The Gundam.info website revealed the staff, cast, distribution information, episode count, and character/mechanical designs on Thursday for the anime of Yasuo Ohtagaki's Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt manga.

The anime will have a total of four episodes. The first episode will be available digitally on December 25 starting at 12 p.m. in Japan (December 24 at 10:00 p.m. EST). The first episode will be available via an EST (Electronic Sell Through) service that will allow purchasers to download the episode. The website notes that this is the first time a Gundam series will be available via this method. Those interested can purchase the first 18-minute episode along with a special bonus video titled "Ichinen Sensō ni Idonda Mono-tachi ~Documentary of Thunderbolt #1" (Those Who Challenged the One-Year War ~Documentary of Thunderbolt~ #1) for 500 yen (about US$4). The documentary is listed as being approximately 10 minutes long.

The episode on its own will also be available via a rental video-on-demand service for 250 yen (US$2). The website has not yet revealed the territories the anime will be available in, or if Sunrise will release the anime with English subtitles or an English audio track. Sunrise will also reveal the services that will sell/rent the anime at a later date.

Those who have a subscription to the Gundam Fan Club app will be able to purchase the episode starting on December 11 at 12:00 p.m. in Japan.

The show's cast includes:

Yūichi Nakamura as Io Fleming

Ryohei Kimura as Daryl Lorentz

Toa Yukinari as Claudia Palh

Sayaka Ohara as Kara Mitchum

Daisuke Hirakawa as Cornelius Caca

Shunsuke Sakuya as Graham

Mutsumi Sasaki as Burroughs

Hiroshi Tsuchida as J.J. Sexton

The site also revealed the character designs for Io and Daryl, as well as the design for the Full Armor Gundam.

Io Fleming



Daryl Lorentz



Full Armor Gundam



Kou Matsuo (Valvrave the Liberator director, Gundam UC, Gundam 00 storyboard) is directing the anime and writing the scripts at Sunrise. Hirotoshi Takaya (Eyeshield 21, Kekkaishi, Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal) is designing the characters for animation; and Morifumi Naka (Stink Bomb, A Wind Named Amnesia, Texhnolyze), Seiichi Nakatani (both Gundam 00 seasons and film), and Hajime Katoki (Gundam Wing, Patlabor 2: The Movie, Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team) are in charge of the animation mechanical design. Other staff members include:

Art Director: Goki Nakamura

Color Key: Takako Suzuki

CG Director: Tomohiro Fujie

Monitor Design:Takashi Aoki

Director of Photography: Kentarō Waki

Editing: Daisuke Imai

Music: Naruyoshi Kikuchi

Sound Director: Eriko Kimura

Sound Effects: Mutsuhiro Nishimura

The website also revealed five screenshots from the series (see gallery below).

The story is set in the same One Year War in UC 0079 as the first Mobile Suit Gundam anime series. It follows the battles between two ace pilots at the "Thunderbolt Sector," a shoal zone with numerous wrecks of space colonies and warships.

The anime's official website revealed a key visual earlier this month. The visual features Ensign Io Fleming of the Earth Federation and Sergeant Daryl Lorentz of the Principality of Zeon, along with their respective mobile suits, the Full Armor Gundam and the red Psyco Zaku. The accompanying tagline reads, "The two are fated to kill each other."

Ohtagaki launched the manga in Shogakukan's Big Comic Superior magazine in March 2012, and Shogakukan published the sixth compiled book volume on October 30. The manga has 1.4 million copies in print.