The mecha genre is a staple of anime. Astro Boy, Gundam Wing, and Neon Genesis Evangelion are hallmarks. Within this vast universe, there are many sub-genres. Into the breach, anime gives us mecha-musume or mecha-girls series. A mecha-girl anime centers around cute and sometimes busty girls who transform into a weapon of war. Ships, planes, guns, and the list go on. Cute girls becoming the personification of heavy weapons is the focus of this top ten list.
The mecha-girl genre is niche so picking the best is a bit limited. Without casting a wider net, our list would consist of characters from Azur Lane and Infinite Stratos. This would be boring. Therefore, the selection process used some creative manipulation to build out our list. We took a deep dive into mecha-girl anime and selected the series’ girls. After many hours of viewing, we feel we landed on a pretty good list of anime mecha-girls.
As you review the post, please feel free to let me know your favorite mecha musume. I would love to hear from you!
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10. Gourai
- Birthday: Unknown
- First Anime Appearance: Frame Arms Girl, ep. 1 ‘Gourai’ (2017)
Our first mecha-girl comes to us from the anime Frame Arms Girl. A model kit, Gourai is the lead character of the series. Ao Gennai, a high school girl, receives a mysterious package containing the toy. With a push of a button, the model comes to life. Gourai’s purpose is to collect data on human emotions. Frame Arms Girls, Baselard and Stylet join in this journey of discovery.
Gourai stands almost 6 inches tall. She has a blondish, pixie-cut hair and light blue eyes. Her clothing consists of a white and black ensemble with green armor accents. She wears a short-cut skirt that reveals her stripped panties. When armed, Gourai sports tank tread and a smoothbore cannon. Agile, she uses these weapons to fight other pint-size figures.
In the eyes of fans, Frame Arms Girl was a flop of an anime. However, Gourai is a popular model for the Kotobukiya company. A lackluster anime combined with a popular toy was enough to inch Gourai into our top ten.
9. Lunasia
- Birthday: Unknown
- First Anime Appearance: Dolls’ Frontline, ep. 1 ‘THE SEED’ (2022)
Moving away from toy models, our next entry is a gun girl from Dolls’ Frontline. Created to help fight World War III, Lunasia is a Tactical Doll codenamed M4A1. She is the younger sister of the M16A1. After the war, a new conflict erupts against the Sangvis Ferri rebels’ T-Dolls. Their goal is to destroy humanity and replace their world with robots. M4A1 leads the elite AR Griffin Team’s efforts to preserve life on Earth. She and her team are key to halting the rebel’s plans.
Athletic, Lunasia is the average height for a young lady. She has long reddish-brown hair, sporting a yellow streak. Her red and black clothing combination accentuates her grey eye color. A marksman, she uses the M4A1 carbine with a 20-round mag. Her only weakness is her gentleness and shyness. Unwilling to remain a wallflower, Lunasia hopes her role as the team’s leader will break her timid side.
Similar to Frame Girls, anime fans steered clear of Dolls’ Frontline, even though it falls into the realm of anime mecha-girls. Much of M4A1’s popularity comes from players of the mobile game. In spite of the gulf between anime and game otakus, Lunasia is a cute and capable gun-girl deserving of her day in the sun.
8. Ann
- Birthday: Unknown
- First Anime Appearance: Busou Shinki, ep. 1 ‘I Found Something Important’ (2012)
A slice-of-life anime, Busou Shinki delivers the next mecha-girl to our list. In a conflict-free world, companies sell Shinki or mini girl bots to aid people in their daily lives. Created by Front Line, Ann is a battle bot recycled for peaceful means. She is devoted to her human, who owned her since his childhood. Alongside her Shinki housemates, Anne enjoys her life and caring for ‘Master.’ When things get out of hand, Ann battles other fem bots in a virtual thunder dome.
Ann is a pixie-sized Arnval Mk2. Nimble and strong, she has long blond hair accenting her blue eyes. A robot, her joints are fully articulating. Ann wears a one-piece, white jumper with gray accents and thigh-high stockings. She has leg and arm joint swivels that fully articulate her body. As the Arnval Mk2, she transforms to add armor and weapons whenever in combat mode. Overall, Anne is a happy girl who enjoys life and the friendship of others.
