TV-Series
Description
Rakan Dakaran is an officer of Neo Zeon and a veteran ace mobile suit pilot who appears in the television series Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ. By the time of the First Neo Zeon War in Universal Century 0088, he holds the rank of captain and commands the Endra-class cruiser Mindra, establishing himself as one of Neo Zeon's most capable field commanders. He stands 180 centimeters tall with brown hair and blue eyes, and he typically wears the standard uniform of a Neo Zeon officer.
Little is known about his early life, but his military career extends back to the One Year War, during which he fought as a mobile suit pilot for the Principality of Zeon. Supplemental material describes him taking part in the Battle of Solomon in a Rick Dom, where he exhausted his bazooka ammunition and continued fighting with only a heat saber. By around Universal Century 0082, he was serving as an ensign at the asteroid Axis, piloting an MS-09R-2 Rick Dom II. During a Federation attack on Axis and a subsequent incident in which Federation prisoners seized a ship and mobile suits, his actions helped create the opportunity to rescue Haman Karn, who had been taken hostage. Around this same period he took part in a mock battle against Char Aznable and was soundly defeated, showing that his skills at the time had not yet reached Char's level. Through harsh training undertaken while in hiding, he later developed his abilities to the point where he could fight Newtypes and enhanced humans on equal terms or better.
Rakan embodies the stereotype of the hardened veteran: cold, calculating, confident to the point of arrogance, and utterly pragmatic in combat. He can act decisively against any enemy without hesitation and shows no remorse over the casualties of war. He is also a traditionalist with an old-fashioned warrior's pride, as seen when he opens Haman's sealed orders with a paper knife and refuses to have his personal Döven Wolf repainted in the colors of Glemy Toto's faction, even appealing directly to Glemy to spare the machine. His self-assurance extends to his refusal to wear a normal suit during combat, an unusual habit that reflects his belief in his own abilities but also leaves him vulnerable. His leadership style is bold and aggressive, sometimes to the point of recklessness; he troubles his subordinates with tactics such as attempting to ram the Argama with the Mindra.
Rakan is not driven by ideology or loyalty but by respect for raw power and strength. He serves Haman Karn faithfully for most of the conflict because he respects her strength and leadership, and he values the trust she places in him, as when she informs him directly of the colony drop operation through a personal letter. However, when Glemy Toto's faction gains significant military strength and presents a viable alternative, Rakan defects to Glemy's side, reportedly in exchange for the right to rule Earth. This opportunistic shift demonstrates his unprincipled, ambition-driven nature and his willingness to follow whichever leader seems most likely to prevail.
In the story, Rakan appears as a recurring antagonist and one of Neo Zeon's most dangerous aces. His first major action is intercepting the MSZ-010 ZZ Gundam piloted by Judau Ashta. Despite flying the less advanced AMX-009 Dreissen, he gains the upper hand in their duel, destroying the ZZ Gundam's beam rifle and cutting into the more powerful machine before being forced to retreat by the arrival of Roux Louka and Elle Vianno. During the Dublin Colony Drop operation, he pilots an AMX-011 Zaku III and is tasked with destroying fleeing transport ships so that no civilians can escape the colony's impact, carrying out the mass slaughter without hesitation. On Earth he also pilots the Melord, a machine commandeered from the Titans, to block civilians attempting to flee the colony drop. He encounters Judau again during the fall of Dublin, and their fierce battle ends when Judau's grief and rage trigger the ZZ Gundam's Bio-Sensor system, allowing Judau to overpower him; Rakan loses the Zaku III's legs but escapes with his life.
After defecting to Glemy's camp, Rakan leads the Space Wolf team, a unit composed of AMX-014 Döven Wolf units, and serves as a core force of Glemy's army during the internal civil war that splits Neo Zeon. At the Battle of Axis he faces Mashymre Cello, one of Haman's most devoted loyalists. The duel is evenly matched until Rakan gains the advantage with assistance from three other Döven Wolf units, and Mashymre's desperate kamikaze attack fails to destroy him. Rakan's career ends in the final phase of the battle when he confronts Judau Ashta once more, this time in the FA-010S Full Armor ZZ Gundam. After missiles damage his Döven Wolf, Rakan launches a furious counterattack, but the Full Armor ZZ Gundam's beam saber cuts the machine apart, and he dies in the resulting explosion.
As a seasoned soldier and naval commander, Rakan possesses extensive knowledge of firearms, battle strategy, and fleet operations. He is recognized as one of Neo Zeon's ace pilots, and his tactical acumen is shown in his ability to draw the maximum performance from whatever machine he pilots, as when he nearly defeats the superior ZZ Gundam while using an older suit. His main mobile suits are the AMX-009 Dreissen, the AMX-011 Zaku III, and the AMX-014 Döven Wolf, the last of which is equipped with funnels and is described as a powerful machine. Supplementary material also credits him with destroying three AEUG Nemos during the capture of the Arcadia colony before the events of the series. His key relationships are defined by his pragmatic worldview: he respects Haman's power, dismisses Glemy early on as a young man relying on his family name before later acknowledging his strength, clashes with the loyal Mashymre, and repeatedly tests himself against Judau Ashta, whom he treats as a worthy opponent. Throughout the series he is portrayed as a formidable but ultimately unprincipled warrior whose pride, ambition, and cold willingness to accept mass casualties define his fall.
