Best Mecha Anime About War

Summary

• Mecha anime explores deep themes of war and conflict through unique mech designs and complex characters.
• Series like Full Metal Panic, Mobile Suit Gundam, and Code Geass delve into war-torn worlds and the toll on individuals.
• Many mecha anime highlight exploitative practices during war, emphasizing the struggles faced by characters in armed conflict.

Mecha anime is a highly undervalued genre that brings chaotic action and universal drama to life. Mecha anime can have many different themes, such as slice of life, romance, and all the way to the consequences of war. Mecha are primarily used as weapons of mass destruction, capable of turning the tide of a conflict all on their own. While valuable, the pilots inside these machines are exploited or worse as they decimate the battlefield.

The horrors of war are a deep well of storytelling, and the added complexities of mechs and the tolls they take on their pilots, or the atrocities they can commit in battle, make for excellent plot points when diving into senseless conflict between warring sides. Many mecha anime explore never-ending battles and war-torn universes, all with exciting characters and mech designs.

A Young Girl Could Change The Course Of History

Sousuke Sagara is a member of Mythril, a secret military organization that deals with counter-terrorism emergencies. Brought up from birth as a soldier, Sousuke has a fighter’s mindset and focuses on his missions, sacrificing social skills and even his own desires and dreams.

When he is tasked with protecting a valuable asset in the form of a young girl, his world is rocked as she revitalizes his humanity. Chidori Kanami is an average high school student who possesses valuable intellect that could be catastrophic in the wrong hands. As someone who abhors war, Chidori is immediately at odds with her new bodyguard, but tries to see the good in everyone.

7

Mobile Suit Gundam Wing

Conflict Seeks To Tear The Universe Apart While A Few Try To Save It

Gundam is a franchise that has explored the terrors of conflict for over forty years. One of the best series to come from the franchise is the classic series, Mobile Suit Gundam Wing.

In an era where humanity has finally reached the stars, technology has advanced rapidly, and creations called mobile suits are now the primary weapon of choice in battle. Several factions pick apart peace in hopes of obtaining more power, which throws the world into chaos. Pilots who control the most sophisticated mobile suits in the world, called Gundams, attempt to undermine the conflict and usher in a new era of peace. But violence only begets more violence, and history continues to repeat itself.

6

Samurai 7

A Band Of Warriors Takes On Insurmountable Odds

• Release Date: June 12, 2004
• Studio: Gonzo

Samurai 7 is a modern animation adaptation of the famous film by the acclaimed director Akira Kurosawa. The anime takes light inspiration from his film Seven Samurai, but adds a sci-fi spin to the story while maintaining the plot.

In a desolate and distant future, the code of the samurai has endured, but has permanently been tarnished as many who carry a blade have turned to technology to increase their power. Fighters who call themselves samurai enhance their bodies with cybernetics or subject themselves to massive mechanical monstrocities. When a village becomes the target of a band of bandits, they contract a lone human samurai to protect them. Kambei Shimada sets out on a short journey to find a few good fighters to aid him in his obligation, which sparks an intense series of events.

5

Macross

An Intergalactic War Breaks Out By Accident

Humanity becomes unbalanced when an alien spacecraft crash-lands on Earth, revealing that humankind is not alone in the universe. After repairing the craft, seeking to discover the mysteries the stars hold, a castorophic accident occurs. During a test flight, the craft’s innate defensive systems activate and fire upon an alien vessel in close proximity, which sparks a war between humans and their first interstellar visitors.

Macross features one of the most unique and iconic mech designs in history, as well as machines that can transform from flying crafts to humanoid mechs seamlessly. Macross also does an excellent job of focusing on the story of the pilots and the burden of constant war.

4

EightySix

A Story Of Exploitation And Discrimination During War

• Studio: A-1 Pictures
• Release Date: 2021

A war between two sides has grown out of control, but is being played down by persistent propaganda. The Republic of Magnolia persists in bitter conflict with the Giadian Empire. While the public is aware of the fighting, they are told that drones are being used in the battle and that it is a bloodless war.

However, the truth is more sinister. The army of the Republic is led by slave soldiers, persons of color who are stripped of their rights and forced onto the frontline. The story of 86, or EightySix, follows a young handler who is put in charge of a squad of drones. She finds herself unaligned with the inhuman treatment of her allies, but still must lead them to victory.

3

Mobile Suit Gundam

A Classic That Perfectly Embodies Life During War

Mobile Suit Gundam is the series that birthed an entire universe of series where the world becomes at odds with its neighbors in the stars. When humanity finally advances to the point where space can be colonized, conflict erupts between humans who remain on Earth and those that live above.

As the tension rises and war breaks out, a young boy is caught in the middle as he becomes the pilot of a Gundam. Amuro Ray becomes the hope of the Earth forces and must learn to cope quickly with the atrocities he must commit on the frontline. Both factions seem to find no limit to the lengths they will go to in order to claim victory, a course of action that causes the loss of millions in the process.

2

Code Geass

A Lone Prince Takes Down An Empire

Lelouch V Britania is a young boy living an everyday life until he encounters a green-haired girl that grants him a mysterious power. This chance encounter awakens Lelouche as he can finally shed his peaceful demeanor and claim vengeance on the royal family that exiled him and took the life of his mother.

The power of Geass allows Lelouche to command those he looks in the eyes. With this power and the undermined Japanese Race, he seeks to start a rebellion to end the oppression of the Britannian Empire and his father’s life. Code Geass is a layered series with intricate mecha designs that have made it a must-watch.

1

Aldnoah.Zero

A War Between Integallactic Forces And Child Soldiers

After a portion of humanity immigrates to Mars, they return as conquerors who declare war on the Terrans. The erupting conflict places a high school in the middle of the battle, and a young, gifted boy takes to the front line in order to have his friends.

Inaho Kaizuka is a mute, neurodivergent student with a knack for strategy. With just the training mecha belonging to the school, he is able to combat the highly advanced technological horrors that the Mars Empire has brought with them. This sends Inaho down a bloody path of war as he decides to protect his friends at any cost.