Much like Frame Arms Girl, Busou Shinki is an anime used to sell models. Konomi discontinued the Arnval Mk2 line by the time the anime aired. In spite of this missed opportunity, Ann is one of the darlings of the mecha-girl genre.
7. Shigu
- Birthday: March 24
- First Anime Appearance: Upotte!!, Ep. 1 ‘Grip and Hold’ (2012)
A bit absent-minded, Shigu is an athletic and studious middle schooler who excels at life. Affluent, she attends the prestigious Seishou Academy. A special school where gun girls hone their skills in target shooting and mock battles. A Swiss SG 550 assault rifle, Shigu is top-notch at mid-to-long-range shooting. Like all competitors, she is not fond of losing.
Sporty, this blue-eyed babe is of average height. She has long black hair, worn into a bun until Sako shot it off. The shorter hairstyle forces her to pin it back with two purple hair clips. Although not stated outright, Shigu may be a lesbian. She has strong feelings toward Funco and gets green-eyed whenever others get close to her. Her mentor is Jeethree, which she holds in high regard.
Her marksmanship is under the test when the Seishou team takes on Red Steel High’s best. Aiming for the top slot, Shigu hits our list of the best anime mecha-girls in the eighth spot.
6. Belfast
- Birthday: March 17
- First Anime Appearance: Azur Lane, ep. 2 ‘Melee: Pulsing Waves, Steel Wings’ (2019)
Who does not like a battleship dressed in a maid uniform? Pretty strange to think about but thanks to Azur Lane, we have our sixth mecha-girl entry.
Belfast or Bell is a Town-class Light Cruiser in Azur Lane’s Royal Navy faction. Inspired by the World War II ‘Senior Service’ ship by the same name. She is one of the main characters from both anime and mobile games. Belfast is a highly adept, head maid. Her peers look up to Belfast, as the model of grace and aptitude. She has a nasty habit of referring to herself in the third person. In spite of her tic, Belfast is friendly and enjoys teatime with the other maids.
Average height, Belfast is an elegant woman. She has waist-length white hair, sporting a French braid topped by a mobcap. Her eyes are purple eyes, accented by her blue and white maid dress. Belfast’s waistcoat accents her curvy figure. Like her namesake, she deploys the Mark XXIII, 50 caliber BL 6-inch guns.
Despite her looks, she is known as the ‘legendary warrior of the seas.’ A cute busty maid, Azur Lane’s Belfast is one of our favorite ship girls in anime.
5. Enterprise
- Birthday: October 3
- First Anime Appearance: Azur Lane, ep. 1 ‘Activation – The Girls Soar on the Seas’ (2019)
Breaking into the top five, we have the Eagle Union’s Gray Ghost. The Yorktown-class ship-girl is the series lead. Poised, she dives headfirst into the fight. This is especially true when she is protecting her friends. Her world comes crashing in upon itself after taking on rival ship girls from the Sakura Empire. Akagi pushes the Gray Ghost to her limit. After a pep talk by Belfast, Enterprise is able to dust herself off and resume her role.
Enty’s height is normal for a female. She has waist-long white hair and violet-colored eyes. An admiral’s bicorn cap adores her head. She wears a sleeveless white vest and a black short skirt cloth and her slender frame. The Lucky E’s chief weapon is a black longbow. Her flight deck launches the Douglas SBD Dauntless dive-bomber as if they were arrows. Enty’s familiar is the Bald Eagle.
Azur Lane, an anime centered around mecha-girls (more specifically, ship girls) and created to promote a mobile game loosely captures the greatness of these warships. Much like her namesake, Enterprise is a resilient ship girl deserving of her spot on our list.
4. Kongou ‘Elizabeth’
- Birthday: May 18
- First Anime Appearance: KanColle: Kantai Collection, ep. 4 ‘Now It’s Our Turn! Follow Me!’ (2015)
Elizabeth is the top-ranked ship-girl of our post. Named for Mount Kongou, she was the Imperial Japanese Navy’s most heavily armed ship. Built in England, Kongou sprinkles a bit of English into her conversations. She also enjoys a spot of English black tea. Her sisters are Hiei, Haruna, and Kirishima. A whacky ball of energy, Kongou is the cool older sis to her actual sisters and destroyers.
