2015 – 14 July 2017
Runtime	15−20 minutes
Episodes	8
Anime film
Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt: December Sky
Directed by	Kō Matsuo
Written by	Kō Matsuo
Music by	Naruyoshi Kikuchi
Studio	Sunrise
Licensed by	AUS: Madman Entertainment NA: Sunrise
Released	25 June 2016
Runtime	71 minutes
Anime film
Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt: Bandit Flower
Directed by	Kō Matsuo
Written by	Kō Matsuo
Music by	Naruyoshi Kikuchi
Studio	Sunrise
Licensed by	AUS: Madman Entertainment NA: Sunrise
Released	18 November 2017
Runtime	89 minutes

An original net animation (ONA) series adaptation by Sunrise was released between December 2015 and April 2016. A second part was released between March and July 2017.

Plot

The series takes place concurrently with Mobile Suit Gundam, during the One Year War but is not canonical to the original anime.^[2] In U.C. 0079, the Earth Federation's Moore Brotherhood and the Principality of Zeon's Living Dead Division engage in a fierce battle in the "Thunderbolt Sector" (サンダーボルト宙域, Sandāboruto Chū-iki), a shoal zone littered with debris from destroyed space colonies, named for its frequent electrical discharges. Since the outbreak of the war, Zeon forces have secured the Thunderbolt Sector as it is a vital supply route to the Zeon-aligned A Baoa Qu asteroid fortress. The story focuses on Federation soldier Io Fleming as he battles Zeon's best sniper, Daryl Lorenz.

Characters

Earth Federation

Moore Brotherhood

The Moore Brotherhood (ムーア同胞団, Mūa Dōhō-dan) is an Earth Federation squadron consisting of former residents of the space colonies of Side 4: Moore, with the intent of punishing the Principality of Zeon for destroying their homeland.

Io Fleming (イオ・フレミング, Io Furemingu)

Voiced by: Yuichi Nakamura (Japanese); Max Mittelman (English)

Io Fleming is a Federation ensign and mobile suit pilot known for playing free jazz over his radio during combat. Before the One Year War, he competed in air racing events on Side 4 with friends Claudia Peer and Cornelius Qaqa. After his father, Side 4's mayor, dies during the war's outbreak, Io joins the Moore Brotherhood fleet. During a mission in the Thunderbolt Sector, he commandeers a Zeon Rick Dom and later pilots the Full Armor Gundam against the Living Dead Division. Captured and beaten, he escapes during the Battle of A Baoa Qu. Seven months post-war, he pilots the RX-78AL Atlas Gundam aboard the Spartan.

Claudia Peer (クローディア・ペール, Kurōdia Pēru)

Voiced by: Toa Yukinari (Japanese); Cherami Leigh (English)

Captain of the Beehive. Claudia finds her position uneasy, especially with Io as her lover. She is further disgusted when the Earth Federation sends teenage pilots to her fleet as reinforcements. The war takes a huge toll on her, as she resorts to taking depressant drugs before Io snaps her out of an overdose. During the last leg of the Moore Brotherhood's operation, her fleet is destroyed and she is shot by her XO Graham, who blames her and the Brotherhood elites for the death of his family. Eight months after the One Year War, Claudia is revealed to have survived the gunshot and is currently a commander in the South Seas Alliance.

Cornelius Kaka (コーネリアス・カカ, Kōneriasu Kaka)

Voiced by: Daisuke Hirakawa (Japanese); Christian La Monte (English)

An engineer aboard the Beehive and Io's best friend. As Io seemingly has an allergic reaction that causes him to sneeze in the hangar, Cornelius often lends him a pack of tissues. Following the events of the One Year War, Cornelius is reassigned to the Spartan as the ship's engineer.

Graham (グラハム, Guraham)

Voiced by: Shunsuke Sakuya (Japanese); Ray Chase (English)

A Federation XO aboard the Beehive. He is uncomfortable with serving under Claudia. After the Beehive is severely damaged by the Psycho Zaku, Graham shoots Claudia before he is consumed by the ship's final explosion.

