Highlights
- Code Geass: Unique mecha designs with wheels for fast-paced combat make this anime stand out in the genre.
- Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Intermediate transformation mode adds versatility to the mecha concept, making it more realistic.
- The Vision of Escaflowne: Mecha that resemble suits of armor, with intricate designs and a dieselpunk aesthetic, setting them apart from others.
The mecha genre in anime has become the source of some of its most iconic media, with certain franchises becoming global hits not only with their compelling narratives but also iconic designs. Thinking of the mecha genre today would likely result in mainstays such as Gundam, which in itself ushered in the Real Mecha subgenre that focused on more realistic portrayals of robots and how they affect daily life.
However, one of the more interesting aspects of the mecha genre would be the actual mecha themselves. With hits such as Gundam staying strong with its decades’ worth of stories, it would be difficult to contend with the genre and other existing franchises, especially if mecha design concepts were common. Interestingly enough, certain anime stand out among their compatriots in the mecha genre for their unique robot designs – some of which even boast their uncommon approach to mecha as their selling point.
10 Code Geass
Wheels On Tank-Sized Mecha Enable Fast-Paced Combat
While technically half-supernatural and half-mecha anime, Code Geass explores the Black Rebellion conducted by exiled prince Lelouch vi Britannia when he obtains the mysterious Geass to force anyone into submission. However, when powerful mecha known as Knightmare Frames replaced conventional tanks, Lelouch as Zero also needed these powerful war machines to win his war. Although Knightmares still vaguely resemble traditional mecha, the anime’s addition to the concept makes Code Geass a decent introduction to “weird” robot designs.
At their core, Knightmare Frames are much smaller than conventional mecha, keeping in line with the concept of being bipedal improvements to tanks. Unique to Knightmares are large cockpits attached to the back that are ejected in times of danger, head units that convert into radar systems, and wheels beside the legs that can be lowered to let the unit traverse the ground much faster – which coincidentally facilitate much of the anime’s high-octane mecha fights.
9 Super Dimension Fortress Macross
Multiple Transformation Options Add Versatility To The Mecha Concept
When an alien spacecraft crash lands on Earth in Super Dimension Fortress Macross, humanity’s hopes of using its advanced technology to improve human civilization are interrupted when other aliens attack the planet. Across the Macross franchise, pilots defend Earth using variable fighter aircraft, all of which use alien technology to transform. While the idea of a mecha that transforms between a vehicle and a humanoid robot isn’t new, what makes Macross’ mecha rather unconventional is the feature of an intermediate mode.
Known as the GERWALK (Ground Effective Reinforcement of Winged Armament with Locomotive Knee-Joint), this transitory phase maintains the jet-like look while extending its limb components. In the series, GERWALK Mode allows low-altitude flight and terrain navigation while using more powerful humanoid-mode weapons. Despite how “clunky” this mecha style looks, the GERWALK mode is a testament to Macross’ pursuit of a more realistic take on mecha technology.
8 The Vision Of Escaflowne
Dieselpunk Knight Aesthetic Seems More Like Suits Of Armor Than Giant Mecha
When high schooler Hitomi finds herself on the planet Gaea in The Vision of Escaflowne, she ends up involved in a war between the planet and the colonizing Zaibach Empire. Amid the chaos, Hitomi becomes connected with Van, the pilot of a mystical mecha known as the Escaflowne that serves as the world’s last hope against the Empire. Mecha in Escaflowne are known as Guymelefs, originally produced to fight dragons until they were mass-produced by the Zaibach Empire to be a part of their fighting force.
While most Guymelefs in Escaflowne resemble traditional mecha, the intricate nature of their designs betrays typical robot aesthetic. Replacing hard angles and vents is an andornment of jewels and ornaments. Moreover, the accompanying curves and layering make Guymelefs resemble the armor of medieval knights, with an activation sequence that reveals a dieselpunk interior adding much-needed depth to Escaflowne’s retro-fantasy aesthetic.
7 Neon Genesis Evangelion
Hunched Back, Demon-Faced Mecha Ironically Save The World From Angel Threat
Regarding mecha with weird designs, Neon Genesis Evangelion and its demon-like Evangelion Units become synonymous with the concept. Practically a subversion of both the mecha and anime genres, Neon Genesis Evangelion puts viewers in the shoes of teenager Shinji Ikari as he’s tasked by his estranged father to pilot the eponymous mecha against extraterrestrials called Angels threatening to destroy the world.
Compared to mecha like Gundam, which often stand tall and proud, the EVA Units border on the monstrous with their hunched posture, sleeker bodies, demon-inspired faces, and a tendency to go berserk every once in a while. Moreover, the anime implying EVA Units are both organic and mechanical adds depth to the mecha at a time when other “hero mecha” are often made out of special metals.
