By the 90s, the era of mecha was starting to recede. But because of anime’s growing popularity on television, leading to more series overall, there was still no shortage of shows featuring giant robots causing enough property damage to make anyone wonder what they were even bothering to “protect” in the first place.

RELATED: Ranked: The 10 Most Powerful Robots in Anime

There was plenty of noteworthy series, too: Evangelion. Gundam Wing. Escaflowne. Even Magic Knight Rayearth was there for fans who liked magical girl mixed in with their anime. But there were plenty of other giant robot shows that deserve more attention, and here we take a look at them all.

10 GASARAKI

Anime Gasaraki

Premiering in October 1998, Gasaraki is set some unknown amount of time in the future. There, we see America at war with the fictional Belgistan, a country somewhere in the Middle East. To gain an advantage, the US attempt to steal a weapon from a powerful Japanese family, only to fail when they’re attacked by versions of the weapon they want to steal, the Tactical Armor. Meanwhile, the fourth son of this family, Yushiro Gowa, finds himself in the middle of all this thanks to his status as a test pilot and his ability to synchronize with Tactical Armors at a higher level than most. With considerably more elements of Japanese history and culture than most, Gasaraki stands out in a way few mecha series attempt.

9 BRAVE EXPRESS MIGHT GAINE

Coming out in January 1993, Might Gaine was part of Takara and Sunrise’s Brave group of anime, which was meant to take the place of Transformers for them once it finally ran it’s course. The series is the story of Might Senpuuji, a teenager who happens to be a billionaire after acquiring his father’s assets. Might works with a group of robots created by his father along with an AI named Gaine. Together, they form the Brave Express Squad, and face off against people posing a threat to Nouvelle Tokyo City. Directed by Shinji Takamatsu of Gundam Wing fame, the series is good, over the top fun.

8 BRAVE POLICE J-DECKER

Yuta Tomonaga sitting on the shoulders of J-Decker.

Cheese it, it’s the cops! For the fifth installment of Takara’s Brave universe, they gave us Brave Police J-Decker in February of 1994. This series gave us a younger protagonist in Yuuta Tomonaga, a ten year old kid who meets up with Deckerd, a robot being programmed by the police. Yuuta becomes the “mascot”/”boss” of the Brave Police, as they learn how to develop their own personalities through their interactions with him. It’s largely a monster of the week-style series, but the designs of the robots are gorgeous and it’s entertaining enough.

7 MARTIAN SUCCESSOR NADESICO

The cast of Martian Successor Nadesico.

Coming out in October of 1996, Martian Successor Nadesico, was a series produced by the now defunct studio Xebec, known for series like Shaman King and To LOVE Ru. The show focused on Akito, a young boy who’s home on Mars was destroyed by Jovian Lizards, aliens at war with humanity.

RELATED: Top 10 Robots from Non-Mecha Anime

He winds up working on the Nadesico ship, a ship of misfits that use him as a pilot for their mechs, even though he’d much rather polish his abilities as a cook. The series serves as a send-up to 70’s and 80’s anime, and is more of a comedy than a full on mecha series, though it does have it’s moments in terms of dramatic moments.

6 NEW DOMINION TANK POLICE

Tanks count as mecha, right? Well, they certainly should in this universe, where crime has become so rampant the police need tanks just to deal with it all. Continuing on the 80’s OVA Dominion, New Dominion has Tank Police officers Leona and Al piloting their mini-tank Bonaparte and attempting to discover the person responsible for the terrorist attacks in New Port City. Older fans might remember this series because it came on so frequently on the Sci-Fi Channel’s anime block, but nostalgia isn’t the only reason to watch this. It’s also a creation of Masamune Shirow’s, better known for their work on Ghost in the Shell.

5 GIANT ROBO: THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL

An OVA series that first came out in July 1992, Giant Robo is a series loosely based on a manga from 1967 by Mitsuteru Yokoyama, the creator responsible for the mecha genre in general. It begins with the organization Big Fire appearing to try and conquer the planet. This sets them at odds with lead character Daisaku Kusama and the International Police Organization, an organization of skilled martial artists and people with unique powers. While Daisaku is comparatively “normal”, he controls the invincible robot, Giant Robo. This series uses characters from multiple different works of Yokoyama, serving as more of an homage than an adaptation.

4 INFINITE RYVIUS

Infinite Ryvius full cast standing together

In 2225, space travel has finally become common. So common in fact, that the astronaut role has become a far more populous career. When the Liebe Delta, one of the ships meant to train teens to become astronauts winds up losing all of its adults thanks to sabotage, the teenagers are left to their own devices while they try to make it back home. Directed by Code Geass director Goro Taniguchi, Infinite Ryvius is as much a story about politics more than anything else, as the children attempt to find the best way to make decisions while they make their journey home.

3 BUBBLEGUM CRISIS TOKYO 2040

This series doesn’t get the respect it once did, thanks to more people finding out just how awesome the original series was. But both series don’t really get the respect they deserve. Though Bubblegum Crash never got to finish, Tokyo 2040 gets a full season on television, which allows it to put the women who’ve become the Knight Sabers through their paces. They battle Boomers that have lost control, even right down to battling them while being trapped in buildings full of rogue androids. For those who finished Bubblegum Crash, the change in characterization and art style makes this well worth a watch.

2 AFTER WAR GUNDAM X

Garrod with the Gundam X in After War Gundam X

Yeah, everyone knows Gundam, but few people actually remember Gundam X, which is the red-headed stepchild of the Alternate Universe series. Releasing April of 1996, After War Gundam X kicks off fifteen years after the war between the Earth Federation and the Space Revolutionary Army.

RELATED: 10 Mecha Anime To Watch If You Love Gundam

Garrod Ran discovers one of the older Federation mobile suits, the Gundam X, and begins working with Jamil Neate and the crew of the Freeden to keep things from getting as bad as they were in the war. Featuring familiar concepts like NewTypes and unfamiliar weapons like Moonlight Butterfly Cannons, Gundam X is a series nowhere near enough people got to watch.

1 MACROSS 7

Fire Bomber performs a concert among mecha in Macross 7

Macross 7 is the missing link between the original Super Dimensional Fortress Macross and Macross Delta. For people who haven’t seen it, the abrupt jump to Sheryl Norme and Ranka Lee, let alone the women of Walkure who fight enemies with their voices, makes zero sense. The comparatively more “serious” Macross Plus and Macross Zero didn’t make their singers play as large a part in combat, after all.

All of those people need more Nekki Basara in their life. The lead character of Macross 7, as well as the lead vocalist of the band Fire Bomber, Nekki is constantly traveling out to the middle of battles between Macross’ Valkyrie forces and the Protodevlin, hoping to change the hearts of his enemies through the power of song. With a delightfully absurd concept and deliciously 90’s animation, every Macross fan should go out of their way to see this series at least once.

NEXT: 10 Best Mecha/Giant Robot Anime Of The '90s