Akira Ishida
is a fictional character from the Japanese science fiction anime television series "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED" and its sequel "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny", part of the Gundam franchise. In the former, Athrun Zala is introduced as a member from the military organization ZAFT, composed of genetically enhanced humans known as Coordinators. Participating in the war between Coordinators and regular humans, referred to as Naturals, Athrun discovered that his childhood friend Kira Yamato was a member of the Naturals' military organization, the Earth Alliance, despite being a Coordinator. Across the series, Athrun encounters Kira and, after almost killing him, Athrun starts questioning his own motives to participate in the war. Athrun returns in "Gundam SEED Destiny" participating in another war and is the protagonist of its compilation films. He is voiced in Japanese by Akira Ishida and in English by Sam Vincent in the Ocean dub and by Chris Hackney in the NYAV dub.