OVA
Description
Cima Garahau is a complex figure from the Universal Century timeline, serving as a commander within the Principality of Zeon's forces before and during the One Year War. She leads a marine unit, often referred to as the Cima Fleet, and holds the rank of lieutenant commander. Her background is defined by tragedy and betrayal, which directly shapes her actions and motivations during the events of the Delaz Conflict in UC 0083.
Born in the Mahal colony on Side 3, Cima began her military career as a mobile suit pilot. She and her fleet, composed largely of conscripts and individuals from her impoverished home colony, were routinely assigned the most unspeakable tasks of war. During the early stages of the One Year War, her unit was ordered to deploy chemical weapons, specifically G3 nerve gas, into a defenseless colony. Cima and her subordinates were led to believe it was a non-lethal agent, and the horror of discovering they had just committed a mass atrocity became a defining trauma. This event haunted her, appearing in recurring nightmares for years afterward. Following the war, the Cima Fleet's suffering only intensified. Their home colony of Mahal was dismantled to be converted into the Solar Ray superweapon, leaving them with no home to return to. Furthermore, their former commanding officer, Colonel Asakura, pinned the blame for their wartime atrocities squarely on Cima to protect himself. When the remnants of the Zeon fleet attempted to retreat to the asteroid Axis, the Cima Fleet was refused entry, branded as expendable war criminals and a disgrace to the Zeon name.
Abandoned by their own nation and with nowhere to go, Cima and her loyal fleet were forced into a life of piracy to survive in the Earth Sphere, operating from their flagship, the Lili Marleen. This sequence of abandonment and betrayal transformed her. Any idealism she once held for Zeon was replaced by a cold, pragmatic will to survive and a deep-seated desire for revenge against those who used and discarded her. Her personality reflects this hardened existence. On the surface, she is calculating and ruthless, appearing to align herself with whichever side offers the most profit, and she thinks nothing of betrayal. She has a harsh, commanding presence and does not tolerate mismanagement. However, this exterior masks a fierce loyalty to her own crew, the only family she has left. Her subordinates, who shared in her trauma and her outcast status, adore her because her actions are ultimately driven by a desire to secure a future for them, not from purely selfish motives. Unlike fanatical soldiers who are willing to die for a grand cause, Cima is a survivor who fights for a place to live.
When the Delaz Fleet, a Zeon remnant group, launches Operation Stardust, Cima sees an opportunity. She agrees to participate, but with the secret intention of betraying Aiguille Delaz to the Earth Federation in exchange for a full pardon and a place for her fleet to finally settle. This makes her a central, antagonistic force, operating as a double agent in a three-way conflict between Delaz, the Federation, and the crew of the Albion. Her role is to maneuver between these powers, feeding information to the Federation while ostensibly helping Delaz. Her plans, however, are repeatedly thwarted by the independent actions of the Albion crew. A clandestine meeting where she attempts to sell the Stardust plans to a Federation admiral is interrupted, leading to a firefight that hardens the Albion pilots against her. In the chaotic final stages of the operation, Cima makes her move, seizing the Delaz Fleet's flagship and executing Delaz herself. Yet even this act of betrayal fails to secure her goal, as the renegade crew of the Albion refuses to recognize her as an ally.
Key relationships in her life are defined by duty and disappointment. Her connection to her fleet and her subordinates, like her helmsman Deatroaf Kocsel, is one of profound mutual reliance. She is also framed in direct opposition to Anavel Gato, a Zeon ace who embodies honor and self-sacrifice for a fading ideal. Cima despises this mindset, seeing it as the blind fanaticism that led to her own suffering. Her personal history, explored in supplementary audio dramas, reveals a softer side, suggesting she had close friends and even a romantic interest before the war, but these connections were severed by the conflict. Throughout the story, she shows little development in the sense of redemption; instead, she remains fixed on her goal of survival until it is violently taken from her.
Notably, Cima is a highly skilled and formidable pilot and commander. Despite her fleet commander status, she frequently takes to the front lines herself. Her abilities are top-tier, allowing her to pilot advanced mobile suits like the MS-14Fs Gelgoog Marine and later the AGX-04 Gerbera Tetra with great proficiency. She is also a shrewd strategist, capable of building her own intelligence networks and negotiating secretly with hostile powers like the Earth Federation while leading a band of pirates. Her tactical brilliance turned her group of outcasts into a powerful and disciplined fighting force. Ultimately, her skills are not enough to overcome the raw power of the Gundam GP03 Dendrobium. In her final battle, her Gerbera Tetra is impaled by the mobile armor’s massive beam cannon and fired at point-blank range, ending her life. Her death is a tragic climax for a woman who was created as a villain by the very nation she once served, finally discarded by the universe itself.
