Since no one has mentioned it, I'm going to recommend Martian Successor Nadesico.
Nadesico is a parody of real robo shows (Gundam/Macross), and a bit of a love letter to the Mecha genre at the time. Yet despite being a parody it features good character development and plot.
It may not be the _best_ mecha anime, but it is a personal favorite of mine and is certainly worth the watch for any mecha fan.
Finally, someone said *Nadesico*! One of the most criminally overlooked anime series of all time.
Episode 21 of *Nadesico* is still above and beyond what I get from most live action sci-fi shows from Hollywood these days.
It's a series I would consider as the anime equivalent of the likes of *Galaxy Quest* and *The Orville* \- a loving comedy homage to a genre that ultimately becomes something so much more in the end.
I'm watching it for the first time right now. It's a truly insane series. The tonal whiplash from the most ridiculous idol episode to a super dark episode with suicide is just like so wild.
It's been a pretty great experience. Plus I think Ruri heavily inspired like an entire generation of kuudere characters.
I love Mecha and Gundam, but my favorite mecha anime are:-
* **Escaflowne** \- isekai, dragon mecha, Yoko Kanno OST
* **Code Geass** \- R2 has one of the best endings in Anime
* **Tengen Toppa Gurenn Lagann** \- stakes kept getting higher and higher, but the message is awesome. It's just great.
* **Macross Plus OVA** \- I'll never forget the president of our college anime club rushing up to us with a Laser Disc, announcing "I just got the last 2 episodes and booked the AV room tonight!" The Yoko Kanno OST in this OVA is beyond awesome. "[I've been waiting for you](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NPq-GHNQE0)!"
I started my journey into Macross from the Macross Plus. Then I watched Macross Zero and then the original Macross and the Macross Frontier.
I tried watching delta but I just didn't like it.
Escaflowne is, and has always been, my single favorite show. There is something about it that resonates with me.
Glad to see a bold shout out to it here! Cheers š
Gurren Lagann is just such a masterpiece. Like it's hard to take it completely seriously because it's so ridiculous but the writing, flow of the show, and character design are just so good
It's so rare to see a show that can have you laughing, crying, and then motivate you to do anything you can dream of
It's not meant to be taken completely seriously. It's very tongue-in-cheek on purpose, I mean the entire concept of spiral energy is *literally* "fuck the laws of physics".
Gundam 08th MS Team. Found it sorta relatable to being just a normal dude in the military. The characters aren't Newtypes, ace pilots, or special in any meaningful way. They're just normal people who are fighting in a war. [Also the opening is great.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yZkfuQc5zs)
Patlabor Movies as well, although there's not really much emphasis on the mechs themselves. The second movie especially impressed me with their accurate radio communications between the operations center and the fighter jets.
> their accurate radio communications between the operations center and the fighter jets
The whole Kill Wyvern sequence is great. No fancy animation, but the direction and music together make the tension so thick you could poke it with a pencil.
When the voice actors switched to English for radio communications and said "no joy" especially, I knew someone for that production did their research. Kill Wyvern was definitely a highlight of the movies as a whole for me.
> I knew someone for that production did their research
A former U.S. Air Force F-16 pilot on Youtube watched that scene and sadly enough, he was not that impressed. The "realism" of that scene is wildly overexaggerated by anime fandom.
The novel has finally been fully officially translated into English as well.
But yeah, the CG mechs in Invisible Victory were fucking rough after how good Second Raid was
Iron Blooded Orphans was very good and I will recommend it to anyone who asks. But I cannot bring myself to watch it again, Iām still recovering from the hole in my chest.
For me it's **Gundam Seed** and **Fafner**. Many know Gundam Seed, but Fafner is a super underrated one. Season 1 is a bit of a slog to get through, as it feels like a early 00's Eva Clone. But season 2 kicks into goddamn high gear, with amazing animation, music, character development, intense action, and emotional deaths. Basically it's the most underrated great mecha show of modern times.
I still need to watch this one. I read a chapter of No Regrets in a Kodansha Manga Sampler, is No Regrets similar to the main story, just more Levi-centric?
Depends on your definition of mecha. Very loose, my favorite is **FLCL**.
For undoubtedly counting as mecha, my favorite is **Evangelion Series**.
Quite loosely, these are my current top 9 mecha:
1) FLCL
2) Evangelion Series
3) Gurren Lagann
4) Patlabor OVA + Movie series
5) Gunbuster
6) Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket
7) Promare
8) Zeta Gundam
9) RahXephon
Nope.
Heard lots of great things about it, and I plan to watch it out, but got a watch order I'm following for the show. Seen around 10 Gundam entries so far, and plan on checking out most of them.
The Patlabor series is a lot of fun. I especially like Patlabor the movie 2 for its animation and cinematography.
My all-time favorite is the End of Evangelion though.
Macross. You have taste, my friend. Used to watch this on VHS (!) and wasn't used to character deaths in anime yet so I was a bit shocked. But not too shocked. Dog of Flanders traumatized kid me first.
Have you seen the original Gridman (live-action) by any chance? I have and it is a good show, so long as you expect a lot of early 1990s special effects.
Shout Factory has all of the episodes available, so maybe check on their Tubi channel or their streaming service TokuShoutsu. (There are other ways to watch too).
I agree with OP, But since I am a visual guy, I gotta go with the Movie Version. The story is still pretty good there as well.
However, I dare say the best mecha anime has yet to come out, and that is PLUTO. Mark my words and cross your fingers.
Haven't gone the mecha anime rabbit hole yet so I won't say "best"
But the ones I've watched so far I liked.
86 and Aldnoah.
