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Here we go again.

Gundam Build Fighters Try is the 2014 sequel to Gundam Build Fighters, and the second installment in the Gundam Build Series, directed by Shinya Watada (Gundam Build Fighters eps 2, 8, 17, 23) and written by Yosuke Kuroda (Mobile Suit Gundam 00).

In the near future, new technology was invented that allows people to animate and control plastic models in sporting competitions known as "Gunpla Battles." Seven years after Sei Iori and Reiji Asuna won the 7th Gunpla Battle World Tournament, new rules and new battle modes have made the sport more popular than ever.

Gunpla Battler Fumina Hoshino hopes to one day make it into the All-Japan Gunpla Battle Championships using her custom Gunpla, the "Powered GM Cardigan''. Unfortunately, these Championships are 3 vs 3 team matches, and Fumina is the only member of her Gunpla club. Fumina's luck turns around, however, when she meets yet another mysterious red-haired boy, Sekai Kamiki, whose martial arts training makes him a natural at Gunpla piloting. With the addition of a model builder at her school named Yuuma Kousaka, Fumina at last has her team, and together the three set off to realize their various dreams To Be a Master.

As with season 1, Try is notable for its insane levels of Mythology Gags, with character cameos and customized versions of mobile suits from previous Gundam series appearing everywhere, to the point it has its own myth gag page.

Gundam Build Fighters Try aired from October 8th, 2014 to April 1, 2015 on TV Tokyo and Gundam.Info. An hour long TV special featuring the cast of Try being invited by Nils Yajima to test new Plavsky Particle technology at his island research facility, Gundam Build Fighters Try: Island Wars, aired on August 21st, 2016.


Please set your Troper Base!

  • 2D Visuals, 3D Effects: Just like in Mobile Suit Gundam AGE, Vagan Gear K is rendered in CGI. The only scene when it's not rendered in CG is when Gundam Portent sliced it.
  • Ace Custom: Like in the original Gundam Build Fighters, numerous Gunpla battles encourage builders to customize their Gunpla however they see fit, in order to adapt to different battles. For example, Yuuma Kousuka's Lightning Gundam was originally built for close-range aerial assaults via its fighter jet mode, but was changed altogether to become a long-range sniper to compliment its fighter mode.
  • All Just a Dream: The beginning of episode 8, where Minato imagines himself winning an award and getting a harem of Fumina and women from other Gundam shows. Then his alarm wakes him up.
  • All Your Powers Combined:
    • In the final battle, Team Try Fighters and Gunpla Academy have to get one working model out of the scraps they've been beaten into for a tiebreaker sudden death match. The result: Try Burning Gundam with one shoulder and one leg from Lightning Gundam, with the Full Vernier bits attached, and the Star Winning backpack.
    • In Island Wars, Sekai, Fumina and Yuuma use the psychoactive properties of Plavsky Particles to all infuse their feelings into Kamiki Burning Gundam, giving it simultaneous fire, lightning and ice powers. The other fighters, Minato, Gyanko, Shia, Mirai and Satomi later join in as well.
  • Animation Bump: Island Wars. Yuma's Oh, Crap! face is a thing to behold.
  • Arc Words: As stated in both of the OPs and Meijin Kawaguchi himself, "There are no limits."
  • Ascended Extra:
    • Yuuma Kousaka went from being briefly mentioned as China Kousaka's younger brother in Build Fighters (and even technically appearing, though there's a major Art Shift) to being one of the 3 main characters in Try.
    • Kaoruko Sazaki, the little sister of Susumu Sazaki who appeared briefly in episode 25 of Build Fighters, is a member of one of the rival teams in Try.
    • Lucas Nemesis, the grandson of the sponsor of Aila Jyrkiainen's Team Nemesis in Build Fighters. He appears as one of the rivals at the national tournament in Try.
    • Non-human example with the Mocks, who appeared in the last episode of Build Fighters for a Zerg Rush, before getting a bigger role in Try as often-used sparring opponents. There's even a Mock exhibit out there, and there's a Hi-Mock in the toyline.
  • Awesome, yet Impractical: The reason why the Gunpla Battle Club was falling apart and nearly taken away - spending a lot of money just to watch your Gunpla get trashed the moment it gets put onto the battlefield is not a good monetary investment. This is also the most likely reason for the implementation of the damage level system.
  • Badass Adorable:
    • Sekai and Minato have a Hot-Blooded fight with Super-Deformed Gundams in episode 4.
    • Winning Gundam, which is Super-Deformed, but also deadly in a fight.
    • Mirai Kamiki and her Beargguy F from episode 10. The Mama-Beargguy was already plenty cute, then there was the Petit-Beargguy added on by Yuuma. The badass part comes from when it's revealed that Mirai also studied under the Jigen Haoh school.
    • Lady Kawaguchi's SD Maryu Kenshi Zero Gundam and Kurenai Amazing Musha.
    • Team SD-R uses green colored SD Gundams named "SxDxG Gundam".
  • Batman Gambit: Junya attempts this by getting Yuuma in danger and trying to lure out Sekai to save him from a bunch of thugs. Had Sekai fought them off, he would have gotten Try Fighters suspended from the tournament and is only stopped when Mirai and Mr. Ral arrive to stop him.
  • Beach Episode:
    • Episode 10 has the crew going to gunpla + swimsuit fashion show Mirai is a model for.
    • Island Wars was touted as the Beach Episode OVA. Then things happen.
  • Be Careful What You Wish For: In Episode 11, Adou declares he wants to fight someone even stronger than everyone he's curbstomped. He gets his wish, in the form of Meijin Kawaguchi III. Adou's expression immediately changes.
  • Book Ends: In the first episode, Yuuma wins the Artistic Gunpla Contest with the Lightning Gundam note ; in the final episode, Yuuma wins the Meijin Cup with the Lighting Zeta Gundam note . Meijin Kawaguchi presents him the award in both cases.
  • Brick Joke: In Episode 10 Mirai has to compete in a Gunpla competition, so Yuuma shows her various Gunpla. One of the designs she rejects is a Zaku I. Later in the episode Mirai loses...to a Zaku I.
