It’s no secret that the anime industry is massive and only growing larger and more appealing to new viewers, and the mecha genre has been a cornerstone of the art form for decades. Like other genres in animation, it has left an indelible mark on both Eastern and Western culture. Full-sized Gundams can be found throughout Tokyo whileGuillermo Del Torobrings titanic Jaegers to life on the silver screen inPacific Rim(2013). At a cursory glance, mecha may just seem like big robots fighting another looming threat with either weapons or in hand-to-hand combat, but there’s much more to it.
Before diving into the most iconic of mecha’s series and franchises, anime fans not familiar with mecha may want a more accessible introduction to the genre. For those interested in checking out what the genre has to offer, these shows are definitely worth a look.
Patlabor: The Mobile Police
Beginning as a seven episode original video adaptation (OVA) before receiving an expanded 47 episode anime series and spinning into a proper franchise,Patlabortakes the appeal of a buddy cop movie and applies it to a futuristic Tokyo with specialized robots serving different roles.
In the (then) near-future of 1998-2002 (Patlabor’s manga was originally written between 1988-1994), mechanical units known as Labors are used in different sectors of daily life, including construction and law enforcement. These law enforcement Labors are known as Patrol Labors, and are used in the pursuit of criminals and domestic threats to the people of Tokyo and its Metropolitan Police.
With a unique art style, and a lovable group of misfits piloting the iconic Labors to serve and protect the people of Tokyo,Patlabor: The Mobile Policehas a solid blend of light-hearted enjoyment and more serious action without overwhelming viewers with too dense a universe. The 1988 OVA is short and a great place to start before diving into the franchise itself.
Eureka Seven
A well-animated mecha produced by Bones (My Hero Academia, Fullmetal Alchemist) in 2005,Eureka SevenorE7has all the beats that you’d expect from a mecha show. It presents a colorful and intriguing world that slowly unveils itself over time and even has a few twists as it moves along. This particular mecha series features transformable robots that take to the skies on specially-designed surfboards, presenting an image that many mecha can’t quite imitate.
The story follows teenage protagonist Renton Thurston in the year 12,005 after humanity has moved out into the stars and left Earth behind. On a new planetary home, Renton lives a humdrum life and passes time by “lifting,” or air surfing. He idolizes the leader of a renegade group known as Gekkostate and dreams of joining them some day and escaping his seemingly mediocre life.
He gets his wish in a very literal sense when a mech known as the Nirvash Type ZERO crashes into his bedroom piloted by an enigmatic girl known as Eureka. As Renton’s involvement with Eureka and Gekkostate grows, he learns that everything isn’t quite what it seems, and he finds himself inexorably attracted to the girl at the controls of the Nirvash.
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Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans
Mobile Suit Gundamis almost synonymous with the mecha genre as a whole.Yoshiyuki Tomino’s landmark series in 1979 spanned into a franchise that has survived for decades and has become a massive success worldwide. Model kits depicting the titular mobile suits can be found at hobby and toy stores everywhere, and the franchise continues to release content year-round.
However,Gundamis a dense franchise for casual fans to hop into. Since its inception, the myriad series take place in many different timelines with different showrunners and perspectives. The Universal Century,Gundam’s original and most-invested timeline, possesses a huge arcing plotline that encompasses multiple generations of characters within the same historical timeline. Producers at Sunrise (Cowboy Bebop) understood this and began to release content geared towards introducing new fans toMobile Suit Gundamthat may not want to watch years' worth of shows. Enter series such asMobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphansin 2015, placed in its own timeline and geared towards streamlining its lore to be approachable and enjoyable for fans both new and old.
The series currently has two seasons with a sequel series on the horizon, but it provides the central themes that many Gundam shows share without requiring any prior watching to understand the series' universe. Story-wise, viewers follow the duo of Mikazuki Augus and Orga Itsuka, childhood friends who grew up together on Mars as street orphans. The two begin the story working for a private security company, with their division comprised of child soldiers. Mars is under the despotic rule of Earth’s government and the peacemaking force known as Gjallarhorn.
300 years after a disastrous war known simply as the Calamity War, Mars yearns for its autonomy. To that end, a Martian noble named Kudelia Bernstein enlists the child soldiers as part of a protection detail as she aims to travel to Earth and negotiate Mars' independence. However, she’s hiring security for a reason, and it isn’t long before Earth’s government and Gjallarhorn seek to stop her ambitions.
