You Must Be Missing the “Blue Old Man” by Now…! The Unmatched Coolness of Ramba Ral from “Mobile Suit Gundam”

Sparked by the currently airing anime “Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX,” Char Aznable’s rival, Chalia Bull—known as the “Green Old Man”—has become extremely popular. But have we forgotten? In “Mobile Suit Gundam,” there was also Ramba Ral (voiced by Masashi Hirose), the so-called “Blue Old Man”…!

Known as the “Blue Giant Star,” Ramba Ral is the son of Jimba Ral, who was a close aide to Zeon Zum Deikun in opposition to the Zabi family. As a result, Ramba holds a complicated position within the Zeon forces, which are dominated by the Zabi family. Nevertheless, he fulfills his military duties with integrity and commands strong trust from his subordinates because he leads from the front. Many anime fans would recognize his famous line: “This isn’t a Zaku, boy, not a Zaku!”

Though Ramba is an enemy to the protagonist Amuro Ray (voiced by Toru Furuya), he is, in a sense, also a “mentor-like” figure. Amuro, affected by Ramba’s humanity and the bitter experiences on the battlefield, determines, “I want to defeat that man…!”—thus making a resolution as a warrior. In other words, Ramba’s way of life as a man of arms served as a catalyst for Amuro’s growth.