Spartan crew

The Spartan (スパルタン, Suparutan) is a Pegasus-class warship that serves as the protagonists' base in the series' second season.

Bianca Carlyle (ビアンカ・カーライル, Bianka Kārairu)

Voiced by: Yurina Furukawa

A Federation Ensign who initially pilots an RGM-79 GM during Operation Star One. After the One Year War, she is assigned the Guncannon Aqua aboard the Spartan. Like Io, Bianca is a jazz enthusiast. She sports several tattoos on her body that represent her numerous battles during and after the One Year War.

Vincent Pike (ビンセント・パイク, Binsento Paiku)

Voiced by: Tomokazu Sugita

Captain of the Spartan.

Monica Humphrey (モニカ・ハンフリー, Monika Hanfurī)

Voiced by: Sayuri Sadaoka

A Federation Captain aboard the Spartan. During Operation Star One, she led a special forces team to capture the Flanagan Institute labs and acquire Zeon's psycommu technology.

Earth Federation Forces

Barclay (バークレー, Bākurē)

Voiced by: Kenji Nomura^[3]

An ace Core Fighter pilot.

Josh (ジョシュ, Josshu)

Voiced by: Toshiharu Nakanishi^[3]

Meg Reihm (メグ・リーム, Megu Rīmu)^[4]

Voiced by: Rina Satō^[3]

A bridge operator aboard the Spartan. She is ranked as a Sergeant in the Federation Army.^[4]

Alicia (アリシア, Arishia)

Voiced by: Kaori Ishihara^[3]

A rookie mobile suit pilot. She is ranked as a Sergeant in the Federation Army.^[4]

Sonia (ソニア)

Voiced by: Saori Onishi^[3]

A Guntank pilot in a Federation Special Forces unit. She is ranked as a Lieutenant in the Federation Army.^[4]

Creed (クリード, Kurīdo)

Voiced by: Kazuya Nakai^[3]

Leader of a Federation Special Forces unit.

Principality of Zeon

Living Dead Division

The Living Dead Division (リビング・デッド師団, Ribingu Deddo Shidan) is a Principality of Zeon squadron made of amputee pilots fitted with metal prosthetic limbs. The division is assigned to defend the Thunderbolt Sector from the Federation.

Daryl Lorenz (ダリル・ローレンツ, Dariru Rōrentsu)

Voiced by: Ryohei Kimura (Japanese); Johnny Yong Bosch (English)

Daryl Lorenz is a Zeon Chief Petty Officer and ace sniper who carries a vintage radio playing oldies music. During the early stages of the One Year War, he loses his legs to mortar fire in a colony raid. While fighting Io Fleming in the Thunderbolt Sector, his Zaku I is destroyed, costing him his left hand. To better interface with the experimental Psycho Zaku, he voluntarily amputates his right hand. After a fierce battle with the Full Armor Gundam, he escapes and later receives a Gelgoog, though his prosthetics hinder its operation. Post-war, he joins a Zeon remnant group in the South Pacific.

Karla Mitchum (カーラ・ミッチャム, Kāra Mitchamu)

Voiced by: Sayaka Ohara (Japanese); Tara Sands (English)

Karla Mitchum is a Zeon scientist involved in the Reuse P. Device (リユース・Ｐ・デバイス, Riyūsu Pī Debaisu) project, developing prosthetics for the Living Dead Division. Hoping to secure her dissident father’s release, she serves Zeon with dedication. After Io Fleming kills pilot Hoover, she urges Daryl Lorenz to retaliate. Traumatized after witnessing allies die during the Dried Fish’s destruction, she falls into a catatonic state. She awakens post-war, but her mental state regresses to adolescence due to the psychological toll.

