If the success of the Transformers movies is to be believed, people love watching giant robots fight each other. Anime has been providing these epic over-the-top action stories since Gigantor (Tetsujin 28-go) was released all the way back in 1963.

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Some historic anime still inspire the mecha genre to this day while newer shows try to innovate it with new forms of storytelling and action. Mechas aren't going anywhere anytime soon thanks to these fantastic shows.

10 Magic Knight Rayearth

Imagine magical girls but they transform into mecha — welcome to Magic Knight Rayearth! The show stuck to its source material well outside of adding an anime-exclusive character named Inouva and showed three girls transported to Cephiro to save the imprisoned princess and save the land.

Magic Knight Rayearth also won the Best Theme Song award at the first-ever Animation Kobe Awards so anyone that watches it should be ready to hear a serious bop.

9 Armored Trooper Votoms

Not many mecha anime have spawned into long-running series but Ryousuke Takahashi managed to do so with Armored Trooper Votoms. With the original released back in 1983, the show was the first real dive into the realistic mecha subgenre of anime. The plot focuses far more on the characters than on the wars happening as well giving it a much different focus than other mecha anime.

8 Macross

There's a reason Macross was continuing to get sequels as lately as 2016 despite the original being released over thirty years ago. This story of Earth learning they are not truly alone and the adventures that happen after the crew of the ship start a galactic war is timeless.

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The original was released back in 1982, just two years on the tail of the original Mobile Suit Gundam. Seeing a show that defines the genre come out so soon after the anime that started it all is truly remarkable and the directors of Macross should be praised for their work on the show.

7 Eureka Seven

Viewers have to suspend some disbelief to imagine a fourteen-year-old boy wanting to join a mercenary group but this is the premise of Eureka Seven. As luck has it, his way out crashes into his grandfather's mechanic show in the form of a robot named Light Finding Operation piloted by a young girl named Eureka.

The show has won over six awards including Best Female Character, Best Character Design, and Best Screenplay when it finished in 2006. Eureka Seven is one of the highest quality mecha anime out there.

6 86

One of the best shows of the Spring 2021 season, 86 enamored fans upon its release. In a time with renewed tensions in the Gaza Strip, the show examined what it is like to consider another group of people as scum compared to the higher elites which hit home in a hard way.

The show was such a roaring success it had a second season confirmed before the original concluded. 86 is likely to become one of the best-known modern mecha anime.

5 Mobile Suit Gundam - Series

The one that started it all, Mobile Suit Gundam spawned one of the most massive anime series of all time. It's hard to believe this now popular series was such a dud during its initial release that it was almost canceled with only 39 episodes.

In the end, the show revolutionized the industry and inspired every mecha anime that came afterward. It's worth checking out the original series from 1979 to compare it to its modern counterparts to see how far the genre has come.

4 Neon Genesis Evangelion

Neon Genesis Evangelion is one of the most iconic anime series of all time. It has inspired countless movies, an N64 game, and multiple alternate versions/spinoffs.

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The story of Shinji having the weight of the world placed on his shoulders is a fantastic psychological drama that still rings true with fans to this day. Plus, who can forget Evangelion's incredible theme song "Cruel Angel Thesis?"

3 Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex

The original Ghost in the Shell movie is considered to be one of the best of all time so when a series based on it was announced for release in 2002 many fans were skeptical. With Yutaka Maseba producing, the man behind iconic anime like Akira, Trigun, and Sailor Moon, they shouldn't have been.

Stand Alone Complex turned out to be a serious hit with fans loving the adventures of the special police force Section 9 as they tried to take down unique villains including "The Laughing Man." It eventually inspired several sequels and spinoffs to be created that maintained the same quality.

2 Gurren Lagann

"Your drill is the one that will pierce the heavens!" It's impossible to not have watched anime and not heard one of the iconic lines from Gurren Lagann. It has won multiple awards and one of the characters even featured as the main character of a music video.

Simon and Kamina's journey from the underground to finally living on the surface is compelling but the massive battle at the end when the mysteries of the world are unraveled is where the show truly shines.

1 Code Geass: Lelouch Of The Rebellion

It's not often that original anime manage to become genre-defining shows but Code Geass is an exception. While the show's political leanings baffle fans to this day — with some saying it presents fascist ideology and others it praises leftist ideals — the show contains an undeniably gripping story.

Lelouch's gaining the power of the Geass which allows him to control anyone he wishes leads him to lead an assault on the Holy Empire of Brittania. Seeing a young person with such unthinkable power fighting against imperialist conquerers inspires a lot of tension and social commentary which keeps viewers on the edge of their seats.

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