So, you’re ready to dive into the Macross universe, huh? Strap in, because you’re about to witness an anime where giant mechas battle it out in space, all while singers belt out pop ballads that could make higher civilized alien cry and shouted, “DECULTURE!”
The Macross franchise has everything—giant robots, toe-tapping tunes, and, of course, the quintessential anime dilemma: triangle love. That’s right, you’ll be on the edge of your seat as characters try to decide whether to fight aliens or their own romantic feelings.
Whether you’re here for the sci-fi action or the spicy relationship drama, Macross is the perfect cocktail of mecha mayhem and musical magic. Why watch it? Well, because where else can you find pilots saving the galaxy with a song in their heart and a love triangle on their mind?
Macross
1. Super Dimension Fortress Macross (1982)
| Title | Choujikuu Yousai Macross SDF Macross Robotech |
| Episode | 36 |
| Aired | 1982-1983 |
| Studio | Tatsunoko Production, Studio Nue |
In 1999, a giant alien spacecraft crash lands on South Ataria island. Humanity proceeds to attempt to rebuild this marvel, but political conflicts centered around the Macross result in a global war.
After 10 years, the Unification Wars are finally over, the new Earth United Nations Government is in power, and work on the Macross is complete.
On the day of the launching ceremony, its main cannon fires on its own, destroying an alien spacecraft. This fateful day marks the beginning of the war between the humans on the Macross and the Zentradi, a race of humanoid aliens of giant proportions.
Young pilot Hikaru Ichijo, idol singer Lynn Minmay and female officer Misa Hayase is the main focus of this first Macross.
2. Macross: Do You Remember Love? (1984)
| Title | Choujikuu Yousai Macross: Ai Oboete Imasu ka |
| Episode | 1 |
| Aired | Summer 1984 |
| Studio | Tatsunoko Production, Studio Nue |
Macross: Do You Remember Love? is a beautifully condensed and visually stunning retelling of the original TV series.
Released as a film in 1984, it simplifies the storyline, focusing on the central love triangle between Hikaru, Minmay, and Misa, while still delivering the iconic mecha action and unforgettable music.
The animation is vastly upgraded, with more fluid action sequences and richer visuals, making it a feast for the eyes, especially compared to the lower-budget TV series.
However, being a film, it trims much of the character development and side plots that gave the TV series its depth. While the movie delivers an epic, cinematic experience, some fans may feel it lacks the emotional buildup of the original series’ more gradual narrative.
Despite these differences, Do You Remember Love? serves as both a great entry point for newcomers and a nostalgic treat for long-time fans, distilling the essence of Macross into a two-hour spectacle of mecha, music, and melodrama.
3. Macross: FLASH BACK 2012 (1987)
| Title | Choujikuu Yousai Macross FLASH BACK 2012 |
| Episode | 1 |
| Aired | Summer 1987 |
| Studio | Tatsunoko Production, Artland |
Flash Back 2012 is Minmei’s farewell concert.
Featuring some of her best songs, the music is performed over various scenes and events taken from original TV series as well as Do You Remember Love.
Also included is a newly animated closing sequence showing the launch of Misa’s colony vessel, the Megaroad-01, into space.
4. Macross II: Lovers Again (1992)
| Title | Choujikuu Yousai Macross II – Lovers Again Macross II The Movie Super Dimension Fortress Macross II: Lovers, Again |
| Episode | 6 (OVA) |
| Aired | Spring 1992 |
| Studio | AIC |
A.D. 2089 – 80 years have passed since Space War I changed the lives of both human and Zentraedi races. Both races are at peace on Earth when a new alien race called the “Marduk” appear within the Solar System.
While covering the first battle between the U.N. Spacy and the Marduk fleet, SNN rookie reporter Hibiki Kanzaki discovers Ishtar, an “Emulator” that enhances the Marduk’s combat abilities through singing.
Hibiki brings Ishtar to Earth to teach her the values of life and culture. Together with ace Valkyrie pilot Silvie Gena, Hibiki and Ishtar must find a way to save Earth from total destruction at the hands of the Marduk leader Ingues.
Macross Plus
1. Macross Plus (1994)
| Episode | 4 (OVA) |
| Aired | Summer 1994 |
| Studio | Triangle Staff |
The year is 2040 and the galaxy is flourishing with several colonies and advanced technology. AI is near perfection and the current top idol is the near-completed Virturoid Idol Sharon Apple.
