10 best anime to watch if you like Gundam

The Gundam franchise has captivated anime fans across generations with its iconic giant robots tearing across battlefields and space while emotionally complex characters struggle with wartime decisions.

Various Gundam titles have examined thought-provoking philosophical ideas around conflict, technology's role in society, political change, and more amidst thrilling mecha action.

If you're a Gundam devotee hungry for a more sophisticated, heavyweight sci-fi anime series with memorable mobile suit combat, there are plenty of compelling shows waiting in the wings. Here are 10 of the best anime that can scratch that Gundam itch!

10 best anime for fans of Gundam

1. Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion

Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion (Image via Sunrise)

In an alternate world where the Holy Britannian Empire controls over a third of the planet, exiled intellectual prince Lelouch Lamperouge finds himself pulled into radical rebellion after gaining a supernatural power to compel others to obey his commands.

As Zero in the resistance group known as The Black Knights, Lelouch masterminds a globe-spanning uprising against this tyrannical superpower. He walks a morally compromised path driven by noble intentions corrupted by warfare's cruel necessities.

With strategic battles between mechanized Knightmare Frames resembling faster Gundam-style mecha combat woven amongst shadow wars of subterfuge and intrigue, Code Geass shares Gundam's flair for cerebral conflicts with morally ambiguous characters.

2. Neon Genesis Evangelion

Neon Genesis Evangelion (Image via Gainax)

This watershed 1995 anime drama examines trauma and human connection via an apocalyptic war against sinister "Angels" that only selectively empathetic youths can battle by interfacing as pilots with Evangelion Biomechs.

Often compared to Gundam for its use of sci-fi conflicts to explore isolation, parental burdens, and resilience, it is a dire, emotionally intense must-watch. Shinji Ikari is a troubled, reluctant hero obliged by his absent father to confront nightmare horrors in a colossal humanoid weapon, forcing intimate self-reckoning.

Balancing smaller character moments against explosive mecha fights framed as biblical events, Evangelion shares late 20th-century Gundam's penchant for experimenting with genre to tell a distinct, personal story that defies conventions.

3. Gurren Lagann

A 2007 hit, Gurren Lagann plays directly into pleasing fans of classic super robot anime with over-the-top mecha battles driven by fighting spirit and a never-give-up attitude.

In a post-apocalyptic Earth where humans live in isolated villages and fear comes from the surface, Gurren Lagann's optimistic protagonists Kamina and Simon discover an ancient mecha that they use to fend off beastmen oppressors and explore the outside world.

The scope of the series expands exponentially as Simon grows in determination and skill as a mecha pilot. For exhilarating, spirited giant robot battles and off-the-wall fun, Gurren Lagann is a fantastic choice, though its over-the-top tone contrasts with Gundam's more grounded storytelling.

4. Macross

The Macross franchise is a highly popular and influential mecha anime series. Many installments feature transforming fighter jet mechas, but it excels at compelling storytelling—following top pilots as they navigate an ongoing space war, alongside melodrama and pop music overtones.

Key Macross titles like Macross: Do You Remember Love?, Macross Plus, and Macross Frontier as well as the iconic original Super Dimension Fortress Macross all provide appealing blends of sci-fi war action and love triangles along with some of the most visually spectacular aerial mecha combat sequences ever animated.

Macross should more than scratch any itch Gundam watchers have for more spaceship dogfights encrusted with drama.

5. Darling in the Franxx

Darling in the Franxx (Image via CloverWorks/Trigger)

A unique take on the mecha genre, Darling in the Franxx offers a distinctive narrative focusing on relationships and coming-of-age themes within its post-apocalyptic setting. It centers around teenage soldiers piloting large robots to protect human settlements from monstrous invaders.

Along with large-scale battles between mechanized titans, Darling in the Franxx focuses on the bonds and romances between trainees learning to work together piloting the Franxx robots.

