Prediction Blog: Ideon VS Gunbuster (Space Runaway Ideon vs Aim for the Top!)
(Made by Strunt)
(Made by Kaiser)
(Made by Serge)
(Made by Mau)
“Two possibilities exist: Either we are alone in the universe or we are not, Both are equally terrifying”
-Arthur C. Clarke
Introduction
War. For as long as humans have been alive, and as many frontiers as we have discovered, war never quells, it only escalates. And these robots are the ultimate culmination of war on the final frontier: space. Ideon, the cosmic mech wheeled by a deity above us all, vs Gunbuster, humanity’s last line of defense against the alien invaders. Salvation vs Destruction, Human vs Alien, Tomino vs Anno. Who would win A DEATH BATTLE!
Before We Start….
For Ideon, we're gonna be using the original Space Runaway Ideon anime and the Be Invoked movie, in addition to the Official Ideon Guidebook (we could only find it in a hentai site, be warned of NSFW ads lmao).
For Gunbuster, we're gonna be using the original OVA, limited segments from Diebuster, the Science Lesson mini OVAs, the PS2 Gunbuster game and the Top Gunbuster Guidebook (hentai site again). Despite sounding out there, the PS2 game is an official product by Gainax that's described as filling the gaps between episodes in the official databook, so there should be no issue using it.
This blog contains heavy spoilers for both series (and also nipples sometimes). You have been warned.
Background
Pilots
Ideon
Cosmo Yuki (And the Earth colonists)
In the far future of 2300, humanity would discover the key to interstellar travel and begin the process of colonizing other planets. In an Earth-like planet located in the Andromeda Galaxy called Solo, human archeologists found three mysterious giant vehicles among the ruins of an extinct alien civilization (named the Sixth Civilization by Terrans), along with a giant spaceship. The colonists restored the vehicles, but couldn't make them move.
While the humans were still trying to make sense of the alien machines they discovered, an alien fleet from the race called the Buff Clan arrived at planet Solo. The aliens started attacking the colonists because of a misunderstanding, leading young Cosmo Yuki, son of an archeologist killed in the attack and wearer of the best afro in the galaxy, to hop into one of the machines for refuge along with some of his friends. On their own, the three machines started to transform and combine, forming a humanoid giant robot that promptly repelled the alien invaders. As found in the Sixth Civilization's written records, the giant machine was named Ideon.
After another wave of ships was sent and the colony cities of planet Solo were getting destroyed by the Buff Clan, the remaining colonists boarded the unearthed giant spaceship (now named Solo Ship) and fled, using the Ideon for protection. The human survivors became space runaways (huh, huh?), as they traveled from planet to planet, pursued by the Buff Clan who wanted the powerful Ideon for themselves as a weapon, along with the mysterious energy source that powers both of the Sixth Civilization's colossal machines, called the Ide.
This journey escalated into a full blown war between humanity and the Buff Clan, and during these horrible hardships, Cosmo and the crew of the Solo Ship would make discoveries about the true nature of the Ideon. By the end of the series the pilots controlling the Ideon are composed of: Cosmo, his rival Kasha Imhof, the young but dedicated Deck Afta, Bento Malus, and Buff Clan traitor Gije Zaral
Gunbuster
Noriko Takaya & Kazumi Amano
Born in 2006, Noriko Takaya’s life would hardly be described as uneventful. When she was just a little girl her father’s life would be taken in space by an alien race that seeks naught but the extermination of humanity. Traumatized by this event, Noriko would have a hard time in her early life. Alienated by the other girls at Okinawa High School for Girls, she would start to believe she had no future, but soon that would all change.
For its last line of defense, humanity begins a project known as the “Gunbuster project” in which giant robots would be piloted specifically by the best of the best to combat the space monsters threatening its very extinction. Despite performing sub-optimally in every testing round, Noriko would be selected to participate in the project alongside the skilled Kazumi Amano, spurred on by the best coach in the history of anime, Koichiro Oota. After great hardship and trauma resulting from losing many fellow crew members, Noriko, Kazumi, and the Gunbuster would not relent in their war against the space monsters, though the pilots would soon realize that in space time passes differently than it does on Earth.
