Freedom

Model Number: RGM-196

The Freedom is a mobile suit produced as part of the long-running RGM series, originally used by the Earth Federation before its dissolution. Primarily designed for space operations, the Freedom is limited to two-dimensional movement when operating under normal gravity conditions.

Developed during the Federation's decline, the Freedom is emblematic of an era when mobile suit technology had regressed due to the devastation of previous wars and the constraints imposed by bureaucratic and constitutional hurdles. As a result, the Freedom's performance is significantly lower than that of more modern mobile suits seen in U.C. 0223, such as CONSENT's CCMS-03 Bugu. In response to the Freedom's shortcomings, the Congressional Armed Forces formed the Saviour team to develop a more advanced military mobile suit, which eventually led to the creation of the Bugu.

Despite being a decades-old mobile suit, the Freedom continued to be favored by veteran pilots who affectionately referred to it as "Old Dog" due to its ease of maintenance and high reliability. This stood in contrast to newer, more advanced suits like the Bugu, which, while offering superior performance, were more expensive and challenging to maintain.

The Freedom's basic design also allowed for significant flexibility in fine-tuning and customization. Skilled mobile suit mechanics could enhance its performance considerably by modifying the base machine. One notable example of this is the F-SAVIOUR, part of the Illuminati's Saviour line, which is essentially a Freedom with upgraded internal components developed by the Saviour team.

However, the units used by Side 8 (Gaea) were less capable, lacking the ability to utilize the Freedom's original beam weapons. These units were only compatible with older handheld weapons that used the MPC-1 and MPC-2 handplugs, limiting their effectiveness in modern combat scenarios.