Ask any mecha fan and they’ll tell you—the genre isn’t just about the giant robots. They tell stories about the human struggle within oneself, or the struggle of man against man, wondering if we’ll ever evolve past the need for conflict with each other. But regardless of how important the story is, everyone wants a good robot in their giant robot series. That’s kind of the point.
There are plenty of giant robot series that have been made over the years, many of them some of the greatest anime ever created. But it takes something special to create a truly iconic mecha design—the kind that stands forever, and generations later people recognize the design even if they haven’t even watched the series yet.
10 Mazinger Z Is The First Piloted Mecha (Mazinger Z)
The Mazinger Z is a super robot first introduced in October 1972, making it’s way into the world of anime by that December. It’s made out of a unique metal known as Super Alloy Z, made from an element that could only be found at the heart of Mount Fuji. Built to stand against a collection of Mechanical Beasts, pilot Koji Kabuto leads the mecha into battle time and again, as the first mecha pilot to actually pilot a giant robot in anime. Mazinger Z’s special moves were the rocket punch and his Breast Fire and Rust Hurricane attacks.
9 Gurren Lagann Is The Most Popular Mecha Series Of The 2000s (Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann)
Gurren Lagann is a mecha series that might have been more popular in America than it was in Japan. It starts out as a fairly reasonable mecha, but the show takes combination mecha very seriously and it just keeps powering up. Eventually, the Gurren Lagann itself is piloting the Arc-Gurren Lagann. The end of the series has Simon and his friends merging their powers together to create the eponymous Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, a mecha literally made up of flaming red skulls. This mecha is capable of destroying the stars with ease.
8 The Zaku Defined Enemy Mobile Suits In Gundam (Mobile Suit Gundam)
Just as the RX-78 is an iconic design, the MS-06 is just as memorable. The antagonists in the Gundam universe have often been able to come up with more creative designs since they aren’t strictly made to sell to the audience watching as plastic models. The alien look of the Zaku, with it’s single, glowing-red eye help to make it a great contrast to the more humanoid Gundam design. Despite being inferior compared to the original Gundam, being piloted by the Red Comet Char Aznable made the suit look much better than it is, giving viewers the impression it was every bit the Gundam’s equal.
7 Big O's Giant Form Is Reminiscent Of Classic Super Robots (Big O)
Big O was a smash hit series in America, doubtless in no small part because the protagonist was essentially Batman, but with a giant robot. The Big O doesn’t look like anything like the mecha of the era—it’s absolutely massive and covered in almost excessive amounts of steel armor.
It’s got no shortage of weapons though, from machine guns and rockets from the chest to it’s classic special move, Sudden Impact. Sudden Impact uses the pistons in the arms to attack the opponent, making the mecha’s punches have vastly more power added to them.
6 VF-1J Valkyrie Is The Perfect Transforming Mecha Of The '80s (Superdimensional Fortress Macross)
The original Valkyrie from Superdimensional Fortress Macross wasn’t just popular in Japan, but became popular in America as well for it’s appearance in the Robotech series. If the Gundam was realistic, the Valkyrie took that to another level. There are no beam sabers or curiously useless short-range weaponry like the Gundam Hammer. The Valkyrie is meant to be piloted in dogfights, but can occasionally transform into a robot if needed to fight against the Zentraedi forces.
5 Voltron Became A Hit In America And Is The Precursor To Power Rangers (Voltron)
Voltron has been such a massive hit in America that it’s been getting remakes even decades after the original series launched. While Japan has largely moved on from Voltron (called GoLion in Japan), Netflix just recently finished a Voltron series in 2018. The concept is just so delightfully over the top: the protagonists each pilot a different multi-colored Lion with their own special abilities, that can combine to form a giant robot to protect their planet. Since its premiere, there have been no less than three different additional attempts for the series, all so new generations can keep seeing an animated version of the Power Rangers in action.
4 Wing Gundam Zero's Custom Form Is One Of The Most Popular Gundam Designs In America (Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz)
The Wing Gundam is something that 2000s anime fans will recognize on the spot, some of them more than they will the original Gundam design. It was the first Gundam to air on television in America, and it’s memorable not only for it’s transformation ability but it’s ginormous buster rifle.
It’s also possible they’ll remember Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz’s Wing Gundam Zero Custom, which had angel wings at the cost of the Gundam’s ability to transform. While this gets away from the Gundam’s realistic design philosophy, it looks awesome.
3 EVA-01 Showed Mecha Could Look Like More Than The Average Giant Robot (Neon Genesis Evangelion)
The Eva-01 is the “test type” for the other Evangelion units, but it’s also the main mecha in Evangelion. It looks so unlike any other mecha from that era, with it’s long limbs and it’s strange fighting style. It doesn’t even need Shinji to pilot it sometimes, thanks to it’s berserk mode, which allows it to move without a pilot or anything powering it, making the “shut up and get in the robot” jokes a bit nonsensical. Even to this day, Unit-01 is one of the boldest mecha designs ever, inspiring other mecha series to not feel bound up trying to make their mecha look either hyper realistic or buff mega-robots like those of the '70s.
2 AV-89 Ingram Stops Giant Robot Crime In Tokyo (Mobile Police Patlabor)
In the world of Patlabors, Labors are giant humanoid-shaped machines meant to do heavy construction work. But when Labors began to be used for criminal actions, the Tokyo police department took action, working with Shinohara Heavy Industries to develop the Ingram. Painted with familiar police colors, the Ingram has higher specs than nearly any other Labor, and packed with a wide variety of weapons from their baton to their revolver cannon to their riot cannons. For those who’ve seen Patlabor, most fans will recognize Izumi Noa’s Ingram, nicknamed Alphonse, which is used for the original Patlabor television series.
1 RX-78-2 Is The Mobile Suit That Started An Entire Franchise (Mobile Suit Gundam)
The RX-78 was piloted by Amuro Ray throughout the One Year War in Mobile Suit Gundam. It was meant to be a prototype for the future mobile suits made by the Earth Federation Force, but it was still able to bring down a variety of mobile suits piloted by some of the best the Duchy of Zeon had to offer. Where most mecha up to this point were barrel-chested, the RX-78 was sleek for it’s time, resembling an armored soldier. It also featured a variety of fairly realistic weaponry—bazookas and rifles to go along with it’s beam saber and vulcan guns. This suit would be the inspiration for Gundams for the next thirty years.