When Destiny Takes Over: Athrun x Cagalli (Part III)

Part I | Part II | Part IV

Before we continue on AsuCaga’s relationship, I think it’s important to discuss the triangle this image depicts in the show. It may not be the love triangle it alludes to and it's imperative to iron out the wrinkles in this "threesome". From the picture above, it's only Meer who acknowledges another while Cagalli & Athrun are more concerned with other matters.

In the last post, we saw the Orb military's loyalty to Cagalli. She's on the right path towards attaining her position as Head Representative. Athrun, on the other hand, is in the questioning phase of his development. He thought he's lost Kira and now, his heart is with the Archangel. Durandel picks up on this and it's time to get rid of Athrun.

His escapade involves Meer & Meyrin.

Between Meyrin & Meer, I believe Meer contributed a lot to Athrun’s development whereas Athrun was a catalyst to Meyrin’s development. It'll be a Meer-heavy post but please bear with me as it will all come together in the end!

Meer Campbell attracted a lot of hate and most of it came from many AsuCaga fans, which was a shame. If someone looked deeper into her character, they would see a reflection of Athrun.

Originally, Meer was an aspiring singer who wished for a sooner than later debut. She didn’t expect to be offered a career as Lacus Clyne. Her admiration of Lacus had Meer gladly accept. In literary terms, she became a personification of a fangirl’s wishes: to become the person they idolize.  

Her dedication towards a "righteous" cause placed her in my top 5 character list. Plus, her cheerful personality in a series depicting the woes of war is much appreciated. For those who watched GSD episode 46: "Meer", you'll understand her character completely. Next to Fllay, she was one of the most realistic characters in both series. 

Durandel manipulated her desire to acquire fame in order to further his agenda. Keep in mind that it was only the Archangel crew that saw past his farce and people like Meer and Athrun were taken in by this supposed ambition for peace. 

Before anyone begins to call Meer names for her dream, remember that millions today want to be discovered for their talent so they use platforms such as Youtube, Tumblr, etc. to promote themselves. In comparison, Meer’s motivation was quite sensible.

But I’m not saying that she didn’t commit a crime. She was involved with identity theft. It does get complicated because of Durandel’s okay of the matter but at the end of the day, he is the mastermind behind this misdeed.

When Athrun met her, he was shocked yet he repressed the fact Durandel and Meer were committing their crime. Lacus wasn’t confirmed dead, merely missing. Meer wasn’t unintelligent so she knew what she was doing wasn’t right. For her, it was worth it to achieve peace.

She could do something.

When Meer sang Fields of Hope for the PLANTS, it was then that I saw her and Athrun as the same. For the sake of being useful, they subconsciously allowed Durandel to manipulate them.

Fortunately, Athrun got his final wake-up call when Meer informed him Durandel planned to assassinate him. When she refused to go with him, the audience learned how she delusional she became.

She doesn’t believe she was Meer Campbell but Lacus Clyne. Because in her point of view, Lacus wasn’t doing anything when she had a chance; it was her, Meer, who was helping the people. Therefore, she must be Lacus Clyne.

This brings up another sad fact about the entertainment industry: unattractive women have no place in it. Meer, in comparison to the other women in the show, was unattractive. To be Lacus Clyne meant a chance at success.

There was nothing left as Meer Campbell.

When she refused Athrun, I felt sorry for him but also couldn't help laughing. In a sense, he was rejected by both Cagalli and Meer because both of them chose their objective over him. At the end of the day, she helped save his life and send him on the way to Cagalli. 

Of his ‘harem’ Meer and Cagalli were the important female figures in his life. Athrun cared for both of them deeply but in different regards. Cagalli was his love interest & comrade and Meer was someone he could’ve easily become. This is why I think the opening and endings featured him and Meer often. They were very similar.

I’m not surprised at his reaction because her death was another pivotal point for him. Kira was a large influence on his thoughts in the series and Meer’s death was a hugereality check. At this point, he changed sides but he was so close to sharing her fate. Meer became a victim of war and as annoyed as Athrun was by her near the end, he didn’t want this for her.

It wasn’t right and I believe her death fueled him further to fight against injustice.

In the series, Meer was an extraordinary influence for him but there’s another lady who shouldn’t be shadowed by Meer. This redhead assisted him greatly in his escape and her name was Meyrin Hawke.

I think she got a lot of crap thrown at her as well but some fans easily forgot what she brought out in Athrun – a gentleman. It was a side that the audience hadn’t seen in a very long time. We saw him angry at various people but his gentle nature seen in Gundam SEED seemed to have nearly disappeared.

Meyrin didn’t know anyone on the Archangel and stayed near Athrun. That was bound to happen. It was this vulnerability of hers that made Athrun step up and care for her. Meyrin was definitely important to him but not as important as Meer was. I’m sorry if I offend anyone with this opinion.

Personally, I feel Meyrin’s romantic inclinations were one-sided. I was glad that Meyrin wasn’t reduced to pairing fodder though as she had a revelation of sorts when it came to fighting for the “right” side. Her conflict included her and Lunamaria being on opposing sides of the final battle.


Thanks to Meyrin & Meer, Athrun finally reunited with Cagalli & Kira, the latter who he thought dead. Kira ensured Athrun knew it was her that took care of him, crying in the entire process. No one ever wants to see a loved one in that condition, after all.

Now, an important thing to keep in mind is that there was a lot of politics involved with Cagalli’s VA and the director’s wife during filming. I’m not going to write names here. Waifu accused the VA of sleeping with her husband and it seemed as though she took out that anger on Cagalli’s character and the AsuCaga relationship.

Surely, fans understood Lacus & Kira were Waifu’s pets as they became nearly God-like with their statuses. In comparison, Cagalli got shafted and reduced to a secondary character. I feel as though the whole AsuMey thing was furthered because Waifu wanted Cagalli out as she was associated with the VA. I felt as though Cagalli's masculine side was a turn-off for many working on the show so she was pushed back. 

Yes, it was petty but I think the funniest thing of all was that AsuCaga remained the most popular pairing in the SEED/Destiny universe. Waifu had gotten constant crap thrown at her for her actions – and boy do I remember fandom reaction based on her opinions – and so the fix-ups of the AsuCaga relationship began.

I’m sure AsuMey fans would argue with me and that’s fine. Everyone will see things differently, after all.


I'm sorry this deviates from the original intention of the analysis but I felt it was important to discuss Meyrin & Meer. Their roles in the series and their relationship to Athrun affect AsuCaga indirectly. Now with all of this out of the way, we can finally discuss the development Athrun & Cagalli receive after their reunion. 

The next part will be the last and covers the return to Orb. Look forward to it!