  • Call-Back: In Episode 18, the Star Winning Gundam cuts through the SxDxG Gundam's beam just like the Maryu Kenshi Zero Gundam did to the Winning Gundam's Winning Launcher. It seems that Fumina has learned well from Lady Kawaguchi.
    • #13. Yuuma witnessing Fumi's jealous freakout over Sekai and Shia Kijima, and says the same thing as Mr Ral when Sekai went bounding out of the hospital the previous week.
    "So, this is youth."
    • The Rainier Cziommer-endorsed Zakrello alluded to in episode 10 actually appeared for real in episode 23 of the first season (very briefly though... all it did was get trashed).
  • The Cameo: In Episode 10, Rainer Cziommer from the first season appears on a Gunpla box, and an older Mihoshi is briefly seen.
    • The final episode reveals Sekai and Junya's master: Domon Kasshu!
    • As of Island Wars OVA, the strangely familiar little girl who befriended Sekai and co. returns to Arian to an even more familiar Alia
  • Changing of the Guard: The show picks up 7 years after the end of Build Fighters, with new teenagers Fumina, Sekai and Yuuma taking over the protagonist roles from the now considerably older Sei and Reiji.
  • The Chew Toy: The Mock mobile suits. Cheap rip-off Gunpla training dummies that served as Mecha-Mooks in the season 1 finale. Their brutal, humiliating, and amusing demises are something of a Running Gag. Not even being as big and ripping off the Psyco Gundam's scheme and size gives it an edge.
  • Chromatic Arrangement: Fumina has a yellow color scheme, Yuuma a blue one, and Sekai a red one. These palettes are also shared by their respective Winning, Lightning and Build Burning Gundams.
  • Clueless Chick-Magnet: Sekai has a beautiful sister, makes friends with Fumina on his first day in school, attracts the affections of Kaoruko after their first battle, and even makes Shia very interested in him. Yer all he seems to care about is sleeping, eating and practicing his martial arts. And when anyone else points out what a Chick Magnet he is, he just gets confused.
  • Color Failure: all of the males present in the Gunpla Rally in Episode 10, including Sekai and Yuuma, ended up as this when the petite Bearguy punches Taku's Turn-A in the groin located cockpit.
    • Yuuma gets this again, upon realising that Mirai has stolen the hearts of every guy at the Nationals who isn't Sekai or the Gunpla Academy.
    • Fumina gets this when she sees Minato's piece for the Meijin Cup a 1/144 HG Gunpla in her likeness!
    • Happens to Yuuma and Gyanko in Island Wars after the mysterious girl (actually Reiji and Aila's daughter) vanishes in a flash of light.
  • Combat Breakdown: As with Build Fighters, prolonged fights will see this happening, but in addition to this, Damage Level A will actually physically destroy your Gunpla.
  • Combining Mecha: The Winning Gundam can turn parts of its body into weapons that can attach to Yuuma and Sekai's own Gunpla.
    • "Winning Knuckle", a giant rocket powered fist that attaches to Build Burning's right hand.
    • "Winning Launcher", a rifle attachment that turns Lightning Gundam's gun into a giant plasma canon.
    • Sora Tryon, Umi Tryon and Riku Tryon can be combined into Gundam Tryon 3.
  • Composite Character:
    • Kaoruko's R-Gyagya is a R-Jarja combined with a Gyan and Susumu Sazaki's love of gatling guns and shields.
    • Shunsuke's Mega Shiki combines the Hyaku Shiki with the Mega Rider.
    • Yomi's Amethyst Victory Gundam is a normal Victory Gundam armed with the Sword Impulse's Silhouette Frame. And while we never get a good look at it, Yasu's Zeo Zeong supposedly has the old Zeong housed inside the Neo Zeong from Gundam Unicorn.
  • Continuity Nod:
    • During the 6 Years Later short, China is shown to have not only her Bearguy III, but also Aila's Command Gundam. Which also appears at the end of Island Wars, in Arian.
    • The Mock mobile suits are used by the simulation system as AI mooks.
    • Mr. Ral is still 35 years old.
    • Minato Sakai is a student of the Gunpla Shingyo School.
    • Ral's butt still gets itchy during Ship Tease moments.
    • Mihoshi, aka Kirara, continued her career as a idol using Gunpla. She eventually made it as an actress in Hollywood.
    • Nills Yajima appears, having married Caroline Yajima sometime in the last 7 years.
    • In Episode 12, Saga Adou name-drops Ricardo Fellini, Luang Dallara, and Greco Logan.
    • Turns out that while Wilfred Kijima was studying in England, he trained under Julian MacKenzie.
    • Back in Gundam Build Fighters, Aila used a Jegan and managed to defeat a Devil Gundam. Later on, she told a little boy to win Gunpla Battle by himself. That boy, Lucas, is now a Gunpla battler, and in episode 14 he used a Jegan to curbstomp three Gunplas.
    • The site of the Under-19 National Championship is Yajima Stadium, built next to the site of the PPSE Stadium, which has since been torn down and turned into a memorial for the events of Episode 25 of Gundam Build Fighters. Also, all the contestants are staying at the same hotel the GBWC7 contestants stayed in.
    • Episode 25 kicks off with an exhibition battle between Meijin and Lady, using the Kampfer Amazing and Zaku Amazing respectively, in the ruined city that was the stage for the quarterfinal battle between Meijin and the Renato brothers.
  • Crippling Overspecialization:
    • A big weakness for Build Burning Gundam, as it is completely reliant on hand to hand combat and has no ranged weapons whatsoever.
    • Lampshaded in episode 5. Yuuma wonders how Team Angelfish, which uses all aquatic mobile suits to be unbeatable underwater, could manage in any of the fields that don't have any water.
      Yuuma: What would they have even done if the battlefield had been space?
    • Team Angelfish's strategy for non-water battlefields is revealed in episode 7: when they end up on a stage where all the water is frozen over they all blow up their mobile suits rather than be on the wrong end of a Curb-Stomp Battle.