All that is missing are her actual feelings, which instead are supplied by Myung Fang Lone. Sharon’s debut concert is on planet Eden, where at the same time, fighter pilots Isamu Dyson and Guld Bowman battle over air superiority for the “Supernova Project.”
Isamu, Guld and Myung were once childhood friends, but after an accident seven years ago, they went their own separate ways. With Myung back in the picture, the old disputes are once again awakened. And when an unstable and illegal AI technique is installed in Sharon, the situation is worsened.
2. Macross Plus Movie Edition (1995)
| Episode | 1 |
| Aired | Fall 1995 |
| Studio | Triangle Staff |
Macross Plus Movie Edition is a streamlined adaptation of the OVA, combining the four-episode series into a single feature-length film.
The core story featuring the intense rivalry between test pilots Isamu Dyson and Guld Goa Bowman, and the AI songstress Sharon Apple remains intact.
Additionally, a few scenes are altered or omitted entirely, which can leave viewers feeling like they’re missing out on some of the original’s nuance.
The Movie Edition benefits from tighter pacing and an overall cinematic feel, with the visuals and Yoko Kanno’s iconic soundtrack just as stunning as ever.
It’s a more focused and action-packed experience, perfect for those who want a quicker hit of the Macross Plus story.
Macross 7
1. Macross 7 (1994)
| Title | M7 |
| Episode | 49 |
| Aired | Fall 1994-Summer 1995 |
| Studio | AIC |
35 years have passed since Lynn Minmay had brought peace between the Zentradi and the humans in the events of Macross.
Nekki Basara is a guitarist and a singer of the band Fire Bomber. Living in a less-developed part of the flying colony City 7 which is looking for a habitable planet, he composes and sings songs in the belief that music holds a greater power.
During its flight, an unknown alien race appeared and started laying siege upon City 7. However, its attacks are not conventional — instead of trying to destroy them, they steal what is known as “spiritia”, rendering victims unresponsive and zombie-like.
During these battles, Basara always goes out into the middle of the warzone, singing his songs and expecting friend and foe to listen and be moved by his music.
2. Macross 7 Encore (1996)
| Title | M7 Encore |
| Episode | 3 (OVA) |
| Aired | Winter 1995 |
| Studio | Production Reed |
Three unbroadcasted episodes of the Macross 7 series.
In “Fleet of the Strongest Women,” the Macross 7 fleet encounters a rogue Meltrandi fleet led by an old rival of Millia.
“On Stage” focuses on Ray’s past as a fighter pilot, how he first met Basara, and how they formed Fire Bomber.
In “Which One Do You Love,” when Millia falls ill, she feels her life expectancy is running short and attempts to have Mylene engaged to Basara.
3. Macross 7: The Galaxy is Calling Me (1995)
| Title | Macross 7 Movie: Ginga ga Ore wo Yondeiru! |
| Episode | 1 |
| Aired | Fall 1995 |
| Studio | Production Reed |
While investigating a sound anomaly across the galaxy, Basara crash-lands on a snowy planet and receives an unfriendly welcome from the local residents.
On the planet, he befriends Pedro, a four-year-old boy who watches the Galaxy Network and idolizes Fire Bomber. Basara also discovers that the sound he’s searching for is generated by Emilia, a lone Meltrandi struggling to make music of her own.
4. Macross Dynamite 7 (1997)
| Title | Macross 7 Dynamite |
| Episode | 4 (OVA) |
| Aired | Winter 1997 |
| Studio | Production Reed |
Less than a year after the events that transpired in the Macross 7 TV series, Basara leaves Fire Bomber and travels to the planet Zola. There, he meets a girl named Elma, who is a big fan of Fire Bomber.
It is also on this planet where he must once again use his Spiritia powers; this time, to stop an army of poachers and Elma’s father Graham from killing a group of space whales travelling within the planetary system.
Macross Zero
1. Macross Zero (2002)
| Episode | 5 (OVA) |
| Aired | Winter 2002 |
| Studio | Satelight |
Taking place one year before the Zentraedi arrive on Earth, Macross Zero chronicles the final days of the war between the U.N. Spacy and anti-U.N. factions.
After being shot down by the anti-U.N.’s newest fighter plane, ace pilot Shin Kudo finds himself on the remote island of Mayan, where technology is almost non-existent.
While Shin stays on the island to heal his wounds, the tranqulity of the island is shattered by a battle that involves the UN’s newest fighter – the VF-0.
