Referring generically to the Gundam franchise, to any "Gundam" robot, or to the original 1979 Gundam robot. The "Real Robot" genre was unwittingly created in 1979 by the anime "Mobile Suit Gundam". This launched an animation, fiction, marketing, and cultural franchise in Japan that is still very strong today. The popularity of Gundam exceeds or is comparable to other major science fiction niches in Japan. See REAL ROBOT.
Popular robot/mecha anime of the 70's to present day. It is responsible for many of the plastic model kits put out by Bandai. Famous models from the Gundam universe are the Zaku, the Gelgoog, the Gundam itself, and, the Dom Mobile Suits (MS). Gundam models come in all shapes and sizes, and there is one for a beginner or an expert
a dramatic depature from the franchise in many ways
"Mobile Suit Gundam", popular space-based Japanese animation/manga series
Gundam is the collective term for the Universal Century (UC) series like Mobile Suit Gundam and series in alternative timelines, such as Gundam Wing, made by Sunrise Inc. The name "Gundam" itself stems from a variety of theoretical sources, most commonly attributed to a need to conform with common giant robot naming conventions during the 1970s.
The RX-78 Gundam is a series of fictional testbed mobile suits in the Gundam Universal Century developed by the Earth Federation. The titular mobile suit of the series, the RX-78-2 Gundam, is a member of this series. The RX-78-2 Gundam serves as the iconic symbol of the Gundam universe and sparked the creation of its multiple sequels and spinoffs.