If char had the gouf during the first encounter, and went down with the other zaku pilots, he would've easily destroyed the gundam. Amuro at this point has no experience, and would struggle uniquely against the gouf.
I think the gouf is alot more powerful at combat than the zaku. The zaku ii really can't do much close range besides kick. It has the heat hawk, but the heathawk sucks. The gouf has finger cannons, heat whip, and a sword, giving it three seperate ways to fight the gundam at close range.
The only thing countering this theory is 0079 ramba ral loses, but thats against a much more experienced amuro.

In conclusion the red zaku ii, was a terrible machine, and only used by char, because there was nothing better for space combat at the time. If he even had a high mobility modification he might've won their first fight. Char would be better focusing on close range with an ace suit, like the gouf. With no gundam, gqux happens as usual, but without gqux, gelgoog, or gfred. Easy zeon victory.

Lalah should have realized she didn't have to give char a better suit, she had to give herself a better suit so she could protect him and support him better

>>23360618 (OP)
“Gouf, launching!”
>Wait char, that’s a ground type mobile suit!
“NANI?!” WUAAAGAH *Spirals out of control and crashes into side 7*

>>23360661
The gouf still has thrusters, and can make it to side 7. It just can't do space combat, because it doesnt have long range equipment.

>>23360661
there are space type gouf just as space and ground type zaku

>>23360665
Yeah but like the dom it had to have gone through some modifications to do so, and there haven’t been any confirmed uses of the gouf in space at all either the only variant being the RF type.
>>23360666
Nice try satan but it doesn’t exist

>>23360672
All goufs have back thrusters. Zakus aren't heading max speed towards colonies, but instead slowly creeping in. The gouf could easily go the mile or two to the colony on these small thrusters alone (especially in frictionless zero gravity.)

>>23360677
Even if they did they would’ve been somewhat helpless in space without hefty modifications and reconfiguration, take the GPO1 for instance. This is a high capability mobile suit however it was specifically made as a test type for ground operations. Sure kou wasn’t the best pilot around but it wasn’t his fault either that it struggled in space. If the gouf was accepted over the dom perhaps a space type variant would’ve been made but it just simply didn’t

>>23360689
In this scenario, char isn't fighting in space. He just needs to be able to get to side 7 and back. If he can defeat the gundam, and the other 2 zakus can defeat the guncannon, the mission is over.

The fight is happening on site 7, on the ground, near the gundam.

>>23360695
Oh I see, then he just wins

No matter the outcome, Gundam is still queer.

>>23360618 (OP)
How would he get the Gouf in space.

>>23360665
Gouf doesn't have the programming and systems for space mobility, nevermind critical equipment like magnets in the feet or radiation shielding. It is not space-usable without a big rework. Char would have better chances flying to the colony in just his pilot suit.

>>23360737
Theres tons of ways to get around this issue, including giving the gouf a shuttle, or just tying a rope to the other zakus, and having the gouf led on a leash.

The zakus in episode 1 don't even look like space types

In addition, this is in a universe where the gouf was more developed and might even be zeons main suit, so any arguements about the gouf not being able to travel a mile or two in space are silly.

>>23360741
>Theres tons of ways to get around this issue
Now you just need to get around the issue of getting laid.

>not mechanically improvising a Gouf-Zaku hybrid so it can work in space
>not also painting the Gouf in Zaku colors to confuse the enemy
>not also arming the Gouf with only Zaku weapons to further confuse the enemy and complete the deception

>"Sir, the mechanics have completed the task of making your Gouf space-worthy!"
>"What? No, we're not joking with you."
>"What do you mean the serial number is Denim's? You must be mistaken"
>"No, your Gouf is not behind that giant tarp in the corner, why would you even think that?"

Why didn't lalah just give him a char's custom nuclear bomb and blow up the colony?

he should've got a custom red dom that magically manifests two more doms whenever he enters combat
three doms do the jobs three times faster than one

>>23360695
You're forgetting they needed the element of surprise to get into Side 7 and capture the Gundam in time. With a fuckass shuttle carrying the Gouf, Zeon gets spotted sooner and the White Base either gets away before Char's team arrives, or Amuro winds up in the Gundam anyway, kills Zakus as per usual, and then has the Char encounter on the ground instead of in space - but almost nothing else changes.

