Mech anime is one of the most popular genres out there and it has been for decades. While Mobile Suit Gundam put the mech anime on the map in a big way, there have been other great stories in the genre since early in the 20th century.

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This means that there have been a million different designs of mech suits and the worlds that they come from are unique and interesting, each set apart from the others by the world-building of those series. However, among these diverse mechs and robots, there are several that stand out above the rest as the best versions of mechs in the genre.

10 RX-78-2 Gundam (Mobile Suit Gundam)

Anime Mobile Suit Gundam First Mobile Suit Sword Shield

There are a lot of different Gundam suits in the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise. Gundam has been around for more than 40 years and the nature and designs of the suits have changed a lot during that time. The original Mobile Suit piloted by Amuro Ray in the original series has definitely held its own in terms of design and influence. Its sleek design is still the model for all Gundams in the franchise as well as a lot of mechs in other anime since then.

9 Evangelion Unit-01 (Neon Genesis Evangelion)

Eva 01 holds Kaworu

One mech that has certainly taken cues from Gundam is the Eva-01 from Neon Genesis Evangelion. Hideaki Anno was very interested in the tropes seen in mech anime and in subverting a lot of those tropes, creating an iconic (and divisive series) that is as much a love story to the genre as it is critical of it. Eva-01 is a great example of that, shying away from the bulky designs and bright colors of most mechs and instead takes on a more sleek and eerie look.

8 Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann (Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann)

Gurren Lagann is one of the coolest mech suits in anime. The mech requires two people to pilot it, with the head piloted by Gurren and the body piloted by Lagann.

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The suit is incredibly fun and reflects the slightly tongue-in-cheek nature of the series (which was created by Gainax, also responsible for Evangelion). The chest plate looks like a giant pair of pointy sunglasses over a white mouth, making it look like a grinning skull.

7 Escaflowne (The Vision Of Escaflowne)

Escaflowne is a really interesting series, as it is in most cases a series in the style of a medieval fantasy, except for the fact that there are mechs. Escaflowne is a fun mech because of how it functions in this universe. It can only be piloted by the king, who must slay a dragon and make a blood pact with Escaflowne before he is able to pilot it. Most mechs don’t have this kind of intricate mythology around them.

6 Canti (FLCL)

While Evangelion and Gurren Lagann are certainly unique and unusual series, FLCL is well-known for consistently shaking up the status quo and subverting expectations. Canti is an incredibly mysterious mech, and where he came from and how he works isn’t very clear at all in the series. He bursts from Naota’s head when he needs to battle, and Naota pilots him in the most passive sense of the word since he hardly seems to be conscious it’s happening. But Canti’s unique design, with his tiny wings and TV set head, make him a standout.

5 Rayearth (Magic Knight Rayearth)

Magic Knight Rayearth, like most CLAMP series, turns a lot of the tropes of the mech series on their heads. While it is a mech series, and therefore has some science fiction elements, it’s mostly a fantasy series.

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Rayearth appears to Hikaru as a wolf with a mane made of fire and becomes a mech that she can pilot later in battle. The unique quality of this world and the mech in it really set Rayearth apart.

4 Ideon (Space Runaway Ideon)

Ideon

Ideon definitely feels like Gundam had a strong influence on its appearance, considering that the head of the mech is almost identical to the original Gundam suit. However, there’s so much that’s cool about Ideon despite that. Its mostly red design is very striking, and the fact that it’s a mystical, almost magical alien force, as opposed to a matter of human creation, sets it apart from most mechs.

3 Turn A Gundam (Turn A Gundam)

It’s hard to beat the original Gundam suit from the original series, but it would be a mistake not to mention Turn A Gundam. This mech is so bizarre-looking that it turns a corner into being cool. It is a robot with a mustache and that’s hard to beat. Plus, it was designed by the inestimable Syd Mead, the first non-Japanese person to ever design a Gundam suit. The final battle between Turn A Gundam and Turn X Gundam, in which they fight to for the planet equipped with the Moonlight Butterfly weapon, which is powerful enough to destroy the planet is one of the most intense Gundam battles in the franchise.

2 Strelizia (Darling In The Franxx)

Strelizia is a pretty recent addition to the mech genre, though it certainly isn’t Studio TRIGGER’s only foray into the genre. The mech can change shapes from a standard humanoid robot to something more beast-like, resembling a lion.

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It’s one of the few mechs that transform that doesn’t feel like a play for selling more toys and the change serves a narrative purpose. On top of this quality, Strelizia has an actual face that can show the facial expressions and emotions of its pilots, down to crying pixelated tears.

1 VF-1S Valkyrie (Super Dimension Fortress Macross)

macross 80s list

Macross, like Gundam, is a series that’s been around for a long time and is well-regarded in the mech genre as being one of the more influential series. The robot is just awesome to look at, all white with black and red or yellow accents. The fact that it carries a rocket launcher makes it all the cooler.

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