As their coach rapidly ages and dies on earth, tension is brought upon the pilots as they realize they may not be able to see their loved ones disappear in what, to them, would be no longer than the blink of an eye. Regardless, as the space monsters approach, they confront them head-on, putting their all into their prolonged war. Further and further away in space, in humanity’s darkest hour, Noriko and Takaya would confront the threat to their very being, and finally eradicate it for good. They see their welcome return to Earth, and go home in peace, thousands upon thousands of years after their first departure.
The Ideon and the Ide
Height: 105 meters
Weight: 5,650 tons
Power source: Antimatter Engine and the Ide
Crew: 6 pilots (2 per vehicle)
The Ide is a cosmic deity that looks over the universe of Ideon. It is the entity that exists within the Ideon and pulls the strings of the warring factions in the story from the very beginning. The legend of the Ideon as described by the buff clan goes as follows:
Once upon a time there was a beautiful kingdom with a beautiful Princess. However one day that princess would be captured by a monster and the kingdom would quickly decay. One day a hero would step up to fight it and save the princess, but he was quickly overwhelmed by the monster’s tremendous power. At his darkest hour, a fruit from the heavens would appear to him, gifted by the Ide. When he ate the fruit, he was given overwhelming power and slayed the monster easily, saving the princess, the two would return to bring light to the fallen kingdom.
The Ide controls the fate of all those who battle with and against it. It wreaks havoc on both human and buff clan earth before the series begins, and wipes out the remains of both species by the end. It is shown on multiple instances to be amped in power when in the presence of great self-preserving will, especially that of infants, children, and importantly the unborn. Its goal by the end of the series is to reset intelligent life in the universe and it stops at nothing until it is successful. It took a massive beam channeling the power of a supernova hitting it TWICE to put the machine part down for good in Be Invoked. The Ide is a powerful cosmic force not to be trifled with, for if one does, its vengeance will be felt across the universe.
The Gunbuster
Height: 240 meters
Weight: 9,800 tons
Power source: 2x degeneracy generator
Crew: 2 pilots
The Gunbuster is an extremely powerful mecha created to succeed the RX-7 Machine Weapons in the war against the Space Monsters. It first appeared in the fourth episode of the anime when Noriko used its incomplete form to ward off enemies attacking the Excelion. It was then used in conjunction with Amano to protect Excelion again before it detonated and destroyed an enemy fleet, and of course it was pivotal in protecting the Buster Machine III in the final battle against the Space Monsters.
The robot is outfitted with 2 degeneracy generators, making its power output huge. It's also equipped with several (like, a LOT) of weapons to fight the Space Monsters.
Outside of combat, it was used to help its pilots escape from the Buster Machine 3 detonation and lead them back home.
The Gunbuster is the most powerful mecha created by mankind, and it carries both humanity's hope for survival and its pilots' fiery determination.
Experience and Skill
Ideon
The Ideon crew is half composed of children and half composed of military operators. Despite this, the younger pilots managed to garner a lot of combat experience in the time they piloted the robot. The main pilot of the Ideon, Cosmo Yuki, is competent in combat situations, and has displayed impressive accuracy.
Together, the Ideon pilots have defeated several experienced Buff Clan Commanders, and even got Gije to join them, one of their former enemies and respected Buff Clan official.
In addition, the Ide itself is an abstract intelligence with billions of years and accumulated consciousnesses that can take control of the robot if needed.
Gunbuster
The Gunbuster pilots are both prodigies trained by Coach Koichiro Ohta in the way of HARD WORK AND GUTS. Both Takaya and Amano are considered the best pilots in their series and graduated from the Okinawa High School for Girls as space pilots chosen to pilot the Gunbuster.
Noriko initially showed some clumsiness in her piloting, but Coach believed in her talent and was able to instigate her determination to become an exceptional Machine Weapon pilot. Kazumi was always considered the best, but all because she imposed harsher training on herself to surpass her limits.
Both Gunbuster pilots have experience with fighting other mechs for training, but mostly have fought the Space Monsters for years, defeating each different type of them in hard fought battles even in severe numerical disadvantages.
Due to relativity effects, neither display signs of aging, despite being at least pushing 50 by the end of the series, never having neglected their training and missions in this meantime.
