Fans can get contentious about how much the giant robots factor into a mecha anime, but a good series should be able to stand without its robots.

The mech anime genre wouldn't exist in its current form without these legendary robots.

Here are the top 10 best mecha and robot anime that you need to watch to better understand the genre and its history.

All great mecha anime needs at least one of the following: Machiavellian geopolitical power struggles, massive robots doing righteous battle, and intrusive Pizza Hut product placement. Code Geass ...