The best Gundam pilots

Key recommendations

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

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

The war escalates further when elite engineers and scientists come together and create Gundams, the world's most advanced mobile suits. Capable of unimaginable devastation, the only thing more dangerous than a Gundam are those who pilot it. Sometimes the least trained but most skilled elite get into the cockpit and change history. In addition to Newtype skills, the pilots who wield their machines with their hard-won experience and intelligence leave heavy impressions once they appear on the battlefield. Here are some of the the strongest pilots in Gundamranked according to their skill.

9 Reiji

Overcome multiple opponents at once

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

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

The moment Reiji gets behind the controls of a Gunpla model, he dominates the battlefield. With deep-seated instincts and incredible reflexes, Reiji is a force to be reckoned with no matter what machine he decides to control.

8 Seiya's Setsuna

Destroyed A Mobile Armor Solo

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

Like most Gundam pilots, Setsuna started out as a child soldier, recruited by a rebel military group in an underdeveloped part of the world. It wouldn't be until many years later that Setsuna would find herself as a Gundam Meister tasked 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 in battle, Setsuna proved to be a fantastic pilot due to his quick reflexes and emotionless take on the kill. Dedicated to the cause he had committed himself to, Setsuna was nearly unstoppable as a pilot able to quickly adapt to new enemy types during combat.

7 Zechs Merquise

A prodigy who took on the zero wing and won

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

Zechs appeared in Mobile Suit Gundam Wingone of the most popular series in the West made famous by Toonami and Cartoon Network. In a war-torn world where conflict abounded, 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 allow him to fight at a level above normal individuals. Zechs was able to take on entire squads of mobile suits and even multiple pilots at once with little effort.

6 Mikazuki Augus

He single-handedly fought entire battalions

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

Among Gundam timeline, the post-disaster timeline is one of the most horrific. Earth was forever changed for the worse after the war warped the environment, making it little more than a wasteland. After a great calamity caused by the Gundam 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 quest to reclaim their freedom.

Mikasuki was a slave child soldier who had fought 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 directly to his machine, Mikazuki could rely on his own senses and abilities to pilot his Gundam and single-handedly take down entire battalions.

5 Lo Fleming

He easily took out a team of Zaku snipers

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

Lo Feming is an Earth Force pilot who first appeared in Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderboltwhere he controlled the Full Armor Gundam. Fleming has an abrasive personality and appears arrogant and self-absorbed. However, Fleming is a terror to face on the battlefield as he has unimaginable control and focus when in combat.

Harnessing his distaste for old-school jazz, Fleming revels in the fray, loving nothing more than the thrill of cutting down those in his path, using harsh trumpets to announce his arrival . What makes the Fleming so dangerous is its processing speed, which allows it to take on multiple targets simultaneously while at subsonic speeds, where tracking its trajectories is impossible. It's clear from the way Fleming fights that he was born to be a Gundam pilot.

4 Shinn Asuka

He took out an entire fleet on his own

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

Shinn Asuka was a young soldier in the Zaft forces facing the Orb and a tri-conflict between the third part of Kira Yamato. Initially, Shinn was just like any other pilot, but he became 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 fighting.

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

3 Lord Kasshu

He went undefeated at the Gundam Fight tournament

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

Mobile Fighter G it was very different compared to others Gundam series. It is set in the distant future, where world-renowned peace is achieved through a subsequent line of power obtained by all superpower states who accept a single annual battle royale-style showdown 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 wrestler for Neo Japan and won the entire tournament. Skilled in a secret style of martial arts, Domon knew no equal in battle. Once he surpassed his limits, he became the King of Hearts after defeating his maser and achieving victory over all other Gundam Fighters. Domon's speed, talent, physical prowess, and combat IQ place him among some of them the strongest Gundam pilots.

2 Laurent Cehack

He remained victorious while being a pacifist

• Age: 17
• Nationality: Moonrace
• Occupation: pacifist

Loran Cehack is the pilot of the Turn A Gundam from the animated film of the same name. Coming across Tower A, the most sophisticated and advanced machine ever built, he was given ultimate power. Tower A's vast offensive capabilities were unlike any the universe had seen in thousands of years. Fortunately, Loran was a pure soul and was the perfect pilot for the car.

Thanks to the A-Turn control mechanism, Loran was able to masterfully pilot the A-Turn just by feeding the car with his instincts and thoughts. Loran was an incredibly tactical individual and highly intelligent among his opponents, which gave him an edge over most. While primarily a pacifist, Loran's ability to defeat his opponents without killing them further strengthens his fighting prowess.

1 Amuro Ray

The year-long war is over

• 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 instrumental in the war between the Earth Forces and Zeon during the One Year War. Amuro found himself a Gundam pilot strictly by accident, but was quickly on hand to protect his friends.

With each battle, Amuro evolved and learned the essence of war, becoming an ace in no time. Amuro is one of the few pilots capable of going head-to-head with the red comet, Char Aznable. Single-handedly winning battle after battle, Amuro goes down as one of the the most skilled pilots of all Gundam.