Mobile Suit Gundam

"It is the year 0079 of the Universal Century. A half-century has passed since Earth began moving its burgeoning population into gigantic orbiting space colonies. A new home for mankind, where people are born and raised... and die."

– The opening narration for the original Gundam 0079

Giant Robots have been a staple of media east and west since the 1950s. But it was only in 1979 that Japanese animator and all-around madlad Yoshiyuki Tomino chose to use them to tell a tale of war and the costs of war, of the use of giant robots as weapons no different from tanks and planes. From such seeds would be borne not only an Anime franchise, but an entire genre that would go on to redefine not just Anime, but tabletop wargaming, video games and much, much more.

Basically, Gundam is to Japan what Star Wars is to the United States. A tentpole of popular sci-fi media, a property that has grown and changed with generations and shows no signs of slowing down. Its influence can be felt everywhere, especially in the Traditional Games sphere where everything from Battletech to the Tau owe at least something to Gundam.