J. J. Sexton (J・J・セクストン, Jei Jei Sekusuton)

Voiced by: Hiroshi Tsuchida (Japanese); Will Barrett (English)

A Zeon scientist in charge of the RPD project. He treats the Living Dead Division pilots as lab rats. During the evacuation of the Dried Fish, Sexton sneaks through a pile of injured soldiers and jumps into an escape pod. He was later seen as a member of the South Seas Alliance.

Burroughs (バロウズ, Barousu)

Voiced by: Mutsumi Sasaki (Japanese); Scott Williams (English)

Captain of the Dried Fish, the Living Dead Division's flagship. Like the division's pilots, Burroughs is an amputee, sporting a prosthetic right arm. He and his main crew are killed after the Full Armor Gundam fires at the Dried Fish's bridge.

Sean Mitadera (ショーン・ミタデラ, Shōn Mitadera)

Voiced by: Shinya Hamazoe (Japanese); Ivan Nemer (English)

A Zaku pilot with prosthetic arms. He is seemingly killed by Io when the latter uses his Zaku as a shield against Daryl, but in fact survives and relocates to Earth after the war concludes, working as a member of an independent salvage company.

Hoover (フーバー, Fūbā)

Voiced by: Kent Itō (Japanese); Jamison Boaz (English)

A Rick Dom pilot with a prosthetic left arm, he is described by Daryl as a "playboy-wannabe". Hoover is shot in the head by Io, who then hijacks his Rick Dom to leak the Living Dead Division's sniper positions to the Moore Brotherhood.

Fisher Ness (フィッシャー・ネス, Fisshā Nesu)

Voiced by: Ryōsuke Morita (Japanese); Chris Jai Alex (English)

A Rick Dom pilot with prosthetic legs. During the final battle between the Moore Brotherhood and the Living Dead Division, he retreats to rendezvous with Zeon reinforcements to rescue his comrades. Fisher and Daryl become part of a Zeon Remnant army in the South Pacific after the One Year War.

Layton (レイトン, Reiton)

Voiced by: Shuuhei Iwase (Japanese); Todd Haberkorn (English)

A Gattle pilot and Daryl's close friend. After firing a direct hit on the Beehive with a Big Gun, he is killed by the Moore Brotherhood fleet's countering fire.

Keith Meyers (キース・マイヤーズ, Kīsu Maiyāzu)

Voiced by: Hiroshi Murata (Japanese); Wayne Grayson (English)

Denver Roche (デンバー・ローチ, Denbā Rōchi)

Voiced by: Keisuke Kōmoto (Japanese); Daniel J. Edwards (English)

A Zeon soldier who wears a black face mask and has a prosthetic leg. During the Moore Brotherhood's takeover of the Dried Fish, Denver detonates a suicide bomb in the vessel's armory.

Zeon Remnants

Billy Hickam (ビリー・ヒッカム, Birī Hikkamu)

Voiced by: Ryōta Ōsaka (Japanese); Todd Haberkorn (English)

A Zeon Newtype pilot who served during the last days of the One Year War and is part of the Zeon Remnant army alongside Daryl and Fisher.

Sebastian Morse (セバスチャン・モース, Sebaschan Mōsu)

Voiced by: Yōji Ueda

A Zeon Acguy pilot.

Phillip Kaufman (フィリップ・カウフマン, Firippu Kaufuman)

Voiced by: Takaya Kuroda^[3]

A Zeon Gogg pilot and a crew member aboard the submarine Mad Angler (マッド・アングラー, Maddo Angurā).

Bull (ブル, Buru)

Voiced by: Kenichirou Matsuda^[3] (Japanese); Beau Billingslea (English)

A Grublo mobile armor pilot and baseball enthusiast who collects bobbleheads of baseball players. During the Antarctica skirmish, Bull faces the Atlas Gundam underwater. Despite heavily damaging his opponent, he is defeated by the Gundam's agility, and his mobile armor is crushed by the pressure of the deep sea.

