At the start of episode two, a man describes the Gundam Fight that practically replaces warfare in the universe of G Gundam – every four years, colonies sent representative mecha pilots to a tournament (held on Earth) to determine who will get to rule space. This is a unique approach to conflict, as it eschews the traditional method of warfare seen in the preceding Gundam works; rather than having soldiers fight en masse on a battlefield, the colonies adopted a tournament emphasizing individual combat. A Gundam Fight occurs in the episode, between Domon Kasshu and Chibodee Crockett, the arrogant representative for Neo America – Chibodee wields some impressive physical strength as a boxer, which he demonstrates while injuring Domon in a boxing match that Domon interrupted. Chibodee emerged from poverty, as shown in a brief flashback to his days on Earth; as he mentions, he had no one to help him, and he sees Neo America as his opportunity to develop more strength and represent the States as a powerful Gundam Fighter. Unfortunately, someone from the Ministry of Defense, ostensibly assigned to protect the Neo America representative, cares nothing for Chibodee – the man outright states to an associate that he doesn’t care what happens to Neo America’s pilot if he wins the tournament, showing a rather cruel indifference towards the person he’s meant to defend. He even attempts to kill Domon at the end, luring Domon to Broadway without informing Chibodee of this; he thus comes across as opportunistic, willing to assassinate a Gundam Fighter to achieve his personal goals.
Chibodee Crockett, however, does not exhibit that behavior – although he is a bit prideful and grandstanding, he would not want to resort to underhanded tactics to defeat his opponents. He even fights the man who tried to kill Domon, showing that he does not take kindly to the man’s behavior; while he may be arrogant (he approaches the boxing ring for his slated match against another boxer in a display of showmanship), Chibodee does not display any devious behavior, and he would readily oppose the Ministry of Defense for engaging in such behavior. His fight with Domon shows that he’s willing to fight fairly, without any underhandedness – he has his pride as a pilot, desiring to use his power to uphold the dreams of those who live on Earth rather than for personal gain. The fight between Chibodee and Domon ends with the latter emerging victorious; Domon destroys the Gundam Maxter’s right arm, but does not deliver a finishing blow against his opponent. While Chibodee believes he’s let the inhabitants of New York down, he discovers that the citizens cheer him on regardless of his defeat against Domon; they see him as their hero, someone to admire, as he’s sworn to represent their dreams in the Gundam Fight tournament. Domon reminds him that article three of the tournament regulations states that any Fighter who desires to win can challenge the championship league as much as they wish – Chibodee still has an opportunity to bring honor to himself and New York by attempting the championship again. This motivates Chibodee to continue on, striving for victory as a mecha pilot; he acknowledges his loss against Domon, but remains vigilant as he desire to fight against Domon again.
This episode shows Chibodee Crockett’s desire to represent his place of origin – he draws motivation from his impoverished past, wishing to wield his power as a means of helping people achieve their own dreams. Rather than exert his power for self interests, Chibodee thinks of the city where he was born, and the people living there; he is New York’s symbol of hope, and he wants to win for the people’s sake. His initial worry over losing to Domon stems from his fear of not representing New York properly as a fighter – the citizens of New York do not share that worry, however, as they recognize him as a great representative. Chibodee recovers his spirits after seeing those around him cheer him on; he has nothing to worry about, and he can continue fighting with determination. Chibodee managed to accomplish his dream of moving to Neo America, and he even became a mecha pilot in the process – he has that going for him, and a single loss does not detract from that. He can still fight in the tournament, and potentially win for his colony; as Domon reminds him, the tournament rules allow him to challenge the championship again (seemingly indefinitely), and this can allow him to continue representing the place he was born in.
Anime Commentary Returns 