Mobile Suit Gundam: The Strongest (And Strangest) Newtypes

chun526

It's amazing that Captain Bright Noa didn't rip out his hair due to the stress of having Judau on board his ship. Bright certainly had his patience tried by Amuro and Kamille previously, but those previous Newtypes could be put back in line with a quick face slap. With Judau and company, Bright seems to have given up entirely, leaving the Argama in their questionably capable hands. On the one hand, Judau and his friends are selfish, undisciplined sociopaths, but on the other hand, Judau is arguably the most talented Newtype to exist in the Gundam timeline so far, according to a very reliable witness—Haman Karn.

chun526

Indeed, the most telling indicator of Judau's power is his ability to completely ruin Haman, a villain who can match Char in mental and physical combat. Normally levelheaded, upon meeting Judau, Haman becomes suddenly and uncharacteristically obsessed with convincing him to defect to her forces. His abilities, which allow him to combine three mobile suits at once without the help of the other two pilots, and to even form a barrier shield to resist attacks, are on a level we've never seen before. Though Haman is an immensely skilled pilot, Judau's triumph shows that even the most well-planned tactics can't beat out brute Newtype strength—even if you are the biggest jerk ever to grace a Gundam cockpit.

chun526

dadadada99

This one comes with a caveat: Gundam Seed and Gundam Seed Destiny take place in their own universe where the word “Newtype” does not exist. However, I'd argue that the “SEED factor” is the same darn thing. It's an ability that is considerably rare, assigned at birth, and assumed to be “the next stage in human evolution” which is exactly how Universal Century timeline shows treat Newtype abilities. Characters involuntarily activate SEED “mode” when they've emotionally committed to a battle, the same way that Newtype abilities tend to be awakened under extreme stress or pressure to succeed.

dadadada99

Just like with Newtypes, individuals who possess the SEED factor are not all created equal, and Kira Yamato seems to have the most power of them all. He is so overpowered that, had the writers not given him a pacifist attitude, there's really nothing barring him from annihilating everyone. Every conflict is the same—Kira doesn't want to fight, but piss him off enough and he goes to Murdertown. He's also a fan of what I like to call Gundam Diplomacy, in which he argues for peace behind a brandished beam saber.  You won't stand down? Well then, face the wrath of Kira. After all, he's not doing it because he wants to. Basically, I think he's kind of a jerk in a completely different way from Judau, not in spite of his Newtype abilities but because of them. If Kira were less powerful than even one other person in Gundam Seed, he'd have to work harder to stick with his pacifist principles, rather than steamrolling everyone into his way of thinking.

dadadada99

Smart, sensitive, and uncommonly gifted, Kira is a character who has everything going for him—except the audience's sympathy. It's hard to relate to somebody this perfect, and here is the unplanned downside of an extremely talented Newtype protagonist. If you don't watch out, they become an irritatingly overpowered Mary Sue.

dadadada99

dadadada99

The White Dolphin can communicate with people telepathically and shoot mental laser beams from her forehead to activate the Satellite System, the most powerful weapon in the Gundam X universe.