Advanced robotics has built heavy robots ("labors") for a variety of purposes in the future, including construction, firefighting, military, and more. Despite the fact that the robots are merely machines, their operators are also humans, and humans occasionally turn to crime. Because a heavy labor unit may be a lethal weapon, future cops will battle crime with sophisticated patrol labor units, or "patlabors." This is the story of the Second Special Vehicles Division, a motley group of patlabor cops doing their best to fight crime while maintaining a normal life.