History TearJerker / TengenToppaGurrenLagann

** To elaborate on the scene from the movie, [[{{Meganekko}} Kinon]] has collapsed to the floor in a heap with her hands covering her face and her hat nearby, looking as if it fell off without her even noticing, [[GenkiGirl Kiyal]] is crying hysterically, her whole body shaking with the force of her sobs, and [[CoolBigSis Kiyoh]] is hanging on to Dayakka in a death grip, looking like she could collapse any minute if he let her go. Seeing just how much Kittan's death affected each of them is almost too hard to watch. To top it off we don't hear any of them, only the triumphant music that started right as our heroes are processing the fact that they won... but at a cost.

** To elaborate on the scene from the movie, [[{{Meganekko}} Kinon]] has collapsed to the floor in a heap with her hands covering her face and her hat nearby, looking as if it fell off her with out her even noticing, [[GenkiGirl Kiyal]] is crying hysterically, her whole body shaking with the force of her sobs, and [[CoolBigSis Kiyoh]] is hanging on to Dayakka in a death grip, looking like she could collapse any minute if he let her go. Seeing just how much Kittan's death affected each of them is almost too hard to watch. To top it off we don't hear any of them, only the triumphant music that started right as our heroes are processing the fact that they won... but at a cost.

* There’s a moment within episode 26 to be a true, straight-up Tear Jerker. Kamina and the adult Simon are standing side by side on the hill where Simon first found Nia. Kamina looks curiously over at Simon, leans over, and with a smile on his face utters the words "Looks like you've grown taller than me." Kamina's not just talking about his height, but also commenting that Simon's become a man greater than Kamina was in life. The scenes after are heart-twisting, to be sure, but that one alone, that single acknowledgment never fails to send a shiver down your spine.

* Episode 2: Kamina finds his dad's skeleton in the desert. Going back from the end of the series, other than Nia's death, this is probably the saddest moment in the series. Kamina's death non-withstanding for awesome factors. The fact that finding out about the fate of Kamina's father [[{{Foreshadowing}} foreshadows]] his own death later on [[HarsherInHindsight makes it even worse]]. It is also implied that Lordgenome was the one who personally faced and killed him in combat.

* The death of the Anti-Spiral King. The entire reason for his existence was to prevent the Spiral Nemesis from occurring. He had the almost limitless power of his race's technology at his disposal. And yet, he died to a single human with a drill arm, while everything his race had built over the eons burned around him. BreakTheHaughty does not even begin to cover it.

* There is a GriefSong that plays in the series' darkest moments (Kamina's death, Guame's talk with Nia, Simon's first attempt to reason with Messenger!Nia and Messenger!Nia's stand at Cathedral Terra's Giga Core Drill hole) that has never been released in any official OST. It perfectly illustrates the pain felt by Simon, Nia and their loved ones.

* Yoko Littner's love life in general is a massive double whammy in sheer hell for her, but the real FridgeHorror comes in the end, where the DistantFinale shows her having aged pretty poorly, with her figure having taken a considerable hit and her face presumably not shown because of the ravages of time. The real gut punch, however, is the fact she's basically withdrawn from others, and it's obvious she's given up on love due to the pain she's gotten as a result. While it's true that she probably did give up on love, she's still teaching the future generations of surface children, which is really what she had planned to do prior to the whole Anti-Spiral crisis.
** The main animation director said that he drew the entire ending sequence with his off hand, which may mitigate this.

*** Or in the Japanese version: "Abayo, dachiko." Followed by Simon's "Aniki? ... Aniki?"

* Meta example: The new opening that plays after episode 9 no longer has Kamina in focus, a somber reminder of his death in the previous episode.

*** Then broken TWICE when he realizes that try as he might, he CAN'T deny that Anti-Spiral is right on every count, he knows it in his heart of hearts, and he feels it is his own duty to turn on his own comrades to cull humankind and attempt to preserve it. Simon, when faced with the same AwfulTruth, had his love for Nia to help him power through.

*** Once by war, turning him in the badass who would force Anti-Spiral to take him seriously enough to explain him the AwfulTruth of the consequences of unchecked Spiral power.