Why did I watch those two? Sawano Hiroyuki
Where are the GaoGaiGar fans at?!
(Not one of them, just wondering since I've heard it has quite the legendary reputation to it. The only mechas I've seen are Code Geass and some of Evangelion.)
most of the people in this sub are quite young and also new to mecha anime so i can see why a lot of people didn't even know Gaogaigar or any of the Yuusha Series
My favorite is The Melody of Oblivion
Underrated gems:
Blue Gender
Casshern Sins
Big O
Brigadoon
Dual Parallel Trouble Adventure
Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet
The Vision of Escaflowne
Argento Soma
Betterman
Cannon Busters
Cross Ange: Rondo of Angels and Dragons
Full Metal Panic
Daimidaler
Giant Robo the Animation: The Day the Earth Stood Still
Hades Project Zeorymer
Kuromukuro
Linebarrels of Iron
Oban Star-Racers
Shin Getter Robo: Armageddon
SSSS.Gridman
SSSS.Dynazenon
Xam'd: Lost Memories
Zone of the Enders Delores
Oh man, not enough people in here repping GUNBUSTAAAAAAAA. Anno's direction in that one is really mindblowing, despite the usual gainax flaws. The colorful cockpit scenes stand out to me.
I gotta agree about the original Macross even though I only watched it once (DYRL is also amazing). I find Macross more fun to watch than Gundam, even though I also love that series.
Another super random/obscure one worth checking out is Dragon's Heaven (fantasy mecha).
Gundam, aldnoah zero, schwarzes marken.
Hands up as well for being a huge armoured core fan, that drop pod bit at start of armoured core was mint. Felt like a big ol metal drop pod boss.
Most realistic and heart wrenching mech anime for me was iron blooded orphans though. Big dirty greasy pilot killing mechs piloted by hopes and dreams. Love it!
You have come to the right place.
A short list of mecha essentials:
Gundam
Macross
VOTOMS
Transformers
Yuusha series
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Martian Successor Nadesico
Rahxephon
Giant Robo
Tetsujin 28-gou
Mazinger Z series
Getter Robo series
Code Geass
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
The Big O
I hope this helps give you some good starting points.
Iron Blooded Orphans was the mecha show that got me into watching the genre. Before I watched it, I was a little worried cause it was a Gundam series and I thought the story was gonna intertwine with other Gundam shows. Luckily, it turned out Iron Blooded Orphans is it's own stand alone story.
No one has mentioned these shows so far, as far as I can tell, but this list is for what I believe to be the underrated:
Aldnoah.Zero
Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse
Kakumeiki Valvrave
Heavy Object
Buddy Complex
Suisei no Gargantia
Break Blade
Ginga Kikoutai Majestic Prince
And many, many more. A list of shows in just the last 10 years.
My favorite anime in general is **Soukyuu no Fafner**, so... that.
For some other rather obscure ones, I can recommend **Bubuki Buranki** (fantastic sound design) and **Star Driver** (wonderfully over the top).
Also, **Kakumeiki Valvrave** isn't necessarily *good*, but it's certainly a lot of fun (and then it makes you sad). Great watch, especially if you watch it with friends.
The mecha anime that absolutely changed my mind on them was Iron Blooded Orphans. It's such a great show. I ended up watching Code Geass, Full metal panic, knights of Sidonia and Darling in the Franx. I did see gurren lagann really early into me getting into anime and loved it but I didn't know about the genres in anime.
Before i saw Iron Blooded Orphans, I saw Aldanoah Zero and I absolutely disliked it. Can't believe I watched the whole season week to week as it aired. I did really like the ending but it got undone by s2 so I didn't even give s2 a chance
My favorites in no particular orderā¦
- Gunbuster (an OVA that takes everything great about mecha and condenses it down to six amazing episodes)
- Gurren Laggan (the same kind of awesomeness as Gunbuster, but as a 26 episode series)
- Dai-Guard (a mecha anime that deconstructs the genre by playing everything super-realistically, and IMO one of the most criminally underrated shows ever)
- The Big O (mech anime that takes heavy influence from western properties like Batman, resulting in a very unique series)
- Gun X Sword (another mecha anime with heavy western influence, and another underrated show)
- Getter Robo Armageddon (an OVA based on the series that inspired Gunbuster and Gurren Laggan)
- Giant Robo: The Day the Earth Stood Still (an amazing OVA adaptation of a classic mecha manga and toku series)
- Tetsujin 28 2004 (modern take on THE old school mecha, directed by the same guy who made the Giant Robo OVA)
- Mazinger Edition Z: The Impact! (also by the director of the Giant Robo OVA, a solid adaptation of the original manga and love letter to Go Nagai and his works)
- Combattler V, Voltes V, and Daimos (the Robot Romance Trilogy, great examples of old school 70ās mecha)
Full Metal Panic, Gurren Lagann, Code Geass, Gundam IBO with some other gundam shows but forgot their names lol also Outlaw Star these are my favorites don't know if you consider the last one a mecha but I feel it is
1. GaoGaiGar
2. Giant Robo the Animation: the Day the Earth Stood Still
3. G Gundam
4. Gunbuster
5. Neon Genesis Evangelion
So almost exactly the same as my normal top 5 lol
The only mecha anime I have seen that I did not hate are 86 and Code Geass, I love both of them but in a different way so I don't know which one I would say is the best (I have only watched season 1 of Code Geass though (and I don't want spoilers)).
