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Super Robot
"So much for the laws of physics!"
—Getter Robo Armageddon

The counterpoint to a Real Robot series (Or rather, Real Robots are the counterpoint to this), a fantastic Super Hero-like form of Humongous Mecha series.

Super Robots make up the "rubber science" aspect of giant robots. Powered by some variety of Applied Phlebotinum, the Super Robot can do anything that is required of it, including:

...among other abilities.

Super Robot shows are typically personified by "Love/Courage/Compassion/Friendship/Righteous Anger/Insert-Positive-Emotion-Here Conquers All", and almost always have at least one character that is Hot Blooded, though there are certain notable exceptions... mostly those directed by Yoshiyuki "Kill 'em All" Tomino, to whom anyone can die is less a possibility than a life philosophy. Take a look at the Wikipedia entry for Space Runaway Ideon sometime if you doubt this. They also typically follow the Monster Of The Week format, especially in older shows, though as always there are exceptions. Super Robots tend towards idealism on the Sliding Scale Of Idealism Versus Cynicism.

A handy checklist to see if a mecha is a Super Robot as opposed to a Real Robot:
  • The robot is sentient.
  • The robot has highly improbable or outright impossible Transformation Sequences.
  • The robot can grow in size and creates and dismisses weapons more or less at will.
  • The robot uses two or more of the following weapons:
    • Rocket Punch
    • Eye Beams
    • Chest Blaster
    • A ridiculously-large melee weapon (by human standards, most likely normal-sized on the robot's scale, although not always.)
    • A Boomerang
    • A Drill
    • A weaponized tool of some sort, beyond the common drill: Screwdrivers, wrenches, hammer and nail, pliers, anything that you can find at a hardware store.
    • Double points if the weapon is disguised as/transforms from a part of the robot (such as a detachable pair of wings which can be thrown as a boomerang) or another robot transforms into the weapon.
  • The pilot always screams the name of the attacks.
  • The show's title has "Muteki" ("Invincible") in it somewhere.
  • The robot's face is flexible and capable of things such as opening and closing its mouth.
  • The joints are covered by what seems to be solid metal, yet are still capable of the full range of human mobility.
  • Three or more separately piloted vehicles combine to form the robot.
    • Two robots in the series have the ability to combine, despite the robots' creators being enemies or unaware of each other (eg. many Sixth Rangers' megazords in Power Rangers).
  • The robot is one-of-a-kind and/or is the only line of defense between the earth (or other place to be defended) and the invading hordes.
  • The robot (or part of the robot) can only be piloted by one specific person, due either to a "brain-scan security system", a "unique and special power", or "destiny".
  • The robot was created by the pilot's father, grandfather, or uncle.
  • The robot was designed and built by a scientist or lab independent of the government and military.
  • The robot was built using technology far in advance of what is available to the general public or military.
  • The robot was created by an ancient civilization to battle the series's antagonists.
  • You (or maybe your parents) recognize the robot from a Shogun Warrior toy.
  • All of the robots in the show, whether or not they're mass-manufactured, are unique designs based on some common theme (usually different kinds of animals).
  • The robot's name begins with or features the letter G, and/or ends with "-er"
    • The name of the show ends in "-ger", even if the robot's name does not.
    • Exception: "Gundam" does not count as a usage of the letter G (on its own at least).
  • At least one robot in the series has "Kaiser" in its name, or some variant such as "King", "Emperor" or "Oh"  *.
  • The robot features one or more of the following design elements:
  • The robot is directly compared to a god and/or a devil.
  • The pilot regularly addresses or refers to the robot by name as if it were a person, even if it is not (obviously) sentient.
    • The robot has never been successfully activated until its pilot begs/orders it to.
  • Ichirou Mizuki or JAM Project does the theme song. MEGA extra points if it's done by BOTH.

The chances of the series being a Super Robot series rises exponentially with each item present. This, of course, doesn't apply to total parody or gag series, such as SD Gundam.

