Summary
Most stories in theGundamfranchise focus on the trials and tribulations of the pilot of a mobile suit called Gundam. Most of these pilots happen to be teenage boys who are thrust into the war because they are blessed—or cursed, depending on how you see it—withcertain psychic abilitiesthat can help them control the mobile suit far better than regular pilots.
But just because most of these iconic pilots are men, doesn’t mean this franchise lacks skillful female pilots. On the contrary, this franchise has quite a few female pilots who are just as masterful as, if not better than, the main characters. With that in mind, here are some of the best female pilots from various series within theGundamfranchise.
7Suletta Mercury
The Ruthless Witch From Mercury
Suletta Mercury is the protagonist ofMobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury,and the first female protagonist in a major Gundam series.The Witch from Mercuryputs a heavy emphasis on duels between two mobile suits. As the pilot of the most advanced mobile suits in the universe, the XVX-016 Gundam Aerial, Suletta Mercury easily defeats any opponents who dare to challenge her supremacy.
As a Mobile Suit pilot, Suletta Mercury is undoubtedly skillful. It’s not even an exaggeration to say that she is the best pilot in her academy. That being said, the moment she faces a much more experienced and skillful enemy, that’s when she begins to struggle. Make no mistake, she will still end up as the champion, but against this type of opponent, a big portion of her victory can be attributed toGundam Aerial’s autonomous system. Had she been in a regular mobile suit, she wouldn’t have been able to retain such a spotless result. That’s why she sits neatly in the seventh position.
6Iria Solari
The Commander Of The Red Wolf Squadron
Iria Solari is the main character ofMobile Suit Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance, the latest entry to theGundamfranchise. She is the leader of the Red Wolf Squadron. They are famous for their stellar performance in the infamous Battle of Loum. Now, they are tasked to support the Zeon forces to defend their base in Eastern Europe.
Like most pilots in this list, Iria also possesses a Newtype ability, though not as advanced as the others. This ability allows her to predict her opponent’s movement fairly accurately. Additionally, she is also a great leader who knows how to motivate her troops and make great plans to maximize their winning chance. That’s why Iria can give the brand-new Gundam Ex a hard time despite using a much inferior, scrap-metal Zaku.
5Katejina Loos
The Ace Of The Zanscare Empire
Similar to Iria Solari, Katejina Loos is also a former civilian who joined the military when the war knocks on her doorstep. After that, the innocent teenage girl slowly but surely turns into a passionate follower of the Zanscare Empire, and one of the best mobile suit pilots that the country has to offer.
Katejina often flew to the frontlines and even led some of the important missions for the Zanscare Empire. She manages to go toe to toe toUso Ewin and his Victory Gundamon numerous occasions. She even takes out quite a few high-profile pilots from the enemy’s ranks, including Odelo Henrik, Uso’s best friend and mentor, and the elite Shrike Team.
4Lucrezia Noin
A Peace-Loving Fighter Pilot
As somebody who lives in a conflict region, Lucrezia Noin is no stranger to military and war. She even entered a military academy at a young age and graduated at the top of her class. That’s why she is the most experienced and composed pilot on this list. Furthermore, being involved in conflicts for so long also makes her despise war and will do anything in her power to minimize the loss of life of her troops.
Lucrezia prefers to avoid battle as much as possible, but when the situation demands it, she will display a masterclass in mobile suit combat. She even manages to hold her own against theGundams who are clearly much more advanced than her mobile suit. Throughout the series, Lucrezia only uses standard-issue mobile suits. She rarely, if ever, uses custom-made or modified mobile suits. This means her stellar performance is purely due to her remarkable skills.
3Marida Cruz
The Ace Pilot Of The Sleeves
Marida Cruz is arguably the most tragic character here. She is a clone who was created with the sole purpose of creating somebody with an enhanced Cyber Newtype ability. Thanks to that, she basically becomes a clairvoyant who can sense the feelings and hostility of the people around her.
While this ability makes her super effective in combat, it also makes her suffer constantly on a day-to-day basis due to the countless unnecessary information that her brain receives at any given moment. As the ace pilot of a remnant of the Neo Zeon organization called the Sleeves, Marida and her NZ-666 Kshatriya have been deployed to many battlefields and destroyed countless enemy mobile suits. Her battle withBanagher Links and his Gundam Unicornis easily one of the best fights in the series.
2Amida Arca
The Fearless Pilot Of The Turbines
Turbines is a cargo company that has a transportation network that covers every corner of the universe. Since they often transport highly valuable, or at least super expensive, cargo, it makes sense for them to have their own security detail. Amida Arca is the one in charge of Turbines’ security.
Everybody onboard Turbines is a family to Amida, which is why whenever she is deployed with her STH-05/AC Hyakuren, she will go all out and destroyany enemy that dares to hinder their path. The reason she has such an unyielding drive is because Amira doesn’t fight just to do her job and protect the cargo, she fights because she wants to protect her family. That’s why she can go toe to toe against Gundam Pilots despite having to fight in a vastly inferior mobile suit with no special system to back her up. Her wins come purely from skill and combat instinct.
1Haman Karn
One Of Neo Zeon’s Best Pilot
Haman Karn is the supreme leader of Neo Zeon, a remnant of the fallenPrincipality of Zeon. She is also the main antagonist inMobile Suit Zeta Gundamand its sequel,Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ.Haman takes a lot of inspiration from her predecessor, one of the best mobile suit pilots in the universe, Char “Red Comet” Aznable.
It’s not an exaggeration to say that Haman is a much more devilish version of Char Aznable. Both are respected leaders and tactical geniuses, but Haman is much more manipulative than Char. And while she may not have the same finesse as Char when it comes to handling a mobile suit, she is undoubtedly much more ruthless than the Red Comet.
If she is not so busy leading the Neo Zeon and could focus solely on hunting the Gundam,like Char Aznable in the originalMobile Suit Gundam, it’s possible that Haman Karn will decimate Kamille Bidan and his Zeta Gundam and Judau Ashta and his ZZ Gundam. After all, when it comes to pure piloting skills alone, those two emotional young pilots have nothing on Haman Karn. That’s why she deserves the title not only as the best Female pilot but also as one of the best pilots in the entireGundamfranchise.
