There was an anime television series with a bunch of school kids controlling small robots from a computer and contesting in orginised competitions in arenas and other places around not so formal. These robots were transferred in suitcases.

Maybe,.

PlaWres Sanshiro (83)

Before there was Pokemon (Pocket Monsters.) Yuyama created, PlaWres (Plastic Wrestlers). It was obviously a robotic predecessor to Pokemon A young orphaned boy Sanshiro inherited a small plastic robotic wrestling toy that he enters in wrestling matches. He is determined to become a champion, despite his grandfather's disapproval. His grandfather would rather have his grandson put away his childish toys, and study judo. The robot wrestlers are toy sized and fight within a scaled down wrestling ring, while the two opponents control their robots on consoles that resemble laptop computers.

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