Mobile Suit Gundam SEED FREEDOM

Story Archive

This section retells the story of
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED and
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED DESTINY
through famous scenes recreated with GUNPLA.
Let's look back at the events that
led to Mobile Suit Gundam SEED FREEDOM.

Mobile Suit Gundam SEED STORY
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED DESTINY STORY

Mobile Suit Gundam SEED

INTRODUCTION

Cosmic Era (C.E.) - An era where there are Coordinators, humans who have modified genes that are born with superior physical abilities and minds, and Naturals, humans who are born naturally.
The two races eventually split into PLANT and the Earth Alliance, and clashed due to hatred and discrimination. By C.E. 70, tensions between PLANT and Earth suddenly escalated into a full-scale armed conflict due to the tragic Bloody Valentine Incident.
No one had doubted that the Earth Alliance Forces would quell the conflict with their overwhelming military force. However, all initial predictions were wrong, and 11 months passed while the two factions were locked in a tense standstill.
This story begins with the fateful reunion between Kira, a Coordinator who decides to join Earth Alliance Forces to save his friends, and Athrun, who lost his mother in the Bloody Valentine Incident and joined ZAFT.

False Peace Crumbles Away / A Reunion Branded with Gunfire

Kira Yamato was a student who lived in Heliopolis, a resource satellite belonging to the neutral nation of Orb. He was an engineering college student, attending seminars and chatting with his friends as usual. He had no doubt that his daily life would continue… However, it crumbled apart in an instant when the Le Creuset Team, an elite unit led by ZAFT's Rau Le Creuset, began an operation to seize the "Gundams."
Familiar cityscapes turned into a battlefield. Earth Alliance Forces officer Murrue Ramius spotted Kira, who was searching for a place to take shelter, and attempted to guide him into the cockpit of one of the remaining Mobile Suits. A ZAFT soldier launched an attack, and Kira was shocked when their eyes met. The soldier right in front of him was his best friend, Athrun Zala. Although Murrue was injured, she pushed Kira into the cockpit of the MS and activated it. Its colossal white body rose within the flames. Its name was the GAT-X105 Strike Gundam. This marked the beginning of a serious struggle for Kira as he would have to face Athrun, a former schoolmate and best friend.

Athrun: “Kira?!”

Kira: “Athrun?!”

An Approaching Threat / The Strike’s First Sortie

Although he was startled by Kira's presence, Athrun took the Aegis, the remaining mobile suit (MS). Kira and Murrue booted up the Strike, but its operating system was incomplete and Murrue was not even a certified pilot. A GINN piloted by Miguel appeared and helped Athrun retreat as his MS swung its heavy blade down to capture the Strike. Murrue deployed the Strike’s PS (Phase Shift) Armor just in time to counter the blow, but Miguel showed no sign of stopping. In order to save his friends who were struggling to escape, Kira took over the controls and immediately fixed the Strike’s OS with miraculous speed. The Strike showed its true potential and launched a counterattack, leaving the GINN incapacitated. Miguel abandoned his MS and escaped. Thanks to Kira's efforts, his friends were safe, but the four Gundams were stolen and Heliopolis suffered severe damage. Kira joined up with his friends and evacuated to the Archangel, a new Earth Alliance Force battle ship, but most of its crew was wiped out in the attack. It was also lacking in firepower as its only active units were the Strike and a Mobius Zero piloted by Mu La Flaga. Miguel and Athrun organized another assault and Kira took off on the Strike once again to face Athrun on the battlefield.

Miguel: "A Natural piloting a mobile suit? You're in way over your head!"

