Gundam Sets April 7 as Official "Gundam Day" Starting 2027, Announces Gundam-Con, New Video, and Unicorn Statue Finale

If you follow Gundam across anime, games, model kits, and live events, you’re about to juggle several dates and projects at once, because the franchise is laying out a structured “Road to 50” path toward its 50th anniversary in 2029, including a newly designated day of celebration, an in-person convention-style event, and a very concrete change in Tokyo: the life-size Unicorn Gundam display is scheduled to come down in 2026.

Key dates you should put on your calendar

To keep things clear (and so you don’t miss deadlines or travel windows), here are the headline milestones that were revealed for the coming years, with the most time-sensitive items first.

The Unicorn Gundam in Odaiba will be taken down in August 2026

The 1/1-scale RX-0 Unicorn Gundam statue on Tokyo’s artificial island of Odaiba is slated to be removed at the end of August 2026, and before that happens, the statue will receive updated “finale version” decals intended to mark its last stretch on display; if you’ve ever planned a trip and kept postponing it, this is your practical nudge to choose dates and commit, ya pues.

In my case, I remember walking through Odaiba on a tight schedule, checking the time between trains and taking quick photos while families and tourists rotated through the same spot, and that experience taught me something simple: if you want a calm visit, you should plan for off-peak hours and give yourself extra time for the surrounding complex.

• When: Removal planned for late August 2026
• What changes before then: Updated finale decals
• Why it matters: It’s a fixed deadline for anyone who wants to see the statue in person

April 7 becomes “Gundam Day” starting in 2027

Beginning in 2027, April 7 will be recognized as Gundam Day by Japan’s anniversary registry, matching the original broadcast date of the first Mobile Suit Gundam TV anime on April 7, 1979; if you run a fan club, a local screening group, or even a casual watch-along with friends, you can now plan recurring annual activities around a consistent date.

Gundam-Con lands in Japan in January 2027, with more regions planned later

A large fan event titled Gundam-Con is scheduled for January 9–11, 2027 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, and entry passes will be paid and distributed via a random drawing, while the on-site program is set to include booths, tournaments, merchandise, and music; after the Japan event, additional editions are planned for other regions worldwide, which is useful if you’re not traveling and prefer to wait for something closer to home in Latin America, boludo (said with cariño, but you get the idea).

• Where: Makuhari Messe (Chiba)
• When: January 9–11, 2027
• Access: Paid passes via lottery-style drawing
• What to expect: Booths, tournaments, merch, and music programming

Content and projects building toward the 50th anniversary

Beyond dates and venues, several franchise-wide initiatives were outlined, and while each one targets a different type of fan, they all point to the same objective: keeping Gundam active across generations as 2029 approaches.

New animated prologue video: “A Boy With Gundam”

A short animated prologue titled “A Boy With Gundam” was introduced as part of the 50th anniversary “Road to 50” efforts, directed by Tsukuro Hayakawa and focused on three generations of Gundam fans, with music from PEOPLE 1; the video includes English-subtitled lyrics that you can toggle on, which is a small but practical detail if you like to catch every line without pausing, and it’s also chévere if you’re sharing it with friends who don’t speak Japanese.

Remaster plans and a new facility concept in Japan

A remaster project is underway, beginning with the first TV series, and in parallel there is a larger initiative titled Gundam Landmark Project, described as a facility planned to be built in Japan for fans traveling from around the world; if you’re the type who plans trips around museums, pop-ups, and franchise exhibitions, you should keep a running folder with tentative dates and budgets, because these kinds of projects tend to roll out details in phases.

2029 museum exhibition tied to Yoshiyuki Tomino

Looking further ahead, the Tokyo National Museum is set to host an exhibition in 2029 centered on Gundam creator Yoshiyuki Tomino, adding a cultural-institution angle to the anniversary year; if you’ve ever visited a major museum exhibition while traveling, you already know the drill: timed tickets, long lines, and the need to plan around peak days.

Collaborations and what you can do next

Collaboration-wise, additional details were shared about a Hololive Productions partnership, including new visuals and expanded participation that will also involve several members of Hololive English; if you follow VTubers and Gundam in parallel, this is one of those overlaps that can affect merch availability and event programming, so it’s worth tracking closely if you collect.

To stay organized, you can take these next steps (simple, but effective):

• Pick one priority date you won’t miss: August 2026 (Unicorn finale) or January 2027 (Gundam-Con).
• Prepare for the Gundam-Con entry process by watching for updates about the pass drawing and fees, and set a reminder so you don’t miss the application window.
• Create a “Road to 50” watchlist that includes the original series (especially with the remaster plan in mind) and the new “A Boy With Gundam” prologue.

Are you planning to travel to Japan before the end of August 2026 to see the Unicorn Gundam in its finale version, or would you rather wait and aim for Gundam-Con in January 2027 for a more event-focused experience; and if a regional Gundam-Con is announced closer to you, will you attend in-person or follow it online?

If you want to keep pace, take action now: set your reminders, share the key dates with your group chat, and decide which single milestone you’ll commit to first, because that’s usually the difference between “I’ll go someday” and “I’m going, bacán.”