6 Star Driver
Stylistic Mannequin Designs Focus On Grandeur
In the fictional Southern Cross Isle of Star Driver, protagonist Takuto is the “Galactic Pretty Boy” tasked to cross paths with the Glittering Crux Brigade, a nefarious group seeking to possess the mysterious giant Cybodies beneath the Isle for their nefarious purposes. With the help of the Cybody Tauburn, Takuto fights other Cybodies in the alternate reality called Zero Time.
While technically mecha, Cybodies in Star Driver feature wildly different designs based on their intended purpose and fighting style. Visual prowess seems key to their designs, as most Star Driver mecha boast some stylistic grandeur. The protagonist, Tauburn, has thin limbs and relatively strong curved features that fit its musketeer aesthetic. Other Cybodies have limbs, body shapes, and extra appendages modified specifically to their designs, with no apparent unifying design features except mannequin-like appearances before activation.
5 Granbelm
Wide, Chibi Mecha Knights Facilitate Witch Wars
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Release Date |
July 5, 2019 to September 26, 2019 |
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Studio |
Nexus |
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Number of Episodes |
13 |
Set in a world where magic families wage war in a battle royale known as the Granbelm, protagonist Mangetsu Kohinata discovers her magical lineage and acquires the White Lily, a magical mecha Armanox that she uses to fight against six other girls in the competition. Winning the Granbelm will grant the victor the title of Princeps Mage, giving them access to all the world’s magic trapped in the Magiaconatus.
Mecha in Granbelm appear more cute than tenacious due to their small and stocky frames. However, while their appearance is similar to the diminutive SD Gundam, units in Granbelm emphasize their magical origins. In turn, Armanox often have giant shoulder blades that end in capes or wings, glowing crystals and bands, and use energy-based melee weapons such as blades.
4 Bokurano: Ours
Less Humanoid, More Weird Mecha Fighters
In the story of Bokurano: Ours, a man known as Kokopelli invites 15 children attending a summer camp to play a game where they pilot a giant robot known as Zearth in fights against other robots to protect the Earth. Unbeknownst to them, the war for Earth is real, and pilots use their life force to control the mecha. Winning or losing will kill the pilot, but losing means destroying the Earth and its entire dimension, forcing the kids to risk their lives in a summer camp turned nightmare.
Among the mecha in Bokurano, only the Zearth is traditionally humanoid in appearance, with a thin frame with extremely long limbs. The other robots Zearth fights have even more bizarre designs, ranging from the spider-like Arachne, the humanoid insect Humbug, the long-range sniper Javelin, and the cylindrical Drum.
3 Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
Outrageous Head Mecha Combine To Form A Larger, More Vibrant Mecha
When Spiral King Lordgenome forces humanity to become an underground civilization in Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, protagonists Simon and Kamina become motivated to move back to the surface. However, when they discover that their Gunmen, Gurren and Lagann, can combine into a giant mecha, they use their new Gurren Lagann to spearhead a resistance movement. With the concept of Gurren Lagann being somewhat of a love letter to the mecha genre, the anime dares to defy tradition with its robot designs.
The Gunmen alone possess remarkable visual dynamism with an emphasis on large heads with small limbs, and a proper “mecha” resulting from Gunmen combination. In turn, not only does Lordgenome make Gurren Lagann contend with various Gunmen concepts, but the “development” of technology to cope with the Gunmen fusion will also result in both unique and hilarious takes on mecha to try to fight the protagonist’s machine.
2 Bullbuster
Verging On The Extreme With Modern Industrial Design
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Release Date |
October 4, 2023 – December 20, 2023 |
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Studio |
NUT |
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Number of Episodes |
12 |
Being a mecha anime that is less about fighting monsters and more about decreasing maintenance time during combat, Bullbuster seems to take a jab at the idea of ultra-action-packed mecha fights with an awkward reality: companies managing mecha do have bills to pay. Tetsuro Okino and his personally designed Bullbuster mecha are hired by small-time Hato Industries in their fight against certain creatures, with the mecha’s design bordering on the ultra-realist.
The Bullbuster is a bipedal robot consisting mainly of a central cockpit and limbs. Both its shoulders are outfitted with long-ranged weapons, while both of its arms end in tractor claws. Capping the whole “realist” look is an orange color scheme that makes the Bullbuster resemble a construction vehicle more than an elite robot, making it look even more “primitive” compared to abused soldier units like the GM or Zaku of Gundam.
1 Darling In The Franxx
More Stylish, Mechanized Robots In Costumes Than Giant Mecha
While mecha are often characterized as large robotic fighters, Darling in the Franxx switches things up in its titular mecha units. In the anime, boy-girl pairs among humanity’s remnants use FRANXX biomechanical weapons to fight Klaxosaurs. However, unlike other mecha designs, FRANXX look less like typical gigantic mecha and more like robot soldiers.
Although the most basic FRANXX models in Darling in the Franxx are black and white, the protagonists of Squad 13 have unique FRANXX models that are based on their pair dynamic. Perhaps the most unusual component of FRANXX units are their faces, as all FRANXX possess anime faces that blink, make expressions, and even talk.
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