The very big, very old mecha franchise Mobile Suit Gundam has the outward appearance of being an impenetrable monolith of an anime. There are so many entries with so many different timelines that it can be a bewildering experience picking one to start with. It also doesn't help matters that these stories are often interconnected in unexpected ways, and loaded with twists, turns, and heady thematic content.
Thankfully, the situation isn't quite as complex as it seems to be from the outside. Gundam's showrunners have often created works with an eye for bringing beginners into the fold, meaning that there are a variety of side stories, alternate universes, and compilation films out there that don't require a decade's worth of background knowledge to understand.
Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War In The Pocket
War in the Pocket is set during the closing days of the One Year War, the destructive conflict that wreaked havoc throughout the Earth Sphere during the original Gundam anime. This short OVA story drops the dramatic scope of other Gundam anime in favor of a much smaller-scale narrative, choosing to tell the stories of civilians over soldiers.
The result is a tragic and unflinching look at the ways that war can irrevocably change people and communities, regardless of how directly they're related to the conflict. Fans consistently praise War in the Pocket for effectively selling the oft-repeated adage that Gundam is an "anti-war" story, and its self-contained narrative requires little background knowledge to understand.
Mobile Suit Gundam Wing
Gundam Wing has an impressive legacy, especially among anime fans in the west. The series has a dedicated cult following thanks, in part, to the fact that it aired on Cartoon Network's popular anime bloc -- Toonami. As such, many a child of the '90s got their first taste of Gundam by staying up far too late trying to catch a glimpse of some violent anime offering on TV.
Wing's legacy is also a complex one on account of it being one of the first "Alternate Universe" entries in the Gundam franchise, meaning that it's entirely disconnected from the events of the mainline continuity. This makes it a great choice for newcomers, but as an early AU Wing struggles somewhat to stake out its own identity next to its more established counterparts.
Turn A Gundam
Turn A is a very distinct entry in the franchise, eschewing many of the usual violent tropes of other Gundam anime in favor of a considerably more laid-back pacing and atmosphere that should be work even for beginners who don't like mecha anime. That isn't to say that the story doesn't feature Gundam's trademark interplanetary conflict, it just does so in a more somber, wistful sort of way.
In some respects, Turn A feels like the final Gundam anime. Although it's disconnected from the rest of the franchise in a literal sense, it offers what feels like conclusive resolutions to many of the themes and conflicts introduced in many other entries. It's an utterly unique Gundam story that isn't to be missed by newcomers and veterans alike.
Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn
Unicorn, also known as Mobile Suit Gundam UC, is an impressive-looking OVA set in the Universal Century timeline after the events of Char's Counterattack. Its position as a late entry in the UC timeline means that it does draw on characters and events established in that world's history, but the anime is written to be as newcomer-friendly as possible without undermining the lore of the Universal Century.
The story is largely self-contained, with few characters or factions from earlier Gundam titles getting too much screen time, and although some background knowledge will help contextualize the events of Unicorn, new fans should still be able to follow along without issue.
Mobile Fighter G Gundam
Most anime fans have heard that Gundam has a reputation as being a gritty, true-to-life war story; full of tragic character deaths, philosophical diatribes about humanity's future in space, and complex interstellar politics. Those fans have obviously never encountered G Gundam before.
G Gundam says goodbye to all that nerd crap and tells an action-packed story about kung-fu masters battling in a super-powered giant robot tournament for interplanetary bragging rights. G Gundam cares little for "complex themes" and "gripping war stories" because it's too busy putting together an awesome battle between robots with names like "Tequila Gundam" using powers like the Shining Finger. It's the coolest thing ever. Watch it.
Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team
08th MS Team is famous among Gundam fans for having a comparatively practical and down-to-Earth approach to Mobile Suit battles. While other shows feature complicated space politics and a heavy dose of philosophizing, 08th MS Team sets out to tell a straightforward story about the One Year War from a grunt's perspective.
As such, 08th MS Team has a reputation as being the most "grounded" Gundam anime, which has made it extremely popular among newcomers to the franchise. It also helps that it features some of the franchise's most outstanding action scenes, which have an excellently established weight and realism to them that sets them apart from other Gundam battle sequences.
Mobile Suit Gundam (T.V. Anime)
The original 1979 Mobile Suit Gundam is a masterwork of the era, one of anime's all-time great war stories, and a classic of the mecha genre. Although it stands as one of the most influential and greatest anime ever produced, that doesn't necessarily mean it's perfect.
Gundam infamously suffered from myriad production difficulties during its original run, including the hospitalization of certain key staff and a less-than-generous budget. Although those setbacks don't harm the core themes of the show, they do result in some occasionally janky animation which can be a turnoff for newcomers. It's still a classic, but it's perhaps difficult to penetrate for those without much of a background in '70s anime.
Mobile Suit Gundam Iron Blooded Orphans
Iron Blooded Orphans is an AU story about a group of insurrectionary mercenaries fighting a battle against the military arm of a government that seeks to keep Mars and its people exploitable for Earth's profit. The show has a gritty, grimy aesthetic that helps sell the atmosphere of the setting, and it sets itself apart from other Gundam shows by featuring predominantly close-quarters melee battles between mobile suits, as opposed to ranged beam engagements.
A cast of likable characters, exhilarating action, and a gritty atmosphere have made Iron Blooded Orphans one of Gundam's most popular alternate universes, and its availability on Netflix makes it easily accessible for franchise beginners.
Mobile Suit Gundam 00
Gundam 00 is among the best-regarded AU entries in the franchise, and its self-contained narrative and unique identity among Gundam anime make it an ideal entry point for new fans. 00 is evidently inspired by the real-world geopolitics of the post-9/11 era, with the series drawing from some actual armed conflicts to serve as the backdrop to its science-fiction story.
This makes 00 feel much closer to our own world than the distant futures depicted in other entries in the franchise, giving the story the air of a nuanced political thriller asking questions about how armed non-state actors can influence the global balance of power. It's also got some pretty awesome robots.
Mobile Suit Gundam (Film Trilogy)
The Mobile Suit Gundam film trilogy is a condensed version of the original series released shortly after the anime's T.V. run in 1979. The main advantages that the film trilogy has over the original series are some improved animation and pacing, as well as the inherent advantage in accessibility that a shorter product has over a longer one.
The "trilogy vs. original anime" debate has been raging in Gundam fan circles for decades and is unlikely to be resolved any time soon. Still, those who don't have much experience with old anime, mecha anime, or Gundam, will probably want to dip their toes into the franchise via a more digestible package, and in this case, that's the film trilogy.