<span class="SFPTagline"> From SCIFIPEDIA </span>

Mecha is the name used to represent large human-driven robots in any universe. They range in height from 15 feet to planet-sized, and anywhere in between.

Definition

Mecha are robots, usually bipedal and humanoid in appearance though there are instances of insectlike and quadripedal mecha. Mecha tend to have one humanoid shape, though there are examples of variable or convertible types of mecha, such as Gundam Wing, FASA's Land-Air Mechs, and the venerable Veritech Fighter.

Mecha tend to be tall, in the 30 to 45 foot range, though there are examples of smaller mecha. The pilot of a mecha sits in a cockpit with airplane-like controls. Usually a series of foot pedals and joysticks control the motions of a mecha. Usually the motions of the pilot do not directly translate into the motions of the machine. The pilot does not have to walk to make the mecha move, nor does the pilot swing his fists to urge the mecha to punch.

This differentiates Mecha from Power Armor when the user actually wears the machine like a suit of armor with his arms and legs inside the arms and legs of the suit, directly translating his movements into the movements of the machine.

Origins of Mecha

Mecha as a phenomenon began in anime. In 1979 Gundam was rereleased with the main character being the pilot of a 30 foot tall walking machine known as a Gundam. In this universe there are many different types of walking machines including GP Gundams and Zakus. With the success and persistence of the Gundam universe the modern Mecha genre was born.

Within a few years several new mecha titles had burst forth on the scene the most notable being Super Dimensional Fortress: Macross

Most Americans got their first tastes of mecha when Harmony Gold licensed three anime titles: Super Dimensional Fortress: Macross, Super Dimensional Cavalry: Souther Cross, and MOSEPEDA. The producers at Harmony Gold wove the stories together to make Robotech. The Robotech story had little to do with the original story of the three anime (in fact, in Japan the three stories were unrelated) but this was many Americans' first taste into this other world.

Film was also picking up on the trend. In 1980, Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, featured mecha in the form of AT-AT or All Terrain Attack Transports, and AT-ST, All Terrain Scout Transports. The four and two legged walkers respectively show Americans a taste of giant robots used to transport troops and fight wars.

Mecha also began appearing in popular gaming as soon as 1984 with FASA's release of Battledroids. In this table top, hex based game, the player controled usually one to four giant robots and lead them onto the field of battle in the far future where humanity had collapses into five warring houses, and the pilots of these giant machines were the new nobility.

Video games deal with mecha as well. One of the first to tackle to subject was Metal Gear for the NES, where you took on the role of Snake, sneaking into an enemy fortress to find and dispose of a walking tank armed with nuclear weapons. Today mechagames range from the enduring Metal Gear Solid franchise, to games where you actually pilot the mecha such as, the Armored Core series, Chrome Hounds, and the most expensive of all Mecha games, Steel Battalion for the XBOX, which features a 104-button controller.

Mecha Today

Today there are hundreds of titles dealing with Mecha in video games, movies, TV, and other sources. The sight of a giant walking machine on the battlefield or in everyday life is seen as commonplace. The vision of the noble knight suiting up and doing battle is a powerful one, and has won a place in the hearts of science fiction fans.