

Seen District 9 yet? If not, don't worry — I won't spoil anything for you — but if you have you know that hulking robotic suit featured in the trailer shows up and stuff gets nuts. So that got us thinking: What other awesome powered armor, exoskeletons and battlesuits from science fiction have left a similar lasting impression?
We're not just talking movies here, either. Books, videogames and even tabletop gaming — it's all in there. Click Continue to see the top 10 most badass sci-fi battlesuits.
1. Power Loader
Seen in: Aliens (1986)
Special weapons: Super powerful, two-pronged claws and, of course — Ripley doesn't leave home without one, after all — a mini-flamethrower.
Claim to fame: Right when this forklift-on-crack showed up in Aliens, we all knew it was too cool to just lug crates around. Taking on an alien queen? Awesome. So awesome, in fact, that you can see a Loader for yourself at the Science Fiction Museum in Seattle.
2. E-frame
Seen in: Exosquad (1993)
Special weapons: Depending on the suit, E-frames do it all: from flying around in space to firing all kinds of lasers and missiles at Neosapiens.
Claim to fame: America's answer to Japan's mech-happy anime. Really, we couldn't hope for much better out of a space opera geared toward kids (one that you can relive on Hulu, it turns out).
3. MI powered armor
Seen in: Starship Troopers (1959)
Special weapons: Mobile Infantry power armor makes the average soldier faster, better and stronger. There are multiple different versions of the armor adapted to fulfill specialized roles (which Heinlein greatly details).
Claim to fame: Absent from the film(s) — though the mess that was Starship Troopers 3: Maruader took a shallow stab at the concept — Heinlein's powered armor is to military exoskeletons what Asimov's 'bots are to modern robotics. Described by Rico as "steel gorillas," the Mobile Infantry's powered armor blurs the line between infantry and an armored unit — something today's military would love to see. (And we're talking actively working toward — from near-future applications such as the Sarcos exoskeleton, to more futuristic powered armor concepts.
4. Nanosuit
Seen in: Crysis (2007)
Special weapons: Different modes — such as super strength, speed, hardened armor or a cloak — make the nanosuit a force to be reckoned with.
Claim to fame: Not only does Crysis boast some of the best graphics around, its crazy nanosuit is the metric ton of cherries on top. The nanosuit looks great, to boot, rivaling even the Master Chief in badassery (who can't be on this list, sadly — cyborgs don't count). UPDATE: Unlike his Marathon predecessor, Master Chief is not a cyborg (or maybe he is — you'll find both points of view below), as the comments below have pointed out. However, he went on a crazy bender and couldn't come in for pictures in time to make this list, so he's still out. Sorry, folks!
5. Tachikoma
Seen in: Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (2002)
Special weapons: An agile, spider-like body coupled with a playful, built-in AI. While it looks more tank than suit, the degree of control the Tachikoma affords makes it like a second skin.
Claim to fame: In a very serious sci-fi universe, the Tachikoma stands out for its humor. Yep — it's essentially a comedian with a big ol' cannon fitted to his head.
6. Accelerator suit
Seen in: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009)
Special weapons: Arm-mounted mini-gun, grappling gear and all-around enhanced abilities. Just about the only thing it doesn't improve is one's ability to act.
Claim to fame: For some, the accelerator suit represents the death of all things G.I. Joe, with the costumes being ditched for a rather drab-looking battlesuit. For others, it represents serious toy franchise dollars. (Though, to be fair, with technologies such as the HULC battlesuit right around the corner, the days of toy soldiers dressed like pro wrestlers are probably over.)
7. Gundam RX-78
Seen in: Mobile Suit Gundam (1979)
Special weapons: The plethora of Gundam robots out there have wielded anything and everything, but there's usually a general combination at work: a ranged weapon, a shield of some sort and a close combat weapon (classically a Jedi-esque beam sword).
Claim to fame: Giant. Robot.
8. Space Marine armor
Seen in: Warhammer 40,000 (1987)
Special weapons: While each genetically-enhanced Space Marine is really a weapon unto himself, his power armor (or armour, if you please) rounds him out as one of the toughest soldiers in the universe.
Claim to fame: Science fiction is chock-full of marines that also happen to be in space, but how about marines that are in space during a universe-spanning dark age that takes place during the 41st millennium?
9. Advanced Power Armor
Seen in: Fallout 3 (2008)
Special weapons: Much like the aforementioned Space Marine armor, the powered suits featured in the Fallout series are heavily-armored performance enhancers. It'll stop everything from bullets to Canadians.
Claim to fame: Fallout's power armor presents a visage as striking as a Stormtrooper's, set in a memorable post-apocalyptic world to boot. Whether you're wearing it or running from it in the game, it'll leave a lasting impression. Of all the armor on the list, Fallout's retro-futuristic powered armor is probably the close to being realized. Hell, slap some plating on the HAL exoskeleton and that'd be darn close.
10. Prawn battle suit
Seen in: District 9 (2009)
Special weapons: A lightning cannon on one arm and a machine-gun-thing on the other. Both make fools explode. It's also got a bullet-stopping trick it can do (just like Neo!), but you'll just have to see the movie to check that out.
