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Simon

Voiced by: Tetsuya Kakihara (JP), Yuri Lowenthal (EN)
Old Simon: Takayuki Sugo (JP), Tony Oliver (EN)

"My drill is the drill that creates the HEAVENS!"

The main character of the series, Simon starts out as a humble miner, digging out tunnels to expand his underground village. Among the many treasures he digs up along the way, he discovers a small mecha (later dubbed the "Lagann"), setting into motion a chain of events that would catapult Simon into the role as the savior of the universe. No kidding.

  • The Ace: Eventually becomes this.
  • Adorkable: As cute and endearing as Kamina is hammy.
  • Anti-Hero: A Type I during the first act. He grows a backbone and ditches this trope soon after he meets Nia, however.
  • Badass
  • Bash Brothers: With Kamina. Simon never believed in himself and needed Kamina's bravado and encouragement, but Kamina could never accomplish anything without Simon's hard work.
  • Beady-Eyed Loser: Introduced as one. As he takes level after level in badass, his eyes slowly get de-beadified, until they become complete Tsurime Eyes during the Final Battle.
  • Berserker Tears: If you see Simon crying, run.
    • Tears of Blood: In episode 25, (after Kittan dies). Simon has strained himself so severely from mustering Spiral Energy, the blood vessels in his tear ducts rupture.
  • Beware the Nice Ones: His normally-gentle personality makes his behaviour after Kamina is killed in the fight to capture the Dai-Gunzan -- launching into a vicious verbal attack on Rossiu out of nowhere, and changing drastically into a blood-crazed, thoroughly Ax Crazy pilot in battle, for instance -- all the more startling. Thankfully, his psychotic tendencies don't last... but he does come out of it as an official Badass Adorable, and making him angry is still always a BAD idea.
  • Break the Cutie: Pretty much from episode 8 onwards.
  • Be Yourself: Once he learns, with Nia's help, to accept himself as he is and recognize that it's okay for him to be a very different person from Kamina, his Character Development takes a massive turn for the better.
  • Big Eater: Witness the plates and plates and plates that quickly pile up around him every time he eats. Even if it's Nia's cooking. Especially if it's Nia's cooking.
  • Big Good: From his He's Back moment onward. The new leader and the recognition as a threat from enemies. A rare case where the The Hero is also the Big Good.
  • Bishonen: Post-timeskip.
  • Blood Brothers: As above.
  • Blue Eyes: Of the innocent, hopeful variety, though they occasionally look more grey.
  • But Now I Must Go: At the end of the series, he gives the Core Drill and Lagann to Gimmy, then sets off to wander the earth.
  • Calling Your Attacks: His attacks tend to be more technical and less silly than Kamina's.
  • Cool Old Guy: From what we see of him in the epilogue.
  • Courage Pet: Simon is the reason why Kamina tried so hard to be courageous, strong, to never give up and do so much down to his death. This is reversed after the Time Skip, not only to Simon but to the entire Team Gurren.
  • Cowardly Lion: For the first few episodes.
  • Cursed with Awesome: Early on, he certainly doesn't seem happy about piloting Lagann, but he grows to enjoy it after a while.
  • Cute Shotaro Boy: Pre-timeskip.
  • Dead Person Conversation: With Kamina in the penultimate episode.
  • Determinator Not as boastful as Kamina, nor as showy but he's rocksolid. Scarily so sometimes.
  • Did Not Get the Girl: He and Nia actually get married, but immediately afterward, she finally allows herself to die.
  • Expy: Of Noriko Takaya. Both start as pilots with great potential, but serious courage and self-confidence issues. And both manage to overcome their fears and limitations in order to become true heroes.
  • Famed in Story: Witness the collective Spiral races screaming his name in celebration at the end of the series after his feat of Cthulhu-punchery.
  • Goggles Do Nothing: He keeps them from his mining days, but mostly they're just to look cool.
  • Good-Looking Privates: Post-timeskip, he wears a military uniform along with the rest of Team Dai-Gurren. However, for the final battle, he has a different outfit that's even more hot.
  • He Is All Grown Up: At least from an out-of-universe perspective- he goes from being an adorably-goofy Cute Shotaro Boy to being an incredibly gorgeous and sexy Bishounen.
  • Heroes Want Redheads: Has feelings for Yoko first.
  • Heroic BSOD: Simon goes into a big one of these after Kamina dies...
  • He's Back: ...And bounces back from it in a manner that is completely and utterly AWESOME.
  • Hot-Blooded: As he grows in confidence.
  • I Just Want to Be Normal: But Kamina just. Won't. Let him.
    • And then, after all is said and done, Simon decides it's best if he just "Simon the Digger" and lives the humble life of a digger and gardener, traveling the world at leisure while drifting from place to place.
  • Image Song: "Break Through The Dream" (shared with Kamina).
  • Indy Ploy: Becomes increasingly fond of these as the series goes on.
  • In the Name of the Moon: Takes over this from Kamina. Used against both Big Bads.
  • In Harm's Way
  • Just a Kid: Kittan and Viral's opinon of him, at first. Then he grows up...
  • Kid Hero: Pre-timeskip. Matures afterward.
  • Know When to Fold'Em: Overlaps with Refusal of the Call in the beginning, but even after his Character Development into a Badass Determinator, he's still rational enough to know when to walk away from a fight.
  • The Lancer: To Kamina.
  • Marshmallow Hell: As a kid, he is the perfect height to be subjected to this over and over. Both the manga retelling of the series and Guren Gakuenhen, the High School AU manga, take this gag and run with it. "I'm so sorry, time and time again..."
  • Meaningful Name: Simon was the birth name of Saint Peter, a common worker who was handpicked by Jesus to be among his first followers. Simon Peter went on to become what most consider Jesus' foremost disciple, the first Pope, and, in Christian lore, the holder of the key to heaven's gates. Substitute Kamina for Jesus, world leader for Pope, and drill for key, and there you have it.
