Is Gundam anti-war? Why Yoshiyuki Tomino is frustrated with modern fans

Mobile Suit Gundam is perhaps the most popular mecha anime series in the world, and it was born as an anti-war rallying cry from a director who remembers seeing his hometown bombed during World War II. It was also the first series to introduce the Real Robot concept to the mecha genre, with giant robots that are simply war machines and not some sort of beings with a will of their own.

But in recent years, Gundam creator Yoshiyuki Tomino has repeatedly expressed his frustration with the franchise. The May 2026 issue of Animage, which is already out in Japan, featured a new interview with him where he was quite honest about his feelings about the franchise and, especially, its fandom.

Gundam Build fighter's mobile suits the Gundam origin

Family

Gundam: Every Series and Where to Watch Them

With so many Gundam series available to fans, it can be difficult to find where to watch them. Here's a compiled list of where you can watch each series.

Tomino is not happy with what Gundam has become

According to Automaton, in a new interview published in AnimageYoshiyuki Tomino has expressed his frustration over what Gundam has become and its fans. He claims that the series, which began as an anime built on anti-war sentiment and partially inspired by the American Civil War, has distanced itself from its original message. Instead, the fandom is now populated by “military geeks” who are mostly interested in cool robots, in his view.

Even among Gundam fans, there are many who make statements that are far from anti-war. They seem to be stuck in a purely military geek mindset, and in the end nothing of substance may emerge.

But instead of just trashing the fans, Tomino has taken responsibility for it. He has said that young creators seem to have “no hint of war experience” and that they do not understand the nature of war and focus on delivering a spectacle. This is a failure that he believes he should have prevented by teaching them about it properly. Therefore, what Tomino seems really frustrated with is that his legacy is now a franchise that is more about robots and less about the message he wanted to portray.

While this wasn't the first time Tomino mentioned that he thinks the franchise diverged from what he originally intended, perhaps he's never been so blunt about it. He also expressed concern about current global politics, especially in Japan.

Gundam Hathaway is coming to US theaters

For those who like Tomino's original concept of Gundam, the movie Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway: The Sorcery of Nymph Circe will hit theaters in the US on May 15, 2026. This is the second film of Gundam Hathaway trilogy, and the first is available on Netflix.

Guess the anime from the emojis.

Light (120s) Medium (90s) Hard (60s)

The three films will adapt the novel of the same name written by Tomino and published in Japan from 1989 to 1990. Hathaway is set in the Universal Century and is attached to Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattackwhich takes place after this film/novel.

Gundam Live-Action is now in production

Mobile Suit Gundam Iron Blooded Orphans Barbatos

There's also a new live-action film in production, starring Sydney Sweeney and Noah Centineo. This project has been in development since 2018, probably with many ups and downs. Netflix announced its commitment to the production in 2021, but for years there was no further news, leading many to wonder if the film would be cancelled. The plot is an original story but involves a war between Earth and former space colonies, reflecting the setting of the first Gundam anime.