Claim to fame: I'm not going to spoil anything for you. See District 9. You'll remember this thing. Trust me.
Bonus: AMP
To be seen in: Avatar (2009)
Special weapons: We really have no idea what the AMP is capable of, but that sure is a big rifle it's holding. That and it's aptly named to be #11 on our list.
Claim to fame: Luckily, we won't have to wait much longer to find out the answer to this one as James Cameron's Avatar will land in theaters later this year. (Think the AMP is cut out to be Cameron's Power Loader 2.0?)
(UPDATE!) Extra Bonus: Iron Man
Seen in: Iron Man (2008)
Special weapons: How did we miss this? Of course, Tony Stark's Iron Man suit is one of the most badass examples of powered armor (thanks, commenters!). In the film, it displayed a host of weaponry — shooting antitank missiles from the wrists and antipersonnel rounds from the shoulders — but it was the repulsor jets in the palms that stole the show.
Claim to fame: The iconic red-and-gold armor was actually the third version that Stark built, forging it out of a gold/titanium alloy so it wouldn't freeze at high altitudes. The holographic heads-up display in the helmet is pretty awesome, too. Look for some upgrades when Iron Man 2 hits theaters next year.
Got a battlesuit near and dear to your heart? Let us know in the comments below!
By evilDrone at 8:14 AM ON 08/18/09
What about IronMan ????
By anonymousFan at 8:41 AM ON 08/18/09
Master Chief is not a cyborg, thus his suit should be on this list. Do some research, Master Chief is a man(though a total badass man) inside a battle suit.
By EnOne at 9:02 AM ON 08/18/09
Iron Man, Predator, Batman, Mecha Godzilla, Mechwarrior... the list goes on and on
By Anonymous at 9:21 AM ON 08/18/09
what about the suits in the "forever war"
By anonymousFan at 9:25 AM ON 08/18/09
And lest not we forget Samus' suit in Metroid, also quite the bad ass suit. How many other suits allow you to turn into a small ball and roll through random tunnels on alien ships?
By IonAphis at 9:28 AM ON 08/18/09
Nah nah, definitely the best badass battlesuit ever has to be the Starcraft Marine suit...
By Braystreet at 9:47 AM ON 08/18/09
Samus's suit failing is the plot of almost all the games though, so it can't really be all that good, can it? If the I-Phone can remember that last time I was on it, I put the speedometer app next to the shake the baby app or whatever, I think a suit remembering how to turn into a ball isn't too much to ask.
By TxSleeper at 9:58 AM ON 08/18/09
Yes! How did you leave Iron-Man's suit out!? Also, MasterChief is human 100 percent, recruited/taken as a child and bootcamped into a teen soldier before his genetic enhancements to be able to handle/survive his MJOLNIR suit. He should definitely be on the list!
Batman should also be included. Please make a revised list or a Part two at least.
By Darth Liftie at 10:01 AM ON 08/18/09
Should a mech be considered a battlesuit? what about battletech? You have elemental infantry and battlemechs. (Exo Squad? Really?)
By crucislancer at 10:04 AM ON 08/18/09
Yup, this list needs Iron Man, the MJOLNIR suit, and Elemental battle armor from Battletech.
By Mike_Rider at 10:13 AM ON 08/18/09
And those big gun toting things in Matrix 2 & 3...
By Anti_Hero at 10:29 AM ON 08/18/09
Well, well done.
E-Frame's, Starship Troopers and Dawn of War. Excellent.
The others I can think of that should have gotten a mention are BattleTech' Mechs (Mechwarrior) and the Scout and Warrior Suits from John Steakley's book Armor. Google it. Then read.
By Jamion at 10:35 AM ON 08/18/09
Tachikomas were not suits, they were AI think tanks. Designed to work on their own, and back up a person, yea they could carry people; but mainly they worked independently. Not only that they became self-aware, sapient even. Tachikomas were more like another classification all of there own not an armor suit.
Also what about the EVA suits from Neon Genesis Evangelon? Those thing were the shit.
By PTRICKY at 10:38 AM ON 08/18/09
Shhhhhhh, Mike. We don't talk about those.
By one time at 11:08 AM ON 08/18/09
How about the Cyclone motorcycle/armor from Robotech
By RX-77 at 11:09 AM ON 08/18/09
sci-fi battlesuits? It's real!
Japan made RX-78 before the U.S. got F35 cost.
I wonder the next Japanese weapon is Tachikoma.
By darklord2009 at 11:12 AM ON 08/18/09
OK. Where is the Guyver suit in all this? It is a suit after all (not a cyborg).
By Nick at 11:14 AM ON 08/18/09
As usual dvice has incomplete and inaccurate information. I need to just delete this RSS feed.
By Antisocialian at 11:26 AM ON 08/18/09
I'm disappointed that no evangelion was on the list...
By Volg at 11:33 AM ON 08/18/09
@Mike_Rider Those would be the APU (Armored Personnel Unit) and they were too limited.. but admittedly totally awesome.
