TV-Series
Description
Arnold Neumann is a recurring character in the Cosmic Era timeline, serving as a bridge officer and the primary helmsman for the battleship Archangel. He is a Natural, a term for an unmodified human, and holds the birth date of June 9. He is of average height with dark blue hair and green eyes. Throughout the conflicts, his military rank progresses from Chief Petty Officer to Ensign within the Earth Alliance, and later to Lieutenant after formally joining the Orb Union forces.
In terms of personality, Arnold is depicted as a quiet and highly professional soldier. He is not a flamboyant or outspoken figure, often remaining in the background while more charismatic superiors and pilots take center stage. Despite his reserved demeanor, he is a capable soldier with sharp judgment and a strong sense of duty. He demonstrates remarkable composure under pressure, a trait essential for his role at the helm of a warship in combat. His motivations are closely tied to the survival of his vessel and crew, showing unwavering loyalty to the Archangel and its chain of command, rather than to any particular political faction.
Arnold's role in the story is a critical, if understated, one as the man at the controls of the Archangel. He is first introduced as one of the few regular crew members to survive the ZAFT attack on the neutral space colony Heliopolis. From that point onward, his primary responsibility is navigating the ship through countless battles and dangerous situations. He continues in this role when the Archangel operates as a rogue vessel for the Earth Alliance, later as a founding member of the independent Three Ships Alliance, and again when the ship is recommissioned during the second war. His presence provides a constant sense of stability and competence on the bridge, allowing the captain to focus on overall strategy.
His key relationships are primarily professional, centered on the Archangel's bridge crew. He works directly under Captain Murrue Ramius and Executive Officer Natarle Badgiruel, executing their commands with precision. He shares a functional camaraderie with other non-commissioned officers like the chief mechanic, Murdoch. While he maintains a respectful distance from the younger civilian pilots like Kira Yamato, his efforts directly enable their success by keeping the carrier safe and well-positioned. In some side material, there are implications of him holding a quiet affection for Natarle Badgiruel, though this is not a prominent feature of the main narrative.
Throughout the series, Arnold's character undergoes little personal change, as his primary arc is one of consistent reliability. His development is instead showcased through his growing legend as an exceptionally gifted helmsman. He is among the crew who choose to abandon the Earth Alliance after the near-destruction of the Archangel by its own forces at the JOSH-A headquarters, demonstrating his moral compass and loyalty to his comrades over blind obedience. After the first war, he goes into hiding with the rest of the crew in Orb, and he does not hesitate to answer the call to rejoin the Archangel when conflict erupts once more, reaffirming his dedication to the cause and the people he trusts.
Arnold's most notable ability is his extraordinary skill as a ship's helmsman. His steering technique is portrayed as near-superhuman for a Natural, allowing him to successfully execute almost every evasive order given by his captain. His most famous feats include performing a complete 360-degree barrel roll with the four-hundred-meter-long Archangel while inside Earth's gravity well, a maneuver he executed to bring the ship's main guns to bear on an enemy mobile suit. In another instance, he avoided a point-blank attack from the battleship Minerva by rolling the massive vessel ninety degrees on its side in an instant. His proficiency is so highly regarded that he is considered a primary reason for the Archangel's reputation as an unsinkable ship, and fan commentary often notes that if Neumann could not dodge an attack, it was truly unavoidable.
In terms of personality, Arnold is depicted as a quiet and highly professional soldier. He is not a flamboyant or outspoken figure, often remaining in the background while more charismatic superiors and pilots take center stage. Despite his reserved demeanor, he is a capable soldier with sharp judgment and a strong sense of duty. He demonstrates remarkable composure under pressure, a trait essential for his role at the helm of a warship in combat. His motivations are closely tied to the survival of his vessel and crew, showing unwavering loyalty to the Archangel and its chain of command, rather than to any particular political faction.
Arnold's role in the story is a critical, if understated, one as the man at the controls of the Archangel. He is first introduced as one of the few regular crew members to survive the ZAFT attack on the neutral space colony Heliopolis. From that point onward, his primary responsibility is navigating the ship through countless battles and dangerous situations. He continues in this role when the Archangel operates as a rogue vessel for the Earth Alliance, later as a founding member of the independent Three Ships Alliance, and again when the ship is recommissioned during the second war. His presence provides a constant sense of stability and competence on the bridge, allowing the captain to focus on overall strategy.
His key relationships are primarily professional, centered on the Archangel's bridge crew. He works directly under Captain Murrue Ramius and Executive Officer Natarle Badgiruel, executing their commands with precision. He shares a functional camaraderie with other non-commissioned officers like the chief mechanic, Murdoch. While he maintains a respectful distance from the younger civilian pilots like Kira Yamato, his efforts directly enable their success by keeping the carrier safe and well-positioned. In some side material, there are implications of him holding a quiet affection for Natarle Badgiruel, though this is not a prominent feature of the main narrative.
Throughout the series, Arnold's character undergoes little personal change, as his primary arc is one of consistent reliability. His development is instead showcased through his growing legend as an exceptionally gifted helmsman. He is among the crew who choose to abandon the Earth Alliance after the near-destruction of the Archangel by its own forces at the JOSH-A headquarters, demonstrating his moral compass and loyalty to his comrades over blind obedience. After the first war, he goes into hiding with the rest of the crew in Orb, and he does not hesitate to answer the call to rejoin the Archangel when conflict erupts once more, reaffirming his dedication to the cause and the people he trusts.
Arnold's most notable ability is his extraordinary skill as a ship's helmsman. His steering technique is portrayed as near-superhuman for a Natural, allowing him to successfully execute almost every evasive order given by his captain. His most famous feats include performing a complete 360-degree barrel roll with the four-hundred-meter-long Archangel while inside Earth's gravity well, a maneuver he executed to bring the ship's main guns to bear on an enemy mobile suit. In another instance, he avoided a point-blank attack from the battleship Minerva by rolling the massive vessel ninety degrees on its side in an instant. His proficiency is so highly regarded that he is considered a primary reason for the Archangel's reputation as an unsinkable ship, and fan commentary often notes that if Neumann could not dodge an attack, it was truly unavoidable.