The Paradoxical Future Depicted by Gundam
The evolution of war and technological development has often followed parallel trajectories. From the era of samurai wielding swords and bows, to machine guns and weapons of mass destruction. From one-on-one close combat to one-versus-many long-range warfare. Modern war has been dominated by the logic of remote control and overwhelming firepower.
Against this trend, the anime Mobile Suit Gundam presented a provocative reversal. In a future dominated by high-speed, long-distance battles, it imagined a world where individual skill and close-range duels once again determined the outcome of war. Encased in machines of armor, samurai reappeared on the battlefield. Gundam envisioned a future where war regressed to a more personal, primitive form.
The Return of “Direct Combat” in Cyberspace
This structure is now reemerging in the real world. For decades, software scalability and information dominance ruled warfare and industry. But today, nations are shifting their strategies—targeting the physical layers. Network decoupling, hardware embargoes, infrastructure sabotage. Some states now attack the foundations that cloud computing and AI rely on.
By making software unusable, they strike at the bottom: electricity, semiconductors, supply chains. This pushes us back toward physical “direct combat.” To gain strategic advantage, players now optimize OS, middleware, and programming languages for hardware—maximizing computational efficiency and security. A new arms race is underway in cyberspace: the race to forge the blade and shield of digital sovereignty.
Even in AI Warfare, We Need the Forgotten Samurai
AI development follows the same logic. While attention focuses on clouds, APIs, and LLMs, true strength lies in hardware-software integration. Distributed systems, cooling solutions, energy optimization, secure physical design. Those who understand and master the lower layers are the modern samurai—resilient, grounded, and decisive.
Yet this mode of battle is not passed down to the “Silicon Valley generation.” Engineering education prioritizes app interfaces and abstraction, but neglects core OS skills or low-level circuit design. Investment pours into user experience, while the foundations are forgotten.
But in the real world, only those who can descend to the physical layer can confront the essence of AI warfare or cyber conflict.
The age of the samurai is not over.
It is being reborn—beneath the software, deep in the substrate of our digital world.