Athletic, she is of average height. Kongou has long brown hair tied into buns, which nicely frame her alluring brown eyes. Along with her sisters, she wears a modified shrine maiden’s outfit and thigh-high boots. A bit surprising given her roots are in England. Her heart belongs to the admiral, which she actively pursues. Calling the Chinjufu home, the ship-girls are up against the Abyssal Fleet. This effort puts the story’s lead under the mentorship of Kongou.
Radiating the essence of the Genki Girl trope, she effortlessly becomes the life of the party. A true force of nature, Kongou, who fits the mold of an anime mecha-girl, holds a special place as our favorite ship-girl!
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3. Aleksandra ‘Sanya’ Vladimirovna Litvyak
- Birthday: August 18, 1930
- First Anime Appearance: Strike Witches OVA (2007)
Known as the White Lily of Tsaritsyn, Sanya V. Litvyak is a member of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing. A witch with a black cat familiar, her fighting frame is the Soviet Yak-3. This makes sense given she hails from the Empire of Orussia. The shy daughter of pianist Volodya Litvyak and Anna Litvyak. Sanya would join the ‘Strike Witches’ after Neuroi invaded Orussia. She desires to one day reunite with her family.
Cute and petite, Sanya has snow-white skin with short silver hair. When events call for it, she sprouts cat ears and a tail. Sunlight quickly burns her skin so she takes on the unit’s night patrols. This is an homage to the Soviet Union’s all-female night fighter squadron nicknamed ‘Night Witches’ by the German military. Unlike her fellow Strike Witches, Sanya deploys a rocket launcher.
Sr. Lt. Lydia V. Litvyak the muse for Sanya’s character. She is one of two Soviet female fighter aces of World War II.
The White Lily of Tsaritsyn is a sweet girl, who has the ability to engage and destroy the forces of evil. This is one of the many reasons why Sanya is one of our favorite anime mecha-girls.
2. Laura Bodewig
- Birthday: Unknown
- First Anime Appearance: Infinite Stratos, ep. 5 ‘Boy Meets Boy’ (2011)
Infinite Stratos is the go-to anime for mecha-girls. This is due to the depth given to characters in the series, like Laura Bodewig. A transfer student, her home country is Germany. She was a test tube baby and was raised to support the army. Part of a super soldier program, her skills would give birth to a thrill-seeking monster. Laura attends IS Academy alongside her sister, Chloe Chronicle. Despite her initial interactions, she becomes the first to ally with the story’s lead.
Average height, Laura is a pale-skinned teenage girl. She has long silver hair, highlighted by her red eye. After a training accident, she lost her left eye which she hides behind a patch. Her love interest calls Laura cute and states her fake eye shines like a gem. Smitten, she proudly claims that she will be his wife. She is an honest and hardworking girl. Laura uses the IS system, Schwarzer Regen. The system’s standby mode is a garter on her leg.
Despite her commanding personality, she is a simple teenage girl who desires the support of friends. The sum of her parts, Laura Bodewig a favored mecha-girl and deserving of a spot on our list.
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1. Charlotte Dunois
- Birthday: February 26
- First Anime Appearance: Infinite Stratos, ep. 5 ‘Boy Meets Boy’ (2011)
Charlotte Dunois is the pinnacle of anime mecha-girls or she is at least our favorite. A French teen, her home life was miserable. The Dunois family owns an IS R&D company that builds exoskeleton suits. In recent years, the family’s business fell on tough times. In an effort to save the firm, Charlotte’s father concocts a scheme to pass his daughter off as a boy. Thinking only about his business, her father sends Charlotte to IS Academy to spy on the competition.
Fifteen years old, Charlotte is of average height. She has long blonde hair, tied back and her chest is small. These attributes make it easy for her to pose as an androgynous dude. Overall, she is an honest and kind individual. These traits cause her to unmask herself to classmates. Her goal is to make amends for being deceitful by making her spying target happy.
Charlotte understands the ins and outs of the IS system. This knowledge makes her a skilled operator. She is the only operator to master the Rapid Switch technique.
Twelve years ago, Infinite Stratos aired on television. Since her debut, Charlotte retains the title of best anime girl of the series. Casting a wider net, we proudly shout that she is our top lass in mecha.
