OVA
Description
Quatre Rabarba Winner is one of the five pilots at the center of the anime Mobile Suit Gundam Wing and its sequel, Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz. He was born on December 12 in the year A.C. 180 and comes from the affluent Winner family, a clan of Arabian space colony developers based in the L4 colony cluster. He is the thirtieth child and only son of the family head, with twenty-nine older sisters. Unlike his sisters, who were conceived through artificial means as test-tube children, Quatre was his parents' only natural child, and his mother died shortly after giving birth to him. Because he was the only male heir, he inherited the full weight of the Winner family fortune, including vast financial resources, industrial holdings, and a private military force. He grew up surrounded by affection from his father and sisters, and this loving upbringing shaped him into a courteous, refined, and gentle young man with an elegant sense of dress and manner.
In terms of personality, Quatre stands out among the Gundam pilots as the most tender-hearted and empathetic. He is a firm believer in pacifism and shows great respect for all forms of life. He is deeply reluctant to kill, and whenever he is forced to take an enemy's life, he apologizes for the act and questions himself afterward. Despite his family's pacifist values and his father's disapproval of his violent path, Quatre chose to become the pilot of the Gundam Sandrock and joined the fight against the military organization OZ. His core motivation is not a thirst for battle but the conviction that fighting is sometimes necessary to secure and protect peace, so that the people he cares about can be spared from sorrow. He believes he understands human nature well enough to know that peace sometimes has to be defended by force, even though he never stops wishing that such force would not be required.
Quatre's emotional sensitivity is also his greatest vulnerability. The most significant turning point in his development comes after his father chooses to die rather than be drawn further into the escalating war. Already shaken by the loss of his family and his Gundam, Quatre discovers a set of previously shelved designs created by the five Gundam developers and builds the Wing Zero, a machine equipped with the dangerous ZERO System, an interface that floods the pilot's mind with overwhelming combat data. The system drives Quatre into a state of mental instability and revenge-fueled rage. During this breakdown he goes on a rampage, accidentally destroys a space colony, and nearly kills both Heero Yuy and Trowa Barton before he finally regains his senses. This traumatic episode leaves him determined to atone for his mistakes, and he gradually works to regain his stability. The support of Trowa, who risks himself to reach Quatre in his madness, and later the help of Heero, who teaches him to face his fears and control the ZERO System, allow him to recover. By the events of Endless Waltz, which take place roughly a year after the television series, Quatre has matured into a far more composed and confident leader, one who has learned to turn his sensitivity into strength rather than let it destroy him.
His role in Endless Waltz places him alongside the other pilots during the final military uprising led by the remnants of OZ and the Romefeller Foundation. When the conflict breaks out, Quatre brings the Gundam Sandrock Custom, an upgraded version of his original machine modified for space combat, back into service. He joins Heero, Duo Maxwell, Trowa Barton, and Wufei Chang in the climactic battle against the enemy's Serpent mobile suits and coordinates with them to protect innocent lives and minimize casualties. His conduct in this final fight reflects how far he has come, as he fights with precision and composure while still maintaining his concern for the people caught in the crossfire. At the end of the story, Quatre takes part in the symbolic act of launching the five Gundams into the sun, joining the others in destroying their weapons to show that peace no longer depends on their destructive power.
Quatre's relationships are central to his character. The bond he shares with Trowa Barton is the deepest friendship in his life, beginning when the two meet in battle during the series and growing into a lasting connection in which Trowa serves as Quatre's anchor during his most unstable moments. Quatre also develops genuine bonds with the other pilots, and he often functions as the emotional and strategic bridge that helps them cooperate despite their very different personalities. He shows particular care for Heero, once helping him find his way when he was lost, and Heero later repays that kindness by helping Quatre master the ZERO System. Equally important are his ties to the Maganac Corps, a unit of forty skilled mobile suit pilots loyal to the Winner family. Quatre treats them as friends rather than subordinates, and they in turn are willing to defend him with their lives. His father and sisters remain a defining influence as well, since the pacifist values he was raised with continue to guide his actions even when he is forced to fight.
In terms of abilities, Quatre is an accomplished pilot whose specialty is close-quarters combat. His Gundam Sandrock is armed with twin heat shotels, curved bladed weapons that can be heated to cut through enemy armor, and the machine can combine its shield and backpack into a devastating attack called the Cross Crusher. After the Sandrock is rebuilt and modified by the engineer Howard, it is rechristened as the Sandrock Custom and given improved maneuverability and long-range options suited to space warfare. Beyond piloting, Quatre is a natural strategist and coordinator, often taking on the role of directing allied forces and organizing their efforts in battle. He also possesses a strong empathic sensitivity that allows him to sense the emotions and intentions of others, an ability that helps him understand friend and foe alike but also exposes him to their pain. His background as the heir to the Winner fortune gives him the resources to build and maintain his own mobile suits and to support his allies, and he uses that wealth judiciously throughout the conflict. He is also noted for his artistic gifts in painting and music, which reflect the refined upbringing he received. Quatre Rabarba Winner ultimately embodies the journey from a gentle, emotionally fragile boy into a steadfast protector, someone whose compassion becomes the foundation of his strength.