    • That is Faux Symbolism. Simon comes from the Japanese "shimo", that means "under", while "kami" means above, it has nothing to do with Apostle Peter.
      • But it IS a wonderful coincidence.
      • Don't be so sure -- this is Studio Gainax after all. "Kami" also means God, and they did choose to romanize the name as "Simon" instead of "Shimon". The names are katakana, so we can't assume anything without Word of God.
  • The Messiah: Takes over the role after Kamina dies and when he first meets Nia.
    • Messianic Archetype: His name resembles Simon Peter, who led the Apostles when Jesus died. Simon did the same thing when Kamina died.
  • The Mourning After: In Lagann-hen, he dedicates his life to fulfilling his deceased wife's wish: to make the entire world bloom with flowers.
  • Mr. Fanservice: He grew up very nicely...
  • My Sibling Will Live Through Me: Shortly after Kamina's death he attempts a Dead Person Impersonation before he realizes the significance of Kamina's "believe in yourself" last words and becoming more self-confident. Once he grew up through he heavily adopted Kamina's manner of thinking, tempered with more sanity and intelligence. In the final arc his outfit even looks like Kamina's, with the two of them both going shirtless and Simon wearing a Badass Longcoat to Kamina's Badass Cape.
  • Narrator All Along: Old Simon.
  • Never Tell Me the Odds: They don't matter, even if they're 0.
  • No Shirt, Long Jacket: Pre-timeskip and late post-timeskip.
  • Official Couple: With Nia.
  • Older Than They Look: Word of God states that as a kid, Simon is stunted in growth (assuming Kamina to be about six feet tall, Simon can only be about four feet in height). He's fourteen prior to the timeskip, but hardly looks like it. Then he grows into a fine young adult and actually surpasses Kamina in height!
  • Person of Mass Destruction: Hell, he can create objects of galactic proportions! and then there is the second movie...
  • Passing The Core Drill: To Gimmy.
  • Red Armband of Leadership: A piece of a cloak belonging to Kamina's dead father comes as Kamina puts it on, which Simon grabs and ties around his left arm. For a while, it's just a Tragic Keepsake memento of the departed and even more so after Kamina dies as well, but when Simon becomes a leader in his own sorts, this Trope is instantly invoked.
  • Red Oni, Blue Oni: The blue to Kamina's red -- Simon is blue-clad, blue-eyed, and pale where Kamina is red-clad, fairly red-eyed, and tan, and is a practical hard worker who is relatively sensible, fairly shy, and intelligent, where Kamina is a big dreamer who specializes in encouraging people and cheering them up, and is reckless, outgoing, and not too terribly bright.
    • He later becomes the red to Rossiu's blue.
  • Refusal of the Call: Attempts this in early episodes, but Kamina's not having any of it.
  • Rousing Speech: Just like Kamina.
  • Save the Day Turn Away: Type 2.
  • Say My Name: "BRO!!" "NIA!!" " YOKO!!" "KITTAN!!" etc.
  • Screw Destiny: Of the entire cast, he's the best at it. Which is what makes the Bittersweet Ending so controversial.
    • Most likely, he's worried he may inadvertently trigger the Spiral Nemesis, the one thing he cannot figure out how to stop on his own. He's also learned he's no Invincible Hero, either: he could slip up and cause one hell of a disaster.
  • Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: Sensitive Guy to Kamina's Manly Man.
  • Showy Invincible Hero: The only people to put dust on him are Kamina and Lordgenome, and both of them die shortly afterwards. This is pushed to more of its limits in the movie where not only does Simon get a hell of a lot more dust on him, but he nearly loses when the Anti-Spiral collective mercilessly shreds the Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. Simon comes back, but it's by far not the invincible victory he had before.
  • Shrinking Violet: He is a male example for most of the pre-timeskip episodes; he spends most of his time keeping quiet and trying not to be noticed, and has a huge lack of confidence. He gets better, of course.
  • Shut UP, Hannibal: His response to Spiral Nemesis.
  • Spanner in the Works: Viral didn't know he existed until near the timeskip. His relationship with Nia also counts.
  • The Spock: Of the initial three.
    • Does grow out of the role steadily after Kamina dies, and has practically become the opposite at the time skip, serving as a counterpart to Rossiu instead.
  • Star-Crossed Lovers: With Nia.
  • Straight Man: To Kamina. Kamina even calls him ( in a Dream Sequence after the Time Skip) "the method to my madness".
  • Supporting Protagonist: Subverted, BIG TIME. Based on the first arc alone, one might think so, but then Kamina dies.
  • Tareme Eyes --> Tsurime Eyes
  • Theme Music Power-Up: Plenty.
  • Took Nine Thousand And One Levels In Badass: The results speak for themselves.
  • Tragic Keepsake: In episode 3, as Kamina dons the cape of his departed father, a tattered piece of it rips off in the wind. Simon snatches it before it flies away and ties it around his left shoulder so he'll also have something to wear in his memory. However, it takes on a much sadder meaning later on: Kamina himself ends up getting killed, and now that armband is a permanent memento of his fallen blood brother.
  • Transformation Name Announcement: Mixed with World of Cardboard Speech
  • Tunnel King: Even in the first episode he was renowned as the best digger in Githa village.
  • The Unchosen One: When he stops refusing the call, Simon becomes a destiny-screwing badass to be reckoned with.
  • The Unfettered: Not as extreme as Kamina but still...
  • Walking Shirtless Scene: Though unlike Kamina, he occasionally wears one.
  • Walking the Earth: At the end of the series.
  • Weapon of Choice
  • World of Cardboard Speech: In episode 11, he realizes that he'll never be Kamina, but he doesn't have to be.

