History Characters / TengenToppaGurrenLagannAntagonists

[[center: [-[[Characters/TengenToppaGurrenLagann Main Character Index]] | [[Characters/TengenToppaGurrenLagannMainCharacters Main Characters]] | [[Characters/TengenToppaGurrenLagannMecha Mecha]] | '''Antagonists''' | [[Characters/TengenToppaGurrenLagannSecondaryCharacters Secondary characters]]]]-]

This page is for the Antagonists in Gurren Lagann.

* ApocalypseHow: A Universal one at that. If it ever occurs, that's it, everything's done.

* GreaterScopeVillain: Of the Lordgenome arc

* HopeCrusher: His main method of eliminating spiral energy (which is derived from hope and courage) by destroying their opponents' HopeSpot before snatching victory in the cruelest and unfairest way possible to destroy their will to fight.[[spoiler: He does this because he knows that despair is the only way to truly stamp out Spiral Power and thus the Spiral Nemesis.]]

** Foreshadowed by [[spoiler: Lordgenome. He imitates the Anti-Spiral by sealing away his emotions and suppressing his fellow spirals, only to succumb hot-blooded passion when pushed to his limits. The Anti-Spiral ultimately follows almost the exact same course in its fight with humanity.]]
* NotSoStoic: [[spoiler: Once it's pushed to its limit, the Anti-Spiral fights back with a sheer hot-bloodedness that arguably rivals Simon's.]]
* OrderIsNotGood: The Order to Team Dai-Gurren's Chaos. Showcased in it's rather bland and lifeless mechs it sends against the group as well as the fact they're all interchangable from each other. Even Lordgenome's forces had more personality and a bit of fun to them.
* TheOmnipotent: He has complete control of his pocket universe, even able to manipulate probability. The only reason he doesn't just annihilate the heroes is due to gaps of information.

* VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler: He really blows his stack when Team Dai-Gurren refuse to give up and keep getting stronger, to the point of [[GodzillaThreshold using more Spiral Power to compensate]] despite knowing how dangerous that is. In ''Lagann-Hen'', he outright starts screaming in rage when the Tengen Toppa Gunmen stand tall before him, and when Gurren Lagann clashes with his universe-sized drill, he raves that such a thing was impossible.]]

* ApocalypseHow: a Universal one at that. If it ever occurs, that's it, everything's done.

* YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm: The two times it's shown, it has wildly different shapes. [[spoiler: Lordgenome sees himself losing control of his powers, which consume the Earth and become a monstrous hydra-like beast that tears galaxies to shreds with its multiple heads. Simon sees a massive black hole in a white background that swallows and spaghettifies everything near it, including him and Super Galaxy Gurren Lagann.]]

** Adiane angrily declares she was sleeping with Thymilph to manipulate him. [[spoiler:But when she dies, she seems genuinely sad she didn't avenge him. Not the response of a manipulater.]]

* NiceJobFixingItVillain: When Team Dai-Gurren first finds Nia, and after it comes out that she is the daughter of the Spiral King, they are distrustful of her. Then Adiane shows up and tries to break Nia's spirit before killing her by publicly announcing that Lordgenome thought of Nia as a doll and has cast her out and discarded her, ordering Adiane to kill her along with the rest of the humans. But when Team Dai-Gurren hears this, this causes them to trust Nia as Nia is now firmly on their side, and they're enraged at Nia being abandoned, to boot.

* UpliftedAnimal: [[spoiler: If it really was him in the Parallel Works that reveals Lordgenome's backstory, then he's not even actually a Beastman and is instead an animal that evolved rapidly due to excess exposure to Spiral Power. He may even ''have Spiral Power himself''.]]

* AwesomenessIsVolatile: It makes you head catch fire!

* BloodKnight: If making one of your servants strong enough to test your number one enemy doesn't count, then coming out of your Gunman just to beat him with your fists while laughing maniacally does.

* DespairEventHorizon: [[spoiler:His encounter with the Anti-Spiral early in life put him on a catastrophic nosedive into one of these, which lead to the status quo seen at the start of the series. He snaps out of it in time for the final battle with the Anti-Spiral, in which he is role is critical in Simon's victory.]]

* EmperorScientist: Presumably how he took over the world. He knows how to create Beastmen and their gunmen.

** Also, [[spoiler: he was one Spiral Knight and the DNA helix, where the genes are localized, is in spiral format]]

* OhCrap: [[spoiler: When he realizes that Simon has just slammed the [[CoolKey Core Drill]] into his chest. You know, the thing filled with enough spiral energy to power Gurren Lagann.]]

