Mecha Character Profile: Shiro Amada – Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team

Managing work and relationships is never an easy thing, especially in the middle of the One Year War in Universal Century Gundam. Of course wartime changes people and creating strong leaders in such hard times are rare, one honorable mention is Shiro Amada, the young leader who won his own battle not by force but rather by the power of love. 
I. Background:
–  Shiro Amada is a young Earth Federation soldier during the One Year War. Born in the Universal Century of U.C. 0056 and entered service with the Earth Federation Ground Forces during the war in U.C. 0079, he viewed his service as an educational life experience. He was one of the Colony Side 2’s survivors who witnessed Zeon’s gas attack, making him very hateful towards them which drove him to join the army. Later in the war while Shiro was coming to Earth through a transport ship, he saved a damaged GM in a middle of a fight against a Zaku by piloting a Ball unit, he chased the enemy pilot all the way into a sunk Magellan Class Battleship and surprisingly found out that the enemy was a wounded woman so he aided her as she told him her name was Aina Sahalin. He spared her to return back to her side while he went back to his own.

– When he arrived on Earth, he joined up the 08th Mobile Suit Team with the rest such as Michel Ninirich who came with him at the ship and Terry Sanders Jr. – the GM pilot he saved, a veteran – Karen Joshua and the sonar navigator – Eledore Massis, he is also assigned to a Ground Type Gundam as his own personal mobile suit. Although served as the leader, at first Shiro was doubted by his teammates for his green hopeful and optimistic personality, calling him “Commander Newbie” and such but somehow he managed to pull successful missions making him become more entrusted even with the local guerilla members he met like Kiki Rosita as he had only one rule in his team – everyone must come back alive. He once again saved Aina’s life on Earth where she was piloting a gigantic Apsaras mobile armor that coincidentally encountered the 08th Team. This event led him under court martial over his possible act of traitor, although acquitted for all charges later on he finally deserted the Earth Federation while fighting against Apsaras III and saved Aina’s life from her brother who forced her to fight. Both of them disappeared ever since, believing they died but after the war ended his friends, Micel and Kiki found Aina pregnant with him, living together a peaceful life.

II. Skills & Abilities:
–   Shiro Amada is a young officer with an optimistic and hopeful personality. With that when he first met his team, they did not believe Shiro, thinking he was just too hopeful and weak for harsh war situations, a green Commander Newbie as they called him but when he proved that even in the most pressured situation he would be able to stay positive and motivate his team as he made a rule that under his command, everyone must come back alive, he gained their trust, his commanding skills are proved to be very valuable among his unit – the Kojima Battalion.  

– Not only a good leader, he is also a good Gundam pilot. With limitations in the jungle combat operations made piloting mobile suits a difficult task, he swiftly eliminated enemy mobile suits and complete missions which gained him popularity among his battalion. Not only Gundam Ground Type is his personal mobile suit but the up armored, upgraded version – the Ez8 Gundam also became his one of the most iconic. 

– Before meeting with his love interest from the other side – Aina, he has the idealism of a typical Earth Federation’s soldier – to eliminate Zeon and show hatred towards them. His fateful moment with Aina changed him a lot from that, his love towards Aina was a forbidden one since she came from Zeon which at the time was at war with Earth Federation. Learning that Zeon’s justified actions are being skeptical as he then saw no difference between the both sides, his will to save Aina led him to desertion and even faked his death so both can peacefully live together away from the conflict after the war ended. 
III. Gallery:

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