Gundam: 9 Best Pilots, Ranked

Key Takeaways

• Reiji outclassed multiple opponents at once thanks to his instincts and reflexes.
• Setsuna Seiei destroyed a mobile armor solo with cold stoicism and quick reflexes.
• Zechs Merquise, a Char clone, took on the Wing Zero and won effortlessly.

Mobile Suit Gundam is the epitome of mecha that has dominated the genre for over fifty years, with an extremely vast universe that has spanned thousands of lightyears across the universe. As the once constant with humanity is war, Gundam dives into a possible future where weapons of mass destruction have evolved into piloted mechanical monstrosities that elevate war to an entirely new level.

War is elevated even further when elite engineers and scientists come together and create Gundams, the most advanced mobile suits in the world. Capable of unimaginable devastation, the only thing more dangerous than a Gundam are those that pilot them. Sometimes, the least trained but most skilled elite get into the cockpit and change history. Aside from Newtype abilities, pilots who wield their machines with their hard-earned experience and wit leave heavy impressions once they appear on the battlefield. Here are some of the strongest pilots in Gundam, ranked according to their skill.

9 Reiji

Outclassed Multiple Opponents At Once

• Age: 14
• Nationality: Arian
• Occupations: Crown Prince of Arian, Build Fighter

Reiji debuted in the Gundam Build Fighters universe, which revolves around Gundam, similar to the real world where Gundams come from animated series. The series focuses on the model kit aspect of Gundam, where fans can build customized models and use them to battle in augmented reality. In Gundam Build Fighters, Reiji appears mysteriously to aid Sei Iori, a loner young man who has a passion for Gunpla fighting but suffers from anxiety.

The moment Reiji steps behind the controls of a Gunpla model, he dominates the battlefield. With deeply rooted instincts and incredible reflexes, Reiji is a force to be reckoned with, regardless of the machine he decides to control.

8 Setsuna Seiei

Destroyed A Mobile Armor Solo

• Age: 21
• Nationality: Republic Of Krugis
• Occupation: Celestial Being

Like most Gundam pilots, Setsuna started off as a child soldier, drafted by a rebellious military group in an underdeveloped area of the world. It wasn’t until many years later that Setsuna would find himself as a Gundam Meister charged with protecting the world from itself.

On the battlefield, Setsuna piloted the Gundam Exia as his first machine and cut a bloody path through all his enemies. With a cold and ruthless stoicism to battle, Setsuna proved to be a fantastic pilot because of his quick reflexes and unemotional take on killing. Dedicated to the cause he had pledged himself to, Setsuna was nearly unstoppable as a pilot able to adapt quickly to new enemy types during battle.

7 Zechs Merquise

A Prodigy That Took On The Wing Zero And Won

• Age: 21
• Nationality: Northern European
• Occupation: White Fang Leader

Zechs appeared in Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, one of the most popular series in the West made famous by Toonami and Cartoon Network. In a wartorn world where conflict was plentiful, Zechs Merquise was the undeniably great warrior who would lead those who followed him to victory.

As the masked man of the series, Zechs is considered a Char clone, an expert pilot whose intrinsic natural abilities permit him to fight at a level above normal individuals. Zechs was capable of facing off against entire squads of mobile suits and even multiple pilots at once with little effort.

6 Mikazuki Augus

Fought Entire Battalions By Himself

• Age: N/A
• Nationality: Earth
• Occupation: Tekkedan

Among the Gundam timelines, the Post Disaster timeline is one of the most dire. Earth has been forever changed for the worse after war warped the environment, making it little more than a wasteland. After a great calamity caused by Gundams during a planetary war, not many of the machines exist. However, Mikasuki comes into possession of such a machine, which begins his journey as the ace of the Tekadan organization and their attempt at claiming their freedom.

Mikasuki was an enslaved child soldier who had been fighting on the battlefield since he was barely old enough to walk. Through countless battles where his life was on the line, Mikazuki quickly became numb to the chaos of the battlefield. Able to connect to his machine directly, Mikazuki could rely on his own senses and abilities to pilot his Gundam and take down entire battalions on his own.

