When we think of awesome anime mech, it’s easy to get stuck on the classics: Gundam, Evangelion, or Patlabor among others. But the 2010s saw some of its own killer anime mech, with cool, modern designs that pay homage to older mech but also added variations in designs and colors, and with different kinds of characters piloting them to boot.
On top of that, mecha anime have been around for so long that there so many tropes of the genre to play with, subvert, and, in some cases, make fun of. Here are the top ten anime mech of the last decade that have added to the genre.
10 Hizakuriger (RobiHachi)
In RobiHachi, Robby and Hatchi end up on a whirlwind, intergalactic adventure, trying to escape a loan shark that Robby owes money to and visiting a lot of weird planetary communities along the way. In a spaceship owned by Robby’s father, the pair discovers a mech hidden in its depths.
The Hizakuriger is a mech made as part of the promotion for a 1970s anime within the show, so Robby and Hatchi quickly find out that it is not completely functional, and its fighting capabilities leave a lot to be desired. Still, the Hizakuriger gets them out of some sticky situations, looking awesome and poking fun at some of the tropes of 1970s mech anime.
9 Mazinkaiser SKL
Mazinger Z has been around for decades and has its own long-standing mythology, including a spin-off series Mazinkaiser, which, in true long-running anime form, got its own OVA series, Mazinkaiser SKL, about a new mech, the titular Mazinkaiser SKL. The origins of the robot are mysterious, and it’s so powerful, it requires two pilots, Ken Kaido and Ryou Magami, to fly it together, since no single person could handle it by themselves. The design features wings, giving it the appearance of a demon, and has blue eyes. One of these eyes gets destroyed during the series and is replaced with a glowing red eye with a red cross, as if it has a battle scar.
8 KG-6 Sleipnir (Aldnoah Zero)
If Aldnoah Zero were a Gundam show, the main robot would be an awesome, state-of-the-art brand-new invention that makes all of the other mech look old and clunky by comparison. But KG-6 Sleipnir is the opposite. Instead of being the most up-to-date model of the Kataphrakt, it’s a training model used to prepare high school students for battle in the more advanced KG-7 Areion. But with its cool, bug-like appendages and fun orange color, it is way more awesome-looking than its successor, and Inaho Kaizuka, the high school student who pilots it, must agree since he chooses to pilot it over something more modern.
7 Gold Mega Crab (Kill La Kill)
The best known thing about Kill La Kill is that the characters wear Goku Uniforms, which give them massively upgraded battle capabilities. So the fact that there are mech in the show tends to fly under the wire. The resistance group known as Nudist Beach have their own set of Dōtonbori Robo which they use to battle the Kiryūin Conglomerate.
One of Nudist Beach’s mech stands above the rest: Gold Mega Crab. Piloted by Kaneo Takarada, Gold Mega Crab is exactly what it says on the tin: a gold, crab-shaped mech equipped with the specific abilities to fight Goku Uniforms: flamethrowers, missiles, and a glue that paralyzes its opponents. Its unusual, and silly, design makes a real standout among mech.
6 EM-CBX001 Hysterica (Cross Ange: Rondo Of Angel And Dragon)
Hysterica is the mech of Embryo in Cross Ange: Rondo of Angel and Dragon. With an awesome name, bug-like wings, and cool design with purple, gold and green accents, it looks like something you’d find in a pharaoh's tomb. Embryo often creates a hologram of himself that seems to pilot Hysterica while riding on its shoulder. The most unique addition to this mech’s design are the Space-Time Conversion Cannons, which are ultra-powerful weapons mounted on Hysterica’s shoulders. They can only be used when a song is sung to activate them.
5 Vox Aura (LeGrange: The Flower Of Rin-ne)
LeGrange: The Flower of Rin-ne begins as a lot of magical girl anime do: with a teenage girl finding out she has a special ability and needing to use it to save the world. Madoka Kyouno learns that she has the ability to fly a special mech called Vox Aura, and determined to protect her hometown against invading aliens, takes up the task. Because of its mint green color, Madoka nicknames the mech Midori. This mech has more capabilities than just being a pilotable robot: it can turn into an airplane and a flying motorcycle as well, giving Madoka more than one way to fight for the people she loves.
4 Evangelion Unit-13 (Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo)
While the Evangelion movies have certainly been divisive among fans, there’s no denying that Evangelion Unit-13 from Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo is an awesome addition to the Eva roster.
Unit-13 is the only Eva unit to be piloted by two pilots at once and at times has four arms instead of two. It otherwise has the same sleek, almost-human body that most Eva had, making it even eerier when it begins to act on its own, resisting the will of its pilots. It is notably physically stronger than other Eva and requires a great deal of force to stop its destruction.
3 Deus X Machina (Promare)
Among several mech that appear in Promare, the most impressive is Deus X Machina, created to stop Kray Foresight from using a warp gate to leave earth and dooming everyone left behind. While the initial design of the mech has an almost Gundam color palette of reds, blues, and golds, the truly awesome version is the Lio de Galon, which Lio creates with his Burnish powers to make something cooler-looking, at Galo’s request. The makeover gives it a more angular look, with a black base color and pastel accents. The mech serves as a literal deus ex machina in the movie, a device allowing them to suddenly get the upper hand and giving these two opposing characters an opportunity to work together toward a common goal.
2 ASW G-08 Gundam Barbatos (Mobile Suit Gundam: IRON-BLOODED ORPHANS)
The 2010s saw several Mobile Suit Gundam anime, but the one that struck home for a lot of fans was IRON-BLOODED ORPHANS. The show features the ASW G-08 Gundam Barbatos, which has one of the coolest capabilities of a Gundam: the ability to use different weapons and armor taken from enemies, which means the mech is constantly changing how it looks and becoming stronger.
Gundam in general are cool because they look different from show to show, whether they’re in the same universe as the original Mobile Suit Gundam or are from a different continuity. Changing looks, weapons, and abilities to adapt to the needs of the pilot and the war it’s fighting in makes Barbatos a very special mech.
1 Strelizia (Darling In The Franxx)
Strelizia is the FRANXX that Zero Two and Hiro pilot in Darling in the Franxx. Because of Zero Two’s abilities as a half-human, half-klaxo sapien girl, Strelizia is the most powerful FRANXX of the 13th Plantation’s Parasite team.
Strelizia has a powerful “Stampede Mode,” in which she can transform into a creature resembling a griffon, which happens when Zero Two’s partner is incapacitated and she has to rely on her power as a human-klaxo-sapien hybrid to pilot Strelizia herself, usually losing her more human side in the process. Because the female Parasites are psychologically connected with the FRANXX, their communication capabilities and emotions can actually be seen on the face of the mech itself, complete with pixelated tears. It makes these mech feel very human, as if they’re characters all their own.