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* [[spoiler:SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: [[TropesAreNotBad 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.]]
* [[spoiler: TearsOfRemorse]]: [[spoiler: 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.]]
* [[spoiler: TearsOfRemorse]]: [[spoiler: 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.]]
to:
* [[spoiler:SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: [[TropesAreNotBad a 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.]]
*[[spoiler: TearsOfRemorse]]: [[spoiler: After TearsOfRemorse: [[spoiler: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.]]
*
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* [[spoiler:ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice]] [[spoiler: 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 {{Tearjerker}}.]]
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* [[spoiler:ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice]] [[spoiler: [[spoiler:ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: 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 {{Tearjerker}}.]]
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** HeartbrokenBadass: After [[spoiler:he sees Kamina kiss Yoko]]. Much later, he is left heartbroken again with [[spoiler:Nia dying ''in the day of their wedding'']].
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** HeartbrokenBadass: After [[spoiler:he sees Kamina kiss Yoko]]. Much later, he is left heartbroken again with [[spoiler:Nia dying ''in ''on the day of their wedding'']].
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* [[spoiler:[[AGoodWayToDie 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. ]]
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* [[spoiler:[[AGoodWayToDie 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. ]]
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* [[HeyItsThatVoice Hey It's That Grunt]]: Hey, it's [[LegendOfZelda Link]]!
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* [[HeyItsThatVoice Hey It's That Grunt]]: Hey, it's [[LegendOfZelda [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Link]]!
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* CantCatchUp: Lordgenome tells him as much. "No beastman can stand against a human who has mastered the power of the Spiral." [[spoiler: Subverted in the movie, where he himself gains the ability to use Spiral Power. Not subverted in the regular series, but as the resident AcePilot, it doesn't matter.]]
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* {{Determinator}} Not as boastful as Kamina, nor as showy but he's rocksolid. [[AxCrazy scarily so sometimes.]]
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* {{Determinator}} Not as boastful as Kamina, nor as showy but he's rocksolid. [[AxCrazy scarily Scarily so sometimes.]]
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* BadAss
to:
* BadAss{{Badass}}
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* {{Badass}}
** BadassAdorable: She is ''completely fearless'' and insanely strong. And she's very, very adorable.
** BadassDamsel
** BadassAdorable: She is ''completely fearless'' and insanely strong. And she's very, very adorable.
** BadassDamsel
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* {{Badass}}
**BadassAdorable: She is ''completely fearless'' and insanely strong. And she's very, very adorable.
** * BadassDamsel
**
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* HeyItsThatVoice: In the English dub pre-TimeSkip, she's [[TeenTitans Starfire]].
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* HeyItsThatVoice: In the English dub pre-TimeSkip, she's [[TeenTitans [[WesternAnimation/TeenTitans Starfire]].
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** 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 BeyondTheImpossible. That's how Team Gurren rolls."
-->"Believe in the me that believes in you."
-->"Yours is the drill that will pierce the heavens"
-->"WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AM?"
-->"Kick reason to the curb and go BeyondTheImpossible. That's how Team Gurren rolls."
-->"Believe in the me that believes in you."
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As per the Nightmare Fuel cleanup
.
.Changed line(s) 441 (click to see context) from:
* EatTheDog: In episode 4. Simon and Kamina are starving from getting nothing to eat, so Boota does the most disturbing thing possible and [[spoiler: ''[[AccidentalNightmareFuel bites on his own tail and rips off his hindquarters!!!]]'']] Fortunately, he's healed by the next episode. [[spoiler: You can HandWave it due to his innate [[HealingFactor Spiral Power.]]]]
to:
* EatTheDog: In episode 4. Simon and Kamina are starving from getting nothing to eat, so Boota does the most disturbing thing possible and [[spoiler: ''[[AccidentalNightmareFuel bites ''bites on his own tail and rips off his hindquarters!!!]]'']] hindquarters!!!'']] Fortunately, he's healed by the next episode. [[spoiler: You can HandWave it due to his innate [[HealingFactor Spiral Power.]]]]
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* BadAss:
to:
* BadAss:BadAss
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** Does grow out of the role steadily after [[spoiler:Kamina dies]], and has practically become [[TheMcCoy the opposite]] at the time skip, serving as a counterpart to Rossiu instead.
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* NeutralFemale: Though subverted at least three times.
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* NeutralFemale: Though subverted at least three times.times, and even when not it's because she has no other option rather than she can fight but refuses to.
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* BadassNormal: 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.
to:
* BadAss:
** BadassNormal: 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.
** BadassNormal: 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.
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* [[spoiler:NarratorAllAlong: Old Simon.]]
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** 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 hes the one doing it.
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** 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 hes he's the one doing it.
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** lampshaded by himself everytime theres a partying scene with him happen, he song a praise for Simmon only people were blinded by his acts to think hes the one doing it.
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** lampshaded Lampshaded by himself everytime theres there's a partying scene with him happen, he song a praise for Simmon only people were blinded by his acts to think hes the one doing it.
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* FountainOfMemes: In real life ''and'' in-universe; Team (Dai-)Gurren's name(s), catchphrases, flag, and overall style - not to mention every set of ArcWords - all originated from him.
* GenreSavvy: 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 RuleOfCool, CrazyAwesome, and [[RatedMForManly unadulterated manliness]]! Although it's not clear if he knew this from the beginning because he's TheMessiah, 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.
* GenreSavvy: 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 RuleOfCool, CrazyAwesome, and [[RatedMForManly unadulterated manliness]]! Although it's not clear if he knew this from the beginning because he's TheMessiah, 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.
to:
* FountainOfMemes: In real life RealLife ''and'' in-universe; Team (Dai-)Gurren's name(s), catchphrases, flag, and overall style - not to mention every set of ArcWords - all originated from him.
* GenreSavvy: 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'''''', '''''EXACTLY''''', how he thinks it does- on pure RuleOfCool, CrazyAwesome, and [[RatedMForManly unadulterated manliness]]! Although it's not clear if he knew this from the beginning because he's TheMessiah, 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.
* GenreSavvy: 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
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** BadassCape
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* [[spoiler: TragicKeepsake]]: [[spoiler: 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, [[spoiler: Kamina himself dies and the cape becomes part of a grave marker, tied around his ''nodachi'' stabbed into the ground.]]
to:
* [[spoiler: TragicKeepsake]]: [[spoiler: After TragicKeepsake: [[spoiler: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, [[spoiler: Kamina himself dies and the cape becomes part of a grave marker, tied around his ''nodachi'' stabbed into the ground.]]ground]].
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* [[spoiler:DidNotGetTheGirl: He and Nia actually get married, but immediately afterward, she finally allows herself to die]].
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* [[spoiler:DidNotGetTheGirl: He and Nia actually get married, but immediately afterward, she finally allows herself to die]].die.]]
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* {{Expy}} : Basically, a goofier and less AloofBigBrother version of [[GreatMazinger Tetsuya Tsurugi]]. Both are Red Oni to their younger partner, [[HeroesPreferSwords 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.
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* {{Expy}} : {{Expy}}: Basically, a goofier and less AloofBigBrother version of [[GreatMazinger Tetsuya Tsurugi]]. Both are Red Oni to their younger partner, [[HeroesPreferSwords 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.
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* [[spoiler:NeverGotToSayGoodbye to Yoko]]
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* [[spoiler:NeverGotToSayGoodbye to Yoko]][[spoiler:NeverGotToSayGoodbye: To Yoko.]]
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* [[spoiler:NormallyIWouldBeDeadNow]] [[spoiler: but came back to life long enough to kill a general and give final words to Simon.]]
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* [[spoiler:NormallyIWouldBeDeadNow]] [[spoiler: but [[spoiler:NormallyIWouldBeDeadNow: But came back to life long enough to kill a general and give final words to Simon.]]
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* [[spoiler: SparedByTheAdaptation: In the HighSchoolAU manga.]]
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* [[spoiler: SparedByTheAdaptation: [[spoiler:SparedByTheAdaptation: In the HighSchoolAU manga.]]
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* [[spoiler: SparedByTheAdaptation: In the HighSchoolAU manga]]
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* [[spoiler: SparedByTheAdaptation: In the HighSchoolAU manga]]manga.]]
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* [[spoiler:TakingYouWithMe: with Thymilph.]]
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* [[spoiler:TakingYouWithMe: with With Thymilph.]]
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* [[spoiler: TragicHero]]: [[spoiler:His dad dies]] and then [[spoiler:so does he]].
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* [[spoiler: TragicHero]]: [[spoiler:His TragicHero: His dad dies]] dies and then [[spoiler:so so does he]].he.]]
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* [[spoiler: TragicKeepsake]]: In episode 3, [[spoiler: 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: [[spoiler: Kamina himself ends up getting killed, and now that armband is a permanent memento of his fallen blood brother.]]
to:
* [[spoiler: TragicKeepsake]]: TragicKeepsake: In episode 3, [[spoiler: as [[spoiler: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: [[spoiler: Kamina himself ends up getting killed, and now that armband is a permanent memento of his fallen blood brother.]]
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* [[spoiler: OfficialCouple]]: [[spoiler: With Nia.]]
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* [[spoiler: OfficialCouple]]: [[spoiler: OfficialCouple: With Nia.]]
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* [[spoiler:[[PassingTheTorch Passing The Core Drill]]: to Gimmy.]]
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* [[spoiler:[[PassingTheTorch Passing The Core Drill]]: to To Gimmy.]]
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* NoSocialSkills: 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.
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* NoSocialSkills: Falls between this and The White Prince, TheWhitePrince, having been raised in isolation for her entire life until she was literally put in a box and left on a landfill.
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* NoSocialSkills: having been raised in isolation for her entire life until she was literally put in a box and left on a landfill.
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* NoSocialSkills: 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.
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* [[spoiler: EvilKnockoff: Pilots the Chouginga Anti-Gurren Lagann in SuperRobotWarsZ 2: Saisei-Hen]]
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!!'''Simon'''
[[quoteright:225:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/simon_gurrenlagann.jpg]]
->Voiced by: TetsuyaKakihara (JP), YuriLowenthal (EN)
->[[spoiler: Old Simon: TakayukiSugo (JP), TonyOliver (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.
-----
* TheAce: Eventually becomes this.
* {{Adorkable}}: As cute and endearing as Kamina is hammy.
* AntiHero: A [[SlidingScaleOfAntiHeroes Type I]] during the first act. He grows a backbone and ditches this trope soon after he meets Nia, however.
* {{Badass}}
** BadassAdorable: Is overall a sweet-natured, shy, live-and-let-live, utterly endearing person... who can kick your ass up and down the metaphorical street if he feels he needs to.
** BadassLongcoat: Prologue and last arc (doubles as WalkingShirtlessScene).
** BadassNickname: Simon [[TunnelKing the Digger]].
** FutureBadass: [[spoiler: Becomes this during his HesBack moment, and only becomes more badass as the series continues.]]
** HeartbrokenBadass: After [[spoiler:he sees Kamina kiss Yoko]]. Much later, he is left heartbroken again with [[spoiler:Nia dying ''in the day of their wedding'']].
** [[spoiler:RetiredBadass: In the DistantFinale.]]
* BashBrothers: 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.
* BeadyEyedLoser: Introduced as one. As he [[TookALevelInBadass takes level after level in badass]], his eyes slowly get de-beadified, until they become complete TsurimeEyes during the FinalBattle.
* BerserkerTears: If you see Simon crying, ''run''.
** TearsOfBlood: In episode 25, [[spoiler:(after Kittan dies)]]. Simon has strained himself so severely from [[spoiler: mustering Spiral Energy]], the blood vessels in his tear ducts rupture.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: His normally-gentle personality makes his behaviour after [[spoiler: 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 AxCrazy pilot in battle, for instance -- all the more startling. Thankfully, his psychotic tendencies [[HesBack don't last]]... but he ''does'' come out of it as an official BadassAdorable, and making him angry is still always a BAD idea.
* BreakTheCutie: Pretty much from episode 8 onwards.
* BeYourself: 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 CharacterDevelopment takes a massive turn for the better.
* BigEater: Witness the plates and plates ''and plates'' that quickly pile up around him every time he eats. Even if it's [[LethalChef Nia]]'s cooking. ''Especially'' if it's Nia's cooking.