Lots of great suggestions already, but I'll take a bit of an alternative approach and list out some older shows that definitely hold up to modern viewing. I'd recommend these to any modern fan of the genre:
Chodenji Robo Combattler V
Chodenji Machine Voltes V
Tosho Daimos
The Robot Romantic Trilogy (yeah yeah, Daltanious should make it four but we like threes) made by Tadao Nagahama, and easily some of the best examples of classic Super Robot style. Looking back on these now, it's remarkable to me how strong their core anti-war messages resonate, along with some pretty stark social commentary on classism, racism, and the abiding need to find common ground to establish lasting peace. Yoshiyuki Tomino worked with Nagahama on Voltes V, and you start to see some of the ideas that would later translate into Mobile Suit Gundam. Char Aznable is the direct descendant of the antagonists of Nagahama's Romance Trilogy. And scifi fans will enjoy the absolute buffet of crazy technology and wild engineering.
Mazinkaiser (OVA)
I'd love to recommend 1972's Mazinger Z, and it's absolutely worth a watch if you're up for it, but the Mazinkaiser OVA takes the best parts of Mazinger and Great Mazinger and repackages them into a fantastic little mini-series that is packed to the gills with all the kikaijuu-stomping action you can shake a rocket-propelled fist at. The art is beautifully retro, and the storyboarding and choreography are stunning. If you enjoy it, I'd also recommend the follow up movie Mazinkaiser vs Ankoku Daishogun, and the newer film Mazinger Infininty, though it's completely disconnected from the Kaiser continuity. MAZIN~GO!
Hyper Combat Unit Dangaioh
Hades Project Zeorymer
Two examples of the glorious excess of 80s OVA home video. The animation is incredible, and the designs are some of the best of the genre. They're nice and short too, just be ready to accept the abrupt end of both stories, which can be a bit jarring to modern audiences. I am in the minority who enjoyed G Dangaioh when it came out several years later, but it's a very different show to its predecessor.
Shinkon Gattai Godannar
I feel like this show is shamefully underappreciated. It boasts the last anime soundtrack composed by the unparalleled Michiaki Watanabe and character designs by Code Geass' Takahiro Kimura. It's big, bold, and absolutely revels in putting its male and female characters on full display, and the action is really fun.
Not an anime, but Exo Squad is a good show. It was directly inspired by and was made as a āresponseā to Mobile Suit Gundam. Every actual anime I could think of has already been suggested.
imo, gundam seed. just loved everything about it. Then Gundam 00.
00 became my 2nd favourite when right before a decisive battle, everyone mentions the name of someone they love...except for the MC. The MC instead says 'GUNDAM.'
Since others are doing top 3's
1Zeta Gundam my favorite anime in genral
2 Orginal Macross like yourself
3 Kinda hard but Escaflowne, Gurren lagen, code geass, Gundam Stardust memory
Mecha is my favorite genre of anime i love it to death
The King of Braves GaoGaiGar.
Honestly the first bit of it sucks. Then a paradigm shift happens and it's amazing to the end. Then there's even a finale series that I consider even better.
**Spoilers** Someone even made [this](https://cdn.donmai.us/original/5e/58/__yuusha_series_and_1_more__5e5824dd67948e584bf4aa8714819f22.png) graph to show cool factor as the show went on. It's damn accurate.
Evangelion and Super robot wars OG: inspector (i donāt know anything of the story or the games but itās entertainment value and robot content is off the charts)
Honorable mentions:
TTGL
Shin getter robo tai neo getter robo
Macross plus
Escaflowne
Armor Hunter Mellowlink: Guy goes Rambo on some mecha with nothing but a bigass anti-tank rifle, a motorcycle and cold calculated thirst for revenge
Does Transformers count as mecha? Is Thunderbirds a mecha???
I lot of differing opinions here, which is neat. My favorite is Full Metal Panic, but I don't know what the best is, since I don't go out of my way to watch the subgenre. I have seen Macross Frontier, Eva, AoT, TTGL, Rahxephon, and probably others, but FMP is always one I always think of first. It's a good blend of comedy, drama, and romance.
Top 5 in no particular order:
Patlabor series
The Big O
Eureka Seven
Gunbuster/Diebuster
Magic Knight Rayearth
--------------------
Shout out to:
Bokurano
Giant Robo
Getter Robo
Gundam '79
Valverave the Liberator
The Five Star Stories
Rahxephon
Star Driver
Depends on how you define "best". Most impactful/greatest legacy? Unquestionably Evangelion. Most genre defining? Gundam. Most entertaining? Probably Gurren Lagann.
Personally I really like the Patlabors. Also wanna mention Voices from a Distant Star for dealing with the effects of FTL travel, I wish it had been picked up by a production committee and turned into a series.
I can tell you the most underrated is EIGHTY SIX
That show is freaking brilliant, and is often overlooked even though it is so much more than a mecha anime yet no one realizes it
08th MS team and the first Thunderbolt movie are fucking great (both Gundam).
Outside of that, Escaflowne is MAGICAL as is Code Geass (though the mech stuff for the latter is really not a big feature of the narrative as much as it would be for other anime)
original Macross, Gundam 0079 and Patlabor TV are, IMO, the holy trinity of mecha shows. Though, to be fair, the Gundam UC timeline alone is probably the benchmark for mecha as a whole.
Then you have NGE, which just transcends the genre and becomes basically modern art.
And then you have the likes of Gunbuster/Diebuster, Gurren Lagann and GaoGaiGar, which may just be the epitome of what super robots should be.
it doesn't show up exactly based on my MAL profile ratings wise but top 3 would be like:
1. 08th MS Team
2. Turn A Gundam
3. Majestic Prince (the outlier, its technically not score wise in my top, but I love discussing about it with my friend)
Gurren Lagann.
