Gundam’s longevity comes from embracing change over “fundamentalism,” says Bandai Namco Filmworks chairman. “As long as it’s entertaining, why not?”

Makoto Asanuma, chairman and CEO of Bandai Namco Filmworks, recently discussed the company’s numerous popular IPs in a three-way discussion with MIXI president Hiroki Kimura (via MEDIAMIXI). Notably, Asanuma talked about the longevity of the Gundam series, which is seeing record-high revenue even as it approaches its 50-year anniversary in 2029.

When asked about the secret behind Gundam’s long-term success, Asanuma suggests it’s important for a franchise to have a culture that embraces different approaches. “The original Mobile Suit Gundam, Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, and Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ were all made by largely the same core team,” he says. “Typically, things would have continued that way. However, all sorts of different creators started getting involved, leading to new works like Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury, which approach Gundam from a completely different angle than before.”

Asanuma goes on to explain that taking a “fundamentalist” approach and insisting that a series must be a certain way can lead to the content gradually exhausting itself. He cites Mobile Fighter G Gundam as an example, which suddenly put a martial-arts-focused spin on the mecha franchise. “It left fans of the original Mobile Suit Gundam wondering, ‘Where are they going with this?’, and I feel that this attitude of ‘Well, as long as it’s entertaining, why not?’ is what matters.

MIXI’s Kimura chimed in to mention Turn A Gundam, which once again shook things up with a “mustached” Gundam and a pastoral setting, created by original series creator Yoshiyuki Tomino after many years of absence. Commenting on the anime’s reception, Asanuma says this was another title where at first, fans had no idea what was happening and weren’t sure how to react, only for the anime to later be re-evaluated by many as one of the series’ best entries.

Looking at Gundam’s most recent offerings, this pattern seems to be continuing. Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX – the 2025 anime created through a collaboration between Bandai Namco Filmworks and Evangelion Studio Khara – likewise saw conflicted reactions due to the liberties it took with the source material. Nonetheless, the anime ended up contributing to one of Gundam’s most successful years.

Going forward, Gundam will receive a brand-new entry led by Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex director Kenji Kamiyama. Titled Mobile Suit Gundam RG XARX-Zero, the anime has already garnered a dose of skepticism even before its airing, due to the premise centering on an alien threat – an uncommon theme for the series. It remains to be seen whether this entry will dispel fans’ reservations like its predecessors.

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