Weapons, Skills & Abilities
Ideon
Ide Gauges and Ide Power levels
The Ide Gauge presents the current power level and energy flowing through the Ideon. It tends to go wild when the main characters are in danger, particularly when children are involved [14:33]. It can also take over the ship in certain situations [17:56], proving the Ideon has its own complex thought and sentience. The Ideon has caused meteors to rain down on warring planets [20:58], and can teleport people into and out of it at will [7:00]
Ideo Delta / Sol Amber
The Ideo Delta, also called the A Mecha, forms the head, shoulders and arms of the Ideon. In Ideo Delta mode it’s a spaceship and in Sol Amber mode it’s a tank. It's piloted by Cosmo Yuki and Deck Afta.
Ideo Nova / Sol Vainer
The Ideo Nova forms the chest of the Ideon. In Ideo Nova mode it’s a mobile fortress and in Sol Vainer mode it’s a truck. It's piloted by Moera Fatomu and Gije Zararu.
Ideo Buster / Sol Conver
The Ideo Buster forms the legs and groin of the Ideon. In Ideo Buster mode it’s a spaceship and in Sol Conver mode it’s a truck. It's piloted by Kasha Imhof and Tekuno Gyabari.
Don't believe his lies
Thrusters
The Ideon possesses Ide-powered thrusters on its feet that make it able to fly.
Ide Barrier
Cosmo can activate an AT field a barrier around the Ideon that prevents meteors, enemy ships, and enemy projectiles that can even be extended to other ships [16:12], it has vulnerabilities and can be broken, though [17:14]
Glen Cannons
Energy beam turrets installed on the Ideon by the humans. There are several throughout its body. They have to be aimed and fired manually.
Missile Pods
Several missile launcher pods are installed throughout the Ideon's body. They are fired manually and have homing capabilities. There are 549 in total.
Mini-Black Hole
When in a tight spot, the Ideon can activate a “mini-black hole” in its torso that can detect and absorb fast-moving explosive projectiles [20:26]. It’s one of the most powerful attacks the Ideon has accessible to it early on.
All-Directional Missile Attack
When backed into a corner, Cosmo can access the Ideon’s All-Directional Missile attack, launching Ide-powered missiles from every limb and torso of its body to protect from multiple enemy forces at the same time [07:08].
Ideon Sword
In its darkest hour, the Ideon can use its infinite energy to summon the Ideon Sword, which, despite its name, operates more like two powerful light beams [17:41] from its hands that can slice through practically anything. Likely the most powerful weapon in the Ideon’s arsenal.
Wave Leader Cannon
One of the most powerful parts of Ideon's arsenal, the Wave Leader Cannon (also referred to as the Ideon Gun) is a giant cannon connected to the robot's power core that fires a massive energy blast capable of wiping out powerful Buff Clan fleets in an instant using only a small amount of energy [17:09].
Gunbuster
Degeneracy Generator
The Degeneracy Generator is the main power source for the Gunbuster. It utilizes the principles of black holes to provide near limitless power for the machine and all of its components, and is a key factor in warp technology, making it possible for the Gunbuster to achieve FTL travel in subspace.
Buster Machine 1
Piloted by Noriko Takaya, the BM1 makes up half of the Gunbuster
Buster Machine 2
Piloted by Kazumi Amuno, the BM2 makes up the other half of the Gunbuster
Thrusters
These thrusters enable the Gunbuster to fly and traverse in space
Super Inazuma Kick
The Gunbuster’s signature move: The Inazuma kick allows the gunbuster to focus all of its energy into one foot and ram enemies downwards [22:41], causing absolutely devastating destruction.
Buster Beam
The Gunbuster fires a beam from its eyes [19:40] of negative one hundred million degrees that absolutely decimates space monsters.
Buster Missile
The machine fires a barrage of missiles from its fingertips, dealing out devastating damage in droves and multiple directions [23:43]. It’s stated to extinguish matter with photon torpedoes within a certain range.
Buster Missile Mite
The Gunbuster fires missiles with 40 megatons of destruction on each arm [2:20].
Buster Shield
The Gunbuster wraps itself in a cape that deflects incoming beams [24:08].
Buster Collider
The Buster Collider is an array of rods on the legs and arms of the Gunbuster that fires billions of volts and amplifies them to the point where its target would be overwhelmed by the electricity being surged into it [24:57].
