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Votoms Watch List

Anime
byDarkonius
Apr 07 2022, 4:42 AM | Updated May 5, 2023 7:45 AM
This a list of all Armored Trooper Votoms anime in release order, which is also the recommended watch order. MAL's relation system doesn't really give an overview of the franchise and its structure.
Recaps are marked and any special content is noted in case you want to skip them, and release order is clarified for the 80s OVAs.

Armored Trooper Votoms is a 1983 Mecha anime directed by Ryousuke Takahashi, noted for being one of the landmarks of the "real robot" subgenre, i.e. the treatment of mecha as simply military machinery instead of super heroes. The franchise is primarily built around this main TV show and fleshes it out with various prequels, side stories and sequels in a non-linear fashion, with a few spin-offs that make use of many of the elements of the world while not directly relating to the main story.

Sunrise's 80s OVA policy was to release a number of recap OVAs, then follow them up with new content, and then if that sold well they'd put out more recaps with more new content at the end. Votoms isn't the only show to see this policy, but it's the one where they did it the most. This is how The Last Red Shoulder, Big Battle and Red Shoulder Document came to be.

Armor Hunter Mellowlink, Case;Irvine and Votoms Finder are spin-offs that have varying degrees of connection to the main Votoms story and world, Mellowlink being the closest, and Finder being the furthest removed (in fact you may struggle to find a reason why it's called Votoms).

While the franchise has been dormant since 2011 as Ryousuke Takahashi has mostly retired from the directing anime (with a few exceptions in the last few years), there are a number of novels set in the Votoms universe that have been released in the last 20 years but have not been adapted to anime. These include Commando Vorct, Blue Knight Berserga, Philosopher on the Battlefield, and Child of God. Some of these may be adapted some day (in fact there is a doujin anime of Berserga on Youtube), but I wouldn't hold out hope.
Soukou Kihei Votoms
TV, 1983, 52 eps Me:- Author:8
Always start here. The show establishes the world and the main recurring characters of the franchise, which are then elaborated upon in the OVAs.
Soukou Kihei Votoms Vol.I: Stories of the "A.T.Votoms"
OVA, 1985, 1 ep Me:- Author:5
Optional Recap. Some versions include a director commentary with Ryousuke Takahashi.
Soukou Kihei Votoms Vol.II: Highlights from the "A.T.Votoms"
OVA, 1985, 1 ep Me:- Author:5
Optional Recap/clipshow. Features a new, extended video for the ED, Itsumo Anata ga.
Soukou Kihei Votoms Recaps
OVA, 1986, 4 eps Me:- Author:6
Optional Recaps.
Features various new videos for OP and ED:
Episode 1's OP was filmed with Votoms Plastic Models, as was its ED.
Episode 2's OP is mostly Plastic Models with some 2d animated sections, ED is the same as Episode 1.
Episode 3's OP is fully 2D animated and features a mix of reused footage from both TV and OVAs and new elements. ED is a close-up and slow pan of Chirico drinking and walking away into the distance.
Episode 4 re-uses Episode 3's OP and ED.
Soukou Kihei Votoms: Big Battle
OVA, 1986, 1 ep Me:- Author:7
Released after Episode 2 of the Recap OVA series.
Features a really broken and artifacted version of the standard OP video in every version I've found.
Soukou Kihei Votoms: Red Shoulder Document - Yabou no Roots
OVA, 1988, 1 ep Me:- Author:7
Released after Episode 4 of the Recap OVA series.
Kikou Ryouhei Mellowlink
OVA, 1988, 12 eps Me:- Author:7
Spin-off set circa during the main TV show, but no major characters overlap.
Soukou Kihei Votoms: Pailsen Files
OVA, 2007, 12 eps Me:- Author:7
Soukou Kihei Votoms: Pailsen Files Movie
Movie, 2009, 1 ep Me:- Author:5
Optional Recap. Features a new, special version of Honoo no Sadame as the ED.
Soukou Kihei Votoms: Genei-hen
OVA, 2010, 6 eps Me:- Author:7
Soukou Kihei Votoms: Case;Irvine
OVA, 2010, 1 ep Me:- Author:7
Spin-off presumably set some time after the main TV show, but continuity is wonky in any case and there is no character overlap whatsoever.
Votoms Finder
OVA, 2010, 1 ep Me:- Author:5
Spin-off with very tenuous relation to the main show and universe.
Soukou Kihei Votoms: Koei Futatabi
OVA, 2011, 1 ep Me:- Author:7
Soukou Kihei Votoms: Case;Irvine - Tenmatsu
Special, 2011, 1 ep Me:- Author:4
Very optional picture drama special.

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