This character focus alongside themes about maturing into adulthood and understanding complex emotions gives Darling in the Franxx strong appeal for viewers seeking an emotionally resonant mecha story, though its narrative falters later in the series.

6. Aldnoah.Zero

Aldnoah.Zero (Image via A-1 Pictures/TROYCA)

Set after Earth makes contact with a human Martian colony that possesses powerful Lost Technology granting it a huge military advantage over the home planet they left behind, Aldnoah.Zero depicts a renewed conflict sparked when certain militant Martians want to conquer Earth.

Featuring a sprawling war story packed with iconic mobile suit battles, ace pilots, political intrigue, and a stellar score by esteemed composer Hiroyuki Sawano, Aldnoah.Zero hits many of the right notes that Gundam admirers look for, despite some inconsistencies in animation quality and character development.

7. Eureka Seven

Another coming-of-age mecha anime with strong thematic and visual similarities to Gundam titles, Eureka Seven centers on teenage protagonist Renton as his life takes a dramatic turn when he joins Gekkostate, a counter-culture group led by Holland Novak, with the enigmatic Eureka piloting humanoid mechas called LFOs.

He soon gets swept up in their fight against military forces misusing an alien artifact that bestows great power. Alongside stylish mecha action showcasing transforming aerial robots, Eureka Seven highlights Renton and Eureka's evolving love story while exploring themes of empathy and understanding differences.

With phenomenal animation and an exhilarating soundtrack, Eureka Seven has wide appeal as an engrossing, emotionally resonant sci-fi mecha adventure.

8. 86 (Eighty-Six)

86 (Eighty-Six) (Image via A-1 Pictures)

A more grounded and serious take on the classic premise established by many Gundam series, 86 depicts an ongoing conflict where a militarily superior nation slowly conquers its neighbors using autonomous drones while relying on an oppressed racial underclass to pilot suicide missions against the machines.

It follows the personal sacrifices and trauma endured by those tragic frontline pilots. Alongside hard-hitting emotional storytelling related to persecution and the horrors of war, 86 delivers beautifully animated sci-fi action scenes as mech battalions clash across war-torn cities.

It's non-stop pacing and compelling narrative twists make it hard to look away. Any Gundam watcher sympathetic to seeing a grittier, more dramatic fictional war story will find 86's ability to balance grim tragedy with inspiring resilience very impactful.

9. RahXephon

Created by Studio BONES with director Yutaka Izubuchi at the helm, RahXephon features psychologically complex characters, mysterious conspiracies, metaphorical religious imagery, and reality-warping plot twists anchored by spectacular giant robot combat visuals.

Centering around ordinary artist Ayato Kamina having his life turned upside down after discovering his destiny to pilot the god-like mecha RahXephon against invading creatures, the series skillfully blends several literary and mythological influences like Mayan lore alongside familiar mecha anime story beats.

With eye-popping designs and an enthralling central mystery, fans of cerebral, unconventional shows that still have awe-inspiring action will find RahXephon's style captivating.

10. Knights of Sidonia

Knights of Sidonia (Image via Polygon Pictures)

Set on a giant spaceship carrying the remnants of humanity escaping persecution by shape-shifting aliens, Knights of Sidonia depicts generational wars for survival as pilots operate advanced biomechanical mecha called Gardes to fight escalating battles against their pursuers.

Along with tense, high-stakes conflicts filled with desperate longshot gambits and losses showcasing the costs of war, Knights of Sidonia focuses on legacy as its young heroes inherit their elders' mission in coming of age under near-constant crisis.

It successfully balances slower character drama against thrilling action in a style that should strongly appeal to Gundam fans wanting a more somber but significant sci-fi mecha war story.

Conclusion

For those who love the giant robot action, gripping war stories, engaging characters, and thought-provoking themes that make Gundam special, all 10 of these excellent anime series provide compelling alternatives sure to satisfy while waiting for the next great Gundam release.