Best Mecha Anime

In Western nations, Transformers probably served as many people’s introduction to mecha; however, that beloved franchise is just a drop in the giant robot bucket. Mecha anime has been around for roughly half a century, and the theme’s manga debut goes back even further. Classics like Mitsuteru Yokoyama’s Giant Robo and Go Nagai’s Mazinger Z helped write the blueprint that would go on to spawn timeless properties like Gundam and all-time great series such as Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Eternal as this topic might be, mecha remains fairly niche. Nowadays, most seasons might contain one or two anime that fit the theme, and they tend not to attract too much attention if they are not part of well-established franchises. As such, newcomers interested in trying out this genre might not be sure where to start, at least beyond the few household names. Let us take a look at the best mecha anime ever.

Updated September 3, 2025 by Mark Sammut: This year has not been great for mecha anime. Mobile Suit Gundam: GQuuuuuuX is mostly just fine, and I’m the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire! is better than its try-hard title suggests. Leviathan was pretty disappointing, and the upcoming Fall 2025 season does not have any robots. So, yeah, 2025 will not be remembered for its mecha.

Due to the lack of new options, we have gone ahead and added two cult classic mecha anime: Tekkaman Blade and Fang of the Sun Dougram.

34

Aura Battler Dunbine

MyAnimeList: 7.06

OK, I admit, this one is primarily a historical recommendation. Mecha was fairly massive during the ’80s, largely thanks to the success of Gundam and earlier releases like Mazinger Z. Plenty of shows that launched during that decade have been forgotten over time, and they did not have much influence on the industry beyond existing during an era that helped define mecha. That said, Aura Battler Dunbine is a fairly notable exception, although its “importance” is for another genre: isekai. Yes, Nippon Sunrise’s 1983 series sends its protagonist to a medieval world, and it is nowadays considered to be the first isekai anime.

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Although not extremely common, isekai and mecha have a history of fusing, producing shows like The Vision of Escaflowne and Knight’s & Magic. Heck, 2025 even had I’m the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire, so the marriage is still going strong. Aura Battler Dunbine fits Sunrise’s early blueprint of mecha stories, which means leaning into political and social themes while delivering spectacle and a somewhat uninteresting romance. Has it aged smoothly? Well, I enjoyed it, but I’m a big isekai fan.

33

Aldnoah.Zero

MyAnimeList: 7.38 (Season 1)

Aldnoah.Zero

Release Date

2014 – 2015

Directors

Ei Aoki

Writers

Olympus Knights

Sometimes, things go wrong. Aldnoah.Zero is an original anime that, while not perfect, produced a pretty good season that featured great music, quality animation, and an interesting central dynamic due to revolving around dual protagonists who are part of opposing empires (Inaho representing Earth and Slain representing Mars). Despite Earth and Mars being in a perpetual war, Slain and Inaho find common ground through a shared desire to protect Princess Asseylum, and their friendship elevates both of them. The season ends with a fantastic episode that, in hindsight, should have just been the finale.

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Unfortunately, Aldnoah.Zero produced arguably one of the worst sequels of all time, in the sense that it retroactively undermined its predecessor. Slain goes through a character rewrite that nearly ruins him, and Inaho shows very little in the way of change or growth. At this point, Aldnoah.Zero is one of the most infamous mecha anime of all time, but it has enough positives to warrant a mild recommendation.

32

Guilty Crown

MyAnimeList: 7.40

“Ambitious,” “unpredictable,” and “bad” – Guilty Crown has been described as a great many things. The 2011 anime has amassed an infamous reputation for squandered potential, wasting a fantastic soundtrack and all-around great production value on a messy and frustrating story filled with one-note characters who struggle to break free of their archetypes. Simply put, Guilty Crown is far from one of the best mecha anime, and an argument could be made that its relative popularity has served to discourage newcomers from diving deeper into the genre.

So, considering its polarizing state, why is Guilty Crown recommended? Well, the show can be a guilty pleasure, no pun intended. Moving at a blistering pace, the anime barely has anything resembling a slow moment, and each episode comes packed with entertaining monologues, battles, and twists. Sure, some of these scenes are entertaining in a “so bad, it is good” kind of way, but they are still fun. Guilty Crown also has genuinely good stuff in it. The soundtrack is among the best in the mecha genre, and the fights are solid from a technical perspective. Admittedly, the robot designs are fairly forgettable since the mecha are just military weapons, but they are an OK piece of the puzzle and mostly fit the overall universe.

31

Darling in the FranXX

MyAnimeList: 7.19

Nothing hurts more than wasted potential, and a negative finale can render any previous positivity moot. Darling in the FranXX is frustrating. The anime hits the ground running with an endearing couple, some interesting mysteries, and that typical Trigger flair for action. The first half of the series is genuinely great, but the last stretch of episodes significantly damages the overall experience. Just to be clear, Darling in the FranXX never becomes unwatchable, but it stumbles across the finishing line amid a series of baffling and, at times, predictable decisions.

That said, the show is still worth a watch, even if muted expectations are advised. If someone is just craving a mecha vs kaiju type action-fest, Darling in the FranXX can scratch that itch, and the fight sequences are well-animated and bolstered by interesting designs for both the robots and enemies.

