View source for Animal Mecha

{{trope}}
[[File:grimlock 3339.jpg|link=Transformers Generation 1|frame|Me Grimlock give you head start.]]


Mecha are cool. Some animals are pretty awesome. But what if we combine both?

'''Animal Mecha''' are, simply put, [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|mecha built in the shape of animals]]. They are usually modeled after creatures considered [[Badass]], especially [[Everything's Better with Dinosaurs|dinosaurs]], predatory beasts ([[Panthera Awesome|often big cats]]), and [[Giant Flyer|birds of prey]].

There are two subtypes of '''Animal Mecha''':

# The first and older type involves otherwise machine-type mecha to be shaped like animals. [[Mechanical Horse]] and [[Spider Tank]] are particular subtropes.
# The second and newer type involves sentient, alive creatures as [[Humongous Mecha]]. Related to [[Mechanical Lifeforms]].

Mecha based on aquatic creatures tend to be prone to [[If It Swims, It Flies]].

Compare [[Spider Tank]], [[Mechanical Horse]], [[Robot Dog]].

Not to be confused with the preschooler show ''[[Animal Mechanicals]]''.

{{examples}}
== Examples of the first type ==

* ''[[Science Ninja Team Gatchaman]]'''s Galactor fielded bird mecha as [[Monsters of the Week]].
* ''[[Mazinger Z]]'': Many Mechanical Beasts were shaped like animals (insects, crabs, whales...), specially in the later seasons where mythological motifs were used.
** In the sequel, ''[[Great Mazinger]]'', the Mykene Empire army was split in seven armies, and every mecha belonged to one or other division depending on its shape. Five out of seven divisions followed a animal theme: Mammals, birds, reptiles, fishes and insects.
** In the second sequel, ''[[UFO Robo Grendizer]]'', there were less animal-alike mechas, but many Saucer Beasts resembled reptilian creatures.
* ''[[GoLion]]'' / ''[[Voltron]]'' consists of five lion-based mecha, each forming a single body part.
* [[Reideen]]: It belongs to both types. Although its primary shape is human-looking, it can transform into a bird-like mecha. And it is sentient to boot.
* Several ''[[Super Sentai]]'' series, with ''[[Choujuu Sentai Liveman]]'' being the first installment to feature '''Animal Mecha'''. The most notable, of course is ''[[Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger]]'', a.k.a. ''[[Mighty Morphin Power Rangers]]''. Aside from that airship that looks like a bird from ''[[Himitsu Sentai Goranger]]''.
* ''[[Megas XLR]]'' parodies the concept, as well as paying homage.
* The [[Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann|Gunmen]].
* The Reptar robot from ''[[Rugrats]]''.
* Stella's Gaia Mobile Suit in [[Gundam Seed Destiny]] can transform into a dog-like form for ground combat.
** For that matter, the BaCUEs and LaGowe in [[Gundam Seed]].
* Three of the robots from ''[[Zettai Muteki Raijin-Oh]]'' (of the ''Eldoran'' franchise) are in the shape of animals: Hou-Oh (bird), Juu-Oh (lion), and Bakuryu-Oh (dragon.)
* The other two ''Eldoran'' anime, ''Ganbarugar'' and ''[[Nekketsu Saikyo Gosaurer]]'', also feature animal mecha.
* ''[[Exalted]]'' has some examples of animal-shaped [[Humongous Mecha|Warstriders]] for use by shapeshifting Lunars in their animal forms, or Lunar Warstriders that change shape along with their pilots.
* ''[[Zoids]]'', depending on the continuity.
* [[Gaiking]] has several animal/dinosaur-shaped support mecha, in both continuities.
* The Pachydermobile from an article in ''The Journal of Irreproducible Results'': a four-wheel-drive vehicle intended for observing elephants in their native habitat, designed to look like an elephant as much as possible (and smell like one, too).
* One of the eneies in ''[[Conduit 2]]'' is a robotic puma/leopard/tiger/large cat.
* Molly's [http://bobadventures.comicgenesis.com/d/20090811.html robot lion] in ''[[The Inexplicable Adventures of Bob]]''
* Ausf A Gestell from ''[[Einhander]]'' is a crazed mecha ape. Interestingly enough, it's one of the enemies that ''isn't'' named after an animal in German.
* [[Gundam]]: The BuCues from [[Mobile Suit Gundam SEED|SEED]] look vaguely like jackals, and the Gafrans from [[Mobile Suit Gundam AGE|AGE]] can transform into Dragons.
* Some of the Team Rocket mechas from ''[[Pokémon (anime)|Pokémon]]'' such as the Meowth balloon and the Magikarp submarine.

