The Transformers franchise is extremely popular. Its fame resulted in the creation of related live-action movies, an animated series, and several video games. This is due to the characters often involving heavy sci-fi and technology elements, both in and out of combat.
Thankfully for fans of the franchise, there are many anime series that have similar elements to Transformers that they can choose from. From Tiger & Bunny's heroes wearing mechanized suits to Bubblegum Crisis' protagonists dealing with robots going rogue, these anime will be a treat for any fans of the Transformers franchise.
10 Tiger & Bunny Has A Lot Of Robot Suits And Tech Work In Action
Tiger & Bunny took place in a setting where heroes exist, but they're featured on a huge television show with sponsors plastered all over their outfits. The two main characters, Kotetsu Kaburagi and Barnaby Brooks, are paired together in their various missions for the sake of good television. Many of the fights in the show involve handling superpowered villains, but Barnaby and Kotetsu often make use of the technological suits they wear in these battles, reminding some viewers of Transformers.
9 Attack On Titan Is Full Of Non-Stop Action With Military Machines Taking Down Titans
Even though there is a lot of in-person combat in Attack on Titan, there is also a lot of action involving the various military forces using machinery and other weapons to take down the towering Titans that oppose them. Without their Omni-Directional Mobility gear, the Survey Corps and the rest of the military probably would stand little chance against some of these Titans - which are essentially organic mecha - and the entire world would be completely devoured by them.
8 Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds Involves Dueling While Riding On Motorcycles
In Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds, the way duels are executed changed significantly compared to the original anime adaptation and Yu-Gi-Oh! GX. Since the setting of 5Ds is in the distant future, duels take place between people while they ride on Duel Runners or D-Wheels, and these duels are called Riding or Turbo Duels.
Even though some viewers found the concept odd, it achieved some popularity for its futuristic elements. It was not as popular as the original Yu-Gi-Oh! anime, but it was still well-received overall.
7 Neon Genesis Evangelion Has Pilots Fighting Evil Angels With Their Technology
Neon Genesis Evangelion involved three pilots named Shinji, Rei, and Asuka fighting the dangerous Angels to prevent the apocalyptic Third Impact from happening. The Angels' strange, robotic designs were at times even creepier than Titans, and viewers were glad to see that the protagonists could beat them with their various technologies and other mechanized tools they had on hand. The combat involving their weapons against the Angels also made the series incredibly popular both when it aired and into the present.
6 Full Metal Panic Has A Military Agent Protecting A Highschool Girl Who Can Create Advanced Machinery
Full Metal Panic involved the protagonist, Sousuke Sagara, being tasked by his organization Mithril with protecting a schoolgirl, Kaname Chidori. Chidori is being targeted by enemy agents due to her incredible ability to create advanced machinery. However, chaos ensues when Sousuke struggles with fitting in with the other high school students, leading to many hilarious moments. The humor coupled with the action and technology made the series fairly popular.
5 Code Geass Has Characters Fighting The Empire With Technology
Code Geass involved the main characters fighting the Holy Britannian Empire in several mecha-themed battles. The series combined an alternative historical timeline with futuristic technological weapons and other devices, and it became widely popular for executing this well overall.
Many fans likened the series to Transformers due to the many mechanically involved battles, as well as its compelling characters and its vast worldbuilding.
4 Ghost In The Shell Involved Cyborg Humans Fighting Crime
Ghost in the Shell features people who could interface their biological brain with various computer networks. Some characters' brains are even replaced with cybernetic parts, depending on the severe trauma that their physical body previously went through. The main character, Motoko Kusanagi, is one of these cyborg characters. The show mainly focuses on a task force that Motoko is part of to stop crimes, but the variety of political intrigue, cyber-criminals, and other internal issues help make this cyberpunk anime very popular.
3 Armitage III Focused On Tackling Prejudice And Discrimination Through Android And Human Interaction
Armitage III involved a female android and a male human cop working together to investigate the unsolved murders of fellow androids. The city they work in is full of prejudice against androids in general, and this made the investigation for both of them more difficult than expected.
Fans of this series enjoyed watching the themes of prejudice and discrimination unfold between humans and androids, and the humane elements given to the androids reminded some viewers of the Transformers characters.
2 Bubblegum Crisis: Tokyo 2040 Has The Heroines Fighting Sentient Robots
In Bubblegum Crisis: Tokyo 2040, the protagonists must work together to stop powerful robots, called Boomers, that gain sentience and end up attacking innocent people as a result. The protagonists must also work together to find out who is making the Boomers go berserk in the first place and end their evil plans. Many of the combat scenes in this anime have the heroines wearing mecha suits and riding on cool motorcycles,.
1 Metal Armor Dragonar Is From The '80s But Has A Lot Of Mechanized Elements
The Metal Armor Dragonar anime aired in the late 1980s but has many technology and machine-related elements. The series followed the protagonists Light Newman, Tapp Oceano, and Kaine Wakaba, who got dragged into a war with the Lunar Empire Giganos after they discovered experimental weapons known as Dragonars. This is reminiscent of Gundam and is entertaining to watch for the many uses of technology throughout the series.