The 10 Best Mecha Anime, Ranked

We all pretend to like mecha anime for its lofty themes about the ethics of developing of advanced technology for warfare and the integration of man and machine … but really we just wanna see giant robots punch each other in the face. The ten best mecha anime deliver.

10. FLCL

FLCL is a deconstruction of the mecha anime genre. I mean it’s honestly a deconstruction of many anime genres, mecha anime being one of them, all set to one of the most badass scores in the history of the medium. FLCL is about a young man who is able to summon giant robots out of his head, a distressing ability that is exploited by a scooter driving space alien girl wielding a Rickenbacker bass guitar like a club. It’s an avant-garde romp that will take more than one rewatch of its six episode first season to comprehend, but it’s so worth it.

9. Darling in the Franxx

Darling in the Franxx is a recent mecha anime making its rounds across the medium due in no small part due to the love of its protagonist Zero Two. Who is she? She’s a half human, half klaxosaur member of an elite mech piloting special forces unit. Wtf is a klaxosaur you ask? The kanji-esque alien species that is currently wreaking havoc on a post-apocalyptic Earth. She and her partner pilot a specialized mech called a FRANXX, which are biomechanic monstrosities made from the parts of dead klaxosaurs. If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em, then beat ’em.

8. Attack On Titan

Hot take: Attack On Titan is literally just a mecha anime except the mechs are flesh. Think about it! It’s got all the themes! The moral ambiguity of war! Putting destructive power in the hands of children! The integration of human beings with forces beyond their comprehension! It checks every mecha anime box! Set in a world where flesh eating giants devour the living, one young soldier discover that he has the power to turn into such a monster and pilot it on the inside. Things only go downhill from there.

7. Macross

An OG mecha anime, Macross perfected the genre pioneered by Mobile Suit Gundam two years previous (we’ll get to her). After Earth learns that it is not alone in the universe, the governments of the world pool their resources and invest untold sums into the creation of a new weapon: mechs. Named after humanity’s in universe space fleet flagship, Macross tells the story of an intergalactic struggle for survival between humanity and giant humanoid alien warriors known as the Zentradi. How could a 30 year old series compete with modern titles? Because the franchise has been putting out solid work for that long.

6. Eureka Seven

It’s rare that mecha anime flirts with the idea of romance, but Eureka Seven is the sweetest exception to the rule. After a 14 year old boy joins up with a group of mecha piloting mercenaries known as  Gekkostate, he soon finds himself falling for the organization’s youngest member, a girl named Eureka. What unfolds is a beautiful sci-fi mecha story of young love, alien invasions, and of course, giant robot battles.

5. Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex

Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex is a spiritual successor to seminal anime film Ghost In The Shell. The action centers around Motoko Kusanagi, a woman with a fully cybernetic body who commands Japan’s elite counter-terrorism unit Section 9. A deeply philosophical series, Stand Alone Complex delves into the big questions, such as the nature of the soul or “ghost” and how exactly it fits into an increasingly technologically advanced world. While characters often pilot mechs, the series poses the question: “aren’t we all just mechs piloting our own bodies?” Whether this bodies are flesh or metal, the answer might just be “yes”.

4. Code Geass

Code Geass is the Death Note of the Mecha genre. The story takes place in Area 11, formerly known as Japan, now under the Orwellian control of globe straddling Holy Britannian Empire. After exiled prince Lelouch vi Britannia crosses paths with a group of Area 11 freedom fighters, he is exposed to a mysterious weapon known as “Geass” aka “The Power of Kings”. This power allows him to command anyone who looks him the eye to do anything that he asks, but only once. Lelouch decides to use this power, along with his genius intellect, to become a hero of the revolution – commanding guerilla squadrons of mech-pilots against those of the highly advanced Britannian military.

3. Gurren Lagann

Gurren Lagann is mecha Full Metal Alchemist. It’s a show about two brothers who live in a subterranean shelter along with the rest of humanity. Why? Because the surface is populated by deadly mech-piloting Beast Men. One day, the pair discover two halves of a derelict mech, and decide to combine those halves into one giant robot punching whole capable of retaking the surface! It’s a genre mishmash that is devastatingly hilarious and just plain old devastating at times, a true masterpiece.

2. Mobile Suit Gundam

Mobile Suit Gundam is the blueprint, the originator of the genre. Without its influence, none of the other anime on this list would exist. Despite the show’s age, the series still feels fresh and relevant due to its complex political nuances and epic battle sequences. It’s a stunning mix of cerebral, cinematic, and action packed. It also inspired the modern Gundam entry Iron Blooded Orphans, an unmissable series about a group of mecha piloting child soldiers who establish military dominion over Mars. Gundam and its many spin-offs and spiritual successors are just plain awesome.

1. Neon Genesis Evangelion

Hailed as one of the greatest anime of all time, Neon Genesis Evangelion is what fancy film critics would a “deconstruction” of the mecha anime genre, and arguably its pinnacle achievement. The series centers around anime’s saddest protagonist, poor Shinji Ikari, who has the misfortune of being chosen as a test subject pilot a giant biomechanical mech in order to do battle with higher dimensional alien beings laying waste to Earth. The series explores the real life psychological cost of putting such responsibility in the hands of children, and the trauma that endures from melding one’s mind with a machine in life or death combat. As deeply philosophical as it is viscerally disturbing, Neon Genesis Evangelion is a mecha must watch.