‘Gundam Showcase’ Panel at New York Comic Con: Full Rundown

Gundam fans were treated to an exciting update panel celebrating the historic franchise and all of its media during New York Comic Con weekend this year. On October 9th, 2025, the GUNDAM Showcase – Featuring Iron-Blooded Orphans, Hathaway, and the Future of Gundam panel occurred, giving fans a look at Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway, the panelists reflected on the 10th Anniversary of Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans, and were some of the first fans to hear about the latest upcoming projects in the world of Gundam.

The panel featured several special guest speakers, including Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans Director Tatsuyuki Nagai, Kyle McCarley, the English voice actor for Mikazuki Augus in Iron-Blooded Orphans, Caleb Yen, English voice actor for Hathaway Noa in Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway, and the Executive Producer of the entire Gundam franchise, Naohiro Ogata, of Bandai Namco Filmworks Inc. 

To kick things off, the moderator introduced Executive Producer Naohiro Ogata, the individual responsible for overseeing the Gundam franchise as a whole, to much applause from the excited crowd. Accompanied by his translator, Tomoko, the moderator immediately began the discussion with the moderator inquiring to Ogata-san about the upcoming 50th Anniversary of the Gundam franchise, which will happen in just four short years in 2029.

Ogata-san said, “Thank you so much for supporting and rooting for Gundam,” as well as “I hope you are enjoying the 45th Anniversary… are you?” He continued on, saying that now that we’ve hit that 45-year milestone, Bandai is preparing for the big 5-0 coming up. He reflected on the many series, titles, and IP that Gundam has produced over the years, promising that we’ll hear more announcements about new IP and exciting events soon. The visual slideshow then moved over to the new official Gundam website, gundam-official.com, brand-new hub that features the latest news, a database of all Gundam-related shows and where to stream them, and a guide to what exactly Gundam is for the newcomers to the franchise. This website launched the day before the panel on October 8th, and is currently only in Japanese.

The next slide was the massive “Global Gundam Poll,” where fans get to vote on what their all-time favorite Gundam series was. There were shouts of various shows and series in the audience, but the true winner is yet to be revealed as of writing this recap. Afterwards, Tatsuyuki Nagai, Kyle McCarley, and the previously unannounced Japanese voice actor for Orga Itsuka, Yoshimasa Hosoya, were brought out on stage to celebrate the ten-year anniversary of Iron-Blooded Orphans.

When asked about how special the project was to each panelist, Kyle remarked upon being a huge fan of Gundam Wing as a kid, since Toonami was prevalent and an after-school staple for an entire generation. Kyle went further, recounting a humorous story about dressing up as a Gundam character “before cosplay was a thing and on a regular Tuesday.” Nagai-san also expressed immense nostalgia for the franchise, adding: “Gundam has always been special to me, I watched it growing up and was a huge fan. To be involved and to be a director was a dream come true. If I told my childhood self I would be directing Gundam, I wouldn’t believe it.” Hosoya-san also said the franchise was special to him, adding that it was the role where people started to know him as a voice actor.

From there, the moderator hosted a retrospective Q&A session, asking various questions, including what kind of things would make the fans happy going into the series, what kind of character direction the voice actors were given, and the initial reaction the voice actors had to their characters’ designs and how to portray that in the voice acting end. Additionally, each panelist was asked their favorite scene, with their answers ranging from an intense moment after a shocking character death and Orga’s monologue from Episode 48. Additionally, Nagai gave insight into designing the Barbatos model of Gundam, a design that is incredibly popular amongst fans in the United States. The push for the Barbatos model went even further, with the moderator commenting that there would be a bus driving around New York City with the poster design of the Barbatos Gundam that will be given out at the end of the panel as a free item for fans.

The final question for the IBO crew was a heartfelt one, with each one being asked if they had anything to say to the fans. Kyle went first, thanking fans for being along for a journey in a franchise that was way older than he was, and that it was an honor to be a part of it in some way. Director Nagai-san thanked the audience for their support, and that we would soon see some special events and video clips to celebrate the 10th anniversary of IBO. Hosoya-san said he could feel the strong support from the crowd, hearing their loud cheers from the back room before he came onstage. He thought it was special to hold an international celebration like this for the first time, and thanked everyone tremendously for attending the panel.

Next up, Kyle remained on stage to announce that this week at Japan Society from October 11th through October 12th, there will be a special Gundam Film Festival happening. Fans will be able to see the special film version of GQuuuuux at the festival, which is the latest Gundam series to debut. Mr. McCarley is also a part of the English voice cast for that series, portraying the iconic and villainous Char Aznable. Also, it appears that Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway and Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz will be screened at Japan Society as part of the upcoming film festival, giving a unique opportunity for fans to see these films on the big screen. Kyle recommended GQuuuuuux, as it is the “MCU Multiverse” version of Gundam (the series being a branch off timeline from the original Mobile Suit Gundam timeline, titled the Universal Century).

After that special announcement, it was time to bring out some guests from Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway. First up, Executive Producer Ogata-san returned to the stage, and was then promptly joined by the English voice actor for Hathaway Noa, Caleb Yen. After introducing the crowd, the crowd was given a surprise… the first ever look at the poster for Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway: The Sorcery of Nymph Circe, as well as the brand-new character designs for the film. When asked to give some info about the film, Ogata-san said, “First of all, thank you for waiting very long for this project. This has been such an incredible journey and this film is such an important crossroads for our characters. I hope you are looking forward to it.”

Caleb Yen dived into the psychology behind his character Hathaway Noa. “It’s so interesting to play such a complicated character that isn’t letting his true intentions known. Also, getting to play all of the emotions he feels when he is meeting all of these people with different opinions, such as the public’s differing viewpoints on his actions, is such a unique experience,” he said. His favorite line from the series was “as long as there are exceptions, there will always be inequities,” because life is difficult and very hard, and we have to make those challenging choices often.

After remarks from Caleb, the fans were treated to another surprise. This time, it was the World Premiere of a new trailer for Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway, complete with English subtitles, and some text at the end of the trailer that promised that an English theatrical release nationwide was in the works, similar to the wide release of GQuuuuux this year. Ogata san commented further, stating: “I am so happy that finally the movie is coming together and we can deliver this film to you. The director and all of the animation staff are working hard on this film, so I hope you go see this film on a good screen at a good theatre and enjoy this film.” Caleb said he would dive into the franchise and do some homework on the original series before returning to this role when the time comes.

Ogata-san was given one last remark to give to the fans. He thought for a second, and then said that the 50th Anniversary of Gundam would be coming up, and that North America would be included in the big plans that are in the works for the Gundam Franchise. He also urged fans to check out the official Gundam website for more updates on what to expect as we gear up to celebrate half a century of the Gundam Franchise. Additionally, the moderator let the audience know about different model kits that were on sale at the Tamashii Nations store in Times Square, including the new Penelope model.

The panel then concluded with a massive group photo of Gundam fans that were in attendance and a giveaway of free swag. The atmosphere was positive, exciting, and full of great energy for the franchise that many of these fans have loved for decades. As a relative newcomer to Gundam, it was interesting and intriguing to experience a full panel for the franchise and the massive world that this all inhabits. There are over sixty different Gundam works, ranging from shows, movies and OVAs, yet the franchise remains extremely accessible to newcomers, offering a plethora of options to choose from as the franchise gears up to celebrate fifty years of giant robots and massive action.