The Gundam Franchise has provided some of the best sci-fi anime moments of the past 4 decades. With glorious action set-pieces, dramatic moments, and gripping political drama, Gundam has seen it all.
And of course, no Gundam series or movie would be complete without a great opening song. We talked about the best Gundam openings of the 1980s and the 1990s in the past editions.
This time, let’s take a look at the best Gundam openings of the 2000s!
10. Wings of Words – Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny
Gundam SEED Destiny isn’t exactly a series that was the best of the decade, but it did have 4 openings that are pretty solid.
The final opening, Wings of Words, is a major deviation from the rest of the openings in the series. A softer and more subdued ballad, the song may not be a favorite amongst the fans (being changed in the remastered version of the series), but as a standalone song, it’s one of the better Gundam songs of the decade.
9. Moment – Mobile Suit Gundam SEED
Another soft and calm opening, but this time it’s from Gundam SEED. The second opening of the show goes for a milder tone after the hectic first 1/4th of the show. The song’s pace picks up, giving you a nice pop ballad that is a very enjoyable listen. While generally a good song, the other openings are more memorable and powerful.
8. Believe – Mobile Suit Gundam SEED
The opening that marked the second half of Gundam SEED, Believe starts off very strong, hyping you up with a little preview of the Freedom Gundam. The song itself is a very good rock tune that transitions to pop by the chorus, which is very fitting for the show. Despite being one of the coolest openings of any Gundam show, SEED had two more openings that just hit the mark better.
7. Hakanakumo Towano Kanashi (Fleeting and Eternal Sorrow) – Mobile Suit Gundam 00
Gundam 00 is arguably the best Gundam series of the 2000s, and it has a great set of openings that hype up each episode very well. Fleeting and Eternal Sorrow is the first opening of the second season and features a very quick recap of the first season in the animation, and then moving on to what to expect for the rest of the show. A truly great opening for a fun Gundam series that has some of the best action and storytelling.
6. Daybreak’s Bell – Mobile Suit Gundam 00
One of the most iconic opening songs of any Gundam series, 00’s first song is such a fun listen and sets the tone for the entire show from the get-go. L’Arc en Ciel has created a number of great openings for other anime series, and they deliver once more with Daybreak’s Bell.
The song is such a memorable opening, and seeing the Gundam Exia for the first time, still gives fans great memories of the show even after more than a decade.
5. Ignited – Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny
Gundam SEED Destiny’s first opening is still the best of the series after all these years. Another banger from T.M. Revolution, Invoke is a fast-paced song that provides a similar feeling from the first opening of the original Gundam SEED.
The song remains a very enjoyable listen, and shows why both SEED and SEED Destiny are series known for having great songs.
4. Realize – Mobile Suit Gundam SEED
Gundam SEED’s final opening goes full J-Pop and gives us one of the best Gundam openings around. The song provides a hopeful and bright tone to an otherwise serious final arc of the show. While it may sound dissonant at first, the pop tone fits the show’s vibe in a way, representing the message of peace that the characters want to deliver. (The show ends with multiple deaths though)
3. Namida no Mukou (Past the Tears) – Mobile Suit Gundam 00
Gundam 00’s final opening is a dramatic one that sets the show’s tone as it enters the final arc. While not as fast-paced as the previous opening, the song is a great representation of how the story wraps up each character arc, giving us one of the best endings to any Gundam show to date. However, there is still one opening in the series that tops this one…
2. Ash Like Snow – Mobile Suit Gundam 00
…And it’s Ash Like Snow, the second opening of the first season, and is one of the more ominous and grim openings of any Gundam series. If Daybreak’s Bell provides an action-packed song that gives a lot of great hype, then Ash Like Snow brings it all back down to earth, just like what happened to the show’s main cast.
While the song foreshadows a bleak ending to the first season, it is still one of the best songs associated with any Gundam series.
1. INVOKE – Mobile Suit Gundam SEED
Despite the excellent openings of 00 being really strong songs, Invoke by T.M. Revolution still stands out as the best of the 2000s. Gundam SEED had a lot of hype, representing a fresh new start for the franchise at the time. Invoke really represents that by giving us one of the most heart-stopping openings in recent memory.
Even after almost two decades, Invoke remains as one of the best openings of all time, and we at the Geeky Juans will stand by that.
Overall, the 2000s was a very strong decade for Gundam, giving us some of the most popular shows in the franchise, along with a great set of songs to listen to. As we wrap up this list, stay tuned for our next one as we list down our favorite Gundam openings of the 2010s!
About the Author
A former teacher and guitarist, Jude (Twitter, Instagram) is currently a writer that covers video games and is one of the co-hosts of The Geeky Juans. Apart from hosting the podcast, you can also catch him streaming at Dude It’s Jude on Facebook.
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