Earlier today on X, the lauded director behind the popular Mobile Suit Gundam SEED franchise, Mitsuo Fukuda, reported that he had undergone surgery after doctors discovered a “small problem”. Posting from a hospital bed, the 65 year old director wrote: “At the end of the year, they found a small problem with my body, and I had surgery today. For now, I’ll declare that I’ve quit smoking.”
年末にちょっと体の不具合が見つかって、今日手術しました。とりあえずタバコはやめたと宣言しておこう。 pic.twitter.com/tpLn7Yi5mH
— 福田 己津央 (@fukuda320) January 9, 2026
Well wishes from talent associated with the director soon followed, including Rie Tanaka, the voice actress behind Gundam SEED’s heroine Lacus Clyne, and Hiroyuki Taiga, a mechanical designer on the recent SEED Freedom film.
Fukuda made his debut as a lead director with the 1991 racing series Future GPX Cyber Formula. That working relationship continued at Sunrise, with many of his staff following him to GEAR Fighter Dendoh in 2000 and later to Mobile Suit Gundam SEED in 2002.
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED aired from 2002-2003 directed by Mitsuo Fukuda and scripted by Chiaki Morosawa. The series features character designs by Hisashi Hirai, mechanical designs by Kunio Okawara and Kimitoshi Yamane, chief mecha animation direction by Satoshi Shigeta, and music by Toshihiko Sahashi. The popular series was followed with a sequel series in 2004 titled, Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny. The success of the series also inspired Mobile Suit Gundam SEED C.E. 73 Stargazer, a three episode original net animation (ONA) side story set during the events of SEED Destiny. Both the SEED and SEED Destiny series received HD Remastered editions in 2011 and 2013 respectively.
A film sequel was first announced in May 2006 at “Sony Music Anime Fes’ 06”. The film project was stalled until it was formally revived May 2021 for the Gundam SEED twentieth anniversary project, “Mobile Suit Gundam SEED PROJECT ignited”. Now titled, Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Freedom, the film finally released to theaters January 26, 2024.
The SEED Freedom film proved to be a massive success for the Gundam series, becoming the highest grossing Gundam film earning 5.38 billion yen, dethroning the 1982 Mobile Suit Gundam III: Encounters in Space, which held the franchise box office record for forty-two years with 2.3 billion yen. After its Special Edition Part 2 screening, Sunrise officially announced Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Freedom Zero, a prequel anime to the film.
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