By Phogo at 11:46 AM ON 08/18/09
Prawn Battle suit had a gravity gun like Half Life 2. Remember it picked up a pig and shot it, along with those bullets.
By Jeff77042 at 11:50 AM ON 08/18/09
A Jedi's cloak is all the armor that I need (he wrote, tongue-in-cheek).
But yeah, Iron Man tops them all.
I loved the battle-suit from the game _Battlefield 2142_.
By SamusMaXximus at 11:57 AM ON 08/18/09
One word.... Voltron!!!!!!
By Spartan117 at 12:12 PM ON 08/18/09
How is the MJOLNIR armor not on here? I mean, the freaking power loader is on here, and it was only made "bad-ass" by Ripley's use of it.
By Golden Rose at 12:26 PM ON 08/18/09
What about the bad ass gunners in The Matrix Reloaded? Robo man machine gunners? Those were amazing! They gave them a chance against the machine attack.
By MacVault Dweller at 12:28 PM ON 08/18/09
The armors in the book
ARMOR by John Steakley
By fred at 12:44 PM ON 08/18/09
What about Eva - Unit 01? Dunno if it qualifies as a "suit" though
Badass moves, speed, Strength and top equipment? Evangelion, What Else?
By Dave.T at 12:46 PM ON 08/18/09
What, no Power Rangers? Sorry, I just had to say it.
By Lexomatic at 12:47 PM ON 08/18/09
With the headline "battle*suit*," the nominee devices should be *worn* by their operators, and be probably no more than twice their height. Which excludes most things called "mechs" or "mecha," including Evangelions, Gundams, Voltron(s), and certain models of E-Frame. And if Ripley's improvisation with a power loader makes it a *battle*suit, then a skillet is a sidearm.
Heinlein's mobile infantry finally got powered armor (or at least armored spacesuits) in "Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles," a CG TV series loosely based on the Verhoeven movie; but they had no particularly amazing abilities.
In the Alastair Reynolds novels _Revelation Space_, there's a nanotech-based, antimatter-powered suit like a shapeshifting marshmellow, able to make planetfall and extrude weapons at will.
The anime "Bubblegum Crisis" gave us the Knight Sabers "hardsuits," which trade armor and endurance for speed and acrobatic agility (and sleek feminine contours). In the "Tokyo 2040" remake, the revised suits acted like the Reynolds marshmellow above, at least when their integral AIs were unleashed.
In the Ken Macleod novel _The Cassini Division_, the titular squad wear nanotech suits that can shapeshift into most anything, including space armor and sexy lingerie, and /in extremis/ can upload the wearer's mind.
From Kenichi Sonoda's manga _Cannon God Exaxxion_: looks like a bike racer's jumpsuit, controls inertia to withstand impact, has integral handguns, and packs into a glove.
@onetime: The transforming battlebikes from "MOSPEADA" (aka Cyclones from "Robotech"), of course, but for something burlier there's the Garland from "Megazone 23."
The prototype suit in the anime "MADOX-01" had boost jets, machine guns, grapnel-anchors, and oscillating saw blades in the wings.
One anti-vote, if I may: the transforming KARR from the recent "Knight Rider" remake, which was badass in neither concept nor story execution.
By fred at 12:48 PM ON 08/18/09
and I forgot obviously Gray Fox's exoskeleton in Metal Gear ! Awesome capabilities and looks
By Felipe 058 at 12:58 PM ON 08/18/09
Wow, you guys really don't know your Halo History, now do you? While the Master Chief himself was a cyborg (for the one or two posters that said he isn't, he technically is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyborg ) the MJOLNIR armour itself was not actually a physical part of him; it was merely an extension of him and the other SPARTANs who wore it, which is the definition of powered armour! They are still people wearing an exoskeleton! Yes, the armour can't be worn by a "normal" human, but that should not exclude it from this list. (Yeah, I'm a Halo nerd, you got a problem with that???)
And Samus Aran's different Chozo Power Suits should be considered as well (ten times more badass than Iron Man's suit). You have the "Prawn" Battle Suit from "District 9" here, and it could only be used by the "Prawns" (I really hate using that word), so why not include another exoskeleton that, although created by an alien species, was worn by a human?
And then there are the Evas from Neon Genesis Evangelion, quite possibly the MOST badass exoskeltons ever created.
GAH!!! Stupid Captcha, I got Shangahi'd On the Evangelion one (I was just providing support for the other two.)
Holy crap, I almost forgot!!! (I guess the Captcha isn't TOO bad...) What about Gordon Freeman's HEV Mark IV and V suits from the Half-Life series??? It has a flashlight!!!! That has to count for something, right? http://half-life.wikia.com/wiki/HEV_Suit
By Kevin Hall at 1:08 PM ON 08/18/09
@Lexomatic
"Roughnecks" did give the MI their first on-screen powered armor, but it was in the original book, and that stuff was damn impressive.
By connor1138 at 1:14 PM ON 08/18/09
No Veritech? Huh.
By stephen at 1:15 PM ON 08/18/09
No mention of Boba Fett's Mandalorian armor? Definitely better than a loader or GI Joe's Accelerator suit...