== Examples of the second type ==
* Depending on the continuity, ''[[Zoids]]''.
* Of course, ''[[Super Sentai]]'' (which by then was already being adapted into ''[[Power Rangers]]'') got into the act too, with ''[[Seijuu Sentai Gingaman]]'' / ''[[Power Rangers Lost Galaxy]]'' and ''[[Hyakujuu Sentai Gaoranger]]'' / ''[[Power Rangers Wild Force]]'' being prominent examples.
** The Guardian Beasts from ''[[Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger]]'', sentient mechanical dinosaurs who combine into '''God''', though they're more famous as the non-sentient Dinozords from ''[[Mighty Morphin Power Rangers]]'''s first season.
** [[Bakuryuu Sentai Abaranger]] also has Dinosaur Mecha, the Bakuryuu...except this time, they're all Dinosaurs (well, ok, a few are just prehistoric reptilians, like pterrasaurs and dimetrodons, but close enough), unlike Zyuranger (only the Triceratops and T-Rex are truly Dinosaurs). They're all intelligent, reasoning creatures and treated as characters in their own right, while their [[Power Rangers Dino Thunder|American counterparts]] are more animalistic.
*** What's weird is that rather than mecha, the Bakuryuu are said to be actual descendants of the dinosaurs (on an alternate Earth). Full-body cyborgs, maybe?
* Dinobots, Predacons ([[Beast Wars|not those]]), Insecticons, and Terrorcons in ''[[Transformers Generation 1]]'', as well as those cassettes of Soundwave's. Grimlock, leader of the Dinobots, is currently pictured above.
** ''Beast Wars'' and ''[[Beast Machines]]''. They started off as [[Mechanical Lifeforms]] wearing animal skins to shield them from fatal levels of energon, but the robot / animal divide started blurring with the Transmetal upgrades. By ''Beast Machines'', the main cast are all completely techno-organic: they still have a "beast mode" and a more humanoid one, but Optimus points out that the animal / mecha line no longer applies to them.
{{quote|'''Cheetor:''' So, what are we? Robots or animals?
'''Optimus Primal:''' Both and neither. }}
** Each continuity tends to have a few characters with animal alt-modes somewhere.
*** ''[[Transformers Cybertron|Cybertron]]'''s got a planet full of them.
* [[Godzilla|Mechagodzilla]] and [[King Kong|Mechani-Kong]].
* ''[[GaoGaiGar]]'''s lion, Galeon.
** The last couple episodes of the [[Post Script Season]], ''GaoGaiGar FINAL'', introduced the original Gao-Machines from the Green Planet: two mole-like [[Drill Tank]]s, [[If It Swims, It Flies|a flying]] shark and dolphin, and a condor-jet, on which the Earth-built Gao-Machines were based. The sentience of these Genesic Machines was never made clear, however, as they combined with GaiGar immediately after their release.
*** And all together, they evoke the image of a manticore.
* [[Kraken and Leviathan|The Leviathan]] from Disney's ''[[Atlantis: The Lost Empire|Atlantis the Lost Empire]]'', which resembles a giant mechanical lobster.
* Clockwork Horrors from ''[[Spelljammer]]'' are sentient clockwork giant spiders.
* In ''[[Terraria]]'', one of the boss monsters unlocked in "hard mode" is the Destroyer, a giant mechanical worm based on the normal, fleshy giant worm boss, the Eater of Worlds.
* Hippopressor in ''[[Mega Man X Command Mission]]'' is basically a tank shaped like a hippopotamus.

{{reflist}}
[[Category:Mecha Tropes]]
[[Category:Animal Mecha]]