Gundam Build Divers (Japanese: ガンダムビルドダイバーズ, Hepburn: Gandamu Birudo Daibāzu). often abbreviated as GBD. is a Japanese science fiction anime television series produced by Sunrise, a spiritual successor to the 2013 anime Gundam Build Fighters, and the third series within the Gundam Build Series sub-series, based on the long-running Gundam franchise. It is directed by Shinya Watada (Gundam Build Fighters Try) and written by Noboru Kimura (SoltyRei, Dragonar Academy) with character designs by Juri Toida. It was first teased in December 2017 under the title "Gundam Build Next Battle Project" until its official reveal in The Gundam Base Tokyo on February 2, 2018. It premiered on all TXN network stations in Japan on April 3, 2018. Unlike the previous series, which focuses on the Gundam model (Gunpla) aspect of the franchise, Gundam Build Divers focuses on a virtual reality massively multiplayer online game in terms of themes and battles.
A sequel series, Gundam Build Divers Re:Rise, was announced on November 21, 2018, and was released in October 2019 as part of the 40th-anniversary celebration of the Gundam franchise. Shinya Watada is returning to direct the series at Sunrise Beyond, with Yasuyuki Muto as scriptwriter, Shuri Toida as character designer, and Hideakira Kimura as music composer.
A prologue original net animation was aired by Sunrise on February 2, 2018, while two sidestories began serialization in June 2018 on both Gundam Ace and Dengeki Hobby Magazine respectively.
Contents
Plot
In the near future, where the Gundam franchise is at its peak and the popularity of Gunpla is soaring to new heights, a new virtual reality massively multiplayer online game (VRMMO) game called Gunpla Battle Nexus Online (GBN) is made. In Gunpla Battle Nexus Online, players can upload themselves and their Gunpla online through the virtual space and battle with players from across the world. In the game itself, the player assumes the role of a Gunpla Diver, and each year a special tournament called "Gunpla Force Battle Tournament" is held to prove who is the best Gunpla Diver. The story revolves around Riku Mikami, a 14-year-old junior high school student and an admirer of famous Gunpla Diver Kyoya Kujo. He and his friends Yukio and Momoka love Gunpla and play GBN together. However, his own life changes as he meets a mysterious female Diver named Sarah as strange events take place in the GBN with the appearance of Mass-Divers. Now guided by his new allies, he forms their first Gunpla Diver group, embarking on epic adventures with his friends and to see who is the best fighter in the GBN world which would soon bring unforeseen forces to Gunpla.
Characters
Build Divers
Riku Mikami (ミカミ・リク, Mikami Riku) / Riku (リク)
Voiced by: Yūsuke Kobayashi (Japanese), Erik Scott Kimerer (English)
Leader of the Force "Build Divers" (ビルドダイバーズ, Birudo Daibāzu), he is a 14-year-old middle school student who looks to follow in the footsteps of his idol, Gunpla Battle champion Kyoya Kujo, however he didn't know he ended up following similar footsteps to one of the champion's force's best members. Riku's Gunpla is the GN-0000DVR Gundam 00 Diver, later upgraded to the GN-0000DVR/A Gundam 00 Diver Ace. After the Diver Ace is destroyed in a battle with Tsukasa, Riku rebuilds it from scratch into the GN-0000DVR/S Gundam 00 Sky.
Yukio Hidaka (ヒダカ・ユキオ, Hidaka Yukio) / Yukki (ユッキー, Yukkī)
Voiced by: Natsumi Fujiwara (Japanese); Erica Mendez (English)
Riku's classmate and best friend. He is a fan of Gundam and has extensive knowledge of the franchise. His Gunpla is the RGM-86RBM GM III Beam Master and later, the RGM-89BM Jegan Blast Master.