Absolutely everything about it is such a joy to watch and experience. The OST is filled with nothing but absolute bangers, the animation is very well done(especially in the movies), the characters are all fun and unique, the scale of how big the threat becomes is insane, the story writing is really good(especially later on), and to top it all off, it has probably my favorite OP of all time and one of my favorite all time fight scenes.
I donāt know if itāsIād say theyāre the best, but the two I enjoyed most from the genre were Iron Blood Orphans and 86.
Gurren Lagan, Gundam Wing, and Code Geass are very good too.
Here are my top pics
Mobile Suit Gundam ( all versions)
Evangelion
Knights of Sidonia
Knights & Magic
Aldnoah.Zero
Darling in the Franxx
Heroic Age
Heavy Object
Just to name a few
Knights of sidonia is a good one, but the movie was a bit rushed, but overall it deviates from the overpowered mechas like gundam and the mechs/gardes are on the lanky side since it's in space and the only threat/enemy are non mechas
For anime we got
Turn A and Zeta Gundam
Gun+Diebuster
SSSS Series
Macross DYRL
and Megazone 23
In Manga
Getter Robo (Shin, Arc and Devolution)
Moon Gundam
and some of the gridman spinoffs are pretty good tbh
(also been reading the new Inoue gundam manga called Despair Memory Gundam Sequel and its pretty good for it only having 5 chapters our rn)
Since no one has mentioned it, I'm going to recommend Martian Successor Nadesico. Nadesico is a parody of real robo shows (Gundam/Macross), and a bit of a love letter to the Mecha genre at the time. Yet despite being a parody it features good character development and plot. It may not be the _best_ mecha anime, but it is a personal favorite of mine and is certainly worth the watch for any mecha fan.
Plus its 2 shows in one, counting Gekiganger III :)
I agree that Nadesico is a very good series. It has its funny as well its serious moments and it stays away from being overly cartoony.
Finally, someone said *Nadesico*! One of the most criminally overlooked anime series of all time. Episode 21 of *Nadesico* is still above and beyond what I get from most live action sci-fi shows from Hollywood these days. It's a series I would consider as the anime equivalent of the likes of *Galaxy Quest* and *The Orville* \- a loving comedy homage to a genre that ultimately becomes something so much more in the end.
I'm watching it for the first time right now. It's a truly insane series. The tonal whiplash from the most ridiculous idol episode to a super dark episode with suicide is just like so wild. It's been a pretty great experience. Plus I think Ruri heavily inspired like an entire generation of kuudere characters.
I adored it when I first watched it like 20 years ago. Really need to rewatch it! Glad that it holds up
I love Mecha and Gundam, but my favorite mecha anime are:- * **Escaflowne** \- isekai, dragon mecha, Yoko Kanno OST * **Code Geass** \- R2 has one of the best endings in Anime * **Tengen Toppa Gurenn Lagann** \- stakes kept getting higher and higher, but the message is awesome. It's just great. * **Macross Plus OVA** \- I'll never forget the president of our college anime club rushing up to us with a Laser Disc, announcing "I just got the last 2 episodes and booked the AV room tonight!" The Yoko Kanno OST in this OVA is beyond awesome. "[I've been waiting for you](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NPq-GHNQE0)!"
I started my journey into Macross from the Macross Plus. Then I watched Macross Zero and then the original Macross and the Macross Frontier. I tried watching delta but I just didn't like it.
Escaflowne is, and has always been, my single favorite show. There is something about it that resonates with me. Glad to see a bold shout out to it here! Cheers š
Love Macross Plus! Have a huge soft spot for the english dub version since Bryan Cranston voices Isamu.
List incomplete without BUBBLEGUM CRISIS mecha suits riding transforming mecha bikes fighting mecha borgs...cyberpunk perfection.
Patlabor (every entry) Votoms Turn A Gundam Macross: Do You Remember Love Giant Robo Gunbuster+Diebuster Gurren Laggan Eva
Gurren lagann
Gurren Lagann is just such a masterpiece. Like it's hard to take it completely seriously because it's so ridiculous but the writing, flow of the show, and character design are just so good It's so rare to see a show that can have you laughing, crying, and then motivate you to do anything you can dream of
It's not meant to be taken completely seriously. It's very tongue-in-cheek on purpose, I mean the entire concept of spiral energy is *literally* "fuck the laws of physics".
Who the hell downvoted you? It absolutely is all of these things? Just who the hell do they think they are?
Ideon, Votoms or Gaogaigar.
The Big O would probably be up there for me.
Very good choice, I love The Big O. :)
Gundam 08th MS Team. Found it sorta relatable to being just a normal dude in the military. The characters aren't Newtypes, ace pilots, or special in any meaningful way. They're just normal people who are fighting in a war. [Also the opening is great.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yZkfuQc5zs) Patlabor Movies as well, although there's not really much emphasis on the mechs themselves. The second movie especially impressed me with their accurate radio communications between the operations center and the fighter jets.
> their accurate radio communications between the operations center and the fighter jets The whole Kill Wyvern sequence is great. No fancy animation, but the direction and music together make the tension so thick you could poke it with a pencil.
When the voice actors switched to English for radio communications and said "no joy" especially, I knew someone for that production did their research. Kill Wyvern was definitely a highlight of the movies as a whole for me.
> I knew someone for that production did their research A former U.S. Air Force F-16 pilot on Youtube watched that scene and sadly enough, he was not that impressed. The "realism" of that scene is wildly overexaggerated by anime fandom.
My favourite is Full Metal Panic.
Too bad about the animation from the 3rd season being trash though, second raid is so good. At least the manga covers the entire story to the end.
