The
renowned mangaka Yasuo Ohtagaki surprised his followers by
revealing that his work Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt has
officially entered its final arc and will conclude in
just eight chapters. The announcement was made on Thursday through
its official account on X (formerly Twitter), accompanied by a special
video that marked the long-awaited return of the manga after a
three-month hiatus.
An era
story in the Gundam universe
Set in the
notorious One Year War conflict of UC 0079, the manga follows the
fierce battle between two elite pilots belonging to the Principality of
Zeon and the Earth Federation, all in the dangerous Thunderbolt
Sector, an area full of remnants of space colonies and destroyed warships.
Chapter
222 was
published in Shogakukan's Big Comic Superior magazine
on Friday, May 31, marking the beginning of the final stage of the series.
According to the commercial listings, the compilation volume number 26,
released in Japan on May 29, already anticipated that it was
entering this last phase.
A long
journey, with pauses and challenges
Ohtagaki began publishing Gundam
Thunderbolt in March 2012. However, in September 2018 he
had to put the work on hold due to tenosynovitis (inflammation
of the tendons), which particularly affected his dominant left hand. The manga
was resumed in December of the same year, although with a drawing
style adapted to avoid aggravating his medical condition.
Already in volume 19, released in February 2022, the author had advanced that the series was in its "final phase". That same year, the work celebrated its tenth anniversary with a special exhibition at Gundam Base Tokyo, between September and October. At the event, Ohtagaki commented that his intention was to continue with the story for five to six more years, a period that now seems to have been shortened.
Thunderbolt's
Impact and Legacy
In addition
to the main manga, Gundam Thunderbolt inspired two
anime series for streaming, each of which was later collected into a film.
It also gave rise to the spin-off manga Gundam Thunderbolt Gaiden,
drawn by the same author.
Viz
Media publishes
the manga in English, and its 23rd volume was released on May 20.
Meanwhile, fans of the Gundam franchise are preparing to say goodbye to one of
its most intense and visually stunning installments of the last decade.