Strike VS the Four Gundams / Their Respective Justices

Kira discovered a lifeboat within the crumbling Heliopolis. One of its passengers was Flay Allster, a young woman whom Kira had secretly admired. The Archangel was carrying refugees toward Artemis, an allied fortress. Learning about this, Creuset's team deployed the Duel, Buster, Blitz, and Aegis—all of the MS they had captured. Kira and Athrun faced each other once again on the battlefield. The Strike was locked in a disadvantageous battle taking on four foes at once, wasted its battery power due to a lack of combat experience, and ended up losing its PS armor. Athrun's Aegis charged towards Strike and whisked it away. Thanks to Mu's quick thinking, Kira managed to exchange his MS’ loadout into Launcher Striker and barely managed to fend off Yzak and his allies.
　After the battle at Artemis, the Archangel took off and resupplied at Junius Seven. There, Kira rescued Lacus Clyne, the Songstress of PLANT. Lacus's presence rejuvenated Kira's wearied soul, and he decided to return Lacus to Athrun, who suggested that Kira join ZAFT. However, Kira refused his friend’s proposal, marking the moment that the two parted ways.

Kira: “There are people I know on that ship!
My friends are on it! So why are you with ZAFT! Why are you taking part in the war!?”

Scorching Sand and Dust / Muzzles Pointed at Each Other

The Archangel rendezvoused with the 8th Fleet. However, the fleet was ambushed by Creuset's team and was wiped out. The Archangel descended to Earth on its own but found itself in the Libyan desert; an area under ZAFT’s control. Kira reunited with Cagalli, the mysterious girl he met back in Heliopolis. She was a member of the resistance organization Desert Dawn and joined forces with the Archangel in a decisive battle against ZAFT's Waldfeld Team. Kira's Strike and Mu's Sky Grasper took off, while Waldfeld and Aisha sped through the battlefield in MS LaGOWE. The fierce battle culminated in a one-on-one confrontation between Kira and Waldfeld. The LaGOWE’s right front leg and wing were damaged, and despite Kira’s pleas to surrender, Waldfeld refused. He believed that once they had met as enemies, they had no option but to fight until either side was destroyed. Kira activated his SEED and thrust an Armor Schneider as the LaGOWE charged at him. Kira screamed before the enemy machine, which then exploded with a bright flash of light.
The Archangel left Africa and headed for the Alaska Base. However, it changed course and fled to Orb, a neutral country, to evade the pursuit of ZAFT. Cagalli was actually the daughter of Uzumi Nara Athha, the de facto leader of Orb.

Kira: “I never wanted to kill him!!”

Death of Friends and Compatriots / Wrath and Bloodshed

The Zala Team pursued the Archangel as it left the boundaries of Orb. In this battle, Nicol protected Athrun and fell in the battle. The Zala Team had the Archangel in their sights again and launched an intense ambush, as though to send off Nicol. Athrun's Aegis fixed its sights on the Strike. He felt that he and Kira were both responsible for what had happened to Nicol, who was only 15 years old and loved playing the piano more than anything. Athrun roared in anger. Tolle had taken off on the Skygrasper for the first time and attempted to join the battle and support Kira. However, the shield thrown by the Aegis collided with the Skygrasper's cockpit. Now Tolle was gone... As Kira activated his SEED, Athrun awakened his for the first time, and the two unleashed their wrath and indulged in bloodshed for the first time as they had nothing to stop them. Although losing one of its arms, the Aegis transformed into its mobile armor (MA) form, grappled with the Strike, and went into self-destruct mode. Athrun managed to escape as the Strike and Aegis let off a bright light and roaring explosion.
After escaping, Athrun was rescued on a deserted island by Cagalli. When asked about Kira’s whereabouts, Athrun confessed that he killed him.

Kira: “Athrun!” Athrun: “I will personally defeat you!”

Descending Wings of Freedom / Something to Fight For

Kira survived the battle with Athrun and was secretly taken to Lacus’s mansion for treatment. He learned of the dire state of the Archangel, and after contemplating his options, he decided to return to Earth. Lacus entrusted Kira with the ZGMF-X10A Freedom, a state-of-the-art MS developed by ZAFT, and Kira realized what he must fight against.
As Operation Spit Break was launched on Earth, ZAFT's fierce attacks were focused on Alaska Base. The Archangel was surrounded by ZAFT units and was backed into a corner. This was when an MS spread out its 10 wings and descended from the skies. It was the Freedom piloted by Kira, who rushed to the battlefield in HiMAT Mode (High Mobility Aerial Tactics Mode). He neutralized the units around him using Full Burst Mode accompanied with the Multi Lock-On System and called out to both enemies and allies to evacuate the combat zone. Kira had decided to take on a new battle: No lives had to be lost.
Meanwhile, Athrun received the ZGMF-X09A Justice from his father, Patrick Zala, and was ordered to take back the Freedom.