* BigGood: From his [[HesBack He's Back]] moment onward. The new leader and the recognition as a threat from enemies. A rare case where the TheHero is also the BigGood.
* {{Bishonen}}: Post-timeskip.
* BloodBrothers: As above.
* BlueEyes: Of the innocent, hopeful variety, though they occasionally look more [[GrayEyes grey]].
* [[spoiler:ButNowIMustGo: At the end of the series, he gives the Core Drill and Lagann to Gimmy, then sets off to wander the earth.]]
* CallingYourAttacks: His attacks tend to be more technical and less silly than Kamina's.
* [[spoiler:CoolOldGuy: From what we see of him in the epilogue.]]
* [[MoralityPet 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 [[spoiler: his death]]. This is reversed after the Time Skip, not only to Simon but to the entire Team Gurren.
* CowardlyLion: For the first few episodes.
** TheSoCalledCoward: Saves the day several times, with no one but Kamina to sing his praises. This changes when he snaps out of his HeroicBSOD.
* CursedWithAwesome: Early on, he certainly doesn't seem happy about piloting Lagann, but [[SubvertedTrope he grows to enjoy it after a while]].
* CuteShotaroBoy: Pre-timeskip.
* [[spoiler:DeadPersonConversation: With Kamina in the penultimate episode.]]
* {{Determinator}} Not as boastful as Kamina, nor as showy but he's rocksolid. [[AxCrazy scarily so sometimes.]]
* [[spoiler:DidNotGetTheGirl: He and Nia actually get married, but immediately afterward, she finally allows herself to die]].
* {{Expy}}: Of [[{{Gunbuster}} 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.
** Prior to his CharacterDevelopment, he had more than a passing resemblance to [[NeonGenesisEvangelion Shinji Ikari]], in that both were [[CowardlyLion Cowardly Lions]] who undergo SanitySlippage and become [[BewareTheNiceOnes really scary]] in [[BreakTheCutie the face of trauma]].
** The grown-up Simon at the introduction to the series, with his "don't give a damn if the universe is our enemy," is similar to Ryouma "Batshit" Nagare from the ''GetterRobo'' manga, from which this series borrows heavily from.
* [[spoiler: FamedInStory: Witness the collective Spiral races screaming his name in celebration at the end of the series after his feat of [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu Cthulhu-punchery]].]]
* GogglesDoNothing: He keeps them from his mining days, but mostly they're just to look cool.
** GogglesDoSomethingUnusual: A mild example, but they have a headlamp installed... whose light shines ''directly out of'' the lenses...?
** GlassesPull: [[LetsGetDangerous When he means business]].
** [[spoiler:CoolShades: They transform into star shaped sunglasses late in the series as a tribute to Kamina and Kittan.]]
* GoodLookingPrivates: 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 [[ShirtlessScene even]] ''[[OfCorsetsSexy more]]'' [[FetishFuel hot]].
* [[SheIsAllGrownUp He Is All Grown Up]]: At least from an out-of-universe perspective- he goes from being an adorably-goofy CuteShotaroBoy to being an ''incredibly'' gorgeous and sexy {{Bishounen}}.
* HeroesWantRedheads: Has feelings for Yoko first.
* HeroicBSOD: Simon goes into a big one of these after [[spoiler:Kamina dies]]...
* HesBack: ...And bounces back from it in a manner that is completely and utterly [[MomentOfAwesome AWESOME]].
* HotBlooded: As he grows in confidence.
* IJustWantToBeNormal: But Kamina just. Won't. Let him.
** And then, after all is said and done, [[spoiler: 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.]]
* ImageSong: "Break Through The Dream" (shared with Kamina).
* IndyPloy: Becomes increasingly fond of these as the series goes on.
* InTheNameOfTheMoon: Takes over this from Kamina. Used against both {{Big Bad}}s.
* [[spoiler:InHarmsWay]]
* JustAKid: Kittan and Viral's opinon of him, at first. Then he grows up...
* KidHero: Pre-timeskip. [[CharacterDevelopment Matures]] [[TookALevelInBadass afterward.]]
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: Overlaps with RefusalOfTheCall in the beginning, but even after his CharacterDevelopment into a BadAss {{Determinator}}, he's still rational enough to know when to walk away from a fight.
* TheLancer: To Kamina.
** TheHero: After [[spoiler:Kamina dies]].
* MarshmallowHell: As a kid, he is the [[OneHeadTaller perfect height]] to be subjected to this over and over. Both the manga retelling of the series and ''Guren Gakuenhen'', the HighSchoolAU manga, take this gag and run with it. [[AccidentalPervert "I'm so sorry, time and time again..."]]
* MeaningfulName: 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 [[MessianicArchetype Kamina]] for Jesus, world leader for Pope, and drill for key, and there you have it.
** That is FauxSymbolism. 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 WordOfGod.
* TheMessiah: Takes over the role after [[spoiler:Kamina dies]] and when he first meets Nia.
** MessianicArchetype: [[spoiler:His name resembles Simon Peter, who led the Apostles when Jesus died. Simon did the same thing when Kamina died.]]
* [[spoiler: TheMourningAfter: In Lagann-hen, he dedicates his life to fulfilling his deceased wife's wish: to make the entire world bloom with flowers.]]
* MrFanservice: He grew up ''very'' nicely...
* [[spoiler: MySiblingWillLiveThroughMe: Shortly after Kamina's death he attempts a DeadPersonImpersonation 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 BadassLongcoat to Kamina's BadassCape.]]
* NeverTellMeTheOdds: They don't matter, even if they're 0.
* NoShirtLongJacket: Pre-timeskip and late post-timeskip.
* [[spoiler: OfficialCouple]]: [[spoiler: With Nia.]]
* OlderThanTheyLook: WordOfGod 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. [[spoiler: Then he grows into a fine young adult and actually ''surpasses'' Kamina in height!]]
* PersonOfMassDestruction: Hell, he can create objects of [[spoiler: ''galactic'']] proportions! [[spoiler: [[UpToEleven and then there is the second movie...]] ]]
* [[spoiler:[[PassingTheTorch Passing The Core Drill]]: to Gimmy.]]
* RedArmbandOfLeadership: A piece of a cloak belonging to [[spoiler: 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 [[spoiler: TragicKeepsake 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.
* RedOniBlueOni: 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.
* RefusalOfTheCall: Attempts this in early episodes, but Kamina's not having any of it.
* RousingSpeech: Just like Kamina.
* [[spoiler:SaveTheDayTurnAway: Type 2.]]
* SayMyName: "BRO!!" "NIA!!" " YOKO!!" "KITTAN!!" etc.
* ScrewDestiny: Of the entire cast, he's the best at it. [[spoiler: Which is what makes the BitterSweetEnding so controversial.]]
** Most likely, he's worried [[spoiler: 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 InvincibleHero, either: he could slip up and cause one hell of a disaster.
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: Sensitive Guy to Kamina's Manly Man.
* ShowyInvincibleHero: The only people to put dust on him are Kamina and Lordgenome, and [[spoiler: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 [[spoiler: 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.]]
* ShrinkingViolet: 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.
* ShutUpHannibal: His response to Spiral Nemesis.
* SpannerInTheWorks: Viral didn't know he existed until near the timeskip. His relationship with Nia also counts.
* TheSpock: Of the initial three.
* [[spoiler:StarCrossedLovers: With Nia.]]
* StraightMan: To Kamina. Kamina even calls him ([[spoiler: in a DreamSequence after the TimeSkip]]) "the method to my madness".
* SupportingProtagonist: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]], BIG TIME. Based on the first arc alone, one might think so, [[spoiler: but then Kamina dies.]]
* TaremeEyes --> TsurimeEyes
* ThemeMusicPowerUp: ''Plenty.''
* [[TookALevelInBadass Took Nine Thousand And One Levels In Badass]]
** The alternate timeline version of him as seen in the prologue, while definitely not originally intended to be so, has been retconned into something along the lines of ChaoticEvil, since he is ''a lot'' more arrogant in that depiction and [[ObliviouslyEvil possibly unintentionally]] willing to [[spoiler:let the [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt Spiral Nemesis]] occur]]. Of course, this doesn't happen in the main continuity, and this happened solely because the producers thought [[SureWhyNot it was a pretty good theory by the fandom]].
* [[spoiler: TragicKeepsake]]: In episode 3, [[spoiler: 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: [[spoiler: Kamina himself ends up getting killed, and now that armband is a permanent memento of his fallen blood brother.]]
* TransformationNameAnnouncement: Mixed with WorldOfCardBoardSpeech
* TunnelKing: Even in the first episode he was renowned as the best digger in Githa village.
* TheUnChosenOne: When he stops refusing the call, Simon becomes a [[ScrewDestiny destiny-screwing]] [[{{Badass}} badass]] to be reckoned with.
* TheUnfettered: Not as extreme as Kamina but still...
* WalkingShirtlessScene: Though unlike Kamina, he occasionally wears one.
* [[spoiler:WalkingTheEarth: At the end of the series.]]
* WeaponOfChoice
** EmpathicWeapon: Lagann. It can find him underground.
** ThisIsADrill: His primary weapon, and [[spoiler: he can make out of awesomeness- I mean, Spiral Energy.]]
*** The temple to his defied form is [[Pantheon/{{Weapons}} here]]
* WorldOfCardboardSpeech: In episode 11, he realizes that he'll never be Kamina, but he doesn't have to be.
--> '''Simon''': [[spoiler: 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!''
* YouKilledMyFather: He becomes motivated to fight in episode 2 when he realizes that the earthquake that killed his mother and father seven years ago [[spoiler:was directly caused by the havoc that the Beastmen wreak in their Gunmen on the surface world]].
!!'''Kamina'''
[[quoteright:225:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kamina_gurrenlagann.jpg]]
->Voiced by: KatsuyukiKonishi (JP), KyleHebert (EN)
->'''''[[color:red:"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 MemeticMutation. 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....
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* [[spoiler:[[AGoodWayToDie 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. ]]
* TheAce: Subverted, it's contributions of others, aka Simon and Kittan, that allows him to be The Ace.
** lampshaded by himself everytime theres a partying scene with him happen, he song a praise for Simmon only people were blinded by his acts to think hes the one doing it.
* AManIsNotAVirgin: Averted so hard it's not funny.
* [[spoiler:BackFromTheDead: but it's only temporary, as he just comes back to save everyone from the LotusEaterMachine. In the second movie, he's reincarnated as Super Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann]]
* {{Badass}}: No doubt the king of this on the show.
* BashBrothers: 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.
* BelligerentSexualTension: With Yoko [[spoiler:until their first and last, and only kiss]].
* TheBerserker: His battle strategy is (almost) always AttackAttackAttack. ''Almost.''
* {{BFS}}: Casually snatches his village chief's ''nodachi'' katana as a weapon of his own. [[spoiler: Unfortunately, it ends up being Kamina's grave marker alongside his cape after he dies.]]
* BigBrotherMentor: To Simon.
* BigEater: 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 BalloonBelly in episode 6 thanks to this trope. "A man's stomach knows no limit!"
* BigGood: The leader of the forces of good and the one the enemies are afraid of and focus their plans on. [[spoiler: Viral didn't know [[TheHero Simon]] ''existed'' until the attack on Teppelin.]]
* BloodBrothers: As above.
* BoisterousBruiser: Large, loud and aggressive. "HEY! HEY-HEY-HEY-HEY-HEY-'''''HEYYY!!!''''"
* BreakOutCharacter: Easily ''the'' most popular character from the series.
* CallingYourAttacks: Sets the standard for every other member of Team Dai-Gurren.
** GratuitousEnglish: ORE-WO-DARE-DA-TO-OMOTTE-YAGARU-KI~CK!!
* CatchPhrase: '''WHERE THE HELL DO WE EVEN BEGIN!?'''
* ChickMagnet: Kittan's sisters fall for him immediately. All three of them. [[spoiler: And then Yoko herself gives him a very affectionate kiss.]]
* CombatPragmatist: 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.
* [[spoiler:CrutchCharacter: In both the show and SuperRobotWarsZ 2 Hakai-Hen. Kamina's massive stats are crucial to keeping Gurren Lagann alive early game.]]
* [[CoolShades Cool]] TriangleShades: Kamina Shades is even one of the redirects!
