Gundam Build Fighters

Gundam Build Fighters (ガンダムビルドファイターズ), often abbreviated as GBF, is a 2013 Japanese science fiction anime television series based on Sunrise's long-running Gundam franchise. The series is directed by Kenji Nagasaki of No. 6 and written by Yōsuke Kuroda of Mobile Suit Gundam 00. Character designs were done by both Kenichi Ohnuki and Suzuhito Yasuda. The series was first unveiled under the name "1/144 Gundam Mobile" project by Sunrise,[1] before its official announcement. In contrast to other Gundam series, Gundam Build Fighters focuses on the Gundam model (Gunpla) aspect of the franchise.[2]

The series was officially unveiled by Bandai on July 2, 2013, during the series's live press conference as part of Gundam's 35th anniversary in 2014. It premiered on TXN stations in Japan[3]

Story

Back in the 1980s, the success of the series Mobile Suit Gundam resulted in an economic boom due to sales of the Gundam model kits, or "Gunpla" (ガンプラ), dubbed the Gunpla Boom. Years later, with the success of the second Gunpla Boom, special tournaments called Gunpla Battles are established throughout the world to see which customized Gunpla and its builder are the best. These incredibly popular Gunpla Battles culminate in an annual global tournament.

The story of the first series revolves around Sei Iori, a young Gunpla Builder and student who has a dream of becoming the best Gunpla Fighter in the tournament and someday become as good as his father. As the only child, his family owns a small Gunpla shop and his talent is well-honed, however his weak piloting abilities have led him to a series of first-round losses. But one day, he meets a strange boy named Reiji, who helps him out. Reiji gives him a jewel, promising that he will come to Sei's aid if wished enough. Together, both of them will tackle the world of Gunpla Battle and compete in the tournament using Sei's customized Gunpla, the GAT-X105B Build Strike Gundam.[8]

Gunpla Battle

The central theme of this series is the Gunpla Battle (ガンプラバトル), a virtual game that involves the use of Gunpla. Each Gunpla Fighter has a GP Base (GPベース), a device that stores their Gunpla information. Once the GP Bases are set, the Battle System (バトルシステム) disperses "Plavsky particles" (プラフスキー粒子), which react only to the plastic material of Gunpla and animate them into the game. The Battle System creates a holographic landscape that simulates a battlefield from different Gundam series, and the battle begins once the Gunpla Fighters set their Gunpla to be scanned by the Plavsky particles. A Gunpla's combat statistics are determined by its build quality; modifications such as adding scratch-built parts and paint weathering will increase its stats. Battle effects such as explosions and beam attacks are faithfully simulated in the Battle System. Consequently, damage sustained during battle is reflected directly on the Gunpla itself, requiring Gunpla Fighters to have spare parts ready for necessary repairs. Scale also plays a major factor in a Gunpla Battle; just like in the real world, a 1⁄48 scale Mega Size Model Gunpla will dwarf a 1⁄144 scale opponent in the battlefield.[9]

The Gunpla Battle World Championships tournament begins with eight battles, including a four-person knockout battle, a three-on-three team battle, and the closing one-on-one battle. Five of the battles are revealed only on their scheduled dates. Each contestant receives four points for every battle won. The 16 Gunpla Fighters with the most points will advance to the final tournament, a knockout stage that decides the World Champion.

It is later on revealed that Plavsky particles are processed from Arista (アリスタ), a crystal originating from Reiji's home country of Arian (アリアン).

type	tv series
director	Kenji Nagasaki
producer	Masakazu Ogawa Makoto Shiraishi (TV Tokyo)
writer	Yōsuke Kuroda
music	Yuki Hayashi
studio	Sunrise
network	TXN (TV Tokyo), AT-X, BS11
first	October 7, 2013
last	March 31, 2014
episodes	25
episode list	List of Gundam Build Fighters episodes

Gundam Build Fighters

Story

Gunpla Battle

Production

Development

Music

See also

External links

References