Mobile Suit Gundam RG XARX-ZERO anime director Kenji Kamiyama said that the hostile "Apocalypse" ecosystem became a metaphor for humanity's fears of artificial intelligence.
In the world of the series, people receive three discoveries from a mysterious interstellar object: gravity control, superluminal communication, and cognitive materialization. New technologies bring prosperity, but soon the object gets out of control and creates a self-replicating "Apocalypse" ecosystem, forcing humanity to leave Earth.
According to Kamiyama, he was interested in the question of whether humanity can control technologies whose principles of operation it does not fully understand:
"Can we truly master technology that we didn't create ourselves, or will it eventually start using us? This is a metaphor for technologies that humanity is already beginning to struggle with in reality, including artificial intelligence."
Another important theme of Mobile Suit Gundam RG XARX-ZERO will be the anti-war message underlying Gundam:
"The anti-war idea is universal. The forms and meaning of war change over time, but the theme itself remains eternal."
Mobile Suit Gundam RG XARX-ZERO will be a prequel to the game GUNDAM ROGUE ORBIT. In the same interview, Kamiyama spoke about creating a common universe for the two projects, whose history spans about 150 years. Both projects are expected to be released in 2027.
Read more on the topic:
- Kenji Kamiyama devised 150 years of shared history for the anime Mobile Suit Gundam RG XARX-ZERO and the game GUNDAM ROGUE ORBIT
- Kenji Kamiyama Returns: Mobile Suit Gundam RG XARX-ZERO Anime Announced - A Prequel to the GUNDAM ROGUE ORBIT Game
- Following in the Footsteps of Armored Core: Bandai Namco Announces High-Budget Mech-Action Game Gundam Rogue Orbit