At long last,Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX, the newGundamanime made in collaboration with Studio Khara ofNeon Genesis Evangelionfame, is finally here. AGundamanime having such a legendary staff behind it drew an incredible amount of hype toward it from day one, and if the series premiere is anything to go on, it’s going to live up to it in every regard.
Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuXhas always been one of themost hotly-anticipated anime of spring 2025, and overall, it should be easy for newcomers to jump right in. That being said, between the decades of history behindGundam,Evangelion, and all the people behind them, dozens of anime helped lay the foundations forGQuuuuuuX, soanyone looking to watchMobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuXwould benefit from watching a few select anime beforehand. A few of those anime are especially worth highlighting, and even withoutGundam, they should be part of any anime fan’s library.
10The Dragon Dentist
Anime Series By Studio Khara; Directed By Kazuya Tsurumaki
Studio Khara’sThe Dragon Dentiststars Nonoko Kishii, the newly appointed dentist for the guardian dragon of her country amid a war. One day, Nonoko pulls an enemy soldier from the dragon named Bell, who was miraculously revived by its power; an event like that is said to be a precursor to a major disaster, and Nonoko and Bell have to learn to accept that fate as they come together in one fierce battle after another.
Despite being a short OVA series and Studio Khara’s first original anime,The Dragon Dentistis filled with plenty of great art and animation that complements a surprisingly engaging story, and it holds up incredibly well even after so many years. Series director Kazuya Tsurumaki is also directingGQuuuuuuX, soanyone who wants to know what to expect fromMobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX’s visual style would be remiss to pass upThe Dragon Dentist.
Sunrise’sCode Geassstars Lelouch vi Britannia, the former prince of Britannia who was banished to Japan, now the Britannian colony Area 11, for calling him out on his failure to save his mother from death and his sister, Nunnally, from becoming paralyzed. When Lelouch gains a Geass, a mysterious power that lets him brainwash anyone he looks at, Lelouch uses his power to become the vigilante Zero and slowly take down Britannia to avenge his mother and create a better world for Nunnally.
Ever since its premiere, the connections betweenCode GeassandGundamhave been undeniable, as they’re both campy mecha anime with great animation and a heavy focus on political storytelling. It’s unknown howGQuuuuuuX’s story will play out, but sure enough,Code Geass’ enduring overlap withGundammakes it as good to watch beforeMobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuXas it would be for anyGundamshow.
In Studio Trigger’sTengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, humanity has been forced to live underground for centuries under the threat of murder by the Spiral King and his Beastmen. When Simon discovers a robot called a Gunmen, however, he and his blood brother Kamina end up joining humanity’s fight against the Spiral King, and Simon’s part in it all has him grow into a man that can take on not only the world, but the entire universe.
With how muchGurren Lagannsquarely fits into the super robot genre, it doesn’t have much overlap withGundam, but at the same time,Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagannis great to watch specifically because of how much fun it has with the mecha genre with its over-the-top writing and animation at every turn. It’s a perfect anime for anyone who loves the mecha genre, and as such, it’s perfect to watch before watchingGQuuuuuuX.
7Star Driver
Anime Series By Bones Film; Written By Yoji Enokido
Bones Film’sStar Driverstars Takuto Tsunashi, a new student at Southern Cross Isle who discovers that it’s under the control of the villainous Glittering Crux Brigade. The Glittering Crux Brigade seeks to destroy the seals on the island’s four shrine maidens so they can unleash powerful robots called Cybodies on the world, and Takuto, as the Galactic Pretty Boy with his own Cybody, is the only one who can stop them.
Star Driverwas written by legendary writer Yoji Enokido, best known for his work onFLCLandNeon Genesis Evangelion, and sure enough,Star Driveris another anime that’s great to watch for its campy and surprisingly heartfelt writing from start to finish. Enokido is currently the head writer ofGQuuuuuuX, and while it won’t have the same tone, anyone who wants an idea of how funGQuuuuuuX’s writing will be should certainly giveStar Drivera try.
Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water
Cast
Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water is an animated film set during the late 19th century. It follows Nadia, young inventor Jean Ratlique, and Captain Nemo aboard the submarine Nautilus as they confront the villainous Gargoyle and his organization Neo-Atlantis, whose ambition threatens the fate of the world.
Gainax and Group TAC’sNadia: The Secret of Blue Watertakes place in a steampunk take on 1889 and opens with the young inventor Jean Rocque Raltique encountering Nadia, a circus performer being chased by thieves over her crystal necklace, the Blue Water. Jean decides to help Nadia learn the truth of her past and find her true home, and the answers to both end up having bigger ramifications on the world than they ever could have imagined.