Buster Tomahawk
A tomahawk that the Gunbuster can use to slice enemies and enemy vehicles in two.
Buster Wing
The Gunbuster transforms to a form more suited to break through hard surfaces [18:12] when it needs to.
Buster Bat/Buster Home Run
A giant baseball bat, no seriously. The Gunbuster makes an energy ball and uses the bat to slam it into enemies, or can just slam into the enemy with the bat on its own
Buster Lasso/Buster Cowboy
The Gunbuster can construct an energy lasso to pull towards and steer enemies, it’s awesome.
Chain Knuckle
The Gunbuster fires electric projectiles from its belt that shoot 100 million volts of electric shock [2:15].
Homing Laser
The Gunbuster fires several beams from its hands that hone in on several enemies from long distances [23:23].
Feats
Ideon
Fought its way through all the Buff Clan war machines sent to destroy it
Defended the Earth colonists from the War
Guided the solo ship to and from Earth
Caused the destruction of many worlds and civilizations throughout the aeons
Helped wipe out humanity and the Buff Clan from the universe, later making them be reborn
Has its soundtrack composed by the Dragon Quest guy
Is OP in Super Robot Wars Alpha 3
Earned Yoshiyuki Tomino his fame as "Kill 'Em All Tomino"
Power
Could effortlessly destroy Buff Clan small ships with a single punch upon its first activation [21:41]
Could lift a huge ship and stop it from crashing into the Solo Ship [20:30]
The Mini-Black Hole can absorb the explosions of a dozen Buff Clan sub-light missiles [20:20]
A single sub-light missile can create an explosion visible from space [18:43] - (At least 259 teratons of TNT)
The Wave Leader Cannon can cause massive destruction on Saturn's rings at only 75% power [20:06] - (11.95 zettatons of TNT)
Wave Leader Cannon fires and devastates a large portion of the surface of jupiter
The Ideon sword can cut a planet in half - (1 ronnaton of TNT)
Speed
A small fleet of Buff Clan ships could fly from behind planet Solo's moon to the surface in a short timeframe without the DS drive [6:50] - (Mach 1247 to 0.04c)
Can achieve escape velocity from a planet with an atmosphere very similar to Earth with its flight [13:22] - (Mach 32)
The Ideon sword could cut through a planet in a short timeframe - (Mach 6198 to 0.01c)
Can dodge beams from the Zigg Mack's particle cannon [17:27] - (0.17 to 0.85c)
They're stated to be particle cannons in the Space Runaway Ideon guidebook. Particle beam weaponry in theory works by using particle accelerators to fire charged particle beams close to the speed of light. Other Buff Clan spacecraft have also been stated to be equipped with particle cannons [11:30], making this consistent.
Can react to sub-light missiles fast enough to intercept them with the Mini-Black Hole [20:20]
Can tag enemies and the Solo Ship while in subspace [17:52] - (Debatable, check before verdict)
Durability
Completely unfazed by conventional future weaponry, such as Buff Clan missiles [19:12]
Tanked a point blank nuclear bomb that made an explosion visible from space [17:37] - (304 gigatons of TNT)
Gunbuster
Defeated hundreds of billions of Space Monsters
Was pivotal in defending the Buster Machine 3 in the Galaxy Core Attack Fleet operation
Detonated the Buster Machine 3 core to wipe out the Space Monsters for good
Guided its pilots home
Revolutionized jiggle physics in anime
Influenced Gurren Lagann
Put Hideaki Anno on the map as a director
Is OP in Super Robot Wars Alpha 3
Power
Halted the momentum of a Dual Flank Space Monster trying to crush it at relativistic speeds, and later destroyed it [24:28] - (533 exatons of TNT)
Blasted away an absurd number of Space Monsters with the Buster Beam [23:05]
Can kill over a million space monsters with a single firing of the Homing Laser
Vastly superior to the Sizzlers, which have reactor outputs of 10^26 joules per second - ( 23.9 petatons of TNT)
At least comparable in power to the Excelions via having two degeneracy generators
A small Excelion fleet can mass scatter a gas giant with a volley of laser beams [14:35] - (1.2 quettatons of TNT per ship)
Buster Machine 3's hull withstood 11 waves of space monsters ramming on it, while its forcefield withstood 3 [13:43], making its durability superior. The BM III forcefield had a stated power output of 2e58 GeV, or 2 × 1.6e48 joules (16 kiloFOE)
Speed
Can react to and dodge Cruiser Class Space Monsters while incomplete [20:33]
