Gundam Build Divers Re:Rise


Gundam Build Divers Re:Rise is a Japanese original net animation anime series produced by Sunrise Beyond. A sequel to the 2018 anime Gundam Build Divers, it is the first Gundam anime series to be released in the Reiwa period, released to celebrate the franchise's 40th anniversary. The series is directed by Shinya Watada and written by Yasuyuki Muto. Initially announced at the Gundam 40th anniversary video, the series aired on its Gundam Channel YouTube channel from October 10 to December 26, 2019. A TV airing of the ONA began on BS11 on October 12, 2019, and on January 28, 2020, on Tokyo MX. A second season aired from April 9 to August 27, 2020. Two spinoffs of the series were later serialized in Kadokawa's Gundam Ace magazine and Hobby Japan.

Plot

Two years have passed since the EL-Diver Incident, an event that almost destroyed the Gunpla Battle Nexus Online game until it was resolved by the force group known as "Build Divers", and soon after more EL-Divers were discovered. In order to make the game more secure, a newer version of the game was rolled out in order to prevent the same incident from happening again and with newer experiences that would make the gameplay more immersive to players.
The story focuses on Hiroto Kuga, a high schooler who is a rogue mercenary Gunpla Diver in GBN, who goes in the game and wanders throughout its countless dimensions while helping out other Divers whether it is on insistence or by hire. Despite his selfless act, he chooses to remain unaffiliated with anyone and refuses rewards and Force group invites, isolating himself from other people even in real life.
His primary goal as a Diver is to be reunited with a mysterious girl from his past named Eve, who was in fact the very first EL-Diver to appear in the game. But after a special request mission, Hiroto is united with three other active Divers in a strange world named "Eldora" and forms the Force group "BUILD DiVERS" in what appears to be just another GBN gamespace event, until they learn the truth about Eldora and its consequences not only for GBN, but for the entire world.

Characters

BUILD DiVERS

;Hiroto Kuga / Hiroto
  • Earth Armor : Core Gundam's default blue armor, focused on traditional all-around combat.
  • Mars Armor : A red armor whose focus is on fragments of four styles of close combat, hence "Cross-Combat".
  • Venus Armor : A green armor whose focus is commando style ranged and bombardment combat, additionally with option works.
  • Mercury Armor : A navy armor whose focus is underwater combat.
  • Jupiter Armor : A white armor whose focus is fast orbital combat.
  • Uranus Armor : An indigo armor focused on reconnaissance and high powered sniping.
  • Saturn Armor : An orange armor focused in demolition style close combat without beam weapons, originally developed to counter Gundam Frames.
  • Neptune Armor : An aqua-green armor equipped with a customized Volture Lumiere system similar to the one from Mobile Suit Gundam SEED C.E. 73: Stargazer, intended to be used for traveling through GBN's space in a short amount of time, but was used for launching into orbit instead of maneuvering in deep space. It is ultimately discarded in Eldora's orbit due to the strain of leaving Eldora's gravitational field.
  • Pluto Armor : Appearing only on Gundam Build Metaverse, the black colored armor is used for close combat and dueling purposes with its color scheme reminiscent of that of EcoPla.
  • PFF-X7II/BUILD DiVERS Re:Rising Gundam: A special combination of the Core Gundam II with the WoDom Pod + and parts from the Gundam Aegis Knight and the EX Valkylander, armed with two giant beam sabers, eight miracle wings born from Eve's blessings, and the "Grand Cross Cannon", Hiroto's first special move, made with the help of his team.
;May
;Kazami Torimachi / Kazami
;Patrick Alexandre Leonard Arge / Parviz
;Hinata Mukai

People of Eldora

;Freddie
;Maiya
;Stola
;Asha, Towana and Hulun
;Tonoi
;Jiric
;Jed
;Gorus
;Calico and Zabun
;Muran
;Cuadorn

One-Eyes

;Masaki Shido / Masked Man / Sid
;Alus
  • AGP-X1/E3 Alus Earthree Gundam: An armor based on the Core Gundam's Earth Armor with the Uraven Gundam's Rifle. A variant of this is created when Alus steals the original Earth Armor from Hiroto during the final battle against him.
  • AGP-X1/NU Fake ν Gundam: An armor based on the RX-93 ν Gundam from Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack.
  • Dubious Arche Gundam: An armor based on the GNW-20000 Arche Gundam from Mobile Suit Gundam 00.
  • Reverse Turn X: An armor based on the CONCEPT-X 6-1-2 Turn X from Turn A Gundam.
;Guard Eyes

Third Coalition of Volunteers

;Magee
;Ruck Arge / Shahryar
;Nanami Nanase / Nami
;Aya Fujisawa / Ayame
;Koichi Nanase / KO-1
;Tsukasa Shiba
;Kyoya Kisugi / Kyoya Kujo
;Karuna
;Riku Mikami / Riku
;Sarah
;Hellfire Ogre
;Do-ji
;Rommel / Captain Zeon
;Arc
;Zen
;Rize
;Game Master / Katsuragi
;Miss Tori

Other characters

;Eve
;Osamu Kuga
;Yuriko Kuga
;Ken Matsumura
;Mizuki Shido

Production

The series was first teased back in the Gundam 40th Anniversary Beyond Press conference back on November 11, 2018. On July 5, 2019, Sunrise teased the new series in a preview during the 40th anniversary promotional video. and revealed the official title during the 2019 Japan Expo in Paris. Both Twitter and official websites also confirm the new series. In the official press conference held on July 31, 2019, Sunrise revealed more on the series's characters and mobile suits alongside the series's staff. It is the first Gundam series produced by Sunrise Beyond, an animation studio established after Xebec's closure in March 2019.
The series's Original Net Animation format and its planned release for online viewing and steaming came from Sunrise Beyond's producer, Takuya Okamoto. He did stated that "The TV brand is still large, so there was some concern that the broadcast scale would decline, but there is a strong point in the Internet distribution that not only Japan but the entire world can be watched simultaneously." Despite the series's shift into online streaming, the show will still air on television through BS11.

Media

Anime

The first season aired on Sunrise's Gundam Channel YouTube channel from October 10 to December 26, 2019, with Sunrise announcing a simulcast streaming on other platforms following with a TV airing on BS11 on October 12, 2019, and on Tokyo MX on January 28, 2020. A second season premiered on April 9, 2020. On April 27, it was announced that episodes from 19 onward would be delayed indefinitely due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. On June 25, it was announced that it would resume on July 9. Spira Spica performed the series' first opening theme song "Re:RISE", while PENGUIN RESEARCH performs the second opening theme song "Hatena". SudannaYuzuYully performed the series' first ending theme song "Magic Time" while Spira Spica performed the second and third ending songs "Twinkle" and "Heartful". The series's music is composed by Hidemura Kimura.

Original net animation

An original net animation titled Gundam Build Divers Battlogue premiered on Gundam Channel on November 13, 2020. Similar to the previous Battlogue series, the ONA features Gunpla battles based on fan votes including characters from both Build Divers and Build Divers Re:Rise. The ONA was directed by Masami Obari, and the rest of the staff from Gundam Build Divers Re:Rise returned to reprise their roles.

Manga

A spinoff manga titled Gundam Build Diver Rize began serialization in Kadokawa Shoten's monthly Gundam Ace Magazine in December 2019 and ended in March 2021. It was compiled into three volumes. Ryōji Sekinishi and Shiitake Gensui returned to write and illustrate the spinoff manga series with Takayuki Yanase providing the mecha designs.

Merchandise

Part of the series's merchandise was released under Bandai's long running Gunpla line of scale models and sub-collectible line such as Robot Spirits figures.