Top Mecha Anime Recommendations

Darling in the Franxx

Also known as DARLING in the FRANXX.

Studio: Trigger , CloverWorks
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Mecha , Psychological , Romance , Sci-Fi

The distant future: Humanity established the mobile fort city, Plantation, upon the ruined wasteland. Within the city were pilot quarters, Mistilteinn, otherwise known as the “Birdcage.” That is where the children live... Their only mission in life was the fight. Their enemies are the mysterious giant organisms known as Kyoryu. The children operate robots known as FRANXX in order to face these still unseen enemies. Among them was a boy who was once called a child prodigy: Code number 016, Hiro. One day, a mysterious girl called Zero Two appears in front of Hiro. “I’ve found you, my Darling.”



Tags: Orphan , Super Robot , Post-Apocalyptic , Dystopian , Coming of Age , Primarily Teen Cast , Tragedy , Robots , Heterosexual , Conspiracy , Found Family , Psychosexual , Kaiju , Monster Girl , Lost Civilization , Memory Manipulation , Aliens , Male Protagonist , Female Protagonist , Politics , Demons , Environmental , Love Triangle , Military , Clone , Monster Boy , Travel , Family Life , Virginity , Space , Body Horror , Unrequited Love , Nudity , Survival , Yandere , Netorare , Time Skip , Marriage , Tsundere , Drawing , Medicine , Reincarnation , Aviation , Agriculture , Fishing , Gore , Pandemic

Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch

Also known as Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion.

Studio: Sunrise
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Mecha , Sci-Fi , Thriller

On August 10th of the year 2010 the Holy Empire of Britannia began a campaign of conquest, its sights set on Japan. Operations were completed in one month thanks to Britannia's deployment of new mobile humanoid armor vehicles dubbed Knightmare Frames. Japan's rights and identity were stripped away, the once proud nation now referred to as Area 11. Its citizens, Elevens, are forced to scratch out a living while the Britannian aristocracy lives comfortably within their settlements. Pockets of resistance appear throughout Area 11, working towards independence for Japan.

Lelouch, an exiled Imperial Prince of Britannia posing as a student, finds himself in the heart of the ongoing conflict for the island nation. Through a chance meeting with a mysterious girl named C.C., Lelouch gains his Geass, the power of the king. Now endowed with absolute dominance over any person, Lelouch may finally realize his goal of bringing down Britannia from within!



Tags: Anti-Hero , War , Military , Politics , Revenge , Super Power , Class Struggle , Male Protagonist , Terrorism , Tragedy , Real Robot , Dystopian , Philosophy , Super Robot , Memory Manipulation , Primarily Teen Cast , Amnesia , Ensemble Cast , Foreign , Urban Fantasy , Disability , Heterosexual , Nudity , Kuudere , Female Harem , Masturbation , School Club , Gore , Age Gap , Tanned Skin , Swordplay , CGI , Gambling

Shin Seiki Evangelion

Also known as Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Studio: Gainax , Tatsunoko Production
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Mecha , Mystery , Psychological , Sci-Fi

In the year 2015, the Angels, huge, tremendously powerful, alien war machines, appear in Tokyo for the second time. The only hope for Mankind's survival lies in the Evangelion, a humanoid fighting machine developed by NERV, a special United Nations agency. Capable of withstanding anything the Angels can dish out, the Evangelion's one drawback lies in the limited number of people able to pilot them. Only a handful of teenagers, all born fourteen years ago, nine months after the Angels first appeared, are able to interface with the Evangelion. One such teenager is Shinji Ikari, whose father heads the NERV team that developed and maintains the Evangelion. Thrust into a maelstrom of battle and events that he does not understand, Shinji is forced to plumb the depths of his own inner resources for the courage and strength to not only fight, but to survive, or risk losing everything.



Note: Later releases include edited versions of Episodes 21-24 called the "Director's Cut" with some visual editing and adding extra scenes that appeared in the theatrical recap 'Death'.

