Ask John: What Is With The Kids And Giant Robots?

Question:
Why is it in most of the giant robot shows like Gundam and Evangelion that the robots are most often piloted by kids?

Answer:
While I know that there have been various explanations for the Giant Robot phenomenon, most notably by Fred Schodt, allow me to provide my own amateur explanation. First and foremost, the trend is perpetuated because the target audience for most anime is teen-age boys. Beyond that, though, I believe that the trend toward putting anime children into giant robots has very much to do with Japanese culture and history.

At the conclusion of W.W.II in the Pacific, Japan was defeated by the Allied forces nuclear bombs. This is of utmost importance because the Japanese people realized that their war effort was defeated not by greater tactical skill or determination, but by superior technology. During the American occupation following W.W.II, the Japanese people collectively decided to prevent such an embarrassment from ever happening again by never allowing themselves to fall behind the cutting edge of technology. It has been, then, the modern generation, and particularly the younger generation that has grown up with and been most enveloped by technology.

I believe that Anime is a reflection of this cultural identity. While in reality, Japanese youths are surrounded by high technology, in anime the fact is presented even more succinctly by placing youngsters inside giant robots. I’m going to leave further discussion up to the readers to decide whether this trend of children in giant robots is intended to illustrate the new generation of Japan progressing positively into the future, utilizing technology to better themselves, save the world and become more responsible, or if the giant robot as battle machine is intended to illustrate Japanese children being swallowed by monstrous destructive machines, losing their own identity, connection to other humans and people, and even their very lives inside giant metal bodies.