Top 20 Greatest Mecha Battles in Anime

“86” (2021-22)

After her knight, Kiriya was assimilated into an AI Army and turned into a Legion Shepard, Frederica asks Shin to help free him if he ever encounters him. The leader of the spearhead squadron finally got the chance to fulfill that request when he confronted Kiriya, who goes by the codename “Pale Rider” on the battlefield. Despite having a huge size advantage over Shin’s Reginleif, the man also known as the Undertaker is easily able to go toe to toe with the powerful machine. The battle finally comes to its conclusion when Frederica distracts Kiriya, allowing Shin to get close to his core and blasting it to oblivion.

“Patlabor: The Movie” (1989)

In the finale to this 80s classic, the Type 0 labor has lost control due to a virus, and unfortunately for Noa, Kanuka is trapped inside of it. Unsure as to how to save her, Noa is cornered thanks to the Type 0’s superior hand to hand combat. As the two are knocked off the side and hanging on for dear life, Noa decides to go up close and personal, equipping themselves with a shotgun and leaving behind the damaged Ingram. She fires down at the Type 0’s S-RAM system, shutting it down in the process.

“Macross Plus: Movie Edition” (1995)

After taking over Macross City, Sharon Apple sends the unmanned drone know as the
X-9 Ghost to attack both Isamu and Guld. Piloting the YF-21, Guld buys Isamu time to go after Sharon, by taking on the X-9 all by himself. What follows is an absolutely dazzling display of missile spam, showcasing one of the best examples of the Itano Circus animation technique. In order to take down the X-9 Ghost, Guld removes his limiters, allowing him to reach an insane speed that unfortunately leads to his death. What a way to go out!

“The King of Braves GaoGaiGar Final” (2000-03)

Following the death of Papillon, who was killed by a replicant Mamoru whilst stealing the Q-Parts. Gai chases after him, which results in a battle between Gai’s GaoFighGar and a copied version of the legendary GaoGaiGar. The two pilots pull no punches and have a dramatic hot blooded showdown in the rain. Although both sides appear evenly matched throughout this battle, Gai overwhelms Mamoru through sheer will, ripping right through the fake GaoGaiGar and creating an explosion the size of a nuke.

“Gunbuster” (1988-89)

With a never ending number of Space Monsters converging into the solar system, it’s up to both Noriko and Kazumi to fend off this imposing threat. Unfortunately for the two, every time they leave Earth, many years pass by due to time dilation, something that pains Kazumi greatly as she’ll never see the one she loves again. Fortunately Noriko manages to snap Kazumi out of it, and the two combine their ships to form Gunbuster. Although it’s not the first or last time the Gunbuster launches to battle it out against the Space Monsters, this scene stuck with us all these years later for its incredible battle sequences.

“Mobile Fighter G Gundam” (1994-95)

Although this battle isn’t the last one in the series, pretty much everything had been building up to this epic teacher vs student showdown. With the undefeated of the East trying to revive the Dark Gundam and end humanity, it’s up to his pupil Domon to put an end to plans in the “Gundam Fight” final. This decisive battle is so over the top that it wouldn’t look out of place in your regular shonen anime, yet G Gundam manages to knock it out of the park with its dramatic action and passionate attacks. The clash finally comes to an end when Domon busts out the good old reliable burning finger, allowing Master Asia to finally taste defeat.

“Getter Robo Armageddon” (1998-99)

After getting inside the Shin Dragon, the Getter Team led by Ryoma find themselves confronted by the Metal Beast Dragon, led by the rogue Dr. Saotome, who has gone mad after getting infected by the alien invaders. To gain the upperhand Saotome mindbreaks our heroes and shows illusions of the deaths of Michiru and Musashi. But it’s not enough to break their wills, as they power through and unleash their most powerful attack: the Stoner Sunshine. Not only is it one of the most badass techniques in all of anime, but it wipes out Saotome for good.

“Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack” (1988)

Since the conclusion of the original series, fans had been wanting to see Char and Amuro duke it out one more time, and franchise creator Yoshiyuki Tomino was happy to oblige them in the 1988 film Char’s CounterAttack. After a sudden heel turn, Char returns to Zeon and becomes its leader, with the goal of dropping a meteor onto earth, forcing its inhabitants to leave for the space colonies. Knowing the amount of lives this would cost, Amuro once again opposes him in his brand new “Nu Gundam”, With Char representing his iconic red colors in the Sazabi. Although the battle at first appears to be even, Amuro overpowers Char, forcing him to eject his cockpit from the Sazabi and leaving him in the hands of his greatest adversary.

“Jujutsu Kaisen” (2020-)

This is quite possibly the most unconventional battle on this list, as it features a gigantic mecha taking on a special grade cursed spirit the size of a human. Now you’d think Mahito would be no match for Mechamaru’s “Mode: Absolute” as it absolutely towers over him, that is however anything but the case. The battle between the two harkens back to some of the most incredible instances from both Neon Genesis Evangelion and Gurren Lagann. And although Mechamaru was unable to take down Mahito, he for sure made every mecha fanatic out there proud.

“Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance” (2009)

When Rei is consumed by the angel Zeruel, Shinji puts his fears aside and bravely rushes out to rescue her with the Eva Unit-01. Despite a valiant effort and almost seemingly defeating the angel, his Eva unfortunately runs out of power. With nothing left to lose, Shinji refuses to give up, with his rage powering up his Eva into a berserk mode. Transcending all limits, the Eva Unit-01 absolutely devastates Zeruel, allowing Shinji to not only reach Rei, but unfortunately trigger third impact.

“Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans” (2015-17)

Unmanned and practically undefeatable, the Hashmal was made purely for slaughtering humans, and without any pesky pilots at the controls, it was able to do its job quite well. Unfortunately, there’s not a Mobile Armor alive capable of besting the likes of Mikazuki! Despite nearly killing himself in the process, Mika was able to use the raw brutality of Barbatos to beat the mechanical monster into submission. It’s a brutal slugfest that truly encompasses just how much of a living weapon Mika and his Gundam truly are.

“Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2” (2008)

How to make a battle between two knights a hundred times more epic? Simply add giant robots and superpowers of course! Following Lelouch’s ascension to the throne of Britannia, the former leader of the Knights of the Round seeks to eliminate him. Unluckily for him, Lelouch’s on again off again best buddy Suzaku and his new kitted out Knightmare are sent out to end the old regime once and for all. Bismarck may be able to see into the future, but unfortunately that doesn’t count for much when faced with something like Britannia’s winged white knight.

“Mobile Suit Gundam SEED” (2002-03)

KIRA! ATHRUN! Oh, sorry we just caught up in all the screaming. Man, these two like to yell a lot. Overcome with grief at how both have killed off their respective friends, these two Coordinators pretty much lose their shit and push their Mobile Suits to their limit, helmed by nothing but the desire to kill each other. With nothing else left to lose, Athrun takes the totally underhanded route of blowing up the remainder of his Gundam to win the day. Still SEED at it’s best though.

“Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket” (1989)

Can’t we all just get along?! Set during the One Year War, this exchange between two pilots isn’t so much a grand showdown, but a pure demonstration of how conflict leads to meaningless casualties, made all the more potent here as both pilots, Christina and Bernie, had feelings for one another. Unaware of each other’s identities as they both fight to the death, the image of the two Mobile Suits impaling each other all the while Al tries to cease the conflict is the perfect picture of the original ideology behind the Gundam name.

“The Big O” (1999-2003)

Well, they aren’t lying about being big, and you will indeed by crying out ‘O’ after you see this battle erupt. In a true clash of Titans, the always well-dressed Negotiator Roger Smith takes on the psychotic Schwarzwald as their respective mecha quite literally smash everything around them. While Big Duo may possess the power of flight and is armed to the teeth with missiles, it can’t stand up to the combined strength of Big O’s Sudden Impact and signature Steven Blum performance. Schwarzwald may not be guilty in the name of God, but he’s certainly guilty of getting his ass kicked!

“Mobile Suit Gundam 00” (2007-09)

A battle so big, two Gundams was not enough. Egotistical does not even begin to describe the character of Ribbons Almark. A true snake with a god complex the size of a Gundam, his final battle against the likes of Setsuna was immensely satisfying not only for the rapid pace of their battle, but also just seeing his slimy face get kicked in. After all, no amount of gloriously evil speeches or custom-made Gundams were going to save him from Setsuna’s Innovator abilities.

“The End of Evangelion” (1997)

Hats off to you Asuka! You really had them on the ropes…for a while. After Shinji’s Dad steps on too many toes, the NERV facility comes under attack courtesy of unmanned EVA units. The only thing standing between them is a pissed off Asuka and her own EVA unit. The landscape literally shakes as she manages to pummel her way through a whole hoard of them, using whatever she can to win. However, not even she can hold out forever, leading to a very gruesome end for her.

“Mobile Suit Gundam” (1979-80)

A rivalry as Legendary as the franchise itself. With the One Year War seemingly reaching its climax, It’s up to the Red Comet to defend Zeon’s last line of defense from Amuro’s Gundam with the powerful but unfinished Zeong. An unconventional but dramatic battle, the two pilots use every technique in the book to put the other out of commission. And it all ends with quite possibly the most iconic scene in Gundam history.

“Gurren Lagann” (2007)

From the gritty to the absolutely ridiculous! In order to protect the cosmos from the living extinction event that is the Anti-Spiral, all members of Team Dai-Gurren unite for a final battle. With their unbreakable spirit combined with all of the Gunmen, they end up creating a mecha that’s many times bigger than whole galaxies. No seriously, they literally use them as weapons. Of course it doesn’t stop there, as Simon and the others' best evil incarnate once and for all with, what else, a drill!

“Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team” (1996-99)

Placed in an impossible situation, rookie commander Shiro finds himself in charge of a ragtag group of Earth Federation soldiers…only to find themselves confronted and quickly wiped out by Zeon’s ace pilot Norris Packard. What follows can only be described as one of the most hard hitting and strategic battles in Gundam history. In the end, knowing victory was not an option, Norris allows Shiro to strike him down in order to destroy the last Guntank. Mecha fans, you need to watch this!

What do you think is the greatest Mecha Showdown? Let us know in the comments below!