Primary Mobile Suit featured in the 1989 OVA ', designed by Yutaka Izubuchi. The first direct variant of the RX-78 to be animated, it helped pave the way for the appearance of other variants, such as those from ', as pivotal elements of the plot. In "War in the Pocket", the Alex was developed to replace the RX-78-2 and optimized for the increased reaction time of Newtypes, though its test pilot Christina MacKenzie was not a Newtype herself. With its panoramic cockpit, the Alex serves as a retconned technological link between the original series and "Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam".