Tracing its origins to the late ’50s, the mecha genre stands as a testament to the enduring creativity of anime. It’s not just one of the oldest and most diverse genres, but a significant part of anime history. Numerous creators have used it as a platform to depict the harsh realities of war, often through the eyes of young protagonists, leaving a profound impact on the medium.
While the sheer number of mecha anime series can be overwhelming, the cream of the crop quickly rises to the surface, offering a thrilling and engaging experience. Whether you’re a newcomer to the genre or a seasoned fan craving more mecha goodness, rest assured, there’s a wealth of top-tier mecha anime waiting to be discovered, each with its unique story and style. It’s not just about giant robots, but a medium that tackles a wide range of contemporary issues and societal themes, making it a relevant and engaging choice for all.
Here is a list of top ten must watch mecha anime:
10Promare
Thirty years ago, a cataclysmic event ravaged half the world, leading to a mutation that birthed a new race, the Burnish, who possess the power to create and control fire. In response, the ‘Burning Rescue’ fire squad was formed to combat fires caused by the Burnish. The story takes off with the introduction of Galo, the newest recruit of Burning Rescue. Galo, a hot-headed and passionate individual, wields the ‘Matoi-Tech,‘ a tool named after the ‘matoi’ banners used by firefighting units during the Edo period. His encounter with Lio, the leader of a Burnish terrorist group called Mad Burnish, ignites the narrative.
9Eureka 7
In a dystopian world, the teenage son of a famous man, 14-year-old Renton, winds up joining the rebel GekkoState ship against a repressive regime, becoming the co-pilot of a strange young woman’s mecha TypeZero. However, he quickly realizes that behind the facade of a traveling group of mercenaries is a very bitter reality as he unknowingly becomes part of a grand scheme.
8Darling in the Franxx
In a future world where humanity has been driven to endangerment by giant beasts, a strike force comprised of children partnered into boy-girl pairs is assembled to save the world. Hiro, a former prodigy, loses the ability to synchronize with his chosen partner. Things change when he meets Zero Two, who offers Hiro to become her “Darling.” Thus, Hiro and his fellow Parasites fight against the Klaxosaurs, stepping out of their sheltered upbringing as they delve into the mystery of their apparent enemies and humanity’s darkest, most intriguing secrets.
7FLCL
Naota Nandaba is an ordinary sixth grader living in a city where nothing extraordinary ever happens. Little does Naota know, however, that his mundane existence is on the verge of being changed forever. Mysterious things start happening when 12-year-old Naota meets a strange woman on a Vespa wielding a big guitar. After his first encounter with Haruko Haruhara, the aforementioned pink-haired psychopath leaves Naota with tire tracks on his back and a giant horn on his head; he finds himself dragged into the heart of the greatest battle for supremacy that Earth—and quite possibly the entire universe—has ever seen.
6Macross Frontier
In the year 2059, the unified forces of humantiy and Zentradi colonize planets using warp fold technology. Just as the Macross Frontier fleet is on the verge of reaching the center of the universe, a menacing new adversary emerges-the insectoid Vajra. With the military immobilized by bureaucracy and reliance on outdated weaponry, the defense of the Frontier is placed in the hands of the private security contractor SMS and young, aspiring ex-kabuki actor pilot Alto Saotome, the galactic superstar singer Sheryl Nome, and the cheerful quarter-Zentradi schoolgirl Ranka Lee who find themselves at the heart of this epic struggle.
586
The Republic of San Magnolia has been at war with the Giadian Empire for nine years. Both sides use unmanned drones to conduct a “war without casualties”. However, young men and women are branded the Eighty-Six and, stripped of their humanity, piloting the “unmanned” weapons into battle. Shinn directs the actions of a detachment of young Eighty-Sixers’ squad known as the “Spearhead” while on the battlefield. Lena is a “handler” who commands the detachment from the remote rear with the help of special communication. The story of struggle begins.
4Code Geass
After the invasion of Japan by the Brittannian Empire using mobile humanoid armor vehicles called ‘Knightmare Frames,’ the country was renamed to “Area 11”. Lelouch Lamperouge, a cunning prince exiled from the Britannian Royal Family, wishes to bring down the Britannian Empire. Through a chance meeting with a mysterious woman named C.C. Lelouch—Under the guise of the masked terrorist Zero—he gains the power of the Geass, which grants him the ability to control anyone. It may seem that his dream of the destruction of Britannia is not too far from reality as Lelouch wages war against the Empire.
3Mobile Suit Gundam
It is the year Universal Century 0079, and the space colonies have declared war on the Earth Federation under the guidance of the Principality of Zeon. In one of these colonies, the Earth Federation is storing and testing a new piloted robot for the battle against the Principality of Zeon.
The experimental RX-78 Gundam mobile suit is unexpectedly thrown into a life-or-death battle, manned by a civilian pilot and an untested crew. With the odds stacked against them, they must find a way to escape Zeon’s clutches and deliver the RX-78 to Earth. The fate of the war may hang in the balance.
2Neon Genesis Evangelion
The staple of mecha anime, Evangelion is not for the light-hearted and it certainly isn’t easy to understand. Fifteen years after a worldwide cataclysm called the Second Impact, Shinji Ikari, a teenage boy, is recruited by his father Gendo to the mysterious organization Nerv to pilot a giant biomechanical mecha called an Evangelion and join the Nerv’s members as they fight to prevent Angels from causing more cataclysms. In the process, they are called upon to understand the ultimate cause of events and the motives behind human action.
1Gurren Lagann
In a bleak future where humanity is oppressed by an army of mutants and forced to live underground, in their closed-off underground village, Kamina and Simon chafe at the limits imposed by the village elder. Yet all this changes when Simon stumbles across a fantastic device – just as a violent intrusion breaks the village’s peace. Simon, along with a boisterous man named Kamina, a beautiful sharpshooter named Yoko, and many other friends, heads out to become the symbols of rebellion against the powerful Spiral King, who forces humanity into subterranean villages as they use the robot’s power to fight against their oppressors and take back the surface.
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