MSV-R: The Return of Johnny Ridden

MSV-R:The Return of Johnny Ridden (機動戦士ガンダム MSV-R ジョニー・ライデンの帰還 Gundam MSV-R - Johnny Raiden no Kikan?) is a manga by Ark Performance first serialized in Gundam Ace on April, 2010. The theme, setting, and mechanics are interlocked with the MSV-R (2009) design series project.

In U.C. 0090, three members of the Federation Survey Service; Rimia Greenwood, Led Wayline and Ashley Brown Brandon are charged with collecting data on various mobile suits, prototypes and wonderweapons that will bring the dark parts of the end of the One Year War to light. Among their subjects of interest are Kycilia Zabi's ace pilot-only Chimera Corps, and the Zeon ace pilot Johnny Ridden.


 * Badass Normal: The Chimera Corps was very much this by design. As Kycilia wanted a force capable of handily confronting Newtypes in battle.
 * Continuity Nod: To various UC works. And as the story progresses, Char's Counterattack.
 * Dude, Where's My Respect?: Subverted with Johnny Ridden. While he was very much respected in his prime, he always seemed to be overshadowed by the Red Comet himself, Char Aznable.
 * The Dreaded: "Vasuki," the Federation ace in charge of Task Force "Knight Yeager," has this air about him.
 * Eighties Hair: Many of the characters have these as well as a bit of '90s hair, being consistent with the rest of UC.
 * Elaborate Underground Base: Jaburo, though the manga deconstructs this. Mainly by highlighting how thanks to Minovsky Particles' communications-jamming and electronics-scrambling properties and the nature of UC-era conflict, the idea of having this at all proved to be one of the major reasons why the Federation couldn't end the OYW sooner.
 * Excuse Plot: Averted. What initially seems to be a routine series of data-gathering by the FSS quickly takes a darker and more ominous turn.
 * Government Conspiracy: It's eventually revealed that elements high up in the Earth Federation government are also trying to find Johnny Ridden for their own ends.
 * Interquel: The story is set in-between Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ and Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack.
 * Merchandise-Driven: Played with. While the manga in general is connected to the Mobile Suit Variations R series and showcases a number of mecha (as well as model kit) designs, it's generally well-integrated into the plot.
 * Mildly Military: Justified by the FSS not being a formal military unit.
 * Multinational Team: Of sorts, as the FSS welcomes people from the Republic of Zeon and other space colonies.
 * Posthumous Character: Kycilia Zabi by this point has been dead for over 10 years, but her presence continues to loom heavily over the plot.
 * Private Military Contractors: They're revealed to still exist in the Universal Century. Among the more notable ones being P.M.C. Themis, comprised of ex-EFSF, ex-Zeon and even ex-Titans personnel.
 * The Remnant: The FSS come across a number of Zeon Remnant groups as the story progresses.
 * Super Prototype/Flawed Prototype: Tracking down these, which include one-off, limited production and heavily customized mobile suit models, is part of the FSS' job.
 * The Untwist: It's all but stated outright that Led Wayline.