By wl552 at 1:21 PM ON 08/18/09
You obviously never read the book "Armor" by John Steakley. That battle suit is seriously badass.
By Felipe 058 at 1:47 PM ON 08/18/09
Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a frakking minute!!!!! You have the audacity to include the Warhammer 40,000 Space Marines but not the Master Chief, the other SPARTANs, and thier MJOLNIR armour? You said it yourself: the Space Marines are genetically enhanced, as are the SPARTANs, so why are the SPARTANs and their MJOLINR disqualified but the Space Marines not? The SPARTANs could kick the ass of every Space Marine alive! You people (dvice) need to do your research before posting an OBVIOUSLY broken list.
By Felipe 058 at 1:51 PM ON 08/18/09
Bullcrap, Dvice!!! You can't exclude Master Chief or any of the others people have mentioned after 1) including a bonus, and 2) UPDATING to include ANOTHER bonus!!!!! You people are disgusting.
By peckedbyducks at 2:09 PM ON 08/18/09
Nice!! I would add the armor from John Steakly's book aptly titled: Armor
By PepperEyes at 3:04 PM ON 08/18/09
What about UltraMan? or even InfraMan
By jfwho at 3:31 PM ON 08/18/09
Everyone is forgetting the best suit ever. the biosuit from the Japanese Anime "The Guyver".
That suit was so powerful!
If you have never seen it check it out
By Braystreet at 3:56 PM ON 08/18/09
Why do people keep mentioning Batman? Or that one crazy person that mentioned Predator? He wore a codpiece and a handy helmet, that's not powered armour, an exoskeleton or a battlesuit.
As for Batman, Batman's costume is bulletproof, that's the only advantage it has that isn't entirely cosmetic, all of the examples listed improved the capabilities of the pilot/wearer, and in some versions/adaptations, it's even an impediment, since looking left and right is important when doing the batusi. He would actually be better off wearing a t-shirt and a real bullet proof vest.
As for Master Chief, I've never finished a Halo game, I've hated the few I've tried, but even I know that he isn't only genetically enhanced, he's also been enhanced with cybernetics to make him a better fighter and facilitate the usage of the armour. He's a cyborg, plain and simple.
Also, they've obeyed their own rules, since technically Tony Stark in the movies doesn't fit the definition of a cyborg, but Tony Stark in the comic books, since the advent of Extremis does, what with it being a nanite virus that recreated his vital organs
By vexxone at 3:59 PM ON 08/18/09
anyone ever see the movie "Robot Jox" that was bad ass
By ravage84 at 4:11 PM ON 08/18/09
What about the Guyver armor?
By jfwho at 4:18 PM ON 08/18/09
Yea, I mentioned the guyver armor a couple of posts ago it is the best ever!!!!!!
By Braystreet at 4:24 PM ON 08/18/09
I'd say the Guyver armor doesn't count because depending on your interpretation, it either makes the host a cybernetic creature by bonding with it, or because they had a symbiotic relationship, it isn't technically clothing of any sort.
By jfwho at 4:30 PM ON 08/18/09
Well if you apply that logic i don't know that you can count the Tachikoma, because they were like small tanks that worked just fine without anyone inside. I don't know if you can count something as armor that works without a person in it.
By sket at 4:33 PM ON 08/18/09
My vote goes to the Crysis nanosuit! :))
By VaiaNell at 4:33 PM ON 08/18/09
What about Briareos from Appleseed? He's human but due to combat injuries so severe, they placed him in the Hecatonchires combat armor exoskeleton. Besides, if Deunan still loves him in that armor that's got to be worth something...
By J-Skooltiger at 6:05 PM ON 08/18/09
Aliens Power Loader had a Caterpillar logo and the company had many people call in to it's office to try and order one.
By mynameisme91 at 6:24 PM ON 08/18/09
I gotta say that I think the Super Soldiers suit from Stargate SG1 was pretty awesome. Impervious to basically everything....I mean it was hit by a missile and the guy still survived!!
By DemonHatchet at 9:00 PM ON 08/18/09
Amazing and badass as the armour that the Kull Warriors (super soldiers) wore in sg-1 is, it is not really a battlesuit in the sense that they are using. The suits didn't enhance their abilities in any way, just made them impervious to most weapons. Carter even described it as being similar to Kevlar. They had super strength because they were genetically engineered to have it.
By zion89 at 9:22 PM ON 08/18/09
OMG ur missing the Marine suit from Starcraft, the Goliath also from SC, and also Samus Aran's Chozo suit lol, and the kull warrior from SG-1 and also evangelion could be one, but that one is biologic so guess not
By monkeyman3416 at 9:45 PM ON 08/18/09
WHAT ABOUT THE STORM/CLONE TROOPERS???
By Sci-Fu at 10:31 PM ON 08/18/09
Guyver should still count as an armor even if it is symbiotic with its user/host; even IronMan's AI comp is close to symbiotic. The Guyver units (in the series) are used by its creators as a sort of space/biohazard suit.
By Stump at 11:12 PM ON 08/18/09
What about The Centurions. Man and machine power extreme :)
By Grim D. at 11:31 PM ON 08/18/09
Does the giant "Megadeus" mecha from Cartoon Network's "Big O" count?