Should be comparable in speed to the Excelion
The Excelion can move at billions of kilometers per hour [3:47] (0.92c)
Stated to have peak combat speed of 99.9% the speed of light
Durability
Could withstand getting rammed by a Cruiser Class Space Monster at relativistic speeds [21:04]
The Buster Shield could tank and reflect hundreds of thousands of Space Monster plasma beams [24:08]
In Diebuster, a Cruiser Class Space Monster can shoot a plasma beam through Titan and launch debris at great speeds extremely casually [20:45] - (92 zettatons of TNT)
Tanked the detonation of one of its Degeneracy Generators from a distance [23:54]
Its power output could likely be compared to the Excelion's degeneracy generator detonation, which created a black hole that destroyed everything in a radius of 80 Astronomical Units [25:29]
Since they're the strongest and breed other Space Monsters, they should at least scale to the fact that Space Monsters hatching can cause stars to explode. [20:53] This is called a theory, but is later confirmed in the next episode [0:16]
The average power of a supernova is 1 FOE.
Weaknesses
Ideon
Ideon is extremely vulnerable to electricity [18:16]. Even electric currents from relatively weak machines can be conducted throughout its body and directly harm the pilots, making it hard for them to operate the robot to attack or even move [15:20].
The crew cannot weaponize the Ide's more esoteric abilities like teleportation or summoning meteors, and it's unlikely they would be used against an unspecified opponent the Ide has no previous qualms with.
The Ideon has relatively limited options for melee combat, relying on its brute strength up close more than anything.
Half the pilots are inexperienced children prone to making mistakes under pressure.
Of course, the Ideon's armor and barrier can be destroyed by a sufficiently powerful attack, like when the Gando Rowa shot it point blank.
Gunbuster
While the completed Gunbuster doesn't really have any notable flaws or weaknesses, it can be damaged and destroyed by sufficiently powerful attacks.
Before the Verdicts
Did the Ideon wipe out the universe??? What was that ending???
You knew this one was coming. The idea that Ideon exploded and destroyed the universe is an urban legend propagated since the early internet, and it's important that we take some time to debunk it.
In the original Ideon TV anime ending [20:25], the Ide was invoked and wiped out the surrounding humans and Buff Clan. Everyone in the cast dies and is reborn, with the messiah guiding the spirits of the dead to a new life. Very few moments later, you can see primitive hominids from other planets still alive and well in a brief 2001 reference. The trigger for the Ide being invoked is explicitly Karala's child being born and has nothing to do with the robot, instead being a reaction from Ide to the peace offer being rejected and its increasing frustration with the war. In short, the original TV anime does not support the idea that the Ideon destroyed the universe.
In Be Invoked, the Ideon is destroyed by the Gando Rowa, and cuts the enemy ship in half with the Ideon Swords. This causes both of their antimatter engines to explode, while the Ide is invoked because of the escalation of the war and both sides neglecting peace. Again, Karala's child plays an important part, as they're among the final straws for the Ide giving up on humanity and the Buff Clan before deciding they can't be allowed to live anymore. Both remaining sides are wiped out and their spirits are spread to the stars for a new life. You can still see planets, stars and galaxies intact in the ending, meaning the explosion only destroyed the surrounding planets at best. As you can see, this is an extremely complicated chain of events that should be impossible to replicate in a neutral versus scenario, as it requires narrative setup, a specific character dying and two machines being destroyed. In short, Be Invoked does not support the idea that the Ideon destroyed the universe either.
But where does this rumor come from?
Never change Tomino
There are some possible answers to that question.
In Super Robot Wars Alpha 3, when you let the Ideon be destroyed, the entire map is wiped out and you go game over. Some people interpret that as it destroying the universe for some reason, despite a galaxy clearly being shown intact. Not good evidence and ofc a non-canon crossover game.
