At one point, mecha was the dominant genre for anime series. The genre had franchises for both children and adults, and they were constantly getting new series. One reason there were so many mecha anime is how easy the genre can sell merchandise, yet that wasn’t the only reason. Some of the best anime of older eras were part of the mecha genre, making them impossible to ignore.
Even now, many of the mecha anime from the ’80s, ’90s, and 2000s are better than most modern anime series today. Rather than offering easy power fantasies about being the strongest or more popular, mecha anime often had far more to offer. Whether it was commentary on society or just passionate protagonists that are easy to love, it’s impossible to go wrong with classic mecha anime.
Related
10 Best Military Anime, Ranked
There are countless military-based anime from throughout the decades that focus on tactics and the loss experienced in war through epic combat.
10
Gun x Sword Offered a Western Mecha Anime Adventure
Stream Gun x Sword on Crunchyroll
Gun x Sword is another great anime from Sunrise, one that gained some decent notoriety in the West. The anime series follows Van, a sullen older man on the hunt for the man who murdered his wife on their wedding day. While tracking the murderer down, Van attracts a collection of oddball characters who follow him from town to town.
While most mecha anime are eager to be deep stories about politics, Gun x Sword‘s plot is as straightforward as its blunt protagonist. It’s just a good time featuring giant robots, while set in a cool Western setting. Gun x Sword is the perfect kind of anime series for viewers who just want to turn their brains off, with just enough character development to keep them hooked episode to episode.
9
Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket Offers Fantastic Worldbuilding
Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket Is Not Currently Available to Stream
Mobile Suit Gundam 0080 is one of the best stories to come out of the Universal Century Era of Gundam. The anime series follows Alfred Izuruha, a young boy obsessed with both war and mobile suits. When Al meets a Zeon pilot after a mobile suit battle in his colony, he quickly befriends him in the hopes of getting to go on secret military missions. It isn’t long, though, before Al learns just how dangerous war can actually be.
Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket manages to tell a perfect story in just 6 episodes. Alongside unforgettable characters, Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket has some of Gundam‘s best worldbuilding, giving viewers a glimpse into life in the Universal Century outside of war. The old mecha anime’s tragic story will stick with viewers long after the series ends.
Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War In The Pocket
- Release Date
-
1989 – 1988
- Directors
-
Fumihiko Takayama
8
Macross Frontier Features Some of Mecha Anime’s Strongest Characters
Stream Macross Frontier on Hulu
Macross Frontier is still the high water mark for the Macross franchise. Even though the anime series is meant to celebrate Macross‘ 25th anniversary, it’s still perfectly approachable even for viewers completely new to the franchise. The series manages to capture everything the franchise is about: love triangles, dog-fights, and idols singing catchy pop songs.
Related
One of the Best Mecha Anime Franchises of All Time Finally Gets U.S. Streaming Home
One of the most iconic and beloved mecha anime brands of all time is finally heading to a Western streaming platform after decades of legal issues.
When it released in 2008, Macross Frontier achieved some minor success in the West, but it was held back thanks to the weird licensing rights surrounding Macross. Now, fans can finally easily check the show out on Disney+ or Hulu. J-Pop and mecha anime fans alike will quickly find themselves falling in love with both Sheryl Norme and Ranka Lee as they compete against each other on the stage — and in love.
7
Mobile Suit Gundam: 08th MS Team Is the Most Realistic Gundam Anime Series
Stream Mobile Suit Gundam: 08th MS Team on Hulu
Mobile Suit Gundam: 08th MS Team was another of the Universal Century OVAs of the ’90s that was a massive hit. The mecha anime series followed Ensign Shiro Amada near the end of the One Year War, newly assigned to the Earth Federation’s 08th Mobile Suit Team. Despite his inexperience, Shiro has to get his teammates’ respect and survive the remainder of the war, both tasks his subordinates don’t see him pulling off.
Mobile Suit Gundam: 08th MS Team is unlike any other series in the Gundam franchise. It’s the definition of “boots on the ground,” as the series takes place nearly entirely in the jungles of Southeast Asia and follows normal soldiers rather than some of the best pilots in mecha anime history. It feels more like a real military anime series, and that’s without even getting into the fact that it’s actually a romance anime, with the main couple being a pair of star-crossed lovers on opposite sides of the war.
6
Mobile Police Patlabor Combines Workplace Comedy With Mecha Anime Action
Patlabor: The TV Series Is Currently Unavailable to Stream
Mobile Police Patlabor is one of the forgotten classics of the anime world. Set in a near-future world where humanoid robots known as “Labors” have been created, Noa Izumi is part of a division of police specifically made to combat labor crime. However, dealing with mecha crime isn’t always as straightforward a job as it seems.
Patlabor is both a great mecha anime and a perfect workplace comedy. Noa and the other members of Division 2 are as quirky as they are competent, even if their solutions to some crimes do involve making a larger mess than their bosses would prefer. With most episodes being standalone, viewers will never know whether to expect an episode about a character trying to find true love, or a battle against a Loch Ness monster.