Simon: My bro is dead. He's gone. But he's right there on my back, and here in my heart. He lives on as a part of me. If you're gonna dig, dig to the heavens. No matter what's in my way, I won't stop. Once I've dug through, it means that I've won! Just who the hell do you think I am? I'm Simon. I'm not my bro. I'M ME! SIMON THE DIGGER!

  • You Killed My Father: He becomes motivated to fight in episode 2 when he realizes that the earthquake that killed his mother and father seven years ago was directly caused by the havoc that the Beastmen wreak in their Gunmen on the surface world.

Kamina

Manliness Incarnated

Voiced by: Katsuyuki Konishi (JP), Kyle Hebert (EN)

"WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AM?!"

"Listen, Simon. Don't believe in yourself. Believe in me! Believe in the Kamina who believes in you!"


Probably the character everyone's going to remember when this series has faded into memories, in part thanks to Memetic Mutation. Simon's "big brother", a big-mouthed teen who refuses to acknowledge the words "quit" or "surrender" in any form. Through sheer bullheadedness, he manages to steal a mecha of his own (the "Gurren") and use it challenge the rule of the oppressive Beastmen, in the process inspiring Simon and all of those around him to similar greatness. Fate is not kind to him, however....

  • The Ace: Subverted, it's contributions of others, aka Simon and Kittan, that allows him to be The Ace.
    • Lampshaded by himself everytime there's a partying scene with him happen, he song a praise for Simmon only people were blinded by his acts to think he's the one doing it.
  • A Man Is Not a Virgin: Averted so hard it's not funny.
  • Back from the Dead: but it's only temporary, as he just comes back to save everyone from the Lotus Eater Machine. In the second movie, he's reincarnated as Super Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
  • Badass: No doubt the king of this on the show.
  • Bash Brothers: With Simon. Kamina could never accomplish anything without Simon's hard work, but Simon never believed in himself and needed Kamina's bravado and encouragement.
  • Belligerent Sexual Tension: With Yoko until their first and last, and only kiss.
  • The Berserker: His battle strategy is (almost) always Attack! Attack! Attack!. Almost.
  • The Best Way To Die: The smile on his face is proof enough. Kamina left the Dai-Gurren brigade in the hands of his beloved brother. This was a good thing.
  • BFS: Casually snatches his village chief's nodachi katana as a weapon of his own. Unfortunately, it ends up being Kamina's grave marker alongside his cape after he dies.
  • Big Brother Mentor: To Simon.
  • Big Eater: If there is ever a huge dinner to be had, expect him and Simon to be happily shoveling down fourth and fifth helpings. He even briefly sports a Balloon Belly in episode 6 thanks to this trope. "A man's stomach knows no limit!"
  • Big Good: The leader of the forces of good and the one the enemies are afraid of and focus their plans on. Viral didn't know Simon existed until the attack on Teppelin.
  • Blood Brothers: As above.
  • Boisterous Bruiser: Large, loud and aggressive. "HEY! HEY-HEY-HEY-HEY-HEY-HEYYY!!!'"
  • Breakout Character: Easily the most popular character from the series.
  • Calling Your Attacks: Sets the standard for every other member of Team Dai-Gurren.
  • Catch Phrase: WHERE THE HELL DO WE EVEN BEGIN!?
    • Let's see. For starters we have:

"Yours is the drill that will pierce the heavens"
"WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AM?"
"Kick reason to the curb and go Beyond the Impossible. That's how Team Gurren rolls."
"Believe in the me that believes in you."

  • Chick Magnet: Kittan's sisters fall for him immediately. All three of them. And then Yoko herself gives him a very affectionate kiss.
  • Combat Pragmatist: Using a (barely) live animal to distract Viral before attempting to shoot him, surprise attacking with a hidden arrowhead between his knuckles, setting Simon up to attack an enemy from behind, and raining boulders from high ground. The man wasn't shy about attacking from the front or the back.
  • Crutch Character: In both the show and Super Robot Wars Z 2 Hakai-Hen. Kamina's massive stats are crucial to keeping Gurren Lagann alive early game.
  • Cool Triangle Shades: Kamina Shades is even one of the redirects!
  • Deadpan Snarker: He is capable of making sarcastic and witty remarks without hamming up as well, like in the first episode:

"Simon, is this the humongous face you were talking about?"

