Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann

Synopsis In a far away future, mankind lives underground in huge caves, unknowing of a world above with a sky and stars. In the small village of Jiha, Simon, a shy boy who works as a digger discovers a strange glowing object during excavation. The enterprising Kamina, a young man with a pair of rakish sunglasses and the passion of a firey sun, befriends Simon and forms a small band of brothers, the Gurren Brigade, to escape the village and break through the ceiling of the cave to reach the surface, which few believe exist. The village elder won't hear of such foolishness and punishes the Brigade. However, when disaster strikes from the world above and the entire village is in jeopardy, it's up to Simon, Kamina, a girl with a big gun named Yoko, and the small yet sturdy robot, Lagann, to save the day. The new friends journey to the world above and find that the surface is a harsh battlefield, and it's up to them to fight back against the rampaging Beastmen to turn the tide in the humans' favor! Pierce the heavens, Gurren Lagann!

Main Character

Kamina (カミナ)

Kamina is a young man from Jiiha village who dreams of leaving the village and go to the surface, which he saw as a kid. He's very passionate about his goals, expressing his wishes through energetic speeches, which seems to affect all those who hear him. He convinces Simon to help him with his plan to drill through the roof of the village and get to the world above, but the plan failed and he was put in prison. He left the village shortly thereafter with the help of Simon and a young girl named Yoko, as a result of fighting a Gunmen, who broke into the village from the surface.

After he, Simon, and Yoko break through, they meet many enemies and friends as they go, to the point of building up a resistance force, the Gurren Brigade to fight in their war against the Beastmen Empire who hunt on human beings who live on surface, and becoming their leader.

Simon (シモン)

Simon is the protagonist of the story, a short and un-intimidating fourteen year old boy at the beginning of this tale. He was born in Jiiha Village and was raised by his parents until the age of seven, when his parents were killed in an underground avalanche caused by an earthquake. Their deaths traumatized Simon to the point of both hating and fearing life underground, and likely played a role in developing his relationship with Kamina. Ironically, Simon's role in his community was to dig more tunnels and caverns to expand Jiiha Village deeper underground.

Though valued as a skilled digger, Simon was ignored by the adults of his village and snubbed by the girls, who considered him disgusting. Along with his fear of earthquakes, Simon developed low self-esteem and had many cowardly tendencies. His only friend and role model growing up was Kamina, a brash and eccentric older boy who had an obsession with escaping the underground world for the surface, which he visited as a child with his father. Simon was slowly "recruited" into Team Gurren along with several other boys, and lead by Kamina made several attempts to reach the surface over several years. During one attempt, a sudden earthquake trapped Team Gurren within a chamber and cut off the supply of oxygen. Simon began to panic, but after inspiration from Kamina he managed to dig all of the Team Gurren members out of danger. Yoko would later recall that Kamina himself was terrified during this incident, but he hid his fear from Simon knowing Simon was the only one capable of rescuing his gang.

One day during the digging of a new tunnel, Simon discovers a small drill-shaped object that periodically glows. Later that day, he unearths a large "face" in the ground, which he shows to Yoko and Kamina after Jiiha Village is attacked by a large Gunmen. The face is revealed to be a miniature Gunmen, and the object Simon dug up the key to starting it up. With the aid of this mech, which Kamina names "Lagann", Simon destroys the large Gunmen attacking Jiiha and rises to the surface world.

Yoko Littner (ヨーコ・リットナー)

Yoko is a girl from Jeeha's neighboring village Littner, who had been chasing the Gunmen which entered Jeeha village. She wields an extensive range of firearms which include a long range sniper rifle (which she uses most frequently) modeled after the Barrett M82 and hand guns (which can be assumed is used for midrange or close combat) and has previous experience fighting Gunmen. Although she is of the same age group as Simon, she is mature and one of the most rational of the group.


Despite always badmouthing Kamina for his reckless behavior, it did not take long for her to confess her feelings to him, which he returns. She was also Simon's love interest, until Simon discovered that she was in love with Kamina. He seems to have given up on her since meeting Nia. In episode 13 she proceeds to tell Simon that she was in love with Kamina in which Simon replied that he already knew. Due to the events in episode 13 it is also speculated that Yoko may have started to develop feelings for Simon.

After the war, Yoko decided to not take part in the administration of Kamina City and decided to become a school teacher for the first new children born on the surface, but not before asking Simon to take care of Nia.

After the war with the anti-sprial, Yoko becomes principal of the school she once taught at.

Nia Teppelin (ニア・テッペリン)

A mysterious young girl found sleeping in a capsule in the middle of a dump site by Simon. She had no prior contact with humans, except her father, who is also the sovereign of the Beastmen, the Spiral King. She is very curious, pure and innocent, due to growing up sheltered in a peaceful environment, away from all the battles occurring in the outside world. Despite early misgivings, she is quickly accepted by Team Dai-Gurren, much to the (initial) irking of Yoko. 

During her journey, she develops a strong empathy towards Simon and grows to be his fiancé.

After her encounters with Divine Generals Adiane and Guame, she comes to an understanding of the reason Simon found her outside the palace, being forsaken by her father after she started attaining her own will and self-consciousness, as he considered his offspring merely toys to play with as dolls, and decides to join The Team Dai-Gurren as a cook (even though her cooking is unbearable to anybody but Simon) in order to confront her father. In the final battle with Lord Genome, she boards Lagann with Simon and aids him in the destruction of Lord Genome.

Seven years after Teppelin's fall, Nia and Simon are engaged, but soon after she is overtaken by the Anti-Spiral race to become a digital messenger.