30

Fang of the Sun Dougram

MyAnimeList: 7.41

Fang of the Sun Dougram

Release Date

1981 – 1983

Network

TV Tokyo

Directors

Takeyuki Kanda

A somewhat forgotten anime, Fang of the Sun Dougram feels like a byproduct of Mobile Suit Gundam‘s slow-building success. Not only was it created by the same studio, Sunrise, but the story takes a realistic look at war. In this universe, mecha are weapons that can be used in the pursuit of liberation or suppression. So, what is Fang of the Sun Dougram about? Well, Earth has colonized a planet called Deployer, and the former has no intention of letting the latter (and its resources) gain freedom. Despite being the son of the planet’s power-hungry Governor, Crinn decides to support a rebel force, a decision that puts his life in significant danger.

As long as you do not mind a fairly slow story and some rough-around-the-edges animation, Fang of the Sun Dougram tells a fantastic and ever-changing story that explores both sides of the conflict well. The characters are generally well-written and avoid falling into archetypes, even if Crinn is a relatively typical mecha protagonist.

29

Magic Knight Rayearth

MyAnimeList: 7.45 (Season 1)

Magic Knight Rayearth is an isekai, magical girl, and mecha anime. A series that combines so many different ingredients should be a chaotic mess, but this ’90s cult classic somehow makes it work. The show is held together by its three female protagonists, all of whom have strong and well-defined personalities that allow them to grow throughout the story.

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While initially quite comedic, Magic Knight Rayearth is not afraid to get dark or serious if the narrative calls for it. Now, as good as it is, this series does not focus too heavily on its mecha element, and the fight sequences are fine but nothing too special.

28

Mazinger Franchise

MyAnimeList: 7.26 (Mazinger Z)

While Gundam is undoubtedly the most popular mecha franchise of all time, Mazinger is a prime contender for the most influential. Go Nagai’s manga helped establish the genre’s core tenants, basically defining the standard depiction of mecha being robots driven internally by humans. Consequently, Mazinger is undoubtedly one of the greatest mecha properties of all time, and it deserves to be mentioned alongside the genre’s best series. However, the anime franchise can be somewhat difficult to recommend, largely thanks to muddled continuity, inaccessibility, and plain old age.

Where to begin with Mazinger? Putting aside Go Nagai’s manga, which is worth a read for anyone who enjoys the author’s other works, the most obvious starting point would be 1972’s Mazinger Z. While certainly important, this series is very much a product of its era, which means stiff animation, repetitive storytelling, and pretty poor pacing. That’s not to say it has nothing to offer, but Mazinger Z can be exhausting, especially since it lasts 148 episodes with its sequel, Great Mazinger.

If someone wants to start with the classics, 1975’s UFO Robot Grendizer would be a better option. While set in the Mazinger universe, this spin-off mostly follows a unique path, and it has better action, world-building, mecha designs, and characters. Obviously, the show is still dated, but it holds up better than its predecessor.

Finally, there is Mazinger Edition Z: The Impact!, 2009’s reboot/remake that mostly retells the original manga, albeit incorporating elements from other series and entries. Except for a weird opening episode, this retelling is pretty darn good in most areas. Out of all the Mazinger incarnations, The Impact! is the best starting point.

27

Tekkaman Blade

MyAnimeList: 7.43

Another mecha anime classic that has slipped through the cracks over the years, Tekkaman Blade is set in a separate timeline from 1975’s Tekkaman: The Space Knight, so there is no reason to sit through the latter before jumping into its far superior sibling. While containing a few peculiar quirks, such as the Tekkamen transforming into mecha-style beings, Tekkaman Blade‘s story ultimately boils down to Earth’s attempts to survive an invasion by the Radam. Takaya Aiba, the eponymous Tekkaman Blade, becomes an ally of humanity, although it takes him a while to really warm up to his new companions.

Tekkaman Blade does not have particularly great animation or battle sequences that compare favorably with other mecha anime, and if you are mostly craving an action-fest, I recommend skipping this one. However, the anime’s character development is top-notch, particularly Takaya’s journey.

26

Martian Successor Nadesico

MyAnimeList: 7.49

Martian Successor Nadesico

Release Date

1996 – 1996

Directors

Tatsuo Sato

Martian Successor Nadesico is a lot. Jumping back and forth between parody and serious moments, this cult classic anime is, honestly, a bit of a mess that is bogged down by quite a few decisions that might ruin the experience for some people. Before that, let’s go over the core premise. Akito used to work on a mecha-style show, but he wants to move on and just become a cook on a starship. However, he ends up flying a real robot and getting directly involved in a war.

On the one hand, Martian Successor Nadesico is a silly harem comedy that pokes fun and comments on otaku culture, all the while revolving primarily around archetypal characters who are mostly entertaining. However, the anime also loves throwing in some genuinely serious storylines that would not be out of place in something like Gundam; while not handled terribly, these moments often clash with the humor.

So, the above kind of paints a negative picture of Martian Successor Nadesico, but this is one of those mecha anime that sounds worse on paper than it is in execution. For the most part, the show is ambitious, delightful, and hilarious. The mecha scenes are pretty impressive as well.

25

Gargantia On The Verdurous Planet

MyAnimeList: 7.44

Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet envisions a future where humanity has abandoned a dying Earth and taken to the skies. Once among the stars, humans formed an alliance that brainwashed its soldiers to focus exclusively on fighting an alien threat. One day, Ledo, a soldier, crashes onto Earth and discovers that the water-covered planet still has life on it. As he meets the locals, Ledo begins to question his programming.

An ambitious sci-fi anime with sporadic action sequences, Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet‘s highlight is its world-building. Ledo is also a great and grounded protagonist, one who adapts realistically to the revelations he experiences.