By TripNick at 11:54 PM ON 08/18/09
What about the Armored Combat Suits from John Ringo's Legacy of Aldenata series? You know it's hit the fan when the ACS shows to fight the Posleen.
By melkurion at 1:03 AM ON 08/19/09
Guyver anyone...?
By Gundam fan20 at 5:55 AM ON 08/19/09
Well I'm glad gundam made it on the list. what is this e-frame crap? yeah I think i can make a better list "most" of things on the list are merely Iconic.
By nky-guy at 6:03 AM ON 08/19/09
What, no mention of the Guyver unit?
By Vlen at 8:17 AM ON 08/19/09
Since we can include aliens in this, what about the Dalek from Doctor Who?
By csanga at 8:38 AM ON 08/19/09
Hey what about the robotech valkyrie starfighter, cyclone motorcycle power armor and the alpha/beta mecha powerarmor?
By R3MY at 9:55 AM ON 08/19/09
Samus Aran.
By ad_civitas at 4:00 PM ON 08/19/09
Um... Boba Fett?
Helloooo?
Any actual geeks writing this list?
By strommsarnac at 4:36 PM ON 08/19/09
Forgotten but not lost. The RPG Morrow Project has the HAAM Suit.
By metalalien at 7:28 PM ON 08/19/09
Robot Jox for the win!
By Shaylord at 9:00 PM ON 08/19/09
what about The metal gears? rex, ray?
By protoformX at 9:27 PM ON 08/19/09
This article is FAIL. How can these American classics be left out?
-No Elemental armor from BattleTech
-No MJOLNIR armor from Halo
By SciFifan at 9:45 PM ON 08/19/09
if nobody's said it before, and you probably have since I didn't read any comments, then there is definately one missing from the top 5.
Cyborg Ninja from the MGS series.
end of.
By safari at 12:12 AM ON 08/20/09
dudes, darth vader. it may not be a battle suit like the rest but is is fraking awesome! a cape? life support? vader doesnt need all your fancy weapons to kill. his iron will and command of the dark side are all he needs.
include the (asthmatic part-robot) evil one.
By kramer at 12:19 AM ON 08/20/09
also, the battle suits in ben bovas "orion among the stars" and john ringos series march to the sea, the stars, one i forgot, and we few? the army contingent uses battle armor the entire time!
By Mad Vulcan at 1:41 AM ON 08/20/09
They put together a pretty good list. But they left out the APU's from The Matrix Revolutions. Has no one noticed this?
By Vince at 1:44 AM ON 08/20/09
This is a really great top ten list, District 9 should be #1, not #10. Best alien movie since Aliens. Anyone can post their own list to our site http://www.toptentopten.com/. The coolest feature is you can let other people vote on the rankings of your list.
By SnowyRiver at 3:11 AM ON 08/20/09
Well, I'm certainly glad to see that I'm not the only one to note the absence of the Guyver. That is by far my favorite. And, given the fact that a Guyver can be "put on" (merged with) and then taken off again (using the Remover), I should think that it counts as a suit. Really, it's simply a biotech interpretation of a battlesuit.
Also, in a similar vein to Guyver, there is the Liberus, liquid battle suit, from the anime series Figure 17. Not as cool as Guyver. Might not be top ten material, but it certainly deserves a mention.
By Octibot at 4:35 AM ON 08/20/09
Does the suit from Star Kid count?
By Dale Platt at 5:01 AM ON 08/20/09
Don't forget Elementals from BattleTech/MechWarrior
By revlis at 6:38 AM ON 08/20/09
there was a series of books written sorta post nuke war era and the soldiers wore armored suits.... refered to as CADs... anyone know the author or series mid 1980's
By mlizee at 6:42 AM ON 08/20/09
Master Chief's MJOLNIR armor needs to be number 1 on this list....
By Flechette at 7:27 AM ON 08/20/09
What about the suits from Bubble Gum Crisis? Both series had suits that kicked butt and looked good doing it~
By Frogman at 10:27 AM ON 08/20/09
There are some pretty cool battle suits in the books by Ian douglas. It's three series that form a timeline of about 3000 years of human space exploration and war. Good batch of books, and the tech in the most recent one is great. Suits with nano skin, adaptive camoflage, and lots of power! Their fighter support is a gravity bending virtual contorlled fighter that can grow nano tentacles and fight in close quarters. Well worth a read.
By TekkamanSabre at 10:29 AM ON 08/20/09
What About Tekkaman Blade and his evil Psycho Brother Tekkaman Sabre Both had Totally bad ass Armor..
By robotechfan at 10:31 AM ON 08/20/09
What about Robotech?? There were several difernt mechas over the 3 series of Robotech used by both the good and bad guys.
By tkitty at 10:33 AM ON 08/20/09
I didn't see the Power Loader (or Alien Queen) at the Sci.Fi Museum in Seattle last time I visited. I asked, and the docent said they had to return it - that exhibit was on loan. Maybe it's coming to a museum near you?
