Bandai Namco has announced the anime series Mobile Suit Gundam RG XARX-ZERO, pronounced "Alex Zero." The project will be the starting point for the large-scale multimedia initiative RG Project, led by Kenji Kamiyama ("Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex"). The director is working on the new universe with writer Toh Enjoe, who participated in the creation of "Ghost in the Shell" 2026.
Along with the announcement, Bandai Namco released a debut teaser and the first poster for the series.
The events of Mobile Suit Gundam RG XARX-ZERO will unfold in the original "After Apocalypse" timeline approximately 100 years before the plot of the GUNDAM ROGUE ORBIT game, presented at Summer Game Fest:
"Three revelations received from an autonomous interstellar object from another galaxy marked an era of unprecedented prosperity, allowing humanity to master the entire Solar System: gravity control, superluminal communication, and cognitive materialization. However, less than ten years later, the object unexpectedly went out of control, giving rise to an aggressive self-replicating ecosystem that people dubbed the 'Apocalypse.' After three months of desperate battles in Earth's orbit, humanity was forced to leave the planet, declaring that year the first year After Apocalypse – A.A. 1. By the 45th year of the A.A. era, children born on the Moon and in space colonies no longer knew life without the threat of the Apocalypse. And then, on the surface of the Moon, a young man named Ray Azumi awakens…"
Kamiyama admitted that creating a completely new timeline initially raised too many questions for him:
"When I was offered to create a 'Gundam' in a completely new timeline, I was bogged down with questions: what to replace the Earth Federation and the Principality of Zeon with? What would happen to the concept of Newtypes? What to do with Minovsky particles? What place would war occupy in all of this? The more I thought about what makes 'Gundam' 'Gundam,' the further I moved away from creative excitement. Then I stepped back and reminded myself: I had the chance to create my own 'Gundam' from scratch for a series I had loved for years. What could be more exciting? As soon as I returned to that feeling, a completely fresh and unexpected 'Gundam' began to emerge. That became Mobile Suit Gundam RG XARX-ZERO."
SOLA ANIMATION is responsible for animation production, while SUNRISE is in charge of project planning. The "Gundam" design was developed by Eiichi Shimizu, character design and animation direction are handled by Miyako Takasu, and the music will be composed by Go Shiina. The main character, Ray Azumi, will be voiced by Takeo Otsuka, known for his role as Aquamarine Hoshino in "Oshi no Ko."
The premiere of Mobile Suit Gundam RG XARX-ZERO and GUNDAM ROGUE ORBIT is scheduled for 2027.