GQuuuuuuX: The Mystery of Shuji & Amuro’s Whereabouts – Unraveling the Series’ True Intent Through Its Inconsistencies

“Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX(Official)” is a TV anime that aired on the Nippon TV network from April 9, 2025, to June 25, 2025. The director was Kazuya Tsurumaki, famous for “FLCL” and “Diebuster”.

Because I had already seen the pre-released “Beginning” in theaters, I watched the broadcast with tremendous anticipation, and that anticipation was magnificently fulfilled (a first-time experience for me). I was able to spend an extremely happy time looking forward to the TV anime every week and pondering its contents for the following week.

Although the work came to a splendid conclusion, several mysteries still remain. This time, I’d like to focus on one of them: the mystery of Shuji.

It seems Shuji is a being who came from “the other side,” but it becomes strange if we consider “the other side” to be one of the worlds where Amuro piloted the Gundam. In the final episode, when Shuji heard Amuro’s voice, he seemed to hear it for the first time, exclaiming, “Who is that?”

Why doesn’t Shuji know the pilot of the White Devil who kept killing Char?

Using this “sense of incongruity” as a hook, I want to explore the message of the story while considering what kind of being “Shuji” ultimately was.

First, let’s think about the important character who only appeared briefly at the end of the main story: Amuro Ray.

*This article is an English translation of the original Japanese article, “【GQuuuuuuX(ジークアクス)】シュウジの謎とアムロ・レイの所在を考察-違和感から読み解く作品の意図-“

The Mystery of Shuji and the Whereabouts of Amuro Ray

The Extremely Convincing “Amuro Ray Is Already Dead” Theory

I think part of what made “GQuuuuuuX” so exciting for us was the incentive to try and predict its developments by tracing similarities with the so-called “canon Gundam.”

Amidst this, a long-standing question was, “Where is Amuro Ray?”

Since he didn’t get into the “white mobile suit” at Side 7, one could think he was having fun somewhere. I, for one, was thinking something like that, assuming he would appear at some point. However, dedicated fans online were, as expected, amazing, proposing the theory that “Amuro was piloting the 01 Gundam (Zero-Hito Gundam) that fought Char and is already dead.“

The evidence was clear and as follows:

Dr. Flanagan’s statement, in particular, is serious, meaning that the pilot of the “01 Gundam” must be an extraordinary individual. And the only extraordinary Federation pilot from “Mobile Suit Gundam” who has not yet appeared is Amuro Ray.

As someone who dearly loves Amuro Ray, I wanted to somehow refute this extremely convincing theory, but I couldn’t until the final episode.

However, a single line from Shuji in the final episode changed everything.

In the World of “GQuuuuuuX,” Amuro Ray Doesn’t Even Exist on “the Other Side”

Near the very end of the story, a mysterious entity speaks to Shuji through “GQuuuuuuX,” saying, “I don’t want to see it anymore, the sight of a Gundam killing Lalah again.” The voice belongs to Toru Furuya, so it has to be Amuro Ray. But surprise, surprise, Shuji responds with, “Who’s that?”

It’s not impossible that “the other side’s” Amuro Ray had a different voice, but right before that, we had Shuichi Ikeda’s Char and Keiko Han’s Lalah appear. It would be strange if only Amuro’s voice wasn’t Toru Furuya’s.

If that’s the case, then in reality, a person named Amuro Ray doesn’t even exist on “the other side,” and of course, it couldn’t have been Amuro piloting the “01 Gundam.” Because he’s not on “the other side.”

But questions still remain. Who was piloting the white mobile suit, and who was the Amuro that appeared at the end?

Shuji Was the Pilot of the “White Mobile Suit” and the “01 Gundam”

To state the conclusion first, I think it’s reasonable to assume that it was Shuji who piloted the “white mobile suit” on “the other side” and the “01 Gundam” on “this side.”

Unfortunately, there’s no definitive proof, but the following “circumstantial evidence” is available:

Of course, if we consider that Shuji was piloting the “01 Gundam,” it means he “died,” but considering that Char was killed by the “white mobile suit” in the various timelines Lalah created, we must also consider that Shuji existed in each of those timelines.

For now, it seems reasonable to think that he unfortunately died in the world of “GQuuuuuuX.” And that tragedy was not significant enough to create a new timeline, which shows the depth of Lalah’s love for Char.

Now, assuming the pilot of “the other side’s” ‘white mobile suit’ was Shuji, where did the Amuro Ray who appeared briefly at the end come from?

The Amuro Ray Who Appeared at the End Flew In During the Axis Shock

In the final episode, Challia Bull made the following statement:

“Like the Rose of Sharon, the Omega Psycommu was made wirh an OOPArt from the other side.”

As if responding to the above statement, Char also says:

“It was designed as a triggaring system to produce a Zeknova in the red Gunddam’s place.”

The Amuro Ray who appeared at the end was likely a “soul” that dwelled within the “OOPArt” from “the other side” that Challia Bull mentioned.

If we consider “the other side” Challia Bull refers to as the world where Lalah, who created many timelines, existed, then Amuro Ray would have been on “the other side,” but if we think of it as “a world that is not this side,” then no contradiction arises. There’s no guarantee that different “other sides” can be properly recognized as separate entities, after all.

Furthermore, Char’s statement is also important. The “Alpha Psycommu” can cause a Zeknova because it is based on Lalah and the Elmeth (Sharon’s Rose), the creators of the “Zeknova.” But why can the “Omega Psycommu” be a trigger for a Zeknova?