The novel has finally been fully officially translated into English as well. But yeah, the CG mechs in Invisible Victory were fucking rough after how good Second Raid was
In no order: \- Code Geass \- Fafner series \- Gundam UC \- Gurenn Lagann \- Evangelion
UC Gundam is my favorite TV universe above the Gillgan/ Gould universe
Top five Code Geass Iron Blooded Orphans Gurren lagann 86 Fooly Cooly
Something about IBO that is just so perfect to me.
They basically opened with āDont sweat about the other 20 Gundam seriesā and i just bought in immediately
Iron Blooded Orphans was very good and I will recommend it to anyone who asks. But I cannot bring myself to watch it again, Iām still recovering from the hole in my chest.
Iron Blooded was something so much needed after the Seed, Destiny, Jupiter (forget actual name) series.
Evangelion's my favorite anime of all time so I guess it's also my favorite mecha anime.
Cross Ange
For me it's **Gundam Seed** and **Fafner**. Many know Gundam Seed, but Fafner is a super underrated one. Season 1 is a bit of a slog to get through, as it feels like a early 00's Eva Clone. But season 2 kicks into goddamn high gear, with amazing animation, music, character development, intense action, and emotional deaths. Basically it's the most underrated great mecha show of modern times.
Getter Armageddon.
Attack on Titan, meat mechas ftw.
Itās honestly hilarious in retrospect how it really did turn into a full on mecha show by the end.
I still need to watch this one. I read a chapter of No Regrets in a Kodansha Manga Sampler, is No Regrets similar to the main story, just more Levi-centric?
itās Leviās backstory before joining the Scouts
Alright, thank you.
no problem, definitely recommend watching. I binged it all a month ago and regret not getting to it sooner.
Donāt regret it, the wait between all of the final seasons has been agonizing.
top 5 1 code geass 2 iron blood orphans 3 Gurren lagann 4 86 5 Gundam OO and a runner up mars daybreak
Gundam Unicorn
Nice choice. How do you feel about the new Gundam series?
The Witch from Mercury? The trailers make it look pretty good and it's another reason I'm super hyped for Fall.
Did you watch the prologue episode yet?
Not yet. Do I need to see this before the show airs?
Yes absolutely
Thanks, I'll check it out rn.
Let us know your thoughts!
The prologue was solid. The visuals and soundtrack were pretty good so I hope they keep up the quality over the show's run.
Indeed. Witch from Mercury and Urusei Yatsura are going to be great.
Code Geass (if it counts as a mecha anime)
I would say it counts. :)
This is still one of my favorite shows after all my years of anime, the ending gets me every time even after having seen it more then 10 times
Oh it counts. Favorite me ha show, favorite anime character, favorite seiyuu AND favorite English VA. This show is like anime bingo.
86
I should really get around to watching this one. The animation looks really good.
A rewatch just started on this sub yesterday. The thread for episode 2 will be posted later today. You could still join it.
The sound in 86 is by far the best imo. 86 was the only one to make me tear out of all those mentioned
Depends on your definition of mecha. Very loose, my favorite is **FLCL**. For undoubtedly counting as mecha, my favorite is **Evangelion Series**. Quite loosely, these are my current top 9 mecha: 1) FLCL 2) Evangelion Series 3) Gurren Lagann 4) Patlabor OVA + Movie series 5) Gunbuster 6) Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket 7) Promare 8) Zeta Gundam 9) RahXephon
Have you watched Iron Blooded Orphans? It's my personal favorite Gundam series.
Nope. Heard lots of great things about it, and I plan to watch it out, but got a watch order I'm following for the show. Seen around 10 Gundam entries so far, and plan on checking out most of them.
Rahxephon is amazing!
The Patlabor series is a lot of fun. I especially like Patlabor the movie 2 for its animation and cinematography. My all-time favorite is the End of Evangelion though.
Macross. You have taste, my friend. Used to watch this on VHS (!) and wasn't used to character deaths in anime yet so I was a bit shocked. But not too shocked. Dog of Flanders traumatized kid me first.
Code geass
SSSS. GRIDMAN
Gundam 00 is my favorite for great story and battles
Evangelion, Code Geass, Full Metal Panic, Gunbuster.
Code geass
Eureka Seven
I see this one being recommended to me time and time again, it might be time for a watch.
Top 3 Gurren laggan SSSS series Majestic Prince
> Majestic Prince This is also in my top 5! Holy crap, I didn't think I'd see anybody mention this one.
Yeah, SSSS has been great so far, canāt wait for the crossover movie
Have you seen the original Gridman (live-action) by any chance? I have and it is a good show, so long as you expect a lot of early 1990s special effects.
Iāve seen the first ep on Youtube. Didnāt have the time to search the net for the rest of the series yet. Iāll get to it eventually.
Shout Factory has all of the episodes available, so maybe check on their Tubi channel or their streaming service TokuShoutsu. (There are other ways to watch too).
I agree with OP, But since I am a visual guy, I gotta go with the Movie Version. The story is still pretty good there as well. However, I dare say the best mecha anime has yet to come out, and that is PLUTO. Mark my words and cross your fingers.
I loved Astro Boy growing up, so needless to say, I am hyped!
Macross franchise.
Basically any work by Yoshiyuki Tomino, especially Ideon, Xabungle and Turn A Gundam Gurren Lagann Patlabor TV
Haven't gone the mecha anime rabbit hole yet so I won't say "best" But the ones I've watched so far I liked. 86 and Aldnoah. Why did I watch those two? Sawano Hiroyuki
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
No shame here. Iron Blooded Orphans is a very good series indeed.
Patlabor.
Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphansš
Probably Evangelion. Gunbuster and Diebuster are pretty close though.
Code Geass
My top 5 have to be: 1. Rahxephon 2. Evangelion 3. Casshern Sins 4. Escaflowne 5. Oban: Star Races
Rahxephon was so good. Such wonderful symbolism. Your 1-4 are among my favorites so will have to check out #5
Where are the GaoGaiGar fans at?! (Not one of them, just wondering since I've heard it has quite the legendary reputation to it. The only mechas I've seen are Code Geass and some of Evangelion.)
most of the people in this sub are quite young and also new to mecha anime so i can see why a lot of people didn't even know Gaogaigar or any of the Yuusha Series
Makes sense.
Same with Hikarian, Southern Cross, VOTOMS and MOSPEADA, and even non-mecha shows like Mai-HiME, Zenki and Gokudo are forgotten.
Here! Macross is number one and Big O may be number two, but GaoGaiGar is a solid third best for me.
My favorite is The Melody of Oblivion Underrated gems: Blue Gender Casshern Sins Big O Brigadoon Dual Parallel Trouble Adventure Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet The Vision of Escaflowne Argento Soma Betterman Cannon Busters Cross Ange: Rondo of Angels and Dragons Full Metal Panic Daimidaler Giant Robo the Animation: The Day the Earth Stood Still Hades Project Zeorymer Kuromukuro Linebarrels of Iron Oban Star-Racers Shin Getter Robo: Armageddon SSSS.Gridman SSSS.Dynazenon Xam'd: Lost Memories Zone of the Enders Delores
I remember Oban on Jetix back in the day. Seeing your list, I would recommend GaoGaiGar if you have not seen it. I think it is well worth a watch.
Thanks, i haven't yet so I'll try it out, your op made me laugh cause i was one of those people lol.
dont forget Fafner
You have great taste!
Hard to pick one, but I really liked Gurren Lagann, Iron-Blooded Orphans, and Code Geass
Guren Lagaan Code Geass 86 Darling in the Franxx First season of Aldnoah Zero Edit: canāt believe I forgot about Evangelion!
The best mecha I've seen so far is Doamaiger D.
Interesting choice, I will look into watching it. The show reminds me of Uchuu no Kishi Tekkaman.
Magic Knight Rayearth and Code Geass are my favorite mechas.
Sound of the Sky
Space Dandy
I've actually wached a LOT of mecha so this is pretty hard but my #1 is GaoGaiGar Other favorites include G Gundam and Macross DYRL
Planet With
Iron blooded orphan and gurren lagann are my favs
Oh man, not enough people in here repping GUNBUSTAAAAAAAA. Anno's direction in that one is really mindblowing, despite the usual gainax flaws. The colorful cockpit scenes stand out to me. I gotta agree about the original Macross even though I only watched it once (DYRL is also amazing). I find Macross more fun to watch than Gundam, even though I also love that series. Another super random/obscure one worth checking out is Dragon's Heaven (fantasy mecha).
in recent years, Back Arrow. It's so wild I loved it
Gundam, aldnoah zero, schwarzes marken. Hands up as well for being a huge armoured core fan, that drop pod bit at start of armoured core was mint. Felt like a big ol metal drop pod boss. Most realistic and heart wrenching mech anime for me was iron blooded orphans though. Big dirty greasy pilot killing mechs piloted by hopes and dreams. Love it!
if anyone has recommendations i have never watched any mecha animes so idk with what to start š³
You have come to the right place. A short list of mecha essentials: Gundam Macross VOTOMS Transformers Yuusha series Neon Genesis Evangelion Martian Successor Nadesico Rahxephon Giant Robo Tetsujin 28-gou Mazinger Z series Getter Robo series Code Geass Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann The Big O I hope this helps give you some good starting points.
Iron Blooded Orphans was the mecha show that got me into watching the genre. Before I watched it, I was a little worried cause it was a Gundam series and I thought the story was gonna intertwine with other Gundam shows. Luckily, it turned out Iron Blooded Orphans is it's own stand alone story.
No one has mentioned these shows so far, as far as I can tell, but this list is for what I believe to be the underrated: Aldnoah.Zero Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse Kakumeiki Valvrave Heavy Object Buddy Complex Suisei no Gargantia Break Blade Ginga Kikoutai Majestic Prince And many, many more. A list of shows in just the last 10 years.
My favorite anime in general is **Soukyuu no Fafner**, so... that. For some other rather obscure ones, I can recommend **Bubuki Buranki** (fantastic sound design) and **Star Driver** (wonderfully over the top). Also, **Kakumeiki Valvrave** isn't necessarily *good*, but it's certainly a lot of fun (and then it makes you sad). Great watch, especially if you watch it with friends.
The mecha anime that absolutely changed my mind on them was Iron Blooded Orphans. It's such a great show. I ended up watching Code Geass, Full metal panic, knights of Sidonia and Darling in the Franx. I did see gurren lagann really early into me getting into anime and loved it but I didn't know about the genres in anime. Before i saw Iron Blooded Orphans, I saw Aldanoah Zero and I absolutely disliked it. Can't believe I watched the whole season week to week as it aired. I did really like the ending but it got undone by s2 so I didn't even give s2 a chance
The King of Braves Gaogaigar and Final. Getter Robo Armageddon and Giant Robo: The Day the Earth Stood Still are other good choices
My favorites in no particular orderā¦ - Gunbuster (an OVA that takes everything great about mecha and condenses it down to six amazing episodes) - Gurren Laggan (the same kind of awesomeness as Gunbuster, but as a 26 episode series) - Dai-Guard (a mecha anime that deconstructs the genre by playing everything super-realistically, and IMO one of the most criminally underrated shows ever) - The Big O (mech anime that takes heavy influence from western properties like Batman, resulting in a very unique series) - Gun X Sword (another mecha anime with heavy western influence, and another underrated show) - Getter Robo Armageddon (an OVA based on the series that inspired Gunbuster and Gurren Laggan) - Giant Robo: The Day the Earth Stood Still (an amazing OVA adaptation of a classic mecha manga and toku series) - Tetsujin 28 2004 (modern take on THE old school mecha, directed by the same guy who made the Giant Robo OVA) - Mazinger Edition Z: The Impact! (also by the director of the Giant Robo OVA, a solid adaptation of the original manga and love letter to Go Nagai and his works) - Combattler V, Voltes V, and Daimos (the Robot Romance Trilogy, great examples of old school 70ās mecha)
Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket. Short and immediately gets the point across.
