Char Aznable’s Legendary Red Zaku II Inspires Gundam’s New Official Snack Collab
Image by James Richardson
Mobile Suit Gundam is putting Char Aznable’s legendary reputation as a pilot and his red Zaku II at the center of a new collaboration with a popular Japanese snack.
The “Choco Flakes × Mobile Suit Gundam Zaku-Zaku Sortie!! Campaign” teams the original Gundam anime with Nissin Cisco’s long-running chocolate-covered cornflake snack “Choco Flakes,” using the Japanese “zaku-zaku” expression for its crunchy texture as another playful connection to the Mobile Suit.
This isn’t Char’s first encounter with Japanese chocolate products, with the character and his red Zaku becoming the faces of Futaba Foods’ Dandy Chocolate ice cream in October 2025 for another collaboration built around the snack’s crunchy texture.
Gundam has also continued crossing into Japanese food and restaurant promotions, including an official McDonald’s Japan collaboration earlier this year that introduced a specially created Gundam Chicken Tatsuta Custom alongside a franchise-themed menu.
Zaku will appear on three Choco Flakes products as part of the new collaboration, with “Choco Flakes Milk”, “Choco Flakes Milk Plenty Pack” and “Crisp Choco” all set to receive three different Gundam-themed packages each, some of which also feature Char himself, creating nine designs across the complete collection.
The specially packaged snacks will also give fans the chance to enter a prize draw for several exclusive Gundam items created specifically for the campaign.
The standout prize is the “Triple Chocolate Char Custom Choco Flakes”, a five-bag set inspired by Char’s red Zaku II and its famous three-times-faster reputation.
The “three times faster” reference comes from an early scene in the original Mobile Suit Gundam, where the White Base crew spots Char’s red Zaku II approaching at around three times the speed of a standard Zaku and immediately recognizes the feared Zeon ace known as the “Red Comet”.
Nissin Cisco has taken that reference literally by coating the cornflakes with three times as much chocolate by weight as the regular Choco Flakes product.
Only 39 people will receive the Char-themed prize, with another 39 winners receiving the “Space Fortress Choco Flakes Cushion” based on Luna II.
The approximately 50cm-wide cushion turns the Earth Federation asteroid base into an oversized Choco Flakes-inspired collectible, playing on the similarity between Luna II’s rocky surface and the appearance of the snack.
A further 100 winners will receive a four-product Choco Flakes assortment.
For the new Gundam x Choco Flakes campaign, purchases of “Choco Flakes Milk”, “Choco Flakes Saku-Saku Crush Salt Milk”, “Crisp Choco” and “Crisp Choco Fragrant Caramel” provide one entry, while the larger packs of the two Choco Flakes varieties provide two entries each.
Receipts from purchases made between November 2, 2026 and February 14, 2027 will be eligible, with campaign entries opening on November 16 and remaining available until February 16.
The promotion and prize draw are limited to residents of Japan, with the main prizes expected to be sent to winners between mid and late March 2027.
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