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Buddy Complex

2014–Ongoing2 seasons15 episodes~24 min/epTV-14Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all shows

When a giant robot suddenly attacks the city, a high-school student named Aoba is saved by a classmate who's piloting her own mecha. After accepting an offer to join the alliance she's is a part of, Aoba is thrust into the middle of high-flying robot warfare.

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Where to watch

Where can I watch Buddy Complex?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists Buddy Complex streaming on Crunchyroll.

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Reception

Is Buddy Complex worth watching?

Buddy Complex's Midcredits score is the 44th percentile of all shows, from 206 ratings across 2 sources. 72% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

44th percentile

Better received than 44% of shows

52nd percentile among Animation43rd percentile among 2010s
Acclaim (how much people like it)37th
Approval (how many liked it)53rd

Acclaim

Mixed: Rating-distribution shape vs the catalog

How much people like it

68 /100

37th percentile of all shows

42nd percentile among Animation35th percentile among 2010s

Rating distribution

Big peaks at both ends — people either love this or bounce off it hard.

Approval

How many liked it

72% liked it

53rd percentile of all shows

62nd percentile among Animation52nd percentile among 2010s
72% rated it 7–1028% rated it 1–6

Reach

How many have seen it

40th percentile

193 ratings across platforms

25th percentile among Animation46th percentile among 2010s
TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Up 3% in 30 days

Episodes

1 season

Season 1 · 2013 · 13 episodes

  • S1E1

    Encounter

    Dec 29, 201325 min
  • S1E2

    Nice Coupling

    Jan 13, 201425 min
  • S1E3

    Meeting Again

    Jan 20, 201425 min
  • S1E4

    The Time for Resolve

    Jan 27, 201425 min
  • S1E5

    Scars

    Feb 3, 201425 min
  • S1E6

    The Other Coupler

    Feb 10, 201425 min

Watch experience

What is Buddy Complex like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Earnest, serious and charged — an even-paced watch that leaves you fired up.

Setting

  • Near future
  • Science fiction
  • Urban
  • Institutional
  • Outer space

Themes

  • Friendship
  • Coming of age
  • Fate

Style

  • Adventurous
  • Epic: Vast in scale: big landscapes, big stakes, a long span.

What it asks of you

  • Even-paced
  • Engaged
  • Affecting
  • Resolved

Feelings

  • Thrilling
  • Melancholic

How it leaves you

  • Rousing
  • Hopeful

Story

  • Overcoming the monster: A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.
ToneFeelDemandexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

What it feels like

Heaviest: throughoutWarm humor
Told as
Three-act: Setup, confrontation, resolution — the default Hollywood shape.SerializedNew arc each season
ToneThe series plays its mecha combat and friendship themes straight, with earnest energy.
The rideThe series likely blends high-stakes action with emotional weight, maintaining a consistent tension across its run.
StructureThe series unfolds chronologically from everyday life through the sudden attack to the ongoing war, following a standard three-act structure.
Episode formatThe mecha anime format typically follows a continuous story across episodes, with each episode advancing the main arc.
Season formatWith two seasons and ongoing status, each season likely presents a self-contained arc within the larger story.

How it leaves you

what you carry away
Why it leaves you this wayThe friendship and high-stakes battles leave an uplifting, energizing impression, despite the ongoing threat.
How it ends · evidence
Bittersweet ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all shows
Monster — 18% of shows. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of shows. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 6% of shows. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 2% of shows. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 12% of shows. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 4% of shows. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 7% of shows. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 8% of shows. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 40% of showsPredator — 7% of shows. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 3% of shows. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of shows. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 3% of shows. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of shows. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of shows. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of shows. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of shows. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of shows. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of shows. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — 1% of shows. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of shows. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of shows. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of shows. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of shows. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 2% of shows. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 4% of shows. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of shows. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — under 1% of shows. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of shows. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 1% of shows. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — under 1% of shows. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of shows. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — under 1% of shows. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 2% of shows. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of shows. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of shows. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of shows. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 2% of shows. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of shows. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — under 1% of shows. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 1% of shows. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 1% of shows. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 1% of shows. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 1% of shows. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 3% of shows. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of shows. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 1% of shows. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of shows. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 6% of shows. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 1% of shows. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 18% (this title): Predator 7% · Tyrant 3% · Invasion 2% (this title) · Oppressive state 3% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 6%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 2% · Mission 4% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage under 1%
  • Voyage 2%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 1% · Survival ordeal under 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent under 1%
  • Comedy 12%: Romantic comedy 2% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 2%
  • Tragedy 4%: Hubris 1% · Obsession under 1% · Corruption arc 1% · Doomed love 1% · Crushed by fate 1%
  • Rebirth 7%: Redemption 1% · Healing 3% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 1%
  • Mystery 8%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 6% · Enigma 1%
  • No archetype 40%

Overcoming the monster: A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated. · Invasion: An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).