* DeadpanSnarker: 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?"
* [[spoiler:DeadStarWalking]]
* DecoyProtagonist: 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 [[spoiler: death]] can stop Kamina from helping Simon.
* {{Deuteragonist}}: Goes along with being the [[spoiler:DecoyProtagonist]]. He gets as much or more screen time than Simon, and drives the early plot.
* DisappearedDad: His father once went into the surface and never came back. Kamina became a WellDoneSonGuy because of it. [[spoiler:And in the second episode, [[TearJerker he finds his old man's skeleton]].]]
* [[spoiler:DyingMomentOfAwesome: Giga... DORIRU... '''BREAKAH!!''']]
* [[spoiler:{{Egopolis}}: Averted. Kamina City is named after his memory, long after he dies.]]
* {{Expy}} : Basically, a goofier and less AloofBigBrother version of [[GreatMazinger Tetsuya Tsurugi]]. Both are Red Oni to their younger partner, [[HeroesPreferSwords 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.
* FakeUltimateHero: Played straight and subverted. While really a passionate hero who wants to liberate humanity, [[spoiler: he's never able to accomplish anything without help from Simon]] and in the end [[spoiler: 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 [[spoiler: and he was courageous and inspirational to his dying breath]].
* [[spoiler:FamedInStory: He's constantly mentioned as a paragon of heroism, up to and including the final battle.]]
* {{Fanservice}}: Rippling muscles, shirtless at all times, outrageously handsome... he's the pinnacle of it!
** MrFanservice: That sound you hear when ever he walks on screen? It's the horde of fangirls (and boys).
** WalkingShirtlessScene: Provides the page picture.
* FearlessFool: Subverted upon revealing his HiddenDepths, but this doesn't stop him from being too brave for his own good though.
* [[spoiler:FinalSpeech: Or five.]]
* [[spoiler:ForgottenFallenFriend: Completely averted, up to and including the DistantFinale.]]
* FountainOfMemes: In real life ''and'' in-universe; Team (Dai-)Gurren's name(s), catchphrases, flag, and overall style - not to mention every set of ArcWords - all originated from him.
* GenreSavvy: 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 RuleOfCool, CrazyAwesome, and [[RatedMForManly unadulterated manliness]]! Although it's not clear if he knew this from the beginning because he's TheMessiah, 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.
* [[spoiler:GoOutWithASmile]]
* GuileHero: In many ways, he doesn't out fight the enemy, but his confidence is the thing that inspires Simon to kick the enemies ass.
* HandsomeLech: 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 [[DoubleEntendre twin peaks]] in episode six.
* TheHero: Fits everything from wearing red to winning battles to team leader.
** [[spoiler:OurHeroIsDead: 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 FinalBattle!]]
* HeroesWantRedheads: 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.
* HiddenDepths: At face value, it's easy to see Kamina as an arrogant, completely fearless [[TheBerserker Berserker]] ...until it's revealed that [[spoiler: 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.
* HotBlooded: Always doing ''something'' and often that something is outrageous.
* {{Hunk}}
* IdiotHero: Boy howdy. What he lacks in brains he makes up for in '''FIGHTING SPIRIT!'''
** Later [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]]: Kamina decides to concoct a brilliant strategy with his team to [[spoiler: 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.
* ImageSong: "Break Through The Dream" (shared with Simon)
* [[spoiler:ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice]] [[spoiler: 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 {{Tearjerker}}.]]
* IndyPloy: With one notable exception; see UnspokenPlanGuarantee.
* InTheNameOfTheMoon: VERY fond of giving speeches before, during, and after battle.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Rough and not the nicest on the surface, but his dream is make life better for humans.
* JugglingLoadedGuns: 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.
* JumpedAtTheCall: When a gunman dropped into Giha Village, he was the only person not running in terror.
* LargeAndInCharge: 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.
* [[LargeHam Large]] [[JustForPun Spiral Sliced]] [[LargeHam Ham]]: '''LARGE HAM PERSONIFIED.''' ''Try'' not to crack up laughing at his singing in "Break Through The Dream".
* [[spoiler:TheLastDance]]
* LeeroyJenkins: {{Lampshaded}} by the man himself when he admits he'd be dead if it wasn't for Simon's calming influence. [[spoiler:He's right.]]
* LanternJawOfJustice
* MagneticHero: 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.
* [[ManicPixieDreamGirl Manic Braggart Dream Big Brother]]: To Simon.
* TheMcCoy: Of the initial three, the one relying most on emotion and guts.
* MeaningfulName: "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".
* TheMessiah
** MessianicArchetype: With a foot firmly in the old meaning of Messiah, AProtagonistShallLeadThem, a human who would inspire, unite its people, teach them and [[spoiler: after he dies, leaves an ever lasting legacy]], not a [[BoringInvincibleHero 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 [[spoiler: doomed to the same path of destruction and stagnation as countless others (Including [[FallenHero LordGenome]] and Kamina's own father)]]. Plus, [[spoiler:he returns from the dead to save them all from the LotusEaterMachine]].
** [[http://i935.photobucket.com/albums/ad197/ZeitgeistGlee/TTGLJesus.jpg Proof]].
* [[spoiler:MutualKill: a delayed reaction with Thymilph.]]
* [[spoiler:NeverGotToSayGoodbye to Yoko]]
* NoIndoorVoice: You know all those (many) catchphrases? He shouts ''all'' of them.
* [[spoiler:NormallyIWouldBeDeadNow]] [[spoiler: but came back to life long enough to kill a general and give final words to Simon.]]
* TheObiWan: To Simon, and all of Team Dai-Gurren too. [[spoiler: Sadly, he also shares a similar fate of death.]]
** [[spoiler:ObiWanMoment: "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!"]]
* OnlySaneMan: 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.
* PostDramaticStressDisorder: [[spoiler:the dying kind.]]
* [[spoiler:PosthumousCharacter: He's mentioned in almost every episode after his death, and appears in several flashbacks and dream sequences.]]
* PurpleEyes: Depending on the scene his eyes appear either red or purple.
* RatedMForManly: 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!
** TestosteronePoisoning: And tries to take on aformentioned HumongousMecha with said sword [[hottip:*: [[WordOfGod A fight that he would have won]]]] and often needs to be saved from his own actions.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: A variation. He's ''far'' from evil, but he can [[{{Badass}} definitely be dangerous]] -- furthermore, because of his hot-headed, reckless personality, fire is both a recurring motif in his characterization (see his flame-decorated BadassCape for one of many examples) and a [[StuffBlowingUp common result]] of [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill his actions]]; red is a colour traditionally associated with fire. His eye colour also serves to underline his RedOniBlueOni dynamic with Simon.
* RedOniBlueOni: 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.
* RousingSpeech: He's a ''master'' of this trope; [[Pantheon/{{War}} deified for it]]. Its his role in the team. All the heavy lifting is actually done by Simon.
* [[spoiler:SacrificialLion: Part and parcel of his role as TheObiWan and DecoyProtagonist.]]
* {{Sarashi}}: [[WalkingShirtlessScene The most upper clothing the man ever wears.]] Except [[spoiler: that one time in the LotusEaterMachine, but that was a fake!]]
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: Manly Man to Simon's Sensitive Guy.
* SmarterThanYouLook: He's actually smarter than you might guess, despite being a HotBlooded IdiotHero. Almost every time he went into battle he had a plan (Well, unless you count his CombiningMecha idea. [[CrazyEnoughToWork 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 {{RousingSpeech}}es.
* [[spoiler: SparedByTheAdaptation: In the HighSchoolAU manga]]
* StealthMentor: A lot of his IdiotHero moments are really gambits to get Simon to man up.
* SupportingLeader: He's the leader and founder of Team Dai-Gurren but he's not the protagonist. That honor goes to Simon.
* [[spoiler:TakeAMomentToCatchYourDeath - just when everyone thought he had made it...]]
* [[spoiler:TakeUpMySword: 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 [[InvertedTrope Inverted]]: Kamina's actual sword is used to mark his grave.]]
* [[spoiler:TakingYouWithMe: with Thymilph.]]
* TenderTears: [[spoiler:When he finds his father's skeleton in the desert.]]
* TooDumbToLive: Even despite the HiddenDepths, 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 HotSpringsEpisode, 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- [[spoiler: and ''[[InvertedTrope dies.]]'']]
* TookALevelInBadass: 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?"
* [[spoiler: TragicHero]]: [[spoiler:His dad dies]] and then [[spoiler:so does he]].
* [[spoiler: TragicKeepsake]]: [[spoiler: 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, [[spoiler: Kamina himself dies and the cape becomes part of a grave marker, tied around his ''nodachi'' stabbed into the ground.]]
* TransformationNameAnnouncement: VERY fond of announcing himself.
* {{Ubermensch}}: A charasmatic and passionate man who challenges conventional ways of thinking and gathers followers.
* TheUnchosenOne: 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.
* TheUnfettered: There really isn't anything he ''won't'' do, except give up or desert his friends- Leeron excluded.
* UnspokenPlanGuarantee: His secret plan to combine Gurren & Lagann worked better than anyone could have expected. His meticulously-detailed plan to steal Dai-Gunzan [[spoiler:wound up getting him killed.]]
** More significantly, [[spoiler:this was his one time flying solo, without Simon watching his back. And he pulls a LeeroyJenkins 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.]]
* WeakButSkilled: 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 [[spoiler:Viral]], who has ''no'' Spiral Power at all.
* WeaponOfChoice:
** ILikeSwords
*** {{BFS}}
*** [[KatanasAreJustBetter Kamina Is Just Better]]: He can cut through anything because he's Kamina. His katana is just along for the ride.
** ThisIsADrill: Although this is usually Simon's territory, Kamina uses drills quite often when combined with Lagann. In fact, [[spoiler:Kamina uses his last moments to invent Gurren Lagann's finishing move, the Giga Drill Break]].
* WellDoneSonGuy: 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 HotBlooded {{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 [[spoiler: down to his very death and beyond]] but it takes time for Simon to accept it.
* WhatBeautifulEyes: His pretty ''eyelashes'', specifically, always feature prominently both in depictions of him and in the Black Siblings' gushing about him.
* TheWorfEffect: Won exactly one fight without Simon's help [[spoiler: 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 [[spoiler: 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 [[spoiler: DyingMomentOfAwesome.]]
* WorthyOpponent: to Viral (and Thymilph, to a lesser extent).
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: And yet he's a ''[[RedOniBlueOni Red Oni]]!''
!!'''Yoko Littner'''
[[quoteright:225:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yoko_gurrenlagann.jpg]]
->Voiced by: MarinaInoue (JP), MichelleRuff (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 HumongousMecha in one shot, and dresses in a...er...[[{{Stripperiffic}} 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 FieryRedhead {{Tsundere}} to a strong, cheerful CoolBigSis.
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* ActionGirl: The only member of the team who doesn't ''need'' a giant robot to murderlate giant robots.
* BadassNormal: 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.
** BadassAbnormal: She pilots Dayakaiser late in the series.
** [[spoiler:BadassTeacher: 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.]]
** HeartbrokenBadass: [[spoiler: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.]]
** [[spoiler:RetiredBadass: Post-Time Skip, before the Anti-Spirals' attack. She becomes one again in the DistantFinale.]]
* BelligerentSexualTension: With Kamina [[spoiler:until their first and last, and only kiss]].
* BigEater: 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.
* [[spoiler:CartwrightCurse: 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.]]
* CombatHaircomb
* CoolBigSis
* EyesOfGold
* {{Fanservice}}
** AbsoluteCleavage
** ActionDressRip: While [[spoiler: posing as Yomako]], one of the kids gets stuck in a tree. To save him, Yoko ''shreds'' her dress with a crisp ''RIP'' and scales up the tree with the freedom to stretch her legs. However, Yoko was well-prepared and had another one ready to wear the next day.
** BareYourMidriff
** BoobsOfSteel
** {{Gainaxing}}
** GodivaHair: In the movie, in a suitably epic battle against Adiane.
** MaleGaze: Very much so.
** MsFanservice
** {{Underboobs}}
* FashionableAsymmetry: Wears one normal fingerless glove and one elbow-length one.
* FieryRedhead
* FingerlessGloves
* FriendToAllChildren: Just ask the adoring children at her [[spoiler: School]].