Born in the Mahal colony on Side 3, Cima began her military career as a mobile suit pilot. She and her fleet, composed largely of conscripts and individuals from her impoverished home colony, were routinely assigned the most unspeakable tasks of war. During the early stages of the One Year War, her unit was ordered to deploy chemical weapons, specifically G3 nerve gas, into a defenseless colony. Cima and her subordinates were led to believe it was a non-lethal agent, and the horror of discovering they had just committed a mass atrocity became a defining trauma. This event haunted her, appearing in recurring nightmares for years afterward. Following the war, the Cima Fleet's suffering only intensified. Their home colony of Mahal was dismantled to be converted into the Solar Ray superweapon, leaving them with no home to return to. Furthermore, their former commanding officer, Colonel Asakura, pinned the blame for their wartime atrocities squarely on Cima to protect himself. When the remnants of the Zeon fleet attempted to retreat to the asteroid Axis, the Cima Fleet was refused entry, branded as expendable war criminals and a disgrace to the Zeon name.
Abandoned by their own nation and with nowhere to go, Cima and her loyal fleet were forced into a life of piracy to survive in the Earth Sphere, operating from their flagship, the Lili Marleen. This sequence of abandonment and betrayal transformed her. Any idealism she once held for Zeon was replaced by a cold, pragmatic will to survive and a deep-seated desire for revenge against those who used and discarded her. Her personality reflects this hardened existence. On the surface, she is calculating and ruthless, appearing to align herself with whichever side offers the most profit, and she thinks nothing of betrayal. She has a harsh, commanding presence and does not tolerate mismanagement. However, this exterior masks a fierce loyalty to her own crew, the only family she has left. Her subordinates, who shared in her trauma and her outcast status, adore her because her actions are ultimately driven by a desire to secure a future for them, not from purely selfish motives. Unlike fanatical soldiers who are willing to die for a grand cause, Cima is a survivor who fights for a place to live.
When the Delaz Fleet, a Zeon remnant group, launches Operation Stardust, Cima sees an opportunity. She agrees to participate, but with the secret intention of betraying Aiguille Delaz to the Earth Federation in exchange for a full pardon and a place for her fleet to finally settle. This makes her a central, antagonistic force, operating as a double agent in a three-way conflict between Delaz, the Federation, and the crew of the Albion. Her role is to maneuver between these powers, feeding information to the Federation while ostensibly helping Delaz. Her plans, however, are repeatedly thwarted by the independent actions of the Albion crew. A clandestine meeting where she attempts to sell the Stardust plans to a Federation admiral is interrupted, leading to a firefight that hardens the Albion pilots against her. In the chaotic final stages of the operation, Cima makes her move, seizing the Delaz Fleet's flagship and executing Delaz herself. Yet even this act of betrayal fails to secure her goal, as the renegade crew of the Albion refuses to recognize her as an ally.
Key relationships in her life are defined by duty and disappointment. Her connection to her fleet and her subordinates, like her helmsman Deatroaf Kocsel, is one of profound mutual reliance. She is also framed in direct opposition to Anavel Gato, a Zeon ace who embodies honor and self-sacrifice for a fading ideal. Cima despises this mindset, seeing it as the blind fanaticism that led to her own suffering. Her personal history, explored in supplementary audio dramas, reveals a softer side, suggesting she had close friends and even a romantic interest before the war, but these connections were severed by the conflict. Throughout the story, she shows little development in the sense of redemption; instead, she remains fixed on her goal of survival until it is violently taken from her.
Notably, Cima is a highly skilled and formidable pilot and commander. Despite her fleet commander status, she frequently takes to the front lines herself. Her abilities are top-tier, allowing her to pilot advanced mobile suits like the MS-14Fs Gelgoog Marine and later the AGX-04 Gerbera Tetra with great proficiency. She is also a shrewd strategist, capable of building her own intelligence networks and negotiating secretly with hostile powers like the Earth Federation while leading a band of pirates. Her tactical brilliance turned her group of outcasts into a powerful and disciplined fighting force. Ultimately, her skills are not enough to overcome the raw power of the Gundam GP03 Dendrobium. In her final battle, her Gerbera Tetra is impaled by the mobile armor’s massive beam cannon and fired at point-blank range, ending her life. Her death is a tragic climax for a woman who was created as a villain by the very nation she once served, finally discarded by the universe itself.