South Seas Alliance

The South Seas Alliance (南洋同盟, Nan'yō Dōmei) is a Buddhist radical cult faction aligned with the Earth Federation until U.C. 0080, when it calls for independence. Its military consists primarily of mobile suits cobbled together from Federation and Zeon units from the One Year War. Intelligence reports reveal that the South Sea Alliance possesses the remains of Daryl's Psycho Zaku and plans to mass-produce its Reuse P. Device technology.

Levan Fuu (レヴァン・フウ, Revuan Fū)

Voiced by:

The Reverend and leader of the South Seas Alliance. He was once a test child for the Principality of Zeon to develop the perfect Newtype until the experiments damaged his brain. Following the One Year War, he converted to Buddhism and used his Newtype abilities to create his cult.

Chow Ming (チャウ・ミン, Chau Min)

Voiced by: Rie Takahashi

A Gouf pilot in the South Seas Alliance.

Media

Manga

Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt is written and illustrated by Yasuo Ohtagaki. In November 2011, Ohtagaki announced that he would put his other manga series, Moonlight Mile, on hiatus to start a new project,^[5] which was later revealed to be a (originally planned) Gundam mini-series.^[6] Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt started in Shogakukan's seinen manga magazine Big Comic Superior magazine on 23 March 2012.^[7][8] In June 2025, it was announced that the manga would end in eight chapters.^[9] Shogakukan has collected its chapters into individual tankōbon volumes. The first volume was released on 30 October 2012.^[10] As of 28 February 2025, twenty-five volumes have been released.^[11]

North American publisher Viz Media announced their license to the series during their panel at Anime Expo on 1 July 2016.^[12]

Volumes

No.	Original release date	Original ISBN	English release date	English ISBN
1	30 October 2012[10]	978-4-09-184810-9	22 April 2015 (Singapore)[13] 15 November 2016 (North America)[14]	978-981-09-4369-1 (Singapore) 978-1-4215-9055-4 (North America)
2	30 May 2013[15]	978-4-09-185307-3	27 May 2015 (Singapore)[16] 21 February 2017 (North America)[17]	978-981-09-4370-7 (Singapore) 978-1-4215-9260-2 (North America)
3	28 February 2014[18]	978-4-09-186080-4	22 July 2015 (Singapore)[19] 16 May 2017 (North America)[20]	978-981-09-4371-4 (Singapore) 978-1-4215-9261-9 (North America)
4	28 November 2014[21]	978-4-09-186718-6	April 2016 (Singapore)[22] 15 August 2017 (North America)[23]	978-981-09-4372-1 (Singapore) 978-1-4215-9302-9 (North America)
5	27 February 2015[24]	978-4-09-186855-8	21 November 2017 (North America)[25]	978-1-4215-9303-6
6	30 October 2015[26]	978-4-09-187269-2	20 February 2018 (North America)[27]	978-1-4215-9304-3
7	25 December 2015[28]	978-4-09-187538-9	15 May 2018 (North America)[29]	978-1-4215-9505-4
8	24 July 2016[30]	978-4-09-187705-5	21 August 2018 (North America)[31]	978-1-4215-9506-1
9	30 January 2017[32]	978-4-09-189446-5	20 November 2018 (North America)[33]	978-1-4215-9915-1
10	30 August 2017[34]	978-4-09-189634-6	19 February 2019 (North America)[35]	978-1-9747-0107-0
11	28 February 2018[36]	978-4-09-189851-7	21 May 2019 (North America)[37]	978-1-9747-0646-4
12	30 July 2018[38]	978-4-09-860092-2	20 August 2019 (North America)[39]	978-1-9747-0746-1
13	26 April 2019[40]	978-4-09-860332-9	18 February 2020 (North America)[41]	978-1-9747-1198-7
14	30 August 2019[42]	978-4-09-860425-8	21 July 2020 (North America)[43]	978-1-9747-1532-9
15	28 February 2020[44]	978-4-09-860585-9	19 January 2021 (North America)[45]	978-1-9747-2072-9
16	30 September 2020[46]	978-4-09-860739-6	17 August 2021 (North America)[47]	978-1-9747-2295-2
17	26 February 2021[48]	978-4-09-861007-5	15 February 2022 (North America)[49]	978-1-9747-2653-0
18	30 September 2021[50]	978-4-09-861164-5	18 October 2022 (North America)[51]	978-1-9747-3248-7
19	28 February 2022[52]	978-4-09-861284-0	21 March 2023 (North America)[53]	978-1-9747-3616-4
20	30 September 2022[54]	978-4-09-861449-3	21 November 2023 (North America)[55]	978-1-9747-4044-4
21	28 February 2023[56]	978-4-09-861621-3	19 March 2024 (North America)[57]	978-1-9747-4373-5
22	30 August 2023[58]	978-4-09-862578-9	19 November 2024 (North America)[59]	978-1-9747-4932-4
23	29 February 2024[60]	978-4-09-862578-9	20 May 2025 (North America)[61]	978-1-9747-5496-0
24	30 July 2024[62]	978-4-09-863048-6	16 September 2025 (North America)[63]	978-1-9747-5292-8
25	28 February 2025[11]	978-4-09-863373-9	—	—
26	29 August 2025[64]	978-4-09-863603-7	—	—