It seems natural to think that the “OOPArt” that the “Omega Psycommu” was based on was related to a Zeknova-like phenomenon. And after thinking about it, I believe that phenomenon can only be the “Axis Shock.”

In other words, the “OOPArt” that Challia Bull refers to is the “ν Gundam,” or “a part of the ν Gundam (the Psyco-Frame?).”

There is no definitive proof for this theory either, but it is also a fact that there are no contradictions.

Summary of the Relationship Between Canon Gundam and the World of GQuuuuuuX

In “Beginning,” which was released before the TV broadcast, or in episode 8 of the TV version, “Falling to the Moon,” Char, caught in the Zeknova, started talking about “the other side.” Because of this, I suspect many people, like me, initially thought of the relationship between “canon Gundam” and “GQuuuuuuX” as follows:

However, in the world of “GQuuuuuuX,” the “Elmeth” that flew in from “the other side” was not shot down by the “white mobile suit.” On top of that, it seems the “OOPArt” that became the basis for the “Omega Psycommu” contained the “thoughts,” “will,” or “soul” of Amuro Ray, who did shoot down the Elmeth. Therefore, the relationship was probably as follows:

I think official setting materials will be released eventually, which will ultimately resolve this, but for now, the above explanation seems to work without contradictions.

However, the important point here is, “Why wasn’t ‘the other side’ the so-called ‘canon Gundam’?” The idea that Amuro Ray isn’t there is just my “theory,” but since Lalah wasn’t shot down, it’s certain that it’s not “canon Gundam.” Next, I want to think about this.

A Work That Structurally Depicts the Act of “Spinning a Tale”

The Real and the Fake

At a stage greeting for “GQuuuuuuX,” the scriptwriter and series composer, Yoji Enokido, apparently said the following:

In the statement above, it’s expressed as “parallel to the canon world,” but as I considered earlier, it’s reasonable to think that even “the other side” of “GQuuuuuuX” is not “canon Gundam.”

From that perspective, it means that the entire world of “GQuuuuuuX” (including the other side) stands on the side of the “fake.”

One possible reason is that “by doing so, they could create an ‘if’ story without infringing on the ‘sacred text’ of ‘canon Gundam.’“

Even now, there are people for whom “Gundam” means “Mobile Suit Gundam” and who refuse to acknowledge (or don’t want to acknowledge) anything else. It wouldn’t be surprising if some of the people involved in “GQuuuuuuX” felt that way.

If so, one could see it as a kind of safety measure, where they had to take the approach of “making the ‘canon’ that is the basis for the ‘if’ story into an ‘if’ story itself.”

Alternatively, one could also think that they had to do this because Toru Furuya’s scandal broke during the production period.

However, this way of thinking is rather boring. The world becomes more fun if we assume there was a more proactive intention (regardless of whether that’s actually true).

The Act of “Imitation” Inherent in Creation

Regarding “GQuuuuuuX,” there seem to be opinions like, “I wanted to see a completely new work from Studio Khara,” and several such posts can be found on X.

Personally, I was dancing with joy every week thinking, “GQuuuuuuX is the best!” but now that it’s over, I can’t say I don’t feel like I would have liked to see a “completely new work” unrelated to “canon Gundam.”

However, at least in the context of this article’s analysis, the situation is actually unrelated to “canon Gundam,” and it doesn’t have a simple derivative fan-fiction structure.

While we can never ultimately know the creators’ intentions, one could say that this strange structure of “GQuuuuuuX” has resulted in “structurally depicting the very act of spinning a tale.”

Things like movies and novels are generally considered “creative works,” but there is probably no “creative work” in this world that is not influenced by anything at all (whether desired or not). And I think some form of “imitation” exists there. After all, the very methodologies of film and novels are themselves imitations.

And the content of discussions with others about what one has seen or heard can itself become the source of the next creation.

In the case of “Mobile Suit Gundam,” I think “if” theories like “How could Zeon have won?” or “What if Amuro hadn’t piloted the Gundam?” fall into this category.

And such “influences” or “imitations” form a continuous, multi-layered structure over many generations. It’s a matter of course that something that influenced one work is itself under the influence of another, and in our modern era, it has become difficult to know what the true origin is.

If we are to condemn “imitation” as “fake,” then almost all creative works would end up being “fake,” wouldn’t they?

However, that goes against our intuition. Every work is still “real,” and to call it “fake” just because there are “influences” or “imitations” seems like a very naive way of thinking (of course, I believe clear plagiarism exists).

Thinking from this perspective, the work “GQuuuuuuX,” where even “the other side” that serves as its origin is an “if,” can be seen as a result of expressing the fact that “in creative activity, the baton of works has been passed down so continuously that it’s become unclear which is the origin.”

As the current anchor in that relay, “GQuuuuuuX” is, I believe, still “real.”

Evangelion Depicted “What is Anime?” and GQuuuuuuX Depicted “What is Creation?”

Since it’s a Studio Khara work, let’s think a little about “Neon Genesis Evangelion.”

The final episode of the TV series left many people behind, but broadly speaking, one could say it depicted “What is anime?”

It breaks down animation into its constituent elements and presents them one after another on screen, asking us, “Can’t this be called anime too?“

And this time, one could also view it as Director Tsurumaki asking us, “To put it bluntly, this is what creation is, right?“

As a work from Studio Khara, led by Hideaki Anno who created “Neon Genesis Evangelion,” I think it can be called an extremely legitimate work.

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The above are my current thoughts and analysis on “GQuuuuuuX.” In a nutshell, it would be “I had a lot of fun,” but I run this blog specifically because I enjoy talking about it in a deliberately complicated way.

What were your impressions of “GQuuuuuuX”?