OVA
Description
Jimba Ral is a pivotal figure in the backstory of Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin, portrayed as a tragic character whose deep-seated paranoia and political obsession set the stage for the conflicts of the Universal Century. Recognizable as the father of the famed Zeon officer Ramba Ral, Jimba is a drastically different figure in The Origin compared to his earlier, milder depiction in the original 1979 series. Here, he is a man consumed by a lost cause.
Politically, Jimba was once a prominent and powerful figure. He served as a close aide to Zeon Zum Deikun, the revolutionary leader of the Autonomous Republic of Munzo on Side 3. As the head of the Ral faction, he was locked in a fierce internal power struggle with a rival group led by Degwin Sodo Zabi, a contest of influence that he was ultimately losing. When Deikun suddenly died in U.C. 0068, Jimba became the primary proponent of the conspiracy theory that the Zabi family had assassinated the leader, a belief that would consume the rest of his life.
The defining traits of this version of Jimba Ral are his paranoia and an irrational, all-consuming hatred for the Zabis. While his loyalty to the late Deikun is genuine, this devotion curdles into a fanatical obsession. He views everything through the lens of this betrayal, a fixation that makes him seem unbalanced to those around him. His actions are driven by a singular motivation: to avenge Deikun by overthrowing the Zabi family and restoring what he sees as the rightful political order. This desperation leads him to cling to the Deikun’s children, Casval and Artesia, as political trump cards to legitimize his cause.
The primary role of Jimba Ral in the narrative is as the initial guardian and, more significantly, the ideological corruptor of the young Casval Rem Deikun, who will one day become the feared Char Aznable, the Red Comet. After fleeing Side 3 with the children, Jimba arranges for them to be hidden on Earth under the care of the wealthy aristocrat Don Teabolo Mass. For three years, he lives in the Mass household, where his main occupation is incessantly lecturing the young Casval. He teaches the boy not only the detailed philosophies of Zeon Zum Deikun, including early concepts of Newtypes and humanity’s evolution into space, but also fiercely instills his own personal vendetta, constantly reminding his charge of the Zabi family's treacherous murder of his father.
His key relationships are defined by this obsession. His relationship with his son, Ramba Ral, is strained; Ramba is a pragmatic soldier who ultimately distances himself from his father’s increasingly dangerous fantasies, choosing a different path that eventually leads him back into service under the Zabi regime they both despise. Within the Mass home, Jimba is a source of friction. Artesia (later Sayla Mass) grows to hate him for his relentless, poisonous rhetoric, while the benevolent Teabolo Mass, who provides them refuge, views Jimba’s schemes as delusional and dangerous. His relationship with the Zabi family is one of pure enmity; Kycilia Zabi specifically considers him a threat and orders his assassination.
Jimba Ral's development arc is a short and tragic one, moving from a desperate political player to a victim of his own machinations. In U.C. 0071, consumed by impotent rage and a need for action, he secretly conspires with Anaheim Electronics, hoping to secure funding and support for an armed coup to retake Side 3. This plan is discovered, and his benefactor, Teabolo Mass, confronts him, labeling the scheme as a fantasy with no chance of success. That same night, Jimba’s fate is sealed. Assassins sent by Kycilia Zabi attack the Mass estate. A spy dressed in knight's armor drives a sword through his heart, killing him and ending his paranoid crusade. Though he perishes, his legacy is arguably his most significant achievement: he successfully poured the poison of revenge into a young boy’s soul, shaping Casval into the vengeful Char and leaving an indelible mark on history.
Politically, Jimba was once a prominent and powerful figure. He served as a close aide to Zeon Zum Deikun, the revolutionary leader of the Autonomous Republic of Munzo on Side 3. As the head of the Ral faction, he was locked in a fierce internal power struggle with a rival group led by Degwin Sodo Zabi, a contest of influence that he was ultimately losing. When Deikun suddenly died in U.C. 0068, Jimba became the primary proponent of the conspiracy theory that the Zabi family had assassinated the leader, a belief that would consume the rest of his life.
The defining traits of this version of Jimba Ral are his paranoia and an irrational, all-consuming hatred for the Zabis. While his loyalty to the late Deikun is genuine, this devotion curdles into a fanatical obsession. He views everything through the lens of this betrayal, a fixation that makes him seem unbalanced to those around him. His actions are driven by a singular motivation: to avenge Deikun by overthrowing the Zabi family and restoring what he sees as the rightful political order. This desperation leads him to cling to the Deikun’s children, Casval and Artesia, as political trump cards to legitimize his cause.
The primary role of Jimba Ral in the narrative is as the initial guardian and, more significantly, the ideological corruptor of the young Casval Rem Deikun, who will one day become the feared Char Aznable, the Red Comet. After fleeing Side 3 with the children, Jimba arranges for them to be hidden on Earth under the care of the wealthy aristocrat Don Teabolo Mass. For three years, he lives in the Mass household, where his main occupation is incessantly lecturing the young Casval. He teaches the boy not only the detailed philosophies of Zeon Zum Deikun, including early concepts of Newtypes and humanity’s evolution into space, but also fiercely instills his own personal vendetta, constantly reminding his charge of the Zabi family's treacherous murder of his father.
His key relationships are defined by this obsession. His relationship with his son, Ramba Ral, is strained; Ramba is a pragmatic soldier who ultimately distances himself from his father’s increasingly dangerous fantasies, choosing a different path that eventually leads him back into service under the Zabi regime they both despise. Within the Mass home, Jimba is a source of friction. Artesia (later Sayla Mass) grows to hate him for his relentless, poisonous rhetoric, while the benevolent Teabolo Mass, who provides them refuge, views Jimba’s schemes as delusional and dangerous. His relationship with the Zabi family is one of pure enmity; Kycilia Zabi specifically considers him a threat and orders his assassination.
Jimba Ral's development arc is a short and tragic one, moving from a desperate political player to a victim of his own machinations. In U.C. 0071, consumed by impotent rage and a need for action, he secretly conspires with Anaheim Electronics, hoping to secure funding and support for an armed coup to retake Side 3. This plan is discovered, and his benefactor, Teabolo Mass, confronts him, labeling the scheme as a fantasy with no chance of success. That same night, Jimba’s fate is sealed. Assassins sent by Kycilia Zabi attack the Mass estate. A spy dressed in knight's armor drives a sword through his heart, killing him and ending his paranoid crusade. Though he perishes, his legacy is arguably his most significant achievement: he successfully poured the poison of revenge into a young boy’s soul, shaping Casval into the vengeful Char and leaving an indelible mark on history.