For western viewers, 1990s Gundam most can be defined in a series: Gundam Wingthe sixth major entry in the franchise, and the one that would set the stage for rise of the mecha series in the west through its landmark broadcast run on Cartoon Network in 2000. But that was just one year later spike aired in Japan, Gundam is back with a whole new series—one that usually flies under the radar as one of the series’ most interesting additions.

After War Gundam X first broadcast in Japan in 1996, and now, outside of Blu-ray releases a few years ago, finally making its international streaming debut for Interest free this month. Put in what is in time Gundamof third alternative timeline—ie, not part of the “Universal Century” continuity of the first four Gundam Series are all about—after spike and its predecessor Gundam, Gundam X picks up a decade and a half after a deadly interstellar war has destroyed Earth and its space colonies. Following a young scavenger named Garrod Ran, one of the many survivors who makes a living by scavenging and repairing remaining mobile suit from the end of the war, Garrod discovers the titular Gundam X and crosses paths with the crew of the battleship Freeden and is wrapped up in their goals of protecting some Newtypes, people who have developed improved perspective from living in space, from exploiting various emerging factions that seek to push the Earth Sphere into interstellar conflict once again.

while GundamThe first alternate universe of spike and Gundam bears only a loose resemblance to the world-building framework of the Universal Century—mostly in the form of conflict between Earth and space colonies, and, of course, giant mecha—Gundam X is the first of the alternate universes to clearly battle one of the Gundamthe most interesting concepts in the form of Newtypes, both taking the literal name (other AU Gundam The show explores the concept through different lenses and names, of course) for these enhanced individuals and also examines their place in the world beyond their exploitation as assets of war. Even at that time Gundam X had a mixed reception—it ran for just 39 episodes, cut from the planned 49, and was eventually eclipsed in the west entirely by the success of Gundam Wingnever received an English-language dub—in the years since it has been re-examined and appreciated for its place in the the wider oeuvre on GundamAlternate timelines.

In the trifecta of the ’90s Gundam AUs (reject XDirect successor, 1999 anniversary series Back A Gundama series that, while self-sustaining, mostly plays with ideas that connect itself to the original timeline and the wider Gundam franchise), this is the one that may be more in touch with the original Mobile Suit Gundam and the own direct heirs on Zeta and Double Zeta. It’s worth checking out, especially since Tubi is free—and hopefully a sign that, even if it’s a lot GundamThe big hitters are currently landing on other streaming houses, we can see a few more entries from the franchise that also got a spotlight on Tubi (the aforementioned. Turn Aa highlight of the franchise, in desperate need of a streaming home!).

You can check After War Gundam X Tubi HERE.

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