[[caption-width-right:350:"On that day, we lost something that could never be replaced."]]

** Another interpretation, perhaps erroneous, is even sadder: Kamina's father, whom he's idolized his entire life, the memory of which has shaped him into the man that he is, died a [[ShootTheShaggyDog pointless, [[DroppedABridgeOnHim inglorious death]] in the middle of the wasteland, [[DyingAlone all by himself]], [[ShootTheShaggyDog having achieved nothing whatsoever of importance]].]]

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1P9_jy1RTQ Parallel Works 8: Childhood's End]] depicts Lordgenome during the first war against the Anti-Spirals, his confrontation with the Anti-Spiral leader teased in the main show, and his fall into despair leading him to slaughter the entirety of his fellow spiral warriors. It comes to a climax with him transforming the Cathedral Terra into Cathedral Lazengann, the beastmen marching out in their gunmen, and his decree to humanity to live in fear of the Spiral King. This entire work is narrated by Lordgenome and the Anti-Spiral Leader in such a way that it almost sounds like an argument between the two. The music chosen for this tragic turning point? ''"Libera Me From Hell"'' with all the rap removed.

Administrivia/SpoilersOff

* [[spoiler:Kamina's death]]. Cue ManlyTears, [[TenderTears Girly Tears]], and ALL other kinds of tears, dammit. The moment ''deserves'' it.

** [[spoiler:What makes it even ''worse'' is the HopeSpot. You'd really think it's a DisneyDeath, what with his snarky "Can't a guy get any sleep around here?" line and then performing Giga Drill Breaker for the first time... except that through the whole thing, his voice is straining, and instead of a long, drawn-out death speech to kill the mood, he sums it all up in two gut-wrenching words: "Later, buddy…" followed by Simon's "Bro...? Bro...?"]]
*** Or in the Japanese version: "Abayo, dachiko." Followed by Simon's [[spoiler:"Aniki? ... Aniki?"]]
*** After Thymilph's death, Simon is watching the sun come up with a massive smile on his face... and then he realizes that [[spoiler:Kamina's dead]].
** Pay close attention to [[spoiler:Gurren's]] status screen in the episode. Notice the icon representing its pilot? It's black. He was ''already dead''. Which, makes that even more tear-jerky when you realize [[spoiler:Kamina ''refused to die until he was absolutely sure Simon and his team were safe.'']] WordOfGod stated that [[spoiler:Kamina did indeed die, and that he came back to life to avenge his own death]] and save his team.
*** [[spoiler:Thymilph pierced Kamina's cockpit from the ''back''. When you see him later in the cockpit, the wound is visible on his ''chest''. The attack must have destroyed some of his vital organs, but he still came back to help.]]
** [[spoiler:[[ScreamDiscretionShot Kamina screaming in immense pain]] from being run through, both mech and body, by Thymilph's Condemn Blaze attack.]] The expression of pure horror on Yoko's face says it all.
** Simon's HeroicBSOD in the following episode is almost as tear-jerking. Seeing him so broken, utterly distressed and hopeless was enough, but then this line comes... "[[spoiler:I killed my brother. So I'll become stronger. I've got no choice but to become stronger. I'll fight on behalf of my brother, too.]]" His breakdown a second after that is heartbreaking too.
** Watching Simon and Yoko grieve after [[spoiler:Kamina's death]]. It is not helped by the entire crew's utter lack of belief in Simon the entire time. Not surprisingly, when Simon overcomes his grief, understands that he has to believe and have confidence in himself, and literally shakes off the tears after his emotional speech, the viewer might find themselves at tear-jerker danger level 2.
*** An absolutely horrible moment comes right before that, too. Kittan is arguing with Simon about the latter's refusal to treat piloting Gurren Lagann as a team effort, and Simon snaps that he never asked for anyone to [[spoiler:replace Kamina as Gurren's pilot, and that it'd be better if he just operated Gurren Lagann alone]]. Kittan then grabs Simon by the collar and yells, "If ''you'd'' have held it together, [[spoiler:''Kamina wouldn't be dead right now!'']]" Simon's expression, and the fact that Kittan had just explicitly ''placed the blame on him'' for what had happened the week before, when Simon was already in the depths of despair blaming ''himself'', is just plain brutal.