Tags: Philosophy , Psychosexual , Coming of Age , Tragedy , Denpa , Super Robot , Dystopian , Post-Apocalyptic , Angels , Primarily Teen Cast , Suicide , Kaiju , Conspiracy , Male Protagonist , Aliens , Body Horror , Religion , Mythology , Military , Clone , Tokusatsu , Kuudere , Tsundere , Politics , Bisexual , Gore , Trains , Boys' Love , Espionage , Nudity , LGBTQ+ Themes , Episodic

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann

Also known as Gurren Lagann.

Studio: Gainax
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Comedy , Drama , Mecha , Romance , Sci-Fi

In a far away future, mankind lives underground in huge caves, unknowing of a world above with a sky and stars.

In the small village of Jiha, Simon, a shy boy who works as a digger discovers a strange glowing object during excavation. The enterprising Kamina, a young man with a pair of rakish sunglasses and the passion of a firey sun, befriends Simon and forms a small band of brothers, the Gurren Brigade, to escape the village and break through the ceiling of the cave to reach the surface, which few believe exist.

The village elder won't hear of such foolishness and punishes the Brigade. However, when disaster strikes from the world above and the entire village is in jeopardy, it's up to Simon, Kamina, a girl with a big gun named Yoko, and the small yet sturdy robot, Lagann, to save the day.

The new friends journey to the world above and find that the surface is a harsh battlefield, and it's up to them to fight back against the rampaging Beastmen to turn the tide in the humans' favor! Pierce the heavens, Gurren Lagann!

Tags: Super Robot , Coming of Age , Found Family , Dystopian , Male Protagonist , Post-Apocalyptic , Primarily Adult Cast , Space Opera , Tragedy , Travel , Space , Class Struggle , War , Time Skip , Aliens , Politics , Desert , Anthropomorphism , Heterosexual , Outdoor , Henshin , Military , Animals , Alternate Universe , Guns , Cosmic Horror , Shounen , Urban , Nudity , CGI , Love Triangle , Suicide , Swordplay , Boys' Love

Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch R2

Also known as Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2.

Studio: Sunrise
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Mecha , Sci-Fi , Thriller

A year has passed since "The Black Rebellion" and the remaining Black Knights have vanished into the shadows, their leader and figurehead, Zero, executed by the Britannian Empire. Area 11 is once more squirming under the Emperor's oppressive heel as the Britannian armies concentrate their attacks on the European front. But for the Britannians living in Area 11, life is back to normal. On one such normal day, a Britannian student, skipping his classes in the Ashford Academy, sneaks out to gamble on his chess play. But unknown to this young man, several forces are eying him from the shadows, for soon, he will experience a shocking encounter with his own obscured past, and the masked rebel mastermind Zero will return.

Tags: Anti-Hero , War , Military , Revenge , Politics , Super Power , Philosophy , Tragedy , Class Struggle , Dystopian , Terrorism , Male Protagonist , Memory Manipulation , Super Robot , Ensemble Cast , Urban Fantasy , Amnesia , Fugitive , Real Robot , School , Time Skip , Kuudere , Yandere , Female Harem , Foreign , Swordplay , Nudity , Tsundere , Assassins

86: Eighty Six

Also known as 86 EIGHTY-SIX.

Studio: A-1 Pictures
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Mecha , Sci-Fi

Called “Juggernaut,” these are the unmanned combat drones developed by the Republic of San Magnolia in answer to the attacks by the autonomous unmanned drones of the neighboring Empire of Giad, the “Legion”. But they’re only unmanned in name. In reality, they are piloted by the Eighty-sixers—those considered to be less than human and treated as mere tools.

Determined to achieve his own mysterious ends, Shin, the captain of Spearhead Squadron, which is comprised of Eighty-sixers, continues to fight a hopeless war on a battlefield where only death awaits him.



