History Anime / Macross

* CoolPlane: When the series isn't showcasing HumongousMecha, it's showing off incredible dogfights between futuristic SpaceFighter jets (which transform into HumongousMecha) referred to as "Variable Fighters".
** The VF-1 Valkyrie from the original series (and it's prototype, the VF-0 from ''[[Anime/MacrossZero Zero]]'') are F-14 Tomcats (a RealLife example of a CoolPlane) as transforming robots. They are the codifiers for realistic TransformingMecha.
** The YF-19 and the YF-21 from ''[[Anime/MacrossPlus Plus]]'' are quite a leap ahead technology-wise compared to their VF-1 predecessor: the YF-19 is sleek and futuristic, with a forward-swept wing (which would be the tradition for all future variable fighters in new Macross anime; the design waa inspired by the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grumman_X-29 Grumman X-29]]) and a plethora of missile launch bays crammed into it - indeed, it's the first fighter in the franchise that can ItanoCircus ''without'' an external add on pack. The YF-21 on the other hand has a design not unlike that of the SR-71 Blackbird, similar combat capabilities to the YF-19 and a [[BrainComputerInterface direct neural interface]] that is quite literally reserved only for the mentally strongest of pilots, as just a single stray thought may cause the plane to '''crash'''.

* IdolSinger: Most often the ''other'' major draw besides spectacular dogfights. The ''Macross'' franchise has been the [[TropeCodifier]] of the idol genre, specifically the ''anime idol'' subgenre: moreoften than not, the franchise has featured ridiculously cute (almost bordering on {{Moe}}) girls in frilly dresses singing absolutely ''godly'' songs (just check the SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic tab!). That being said, there has been the occasional subversion or even aversion:

** The popularity of the original's toyline (helped by the fact that Creator/ShojiKawamori helped Takatoku make an actual transforming Valkyrie toy) may have helped popularize this trope, seeing as Takara made their Diaclone line in response to this, that later became the basis for the ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}''.

* IdolSinger: Most often the ''other'' major draw besides spectacular dogfights. The ''Macross'' franchise has been the [[TropeCodifier]] of the idol genre, specifically the ''anime idol'' subgenre: moreoften than not, the franchise has featured ridiculously cute (almost bordering on {{Moe}}) girls in frilly dresses singing absolutely ''godly'' songs (just check the AwesomeMusic tab!). That being said, there has been the occasional subversion or even aversion:
* [[Anime/MacrossPlus Macross Plus]] features a virtual idol (predating Music/{{Vocaloid}} by a good 15-or-so years) as the ''antagonist'' rather than the protagonist LoveInterest.
* [[Anime/Macross7 Macross 7]] features a rock band as the protagonists instead (which still gave us a ton of AwesomeMusic). [[MemeticMutation Listen to my SOOOOOONG!!!]]
* [[Anime/MacrossZero Macross Zero]] has by far the most radical departure from the high-octane blood-pumping songs of the rest of the franchise - it features tribal/folk-singing styled music instead.

* TransformingMecha: It was among the first RealRobot series to feature transforming mecha, and the ''Macross'' itself was, at the time, the largest transforming mecha that had ever been seen (over ten times larger than the next contender).

** ''Passionate Walkūre'' (2018) and ''Absolute Live!!!!!!'' (2020) are a pair of movie adaptations for ''Delta''. Like ''DYRL?'' and the Frontier movies, these movies follow a different plotline and resolution from the original show's, with the latter having brand new content.

The ''Macross'' franchise is a long running anime series created by Creator/ShojiKawamori with designs made by Kazutaka Miyatake and Haruhiko Mikimoto. The general plot of each series concerns a conflict waged with TransformingMecha (and usually involving aliens). In the middle of it all, ThePowerOfRock comes into play, as does the PowerOfLove, thus forming the three main elements of ''Macross'': HumongousMecha, superpowered music, and [[LoveTriangle Love Triangles]].

* ConspicuousCG: While the original series, ''Plus'', and ''7'' are almost 100% hand-drawn, the entries from ''Zero'' onward instead use CGI to render the mecha, with ''Frontier'' in particular making liberal use of CelShading.

** ''Macross [=FB7=]: Listen to My Song!''(2012), which acts as a sort of {{Crossover}} between ''Frontier'' and ''7'', while also serving as a CompilationMovie for the latter.

** ''Passionate Walkūre'' (2018) and ''Absolute Live!!!!!!'' are a pair of movie adaptations for ''Delta''. Like ''DYRL?'' and the Frontier movies, these movies follow a different plotline and resolution from the original show's, with the latter having brand new content.

