Kira Yamato

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Kira Yamato
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED, Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny character
Kira Yamato in Gundam SEED
First appearance	Mobile Suit Gundam SEED episode 1
Last appearance	Mobile SuitGundam SEED Destiny "Final Plus" episode
Voiced by	Japanese Sōichirō Hoshi English Matt Hill
Profile
Age	16 [GS][1] 18 [GSD][2]
Date of birth	May 18[1]
Known relatives	Caridad Yamato (adoptive mother/aunt)[3] Haruma Yamato (adoptive father/uncle)[3] Ulen Hibiki (father, deceased) Via Hibiki (mother, deceased) Cagalli Yula Athha (twin sister)
Genetic type	Ultimate Coordinator[1]

Kira Yamato (キラ・ヤマト^?) is a fictional character and main protagonist from the Japanese science fiction anime television series Mobile Suit Gundam SEED. Kira is also an important character in the sequel Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny.

Kira is a first-generation Coordinator.^[1] At the beginning of Gundam SEED, Kira lives on the neutral space colony Heliopolis to avoid the Bloody Valentine War.^[1] An expert in computer science, he assists with research and development at the Heliopolis technical college he attends.^[1][4] In both Gundam SEED and Gundam SEED Destiny, his friendship with Athrun Zala forms one of the main themes of the story.

Kira is one of the most popular characters in the Anime Grand Prix popularity polls for favorite male characters often coming in first or second between 2002 to 2005. He is also voted the No.1 favorite pilot among all gundam series from a poll held by the magazine Newtype in celebrating the gundam 30th anniversary in 2009.^{[citation needed]}

Creation and conception

Kira's designs, according to Masatsugu Iwase, was supposed to be a spineless wimp while not making him look too childish, but he later decided to make him one of the series' strong characters in the Gundam SEED manga.^[5]

Character outline

Background

Kira's true parents were Ulen and Via Hibiki, geneticists who are both now deceased. He is an Ultimate Coordinator; his fetus was artificially developed outside his mother's womb, and all his genetic enhancements are exactly as they were intended to be. He is the only fetus to be successfully developed using the apparatus. At some time in the future, he is adopted by Caridad Yamato and Haruma Yamato, Via Hibiki's sister and brother-in-law^[3]. While growing up, as a child, he became best friends with Athrun Zala who gave him his robotic pet Birdy (Torii in japanese) before leaving. Birdy is voiced by Naomi Shindou in the Japanese anime and Tabitha St. Germain in the English dub.^[6] Birdy is shown throughout the series, in various episodes, and is a symbol of Kira and Athrun's friendship.^[6]

Personality

Kira was at first a timid and shy person. He is very kind and helps those in need whenever he can. When the war struck, he took the initiative to protect the Archangel and it's passengers. Afterward, due to Flay's manipulation, Kira becomes aggressive when defending the Archangel to the point where he could kill a person. After Kira felt hatred towards Athrun for killing Tolle Koenig, he begins to question his motive for fighting. He later realizes killing would never end the hatred for war, and changes his fighting method to disarming opponents by shooting their limbs,head and weapons.

Skills

While lacking any true form of military training, Kira's fighting prowess has developed much as the series progresses. In the original Gundam SEED series, Kira is shown to be inexperienced with handguns, preferring not to use them. He even has to be reminded by Mu to remove the safety on his gun in episode 44 while in pursuit of Rau on Mendel station. He is shown as a skilled unarmed fighter, however, and is extremely effective with his mobile suit's artillery. In Gundam Seed Destiny, his handgun skills improved as seen in the second assassination attempt on Lacus Clyne. His implied status as a person with above average spatial awareness also has an impact on his fighting abilities, although he is not considered a Newtype.

Plot Overview

Kira in Gundam SEED Destiny

Kira is living a peaceful life until the war between Naturals and Coordinators is brought to Heliopolis and he takes the GAT-X105 Strike Gundam to protect his friends from the threat. Later survivors are bought onto the Archangel and Kira takes the initiative to defend them from enemy attacks until they arrive in Alaska on Earth. On the way there, Kira is defeated by Athrun Zala and is transported by Reverend Malchio to Lacus Clyne's mansion on PLANT. After hearing that ZAFT plans to attack the base his friends are staying at, Lacus gives Kira the ZGMF-X10A Freedom Gundam to use. He then accompanies the Archangel whose goal has changed to ending the war. Athrun joins Kira on his quest upon realizing that genocide will not end the war. He fights both the Earth Alliance and ZAFT in order to stop both sides from destroying each other. He learns of his past from Rau Le Creuset during the Battle of Mendel. In the Second Battle of Jachin Due he stops the Earth Alliance's Nuclear Weapons and ZAFT's GENESIS (super weapons built on genocide) to prevent both sides from destroying each other, and a peace contract is eventually signed.

Kira has been living on one of the secluded Marshall Islands in Orb territory since the end of the war.^[2] He and Lacus have spent the last two years after the war assisting Reverend Malchio and Kira's adoptive mother with his orphanage.^[2] The Junius Seven Colony Drop Incident, which triggers the Second Bloody Valentine War forces the group to move in with Murrue Ramius and Andrew Waltfeld at their shared mansion in Orb. When Lacus becomes a target of an assassination attempt, Kira is forced to join the war with the Freedom Gundam. Kira continues his role on disarming opponents in the war but has his motive questioned by others. Later, when the Archangel becomes a target of the Minerva, the Freedom is defeated and destroyed by Shinn Asuka. Kira is later given ZGMF-X20A Strike Freedom by Lacus. Upon Gilbert Durandal's announcement of his Destiny Plan, Kira and Archangel interfere with his plans. Afterwards, Kira meets Shinn in person at the memorial and they promise that they will work for a peaceful future.

Appearances in other media

Aside from the anime series appearance, Kira is set to appear in the Gundam Seed Movie. Kira is one of the Gundam SEED characters who appears in the Super Robot Wars Alpha finale - Super Robot Wars Alpha 3: To the edge of the galaxy. Kira is a pilot in Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2 with Strike Freedom as a playable Mobile suit.

Reception

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Kira is one of the most popular male characters in the Anime Grand Prix popularity polls for favorite male characters. He ranked first in 2002,^[7] second in 2003 and 2004^[8][9] and first in 2005.^[10] Kira, along with five other notable mecha and pilots from the various Gundam series, were recognized in the second set of "Anime Heroes and Heroines" stamps, released in Japan in 2005.^[11]

References