Gundam Witch from Mercury: Why did it Work So well? A Retrospective

Article at a glance:

• G-Witch wasn’t just another Gundam—it was a gateway drug. Bandai’s own survey confirmed it: for most fans, this was their first Gundam. So what the hell made it click?
• Yuri? Sure, that got eyes on it. But Suletta and Miorine’s messy, heartbreaking love story wasn’t the only thing keeping us glued—this was Gundam at its most accessible, without dumbing down the politics or trauma.
• From corporate blood feuds to Aerial’s god-tier animation, Witch from Mercury didn’t just ride the hype—it earned its spot as the most-watched Gundam ever. Let’s break down why.

You know while watching Gundam GQuuuuuuX, I often found myself comparing it to The Witch from Mercury. That got me thinking: just why is that? GQuuuuuuX is not similar at all to Witch from Mercury so far, the tone of both shows is quite different. The witch from Mercury made it very clear that it would focus on the megacorps and big families that control the space right off the bat. While GQuuuuuuX seems more interested in discussing themes like freedom and responsibilities (so far). So just what has Witch from Mercury done to leave such a lasting impression?

And then it was recently revealed that Witch from Mercury also happens to be the first Gundam series for most people according to a survey Bandai conducted.

So welcome back to another article and today I want to discuss just why the hell is Witch from Mercury so successful and what made it so good. It also happens to be among my favorite Gundam series as well, by the way. So let’s get started.

The Witch from Mercury is very Distinctly Gundam without being Related to the “Main Timeline”

This is a bigger reason than most people think. Yeah, Yuri is nice and all but Gundam can be very daunting for a newcomer to get into. As is the case with any long-running franchise like Fate, for example. Witch from Mercury manages to have all the core themes of Gundam like corporate greed, structural racism, and oppression while still being a standalone story.

Things like this matter. Sure, yuri-bait will draw people in, it will incite curiosity but just bait alone is not enough to make the audience stick around. Witch from Mercury took all the core themes of Gundam and made it more accessible without toning it down, basically. This made the show more approachable to newcomers while still representing everything Gundam stands for.

The characters were Flatout AMAZING.

Let’s start this section with Suletta. Suletta Mercury is very different from your average Gundam protagonist. Usually, Gundam protagonists are very much like a Shounen MC. Suletta struggles to communicate, she often cowers behind others when talking to strangers. She constantly seeks approval either from Miorine or Prospera. Whenever either of them don’t approve of Suletta’s actions, it affects her deeply. To her, the only things that matter are Aerial and Miorine.

We can see on multiple occasions just how far Suletta is willing to go to protect Miorine and Aerial. She’s not very ambitious, she just wants to keep Miorine safe. It takes a good moment for Suletta to find her agency. In contrast, Miorine is very smart and calculated. Yeah, she cares about Suletta as well but is willing to part with her just to keep her safe. The show never tries to portray Miorine or Suletta as morally just because they have done their own share of questionable things. Both of them are flawed and their personalities contrast each other well.

Every major character in Gundam Witch from Mercury is deeply flawed, that’s what makes them compelling. Guel Jeturk is a narcissistic asshole at first but then after being beaten by Suletta, he harbors a massive inferiority complex. After he stops receiving funding, his narcissistic exterior completely melts away, leaving just a vulnerable man behind. And after his father’s death, he completely breaks. Then you have Shaddiq Zenelli, the “playboy” who turns out to be ruthlessly ambitious, doing anything he can to achieve his goal.

I haven’t even talked about all the characters yet. Of course, we still have Prospera. Someone so lost in their research that she literally abandoned her daughter(s).

The Plot

The story itself was quite awesome as well. Episode 0 of the series throws you for such a loop. You have no idea what you’re watching when you start with Episode 0. And then the tonal whiplash of Episode 1 catches you off-guard in the best way possible. Of course, the events of Episode 0 are explained later on in the anime. But at the time, Episode 0 does such a great job of creating curiosity and questions in the minds of the viewers.

The story is really well-paced, it has a lot of awesome plot twists and it does a great job of holding certain mysteries till the very end. For example, we know Prospera is planning something throughout the show but we are only given hints as to what it is she wants. And then her plan turns out to be even crazier than you’d imagine. I also like how much political tension there is in the story. Pretty crazy that the story started from a simple school setting lol. But again, a simple beginning like a school issue helps establish characters before any of the crazy stuff happens.

And then the final touch

The Animations Were Simply Awesome

Gundam has almost always had great animations but somehow Witch from Mercury stepped that up as well. I love the character designs, I love the mech designs, Aerial looks amazing and I love how every fight has a feeling of weight to it. I really like how vibrant and colorful the animations look and even the space backgrounds are drawn beautifully. And both of the opening and ending themes were GREAT as well. Props to Sunrise for standing on business, man. The Witch from Mercury looked amazing.

That is all for now

Those were my thoughts on why Gundam: The Witch from Mercury was so successful and why I think so many people liked it. It really was a damn good season, it is hard to find anything wrong with it. Is it the best Gundam ever? Well, no. That title probably still belongs to SEED. The Witch from Mercury is still among my favorites though. But yeah, let me know what you guys think in the comments. I will take my leave here. See ya!

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