* FriendlySniper: The only character to defeat a gunman without their own, its a good thing she's friendly.
* GagBoobs
* HairDecorations: Wears a hair clip that looks like a skull.
* {{Herald}}: Its her entrance that starts Kamina and Simon's adventure.
* HotAmazon: Just ask Kamina!
* [[spoiler:HotLibrarian]]
* [[spoiler:HotTeacher]]
* HumongousMecha: She pilots Dayakkaiser and the [[spoiler: Yoko M Tank]], but most notably [[spoiler:the ''Lagann-hen''-exclusive "Tengen Toppa Yoko W Tank" - which higly resembles Yoko in her pre time-skip look]]
** {{BFG}}: [[spoiler:''Sniper'' {{BFG}}'''s'''. Yes, she has more than '''one'''.]]
** BiggerIsBetter: [[spoiler: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" HumongousMecha standards.]]
** ChestBlaster: [[spoiler:The missiles come complete with ''movable jaws'', to boot.]]
** GunsAkimbo [[spoiler:and FiringOneHanded]]: With [[spoiler:''{{BFG}}s'']], no less.
** MoreDakka: [[spoiler:No less than a '''pair''' of proportionally-sized [[SniperRifle sniper "rifles"]] ("cannons" would be more appropiate) on ''each'' [[ShoulderCannon shoulder]], complementing the '''even bigger''' pair of {{BFG}}s mentioned above.]]
* HypocriticalHumor: When she complains about the Black Siblings' "absurd outfits" in the BeachEpisode.
* ImageSong: "Trust", "S.t.a.r.S."
* TheKirk: She's the one saddled with balancing Kamina's HotBlood with Simon ShrinkingViolet
* [[spoiler:KissOfDeath: She has the nickname "Doom Bitch" in the fanon.]]
* MamaBear: Do NOT threaten her friends [[spoiler: or students]].
---> [[spoiler: "School's out. You FAIL!"]]
* MeaningfulName: "Yoko" means "side".
* {{Meganekko}}: As [[spoiler:Yomako]].
* [[spoiler:TheMourningAfter: She never gave up her love for Kamina. She became a teacher partly because of him. ]]
* OvershadowedByAwesome: Didn't get much opportunities to be useful when Kamina was around but boy did this change later on.
* PluckyGirl: Not as plucky as Nia, but still counts.
* RapunzelHair
* {{Redheaded Hero}}ine
* ScarfOfAsskicking
* ShowerOfAngst: After [[spoiler:Kamina dies]].
* SniperRifle: [[AKA47 Modelled after the]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barrett_M82 Barrett M82]] '''[[{{BFG}} anti-materiel]]''' [[{{BFG}} rifle]].
* {{Stripperific}}: Her justification for this is that she doesn't want her clothing to impede her mobility in combat. Notably, when she isn't in a combat situation, she actually dresses fairly modestly.
** Before the timeskip, she always wears the same outfit regardless of whether or not she is in combat. She does, however, uphold a more covering outfit after the timeskip, [[spoiler:partially due to her occupation as a schoolteacher]].
* ThighHighBoots: Sports a pair after the TimeSkip.
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Tomboy to Nia's Girly Girl.
* TomboyishPonytail
* {{Tsundere}}: For the first few episodes.
* TsurimeEyes
* UnknownRival: To Nia for Nia's first three episodes before the two become [=BFFs=].
* WalkingSwimsuitScene
* WeaponOfChoice
** {{BFG}}
** TheGunslinger
** SmallGirlBigGun
* WhoWearsShortShorts
* YoungerThanTheyLook: She's supposed to be ''fourteen'' pre-TimeSkip. At least, to the people who DON'T LIVE WITH A SUN. Their years aren't quite synced up to Solar years, remember (is the convenient explanation).
* ZettaiRyouiki: Hotpants + socks, then hotpants + boots
!!'''Princess Nia Teppelin'''
[[quoteright:225:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nia_gurrenlagann.jpg]]
->Voiced by: YukariFukui (JP), HyndenWalch (EN)
->Post-TimeSkip Nia: YukariFukui (JP), BridgetHoffman (EN)
->''"Hail, fellow well met!"''
->[[spoiler: ''"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 LoveInterest, [[spoiler: but later in the series we learn the horrible secret of how she was created, leading to a particularly crushing FaceHeelTurn. Worse... Nia doesn't have much longer to live...]]
-----
* [[spoiler:AGoodWayToDie]]
* ActionGirl: Becomes one of the LadyOfWar variety eventually.
* [[spoiler:AndIMustScream: 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.]]
* [[spoiler:ArtificialHuman: Nia holds Anti-Spiral reprogramming inside her genetic code. Nobody but Lordgenome knows it, not even ''Nia herself.'']]
* AnimeHair: 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}}
** BadassAdorable: She is ''completely fearless'' and insanely strong. And she's very, very adorable.
** BadassDamsel
* BeneathTheMask: 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 [[spoiler: she overcomes the brainwashing of the Anti-Spiral and desperately asks Simon if he's going to save her, ready to cry]].
* BluntMetaphorsTrauma: Back in her younger days. Even cuter in the dub where she's voiced by HyndenWalch.
* TheChick: Simon's emotional support and the most promiment female after Yoko. Heck, she puts heart back into the entire brigade.
* CloseCallHaircut: 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 [[spoiler: 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.
* CreepyMonotone: [[spoiler:As the Anti-Spiral Messenger.]]
* CrucifiedHeroShot: [[spoiler:During her captivity time in the hands of the Anti-Spirals.]]
* CryCute: When sweet little Nia breaks down into tears, you feel broken up inside. [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice And God help you if Simon sees you're responsible for her sobs.]]
* CuteLittleFangs: Although she doesn't have them in the series, They have shown up in [[http://safebooru.org/index.php?page=post&s=view&id=297728 official]] [[http://safebooru.org/index.php?page=post&s=view&id=117152 art]].
* TheCutie
* [[ThisIsADrill Drill On A Stick]]: [[spoiler:The Solvernia.]]
* EverythingsBetterWithPrincesses: There really isn't any point to her title.
* ExoticEyeDesigns: Cross-shaped pupils, at that, providing the trope image. [[spoiler:Further proof that she's an alien, if you even needed more.]]
* [[spoiler:FaceHeelTurn: Against her will.]]
* {{Fanservice}}
** FanServicePack
** MsFanservice: Not so much as Yoko, but still counts. Especially after the time-skip.
* FootFocus: 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.
* GagBoobs: If the second movie is to be believed, then Yoko and Kiyoh aren't the only ones with [[UnusualEuphemism huge tracts of land]].
* GirlInABox: How Simon finds her.
* [[spoiler:GoOutWithASmile]]
* HairDecorations and FlowerInHerHair: When she is first introduced, she later drops them.
* TheHeart: What she does for Simon and the rest.
* HeyItsThatVoice: In the English dub pre-TimeSkip, she's [[TeenTitans Starfire]].
* HelloNurse: When she's shown in her swimsuit, a bunch of the male characters get {{Nosebleed}}s.
* [[spoiler:HeroicSacrifice: 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.]]
* HotBlooded: [[NeutralFemale She may not fight]], but she completely outdoes half the cast in terms of sheer [[HotBlooded determination]]. And when she [[TheMovie DOES fight]], ''[[LadyOfWar holy crap]]''.
** In the high school AU manga, she actually has a HotBlooded moment alongside Kamina and ''manages to equal him in it!''
* IFeelAngry: "Are you aware of who exactly I am?!"
* ImportantHaircut: 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}}
* LadyOfWar: [[spoiler:Her movie mecha, Tengen Toppa Solvernia.]]
* [[spoiler: LastKiss: Shares her one and only kiss with Simon at their wedding before her body dissolves into random data bits.]]
* LethalChef: Her cooking tastes anything ''but'' good... unless you're Simon or Boota. [[strike: Poor Rossiu.]]
* MeaningfulName: Her name comes from "near".
* TheMessiah: So kind, so helpful, and so inspiring for the Dai Gurren Brigade. They were ready to fall apart before she arrived.
* MysticalWaif: How she's found and what her life means to the world.
* NeutralFemale: Though subverted at least three times.
* [[spoiler:NoOntologicalInertia]]
* NoSocialSkills: having been raised in isolation for her entire life until she was literally put in a box and left on a landfill.
* OfficialCouple: With Simon.
* TheOtherDarrin: The reason Bridget Hoffman took over the role post-TimeSkip 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.
* PluckyGirl: She may not be able to fight, but in terms of sheer [[HotBlooded 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 [[spoiler:keeps herself alive for a week after the Anti-Spiral's demise]] out of ''sheer willpower'', just so she can [[spoiler: marry Simon]]. Examined further in the second movie: [[spoiler: 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...]]
* ThePollyanna: Its not that she's unaffected or oblivious to trouble, but her sheer faith in Simon to drill through it makes it even [[spoiler: forcefully transformation into a ManchurianAgent]] a minor inconvience.
* PrincessClassic: Hits almost all the points except [[PluckyGirl shy]] [[spoiler:[[GainaxEnding and the happy ending]]]].
* PrincessesPreferPink
* RaisedByWolves: 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.
* RapunzelHair: Post-timeskip.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: [[spoiler:During the transmission.]]
* TheReveal: The daughter of Spiral King Lordgenome and [[spoiler:messenger of the Anti-Spirals]].
* ScrewDestiny: Made absolutely explicit in the movie.
* SecondLove: For Simon. The first was Yoko- until he found out she favored Kamina- the hard way.
* [[spoiler:StarCrossedLovers: With Simon.]]
* StealthMentor: [[spoiler:Her actions as a Messenger were intended to strengthen the Team before facing the true enemy.]]
* TaremeEyes
** TsurimeEyes: As [[spoiler:the Anti-Spiral Messenger.]]
* TechnicolorEyes: Has opal blue eyes with pink flower-shaped crosses for pupils... and they look ''adorable!''
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Girly Girl to Yoko's Tomboy.
* [[spoiler:TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth]]
* [[spoiler:{{Tragic Hero}}ine]]
* [[YouGottaHaveBlueHair You Gotta Have Pastel Blue]] [[MulticoloredHair and Yellow Hair]]
!!'''Boota'''
[[quoteright:225:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Gurren_Lagann_-_Boota_9181.jpg]]
->Voiced by: ShizukaItou (JP), JulieAnnTaylor (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. [[spoiler: 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.]]
-----
* CoolShades: Yes, the ''TeamPet'' has shades.
* [[spoiler: CuteShotaroBoy: His human form.]]
* [[spoiler:{{Determinator}}]]
* EatTheDog: In episode 4. Simon and Kamina are starving from getting nothing to eat, so Boota does the most disturbing thing possible and [[spoiler: ''[[AccidentalNightmareFuel bites on his own tail and rips off his hindquarters!!!]]'']] Fortunately, he's healed by the next episode. [[spoiler: You can HandWave it due to his innate [[HealingFactor Spiral Power.]]]]
* [[spoiler: EverythingsBetterWithSpinning]]: [[DeusExMachina Almost inexplicably]], [[spoiler: Boota is a source of Spiral Power.]]
* EvilCounterpart: [[spoiler:That man you see on the bridge in the BadFuture opening of the first episode... is actually an evolved Boota matured into an adult.]]
* MarshmallowHell: From Yoko.
* MeaningfulName: "Buta" means "pig", and "buu" is Japanese for "oink".
* NonHumanSidekick
* ParrotPetPosition
* RidiculouslyCuteCritter
* TeamPet
!!'''Viral'''
[[quoteright:225:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/viral_gurrenlagann.jpg]]
->Voiced by: NobuyukiHiyama (JP), SamRiegel (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 FoeYay relationship with Kamina, and later Simon. When the world is threatened later on the series, Viral reveals his hidden depths.
-----
* AcePilot: He can't produce Spiral Power, but what keeps Viral in the game [[spoiler:and makes him a valuable copilot to Simon]] is his classical training and skill in the cockpit.
* AntagonistInMourning: When [[spoiler:Kamina dies.]]
* AntiVillain: Type I. He's just a loyal soldier for the Spiral King.
** Later he becomes a [[spoiler: Type II AntiHero when he joins Team Dai-Gurren.]]
* BeastMan
* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: Viral is a shark, cat thing that's covered in scars, but that doesn't stop the fangirls.