By mark3d at 11:20 AM ON 08/20/09
I didn't see the SG Atlantis Asguards Bio Suit from the "First Contact" episode. Where a rouge unit of 3 suited beings (Asguards who went to the outer edges of the Pegasus Gallexy to escape the Wraith and the Replicators) show up at Atlantis when McKay triggers the Janus Device.
M
By Jered at 12:18 PM ON 08/20/09
The list criteria makes no sense. You exclude Master Chief yet have the Warhammer guys in there which are the same concept. Plus you have a full robot in the Tachikoma. No human at all there.
Based on your reasoning for excluding Master Chief, here's some that should be disqualified as well:
Tachikoma - AI Robot, no human at all. Who's the fanboy that included this one?
E-frame - Mecha's are technically not battlesuits. They're more like airplanes or tanks as you drive or pilot them rather than them extending your actions.
Gundam - Mecha, not a battle suit despite the "mobile suit Gundam" tag.
Warhammer - genetically and cybernetically enhanced
Prawn suit - not human. (I can maybe give you this one.)
Pretty disappointed in this list. It's inconsistent and provides no real rational for the ranking beyond the author's fandom of the various nominees.
By WhiteTiger at 12:35 PM ON 08/20/09
To mention to some of the people above, armors like that worn by the clone troopers doesn't qualify as 'Power Armor'. It's simply body armor, and does not enhance the person wearing it. Even though I mention the clones, they aren't the only ones who likely didn't make the list because of that reasoning. Batman, and a few others mentioned above all fall under the same clasification. (Though Batman does ride the line with many of the mods he does, he's still a gadgeteer.)
As for Badass power armor, the Northworld series of books has some pretty sweet power armor with awesome HUD capabilities. And yes, it IS power armor since a suit with a deactivated powergrid can't even be opened by the user.
I agree about Bubblegum Crisis, Robotech, Battletech, and a few others mentioned above. I think they should have been considered before the power loader or the Tachikoma (technicaly not a battle suit since it's an AI. I'd consider it more of a drone.)
Also, there was a sci-fi compilation written a while ago, that was collections of short stories about people in (and in some cases, out) of battle armor. It also featured a short exerpt from the book "The Forever War". I don't remember the name of the book, but it had some pretty awesome battlesuits in it, including one nanite battlesuit that was essentialy a liquid sphere around the user that could as needed create weapons for the user pointed in any direction. There are so many good ones to mention that it's hard to pin down the "top ten" Even though I don't agree with it, I think Dvice did a decent job.
By Seriously? at 1:58 PM ON 08/20/09
This list fails in so many ways it's hardly worth going into. I think Iron Man and Gundam are about the only ones on this list that deserve to be in the top 10. Even the reference to the Space Marine armor, while much appreciated, is fail. The Terminator armor, and a whole succession of big badder better versions up to the Titan armor - are all superior examples within the Warhammer 40K universe. Power Loader? Seriously?
The Dvice guy needs to turn in his geek card.
By devul at 2:44 PM ON 08/20/09
How about the Glitter Boys from the Rifts RPG? Probably one of the most overpowered and unbalanced classes ever, but fun to play!
By scotty at 3:30 PM ON 08/20/09
No Ma.K (SF3D) in there although that's one of the more obscure followings.
By EDC at 3:48 PM ON 08/20/09
Where's the Robotech Cyclones?
By Glitter Boy at 4:45 PM ON 08/20/09
Glitter Boys FTW.
Though for longevity and munitions resupply cost I'll stick with a juicer.
By Anonymous at 4:48 PM ON 08/20/09
By Giesterfarher at 4:55 PM ON 08/20/09
John Steakleys Scout suit from his book named, Armour , was analogous to Heinlein's Mobile infantry armor, but was way more powerful.
Another example you missed. John Ringo's Mobile Infantry Suits from his Posleen War series. You wanna talk about Bad ass weapons? How about a forearm mounted Anti Matter rail gun? Or a Holographic projection system, with surround sound, to fool the alien enemy into thinking you're a Giant Dragon that sounds very much like a Metallica concert?
XD
By tommygunner at 5:10 PM ON 08/20/09
Gotta love the Laser finger in the forever war suit. . . shake hands wrong and things are never the same! And who could forget the
Elementals from Mechwarrior. . . So Many Toys!
By lesliead at 6:04 PM ON 08/20/09
what about green gobbies suit, in original comics the suit was designed to enhance norman's strength,allowed him interface cybernetically with his glider,and his offensive weapon... energized gloves!!
By Justin at 6:16 PM ON 08/20/09
Gears of War anyone?
By WhoLead at 6:50 PM ON 08/20/09
How about Bubblegum Crisis? Those suits were pretty nice. Also, I would recommend the original Dirty Pair suits - watch the Halloween OVA episode to see what I mean.
You used the Gundam as another example. If we go that route, how about the Macross Veritechs? There is also the Gunbuster, and on and on and on :)
Hasta!
By Kite-Eating Tree at 7:23 PM ON 08/20/09
Armor by John Steakley.
Nothin' better than gore covered armor.
