A pilot for ZAFT's new warship, the Minerva. He used to be a civilian living in the neutral nation of Orb, but his whole family got caught up in the fighting when the Earth Alliance invaded Orb. He then moved to PLANT, where he attended ZAFT military academy and graduated with outstanding grades. He was selected to pilot the Impulse Gundam and assigned to the newly- built warship Minerva. He has a special hatred for Orb for professing to be neutral while allowing the Alliance to come right in and invade, and for failing to protect his family. He also loathes war itself, and he is easily swayed by emotions in battle. Armory One, the military arsenal where the Minerva was stationed, came under attack by an Alliance special forces unit called the Phantom Pain. This led to Shinn getting a baptism of fire for his first real combat. As part of the Minerva crew, he kept going through battle after harsh battle, which helped him to improve and grow into an expert fighter.