Back كاندام Arabic Gundam Czech Gundam German Gundam Spanish گاندام Persian Gundam Finnish Gundam French גנדאם HE गुंडम Hindi Gundam Hungarian
 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (August 2023) |
| Gundam | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Created by | Hajime Yatate Yoshiyuki Tomino |
| Original work | Mobile Suit Gundam |
| Owners | Bandai Namco Filmworks (directly and through Sotsu) |
| Years | 1979–present |
| Print publications | |
| Novel(s) | See list |
| Comics | See list |
| Films and television | |
| Film(s) | See below |
| Television series | See below |
| Games | |
| Traditional | Gundam War Collectible Card Game |
| Video game(s) | See list |
| Miscellaneous | |
| Toy(s) | Gunpla (plastic Gundam models) The Robot Spirits S. H. Figuarts |
| Genre | Science fiction Military science fiction Real robot |
Gundam (Japanese: ガンダムシリーズ, Hepburn: Gandamu Shirīzu, lit. Gundam Series) is a Japanese military science fiction media franchise. Created by Yoshiyuki Tomino and Sunrise (now Bandai Namco Filmworks), the franchise features giant robots, or mecha, with the name "Gundam". The franchise began on April 7, 1979, with Mobile Suit Gundam, a TV series that defined the "real robot" mecha anime genre by featuring giant robots called mobile suits (including the original titular mecha) in a militaristic setting. The popularity of the series and its merchandise spawned a franchise that includes 50 TV series, films and OVAs as well as manga, novels and video games, along with a whole industry of plastic model kits known as Gunpla which makes up 90 percent of the Japanese character plastic-model market.[1][2][3]
Academics in Japan have viewed the series as inspiration; in 2008, the virtual Gundam Academy was planned as the first academic institution based on an animated TV series.[4]
As of March 2020, the franchise is fully owned by Bandai Namco Holdings through subsidiaries Sotsu and Sunrise. The Gundam franchise had grossed over $5 billion in retail sales by 2000.[5][6][7] By 2022, the annual revenue of the Gundam franchise reached ¥101.7 billion per year,[8] ¥44.2 billion of which was retail sales of toys and hobby items.[8]
- ^ Linder, Courtney (July 21, 2020). "Watch Engineers Take Their 60-Foot-Tall Gundam for a Walk". Popular Mechanics. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
- ^ "Gundam Releases First-Ever English Guide to Gunpla". Anime. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
- ^ Flow of the Japan toy industry (日本の玩具産業の動向), Japan Economics Department, Information section (日本経済情報課)
- ^ Lewis, Leo (November 1, 2008). "Gundam cartoon academy to turn science fiction into reality in Japan". The Times. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
- ^ "Unique toy line encourages creative play". The Expositor. December 13, 2000. p. 38. Retrieved December 3, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Gundam Wing Phenomenon Grows With Addition of New Licensees as Television Ratings and Toy Line Sales Surge". Business Wire. Berkshire Hathaway. June 13, 2000. Archived from the original on August 21, 2000. Retrieved January 8, 2017 – via Yahoo.com.
- ^ "Gundam Wing Phenomenon Grows With Addition of New Licensees as Television Ratings and Toy Line Sales Surge". Business Wire. Berkshire Hathaway. June 13, 2000. Archived from the original on October 16, 2012. Retrieved August 10, 2019 – via The Free Dictionary.
- ^ a b Bandai Namco Fiscal Year 2022 Financial Statement