Kira: “I ask that both Forces cease battle at once and retreat from this area!"

Looming Blue and Pure Motives / Chance of Reconciliation

Orb adhered to its ideals of neutrality and protected the Archangel as it parted ways with Earth Alliance Forces. The Earth Alliance Forces had launched an invasion against Orb that was led by Blue Cosmos' Azrael, who had virtually taken over their armed forces and deployed new Gundams: the Calamity, Raider, and Forbidden. Kira took off on the Freedom and Mu boarded the Strike, and the two fought alongside the Archangel to protect Orb. Dearka, who had been taken prisoner, also joined the battle with the Buster. As Kira was struggling against the new Gundams, another mysterious MS appeared before his eyes. It was the Justice piloted by Athrun. Tensions rose throughout the combat zone with the arrival of the unknown MS. "What is it that you believe in and fight for?" Athrun was encouraged by Lacus' words and declared that he had intervened in the battle of his own accord, and not as a member of ZAFT. He began attacking the new Gundams and overwhelmed them while displaying brilliant maneuvers that perfectly accompanied the movements of the Freedom despite it being the first time they had cooperated. Kira and Athrun's gallant combat forced Earth Alliance Forces to retreat, and the two met face-to-face for the first time after their deadly clash. The two were finally able to have an honest talk while Cagalli greeted them with tears in her eyes.

Cagalli: “Y-You guys! You bastards!”

Invasion of Orb / Unshackled Seeds of Hope

While Kira, Athrun, and Cagalli were solidifying their ties, the Calamity, Raider, and Forbidden were preparing to be deployed by Earth Alliance Forces. Their pilots; Orga, Crot, and Shani, were humans who were artificially enhanced and used as Biological CPUs.
Orb's repeated attempts to negotiate with Earth Alliance Forces ended in vain as an all-out invasion began. The Calamity piloted by Orga was a heavily armed MS that specialized in artillery, and it absolutely annihilated Orb’s MS forces. Crot’s Raider was a transformable MS with aerial combat capabilities and was capable of not only close combat but also coordinated attacks while carrying the Calamity. The Forbidden operated by Shani could deploy its massive backpack to bend the trajectory of beams fired by enemy units and even change the trajectory of its own beams to attack opponents from unexpected directions.
The three MS pursued the Archangel and Kusanagi, which were attempting to escape into outer space. However, thanks to the combined efforts of Kira and Athrun, the seed of hope successfully made it to space.

Uzumi: "The seeds have flown. We've succeeded."

Scattering Lights / A World that Must Be Protected

The Archangel and Kusanagi went up into space, joined up with Lacus’ Eternal, and began their efforts to stop the war that was being fought between the Earth Alliance and PLANT. However, Earth Alliance Forces decided to fire nuclear missiles while ZAFT retaliated with the Genesis, a weapon of mass destruction, devastating their enemy’s fleet. In order to destroy Genesis, the Earth Alliance Forces fleet began their attack on Space Fortress Jachin Due. Kira and Athrun intervened in the fruitless battle between the two factions, but it seemed that there was no end in sight.
Rau Le Creuset was the one who was behind this ever-growing battle between Coordinators and Naturals. He cursed his upbringing as a failed clone and longed for the extinction of humanity in exchange for a short life. Rau's madness showed no signs of stopping, and he even shot down the escape vessel that was carrying Flay. Kira had failed to protect a loved one again... As he shed tears of regret, Flay's soul gently embraced him and smiled.
The steps to destruction were carried out as the Genesis' gamma-ray laser was to be fired at Earth in conjunction with Jachin Due's self-destruction. Athrun prevented the self-destruction sequence and laser attack with the Justice and escaped thanks to Cagalli's persuasion.
Kira's Freedom was fighting an intense battle with the Providence, an MS equipped with remote-controlled weapons known as the Dragoon System. Kira had lost all forgiveness for Creuset and stabbed the Providence with a Beam Saber while also suffering blows. He had managed to defeat Creuset in a deadly battle and was floating in space as he drifted in and out of consciousness. His eyes were filled with tears when he caught a glimpse of Athrun and Cagalli.