  • Dead Star Walking
  • Decoy Protagonist: He definitely seems like the protagonist until ep six.
  • Delinquents: Was one in Giha. A punk who got beat on by the chief for breaking rules.
  • Determinator: Not even death can stop Kamina from helping Simon.
  • Deuteragonist: Goes along with being the Decoy Protagonist. He gets as much or more screen time than Simon, and drives the early plot.
  • Disappeared Dad: His father once went into the surface and never came back. Kamina became a "Well Done, Son" Guy because of it. And in the second episode, he finds his old man's skeleton.
  • Dying Moment of Awesome: Giga... DORIRU... BREAKAH!!
  • Egopolis: Averted. Kamina City is named after his memory, long after he dies.
  • Expy: Basically, a goofier and less Aloof Big Brother version of Tetsuya Tsurugi. Both are Red Oni to their younger partner, uses katana/sword, and in the outside, while they shows some superiority aura on the outside, they have a massive inferiority complex on the inside to their younger partner.
  • Fake Ultimate Hero: Played straight and subverted. While really a passionate hero who wants to liberate humanity, he's never able to accomplish anything without help from Simon and in the end he died way before the final fight. He's good enough to hang a lampshade on it, as he constantly sings Simon's praises and at the same time, it was thanks to his courage and belief that the heroes prevailed at the end and he was courageous and inspirational to his dying breath.
  • Famed in Story: He's constantly mentioned as a paragon of heroism, up to and including the final battle.
  • Fan Service: Rippling muscles, shirtless at all times, outrageously handsome... he's the pinnacle of it!
  • Fearless Fool: Subverted upon revealing his Hidden Depths, but this doesn't stop him from being too brave for his own good though.
  • Final Speech: Or five.
  • Forgotten Fallen Friend: Completely averted, up to and including the Distant Finale.
  • Fountain of Memes: In Real Life and in-universe; Team (Dai-)Gurren's name(s), catchphrases, flag, and overall style - not to mention every set of Arc Words - all originated from him.
  • Genre Savvy: Knows he's a red oni and that he needs a blue oni to balance him. Not to mention the entire universe works exactly, and we do mean EXACTLY, how he thinks it does- on pure Rule of Cool, Crazy Awesome, and unadulterated manliness! Although it's not clear if he knew this from the beginning because he's The Messiah, if he found out by pure dumb luck, or that he realized he was right when he found out jamming a smaller robot head onto a larger robot works incredibly well and decided to run with it.
  • Go Out with a Smile
  • Guile Hero: In many ways, he doesn't out fight the enemy, but his confidence is the thing that inspires Simon to kick the enemies ass.
  • Handsome Lech: In the first episode he cannot stop hitting on Yoko...until he realizes she's a pit chick. Then he starts up again the moment Yoko covers up her gorgeous features... and then decides that he wants to gaze at her twin peaks in episode six.
  • The Hero: Fits everything from wearing red to winning battles to team leader.
    • Our Hero Is Dead: Subverted -- Kamina never comes back, but Simon carries on his legacy. And even then, he manages to show up from heaven itself to coach Simon on to the Final Battle!
  • Heroes Want Redheads: The only girl he was interested in was Yoko. Well... that and a couple of Beastmen Playboy bunnies in disguise... but that backfired BIG TIME.
  • Hidden Depths: At face value, it's easy to see Kamina as an arrogant, completely fearless Berserker ...until it's revealed that Kamina is always at LEAST as scared as anyone else during a fight, and his "invincible superhero" persona is basically a mask he puts on so that Simon won't be afraid. He's only ever able to act tough because of his deep faith in Simon, and his knowledge that his "blood brother" will always pull through in the end. He also mentions that he "wants kids to be able to look up at the sky without a care in the world" -- he's not interested in revolution for the sheer hot-blooded thrill of it, but genuinely wants to make the world a safe and happy place to live in, and will do whatever it takes to achieve that.
  • Honorifics: Insists that members of Team Gurren (especially Simon) call him "Aniki", or "Bro" in the dub.
  • Hot-Blooded: Always doing something and often that something is outrageous.
  • Hunk
  • Idiot Hero: Boy howdy. What he lacks in brains he makes up for in FIGHTING SPIRIT!
    • Later Subverted: Kamina decides to concoct a brilliant strategy with his team to capture Dai-Gunzan. Kamina's really brilliant at heart- he's just so headstrong he doesn't give a rip about planning and cuts straight to the chase. That is, unless he wants to figure out a solution to a problem.
  • Image Song: "Break Through The Dream" (shared with Simon)
  • Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Thymilph rams his Alkai Blade through Guren's armor plating, goring Kamina extremely deep into the left side of his chest and even heart. This injury causes so much blood loss and internal damage, it turns fatal. By far the series' most divine Tear Jerker.
  • Indy Ploy: With one notable exception; see Unspoken Plan Guarantee.
  • In the Name of the Moon: VERY fond of giving speeches before, during, and after battle.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Rough and not the nicest on the surface, but his dream is make life better for humans.
  • Juggling Loaded Guns: He almost shoots his own genitals off while attempting to use a gun. Granted, the poor guy had never seen a handgun before in his life- and inadvertently learned how to pistol-whip a Gunmen's door open.
  • Jumped At the Call: When a gunman dropped into Giha Village, he was the only person not running in terror.
  • Large and In Charge: He's not actually the tallest member of the Great Gurren Brigade, but still tall for his age, as well as very muscular and generally quite physically imposing.
  • Large Spiral Sliced Ham: LARGE HAM PERSONIFIED. Try not to crack up laughing at his singing in "Break Through The Dream".
  • The Last Dance
  • Leeroy Jenkins: Lampshaded by the man himself when he admits he'd be dead if it wasn't for Simon's calming influence. He's right.
  • Lantern Jaw of Justice
  • Magnetic Hero: A strange example. While it was Kittan that actually recruited everyone, it was Kamina who inspired him to do so and the others to join.
  • Manic Braggart Dream Big Brother: To Simon.
  • The McCoy: Of the initial three, the one relying most on emotion and guts.
  • Meaningful Name: "Kami" in this case means "up". His very first line in the show is, "Keep your head up when you walk, Simon." He has a signature pose pointing in this direction, carries ambitions of reaching the heavens, and embodies the show's theme of endlessly upping the scales to insane heights.
    • Also "Kami" means "god".
  • The Messiah
    • Messianic Archetype: With a foot firmly in the old meaning of Messiah, A Protagonist Shall Lead Them, a human who would inspire, unite its people, teach them and after he dies, leaves an ever lasting legacy, not a super badass. He does this to the T, to the point that its a fact that without him, the entire Team Gurren would have been doomed to the same path of destruction and stagnation as countless others (Including LordGenome and Kamina's own father). Plus, he returns from the dead to save them all from the Lotus Eater Machine.
    • Proof.
  • Mutual Kill: a delayed reaction with Thymilph.
  • Never Got to Say Goodbye: To Yoko.
  • No Indoor Voice: You know all those (many) catchphrases? He shouts all of them.
  • Normally I Would Be Dead Now: But came back to life long enough to kill a general and give final words to Simon.
  • The Obi-Wan: To Simon, and all of Team Dai-Gurren too. Sadly, he also shares a similar fate of death.
    • Obi-Wan Moment: "Listen up, Simon - never forget. Believe in yourself. Not in you, who believes in me. Not in me, who believes in you. Believe in you, who believes in yourself!"
  • Only Sane Man: Inverted. He's the only member of Team Gurren obviously lacking in sanity, but also the only one who believes in Simon's abilities for a long time. And yet... Kamina's sane, alright: he just ignores fear.
  • Post Dramatic Stress Disorder: the dying kind.
  • Posthumous Character: He's mentioned in almost every episode after his death, and appears in several flashbacks and dream sequences.
  • Purple Eyes: Depending on the scene his eyes appear either red or purple.
  • Rated "M" for Manly: A tall, musclar and shirtless man who wields a sword in a revolution. And a full-throttle Badass who faces off against gigantic Gunmen without batting an eyelash!
  • Red Eyes, Take Warning: A variation. He's far from evil, but he can definitely be dangerous -- furthermore, because of his hot-headed, reckless personality, fire is both a recurring motif in his characterization (see his flame-decorated Badass Cape for one of many examples) and a common result of his actions; red is a colour traditionally associated with fire. His eye colour also serves to underline his Red Oni, Blue Oni dynamic with Simon.
  • Red Oni, Blue Oni: The red to Simon's blue -- Kamina is red-clad, red-eyed and tan where Simon is blue-clad, blue-eyed and pale, and is a big dreamer who specializes in encouraging people and cheering them up, and is reckless, outgoing and not terribly bright, where Simon is a practical hard worker who is relatively sensible, fairly shy, and intelligent.
  • Rousing Speech: He's a master of this trope. It's his role in the team. All the heavy lifting is actually done by Simon.
  • Sacrificial Lion: Part and parcel of his role as The Obi-Wan and Decoy Protagonist.
  • Sarashi: The most upper clothing the man ever wears. Except that one time in the Lotus Eater Machine, but that was a fake!
  • Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: Manly Man to Simon's Sensitive Guy.
  • Smarter Than You Look: He's actually smarter than you might guess, despite being a Hot-Blooded Idiot Hero. Almost every time he went into battle he had a plan (Well, unless you count his Combining Mecha idea. It really shouldn't have worked, but it just did.) and it probably takes a certain amount of brainpower to come up with and remember all the RousingSpeeches.
  • Spared by the Adaptation: In the High School AU manga.
  • Stealth Mentor: A lot of his Idiot Hero moments are really gambits to get Simon to man up.
  • Supporting Leader: He's the leader and founder of Team Dai-Gurren but he's not the protagonist. That honor goes to Simon.
  • Take a Moment to Catch Your Death - just when everyone thought he had made it...
  • Take Up My Sword: Kamina spends his last moments telling Simon how awesome he is, before the two combine one last time to finish the first of the Four Generals. Ironically, the figurative meaning of this trope goes into full effect, but the literal meaning is Inverted: Kamina's actual sword is used to mark his grave.
  • Taking You with Me: With Thymilph.
  • Tender Tears: When he finds his father's skeleton in the desert.
  • Too Dumb to Live: Even despite the Hidden Depths, he's still a king-sized idiot. Of particular note is his "plan" to combine Gurren and Lagann (which worked, but not in the way he intended at all), and the Hot Springs Episode, where he spends the entire time trying to see the girls naked (without saving them first). Then comes the moment where he decides to defy expectations and think of a really competent plan- and dies.
  • Took a Level in Badass: He may have already been awesome, but remember how he got his ass kicked the first time he tried to face Viral with just the Gurren? The second time they fight without Simon and the Lagann getting involved, though, he's able to easily hold his own.