* ''Anime/SuperDimensionFortressMacross'', the original series, set in 2009. It is regarded as a classic among mecha fans, depicting a war between humanity and giant militaristic aliens known as the Zentradi.
** ''Anime/MacrossDoYouRememberLove'', a movie adaptation of the original series, with significant plot and design changes. Despite that, it is regarded just as highly as (if not ''higher'' than) the original series itself.
** ''Macross: Flashback 2012'', an extended music video clipshow for in-universe IdolSinger Lynn Minmay, which also acts as an epilogue to the series.
* ''Anime/MacrossII'', an OVA and manga series that was made without the original creators' authorization, and has since been placed as an AlternateContinuity. The story takes place in 2090, nearly 80 years after the first series, and follows a news reporter as he gets caught up in a war against the Marduk, who use enslaved Zentraedi soldiers to fight for them.
* ''Anime/MacrossPlus'', a short OVA (and later movie) sequel set in 2040 (thirty years after ''SDF''), focusing on a contest between two prototype planes and a VirtualIdol; two paths that cross when three ChildhoodFriends meet up after seven years again.
* ''Anime/{{Macross 7}}'', a full series sequel taking place on a colonization fleet in 2045, which encounters the enemy the Zentraedi were fighting before they met humanity. Something of a black sheep in the series due to being less serious in tone, with plot elements that push it toward the SuperRobotGenre.[[/index]]
** ''Macross Dynamite 7'', a short OVA sequel to ''7'', taking place in 2047 and focusing on thwarting a group of poachers trying to hunt literal {{Space Whale}}s.

* ''Anime/MacrossZero'', an OVA prequel to the original series set in 2008, depicting the tail end of the UN Wars mentioned in the series's backstory, and offering some more insight into the [[{{Precursors}} Protoculture]] and their contact with ancient humans.
* ''Anime/MacrossFrontier'', a full series sequel set in 2059, nearly 50 years after the original series. It is also set on a colonization fleet, and depicts humanity's encounter (and clash) with a new alien race known as the Vajra. Something of a "modern retread" of the original series in many of its themes.[[/index]]
** ''The False Songstress'' and ''The Wings of Goodbye'' are a pair of movie adaptations for ''Frontier''. Like ''DYRL?'', these movies follow a different plotline and resolution from the original show's.
** ''Macross [=FB7=]: Listen to My Song!'', which acts as a sort of {{Crossover}} between ''Frontier'' and ''7'', while also serving as a CompilationMovie for the latter.

* ''Anime/MacrossDelta'', the fourth full series. It takes place in 2067 (eight years after ''Frontier'') on a remote cluster of colony planets. It covers the exploits of Walküre, a group of {{Idol Singer}}s whose songs can counteract a mysterious "disease" spreading around the colonies known as Var Syndrome, which causes extreme aggression and violent outbursts in those it affects.
** ''Passionate Walkūre'' and ''Absolute Live!!!!!!'' are a pair of movie adaptations for ''Delta''. Like ''DYRL?'' and the Frontier movies, these movies follow a different plotline and resolution from the original show's, with the latter having brand new content.

* WaveMotionTuningFork: The incredibly powerful signature weapon of the franchise's eponymous CoolStarship is a defining example of this in anime.

* BroadStrokes: ''Macross'' tends to play fast-and-loose with canon. This started as early as the original series vs its movie adaptation ''Do You Remember Love?'', which depict the same war but with vastly different events taking place. ''Macross Frontier'' and its movie adaptations similarly depict mutually exclusive sets of events coming to pass. ''Macross 7'' tried to explain away ''Do You Remember Love?'' as an in-universe movie, thus rendering its progression of events fictional, but the Zentra
di keep their movie exclusive designs and ships, rather than the original series' look.

* BroadStrokes: ''Macross'' tends to play fast-and-loose with canon. This started as early as the original series vs its movie adaptation ''Do You Remember Love?'', which depict the same war but with vastly different events taking place. ''Macross Frontier'' and its movie adaptations similarly depict mutually exclusive sets of events coming to pass. ''Macross 7'' tried to explain away ''Do You Remember Love?'' as an in-universe movie, thus rendering its progression of events fictional, but the Zentraedi keep their movie exclusive designs and ships, rather than the original series' look.

** By later series, humans and Zentraedi have integrated so much culturally and genetically that it's hard to see the latter as "alien" anymore, especially once other Protoculture derived races appear that show even more physical differences.

* IncredibleShrinkingMan: Zentradei possess the technology to reduce themselves to one-tenth their size and mass. The original intent was for storage and transportation of mass troops. It was eventually adapted to infiltrate and later integrate with miclone cultures.

