History Main / MetaMecha

* The big twist in ''VideoGame/MegaManZero 3'' is that the being known and feared worldwide as [[WorldsStrongestMan Omega]] [[spoiler:is actually for all intents and purposes just a large suit of PowerArmor for the [[RidiculouslyHumanRobots human-sized Reploid]] piloting it. That Replodi being [[TomatoInTheMirror the original body of Zero reprogrammed with an insane and bloodthirsty personality]].]]

* Fortress Maximus, of ''TransformersGeneration1''. A Headmaster, he was too big for a human to transform into his head. Spike was given Headmaster armor so he can become the head of a normal-sized Transformer named Cerebros. Cerebros in turn turned into Fort Max's head.

** The Grey Knight Nemesis Dreadknight is an open-bodied mecha piloted by a Grey Knight in a manner similar to the powerloader from ''Film/{{Aliens}}'' or the mechas from ''Film/TheMatrix Revolutions''. It packs an enormous amount of firepower and is intended to fight Greater Daemons of Chaos. The fanbase is rather torn on whether they are cool or silly-looking; it's been [[FanNickname referred to]] as [[http://1d4chan.org/wiki/File:DerpKnight.jpg baby carrier]].

* In ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamUnicorn'' (at least in the OVA) [[spoiler:the MSN-06S Sinanju becomes the core of the massive mobile armor NZ-999 Neo Zeong in final episode]].

* ''TransformersVictory'' features the Brainmasters, which are small robots that turn into the faces of larger robots. [[TheHero Saber]] then gets extra stuff on him to become Star Saber, and [[MidSeasonUpgrade later]] combines with Victory Leo to become Victory Saber.

* The final battle in MetalWolfChaos has Richard Hawk's MiniMecha climbing into a larger, more powerful quadrupedal mecha.

* In ''MachineRobo: Revenge Of Cronos'', hero Rom Stol can pilot a giant mecha named Kenryu.... and generally gets a sound butt whupping before summoning a giant mecha for Kenryu to operate, Vikungfu.

* In ''Anime/SuperRobotRetsuden'' -- a Creator/KenIshikawa AffectionateParody / {{Crossover}} -- of several Creator/GoNagai {{Mecha Show}}s, ''Anime/MazingerZ'', ''Anime/GreatMazinger'', ''Anime/UFORoboGrendizer'', ''[[Manga/GetterRobo Getter Robo G]]'' AND ''Anime/KotetsuJeeg'' rode a ''ridiculously, impossibly, massively huge'' TransformingMecha in the FinalBattle.

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* The UrExample is the ''{{Gordian}}'', from the show of the same name, a dude inside a MotionCaptureMecha inside a MotionCaptureMecha inside ''another'' MotionCaptureMecha. The design was later reused with some modifications as Vi-Kungfu from ''MachineRobo: Revenge of Chronos'', but with one less mecha.
* In ''SuperRobotRetsuden'' - a Creator/KenIshikawa AffectionateParody / {{Crossover}}- of several Creator/GoNagai {{Mecha Show}}s, ''Anime/MazingerZ'', ''Anime/GreatMazinger'', ''Anime/UFORoboGrendizer'', ''[[Manga/GetterRobo Getter Robo G]]'' AND ''Anime/KotetsuJeeg'' rode a ''ridiculously, impossibly, massively huge'' TransformingMecha in the FinalBattle.

[[folder:Film]]

-->Hulk is struck by Tony's [[ImprovisedWeapon elevator]] [[EpicFlail flail]]. He spits out a [[TeethFlying single tooth]] and '''[[DeathGlare glares]]''' at him.
-->'''Tony''': (meekly) I'm sorry...

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

* In ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'', the Space Marines have two different takes on this:

** The latest Space Marine codex introduced Centurion armour, which is essentially a huge, unwieldy suit of PowerArmor wrapped around the pilot's normal PowerArmor and loaded down with either terrifying amounts of firepower or tank-shredding drills with built-in flamethrowers. [[WebVideo/IfTheEmperorHadATextToSpeechDevice The Emperor]] loves the [[{{Foreshadowing}} Imperial Fist]] Centurion, calling it a "big teddy bear" while he holds the Dreadknight in disdain.

* In the MagicTheGathering set ''Kaladesh'', a new Artifact type of "Vehicle" was introduced. These Vehicles have power and toughness, but aren't creatures unless they are crewed, and each Vehicle has its own requirement for what can crew it. What this means, and why it is relevant, is that you can have a 1/1 Servo token pilot a Sky Skiff, then have that skiff pilot a Ovalchase Dragster, then have the dragster pilot the Aradara Express, then that train pilot the Skysovreign. Or whatever order you want to do it in. But it's still a series of vehicles piloting other vehicles.

-->Hulk is struck by Tony's [[ImprovisedWeapon elevator]] [[EpicFlail flail]]. He spits out a [[TeethFlying single tooth]] and '''[[DeathGlare glares]]'''at him.

* Much like the example in Comic Books, ''Film/IronMan'' uses this method while suiting up in his Hulkbuster armor in order to fight [[Film/TheIncredibleHulk Hulk]] in ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron''.

** The latest Space Marine codex introduced Centurion armour, which is essentially a huge, unwieldy suit of PowerArmor wrapped around the pilot's normal PowerArmor and loaded down with either terrifying amounts of firepower or tank-shredding drills with built-in flamethrowers.

