Best Sci-Fi Anime of 1982

After an enigmatic alien vessel collides with Earth, humanity comes to understand that they are not isolated in the universe. Apprehensive about a possible extraterrestrial menace, nations set aside their nationalism, clashing interests, and cultural divides, coming together under the United Nations. The newly established UN forces decide to convert the alien craft, christening it SDF-1 Macross. However, on the day of its first voyage, a fleet of spaceships belonging to an alien race known as the Zentradi descends on Earth, and the SDF-1 Macross, acting on its own volition, fires upon the incoming squadron, igniting an interstellar conflict. Seeking to flee, the Macross attempts to propel itself into lunar orbit, but the vessel—along with the city it occupied—is transported to the distant reaches of space. Caught amidst this turmoil are Hikaru Ichijou, a carefree acrobatic pilot, and Minmay Lynn, a hopeful singer. These two, together with the Macross's crew, undergo an epic voyage filled with sorrow and turmoil, confronting the harsh realities of war along the way.

Johnson, a lonely salaryman, laments his dull existence, longing for a life of travel and excitement. However, after a hallucinatory experience, he recalls striking memories of a legendary space pirate called Cobra. With the Psychogun attached to his left arm, Cobra once roamed the galaxy alongside his partner Lady Armaroid. Together they formed a notorious team feared by law enforcement and despised by the Pirate Guild—an alliance of the galaxy's most powerful pirates. Back on Earth, a casino encounter changes Johnson's fate. His winnings bring him before the establishment's manager—Pirate Guild boss Vaiken, whom he saw defeated by Cobra in his dream. Recognizing Johnson as Cobra in disguise, Vaiken tries to exact revenge. Instead, he triggers the Psychogun hidden under Johnson's left arm, unlocking his suppressed memories and alerting Lady Armaroid. After defeating Vaiken once more and with his memories restored, Cobra emerges from hiding to stop the Pirate Guild's interstellar mafia. He and Lady Armaroid journey across space, continuing their high-stakes adventure while helping those wronged by Guild members.

In 1532, twelve-year-old Esteban, an orphan from Barcelona, possesses a unique ability to command the Sun to shine, earning him the title "Child of the Sun." After his adoptive father passes away, Esteban discovers that he was saved from a sinking ship as an infant. The medallion he has always worn points to a location in the New World, possibly linked to the legendary Cities of Gold. Determined to uncover his origins and find his parents, Esteban sets sail from Spain. On his journey, he encounters Zia, an Inca girl taken from her people years earlier, who wears an identical medallion. They are later joined by Tao, a young castaway from the Galapagos and the final heir to the Empire of Heva, which is said to have created the Cities of Gold. Guided by Coyolite, the radiant star depicted on their medallions, the three children explore the uncharted New World in search of the Cities of Gold, convinced that this path will lead them to their missing parents.

Following the events of Arcadia of My Youth, Captain Harlock and his crew aboard the spaceship Arcadia were exiled from Earth. The planet, along with countless others across the galaxy, had fallen under the control of the Illumidus—a race of destructive humanoids that ravage, enslave, or annihilate nearly every habitable world they encounter. In Endless Orbit SSX, Harlock fights against the Illumidus while seeking a legendary "Planet of Peace," a place where all the peoples of the universe could exist freely and without conflict.

On the planet Zora, there are two distinct groups: the Innocent, who dwell in advanced domed cities, and the Civilians, forced to survive in the harsh desert wasteland. According to the Innocent's rules, any Civilian who commits a crime is pardoned if they are not captured within three days. Civilian Jiron Amos seeks vengeance against the outlaw Timp Sharon, who murdered his parents, even though the three-day grace period expired long ago. Aiming to exact his revenge by stealing the mecha Xabungle from the merchant Carrying Cargo, Jiron allies with a band of outlaws called the Sandrats and kidnaps Cargo's daughter Elchi, who eventually comes to support his mission. Jiron's personal vendetta soon escalates into a far larger struggle—one that will ultimately lead the Civilians to rebel against the rule of the Innocent.

