The MS-06 Zaku II is a mobile suit from the sci-fi anime drama Mobile Suit Gundam. It is based upon the earlier MS-05 Zaku I.

The MS-06A Zaku II was the first production Zaku II produced in U.C. 0077 by the Principality of Zeon. The MS-06A was deemed insufficient to what Her Excellency’s Kycilia Zabi, the director in charge of the Zaku II project, had in mind. The designers went back to the drawing board. A few months later, they came back with the MS-06C design.

The MS-06C Zaku II was deemed a success and put into mass production for the Zeon Military Forces. It was deployed in January U.C. 0078 and was the Zeon's main mobile suit at the outbreak of the One Year War. The C-Type, and later Zaku and non-Zaku mobile suits, typically used a 120mm drum-fed machine gun or a 280mm bazooka. Later, a 90mm machinegun became a common weapon among Zeon mobile suits.

Several pilots became famous for their actions inside the cockpit of the MS-06C Zaku II. In the Battle of Loum, Lieutenant Jr. Grade Char Aznable sunk 5 of the Earth Federation's Magellan-class battleships in his red-painted C-Type Zaku II, earning him the nickname "Red Comet". The infamous Black Tri-Stars : Gaia, Ortega, and Mash, used their C-Type Zaku II's to capture the Federation's General Revil after crippling his Magellan Battleship Ananke during the Battle of Loum. Chief Petty Officer Johnny Ridden, earned his nickname "Crimson Lighting" after sinking 3 Magellan Battleships. Lastly, The "White Wolf of Solomon" Private 1st Class Shin Matsunaga was promoted to Lieutenant Jr. Grade after destroying a Magellan-Class Battleship and 5 Salamis-Class Cruisers.

However, with the signing of the Antarctic Treaty, the Zaku II C-Type was upgraded into the MS-06F Zaku II. The C-Type had been heavily shielded and strongly armored to resist nuclear radiation, which had made it much heavier. However, since the Antarctic Treaty prohibited such weapons, the C-Type was removed of nuclear radiation shielding and desginated the F-Type Zaku II.

The Principality of Zeon saw great potential within the unit for having it perform in various mission roles. The Zeon Military forces produced successful designs, decent designs, and utter faliures from the basic Zaku II design. Even Vice Admiral Dozle Zabi had his own custom Zaku II, which he took out into the Battle of Loum. His MS-06F Zaku II had ornate engravings and markings, double shoulder spiked armor, and lastly, a gigantic Heat Hawk. Even the youngest Zabi member, Garma Zabi had his own Zaku II, the MS-06Fs Zaku II. This slight variation of the Zaku II designed featured twin 40mm Vulcan guns. However, he rarely used it in battle.

The Zaku II was eventually replaced by the MS-07B Gouf for ground combat. With the debut of the MS-09 Dom and the MS-09R Rick Dom, the Zaku II was largely regarded as obsolete and the MS-09 became the new frontline mobile suit. Lastly, the MS-14A Gelgoog had all but sealed the Zaku II's fate due its high-performance and ability to use beam weaponary.

Despite many more powerful and better designed mobile suits, more and more Zaku II variations were produced. The Zaku II F-Type, the most common type of Zaku II, was later upgraded and improved into the MS-06F2 Zaku II F2 Type, which was a more powerful and improved model. Although developed by the Earth Federation, the RMS-106 Hizack was heavily based on the Zaku II design. The Zaku II's true successor, though, wouldn't come until the AMX-011 Zaku III debuted in U.C. 0088.

Some of the variations include:
MS-06S Zaku II Commander Type
MS-06J Zaku II Ground Type
MS-06K Zaku Cannon
MS-06FZ Zaku II Kai
MS-06F2 Zaku II F2 Type
MS-06E Zaku Reconnaissance Type
MS-06D Zaku Desert Type
MS-06M Zaku Marine Type
MS-06R-1A Zaku II High Mobility Type
MS-06R-2 Zaku II High Mobility Type
MS-06Z Psycommu System Zaku
MS-11 Action Zaku