We have released an interview with Director Kenji Kamiyama, conducted at the recent SDCC (San Diego Comic-Con), regarding the new Gundam series "Mobile Suit Gundam RG XARX-ZERO", which is set to launch in Japan and North America in April 2027.

He discusses the expanding universe and concepts of this new series, so be sure to check it out!

――How would you describe the new Mobile Suit Gundam RG XARX-ZERO anime and the broader universe you’re building around it?

It’s a story about the battle between humanity and an autonomous interstellar object that flew in from beyond the solar system (later called the Apocalypse), fought over the right to survive on Earth, and, unfolding behind it, the conflicts and growth of young boys and girls.

――Could you tell us about your personal impressions of past Gundam entries, what you consider to be the series’ strengths, and any favorite titles you may have?

Gundam was the first anime in the history of Japanese animation to deliberately make an ordinary, everyday boy its protagonist. When it first aired I was the same age as the protagonist, and I remember overlaying my own feelings onto those of the characters. It’s a special work that made me realize that anime is a form of expression capable of such rich emotional depth. For that reason, the first Gundam(Mobile Suit Gundam) is a central existence for me.

――How closely did the anime and game development teams collaborate while building this shared setting?

At first, the game side proposed a premise in which Gundam fights a giant, space-monster-like mecha. From there, the anime side built out the setting - the nature of the enemy and the structure of the war that takes place in this world - and then created the story that unfolds on top of it. Taking that in turn, the game side then built out its own setting for 100 years later.

――Many fans were surprised to see an alien threat become the enemy of humanity in Gundam Rogue Orbit. Does the new anime also depict this kind of conflict? If so, could you tell us more about this decision.

Yes, it is depicted. But first we set the image of the “enemy” - which was conceived from the game’s controls and gameplay - as a common platform, and from there we each chose the settings and methodology suited to our respective forms of expression.

――How long has this new Gundam project been in development, and when you were first approached, what was the core pitch that convinced you this was the right story to tell? Was there a particular angle or concept that immediately clicked for you?

The offer came to me about five years ago, during the COVID period, I believe. Around that time I had a few other directorial projects overlapping, so it took a while to actually get started. Even so, Gundam is the anime series that influenced me more than any other, and I was drawn by the chance to make an original series with a fundamentally different premise from anything before it — so I was set on directing it.

――Does XARX ZERO take place within an existing continuity, or is it establishing its own timeline?

It has its own independent timeline. That said, the reason I deliberately gave the protagonist the name “Ray” is that, even within a story set on a new timeline and in a new world, I wanted viewers to grasp intuitively — without any complicated explanation — that he is unmistakably the protagonist. There’s also a character clad in red who appears, and I did that because I wanted viewers to intuitively understand what red signifies in the Gundam series.