5
Zoids New Century Zero Introduces Zoids to the Tournament Genre
Zoids New Century Zero Is Currently Unavailable to Stream
While most Zoids anime series follow a country or nation torn apart by endless war, Zoids New Century Zero gets to look past all that. Taking place in a new era of peace, people instead pilot Zoids for sporting competitions to see who the best pilots are. Zoids New Century Zero follows Bit Cloud and the Blitz Team, a collection of Zoids pilots aiming to become the very best in the Zoids Battle Commission.
Zoids New Century Zero finally allowed the Zoids franchise to have fun with itself. After all, the universe is about giant mechanical animals. With Zoids New Century Zero, fans can expect a great tournament anime, with heroes who really have to scratch and claw their way to the top. It’s the perfect mecha anime to unwind with for those who want giant robots but don’t necessarily want all the drama that comes from constant war storylines.
Zoids
- Release Date
-
February 18, 2002
- Network
-
TBS
-
Takahiro Sakurai
Van Flyheight (voice)
-
Richard Ian Cox
Fiona Elisi Linette (voice)
-
Sam Vincent
Rudolph Gerhard Zeppelin III (voice)
-
Kelly Sheridan
Raven (voice)
4
The King of Braves: GaoGaiGar Is the Ultimate Hot-Blooded Mecha Anime
Stream The King of Braves: GaoGaiGar on Crunchyroll
After moving on from Transformers, Takara kept the Brave franchise going through most of the ’90s. Yet while the franchise is beloved, the series that’s maintained its popularity decades later is still The King of Braves: GaoGaiGar. The mecha anime follows an organization known as the Gutsy Geoid Guard as they battle against dangerous invaders known as the Zonders.
The King of Braves: GaoGaiGar is everything a Super Robot fan is looking for. It’s got hot-blooded protagonists, some of the coolest Super Robot designs, and lots of fiery power-ups and combinations that come when things are at their bleakest. Even viewers who don’t love Super Robot anime should at least give GaoGaiGar a try for its engrossing storyline filled with neat plot twists.
The King of Braves GaoGaiGar
- Release Date
-
February 1, 1997
- Directors
-
Yoshitomo Yonetani
Cast
3
Magic Knight Rayearth Offers a Fantastical Adventure With Giant Robots
Stream Magic Knight Rayearth on Crunchyroll
Magic Knight Rayearth is more proof that mecha anime is a lot more versatile than some fans think. Most mecha anime are futuristic shows about young boys forced into deadly wars before they’re even young adults. Magic Knight Rayearth is about a trio of young women in a fantasy world fighting to save a princess, and yet it’s just as awesome as any other mecha anime series fans can hope to find.
Related
10 Essential Mecha Anime That Changed the Genre Forever (& Aren’t Gundam)
Mobile Suit Gundam might be the biggest name in Mecha anime, but several other popular franchises have made a major impact on the popular subgenre.
Magic Knight Rayearth was a big deal in the early 2000s but never really got any exposure on cable television networks. As a result, the anime series’ popularity has faded in the West just a bit. That’s likely set to change soon, as the mecha series is set for a new anime project coming soon. Whether it’s a remake or not, though, there’s nothing like going back and checking out the original.
2
The Vision of Escaflowne Is a Fantasy Anime Epic
Stream The Vision of Escaflowne on Crunchyroll
In the mid ’90s, Macross creator Shoji Kawamori decided to create a new mecha series unlike anything his fans had seen from him before. The Vision of Escaflowne was a classic style isekai anime, where the highschooler Hitomi is transported to the planet Gaea. On Gaea, Hitomi meets Van, a king struggling to protect his land from the dangerous Zaibach Empire with the power of his mech, Escaflowne.
While mecha in fantasy settings wasn’t new by any means, Vision of Escaflowne was the first time mecha anime had also centered so strongly on romance. Van and Hitomi’s beautiful romance, combined with the epic fantasy vibe, made the mecha anime a massive hit worldwide. The Vision of Escaflown is such a quality series that even non-anime fans could get into it easily.
1
Neon Genesis Evangelion Is a True Anime Classic
Stream Neon Genesis Evangelion on Netflix
Neon Genesis Evangelion took on the status of an instant classic the moment it was released. The series starts as a normal, if slightly darker, Super Robot anime. However, around midway through the anime, Neon Genesis Evangelion transforms into something unforgettable as it deconstructs the mecha genre. Neon Genesis Evangelion‘s exploration of complex ideas like religion and identity made it a smash hit both in Japan and in the West.
For the next decade, everything from other mecha anime to Digimon tried to do their own version of Neon Genesis Evangelion, hoping to catch just a little of the same shine that Hideaki Anno’s opus received. While some of the anime inspired by Neon Genesis Evangelion are great, there’s nothing like the original. Fans of great psychological anime and lovers of mecha are doing themselves a disservice by not watching it at least once.