Kira: “There's a world I want to protect!”

Mobile Suit Gundam SEED DESTINY

Anger Clad in Red / A World in Chaos

The year was Cosmic Era (C.E.) 73. A secret meeting was being held at a new Plant named Armory One between Cagalli, who had become the head of Orb, and Dullindal, the new chairman of PLANT's Supreme Council. This was when Phantom Pain, a special forces unit belonging to Earth Alliance Forces, launched an attack. Combatants of Phantom Pain took the new Mobile Suit (MS) Chaos, Gaia, and Abyss and raided the military base. Athrun, who was protecting Cagalli, fought with a ZAKU Warrior, but was clearly outmatched. Another MS suddenly appeared. It was the Impulse piloted by Shinn Asuka. Shinn lost his family during the invasion of Orb in C.E. 71 and joined ZAFT. He hated warfare while also holding a grudge against the Athha family for their failure to protect Orb.
The Chaos, Gaia, and Abyss left Armory One. To retrieve the three machines, Shinn, Lunamaria, and Rey took off on the Minerva, ZAFT's newly built battle ship. Cagalli and Athrun also ended up accompanying them. While the Phantom Pain and Minerva clashed, an incident where Junius Seven fell to Earth occurred due to a Coordinator terrorist attack. Shinn, Athrun, Yzak, and their allies participated in efforts to destroy the remains of Junius Seven, but ultimately failed, allowing multiple areas on Earth to suffer severe damage.

Shinn: “Do you guys wanna start another war!?”

Logos' Covert Operations / Kira’s Return

Logos' leader Lord Djibril used the "Break The World" Incident, where pieces of Junius Seven fell to Earth, as an excuse to launch a nuclear missile attack on PLANT. Tensions between PLANT and the Earth Alliance were back to an all-time high, and Athrun decided to head back to PLANT alone after returning to Orb with Cagalli. Dullindal urged Athrun to return to ZAFT and was deployed to the Minerva as a member of FAITH.
Meanwhile, Orb established an alliance with the Atlantic Federation, and Cagalli was forced into a politically arranged marriage with Yuna of the Seiran family. Kira, Lacus, Murrue, and other former Archangel crew members were living in Orb but were ambushed by ZAFT's special forces. They were after Lacus. Kira decided to fight again, took off with the Freedom, and swiftly defeated the Mobile Suits of the special forces. Deciding that it would be dangerous to remain in Orb, Kira and his friends chose to leave with Cagalli on the Archangel. Athrun joined the crew of Minerva, but constantly clashed with Shinn, who was filled with hatred for Orb. The Minerva continued its battle with Earth Alliance Forces while also facing Orb’s fleet, which had formed an alliance with the Atlantic Federation.

Kira: “It's all right. l'm all right with it, Lacus.”

Souls Drifting Apart / Shinn’s Raging Flame of Revenge

Cagalli and Kira intervened in the battle between Minerva and Orb, and Cagalli sent out an order to stop Orb from fighting. However, this only caused confusion and a battle ensued. Once it was over, Athrun persuaded Cagalli to return to Orb, but Cagalli and the others were unable to accept the proposal due to their distrust of Dullindal. Lacus headed to space to investigate while Kira anxiously sent her off.
Perturbed by the situation, Djibril launched an invasion in western Eurasia to destroy a ZAFT base on Earth. Earth Alliance Forces and the Destroy Gundam, massive transformable MS, were about to burn down the city of Berlin. Shinn rushed to the scene and learned that the pilot of the Destroy Gundam was Stellar. She was a member of Phantom Pain, the pilot of the Gaia, and the girl that Shinn had rescued off the coast of Diokia. Shinn did everything he could to persuade her to stop, but it was no use before the fear that lurked within her heart. It was then that the Freedom thrust its Beam Saber into the Destroy Gundam's chest to stop its rampage. Stellar came to and took her last breath in Shinn's arms, confessing her feelings. All Shinn could do was to let out an agonizing scream. He lowered Stellar's body into a serene lake, wishing for her to rest in peace... while also vowing to avenge her by defeating Kira Yamato.