Tags: War , Military , Class Struggle , Tragedy , Dystopian , Survival , Politics , Post-Apocalyptic , Female Protagonist , Proxy Battle , Memory Manipulation , Robots , Male Protagonist , Conspiracy , Real Robot , Guns , Primarily Teen Cast , Ghost , Necromancy , Achronological Order , Ensemble Cast , CGI , Artificial Intelligence , Lost Civilization , Kuudere , Travel , Unrequited Love , POV , Nudity , Gore , Seinen

Guilty Crown

Also known as Guilty Crown.

Studio: Production I.G
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Mecha , Psychological , Romance , Sci-Fi

Shuu's entire world was shattered after a meteorite crashed into Japan, unleashing the lethal Apocalypse Virus. The chaos and anarchy born of the outbreak cost Shuu his family and reduced him to a timid, fearful shell of the boy he'd once been. His life took another unexpected turn after a chance encounter with the stunning pop star, Inori. This mysterious beauty introduced Shuu to the King's Right Hand: a genetic mutation that allows him to reach into hearts of mortals and turn them into weapons.

Shuu finds himself caught in the crossfire between those who desperately seek his newfound strength. On one side lurks a clandestine government agency, and on the other, Inori and the spirited band of rebels known as Funeral Parlor. The choice is Shuu's to make - and the world is his to change.



Tags: Super Power , Terrorism , Dystopian , Pandemic , Post-Apocalyptic , Tragedy , Anti-Hero , Real Robot , Politics , Urban , Kuudere , Male Protagonist , Incest , Body Horror , Crime , Yandere , Nudity , Female Harem , Disability , Nekomimi

Date A Live

Also known as Date A Live.

Studio: AIC Plus+
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Comedy , Ecchi , Fantasy , Mecha , Romance , Sci-Fi

Thirty years before a strange phenomena called a "spacequake" devastated the center of Eurasia, claiming the lives of at least 150 million people. Since then, smaller spacequakes plague the world on an irregular basis. Shidou Itsuka, a seemingly ordinary high schooler comes across a mysterious girl at the ground zero of a spacequake and learns from his sister Kotori she is one of the "Spirits" who are the real cause of the spacequakes that occur when they manifest themselves in the world. He also learns that Kotori is the captain of the airship Ratatoskr and recruits him to make use of his mysterious ability to seal the Spirits' powers and stop them from being a threat to mankind. However, there is a catch: to seal a Spirit, he must make her fall in love with him.



Tags: Heterosexual , Female Harem , Henshin , Male Protagonist , Super Power , Urban Fantasy , Urban , Primarily Teen Cast , Primarily Female Cast , Time Manipulation , Slapstick , Yandere , Love Triangle , School , Kuudere , Parody , CGI , Clone , Ensemble Cast , Swordplay , Shounen , Guns , Gore , Tsundere , Nudity , Aliens

Shin Seiki Evangelion Movie: Air / Magokoro wo, Kimi ni

Also known as Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion.

Studio: Gainax , Production I.G
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Mecha , Psychological , Sci-Fi

NERV faces a brutal attack from SEELE, but with Asuka in a coma, and Shinji in a nervous breakdown, things soon turn into the surreal. This movie provides a concurrent ending to the final two episodes of the show Neon Genesis Evangelion.



Tags: Philosophy , Tragedy , Dystopian , Coming of Age , Post-Apocalyptic , Denpa , Meta , Gods , Body Horror , Conspiracy , Male Protagonist , Gore , Super Robot , Afterlife , Mythology , Kaiju , Robots , Cosmic Horror , Female Protagonist , Religion , Psychosexual , Primarily Teen Cast , Guns , Kuudere , Nudity , Masturbation , Clone , Tsundere , Politics , Space

FLCL

Also known as FLCL.

