MAV is a term used early on in Gundam GQuuuuuuX without much context. While it’s mentioned multiple times, it’s not until later that we find out the meaning behind the term and how it became part of the slang in the alternate version of UC 0085 seen in the anime. Fortunately, once you get some context, the word MAV makes perfect sense in Gundam GQuX.
Does “MAV” mean friend, boyfriend, or something else in Gundam GQuuuuuuX?
By the time Gundam GQuuuuuuuX starts in UC 0085, “MAV” has come to mean something like “wingman” does in our time. Series writer Enokido Yoji said in a Gundam Ace interview (via Zeonic Republic) that it was similar to “buddy” and that friends or lovers might use the term. However, it stems from an in-universe military tactic that Char Aznoble and Challia Bull developed during the One Year War.
M.A.V. is an acronym (the meaning of which is still a mystery) that describes tactical doctrine where two pilots pair up during a battle. Since Minovsky particles disrupt radar in the Gundam universe, combat is fought in visual range. Because of this, it can make spotting enemies extremely difficult in space, and whoever gets the first shot off is usually the winner. However, as soon as a unit fires, it gives away its position. By pairing up in a MAV duo, one unit can bait an enemy into firing while the second eliminates it.
During the One Year War, Char flew the Red Gundam alongside Challia Bull in the MAN-03 Kikeroga mobile armor. Their names became synonymous with the term MAV, and it became the standard method of deploying mobile suits. While it eventually became slang, meaning something like partner or friend, it also continued to be used to refer to mobile suit deployments in both military engagements and the illegal clan battles fought in secret at Side 6.
So, when someone is asked if a person is their MAV in Gundam GQuuuuuuX, the question can have a host of different meanings depending on the context.