In terms of personality, Quatre stands out among the Gundam pilots as the most tender-hearted and empathetic. He is a firm believer in pacifism and shows great respect for all forms of life. He is deeply reluctant to kill, and whenever he is forced to take an enemy's life, he apologizes for the act and questions himself afterward. Despite his family's pacifist values and his father's disapproval of his violent path, Quatre chose to become the pilot of the Gundam Sandrock and joined the fight against the military organization OZ. His core motivation is not a thirst for battle but the conviction that fighting is sometimes necessary to secure and protect peace, so that the people he cares about can be spared from sorrow. He believes he understands human nature well enough to know that peace sometimes has to be defended by force, even though he never stops wishing that such force would not be required.
Quatre's emotional sensitivity is also his greatest vulnerability. The most significant turning point in his development comes after his father chooses to die rather than be drawn further into the escalating war. Already shaken by the loss of his family and his Gundam, Quatre discovers a set of previously shelved designs created by the five Gundam developers and builds the Wing Zero, a machine equipped with the dangerous ZERO System, an interface that floods the pilot's mind with overwhelming combat data. The system drives Quatre into a state of mental instability and revenge-fueled rage. During this breakdown he goes on a rampage, accidentally destroys a space colony, and nearly kills both Heero Yuy and Trowa Barton before he finally regains his senses. This traumatic episode leaves him determined to atone for his mistakes, and he gradually works to regain his stability. The support of Trowa, who risks himself to reach Quatre in his madness, and later the help of Heero, who teaches him to face his fears and control the ZERO System, allow him to recover. By the events of Endless Waltz, which take place roughly a year after the television series, Quatre has matured into a far more composed and confident leader, one who has learned to turn his sensitivity into strength rather than let it destroy him.
His role in Endless Waltz places him alongside the other pilots during the final military uprising led by the remnants of OZ and the Romefeller Foundation. When the conflict breaks out, Quatre brings the Gundam Sandrock Custom, an upgraded version of his original machine modified for space combat, back into service. He joins Heero, Duo Maxwell, Trowa Barton, and Wufei Chang in the climactic battle against the enemy's Serpent mobile suits and coordinates with them to protect innocent lives and minimize casualties. His conduct in this final fight reflects how far he has come, as he fights with precision and composure while still maintaining his concern for the people caught in the crossfire. At the end of the story, Quatre takes part in the symbolic act of launching the five Gundams into the sun, joining the others in destroying their weapons to show that peace no longer depends on their destructive power.
Quatre's relationships are central to his character. The bond he shares with Trowa Barton is the deepest friendship in his life, beginning when the two meet in battle during the series and growing into a lasting connection in which Trowa serves as Quatre's anchor during his most unstable moments. Quatre also develops genuine bonds with the other pilots, and he often functions as the emotional and strategic bridge that helps them cooperate despite their very different personalities. He shows particular care for Heero, once helping him find his way when he was lost, and Heero later repays that kindness by helping Quatre master the ZERO System. Equally important are his ties to the Maganac Corps, a unit of forty skilled mobile suit pilots loyal to the Winner family. Quatre treats them as friends rather than subordinates, and they in turn are willing to defend him with their lives. His father and sisters remain a defining influence as well, since the pacifist values he was raised with continue to guide his actions even when he is forced to fight.
In terms of abilities, Quatre is an accomplished pilot whose specialty is close-quarters combat. His Gundam Sandrock is armed with twin heat shotels, curved bladed weapons that can be heated to cut through enemy armor, and the machine can combine its shield and backpack into a devastating attack called the Cross Crusher. After the Sandrock is rebuilt and modified by the engineer Howard, it is rechristened as the Sandrock Custom and given improved maneuverability and long-range options suited to space warfare. Beyond piloting, Quatre is a natural strategist and coordinator, often taking on the role of directing allied forces and organizing their efforts in battle. He also possesses a strong empathic sensitivity that allows him to sense the emotions and intentions of others, an ability that helps him understand friend and foe alike but also exposes him to their pain. His background as the heir to the Winner fortune gives him the resources to build and maintain his own mobile suits and to support his allies, and he uses that wealth judiciously throughout the conflict. He is also noted for his artistic gifts in painting and music, which reflect the refined upbringing he received. Quatre Rabarba Winner ultimately embodies the journey from a gentle, emotionally fragile boy into a steadfast protector, someone whose compassion becomes the foundation of his strength.