Setsuna F. Seiei

Overview

Setsuna F. Seiei, born Soran Ibrahim in Kurdistan on 04/07/2291, is the main protagonist of the story in the Mobile Suit Gundam 00 universe of the Gundam franchise. He is a Gundam Meister of the paramilitary organization Celestial Being and eventually becomes humanity's first true Innovator.

In season 1, he pilots the mecha robot GN-001 Gundam Exia. In season 2, he pilots the titular mech GN-0000 00 Gundam and co-pilots its upgrade, the GN-0000+GNR-010 00 Raiser with Saji Crossroad. In Mobile Suit Gundam 00 The Movie: Awakening of the Trailblazer, he pilots the GNT-0000 00 Qan[T].

Personality

Setsuna is taciturn, introverted, and wholeheartedly against war. He believes there are key disturbances that prevent the world from coming together in peace and harmony. He has labeled specific people and/or forces as a source of conflict towards the world's path to peace. He has little tolerance for diplomats and politicians, believing that their negotiations only prolong wars and cause more strife (due to personal experience). He's got a vendetta to settle and his past battle experiences stir up old bitter feelings, increasing his combat potential as a beneficial side effect.

As a child and teenager, he idolizes the Gundams so much that he wants to embody the Gundam as himself, a means to eradicate all conflict, though he seems to grow out of this as an adult, post-timeskip. He's a traditionalist in honor and a martyr for his cause in Celestial Being; he would not hesitate to die for his ideals.

Skills and Abilities

Setsuna is skilled in many ways of war and fighting. Trained by Ali Al-Saachez at a young age, Setsuna already knew how to work with a wide range of firearms, close-quarter-combat, use of explosives, infiltration, and other areas of guerrilla warfare by the age of 10. As CB's Gundam Meister, he uses his former combat training in his KPSA days to reflect Exia's combat style. He's been trained by CB to know some MS (Mobile Suit) technical skills to maintain and repair his Gundam.

His four year hiatus before season 2 didn't dull his MS piloting skills at all, his MS combat capabilities were refined as his MS CQC skills and aiming showed great improvement. Due to the power of 00 Gundam's concentrated GN particles with ‘’Trans-Am Raiser’’, Setsuna's brain has been gradually enhanced to utilize quantum brainwaves. He's able to sense quantum brainwaves (QBWs) near him and track users of QBWs. Eventually, he naturally evolves into humanity's first true/genuine Innovator.

Trivia

• Setsuna's name could be denoted to state his personality. Translated it means 'Moment from eternity' indicating Setsuna's place as the first Genuine Innovator.
• Coincedentally, both Setsuna's Japanese and English voice actors have also voiced Death Note character Light Yagami. Setsuna's Japanese voice actor, Mamoru Miyano, has also won the "Best voice actor award" for this role.
• In the first ending theme Setsuna appears eating an apple in clear reference to Miyano's role as Light Yagami.
• Setsuna's English voice actor, Brad Swaile, previously played Amuro Ray from the original Mobile Suit Gundam series, Quatre Raberba Winner in Gundam Wing, Dearka Elsman in Gundam SEED and Auel Neider in Gundam SEED Destiny. As a result of this, at times, Setsuna sounds more or less exactly like Amuro in Season 2. However, while voicing Setsuna when he is young, Swaile sounds more like he did playing Auel.
• Setsuna's personality is similar to that of Gundam Wing's protagonist Heero Yuy. Both Setsuna's personality and backstory are similar to Full Metal Panic's protagonist Sousuke Sagara, who was also a former child soldier from the Middle East.
• Setsuna's real name Soran Ibrahim may be based off Soran Ebrahim, a Kurdish child actor who portrayed the protagonist of the film Turtles Can Fly.
• Setsuna developed a kind of second brain through the GN particle exposure, as mentioned in a Great mechanics DX interview. This second brain is known as a Quantum brain, it is made up of a network of GN particles/Quantum brainwaves.