3630


I was wondering where mecha genre in Japan originated. It doesn't seem the
same as something like the idea of a doll having a soul, which is from
Japanese folk beliefs, but it could be.

Is there some historical basis for giant fighting robots (or similar things)
in Japan? If not, where did they originate from, and what was the first series
that showed them?


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tropes anime-history
Where did the mecha genre originate from in Japan?


There is no deep origin of the super robot trope in Japanese folklore, at
least as it pertains to anime and manga. While some Japanese legends and
history (such as the _samurai_ ) may have influence the design and
characteristics of the mechas, there is little direct inspirational influence.

The first anime adaptation of the [_Tetsujin
28-go_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetsujin_28-go) manga, in 1963, is widely
credited as the origin of the mecha genre with an early design of a "[super
robot](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Robot)". This series, in conjunction
with the manga [_Giant Robo_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_Robo), were
the first to feature these designs. [Mitsuteru
Yokoyama](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsuteru_Yokoyama)*, as the creator of
both these manga, is considered the father of the genre.

Yokoyama was largely influenced by the wartime of his days; the [bombing of
Kobe](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombing_of_Kobe_in_World_War_II) is one
such case. He was also influenced by the monster concept from _Frankenstein_.
[_Astro Boy_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astro_Boy), a 1952 manga series,
has also had great influence over the design of the robots seen in the mecha
genre[[1]](http://theyokocritic.wordpress.com/2010/10/06/the-evolution-of-
mecha-design/).

[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ooyjmm.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ooyjm.jpg)
[ ![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/s4wTFm.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/s4wTF.jpg)  
(Left: _Tetsujin 28-go_ manga cover; Right: _Giant Robo_ manga cover)

A bit more history: Notable mecha series that followed Yokoyama's creations
were [_Mazinger_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazinger) (one of the first to
feature piloting) and [the _Gundam_
series](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_Suit_Gundam). In the 90s, [_Neon
Genesis Evangelion_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neon_Genesis_Evangelion)
moved forward from the clunky, overly mechanized (and often blocky) mechas
from the prior series, and introduced sleeker, faster
designs[[2]](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Neon_Genesis_Evangelion&oldid=549838327#Legacy).
Later series, such as [_Gurren
Lagann_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gurren_Lagann) and
[_RahXephon_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RahXephon) mimicked this design,
while few shows like
[_GaoGaiGar_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_King_of_Braves_GaoGaiGar) did
not.

* - Yokoyama also made significant other contributions to Japanese comic culture; these can be found in the linked WIkipedia article.


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While this is conjecture, I'd say that mecha in manga and anime rose as a
result of the [tokusatsu](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokusatsu) (special
effects) wave of the 50s beginning with 1954's
[Gojira](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godzilla) (Godzilla), a character
created due to nuclear radiation. This huge _kaiju_ was partly based on King
Kong (1933):

> The special-effects artist Eiji Tsuburaya and the director Ishirō Honda
> became the driving forces behind 1954's Godzilla. Tsuburaya, inspired by the
> American film King Kong, formulated many of the techniques that would become
> staples of the genre, such as so-called suitmation—the use of a human actor
> in a costume to play a giant monster—combined with the use of miniatures and
> scaled-down city sets. Godzilla forever changed the landscape of Japanese
> science fiction, fantasy, and cinema by creating a uniquely Japanese vision
> in a genre typically dominated by American cinema.

These huge rampaging monsters were initially countered by puny humans, then by
powerful pint-sized humans, powerful pint-sized robots/androids and then by
huge robotic superheroes controlled from the outside and then from the inside.
Tezuka's 1952 manga, [Astro Boy](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astro_Boy),
featured one such pint-sized robot superhero who was himself based on the
character of _Michi_ in his 1949 manga,
[Metropolis](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolis_%28manga%29) (in turn
based on the 1927 [Fritz Lang
masterpiece](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolis_%28film%29)). Michi is an
artificially "synthesised" boy who, later in the story, goes around toppling
skyscrapers.

As noted [by Eric](https://anime.stackexchange.com/a/3630/247), 1956's
[Gigantor](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetsujin_28-go) featured a [Super
Robot](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Robot) controlled by a kid on the
outside while the 1972 manga, Mazinger Z, was apparently the first to feature
the controller on the inside:

> The idea of a robot controlled by a young hero was first used in 1956 with
> Iron Man 28 or Tetsujin 28-go (dubbed and released in the US as Gigantor),
> by manga artist Mitsuteru Yokoyama, which featured a giant robot piloted by
> remote-control by a young boy named Shotaro Kaneda, who used it to fight
> against evil. However, the first anime to use the phrase Super Robot and the
> one that set the standards for the genre was Mazinger Z, created by Go Nagai
> and making its debut in manga publications and TV in 1972. The main
> difference between Mazinger Z and previous robots was that the hero, Koji
> Kabuto, would pilot the robot from the inside in the same manner as one
> would drive a car. This anime show was hugely popular and spanned numerous
> sequels and imitations during the 1970s, and revival shows later during the
> 80s and 90s.

[TV Tropes notes](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Anime/Gigantor) that
Gigantor might be the "Ur example" of "The Kid with the Remote Control" and
[Mazinger Z](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Anime/MazingerZ) "THE
granddaddy of the Super Robot Genre".


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