Little is known about his early life, but his military career extends back to the One Year War, during which he fought as a mobile suit pilot for the Principality of Zeon. Supplemental material describes him taking part in the Battle of Solomon in a Rick Dom, where he exhausted his bazooka ammunition and continued fighting with only a heat saber. By around Universal Century 0082, he was serving as an ensign at the asteroid Axis, piloting an MS-09R-2 Rick Dom II. During a Federation attack on Axis and a subsequent incident in which Federation prisoners seized a ship and mobile suits, his actions helped create the opportunity to rescue Haman Karn, who had been taken hostage. Around this same period he took part in a mock battle against Char Aznable and was soundly defeated, showing that his skills at the time had not yet reached Char's level. Through harsh training undertaken while in hiding, he later developed his abilities to the point where he could fight Newtypes and enhanced humans on equal terms or better.
Rakan embodies the stereotype of the hardened veteran: cold, calculating, confident to the point of arrogance, and utterly pragmatic in combat. He can act decisively against any enemy without hesitation and shows no remorse over the casualties of war. He is also a traditionalist with an old-fashioned warrior's pride, as seen when he opens Haman's sealed orders with a paper knife and refuses to have his personal Döven Wolf repainted in the colors of Glemy Toto's faction, even appealing directly to Glemy to spare the machine. His self-assurance extends to his refusal to wear a normal suit during combat, an unusual habit that reflects his belief in his own abilities but also leaves him vulnerable. His leadership style is bold and aggressive, sometimes to the point of recklessness; he troubles his subordinates with tactics such as attempting to ram the Argama with the Mindra.
Rakan is not driven by ideology or loyalty but by respect for raw power and strength. He serves Haman Karn faithfully for most of the conflict because he respects her strength and leadership, and he values the trust she places in him, as when she informs him directly of the colony drop operation through a personal letter. However, when Glemy Toto's faction gains significant military strength and presents a viable alternative, Rakan defects to Glemy's side, reportedly in exchange for the right to rule Earth. This opportunistic shift demonstrates his unprincipled, ambition-driven nature and his willingness to follow whichever leader seems most likely to prevail.
In the story, Rakan appears as a recurring antagonist and one of Neo Zeon's most dangerous aces. His first major action is intercepting the MSZ-010 ZZ Gundam piloted by Judau Ashta. Despite flying the less advanced AMX-009 Dreissen, he gains the upper hand in their duel, destroying the ZZ Gundam's beam rifle and cutting into the more powerful machine before being forced to retreat by the arrival of Roux Louka and Elle Vianno. During the Dublin Colony Drop operation, he pilots an AMX-011 Zaku III and is tasked with destroying fleeing transport ships so that no civilians can escape the colony's impact, carrying out the mass slaughter without hesitation. On Earth he also pilots the Melord, a machine commandeered from the Titans, to block civilians attempting to flee the colony drop. He encounters Judau again during the fall of Dublin, and their fierce battle ends when Judau's grief and rage trigger the ZZ Gundam's Bio-Sensor system, allowing Judau to overpower him; Rakan loses the Zaku III's legs but escapes with his life.
After defecting to Glemy's camp, Rakan leads the Space Wolf team, a unit composed of AMX-014 Döven Wolf units, and serves as a core force of Glemy's army during the internal civil war that splits Neo Zeon. At the Battle of Axis he faces Mashymre Cello, one of Haman's most devoted loyalists. The duel is evenly matched until Rakan gains the advantage with assistance from three other Döven Wolf units, and Mashymre's desperate kamikaze attack fails to destroy him. Rakan's career ends in the final phase of the battle when he confronts Judau Ashta once more, this time in the FA-010S Full Armor ZZ Gundam. After missiles damage his Döven Wolf, Rakan launches a furious counterattack, but the Full Armor ZZ Gundam's beam saber cuts the machine apart, and he dies in the resulting explosion.
As a seasoned soldier and naval commander, Rakan possesses extensive knowledge of firearms, battle strategy, and fleet operations. He is recognized as one of Neo Zeon's ace pilots, and his tactical acumen is shown in his ability to draw the maximum performance from whatever machine he pilots, as when he nearly defeats the superior ZZ Gundam while using an older suit. His main mobile suits are the AMX-009 Dreissen, the AMX-011 Zaku III, and the AMX-014 Döven Wolf, the last of which is equipped with funnels and is described as a powerful machine. Supplementary material also credits him with destroying three AEUG Nemos during the capture of the Arcadia colony before the events of the series. His key relationships are defined by his pragmatic worldview: he respects Haman's power, dismisses Glemy early on as a young man relying on his family name before later acknowledging his strength, clashes with the loyal Mashymre, and repeatedly tests himself against Judau Ashta, whom he treats as a worthy opponent. Throughout the series he is portrayed as a formidable but ultimately unprincipled warrior whose pride, ambition, and cold willingness to accept mass casualties define his fall.