Over 900 Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of The 20 Best Anime Mecha Pilots of All Time
Voting Rules
Vote up your favorite mecha pilots from the world of anime.
Mecha - giant humanoid robots piloted by actual human beings - are perhaps the most "anime" things out there, next to tsunderes and teenagers running down the street with bread in their mouth. Mecha anime is a beloved genre, and there's a whole lot more to it than just awesome fights. Actually, what makes a mecha show truly great is the pilots.
For this list, "best" doesn't necessarily mean "most skilled." While some of these characters possess incredible battle prowess, others are here because of their character development, or what they add to the story. Think "best character who happens to pilot a giant robot" not "person you'd hire for the job if you personally ran a fleet of mecha."
With that in mind, who are the best mecha pilots in anime? Many of them come from Gundam - from classic characters like Char Aznable to newer additions like Mikazuki Augus. Others appear outside in shows like Neon Genesis Evangelion, Code Geass, Soukyuu No Fafner, and more. Do you see your favorite?
Char Aznable is one of the most beloved characters in the entire Gundam franchise. He is a skilled Gundam pilot, a master tactician, and a capable and respected leader.
Amuro Ray is the protagonist of the very first Gundam series. Though lacking confidence at first, he grows as a pilot and goes on to take charge of an uncountable number of increasingly impressive and difficult to use mecha.
Heero Yuy is a mecha pilot who believes that the only way to succeed as a pilot is to shut off his emotions during battle. This causes others to see him as bizarrely hard-hearted in ways that don't befit his young age, while others see him as extraordinarily capable in battle.
Once brainwashed into slaying his own parents, Setsuna F. Seiei grows up to be a troubled individual. He believes that God couldn't possibly exist because of all the suffering humans endure but sees Gundams as a literal manifestation of God. Though inarguably a skilled pilot, where Setsuna really shines is in his character development.
Mikazuki Augus is an unfailingly loyal pilot who will do anything to make his best friend Orga Itsuka's dreams of a better future come true. He can be ruthless in his pursuits, which leads some people to mistakenly assume that he enjoys causing pain - rather, he is single-mindedly focused on his goals as a result of a childhood spent as a ground soldier.
Out of all of the Evangelion pilots, Asuka is undoubtedly the most skilled. Besides her obvious prowess, she's also one of the more complex characters - her brash and rude behavior serves to push others away and thus keep herself safe from emotional injury.