----> '''Yoko:''' [[spoiler:You said you'd repay that kiss ten times over. What's the big idea, leaving a hole in my heart that's ten times bigger? Kamina, you jerk!]]

** This [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjfVMZggw44 moment]] was re-enacted in ''VideoGame/{{Super Robot Wars Z}}2'' and [[spoiler:there's nothing you can do to stop it.]]
*** There is a certain kind of heartbreak in watching [[Manga/GetterRobo Ryouma]], the prototype to all HotBlooded mecha pilots, an obvious template that Kamina is based on, and a brother-in-arms to Kamina himself in the game, just... [[spoiler:screaming Kamina's name helplessly.]]

** [[spoiler:Nia's disappearance right after her wedding to Simon, especially the aplomb she faced it with-- ''[[GoOutWithASmile smiling until the very last second so as to not make Simon sad]]'']]--to be a huge tear-jerker in its own right. Goddamnit, Gainax, give one of your series a genuinely happy ending for once.
*** Even worse [[spoiler:is the credits sequence right after, which has Simon walking alone with Boota. Even though it's the ''exact same'' as it was in the other post-timeskip episodes, it has a whole new subtext behind it that makes it even sadder.]]

*** [[spoiler:Just think of that coming from Simon...]]
*** While on the topic of the movie, the ending credits rolling still have Simon and Boota walking down the road together and yet alone. There are, naturally, a couple of differences; The main one is that Simon is a kid during the majority of the credits, then [[spoiler:a single + shaped flower floats above his head, and he looks up. It evaporates, and he dons his [[BadassLongcoat coat]], becoming adult Simon.]] What makes this part really heartwrenching? [[spoiler:Look up the lyrics for "Namida no Tane, Egao no Hana" (as the song is called). Now rewatch the ending credits. Now weep.]]
* The [[spoiler:brief shot of Viral playing with his daughter in his alternate reality dream]]. That's the only thing [[spoiler:Viral ever really wanted.]] And yet, [[spoiler:it's the one thing he can't ever have. Viral is a beastman and therefore can't reproduce due to his lack of Spiral energy. To make it even worse, Viral managed to go BeyondTheImpossible and make Spiral energy to form Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, but still won't ever be able to have a family because there will never be another Beast(wo)man who also has it. He does get a wife in the epilogue, but no children and he'll outlive her due to his {{immortality}}.]]
** The real gut punch is [[spoiler:when Viral sees the Simon stream across the sky, breaking the illusion and making Viral realize none of it is real.]]
---->'''Viral:''' [[spoiler:Ah, so that's it... and I was having such a sappy dream...]]
** Also worthy of being mentioned is the dream sequence of [[spoiler:Lordgenome where he is seen in a school as a teacher]]. He didn't live the life he would have liked.
** There's also Yoko seeing [[spoiler:all of her dreams being played on a TV, one of which is her getting married to Kittan. She turns it off at this one, and the camera pans out to show that the TV is being held by Kamina.]]
** [[spoiler:"Hey, when in the hell did you get taller than me?"]]
* Episode 25: [[spoiler:Kittan's death]], heart-wrenching in addition to being ''[[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome completely awesome]]''.
--->'''Kittan:''' [[spoiler:So this is the power of the spiral. Not bad, not bad at all.]]
** Shortly before that, when [[spoiler:the team discovers the Death Spiral Machine]], a slow piano-and-violin song[[note]]resembling one of the OneWomanWail sequences of ''Libera Me from Hell''[[/note]] plays in the background that doesn't appear in any OST releases. It accompanies the scene's dialogue so perfectly that [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic the emotional impact is like being hit in the chest with a sledgehammer]].
--->'''Dayakka:''' [[spoiler:So many Laganns were sacrificed...]]\\

