Kycilia Zabi

Infobox animanga character
name = Kycilia Zabi
series = Mobile Suit Gundam


caption = Kycilia Zabi in "Mobile Suit Gundam"
first = Episode 11, Icelina - Love's Remains
last = Episode 43, Escape
creator =
voiced by = Mami Koyama (Japanese)
Michelle Porter (English, MSG)
Bambi Darro (English, MSG I-III)
alias =
age = 24
born = UC 0052
death = UC 0079
nationality = Principality of Zeon
relatives = Degwin Sodo Zabi (father)
Cicero Zabi (brother)
Gihren Zabi (brother)
Dozle Zabi (brother)
Garma Zabi (brother)
divider = yes
aux1 name = Allegiance
aux1 = Principality of Zeon
aux2 name = Rank
aux2 = Rear Admiral
aux3 name = Mobile weapons
aux3 = MAX-03 Adzam

In the fictional "Mobile Suit Gundam" series, nihongo|Kycilia Zabi|キシリア・ザビ|Kishiria Zabi is the only daughter of Degwin Sodo Zabi. While Yoshiyuki Tomino's novel version of "MSG" indicates her as the fourth of his five children and youngest except for Garma, the ongoing "Gundam: The Origin" manga by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko identifies her as his third, older than her brother Dozle.

Kycilia was quick to adapt to the changing technology of the One Year War, and was equally proficient in gathering intelligence for use against the Earth Federation. She was in charge of the Principality of Zeon's mobile suit forces, and was responsible for their use against the Federation. In addition, she was responsible for the creation of numerous elite mobile suit units, including Char Aznable's 300th Independent Corps (aka "Char's Newtype Corps"), the hand-picked Chimera Corps and the Midnight Fenrir covert ops team.

She is portrayed ambiguously during both the main series, and the various side stories surrounding the One Year War, with her motives often open to question. On the one hand, she is shown to be fiercely loyal to the people of Zeon, and to the men under her command. Many of her actions, however, can also be interpreted as those of a charismatic, but utterly merciless manipulator of the highest order, preparing for a military coup.

tory

Not much is known about Kycilia's youth, but she is known to have grown up on Side 3, where she first met Johnny Ridden.

During the Battle of Luom, she ordered her fleet to withdraw as soon as the main engagement was over, allowing her brother's fleets the "glory" of mopping-up the Federation's retreating troops while preserving the lives of the men under her own command. A veteran of the battle, Lt. Cdr Gerhart Schmeisser (who had been too seriously wounded in the fight to continue active combat piloting), approached her during the Antarctic Treaty cease-fire. He proposed the formation of a small Earth-bound covert-operations unit, to be named the Midnight Fenrir corps. She immediately approved.

Her activities during the first half of the One Year War are poorly documented, and neither she nor her forces encountered the "White Base" or its crew until much later. Her activities, in fact, are poorly documented even in Gundam's extensive side-story material. If she appears at all, it is often as an aloof patroness, with little dialog.

In the latter half of the One Year War she took Char Aznable under her wing after Dozle Zabi dismissed Char from his regiment for failing to protect Garma (Though she would later figure out the truth behind her brother's death and Char's true identity). With her support, Char proceeded to form the 300th Independent Corps, gathering Newtypes from Zeon-held territory and prototype mobile armour Elmeth from the Flanagan Institute.

When Degwin attempted to negotiate a peace with the Federation's General Revil, Kycilia was en route to the location with her fleet in case the negotiations failed. Her fleet's sensors picked up the IR signature of the firing of the Solar Ray, but she was unaware of the death of her father until Gihren told her, also claiming that the firing of the weapon was an accident.

As the opening shots of the Battle of A Baoa Qu were fired, however, Gihren Zabi finally confessed to Kycilia that he killed their father, Degwin. Kycilia promptly executed Gihren with a single shot to the head for the patricide, and took control of all Zeon forces during the battle. As the defences began to falter, she gave the order for the Zeon forces to retreat, and for the defenders of A Baoa Qu to surrender 15 minutes after her escape. Just before she left, however, Char Aznable decapitated her by firing a bazooka through the window of the "Chimera", her flagship. The ship was destroyed only moments later by Federation warships, the crew unable to communicate Char's treachery to the fleet. Without her leadership, the Zeon fleet rapidly fell into disarray, with individual commanders recovering what suits and pilots they could, then fleeing; others fighting to the death, believing their commander to still be alive but unable to escape.

There is some debate as to the nature of her relationship with ace pilot Johnny Ridden, however, they appear to share a courtly love. He refers to himself as her knight, and uses the symbol of a Unicorn as a dedication to her. Immediately before his sortie at A Baoa Qu, Ridden hands her a hand-carved amulet of a Unicorn, an heirloom from his grandfather, which she accepts as a token and secures to her pistol. When she shoots Gihren, however, she is seen discarding the amulet - perhaps in the belief that she is no longer "pure" and worthy of the Unicorn.

Video game appearances

Kycilia often plays a more visible role in Gundam video games than she did in the series, as she is the ultimate commander some of Zeon's most elite units. These same elite units provide, of course, perfect fodder for arcade games:

* In the squad-based shooter "Zeonic Front", all simulator results are personally reviewed by Kycillia, and her responses (in the form of a short video and audio clip) vary from grudging admiration, to distaste, to some moderate praise (only for A or S rank).

* She appears in the arcade and home versions of "Federation vs. Zeon DX" for Zeon players whenever they acquire 4-star suits, captured enemy suits, or achieve specific combat objectives. These appearances, however, are limited to stills and text. Entering "Kycilia" as your player name in arcade mode changes the default audio and video clips played during the missions, although it has no effect on Scenario mode. Though the progress of the campaign largely follows that of the series, when the player succeeds in protecting Kycelia's ship at A Bao A Qu, she is not assassinated, as a minor alternate ending.

* In the "Tactical Roleplaying Game SD Gundam G Generation" series, Kycilia frequently appears as a dangerous enemy, although after her defeat she can often be hired for individual battles by the player. She is an excellent ship commander, and invariably has a high leadership value, although her attack skills are typically only slightly above-average.

* In the strategy video game "Gihren's Greed: The Blood of Zeon", a bonus scenario is available in which Kycilia (shortly after the death of her father) defects from the Principality of Zeon and leads her own faction, the "Legitimate Zeon", to depose Gihren for his corrupt handling of the war as well as continue the war against the Earth Federation on her own.

* In the hack-and-slash "", many of the levels based in and around space during the One Year War involve player interaction with her.

ources

*Mobile Suit Gundam
*Aces in the One Year War vol. 1: Crimson Lightning Johnny Raiden