In the manga Mobile Suit vs Giant God of Legend: Gigantis' Counterattack, the characters from ZZ Gundam discover an ancient Mobile Suit identical to the Ideon named Gigantis, and, some developments later, discover that their universe was born from the original Ideon universe being destroyed. Judau,the protagonist of ZZ Gundam, is the reincarnation of Cosmo. Gigantis seeks to destroy and remake the universe again, but is stopped by Char, Amuro and Judau. This is a manga by Yuuichi Hasegawa (author of Crossbone Gundam) published in a Gundam magazine, but it was not supervised or approved by Yoshiyuki Tomino, and of course contradicts events in the Gundam Universal Century timeline. It's extremely hard to consider it good support for Ideon being universal level, and should just be taken as a fun crossover.
In conclusion, nothing in the Ideon canon supports its destruction causing the end of the universe.
MFTL+ and subspace mechanics
In Gunbuster, warp travel is achieved through a phenomenon called the Tannhauser Gate. This happens when a Degeneracy Generator causes a singularity to become a naked one, opening a gate to subspace and making it possible for ordinary substances to surpass the speed of light. It's used multiple times in the series for interstellar travel, and causes relativistic side effects. It cannot be used during combat, and no one should scale to it in reactions.
In Ideon, warp travel is achieved through something called the DS drive [3:00]. It makes it possible for ships to achieve the speed of light and warp to another dimension linked to out space time, where the distance between two given points can be calculated and crossed. The Ideon does not have a DS drive, and it depends on the Solo Ship to achieve warp velocity. The maximum speed cap for subspace is established to be the speed of light [3:27]. Although it's arguable, it's hard to justify the Ideon fighting inside subspace as a speed feat, as it matching the speed of the Solo Ship without a DS Drive makes no sense. Regardless, the maximum speed inside the warp is capped at the speed of light making Ideon's most generous speed scaling 0.01% faster than the Gunbuster.
In conclusion, there's very little to support either robot scaling in reactions to their series' warp travel mechanics.
Would destroying Ideon "kill" the Ide? If not, can the Ideon even lose?
Destroying the Ideon would of course not destroy the Ide, as it's a cosmic deity and we clearly see it still working after the Ideon is destroyed in the anime, but it would kill the pilots and destroy the robots, so we're counting that as a loss.
Verdict
Stats
Both robots scale to impressive feats of cosmic destruction, reaching planetary to even stellar levels of power. Let's recap and briefly go over each one's scaling and feats.
Ideon should at least scale to dwarf star levels of power with its Ideon Sword feat, reaching 1 ronnaton of TNT by cutting a planet in half. In durability, the Ideon can reach large star level via tanking one shot from the Gando Rowa, which is powered by a supernova. The Ideon Swords also go through the Gando Rowa and cut it in half, making large star scaling consistent in both power and durability. It is worth noting that star level serves as a good cap for the Ideon’s durability as well, considering that a subsequent hit from the Gando Rowa did take it out for good.
For speed, the Ideon pretty consistently reacts to particle beams, making it reach the upper levels of relativistic speeds at 0.85c. It has debatable scaling to subspace, making the speed of light the cap for its speed.
Gunbuster's scaling is slightly more complicated and definitely came out different from what it's usually listed as in versus sites. For starters, the Gunbuster has casual planetary scaling from normal, fodder Space Monsters. The Self Destruct type Space Monsters can individually reach dwarf star levels of power from this calculation, taking into account the individual power each one had to destroy the Buster Machine III's hypernova shield in 3 waves. The thing is, the Gunbuster itself could ram through the hull of the Buster Machine III, which was demonstrably more durable than the energy shield, making it very possible to scale to it in power. As support, in the PS2 game we can see Gunbuster defending against an attack from a Mothership Class Space Monster targeted at the Buster Machine III, with reactions from the characters indicating it would likely do serious damage to it. The Gunbuster could also later cut it in half with the buster beam. The Mothership Class Space Monsters are stated to be the strongest creatures in the universe at the time of the original Gunbuster series, and should likely scale above the consistent statements about Space Monsters causing stars to go supernova after using them as hatching grounds, meaning 1 FOE. The Gunbuster should also scale to the Excelion ships, as it can defeat Space Monsters that cause serious damage to it and has 2 degeneracy generators instead of 1. Excelions can cause dwarf star level destruction with their beams normally, and in one instance an Excelion was not completely and instantly destroyed by its own black hole detonation, slowly being dragged inside the event horizon of its own black hole that destroyed 80 AUs. This is important, as the Gunbuster could also withstand its own black hole detonation in the final episode.
