In a surprising twist, Yoshiyuki Tomino, the visionary behind the iconic Mobile Suit Gundam franchise, has declared that humans may never truly inhabit space—a statement that challenges the fundamental premise of his own creations.
During a recent panel at Spacetide 2025, a notable commercial space conference held in Tokyo, Tomino expressed his skepticism regarding the long-held dream of space colonization. He was joined by Yoshifumi Inatani, a prominent professor from JAXA, to engage in a thought-provoking discussion surrounding the future of space travel.
Reports from The Sankei Shimbun, with translations by Automaton, highlight Tomino’s candid remarks, wherein he conveyed profound doubt about the chances of humanity ever living in extraterrestrial environments.
Tomino Critiques Space Colonization Plans
“Humans will never be able to live in space, ” Tomino asserted, directly targeting ambitious plans for Mars colonization. He criticized the lack of realistic frameworks and thorough planning that underpin these popular notions.
Tomino further pointed out, “All the simpletons saying ‘Let’s immigrate to Mars’ have no idea how cruel outer space actually is… What are you gonna do about fuel when the time comes to return [to Earth]?” His comments reflect a key concern regarding the feasibility of sustaining human life away from our planet.
He added, “All of the people who say, ‘Let’s send humans to Mars’ without considering the fact that there are no supply bases there are a bunch of amateurs.” This highlights his belief that many advocates of Mars exploration overlook critical logistical and survival challenges.
Although the Gundam universe is famed for envisioning a future where humanity thrives in vast space colonies, Tomino revealed that he never fully embraced the practicality of such scenarios. Despite over two decades of pondering the concept, he concluded that living in space may remain elusive.
Reflecting on his journey with the franchise, Tomino remarked, “I never had a chance to openly say this when I was working on Gundam. But even after 20 years of thinking about it, I couldn’t find a way for people to actually live in space.”
Instead of pursuing the distant dream of deep-space colonization, Tomino advocates focusing on achievable objectives, such as promoting low Earth orbit travel, particularly for leaders, academics, and the younger generation.
In a lighthearted note, Tomino added, “Who even needs to colonize Mars when you can stay here on Earth and get your hands on your very own KFC Gundam anime bucket?”
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