* In ''SuperRobotRetsuden'' - a Creator/KenIshikawa AffectionateParody / {{Crossover}}- of several GoNagai {{Mecha Show}}s, ''Anime/MazingerZ'', ''Anime/GreatMazinger'', ''Anime/UFORoboGrendizer'', ''[[Manga/GetterRobo Getter Robo G]]'' AND ''Anime/KotetsuJeeg'' rode a ''ridiculously, impossibly, massively huge'' TransformingMecha in the FinalBattle.

* The ''{{Mekton}} Plus'' expansion from ''Mekton Zeta'' has this as one of many, many options for its mecha. Of course, that expansion is basically rules for every giant robot trope in history, from [[TransformingMecha transforming]], to [[CombiningMecha gattai-ing]], to [[OrganicTechnology organic ones]], so this should hardly be seen as a surprise.

* The Mantis MiniMecha in ''VideoGame/{{Halo 4}}''. Though intended to be piloted by a (relatively) unarmored human, its cockpit is capable of accommodating a fully {{Powered Armor}}ed Spartan-IV, or even a bulkier Spartan-II (namely the [[PlayerCharacter Master Chief]].)

* ''{{Guyver}}'' has the Guyver Gigantic, which is this trope applied to OrganicTechnology PoweredArmour.

* ''Manga/GetterRobo'' has the [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome awesome]]-slash-terrifying ability to crash into any material, including organic masses and then reform them around itself into a larger Getter with the original buried in the center.

** This seems to be series tradition for Omega Supreme, the toy of the ''[[TransformersEnergon Energon]]'' has a head that can turn into a small robot itself. (The plug for it doubles as a spare, comically tiny head.)

[[caption-width-right:320:[[MemeticMutation Yo dawg, I heard you like robots, so I put your robot in a robot so you can robot while you robot]].]]

* ''{{Heroman}}'' gets powered armor near the end of the series.

* ''Franchise/SuperSentai'':

** In ''Series/ShurikenSentaiNinninger'', the chest of Shurikenjin is designed like a throne that a smaller humanoid mecha sits in. It's usually [=AkaNinger's=] (the Red Ranger's) Shinobimaru mecha sitting there, but [=AoNinger's=] (the Blue Ranger) [[OurDragonsAreDifferent Dragomaru]] can swap places, forming Shurikenjin Drago; the various [=OtomoNin=] ("Ally Ninja") {{Mecha Expansion Pack}}s likewise take the throne in their unique configurations. [[SixthRanger StarNinger]]'s Bison King is a similar example, since it consists of a giant bison[=/=]ATV mech which is ridden and operated by a smaller humanoid mech named Rodeomaru. [[spoiler:Later on in the series, it gets taken to another level when the team wins the trust of the powerful but fickle [=OtomoNin=] Lion Haoh. This unlocks the Haoh Shurikenjin combination, which is such a large mech that Shurikenjin sits inside its chest the same way Shinobimaru sits inside its own chest.]]

* Many of IronMan's special suits are designed to be piloted by Tony while wearing his regular suit, like the Hulkbuster suits.
* TransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye reveals that Ultra Magnus is this, explaining the years of surviving things most Transformers couldn't, as well as some inconsistent characterization. Turns out "Ultra Magnus" is a LegacyCharacter, and the original died ages ago. Chief Justice Tyrest, realizing Magnus' fearsome reputation, created PoweredArmor based on him that other Autobots can wear to create an "Eternal Lawman". Whenever Magnus has apparently died the bot inside actually ''did'' die, and reflexively hits a recall button that teleports him back to Tyrest so a new Magnus can be chosen. The current bearer of the armor is actually a tiny bot named Minimus Ambus, who not only wears the Magnus armor, but another set of armor inside that.

* ''GundamSEEDAstray'', as well. Initially, when Lowe Guele makes a ''150-meter'' Gerbera Straight (which, by the way, ''re''-redefines the {{BFS}}), he has to put his Astray Red Frame into a Junk Guild Power Loader (pictured above) just to swing it.
* ''{{Gundam 00}}'' has a surprise somewhere in the middle season: the MightyGlacier Gundam Virtue is revealed to be just a PoweredArmor of a smaller FragileSpeedster, Gundam Nadleeh. Dropping Virtue's armor off enables Nadleeh's pilot to play JudgeJuryAndExecutioner on his teammates if he's dissatisfied with them.

** In ''Series/ShurikenSentaiNinninger'', the chest of Shurikenjin is designed like a throne that a smaller humanoid mecha sits in. It's usually [=AkaNinger's=] (the Red Ranger's) mecha sitting there, but sometimes {{Mecha Expansion Pack}}s take its place and [=AoNinger=] (the Blue Ranger) can also put (part of) his mecha on the throne for an alternate combination. Later on in the series, [[spoiler:another level is added by having Shurikenjin sit inside an even bigger robot]].

*** And ''Film/Gundam00AwakeningOfTheTrailblazer'' introduces the Raphael Gundam, whose backpack is the Seravee II.

* The first episode of ''MegasXLR'' presents the ultimate weapon of the Glorft: the UMD, a CombiningMecha made up of CombiningMecha that were already made up of full-sized HumongousMecha. In short, [[FingerPokeOfDoom it flicks Megas away with its finger]].