Highlights
- Mecha anime combines futuristic action and technology with human drama and storytelling, exploring themes of sacrifice, heroism, and the impact of warfare.
- Iconic giant robots in mecha anime serve as visual metaphors for human ingenuity and innovation, while also providing avenues for character development and ethical discussions.
- Mecha anime captivates viewers with its unique blend of character-driven storytelling, imaginative science fiction, and destructive action, making it an effectively dramatic and engaging genre.
The mecha genre of anime has enjoyed a long-run as a fan-favorite staple of the medium. Mecha nearly always revolves around enormous robots – typically piloted by humans – involved in both combat and adventure. Frequently blending futuristic action and technology with human drama and storytelling, many of the finest mecha anime have explored themes such as sacrifice, heroism, and the grim impact of warfare and destruction on both individuals and societies as a whole.
Many of the genre’s more iconic giant robots have successfully served as visual metaphors for human ingenuity and innovation. On the other hand, they’ve also provided avenues into compelling character development and ethical discussions, as the robots’ pilots must face a litany of militant and ethical dilemmas along the way. Overall, mecha anime’s unique cocktail of character-driven storytelling, imaginative science fiction, and destructive action continues to captivate viewers to this day.
5 Aldnoah.Zero
Studio: A-1 Pictures, TROYCA
- Genre: Mecha, sci-fi
- Episodes: 24
- Demographic: Seinen
This hectic space opera introduces viewers to a very different historical timeline. In 1972, the Apollo 17 mission leads to the reveal of the alien Hypergate on the moon.
Needless to say, this monumental discovery changed everything, with settlers later taking over Mars and later declaring war on Earth. The on-and-off wars between Earth and the empire built on Mars make up much of the core plot of this gripping series. Thematically, it skillfully weaves massive mecha battles with both political intrigue and a more personal flavor of drama. The moral dilemmas and complicated relationships many of the characters face also lend a sense of humanity to the often over-the-top action and scenarios, making it an effectively dramatic piece of mecha action.
4 Gurren Lagann
Studio: Gainax
This epic series quickly impressed viewers with its vibrant characters and epic sense of scale. Both witty and suspenseful, Gurren Lagann takes place in a world ruled over by the Spiral King, who cruelly forces humanity to live underground.
Key characters such as Simon and Kamina undergo dramatic character arcs and growth over the course of the series, garnering viewer sympathy and engagement as they show great courage in the face of overwhelming odds. The series’ uplifting themes of the power of belief and triumph over adversity lend its plot points a great sense of worldly impact. As the lead heroes rise to the surface world and assemble their own mechas to wage way on the Spiral King and his cronies, the show’s tension and pace escalate, building to great climactic moments in both the series and the anime films that followed.
3 Code Geass
Studio: Sunrise
Blending mecha mayhem with a wild alternate history timeline, Code Geass is easily one of the most eccentric mecha series in anime history. The series follows banished prince Lelouch Lamperouge’s quest to overthrow the Holy Britannian Empire.
To go with all the political drama on display, the series incorporates enormous mecha known as Knightmare Frames and Autonomous Armored Knights for its action. The protagonist’s masterful strategic prowess, coupled with the curious power of obedience bestowed upon him by the mysterious C.C., the action is consistently clever in execution whilst providing high-stakes and importance to the overall plot. With its wild, eclectic plot, colorful characters, and neatly animated action, Code Geass is a fascinating piece of anime brilliance.
2 Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans
Studio: Sunrise
This 2015 entry in the long-running franchise served as the whopping fourteenth installment in the main series. Iron-Blooded Orphans sees a group of young soldiers form their own outfit after suffering treachery on Mars.
Set on a Mars where the human citizens want to break away from the tyranny of Earth’s government, the series touches on a variety of thought-provoking themes, including militarism, colonialism, and the disturbing nature of sending children onto the battlefield. Combining these heady themes with intense, grand-scale mecha battles, the series succeeds admirably in living up to the lofty expectations of the classic Gundam franchise.
1 Neon Genesis Evangelion
Studio: Gainax, Tatsunoku
This mid-90s smash hit sees a world struggling with the aftermath of a catastrophic event known as the Second Impact. Set in a heavily fortified Tokyo, the series follows teenagers who must pilot enormous mechas to take on the mysterious Angels.
Far from a standard mecha action series, Neon Genesis Evangelion is brimming with mystical and religious symbolism, existentialist thought, and Shinto philosophy. Essentially serving as a high-concept deconstruction of more traditional mecha tropes, the series’ richly developed characters and apocalyptic narrative helped solidify it as one of the greatest entries in the anime medium. While the original series’ surreal ending was met with a polarizing reception, subsequent films have offered alternative end points and ideas, ensuring fans everywhere can find some satisfaction in how this classic series was closed out.
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