Yoshiyuki Tomino Wants His Next Project to Confront Modern Conflicts

Date: 2025-06-24 12:57:00

As Mobile Suit Gundam celebrates its 45th anniversary, its legendary creator Yoshiyuki Tomino isn’t dwelling on nostalgia—he’s thinking about the wars being fought today.In a recent interview aired on Japan’s News Watch 9 (NHK, June 17), Tomino reflected on his wartime childhood and how it shaped Gundam’s foundations. The segment was part of a special broadcast commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.Tomino recalled how, as a child, he fled bombings during World War II with only a handful of picture books. His house was the furthest from the local shelter, and by the time his family arrived, they could only find space near the unprotected entrance. “At that time, I didn’t understand what war was,” he said. “But I remember the fear.”It wasn’t until adulthood that Tomino understood why the U.S. military targeted his hometown. “Looking at the batteries piled up in the area, I realized they were military goods. War is not just fighting—it’s industry, logistics, production.” These realizations would become fundamental to Gundam's depiction of mechanized warfare as part of a larger system, not just one-on-one battles.In the interview, Tomino criticized the current perception of Gundam as merely a cool action series. “When people say they like Gundam, they often talk about the mobile suits and battles. But that’s not what it was meant to be about,” he said. He also expressed concern that many modern creators working on Gundam lack a direct connection to war. “You can’t recreate the reality of conflict if you’ve never truly felt its weight.”While Tomino acknowledged that his younger colleagues are doing their best, he questioned whether it’s possible to teach the gravity of war to a generation raised in peace. Still, he remains hopeful about creating something new. “The wars in Ukraine and Israel have continued for years, but we still don’t really understand them. I want to explore whether humanity can break this cycle—can we choose another path?”Tomino hinted that his next project might attempt to confront these questions head-on. He didn’t specify if it would be part of the Gundam franchise, but the theme is clear: it’s not just about robots, it’s about us.SOURCE: NHK

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