    • In episode 6, Team SRSC select units to specifically counter the heroes' Gunpla. So when Fumina busts out the Winning Road system to power up her teammates, SRSC gets overpowered by the new abilities they had no counter for.
    • Fumina and Yuuma deal with this problem in episode 12 - Fumina's focus on powering up everyone else makes her crumble when she has to deal with something on her own; and as the sniper, Yuuma panics whenever an enemy closes in on him.
  • Cross Counter: In the second OP, Sekai's Try Burning and Junya's Denial get into this.
    • Shimon successfully pulls this on Sekai.
  • Dare to Be Badass: Episode 12 has Lady and the Meijin challenge Fumina and Yuuma into getting beyond their hang ups and develop into something bigger.
  • Dark and Troubled Past: Downplayed. Yuuma quit Gunpla Battling because another player destroyed his model in a tournament preliminaries match years earlier.
  • Detonation Moon: Sekai manages to blow up the moon (or at least a Gunpla Battle representation of it) in episode 13.
  • Does This Remind You of Anything?: In Episode 3, to the horror of Try Fighters outside the PlaModel club door, Miyaga and Eri, still all over each other, talk about building an MS Girl together. The look on our heroes' faces make it sound like...something naughty was going to happen. The gag returns with a vengeance in the finale when, upon learning that Sekai's training trip was with Shia to build a new Gunpla, Fumina and Gyanko are understandably feeling murderous and promptly attack both of them.
  • Double Jump: A variant. Sekai imitates ground movement in zero-gravity by using precise bursts of the Build Burning Gundam's leg thrusters to give his feet leverage, creating the curious impression that he's sprinting on vacuum.
  • Dramatic Irony: In the first episode, Miyaga decries Gunpla battles as counter-productive as the models can get trashed, unlike display models where the workmanship is in full view all the time - the hypocrisy sets in when one of the dioramas shown to apparently reinforce his point is the well-known "Last Shooting" scene at the end of the original anime, which requires modellers to mutilate a RX-78-2 to replicate.
  • Exactly What It Says on the Tin: When Build Burning Gundam uses its Super Mode, a halo of flames forms around it.
  • Evolving Credits: Both opening and ending credits: From episodes 1 to 4, Fumina's Powered GM Cardigan is still featured; it then gets replaced by her Winning Gundam from episode 5 onwards.
    • The second opening has gunpla we haven't seen yet framed in shadow until they've debuted in the show proper.
  • Fantastic Racism: A member of Team Babylonia snaps at the Destiny Gundam, telling him "Know your place, snap-fit!", meaning there are some fighters who see out-of-the-box Gunpla as nothing but inferior.
    • The fact these Gunpla fighters came from the "(Cosmic) Aristocracy Club" makes you think they are elitist as well.
  • Fembot: Both the G-Portent and the Star Winning Gundam in Full Mode straddle the line with this. While both aren't really any more feminine than most other gunpla, both are portrayed as doing very graceful and feminine poses.
  • Foregone Conclusion: In episode 7, everyone thinks that the match between Team FAITH (who are battling with out-of-the-box gunpla) and Team Babylonia (who are all equipped with highly customized gunpla) is going to end with the latter victorious. Simon ends up proving them spectacularly wrong.
  • Freudian Trio: Fumina, Sekai and Yuuma.
    • Yuuma is the calm, tactical Superego.
    • The hotblooded Sekai is the Id.
    • And Fumina is the Ego, keeping the team together
  • Fighter, Mage, Thief: The protagonists' Gunpla team:
    • Build Burning Gundam serves as the melee-focused fighter.
    • Lightning Gundam serves as the long-range focused mage.
    • Winning Gundam the versatile but fragile thief.
  • Fire, Ice, Lightning: In Island Wars it's revealed different personalities can infuse Plavsky Particles with different elemental properties. In team Try Fighter's case, their elements are Fire (Sekai), Ice (Yuuma) and Lightning (Fumina).
  • Finishing Move:
    • Kouki Gundam's super move, "Kigan Issen-Zan" (Demonstone Flash Decapitation), in episode 4. It creates a giant Laser Blade meant to finish off the opponent in one hit.
    • Sekai's various Jigen Haoh School martial arts attacks:
      • "Seiken-Zuki" (Straight Punch)
      • "Shippu-Zuki" (Gale Punch)
      • "Soten Guren-Ken" (Rising Crimson Fist)
      • "Senpu Tatsumaki-Geri" (Whirlwind Tornado Kick)
      • "Ryusei Rasen-Ken" (Shooting Star Spiral Fist)
      • "Dangan Hagan-Ken" (Helm-Splitting Bullet Fist)
    • Lady Kawaguchi's SD Zero Gundam has the Maryu Kakusei (Demon Dragon Awakening) Super Mode, giving it a powered up crystal sword that can cut through winning launcher's blast, and more armor.
    • Fumina's Star Winning Gundam has the Winning Beam when in Real Mode.
      • The Mega Blade, while normally a physical blade attached to the Star Winning's beam rifle, can also be extended into a large beam blade big enough to cut through mobile amors.
    • Minato's Gundam Tryon 3 has a classic one in the form of its Tryzan 1-2-3 attack, performed with its Hyper Minovsky Chohoken, performed by immobilizing its opponent in the air before slashing a giant G around them, which explodes.
  • Freeze-Frame Bonus:
    • You'll probably be too busy being in awe with the battles in episode 7, but look at the Destiny Gundam up close and you'll see how much of a straight-assembly the suit is - you can still see the nubs from where it was connected on the runners.
    • Episode 12 had some split-second flashes of the final forms of the three main gundams of SD Gundam Force.
    • Several fights throughout the series, particularly involving Fumina's SD Models, have single "impact frames" where the models are replaced with other relevant Gundam units for a split second during flash effects.
    • The scene does linger on it on a bit, but it's still fast if you're not paying attention, but in episode 22, when, in their French apartment, China calls Sei to the living room as the finals are about to begin, there's a quick shot of the coffee table. Count how many teacups there are. There are four, when there should only be two. It ultimately turns out to be a Red Herring.
