Why an Armored Core Anime Could Surpass Gundam

Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco

Bandai Namco recently dropped an electrifying trailer for the Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway follow-up, The Sorcery of Nymph Circe. Though the footage runs for less than two minutes, the kinetic action and breathtaking visual fidelity make the experience feel far more substantial. It reignited a nagging curiosity that has haunted me for years: why on earth hasn’t Armored Core been given its own dedicated anime series?

In the vast pantheon of FromSoftware’s acclaimed catalog, Armored Core consistently feels like the neglected sibling. While titles like Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice are receiving anime adaptations and Elden Ring is being eyed for live-action blockbusters, the mech franchise has been left to languish. All we have to show for it is a fleeting thirty-minute segment featured within Prime Video’s Secret Level anthology.

The lack of a full-scale series isn’t entirely shocking; the mecha genre simply doesn’t command the same cultural dominance as FromSoftware’s more recent Soulslike hits. Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon was an undeniable success, surpassing three million units sold by 2024. Yet, compared to the massive financial footprint of Elden Ring—which has sold ten times that amount—it’s clear why the latter garners the big-budget treatment while Armored Core receives only the occasional nod.

Given the series’ longevity, a narrative expansion through animation seems like a logical next step. Historically, an original video animation (OVA) titled Fort Tower Song was in the works circa 2006, but it vanished into development hell after the animation studio went bankrupt in 2011. It was intended to inhabit the same timeline as Armored Core: Last Raven, a title still hailed by purists as a high-water mark for the franchise.

Image: FromSoftware

Translating the Armored Core experience to screen is undeniably complex. The fanbase is divided: some yearn for a pure, mechanical showcase, while others demand deep, human-centric drama focused on the corrupt megacorporations pulling the strings. Because there is no consensus on what an Armored Core show “should” be, an adaptation remains an elusive dream.

It is particularly ironic given that Armored Core owes its very existence to anime. In a 1997 interview, the original AC1 development team cited classics like Armored Trooper VOTOMS and Fang of the Sun Dougram as core inspirations. They sought to craft a gritty, industrial, and hyper-militarized aesthetic—a stark departure from the typical “heroic” mecha tropes of the era.

An official, high-quality Armored Core series remains a pipe dream, but if a studio ever decides to take the plunge, a reimagining of Armored Core: For Answer would be the perfect starting point. Until that happens, we are left to admire the cinematic brilliance of the games’ own opening sequences, which prove that a fusion of mecha action and existential dread is a formula primed for greatness.

I suppose, for now, I’ll just have to satisfy my craving for high-stakes combat with Gundam: Hathaway.

Source: Polygon