* BeyondTheImpossible: [[spoiler: While ambiguous in series, the movies directly confirm Viral is HotBlooded enough to create Spiral Energy despite being that being a specifically stated impossibility.]]
* BlondGuysAreEvil: Subverted - he's just a soldier doing his job, and [[spoiler:he joins Team Dai-Gurren late in the series]].
* ButtMonkey: [[spoiler:He gets better after his HeelFaceTurn, though]].
* CatsAreMean: Subverted - he's just following orders.
* CharClone: Viral is essentially what this trope lives for. He's a blonde ace pilot that becomes TheRival for TheHero. He has a sense of honor that distinguishes him from {{Card Carrying Villain}}s. [[spoiler: Eventually {{HeelFaceTurn}}s.]]
* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: Pale blond hair, yellow eyes.
* CuteLittleFangs: 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''.
* TheDragon: He isn't the Dragon to the Big Bad [[spoiler:at first,]] but rather to every other general.)
** [[spoiler:TheLancer: After his HeelFaceTurn.]]
* DoomMagnet: Every person he's assigned to guard [[spoiler:dies]]. [[spoiler:Except Simon.]]
* EverythingsEvenWorseWithSharks: Zig Zagged. At first, this is true for Team Dai-Gurren, but after the TimeSkip, it's more true for [[spoiler:the Anti-Spiral]].
* EyesOfGold
* FangsAreEvil: [[spoiler: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.]]
* FoeYay: 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.
* GoodScarsEvilScars: [[spoiler:His shirtless scene in Gurren's cockpit shows that he has scars in a similar pattern to Kamina's tattoos.]]
* HairOfGold
* [[spoiler:HeelFaceTurn]]: [[spoiler: Ultimately triggered by the combined turmoil of the following: his losing streak to Gurren Lagann, the death of Adiane, his secret crush, 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.]]
* [[HeyItsThatVoice Hey It's That Grunt]]: Hey, it's [[LegendOfZelda Link]]!
* HiddenDepths: Has a deep-seated sense of honor and a [[spoiler: secret crush on Adiane.]] More so, his innermost desire was [[spoiler: wanting to get married to a Beastman girl he once loved, have a child, and live a normal life as a family together.]]
* HotBlooded: He's voiced by NobuyukiHiyama. What'd you expect?
* [[spoiler:IJustWantToBeNormal: 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.]]
* [[spoiler: {{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.]]
* IneffectualSympatheticVillain: After his debut battle, things go rapidly downhill. Kamina even asks [[BreakingTheFourthWall "is he still in this show?"]] and refers to him as cannon fodder before swatting him aside.
** Actually subverted soon enough [[spoiler: when he helps to kill Kamina and then remains a significant threat until the battle for Teppelin.]]
* KnifeNut: When he's not piloting Gunmen, his WeaponOfChoice is a cleaver.
* {{Leitmotif}}: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4lvcCklBS8 "Nikopol"]]
* MeaningfulName: [[TheRival Guess what Viral's name spells when the letters are rearranged]].
* [[spoiler: MultiArmedAndDangerous]]: [[spoiler:His Gunmen Enkidudu and Tengen Toppa Enki Dulga.]]
* NobleDemon: 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 HonorBeforeReason.
* PettingZooPeople: Literal in his case, as he's composed of [[EverythingsEvenWorseWithSharks shark]] and [[CatsAreMean feline]] genetics.
* RedemptionPromotion: Went from ButtMonkey of half the Beastmen Generals to [[spoiler: Pilot of Gurren.]] [[spoiler: 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.]]
* TheRemnant: A sympathetic version post-timeskip [[spoiler:before his HeelFaceTurn]].
* TheRival: To Kamina, before his BadassDecay. To Simon, after.
* ScarfOfAsskicking: Post-timeskip.
* ShirtlessScene: He gets a few post-timeskip.
* [[spoiler:SixthRanger]]
* SlasherSmile: As an enemy, but [[spoiler: promptly done away with after his HeelFaceTurn- it's now a good-natured smile.]]
** StepfordSmiler
* TheStoic: 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 [[spoiler: his HeelFaceTurn]], and it's gone altogether in [[spoiler: the DistantFinale]].
* [[spoiler:SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: [[TropesAreNotBad 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.]]
* [[spoiler: TearsOfRemorse]]: [[spoiler: 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.]]
* TookALevelInBadass: [[spoiler:After taking over as Gurren's pilot. So, so, much.]]
* TookALevelInKindness: [[spoiler:His will slowly broke over the course of seven years, weakening his hot-blooded tendencies. When he decided to pull a HeelFaceTurn, he turned much more pleasant and hopeful. By the DistantFinale, his fury is a thing of the past and he's now a benevolent and caring man.]]
* WeakButSkilled: He was made so he couldn't make Spiral Energy and yet he can still blow stuff up with his HotBlood.
* WorthyOpponent: To Kamina. [[IneffectualSympatheticVillain Not so much to Simon...]] [[spoiler:but Simon sees him as a valuable ally after the TimeSkip.]]
[[quoteright:225:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/simon_gurrenlagann.jpg]]
->Voiced by: TetsuyaKakihara (JP), YuriLowenthal (EN)
->[[spoiler: Old Simon: TakayukiSugo (JP), TonyOliver (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.
-----
* TheAce: Eventually becomes this.
* {{Adorkable}}: As cute and endearing as Kamina is hammy.
* AntiHero: A [[SlidingScaleOfAntiHeroes Type I]] during the first act. He grows a backbone and ditches this trope soon after he meets Nia, however.
* {{Badass}}
** BadassAdorable: Is overall a sweet-natured, shy, live-and-let-live, utterly endearing person... who can kick your ass up and down the metaphorical street if he feels he needs to.
** BadassLongcoat: Prologue and last arc (doubles as WalkingShirtlessScene).
** BadassNickname: Simon [[TunnelKing the Digger]].
** FutureBadass: [[spoiler: Becomes this during his HesBack moment, and only becomes more badass as the series continues.]]
** HeartbrokenBadass: After [[spoiler:he sees Kamina kiss Yoko]]. Much later, he is left heartbroken again with [[spoiler:Nia dying ''in the day of their wedding'']].
** [[spoiler:RetiredBadass: In the DistantFinale.]]
* BashBrothers: 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.
* BeadyEyedLoser: Introduced as one. As he [[TookALevelInBadass takes level after level in badass]], his eyes slowly get de-beadified, until they become complete TsurimeEyes during the FinalBattle.
* BerserkerTears: If you see Simon crying, ''run''.
** TearsOfBlood: In episode 25, [[spoiler:(after Kittan dies)]]. Simon has strained himself so severely from [[spoiler: mustering Spiral Energy]], the blood vessels in his tear ducts rupture.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: His normally-gentle personality makes his behaviour after [[spoiler: 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 AxCrazy pilot in battle, for instance -- all the more startling. Thankfully, his psychotic tendencies [[HesBack don't last]]... but he ''does'' come out of it as an official BadassAdorable, and making him angry is still always a BAD idea.
* BreakTheCutie: Pretty much from episode 8 onwards.
* BeYourself: 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 CharacterDevelopment takes a massive turn for the better.
* BigEater: Witness the plates and plates ''and plates'' that quickly pile up around him every time he eats. Even if it's [[LethalChef Nia]]'s cooking. ''Especially'' if it's Nia's cooking.
* BigGood: From his [[HesBack He's Back]] moment onward. The new leader and the recognition as a threat from enemies. A rare case where the TheHero is also the BigGood.
* {{Bishonen}}: Post-timeskip.
* BloodBrothers: As above.
* BlueEyes: Of the innocent, hopeful variety, though they occasionally look more [[GrayEyes grey]].
* [[spoiler:ButNowIMustGo: At the end of the series, he gives the Core Drill and Lagann to Gimmy, then sets off to wander the earth.]]
* CallingYourAttacks: His attacks tend to be more technical and less silly than Kamina's.
* [[spoiler:CoolOldGuy: From what we see of him in the epilogue.]]
* [[MoralityPet 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 [[spoiler: his death]]. This is reversed after the Time Skip, not only to Simon but to the entire Team Gurren.
* CowardlyLion: For the first few episodes.
** TheSoCalledCoward: Saves the day several times, with no one but Kamina to sing his praises. This changes when he snaps out of his HeroicBSOD.
* CursedWithAwesome: Early on, he certainly doesn't seem happy about piloting Lagann, but [[SubvertedTrope he grows to enjoy it after a while]].
* CuteShotaroBoy: Pre-timeskip.
* [[spoiler:DeadPersonConversation: With Kamina in the penultimate episode.]]
* {{Determinator}} Not as boastful as Kamina, nor as showy but he's rocksolid. [[AxCrazy scarily so sometimes.]]
* [[spoiler:DidNotGetTheGirl: He and Nia actually get married, but immediately afterward, she finally allows herself to die]].
* {{Expy}}: Of [[{{Gunbuster}} 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.
** Prior to his CharacterDevelopment, he had more than a passing resemblance to [[NeonGenesisEvangelion Shinji Ikari]], in that both were [[CowardlyLion Cowardly Lions]] who undergo SanitySlippage and become [[BewareTheNiceOnes really scary]] in [[BreakTheCutie the face of trauma]].
** The grown-up Simon at the introduction to the series, with his "don't give a damn if the universe is our enemy," is similar to Ryouma "Batshit" Nagare from the ''GetterRobo'' manga, from which this series borrows heavily from.
* [[spoiler: FamedInStory: Witness the collective Spiral races screaming his name in celebration at the end of the series after his feat of [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu Cthulhu-punchery]].]]
* GogglesDoNothing: He keeps them from his mining days, but mostly they're just to look cool.
** GogglesDoSomethingUnusual: A mild example, but they have a headlamp installed... whose light shines ''directly out of'' the lenses...?
** GlassesPull: [[LetsGetDangerous When he means business]].
** [[spoiler:CoolShades: They transform into star shaped sunglasses late in the series as a tribute to Kamina and Kittan.]]
* GoodLookingPrivates: 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 [[ShirtlessScene even]] ''[[OfCorsetsSexy more]]'' [[FetishFuel hot]].
* [[SheIsAllGrownUp He Is All Grown Up]]: At least from an out-of-universe perspective- he goes from being an adorably-goofy CuteShotaroBoy to being an ''incredibly'' gorgeous and sexy {{Bishounen}}.
* HeroesWantRedheads: Has feelings for Yoko first.
* HeroicBSOD: Simon goes into a big one of these after [[spoiler:Kamina dies]]...
* HesBack: ...And bounces back from it in a manner that is completely and utterly [[MomentOfAwesome AWESOME]].
* HotBlooded: As he grows in confidence.
* IJustWantToBeNormal: But Kamina just. Won't. Let him.
** And then, after all is said and done, [[spoiler: 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.]]
* ImageSong: "Break Through The Dream" (shared with Kamina).
* IndyPloy: Becomes increasingly fond of these as the series goes on.
* InTheNameOfTheMoon: Takes over this from Kamina. Used against both {{Big Bad}}s.
* [[spoiler:InHarmsWay]]
* JustAKid: Kittan and Viral's opinon of him, at first. Then he grows up...
* KidHero: Pre-timeskip. [[CharacterDevelopment Matures]] [[TookALevelInBadass afterward.]]
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: Overlaps with RefusalOfTheCall in the beginning, but even after his CharacterDevelopment into a BadAss {{Determinator}}, he's still rational enough to know when to walk away from a fight.
* TheLancer: To Kamina.
** TheHero: After [[spoiler:Kamina dies]].
* MarshmallowHell: As a kid, he is the [[OneHeadTaller perfect height]] to be subjected to this over and over. Both the manga retelling of the series and ''Guren Gakuenhen'', the HighSchoolAU manga, take this gag and run with it. [[AccidentalPervert "I'm so sorry, time and time again..."]]
* MeaningfulName: 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 [[MessianicArchetype Kamina]] for Jesus, world leader for Pope, and drill for key, and there you have it.
** That is FauxSymbolism. 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 WordOfGod.
* TheMessiah: Takes over the role after [[spoiler:Kamina dies]] and when he first meets Nia.
** MessianicArchetype: [[spoiler:His name resembles Simon Peter, who led the Apostles when Jesus died. Simon did the same thing when Kamina died.]]