Momoka Yashiro (ヤシロ・モモカ, Yashiro Momoka) / Momo (モモ)
Voiced by: Nene Hieda (Japanese); Cassandra Lee Morris (English)
Riku and Yukio's classmate and a member of the girls' soccer club. She tries to drag Riku and Yukio to the soccer club at first, but ends up getting interested in GBN instead. After piloting a rented Kapool during the first time she logged into GBN, she was inspired by it to create her own Gunpla, the PEN-01M Momokapool.
Sarah (サラ, Sara)
Voiced by: Haruka Terui (Japanese); Kayli Mills (English)
A mysterious girl Riku and Yukki meet on their first day in GBN. Despite being part of the Build Divers, she has no Gunpla and usually rides with Riku. She was revealed by the AI system to be an "EL-Diver", an electronic lifeform created by the Gunpla's feelings and emotions through GBN's cyberspace. The proof was made when the AI system discovered she has no human identity. Her mind and data are later transferred to a real Gunpla, the HER-SELF Mobile Doll Sarah, which is capable of interacting with others and roams around in the real world as well as logging in as a regular GBN user. Later on it is revealed that she is NOT the first EL-Diver to exist nor the only one, especially not an only child and her appearance's colors embodied a legacy.
GBN Users
Kyoya Kisugi (キスギ・キョウヤ, Kisugi Kyōya) / Kyoya Kujo (クジョウ・キョウヤ, Kujō Kyōya)
Voiced by: Jun Kasama (Japanese); Mark Whitten (English)
Leader of "Team Avalon" (チームアヴァロン, Chīmu Avaron) and the highest-ranked Gunpla Diver. Following his championship match against Rommel, Kyoya goes undercover in the GBN world to investigate the presence of "Mass-Divers" (マスダイバー, Masu Daibā), players who use illegal software to upgrade their Gunpla and cause bugs in the game. His Gunpla is the AGE-IIMG Gundam AGEII Magnum. In the real world, his hair color is brown.
Rommel (ロンメル, Ronmeru)
Voiced by: Shō Hayami (Japanese); Patrick Seitz (English)
Leader of the "7th Panzer Division" (第七機甲師団, Dai Nana Kikōshidan), the second highest-ranked Gunpla Diver, GBN's top strategist, and Kyoya's arch-rival. Despite their rivalry they are still very good friends. His avatar in the GBN world has the form of an ermine. His Gunpla is the GH-001RB Grimoire Red Beret.
Magee (マギー, Magī)
Voiced by: Taishi Murata (Japanese); Doug Erholtz (English)
A flamboyant Diver and leader of "Adam's Apple" (アダムの林檎, Adamu no Ringo) who becomes Riku and Yukki's navigator and mentor in GBN. Magee is 23rd overall in the GBN world ranking. His Gunpla is the ZGMF-X20A-LP Gundam Love Phantom. He tends to talk in an exaggerated effeminate fashion called "Onee-kotoba" (older-sister-speech), even in the real world.
Do-ji (ドージ, Dōji)
Voiced by: Yoshitsugu Matsuoka (Japanese); Derek Stephen Prince (English)
Ogre's younger brother who bullies rookie Divers for their points in GBN. On Riku and Yukki's first day Do-ji tricks them into exiting the training stage into Free Battle Mode so he can destroy their Gunpla, but despite damaging Yukki's GM III Beam Master, he loses to Riku's Gundam 00 Diver. His Gunpla is the xvt-mmc Geara Ghirarga. He later apologizes to all Build Diver members because of his shameful actions, including bullying rookie Divers and the usage of the Break Decal. He was later mentioned by Yukki, wanting to introduce himself in the real world but was busy on other matters.
Other characters
Tsukasa Shiba (シバ・ツカサ, Shiba Tsukasa)
Voiced by: Taku Yashiro (Japanese); Khoi Dao (English)
Once a member of Koichi's GPD club, he loathes GBN not only because it replaces GPD, but according to him, GBN does not have the thrills of a true battle, with players fighting at the risk of getting their Gunpla damaged or even destroyed. Thus he started distributing the "Break Decals", illegal programs that boost a Gunpla's capabilities, but creates several bugs in the GBN system, with the intention of destroying it. He later joins forces with Koichi in his plan to make use of a Break Decal to save Sarah without running the risk of breaking GBN, known as a Build Decal. His Gunpla is the MBF-PNN Gundam Astray No-Name. Despite successfully saving Sarah, he is still avoiding loose ends away from Kyoya, Magee, Kotaro and Ruck Arge because of his past actions.
