Best Pilot in the SEED Universe

Ever since Gundam SEED Destiny went on the air, a lot of people were debating who is the best pilot.  A lot of people went to the conclusion that the final battle would be Kira Yamato in Strike Freedom versus Shinn Asuka in Destiny.  Personally, that isn't a good match up since their pilot fighting skills are different.  I prefer a match up between Athrun Zala in Infinite Justice versus Shinn.  Let's see why I think of it this way.

Kira Yamato

Kira Yamato is mainly a long distance shooter.  Observe the weapons that Freedom has.  It's mainly beams.  Also, Kira has spent most of his time shooting throughout the SEED series. 

Although Kira has close combat skills from piloting Strike, that's really not his area.  Take a look how he fights in those situations.  They are mainly one hit finishes, killing or not.  Kira is actually in a disadvantage in close combat when it drags.  This explains when he lost to Shinn in Impulse.  He goes for the quick finishing attacks.  When Kira started piloting Freedom & disable mobile suits, he tries to take down most of the joints as he can with one swing from his beam saber.  Mainly the head & attacking arm.  When he has two beam sabers in each hand, it's one simultaneous strike.  That's how he finishes his opponents.

Overall, Kira is a mid to long distance shooter.  When it comes to close combat, he tries to finish the battle with one attack.  In terms of using his seed mode in close combat, it's basically to get him out of those situations ASAP.  For shooting, it's used for quick calculations to lock enemy mobile suits.

Athrun Zala

Athrun Zala is a close combat fighter.  All the weapons he uses are mainly beam sabers.  Unlike Kira, he seems to drag his battles.  Possibly to study his enemy's movements or find a good opening.  This is why Kira lost to Athrun back in Gundam SEED.  Athrun really took out Kira good.

Although he has good shooting skills, Athrun sticks with close combat.  We really see Athrun shot from a mobile suit & connect.  With excellent weapon skills, this is why Kira & Athrun are a threat together.  Athrun is the shield & Kira is the sword.  Or in better terms, Athrun is the first line of defense while Kira is the second. 

Overall, Athrun is a short range fighter specialized in hand weapon combat fights.  He doesn't really need his seed mode since he doesn't go for the quick kill.

Shinn Asuka

Shinn Asuka is basically a pilot with a bit of skills from close combat & shooting.  After seeing the whole SEED Destiny story, he's better in close combat.  In fact, he swings his weapons hoping it will connect.

Shinn's close combat skills is really what made him an ace pilot.  We rarely see Shinn shoot & connect.  Like Kira, he goes for the finishing blow.  But he takes a couple more moves to finish the job at times.  Also, he doesn't seem to have this enemies locked on target.  It's as if he sees the enemy, he charges towards it & hope his attacks will hit something.

At the times, Shinn shoots but we rarely see this.  This is mainly because he has Luna & Rey backing him up as shooting supporters.  Kind of like how Kira supports Athrun from the back.

Overall, Shinn is actually a close combat fighter than an all around pilot that I originally thought he was.  Unlike Kira & Athrun, he doesn't fight with a clear head.  Shinn is a berserker.  When he goes into seed mode, he heightens that berserker trait.

The Dream Match Up

No doubt, Athrun versus Shinn would produce the best fight in the SEED universe at the moment.  Both of them are close combat fighters & it would make the fight interesting. I'm glad that the writers went for this approach than go with the battle that the Shinn & Kira fanboys had. 

Kira is no match for either Athrun or Shinn since he specializes in distance shooting.  Unless he finds an opening & connects with a quick finish, Kira wouldn't survive a close combat fight against either one of them.  Although Kira is a quick learner, he really has no combat training from a military.

The Best SEED Pilot is....

Looking at the observations I did on Kira, Athrun, & Shinn, I came to the conclusion that Athrun is the best pilot in the SEED universe.  Even though I like Kira better, Athrun is really the best out there.  He knows how to handle close combat battles to his advantage really.  Plus, he's better trained than Kira & Shinn in terms of shooting.

Of course, all of these observations are based on my personal views.  You may or may not agree with what I have written here.

Last updated on January 18, 2008