Shinn: "Stellar… I'm sorry..."

Declaration of War on Logos / The Defeat of the Freedom

The Archangel rescued Phantom Pain Captain Neo Lorrnoke on the battlefield in Berlin. His physical data revealed that he was actually Mu La Flaga, who went missing during the previous war. Murrue was happy that he was still alive, but shed tears after learning that his memories were lost.
Meanwhile, Dullindal suddenly revealed the members of the military-industrial complex Logos to the entire world. Logos was the source of every single conflict. Dullindal declared war on Logos and began gathering support from around the world. This ploy allowed him to gain control over the PLANT Council. While this was happening, Operation Angel Down had begun, and the Minerva was ordered to sink the Archangel. The Archangel headed to Orb but was surrounded by units deployed from the Minerva and ZAFT, suffering extensive damage. Kira was forced to fight Shinn's Impulse while simultaneously protecting the Archangel. The Minerva fired its Tannhäuser positron gun at the Archangel, which was trying to escape into the ocean, when Shinn landed a decisive blow on the Freedom... After a huge explosion, only the Impulse emerged from the smoke.

Shinn: "I'm the one who will shoot you down! Today! Right here!"

Activation of the Destiny / Departures

The Freedom was severely damaged by Shinn, who had turned into the embodiment of revenge, but Kira was rescued by Cagalli. The Archangel also managed to escape into the ocean and headed to Orb. Minerva's crew members congratulated Shinn, but Athrun refused to share this sentiment and ended up isolated. As Shinn and Athrun arrived in Gibraltar, Dullindal summoned the two and gave them the Destiny and Legend: state-of-the-art machines. Shinn was exhilarated while Athrun expressed his suspicion. Learning that Dullindal intended to wipe him out due to his rebellious nature, Athrun escaped from the base in the MS Gouf Ignited with Meyrin, who agreed to rescue him.
Rey caught wind of Athrun’s actions and took off with Shinn. Athrun’s attempts to convince Shinn while fighting fell short due to Rey’s intervention. As if to resolve his doubts, Shinn identified the Gouf Ignited piloted by Athrun and Meyrin as an enemy and shot it down. As Lunamaria cried after learning about the sudden death of her sister, Shinn gently embraced her while also crying himself.

Shinn: “You're at fault. It's your fault! Because you betrayed us!!”

A Hazy Reunion / A New Sword

Dullindal issued his ultimatum to Heaven's Base, the headquarters of OMNI Enforcer where Djibril was hiding. Earth Alliance Forces refused to answer and suddenly launched an attack with five new Destroy Gundams.
Meanwhile, Athrun was rescued by the Archangel and regained consciousness. He was excited to be reunited with Kira and fell back asleep to heal his serious injuries.
Although It seemed that Earth Alliance Forces had an overwhelming advantage, Shinn's Destiny, Rey's Legend, and Lunamaria's Impulse swiftly took down the Destroy Gundams. However, Djibril had disappeared by the time they captured Heaven's Base.
Lacus joined up with DaCosta in space and came across notes containing something called the “Destiny Plan” while investigating Mendel. The ship's alarms suddenly went off as they were discovered by ZAFT. Lacus and her friends made a dire escape while Kira learned of the Eternal's status, attached boosters to the Strike Rouge, and headed into space alone. Although his MS was heavily damaged, Kira safely managed to reach the Eternal and reunite with Lacus. Kira was given a new “sword” in the form of the ZGMF-X20A Strike Freedom and neutralized all 25 ZAKU Warriors and GOUF Igniteds within two minutes.

Kira: “Thank you. With this, I can fight properly. In my own way.”