Anime

A 4-episode original net animation adaptation, produced by Sunrise, was confirmed on 28 October 2015.^[65][66] It was directed and written by Kō Matsuo, with character designs from Hirotoshi Takaya and mechanical designs from Morifumi Naka, Seiichi Nakatani and Hajime Katoki. It premiered on 25 December 2015 with the last episode officially aired on 8 April 2016 via pay to watch service in Japan, with early access from the Gundam Fan Club app service on 11 December 2015.^{[67][68][69][70]} The first episode was streamed outside Japan for a limited time from 25 December 2015 to 7 January 2016. A 4-episode second season was announced by Bandai Visual on 18 November 2016^[71] and premiered on 24 March 2017.^[72] Sunrise announced in the 2017 Anime Expo that the second season will receive an English dub.^[73]

Episodes

No.	Directed by	Storyboarded by	Original release date
Part 1
1	Kou Matsuo	Kou Matsuo	25 December 2015 (2015-12-25)
The Moore Brotherhood's Beehive flagship launches a squadron of GMs across the Thunderbolt Sector to break through the Principality of Zeon's defenses, only to be shot down by the Living Dead Division and their Big Gun units. Io Fleming, who manages to eject from his GM, guns down a Rick Dom pilot before commandeering the mobile suit and returning to the Beehive with the sniper location data. He is then assigned to pilot the new Full Armor Gundam prototype, which he uses to flush out three Big Gun units. Living Dead Division ace sniper Daryl Lorenz vows to avenge his fallen comrades and kill Io.
2	Shunichi Yoshizawa	Iwao Teraoka	12 February 2016 (2016-02-12)
During the Full Armor Gundam's second sortie in the Thunderbolt Sector, Io once again confronts Daryl. Daryl narrowly escapes after throwing a Cracker grenade at the Gundam, but he loses his left hand in the process. As the Living Dead Division is desperate to hasten the Reuse P. Device project to combat the Gundam, Daryl has his right hand amputated so that his body will have full control of the experimental Psycho Zaku.
3	Shinya Watada	Hajime Katoki	18 March 2016 (2016-03-18)
The Moore Brotherhood receives reinforcements from the Earth Federation, but the new mobile suit pilots are young teenagers, much to Io's chagrin. Feeling the pressure of the war, Claudia resorts to drugs before Io snaps her out of an overdose. Io leads the young cadets to break through the Living Dead Division's final defenses and attack the Dried Fish, but the battle becomes a massacre due to the young pilots' inexperience. Meanwhile, Daryl's Psycho Zaku ambushes and destroys the Beehive squadron, with Claudia assumed to have perished in the battle. Seeing that Daryl was not present in the defense of the Dried Fish, Io runs off to confront him.
4	Kou Matsuo	Kou Matsuo	22 April 2016 (2016-04-22)
With both sides suffering massive casualties, the Full Armor Gundam engages in a final showdown with the Psycho Zaku. Meanwhile, the surviving members of the Moore Brotherhood board the Dried Fish to take it over, but the remaining members of the Living Dead Division refuse to be taken prisoner and plan to self-destruct the vessel along with everyone on board. The Federation survivors manage to neutralize the Zeon crew and seize the Dried Fish, while Io and Daryl's battle results in heavy damage to both of their mobile suits. A Zeon reinforcement fleet then arrives and captures Io and the Federation survivors while rescuing any remaining Living Dead members.