    • In the final episode's "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue segment, Minato is shown to be back at the Gunpla Shingyo dojo with Master Chinan, who was initially reported to have passed on before the first episode but shown here to be alive after all, watching him
    • The tournament scene at the start of Island Wars shows a whole bunch of banners for just a split-second. They're chock-full of references, ranging from straight-up team support (Gyanko and Yuuma apparently have sizable in-universe fan clubs) to in-jokes (the most visible of which reads "You are Gundam too") to lyrics from other mecha shows' theme songs ("Lonely Way", "Dead Heat - I Love You").
  • Funny Background Event: A crowd-shot in Episode 9 includes Daiki and Eri very far in the background, with hearts appearing over their heads.
  • Fun with Acronyms: Gundam Build Fighters T(eal)R(ed)Y(ellow)
    • Team SD-R uses SxDxG Gundam , but SDG isn't anacronym from SD Gundam, is really an acronym from their Combining Mecha form called, Snibal Drago Gira.
  • Glowing Eyes of Doom: The eyes on the Super-Deformed Gundams all glow bright green whenever they use their Super Mode.
  • Goroawase Number: Both of Fumina's Gunpla have 237 in their model numbers, which is Goroawase for "Fumina".
  • Heroes Fight Barehanded: Protagonist Sekai uses a hand-to-hand combat focused Gunpla.
  • Honor Before Reason: Both Wilfrid and Minato deal with this during their Semi-Final matches While it would have no affect on Wilfrid's team, it costs Minato's team their match, allowing Try Fighters to move on.
  • Hot-Blooded: Sekai's method of Gunpla battling. He uses nothing but flame covered punches and kicks in a match. Build Burning is even described as " A hotblooded Gunpla emitting flames from its body!" in official materials.
  • Hyper-Competent Sidekick: Yuuma while at the modelling club: The president of the club only adds a custom weapon and paint to his gunpla and is easily defeated by Sekai. Yuuma meanwhile builds award-wining, highly customized units, and matches Sekai blow for blow in their early encounters.
  • I Can Still Fight!: Several cases of this occur in rapid succession in Episode 9's battle. In Order:
    • Even after getting half of his Lightning Gundam blasted off by the Mega-Shiki's Mega Launcher, Yuuma still charges it with beam saber drawn, and succeeds in disabling it at the cost of his own Gunpla.
    • After Sekai uses Winning Knuckle to destroy the cockpit of Suga's G-Bomber and the bottom half of Yomi's Amethyst V-Gundam, both refuse to give up and combine their functioning halves in order to continue fighting.
    • Even after the Mega-Shiki has been reduced to a torn wreck, Sudou still urges it forward to fight against the immobile but still-functional Build Burning Gundam.
    • In his fight with Junya, Sekai is presumed defeated until his teammates urge him to get back up. Until he gets beaten again and gets back up again, this time winning with a combination of Jigen Haoh attacks and a new Plavsky Particle clone ability from Try Burning.
  • Idiot Ball: Team Angelfish, when they can't access the water in episode 7. Rather than blast through the ice with their Frickin' Laser Beams to access the water, or fight on land (their Gunpla were all originally designed for amphibious landing operations), they promptly self-destruct upon Team Try's approach.
  • Improvised Weapon: In episode 9, Sekai uses Winning Gundam's oversized head as a temporary fist.
  • In-Series Nickname: Quite a few of the characters have nicknames within the show itself.
    • Karouko Sazaki has "Gyanko".
    • Akira Suga has "Speedy Sleggar".
    • Adou Saga has "Dead End Saga".
    • Lucas Kankaansyrjä goes by "Lucas Nemesis".
  • Land, Sea, Sky: Tryon 3 main parts Riku Tryon (Land), Umi Tryon (Sea) and Sora Tryon (Sky).
  • Large Ham: Some of the characters can be really bombastic when it comes to battling, but the cake is taken by the inheritors of the Kawaguchi name.
  • Late-Arrival Spoiler:Sei and Reiji winning the 7th Gunpla Championship at the end of Gundam Build Fighters is part of Try's premise.
  • Legendary in the Sequel: The characters in Build Fighters became legends in Try: Susumu's Gyan shield is famous for being impenetrable, Mao is the master of the Gunpla Shingyo School, and Sei has the reputation of an Ultimate Blacksmith. Additionally, Kirara/Mihoshi has made it big as a Hollywood film star, and Ricardo Fellini, Luang Dallara, and Greco Logan are all considered among the best Gunpla Battlers in the entire world.
    • The cake is taken by Meijin Kawaguchi III who, by the time he debuted in Try, is a three-time consecutive World Champion, AND a Gunpla Hall-of-Famer to boot!
  • Locked Out of the Loop: The Try Fighters and their friends never truly interact with the more fantastic elements of their world until Island Wars.
  • Loop Hole Abuse: Miyaga brings in a mobile armor in the middle of his second battle against Fumina and Sekai. Fumina accuses Miyaga of cheating, since that's not allowed in a tournament match, with Miyaga responding that they're not actually playing a tournament match, so it's not against the rules.
  • Lost in Translation: In Episode 13, Shia asks Sekai if Fumina is his girlfriend and he flat out denies it. For people watching the english sub, this seemingly contradicts Episode 10, when he confirms to Fumina's mother that he's her boyfriend, but mistook it for meaning a boy thats her friend. This is because Fumina's mother specifically said "boyfriend" in english, while Shia said "girlfriend" in japanese (kanojyo).
    • In episode 7, the subtitles for Fumina's recount of the battle with Team Angelfish say "They self-destructed"; however, the Japanese phrase she uses is "jimetsu" (自滅), which means self-destructive in the personal sense, while Gundam traditionally uses "jibaku" (自爆), which literally means "blow yourself up", to describe mechanical self-destruction. This could mean that she's speaking metaphorically, saying that Angelfish did themselves in with Crippling Overspecialization instead of them self-destructing their Gunpla.
