Upamanyu Biswas
At the end of the first season of ‘Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance,’ Captain Solari’s battle against the Earth Federation Gundam takes a new twist as the protagonist learns the identity of its pilot. As she finally comes to grips with the horrors of the war surrounding her, she tries to level with the demonic Gundam, hoping the chaos can be resolved without further bloodshed. However, by then, the protagonist is grappling with a whole series of existential issues, not only through the battle on the ground but also the guilt she carries as a mother. Unfortunately, the first season ends tragically as the war takes its toll on the central characters, casting doubt over their next course of action against the Earth Federation Forces! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance Season 1 Plot Recap
Several months into the One Year War, Captain Iria Solari of the Principality of Zeon closes in on capturing the European territory from the Earth Federation Forces. Solari is a brilliant mobile-suit pilot with numerous military accolades and victories under her belt. However, during a mission to claim the Cluj-Napoca Base, a serious threat emerges in the shape of a highly advanced mobile suit known as the Gundam operated by an EFF pilot. It decimates the Zeon forces lodged in the base and also kills Solari’s underlings, Chubs and Zavaleta, using a beam cannon. Solari somehow manages to rescue her other underling, LeSean, before the Gundam completes the task. She then commandeers a retreat for the surviving soldiers while being pursued by Gundam.
The rag-tag bunch of soldiers somehow make it to the Brigade HQ, where they find it entirely in tatters with only a couple of soldiers holding defensive positions. Solari rescues as many survivors on her trip as she can before learning that a nearby recycling center might still be operational and could offer refuge to the lost crew. With very few options on the table, the group heads for the facility and finds it occupied by friendly forces. Unfortunately, the recent devastation has led to numerous injured men and women flooding into the establishment. Solari is told by the commander of the base, Major Rolph Ronnet, that she can leave the injured behind but must seek refuge elsewhere with her other healthy crew members.
A big break arrives when Solari meets up with an old military friend on the base named Captain Zydos, who informs her that she can stay at the facility after he has a talk with the Major. While being stationed at the Center, the crew recruited by Solari learn more about the Captain, including how she lost her husband a few months ago. She also has a son back on her home planet who is waiting to reunite with her once the war ends. Meanwhile, Solari convinces Zydos and other members of the recycling center to assemble two functional mobile suits with which they can fight in the war. They successfully do so and mount a serious defense against the Gundam when it attacks the RC. Subsequently, Major General Kellerne shows up in the facility and tasks Solari with a critical mission.
The Captain has to head into one of the main production facilities to retrieve the advanced mechs and bring them back for further inspection by the Zeon scientists. As the EFF mobile suits are turning the tide of the war, it is pivotal that Solari succeeds in her quest. However, the mission proves to be more challenging in practice than reality as the crew’s cover is blown soon after they infiltrate the enemy base. To make matters worse, the Gundam makes an appearance, turning the battle in the favor of the enemy. Ultimately, Solari only manages to hold on somehow before her lieutenant, LeSean, arrives to rescue her from a desperate plan. Tragically, it costs him his life and leaves Solari with a whole lot of soul-searching to do by the end.
Gundam: Requiem For Vengeance Season 1 Ending: Who is the Gundam Pilot?
After losing countless battles and soldiers to the Gundam, one of the shocking revelations Captain Solari faces is when she realizes the identity of the Gundam user. During the infiltration mission of the Earth Federation base, Solari comes across a young boy who stands out from the rest of the soldiers on the compound. She finds him eerily similar to her son, especially considering that her son is the same age as him. Later, when the Gundam appears on the base and takes down Captain Zydos’ GM mobile suit, Solari has a premonition owing to her Newtype ability, which helps her connect the dots and realize that the young boy is the pilot of the Gundam. It is a bleak moment as she finally comes face-to-face with the monster who killed her beloved squadron, except it happens to be a child.
The horrible nature of the war distorts the perspective of soldiers on both sides, and Solari is no different from the rest. She sees the EFF members as the enemy and dehumanizes them as much as she can. However, upon realizing that a young boy is fighting in the Gundam suit, she is forced to reflect on the cost of the war, something she previously expressed to Lieutenant LeSean herself. The fact that children are fighting in the stead of adults shows the folly of the battles waged on both sides. After all, it ultimately destroys children’s innocence. Also, given Solari’s own motherhood, she feels even more attuned to the boy’s plight. Even if he murdered many of the people Solari held dear, she finally understands the cruelty of the war surrounding them, specifically because a child is her enemy.
Does the Gundam Die?
During the Odessa spaceport arc, Solari pilots her mobile suit to allow her Zeon friends and soldiers to escape and head back to their space colonies. She teams up with another crew of mobile suit users known as the Midnighters to drive back the EFF and clear a path for her group. However, a snag appears in their efforts as the Gundam makes another appearance. This time, it kills a member of the Midnighters, causing their team leader to go after it in a rage. Solari intervenes and forces him to step away while she takes on the Gundam herself. This time, rather than fighting head-on, she opens communication with the pilot and tries talking with him. She pleads with him to let her people go as they are simply surrendering and leaving Earth.
Initially, the young boy is unresponsive to her but slowly finds himself turning to her side. He admits that he was forced into serving in the army as there was no other choice. The acknowledgment showcases how trapped soldiers on both sides feel about their situation. Solari then reveals to the Gundam pilot that she is a mother and understands the boy’s pain. The revelation causes him to finally listen to her as he saves her from falling debris. Subsequently, he tells her that perhaps they do not have to fight. Unfortunately, seeing the momentary lapse in concentration, one of the Midnight crew slices through the Gundam’s heart and kills the pilot. It is a tragic and horrifying ending to the boy’s life and leaves Solari with an incredible amount of trauma. Meanwhile, her crew successfully leaves Earth on their airships.
What Happens to Solari?
Although Solari completes her task of keeping her people safe, she decides to stay on Earth rather than return to space and go back to her waiting son. She undergoes a shift in her values after everything she witnessed with the Gundam pilot, particularly the fact that children were fighting the war in place of adults. The tragedy of the situation forces her to do something about it. So, against her personal desires, Solari decides to listen to the righteousness in her heart and stays back on Earth by uniting with the African remnants of the Zeon forces. In the final narration of season 1, the Captain insists that she will keep fighting in the war because the cruelties will never stop as long as children are being recruited.
In many ways, the story explores the tragedies of war and how soldiers are unwittingly drawn into a conflict against other humans who are just like them. While many soldiers may have forgotten this principle, Solari is one of the few who still holds on to this belief and is willing to show compassion even to her enemies. Despite her various achievements in the past, the Captain is driven by a strong moral compass. She showcases this when she stops Lieutenant LeSean from gunning down the Gundam while it is protecting one of its compatriot pilots. Although she knows that winning the war is paramount, she is not ready to compromise on her humanity to achieve the end goal. To that end, her decision to stay back on Earth aligns with who she is as a person. Whether it amounts to anything is the territory of future seasons.
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