*** That moment has a bit of uncomfortable humor, at least in the dub. [[spoiler:Kittan]] knows he's not coming back, and immediately tries to set himself apart from [[spoiler:Kamina]] in saying "I ain't sayin' no showy crap, like [[spoiler:'Later, buddy']] or something lame like that!" It's funny because after everything that's happened he's [[spoiler: STILL trying to one-up the guy]]! And it doesn't even work, since [[spoiler: the fans still talk about Kamina's death a ''lot'' more than Kittan's.]]
* There’s a moment within episode 26 to be a true, straight-up Tear Jerker. [[spoiler:Kamina and the adult Simon are standing side by side on the hill where Simon first found Nia. Kamina looks curiously over at Simon, leans over, and with a smile on his face utters the words "Looks like you've grown taller than me." Kamina's not just talking about his height, but also commenting that Simon's become a man greater than Kamina was in life.]] The scenes after are heart-twisting, to be sure, but that one alone, that single acknowledgment never fails to send a shiver down your spine.
** And yet, few people seem to recognize that [[spoiler: Simon is the greater man than Kamina, thanks to the latter's status as a DecoyProtagonist and MemeticBadass]]. But [[spoiler:Kamina himself]] did.

* The episode where [[spoiler:Rossiu tries to kill himself]].
** Leading up to that, seeing how TheChainsOfCommanding slowly wear him down and each time he has to ShootTheDog pushes him deeper into a depression. The end of Episode 22 is one big [=CMOA=] with Simon and the Dai-Gurren Brigade saving everyone, ''everyone'', but amidst all the awesome, there's that one moment when [[spoiler:Rossiu]] realizes that the only thing he has done is playing right into the Anti-Spiral's hands and completely breaks, leading up to his [[spoiler:attempted suicide]] the next episode.
** Kinon. It's debatable whether she agreed with [[spoiler:Rossiu's]] views, but she stood by him anyway, even if that meant she had to distance herself from her family and friends. Why? Because she loved him and it probably broke her heart to see him shoulder the responsibility of saving everyone alone. It becomes tragic when she could only silently watch him slipping farther and farther away into his depression, unable to reach out to him... [[spoiler:until Simon literally punches him out of his depression and Rossiu sees just how much Kinon cares for him.]]
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xNnPmnkNzg This Gurren Lagann AMV]], set to "Welcome to the Black Parade." Compresses all the [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome CMOAs]] and {{Tear Jerker}}s into 5-and-a-bit minutes and syncs them to a song that could have been ''written'' for the series--"He said / Son when / you grow up / would you be / the savior of the broken / the beaten and the damned?" The tears really flow at the end when it shows you [[spoiler:Nia's grave adorned with her wedding bouquet and veil]].
* Episode 2: [[spoiler:Kamina finds his dad's skeleton in the desert. Going back from the end of the series, other than Nia's death, this is probably the saddest moment in the series. Kamina's death non-withstanding for awesome factors.]] The fact that [[spoiler:finding out about the fate of Kamina's father [[{{Foreshadowing}} foreshadows]] his own death later on [[HarsherInHindsight makes it even worse]]. It is also implied that Lordgenome was the one who personally faced and killed him in combat]].
** Another interpretation, perhaps erroneous, is even sadder: [[spoiler:Kamina's father, whom he's idolized his entire life, the memory of which has shaped him into the man that he is, died a [[ShootTheShaggyDog pointless]], [[DroppedABridgeOnHim inglorious death]] in the middle of the wasteland, [[DyingAlone all by himself]], [[ShootTheShaggyDog having achieved nothing whatsoever of importance]].]]

** The moment right before [[spoiler:Lordgenome sacrifices himself, when he comments that, he wants to use his temporary body to ensure a future for the Spiral races. Cue Nia looking down sadly and agreeing with him, then briefly fading, warning us of what's going to happen at the end of the episode. Especially with the look on Simon's face when he realizes that winning means that the love of his life will ''cease to exist''. And then she gently reminds him that he doesn't really have any other choice.]]

