Mobile Suit Gundam is popular worldwide, but in its home of Japan it’s practically a cultural institution. And though the original “Universal Century” Gundam setting tends to get most of the attention, spinoffs like 2015’s Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans are popular in their own right. That might be why Bandai’s honoring the fifth birthday of the series by releasing a new, bespoke clothing and accessory line inspired by the show [Thanks, Famitsu!].
Courtesy of the Bandai Apparel Division (the same folks that brought the Kamen Rider clothing line into being), the Iron-Blooded Orphans 5th Anniversary Collection will be sold through Bandai’s Gundam-centric clothing store, STRICT-G and the Premium Bandai online outlet.
The items include Iron-Blooded Orphans-themed T-shirts, hoodies, and other accessories like tote bags and pins. Rather than emblazon the merchandise with pictures of mecha or characters, the designs evoke the show more obliquely, through iconography and quotations. That could be a plus for a customer who prefers to keep their fandom a bit more low key.
For example, though most of the items in the line feature the stylized fleur-de-lis-like logo of Tekkadan, the main group in Iron-Blooded Orphans, one hoodie design inspired by the character McGillis Fareed features nothing more than a candy-colored logo that says “Chocolate Guy.”
The design is a reference to McGillis’ first in-person meeting with series protagonist Mikazuki Augus. After narrowly avoiding a traffic accident involving Mikazuki’s friends, Fareed tries to make it up to the young teens with some candy. Mikazuki, never much for remembering names, refers to Fareed as “The Chocolate Guy” for much of the series moving forward.
The Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans 5th Anniversary clothing line is available for preorder via the STRICT-G online store.
