History Main / MetaMecha

** The show practically runs on this trope (In addition to the standard HotBlooded fare and universe-powering RuleOfCool) as it's essentially the major signature power of the Lagann - a smaller head-shaped robot compared to the standard Gunmen, it can drill itself into larger robots and take command of them. So, really. In the end, we have a human piloting a robot about the size of a human co-piloting a mech the size of a building [[spoiler: piloting a robot the size of an entire city, piloting a robot the size of the MOON, co-piloting a robot who is measured in ''light-years''.]]

* In ''VideoGame/{{Xenoblade}}'', when [[spoiler:Egil]] gains control over Mechonis, he does so while piloting his own HumongousMecha. Meaning a mechanical lifeform the size of a human, is piloting a mecha the size of a building, which is controlling a mecha the size of a ''country''.

* ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'', the Autobots' ship transforms in to a huge mecha called Omega Supreme. He has a mind of his own and an interior control console, so it's hard to say how much control the pilot has.

** To elaborate: he's programming is pretty much "kill everything that you are told". So [[spoiler: second Autobot is needed to identify targets...]]

'''Tony Stark:''' ''[meekly]'' I'm sorry...

* Many of ComicBook/IronMan's special suits are designed to be piloted by Tony while wearing his regular suit, like the Hulkbuster suits. In the first issue of the Cteator/DanSlott run, Tony has his regular armor inside the "Foombuster" armor (designed to go toe-to-toe with [[{{Kaiju}} Fin-Fang-Foom]], and has telepresence microbots that are ''also'' shaped like his armor within ''that''. He then has to clarify in a press conference that "Russian Nesting Doll Iron Man" isn't going to be a regular thing.

** The latest Space Marine codex-introduced Centurion armor, 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. [[WebAnimation/IfTheEmperorHadATextToSpeechDevice The Emperor]] loves the [[{{Foreshadowing}} Imperial Fist]] Centurion, calling it a "big teddy bear" while he holds the Dreadknight in disdain.

* ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam0083StardustMemory'' has the [[http://gundam.wikia.com/wiki/RX-78GP03_Gundam_%22Dendrobium%22 RX-78GP03 Gundam Dendrobium Stamen.]] Functionally it is a conventional RX-78 variant Gundam ("Stamen") which forms the controlling core of a massive mobile armor ("Orchis"). The Orchis section is primarily just a huge weapons platform, and when the magazines are exhausted the Stamen can [[DisposableVehicleSection detach from the armor]] and fight normally. This is rather significant, as in the UC timeline mobile armors are non-humanoid weapon platforms and the only thing that can challenge a Gundam through sheer [[TheBrute size and strength]], and this was basically a [[LightningBruiser Gundam-styled mobile armor]].

* Ride Armors in the ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' series, which is a series of PowerArmor piloted by Reploids and humanoid mechaniloids.

* ''Franchise/SuperSentai''/''Franchise/PowerRangers'':
** In general, the most powerful mech formations would have the heroes' main mech riding on top of another like a mount. In ''Power Rangers'' this applies to most of their Ultrazords (with a few exceptions).
** In ''Series/NinpuuSentaiHurricaneger'', Sargain turns out to be [[MobileSuitHuman an antlike being piloting a human-sized suit of armor]]... so when Sargain pilots HumongousMecha, that means he's controlling a suit that's controlling a bigger suit. Not quite the same, though, perhaps.

* ''[[Videogame/MechWarrior MechWarrior Living Legends]]'', has this [[PragmaticAdaptation for the sake of gameplay]]. When a player ejects from a [[HumongousMecha BattleMech]], he goes flying into the sky in a full suit of Elemental or Longinus [[PoweredArmor Battlearmor]], where he can then engage players on foot. The rest of the series does not feature this (nor is it in the source material, ''TabletopGame/BattleTech''), as the eject button in previous games was essentially the suicide button.

* Ride Armor in the ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' series, which is a suit of PowerArmor piloted by Reploids and humanoid mechaniloids.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Xenoblade}} Chronicles'', when [[spoiler:Egil]] gains control over Mechonis, he does so while piloting his own HumongousMecha. Meaning a mechanical lifeform the size of a human, is piloting a mecha the size of a building, which is controlling a mecha the size of a ''country''.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Xenoblade}} Chronicles'', when [[spoiler:Egil]] gains control over Mechonis, he does so while piloting his own HumongousMecha. Meaning a mechanical lifeform the size of a human, is piloting a mecha the size of a building, which is controlling a mecha the size of a ''continent''.

* ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam0083StardustMemory'' has the [[http://gundam.wikia.com/wiki/RX-78GP03_Gundam_%22Dendrobium%22 RX-78GP03 Gundam Dendrobium.]] Functionally it is a conventional RX-78 variant Gundam ("Stamen") which forms the controlling core of a massive mobile armor ("Orchis"). The Orchis section is primarily just a huge weapons platform, and when the magazines are exhausted the Stamen can [[DisposableVehicleSection detach from the armor]] and fight normally.

** 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.]]

** The Brainmasters of ''Anime/TransformersVictory'' were human-scale robots that could either drive their Transformer-sized vehicle modes or go inside their robot mode chests. The series isn't very clear as to why, though later material claimed they had separated off their consciousness from their bodies in a process that also increased their attributes (the tiny robot is basically their brain, hence the name). The leader, Star Saber, added a SuperMode onto that, where his initial robot mode forms only a chunk of the chest.

* ''Anime/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.

* ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam0083StardustMemory'' has the [[http://gundam.wikia.com/wiki/RX-78GP03_Gundam_%22Dendrobium%22 RX-78GP03 Dundam Dendrobium.]] Functionally it is a conventional RX-78 variant Gundam ("Stamen") which forms the controlling core of a massive mobile armor ("Orchis"). The Orchis section is primarily just a huge weapons platform, and when the magazines are exhausted the Stamen can [[DisposableVehicleSection detach from the armor]] and fight normally.

* Many of ComicBook/IronMan's special suits are designed to be piloted by Tony while wearing his regular suit, like the Hulkbuster suits.

*** That varies according to the storyline used. For example, the Western ''{{Transformers}}'' canon, the Headmasters were organic aliens who wore exo-suits allowing them to transform into the robots' heads. The Japanese ''Headmasters'' series (taking place after "The Return of Optimus Prime" but ignoring the GrandFinale three-parter, "The Rebirth") had them as a separate race of (human-sized) robots who built Transformer-sized exo-suits called Transtectors to better interact with the Autobots. There were also Headmaster Juniors, which were humans who donned Transformer-like armor.

* The ''WesternAnimation/MenInBlack'' AnimatedAdaptation had some aliens which used {{Mobile Suit Human}}s and one race so small they piloted mechs of the first species to pilot the human suits.

* ''Anime/CodeGeass'': So, your [[EnsembleDarkhorse resident Orange]] has just [[HeelFaceTurn pledged his allegiance to your cause]] out of [[FailureKnight LOYALTY to your family]]? Now, we just need to give him a good [[AceCustom custom mech]], hmm... Hey, I've got it! Let's take the [[RedShirt original]] [[http://codegeass.wikia.com/wiki/Sutherland Sutherland]] frame he piloted in the early series, and make it into the central core unit of the [[MidSeasonUpgrade rebuilt]] [[http://codegeass.wikia.com/wiki/Siegfried Siegfried]] he became [[MemeticMutation famous for]] [[SeasonFinale at the end of the last season]]! Ladies and Gentlemen, I present - for your humble consideration - the [[strike:[[MacrossMissileMassacre STORM OF LOYALTY]]]] [[http://codegeass.wikia.com/wiki/Sutherland_Sieg Sutherland Sieg]]! Basically, Jeremiah controlled the Siegfried through the core Sutherland Unit, which was itself outfitted with the Siegfried's telepathic controls (Rakshata is mentioned as being "disappointed" that the system isn't feasible for mass-production). When the Siegfried is destroyed, the Sutherland unit activates and comes into play. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfC2ye_SkjQ&feature=related And it]]. [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome Is. AWESOME.]]

* ''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. [[spoiler: Isn't that right Getter Emperor?]]

* ''WesternAnimation/ChallengeOfTheGobots'' was fond of this trope – although, rightly speaking, Gobots are ''cyborgs,'' not robots. The Guardians used both PoweredArmor called Power Suits, and their standard space ships were the Command Centers which could extend four legs to turn into big walking mecha like the AT-ATs from ''Franchise/StarWars.''