The Big O

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Alternative Titles

Synonyms: Big O Roger, Big O
Japanese: THEビッグオー
English: The Big O
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Information

Type: TV
Episodes: 26
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Oct 13, 1999 to Mar 27, 2003
Premiered: Fall 1999
Broadcast: Unknown
Producers: Bandai Visual
Studios: Sunrise
Source: Original
Genres: ActionAction, MysteryMystery, Sci-FiSci-Fi
Themes: Adult CastAdult Cast, MechaMecha, PsychologicalPsychological
Duration: 24 min. per ep.
Rating: PG-13 - Teens 13 or older

Statistics

Score: 7.551 (scored by 3851638,516 users)
1 indicates a weighted score.
Ranked: #17842
2 based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.
Popularity: #2118
Members: 97,448
Favorites: 974

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Recommendations

If you like surreal shows about giant robots in a dreary, post-apocalyptic setting, ho boy, have I got the show for you. 
report Recommended by Masterminded
It's futuristic in nature and has the same "overcast", melancholly tone to it. The characters are increadibly similar to eachother; Spike Spiegel and Roger Smith (both voiced by Stephen Blum in English) are both cool and collected characters with beloved allies that annoy them to no end. Faye Valentine and Angel (both voiced by Wendee Lee in English) are both selfish women looking to restore their lost memories and who become unwillingly in love with the main character. Both fantastic. 
report Recommended by Neite
Both shows feature: A detective style character (Narutaki and Roger Smith) A female aide (Hsu Ling Ling and R. Dorothy Wayneright) A butler (Kawakubo and Norman Burg) A big tough robot (Goriki and the Big O) An ally on the force (Onigawara and Dan Dastun) Outlandish villains A dangerous city as a setting  
report Recommended by RodG
Both are giant Robot shows with a Steam Punk setting. Similar fight scenes and designs. 
report Recommended by IAmZim
Both about losing something important which in princess tutu its memories and emotions in The Big O its just memories. Princess Tutu dancing and some fighting The Big O robots combat ! 
report Recommended by bunnij
Both shows are set in bubble cities in the near future and have some dark vibes. While Ergo Proxy doesn't have mechs, its does still have some action packed combat. More importantly the characters in both stories delve deeper in the history and dark past of the bubbles cites to reveal some big secrets. 
report Recommended by ilikewhiterice
Both are about lost memories. However The Big O features a mass memory wipe, while Cassher Sins is only limited to Casshern. Both of them however, feature a dystopian future due to a past cataclysm. that took the lives of many and are the result of the protagonist's memory loss. 
report Recommended by VentusCross
Noir-Style Setting, mechas fighting and protagonist doing detective-y work. 
report Recommended by ariapokoteng
Big O and Darker than Black draw influences from film noir (and, some may say, Batman). Both are set in a grim future brought about by a cataclysmic event that occurred years prior. The protagonists are well-known professionals in their line of work with shady pasts that may be connected to the aforementioned disaster. 
report Recommended by Berkut
The Big O's Roger Smith is pretty much Bruce Wayne with a super robot as opposed to a Bat costume. Much of the production staff behind The Big O had previously worked on outsourced animation for Batman TAS, taking much influence from that particular iteration of DC's rich superhero. Batman: Gotham Knight is a simply a more direct anime version - just from some different talent and an alternate anime studio involved. 
report Recommended by Quetzal_dactylus
- Strange futuristic world. - Cool-headed guy and female robot buddy. - Both robot girls are very strong and most definitely lift more than you. - World building through episodic adventures arising from their freelance work. - Sinister overarching plots. - Robots and laser beams. The robot girl from Dimension W is more or less a cheerful moe-blob human and the robot girl in Big O is colder and has a drier, more deadpan sense of humour. The protagonists are also 'badass' in slightly different but equally neckbeardy ways. 
report Recommended by Lemon
Suave renaissance men who have mysterious pasts pilot larger than average mecha with help from classy butlers and capable female companions. The mechs are the selling point of the shows, but both main characters are skilled inside and outside of their robots. The plots are mostly episodic. The Big O is more serious, but has a sly sense of humor. Whereas Daitarn 3 is very comedic with occasionally dark undertones. Lots of fun. 
report Recommended by No_Comment
Both are anime original shows that are set in futuristic cities recovering from a mysterious disaster, and are overseen by a shadowy organisation (R.U.C/Paradigm Corporation). The male leads (Roy/Roger) are freelancers who work day by day apprehending criminals, and along the way encounter a robot girl (Solty/Dorothy) and a mysterious blonde-haired girl with whom they develop a highly belligerent relationship (Rose/Angel). Both are good, though "SoltyRei" is slightly better, since it has a less confusing story. 
report Recommended by Joe_Devaney
Similar themes of identity, memory, and the relationship between man and machine. Both are noir-influenced and take a slower pace for the most part. However, The Big O has a much more prominent sense of humor and Western animation influence. 