18% of shows fit this archetype

Why this archetypeThe high-school protagonist is plunged into a mecha war against a giant robot invasion, aligning with the overcoming the monster archetype; the team-based battles and coming-of-age elements match squad_mission and coming_of_age plot types.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 31% of showsSelf — 27% of showsPower — 7% of showsMorality — 11% of showsSurvival — 9% of showsSociety — 10% of showsIdeas — 5% of showsRomantic love — 10% of showsMarriage — 2% of showsFamily bonds — 22% of showsParenthood — 1% of showsFriendship — 18% of showsLoyalty — 7% of showsIdentity — 20% of showsComing of age — 9% of showsAging — under 1% of showsSelf-worth — 7% of showsAmbition — 14% of showsPurpose — 16% of showsMemory — 3% of showsObsession — 2% of shows. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 5% of showsCorruption — 3% of showsGreed — 2% of showsClass — 4% of showsOppression — 2% of showsFreedom — 4% of showsJustice — 14% of showsDuty — 2% of showsRevenge — 1% of showsGuilt — 1% of showsRedemption — 3% of shows. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — under 1% of showsSacrifice — 2% of showsBetrayal — 3% of showsDeception — 6% of showsSurvival — 12% of showsWar — 1% of showsViolence — 2% of showsMortality — 2% of showsGrief — 4% of showsTrauma — 5% of showsMental illness — under 1% of showsAddiction — under 1% of showsIllness and disability — under 1% of showsCommunity — 25% of shows. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 3% of showsPrejudice — 2% of showsDisplacement — 1% of showsFaith — 1% of showsTradition vs change — 3% of showsFame — 5% of showsLegacy — 3% of showsFate — 1% of showsFree will — under 1% of showsTruth — 6% of showsHope — 4% of showsNature — 3% of showsArt — 2% of showsTechnology — 1% of showsSelf
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 31% (this title): Romantic love 10% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 22% · Parenthood 1% · Friendship 18% (this title) · Loyalty 7%
  • Self 27% (this title): Identity 20% · Coming of age 9% (this title) · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 14% · Purpose 16% · Memory 3% · Obsession 2%
  • Power 7%: Power 5% · Corruption 3% · Greed 2% · Class 4% · Oppression 2% · Freedom 4%
  • Morality 11%: Justice 14% · Duty 2% · Revenge 1% · Guilt 1% · Redemption 3% · Forgiveness under 1% · Sacrifice 2% · Betrayal 3% · Deception 6%
  • Survival 9%: Survival 12% · War 1% · Violence 2% · Mortality 2% · Grief 4% · Trauma 5% · Mental illness under 1% · Addiction under 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 10%: Community 25% · Isolation 3% · Prejudice 2% · Displacement 1% · Faith 1% · Tradition vs change 3% · Fame 5% · Legacy 3%
  • Ideas 5% (this title): Fate 1% (this title) · Free will under 1% · Truth 6% · Hope 4% · Nature 3% · Art 2% · Technology 1%

Bonds

FriendshipComing of age · 9% of showsFate · 1% of shows
Celebrates its theme: Affirms its theme — this is good and worth having.Global stakes: Consequences reach the world.Dual lead
How it treats its themeThe story centers on the friendship between two boys as they come of age and navigate a destiny that alters the world.
StanceThe synopsis emphasizes friendship and maturity, likely affirming the bond between the two leads against a world-altering backdrop.

The world

Orchestral modernElectronicForeground music · original score · Tatsuya Katô
SettingTokyo high school and futuristic battlegrounds
MusicA dynamic mecha score mixing orchestral and electronic elements to support action and emotion.

Content guide

Is Buddy Complex okay for kids?

TV-14

Buddy Complex is rated TV-14.

Ratings in 8 other countries
  • AustraliaM
  • Ireland15
  • Austria14
  • Czechia15+
  • Hungary16
  • Poland16
  • RO15
  • Switzerland16

No detailed content scores for this title yet.

What content warnings does Buddy Complex have?

Not screened for content warnings yet.

Cast and crew

Who is in Buddy Complex?

Cast

Saori Hayami
as Hina Ryazan
Kôki Uchiyama
as Dio Junyou Weinberg
Kana Hanazawa
as Mayuka Nasu
Yoshitsugu Matsuoka
as Aoba Watase
Marina Inoue
as Anessa Rossetti
Hiroyuki Yoshino
as Jarl Duran
Rina Satô
as Elvira Hill
Ayumi Fujimura
as Lene Kleinbeck
Tomokazu Sugita
as Lee Conrad
Toshiyuki Morikawa
as Alfred Gallant

Crew

Written by

Hajime Yatate

Music by

Tatsuya Katô

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What are shows like Buddy Complex?

TMDB's suggestions for shows like Buddy Complex include Gurren Lagann (2007), Mobile Suit Gundam SEED (2002) and Mobile Suit Gundam Wing (1995).

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What other shows share a tag with Buddy Complex?

475 other shows share the rarest tag below, premise: squad mission. Each tag opens Browse with the shows that share it.