A PAC T39 Bogatyr from Battlefield 2142

Mecha, also known as meka or mechs, are walking vehicles controlled by a pilot, often appearing in science fiction or other genres involving a fantastic or futuristic element. Battlefield 2142 is a First-person shooter computer game developed by Digital Illusions CE and is the fourth game in the ''Battlefield'' Vehicles, derived from the Latin word vehiculum, are non-living Means of transport. Mecha are generally, though not necessarily, bipedal. Bipedalism is a form of Terrestrial locomotion where an organism moves by means of its two rear limbs In most fiction in which they appear, mecha are war machines: essentially armored fighting vehicles with legs instead of treads or wheels (there are some exceptions). An armoured fighting vehicle ( AFV) is a military Vehicle, protected by armour and armed with Weapons Most AFVs are equipped for driving in rugged The tread of a Tire or Caterpillar track refers to the rubber on its circumference that makes contact with the road A wheel is a circular device that is capable of rotating on its axis facilitating movement or transportation whilst supporting a load ( Mass) or performing labour in machines Some stories, such as the manga Patlabor and American miniatures game Battletech, also encompass mecha used for civilian purposes such as heavy construction work, police functions, or firefighting. ˈmɑŋgə is the Japanese word for Comics (sometimes called komikku コミック and print Cartoons In their modern form manga date from shortly Patlabor (a Portmanteau of "patrol" and "labor" refers to, a Manga franchise created by Headgear, a group consisting BattleTech is a Wargaming and Science fiction franchise launched by FASA Corporation and currently owned by WizKids. Police are agents or agencies usually of the executive, empowered to enforce the law and to effect public and social order through the legitimatized use of force Distinguish from a Firefight, which means a battle with firearms

Some sci-fi universes posit that mecha are the primary means of combat, with conflicts sometimes being decided through gladiatorial matches. Gladiators (gladiatores "swordsmen" or "one who uses a sword" from la ''gladius'' "sword" were professional fighters in Ancient Rome who fought Others represent mecha as one component of an integrated military force, supported by and fighting alongside tanks, fighter aircraft, and infantry, functioning as a mechanical cavalry. A military is an Organization authorized by its Nation to use force usually including use of Weapons in defending its Country (or by attacking A tank is a tracked, Armoured fighting vehicle designed for Front-line combat which combines Operational mobility and tactical A fighter aircraft is a Military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other Aircraft, as opposed to a Bomber, which is designed The Infantry is the oldest and most numerous of the Combat Arms in the Armed forces, and consists The applications often highlight the theoretical usefulness of such a device, combining a tank's resilience and fire power with infantry's ability to cross unstable terrain.

The distinction between true mecha and their smaller cousins (and likely progenitors), the powered armor suits, is blurred; according to one definition, a mecha is piloted while a powered armor is worn. A powered Exoskeleton is a powered mobile machine consisting primarily of a skeleton-like framework worn by a person and a power supply that supplies at least part of the Anything large enough to have a cockpit where the pilot is seated is generally considered a mecha.

The first occurrence of mecha in fiction is thought to be the novel The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells where the Martians use tripod walkers very similar to mecha, but this fails to take into account that, thirty years before, Jules Verne published the La Maison à vapeur (The Steam House), which featured a steam-powered, piloted, mechanical elephant. The War of the Worlds (1898 by H G Wells, is an early Science fiction Novel which describes an invasion of England by Herbert George Wells (21 September 1866 &ndash 13 August 1946 He was an outspoken socialist and a pacifist, his later works becoming increasingly political As an adjective the term "martian" is used to describe anything pertaining to the Planet Mars. Tripods or fighting-machines are a type of fictional three-legged walker from the H The Steam House (La maison à vapeur is a Jules Verne novel recounting the travels of a group of British colonists in the Raj in a wheeled house tracted The first occurrence of mecha robots being piloted by a user from within a cockpit was later introduced in the manga and anime series Mazinger Z by Go Nagai. ˈmɑŋgə is the Japanese word for Comics (sometimes called komikku コミック and print Cartoons In their modern form manga date from shortly (anime in Japanese, known as Tranzor Z in North America is a Manga series by Go Nagai, serialized in Shueisha Shōnen Jump from October is a Japanese manga creator and an important innovator of several genres within Anime and Manga. ^[1]