For speed, Gunbuster has extremely consistent relativistic scaling to Space Monsters and the Excelion, and a very blatant guidebook statement about it reaching 99.9% the speed of light in combat.
In short, Gunbuster consistently outstats Ideon in attack power and durability, and is able to match, if not surpass it in speed. Let's recap both of their stats:
Ideon
Power: At best 1 FOE
Speed: 0.85c, at best 1c
Gunbuster
Power: At least 1 FOE, at best 16000 FOE
Speed: 0.99c
Arsenal
Gunbuster has a big advantage here. In addition to having way more weapons than the Ideon, the Gunbuster also exceeds in quality and ease of use.
Ideon's best weapons are the Ideon Swords and the Ideon Gun, but both require setup to activate. The Ideon Gun needs to be connected to the engine, and the Ideon Swords won't come out unless in dire situations. In comparison, all the Gunbuster needs to fire the buster beam or the Homing Laser is for Noriko to scream the attack name and strike a pose.
In terms of lethality, Gunbuster's arsenal is far more dangerous to its opponent. The Buster Beam is stated to be minus 100 million degrees. In real life this temperature is impossible and should actually generate infinite heat. It's easier to interpret this as extremely cold, and infer a similar effect to absolute zero, which negates durability by messing with your atomic structure. The Buster Missiles meanwhile just "extinguish matter". You can see the targeted areas just vanishing. Both weapons would cause absurd damage to the Ideon by landing once, and it has no counter to them.
The Gunbuster also has the Chain Knuckle and the Buster Collider, which conduct millions and billions of volts of electricity, being able to exploit Ideon's weakness to electricity. Since the pilots take severe damage from weak Buff Clan ships using electricity against the Ideon, it's fair to assume electric attacks from a machine far stronger like the Gunbuster would just kill them very fast.
In terms of melee weapons, the Ideon has nothing besides the Ideon Swords, meanwhile the Gunbuster has the Buster Home Run and the Buster Tomahawks, in addition to pilots with more experience in melee and martial arts.
The Ide is able to perform some esoteric special abilities like teleportation and summoning meteors, but those aren't really ever used in combat, especially when the Ideon needed it. Plus the Ide has no qualms with Gunbuster's humanity and the pilots.
Experience and skill
Gunbuster's 2 pilot system is more optimal for combat as they're perfectly synchronized and are more experienced and better trained. Ideon's pilots are mostly young and sometimes butt heads about what to do, leading them to make mistakes under pressure, something Noriko and Kazumi are way less likely to do with their experience, training, and synchronicity. Gije is a combat veteran, but the fact he has to coordinate with 5 other, far less experienced pilots makes it harder for him to take control.
Summary
Ideon
"The Ide appears by the power of the righteous"
Advantages:
Infinite power source
Tomino
Disadvantages:
Weaker and less durable
Slightly slower
Much greater number of pilots lead to worse coordination
Said pilots are untrained children who often make mistakes under pressure
Far inferior in hand to hand combat
The Ide is unlikely to use its more esoteric abilities that the pilots cannot easily access on their since it has no qualms with the Gunbuster
Extremely vulnerable to Gunbuster’s wide variety of electric attacks
Gunbuster
Advantages:
Stronger and more durable
Likely faster, though not by a wide margin
Many of its constructs and weapons use electricity, and highly intense amounts at that, something Ideon is blatantly weak to
Pilots are vastly more experienced and there are fewer of them
Much better at hand to hand combat
Wider variety of weapons
Buster Beam and Buster Missiles bypass Ideon’s durability
Gainax
Conclusion
The Ideon is a mecha powerhouse and can definitely put up a good fight against the Gunbuster, but unfortunately when looking at the numbers, it just doesn’t stack up.
The Gunbuster has the weapons, the power and the pilots necessary to put the legendary giant god down for good.
The winner is the Gunbuster.
Final Tally
Team Ideon (1): Lou
Team Gunbuster (4): Kaiser, Strunton, Serge, Mau
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