Nadiawas the first full-length anime bylegendary director Hideaki Anno, and sure enough,Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water’s clever writing and gorgeous visuals still hold up after 35 years, making it the ultimate precursor of what to expect fromNeon Genesis Evangelion. Anno is mostly just overseeing production onGQuuuuuuX, but if anyone wants to know what to expect from his involvement, thenNadiais a great place to start.
Gainax’sGunbusterstars Noriko Takaya, a new student at the Okinawa Girls' Space Pilot High School who lacks self-confidence and is bullied for being the daughter of a disgraced admiral. Despite all that, Noriko is chosen as one of two students to enter the elite Top Squadron, and with that pressure on her, she’ll need to completely reinvent herself to prove her worth and save the world alongside her partner, Kazumi Amano.
Gunbusteris essentially an anime version ofTop Gun, and it’s as goofy as one would expect, but sure enough,the sincere and campy writing ofGunbuster, combined with its gorgeous animation, has made it one of history’s most iconic mecha anime. The series helped launch Hideaki Anno’s career and laid the groundwork for countless mecha anime to follow, and it can be seen as essential viewing not only forGQuuuuuuX, but for mecha anime as a whole.
Sunrise’sMobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercurystars Suletta Mercury, a new student at the Asticassia School of Technology looking forward to having the school life she’s always dreamed of. All of that is thrown out the window, however, as Suletta is caught up in the messy corporate dealings of the Benerit Group, the ongoing tensions between Earthians and Spacians, and, above all else, her surprise engagement to the princess of the school, Miorine Rembran.
The Witch from Mercurywas the first mainlineGundamanime sinceIron-Blooded Orphans, and fortunately,Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercuryremains one of the bestGundamanime a person can watch, thanks to its fun cast and its consistently gorgeous artwork and animation.GQuuuuuuXhas taken the reins as the newestGundamanime, and for anyone who wants to know how good that can be,The Witch from Mercuryis a must-watch.
Studio Khara’sNeon Genesis Evangelionstars Shinji Ikari, a reserved young boy who goes to the futuristic Tokyo-3 to see his father for the first time in a decade. There, Shinji is told that he has to pilot a giant robot called an Evangelion and protect the world from monstrous beings called Angels, all of which gradually take a toll on Shinji’s fragile psyche.
Neon Genesis Evangelionis one of the most iconic and influential anime of all time, and sure enough,Neon Genesis Evangelionmore than earns its stellar reputation thanks to its dark and deconstructive writing and all-around gorgeous direction. Whether it’s the original anime or theRebuild of Evangelionfilm series, it’s one of the best anime to watch, and there’s no better way to see what Hideaki Anno will be bringing toGQuuuuuuX.
Production I.G’sFLCLstars Naota Nandaba, an ordinary boy whose life is suddenly taken over by Haruko Haruhara, an alien woman who ran Naota over with a Vespa. Haruko’s presence periodically causes evil robots to spawn out of Naota’s head wound, and the only way for Naota to combat them is by fusing with Canti, the one good robot to come from there, all while he slowly unravels the truth about Haruko and what kind of person he wants to be.
FLCLis the signature work of legendary director Kazuya Tsurumaki, and it’s easy to see why, asFLCL’s incredible animation and absurdist comedy centered around growing up make for an entertaining experience across a surprisingly short runtime. Tsurumaki is one of the best directors in the business, and if anything that madeFLCLwork finds its way intoGQuuuuuuX, it will be great to see.
Mobile Suit Gundam
Mobile Suit Gundam follows teenager Amuro Ray, who pilots the Earth Federation’s secret weapon, the mobile suit Gundam, amidst an interstellar war. Fleeing aboard the warship White Base, Amuro and a group of refugees and inexperienced soldiers become pivotal in influencing the conflict’s outcome.
Sunrise’sMobile Suit Gundamis the first series in the now-iconicGundamfranchise and the beginning of the Universal Century timeline. The original series told the story of the Earth Federation’s losing battle against the Principality of Zeon, but when Amuro Ray breaks out the experimental Gundam, the Earth Federation gets the edge they need to turn the tide as Amuro becomes their greatest weapon against Zeon and the legendary Char Aznable.
GQuuuuuuXtakes place in an alternate Universal Centurytimeline, so that automatically makes the originalGundamanime worth watching, but beyond that,Mobile Suit Gundam’s great visuals and mature writing make it great to watch both by itself and because of how fundamental it was in developing the mecha genre. There are few anime bigger than the originalGundamanime, and above all else, it’s easily thebest anime to watch before watchingMobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX.