Rarely, mecha has been used in a fantasy convention, most notably in the anime series Aura Battler Dunbine, The Vision of Escaflowne and Maze. Fantasy is a Genre that uses magic and other Supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting is an Anime Television series created by Yoshiyuki Tomino and produced by Sunrise Studios. is a 26- Episode Anime Television series produced by Sunrise Studios and directed by Kazuki Akane. is a fantasy Anime series featuring both sex-based humor and Mecha themes that is based on an original Manga. In those cases, the mecha designs are usually based on some alternative or 'lost' science-fiction technology from ancient times.

Word origin and usage

BattleMechs from the cover of the novel The Legend of the Jade Phoenix by Robert Thurston

The term "mecha" is derived from the Japanese abbreviation meka (メカ, meka^?) for the English word "mechanical". BattleMechs (often abbreviated ' Mechs) are large walking war machines that feature prominently in the Fictional universe Robert Thurston is a Science fiction author well known for his works in popular shared world settings most notably his Clan Jade Falcon novels of the BattleTech is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities In Japanese, "mecha" encompasses all mechanical objects, including cars, guns, computers, and other devices. A firearm is a Tool that projects either single or multiple Projectiles at high velocity through a controlled explosion A computer is a Machine that manipulates data according to a list of instructions. In this sense, it is extended to humanoid, human-sized robots and such things as the boomers from Bubblegum Crisis, the similar replicants of Blade Runner, and cyborgs can be referred to as mecha, as well as mundane real-life objects such as industrial robots, cars and even toasters. is a Cyberpunk -style anime set in a future post-disaster Tokyo, called "Megatokyo" A replicant is a bioengineered or biorobotic being created in the film Blade Runner (1982 Blade Runner is a 1982 American Science fiction Film, directed by Ridley Scott. A cyborg is a Cybernetic Organism ( ie, an organism that has both artificial and natural systems The Japanese use the term "robots" (ロボット, robotto^?) or "giant robots" to distinguish limbed vehicles from other mechanical devices. The first widespread English language usage of the term was in the animated series Robotech which was an English dubbing and rewriting of three different anime and the terms usage since then has mostly associated in the west with either robotic (occasionally transforming) piloted vehicles or powered armored battlesuits which are worn akin to exoskeletons. Robotech is a Science fiction franchise that was launched by an 85-episode adaptation of three different Anime Television series. There are exceptions; in the film A.I.: Artificial Intelligence, the word is used to describe "mechanicals" (robotic humanoids), as opposed to "orga" for "organics" (humans). A robot is a mechanical or Virtual Artificial agent In practice it is usually an electro-mechanical system which by its appearance or movements The term " humanoid " refers to any being whose body structure resembles that of a Human.

With respect to powered armor suits, mecha typically do not refer to form fitting garments such as the Iron Man armor. Iron Man is a Fictional character that appears in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. Armored suit mecha tend to be much larger and bulkier than the wearer and the wearer's limbs may or may not actually extend completely into the respective limbs.

The Life Model Decoys in the Marvel Comics miniseries Livewires and Artificial Intelligence refer to themselves as mecha. In publications from Marvel Comics, a Life Model Decoy (frequently known by the abbreviation LMD) is fictional Android designed to function as an exact Marvel Comics is an American comic book company owned by Marvel Publishing Inc

The term "mech" is used to describe such vehicles considerably more often in Western entertainment than in Asian entertainment. "Mech" as a term originated from BattleTech (where it is often written as 'Mech, short for BattleMech or OmniMech), and is not used in Japan in other contexts except as an unintentional misspelling of "mecha. " (One exception is the Japanese version of BattleTech, which attempts to retain the English word. ) In Japanese, "robot" is the more frequent term (see 'Other meanings' below). In the Japanese stories themselves, they are seldom known as "mecha".

