ToonZone's Top 25 anime mecha nominations

Fools, the lot of you, for the Zakrello is not a machine of war, but Haunted Houses of the FUTURE!!!


But no, I myself like the Zakrello design...very grasping of the eye's attention.
 
This is why the Zeon's didn't have a second "Submit mobile armor designs!" contest in elementary schools.

Comparing that abomination to the Knight of Gold is a travesty.
 
As a random aside, has anyone figured out why the SEED suits were pretty blah, yet the Astray suits were painfully awesome?



PS: Consider voting for the SEED Red Astray suit, ne?
 
Hard choice...I think I'll have to choose one per series.

10. Escaflowne - I absolutely love the design and transformation scheme.
9. YF-19 - My favorite Macross fighter of all time.
8. GaoGaiGar - An absolutely beautiful corabiner, marred only by having a bullet train for its shoulders.
7. The Big O - Art-deco styling and loaded with awesome weaponry.
6. Mazinger Z - A timeless classic with a unique look and gimmicks, as well as introducing the rocket punch.
5. Knight of Gold - The Five Star Stories in general have some truly amazing mecha.
4. AV-28 Ingram - One of my first anime mecha ever, so it had to rank high for me. I love how it's a realistic take that doesn't completely sacrifice aestetics.
3. Getter Robo - The best corabiner ever, period. The distinct mecha in one, and it actually has a reason to decorabine.
2. Zeta Gundam - After a long internal debate, I picked this one to repersent Gundam simply because it was the first real innovation with the design, and it still looks awesome. Great transformation and cool aestetics, I had to choose it over my other favorites, the Wing Zero Custom and 00 Riser.
1. Gurren Lagann - It's got a great general design and a theme that's carried through all of its attacks. The corabining element may not be as dynamic as Getter's, but I love how they do eventually go ahead and leave the two corabined.



Don't you mean the Gundam NT-1 Alex?
 
1. RX-78 Gundam
2. Mazinger Z
3. VF-1S Valkyrie
4. Big O
5. Genesic GaoGaiGar
6. Nu Gundam
7. Escaflowne
8. Gurren Lagann
9. Tetsujin 28
10. Wing Zero

Rationalizations below.

Honorable mention to that Knight of Gold...clearly I need to Netflix Five Star Stories.

RX-78 Gundam: Thanks to this machine, giant robots were never quite the same again after 1979. There are plenty of cooler designs out there, but Gundam will endure for the same reason that Captain Kirk's enterprise does. The Gundam's elegant simplicity has aged quite well and influences future designs to this day. Though the series outfitted it with no shortage of gimmicks, we all really remeraber Gundam for how it struck fear into the hearts of Zeon soldiers with its trademark beam rifle and beam sabers.

Mazinger Z: One of the early, groundbreaking super robots. I'm not the biggest fan of the series it belongs to I don't think, but there's no denying its importance in mecha history. It was also updated effectively in the Shin Mazinger reboot.

VF-1S Valkyrie: I strongly approve of the love this gets. Valkyries deserve respect. All mecha are pretty fantastical as a concept, but transforming fighter plans loaded to the teeth are as close to modern realism as it gets. I respect the pick for the VF-19, but the Valkyries of original Macross are the originals. I can't quite pick the VF-19 for the same reason that I wouldn't pick a Gundam from 0083 over the original. I see the 1S is Roy Focker's model. Good taste guys.

Big O: This machine was excellent. Though clearly inspired by certain predecessors (Giant Robo comes to mind), Big O is very distinct. Gundams tend to be lethal & swift weapons of war, and the more traditional super robots toss out rocket punches and energy attacks and just overpower things with excess. In Big O's case though, it seems to actually work like a giant robot would if one actually worked. It's massive, it packs lots of power, and it has weapons everywhere. But it's also very, VERY slow, making competent piloting essential. It was a titanic clunker. It has all of the awesomeness of a giant robot without any of the crazy excesses that usually go along with the type.

Genesic GaoGaiGar: The spiritual successor to Mazinger Z and the super robots of yore, GaoGaiGar is the defining corabining robot for many people these days. Its diversity of weapons is to be applauded, though when you get down to it its fists are ever its best asset.