Examples:

  • Gigantor (Tetsujin 28) is the effective Trope Maker.
  • On the other hand, Mazinger Z (and its sequels, Great Mazinger and UFO Robo Grendizer, and the remake, Mazinkaiser) was the one who defined the trope as we know it.
  • Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann is based on the mecha being like this in as many ways as possible: Let's see... Sentient: check. Transformation Sequence: check. Creates weapons at will: check. High-volume attack screaming: check. Flexible face: check. Combining Mecha: check. One-of-a-kind: Kinda check; Lagann is one-of-a-kind, but Gurren is just a Ganmen that Kamina jacked during a battle. Powered by Hot Blood: not in the list, but check. Drills: Oh, so very checked. Becoming large enough to literally throw galaxies as projectiles: not in the list either, but it should be, and absolute check.
    • The show subverts one of the main Super Robot traits when it acknowledges that it creates matter from nothing and breaks the Conservation of Mass Law, and that it will lead to the end of the universe if overused.
    • ...Which one was sentient?
      • Lagann seemed to have a mind of its own in a few places, such as immediately before Simon's Crowning Moment Of Awesome in episode 11.
      • As well as during the scene preceding said remade CMOA in The Movie, where Simon seemingly is falling to his death, has his epiphany in mid air, after which we're treated to Lagann activating on its own and prociding to catch Simon in mid-air. While sentinence is up for debate, Lagann(And by extension Simon's Core Drill) qualifies as an Empathic Weapon of sorts.
  • Deconstructed to a cruel level in Gasaraki with the kugai, Sentient: very checked (they are pretty much alive, they 'call out' to people that are 'kais' and even briefly take control or influence them) One-of-a-kind: check, moveable face: check (its face is actually covered by a two piece mask) only specific people can pilot it: check (only a kai can use one, but in a cruel twist, the kai serve the role of symbiote/sacrifice in order to allow the kugai to move) distinct appearance: check (they wear scaled up versions of samurai armour) huge melee weapon: check, considered a god: check (were worshipped as gods, and were also considered deamons as the looked like oni clad in armour) powered by hot blood: check (in another twist, kai who get too swept up in joy of battle end up inadvertantly triggering the 'firestorm of gasaraki' which in tun leads to 'the nada' this happening is considered, very ,very, bad)
  • Western example and parody: Megas XLR. Not only is it controlled through the use of 90's videogame controllers, it also has an endless supply of aptly named doomsday buttons, is set with a victory pose that mimics that of its driver, can only be driven by a fat, lazy, slow-headed video game geek and gearhead, and contains almost every Wave Motion Gun in anime history (Including, THE Wave Motion Gun, along with half of the ship). Did we mention it only cost its owner two bucks, which he never paid?
  • Getter Robo The first combining Super Robot.
  • The Bts from Bt X fit quite well: sentient? check, weird power-source? check, link with their pilot? check... they are, however, very small, compared to the standard Super Robot.
  • Giant Robo
  • Gun Buster was Hideaki Anno's directorial debut and really, this is all you need to know.
  • Brave Raideen (which later inspired Rah Xephon). The first half was directed by the aforementioned Yoshiyuki Tomino; the latter half was directed by Tadao Nagahama, better known for...
  • Daitarn III sorta fits this..to an extent.
  • The "Romantic Trilogy": Combattler V, Voltes V, and Daimos, who all featured more realistic combinations.
  • Western Example... sort of: Reideen, Combattler, and Danguard Ace had a brief existence in the Marvel Universe, thanks to the Shogun Warriors comic; one adventure actually had the Fantastic 4 filling in as Combattler pilots.
  • Similarly, Force Five was a Macekred version of the anime that the Shogun Warriors toys were based on, and the Robots therein were all Super.
  • Gaiking
  • The entire Yuusha cycle from Sunrise animation, most famously King of Braves Gao Gai Gar. (Oddly, though placed in the same continuity as GaoGaiGar, the robots of Betterman are rather un-Super.)
    • GaoGaiGar is notable in that there's absolutely no weirdness in any of the transformations for the main characters - every single part and motion is accounted for, so all toys made for the franchise would be perfect (the toys and character models were made together). The villains (who didn't have many toy) on the other hand, routinely distort, shapeshift, dissolve and reform, etc. Gao Gai Gar itself seems to obey at least SOME of the laws of physics, when during the fight with Spine Primeval, Gao Gai Gar attempts to fly into space, but can't due to the fact that Stealth Gao's jet engines have run out of air at such a high altitude. This limitation is, of course, fixed in the next episode. And despite the theme song billing the titular mecha as invincible, it gets pretty badly beat up on a regular basis, even sustaining damage from combination or using its own weaponry. In Gao Gai Gar FINAL, a copy of the original Gao Gai Gar is destroyed by Gao Figh Gar, which is later in the series destroyed by Palparepa
