Aina Saharin
Aina Saharin is the main heroine of the anime series Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team. Born into the prestigious Saharin family of the Principality of Zeon, she warmly supports her older brother Ginias Saharin, a military technical officer. Although not an officially enlisted soldier, she holds an officer-equivalent status and serves primarily as a test pilot for experimental weaponry. After a chance encounter with Earth Federation pilot Shiro Amada, she falls in love with him, ultimately seeking her own path away from the conflict.
Overview
Aina Saharin is the main heroine of the anime series Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team. Born into the prestigious Saharin family of the Principality of Zeon, she warmly supports her older brother Ginias Saharin, a military technical officer. Although not an officially enlisted soldier, she holds an officer-equivalent status and serves primarily as a test pilot for experimental weaponry. After a chance encounter with Earth Federation pilot Shiro Amada, she falls in love with him, ultimately seeking her own path away from the conflict.
Appearance
Aina has light green hair and light green eyes. During combat operations, she wears a specialized normal suit complete with her own custom helmet. She also carries a pocket watch tucked against her chest.
Personality
Aina possesses a gentle, compassionate demeanor, treating others with kindness regardless of their background. Though devoted to her family and willing to endure dangerous assignments for her brother's ambitions, she exhibits remarkable strength of character during emergencies. As she questions the conflict and her brother's driven nature, she develops the resolve to act on her own conscience rather than remaining a mere puppet.
Abilities
Despite not being a formal military pilot, Aina demonstrates impressive piloting skills. She serves as the test pilot for the MS-06RD-4 High Mobility Test Type Zaku as well as the Apsalus mobile armor series (Types I through III). Even when maneuvering unarmed prototype units, she effectively utilizes features like Minovsky Craft systems to evade enemy attacks through sharp judgment and resourcefulness.
Background
While aiding her brother's weapon development to restore their family's standing, Aina engaged in a space skirmish with Federation pilot Shiro Amada. Both of their units were destroyed, forcing them to cooperate inside a damaged Magellan-class warship to survive. This shared ordeal sparked mutual affection between them. They later reunited during a snowy mountain incident, reaffirming their romantic bond. Horrified by her brother's increasingly ruthless methods, she broke ties with him. Following the destruction of the Apsalus III, she was listed as missing in action, but ultimately survived to live a quiet life in a remote mountain cabin alongside Shiro.
Relationships
Ginias Saharin is her elder brother; though she initially serves him faithfully as a test pilot, his descending madness and cruel actions eventually lead her to cut ties with him. Norris Packard is a loyal retainer to the Saharin family whom Aina respects and relies upon like a father figure. Shiro Amada is an enemy Federation officer who becomes her lover after multiple encounters; after the war, they live together in seclusion while she expects their child.
Trivia
In a spin-off four-panel gag manga based on the SD Gundam franchise, she made an unusual appearance wearing a suit modeled directly after the Apsalus.