    • The subs also lose a Call-Back to the first season: When describing Shia's G-Portent, Allan uses the exact same words as he did to describe Yuuki's Meijin exam result, however, he subs render the former as "pretty much perfect" and the latter as "absolutely perfect."
  • Love Dodecahedron: Involving Fumina, Gyanko and Shia towards Sekai.
  • Made of Explodium: Most pieces of the arena Sekai punches with Build Burning tend to turn into giant explosions.
  • Magic Feather: There is no secret ultimate technique to the Jigen Haoh, just become better.
  • Mass "Oh, Crap!": The reaction of everyone who sees Lucas Nemesis in action, realising that he might well have the strongest gunpla in the competition.
    • Pretty much the entire main cast's reaction when Junya flawlessly copies Sekai's phoenix attack in the second part of their fight.
  • MegaCorp: Yajima Trading, itself a major corporation to begin with, is implied to have become this after the events of Gundam Build Fighters. Given that it's since absorbed PPSE, runs the Gunpla Tournament and hosts the Nielsen Labs.
  • Megaton Punch: Sekai's standard attack is a punch so powerful it can shatter a Gunpla's arm in a single blow and send Plavsky particles flying out of the battle arena.
  • Mexican Standoff: Fumino, Gyanko and Shia get into a psychic one over Sakai in Island Wars.
  • Mid-Season Upgrade: The Build Burning, Winning and Lightning are upgraded into the Try Build Burning, Star Winning and Lightning Full Vernian at the training camp prior to the nationals.
    • Try Build Burning is the least dramatic; its joints are reinforced so it can use the particle emission techniques Seiji discovered at the training camp without destroying itself.
    • Star Winning adds a set of funnels and Real Mode.
    • Lightning Full Vernian has a backpack with extra thrusters that give it more speed and agility.
  • Minor Living Alone: Sekai and Mirai live in a rather nice house and yet their parents never show up once in the entire series or even get mentioned. This gets rather ridiculous considering that their daughter isn't even out of high school yet and their son was out training in South America for who knows how long and didn't go to school when he was supposed to.
  • Modesty Shorts: Fumina can always be seen with a pair of bike shorts on, even while wearing her school uniform.
  • Moe Anthropomorphism: What sums up Minato's entry in the Meijin Cup on Episode 25: An MS Girl version of Fumina wearing a Maid Outfit, and with parts from her old Powered GM Cardigan. Fumina was definitely not pleased.
  • Mood Whiplash: Just as Sekai and Yuuma are about to clash at the end of episode 1, Sekai's sister Mirai barges in and drags Sekai away to finish enrolling at Seiho Academy.
  • Morning Sickness: In episode 14, Mirai is talking with Karin (the model chosen to be the "image character" for the National Tournament) when the latter rushes to the ladies' room and loses her lunch into the sink, which makes her realize that she's pregnant — and means that Mirai gets to take her place at the Nationals.
  • Mr. Fanservice: Team Angelfish. They're muscular and wear professional swimwear in all their scenes. Including the championships. There's a reason they're nicknamed Team Free.
  • Ms. Fanservice: Fumina for those into quasi-Tomboys and tight workout clothes, and Mirai for those into elegant big sisters. In Fumina's case, fanart has taken this and ran with it... months before the series even began.
    • Kaoruko seems to have caught on with people who like their ladies a little thicker.
  • Next Tier Power-Up: In episode 5, Yuuma finishes the flight booster for his Lightning Gundam, Fumina switches from her GM to the scratch-built Winning Gundam, and Sekai completes new Jigen Haoh techniques specifically for Build Burning, like an infinite Double Jump.
  • Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: In Episode 10, Taku, SGOCK III's frontman, has other models attack Mirai, throwing her off the racecourse into a lake. As the Beargguy's base is an amphibious mobile suit, this lets Mirai use the lake as a shortcut.
  • Not a Date: In episode 8, Yomi claims that the only reason she happens to be in a restaurant with Akira is because she's forcing him to buy her a meal as an apology for making her late.
    • She does it again in Episode 10, insisting she's having him carry her stuff as she engages in shopping therapy.
  • Oh, Crap!: The Build Burning Gundam has a habit of inspiring this response in observers, first with Yuuma in its debut and again in Episode 5 when Minato sees it in action for the first time and immediately realizes who built it.
    • In episode 8, Team Try Fighters can only watch in shock as Team G-Master curbstomps Team Song Dynasty Vase.
    • Adou has been curbstomping everyone in Episode 11, and is initially smug and confident when a new challenger enters the arena... and then he instantly changes his tune when he realises he's facing Meijin Kawaguchi.
    • Sekai's reaction in episode 19 when Junya activates his own version of the Burning Burst System.
  • Ominous Latin Chanting: The BGM track "Bell of the Requiem" features this; it's played at dramatically appropriate moments, like Fumina's epic battle at the start of the series, and Team G-Master curb-stomping Team Song Dynasty Vase.
  • Original Generation: This series features several Gunpla that are based off of the concepts of a particular Gundam series without being based on a specific Mobile Suit. Most prominently, all of Team Celestial Sphere uses original designs. Wilfred's Transient Gundam and Shia's G-Portent are inspired by Mobile Suit Gundam 00note , but Adou's Gundam The End is even harder to pin down since it seems to be a mishmash of inspirations from several universes note . Fumina's Winning Gundam is likewise an OG design with elements inspired by the ZZ Gundam and the NT-1, but the Star Winning Gundam throws that out as its ability to turn into a fully-proportioned Gundam comes from the Tekki Yusha Bakushinmaru SD Gundam, itself based on the Double Zeta.
  • Out of the Inferno: In Episode 1, Sekai's Dom explodes... only to erupt into a tornado of fire and Build Burning Gundam to step out of the flames!
  • Purple Is Powerful: The powered-up, custom Hyaku Shiki that Minato Sakai makes for Shunsuke Sadou is all purple instead of the standard purple and gold.
    • Once more with Junya Inose's Denial Gundam. Its armor is in shades of purple, and its Assimilation is also purple in color.
  • Power Fist: Fumina's "Winning Knuckle" attachment super-charges the Build Burning Gundam's melee abilities with a giant rocket powered fist.