Japanese mecha

Robot mecha are quite popular in Japanese manga, and by extension anime. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. ˈmɑŋgə is the Japanese word for Comics (sometimes called komikku コミック and print Cartoons In their modern form manga date from shortly (anime in Japanese, In Western entertainment, they are occasionally seen in video games, especially the action, strategy and simulation genres, but the most well-known Western context for mecha is BattleTech. A video game is a Game that involves interaction with a User interface to generate visual feedback on a video device. See also [[Game classification]] Video games are categorized into Genres based on their Gameplay interaction BattleTech is a Wargaming and Science fiction franchise launched by FASA Corporation and currently owned by WizKids. The original BattleTech—a tabletop strategy game—has been the basis of numerous games and products in other media. A wargame is a Game that simulates or represents a Military operation.

The term "mech" is used to describe such vehicles considerably more often in Western entertainment than in Asian entertainment. "Mech" as a term originated from BattleTech (where it is often written as 'Mech, short for BattleMech or OmniMech), and is not used in Japan in other contexts except as an unintentional misspelling of "mecha". With few exceptions like the Japanese version of BattleTech, which attempts to retain the English word, or Tomino Yoshiyuki who use the term mecha in Combat Mecha Xabungle and Space Runaway Ideon. is a Japanese Anime creator director screenwriter and novelist also known as Blue Gale Xabungle, is a Mecha Anime Television series by Sunrise, and directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino. is an Anime television series produced by Sunrise. It first premiered on the Tokyo 12 Channel (later to be TV Tokyo) from 1980 to 1981 followed by two feature In Japanese, "robot" is the more frequent term. In the Japanese stories themselves, they are seldom known as "mecha".

Mechas in fiction

In manga and anime

Further information: Super Robot and Real Robot

Illustration of a Tripod from the 1906 French edition of The War of the Worlds

In Japan, "robot anime" (known as "mecha anime" outside Japan) is a genre that features the vehicles and their pilots as the central plot points. is a term used in Manga and Anime to describe a giant robot or Mecha, with an arsenal of fantastic super-powered weapons sometimes transformable or combined from is a term first seen in the Super Robot Wars series of video games to describe robots or Mecha that are treated as realistic tools/weapons Tripods or fighting-machines are a type of fictional three-legged walker from the H The War of the Worlds (1898 by H G Wells, is an early Science fiction Novel which describes an invasion of England by Here, the average robot mecha are usually twenty feet tall at the smallest, outfitted with a wide variety of weapons, and quite frequently have tie-ins with toy manufacturers. The Gundam franchise is a prominent example: Gundam toys and model kits (produced by the Japanese toymaker Bandai) are ubiquitous in Japan. is a Metaseries of English Anime, featuring tiny robots or " Kounans " created by Sunrise studios is a Japanese Toy making company as well as the producer of a large number of Plastic model kits For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics.

The size of mechas can vary according to the story and concepts involved. Some of them may not be considerably taller than a tank (Code Geass, Eureka Seven), some may be a few stories tall (Gundam, Escaflowne) and others can be as tall as a skyscraper (Space Runaway Ideon). is an Anime Television series created by Sunrise. Directed by Gorō Taniguchi and written by Ichirō Ōkouchi, both of whom had earlier worked Eureka Seven, known in Japan as, is a Mecha Anime TV series by Bones. is a Metaseries of English Anime, featuring tiny robots or " Kounans " created by Sunrise studios is a 26- Episode Anime Television series produced by Sunrise Studios and directed by Kazuki Akane. A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable Building. There is no official definition or a precise cutoff height above which a building may clearly be classified as a skyscraper is an Anime television series produced by Sunrise. It first premiered on the Tokyo 12 Channel (later to be TV Tokyo) from 1980 to 1981 followed by two feature There are also mecha which are big enough to contain the population of an entire city (Macross / Robotech), some the size of a small moon (Transformers, Diebuster) and some the size of a large galaxy (Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann). is a long-running series of Science fiction Anime, created by Shoji Kawamori of Studio Nue in 1982 Robotech is a Science fiction franchise that was launched by an 85-episode adaptation of three different Anime Television series. Diebuster, known in Japan as is a six episode Anime Original Video Animation (OVA series created by Gainax in 2004

