Published May 15, 2026, 8:01 AM EDT The Gundam 50th anniversary celebrations kick off with some major announcements Gundam now has an official holiday, and more anime are on the way Image: Sunrise Sign in to your Polygon.com account April 7 is now officially Gundam Day in Japan. Celebrating the day when the first episode of the original Mobile Suit Gundam anime aired in Japan, April 7 1979, this day is now officially recognized by the Japan Anniversary Association as Gundam Day. An historical moment for the franchise that keeps fascinating fans all over the world, and making a lot of money for its owner Bandai Namco . But that's not all. More exciting news was announced during a streamed event aired on the official Gundam channel on May 15 by Hiroshi Sakakibara, chief Gundam officer (yes, that's a real title) of Bandai Namco and president of Bandai Spirits, and by Naohiro Ogata, director of Bandai Namco Filmworks.…