  • Power Limiter: Build Burning is initially covered in Dom armor that hides its true abilities.
  • Power Trio: The conceit of this season. Gunpla tournaments now focus on battles between teams of three, making most characters in Try grouped up into 3 person ensembles.
  • The Promise: Sekai and Gyanko vow to face each other in the finals in episode 8. Unfortunately, Gyanko doesn't get a chance to keep it.
  • Pun-Based Title: Tryon 3's battle theme is named "Naniwa no BariBARI Saikyou Gattainote "; this literally translates as "Naniwa'snote  Energetic Strongest Combination", but contains a capitalized English "BARI" in reference to animation director Masami Obari who is well-known for animating Super Robots like the Tryon.
  • Punny Name:
    • The trio's gunpla are named after part of their user's name.
      • Fumina - Win(d)
      • Kousaka - Lightning
      • Kamiki - Fire/Burning
    • Sekai means "World", and his sister Mirai means "Future".
    • The "Try" in Gundam Build Fighters Try sounds identical to the prefix "Tri", referencing the new three man team battles that become the focus of this season.
    • Fumina's gunpla all use the serial number -237 (RGM-237, SD-237), because the first syllables of 237 can be read as "Fumina." note 
  • Rage Quit: In episode 7, when Team Angelfish finds themselves in an area without water, they opt to just self destruct their suits than allow Team Try Fighters to deliver a Curb-Stomp Battle. Fumina and Sekai are not pleased at this victory.
  • Red Oni, Blue Oni: Yuuma is a purple haired tactician, Sekai a red-haired martial artist.
  • Retired Badass: The "Six Years Later" short reveals Yuuma used to be a Gunpla Fighter, but retired, which really bummed out Sei. Given that he's one of the main protagonists, though, it goes without saying that it didn't last
    • Episode 11 reveals Nils quit Gunpla Battle, because as the world's expert on battle systems and Plavsky particles, he has an unfair advantage.
  • The Rival: Minato Sakai for Yuuma. He's obsessed with proving himself a better builder than Yuuma, and even re-enters Gunpla Battle when Yuuma does to do so.
    • Gyanko and Fumina as well. Gyanko seems to look down on Fumina and takes every chance to belittle her.
    • Sekai and Wilfred acknowledge each other as this after their battle in episode 13.
  • Sacrificed Basic Skill for Awesome Training: Sekai has horrible hand eye co-ordination when using any ranged weapon, and no sense for even basic strategy. Instead, he's just insanely good at martial arts, to the point he can make tornadoes or punch through entire buildings with his Gunpla.
  • Sequel Hook: A subtle one. Throughout the national, under 19 tournament, multiple mentions are made of the open tournament. Meanwhile, each character continues to have motivations to continue to train and become better.
    • Additionally, there's the part in episode 24 where Yuuma mentions that Sei wants to fight Sekai as well.
  • School Swimsuit: Mirai and Sekai both appear in their school-issued swimsuits when Sekai asks to borrow the school pool in episode 5.
  • Serious Business:
    • While there are no life or death stakes in Gunpla battles, people often act like they're dying or just lost someone when a model gets knocked out of a battle.
    • Try does Lampshade that battlers run the risk of damaging models they've invested time and money in. Fumina's Gunpla battle club kept bleeding members to the old fashioned PlaModel club for this very reason.
  • Share the Male Pain: Mirai goes Jigen Haoh on the enemy Turn-A's Core Fighter. Cue its flashy pilot, Sekai, Yuuma, the event announcer, and the rest of the male audience wincing and white with utter shock.
  • Ship Tease: A lot. So far mainly between Sekai and Fumina. But Yuuma and Mirai have a reasonable amount, as do Sekai and Gyanko. Episode 10 teased THREE couples in one episode.
  • Shipper on Deck:
    • Mirai keeps spying on and trying to hook up her little brother, Sekai, and his Gunpla Team's leader, Fumina.
    • Three children at the Gunpla store start trying to get Fumina and Sekai to kiss at the end of episode 4.
    • Mahiru and Keiko wholeheartedly support Gyanko in her pursuit of Sekai.
    • Fumina's mom is also more than happy to ship her daughter with Sekai.
  • Shout-Out:
    • In Episode 5, the Build Burning Gundam performs a propulsion technique which is similar to the function of Valvrave IV Hinowa's Multi-Leg Spine System.
    • Episode 6 is called "Rule the Battlefield".
    • Team SRSC pilots a team of three complementary specialized suits based on the same chassis: an all-rounder leader unit, a heavy weapon support unit with a visor face rather than two eyes, and an electronic-warfare unit with a large radome that covers its head. Now where have we seen this before?
    • In episode 7, Shimon gets the obligatory "Who the hell do you think I am?" line. He also gets off a Cross Counter.
    • Episode 10's title is called GunColle, not unlike the browser game by Kadokawa. The difference is only one symbol in one of the katakanas.
      • The last episode has the custom Gundam Albion, which is a Gundam with parts of a smaller-scaled spaceship(The Albion from Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory) for armaments, just like the girls of Kantai Collection.
    • The Mamagguy's sacrifice to protect Petitegguy in the tenth episode resembles how Piccolo rescued Gohan from Nappa in Dragon Ball Z.
    • In Episode 13, one of Fumina's jealous freak-outs makes her look like a Powerpuff Girl.
    • Also in Episode 13, Sekai uses a moon-shattering attack, with the movements and the attack itself looking awfully similar to Phoenix Ikki's ultimate move, Phoenix's Wing Rise.
    • In Episode 15, Minato asks Fumina to "listen and be amazed" when he describes his Gunpla.
    • The title of Episode 16, Magnificent Shia, is a reference to the title of Episode 41 of Mobile Suit Gundam AGE. Appropiately enough, Shia fights a mobile armor based off Vagan Gear Sid.
    • The Star Winning Gundam's funnels can combine into a spinning star-shaped shuriken funnel; in effect, it's the same principle as the T-Link Ripper from Super Robot Wars: Original Generation.