Nu Gundam: Somehow it just feels like the most natural successor to the original Gundam; it was the perfect machine for Amuro going into Char's Counterattack. Yeah, it's true, the funnels are neat. Depending on how the OVA goes though, I must say that the Unicorn might give this incarnation a run for its money.

Escaflowne: Awesome for reasons similar to Big O, albeit with a significant fantasy influence. Yeah, I have to agree, the dragon motif & transformation is really something.

Gurren Lagann: Not better than GaoGaiGar, but nonetheless better than any other original super robot from the last 10 years. Not that this is particularly hard to accomplish, but still. There's no realism here whatsoever (even GaoGaiGar originally corabined via vehicles), but its feats were certainly fun to watch.

Tetsujin 28: I was torn between this and Giant Robo; both robots are extremely retro and old school and are even controlled in similar ways. Honestly, I gave it the nod because of Imagawa's 2004 series, where the concept and meaning of its design as a WWII weapon of doom gave the show a serious, dark bent that one definitely wouldn't expect from a show with an opening like this.

Wing Zero: Okay yeah, this is me allowing a special personal favorite in. The concept and colors agree with me, I like the plane form, it basically improves on Wing in every way. So far as "winged" Gundams go, I will say that 00 Raiser has grown on me a lot, and even Freedom has a certain appeal...but there's just something about Zero and the way it's drawn that still appeals to me.
 
I do wanna add the AV 98 Shinohara Ingram on my list. I kinda forgot that one when i did my list, since i was at work trying to not get caught on the internet...
 
...Only 10?



10: Dairuger XV - Because lion voltron sucked :S
9: Mecha Gozilla - Godzilla + Mecha. How can it lose?
8: Wing Gundam - The series wasnt the greatest, but the movie version of the wing is the prettiest Gundam ever.
7: Escaflowne - Dragon+Knight = Awesome.
6: Buster Machine 7/Die Buster - Nono is the smallest super robot ever. So cool and underappreciated. Diebuster only got to hold 'largest super robot ever' title for such a short time.
5: Tengen Topper Gurren Lagen - Speaking of largest robot ever...
4: Genesic Gao Gai Gar - GUTS AND COURAGE!
3: Konig Monster - From Macross. What's better then a battleship turret on legs? A TRANSFORMING battleship turret on legs.
2: Big-O - It's showtime! Chains, Pistol punch, giant O cannon. I loved the stylings on this.
1: Blade Liger - I love mecha animals. Especially mecha animals with guns and frikkin huge blades.
 
So we can count Eva's, even though they... you know.

Anyways, I don't watch a lot of mecha shows so I'll do 5.

1. Kallen's Guren (Code Geass) I love the design, it's right hand is also awesome. (And I love the pilot. :P)
2. EVA Unit 02
3. Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann- Need I explain?
4. Lancelot Albion- (Code Geass) - Only rivaled by the Guren.
5. EVA Unit 01
 
If you're Shinto, then all mechas are technically "alive."

The issue of what constitutes life is highly subjective. I think the issue being argued is not about "living," but rather about biological versus mechanical. Evas are a biological beings with armor (sort of). Nirvash, Big O, and others are mechanical, but happens to be sentient.

But I'm not disagreeing with you. I'm just clarifying.
Biological or not, I agree that Evas should still count. When you think of Evangelion, you don't think of children piloting monsters - you think of children piloting mechas.

They look like mechas. They're controlled like mechas.
They're freakin' mechas.
 
Well, the more accepted answer is "It's been in over half a dozen Super Robot Wars" games.

And the Nirvash is about as sentinent as the Eva's. They reworked its body into a transformer, like an evolution. Especially apparent once it goes Super Saiy-I mean, Spec 3.
 
The OVA is really just the tiniest sliver of the epic that if Five Star Stories. It would be like judging Legend of the Galactic Heroes from a single manga chapter published in an anthology. It's good mind you, but it's only a hint of the awesome.
 
I have not really seen a lot of mecha anime, very few actually. So I don't have a top 10 so I'll just say...

4.) Unit-03 - Rebuild of Evangelion
3.) King Kittan - Gurren Lagann
2.) Lazengann - Gurren Lagann
1.) Unit-01 - Rebuild of Evangelion

*kicks a pebble into the lake*
 
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