* LargeAndInCharge: The largest physically, and implied to the leader and strongest of the Four Generals.

* UnholyMatrimony: There is implication that there may have been something intimate between him and Adiane. The manga of the series flat out states that the two were lovers.

* NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist: The trope is [[ZigZaggingTrope zigzagged]] .[[spoiler:All the races the Anti-Spiral has destroyed or crippled is to ensure they never evolve far enough to trigger the Spiral Nemesis from coming into being -- thus averting universal destruction and prolonging the universe's existence indefinitely. However, that method is to doom all sentient life into a state of despair while the Anti-Spiral is the one remaining alive and in control. Whether or not the Anti-Spiral is right about the Spiral Nemesis or just pointlessly paranoid, he's sincere enough about his convictions in the end to accept his own destruction and urge Dai-Gurenn to protect the universe in his stead.]]

* OmnicidalManiac: Deconstructed: [[spoiler:The Anti-Spiral are paranoid of a mother-of-all-apocalyptic nightmare erasing all creation ever known and decided to suppress all other lifeforms to ensure it will never happen. By the time Simon and Team Dai-Gurren went after him, he'd decided to destroy all Spiral lifeforms, and tried to "[[DeadlyEuphemism delete]]" Nia, as he believed she had the key to do so in her memories.]]

* NaturalEndOfTime: While how natural it is is debatable, the Spiral Nemesis is a Big Crunch scenario resulting from Spiral Beings(life that evolves and possesses willpower) producing enough Spiral Power that the sheer amount of energy-mass they create it causes the universe to collapse.

* VillainTeamUp: He [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1lzW2zP71E meets with Gaiou before Scenario 44]] on the Earth route and receives two Dino DAMON in exchange.

* WorfHadTheFlu: In his prime, Lordgenome single-handedly took down the entire Spiral Fleet himself, but a thousand years of boredom and idleness had weakened his spirit and by extension his Spiral Power, something he himself admits. Simon's victory over Lordgenome was after a millennium of tedium had worn his spirit down; if he had been at his full power, he could have cleaved through Gurren Lagann and Dai-Gurren with one swipe of Lazengaan's drills before they even saw it coming.

* WorfHadTheFlu: He outright admits that a thousand years of boredom and idleness had weakened his spirit and by extension his Spiral Power and he devoted the rest of his Spiral Power towards creating and maintaining his Beastmen army over the centuries. In his heyday, Lordgenome could take down his entire Spiral Fleet himself, meaning Simon managed to barely defeat him when was at his worst. If Lordgenome had been at his prime, he would've easily cleaved Gurren Lagann in two with Lazengann's CombatTentacles, killing everyone inside.

* NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist: The trope is [[ZigZaggingTrope zigzagged]] .[[spoiler:All the races the Anti-Spiral has destroyed or crippled is to ensure they never evolve far enough to trigger the Spiral Nemesis from coming into being -- thus averting universal destruction and prolonging the universe's existence indefinitely. However, that method is to doom all sentient life into a state of despair while the Anti-Spiral is the one remaining alive and in control. Even if the Anti-Spiral is insane about the Spiral Nemesis or just pointlessly paranoid, he's sincere enough about his convictions in the end. Although, his final words to Team Dai-Gurren are to accept his own destruction and urge them to protect the universe in his stead.]]

* VaginaDentata: Her Gunman. It looks like a woman's torso as well.

* DesperationAttack: [[spoiler:Uses his tentacles to shred Lagann as it descends on him, but cannot stop it in time. In '''Lagann-Hen''', he does, but Simon himself begins a one-on-one fistfight moments later.]]
* CreepyMonotone: Speaks with an unnerving calm, at times making him sound like a scientist who is merely conducting an experiment rather than [[spoiler:a SufficientlyAdvancedAlien with incredible power.]] By the final battle, [[spoiler:however, he's ranting a mile a minute and shouting attack names just like everyone else.]]

* RoyalWe: Justified, as he's a MindHive speaking for his entire species.

* YouCantGraspTheTrueForm: The two times it's shown, it has wildly different shapes. [[spoiler: Lordgenome sees himself losing control of his powers, which consume the Earth and become a monstrous hydra-like beast that tears galaxies to shreds with its multiple heads. Simon sees a massive black hole in a white background that swallows and spaghettifies everything near it, including him and Super Galaxy Gurren Lagann.]]

* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: [[spoiler:Kamina and Simon GIGA DRILL BREAKER him.]]
* KarmicDeath: [[spoiler:Kamina stays alive just long enough to pay Thymilph back ''tenfold'' for spearing him- he ''purees'' him with his first (and only) Giga Drill Break.]]

* OhCrap: His reaction to seeing Kamina deflecting his Condemn Glaize.

* StrongFamilyResemblance: He looks nothing like his daughter now, but [[IWasQuiteALooker when he was her age]], the only difference besides gender is that he lacked her ExoticEyeDesigns.
* StrongFleshWeakSteel: During his fight Simon, [[spoiler:he ends up breaking Gurren and turns Lagann into a broken mess. He's ultimately killed when Simon impales him with his Core Drill.]]

* WorfHadTheFlu: He outright admits that a thousand years of boredom and idleness had weakened his spirit and by extension his Spiral Power and he devoted the rest of his Spiral Power towards creating and maintaining his Beastmen army over the centuries. In his heyday, Lordgenome could take down his entire Spiral Fleet himself, meaning Simon managed to barely defeat him when was at his worst.

* HopeCrusher: His main method of eliminating spiral energy (which is derived from hope and courage) by destroying their opponents HopeSpot before snatching victory in the cruelest and unfairest way possible to destroy their will to fight.[[spoiler: He does this because he knows that despair is the only way to truly stamp out Spiral Power and thus the Spiral Nemesis.]]

* OmnicidalManiac: Deconstructed: [[spoiler:The Anti-Spiral are paranoid of a mother-of-all-apocalyptic nightmare erasing all creation ever known and decided to suppress all other lifeforms to ensure it will never happen.]]

* RedEyesTakeWarning: [[spoiler:His eyes have flickering splotches of red as he anaylzes Nia.]]

* VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler: He really blows his stack when Team Dai-Gurren refuse to give up and keep getting stronger, to the point of [[GodzillaThreshold using more Spiral Power to compensate]] despite knowing how dangerous that is.]]

[[folder:Thymilph the Raging Wave]]

* WellIntentionedExtremist: [[spoiler:In the end, all the races the Anti-Spiral has destroyed or crippled is to ensure they never evolve far enough to trigger the Spiral Nemesis from coming into being -- thus averting universal destruction and prolonging the universe's existence indefinitely. Even if the Anti-Spiral is insane about the Spiral Nemesis or just pointlessly paranoid, he's sincere enough about it in the end that his final words to Team Dai-Gurren are to accept his own destruction and urge them to protect the universe in his stead.]]

* AbusiveParent: Just from his treatment of Nia and implications that he let all of his other daughters die on a whim. Outright confirmed in the anime when a whole graveyard of similar capsules is found by Team Gurren. [[spoiler:If not for the presence of the Anti-Spiral, his trying to kill Nia could be considered a MoralEventHorizon if he hadn't crossed that already with all the other children he's had killed.]]

* SpellMyNameWithAnS: His name is pronounced "Cytomandra" in the English dub.

* GeniusBruiser: Genetic engineer, master computer hacker, really beefy ''and'' able to beat up a mecha with his bare hands. Definitely qualifies.

* IWasQuiteALooker: We see in the last Parallel Works video that he used to basically be a male version of Nia.
%%* TheLastDance

* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: He doesn't look like it, but he's at least over 1,000 years old.

* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Is it Lord Genome or Lordgenome? Or even Lord Lordgenome?

* StrongFamilyResemblance: to [[spoiler:Nia]] [[IWasQuiteALooker At least when he was younger.]]

%%* BackFromTheDead

%%* BaldOfAwesome
%%* BaldOfEvil
%%* BadassBeard
%%* BeardOfEvil

* BloodKnight: If making one of your servants strong enough to test your number one enemy doesn't count, then coming out of your Gunman just to beat with your fists while laughing maniacally does.

* EvilCounterpart: To [[spoiler:Simon, which is pointed out when Viral calls him "usurper of Lordgenome's throne"]].

%%* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:!!]]

* StartOfDarkness: The last Parallel Works video, which is also the only canon one.

* KamehameHadoken: [[spoiler:Uses a Big Bang this way... [[NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer No, you did not misread that.]]]]

* VillainousBreakdown: Subverted, instead of having a freak out, he begins to enjoy the hot blooded excitement of his battle with Simon, as he once experienced [[spoiler:when he fought the Anti-Spirals.]]