Mecha Character Profile: Kou Uraki – Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memories
The Gundam series has a variety of protagonists, mostly featuring the perspective of civilians, teenagers going through brutal battles in wars and developing their maturity in their tv series. For the Side Stories, it usually featured already commissioned soldiers as they are already part of the fighting force. And one such story is 0083: Stardust Memories. Its protagonist is Kou Uraki – a freshly trained soldier from the Earth Federation.
I. Background:
– Kou Uraki was born around the Universal Century of U.C.0064 which during the outbreak of the catastrophic One Year War in U.C.0079 Kou was lucky enough to not join any fight unlike some of the teenagers at the time. After the war Kou found himself joining the Nijmegen Military Academy of the Earth Federation Forces and became a graduate then at around U.C.0083 he was assigned to the Torrington Base in the Australian sector of the Ground Forces as a test pilot of mobile suits.
– On a fateful day in the same year, while Kou was training with his friend – Chuck Keith and others, his excitement came when a large assault carrier named Albion docked in Torrington Base carrying two of the newest Gundam mobile suits at the time – the RX-78GP01 Zephyranthes and the GP02 Physalis along with a beautiful Anaheim Electronics staff – Nina Purpleton who is responsible for these two mobile suits, the remnants of the Principality of Zeon were already planning to steal one of the Gundams – the GP02 because of its capability of carrying nuclear warhead under the codename of Operation Stardust led by Anavel Gato – a former Zeon’s ace pilot who currently serves under the command of Aiguille Delaz of the Delaz Fleet. While Gato is escaping with the GP02 Kou went inside the GP01 without permission and chased it down, but failed but impressed by the officials, he is allowed to pilot it under the South Burning’s team of the Albion – tasked to take the stolen Gundam back.
– Challenges along the way made Kou becoming more of an adult, a rough love relationship with Nina and losing his Captain – South Burning in a fight and failed to intercept the nuclear weapon detonation by Gato at the Earth Federation’s space fleet parade and even deserted to the moon city because of losing his confidence to fight. He eventually destroyed the GP01 and GP02 in a one-on-one battle with Gato. Kou then received the new GP03 from Anaheim in the middle of conflict between his team and Earth Federation’s Major at Anaheim’s La Vie en Rose station to hunt down the Delaz Fleet in a dramatic finale where his team had to stop a colony drop. The plan failed, the colony crashed in Australia and Kou was sentenced to jail because of his violent actions at the station, however he was released because the Earth Federation wanted to bury the Gundam Project. Kou then peacefully rejoined his friend at North America’s Oakley Base.
– Kou Uraki was born around the Universal Century of U.C.0064 which during the outbreak of the catastrophic One Year War in U.C.0079 Kou was lucky enough to not join any fight unlike some of the teenagers at the time. After the war Kou found himself joining the Nijmegen Military Academy of the Earth Federation Forces and became a graduate then at around U.C.0083 he was assigned to the Torrington Base in the Australian sector of the Ground Forces as a test pilot of mobile suits.
– On a fateful day in the same year, while Kou was training with his friend – Chuck Keith and others, his excitement came when a large assault carrier named Albion docked in Torrington Base carrying two of the newest Gundam mobile suits at the time – the RX-78GP01 Zephyranthes and the GP02 Physalis along with a beautiful Anaheim Electronics staff – Nina Purpleton who is responsible for these two mobile suits, the remnants of the Principality of Zeon were already planning to steal one of the Gundams – the GP02 because of its capability of carrying nuclear warhead under the codename of Operation Stardust led by Anavel Gato – a former Zeon’s ace pilot who currently serves under the command of Aiguille Delaz of the Delaz Fleet. While Gato is escaping with the GP02 Kou went inside the GP01 without permission and chased it down, but failed but impressed by the officials, he is allowed to pilot it under the South Burning’s team of the Albion – tasked to take the stolen Gundam back.
– Challenges along the way made Kou becoming more of an adult, a rough love relationship with Nina and losing his Captain – South Burning in a fight and failed to intercept the nuclear weapon detonation by Gato at the Earth Federation’s space fleet parade and even deserted to the moon city because of losing his confidence to fight. He eventually destroyed the GP01 and GP02 in a one-on-one battle with Gato. Kou then received the new GP03 from Anaheim in the middle of conflict between his team and Earth Federation’s Major at Anaheim’s La Vie en Rose station to hunt down the Delaz Fleet in a dramatic finale where his team had to stop a colony drop. The plan failed, the colony crashed in Australia and Kou was sentenced to jail because of his violent actions at the station, however he was released because the Earth Federation wanted to bury the Gundam Project. Kou then peacefully rejoined his friend at North America’s Oakley Base.
II. Skills & Abilities:
– Kou Uraki has always been quite of a green soldier, his personality is similar to that of a puppy. He also acts childish at times even eating his habits such as that he hates carrots, his flirting skills sometimes annoyed his love interest – Nina because of his pureness. He sometimes takes things personally such as when he wants to beat Gato or when he doesn’t want anyone to pilot the Gundam except him. He even once helped a former Zeon pilot to fix an unfinished mobile armor too.
– When it comes to piloting skills, one could argue that Kou is one of the best pilots of the Earth Federation that is not a Newtype at his time. His interest in mobile suits made him quite a nerdy and easily getting used to piloting the Gundam even though he only piloted a Zaku at first. Kou piloted the GP01 and its upgrade – GP01 Full Burnen before moving to GP03 Stamen. However, at the start of the series, Kou doesn’t demonstrate a good reaction when he took quite some time to process that Gato was a traitor and a spy.
– Kou is also easy to agitated but seems to be able to rein in his emotions when he needs to. He was able to defeat capable pilots even after taking an emotional hit.
III. Gallery:
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