There are many reasons why anime fans love mecha anime. To begin with, the sheer size, scope, and desgins of the mechs are always a major draw. One-on-one battles are always cool, but they're even better when fought in gigantic robots in the depths of space. Secondly, mecha anime often blend various genres together in masterful ways. Action, suspense, intrigue, and romance are brought together against a backdrop of stunning mech battles. Sometimes, the series are just plain fun, offering nothing more than popcorn entertainment on massive scales.

But like any good series, a good mecha anime can become an amazing one if its ending can stick the landing. There's nothing worse than loving a series only to watch it end with a thud. Good endings don't always equate to happy endings, though, so fans should be prepared for some emotional whiplash.

When a young man named Van loses his wife on the day of his wedding, he vows to exact revenge on the man responsible for her death. Traveling the world in his giant mecha, Van meets a colorful cast of characters along the way. As Van makes new allies and enemies during his quest, his eyes are set ever on the horizon, searching for The Claw.

At the end of the day, Gun x Sword is a mecha anime steeped in revenge. When Van confronts The Claw, he doesn’t even give him the time of day to listen to his trite speech. Van cuts him down without a word (which can be a bit disappointing for those wishing for a huge battle), but in the end,

When the evil Penguin Empire invades Earth, there’s only one person capable of stopping them: Koichi Madanbashi. Koichi possesses a rare form of energy known as Hi-Ero particles; with these particles he can pilot the ultra-powerful mech known as Daimidaler. Daimidaler is an extremely raunchy and rowdy anime that's best watched by older viewers, but

​​​​​​A huge shake-up occurs near the middle of the series where viewers believe Koichi and Kyoko, the two main characters, suffer a terrible fate. However, at the very end, it’s revealed Koichi and Kyoko are actually alive. With the combined power of the series’ heroes, the Penguin Empire is defeated, Earth is saved, and a formerly rambunctious youth finds his true love.

Set during the events of the original Mobile Suit Gundam, 08th MS Team focuses on a smaller, yet no less important operation during the One Year War. When Shiro Amada is tasked with guiding the 08th Mobile Suit Team deep into the jungles of Southeast Asia, he could never realize how dire the situation would become. Not only is there a massive enemy mobile suit that could spell disaster for the Earth Federation forces lurking in the jungle, but its pilot is a woman that Shiro loves.

​​​​​​

Mobile Suit Gundam The 08th MS Team takes all the suspense and action that Mobile Suit Gundam is famous for and scales it down to ground level. The finale is every bit as explosive as it needs to be, but more important than the action is how Shiro and Aina manage to fall in love with one another.

When the battle for control of Earth erupts between the United Earth Sphere Alliance and the entity known as OZ, it falls to five young pilots to alter the course of world history. While the original ending to Gundam Wing was a little less-than-stellar, it was the conclusion that Endless Waltz delivered that sealed the deal for the series. Despite existing as a separate OVA to the core series, Endless Waltz can be considered to be the definitive ending for the anime.

It always felt odd that the Gundam pilots would decide to send their suits off into the sun when there was always the chance for further conflict. As Endless Waltz proved, there was indeed more conflict to be had, so it was nice to see the pilots save their suits at the last minute. And while the ending to Endless Waltz effectively retread the notions of peace seen in the series’ ending,

When three eighth-grade girls named Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu are transported from Tokyo Tower to the magical world of Cephiro, they become engaged in a quest beyond their wildest dreams. As each girl becomes equipped with a massive mech attuned to their respective element, the fate of Cephiro hangs in the balance as they fight to defeat the evil Zagato and free Princess Emeraude.

Rather than saving the day, the girls learn that the Princess had loved Zagato and had brought the girls to her to kill her. While this is a grim turn of events, the full conclusion to the story involves the girls growing and becoming far more than the average schoolgirls they were at the beginning of their adventure.

If full-scale interplanetary battles and taut geopolitical drama is what a mecha fan is searching for, G Gundam is not the series for them. Set in the Future Century, G Gundam follows young pilot Domon as he engages in the 13th Gundam Fight, a contest for entire nation colonies to decide who can rule over the others. But with the Devil Gundam rising up to threaten the future of Earth, Domon must fight not just for himself, but for all mankind.

It has ridiculous Gundams, it has a classic martial arts tournament at the center of its story, and, in the end, as the Devil Gundam becomes the ultimate threat, Domon chooses the absolute peak of the climax to profess his love to Rain, his longtime childhood friend. True love and a battle to save Earth is the ultimate winning combo.

When Simon and Kamina decide to leave their underground village in pursuit of what the world can truly offer them, the two teens discover a plot greater than anything they could have ever imagined. To make matter simple. Gurren Lagann has an extremely textured plot with numerous time skips, plot twists, and huge spikes in power. What’s important to know is that Simon put everything on the line to save the universe.

​​​​​. Simon becomes a wanderer, content only to watch the world after his days of being its savior. It’s a solemn, but no less impactful ending, considering how young and meek Simon was at the very beginning. It’s an ending of sorrow, but also of hope to see what lies ahead past the horizon.

Streaming on Crunchyroll

When a young man suddenly appears on the outdoor track at Hitomi Kanzaki’s highschool and battles a dragon, the highschool girl finds herself teleported to the magical world of Gaea. There, she learns that the boy is named Van, a rebel leader who battles against the evil Zaibach Empire. As Hitomi develops potent psychic powers and becomes a crucial part of the battle against the Zaibach Empire, the love between her and Van begins to grow.

Unlike many other anime, Escaflowne does not end with the main characters staying together. Hitomi decides to return to Earth, leaving Van and Gaea behind. Some people draw criticism with this ending, considering how much she and Van loved one another, but in complete fairness, Hitomi was a 15-year-old girl who would’ve left her entire life and family behind back on Earth.

When a mysterious alien spaceship crash lands on South Ataria Island, the course of human history is altered forever. The spaceship, named the SDF-1 Macross, rockets human technology far into the future, allowing the development of machines and weaponry once thought impossible. But when an alien race known as the Zentradi come to Earth and are attacked by the SDF-1, a war breaks out between humanity and the Zentradi.

​​​​​​The original Super Dimension Fortress Macross series became restructured to become the first season of Robotech. This first chapter introduced Rick Hunter, Max Sterling, and many other characters to Western fans of mecha action.

In the year 0079 of the Universal Century, the Principality of Zeon has declared war on the Earth Federation. As Zeon forces subjugate and eradicate all opposition from the space colonies in their way, a young boy named Amuro Ray becomes the inadvertent pilot of the Federation’s ultimate experimental weapon: the Gundam. As Amuro and a crew of other teenage survivors battle to return to Earth, the fate of human history weighs on their shoulders.

The original Mobile Suit Gundam delivered a truly gripping story of war, bravery, and loss. It was a tale of how conflict destroys lives and pushes the average person into inconceivable situations. But its ending, with the dramatic defeat of Zeon and the end of the One Year War, Its story may have continued in later sequels, but as a stand-alone narrative, watching the war between the Earth Federation and Zeon, between Amuro and Zeon's ace pilot, Char Aznable, come to a close is one for the history books.