* [[spoiler: TheMourningAfter: In Lagann-hen, he dedicates his life to fulfilling his deceased wife's wish: to make the entire world bloom with flowers.]]
* MrFanservice: He grew up ''very'' nicely...
* [[spoiler: MySiblingWillLiveThroughMe: Shortly after Kamina's death he attempts a DeadPersonImpersonation 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 BadassLongcoat to Kamina's BadassCape.]]
* NeverTellMeTheOdds: They don't matter, even if they're 0.
* NoShirtLongJacket: Pre-timeskip and late post-timeskip.
* [[spoiler: OfficialCouple]]: [[spoiler: With Nia.]]
* OlderThanTheyLook: WordOfGod 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. [[spoiler: Then he grows into a fine young adult and actually ''surpasses'' Kamina in height!]]
* PersonOfMassDestruction: Hell, he can create objects of [[spoiler: ''galactic'']] proportions! [[spoiler: [[UpToEleven and then there is the second movie...]] ]]
* [[spoiler:[[PassingTheTorch Passing The Core Drill]]: to Gimmy.]]
* RedArmbandOfLeadership: A piece of a cloak belonging to [[spoiler: 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 [[spoiler: TragicKeepsake 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.
* RedOniBlueOni: 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.
* RefusalOfTheCall: Attempts this in early episodes, but Kamina's not having any of it.
* RousingSpeech: Just like Kamina.
* [[spoiler:SaveTheDayTurnAway: Type 2.]]
* SayMyName: "BRO!!" "NIA!!" " YOKO!!" "KITTAN!!" etc.
* ScrewDestiny: Of the entire cast, he's the best at it. [[spoiler: Which is what makes the BitterSweetEnding so controversial.]]
** Most likely, he's worried [[spoiler: 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 InvincibleHero, either: he could slip up and cause one hell of a disaster.
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: Sensitive Guy to Kamina's Manly Man.
* ShowyInvincibleHero: The only people to put dust on him are Kamina and Lordgenome, and [[spoiler: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 [[spoiler: 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.]]
* ShrinkingViolet: 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.
* ShutUpHannibal: His response to Spiral Nemesis.
* SpannerInTheWorks: Viral didn't know he existed until near the timeskip. His relationship with Nia also counts.
* TheSpock: Of the initial three.
* [[spoiler:StarCrossedLovers: With Nia.]]
* StraightMan: To Kamina. Kamina even calls him ([[spoiler: in a DreamSequence after the TimeSkip]]) "the method to my madness".
* SupportingProtagonist: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]], BIG TIME. Based on the first arc alone, one might think so, [[spoiler: but then Kamina dies.]]
* TaremeEyes --> TsurimeEyes
* ThemeMusicPowerUp: ''Plenty.''
* [[TookALevelInBadass Took Nine Thousand And One Levels In Badass]]
** The alternate timeline version of him as seen in the prologue, while definitely not originally intended to be so, has been retconned into something along the lines of ChaoticEvil, since he is ''a lot'' more arrogant in that depiction and [[ObliviouslyEvil possibly unintentionally]] willing to [[spoiler:let the [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt Spiral Nemesis]] occur]]. Of course, this doesn't happen in the main continuity, and this happened solely because the producers thought [[SureWhyNot it was a pretty good theory by the fandom]].
* [[spoiler: TragicKeepsake]]: In episode 3, [[spoiler: 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: [[spoiler: Kamina himself ends up getting killed, and now that armband is a permanent memento of his fallen blood brother.]]
* TransformationNameAnnouncement: Mixed with WorldOfCardBoardSpeech
* TunnelKing: Even in the first episode he was renowned as the best digger in Githa village.
* TheUnChosenOne: When he stops refusing the call, Simon becomes a [[ScrewDestiny destiny-screwing]] [[{{Badass}} badass]] to be reckoned with.
* TheUnfettered: Not as extreme as Kamina but still...
* WalkingShirtlessScene: Though unlike Kamina, he occasionally wears one.
* [[spoiler:WalkingTheEarth: At the end of the series.]]
* WeaponOfChoice
** EmpathicWeapon: Lagann. It can find him underground.
** ThisIsADrill: His primary weapon, and [[spoiler: he can make out of awesomeness- I mean, Spiral Energy.]]
*** The temple to his defied form is [[Pantheon/{{Weapons}} here]]
* WorldOfCardboardSpeech: In episode 11, he realizes that he'll never be Kamina, but he doesn't have to be.
--> '''Simon''': [[spoiler: 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!''
* YouKilledMyFather: He becomes motivated to fight in episode 2 when he realizes that the earthquake that killed his mother and father seven years ago [[spoiler:was directly caused by the havoc that the Beastmen wreak in their Gunmen on the surface world]].
!!'''Kamina'''
[[quoteright:225:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kamina_gurrenlagann.jpg]]
->Voiced by: KatsuyukiKonishi (JP), KyleHebert (EN)
->'''''[[color:red:"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 MemeticMutation. 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....
-----
* [[spoiler:[[AGoodWayToDie 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. ]]
* TheAce: Subverted, it's contributions of others, aka Simon and Kittan, that allows him to be The Ace.
** lampshaded by himself everytime theres a partying scene with him happen, he song a praise for Simmon only people were blinded by his acts to think hes the one doing it.
* AManIsNotAVirgin: Averted so hard it's not funny.
* [[spoiler:BackFromTheDead: but it's only temporary, as he just comes back to save everyone from the LotusEaterMachine. In the second movie, he's reincarnated as Super Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann]]
* {{Badass}}: No doubt the king of this on the show.
* BashBrothers: 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.
* BelligerentSexualTension: With Yoko [[spoiler:until their first and last, and only kiss]].
* TheBerserker: His battle strategy is (almost) always AttackAttackAttack. ''Almost.''
* {{BFS}}: Casually snatches his village chief's ''nodachi'' katana as a weapon of his own. [[spoiler: Unfortunately, it ends up being Kamina's grave marker alongside his cape after he dies.]]
* BigBrotherMentor: To Simon.
* BigEater: 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 BalloonBelly in episode 6 thanks to this trope. "A man's stomach knows no limit!"
* BigGood: The leader of the forces of good and the one the enemies are afraid of and focus their plans on. [[spoiler: Viral didn't know [[TheHero Simon]] ''existed'' until the attack on Teppelin.]]
* BloodBrothers: As above.
* BoisterousBruiser: Large, loud and aggressive. "HEY! HEY-HEY-HEY-HEY-HEY-'''''HEYYY!!!''''"
* BreakOutCharacter: Easily ''the'' most popular character from the series.
* CallingYourAttacks: Sets the standard for every other member of Team Dai-Gurren.
** GratuitousEnglish: ORE-WO-DARE-DA-TO-OMOTTE-YAGARU-KI~CK!!
* CatchPhrase: '''WHERE THE HELL DO WE EVEN BEGIN!?'''
* ChickMagnet: Kittan's sisters fall for him immediately. All three of them. [[spoiler: And then Yoko herself gives him a very affectionate kiss.]]
* CombatPragmatist: 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.
* [[spoiler:CrutchCharacter: In both the show and SuperRobotWarsZ 2 Hakai-Hen. Kamina's massive stats are crucial to keeping Gurren Lagann alive early game.]]
* [[CoolShades Cool]] TriangleShades: Kamina Shades is even one of the redirects!
* DeadpanSnarker: 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?"
* [[spoiler:DeadStarWalking]]
* DecoyProtagonist: 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 [[spoiler: death]] can stop Kamina from helping Simon.
* {{Deuteragonist}}: Goes along with being the [[spoiler:DecoyProtagonist]]. He gets as much or more screen time than Simon, and drives the early plot.
* DisappearedDad: His father once went into the surface and never came back. Kamina became a WellDoneSonGuy because of it. [[spoiler:And in the second episode, [[TearJerker he finds his old man's skeleton]].]]
* [[spoiler:DyingMomentOfAwesome: Giga... DORIRU... '''BREAKAH!!''']]
* [[spoiler:{{Egopolis}}: Averted. Kamina City is named after his memory, long after he dies.]]
* {{Expy}} : Basically, a goofier and less AloofBigBrother version of [[GreatMazinger Tetsuya Tsurugi]]. Both are Red Oni to their younger partner, [[HeroesPreferSwords 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.
* FakeUltimateHero: Played straight and subverted. While really a passionate hero who wants to liberate humanity, [[spoiler: he's never able to accomplish anything without help from Simon]] and in the end [[spoiler: 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 [[spoiler: and he was courageous and inspirational to his dying breath]].
* [[spoiler:FamedInStory: He's constantly mentioned as a paragon of heroism, up to and including the final battle.]]
* {{Fanservice}}: Rippling muscles, shirtless at all times, outrageously handsome... he's the pinnacle of it!
** MrFanservice: That sound you hear when ever he walks on screen? It's the horde of fangirls (and boys).
** WalkingShirtlessScene: Provides the page picture.
* FearlessFool: Subverted upon revealing his HiddenDepths, but this doesn't stop him from being too brave for his own good though.
* [[spoiler:FinalSpeech: Or five.]]
* [[spoiler:ForgottenFallenFriend: Completely averted, up to and including the DistantFinale.]]
* FountainOfMemes: In real life ''and'' in-universe; Team (Dai-)Gurren's name(s), catchphrases, flag, and overall style - not to mention every set of ArcWords - all originated from him.
* GenreSavvy: 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 RuleOfCool, CrazyAwesome, and [[RatedMForManly unadulterated manliness]]! Although it's not clear if he knew this from the beginning because he's TheMessiah, 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.
* [[spoiler:GoOutWithASmile]]
* GuileHero: In many ways, he doesn't out fight the enemy, but his confidence is the thing that inspires Simon to kick the enemies ass.
* HandsomeLech: 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 [[DoubleEntendre twin peaks]] in episode six.
* TheHero: Fits everything from wearing red to winning battles to team leader.
** [[spoiler:OurHeroIsDead: 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 FinalBattle!]]
* HeroesWantRedheads: 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.
* HiddenDepths: At face value, it's easy to see Kamina as an arrogant, completely fearless [[TheBerserker Berserker]] ...until it's revealed that [[spoiler: 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.
* HotBlooded: Always doing ''something'' and often that something is outrageous.
* {{Hunk}}
* IdiotHero: Boy howdy. What he lacks in brains he makes up for in '''FIGHTING SPIRIT!'''
** Later [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]]: Kamina decides to concoct a brilliant strategy with his team to [[spoiler: 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.
* ImageSong: "Break Through The Dream" (shared with Simon)
* [[spoiler:ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice]] [[spoiler: 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 {{Tearjerker}}.]]
* IndyPloy: With one notable exception; see UnspokenPlanGuarantee.
* InTheNameOfTheMoon: VERY fond of giving speeches before, during, and after battle.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Rough and not the nicest on the surface, but his dream is make life better for humans.
* JugglingLoadedGuns: 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.
* JumpedAtTheCall: When a gunman dropped into Giha Village, he was the only person not running in terror.
* LargeAndInCharge: 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.
* [[LargeHam Large]] [[JustForPun Spiral Sliced]] [[LargeHam Ham]]: '''LARGE HAM PERSONIFIED.''' ''Try'' not to crack up laughing at his singing in "Break Through The Dream".
* [[spoiler:TheLastDance]]
* LeeroyJenkins: {{Lampshaded}} by the man himself when he admits he'd be dead if it wasn't for Simon's calming influence. [[spoiler:He's right.]]
* LanternJawOfJustice
* MagneticHero: 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.
* [[ManicPixieDreamGirl Manic Braggart Dream Big Brother]]: To Simon.
* TheMcCoy: Of the initial three, the one relying most on emotion and guts.
* MeaningfulName: "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".
* TheMessiah
** MessianicArchetype: With a foot firmly in the old meaning of Messiah, AProtagonistShallLeadThem, a human who would inspire, unite its people, teach them and [[spoiler: after he dies, leaves an ever lasting legacy]], not a [[BoringInvincibleHero 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 [[spoiler: doomed to the same path of destruction and stagnation as countless others (Including [[FallenHero LordGenome]] and Kamina's own father)]]. Plus, [[spoiler:he returns from the dead to save them all from the LotusEaterMachine]].
