Kara Dennison
April 17, 2021 
Anime themes are always a good pick-me-up. They remind us of our favorite shows, and (if you’re anything like us) you know all the words and can sing along. Even better? Giant robot anime themes! The best ones are full of power and action, and make us feel like we, too, could punch a planet in the face.
There are too many hype openings for us to cover every single one, but we’ve narrowed our list down to three. Throw more on the pile, and help us pick our mecha playlist!
GaoGaiGar: The King of Braves
Can anything get you on your feet and energized like Masaaki Endoh yelling about cool robots? Possibly, but the list is short. One of his best known songs — to the point that it’s a hit at JAM Project concerts — is the opening to Sunrise’s massive yuusha finale GaoGaiGar: The King of Braves.
In the tradition of so many good giant robot anime, the theme lays things out for you immediately. It’s a tribute to Guy Shishio, the brave cyborg who fuses with an ever-increasing number of machines to protect Earth from the evil alien Zonders. You’ll also hear some of GaoGaiGar’s biggest weapons get shout-outs, like the Dividing Driver and the Goldion Hammer. The OVA, GaoGaiGar FINAL, has had multiple, increasingly more epic covers of this theme.
Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ
The first opening theme to 1986’s Mobile Suit ZZ Gundam sounds a bit like a joke on a first listen. It is, after all, literally titled “Anime ja nai” (“It’s Not an Anime”), which is admittedly kid of hilarious to hear repeated over and over while anime footage plays. But it’s also fantastically on brand for heroic giant robot anime energy.
The song, performed by Masahito Arai, is about optimism and excitement, even while being told not to express it. The lyrics talk about being laughed at — being told you’re watching too much anime and reading too much manga — when having dreams and expressing hope, and keeping those dreams and hope going anyway. That’s the kind of mood we can get behind.
Overman King Gainer
Even if you’re not a big watcher of giant robot anime, there are good odds you’ve spotted this one around the Internet. Yoshiki Fukuyama’s upbeat intro to the show includes ferrets, figure skating, and lots of people doing the monkey. It’s a little surprising that this show hails from “Kill ’em All” Tomino himself… but this is one of his more lighthearted offerings.
We’ll never get enough of watching a giant robot dance in front of its own back story. And even on its own, it’s a good listen… though we can still see the whole thing in our heads regardless.
What other giant robot anime themes would you throw on this list?