    • Episode 19 brings us a Hajime no Ippo reference with the Liver Blow - Gazelle Punch - Dempsey Roll combo, which the main character from that series used to win his first championship.
      • There's also a Psyco Gundam Mk-II painted like King J-Der from GaoGaiGar. Ironically, it's defeated by Gundam Tryon 3.
    • Tryon 3's combination sequence evokes Variable Formation from Super Robot Wars: Original Generation.
      • Tryon 3's attack sequence used in its fight with the Try Fighters is pretty much a reminiscent of Voltes V. Trap the enemy with a lightning ball? Check. Pull out a sword from the chest? Check. Finish off an enemy with slashes shaped of a letter? Check.
    • In the Island Wars OVA, Kaoruko has a new Gyan variant called the "Gyancelot," which is two letters away from having the same name as Suzaku's Super Prototype Knightmare Frame.
    • The new heads of the custom Impulse Gundams forming the rest of Team Song Dynasty Vase - one has a proper mouthpiece and horizontal eyepiece set above the nose, while the other has a dome going from the top of the head to below the nose, rather like the helmets of Daft Punk.
  • Sickeningly Sweethearts: Miyaga and Eri, to levels that traumatize our three protagonists.
  • Sneeze Cut: Used in episode 8, after Gyanko realizes that Sekai has been on a date with Fumina.
  • Song of Song Titles: The lyrics for rap portion of "Cerulean" (the first opening theme) include "Wimp" and "Nibun no Ichi" — the names of the opening themes for the original Build Fighters.
    • The second opening, "Just Fly Away", features the lyric "Genkai nante nai" ("There are no limits"), which was used extensively in "Cerulean".
  • Squee: In Episode 5, Yuuma and Fumina both geek out when Mr. Ral breaks out the Gouf R35.
  • Status Quo Game Show: Shimon's teammates try to invoke this on Team Try Fighters in Episode 7, telling them of Shimon's sick sibling. Fumina and Yuuma both waver in their reasoning, but Sekai decides otherwise.
    • There's an inversion of sorts starting with the GunColle episode, with a race for the title of Image Character, where Mirai gets inadvertantly beaten by an older model, Karin. Then down the line we learn Karin is pregnant, and has to give up the title to Mirai anyway.
  • The Stinger: There's usually another scene after the credits to each episode.
  • Storming the Castle: Episode 1 opens with Fumina and other gunpla fighters storming Axis.
  • Super Mode:
    • Build Burning Gundam can temporarily channel all the Plavsky particles around it to boost its speed and offensive power, combining the super modes of Star Build Strike and Burning/God Gundam into a single suit.
    • Sekai's Musha Godmaru in episode 4 has a mode called "Bakunetsu-no-Jin" (Erupting Formation), which increases its power, speed and reach.
    • Fumina's Star Winning Gundam has the "Real Mode" which turns it from an SD into an HG sized model, increasing its power.
  • Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: Adou Saga twice resorts the old anime cliche of slugging a wall the vent frustration. Once against a thick glass pane after being denied the chance to fight Meijin Kawaguchi, and once against the metal Semi-Final Randomizer out of irritation to get Yuuma and Minato to stop arguing, both times with the same hand. This abuse of his hand, combined with his remote-controlled Fang drones caused him to develop fractures in it leading to him being taken to the hospital after the events of the final battle.
  • Suspiciously Similar Substitute:
    • Sekai is suspiciously similar to Reiji in season 1, as yet another spiky red-haired Fish out of Water who becomes interested in Gunpla Battle after a Gunpla lover recruits them to help get into a tournament, and knows how to fight for real, but not Gunpla battle. Ral even calls Sekai "the second coming of Reiji."
    • As a purple-haired boy who starts off preferring building models to battling them, Yuuma has some similarities to his big sister's blue-haired model building boyfriend, Sei Iori. In episode 22, Minato even calls him the "the second coming of Sei Iori" during his monologue.
  • Taking the Bullet: In Episode 10, Taku is about to destroy the Puchigguy, when Mirai desperately maneuvers the Mamagguy to take the full brunt of his beam fire, protecting the Puchigguy at the cost of the Mamagguy.
  • Take Up My Sword: Originally Sei built the Burning for Reiji, but seeing Sekai's fight in episode 18 had made him decide that the latter's a worthy holder of the Gundam and bequeaths it to him.
  • Taking You with Me: In Episode 24, when Yumma slams his Lightning Weapon System MK II into Adou's heavily damaged Gundam The End, the latter tried to pull this, but Yumma beats him to it by feeding Gundam The End several salvos of missiles at point blank range.
  • Theme Music Power-Up:
    • In Episode 1, Sekai's Dom is shot down by Yuuma and the music cuts out. And then Cerulean plays to accompany Build Burning's Out of the Inferno debut.
    • Whenever Sekai and Mirai are doing something badass, "Clear and Serene", the Jigen Haoh theme, plays.
    • Cerulean gets used in episode 24, as well, for the Tiebreaker Round between Sekai and Wilfred.
  • Theme Naming: The Gundam Ez-SR from episode 6 are named after motorcycles. Yamaha SR series, Suzuki Intruder, Kawasaki Eliminator, and Honda Shadow Phantom.
  • Throwing Down the Gauntlet: Sekai does this Simon in episode 7, vowing to come at the latter with everything he's got in their upcoming match.
  • Time Skip: There's a 7 year gap between the last episode of season 1 and the first episode of Try.
  • Title Drop: In episode 23, Sekai hopes to keep learning about Gunpla, improving to the point he can call himself a "Gundam Build Fighter".
  • Took a Level in Badass: It's offscreen, but in Episode 8 we learn that Sazaki from Season 1 ended up making it to the top 16 during the 10th World Championship. Onscreen we have all the guys mentioned above in Ascended Extra, particularly Lucas Nemesis.
  • Transformation Is a Free Action: In episode 5, Winning Gundam splits apart in flight form, reforms into its Gundam form, and strikes a pose in front of an opponent. The opponent does nothing to stop this.
