The most powerful Mecha in anime

There was a time when the word “anime” was synonymous with giant robots as mecha anime was among the first anime imported to the West. Since then anime has been known for every genre there is: drama, comedy, horror, you name it. However, mechs still aren't going anywhere and there is almost always at least one new or continued mecha anime every season.

Throughout its history, the genre has made many iconic mechs. So, in that spirit, we're lining up these famous mechanical warriors and seeing which ones are the most powerful.

7 RX-78-2 Gundam-Gundam '79

You can't beat a classic. Even though the RX-78-2 is outclassed by most modern mechs, it's still worth mentioning if only because it's the codifier of the genre and the reason why when you hear the words “mech anime” you think of Gundam. While it seems strange now, even within the Gundam multiverse, it's easy to forget just how powerful the RX-78-2 was compared to other mobile suits of its time.

It was a monster on both offense and defense, equipped with experimental armor that shrugged off conventional weapons and dual-beam sabers that cut through most other mechs with ease. Its beam rifle was also noteworthy because it had firepower capable of matching battleships. It also has such an iconic form factor and paint job that its aesthetic would be echoed across various Gundam titles.

6 VF-25 Messiah Series – Macross Frontier

This series of Variable Fighters is among the most advanced in the Macross universe and although they were introduced in Macross Frontier, they are still strong contenders as of Macross Delta years later. It's not hard to see why, since the VF-25 series bristles with weapons but is still the fastest and most versatile fighter available.

Technically, the VF-27 Lucifer surpasses the VF-25 Messiah in speed and maneuverability, but it cannot be mass-produced and can only be flown by cyborgs. In terms of firepower, some of the VF-25's more specialized armament outclasses that of the VF-27.

Like all VFs, it can change form between a fighter jet, a bipedal mech, or an in-between mode that's a bit of both. But unlike other VFs, the VF-25 has energy conversion armor in all three modes. The VF-25 can also be equipped with a Super Pack, giving it more armour, faster speeds and even more weapons to its already formidable arsenal.

5 EVA Unit 01 – Neon Genesis Evangelion

EVA Unit 01's combat capability is difficult to compare to other mechs for two reasons: the S2 engine and its AT Field. Without these two abilities, the rest of Unit 01's kit is simple, even underpowered, consisting of mecha-sized pistols, rifles, and knives. On top of that, EVA units are more agile than normal mechs and move like Olympic gymnasts writ large.

However, the S2 engine provides them with unlimited energy and infinite damage regeneration until the pilot is killed, while AT Fields are powerful energy shields that can only be easily pierced by other AT Fields. However, as shown in the fight against Ramiel, they can be pierced by ridiculous amounts of energy.

Note: With the exception of Tabris, Ramiel has the strongest AT Field of all Angels, and the Positron sniper rifle pierced his AT Field with half the combined power of a post-Second Impact Japan (one of two shots). There is never an AT Field shown on the show that is comparable in power, so the average AT Field would probably require less power to punch.

4 Big O – The Big O

Piloted by the fast-talking, tongue-in-cheek Roger Smith, the Big O is a huge, lumbering machine and one of the slowest mechs in all of anime. However, what he lacks in speed he more than makes up for in offensive and defensive power.

Big O is a blocky steampunk monstrosity, whose thick armor makes damage difficult and the weight gives his attacks even more power. He has several moves suited to many situations, from energy beams, to static shields, autocannons, and good old fashioned missile spam. Its most powerful attack, Final Stage, is capable of destroying one of the show's domed cities in one fell swoop.

3 Lancelot Albion/Guren SEITEN Eight Elements – Code Geass

The powerful Lancelot Albion and Guren SEITEN Eight Elements are the only ninth generation Knightmare Frames in Code Geass and outclass every previous generation of KMF alloys. They are also so powerful that their pilots must be superhuman and as such are used by Suzaku Kururugi and Kallen Kozuki respectively.

They share a seat because they are evenly matched, having fought each other to a draw. The Albion has an advantage in terms of pure destructive power with its hadron cannon's potential ability to level a mountain, while the Guren has an advantage in terms of speed. Otherwise they are quite similar, both use cutting-edge technologies such as the Energy Wing System for flight and attack and Radiant Wave Shielding instead of normal armor for defense, further increasing their already impressive maneuverability.

2 Ideon – Ideon escaping from space

Dark, brooding, and at times inscrutable, Yoshiyuki Tomino's first post-Gundam work is a stunner. At the center is the titular Ideon, a combined mech made up of three spaceships. The Ideon's armaments start out simple enough, with missiles and cannons, but quickly get out of hand after that.

According to Wikipedia, the Ideon destroys the entire Universe, but in both the series and Be Invoked, the explosion seemed at most the size of a galaxy and there were stars and planets left after the explosion.

There's the Black Hole Cannon, which fires a micro singularity that destroys everything around the Ideon. He also has his Ideon Swords, which can cut an entire planet in half, and the Wave Leader Cannon which can destroy multiple planets in one shot. Even these pale in comparison to his final attack, which taps into Ide, a plane of infinite energy to fuel a galaxy-destroying explosion. The Ideon itself is destroyed in the explosion.

1 Super Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann – Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann

At first, Kamina tells Simon to do the impossible and throw away reason. Well, it doesn't get any more unreasonable than that. In terms of power levels, the Super Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann is several orders of magnitude above any other mech. There is no comparison, if only for its size, which is larger than the observable universe. The only thing that can be compared is the Antispiral and its universe, which is more or less the same size.

We could talk about his attacks, which include launching entire galaxies and a drill large enough to destroy the Antispiral and other universes, but what would be the point? Ditto with his abilities. How do you measure the speed of something the size of an entire universe? His power? Trying to do so would result in a number followed by so many zeros that this page would be unreadable.