* In episode 10, Simon [[spoiler:recalls a time in the past when he, Kamina, and several other people became trapped underground. He mentions that while he kept digging and digging desperately, quiet and fearful, Kamina kept on laughing and talking and joking in high spirits, keeping everyone cheerful throughout a situation that would terrify any sane person--and Simon wishes that he had the power that Kamina had to inspire people and keep them from giving up. Then, in episode 11, there is a flashback to the night before Kamina died, when he and Yoko were "alone" under the moon. Kamina recalled the same incident to Yoko: while he was just fooling around and talking, Simon kept steadily drilling with his back to them, never stopping or taking a break, and eventually got them out of the cave-in... and so ''he'' wished that he could be like ''Simon''--"I wanted to be a man whose back would never break". For the ''mutual'' admiration that had existed between the two "brothers" all along, and for Simon's never having really recognized his own strength, however different it was from Kamina's, came dangerously close to completely breaking down in happy/sad tears at the latter flashback, and the SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome that followed.]]

* In episode 26, [[spoiler:Simon's multidimensional labyrinth scene. Specifically when Kamina appears and gives him the whole "Don't you remember you were the method to my madness?" speech, and Simon chokes out "Is it really you?"]] Part of it is that this scene is really well-acted in the dub.
* One line from Viral in TheMovie, after the heroes have [[spoiler: killed all the Spiral King's generals and their henchmen]]:

* The aftermath of the battle with the [[spoiler:Anti-Spirals]] in the movie. We see what happens when they get back to Earth, with the bittersweet scene of Nia receiving her dress from the butler... then there's a sudden cut to [[spoiler:Kittan's picture, with flowers, and it pans out to reveal a silent scene of all three of his normally cheerful and stoic sisters crying uncontrollably]], to the extent that one of them has even collapsed on the floor.

** To elaborate on the scene from the movie, [[spoiler:[[{{Meganekko}} Kinon]] has collapsed to the floor in a heap with her hands covering her face and her hat nearby, looking as if it fell off her with out her even noticing, [[GenkiGirl Kiyal]] is crying hysterically, her whole body shaking with the force of her sobs, and [[CoolBigSis Kiyoh]] is hanging on to Dayakka in a death grip, looking like she could collapse any minute if he let her go.]] Seeing just how much [[spoiler:Kittan's death]] affected each of them is almost too hard to watch. To top it off we don't hear any of them, only the triumphant music that started right as our heroes are processing the fact that they won... but at a cost.
* The end of the alternate universe sequence in Lagann-Hen when we see [[spoiler:Simon's alternate realities. As Simon snatches his core drill, we're teased with the image of him smiling as he's holding a baby. While it's not specified who's child it is, it's safe to assume that it's Simon and Nia's baby.]]
* The one scene in ''Lagann-Hen'' when Nia [[spoiler:tells her body "Just a bit longer. Okay?" She knows that she can't hold out much more before she vanishes.]] After that [[spoiler:Nia hands Yoko her diary as a sort of farewell gift.]] The latter could also qualify as a [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments heartwarming moment]]. But once you realize [[spoiler:that Nia's diary was composed of letters to Kamina, Yoko's long deceased lover, it just makes the exchange even more bittersweet.]]

--> '''Nia:''' [[spoiler:That is what happens when someone dies. People suffer. And yet here you are, saying two grieving parties should hurt each other! Don't you think there might be something wrong with that?!]]
* "Listen, Simon. Never forget this. Believe in yourself. Not in the Simon that I have faith in. Not in the Kamina that you believe in either. Believe in the Simon... who believes in you." The first time, the speech is delivered [[spoiler:while Kamina is dying]]. Three episodes later, it returns with even more impact. After Simon spends three episodes [[spoiler:blaming himself for Kamina's death and trying to find a way to take up his bro's mantle]], Simon remembers Kamina's words and finally finds the strength to resume moving forward.
* A particular scene before the battle that [[spoiler:leads Kamina to his unavoidable doom]]. The scene being, Kamina and Yoko kissing... and Simon seeing them (having, then, a crush for Yoko), then running to Lagann, putting his head between his knees, and repeating to himself: "It's none of my business. It's none of my business. It's none of my business." Ever happened to you, a girl/guy you liked choosing your friend over you? It hurts. You can't hate your friend, but you can't pretend it doesn't bother you either. And the scene just captures that feeling so well...
* Kinon explaining to Simon how Rossiu ''really'' felt when he [[spoiler:sentenced Simon to death]]. We see him in his room, [[InelegantBlubbering bawling his eyes out]]. You realize right there that that was the hardest thing he's ever had to do.
* Yoko Littner's love life in general is a massive double whammy in sheer hell for her, but the real FridgeHorror comes in the end, where the DistantFinale shows her [[spoiler:having aged pretty poorly, with her figure having taken a considerable hit and her face presumably not shown because of the ravages of time. The real gut punch, however, is the fact she's basically withdrawn from others, and it's obvious she's given up on love due to the pain she's gotten as a result.]] While it's true that she probably did give up on love, she's still teaching the future generations of surface children, which is really what she had planned to do prior to the whole [[spoiler:Anti-Spiral crisis.]]