Golden Legacy / A Blade Imbued with Spirits

Following the battle at Heaven's Base, it turned out that Djibril received help from the Seiran family and fled to Orb. Dullindal immediately dispatched his armed forces to Orb while the Archangel was undergoing repairs, Kira was elsewhere, and Athrun was still tending to his wounds. This was when Cagalli, who still wished to save her homeland, received the MS Akatsuki from Kisaka and Erica Simmons. It was an MS left by Cagalli's late father, Uzumi Nara Athha. Ingraining her father's will in her heart, Cagalli set off on the Akatsuki, detained Yuna, regained control of Orb’s entire armed forces, and faced ZAFT.
It seemed that Orb succeeded in fighting back, but Shinn's Destiny and the Minerva arrived and attacked the Akatsuki. Kira's Strike Freedom, the Archangel, and Neo (Mu)'s Skygrasper also joined the battlefield. Seeing this, Rey decided to retreat and took Shinn with him. With Cagalli and the others still unable to find out the whereabouts of Djibril, Shinn and Rey took off again after resupplying. Kira struggled against the two, who attacked in sync. Just then, Athrun intervened with the Infinite Justice Gundam, overwhelming Shinn. When it was revealed that Djibril managed to escape to the moon, Captain Talia Gladys came to the conclusion that the battle was over and ordered her forces to withdraw.

Uzumi: "Power is no more than just that, power. Foolish are those who hope for it in excess … yet equally foolish are those who resent it for no apparent reason."

Instigating Destiny / Athran Strikes

The world was shocked when the real Lacus revealed that the Lacus who was on Dullindal's side was a fake and that she was opposed to his ideals. Meanwhile, Djibril escaped to the Daedalus Base on the moon and fired the Requiem, an Inter-orbital Omnidirectional Strategic Cannon, at PLANT. Dullindal invaded Daedalus Base with all of his forces, seized the Requiem, and finally defeated Djibril. Logos had been destroyed, and Dullindal gained support from around the world. While this was happening, the Archangel formally became a ship belonging to Orb’s space fleet and headed into space.
Lacus, Kira, and their friends stopped by the city of
Deciding that the time had come, Dullindal proposed the Destiny Plan to the entire world. When Orb and certain other countries objected, Dullindal used the repaired Requiem to destroy Earth Alliance Forces’ Arzachel lunar base. Orb was designated as the next target and the Archangel, Eternal, and Orb’s fleet clashed with ZAFT. Shinn and Athrun faced off again, and Shinn was defeated by an intense blow. While in a confused state, Shinn had a conversation with Stellar's soul.

Athrun: “You darn fool!”

Rey's Choice / A Battle to Plant Flowers

The Archangel and Minerva were locked in an intense battle. Athrun appeared and destroyed the Minerva’s main thrusters, rendering it immobile. Rey had engaged in a fight and lost and revealed that he was also a clone like Creuset as he was left floating in space. After learning of Shinn and Rey's defeat, Dullindal used the Neo Genesis installed in Space Fortress Messiah to wipe out the Requiem launcher sector along with his own troops. As the weapon was about to be fired, Athrun and Mu managed to stop him. Kira took off on the Strike Freedom equipped with the Meteor, destroyed Messiah's shield system, and shut down the fortress's functions by attacking it with the Eternal.
Rey reached the Messiah, which was on the verge of destruction, and found Dullindal and Kira locked in a standoff in the headquarters. As Athrun and Talia rushed in, a single shot was fired. Rey was moved by Kira's words and shot Dullindal. Talia embraced a dying Dullindal and Rey, who wept like a child. As the three disappeared into the flames, Kira and Athrun escaped from the collapsing Messiah.
The decisive battle finally ended, and Kira, Lacus, Athrun, Meyrin, Shinn, and Lunamaria gathered at the memorial monument on Onogoro Island. Kira held out his hand as he greeted Shinn, and asked him to join the battle to keep planting flowers, no matter how many times they are blown away or destroyed. Shinn took Kira’s hand, burst into tears, and decided to make things right.