Gundam Seed: Bloodlines is an Alternate Universe take on Mobile Suit Gundam SEED in which Kira and Cagalli's places are reversed — Cagalli is a coordinator living on Heliopolis, while Kira is the prince of Orb. When ZAFT attacks Heliopolis, Cagalli is reluctantly forced into the role of the Strike Gundam's pilot.
Early chapters pretty much follow SEED's plot, but the series begins to diverge as it goes on.
Gundam SEED: Bloodlines provides examples of:
- Action Girl: Cagalli, even moreso than in the original series. The author seems to love this trope considering how many characters of this type belongs to the cast.
- Adaptational Nationality: In canon Flay’s exact nationality is unclear (though she’s heavily implied to be Caucasian). Here she’s British (or Scottish).
- Adaptational Villainy: Somehow Azrael manages to be even MORE vile here then in canon. In addition to his OTHER atrocities he revives Murrue Ramius and then brainwashes her into being his new commander....as well as his lover. Yeah.......
- Alliterative Name: Elle Eliarez
- Anti-Villainous Rescue: Cagalli was saved by Athrun from dying during her reentry into Earth's atmosphere.
- Anyone Can Die: Except for Cagalli who is the narrator, nobody is safe in this story.
- Avenging the Villain: Asta Joule's goal is to kill Cagalli for killing her younger brother who was also the most villainous member of Athrun's team of Gundam pilots.
- Back from the Dead: Murrue Ramius. In the notes for Chapter 72, the author mentions he hopes to deconstruct (and possibly reconstruct) Seed and Destiny's tendency to do this.
- Beware the Silly Ones: Flay, who goes from Cagalli's perspective from "stupid bitch" to "warrior".
- Berserk Button: Cagalli hates being called "princess" or a boy.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Dorothy Eliarez, the Blue Cosmos agent.
- Blood Knight: Lacus confides to Cagalli that she finds many Coordinators to enjoy the war. This is to contrast with Cagalli herself, who just before stated that her purpose for fighting is protecting the Archangel.
- Bond Villain Stupidity: The main reason why Cagalli survived her capture by Blue Cosmos members. Instead of killing her as soon as possible, their leader rants which gives her rescuer the time to neutralize him.
- Brainwashed and Crazy: Murrue after coming Back from the Dead, thanks to Blue Cosmos
- Character Development: Flay Allster becomes a more effective warrior and also jettisons her racism.
- Cooldown Hug: Cagalli hugs Stellar to keep the latter from killing her. It's more effective than she expected.
- Crossover:
- In chapter 79, Feldt Grace is revived from cryostasis
- And in chapter 86, Asta uses the Turn X for the final battle.
- Dark Action Girl: Asta Joule, Yzak's older sister and pilot of the new Duel Gundam. Also Stellar and presumably the rest of the female Extended. Subverted by Flay who seemed to be heading in this direction until her first real battle in chapter 37.
- Death by Adaptation: Yzak, Andrew Waltfeld, the people in Tassil, Murrue, Lacus Clyne, Dearka, most of the Archangel crew, Athrun, all of Celestial Being except for Feldt. Tolle is still killed by Athrun, but in a different way to the series. Rau Le Cresuet dies sooner. Siegel Clyne also dies in a different way to the series.
- Driven to Suicide: Siegel Clyne. Cagalli suspects that Gilbert Durandal murdered him and made it look like suicide, but has no evidence.
- Early-Bird Cameo: Stella has a significant part, and Shinn Asuka makes an appearance in chapter 67
- Eye Scream: Hilda Harken's right eye is stabbed by Flay with a knife.
- The Empath: The (named) Extended. And now Cagalli.
- It doesn't last in Cagalli's case.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: The only reason Cagalli empathised with Yzak and his older sister, Asta.
- Final Boss: Shockingly it's NOT Rau, who dies in Mendel. Asta takes his spot with the Turn X.
- Flawed Prototype: It turns out that Asta is Cagalli's.
- First-Person Perspective: The whole story is written from Cagalli's perspective.
- Good Scars, Evil Scars: Sariel Leighton has one running diagonally down her forehead, slashing its way across her face, stopping below her right eye.
- Heel–Face Turn: Stellar Louissier, and later the other members of her Extended unit.