By roboterkampf at 8:43 PM ON 08/20/09
I second the Ma.K. vote. Kinda partial to those suits...
By Darth Carter at 8:47 PM ON 08/20/09
Princess Leia's golden bikini - she "battled" Jaba so this counts. It's definitely badass.
By nicklareau at 9:45 PM ON 08/20/09
While I agree that the original batman should not make it, what about the "Batman Beyond" batsuit? It does pretty much everything that Ironman can, it cloaks, and strikes fear into the heart of evildoers everywhere.
By Indyskeep at 9:52 PM ON 08/20/09
The only Powered Armor in Star Wars was Mandalore (From KoTOR II) and the Dark troopers. Darth Vader's armor was mostly cybernetic and replaced most of his skin and organs destroyed on Mustafar. Boba Fetts Helmet is what controlled the different devices on his armor accept his gloves controlled his jet pack and flamethrower/rocket system. Othe then that Boba Fett was like any Mandolorian and just hoped you wouldn't shoot the cloth spots inbetween his armor plates. The Storm/Clone trooper armor was based off the Mandolorian Neo Crusader armor/Scout Armor helm and actually didn't have much but a comm system and tactical display.
So Star Wars fans I hate to tell you there isn't much in the way of power armor in their Univerise. Lots of fun Cybernetic parts though....
By bulbartacus at 11:23 PM ON 08/20/09
ehonda, randy savage and da land shark? none are sci-fi or wear spacesuits, but they all go to battle in my living room!
By Swammy34 at 11:27 PM ON 08/20/09
What about Voltron or Robotech? How were these missed????
By fipas at 6:10 AM ON 08/21/09
WHAT !? who the hell got the idea that the Master Chief was cyborg ?
We Want Master Chief there, or any of the Spartan-II there using the MJOLNIR, or one of the Spartan-III using the SPI Armor, and btw why dont you check the ODST's Battle Armor ?
Links follow:
Spartan-II : http://halo.wikia.com/wiki/SPARTAN-II_Program
MJOLNIR: http://halo.wikia.com/wiki/MJOLNIR_Powered_Assault_Armor
Spartan-III : http://halo.wikia.com/wiki/SPARTAN-III_Program
SPI Armor : http://halo.wikia.com/wiki/SPI_Armor
ODST : http://halo.wikia.com/wiki/Orbital_Drop_Shock_Trooper
ODST Battle Armor: http://halo.wikia.com/wiki/Body_Suit
By WrongWay at 3:04 PM ON 08/21/09
No robotech, battletech, or voltron?? I think the author must be too young. Can we please get some authors that are at least out of college.
This kids have no concept of the past.. or history...
By Anna at 1:28 PM ON 08/22/09
No Capt. Picard as a BORG??? Geez, people do your research!!! The ultimate bio- suit, merged with a human body!!! Make it so!!!!
By carrott at 7:04 PM ON 08/22/09
Powered armor from Alien Tribes !!!
The was a graphic novel series called Alien Tribes. It was an extension of the popular Alien movie series. The story line was that a pseudo religion had built up around the more perfect Aliens. Humans would sacrifice themselves to breed the Aliens.
Teams would be sent in to verify an infestation and clean it up. A backup option was a single person in powered armor. The wearer was kept in a coma.
If memory serves, this armor was well armed for distance to hand to hand encounters. Plus it was able to keep a human alive, at least for a time, among the acidic blood letting of Aliens.
That has got to be tough stuff.
By Jack Joiner at 10:10 PM ON 08/22/09
All of these suits are awesome, but you forgot
to mention one of the coolest suits ever. The P.E.D. Suit from Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. It's nearly indestructible, has awesome phazon missile launchers, and it's moddable. What more could you want?
By mando'ad at 2:27 PM ON 08/23/09
ever see mandalorian armor? It's all but impenetrable, brisles with weaponry and sensors, looks sinister and some versions even come with powered exoskeletal systems.
By SnoMan959 at 9:26 AM ON 08/25/09
I love Exosquad as much as the next guy but what about the Centurions? Man and machine, power extreme! All about Jake Rockwell and the Wild Wesel!
By anonymous at 9:47 AM ON 08/25/09
What about all the suits in Robotech. Veritech's, hover tanks, and Alpha's. Destroids. It was a power suit fest.
By donkey for Rent at 10:59 AM ON 08/25/09
What about j. Lo in that Versace dress at the 2000 Grammys? That "battlesuit" devestated 15 year old boys around the globe!
By R Mehardys at 5:42 PM ON 08/25/09
What about the San Diego Chicken Suit? That suit makes dudes craaaaaazy!
By Xybernauts at 10:32 PM ON 08/25/09
Ironman's suit should be number one on that list followed by DC Comic's new version of the Blue Beetle. And don't forget about X-O Manowar suit. A Tachikoma does have an AI, but the suit can also by operated manually as well so it is a battlesuit. You should also include the Xanatos' Battlesuit's from the cartoon Disney's Gargoyles as well.
By Julia at 6:03 PM ON 08/26/09
Where's Evangelion!?? Unit 01 is awesome!