** [[http://i935.photobucket.com/albums/ad197/ZeitgeistGlee/TTGLJesus.jpg Proof]].
* [[spoiler:MutualKill: a delayed reaction with Thymilph.]]
* [[spoiler:NeverGotToSayGoodbye to Yoko]]
* NoIndoorVoice: You know all those (many) catchphrases? He shouts ''all'' of them.
* [[spoiler:NormallyIWouldBeDeadNow]] [[spoiler: but came back to life long enough to kill a general and give final words to Simon.]]
* TheObiWan: To Simon, and all of Team Dai-Gurren too. [[spoiler: Sadly, he also shares a similar fate of death.]]
** [[spoiler:ObiWanMoment: "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!"]]
* OnlySaneMan: 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.
* PostDramaticStressDisorder: [[spoiler:the dying kind.]]
* [[spoiler:PosthumousCharacter: He's mentioned in almost every episode after his death, and appears in several flashbacks and dream sequences.]]
* PurpleEyes: Depending on the scene his eyes appear either red or purple.
* RatedMForManly: 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!
** TestosteronePoisoning: And tries to take on aformentioned HumongousMecha with said sword [[hottip:*: [[WordOfGod A fight that he would have won]]]] and often needs to be saved from his own actions.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: A variation. He's ''far'' from evil, but he can [[{{Badass}} definitely be dangerous]] -- furthermore, because of his hot-headed, reckless personality, fire is both a recurring motif in his characterization (see his flame-decorated BadassCape for one of many examples) and a [[StuffBlowingUp common result]] of [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill his actions]]; red is a colour traditionally associated with fire. His eye colour also serves to underline his RedOniBlueOni dynamic with Simon.
* RedOniBlueOni: 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.
* RousingSpeech: He's a ''master'' of this trope; [[Pantheon/{{War}} deified for it]]. Its his role in the team. All the heavy lifting is actually done by Simon.
* [[spoiler:SacrificialLion: Part and parcel of his role as TheObiWan and DecoyProtagonist.]]
* {{Sarashi}}: [[WalkingShirtlessScene The most upper clothing the man ever wears.]] Except [[spoiler: that one time in the LotusEaterMachine, but that was a fake!]]
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: Manly Man to Simon's Sensitive Guy.
* SmarterThanYouLook: He's actually smarter than you might guess, despite being a HotBlooded IdiotHero. Almost every time he went into battle he had a plan (Well, unless you count his CombiningMecha idea. [[CrazyEnoughToWork 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 {{RousingSpeech}}es.
* [[spoiler: SparedByTheAdaptation: In the HighSchoolAU manga]]
* StealthMentor: A lot of his IdiotHero moments are really gambits to get Simon to man up.
* SupportingLeader: He's the leader and founder of Team Dai-Gurren but he's not the protagonist. That honor goes to Simon.
* [[spoiler:TakeAMomentToCatchYourDeath - just when everyone thought he had made it...]]
* [[spoiler:TakeUpMySword: 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 [[InvertedTrope Inverted]]: Kamina's actual sword is used to mark his grave.]]
* [[spoiler:TakingYouWithMe: with Thymilph.]]
* TenderTears: [[spoiler:When he finds his father's skeleton in the desert.]]
* TooDumbToLive: Even despite the HiddenDepths, 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 HotSpringsEpisode, 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- [[spoiler: and ''[[InvertedTrope dies.]]'']]
* TookALevelInBadass: 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?"
* [[spoiler: TragicHero]]: [[spoiler:His dad dies]] and then [[spoiler:so does he]].
* [[spoiler: TragicKeepsake]]: [[spoiler: 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, [[spoiler: Kamina himself dies and the cape becomes part of a grave marker, tied around his ''nodachi'' stabbed into the ground.]]
* TransformationNameAnnouncement: VERY fond of announcing himself.
* {{Ubermensch}}: A charasmatic and passionate man who challenges conventional ways of thinking and gathers followers.
* TheUnchosenOne: 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.
* TheUnfettered: There really isn't anything he ''won't'' do, except give up or desert his friends- Leeron excluded.
* UnspokenPlanGuarantee: His secret plan to combine Gurren & Lagann worked better than anyone could have expected. His meticulously-detailed plan to steal Dai-Gunzan [[spoiler:wound up getting him killed.]]
** More significantly, [[spoiler:this was his one time flying solo, without Simon watching his back. And he pulls a LeeroyJenkins 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.]]
* WeakButSkilled: 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 [[spoiler:Viral]], who has ''no'' Spiral Power at all.
* WeaponOfChoice:
** ILikeSwords
*** {{BFS}}
*** [[KatanasAreJustBetter Kamina Is Just Better]]: He can cut through anything because he's Kamina. His katana is just along for the ride.
** ThisIsADrill: Although this is usually Simon's territory, Kamina uses drills quite often when combined with Lagann. In fact, [[spoiler:Kamina uses his last moments to invent Gurren Lagann's finishing move, the Giga Drill Break]].
* WellDoneSonGuy: 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 HotBlooded {{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 [[spoiler: down to his very death and beyond]] but it takes time for Simon to accept it.
* WhatBeautifulEyes: His pretty ''eyelashes'', specifically, always feature prominently both in depictions of him and in the Black Siblings' gushing about him.
* TheWorfEffect: Won exactly one fight without Simon's help [[spoiler: 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 [[spoiler: 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 [[spoiler: DyingMomentOfAwesome.]]
* WorthyOpponent: to Viral (and Thymilph, to a lesser extent).
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: And yet he's a ''[[RedOniBlueOni Red Oni]]!''
!!'''Yoko Littner'''
[[quoteright:225:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yoko_gurrenlagann.jpg]]
->Voiced by: MarinaInoue (JP), MichelleRuff (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 HumongousMecha in one shot, and dresses in a...er...[[{{Stripperiffic}} 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 FieryRedhead {{Tsundere}} to a strong, cheerful CoolBigSis.
-----
* ActionGirl: The only member of the team who doesn't ''need'' a giant robot to murderlate giant robots.
* BadassNormal: 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.
** BadassAbnormal: She pilots Dayakaiser late in the series.
** [[spoiler:BadassTeacher: 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.]]
** HeartbrokenBadass: [[spoiler: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.]]
** [[spoiler:RetiredBadass: Post-Time Skip, before the Anti-Spirals' attack. She becomes one again in the DistantFinale.]]
* BelligerentSexualTension: With Kamina [[spoiler:until their first and last, and only kiss]].
* BigEater: 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.
* [[spoiler:CartwrightCurse: 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.]]
* CombatHaircomb
* CoolBigSis
* EyesOfGold
* {{Fanservice}}
** AbsoluteCleavage
** ActionDressRip: While [[spoiler: posing as Yomako]], one of the kids gets stuck in a tree. To save him, Yoko ''shreds'' her dress with a crisp ''RIP'' and scales up the tree with the freedom to stretch her legs. However, Yoko was well-prepared and had another one ready to wear the next day.
** BareYourMidriff
** BoobsOfSteel
** {{Gainaxing}}
** GodivaHair: In the movie, in a suitably epic battle against Adiane.
** MaleGaze: Very much so.
** MsFanservice
** {{Underboobs}}
* FashionableAsymmetry: Wears one normal fingerless glove and one elbow-length one.
* FieryRedhead
* FingerlessGloves
* FriendToAllChildren: Just ask the adoring children at her [[spoiler: School]].
* FriendlySniper: The only character to defeat a gunman without their own, its a good thing she's friendly.
* GagBoobs
* HairDecorations: Wears a hair clip that looks like a skull.
* {{Herald}}: Its her entrance that starts Kamina and Simon's adventure.
* HotAmazon: Just ask Kamina!
* [[spoiler:HotLibrarian]]
* [[spoiler:HotTeacher]]
* HumongousMecha: She pilots Dayakkaiser and the [[spoiler: Yoko M Tank]], but most notably [[spoiler:the ''Lagann-hen''-exclusive "Tengen Toppa Yoko W Tank" - which higly resembles Yoko in her pre time-skip look]]
** {{BFG}}: [[spoiler:''Sniper'' {{BFG}}'''s'''. Yes, she has more than '''one'''.]]
** BiggerIsBetter: [[spoiler: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" HumongousMecha standards.]]
** ChestBlaster: [[spoiler:The missiles come complete with ''movable jaws'', to boot.]]
** GunsAkimbo [[spoiler:and FiringOneHanded]]: With [[spoiler:''{{BFG}}s'']], no less.
** MoreDakka: [[spoiler:No less than a '''pair''' of proportionally-sized [[SniperRifle sniper "rifles"]] ("cannons" would be more appropiate) on ''each'' [[ShoulderCannon shoulder]], complementing the '''even bigger''' pair of {{BFG}}s mentioned above.]]
* HypocriticalHumor: When she complains about the Black Siblings' "absurd outfits" in the BeachEpisode.
* ImageSong: "Trust", "S.t.a.r.S."
* TheKirk: She's the one saddled with balancing Kamina's HotBlood with Simon ShrinkingViolet
* [[spoiler:KissOfDeath: She has the nickname "Doom Bitch" in the fanon.]]
* MamaBear: Do NOT threaten her friends [[spoiler: or students]].
---> [[spoiler: "School's out. You FAIL!"]]
* MeaningfulName: "Yoko" means "side".
* {{Meganekko}}: As [[spoiler:Yomako]].
* [[spoiler:TheMourningAfter: She never gave up her love for Kamina. She became a teacher partly because of him. ]]
* OvershadowedByAwesome: Didn't get much opportunities to be useful when Kamina was around but boy did this change later on.
* PluckyGirl: Not as plucky as Nia, but still counts.
* RapunzelHair
* {{Redheaded Hero}}ine
* ScarfOfAsskicking
* ShowerOfAngst: After [[spoiler:Kamina dies]].
* SniperRifle: [[AKA47 Modelled after the]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barrett_M82 Barrett M82]] '''[[{{BFG}} anti-materiel]]''' [[{{BFG}} rifle]].
* {{Stripperific}}: Her justification for this is that she doesn't want her clothing to impede her mobility in combat. Notably, when she isn't in a combat situation, she actually dresses fairly modestly.
** Before the timeskip, she always wears the same outfit regardless of whether or not she is in combat. She does, however, uphold a more covering outfit after the timeskip, [[spoiler:partially due to her occupation as a schoolteacher]].
* ThighHighBoots: Sports a pair after the TimeSkip.
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Tomboy to Nia's Girly Girl.
* TomboyishPonytail
* {{Tsundere}}: For the first few episodes.
* TsurimeEyes
* UnknownRival: To Nia for Nia's first three episodes before the two become [=BFFs=].
* WalkingSwimsuitScene
* WeaponOfChoice
** {{BFG}}
** TheGunslinger
** SmallGirlBigGun
* WhoWearsShortShorts
* YoungerThanTheyLook: She's supposed to be ''fourteen'' pre-TimeSkip. At least, to the people who DON'T LIVE WITH A SUN. Their years aren't quite synced up to Solar years, remember (is the convenient explanation).
* ZettaiRyouiki: Hotpants + socks, then hotpants + boots
!!'''Princess Nia Teppelin'''
[[quoteright:225:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nia_gurrenlagann.jpg]]
->Voiced by: YukariFukui (JP), HyndenWalch (EN)
->Post-TimeSkip Nia: YukariFukui (JP), BridgetHoffman (EN)
->''"Hail, fellow well met!"''
->[[spoiler: ''"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 LoveInterest, [[spoiler: but later in the series we learn the horrible secret of how she was created, leading to a particularly crushing FaceHeelTurn. Worse... Nia doesn't have much longer to live...]]
-----
* [[spoiler:AGoodWayToDie]]
* ActionGirl: Becomes one of the LadyOfWar variety eventually.
* [[spoiler:AndIMustScream: 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.]]
* [[spoiler:ArtificialHuman: Nia holds Anti-Spiral reprogramming inside her genetic code. Nobody but Lordgenome knows it, not even ''Nia herself.'']]
* AnimeHair: 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}}
** BadassAdorable: She is ''completely fearless'' and insanely strong. And she's very, very adorable.
** BadassDamsel
* BeneathTheMask: 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 [[spoiler: she overcomes the brainwashing of the Anti-Spiral and desperately asks Simon if he's going to save her, ready to cry]].