Part 2
5	Kou Matsuo	Kou Matsuo	24 March 2017 (2017-03-24)
During the Earth Federation's assault on the Zeon's A Baoa Qu fortress, Io and his comrades escape captivity while several Zeon forces retreat, taking Io's Gundam with them. Eight months after the end of the One Year War, the Federation continues to battle Zeon remnants on Earth. The Federation carrier Spartan enters Earth orbit, but a Musai-class ship launches its Komusai shuttle for a kamikaze run on it. Suddenly, a new Gundam piloted by Io, the Atlas Gundam, is launched from below and it slices the Komusai in half to save the Spartan.
6	Kou Matsuo	Kou Matsuo	28 April 2017 (2017-04-28)
The South Seas Alliance, a Buddhist radical cult faction of the Federation, plots to declare itself independent. Furthermore, it is discovered that they possess the Reuse P. Device technology of Daryl's Psycho Zaku. The Spartan is assigned to track and destroy the Psycho Zaku before the South Seas Alliance can mass-produce the technology. In Antarctica, Bianca's squadron is ambushed by Zeon mobile suits. Io sorties in the Atlas Gundam and dispatches the enemy units before facing a Grublo mobile armor. The battle sends both units far too deep underwater and Io with his equipment lost slowly sinks to the bottom of the sea, but Bianca in her damaged Guncannon Aqua lifts him back to the surface.
7	Shunichi Yoshizawa	Kou Matsuo & Nobuhiko Genma	31 May 2017 (2017-05-31)
Due to the emotional trauma Karla suffered during the One Year War, her mind has regressed to that of an adolescent child with the Zeon Remnants now trying to take care of her in hopes of her adult mind to recover. Daryl's Acguy squadron heads to a South Seas Alliance-controlled city in Southeast Asia to retrieve a spy, but their cover is blown and they must fend off the island's mobile suits. Meanwhile, the Spartan is confronted by a South Seas Alliance mobile suit squadron, with Io's former commander and lover Claudia leading them.
8	Kou Matsuo	Kou Matsuo & Nobuhiko Genma	14 July 2017 (2017-07-14)
Tensions flare between the Spartan and the South Seas Alliance which results in a full on battle while Daryl's team is also having trouble in their hands finding their way out against a counterattack by the cult group. During the battle, several cultists break into the Spartan while Daryl manages to extract the Zeon spy out of the island. Meanwhile, Io and Bianca storm through the squadron of Dodai YS units to take back Claudia, but they are thwarted by Gouf pilot Chow Ming. The cultists boarding the Spartan are quickly repelled, but not before passing an item to a spy. Despite the temporary victory, Io learns that the leader of the South Seas Alliance, Levan Fuu, is a Newtype using his powers to brainwash his followers.

Films

A theatrical compilation film of the first season titled Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt: December Sky (機動戦士ガンダム サンダーボルト DECEMBER SKY, Kidō Senshi Gandamu Sandāboruto Dissenbā Sukai) was released in Japanese theaters on 25 June 2016 with the Blu-ray release on 29 July 2016.^[74][75] Sunrise and Anime Limited distributed the film outside Japan.^[76] A theatrical compilation film of the second season titled Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt: Bandit Flower (機動戦士ガンダム サンダーボルト BANDIT FLOWER, Kidō Senshi Gandamu Sandāboruto Banditto Furawā) was released in Japanese theaters between 18 November – 1 December 2017.^[77]