By inphektious-malady at 1:56 PM ON 08/27/09
What the frak about Robocop?
By ArthurBlair at 11:57 AM ON 09/02/09
I didn't read all the comments, but I find it crazy that you left out the Centurions!
By halt at 12:05 AM ON 09/09/09
What about the ACS combat Armour in "Gust Front". All the fire power one could want, until they run into a God King!
By death by samurai at 11:29 PM ON 09/28/09
just to throw in my two cents here...John 117 is techinicly a cyborg, if by that u mean "has metal parts in him" like the literal definition suggests. tho technicly then, all marines in Halo are cyborgs (they all have a neural uplink in their heads which relays important info like name, date, age, etc) also, he's got certain metal bits like a platinum pellet in his thighs and certain sheeting in his skin...
FINALLY, if our beloved sons of the emperor are here, cheif should be too, since the Space marines have black metal sheets that form their black carrapace (its non organic, sheets of some sort of plastic polymer)
By Xybernauts at 11:11 PM ON 10/05/09
Technically, Robocop is a cyborg. He doesn't wear a battle suit. To me a battlesuit is just that, it's a "suit". It's something you can take on and off. According to Wikipedia A battlesuit is "a powered exoskeleton is a powered mobile machine consisting primarily of an exoskeleton-like framework worn by a person and a power supply that supplies at least part of the activation-energy for limb movement." So no, Robocop doesn't wear a battlesuit. I just wanted to point out if you goto Wikipedia and type 'battlesuit' in the search engine it'll redirect you to 'powered exoskeleton' which is technically just another word for battlesuit.
By dxnt at 6:08 PM ON 10/12/09
uh anonamous fan mc is a cyborg they grafted metal into his skeleton they implanted a nural thingy in the back of his neck i have read the books (i used to have way to much time on my hands) hes a cyborg but his sute should still have been on the list
By ChronoLegion at 11:49 PM ON 10/16/09
What about the armor from "Section 8"? It allows you to fall from orbit and walk it off like it's nothing. You can outrun any car on a highway. Not to mention jetpacks.
Does anyone remember an episode of the short-lived tv show "Flash" where a bad guy developed a suit to allow him to match Flash in speed and reaction time?
By ChronoLegion at 4:44 PM ON 10/17/09
Also read a book when the main character used a type of armor composed of nanites that enveloped his body as a sort-of second skin. It protected him from most sorts of damage and allowed him to perform incredible feats, such as jumping onto the roof of building from the ground. The armor was destroyed, however, when the enemy touched him with an identical armor (the author assumes that enemies that have been fighting for a long time will make similar technological discoveries). Both armors attempt to destroy the other and disintegrate, leaving the wearers unharmed.
In another book (very loosely based on Master of Orion), the protagonist in one chapter wears a power armor with plasma shielding that allows him to punch through space station walls by walking into them. This is in addition to a tachyon rifle that shoots a full second before the trigger is pulled (causality is still maintained - the weapon won't fire if you don't pull the trigger a second later).
By Newbie at 1:20 PM ON 10/22/09
VOLTRON! - tops them all - die Ro-beasts
By Xybernauts at 3:14 AM ON 10/23/09
Yeah, the version of Voltron featured on SyFy channel's Animonday is really awesome. He telepathically links the five pilots together when they form Voltron, he can create new weapons on the fly, he's powered by the pilots neuroelectrical impulses, and I think the lions are made from memory metal. I think this means he can morph. He's much better then the cartoon version I remember from when I was a kid.
Ratchet from the Sony Playstation platformer, Ratchet and Clank franchise also has a pretty awesome array of armors.
By pwnefier at 11:24 PM ON 11/04/09
lets see some drawn suits com on imagine the possabilitys ppl : )
(yes im a thinker)
By Adamalmighty at 2:43 PM ON 11/16/09
Abaddon the Despoiler's Chaos Terminator armor also Grey knights Terminator armor, both Warhammer 40K (I wish there was a movie)
By Mobius 1 at 8:16 PM ON 11/26/09
What about Halo: Master Chief that is a full cybernetic encounter suit equipped with shielding and automatic targetting systems as well as enhanced strength and decelleration protection and a full body shielding mechanism.....with auto recharge....tell me that isn't Badass......
By odst at 10:03 PM ON 12/20/09
What!wheres master chief?he's a man!or ODSTs,look at them!they are awesome.can't you see?
By Spharion at 9:13 AM ON 12/27/09
I agree with IonAphis: Starcraft's marine suite is the ultimate power armor. Too bad the actual marines were just canon fodder in the game. They are based on Warhammer 40K's marines, who actually kick ass on Relic's Dawn of War.
We need a Starcraft mod for Dawn of War II. That would seriously kick ass.
By Sergio at 5:08 PM ON 02/01/10
If you keep out Master Chief's MJOLNIR armor then you HAVE to remove the EFRAME. The E-FRAME hooked directly into the pilot's brain, making those pilots as much of a cyborg as anyone in the Halo universe.
Sergio:
If you keep out Master Chief's MJOLNIR armor then you HAVE to remove the EFRAME. The E-FRAME hooked directly into t...More »