Studio: Gainax , Production I.G
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Comedy , Mecha , Sci-Fi

Naota is a detached sixth grader afflicted by the pangs of puberty. He's fooling around with his brother's ex-girlfriend when a crazed girl on a motor scooter runs him over, brains him with a bass guitar, and moves into his house. This pink-haired girl, Haruko - who claims she's an alien - hurls Naota into the middle of a mega-corporation's secret agenda. Oh, and now giant battling robots shoot from his skull. Mix in mind-bending animation and tunes that echo through your cerebellum to top off the trip that will have you falling hard for FLCL.



Tags: Coming of Age , Surreal Comedy , Male Protagonist , Age Gap , Psychosexual , Meta , Philosophy , Robots , Slapstick , Primarily Teen Cast , Denpa , Love Triangle , Aliens , Parody , Heterosexual , Mopeds , Vore , Amnesia , Guns , Female Protagonist , Kaiju , Urban , Gods , Episodic , Super Robot , Body Horror , Real Robot , Nudity , Baseball , CGI

86: Eighty Six Part 2

Also known as 86 EIGHTY-SIX Part 2.

Studio: A-1 Pictures
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Mecha , Sci-Fi

The second cour of 86: Eighty Six.

Having bid Lena farewell, Shin and the surviving members of the Spearhead squadron continue into the heart of Legion territory. There, they endure countless hardships until they're rescued by the Federal Republic of Giad, a reformed nation that offers them a second chance at a peaceful life. But it isn't long before a sense of duty calls the Eighty-Six back to the battlefield. Choosing to enlist in the military, they willingly walk back through the gates of hell, this time joined by a peculiar new ally-Frederica Rosenfort: a haughty young girl with a rare ability and wisdom far beyond her years.



Note: The last two episodes were originally set to air in the first two weeks of January 2022, but were postponed to the second and third week of March due to production issues.

Tags: Military , Dystopian , War , Tragedy , Politics , Robots , Class Struggle , Male Protagonist , CGI , Survival , Primarily Teen Cast , Kuudere , Ensemble Cast , Ghost , Necromancy , Guns , Real Robot , Suicide , Super Power , POV , Time Skip , Unrequited Love , Gore

Evangelion Shin Movie: Jo

Also known as Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone.

Studio: Studio Khara
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Mecha , Psychological , Sci-Fi

After the second impact, all that remains of Japan is Tokyo-3, a city that's being attacked by giant creatures that seek to eradicate the human kind, called Angels. After not seeing his father for more than eight years, Shinji Ikari receives a phone call in which he is told to urgently come to the NERV Headquarters, an organization that deals with the destruction of the Angels through the use of giant mechs called Evas. Shinji's objective is to pilot the Eva Unit 01 while teaming up with the Eva Unit 00 pilot, Ayanami Rei.

Note: Exists in several versions, as denoted by the version number:
• 1.0: Sep 1, 2007 - Original theatrical release
• 1.01: Apr 25, 2008 - DVD release containing minor adjustments and fine tunings in picture, editing, and sound quality.
 • Explanation of Evangelion 1.01 - Included with the special edition DVD release of 1.01, overlays large captions to provide the "official designations" of people, locations, weapons, technology, and so forth.
• 1.11: May 27, 2009 - Blu-ray/DVD re-release with 3 minutes of new animation added to the first 15 minutes and fixing video issues present in the previous release.

Tags: Post-Apocalyptic , Coming of Age , Military , Kuudere , Dystopian , Male Protagonist , Super Robot , Kaiju , Aliens , CGI , Denpa , Real Robot , Primarily Teen Cast , Urban , Nudity , School

Re:CREATORS

Also known as Re:CREATORS.

Studio: TROYCA
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Fantasy , Mecha , Thriller

People have created many stories. Joy, sadness, anger, deep emotion. Stories stir up emotion and captivate. However, those emotions are nothing more than the feelings of a spectator. What if the characters in the stories had their own "will"? In their eyes, are we, the creators of the stories, like gods? Revolution for our world. Punishment for the land of the gods.

Re:CREATORS. Everyone becomes a Creator.