* BluntMetaphorsTrauma: Back in her younger days. Even cuter in the dub where she's voiced by HyndenWalch.
* TheChick: Simon's emotional support and the most promiment female after Yoko. Heck, she puts heart back into the entire brigade.
* CloseCallHaircut: 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 [[spoiler: 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.
* CreepyMonotone: [[spoiler:As the Anti-Spiral Messenger.]]
* CrucifiedHeroShot: [[spoiler:During her captivity time in the hands of the Anti-Spirals.]]
* CryCute: When sweet little Nia breaks down into tears, you feel broken up inside. [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice And God help you if Simon sees you're responsible for her sobs.]]
* CuteLittleFangs: Although she doesn't have them in the series, They have shown up in [[http://safebooru.org/index.php?page=post&s=view&id=297728 official]] [[http://safebooru.org/index.php?page=post&s=view&id=117152 art]].
* TheCutie
* [[ThisIsADrill Drill On A Stick]]: [[spoiler:The Solvernia.]]
* EverythingsBetterWithPrincesses: There really isn't any point to her title.
* ExoticEyeDesigns: Cross-shaped pupils, at that, providing the trope image. [[spoiler:Further proof that she's an alien, if you even needed more.]]
* [[spoiler:FaceHeelTurn: Against her will.]]
* {{Fanservice}}
** FanServicePack
** MsFanservice: Not so much as Yoko, but still counts. Especially after the time-skip.
* FootFocus: 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.
* GagBoobs: If the second movie is to be believed, then Yoko and Kiyoh aren't the only ones with [[UnusualEuphemism huge tracts of land]].
* GirlInABox: How Simon finds her.
* [[spoiler:GoOutWithASmile]]
* HairDecorations and FlowerInHerHair: When she is first introduced, she later drops them.
* TheHeart: What she does for Simon and the rest.
* HeyItsThatVoice: In the English dub pre-TimeSkip, she's [[TeenTitans Starfire]].
* HelloNurse: When she's shown in her swimsuit, a bunch of the male characters get {{Nosebleed}}s.
* [[spoiler:HeroicSacrifice: 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.]]
* HotBlooded: [[NeutralFemale She may not fight]], but she completely outdoes half the cast in terms of sheer [[HotBlooded determination]]. And when she [[TheMovie DOES fight]], ''[[LadyOfWar holy crap]]''.
** In the high school AU manga, she actually has a HotBlooded moment alongside Kamina and ''manages to equal him in it!''
* IFeelAngry: "Are you aware of who exactly I am?!"
* ImportantHaircut: 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}}
* LadyOfWar: [[spoiler:Her movie mecha, Tengen Toppa Solvernia.]]
* [[spoiler: LastKiss: Shares her one and only kiss with Simon at their wedding before her body dissolves into random data bits.]]
* LethalChef: Her cooking tastes anything ''but'' good... unless you're Simon or Boota. [[strike: Poor Rossiu.]]
* MeaningfulName: Her name comes from "near".
* TheMessiah: So kind, so helpful, and so inspiring for the Dai Gurren Brigade. They were ready to fall apart before she arrived.
* MysticalWaif: How she's found and what her life means to the world.
* NeutralFemale: Though subverted at least three times.
* [[spoiler:NoOntologicalInertia]]
* NoSocialSkills: having been raised in isolation for her entire life until she was literally put in a box and left on a landfill.
* OfficialCouple: With Simon.
* TheOtherDarrin: The reason Bridget Hoffman took over the role post-TimeSkip 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.
* PluckyGirl: She may not be able to fight, but in terms of sheer [[HotBlooded 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 [[spoiler:keeps herself alive for a week after the Anti-Spiral's demise]] out of ''sheer willpower'', just so she can [[spoiler: marry Simon]]. Examined further in the second movie: [[spoiler: 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...]]
* ThePollyanna: Its not that she's unaffected or oblivious to trouble, but her sheer faith in Simon to drill through it makes it even [[spoiler: forcefully transformation into a ManchurianAgent]] a minor inconvience.
* PrincessClassic: Hits almost all the points except [[PluckyGirl shy]] [[spoiler:[[GainaxEnding and the happy ending]]]].
* PrincessesPreferPink
* RaisedByWolves: 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.
* RapunzelHair: Post-timeskip.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: [[spoiler:During the transmission.]]
* TheReveal: The daughter of Spiral King Lordgenome and [[spoiler:messenger of the Anti-Spirals]].
* ScrewDestiny: Made absolutely explicit in the movie.
* SecondLove: For Simon. The first was Yoko- until he found out she favored Kamina- the hard way.
* [[spoiler:StarCrossedLovers: With Simon.]]
* StealthMentor: [[spoiler:Her actions as a Messenger were intended to strengthen the Team before facing the true enemy.]]
* TaremeEyes
** TsurimeEyes: As [[spoiler:the Anti-Spiral Messenger.]]
* TechnicolorEyes: Has opal blue eyes with pink flower-shaped crosses for pupils... and they look ''adorable!''
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Girly Girl to Yoko's Tomboy.
* [[spoiler:TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth]]
* [[spoiler:{{Tragic Hero}}ine]]
* [[YouGottaHaveBlueHair You Gotta Have Pastel Blue]] [[MulticoloredHair and Yellow Hair]]
!!'''Boota'''
[[quoteright:225:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Gurren_Lagann_-_Boota_9181.jpg]]
->Voiced by: ShizukaItou (JP), JulieAnnTaylor (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. [[spoiler: 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.]]
-----
* CoolShades: Yes, the ''TeamPet'' has shades.
* [[spoiler: CuteShotaroBoy: His human form.]]
* [[spoiler:{{Determinator}}]]
* EatTheDog: In episode 4. Simon and Kamina are starving from getting nothing to eat, so Boota does the most disturbing thing possible and [[spoiler: ''[[AccidentalNightmareFuel bites on his own tail and rips off his hindquarters!!!]]'']] Fortunately, he's healed by the next episode. [[spoiler: You can HandWave it due to his innate [[HealingFactor Spiral Power.]]]]
* [[spoiler: EverythingsBetterWithSpinning]]: [[DeusExMachina Almost inexplicably]], [[spoiler: Boota is a source of Spiral Power.]]
* EvilCounterpart: [[spoiler:That man you see on the bridge in the BadFuture opening of the first episode... is actually an evolved Boota matured into an adult.]]
* MarshmallowHell: From Yoko.
* MeaningfulName: "Buta" means "pig", and "buu" is Japanese for "oink".
* NonHumanSidekick
* ParrotPetPosition
* RidiculouslyCuteCritter
* TeamPet
!!'''Viral'''
[[quoteright:225:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/viral_gurrenlagann.jpg]]
->Voiced by: NobuyukiHiyama (JP), SamRiegel (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 FoeYay relationship with Kamina, and later Simon. When the world is threatened later on the series, Viral reveals his hidden depths.
-----
* AcePilot: He can't produce Spiral Power, but what keeps Viral in the game [[spoiler:and makes him a valuable copilot to Simon]] is his classical training and skill in the cockpit.
* AntagonistInMourning: When [[spoiler:Kamina dies.]]
* AntiVillain: Type I. He's just a loyal soldier for the Spiral King.
** Later he becomes a [[spoiler: Type II AntiHero when he joins Team Dai-Gurren.]]
* BeastMan
* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: Viral is a shark, cat thing that's covered in scars, but that doesn't stop the fangirls.
* BeyondTheImpossible: [[spoiler: While ambiguous in series, the movies directly confirm Viral is HotBlooded enough to create Spiral Energy despite being that being a specifically stated impossibility.]]
* BlondGuysAreEvil: Subverted - he's just a soldier doing his job, and [[spoiler:he joins Team Dai-Gurren late in the series]].
* ButtMonkey: [[spoiler:He gets better after his HeelFaceTurn, though]].
* CatsAreMean: Subverted - he's just following orders.
* CharClone: Viral is essentially what this trope lives for. He's a blonde ace pilot that becomes TheRival for TheHero. He has a sense of honor that distinguishes him from {{Card Carrying Villain}}s. [[spoiler: Eventually {{HeelFaceTurn}}s.]]
* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: Pale blond hair, yellow eyes.
* CuteLittleFangs: 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''.
* TheDragon: He isn't the Dragon to the Big Bad [[spoiler:at first,]] but rather to every other general.)
** [[spoiler:TheLancer: After his HeelFaceTurn.]]
* DoomMagnet: Every person he's assigned to guard [[spoiler:dies]]. [[spoiler:Except Simon.]]
* EverythingsEvenWorseWithSharks: Zig Zagged. At first, this is true for Team Dai-Gurren, but after the TimeSkip, it's more true for [[spoiler:the Anti-Spiral]].
* EyesOfGold
* FangsAreEvil: [[spoiler: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.]]
* FoeYay: 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.
* GoodScarsEvilScars: [[spoiler:His shirtless scene in Gurren's cockpit shows that he has scars in a similar pattern to Kamina's tattoos.]]
* HairOfGold
* [[spoiler:HeelFaceTurn]]: [[spoiler: Ultimately triggered by the combined turmoil of the following: his losing streak to Gurren Lagann, the death of Adiane, his secret crush, 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.]]
* [[HeyItsThatVoice Hey It's That Grunt]]: Hey, it's [[LegendOfZelda Link]]!
* HiddenDepths: Has a deep-seated sense of honor and a [[spoiler: secret crush on Adiane.]] More so, his innermost desire was [[spoiler: wanting to get married to a Beastman girl he once loved, have a child, and live a normal life as a family together.]]
* HotBlooded: He's voiced by NobuyukiHiyama. What'd you expect?
* [[spoiler:IJustWantToBeNormal: 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.]]
* [[spoiler: {{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.]]
* IneffectualSympatheticVillain: After his debut battle, things go rapidly downhill. Kamina even asks [[BreakingTheFourthWall "is he still in this show?"]] and refers to him as cannon fodder before swatting him aside.
** Actually subverted soon enough [[spoiler: when he helps to kill Kamina and then remains a significant threat until the battle for Teppelin.]]
* KnifeNut: When he's not piloting Gunmen, his WeaponOfChoice is a cleaver.
* {{Leitmotif}}: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4lvcCklBS8 "Nikopol"]]
* MeaningfulName: [[TheRival Guess what Viral's name spells when the letters are rearranged]].
* [[spoiler: MultiArmedAndDangerous]]: [[spoiler:His Gunmen Enkidudu and Tengen Toppa Enki Dulga.]]
* NobleDemon: 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 HonorBeforeReason.
* PettingZooPeople: Literal in his case, as he's composed of [[EverythingsEvenWorseWithSharks shark]] and [[CatsAreMean feline]] genetics.
* RedemptionPromotion: Went from ButtMonkey of half the Beastmen Generals to [[spoiler: Pilot of Gurren.]] [[spoiler: 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.]]
* TheRemnant: A sympathetic version post-timeskip [[spoiler:before his HeelFaceTurn]].
* TheRival: To Kamina, before his BadassDecay. To Simon, after.
* ScarfOfAsskicking: Post-timeskip.
* ShirtlessScene: He gets a few post-timeskip.
* [[spoiler:SixthRanger]]
* SlasherSmile: As an enemy, but [[spoiler: promptly done away with after his HeelFaceTurn- it's now a good-natured smile.]]
** StepfordSmiler
* TheStoic: 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 [[spoiler: his HeelFaceTurn]], and it's gone altogether in [[spoiler: the DistantFinale]].
* [[spoiler:SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: [[TropesAreNotBad 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.]]
* [[spoiler: TearsOfRemorse]]: [[spoiler: 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.]]
* TookALevelInBadass: [[spoiler:After taking over as Gurren's pilot. So, so, much.]]
* TookALevelInKindness: [[spoiler:His will slowly broke over the course of seven years, weakening his hot-blooded tendencies. When he decided to pull a HeelFaceTurn, he turned much more pleasant and hopeful. By the DistantFinale, his fury is a thing of the past and he's now a benevolent and caring man.]]
* WeakButSkilled: He was made so he couldn't make Spiral Energy and yet he can still blow stuff up with his HotBlood.
* WorthyOpponent: To Kamina. [[IneffectualSympatheticVillain Not so much to Simon...]] [[spoiler:but Simon sees him as a valuable ally after the TimeSkip.]]
