Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans is a TV anime series that began broadcasting in October 2015 as part of the Gundam series.
To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the start of broadcasting, the special edited version “Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans: Uruz Hunt – The Trail of the Little Challenger-'' and the new short story “Interlude'' from “Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans'' will be screened in theaters for a limited time of 4 weeks from October 31, 2025 (Friday).
Isekai2nd conducted an interview with director Tatsuyuki Nagai in conjunction with its release.
In addition to the behind-the-scenes stories from when the TV series aired, we also hear about the details, such as how this special edition of “Uru's Hunt” started, and what they were thinking about when constructing the story of the “interlude wedge.”
We have also posted a message for those who are thinking of checking out “Iron-Blooded'' on this occasion, so we hope that not only old “Iron-Blooded'' fans, but also those who are thinking of getting into “Iron-Blooded'' for the first time, will read it.
Please note that this article will be posted after its release, so it may contain some spoilers for the main story. We would appreciate it if you could check it out before viewing.
I would like to express my gratitude to those who have enjoyed playing “Uru's Hunt'' on the app with something that will remain in my memory.
──“Mobile Suit Gundam Iron-Blooded Orphans” is celebrating its 10th anniversary, and the special editions “Uru’s Hunt” and “Interlude” have started screening. Can you tell from my current state of mind?
Director Tatsuyuki Nagai (hereinafter referred to as Nagai):I'm very happy about this new development. However, over the past 10 years, some sort of development regarding the work has continued. Products such as Gunpla have been released for a long time, and I've been involved with Ur's Hunt, which was developed in the smartphone app Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans G, right after work on the main story finished, so it doesn't feel like there's been much time between us. I had the impression that the work on Iron-Blooded had continued for a long time, so I'm deeply moved by the fact that it's already been 10 years.
──Has anything changed for you in the past 10 years since you were involved in one of the Gundam series?
Nagai:I'm probably from the Gunpla generation, so I was always happy to watch things like “Plastic Model Kyoshiro.'' That's why I've been familiar with Gunpla ever since the Gundam story was too difficult to understand. In that sense, I've been a Gundam fan for far longer.
I've loved the Gundam series ever since I could remember, and it's been over 10 years since I started working on it, but I still can't believe it. Maybe you've come this far without really realizing it.
──Please also tell us about director Nagai's previous Gundam works before he was involved in “Iron-Blooded”.
Nagai:When I first got to do the ending for Mobile Suit Gundam 00 (*Footnote: Director Nagai was in charge of storyboarding and directing the first season's ending themes “Trap'' and “Friends''), I remember being deeply moved by the fact that I was creating the ending for a Gundam series.
──We'll start digging deeper into Iron-Blooded, but over the past 10 years, the Gundam series as a whole has gained more fans, and I think more people are becoming aware of Iron-Blooded. It's likely that the way the work itself is viewed may change after 10 years, but do you feel that kind of reaction from people?
Nagai:When I wasn't involved, I felt like information was coming in, but once I became involved, I stopped looking into things like that. However, 10 years have passed, and a ten-year-old has turned twenty, and young staff members who have joined us on set say things like, “Iron-Blooded'' was the first Gundam I ever saw, and “I watched it when I was a kid.'' I'm simply happy about that, but it also made me realize that I'm getting older.
──Please tell us about any impressions you have when you look back at the time of broadcasting and production.
Nagai:I was really busy as I was producing two 2-course episodes…a total of 4 courses. The cast members have been very close ever since then, and it seems like they would go out for drinks after every recording session. I occasionally showed up, and I remember that it was a really lively place, and the atmosphere was very good and fun.
──And about this special edition of “Uru’s Hunt”. How did this project come about in the first place?
Nagai:At first, I wanted to express my gratitude to the people who enjoyed playing “Uru's Hunt'' using the “Iron-Blooded Orphans G'' app with something tangible.
At first, we were thinking of re-editing the in-game movie and making it into a single work, but after some twists and turns, we ended up creating a work to coincide with the 10th anniversary of Iron-Blooded.
Regarding “Interlude'', it all started with the idea of making a short film to commemorate the 10th anniversary. Work began with the idea of creating a short piece that would convey our gratitude to the fans who supported us, and we packed in all the elements we wanted.
──From the 10th anniversary project, I would like to delve deeper into the special edition of “Uru's Hunt'', and I think many people will take this screening as an opportunity to see it for the first time. Could you once again tell us about the highlights of this work as a whole, and your intentions for depicting the story in the same era and worldview as Mikazuki and the others?
Nagai:The initial concept for “Uru's Hunt'' was after the “Iron-Blooded'' TV series ended, with the intention of depicting a brighter story from the beginning. From the beginning of the project, I wanted people to feel the breadth of the world, where there are people like Wistario, and the breadth of the worldview of Iron-Blooded.
So, for those who have always been fans of Iron-Blooded, but are seeing Ur's Hunt for the first time, I hope they will enjoy the fact that there are actually many mysteries in the world of Iron-Blooded, and that there are people who live like this… I also think the mobile suits designed for the game are one of the highlights.
──Are there any elements in the special edition of “Uru's Hunt'' that were not seen in “Iron-Blooded Orphans G''?
Nagai:After all, it was originally a game, so the battle scenes were left up to each user's play in the game. This time, since it's a video work, we supplemented those aspects, and added battle scenes so that when you played the game, you'd think, “This is how the Wisterios fought in a cool way.'' If you've been playing Iron-Blooded Orphans G, please pay attention to this.
──Gundam Frame machines such as Tan Hakusei, Asmodeus, and Zagan appeared in “Uru's Hunt”. After all, was there an intention to delve into Gundam Frame here?
Nagai:It wasn't so much that I wanted to release it, but rather that I had an order for it to be released. The world of Iron-Blooded is one in which the existence of quite a few Gundam Frames is clear just by their names, so I hope fans will enjoy them as well.
The mobile suits in “Uru's Hunt” were intended to be animated in the game, so we didn't have any anime-style restrictions or requests regarding designs, such as requests to omit designs because they would be difficult to draw on cels. From the moment we placed the order, we wanted them to do whatever they wanted with it, so I think the designers worked to their fullest potential.
It was difficult to make these aircraft move in the anime, but I hope people will enjoy that aspect as well. It's true that Asmodeus is really cool, but it was really difficult to make him work in the anime… (lol)
──Asmodeus has a lot of lines even to the untrained eye, but I watched it and thought it was amazing that it was animated without CG. Also, I think there were some amazing battle scenes with Marcosias.
Nagai:As for Marcosias…I never thought he would end up drawing on paper (lol).
Naohiro Washio, who was in charge of the design, drew it with all his hobbies, including the gimmicks, and the animation staff, including chief mechanical animator Hiroshi Arisawa, worked hard to bring it to life, so I hope you can see how cool it looks on the big screen.
──If you were to talk to fans who know about the “Iron-Blooded” TV series as highlights, what would they say?
Nagai:I guess it's like the character 598 (*Gokyuppa)'s admiration for Tekkadan. You can see the stories of everyone in Tekkadan from a different perspective, such as what people watching from the outside think of Tekkadan.