>>23360665
Is it even properly sealed for space?
>Shaaa launches
>suffocates because he doesn't wear a helmet and his suit isn't sealed

>>23361371
What exactly is stopping zeon from swapping the space type zaku legs, and the goufs legs? The two machines are based on a similar framework.

The idea lalah would create the goufverse, and forget to give char a way to get to the colony is absurd.

>>23361425
literally fucking nothing, it's a nothingburger of an excuse

>>23361425
Goufs are no zaku.

>>23360665
Go watch IGLOO

>>23360618 (OP)
Lalah got it right the last time around.
What she needed to do was to find a way for Amuro to not become a pilot, since in all the others (including the "Prime" one) it is assumed that it's him who eventually defeats and kills Char.

>>23361425
>>23361432
>>23360890

>>23360618 (OP)
But have you considered that in this instance Char might have died in place of Ramba because he found out that Artesia is in the White Base while it is still on Earth? I fully expect that Char would be set up to die in the Zudah in another scenario since the Zabis found out that he is Casval much earlier

>>23363019
I mean, Zeon was actively trying to get Ramba Ral killed without making it look like he was assassinated as part of their purge of Deikun loyalists. Easy to imagine Char with him if they find out earlier

>>23361425
And this is why "adapting the United Maintenance Plan BEFORE starting the war" would have made a better point of divergence.

>>23363380
before the war started they don't have different incompatible MS models to fuck up all the logistics, at best it's just 3 different flavors of zaku and they ALREADY share at least 50% parts

>>23360618 (OP)
Gouf is better optimised for (ground) combat because it doesn't need all that extra shit that Zaku II needs for space combat. Therefore, Char in a Gouf will only fight Amuro on Earth, by which point Amuro is probably capable enough to do some asskicking with the vastly superior Gundam

>>23363681
Thats missing the point. If char expects to fight on colonies, the gouf is a stronger choice. From what i remember a pilot can survive in a pilot suit for a long time (leaving char time to get to site 7), as well as being water proof (which would indicate its sealed on the inside, allowing it to go into space without air leaks.)

Even if we say the gouf doesnt work in space, we can still just let char take a shuttle to side 7. He could even send the MS seperately.

An early 3x gouf, pretty much always beats the rx-78-2 with no combat experience.

Of the 6 MS we know lalah rebooted, the gouf and the zudah are the only ones early enough to battle amuro at this stage.

>earth encounter
If we swap ramba ral and char, i think char comes out on top. The gouf nearly beat the gundam, and its really only ral holding back and seppukuing that were the reasons he lost.

Char is devoid of sympathy for anyone but lalah and sayla.

Theres also the possibility that his gouf is 3 times as strong, but i doubt that. The gouf is already an ace MS, which means its optimized for combat. Of couse if it is 3x as strong, easy char sweep.

>>23363711
I think this all just demonstrates that this "canon event" type writing is fucking stupid and it's obvious that char could've killed amuro if he was allowed to pick and choose to prepare an attack on him by an outside character that knew what was going to happen.

>>23363717
Yeah but Char's ego would get in the way I feel

>>23363717
People worrying about how char can't travel to side 7, ignores the point that this is an anime and they would figure it out. If the zaku i is space worthy, they can find a way to make the gouf spaceworthy. We all know the gouf is just the close range combat focused zaku, and amuro struggled against 2 zaku, piloted by the dumbest people possible.
The comparison between the heathawk and the heatwhip, shows the heathawk is basically useless, while the heatwhip shuts down MS with any hit. Even a zaku with a heatwhip, would likely take down the rx-78-2, and thats not counting the superior sword or finger cannons.

Looking back, its pure luck that amuro beat char the first time. The red zaku should just be a better faster machine. The only advantage the gundam has is beam weaponry.

>>23363019
I noticed that chars Zudah had the original EMS-04 zudahs head and torso block, with the EMS-10 Zudahs limbs. That means it's probably a custom suit at least partially as old as the zaku 1.

>>23363922
The gundams main advantage at the early stage is being immune to the main zeon weaponry until heat hawks start getting issued.