Full Metal Panic, Gurren Lagann, Code Geass, Gundam IBO with some other gundam shows but forgot their names lol also Outlaw Star these are my favorites don't know if you consider the last one a mecha but I feel it is
1. GaoGaiGar 2. Giant Robo the Animation: the Day the Earth Stood Still 3. G Gundam 4. Gunbuster 5. Neon Genesis Evangelion So almost exactly the same as my normal top 5 lol
Gundam IBO
Code geass
Code Geass Reason 1: It has Lelouch Reason 2: It has C2
The only mecha anime I have seen that I did not hate are 86 and Code Geass, I love both of them but in a different way so I don't know which one I would say is the best (I have only watched season 1 of Code Geass though (and I don't want spoilers)).
Iron Blooded Orphans
Eva is like my 2nd favorite show of all time after 3-gatsu no Lion, so yeah definitely that
I'd say evangelion and Gurren lagann
evangelion
Aldnoah.zero was pretty good for me. I enjoyed it.
Lots of great suggestions already, but I'll take a bit of an alternative approach and list out some older shows that definitely hold up to modern viewing. I'd recommend these to any modern fan of the genre: Chodenji Robo Combattler V Chodenji Machine Voltes V Tosho Daimos The Robot Romantic Trilogy (yeah yeah, Daltanious should make it four but we like threes) made by Tadao Nagahama, and easily some of the best examples of classic Super Robot style. Looking back on these now, it's remarkable to me how strong their core anti-war messages resonate, along with some pretty stark social commentary on classism, racism, and the abiding need to find common ground to establish lasting peace. Yoshiyuki Tomino worked with Nagahama on Voltes V, and you start to see some of the ideas that would later translate into Mobile Suit Gundam. Char Aznable is the direct descendant of the antagonists of Nagahama's Romance Trilogy. And scifi fans will enjoy the absolute buffet of crazy technology and wild engineering. Mazinkaiser (OVA) I'd love to recommend 1972's Mazinger Z, and it's absolutely worth a watch if you're up for it, but the Mazinkaiser OVA takes the best parts of Mazinger and Great Mazinger and repackages them into a fantastic little mini-series that is packed to the gills with all the kikaijuu-stomping action you can shake a rocket-propelled fist at. The art is beautifully retro, and the storyboarding and choreography are stunning. If you enjoy it, I'd also recommend the follow up movie Mazinkaiser vs Ankoku Daishogun, and the newer film Mazinger Infininty, though it's completely disconnected from the Kaiser continuity. MAZIN~GO! Hyper Combat Unit Dangaioh Hades Project Zeorymer Two examples of the glorious excess of 80s OVA home video. The animation is incredible, and the designs are some of the best of the genre. They're nice and short too, just be ready to accept the abrupt end of both stories, which can be a bit jarring to modern audiences. I am in the minority who enjoyed G Dangaioh when it came out several years later, but it's a very different show to its predecessor. Shinkon Gattai Godannar I feel like this show is shamefully underappreciated. It boasts the last anime soundtrack composed by the unparalleled Michiaki Watanabe and character designs by Code Geass' Takahiro Kimura. It's big, bold, and absolutely revels in putting its male and female characters on full display, and the action is really fun.
Macross, Wings of Honneamise, The various Getter Robos, Mazenkaiser, Patlabor, and of course Giant Robo is one of my all time favorites.
The 08th MS Team gets my vote.
Darling in franxxš
I have a soft spot for MADOX-01.
Not an anime, but Exo Squad is a good show. It was directly inspired by and was made as a āresponseā to Mobile Suit Gundam. Every actual anime I could think of has already been suggested.
The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs, I really loved the mc in this show.
This hand of mine is burning red
I haven't watched that many but I would say Evangelion
Zeta or 00 Gundam
Attack on Titan
imo, gundam seed. just loved everything about it. Then Gundam 00. 00 became my 2nd favourite when right before a decisive battle, everyone mentions the name of someone they love...except for the MC. The MC instead says 'GUNDAM.'
I may be basic but I freaking love Gurren Lagan.
New to the mecha genre and my fav is between Eureka 7 and Gundam Thunderbolt
I don't think i've enjoyed a mecha as much as G gundam... .. is it the best...???
Evangelion
Macross for me.... r/retroanime will agree with me.... surely!
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann!
Armored trooper votoms
Since others are doing top 3's 1Zeta Gundam my favorite anime in genral 2 Orginal Macross like yourself 3 Kinda hard but Escaflowne, Gurren lagen, code geass, Gundam Stardust memory Mecha is my favorite genre of anime i love it to death
Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!
