He was introduced as one of the antagonists of Mobile Suit Gundam and later becomes one of the protagonists of Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam before finally returning as the main antagonist of Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack.
Throughout his life, he was also known by the aliases รdouard Mass and Quattro Bajeena. In addition, he is given the nom de guerre of "The Red Comet", for his performance at the Battle of Loum during the One Year War.
Personality and Character
He is a charismatic young man who is highly respected, and his subordinates, both younger and older, follow him faithfully. On the other hand, he also has a cold-hearted side that is willing to kill even his friends in order to achieve his goals. Despite his outstanding abilities as a leader and a soldier, he is mentally fragile. As the son of Zeon Zum Deikun, a great saint who was revered by the world, he is a complex character who is burdened with the pain of being expected to succeed his father, and the lonely anguish of not being able to receive sufficient affection as a boy because of the political struggle that the Zabi family had waged against him since he was a child.
Skills and Abilities
He is as an extremely competent soldier, and his days at the Zeon Space Defense Military Academy helped him hone his combat skills as a foot soldier, such as using firearms, detonating explosives, and fencing. His bold leadership which he is well known for also developed at the military academy. As a mobile suit pilot, he is also excellent and highly skilled, and in MS battles, he is good at high-speed maneuvering. Albeit being an excellent pilot, Char's abilities are far less than those of Lalah Sune and Amuro Ray, and only developed as a result of long-term training. Char is also a cunning strategist and tactician, managing to outsmart many of his enemies, even when he is not piloting a mobile suit. Char, like his father, seems to be a natural-born orator, as his passionate speech denouncing the Titans in Dakar pulled the Earth Federation's support towards the AEUG.
History
Born on November 17, U.C. 0059, as Casval Rem Deikun, son of Tor Deikun and Zeon Zum Deikun, founder of the Republic of Zeon. Sayla Mass (real name: Artesia Som Deikun) is his biological sister. After the death of Zeon Zum Deikun in 0069, he fled to Earth due to persecution by the Zabi family. At this time, under the patronage of Jimba Ral, who was a good friend of his father Zeon, he was adopted by the Mass family in southern Europe and took the name "รdouard Mass." Although his father Zeon is shown to have died of illness on record, he sees it as an assassination by Degwin Sodo Zabi and others (Jimba Ral) believe that his father's attempt to name Degwin as an assassin was disguised as naming his successor and he vows revenge on the Zabi family.
Side 3 Infiltration Period
Admission to Zeon Military Academy
In the year 0074, he infiltrated under the name "Char Aznable" and entered Zeon Military Academy. During his time at the academy, he met and befriended Garma Zabi. He received excellent grades and was on track to graduate at the top of his class, but he disobeyed his superiors during an exercise just before graduation and lost his evaluation, giving Garma the top spot and graduating second in his class. In 0078, upon graduation, he enlisted in the Teaching Mobile Battalion under Kycilia Zabi.
Joining the Space Assault Force
Later, when the Zeon Defense Forces was divided into two units, the Space Assault Force under the banner of Dozle Zabi and the Assault Mobile Force under the banner of Kycilia Zabi, he joined the Space Assault Force. In the Principality of Zeon, he always wears a mask to hide his true identity. He explains that he has burn scars on his face and does not want to expose them to the public.
One Year War
The Red Comet
In January, U.C. 0079, the "One Year War" with the Earth Federation Government broke out. He is active as the commander of the 4th Platoon of the 6th Mobile Battalion of the Space Strike Force. He painted his beloved Zaku II (Type C or Type S) red, his personal color, and single-handedly sank five battleships during the Battle of Loum, earning him the nickname "Red Comet," and his name became known and feared by even the most junior members of the Federation Forces.
In September of the same year, on his way back from a mission to clear out guerrilla forces of the Federation Forces, he discovers a new type of ship (the White Base). By tracking it, he obtains information that the Federation Forces are secretly developing mobile suits in Side 7 (Operation V is underway). When his subordinates sent out on a reconnaissance mission are destroyed by the RX-78-2 Gundam, including their Zaku (the first ever battle between armed mobile suits), he sneaks into the colony himself and is reunited with his sister, Artesia (Sayla), who had evacuated to the White Base to serve in the army, and then has his first confrontation with his lifelong rival, Amuro Ray.[1] Although Char overwhelms Amuro, who is unfamiliar with combat, from start to finish, he is unable to overcome the Gundam's strong armor that can bounce back the fire of a 120mm machine gun and its beam rifle.
Later, he is ordered to capture or destroy the White Base and the Gundam, and pursues the White Base as it escapes from Side 7. He launches numerous attacks, including infiltrating the Federation Forces' space fortress Luna II, where the White Base has escaped, and sabotaging it, but he fails. He loses many of his men and Zaku units. However, during a surprise attack aimed at the White Base's entry into the atmosphere, he succeeds in bringing it down under Zeon controlled territory despite the destruction of his squad mates.
