AnyGundamfan can likely tell you that if you want to see a real-lifeGundam(or well, as close as we are going to get right now), you have to go to Japan (or at least Asia). After all, there are a couple of them there that you can visit, including ones that even move. But anotherGundamstatue has now entered the arena - and it’s not at all somewhere you would expect.
This newGundamstatue is not only the latest one, it’s the biggest. Standing at 110.6ft (33.7 meters) it is larger than full scale, even! And theGundamitself? It is one of the most classic ones, Grendizer fromUFO Robot Grendizer.This new Grendizer statue is actually 12ft (3.7m) taller than the Grendizer in the anime, making it truly larger than life.
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Grendizer’sfellowGundamstatuesin Asia stand at 67.25ft (20.5m) for the Nu Gundam in Fukuoka, 64.6ft (19.7) for the Unicorn Gundam in Tokyo, 60ft (18.3m) for the Freedom Gundam in Shangai, and 59ft (18m) for the original Gundam in Yokohama. For those of you keeping track, that makes Grendizer 43ft (13.2) taller than even the second tallest Gundam out there. That is no insignificant difference!
Grendizer is so large that it has been recognized by the Guinness World Records Association, which has declared it the “world’s largest metal sculpture of a fictional character.” That is truly an impressive title, and one that will certainly be making any die-hardGundamfan strive tosee this incredible statue in person. Rather than travel to Japan or China, though, they will have to go somewhere a bit unexpected.
That’s because this new Grendizer statue is actually in Saudi Arabia! That’s right,Gundamactually has a huge fan-base in the Middle East as well. Grendizer is part of an amusement park called Boulevard World in the capitol city of Riyadh. The statue has been built in collaboration with the Saudi Arabian animation studio Manga Productions, which has been working topromote theGrendizerfranchisein the Middle East.
UFO Robot Grendizer, otherwise known as simplyGrendizerin the USA, firstaired in 1975. At 74 episodes long, it ran for two years, accompanied by a manga of the same name. The franchise also had two movies. Not only was it popular in Japan, it was also wildly popular in North Africa, France, French-speaking Canada, Italy, and, you guessed it, the Middle East.
It looks like Japan and China no longer hold the monopoly for giant robots! With Grendizer landing in Saudi Arabia, you never know what may be coming next. It is great to seeJapanese pop culture expandingbeyond just Japan’s borders and becoming more accessible for the rest of the world each year, and Grendizer is likely only the beginning for the Middle East.