* Every single member of Team Dai-Gurren goes out with a smile. ''Every single one''. And every single smile brings forth a torrent of tears. The worst is probably [[spoiler:Makken's. He sacrifices himself to save his wife and kids, and doesn't even get a chance to say something cool. He just knows it's what he has to do and he does it with gusto.]]
** Made so much worse by [[spoiler:Leite whispering "Darling..." as her husband dies]]... and still managing to hold it together in a situation that would practically destroy most of us.
* When Simon finally snaps out of his HeroicBSOD, his rousing [[spoiler:"My bro is dead"]] speech.
* "Libera Me from Hell." The sadness of [[spoiler:Kamina's death, as well as Kittan's]], the sheer hot-blooded joy of beating Lordgenome, the raw hope and happiness when Simon gives his [[spoiler:"My bro is dead"]] speech, the despair of fighting the Anti-Spirals, the rage against Rossiu, and the wide range of emotions that the finale caries. All of this... unlocked in a single song.

* Yoko is about to get into Gurren's cockpit for the first time since [[spoiler:Kamina died]], and she pauses and looks at the seat and you just know exactly what she's thinking.

* [[spoiler:After Simon has been framed]], there's a scene of the citizens tearing down the statue of [[spoiler:Kamina]]. Watching that happen is rather heartbreaking, and it's even worse in ''Lagann-hen'', where it's shown earlier on that [[spoiler:Simon built the damn thing ''by himself'']] and now he's watching it being torn down by an angry mob.
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1P9_jy1RTQ Parallel Works 8: Childhood's End]] depicts Lordgenome during [[spoiler:the first war against the Anti-Spirals, his confrontation with the Anti-Spiral leader teased in the main show, and his fall into despair leading him to slaughter the entirety of his fellow spiral warriors. It comes to a climax with him transforming the Cathedral Terra into Cathedral Lazengann, the beastmen marching out in their gunmen, and his decree to humanity to live in fear of the Spiral King.]] This entire work is narrated by Lordgenome and [[spoiler: the Anti-Spiral Leader]] in such a way that it almost sounds like an argument between the two. The music chosen for this tragic turning point? ''"Libera Me From Hell"'' with all the rap removed.
* The death of the [[spoiler:Anti-Spiral King.]] The entire reason for his existence was to prevent the [[spoiler:Spiral Nemesis]] from occurring. He had the almost limitless power of [[spoiler: his race's technology at his disposal.]] And yet, he died to a [[spoiler: single human with a drill arm, while everything his race had built over the eons burned around him. BreakTheHaughty does not even begin to cover it.]]
--> '''[[spoiler:Anti-Spiral King:]]''' If this is how it must be, protect the universe at all costs.
--> '''[[spoiler:Simon:]]''' Of course we will. Have faith in me, and in the rest of Humanity.
* There is a GriefSong that plays in the series' darkest moments [[spoiler:(Kamina's death, Guame's talk with Nia, Simon's first attempt to reason with Messenger!Nia and Messenger!Nia's stand at Cathedral Terra's Giga Core Drill hole)]] that has never been released in any official OST. It perfectly illustrates [[spoiler:the pain felt by Simon, Nia and their loved ones.]]