Viral: "What the? How did he get so good so fast?"

  • Tragic Hero: His dad dies and then so does he.
  • Tragic Keepsake: After burying the skeleton of his dead father, Kamina holds onto the cape and wears it so that a part of his dad can travel the world with him and fufill his dream in spirit. Tragically, Kamina himself dies and the cape becomes part of a grave marker, tied around his nodachi stabbed into the ground.
  • Transformation Name Announcement: VERY fond of announcing himself.
  • Ubermensch: A charasmatic and passionate man who challenges conventional ways of thinking and gathers followers.
  • The Unchosen One: Fully aware that while humanity needs a hero, he is not that man. He's fine with it, and devotes his time to making humanity's hero realize his worth.
  • The Unfettered: There really isn't anything he won't do, except give up or desert his friends- Leeron excluded.
  • Unspoken Plan Guarantee: His secret plan to combine Gurren & Lagann worked better than anyone could have expected. His meticulously-detailed plan to steal Dai-Gunzan wound up getting him killed.
    • More significantly, this was his one time flying solo, without Simon watching his back. And he pulls a Leeroy Jenkins to get to Simon and give him a fist-sized dose of encouragement. Seriously, you couldn't have given the inspirational speech via the radio? Sure, it lacks style points, but it helps keep you alive.
  • Weak but Skilled: While Kamina was not a bad fighter, he was far beneath the level of the generals and the strongest warriors of the series. Also, he possessed the lowest level of Spiral power of the entire Team but he supplied himself with sound strategy, his allies help and pure raw determination. However, Kamina still ranks above Viral, who has no Spiral Power at all.
  • Weapon of Choice:
    • I Like Swords
    • This Is a Drill: Although this is usually Simon's territory, Kamina uses drills quite often when combined with Lagann. In fact, Kamina uses his last moments to invent Gurren Lagann's finishing move, the Giga Drill Break.
  • "Well Done, Son" Guy: As a child, Kamina was too scared to go to the surface with his father, and the regret he felt over this led to him becoming a Hot-Blooded Determinator.
    • He became a more benign example for Simon, who always strived to be worth of his brother praise and admiration. The difference is that Kamina gives it glady down to his very death and beyond but it takes time for Simon to accept it.
  • What Beautiful Eyes!: His pretty eyelashes, specifically, always feature prominently both in depictions of him and in the Black Siblings' gushing about him.
  • The Worf Effect: Won exactly one fight without Simon's help against Viral, by luck- two if you count the time he hijacked the Gunzar from Commander Dusack. Every other time he lost, or had to be dragged away.
    • He realized it himself, and he's actualy a good fighter on his own right seeing how Viral struggled against him during the last part before his death. However it's really obvious that he's nowhere as good as Simon at all, which he realizes too- until he has a Dying Moment of Awesome.
  • Worthy Opponent: to Viral (and Thymilph, to a lesser extent).
  • You Gotta Have Blue Hair: And yet he's a Red Oni!

Yoko Littner

Voiced by: Marina Inoue (JP), Michelle Ruff (EN)

"It can be a real pain being as tough as I am!"

Bursting onto the scene in the first episode, Yoko fills out the role of central female in the series. She hauls around a huge sniper rifle that can take down a Humongous Mecha in one shot, and dresses in a...er...interesting fashion. In spite of her apparent designation as walking fanservice, she gets some pretty good development as a character as well, going from a Fiery Redhead Tsundere to a strong, cheerful Cool Big Sis.