Tags: Writing , Crossover , Isekai , Urban Fantasy , Meta , Magic , Otaku Culture , Drawing , Tragedy , Ensemble Cast , Super Power , Alternate Universe , Battle Royale , Swordplay , Video Games , Robots , Spearplay , Super Robot , Suicide , Guns

IS: Infinite Stratos

Also known as Infinite Stratos.

Studio: 8-bit
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Comedy , Ecchi , Mecha , Romance , Sci-Fi

Japan engineered an armed powered exoskeleton "Infinite Stratos" (IS) and it became the mainstream of weapons. Since only women can operate IS, women dominate the society over men. Orimura Ichika is a 15 year old boy and accidentally touches an IS placed in the IS pilot training school. He is found to be the only man who can operate IS and forced to enter the training school. Ichika's busy school life surrounded by girls has begun.

Tags: Female Harem , Nudity , Robots , Real Robot , Tsundere , Male Protagonist , Primarily Female Cast , Heterosexual , School Club , Kuudere , Henshin , Aviation , Artificial Intelligence , Crossdressing , CGI

Evangelion Shin Movie: Ha

Also known as Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance.

Studio: Studio Khara
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Mecha , Psychological , Sci-Fi

In the earliest battles against the monstrous Angels, young Eva pilots Shinji and Rei were forced to carry humanity's hopes on their shoulders. Now, with the deadly onslaught of the Angels escalating and the apocalyptic Third Impact looming, Shinji and Rei find their burden shared by two new Eva pilots, the fiery Asuka and the mysterious Mari. Maneuvering their enormous Eva machines into combat, the four young souls fight desperately to save mankind from the heavens—but will they be able to save themselves?



Note: Exists in several versions, as denoted by the version number:
• 2.0: Jun 27, 2009 - Original theatrical release
• 2.22: May 26, 2010 - Blu-ray/DVD release with new scenes and 'readjustments'.

Tags: Kaiju , Super Robot , Military , Meta , Denpa , Cosmic Horror , Real Robot , Post-Apocalyptic , Aliens , Male Protagonist , CGI , Coming of Age , Primarily Teen Cast , Urban , Tsundere , Heterosexual , Super Power , Kuudere , Mythology , Tomboy , Nudity

Evangelion Shin Movie: Kyuu

Also known as Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo.

Studio: Studio Khara
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Mecha , Psychological , Sci-Fi

14 years after third impact, Ikari Shinji awakens to a world he does not remember. He hasn't aged. Much of Earth is laid in ruins, Nerv has been dismantled, and people who he once protected have turned against him. Befriending the enigmatic Nagisa Kaworu, Shinji continues the fight against the angels and realizes the fighting is far from over, even when it could be against his former allies. The characters' struggles continue amidst the battles against the angels and each other, spiraling down to what could inevitably be the end of the world.



Note: Exists in several versions, as denoted by the version number:
• 3.0: Nov 17, 2012 - Original theatrical release
• 3.33: Apr 24, 2013 - Blu-ray/DVD release with minor visual changes.
• 3.333: Jan 8, 2021 - Theatrical IMAX screenings mastered in 2K with numerous small adjustments to lighting and color, as well as a new preview at the end of the film.
 • Aug 25, 2021 - 4K Blu-ray release of 3.333

Tags: Post-Apocalyptic , Time Skip , Super Robot , Male Protagonist , Alternate Universe , Boys' Love , LGBTQ+ Themes , Tragedy , Kaiju , Denpa , Philosophy , Bisexual , CGI , Memory Manipulation , Primarily Teen Cast , Gore , Meta , Tsundere , Kuudere , Tomboy

Promare

Also known as Promare.

Studio: Trigger
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Mecha , Sci-Fi

Thirty years have passed since the appearance of the Burnish, a race of flame-wielding mutant beings who destroyed half of the world with fire. When a new group of aggressive mutants calling themselves Mad Burnish appears, the epic battle between their leader, Lio Fotia, and Galo Thymos, a new member of the anti-Burnish rescue team Burning Rescue, begins.