5 Lo Fleming

Took Out A Squad Of Zaku Snipers With Ease

• Age: N/A
• Nationality: Side 4
• Occupation: Mobile Suit Pilot

Lo Feming is an Earth Forces pilot who first appeared in Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt, where he controlled the Full Armor Gundam. Fleming has an abrasive personality and comes off as arrogant and full of himself. However, Fleming is a terror to come across on the battlefield, as he has unimaginable control and focus when in combat.

Using his affliction with old-school jazz, Fleming revels in being in battle, loving nothing more than the thrill of cutting down those in his way using the sound of hard trumpets to announce his arrival. What makes Fleming so dangerous is his processing speed, which allows him to take on multiple targets simultaneously while at sub-sonic speeds where tracking his trajectories is impossible. It is clear from how Fleming fights that he was born to be a Gundam pilot.

4 Shinn Asuka

Took Out An Entire Fleet On His Own

• Age: 16
• Nationality: Orb
• Occupation: Faith Mobile Suit Pilot

Shinn Asuka was a young soldier in the Zaft forces facing Orb and a tri-conflict between Kira Yamato’s third party. Initially, Shinn was just like any other pilot but grew into a seasoned warrior after many battles. However, after a traumatic experience pushed him too far, Shinn became incredibly focused and diligently studied the art of combat.

Shinn would go on to take down entire fleets and even go one-on-one with Kira Yamato. His skill in battle earned him a sizable amount of respect when he reappeared on the battlefield with the Destiny Gundam.

3 Domon Kasshu

Remained Undefeated In The Gundam Fight Tournament

• Age: 20
• Nationality: Neo Japanese
• Occupation: Gundam Fighter

Mobile Fighter G was vastly different when compared to other Gundam series. It’s set in a distant future, where universe-renowned peace is achieved by a succeeding line of power obtained by all superpower states agreeing to a single annual confrontation in battle royal fashion called the Gundam Fight tournament. Nations would choose the strongest fighter to pilot their most advanced machine and participate in the tournament.

Domon Kasshu was the fighter for Neo Japan and went on to win the entire tournament. Skilled in a secret style of martial arts, Domon knew no equal in battle. Once he pushed past his limits, he became the King of Hearts after defeating his maser and rising to victory over all other Gundam Fighters. Domon’s speed, talent, physical prowess, and battle IQ rank him among some of the strongest Gundam pilots.

2 Loran Cehack

Remained Victorious While Being A Pacifist

• Age: 17
• Nationality: Moonrace
• Occupation: Pacifist

Loran Cehack is the pilot of Turn A Gundam from the animated film of the same name. Stumbling upon the Turn A, the most sophisticated and advanced machine ever built, he received ultimate power. The vast offensive capabilities of the Turn A were unlike any the universe had seen for thousands of years. Fortunately, Loran was a pure soul and was the perfect pilot for the machine.

Thanks to the mechanism of controlling the Turn A, Loran was able to masterfully pilot the Turn A just by feeding the machine his instincts and thoughts. Loran was an incredibly tactical individual and highly intelligent among his opponents, which gave him an edge over most. At the same time, primarily a pacifist, Loran’s skill at defeating his opponents without killing them further solidifies his combat prowess.

1 Amuro Ray

Ended The One-Year War

• Age: 29
• Nationality: Earth Federation
• Occupation: Commander

Amuro Ray is the soldier who started it all, appearing first in the original Mobile Suit Gundam anime series in the Universal Century timeline. Amuro was pivotal in the war between the Earth Forces and Zeon during the one-year war. Amuro found himself a Gundam pilot strictly by accident but quickly rose to the occasion to protect his friends.

With every battle, Amuro evolved and learned the essence of war, becoming an ace in no time. Amuro is one of the few pilots able to go head-to-head with the likes of the Red Comet, Char Aznable. Single-handedly winning battle after battle, Amuro goes down as one of the most skilled pilots in all of Gundam.