Lots of stories have young people join up with adults in incredibly dangerous and deadly endeavors. Some series point out how this is just another way of having child soldiers. The members of Tekkadan are actual child soldiers, forced into a life they didn’t choose but when given the chance to make a better life for their own, continued doing the only thing they could. So how did Tekkadan come to be and what did they go on to become? Let’s find out!
Three hundred years after the Calamity Wars, when Earth and its colonies were at war and used power mechs called Gundams, Mars is nearly its own Earth now. Unfortunately it is held back by being a colony and dependent on Earth by force. The Chryse Guard Security was a well known private security firm, its Third Group was often filled with child soldiers and others they had collected. After a mission that had the higher ups leaving the children to die on the battlefield, the survivors would mutiny, taking over and forming Tekkadan, the Iron Flower Brigade.
The children were now in charge, the older teens become leaders while the younger members were kept from battle as much as possible. What few adults remained were kept to aide them in matters they needed assistance in, such as repairs and bookkeeping. One of the eldest members, Orga Itsuka, became the leader of Tekkadan. Mars was making headway in liberating itself from Earth without having to go directly into war, Tekkadan were hired to escort the political leader, Kudelia Bernstein to Earth so she could directly deal with Earth’s political leaders in hopes of gaining Martian independence.
The trip to Earth brought every enemy that desired Mars stay under Earth rule. This showed off the might of Tekkadan, especially because they had a single Gundam, Barbatos at their command. Piloted by Mikazuki Augus, a teen who had survived a procedure that was outlawed on Earth where a pilot, not yet an adult for it to take hold best, that integrated Gundam control within the nervous system. Mikazuki took on the life-threatening procedure multiple times, each time gaining more precision in his controls. Most recipients either die or lose the use of their limbs permanently. Mikazuki was able to follow orders to the letter and fight any threat that came at Tekkadan and their clients.
To help make sure they were protected, Tekkadan would join with the Teiwaz faction, an organized crime faction liked the pluck of the new mercenary group. They were to find themselves often working with the Turbines, a family subsidiary of Teiwaz. Working together with their own mobile suits, Tekkadan found the trip to Earth in no way quiet but thankfully, able to come out ahead. These victories were not without losses though, the life of mercenaries meant that several of the Tekkadan family were lost along the way.
While getting Berstein to Earth and keeping her safe during her delegations to lead towards Martian independence was their first job, it would set a precedent. Tekkadan were a powerful force to be reckoned with. While they were of the mind to cease the use of child soldiers, to be the last of their kind, their effectiveness exposed a paradox. Their success was all the proof the worst people needed to seek out their own child soldiers. Things were going to get more complicated in an already complex solar system. Tekkadan has more allies, power, and enemies than ever before.
There you have it! Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans is a brutal look at the cost of war. It’s a series that does not shy away from the fact that the cast are child soldiers trying to do the best with the lot they are given. It’s also a two season anime and can be watched in fifty episodes. See you next time!
Suggested Reading
Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans
Dr. Bustos
drbustos@comicattack.net