  • Power Rangers/Super Sentai: The various Zords cover most of these aspects all of the time, and a few specific ones depending on the exact season.
  • Denshi Sentai Denjiman 's Daidenjin was probably one of the more outstanding examples. Not only did it have all the moves of a Super Robot, it acted extremely sentient at times, often showing up when the Denjimen are in danger without being summoned. Plus, the backstory of the Daidenjin is quite long-winding. It's a combination of Lost Technology and Space tech from the Denji aliens.
  • Voltron, and its source shows Go Lion and Dairugger XV.
  • Western example: Transformers is usually closer to this than Real Robot, but contains its own twists; for example, the robots are sentient and have their own will, and weren't created by humanity in the first place, nor do they really need humans — they've just ended up on our planet by chance.
  • In an amusing reversal, Mobile Fighter G Gundam, the first Gundam series not in the Universal Century timeline, is a notable super robot show (with designs that get really, really weird), despite Mobile Suit Gundam essentially launching the real robot genre.
    • There's usually a trend for antagonist suits to gain a technological edge on the titular Gundams sometime in the other series, which may or may not warrant a mid-season upgrade. The original RX-78-2 was considered almost obsolete by the time the One Year War ended, had it not been for Amuro's incredible abilities.
      • The same holds true for the Super Prototypes present in both Code Geass and Eureka Seven, which are clearly many leaps and bounds ahead of the other, "normal" mechs they share the spotlight with.
  • Neon Genesis Evangelion, although arguments over whether they should be counted as Super or Real Robots is debated even by characters themselves in Super Robot Wars. Technically, the Eva units fit the Super Robot description almost point-for-point - sentient, check; each unit is one of a kind, check; Earth's only defense, check; production overseen by main character's dad, check; each unit usually accepts only one pilot, check. But on the other hand, the Super Robot elements are mostly there for Deconstruction purposes, and the Evas also have some definite Real Robot features, such as very limited power supplies. And on the third hand, the Eva units are actually cyborgs, not, strictly speaking, robots.
  • The Super Robot Wars games, which (despite the name) mix both Super and Real Robot series freely, also have a number of original Super Robots, such as the transforming Grungust, the BFS-wielding Dygenguard, and the SRX, which is made of three Real Robots combined.
    • In addition to a plethora of Super Robots from other series. Mazingers and Getter Robo are perennial favorites.
    • One of the Banpresto originals (the Alt Eisen) is a Real Robot that thinks it's a Super Robot. The Valhawk, from W, is a Real Robot that combines with The Battlestar, the Valstork, to make a Super Robot.
      • Which then combines with another Mecha.... and another battleship to make an even ''Superer'' Robot
  • In one of Disgaea's On The Next segments, Etna claims that the Prinnies are capable of combining into the Super Robot "Pringer X", which actually appears in the Animated Adaptation. Also, when Jennifer is kidnapped, a vague hint causes several characters to imagine her being transformed into a Humongous Mecha.
    • Pringer 'Z actually shows up in other games by the same team, most notably in Phantom Brave as the ultimate secret BonusBoss. He's normal Prinny sized, but uses Super Robot weapons (including a towering column of flame that reaches SPACE). However, in this series, a towering column of flame that reaches SPACE isn't all that impressive.
    • Another Nippon Ichi game, Makai Kingdom, has the Prinnies making a Robosuit in the bonus content, which is a shout out to the best armor in Disgaea and a stereotypical Super Robot. Arguably on the same page, there's also the Space Battleship Yoshitsuna, which is another shoutout to Disgaea — being the ultimate sword in that series, and the ultimate vehicle and hardest boss in this one. For extra Bonus Boss points, it's piloted by one Prinny Baal.
  • The various Zoids series feature giant animal-shaped robots that can only be piloted by those they "choose", and are powered up by Small Annoying Robots manufactured by an ancient, lost civilization. Outside of the main character, though, most Zoids are treated more like Real Robots.
  • In Xenosaga, the ES units are clearly super robots, whereas standard AWMS units are closer to the real robot scale. The AWGS units in Xenosaga ep 1 would actually be Real Robots if not for the fact that they can materialize out of thin air using the UMN.
    • Then you have Erde Kaiser.