    • Averted in episode 6 where the SRSC team members try to shoot it down, and even get one piece of it, when Fumina activates the Winning Road and separates to combine with her teammates' Gunpla.
    • Played beyond straight in episode 16 with team Build Busters and their introduction of the Gundam Tryon 3. Possibly justified in that the opposing team were too far away to attack effectively or were just as stunned as everyone else by the spectacle.
    • Averted again in Episode 19, where Fumina's opponent tries to attack her mid-transformation. This time she's ready for him.
    • Invoked by Team Build Busters during their fight with Try Fighters in Episode 22. As Minato puts it in Large Ham fashion:
    Minato: You tried to mess up our combination scene. You have no shred of romance or aesthetics!
  • Transforming Mecha: A number of mechs in this season can transform from humanoid robot form into other configurations.
    • Lightning Gundam can transform into a plane-like "waverider" mode.
    • Winning Gundam can transform into a Skygrasper-esque flight mode or seperate into a Goldymarg-esque giant fist for Build Burning Gundam and a giant beam cannon attachment for Lightning Gundam's rifle.
    • Star Winning Gundam adds the ability to transform the Super-Deformed suit into a standard-sized real grade form.
  • Two Guys and a Girl:
    • Yuuma and Sekai are both boys, while team leader Fumina is a girl.
    • Team G-Master has two boys, Shunsuke and Meguta (until Akira replaces him), plus one girl, Yomi.
    • Gunpla Academy's current team is made up of two boys and a girl as well.
  • To Be a Master: The three main characters all end up competing in Gunpla tournaments because they want to be the best at their respective thing:
    • Fumina wants be a Gunpla Battle champion.
    • Yuuma wants to improve his Gunpla building skills to win modeling competitions.
    • Sekai wants to become a master martial artist.
  • Tomboyish Ponytail: Fumina wears her hair in a ponytail, reflecting her athletic interests.
  • Toyless Toyline Character: The GunColle episode finally confirms the existence of a Beargguy II, something that's been niggling the fans since China started with a I and modded it straight into III.
    • Of course, the mecha of both Sudou's team members (the Amethyst Victory Gundam and G-Fighter with extra missiles and manipulator arms, and somehow docking-compatible with the former) and a dozen others can count.
  • Unexpected Character: A customized Vagan Gear piloted by Kei Karima used for battle in Episode 16. Note that Mobile Suit Gundam AGE was aired on a different TV network and it hasn't been 5 years since it first aired.
  • Unusual Euphemism: The act of building a Gunpla alone with a member of the opposite sex is treated as an sign of intimacy between the two parties. When Sekai goes off and builds the Kamiki Burning Gundam with Shia, Fumina and Gyanko do not take the news well.
  • Upgrade vs. Prototype Fight: In Island Wars, Sekai, Yuuma, Fumina, Minato, Gyanko, Shia, Mirai and Satomi fight the Scramble Gundam and Nils tries to get them to retreat as the Scramble is powered by the prototype Plavsky Particle Mk. II system while they're using an old-style system, making him the stronger type.
  • Walking Shirtless Scene: The members of Team Angelfish always wear competition swimwear. EVERYWHERE.
  • Wave-Motion Gun: Fumina's "Winning Launcher" attachment turns Lightning Gundam's sniper rifle into a giant plasma canon.
  • Wham Episode: Episode 11: Yuuma finally meets the gunpla fighter who previously forced him to initially break his childhood promise to Fumina, which ends up with the Try Fighters struggling from the enemy's No-Holds-Barred Beatdown, and Adou about to destroy the Build Burning... Until Meijin III descends to the battlefield, 0 Gundam style, with the Perfect Gundam III "Red Warrior.".
  • Wham Line:
    • Played for laughs in episode 8.
    Sekai: (To Gyanko) "Ehhh, I have to go on a date again?"
    • From Island Wars OVA, the identity of the little girl's parents revealed:
    Aila: That's right. Thanks to Gunpla, Mommy was able to meet Daddy.
  • "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: The ending sequence shows snapshots of what happened to everyone:
    • The Gunpla Battle Club has a massive influx of new members after the new school term starts;
    • Mirai and her friend continue work, and Ms. Karin has safely delivered her baby;
    • Mamoru and Tateo hanging out in the park and talking gunpla while Shimon and Gyanko fondly watch them;
    • Yomi goes on a date with Akira and is terrified at his driving;
    • Sudou repairs his Mega-Shiki;
    • At the Gunpla Shingyo-Ryu dojo, Master Chinan supervises his disciples as they build their gunpla, with Minato happily working on Tryon-3;
    • Adou and Allan meet with Adou's doctor as he shows them x-rays of his wrist;
    • Wilfred and Shia fly to Helsinki, where Lucas is waiting for them;
    • Junya returns to the Guiana Highlands to resume Jigen Haoh training, with his master, DOMON KASSHU!
    • And Sekai naps on the school roof, while the U-19 championship trophy is displayed next to Sei's GBWC 7 trophy, along with Lightning Full Burnern, Try Burning and Star Winning.
    • Island Wars post credits scene adds to this by showing Aila in Arian, happily married to Reiji and having had a daughter with him.
  • Wolverine Publicity:
  • World's Most Beautiful Woman: Mirai is undeniably treated as this. Nearly every scene with her in it has someone falling for her.
  • Wrong Genre Savvy: When Sakai introduces the Gundam Tryon 3, it's shown going through a Transformation Sequence that shows it off... and leaves everyone, including Meijin and Lady Kawaguchi, speechless. The only one who thinks it's awesome is Sekai.
  • You Don't Look Like You: In Gundam Build Fighters Episode 3, a 6 year old Yuuma Kousaka appears with brown hair and brown eyes, like his sister and father. In Try however, Yuuma suddenly has purple hair and eyes instead.
  • Your Mind Makes It Real: During his powered up phase in episode 9, a missile grazes Build Burning's left cheek. At the same time, a scar suddenly appears Sekai's left cheek. Also, after the battle, Sekai passes out from sheer exhaustion. Perhaps all that talk about the fighter and Gunpla being one wasn't just for show...

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