One of the most popular anime genres that perpetually floods the industry is mecha content where giant robots are piloted to accomplish unbelievable things. The level of storytelling and animation present in modern anime is on a whole other level, but anime has acquired such a large audience because there are so many unique and distinct genres that narrow in on niche subject matter.
Mecha anime has died down in popularity yet still manages to retain dedicated fans. Like any genre, there are certain totemic mecha titles that are always in the conversation, but the crowded area of entertainment also has its share of hidden gems and overlooked achievements that deserve some love.
10 Gasaraki Presents Mecha As The Ultimate Weapons & The Culmination Of Corruption
A lot of mecha series, particularly the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise, get lost in complex politics. War-torn countries and galactic bids for power and control are frequently inciting incidents in Gundam series and Gasaraki is a mecha program that primarily focuses on tense politics and the horrors of war.
The 25-episode series pits the United States against the Middle East as they both use phenomenal mechas as ultimate weapons of destruction. Gasaraki came out at the end of the 1990s and it feels quite prescient for what was about to happen in the real world as well as the increased devaluation of human lives in favor of the "greater good."
9 Argevollen Is A Powerful Tool Of Hope That Runs At Kinetic Speeds
Argevollen is set in a world where endless conflict has become normalized for two struggling nations. Susumu Tokimune is a new recruit who's hungry to get a taste of war and is able to filter these horrible conditions through awe-inspiring wonder.
Society in Argevollen has gotten so used to conflict that Susumu's tendency to buck the status quo and question the ways of existence have drastic reverberations. The world-building and characterization in Argevollen are strong, but the series also stands out from other mecha programs since its titular creation doesn't take to the skies or fly, but instead just runs exceptionally fast.
8 Gunbuster & Diebuster Highlight The Cost & Commitment Of Mecha Warfare
Gainax made waves in the mecha genre with Neon Genesis Evangelion, but their six-episode OVA endeavor Gunbuster feels like a dry run for many of the themes and ideas that Evangelion later explores. Gunbuster chronicles the grueling training process to become a mecha pilot and how such a commitment can irrevocably change the individual, even long after the war is over.
Gunbuster doesn't disappoint when it comes to the clashes between robots and aliens, but it's the philosophical questions and mental melodrama where it really shines. Its sequel Diebuster is less effective yet still a compelling companion piece.
7 Armored Trooper Votoms Is A Powerful Procedural Mecha Action With A Message
Armored Trooper Votoms is a nostalgic blast from the '80s that finds the right tempo between space-based action procedurals and heightened mecha combat. There are more than 50 episodes of the unusual fish out of water story that turns famed fighter Chirico into a fugitive who's suddenly hunted by his former colleagues.
Armored Trooer Votoms mixes military espionage with engaging mysterious and explosive action. Chirico is an '80s anime protagonist who doesn't get enough love and the same is true for this consistent mecha series.
6 RahXephon Is A Moody Descent Into The Fragility Of Man & The Human Condition
RahXephon is a bold and inventive mecha series from the early 2000s that often gets lumped in with many of the tired and toothless programs from the decade. RahXephon is more akin to a contemplative and nihilistic meditation on mechas and powers, very much like Neon Genesis Evangelion.
RahXephon centers on a beleaguered pilot who's caught at a difficult crossroads in his adolescence where personal dilemmas hold equal weight to a global apocalypse. RahXephon is a triumph in terms of characterization, mecha designs, battle choreography, and music, but it’s routinely overlooked in favor of more mainstream mecha material.
5 Vandread Mixes Mecha Spectacles With Heightened Harem Gender Comedy
Broad harem comedies and mecha content are typically nowhere near each other in anime, but Vandread is a brave experiment that combines the zany hormonal humor of harem content with the dramatic heights of space operas and mecha series. Vandread is a 13-episode anime that's set in a galaxy where males and females are segregated on different planets.
The awkward social scenarios mix together with mecha action and combat in a manner that's surprisingly fun and entertaining. Vandread doesn't beg to be taken seriously, effectively making it a stronger series that sticks the landing. Mecha purists may not like it, but Vandread might also bring in many newcomers to the genre.
4 Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Asks Stark Questions About Who's Really The Hero
Every decade features several satisfying Gundam series, but the 2000s were a difficult period of transition for the mecha franchise. Mobile Suit Gundam SEED and its follow-up Destiny are the most popular of the 2000s Gundam fare. However, the two seasons of Mobile Suit Gundam 00 are surprisingly transgressive and an eye-opening experience.
The central Gundam pilots in Mobile Suit Gundam 00 are increasingly presented as reckless terrorists and the series forces the audience to genuinely consider who's the villain. There are also impeccable production values that make Mobile Suit Gundam 00 one of the most visually attractive series from the storied franchise, too.
3 Genesis Climber Mospeada Turns Mecha Weapons Into Humanity's Last Hope To Get Back Their Home
Genesis Climber Mospeada is a 1980s anime that riffs on many familiar ideas, but it brings a lot to the table and attempts to be subversive during a time when it wasn't easy to do so. Set far in the future, Earth's population is forced to flee the planet and seek refuge on Mars after an alien race known as the Inbit begin colonization.
Years later, a resistance is formed by the remaining members of humanity, who strive to take back their planet from the extra-terrestrial menace. The use of mecha is somewhat pedestrian in Mospeada, but there are clear stakes and an identifiable enemy that helps drive the series forward.
2 The Vision Of Escaflowne Uses Mecha Staples To Tell A Beautiful Isekai Fantasy Adventure
Certain anime series blossom into successes or gain a greater appreciation much later in life, but The Vision of Escaflowne has relatively faded into obscurity even though it was quite popular two decades ago and even had a popular English dub. The lack of localized anime during the 1990s helped Escaflowne find an audience, but it's struggled to remain relevant despite its creativity.
Escaflowne borrows just as much from the isekai, fantasy, and romance genres as it pulls from mecha staples. It finds its voice early on and doesn't succumb to the same pitfalls that plague most modern mecha series and those that lean into science fiction.
1 Mazinkaiser Is Old-Fashioned Giant Robot Rampages At Their Most Extreme
Go Nagai is an incredibly prolific name in the manga and anime industries. Mazinger Z is one of Nagai's greater claims to fame, and the Mazinkaiser OVA series features the same characters and operates as a sequel of sorts, but is much more of an obscure selection.
Mazinkaiser takes the giant robots and bold personalities of the Mazinger world and pushes them to greater extremes. Kouji and the rest of the Mazinger Team wage war against Dr. Hell's Mechanical Beasts through the use of the intimidating Mazinkaiser, the strongest robot that's ever been made. Mazinkaiser finds the perfect tone with only seven episodes and a concluding film..