Шін Асука

Genetic Type: Coordinator Birthplace: Orb

Mobile Suit: ZGMF-X56S Impulse Gundam, ZGMF-X42S Destiny Gundam

Shinn is the first protagonist introduced, but later conflict pits him against the established protagonists of the original Mobile Suit Gundam SEED. Thus, he serves in both the "hero" and "villain" roles at different points of the story. Shinn lives with his parents and his younger sister in the neutral country of Orb, but the Earth Alliance attacks Orb on June 15, C.E.71. Only Shinn survives when his family is caught in a crossfire between the GAT-X131 Calamity and the ZGMF-X10A Freedom mobile suits, though it is not clear whether the Calamity or the Freedom was responsible for the explosion that kills Shinn's family.

Shinn blames Orb’s rulers, the Athhas, for his family’s deaths, believing that they should have surrendered to the attacking Earth Alliance Forces rather than endangering civilians in a battle that could not be won. Since then, he had a lust for revenge and hated Orb and their "sugarcoated" ideals of achieving peace without any weapons, etc. Orb soldier Captain Todaka then takes care of Shinn and later sends him to the PLANTs, where he joins ZAFT and graduates as one of the top students in his class as a "ZAFT Red".