Bandai Namco Filmworks unveils the key visual, a new teaser video, and character information for Gundam Build Metaverse, a three-episode anime celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Gundam Build franchise. The series will air on the official Gundam Channel on YouTube from October 2023.
Gundam Build Metaverse offers a new world where users can interact with each other and participate in Gunpla battles in a metaverse space using avatars.
The story follows a young boy from Hawaii, Rio Hojo, who plunges into this world. In the real world, Rio learns the art of Gunpla building from his teacher, Seria Urutuski, while in the metaverse, he is taught the intricacies of Gunpla battle by his mentor, Mask Lady. After honing his skills daily, Rio finally completes his original Gunpla, Lah Gundam, and encounters former Gunpla battle champions in the metaverse.
Additionally, it was also announced that “Gundam Build Metaverse” Gunpla products will be successively released from October 2023 onwards.
▍Gundam Build Metaverse Characters & Cast
■ Rio Hojo
A Boy who lives in Hawaii and loves Gunpla. He is interested in Japanese culture, Samurai, Ninja, and so forth thanks to the influence of his grandfather who came from Japan. His personality is cheerful and positive. He doesn’t fret even when he’s lost a battle as it’s more important to him to have fun.
■ Rio Hojo (Avatar)
■ Seria Urutsuki
Who works at the neighborhood hobby shop and teaches its Gunpla class. She sometimes appears goofy like when she even puts herself up in the classroom. After Rio begged her, she became the boy’s mentor for Gunpla Building. There are rumors that she used to be a famous Builder.
■ Mask Lady
Rio’s Gunpla Battle mentor exists in the Metaverse. Her skills are first-rate. She’s also so rigorous she never goes easy in practice battles.
▍Gundam Build Metaverse Mecha
■ Lah Gundam
A piece of Gunpla which Rio built using ENTRY GRADE RX-78-2 as its base. It was customized according to the “Japanese spirit” as understood by the boy who grew up in the Aloha State, and “Lah” in its name means “the sun” in Hawaiian. Even though he was a first-timer, the machine was meticulously finished through repeated trial and error, and Rio’s sunny admiration for Gunpla Battle was incorporated into it.
▍About Gundam Build
The Gundam franchise is a long-running media franchise that originated in Japan with the release of the first Gundam anime series in 1979. It is a science fiction series that depicts humanity’s struggle to survive in a future where conflicts are fought using giant robots known as Mobile Suits. The franchise has since expanded to include various anime series, manga, video games, and other forms of media, and has become a cultural icon in Japan and around the world.
One of the spin-off series of the Gundam franchise is the Gundam Build series. The series focuses on the concept of Gunpla, which refers to the plastic models of Mobile Suits that fans can assemble and customize. Gundam Build follows the story of various characters who engage in Gunpla battles, where they compete using their custom-built models. The series has gained a large following among Gundam fans and has even inspired real-life Gunpla building and competitions.
▍Gundam Build Metaverse ONA Staff & Production
Planning: Sunrise
Original Concept: Hajime Yatate, Yoshiyuki Tomino
Director: Masami Obari
Series Composition: Noboru Kimura
Character Design: Hirona Okada, Yoriko Goto, Ippei Gyobu
Fumina Design Cooperation: Humikane Shimada
Character Design Supervision: Kenichi Onuki
Mechanical Design: Kunio Okawara, Kanetake Ebikawa, Takayuki Yanase, Shinya Terashima, Naohiro Washio, Kotaro Ando (Studio Gs)
Chief Mechanic Animator: Yu Yoshiyama
Planning Cooperation: Bandai Spirits, Bandai Namco Entertainment
Production: Sunrise Beyond
Produced By: Bandai Namco Filmworks, Sotsu