Degwin Sodo Zabi
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Degwin_Zabi_(Gundam).jpg
Degwin Sodo Zabi is a fictional character in the anime Mobile Suit Gundam universe. He was the absolute dictator of the Principality of Zeon and came to power in UC 0068 after the suspicious death of Zeon (Zion/Jion) Daikun. Degwin was Zeon's chief of staff and claimed that on his deathbed, Zeon, with his dying words, declared Degwin his successor. Given this much, general consensus tends to automatically connect Degwin Zabi with the sudden death of Zeon Daikun. But nothing concrete has ever been uncovered. Degwin initiated a purge of Daikun loyalists and declared Side 3 colony the Principality of Zeon and himself as Archduke. He initiated a war with the Earth Federation and set his children up in high ranking positions. While initially fiercely promoting war with the Federation, Degwin is also consumed by the intrafamilial feuding between his ambitious children, most notably Giren and Kishiria. Also, Degin never recovers from the death of his youngest and most unspoiled son Garma. He falls into a depression and leaves most of the day to day operations to Giren, his eldest. As a result, Giren effectively becomes the self styled "fuhrer" of Zeon, leaving Degwin as little more than a figurehead.
Although Giren dismisses his father as a tired old man, Degwin does not hide his disgust for Giren's ruthlessness. Never having any respect for Giren's lofty ideals, Degwin once humiliated his son by stating that he would never be Zeon's idea of a Newtype but only a caricature of Adolf Hitler. And he anticipated that as with Hitler, Giren's own followers will eventually want to kill him.
Although Degwin gives Giren approval for the Solar Ray laser project, Degwin is genuinely tired of war and arranges for a meeting with General Revil to discuss peace negotiations. When the two sides' fleets arrive at the neutral area for discussion, Giren arranges for an "accidental" firing of the Solar Ray laser that incinerates Degwin and Revil's respective flagships and much of their accompanying fleets.
Notes: "Sodo" is not Degwin's middle name. In Japanese it is an honorific meaning "lord" or "leader". In English, it might translate as Degwin Lord Zabi. All of his children have the same, for example, Giren Sodo Zabi. Somethimes it is romanized as "Soto"ja:デギン・ソド・ザビ