Published Jun 7, 2026, 12:00 PM EDT
Joshua Edward Ryan Fox is a freelance writer for Screen Rant with a passion for pop culture. Joshua grew up in Connecticut where he developed an appreciation for writing and entertainment and has earned a Master's degree in professional writing and technical writing. His writing has been quoted by both the anime streaming site Crunchyroll and the anime YouTuber Gigguk.
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Gundam might be one of the world’s biggest anime now, but that was hardly the case when it first premiered. Back during the original run of Mobile Suit Gundam, the series had infamously poor ratings to the point that it was cut short by nine episodes, and if it weren’t for people reevaluating the series in the years after the fact, it would have faded into obscurity, and the mecha genre might have died along with it.
The way Gundam went from a forgettable mecha anime to a cultural phenomenon is an amazing success story, and there are numerous reasons for how and why that happened. People often cite the massive success of Gunpla model kits as the reason behind Gundam’s surge in popularity, and while that was certainly important, the true reason for it might be something else that’s as heartwarming as it is surprising.
How Yaoi Shippers Made Mobile Suit Gundam A Cultural Icon
While many people attribute Mobile Suit Gundam’s renewed success to the popularity of Gunpla, the real reason might be, surprisingly, yaoi and Boys' love, i.e., same-sex shippers. In numerous interviews with Gundam creator Yoshiyuki Tomino, Tomino said that most of the support for the Gundam anime at the time came from its predominantly female fanbase, many of whom would actually go to the recording studio to show their support, which explicitly debunks the idea that Gunpla saved the franchise.
It’s never explicitly stated that Gundam’s female fans were shippers, but not only was it always common for fans to ship male Gundam characters together, but the 70s and 80s were when shipping and fan fiction first became popular, with fan fiction being popularized by female Star Trek fans a little over a decade before Mobile Suit Gundam premiered. Because of that, it’s easy to assume that the Gundam franchise had such a large female fanbase because the fans shipped the male characters romantically.
What makes it even more obvious is how much Gundam has leaned into shipping culture over the years. In addition to promotional material that often features very provocative art of the male characters, Gundam anime have almost always had at least one pairing of characters with a relationship so intense that people find it romantic, and even as far back as Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack, Tomino said he wanted to make Amuro and Char’s dynamic so intense that people would wonder if they were gay.
After almost 50 years, the relationship between Gundam and shipping culture is undeniable, and if it truly did save the franchise, which, in turn, helped the mecha genre of anime take off, then that makes it even better.
Decades Later, Gundam Is Still Amazing For LGBTQ Anime Fans
Gundam has arguably been a haven for LGBTQ anime fans from conception, and decades later, it’s still just as great a place for them. Not only is yaoi shipping culture as alive as ever for old and new anime alike, but some of the more recent anime have even had explicitly LGBTQ characters, as well, with 2022’s Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury famously revolving around the romantic relationship of its female leads. If anything, Gundam has become even better for LGBTQ anime fans, and that’s something everyone can be happy about.
Related
15 Best Gundam Anime of All Time, Ranked
The Gundam franchise has multiple highly regarded shows, but of them, these are the ones most beloved by mecha fans, for varying reasons.
As much as Gundam is seen as a male-dominated franchise today, it’s important to remember that it was the female fans who saved the original Gundam anime and mecha anime, in general, and in all likelihood, that wouldn’t have happened if they didn’t see it as such a safe space for shipping and LGBTQ content in general. Fandom culture is always at its best when it’s accepting of everyone, and it’s great to see that Gundam has always been like that to the point that it saved the franchise.
Cast Tôru Furuya, Shūichi Ikeda, Hirotaka Suzuoki
Created by Yoshiyuki Tomino
English (US) ·