The 1970's was the era of the "super robot" genre pioneered by Nagai Go's MAZINGER Z. A young boy would pilot a flashy-looking robot, often designed by his father or uncle, and fight a legion of bad guys on his own. This trend dominated the 70's, producing shows such as GRANDIZER, COMBATTLER V, and GOLION (better known as VOLTRON in the U.S.). Then in 1979, a show came along and forever changed the face of giant robot animation. Its name is MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM. Tomino Yoshiyuki, the creator of GUNDAM, is no stranger to the giant robot genre, having made his share of contributions such as IDEON and ZAMBOT 3. And GUNDAM does exhibit some traits of the genre that it derived from, such as the brightly-colored, powerful robot designed by the protagonist's father. But at the same time, it also introduced concepts that were—at the time—groundbreaking, such as the treatment of the mobile suit as military hardware, and a detailed set of theoretical physics to make it seem plausible. In doing so, GUNDAM became the primary influence that steered the genre towards increased realism. Shows such as MACROSS (better known to some in the U.S. as ROBOTECH) is a result of the trend towards realism started by GUNDAM. And there have been other examples as well; many shows have borrowed something from, or been directly influenced by, GUNDAM. Twenty years after its release, MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM has become one of the longest-enduring franchises in the anime world, with numerous TV and OVA sequels and several theatrical features. Next: Gundam, The Next Generation