Beginning in the 1980s, the Macross anime franchise is one of the most iconic and influential mecha properties, right alongside the likes of Gundam. Long kept out of the West in the streaming era, many entries in the franchise are finally heading overseas in early 2025.
A new Hulu programming listing will see several Macross shows added to the streaming platform’s lineup in the coming days. These include the concert compilation of videos tied to the first series, as well as the modern classic Macross Frontier. This finally ends the mecha anime’s absence from the West, putting it on the same streaming service that also hosts several shows from a “rival” property.
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Macross Fronter and Multiple Others Gerwalk Their Way Onto Hulu This Month
Recently revealed in a list of upcoming programming for Hulu, over 15 Macross iterations are being added to the service on Jan. 13, 2025. These include not only the shows from throughout the years, but also their corresponding theatrical retelling and compilations. Chief among these is Macross Frontier, which was the most popular modern version of the series among international fans, despite its lack of an official release. Known for its music and recognizable characters, the series’ soundtrack had sales rivaling those of the popular Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise. The official listing of shows being added to Hulu is as follows:
- The Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Flash Back 2012
- The Super Dimension Fortress Macross II: Lovers, Again
- Macross Plus
- Macross Plus Movie Edition
- Macross Delta
- Macross Delta: Passionate Walküre (Macross Delta the Movie: Passionate Walkūre)
- Macross Delta: Zettai LIVE!!!!!!
- Macross Zero
- Macross 7
- Macross Dynamite 7
- Macross 7: The Galaxy is Calling Me!
- Macross Fb7 Listen to My Song!
- Macross Frontier
- Macross Frontier: The False Songstress
- Macross Frontier: The Wings of Farewell
- Macross Frontier: Labyrinth of Time
As noted, many of these shows were never officially released in the West, or at least not in the modern era. This was due to licensing issues between Big West, Studio Nue and the Western company Harmon Gold USA, the latter of which used footage from the original Macross anime to create the 1980s series Robotech. Fortunately, an agreement was reached in 2021, with fans having waited since then for shows to start being brought over to the West. This happened in 2024 through the Star brand of international versions of Disney+, but they’re only now making their way to Hulu (which is now wholly owned by Disney) in 2025. While the licensing agreement seems to have not covered the first Super Dimension Fortress Macross anime (likely due to its visual equality to Robotech), The Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Flash Back 2012, which includes music videos and footage from the original anime, is included.
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Macross Is Tied to Several Other Big-Name Anime Franchises
Airing in 1982, Super Dimension Fortress Macross ended up launching and being connected to several other franchises. Along with being the progenitor of the Macross brand, it was also the first in the “Super Dimension” trilogy by Big West that also included Super Dimension Century Orguss and Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross. None of these shows were related, however, with the Super Dimension moniker more of a loose branding than anything else. In fact, Macross is humorously shown as a series within the worlds of the other two shows by way of cameos, although this is the only connection they have. Both Macross and Southern Cross, along with Genesis Climber MOSPEADA, had their footage spliced together to make the aforementioned Robotech, another brand to which Macross is tied.
The original Takatoku Toys action figure for the Macross VF-1 Valkyrie was rather infamously used as the toy for Jetfire in the original Generation 1 Transformers toy line. Due to the legal issues surrounding this, the character was actually renamed and redesigned as “Skyfire” in the corresponding animated series. This all makes Macross a veritable kingmaker among old-school anime and mecha franchises, and in terms of iconography and popularity, it’s largely seen as second only to the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise. Ironically, it was announced in 2024 that Sunrise, the studio behind the various Gundam anime, will be helming the next Macross series. Hulu also hosts many Gundam anime, from those set in the Universal Century timeline to later hits such as Gundam Wing and Mobile Suit Gundam 00. Thus, fans of both mecha brands can finally watch the majority of them in the same place.
In a distant corner of the galaxy, a space colony fleet embarks on a mission to find new planets suitable for human life. However, their journey is threatened by frequent attacks from a mysterious alien race. Amidst the chaos, a love triangle unfolds between a young pilot, a popular singer, and an aspiring performer, complicating their fight for survival.
- Release Date
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April 3, 2008
- Finale Year
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November 30, 2007
- Creator(s)
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Shōji Kawamori
- Cast
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Yuichi Nakamura
, Tomokazu Sugita
, Jun Fukuyama
, Katsuyuki Konishi
, Kikuko Inoue
, Houko Kuwashima
, Sanae Kobayashi
, Aya Endo - Seasons
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1
Source: Hulu via X (formerly Twitter)