The genre started with Mitsuteru Yokoyama's 1956 manga Tetsujin 28-go (which was later animated in 1963 and also released abroad as Gigantor). ˈmɑŋgə is the Japanese word for Comics (sometimes called komikku コミック and print Cartoons In their modern form manga date from shortly Gigantor is the American adaptation of the Anime version of Tetsujin 28-go, a Manga by Mitsuteru Yokoyama released in 1956. Gigantor is the American adaptation of the Anime version of Tetsujin 28-go, a Manga by Mitsuteru Yokoyama released in 1956. Its inclusion is debatable however, as the robot was controlled by remote instead of a cockpit in the machine. Not long after that the genre was largely defined by author Go Nagai, into something considerably more fantastical. is a Japanese manga creator and an important innovator of several genres within Anime and Manga. Mazinger Z, his most famous creation, was not only the first successful Super Robot anime series, but also the pioneer of the genre staples like robots being piloted by the hero from within a cockpit^[1] and weapons that were activated by the hero calling out their names ("Rocket Punch!"). known as Tranzor Z in North America is a Manga series by Go Nagai, serialized in Shueisha Shōnen Jump from October is a term used in Manga and Anime to describe a giant robot or Mecha, with an arsenal of fantastic super-powered weapons sometimes transformable or combined from It was also a pioneer in die-cast metal toys such as the Chogokin series in Japan and the Shogun Warriors in the U. Chogokin - Sometimes Chougokin or Cho-gokin - (超合金 is Japanese for "super Alloy" and is a fictitious material which first appeared in S. , that were (and still are) very popular with children and collectors.

Robot/mecha anime and manga differ vastly in storytelling and animation quality from title to title, and content ranges all the way from children's shows to ones intended for an older teen or adult audience.

Some robot mecha are capable of transformation (Macross / Robotech, Zeta Gundam, Gundam 00) or combining to form even bigger ones (see Voltron and Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann). is a long-running series of Science fiction Anime, created by Shoji Kawamori of Studio Nue in 1982 Robotech is a Science fiction franchise that was launched by an 85-episode adaptation of three different Anime Television series. (aired 1985 – 1986) was a televised Anime, part of the Gundam series and a Sequel to the original Mobile Suit Gundam is the latest television Anime of Sunrise's long-running Gundam franchise Voltron is a series of animated television programs, the first of which was titled Voltron Defender of the Universe. Go Nagai is also often credited with inventing this in 1974 with the television series Getter Robo. is a Japanese manga creator and an important innovator of several genres within Anime and Manga. is a Super Robot Manga series created by Go Nagai and Ken Ishikawa, as well as an Anime series produced by Toei Animation.

The mecha genre, one of the oldest genres in anime, is still alive and well in the new millennium, with revival OVAs like Getter Robo: the Last Day and Mazinkaiser from the Super Robot tradition, the recent Mobile Suit Gundam 00 and Code Geass from the Real Robot genre, and Reideen, a recent remake of the 1975 hit series Brave Raideen. is an Anime OVA series inspired by Go Nagai 's Mazinger series is a term used in Manga and Anime to describe a giant robot or Mecha, with an arsenal of fantastic super-powered weapons sometimes transformable or combined from is the latest television Anime of Sunrise's long-running Gundam franchise is an Anime Television series created by Sunrise. Directed by Gorō Taniguchi and written by Ichirō Ōkouchi, both of whom had earlier worked is a term first seen in the Super Robot Wars series of video games to describe robots or Mecha that are treated as realistic tools/weapons is a Japanese animated Television series Remake of the 1975 Super Robot anime Brave Reideen. is a Super Robot Anime series Produced by Tohokushinsha, Asahi News Agency and Sunrise, it aired on NET (now TV Asahi from 4 April Other recent anime series in the mecha genre include Heroic Age and particularly Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, a Super Robot anime with elements from the Real Robot genre. is a Mecha based anime directed by Toshimasa Suzuki. It is produced by XEBEC and airs on Japanese networks such as TV Tokyo and TV

