"Mobile Suit Gundam" is a robot animation work by Nippon Sunrise (now known as Sunrise). It aired as a television series in 1979.

Unlike traditional robot anime, the main theme of the story was the hero coming of age as a member of society.

Using war as the stage for a human drama steeped in reality, the series also introduced robots called "mobile suits" (or MS) as a type of weapon. During the first half of the 1980s, it would be looked upon as the start of the "Real Robot" era and praised as the franchise that revolutionized the Japanese robot anime genre.

These were the elements that made the series popular among teenage audiences during its TV broadcast run, and led to the release of theatrical movies.

Half a year after the end of the television broadcast, Bandai's plastic models of the MS were released to explosively huge sales numbers, and the toys that are now known as "Gunpla" became a social phenomenon. Subsequent works were based on the world view and setting of the original story, or followed its historical timeline. Many best-selling novels and manga were also released, making Gundam a pioneer of today's "multiple media market" strategy.

Theme songs from the movies also ranked at the top of the music charts, becoming extremely popular among the public.

Over the past 30 years, this preeminent franchise has produced 12 television series, 13 theatrical movies, and 12 original video animations, and to this day it continues to boast the same lasting popularity.