  • Action Girl: The only member of the team who doesn't need a giant robot to murderlate giant robots.
  • Badass
    • Badass Normal: While she has access to Spiral Energy like all humans, it's nothing compared to the likes of Kamina, Simon or Kittan, but with her trusty BFG she remains a formidable presence in Team Dai-Gurren from the very beginning, and is the only character in the series to have destroyed Gunmen without one of her own.
    • Badass Abnormal: She pilots Dayakaiser late in the series.
    • Badass Teacher: In fact so badass she saves one of her students from two ganmen using only a hoverbike and her sniper rifle, while giving them one hell of a scorning.
    • Heartbroken Badass: First Kamina dies, then Kittan dies. The ending of the show implies that she became so scared of romance as a result, she stayed single for the rest of her days.
    • Retired Badass: Post-Time Skip, before the Anti-Spirals' attack. She becomes one again in the Distant Finale.
  • Belligerent Sexual Tension: With Kamina until their first and last, and only kiss.
  • Big Eater: Not to the same degree as Kamina or Simon, but she eats more than she looks like she does to be able to carry her rifle and be active in combat. Dayakka looks at a normal meal for her and assumes she's eating herself sick.
  • Cartwright Curse: The two guys she kisses kick the bucket soon. Though to be fair, Kittan kissed her knowing beforehand that he would die, and even apologizes for that.
  • Combat Haircomb
  • Cool Big Sis
  • Eyes of Gold
  • Fan Service
  • Fashionable Asymmetry: Wears one normal fingerless glove and one elbow-length one.
  • Fiery Redhead
  • Fingerless Gloves
  • Friend to All Children: Just ask the adoring children at her School.
  • Friendly Sniper: The only character to defeat a gunman without their own, its a good thing she's friendly.
  • Gag Boobs
  • Hair Decorations: Wears a hair clip that looks like a skull.
  • Herald: Its her entrance that starts Kamina and Simon's adventure.
  • Hot Amazon: Just ask Kamina!
  • Hot Librarian
  • Hot Teacher
  • Humongous Mecha: She pilots Dayakkaiser and the Yoko M Tank, but most notably the Lagann-hen-exclusive "Tengen Toppa Yoko W Tank" - which higly resembles Yoko in her pre time-skip look
    • BFG: Sniper BFGs. Yes, she has more than one.
    • Bigger Is Better: Using the Milky Way galaxy as a unit to measure its dimensions is comparable to using meters to measure the dimensions of a car. Not a record-holder in the show, but still absurdly huge by "traditional" Humongous Mecha standards.
    • Chest Blaster: The missiles come complete with movable jaws, to boot.
    • Guns Akimbo and Firing One-Handed: With BFGs, no less.
    • More Dakka: No less than a pair of proportionally-sized sniper "rifles" ("cannons" would be more appropiate) on each shoulder, complementing the even bigger pair of BFGs mentioned above.
  • Hypocritical Humor: When she complains about the Black Siblings' "absurd outfits" in the Beach Episode.
  • Image Song: "Trust", "S.t.a.r.S."
  • The Kirk: She's the one saddled with balancing Kamina's Hot Blood with Simon Shrinking Violet
  • Kiss of Death: She has the nickname "Doom Bitch" in the fanon.
  • Mama Bear: Do NOT threaten her friends or students.

"School's out. You FAIL!"

Princess Nia Teppelin

Voiced by: Yukari Fukui (JP), Hynden Walch (EN)
Post-Time Skip Nia: Yukari Fukui (JP), Bridget Hoffman (EN)

"Hail, fellow well met!"

"Simon! If everyone's faith in you is the thing that gives you strength, then... I'll believe in you with every fiber of my being!! So, please, PLEASE, WIN!!!"

After a particularly traumatic event in his life, Simon stumbles across a box that the drill he recovered from the mines can open. When opened, out of it pops a young, naive girl with pastel blue and yellow hair: Nia. She turns out to be the daughter of Lordgenome, and is thus the princess of the Beastmen. She develops into Simon's Love Interest, but later in the series we learn the horrible secret of how she was created, leading to a particularly crushing Face Heel Turn. Worse... Nia doesn't have much longer to live...