    • Likewise, the Gears of Xenogears are definitely super robots, moreso the Omni-gears. And the Xenogears itself. Many of the mook Gears are real robots, though.
      • The only super robot in Xenogears that is not an Omni-gear is probably the combining ones that the Elements used and very few others. Even the robot that your character used are just customized real robots until they turn into Omni-gears. Weltall-Id and Weltall 2 are definitely super robots but they are arguably Omni-gears.
  • The Mach 5 from Speed Racer definitely counts, as it's more of a car-shaped Super Robot.
  • "He jock it made of steel. Eat sushi from a pail. Jet Jaguar? Jet Jaguar! He mother never really love him.
    • Mechagodzilla.
      • Heck, Kiryu (AKA The cyborg version of the 1954 Godzilla) was the only version of Mechagodzilla to defeat his flesh-n-blood counterpart. That, and he was intelligent enough to be able to communicate with humans.
    Kiryu: "Goodbye, Yoshido."
  • The Ideon from, well, Space Runaway Ideon fits the bill pretty well, at least when it feels like it. Since the mech is inhabited by the God-like energy known as the Ide, when the Ide doesn't feel like helping all it can do is punch and kick.
  • The Playstation 2 game Robot Alchemic Drive is built around this trope, putting the player in command of a robots that can perform rocket punches, flying kicks, throw giant boomerangs, transform into various vehicles, and even teleport in an instant.
  • In Full Metal Panic, the mechs used by Mithril and Gauron are Super Robots, in that their technology and power is far beyond that of mechs that others use, including superpower nations. Also, the special equipment created from Black Technology that's on Sousuke's and Gauron's Arm Slaves relies greatly on the pilot's creativity and emotional state.
    • They are real robots unless they are equipped with the Lambda Drive, and even then it's only when using it. Sousuke's robot seems to have a personality, but it's an AI that mostly exists to aid him (and tell the audience what they'd normally need to be able to read instruments to know).
      • Which doesn't stop Sousuke from playing the straight man to his own robot in the final episode of The Second Raid.
  • Gun X Sword's El Dorado includes most of the tropes, other than the fact that the pilots are all in their 80s. They even stole some of Gao Gai Gar's sound effects.
    • It goes beyond that. This editor, seeing that clip in an AMV, originally assumed it to be from a Yuusha series, and it only clicked with him some time later that he'd seen it in an episode of Gun X Sword.
  • The titular Rah Xephon. Of course, it *is* God.
    • Of course, the rest of the mecha are also super robots (in the Evangelion sense of super robot).
  • The megadeuses of Big O are all super robots.
  • An episode of Reboot used a Super Robot.
    • If this troper is thinking of the same episode that that troper was thinking of, it was pretty much explicitly a parody of Power Rangers/Super Sentai.
  • All three entries in the Eldran series qualify, with the last series (Gosaurer btw) probably being the only show to ever exist where the mecha was literally made out of a school building.
  • Gekiganger 3, a Show Within A Show from Martian Successor Nadesico, is an Affectionate Parody of such Super Robot shows as Mazinger Z, Combattler V and Getter Robo.
  • Western example: Iron Man is arguably a Super Robot (despite being Powered Armor rather than a Humongous Mecha), though the version in House Of M is more of a Real Robot.
  • The Near Future chapter of Live A Live has the Most-definately-not Gigantor Buriki Daioh (Great Tin King), which is powered by Psychic energy.
  • The Deus Machina from the Demonbane franchise, which are notable in particular for being Magitech super robots. The strongest form of the titular mech is also the largest super robot in the genre, dwarfing even the much more famous Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann by an order of magnitude.
  • The titular Combining Mecha in Genesis Of Aquarion.
  • The Knightmare Frames in Code Geass start out as 100% Real Robots but, depending on who you ask, the rate of technological progression makes the main models creep closer and closer to what some fans consider Super Robot territory by the later half of the second season, though others are content to simply label these machines overpowered Super Prototypes.
  • Heroic Age certainly fits the category in spirit, at least. The Humongous Mecha used by the humans are generally more in the Real Robot class, being mass-produced vehicles with few, if any, extraordinary abilities, but the overall mood of the show is much more like the positive, optimistic outlook of Super Robot series than the cynical view of the Real Robot genre, with lots of credit to the Power Of Love. The only thing barring the Nodos from classification as Super Robots is that they're...well, not robots. Though they do tend to have a distinctly mechanical vibe to their appearance, especially outside of Berserk Mode.
  • Six God Combination Godmars
Real Robot
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