Relight Of Gundam: The One Year War - Kai Shiden and his Mobile Suit Progression

 

As depicted in the first four volumes of my Relight of Gundam: The One Year War series Books I - No Man's Sky through IV - Forest For A Tree, Kai Shiden is a loyal rival and executive officer of the Gundam Force. He helps evacuate Side 7 by commandeering Blue Gundam and becoming its pilot for several months before Blue is to be wrecked by Casval Rem Deikun (formerly Char Aznable) going off the handle upon the deaths of Lalah Sune at the hands of the Zeon Newtypes and Ryu Jose by Casval in his betrayal attack on and escape from White Base to close out what is the Earth Federation's Battle of Terra Luna. With his status as a Newtype emerging through the war, he turns to Amuro's spirit for guidance.

Throughout most of the One Year War, the Blue Gundam piloted by our Kai serves him faithfully and becomes the best embodiment of water or the seas to strengthen the Gundam Force as protectors of nature that Earth bequeathed to all humanity to nurture and protect. A drifter in Side 7 who was unsure of his place in life even through losses, Kai took the sacrifice of his rival Amuro Ray harder than anyone. It was only through some gentle support from his team that he pulled through to protect his new friends and embrace the gentle, uplifting guidance of his rival watching over him.

Over the course of the final two volumes of my Relight of Gundam: The One Year War series Books IV - Forest For A Tree and V - Waves Of Peace, he takes up more responsibility as the executive officer of the Gundam Force even as his Blue Gundam was wrecked by Casval Rem Deikun (formerly Char Aznable) going off the deep end upon the deaths of Lalah Sune at the hands of the Zeon Newtypes and Ryu Jose by Casval in his betrayal attack on and escape from White Base. With his own Blue Gundam contributing replacement parts and components alongside the remains of Artesia (formerly Sayla)'s Red Gundam, Ryu's Yellow Gundam, Fraw's Pink Gundam, Hayato's Green Gundam and Lalah's White Gundam to create the RX-78-2 Gundam for Artesia, Kai needs a new mobile weapon for the final Battle of A Baoa Qu.

Throughout the rest of the One Year War, the RX-77-2 Guncannon mobile suit's prototype was being studied by the White Base crew. Finally, Kai is ready to pilot her alongside his friends with Fraw in the GM, Hayato in the Guntank and Artesia in a reborn hybrid Gundam to lead the Earth forces and Munzo (Side 3) Independents against the Principality of Zeon led by Gihren Zabi and the Cult of Char led by Casval. During the Battle of A Baoa Qu, Kai leads the Earth and Munzo forces in stopping A Baoa Qu from being crashed into Earth and then helps redirect it to crash onto the ruins of the Zeonic Corporation and Anaheim Electronics' bases on the Moon. With the Guntank and Guncannon destroyed, only Artesia's Gundam Core Block Fighter and Fraw's GM help Hayato and Kai escape the fortress's destruction to Earth.

Mobile Suit Gundam Characters and Situations ®, ™ and © Bandai Namco Holdings, Nippon Sunrise, and the Tomino and Yatate Family Estates. Produced for the Nagoya Broadcasting Network (名古屋テレビ放送株式会社) and TV Asahi (株式会社テレビ朝日).