  • A Good Way to Die
  • Action Girl: Becomes one of the Lady of War variety eventually.
  • And I Must Scream: During her time as the Anti-Spiral Messanger, she was fully aware of what was going on but completely unable to do anything to stop herself. This is shown with flashbacks to her talks with Simon.
  • Artificial Human: Nia holds Anti-Spiral reprogramming inside her genetic code. Nobody but Lordgenome knows it, not even Nia herself.
  • Anime Hair: It's pastel blue and yellow in color, layered in such a way that one might think the blue parts were the shadows at first, and the long hair running down her back resembles cotton candy in consistency.
    • It also acts somewhat like a flame at times, for instance, when wind blows, it will flow in the wind like a flickering flame, and if you pay attention small parts will fly off and disappear like small bits of flame.
    • She probably got it from her dad...
  • Badass Adorable: She is completely fearless and insanely strong. And she's very, very adorable.
  • Badass Damsel
  • Beneath the Mask: Nia acts fearless at the mercy of a captor, but as soon as Simon arrives to save her, she melts and lets loose her tears. The worst is when she overcomes the brainwashing of the Anti-Spiral and desperately asks Simon if he's going to save her, ready to cry.
  • Blunt Metaphors Trauma: Back in her younger days. Even cuter in the dub where she's voiced by Hynden Walch.
  • The Chick: Simon's emotional support and the most promiment female after Yoko. Heck, she puts heart back into the entire brigade.
  • Close-Call Haircut: Yoko's shaky aim as she tries to shoot Nia free from Adiane causes her to slice up Nia's locks twice. Nia later asks her to fix it, although Yoko isn't too savvy on haircuts. It grows back even longer after the time-skip.
  • Cloudcuckoolander: It's a little hard for others to understand her at times, or her to understand others.
    • At first this is due to her sheltered up-bringing but it's quite clear she isn't all there in the head when even after 7 years in the outside world she still surprises everyone with her quirky misunderstandings.
    • The very worst case of this is when Simon proposes to her and she turns him down with a cheerful "No, way!" Kiyoh and Kiyal make her realize this accidental mistake and she quickly decides otherwise.
  • Creepy Monotone: As the Anti-Spiral Messenger.
  • Crucified Hero Shot: During her captivity time in the hands of the Anti-Spirals.
  • Cry Cute: When sweet little Nia breaks down into tears, you feel broken up inside. And God help you if Simon sees you're responsible for her sobs.
  • Cute Little Fangs: Although she doesn't have them in the series, They have shown up in official art.
  • The Cutie
  • Drill On A Stick: The Solvernia.
  • Everything's Better with Princesses: There really isn't any point to her title.
  • Evil Knockoff: Pilots the Chouginga Anti-Gurren Lagann in Super Robot Wars Z 2: Saisei-Hen
  • Exotic Eye Designs: Cross-shaped pupils, at that, providing the trope image. Further proof that she's an alien, if you even needed more.
  • Face Heel Turn: Against her will.
  • Fan Service
  • Foot Focus: When Nia steps out of her capsule after Simon first meets her, he notices she's going barefoot and splattering icky mud onto her feet with each step. Although Nia loves the gooey feeling of the mud underfoot, he lends his boots to her as a courtesy so she won't hurt herself trudging through the rocky terrain. Nia wears them until she gets a pair of heels on board the Dai-Gurren.
  • Gag Boobs: If the second movie is to be believed, then Yoko and Kiyoh aren't the only ones with huge tracts of land.
  • Girl in a Box: How Simon finds her.
  • Go Out with a Smile
  • Hair Decorations and Flower in Her Hair: When she is first introduced, she later drops them.
  • The Heart: What she does for Simon and the rest.
  • Hey, It's That Voice!: In the English dub pre-Time Skip, she's Starfire.
  • Hello, Nurse!: When she's shown in her swimsuit, a bunch of the male characters get Nosebleeds.
  • Heroic Sacrifice: She takes as active a part in the final battle against the Anti-Spiral as the rest of Team Dai-Gurren and helps Simon land the killing blow, even knowing that when the Anti-Spiral dies, so does she.
  • Hot-Blooded: She may not fight, but she completely outdoes half the cast in terms of sheer determination. And when she DOES fight, holy crap.
    • In the high school AU manga, she actually has a Hot-Blooded moment alongside Kamina and manages to equal him in it!
  • I Feel Angry: "Are you aware of who exactly I am?!"
  • Important Haircut: Nia's hair is cut by two bullets from Yoko's sniper rifle the episode after she decides to shun her previous life. Unlike many cases, this time the accidental cut doesn't give a clean cut at all, and she has Yoko clean it up, showing that they finally trust each other.
  • Keigo
  • Lady of War: Her movie mecha, Tengen Toppa Solvernia.
  • Last Kiss: Shares her one and only kiss with Simon at their wedding before her body dissolves into random data bits.
  • Lethal Chef: Her cooking tastes anything but good... unless you're Simon or Boota. Poor Rossiu.
  • Literal-Minded
  • Manchurian Agent
  • Meaningful Name: Her name comes from "near".
  • The Messiah: So kind, so helpful, and so inspiring for the Dai Gurren Brigade. They were ready to fall apart before she arrived.
  • Mystical Waif: How she's found and what her life means to the world.
  • Neutral Female: Though subverted at least three times, and even when not it's because she has no other option rather than she can fight but refuses to.
  • No Ontological Inertia
  • No Social Skills: Falls between this and The White Prince, having been raised in isolation for her entire life until she was literally put in a box and left on a landfill.
  • Official Couple: With Simon.
  • The Other Darrin: The reason Bridget Hoffman took over the role post-Time Skip was because Hynden Walch had personal matters to sort out and had to drop out of the show. It works better than most examples, since Nia is a slightly different character now that she aged.
  • Plucky Girl: She may not be able to fight, but in terms of sheer hot-blooded determination, she can hold her own against any of the men. Are you either pointing a gun at her, have her in your mecha's claws, or are about to dematerialize her? That's not gonna break her down.
    • Nia is actually so plucky that she actually keeps herself alive for a week after the Anti-Spiral's demise out of sheer willpower, just so she can marry Simon. Examined further in the second movie: Nia's arm suddenly begins to fade away as she writes a diary for Simon, and then forces the arm to regenerate on the spot. One wonders if she really is gone for good...
  • The Pollyanna: Its not that she's unaffected or oblivious to trouble, but her sheer faith in Simon to drill through it makes it even forcefully transformation into a Manchurian Agent a minor inconvience.
  • Princess Classic: Hits almost all the points except shy and the happy ending.
  • Princesses Prefer Pink
  • Raised by Wolves: Nia has no contact at all with the outside world until she is found by Simon, her attempts to adjust to life on the outside charm even the baddest of badasses in Team Dai-Gurren.
  • Rapunzel Hair: Post-timeskip.
  • Red Eyes, Take Warning: During the transmission.
  • The Reveal: The daughter of Spiral King Lordgenome and messenger of the Anti-Spirals.
  • Screw Destiny: Made absolutely explicit in the movie.
  • Second Love: For Simon. The first was Yoko- until he found out she favored Kamina- the hard way.
  • Star-Crossed Lovers: With Simon.
  • Stealth Mentor: Her actions as a Messenger were intended to strengthen the Team before facing the true enemy.
  • Tareme Eyes
  • Technicolor Eyes: Has opal blue eyes with pink flower-shaped crosses for pupils... and they look adorable!
  • Tomboy and Girly Girl: Girly Girl to Yoko's Tomboy.
  • Too Good for This Sinful Earth
  • Tragic Heroine
  • You Gotta Have Pastel Blue and Yellow Hair

Boota

Voiced by: Shizuka Itou (JP), Julie Ann Taylor (EN)

A palm-sized pigmole from the village that Simon and Kamina grew up in. He's Simon's beloved pet and companion on his travels, but does have a noticable love of riding in Yoko's cleavage. While he may be small, he's a motivating force for the team when push comes to shove. Later, it turns out Boota is a wellspring of Spiral Energy, and he even uses that power to imagine himself into a humanoid body- but only temporarily.

Viral

Voiced by: Nobuyuki Hiyama (JP), Sam Riegel (EN)

"I'll tell you two things: First, any human on the surface will be completely annihilated by our Human Eradication Army. Second, that is my dinner - give it back!"

Originally Vice Commander in the Human Annihilation Army, Eastern Unit, First District; Viral is the first real villain the heroes face in their quest to defeat the Beastmen. He develops a borderline Foe Yay relationship with Kamina, and later Simon. When the world is threatened later on the series, Viral reveals his hidden depths.