Macross Frontier
1. Macross Frontier (2008)
| Title | Macross F |
| Episode | 25 |
| Aired | Spring 2008 |
| Studio | Satelight |
After being threatened by extinction at the hands of alien invaders called the Zentradi, humanity undertook the task of guaranteeing itself a future by launching fleets of colony ships into space.
On Macross Frontier, one such fleet, high school student Saotome Alto’s life is changed forever: the fleet is suddenly attacked by unidentified creatures while he is performing aerial stunts for a concert by the wildly popular idol Sheryl.
Alto quickly finds himself in the cockpit of a new-model fighter struggling to protect Ranka Lee, a young girl he met only hours earlier, from the invaders’ swath of destruction.
Noting his performance during this incident, the S.M.S. Skull Squadron private military company invites Alto to join their organization, where he continues protecting his friends and Macross Frontier.
2. Macross Frontier: The False Songstress (2009)
| Title | Macross F Movie 1: Itsuwari no Utahime |
| Episode | 1 |
| Aired | Fall 2009 |
| Studio | Satelight, 8bit |
Half retelling of the original Frontier series, half new story.
Conspiracies arise within the Frontier government when Sheryl Nome arrives to the colonial fleet for her concert and is soon marked as a spy for Galaxy while childhood friends, Alto Saotome and Ranka Lee both try to achieve their dreams as the battle between Frontier and the Vajra draws closer.
This movie serves as part one of the Frontier retelling and will conclude with the second film.
3. Macross Frontier: The Wings of Farewell (2011)
| Title | Macross Frontier 2: Sayonara no Tsubasa |
| Episode | 1 |
| Aired | Winter 2011 |
| Studio | Satelight, 8bit |
Picking up from where the previous movie left off, Ranka’s star career flourishes while Sheryl’s health rapidly deteriorates after collapsing during a live performance.
At the same time, separate factions are maneuvering behind the scenes seeking to control the Vajra horde by utilizing the singing abilities of the two songstresses.
As the entire Macross Frontier fleet begins to wage the final war on the Vajra, Alto finally makes a choice between Ranka and Sheryl.
4. Ozma Meets Fire Bomber Macross FB7 (2012)
| Title | Macross FB7: Ginga Rukon – Ore no Uta wo Kike! |
| Episode | 1 |
| Aired | Fall 2012 |
| Studio | Satelight |
In 2059, five decades after the Space War I conflict seen in the first Macross story.
Macross Frontier, the 25th New Macross Class super-long-distance colonization fleet, is journeying through the galaxy to a new paradise to call home. However, it is locked in a state of war with a strange enemy called Vajra.
Macross FB7 is the 30th anniversary work of the Macross franchise.
Macross Delta
1. Macross Δ (2016)
| Title | Macross Delta |
| Episode | 26 |
| Aired | Spring 2016 |
| Studio | Satelight |
Macross Delta is set in the year 2067, 8 years after the events of the Macross Frontier.
The story focuses on Walküre, a team of talented idols and the Delta Squadron, a team of experienced Valkyrie pilots.
They battle against the Var Syndrome, a mysterious phenomena that is consuming the galaxy and there is also the mysterious Aerial Knights Valkyrie fighter team of the Kingdom of Wind.
2. Macross Δ: Passionate Walküre (2018)
| Title | Macross Δ: Gekijou no Walküre |
| Episode | 1 |
| Aired | Winter 2018 |
| Studio | Satelight |
The film will recompile scenes from the television anime with new scenes to tell a different story, to maximize the storytelling potential of the shorter runtime but larger medium. It will have at least one new song and enhanced battle sequences.
3. Macross Δ: Zettai LIVE!!!!!! (2021)
| Title | Macross Delta Movie 2: Zettai Live!!! |
| Episode | 1 |
| Aired | Fall 2021 |
| Studio | Satelight |
Walküre and Delta Flight used music to save people from the Vár Syndrome, a previously unknown disease that made humans and others go berserk. However, they find themselves facing a new threat…
In conclusion, Macross is more than just an anime—it’s an experience. Whether you’re here for the mecha battles that shake the cosmos, the heart-throbbing love triangles that rival any soap opera, or the music that could literally save the universe, there’s something for everyone.
So, grab your headphones, pick a side in the love triangle (or don’t, it’s impossible), and get ready to watch some spacefaring idols and their trusty mechas belt their way into your heart.
Trust me, by the end of it, you’ll be humming those Macross tunes while wondering why real-life love triangles aren’t solved with epic musical numbers!