Kanari (ナスターシャ, Nasutāsha)
Voiced by: Kanako Sakuragi (Japanese); Faye Mata (English)
Game Master (ゲームマスター, Gēmumasutā) / Katsuragi (カツラギ, Katsuragi)
Voiced by: Eiji Takemoto (Japanese); Armen Taylor (English)
The administrator of the GBN who oversees its functioning. His avatar is based on a SD Gundam Force character Gundiver.
Miss Tori (ミス・トーリ, Misu Tōri)
Voiced by: Mai Nakahara (Japanese); Ryan Bartley (English)
The developer and creator of the GBN. Her avatar is based on the Crystal Phoenix from SD Sengokuden Densetsu no Daishogun.
Production
The series was first teased after the airing of the 5th episode of Gundam Build Fighters: Battlogue in December 2017, with the working title "Gundam Build Next Battle Project" On the official press conference held in The Gundam Base Tokyo in Japan reveals the series after the prologue ONA is streamed. Though Gunpla battles is the main aspect of the series, virtual reality and massively multiplayer online game games with will be part of series's theme in terms of the series's storyline and also the theme surrounding Gunpla Battle Nexus Online. Alongside the reveal, several character designs were revealed for both the prologue ONA and the anime as well as the main mechas of the series. Staff members from Gundam Build Fighters also returned to produce the anime, with some of the mecha are designed by Kunio Okawara, Kanetake Ebikawa, Junya Ishigaki, Ippei Gyobu, Kenji Teraoka, Shinya Terashima, Takayuki Yanase, and Naohiro Washio. Mecha battles in the series are directed by Masami Obari alongside animators Shinya Kusumegi and Sakiko Uda.
Media
Anime
The anime premiered on all TXN network stations in Japan on April 3, 2018, replacing Idol Time PriPara on its initial timeslot. The opening and ending themes from Episodes 1–13 are "Diver's High" is by Sky-Hi and "Ashita e" (明日へ; lit. 'To Tomorrow') is by Iris in Japanese while the opening and ending themes from Episodes 14–25 are "Infinity" by SWANKY DANK and "Start Dash" by Spira Spica. The series' music is composed by Hideakira Kimura. A prologue ONA titled Gundam Build Divers Prologue was first streamed at The Gundam Base Tokyo on February 2, 2018, and later released on YouTube on the same date. The series is also streamed at Sunrise's "GundamInfo" channel on YouTube with subtitles in English, among other languages. In 2018, Sunrise had Bang Zoom Entertainment to produce an English dub for the series. The series was later streamed on Funimation's FunimationNow streaming service in North America on March 28, 2019.
A sequel, titled Gundam Build Divers Re:Rise premiered in October 2019 on Sunrise's new "Gundam Channel" on YouTube. Most of the staff members returned to reprise their roles.
Manga
A sidestory Manga titled Gundam Build Divers Break (Japanese: ガンダムビルドダイバーズ ブレイク, Hepburn: Gandamu Birudo Daibāzu Bureiku) began serialization in Kadokawa Shoten's monthly Gundam Ace Magazine in June 2018 to October 2019. The Manga was illustrated by Shiitake Gensui (Go to Helln) and written by Ryōji Sekinishi with mecha designs from Takayuki Yanase.
Video games
One of the series's Mobile Suits, Gundam AGE II Magnum appeared in the 2018 PlayStation 4 game New Gundam Breaker.
Merchandise
Part of the series's merchandise was released under Bandai Spirits' long running Gunpla line of scale models and sub-collectible line such as Robot Spirits figures.