Tags: Firefighters , Robots , Super Robot , Male Protagonist , Environmental , Super Power , Satire , Primarily Adult Cast , Philosophy , Politics , Aliens , CGI , Urban , Terrorism , Post-Apocalyptic , Alternate Universe , Dragons , Boys' Love , Artificial Intelligence , Motorcycles , Conspiracy

Shin Evangelion Movie:||

Also known as Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time.

Studio: Studio Khara
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Mecha , Psychological , Sci-Fi

In the aftermath of the Fourth Impact, stranded without their Evangelions, Shinji, Asuka, and Rei find refuge in one of the rare pockets of humanity that still exist on the ruined planet Earth. There, each of them live a life far different from their days as an Evangelion pilot. However, the danger to the world is far from over. A new impact is looming on the horizon—one that will prove to be the true end of Evangelion. Finally, the Human Instrumentality Project is set in motion, and WILLE makes one last grueling stand to prevent the Final Impact.

Note: Exists in multiple versions, as denoted by the version number:

- 3.0+1.0: March 8, 2021 - Original theatrical release
- 3.0+1.01: June 12, 2021 - A second theatrical release which features updated cuts of various scenes while not changing the overall story of the film.
- 3.0+1.11: March 8, 2023 - A home media release scheduled for the film's two-year anniversary.

Tags: Coming of Age , Rehabilitation , Post-Apocalyptic , Alternate Universe , Meta , Gods , Robots , Time Skip , Philosophy , Survival , Guns , Super Robot , Denpa , Cosmic Horror , Time Manipulation , Space , Tomboy , Male Protagonist , Kaiju , Spearplay , Agriculture , CGI , Tsundere , Kuudere , Ships , Gore , Primarily Teen Cast , Space Opera , Clone , Nudity , Video Games , Body Horror

Date A Live III

Also known as Date A Live III.

Studio: J.C. Staff
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Comedy , Ecchi , Fantasy , Mecha , Romance , Sci-Fi

The third season of Date A Live.

Itsuka Shidou's life has been a whirlwind as of late. Or more precisely, a spatial quake. Several of them, in fact. Powerful "Spirits" from other dimensions that take the form of girls are unintentionally causing these spatial quakes in his reality. And Shidou is the only one who can stop them with his unique ability: kissing them! By having the girls kiss and fall deeply in love with him, their devastating quake powers are sealed. The alternative to romancing them is to have a more militant and technological organization called the AST (Anti-Spirit Team) destroy the Spirits, something Shidou is vehemently against.

So far in the story, six Spirits have fallen for Shidou (as well as a few others). The girls compete with one another and vie for his affection, leaving him no end of headaches and misadventures. But a new challenger approaches.



Tags: Super Power , Female Harem , Primarily Female Cast , Male Protagonist , Primarily Teen Cast , Urban Fantasy , Slapstick , Time Manipulation , Witch , School , Tragedy , Time Skip , Heterosexual , Parody , Tsundere , Ensemble Cast , Shounen , Idol , Twins , Kuudere , Yandere , CGI , Urban

Aldnoah.Zero

Also known as ALDNOAH.ZERO.

Studio: A-1 Pictures , TROYCA
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Mecha , Sci-Fi

In 1972, the Apollo 17 mission found a hypergate to Mars on the surface of the moon. Upon landing, astronauts discovered a enchanted utility later referred to as 'Aldnoah', giving the astronauts a status of superiority. Soon, many humans have relocated to Mars, and have adapted to the name 'Martians'. After Princess Asseylum, a royal Martian princess, descends onto Earth in an attempt to create a treaty between both planets, a war breaks out between Earth and Mars, and Martian soldiers begin to descend from the sky, riding steel giants, intent on exterminating humanity.



Tags: Military , War , Conspiracy , Space Opera , Male Protagonist , Post-Apocalyptic , Real Robot , Guns , Lost Civilization , Politics , CGI , Revenge , Torture