Kunio Ōkawara

Born in Tokyo on December 26th, 1947, he is the first to have designed mecha for animation works.
He is known for Mobile Suit Gundam (1979), and he keeps creating countless other mecha designs.

“I really wanted to include kanji.”

──Gundam has been appointed as the PR ambassador for the Japanese Pavilion at the 2020 Dubai International Expo, right?

I have already designed several Gundams for international events, but this time the concept is for it to be an ambassador introducing Japan to the world, so I was a little nervous.

──The EXPO 2020 Dubai Japan Pavilion PR Ambassador Gundam has an impressive white, red, and yellow color palette. What was the concept that inspired this design?

It was our national flag. The base color palette is the same as the Japanese flag: a red circle over a white background. The first draft was a little bolder and had the red circle covering its chest and shoulder, as I imagined Gundam to carry the Japanese flag. Afterward, I took the team’s opinions into account and modified the design, and we decided on using the version in which the red circle is placed over Gundam’s left chest.

──The shield emblem, with a logo made of the Japanese flag’s red circle and “Japan” written in Japanese kanji characters, is impressive as well.

It was my first time including bold kanji characters in the design, so I really wanted to do it this time. Not many countries have kanji characters as part of their culture, so conversely, they look exotic in the Middle East and in other countries. I wanted to try that.

“In my opinion, Gundam’s face is a samurai’s face. ”

──The head of RX-78-2 Gundam has a perfect design that has not changed since that time. A robot’s head is the most important part of its design; what are the main features of the Gundam’s face?

For all the mecha designs, including the Mobile Suits, I would prepare drafts and the animation director, Mr. Yoshikazu Yasuhiko would finish them up. In my opinion, Gundam’s face is a samurai’s face. he sensor on the top of his head is like a topknot, and the V-shaped antennas are like the front of a samurai helmet.

──The theme of the Japan Pavilion is “Where ideas meet,” and it makes sense that the Gundam’s face was also created when ancient traditional Japanese designs came together. This kit includes original marking stickers that faithfully recreate your illustrations. What do you pay extra attention to when designing markings, including the ones for the EXPO 2020 model?

I always make a point not to ruin the Gundam’s image. As the areas whose colors we can change to an original palette and apply markings are limited, We humbly finished up the EXPO 2020 Dubai Japan Pavilion's Gundam with a humble Japan-inspired design.

──Lastly, could you please send a message to the fans all over the world who love Gundam and GUNPLA?

GUNPLA started when the 1/144 Gundam was first released as a product about a year after Mobile Suit Gundam was aired on TV in 1979. Both BANDAI and SUNRISE are still producing them with unchanged passion, and I want them to keep on creating that unique world.
Then I thought about the reason Gundam became such a big hit, I realized it might be because it showed us in video form the precariousness that all people on Earth share. It’s a story that resonates with people from all over the world and has a continuity with the current reality. What should we do in order not to make this world so uninhabitable that we’ll have to spend many generations on space colonies? I think watching Gundam also gives us a chance to think a little about that. But basically, I want to tell you all to have fun watching Gundam and playing with GUNPLA (laughter).

*The detailed contents of this interview are included in the product as a special leaflet.