In the original Japanese broadcast, Dairugger XV functioned solely as an exploration robot and a designated peacekeeping force. Earth enjoys an era of prosperity, and the president of the Terran League (called the "Galaxy Alliance" in Voltron) initiates a mission to explore beyond the galaxy. Shortly after the exploration begins, the starship Rugger-Guard is attacked by a vessel from the Galbeston Empire. To protect Earth, the super robot Dairugger is deployed. By a twist of fate, the crew must assist the people of Galbeston in finding a new planet before their own explodes, while also liberating them from their tyrannical Emperor. Unlike the U.S. adaptation, the Japanese version has no connection to King of the Beasts GoLion. Three assault team units exist: Land, Air, and Sea. A total of fifteen components called "Rugger" can combine to form the super robot Dairugger. The design of these fifteen separate Rugger units was inspired by rugby, as a rugby union team consists of fifteen players. In the U.S. version, the "Galbeston Empire" was renamed the "Drule Empire," and a significant amount of violence and sexual content was edited out to make the show suitable for general audiences.

Led by scientist Tatsuya Randou, the Randou family travels across the globe to search for ancient ruins and uncover the legend of Quetzalcoatl, which holds the key to a great treasure. However, they are pursued by Gopurin, an evil organization that also seeks the legendary treasure for themselves. The Randou family's secret weapon is the super robot Acrobunch. It becomes a race around the world to see who finds the treasure first.

The story opens during a game of hide and seek when a boy named Justin Casey (Gen) finishes counting and starts looking for his friends Angela (often called "Angie") and Corkey Roberts (Kanna and Tsukubo Natsuyama). While searching for the siblings in a wooded area, a sudden storm breaks out. Justin manages to sneak up on the pair before the rain begins to pour, forcing them all to run for cover. They eventually find a house in the woods that Justin insists was never there before. After entering, the house initially seems empty until they discover a robot named Solar Ion Robot (Kadenchin), or SIR for short. Soon they meet the house's owner, Professor Humphrey Bumble (Dr. Tokio Taimu), who reveals his greatest invention: a time machine. The Professor's attempt to recreate Benjamin Franklin's famous lightning experiment by flying a kite outside the house to power the machine only results in a temporary personality change for SIR and sends the entire house hurtling into the past. Unaware of how long the journey home will take due to Professor Bumble's mistakes and miscalculations in time travel, the children nonetheless witness and take part—with little or no consequences—in numerous events from the New Testament, ranging from the birth of John the Baptist to the rise of the Apostle Paul.

Thunderbirds 2086 is set roughly two decades after the original series, commonly assumed to take place around 2065—though on-screen dates vary—and follows the adventures of the Thunderbirds, a rescue squad within the International Rescue Organisation. Unlike the original International Rescue, which was small and family-run, the IRO is a massive organization with many branches, overseen by the Federation, the 2086 version of the United Nations. No direct narrative links are established between the two series, though it is implied that the original International Rescue evolved into its 2086 counterpart over those thirty years. The Tracy family is never mentioned in this animated series. In the animated show, the team itself is called the Thunderbirds, whereas in the original the name only referred to their vehicles. Aside from this, the animated series closely resembles the original, with most episodes centered on natural or man-made disasters that the Thunderbirds must investigate and resolve. Unlike the original, Thunderbirds 2086 also features an ongoing storyline about a separatist group called the Shadow Axis, led by the mysterious Star Crusher. The series strongly hints that Star Crusher is not human and may be some kind of alien being.

Gyakuten! Ippatsuman is the sixth entry in the Time Bokan series. In Osteandel City during the 1990s, Time Lease has its headquarters—a rental company that can provide nearly anything one could want, including powerful robots. They take pride in having held the number-one position in the international ranking of billionaires for the past ten consecutive years. Meanwhile, another rental firm called Skull Lease operates in the same city, where the infamous villain trio serve as top executives. Their public aim is to ruin Time Lease's reputation and supplant them as the industry leader. Secretly, however, they are scheming to secure a foothold for world conquest. One day, a transport robot belonging to Time Lease is attacked by the villainous trio, and that is when Ippatsuman must step in to fight for justice.

Takeshi Yamato acquires the powers of the legendary Rainbow Warrior while in the Indian mountains, enabling him to transform into Rainbowman to prevent an alien invasion of Earth.

Regarded as heavily influenced by Akira Toriyama's well-known Dr. Slump, Cybot Robocchi centers on Robocchi, a cheerful, prankish robot whose abdomen contains a television set. Robocchi dwells in a tranquil hamlet alongside many other mechanical beings, all built by the quirky and mildly perverted Dr. Art Deko. Even though he is an android, Robocchi possesses a gentle, compassionate nature and constantly lends a hand to anyone in trouble. Together with his human girlfriend Kurumi, he embarks on a series of zany escapades.