- Hidden Depths: Like in the series, Lacus Clyne initially comes off as a flighty and naive pacifist. This is part of why Cagalli punches her. When Lacus visits Cagalli to talk shortly after, she drops her pop star airs and shows herself to be politically astute (telling Cagalli point blank about the situation with ZAFT and PLANT, her speculations about the purpose of her Arranged Marriage to Athrun, the reasoning for some of her father's more questionable actions, etc.) and rather empathic (understanding that Cagalli made a "soldier's choice" when she killed Lacus' would-be rescuer and understanding Cagalli's reason for fighting), which completely dumbfounds Cagalli and makes her reconsider her opinion on Lacus.
- Hollywood Atheist: According to Hilda Harken, PLANT is "a nation of atheists".
- Honor Before Reason: Subverted during the concluding battle of the Desert arc.
- Hostage for MacGuffin: Hilda Harken's attempt to trade Melanie's life for Cagalli's.
- Incurable Cough of Death: The clearest sign that Asta Joule's days are numbered.
- I Fight for the Strongest Side!: Hilda betrayed the Earth Forces because she expected ZAFT to win the war and did not want to be treated as a "blood traitor" by the other Coordinators.
- Imprinting: The Extended do this. After her original "mother" dies, Cagalli has to get Stellar to imprint on her.
- Killed Mid-Sentence: Doctor Malcolm, much to Cagalli's disappointment.
- Love Triangle: Cagalli, Athrun and Tolle, though Cagalli thinks it is a love rectangle because she suspects Miriallia to be interested in Tolle.
- The Mole: Hilda Harken
- The Main Characters Do Everything: While Natarle's involvment in Cagalli's rescue from Blue Cosmos can be justified by her (heavly implied) spec ops background, the same can not be said from Murrue leading a boarding party into a Blue Cosmos base. It ends badly for her.
- Manipulative Bitch: Cagalli doesn't want to be one, but the dramatic situation force her to be manipulative (or so she thinks).
- Mauve Shirt: The Eurasian Mobile Armor pilots who survived the fall of the Artemis base.
- Mortal Wound Reveal: Lacus is mortally wounded in chapter 63, but Cagalli notices it only at the very end of the same chapter.
- Multinational Team: The current crew of the Archangel consist of the Atlantic and Eurasian survivors of Heliopolis/8th fleet and Artemis, respectively, and the saved Orb refugees from Heliopolis.
- Musical Theme Naming: Chapters are named after songs or albums.
- Mythology Gag: In chapter 55, it's mentioned that there's a gap in historical records beginning in 2307 AD. Hmmmm...
- Omniglot: Cagalli is a language major who speaks seven languages.
- Phlebotinum Girl: Considering what we know about Kira in the original series, Cagalli may qualify. Also Stellar.
- Chapter 50 seems to confirm that Cagalli is indeed one.
- Promotion to Parent: Cagalli becomes Elle/Melanie's caretaker after her mother is murdered.
- And then it happens again with Stellar.
- Redemption Equals Death: Joan Memphis, the oldest member of Stellar's Extended unit
- Reforged into a Minion: Murrue's fate.
- Rescue Romance: Sort of. Ever since Athrun saved Cagalli from dying during her reentry into Earth's atmosphere, his love for her stopped being one-sided
- Running Gag: Cagalli being mistaken for a boy.
- Shoot the Shaggy Dog: Someone went to great lengths to erase Celestial Being's accomplishments from history.
- Shout-Out:
- Waltfeld's conspiracy theories claim there was an "innovative society" in the past. This is a reference to one of the author's previous fics, Gundam SEED Kismet.
- Feldt Grace in Chapter 80: "Oh my god. You really did it. You blew it up. Damn you! Damn you all to hell!"
- Someone to Remember Him By: Cagalli is pregnant with Athrun's children when he performs a Heroic Sacrifice to save her.
- Spared by the Adaptation: Most of the saved Orb refugees from Heliopolis thanks to Prince Kira, and Ahmed and Aisha in the Desert arc. Also, Shinn's sister Mayu, Flay and Nicol.
- Species Loyalty: Defied by Cagalli who is more loyal to her friends and fellow (Orb) citizens than other Coordinators which is noted to be very unusual.
- Talking the Monster to Death: Cagalli pulls this off twice - first against Hilda and again against Stellar.
- Teen Genius: Prince Kira who was able to put a virus into the government computers when has was nine years old. It's particularly notable because he is not a Coordinator in this story.