report Recommended by Absalom7
- Both shows American style - both freaky adventure, denying logic and physics - light noir - Ms. Angel is a shadow of Fujiko - similar relationships between police inspector and protagonist  
report Recommended by alexrus
The Big O was memorable for its narrative depth and exploration of human values and morals, and while it did break away from this with its occasional robot smash up moments, this was what made the show as good as it was. Psycho pass takes the narrative elements that The Big O occasionally dables in and refines, focuses, and directs it more clearly and gives a lot of insight and thought into the complex issues of free will, human nature, and the value of law and freedom. If you enjoyed how the Big O would take a moment to make you think, you'll love how Pyscho  read more 
report Recommended by nikiyasha
Both series represent how in the 90s a lot of animes and mangas get inspired by american pop culture(in Trigun case with western and in The big o with noir) 
report Recommended by Inimus
Both shows are heavily inspired by the aesthetics of western media at the time (Bubblegum Crisis with Blade Runner and The Big O with the Batman animated series). They both also follow a more episodic approach at the start, with a few somewhat standalone episodes of the cast solving crimes and fighting enemies, before moving into a more connected storyline in the latter parts. 
report Recommended by FinalReality56
While both of the shows are diffirent, they share one common trope - both shows have mechs with steampunk aesthetics, fighting in urban conditions. 
report Recommended by Tyrraell
Both have strong American superhero influences. Big O is full of Batman allusions, the main character being a rich man who dresses in black and uses gadets to poke around and solve mysteries (and fight mecha) and the art style is reminiscent of the art-deco type animation of the old batman cartoons. Tiger & Bunny is a bit closer to X-men with characters who are NEXT with powers are considered 'the next stage in evolution' by some and people to be feared by others, with some NEXT turning to crime and others turning to heroism. They both also take place in urban environments highly similar  read more 
report Recommended by noirgrimoir
Crapsack postapocalyptic worlds, people controlled by rich people in domed cities. Both protagonists are sort of "jacks of all trades" Ancient Mass Destruction Weapons 
report Recommended by ariapokoteng
Roger Smith and Yugo are negotiators who don't kill people and use weapons. Except that Big O is set in a fictional noir city while Yugo is set in Pakistan and Russia.  
report Recommended by xxxholic_wing
Almost similar story and characters, so if you are interested in mystery and action they both are worthy to watch. 
report Recommended by Jazma
Roger Smith and Reiji Fujita is very similar to each other and they both have a similar job. On top of that they both have a female assistance to help them in their work. The bond between them will also get close as the story develop. The themes and the settings may be different to Gallery Fake, however as I remember Big O have a seinen type of story which someway is similar to Gallery Fake. 
report Recommended by XzaR
Great plot, superb charaters, and a quest for knownlegde/power/ self discovery. Big O has everything that makes a show great. 
report Recommended by archdeluxe
Haves the futuristic and most importantly the Gotham City feel. Paradigm City is like Gotham City without Batman, but with gundam like mecha. Metropolis has the large city feel, with its run down slums and power hungry elites. But both shows, have a past of these cities that's surround in secret. 
report Recommended by Jmac
Both feature semi-sentient giant robots left behind from a forgotten era. The mecha designs also have some close similarities. 
report Recommended by mikemania
Both Lupin III and The Big O have this old-fashioned animation style that looks about the same. Although, Lupin has a different storyline, but I see the similarities in both Lupin and Roger, they are (not) detectives, but you know, they have the feeling they want to be one and then act towards being one. They're both pretty fun to watch although The Big O has a more Sci-Fi feel to it while Lupin has this dramatic-comedy feel to it. Both are enjoyable and decent to watch. 
report Recommended by Angry_Anime_Nerd
Have very different characters and style but somewhat similar stories and settings in the sci-fi genre. They both take place in a post-apocalyptic world, No.6 in a city built to be a utopia with a wall to keep the rest of the world out, and Big O in Paradigm, a city where the rich live in domes, and few know about the cities outside. Both settings have dark secrets the main characters must uncover, and in doing so learn more about themselves. 
report Recommended by noirgrimoir
they both have mechas.  
report Recommended by cidz
Both start out as mecha shows with fun and sometimes outrageous scenarios. As they progress though they begin to show their true colors. While Code Geass questions why we lie and mask our true selves and whether it's a good or bad thing to do, Big O asks why our memories are so important to us and what would happen if we lost them. Both show corruption through god-like power (Geass and Mega Deuces.) Code Geass's mask symbolism is similar to Big O's stage symbolism. While Geass is all about Zero planning out his attacks and putting on dramatic "performances", Big O does  read more 
report Recommended by M0richild