  • Ace Pilot: He can't produce Spiral Power, but what keeps Viral in the game and makes him a valuable copilot to Simon is his classical training and skill in the cockpit.
  • Antagonist in Mourning: When Kamina dies.
  • Anti-Villain: Type I. He's just a loyal soldier for the Spiral King.
    • Later he becomes a Type II Anti-Hero when he joins Team Dai-Gurren.
  • Beast Man
  • Beauty Is Never Tarnished: Viral is a shark, cat thing that's covered in scars, but that doesn't stop the fangirls.
  • Beyond the Impossible: While ambiguous in series, the movies directly confirm Viral is Hot-Blooded enough to create Spiral Energy despite being that being a specifically stated impossibility.
  • Blond Guys Are Evil: Subverted - he's just a soldier doing his job, and he joins Team Dai-Gurren late in the series.
  • Butt Monkey: He gets better after his Heel Face Turn, though.
  • Can't Catch Up: Lordgenome tells him as much. "No beastman can stand against a human who has mastered the power of the Spiral." Subverted in the movie, where he himself gains the ability to use Spiral Power. Not subverted in the regular series, but as the resident Ace Pilot, it doesn't matter.
  • Cats Are Mean: Subverted - he's just following orders.
  • Char Clone: Viral is essentially what this trope lives for. He's a blonde ace pilot that becomes The Rival for The Hero. He has a sense of honor that distinguishes him from Card Carrying Villains. Eventually HeelFaceTurns.
  • Curtains Match the Window: Pale blond hair, yellow eyes.
  • Cute Little Fangs: When he's happy. Not so much when he isn't...
  • Determinator: No matter how many times he gets beaten, no matter how many of his superiors are killed, he just won't give up.
  • The Dragon: He isn't the Dragon to the Big Bad at first, but rather to every other general.)
  • Doom Magnet: Every person he's assigned to guard dies. Except Simon.
  • Everything's Even Worse with Sharks: Zig Zagged. At first, this is true for Team Dai-Gurren, but after the Time Skip, it's more true for the Anti-Spiral.
  • Eyes of Gold
  • Fangs Are Evil: At least until he becomes Gurren's pilot, at which point his fangs become far more pronounced- because he's now smiling ear to ear.
  • Foe Yay: With Kamina. In the Viral's Sweet Dream video, every time he thinks of his wife, she turns out to be Kamina in a dress.
  • Good Scars, Evil Scars: His shirtless scene in Gurren's cockpit shows that he has scars in a similar pattern to Kamina's tattoos.
  • Hair of Gold
  • Heel Face Turn: Ultimately triggered by the combined turmoil of the following: his losing streak to Gurren Lagann, the death of Adiane, the fact he's always the only one left alive in a fight against Team Dai-Gurren, the power of immortality making it harder to actually die so much as end up alone and nowhere, the futility of resisting Kamina City's government, getting sent to prison, and finally, noticing that Simon is finally an equal he would rather willingly serve beside as a friend than waste his time warring with him.
  • Hey It's That Grunt: Hey, it's Link!
  • Hidden Depths: Has a deep-seated sense of honor and a secret crush on Adiane. More so, his innermost desire was wanting to get married to a Beastman girl he once loved, have a child, and live a normal life as a family together.
  • Hot-Blooded: He's voiced by Nobuyuki Hiyama. What'd you expect?
  • I Just Want to Be Normal: Viral's greatest dream is to have a family... but as a Beastman, he can't reproduce, and being immortal, he'd outlive any family he had.
  • Immortality: Granted to him by Lordgenome near the end of the first half when he grows curious about the true nature of the Spiral. Lordgenome decides to make him his messenger through all time to denounce hope, but instead, Lordgenome is defeated and Viral is left living forever without a purpose- until he joins Team Dai-Gurren.
  • Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain: After his debut battle, things go rapidly downhill. Kamina even asks "is he still in this show?" and refers to him as cannon fodder before swatting him aside.
    • Actually subverted soon enough when he helps to kill Kamina and then remains a significant threat until the battle for Teppelin.
  • Knife Nut: When he's not piloting Gunmen, his Weapon of Choice is a cleaver.
  • Leitmotif: "Nikopol"
  • Meaningful Name: Guess what Viral's name spells when the letters are rearranged.
  • Multi-Armed and Dangerous: His Gunmen Enkidudu and Tengen Toppa Enki Dulga.
  • Noble Demon: Allowing the enemies who have proven to be far stronger time to suit up when a sneak attack would be far more pragmatic? Definitely a case of Honor Before Reason.
  • Petting Zoo People: Literal in his case, as he's composed of shark and feline genetics.
  • Redemption Promotion: Went from Butt Monkey of half the Beastmen Generals to Pilot of Gurren. 20 years afterward, he's turned sincerely warm-hearted and commands the crew of Super Galaxy Gurren Lagann as they prepare to attend the Galactic Spiral Peace Conference.
  • The Remnant: A sympathetic version post-timeskip before his Heel Face Turn.
  • The Rival: To Kamina, before his Badass Decay. To Simon, after.
  • Scarf of Asskicking: Post-timeskip.
  • Shirtless Scene: He gets a few post-timeskip.
  • Sixth Ranger
  • Slasher Smile: As an enemy, but promptly done away with after his Heel Face Turn- it's now a good-natured smile.
  • The Stoic: Takes on this personality after being beaten down so much by Kamina, and later, Simon. Post-timeskip, he's an absolute stoic as a result of tepid and futile battles against the government. Fortunately, it starts wearing off with his Heel Face Turn, and it's gone altogether in the Distant Finale.
  • Suspiciously Similar Substitute: A rare positive example - Viral's post-timeskip outfit is based on an unused character design for Kamina, and he fully embraces this when he becomes Gurren's pilot.
  • Tears of Remorse: After Adiane dies and he ends up ashore, he falls to his knees in a brokenhearted heap of tears, punching the ground in frustration that his crush has been killed and he couldn't save her.
  • Took a Level in Badass: After taking over as Gurren's pilot. So, so, much.
  • Took a Level In Kindness: His will slowly broke over the course of seven years, weakening his hot-blooded tendencies. When he decided to pull a Heel Face Turn, he turned much more pleasant and hopeful. By the Distant Finale, his fury is a thing of the past and he's now a benevolent and caring man.
  • Weak but Skilled: He was made so he couldn't make Spiral Energy and yet he can still blow stuff up with his Hot Blood.
  • Worthy Opponent: To Kamina. Not so much to Simon... but Simon sees him as a valuable ally after the Time Skip.
  1. ↑ A fight that he would have won
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