Referring generically to the Gundam franchise, to any "Gundam" robot, or to the original 1979 Gundam robot. The "Real Robot" genre was unwittingly created in 1979 by the anime "Mobile Suit Gundam". This launched an animation, fiction, marketing, and cultural franchise in Japan that is still very strong today. The popularity of Gundam exceeds or is comparable to other major science fiction niches in Japan. See REAL ROBOT.

Popular robot/mecha anime of the 70's to present day. It is responsible for many of the plastic model kits put out by Bandai. Famous models from the Gundam universe are the Zaku, the Gelgoog, the Gundam itself, and, the Dom Mobile Suits (MS). Gundam models come in all shapes and sizes, and there is one for a beginner or an expert

a dramatic depature from the franchise in many ways

a very close second