* MiniMecha: The ubiquitous Zentraedi battle pods/suits may be HumongousMecha from a human perspective, but for their giant-sized pilots, they straddle the line between this trope and PoweredArmor.

* OurGiantsAreBigger: The Zentraedi, a race of thirty-foot-tall {{Proud Warrior|RaceGuy}} HumanAliens who have appeared in every series (with the exception of ''Anime/MacrossZero'') and come to make up a significant portion of the (New) United Nations' population.

* SpiritualAntithesis: Oddly, its American adaptation, ''Anime/{{Robotech}}'', became this as their timelines progressed. In ''Macross'', the Zentraedi become more like humanity, while in ''Robotech'', thanks to repeated invasions, humanity is becoming a warrior race like the Zentraedi.

* ''Anime/MacrossII'', an OVA and manga series that was made without the original creators' authorization, and has since been placed as an AlternateContinuity. The story takes place in 2090, nearly 80 years after the first series, and follows a news reporter as he gets caught up in a war against the Marduk, who use enslaved Zentraedi soldiers to fight for them.

* RubberForeheadAliens: While all humanoid species in ''Macross'' closely resemble humans, some still have a few clearly non-human features, like fins, tails, tentacles, etc.

*** Yes and no. In Macross, aside from combat, activities involving Variable-Fighters can range from local high-school clubs to galactic sporting events. Operating Variable-Fighters is actively encouraged due to pilots often being the first line of defense when any NUN territory is on the receiving end of an alien invasion, or the first line of attack in efforts to pacify hostile alien species as NUN expands its influence.

*** Yes and no. In Macross, aside from combat, activities involving Variable-Fighters can range from local high-school clubs to galactic sporting events. Operating Variable-Fighters is actively encouraged due to pilots often being the first line of defense when any NUN territory is on the receiving end of an alien invasion, or the first line of attack in an effort to pacify hostile alien species as NUN expands its influence.

*** Yes and no. In Macross, aside from combat, activities involving Variable-Fighters can range from high-school clubs to sporting events. Operating Variable-Fighters is actively encouraged due to pilots often being the first line of defense upon becoming the receiving end of an alien invasion, or the first line of attack upon engaging a hostile alien species as NUN expand its influence in the galaxy.

*** Yes and no. In Macross, aside from combat, activities involving variable fighters can range from high-school clubs to sporting events. Operating VFs is actively encouraged due to pilots often being the first line of defense upon becoming the receiving end of an alien invasion, or the first line of attack upon engaging a hostile alien species as NUN expand its influence in the galaxy.

* An unnamed TV series [[https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2017-01-29/macross-gets-new-tv-anime-in-2018-35th-anniversary-project/.111595 announced during a Walkure concert]], set for release in 2018.

** ''[[Anime/Macross7 Dynamite 7]]'' actually shows the use of an honest to goodness nuclear weapon, but it's okay since it's the bad guys using it.

* FasterThanLightTravel: Done by "folding" into "superdimensional space", with long jumps eating up ''a lot'' of power (which is part of why humanity's FTL-capable colony ships still often take ''generations'' to find a habitable world).
* GenerationShips: Form a major part of the setting, with several series being set on them. Unusually for the trope, they're FTL-capable; it's just that long jumps still take ''a lot'' of time to complete and recover from.

** ''[[Anime/Macross7 Dynamite 7]]'' actually shows the use of an honest to goodness nuclear weapon, but it's okay since it's the bad guys using it. ''Anime/MacrossZero'' also features missiles that are explicitly identified as nuclear, and while they are used by the good guys their use is ''not'' treated as a good thing.

* HalfHumanHybrid[=/=]UnevenHybrid: Due to the prevalence of InterspeciesRomance and HumanAliens, human-alien hybrids become increasingly common in the shows taking place after the original, to the point where it's barely noteworthy by the time of ''Frontier'' and ''Delta''.

* RiddleForTheAges: Exactly what happened to the ''Megaroad 01'', and with it, the original series cast? Thirty real-life years later and nearly fifty in-universe years later, and all anyone knows is that it disappeared without a trace a few years after its launch. No ''Macross'' series has touched that plot thread since its introduction. Some hints were given at last in ep. 25 of ''Delta'', but the actual answer is still left ambiguous.

** This may be true to an extent especially in Macross Zero and SDF Macross. However, after Space War I, human colonies grew more diverse and each colony now sport a specific cultural heritage, including language. Moreover, since the Zentradi (friendly to humans or otherwise) are numerically superior to actual humans, it is implied that the galactic Lingua-Franca is actually Zentran by the time of Macross PLUS.