OVA
Description
Banagher Links is a sixteen-year-old student at the Anaheim Electronics Technical College on the space colony Industrial 7, who becomes the central figure in the conflict surrounding the RX-0 Unicorn Gundam and the secret known as Laplace's Box.
He is the illegitimate son of Cardeas Vist, the head of the powerful Vist Foundation, and a woman named Anna Links. As a child, his father conducted a series of tests on him, the nature of which were never fully explained but are implied to be related to his latent abilities. His mother, wishing to keep him away from the Vist Foundation's influence, took custody of him and moved away, leading Banagher to grow up largely unaware of his true heritage and living an ordinary life until the events of UC 0096.
In terms of personality, Banagher is fundamentally a well-meaning and kind-hearted young man. Before the story begins, he experiences a persistent feeling of being "disjointed" from everyday life, searching for a deeper purpose. This changes upon his encounter with a mysterious girl who gives her name as Audrey Burne, and the Unicorn Gundam. He cares deeply for the safety and well-being of others, even those fighting against him, and often tries to subdue his opponents through non-lethal means.
Banagher holds a strong belief that a person's identity and actions are not defined by their bloodline or family ties, and that individuals should have the freedom to find their own path. This is reflected in how he insists on calling Mineva Lao Zabi, the heiress to the Zabi family of Zeon, by her alias "Audrey," and shows little regard for her political status. While this conviction gives him an iron will when he understands what he must do, he can also be naive and prone to hesitation when feeling lost or questioning whether his actions are right or wrong. He often questions the legacy his father left him and how he is meant to overcome the immense challenges placed before him.
His primary motivation throughout the story is protecting Audrey and preventing the outbreak of a larger war. This goal leads him to pilot the Unicorn Gundam and become a de facto member of the Earth Federation ship Nahel Argama, fighting against the Neo Zeon remnant group known as the Sleeves. His role in the story is not just that of a pilot but as the key to unlocking Laplace's Box, a powerful secret that could reshape the balance of power in the Earth Sphere.
Key relationships shape his journey significantly. His bond with Mineva Lao Zabi, who he knows as Audrey Burne, is his core emotional anchor. He develops a complex and evolving relationship with Marida Cruz, a cyber-Newtype pilot who initially serves as his enemy but later becomes a crucial ally and understanding figure. His conflict with the charismatic but enigmatic Full Frontal, the leader of the Sleeves, serves as his primary ideological and physical challenge. He also has a supportive, if initially rivalrous, friendship with his classmates Takuya Irei and Micott Bartsch, who become involved in the conflict alongside him.
Banagher undergoes significant development, transforming from a directionless student into a decisive actor capable of shaping the course of history. He learns to master the immense power of the Unicorn Gundam, particularly its dangerous NT-D (Newtype Destroyer) system. He struggles with the responsibility and trauma of piloting a weapon of war but ultimately grows to exert his own will over the machine's programming, resisting its more destructive impulses. His experiences on the battlefield force him to confront the horrors of war and the weight of his own actions, leading him to a more mature understanding of his power and his goals.
Banagher is a natural Newtype with exceptionally high potential, a trait that is key to his ability to pilot the Unicorn Gundam. His abilities manifest as heightened spatial awareness, empathy, and telepathic communication with other Newtypes, both living and deceased. As his powers grow, his brainwaves reach supernatural levels, and when combined with the Unicorn Gundam's full psycho-frame construction, they can manifest physically. This allows him to move solid objects with his will, create a defensive psycho-field, and eventually turn the Unicorn's psycho-frame from red to a glowing green, signifying a mastery of his power. Beyond his Newtype abilities, his training at Anaheim's technical college gave him basic proficiency in piloting mobile suits, and he has shown himself to be a capable hand-to-hand combatant on foot.
He is the illegitimate son of Cardeas Vist, the head of the powerful Vist Foundation, and a woman named Anna Links. As a child, his father conducted a series of tests on him, the nature of which were never fully explained but are implied to be related to his latent abilities. His mother, wishing to keep him away from the Vist Foundation's influence, took custody of him and moved away, leading Banagher to grow up largely unaware of his true heritage and living an ordinary life until the events of UC 0096.
In terms of personality, Banagher is fundamentally a well-meaning and kind-hearted young man. Before the story begins, he experiences a persistent feeling of being "disjointed" from everyday life, searching for a deeper purpose. This changes upon his encounter with a mysterious girl who gives her name as Audrey Burne, and the Unicorn Gundam. He cares deeply for the safety and well-being of others, even those fighting against him, and often tries to subdue his opponents through non-lethal means.
Banagher holds a strong belief that a person's identity and actions are not defined by their bloodline or family ties, and that individuals should have the freedom to find their own path. This is reflected in how he insists on calling Mineva Lao Zabi, the heiress to the Zabi family of Zeon, by her alias "Audrey," and shows little regard for her political status. While this conviction gives him an iron will when he understands what he must do, he can also be naive and prone to hesitation when feeling lost or questioning whether his actions are right or wrong. He often questions the legacy his father left him and how he is meant to overcome the immense challenges placed before him.
His primary motivation throughout the story is protecting Audrey and preventing the outbreak of a larger war. This goal leads him to pilot the Unicorn Gundam and become a de facto member of the Earth Federation ship Nahel Argama, fighting against the Neo Zeon remnant group known as the Sleeves. His role in the story is not just that of a pilot but as the key to unlocking Laplace's Box, a powerful secret that could reshape the balance of power in the Earth Sphere.
Key relationships shape his journey significantly. His bond with Mineva Lao Zabi, who he knows as Audrey Burne, is his core emotional anchor. He develops a complex and evolving relationship with Marida Cruz, a cyber-Newtype pilot who initially serves as his enemy but later becomes a crucial ally and understanding figure. His conflict with the charismatic but enigmatic Full Frontal, the leader of the Sleeves, serves as his primary ideological and physical challenge. He also has a supportive, if initially rivalrous, friendship with his classmates Takuya Irei and Micott Bartsch, who become involved in the conflict alongside him.
Banagher undergoes significant development, transforming from a directionless student into a decisive actor capable of shaping the course of history. He learns to master the immense power of the Unicorn Gundam, particularly its dangerous NT-D (Newtype Destroyer) system. He struggles with the responsibility and trauma of piloting a weapon of war but ultimately grows to exert his own will over the machine's programming, resisting its more destructive impulses. His experiences on the battlefield force him to confront the horrors of war and the weight of his own actions, leading him to a more mature understanding of his power and his goals.
Banagher is a natural Newtype with exceptionally high potential, a trait that is key to his ability to pilot the Unicorn Gundam. His abilities manifest as heightened spatial awareness, empathy, and telepathic communication with other Newtypes, both living and deceased. As his powers grow, his brainwaves reach supernatural levels, and when combined with the Unicorn Gundam's full psycho-frame construction, they can manifest physically. This allows him to move solid objects with his will, create a defensive psycho-field, and eventually turn the Unicorn's psycho-frame from red to a glowing green, signifying a mastery of his power. Beyond his Newtype abilities, his training at Anaheim's technical college gave him basic proficiency in piloting mobile suits, and he has shown himself to be a capable hand-to-hand combatant on foot.