The Mobile Suit Gundam might have heavily popularized the mech genre in anime, but once you dig deeper, you might find that there is actually a treasure trove's worth of other mechs just waiting in the dark like badass mannequins. So yes, the mech genre is not just about Gundams despite how synonymous those giant winged oversized armors might have become.
It's just that some of the more awesome non-Gundam mechs tend to be overshadowed by the said franchise. Still, there is no doubt that some of them are even cooler than the usually more grounded Gundam. These mechs would probably even give Gundams a whooping. Don't believe us? Well, take a look at these 10 badass mechs that aren't from the Gundam franchise.
10 VOLTRON (VOLTRON)
If five lion bots joining together to form one giant lion robot with a sword and lion cestus doesn't sound cool enough for you, then you're probably too young. You see, Voltron (as it is known in the west) was all the rage back in the 1980s and many millennials surely know this awesome robot.
It was adapted from the original Japanese anime Beast King GoLion which also debuted in the 1980s. It might not look like much today compared to the gritty and latest Mobile Suit Gundam anime, but Voltron's legacy paved way for plenty of pop culture references and made a lot of adults today more interesting individuals.
9 GAOGAIGAR (THE KNIGHT OF BRAVES GAOGAIGAR)
If you thought Voltron was a proper alien-smashing paragon, wait until you see GaoGaiGar from the anime The Knight of Braves GaoGaiGar. What makes this one different from the legions of big formation robots that came after the popularity of Voltron? Well, GaoGarGai carries a huge golden hammer to smite his foes with. That alone sets him apart.
Like Voltron, GaoGarGai's strength lies in the synergy of its pilots who commandeer futuristic space vessels known as GaoMachines. They can combine with the giant mech called GaiGar and if you're decent at math, you probably know where the GaoGaiGar name comes from. As always, with mecha anime like this, half the combat involves a lengthy fusion montage which is enough to paralyze the enemies still.
8 GUNBUSTER (GUNBUSTER)
If you're not tired of fusion robots just yet, here's another one. It's called Gunbuster from the anime of the same name and is piloted by only two high school girls for a change; the two of them can combine their respective robots to form Gunbuster. Yes, there is also a montage and catchy music during and after the transformation to hype you up.
By no means are we implying that Gunbuster is a joke, of course. Gunsbusters feats are nothing short of mindblowing; it destroyed thousands of giant space monsters in one kick, survived a black hole bomb, and even defeated a monster capable of withstanding the heat of a star. It's like Pacific Rim but in space and the robot is a lot more godly.
7 SHIN GETTER ROBO (SHIN GETTER ROBO)
All the fusion and combining robots that came before? They all pale in comparison to what Shin Getter Robo is capable of. Basically, Shin Getter Robo, from the anime and manga of the same name, is a sentient and ever-evolving robot. This makes his power ceiling infinite as he's constantly growing more and more powerful with each iteration.
In fact, Shin Getter Robo's strongest form yet, the Getter Emperor. It's a mech so hideously overpower, its scale is galactic (that big) and it even has a shield called the Getter Energy Barrier where nothing can pass through. As an added bonus, the Getter Emperor can also manipulate space. This makes the Getter Emperor quite invincible. Meanwhile, the Shin Getter Robo version is also no slouch and can unleash nuclear energy in the blink of an eye.
6 NIRVASH (EUREKA 7)
Eureka 7 is one of the underrated and lesser-known mecha anime in this list but it's worth watching for its take on the genre alone. One of the stars of Eureka 7 is the mech Nirvash which is piloted by Eureka, the main female character in the anime.
Nirvash isn't exactly that powerful and relies on conventional weaponry like projectiles and guns in order to survive and fight. However, it has a cool tool that allows it to fly-- nope, not wings, but a surfboard. The Nirvash, and most other mechs in Eureka 7 can ride giant surfboards that spew out rainbow-colored exhaust trails, making the anime's fights one of the most spectacular among all mecha anime.
5 BIG O (THE BIG O)
All these cosmic godly mechs are starting to nauseate you? Then let us get back down to Earth and dial the power levels significantly, with The Big O. Despite not being as powerful as most mechs here is still a commendable fighter. It's made as a protector of Paradigm City from monsters and crooks who have their own big mechs.
Big O is also only 30 meters tall but comes packed with all kinds of modifiable devastating weapons for each threat it faces. However, its main and most used weapons are its notably oversized arms. Big O can use his Popeye arms to deliver what's called a "Sudden Impact" punch in order to tear a hole right through its enemies.
4 LANCELOT ALBION (CODE GEASS)
Convoluted plot aside, Code Geass is still primarily a mecha anime and even features some of the most insane physics-defying robots in this list (which is saying something). One of the most powerful mechs by the end of the second season of Code Geass is the Lancelot Albion commandeered by Kururugi Suzaku.
On its own, the Lancelot Albion is better than an army of mechs in Code Geass (called Knightmare Frames). It can seemingly move faster than sound and unleash energy barrages enough to decimate a whole aerial fleet. Basically, the Lancelot Albion is a Mobile Suit Gundam on steroids.
3 EVA UNIT 01 (NEON GENESIS EVANGELION)
Despite not having flight capabilities, firepower, or any energy hocus pocus, the Eva Unit 01 from Neon Genesis Evangelion remains one of the most iconic mechs in anime that isn't a Gundam. The Unit 01 is piloted by Shinji Ikari, one of the few troubled teenagers capable of controlling the mech.
Even so, Shinji and Unit 01's task is grueling and lethal. Periodically, they're required to fight and kill anomalies called Angels which caused an apocalypse in the anime. Unit 01's quirky design and tendency to have a mind of its own or go berserk makes it quite a character in Evangelion and certainly a memorable one.
2 DEMONBANE (DEMONBANE)
What happens when you combine Lovecraftian mythos to a mech? You get the fruit of their unholy union called Demonbane from the Demonbane franchise. It actually started off as an eroge visual novel but became something more serious. It seems the creators just can't ignore Demonbane's massive potential.
It's a mech that follows no rules in the multiverse and can travel space and time any way it wants. Oh, and it can also reset time in order to negate any damage done to it. Any enemy can also forget about ganging up on Demonbane; this mech can aid itself by traveling to a timeline where it's having trouble. Sounds confusing but we don't question Demonbane, okay?
1 GURREN LAGANN (TENGEN TOPPA GURREN LAGANN)
When it comes to defying all the rules of the known cosmos, it turns out Demonbane isn't the top rulebreaker. No, that title goes to Gurren Lagann, a mech that can transform into a multi-galaxy-sized god called Super Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann by using only the willpower of its pilots a fuel.
What can it do? The better question is what can't it do? Apparently, everything is possible with Super Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann as long as Simon (the pilot) is alive and has fighting spirit left. Since he never runs out of that, no limit exists for the mech Gurren Lagann. You won't find any more ridiculously overpowered mech than this one.