Doan's early life remains largely a mystery, but what's known is that he served as a Zeon pilot flying a MS-06 Zaku until a tragic incident changed everything. During a battle, his gun misfired and killed civilians—an accident that haunted him. When ordered to execute the children of those he'd killed as retribution, he couldn't go through with it. He deserted, took the kids under his wing, and disappeared to an island in the Pacific, dedicating himself to their protection.
That's where things get interesting. Amuro Ray eventually stumbled onto the island and discovered Doan was there. After a brief clash, Doan hid Amuro's Core Fighter, and Amuro initially thought he was just a brainwashed Zeon deserter corrupting children. But when a Zaku showed up threatening the island, Doan returned the fighter and they fought together. Once Amuro heard Doan's full story, his perspective shifted completely—he understood what Doan had actually sacrificed.
By that point, Doan had sworn off firearms entirely, replacing gunfighting with what he called "Mobile Suit Martial Arts." After Amuro used the Gundam to sink Doan's Zaku into the ocean, the White Base picked him up and left Doan alone on the island, finally at peace.
Content compiled by AnimeList.moe from publicly available sources.
