The 20 Greatest Giant Robots Ever
20. The Omnidroid, The Incredibles
Aside from being heroes themselves, giant robots are also great villains. Especially for Superheroes. Ever since Superman faced off against the Mechanical Monsters in 1941, you're not a true part of the cape & cowl set until you fight at least one. And the best example of the raging robot menace of recent memory was the Omnidroid from Pixar's The Incredibles. A terrific tentacled terror that had the ability to adapt to its opponents, the Omnidroid was basically a big black upgrade on the classic DC villain Amazo. And it was almost unstoppable if not for the Incredibles. The Omnidroid is here to represent all monstrous mecha out there.
19. Neutro
Personal pick here. If you aren't familiar with the Internet series Atop the Fourth Wall, it's about the mishaps and adventures of comic reviewer Linkara who in between trashing bad comic books fights crazy supervillains. Neutro is his personal mech, but it's not very reliable. Having been stolen by villains, broken, re-stolen and controlled by old video game controllers. Think of Neutro as a descendent of Megas XLR; incredible alien technology in the hands of a crazy nerd. But despite his unreliability, Neutro delivers where it counts. He can take out murderous cyborgs with ease, if you remember his batteries.
Check out his first appearance here.
18. Liberty Prime, Fallout 3
America, Fuck Yeah! In the post-apocalyptic wasteland of Fallout, nothing will make you feel more patriotic than the thundering proclamations of Liberty Prime. Or kill you, that might happen too. Repaired by the Brotherhood of Steel, Liberty Prime has been programmed to wipe out communism in a world where communism doesn't exist anymore. So in addition to Giant Robot + America = Awesome he shouts hilarious things about how much communism has failed. In a way, he's a sign of how far America has come. Not 50 years ago, Liberty Prime wouldn't sound any different than mainstream politicians. But now it's a source of comedy to be mocked. So congrats to you Liberty Prime, symbol of social progress.
17. Robosaurus
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| I'll eat your fucking car!!!!!!!!!! |
Okay, Robosaurus gets a leg up on everybody else on the list by actually existing. In real life. Yes, a 40 foot tall fire-breathing robot dinosaur actually exists. Your day just got a little better. And to make it better, he's also a transformer who travels the country in the form of a semi-truck. But make no mistake. Robosaurus is a metal monster, ready to destroy anything in his path. The only way to soothe this raging beast is to sate his hunger for cars. Feed Robosaurus cars, and he will unleash his destruction at your whim.
16. Megas XLR
The star of a two-season Cartoon Network show, the Megas was humanity's last hope against an impeding alien conquest. But it was sent back in time and ended up in the hands of Coop; a fat, nerdy gearhead from New Jersey. Oops. This show was great, a love-letter to all things anime that managed to parody the medium's quirks by taking them to the extreme. And nothing was clearer of that than the Megas. Decked out in hot rod flames, it made the garish colors of classic mecha look subtle. Having a weapon for every occasion, it often did more damage than the villains. And I have to mention that its cockpit is a classic muscle car. Megas may not have been the best hero, but he taught us something very important...
15. EVA Unit 01, Neon Genesis Evangelion
Okay I haven't seen all of Evangelion yet but I felt I'd get lynched if I didn't mention it. In addition, aren't the EVA units not even robots? Aren't they like giant human clones who's nervous systems the pilots control or something? And from what I understand, there's an angel (Evangelion's giant monsters) named Adam. So given how much this series loves Christian symbolism and the etymology of the name EVA, are the EVA Units cloned from Adam? Yeah know, to transplant the whole "made from his rib" thing. Man this show is weird. But still, Unit 01 is a pretty cool mech. I particularly like its green and purple color scheme. Those colors are usually reserved for villains (see the Joker and the Green Goblin), so it's cool to see those used for a main hero. Also its more natural movements, contrasting the usual stilted robotic movements of other mecha.
14. Devastator, Transformers
Why does Devastator make the list? Because he's six giant robots that combine together to become an even more giant robot. And then he devastates things. Sometimes, simplicity is all you need.
13. Mazinger Z
The granddaddy of mecha. Created by legendary Manga Artist Go Nagai way back in 1972, Mazinger Z is the first piloted giant robot. In being so, he set the foundation for almost every mecha anime to come. Mazinger was the first to use the format of giant robot fighting giant monsters week after week. So Pacific Rim, Power Rangers, even fucking Evangelion? It all started here baby. And speaking of Pacific Rim, remember the rocket-powered fist? Mazinger was the first to use that too. But his actually shot off of his arm. Respect your elders.
12. The Veritech fighter, Robotech and Macross I guess, but really Robotech
The only thing better than a giant robot is a giant robot that turns into something else. And when it comes to turning into other stuff, nothing beats the Veritech. It's a giant robot, a jet and a jet with legs and arms. That's three forms for the price of one. At the forefront of the UN Space Navy, the Veritech is a shining example of robotechnology at work. Fearlessly heading into battle against the Zentraedi forces, their brave pilots... never mind, just go watch Robotech. I should also mention that the Veritech's designer Shoji Kawamori has gone on to design more cool Mecha, including the Nirvash from Eureka 7 and pretty much everything in Aquarion.
11. The Big O
Anybody following my look at the series shouldn't be surprised to find this here. What if Batman had a giant robot? Well it'd probably be something like Big O. The big gun in the arsenal of negotiator Roger Smith, the Big O is a mysterious megadeus robot from before a strange amnesia phenomenon. With it, Roger uncovers buried secrets and defends Paradigm City from the destructive mad science of its past. What the Big O is and how it functions is still unknown (at least to me) and its apparent sentience raises even more questions, but I still feel justified putting it on this list. If nothing else, its very 40s design and distinctive silhouette will make sure you never forget it. Unlike everyone in Paradigm City.
And that's it for Part 1. Come back soon for Part 2 and the Top 10!
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