Macross is one of the most popular mecha anime franchises, having a storied history that goes back to the 1980s. Its only real rival is Mobile Suit Gundam, but unlike the latter, Macross "gave birth" to another series entirely. Footage from the original Macross was used to make the now-somewhat controversial Robotech, but it wasn't the only show to receive this treatment.

Macross was also part of an unofficial "trilogy" of anime, with these and a few other productions becoming the various parts of Robotech. Unfortunately, none of these shows have become quite as big as Macross, or even the series it spawned.

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Which Anime Were Used to Make Robotech?

robotech-header

Robotech, the creation of Harmony Gold USA and Carl Macek, began its run in 1985. The latter was interested in bringing the intricacies of anime storytelling to the West after being impressed by what he saw of the Japanese animated series Super Dimension Fortress Macross. Thus, this show was used to create the first "season" of Robotech. However, it wasn't simply dubbed into English -- it had entire concepts reworked into order to accommodate later seasons that incorporated footage from completely different shows.

After "The Macross Saga," Robotech transitioned into "The Masters Saga." This part of the show was set later and used footage from Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross. This was the third part of the Super Dimension trilogy that began with the first Macross. Though none of the series were actually related (Macross is actually referenced as a show within Southern Cross), they're considered a "trilogy" due to their similar prefixes and all being sponsored by Big West Advertising.

The final part of the classic Robotech series was "The New Generation." The source material in this case was Genesis Climber MOSPEADA, which was wholly unrelated to Macross or the Super Dimension shows. There was also 1986's Robotech: The Movie, which combined footage from Southern Cross with the cyberpunk OVA film Megazone 23 Part 1. This film, which had a very limited release, is now considered non-canon because of it. Meanwhile, the second entry in the Super Dimension series, Super Dimension Century Orguss, was never used as part of Robotech. This has actually made it easier to bring over to the West, as it's unrelated to the legal snafus entangling anything Robotech-related.

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Why Is Only Macross Remembered Among the "Robotech" Anime?

Hikaru Ichijo from Macross in a valkyrie cockpit.

Macross is the only series that's really remembered of the Robotech-themed shows, but it makes sense for multiple reasons. For one, Macross itself was incredibly popular, especially after the release of the movie retelling Do You Remember Love?. It would go on to spawn a true franchise of its own, with 2008's Macross Frontier and its soundtrack still being lauded by anime fans. Likewise, The "Macross Saga" is considered the best part of Robotech, likely because its narrative was only retroactively forced to connect to two fairly unrelated seasons.

None of the other Super Dimension shows really hit any kind of stride, with Southern Cross being an outright flop. These other titles lacked the strong characters and romance of Macross, as well as the cool mecha designs that put it on par with Mobile Suit Gundam. Perhaps the biggest reason many of these shows are still obscure in the West is that any series "related" to Robotech has had problems being released in the West due to Harmony Gold's restrictions. This has finally started to change in the last year after a legal settlement, but it's unknown if it will result in any more Robotech.