Athrun Zala, arguably the main character in Gundam Seed Destiny. Kira Yamato is the protagonist from Gundam Seed, the first series, but Athrun Zala takes a more prominent role in the second. Of the 3 main characters, Shinn, Kira, and Athrun, I believe Athrun is the main focus.
I've watched several anime series. Personally, Athrun is at the top of my list of favorite male main characters. In many anime series I've watched, the male lead is usually completely useless, is overconfident, has a bad attitude, or is too bullheaded. Thankfully, Athrun is none of these.
Gundam Seed and Gundam Seed Destiny, tells the tale of two powerful nations, both bent on destroying each other. One nation consists of natural born humans, the other consists of genetically enhanced humans, known as coordinators. Both aim to wipe the other out. Amidst this great war, people from both sides and neutral nations come together, in an attempt to put an end to the war, and bring peace.
(A shame that they couldn't incorporate Gundam Seed Astray directly inside either series.)
Those of you who watched the anime, would know that Athrun took on a new identity, as Cagalli's bodyguard, leaving his old life behind, as a soldier, and as the son of the late representative. After which, a series of events led Athrun to return to his old identity, and back into the army as well, forcing him to make a choice on which side to be on.
I would describe Athrun as a soft-spoken, polite gentleman most of the time. But he is also a very brave and capable fighter when he needs to be. Despite that, he is indecisive on many occasions, sometimes being uncertain of what he should be fighting for. Throughout this whole war, Athrun is forced to fight against former allies countless of times, and not wanting to repeat his past mistakes, he is sometimes hesitant to fight.
In a way, he is a reluctant hero, but no one else is more suited for this job than he is.
Therefore, it's not surprising that throughout the whole series, he has the attention of several girls. It might not have been that noticeable to himself though, since he is mostly concerned about putting an end to the war.
Cagalli Yula Athha
Cagalli and Athrun's relation goes way back. By the end of the first series, they were already lovers. At the start of the 2nd series, Cagalli became the representative of Orb, and Athrun becomes her bodyguard, but their relation was much deeper than that.
Before Athrun leaves Cagalli and Orb, he gives her a ring as his promise. But soon after that, things became chaotic, with Athrun rejoining the Zaft army, Cagalli's forced marriage, Orb becoming an enemy of the Plant, and the whole war starting again.
Much later, when Cagalli met Athrun again after his defection, she understood that Meyrin was the one who could care for him. She deemed herself no longer worthy of his ring.
Though it wasn't definitive, it is strongly hinted that Cagalli and Athrun never got back together, and Athrun ended up with Meyrin. (There was no evidence suggesting that Athrun returned Meyrin's feelings though.)
In the first series, Cagalli also seemed to like Kira a lot, but both started to distance from each other when whey found out they were siblings. (Though said to be twins, there was no evidence to suggest that Kira and Cagalli were even blood-related, since Kira is a coordinator and Cagalli is a natural.)
Lunamaria Hawke
A capable pilot in the army. Though she didn't show it openly, she admired Athrun a great deal. When Lunamaria appeared to be jealous over Athrun's actions with Meer, it became clear that she had a crush on him.
Throughout the way, the relation between Lunamaria and Athrun was not an exciting one. He did not show much concern for her beyond that for a fellow pilot. Eventually, after a series of events which include the presumed death of Athrun and her sister, Meyrin, Lunamaria found herself in Shinn's arms.
Eventually, when Lunamaria realized that both Athrun and her sister are both alive, and are both on the enemy's side, she started to hate Athrun, and blamed him for taking Meyrin away.
The truth is, I believe that if Athrun had actually shown Lunamaria a bit more concern, she might have actually fallen in love with him instead. It is shown that Athrun did notice, and did care for her, but yet not as much as he should have.
Meyrin Hawke
Lunamaria's younger sister. She had a deep crush on Athrun right from the start. When Athrun decided to defect from Zaft, she was willing to sacrifice everything for his sake. When Athrun was rescued from the brink of death, she never once left his side. It was obvious that she was in love with him the whole time.
Cagalli knew that Meyrin was able to give Athrun what she herself couldn't, so she asked Meyrin to take care of Athrun. Apparently, she gave up being with him.
It is strongly hinted that Athrun ended up with Meyrin, but no evidence to show that he returned her feelings.
Meer Campbell
Meer Campbell is to play the role of the real Lacus Clyne during her absence. In a way, she became the Plant's new icon. Meer also started out as another one of Athrun's admirers. Apparently, he was more famous than he thought. Although she's not the true Lacus, her fondness of Athrun was not pretended, and her antics seemed to trouble Athrun somewhat. In an ironic way, Athrun saw her as who she is, not as a replacement for Lacus.
When Athrun decided to defect, he knew very well that both himself and Meer were approaching the end of their usefulness. He offered Meer the chance to go with him, but she refused.
Later, Meer was led to arrange a secret meeting between her and Lacus. At the meeting place, Athrun pointed a gun at Meer. (Not a very cool act.) He knew very well that it was a trap meant to lure Lacus out. In the shootout that followed, Meer actually took a bullet for Lacus, which resulted in her death. Both Athrun and Lacus mourned for her. Her life, in a way, was a tragic one, having to live in someone's shadow, not her own. The man she loved did not return her feelings.
Lacus Clyne
In the first series, Lacus was Athrun's fiancee. Their marriage was arranged due to political reasons, though. While they were pretty close to each other, their relation does not appear to be romantic. All of Lacus' Haro bots were made by Athrun.
From the end of the first series to the end of the 2nd, Lacus and Kira were in love the whole time.
(Her official name appears to be Lacus, but it reads to me as "Lux". Oh well.)
So there you have it. 5 girls, all whose fates were intertwined with Athrun Zala, each one of them could have ended up with him. But of course, the anime was much focused on this war itself, and not much was even spent to describe the aftermath. The anime itself gave no hints on who Athrun ended up with, and even in the specials that were outside of the TV series itself, it has been hinted that Athrun returned to Orb as a commander, whereas the Hawke sisters returned to the Plant. It would have been an interesting outcome to see who Athrun ended up with.
I personally think it would be great if they made a game based on Athrun Zala, much like in the Sakura Wars style. The main character makes a series of choices throughout his journey, and ultimately deciding which girl he ends up with.
There should be options that decide his overall moral values and moral standing. As well as choices for him to be closer to Cagalli, Lunamaria, Meer, Meyrin, or Lacus. Also possible scenario changes, such as having Athrun defect with Lunamaria instead, or giving him the chance to save Meer from death, or even allowing him the chance to snatch back his old fiancee from his best buddy. *pure evilness*
So, anyway guys, I would have truly loved to see a game like that. What do you guys think?
Me? Personally I am partial towards Lunamaria, and I hope to see what a relation between Athrun and Lunamaria working out. Who would you guys prefer?
