Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny

Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny (Japanese: 機動戦士ガンダムSEED(シード) DESTINY(デスティニー), Hepburn: Kidō Senshi Gandamu Shīdo Desutinī) is an anime television series, a direct sequel to Mobile Suit Gundam SEED by Sunrise and the overall tenth installment in the Gundam franchise. It retains most of the staff from Gundam SEED, including Director Mitsuo Fukuda. Set two years after the original Mobile Suit Gundam SEED, the plot follows the new character Shinn Asuka, a soldier from the Zodiac Alliance of Freedom Treaty, or ZAFT, composed of humans born genetically enhanced labelled as Coordinators. As ZAFT is about to enter into another war against the regular human race, the Naturals, the series focuses on Shinn's as well as various returning characters' involvement in the war. The series spanned 50 episodes, aired in Japan from October 2004 to October 2005, on the Japan News Network television stations Tokyo Broadcasting System and Manichi Broadcasting System.

In December 2005, Sunrise aired a special episode that remade the events from the series' last episode. A series of four films compiling the series has also been released in Japan. Gundam SEED was adapted into various manga adaptations and light novels published by Kodansha and Kadokawa Shoten. Bandai Entertainment licensed the series for North America release, and has published it in DVD volumes. The series also aired on television in Canada, while the compilation films were also released in DVDs. The first manga was licensed and published by Del Rey Manga. Various types of merchandising have also been released, including CD soundtracks and video games. In 2013, a HD remaster of the series was released by Sunrise.

Gundam SEED Destiny became highly popular in Japan, having sold over one million DVD volumes and soundtracks topping charts. The series was also the winner of the Anime Grand Prix in both 2004 and 2005 polls. Critical reception has also been positive with focus on the themes and events occurring throughout the series. However, Gundam SEED Destiny has often been compared with its predecessor for sharing similar situations with the director's cut OVA having helped to improve an ending that was felt to be weak.

A sequel film titled Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Freedom was released in January 2024.

Gundam SEED Destiny sets the story two years after the original series and it starts when the leader from Orb, Cagalli Yula Athha, reunites with the PLANTs' Supreme Council chairman Gilbert Durandal to discuss the construction of new mobile suits made for the military organization ZAFT. Three of them are stolen by a group called Phantom Pain, which is controlled by the Blue Cosmos terrorist organization. Cagalli's bodyguard Athrun Zala joins ZAFT pilot Shinn Asuka to stop them. During the fight, ZAFT's battleship Minerva is ordered to destroy the ruins of a space colony to prevent it from crashing into Earth. They find out that rogue ZAFT soldiers are controlling the colony in order to crash it into Earth. After failing to completely destroy the colony, a second war starts between the factions, the Earth Alliance and ZAFT, once news has spread that ZAFT soldiers caused the colony to collide on Earth. The neutral country of Orb allies with the Earth Alliance, with the former having also joined Blue Cosmos. This leads these three faction to confront the ZAFT soldiers several times, with Athrun having returned there.

Later in the war, the Archangel battleship interferes in the fights between ZAFT and the Earth Alliance's faction. Allied with the Archangel, Cagalli fails to stop her country from fighting and the Archangel intervenes. Athrun becomes disaffected after Gilbert Durandal orders the destruction of his friend Kira Yamato and the Archangel, deeming them as enemies. He defects with Meyrin Hawke when Durandal frames him as a traitor. Cagalli is able to regain leadership from Orb, causing the Blue Cosmos' members to flee to space. The leader of Blue Cosmos, Lord Djibril, orders the super weapon Requiem to be fired which destroys several space colonies of PLANT, resulting in many deaths. The crew of the Minerva successfully kills Lord Djibril and capture the Requiem. Gilbert Durandal then announces the "Destiny Plan", a plan where a person's job or task will be based on their genetics, and uses the Requiem to destroy anyone who opposes him. This brings Shinn and the crew of the Minerva into direct conflict with the Archangel faction. Kira and Athrun with their new mobile suits and their allies, defeat the ZAFT forces and destroy the Requiem. Durandal is killed by one of his own followers, Rey Za Burrel.

The series' ending was expanded in both the original video animation and the last compilation film. Soon after Durandal's death, the Earth Alliance, ZAFT, and the Orb Union meet to end the war, with Lacus Clyne acting as the negotiator. After fighting between each other various time in their mobile suits, Kira and Shinn meet in person for the second time and promise to join forces for a better future.

Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny was first announced in July 2004 in Japanese magazines. Earlier, voice actor Tomokazu Seki had stated he was working on a popular show with fans hinting it was related to Mobile Suit Gundam SEED. Next month, the first trailer from the series was hosted online in its official website. Before the series' premiere, staff member Kabashima Yousuke gave hints about Shinn's character, telling that the Gundam SEED Destiny's protagonist would be a character not seen in the prequel, and he would have a thin appearance. The main staff from Mobile Suit Gundam SEED remained in Gundam SEED Destiny including director Mitsuo Fukuda. When the series was premiering in Japan, Fukuda stated that unlike Gundam SEED, the sequel would not focus on Kira's and Athrun's relationship, but on Shinn's involvement in the war. He addressed that such conflict would happen in the series, but refrained from giving its reasons. In order to add more entertainment to the series, the staff also worked on the fight scenes between mobile suits. Shinn's character was meant to contrast Kira's in regards to their involvement across the series, but as Kira did, he would also go through a major development.