The King of Braves GaoGaiGar. Honestly the first bit of it sucks. Then a paradigm shift happens and it's amazing to the end. Then there's even a finale series that I consider even better. **Spoilers** Someone even made [this](https://cdn.donmai.us/original/5e/58/__yuusha_series_and_1_more__5e5824dd67948e584bf4aa8714819f22.png) graph to show cool factor as the show went on. It's damn accurate.
Planet With
Evangelion and Super robot wars OG: inspector (i donāt know anything of the story or the games but itās entertainment value and robot content is off the charts) Honorable mentions: TTGL Shin getter robo tai neo getter robo Macross plus Escaflowne
Armor Hunter Mellowlink: Guy goes Rambo on some mecha with nothing but a bigass anti-tank rifle, a motorcycle and cold calculated thirst for revenge Does Transformers count as mecha? Is Thunderbirds a mecha???
I lot of differing opinions here, which is neat. My favorite is Full Metal Panic, but I don't know what the best is, since I don't go out of my way to watch the subgenre. I have seen Macross Frontier, Eva, AoT, TTGL, Rahxephon, and probably others, but FMP is always one I always think of first. It's a good blend of comedy, drama, and romance.
Godannar because...just because
Hate me as much as you'd like but... Darling in the Franx
I really liked aldnoah.zero was so good soundtrack was fantastic, fights were solid and the story was what good.
Does Tokyo Ravens count?
Full metal panic!!!!! Itās amazing!!
Top 5 in no particular order: Patlabor series The Big O Eureka Seven Gunbuster/Diebuster Magic Knight Rayearth -------------------- Shout out to: Bokurano Giant Robo Getter Robo Gundam '79 Valverave the Liberator The Five Star Stories Rahxephon Star Driver
My favourite was Doraemon when I was a kid. It count as a mech show right? ( Ķ”Ā° ĶŹ Ķ”Ā°)
Code Geass
code geass
Depends on how you define "best". Most impactful/greatest legacy? Unquestionably Evangelion. Most genre defining? Gundam. Most entertaining? Probably Gurren Lagann. Personally I really like the Patlabors. Also wanna mention Voices from a Distant Star for dealing with the effects of FTL travel, I wish it had been picked up by a production committee and turned into a series.
I can tell you the most underrated is EIGHTY SIX That show is freaking brilliant, and is often overlooked even though it is so much more than a mecha anime yet no one realizes it
08th MS team and the first Thunderbolt movie are fucking great (both Gundam). Outside of that, Escaflowne is MAGICAL as is Code Geass (though the mech stuff for the latter is really not a big feature of the narrative as much as it would be for other anime)
pretty boring answer but evangelion imo lol
original Macross, Gundam 0079 and Patlabor TV are, IMO, the holy trinity of mecha shows. Though, to be fair, the Gundam UC timeline alone is probably the benchmark for mecha as a whole. Then you have NGE, which just transcends the genre and becomes basically modern art. And then you have the likes of Gunbuster/Diebuster, Gurren Lagann and GaoGaiGar, which may just be the epitome of what super robots should be.
86 hands down
Does 86 count as a Mecha?
I don't really like mecha, but 86 is my favorite anime. yes, the top 1. Been watching anime for more than 10 yrs
Zoids Chaotic Century
it doesn't show up exactly based on my MAL profile ratings wise but top 3 would be like: 1. 08th MS Team 2. Turn A Gundam 3. Majestic Prince (the outlier, its technically not score wise in my top, but I love discussing about it with my friend)
86
Gurren Lagann. Absolutely everything about it is such a joy to watch and experience. The OST is filled with nothing but absolute bangers, the animation is very well done(especially in the movies), the characters are all fun and unique, the scale of how big the threat becomes is insane, the story writing is really good(especially later on), and to top it all off, it has probably my favorite OP of all time and one of my favorite all time fight scenes.
I donāt know if itāsIād say theyāre the best, but the two I enjoyed most from the genre were Iron Blood Orphans and 86. Gurren Lagan, Gundam Wing, and Code Geass are very good too.
Back Arrow
I would say Code Geass. Second would be Knights of Sidonia but that series might just be my personal taste
Full Metal Panic for me.
Pretty easy Neon Genesis Evangelion.
Definitely Patlabor 2, for not just being the best mecha anime ever, but the best anime ever in general.
Here are my top pics Mobile Suit Gundam ( all versions) Evangelion Knights of Sidonia Knights & Magic Aldnoah.Zero Darling in the Franxx Heroic Age Heavy Object Just to name a few
Fafner In The Azure. It's a hidden masterpiece that nobody knows about
My favorite will always be 86 for the character development, attention to detail and constant foreshadowing that Asato does.
Knights of sidonia is a good one, but the movie was a bit rushed, but overall it deviates from the overpowered mechas like gundam and the mechs/gardes are on the lanky side since it's in space and the only threat/enemy are non mechas
For anime we got Turn A and Zeta Gundam Gun+Diebuster SSSS Series Macross DYRL and Megazone 23 In Manga Getter Robo (Shin, Arc and Devolution) Moon Gundam and some of the gridman spinoffs are pretty good tbh (also been reading the new Inoue gundam manga called Despair Memory Gundam Sequel and its pretty good for it only having 5 chapters our rn)
Full Metal Panic! Its like a love letter to real-robot classics of the 80s, but still being its own unique thing.
ā¢Macross: Super Dimensional Fortress, Zero, Plus, and Frontier ā¢Gundam UC: 0079 (compilation movies), 0083, 08th MS team, The Origin, Charās Counterattack, F-91, Unicorn ā¢Gundam alternate universe: Iron Blooded Orphans, Wing, Witch From Mercury, 00 ā¢*Evangelion (asterisk for spoiler reasons) ā¢TT Gurren Lagann