With a unique medieval-style soundtrack, a hard-hitting conclusion, and plenty of themes about independence, determinism, free will, the rules of war, and its devastating effect on all involved.Iron-Blooded Orphanskeeps its core writing aligned with Gundam’s tradition while providing a streamlined experience for new watchers.
Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion
Another Sunrise production,Code Geasspulls you in with its character design but quickly shows that it is a series steeped in political intrigue. Its animation and combat are top-notch, and there’s a constant churn of shifting alliances, betrayals, and paranoia to keep things interesting between battles. It has aWar of the Rosestouch to it, while still packing plenty of heavy metal bots battering each other to bits.
The story follows exiled prince Lelouch vi Britannia, who has suffered family tragedy from the loss of his mother and the resultant physical devastation this wrought on his sister Nunally. Sent to Japan as part of a political ploy, the two spend little time in the country before it is overtaken and devastated by Britannia. Lelouch vows vengeance against Britannia and its emperor, his father Charles zi Britannia.
After a seven-year time jump, viewers follow Lelouch’s quest for vengeance where he is saved during a terrorist attack by a girl named C.C. She gives him the power of Geass, also known as the “Power of Kings,” giving Lelouch the ability to command others by force of will. Alongside the use of knight-like mecha, Lelouch’s rebellion against his former country begins.
Aim for the Top! Gunbuster
The directorial debut ofHideakki Anno, the mind behind bothNeon Genesis EvangelionandShin Godzilla,Aim for the Top! Gunbusteris an OVA that mixes 1980s tropes with the horrors of war against a seemingly unstoppable foe. Lasting only six episodes,Gunbusteris short and compelling for its sample size. The OVA’s success would lead to a sequel known asDiebuster, which followed a new group of characters and mecha battling against a slew of space monsters.
The originalGunbusterfollows the defense force of Earth and the Lunar Colony against a ravenous horde of insectoid space creatures that have invaded. The protagonist, Noriko Takaya, is a bumbling cadet who is attempting to overcome her clumsiness and bloom into an ace pilot. She has big shoes to fill, as her father was a valiant admiral who went missing in the early battles of the war. She is brought along by her instructor, Coach Ota, a former crewmate of her father.
Anno has been well-known in the anime industry for being a maverick when it comes to conventions, and this has been reflected in his other works in both mecha and kaiju genres. Though this OVA does keep to some mecha staples, Anno also includes training montages and scenes that feel like they were straight out ofTop Gun(1986). Viewers looking for a bit of a quirky take on the genre can do much worse thanGunbuster.
Full Metal Panic!
With a somewhat similar narrative idea toIron-Blooded OrphansandEureka Seven,Full Metal Panic!also follows its protagonist in a protective regard over another character. In this case, militia pilot Sousuke Sagara (along with two of his comrades) are assigned to protect an upbeat high school girl named Kaname Chidori from terrorist threat. She isn’t aware of this at first, and Sousuke enrolls in her school in an attempt to remain undercover.
Over time, various terror organizations enact plans to kidnap or otherwise contain Kaname due to a hidden power she possesses and is unaware of. Sousuke and his allies in the group Mithril must gear up in their mechs and protect Kaname at all costs.
Though this series may seem fairly serious, much of the enjoyment comes from sitcom-level social misunderstandings. Kaname is incredibly opinionated and strong-willed, and she attempts to protect Sousuke from the horrors of high school due to his complete lack of any skills outside of combat and the military. In a way, the two protect each other as each is a fish out of water in their respective situations.
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
Quite possibly one of the most energetic anime series ever conceived,Gurren Lagannbrings together a wild animation style with an equally wild tone. Fans of over-the-top animations such asJoJo’s Bizarre Adventuremay feel right at home in the world ofGurren Lagann.The series has reached critical acclaim from several outlets, and it possesses a rare honor of retaining a100% Fresh Ratingon Rotten Tomatoes.
WhatGurren Laganndoes so well is its ability to blend different genres and themes and present them vividly in its own bombastic style. In addition to being a mecha, there are elements of Super Robot, Shonen, and Seinen genres, and a few more to boot. The endgame raises the stakes in insane ways, and one of the franchise’s films even sports the largest mecha created to date, capable of using entire galaxies in a game of marbles. Gainax knows craziness well as a studio due to their work onFLCL, andGurren Laganntakes this knowledge and applies it to the mecha space.
