The
Gundam Series (ガンダムシリーズ,
Gandamu Shirīzu?) is a
metaseries of
anime created by
Sunrise studios that features giant robots (or "
mecha") called "Gundam". The metaseries started in April 7, 1979 as a serial TV show called
Mobile Suit Gundam. That first TV series has since spawned a franchise that has come to include works released in numerous media. Titles have appeared in the form of multiple television series and
OVAs, movies,
manga, novels and video games, among other modes. The story from the original 1979 series has been considerably extended with sequels, prequels, side stories and alternate timelines. As a result, the title "
Gundam" has become a collective term for the seven distinct but related timelines that can be pieced together from the stories that appear in the
Gundam franchise. Generally speaking, the timelines do not intersect, but they do contain a few common elements such as the titular war machines called
Gundam. However, all Gundam timelines/worlds long after their own anime series will eventually intersect and combine back to one in the series
Turn A Gundam