In film

Perhaps the most well-known example of mecha are the Walkers such as the AT-AT and AT-ST from the Star Wars series of films. Walkers are fictional vehicles Star Wars is an epic Space opera franchise initially conceived by George Lucas during the 1970s and significantly expanded

The Hollywood movie Aliens featured a cargoloader as a civilian mecha (although this instance blurs the line between being a mecha or an exoskeleton). This article is about the film for the video games see Aliens (Square computer game and Aliens (arcade game. A powered Exoskeleton is a powered mobile machine consisting primarily of a skeleton-like framework worn by a person and a power supply that supplies at least part of the More famously known for impacting American citizens is the film Robot Jox, featuring two giant mech fight scenes. Robot Jox is a 1990 Science fiction Film directed by Stuart Gordon, and starring Gary Graham, Anne-Marie Johnson

Arguably, the concept of piloted mecha goes back decades before Tetsujin-28. The tripods featured in The War of the Worlds, with advanced weaponry and dedicated piloting stations, are perhaps the forerunners of modern mecha. Tripods or fighting-machines are a type of fictional three-legged walker from the H The War of the Worlds (1898 by H G Wells, is an early Science fiction Novel which describes an invasion of England by

In games

Mecha are often featured in computer and console games. Because of their size and power, and the resultant potential for massive property damage resulting from that size and power, mecha are quite popular subjects for games, both tabletop and electronic. Property damage (or in the United Kingdom, criminal damage) is damage to or the destruction of public or private Property, caused either by a One popular classic of mecha in games is the MechWarrior series of video games. Another game Heavy Gear 2 offers a complex yet semi-realistic control system for its' mechas in both terrain and outer space warfare. Heavy Gear is a game universe published since 1994 by Canadian publisher Dream Pod 9. Terrain, or relief, is the third or vertical dimension of land surface. Outer space, often simply called space, comprises the relatively empty regions of the Universe outside the escape velocities of Celestial bodies. Armored Core is one of the more popular ones today as it set a new standard for mecha with their more fluid, and human-like movement without killing the feel of realism.

Mechas in real life

Few prototypes are being made to build mecha-like vehicles in real life. Currently almost all of these are too slow or cumbersome to have any real application.

• Landwalker: A functioning prototype Japanese bipedal mecha being developed by Sakakibara Kikai. ^[2][3]
• T-52 Enryu: Translated name "Rescue Dragon", it is a 3. The, sometimes referred to as "HyperRescueRobot" is a five-ton 3 meter tall (approx 5 meter-tall hydraulically-operated robotic vehicle developed by Tmsuk. The vehicle has two hands, which copy the controller's movements. Its intended application is to open a path in the debris for the rescue team.

Few companies and organizations are doing some research about it:

• Timberjack (John Deere subsidiary): A known tractor seller company, built a practical hexapod walking tractor to cut trees in forests. Timberjack, a subsidiary of John Deere since 2000 is a manufacturer of forestry machinery for both cut-to-length and whole tree logging Deere & Company the firm founded by John Deere began to expand it range of equipment to include the Tractor business in 1912 A six-legged walking robot should not be confused with a Stewart platform, a kind of Parallel manipulator used in robotics applications A hexapod robot ^[4]
• MPS (Mechanized Propulsion Systems Incorporated) allege they will build an "anime style" mecha within 25 years. They claim to be developing mecha for commercial, industrial, and eventually military use. ^[5]

See also

• Specific mecha in media
• Powered exoskeleton

Notes and references

External links

• Monthly Mecha Fighting Tournament Community of fans that design mecha of all genres with a drawing competition as main attraction.
• Gears Online
• Brickshelf Lego mecha galleries
• Mecha Anime HQ: Extensive coverage on Gundams and other mecha.
• (French) hangar-mk, dedicate to mecha kit

Real projects

• http://www.basicrobotics.net/mech.html (a $1200 mech)
• http://www.mechaps.com
• http://www.sakakibara-kikai.co.jp (it walks, but very slowly)