- Tonight, Someone Dies: Chapter 42.
- Too Dumb to Live: The Blue Cosmos members in Desert Dawn. They are more willing to die fighting against superior ZAFT forces than let a Coordiantor like Cagalli protect them.
- Took a Level in Badass: Flay, not only does she graduate to an Action Girl, she is the one who manages to kill Rau Le Cresuet.
- Touched by Vorlons: To paraphrase the author Cagalli goes Newtype thanks to Stellar. It doesn't last long.
- Trapped Behind Enemy Lines: After her successful atmospheric entry, Cagalli has to fight her way back to the Archangel.
- Tragic Villain: Asta Joule. Turns out that she's basically Cagalli's prototype for the Ultimate Coordinator Project, given up for it by Ezalia for fear that she'd be miscarried otherwise. Unfortunately the process was flawed and Asta was born with crippling health problems that would have rendered her dead at a young age. She survives largely by willpower because she wants to see her brother grow up......which is wrecked when Cagalli kills him. THEN she's forced to work alongside Cagalli....and then finds out the horrific truth from Rau....who breaks her for good by playing her an edited version of her mother's confrontation with Dr Hibiki. Despite all she's done Cagalli can't help but feel sorry for her.
- Trick Boss: A non-videogame example, when Cagalli fights Asta in the Providence during the final battle. Cagalli is far more concerned with convincing the pilot to stop fighting. Asta pulls a Strike Me Down with All of Your Hatred! moment on Cagalli, and the Providence is destroyed with a shot by Dearka. It's then revealed that the Providence was being remote controlled. Asta is actually piloting the machine found on Jupiter (first mentioned forty chapters ago). It's name? The Turn X Gundam.
- Trauma Conga Line: Asta undergoes one during the story; she's got crippling health problems, her kid brother is killed, she's forced to fight alongside her brother's killer and then she learns the horrific truth behind her origins (she was the Flawed Prototype to her arch enemy) AND to cap it all off Rau plays an edited version of her mother's confrontation with Dr Hibiki in which Ezalia says that she'd be better off dead. No wonder she snaps in the end.
- The Unreveal: Doctor Malcolm was killed by Stellar just when he started giving exposition about one big secret of the Cosmic Era and how it is connected to Cagalli.
- Villainous BSoD: Hilda Harken has one when she realized that even
murdering Elle/Melanie would neither save herself nor her mission. - Wham Episode: Chapter 42. The plot had begun diverging from SEED's in chapter 40 with Cagalli being taken to the Blue Cosmos base, but the wham comes in this chapter with the death of Murrue.
- Chapter 49-51. Over the course of the three chapters, the whole plot is changed. And Cagalli is now part of ZAFT.
- Chapter 75 is a big one too because of the Wham Line noted below and Rau Le Cresuet's death.
- Chapter 86. The big secret of the Cosmic Era is finally explained. The Ultimate Coordinator was created for the purpose of piloting a mobile suit George Glenn found at Jupiter: The Turn X. And this machine is responsible for the destruction of the Anno Domini era and the innovative society.
- Wham Line: Courtesy of Rau Le Cresuet of course ""They thirsted for knowledge, they did everything they could to fulfill their desires, and ultimately, they forgot why they were doing it! Even as they proclaimed their reverence for human life, they begin distorting it! What does a person watching this do, Cagalli? What does she do? She begins destroying it! Your mother, Via Hibiki, is none other than one of the founding members of Blue Cosmos!""
- Chapter 79: "Where is his flower? Where is Setsuna's Flower?"
- Chapter 86: Asta quotes H. P. Lovecraft. Anyone familiar with the Gundam franchise will know the significance of the line. It's the same quote This Very Wiki uses as the page quote for ∀ Gundam.
"The white wings of moon butterflies flicker down the streets of the city/Blushing into silence the useless wicks of sound-lanterns in the hands of girls."- Chapter 89: It's the second to last chapter, and just when you think everything is fine now, the author drops this bomb:
"There wasn't just another Turn X. Or even two." - Worthy Opponent: Cagalli is this to Waltfeld.
- You Shall Not Pass!: The end of Chapter 64:"This is Cagalli Yamato of the Orb Union. I am piloting the GUNDAM Freedom, the most advanced mobile suit known. Any mobile suit or mobile armor that dares to tread through my airspace will not pass. I repeat, none shall pass.
