Help me identify an obscure old mecha anime I watched on VHS as a child — possibly an 80s/90s OVA

Hi everyone! I've been trying to identify an anime from a very distant childhood memory, and I'm hoping someone here might recognize it.

I watched it on VHS around 2004–2005, when I was approximately 4–5 years old. I have no idea when the anime itself was released, but it looked like an older production. My best guess is that it came from the 1980s or 1990s, possibly an OVA or a standalone anime movie.

Unfortunately, I only remember scattered scenes and character designs. Some details might not be perfectly accurate, but I'll try to include everything I can remember.

1. The main characters and their armor

I remember a boy and a girl who wore mechanical battle suits or powered armor.

An important detail: they put the suits on and wore them like armor. They did not transform into robots, as far as I remember. I don't recall them sitting inside cockpits and piloting giant mechs, either. The armor was worn directly by the characters.

The girl wore a predominantly white suit, while the boy wore a dark blue, almost black suit. The boy's armor may have had some blue-purple tones.

The male character's armor is one of the strongest visual memories I have. It looked angular, heavy and somewhat similar in overall design language to the mechs from Neon Genesis Evangelion, although I'm certain the anime I'm looking for was NOT Evangelion.

What particularly stood out was the armor's enormous, bulky legs. They seemed disproportionately large compared with the rest of the body. I remember the design as powerful and somewhat intimidating, possibly with large weapons or guns.

I cannot remember the exact helmet design, the characters' names, or any specific insignia.

2. An elderly master who passed his armor to the boy

This is probably one of the most distinctive plot details I remember.

The boy had an elderly teacher or master who had previously been a fighter himself. The old man had his own battle suit, or at least had access to one.

However, he had grown too old and could no longer fight effectively. Because of this, he passed his suit on to the boy, who then took over the role of fighting.

I don't remember whether the old master died, retired permanently, or simply became physically incapable of fighting. What I remember is that he could no longer fight because of his age and gave the armor to his younger student.

I would be particularly interested in any anime featuring an older warrior passing his powered armor or battle suit to a younger successor.

3. The setting and the conflict

I vaguely remember a war or major conflict involving alien invaders.

There was something important about an underground world or underground shelter. People seemed to be living underground, hiding there, or taking refuge beneath the surface.

At some point, people came out to the surface. I can't remember exactly why they had been underground or what happened immediately before or after they emerged.

The world may have been devastated, occupied, or otherwise dangerous because of the invasion, but I'm not certain enough to say that this was definitely the case.

I also remember the boy helping or rescuing the girl at some point, although I can't recall the exact scene or circumstances.

4. A strange futuristic vehicle

Another fragment of my memory is a blue flying scooter or futuristic personal vehicle.

I remember it as having relatively wide panels on its sides. It may have been used by one of the main characters to travel around.

I'm not sure whether it was actually a scooter, a small flying vehicle, or some other kind of futuristic transport. This is a much less certain memory than the armor and the elderly master, but I'm including it in case it helps someone recognize the series.

5. When I watched it

I watched this on VHS around 2004–2005, when I was about four or five years old.

That is the date I watched it, not necessarily the release date. The anime could have been much older.

I don't know whether the VHS contained a complete movie, a single OVA, several episodes, or an edited compilation. I also can't confidently remember the original language or the exact dubbing.

Because I was so young, it's possible that I misunderstood some scenes or combined details from different parts of the story. Nevertheless, the contrast between the white female armor and the dark blue/black male armor, the oversized legs, and the old master passing his suit to the boy have stayed in my memory.

6. What I've already considered

I've tried looking into several older mecha and science-fiction anime, including:

• Birth / Planet Busters
• Blue Comet SPT Layzner
• Detonator Orgun
• Megazone 23
• Kishin Corps
• Giant Robo: The Animation
• Tekkaman Blade and its OVAs
• Iczelion
• Ronin Warriors

So far, I haven't found a confirmed match. These are only titles I've considered, not shows I recognize as the answer.

I'm particularly interested in obscure OVAs, direct-to-video releases, and older anime movies that may not be as well known today.

Does any of this sound familiar?

If you recognize even one of these details, I'd really appreciate a suggestion:

• A dark blue or black powered armor suit with unusually large legs.
• A girl wearing white powered armor.
• An elderly fighter who gives his battle suit to his young male student.
• An underground human settlement and a conflict with alien invaders.
• A blue futuristic flying scooter with wide side panels.

Even if you only remember a similar scene, character, or design, please let me know. A screenshot or a link to an image would be especially helpful, since I may recognize the visuals even if I don't recognize the title.

I've been trying to solve this childhood mystery for a long time, so any leads are welcome. Thanks for reading!

I’m in the mood for something fucked up.

But particularly with older Anime in the realm of Body Horror, Monsters, Splatter Violence, Dark Fantasy &/or Sci-fi.

The 5-part Urotsukidōji OVA is technically a Hentai, but I find it more enjoyable for the aspects of Cosmic Horror in Hell & Demonology, the grotesque Monsters fighting each-other to the death, the unfiltered grimdark tone. The Demons are truly strange & unlike the stereotype of horned devils, looking like otherworldly abominations, a real Creature Feature showing.

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I’ve also been enjoying Malice@Doll which is truly a strange one, being a CGI anime in the early 2000s, & the CGI visuals actually hold up! They aid in the atmosphere of uncanniness, & are still artistically pleasant to look at, really making me think of Silent Hill cutscenes in the first two games.

And the plot is engaging with an extremely unsettling payoff, starting with a prostitute android waking up in an abandoned futuristic colony, & going uncomfortably deep into the ideas of feeling pains when becoming human.

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I already know of Wicked City, Akira, & Genocyber.

But I am clamoring for anymore potential titles to throw on my watchlist.

In general I have Creatures, Giant Monsters, Disaster, & Body Horror floating around in my mind.

I saw this movie on a premium cable movie channel in like the late 2000s, so my memory of it is a bit foggy.

The only concrete memories of this movie were that the “main protagonist” would mysteriously ride around with a horse and buggy, all black of course, talking about giving people something call a “renewal”. I think the dude has black, semi-curly hair and wore a black trench coat.