Bouncing Red Ball

Put your plans to see the Giant Gundam of Tokyo on hold.

According to reliable sources, the recently erected Giant Gundam of Tokyo, during the recent thunderstorms that swept through Japan, was struck with lightning in the head and burst into flames.

Firetrucks came to the rescue but was greeted with a headless Gundam.

If only it were true.

Apparently, this hoax originated from 2ch.net (where it was greeted with “Burrrrrrrn! Burrrrrrrrn!”) and spread through the Japanese Internet soon enough that some people actually went to the site and see it for themselves.

As noted on an earlier post, this looks like a finely constructed robot, down to the small markings on its body, and its builders wouldn’t have blundered by neglecting to equip it with a lightning rod.

Which it apparently has. Check this out:

And as every Gundam Wing anime fan knows, a lightning-rod-equipped Gundam is virtually indestructible.

And the people who went to check? Not only did they see a headless Gundam (they say); they also found a freshly erected Zaku Kai beside it.

Or maybe not.

{Byoukan Sunday, EnJoeToh}

Related posts:

1. 10 awesome views of Tokyo’s Giant Gundam
2. 18-meter Mobile Suit Gundam rises in Tokyo
3. Tokyo’s giant Gundam is geared for battle
4. Giant Gundam in Tokyo: more videos
5. Giant Gundam under construction, joins campaign for Tokyo Olympics 2016