Gurren Lagann
Two machines, one unstoppable spirit: the drill that pierces the heavens and defies all limits.
Gurren Lagann is the combined mecha formed when the small Gunmen Lagann, piloted by Simon, merges with the Gunmen Gurren, which Kamina hijacks and names. The union creates a single, more powerful machine that becomes the central weapon of Team Dai-Gurren. Piloted primarily by Simon and Kamina in the early episodes, Gurren Lagann embodies their shared fighting spirit and drilling-based abilities. As the series progresses, the mecha evolves in scale and power, eventually playing a key role in battles against Lordgenome and later the Anti-Spirals, symbolizing humanity's refusal to be confined.
- Primary Pilots
- Simon & Kamina
- Affiliation
- Team Dai-Gurren / Spiral Force
- First Appearance
- Episode 1 (as separate units)
- Key Feature
- The Drill of Destiny
- Status
- Active throughout the series, evolving into Super Gurren Lagann
Lore & Background
Gurren Lagann first appears when Simon uses his Core Drill to activate Lagann, a small Gunmen he unearths in Giha village. Soon after, Kamina hijacks a larger Gunmen and names it Gurren. The two combine to form Gurren Lagann, which Team Gurren uses to fight Lordgenome's Beastmen. After Kamina's death, Simon pilots Gurren Lagann alone, eventually leading Team Dai-Gurren to Lordgenome's palace, Teppelin, a gigantic Gunmen. In the final battle against Lordgenome, Simon, Nia, and Rossiu pilot Gurren Lagann to fight Lordgenome in his similar Gunmen Lazengann. Seven years later, when the Anti-Spirals emerge, Lordgenome is resurrected as a bio-computer and joins forces with Simon, Gurren Lagann, and Team Dai-Gurren. They use Lordgenome's flagship to retrieve the real Moon from a pocket dimension and travel to the Anti-Spirals' homeworld. In a one-on-one Gunmen battle across the universe, Simon and Lagann destroy the Anti-Spirals. The epilogue, set twenty years after the team defeats the Anti-Spirals, shows a squadron of Gurren Laganns flying through the night sky to join their Spiral brethren in the stars.
In Their Own Story
The dust of the underground swirled around the rusted metal as Simon gripped the controls, his heart pounding in rhythm with the engine's roar. Above him, Kamina laughed, a sound that cut through the fear like lightning. "It's time," the red-haired man shouted over the comms, his voice electric with defiance. As the two machines locked together, sparks flew from the connecting joints, illuminating the dark cavern. The massive drill began to spin, humming with an energy that felt older than the earth itself. With a synchronized cry, they launched upward, piercing through the ceiling of their world and into the blinding light of the sky they had never seen.
Reader's Guide
Simon begins as a meek young digger from Giha village who unearths a drill-shaped key called a Core Drill and then finds the small Gunmen Lagann. He uses the Core Drill to activate Lagann and its drilling-based abilities, successfully destroying a giant Gunmen and breaking through the ceiling to reach the surface. Kamina, an eccentric delinquent who dreams of the surface, hijacks a Gunmen and names it Gurren, combining it with Lagann to form Gurren Lagann. Their actions inspire other humans to steal Gunmen and join Team Gurren, later renamed Team Dai-Gurren. After Kamina is killed by one of Lordgenome's four generals, Simon sinks into depression until he meets Nia, Lordgenome's daughter. Nia helps Simon come to terms with Kamina's death, and the rest of Team Dai-Gurren prompt him to become the team's leader. Simon leads them to Lordgenome's palace, where he defeats Lordgenome in hand-to-hand combat using his Core Drill. Seven years later, when the human population reaches one million, the Anti-Spirals emerge and send the Moon on a collision course with Earth. Lordgenome, resurrected as a bio-computer, reveals he was once part of an army that failed to stop the Anti-Spirals. Simon, with Viral and Lordgenome's help, prevents the Moon's collision and travels to the Anti-Spirals' homeworld. He rescues Nia and destroys the Anti-Spirals in a one-on-one battle, though Nia fades away as her existence was tied to them. Simon then hands his Core Drill to Gimmy and leaves his friends to wander as a nameless vagrant, stating his destiny was merely to 'dig the tunnel to the future.'
Did You Know?
- Gurren Lagann ran for 27 episodes on TV Tokyo and its affiliates between April and September 2007.
- The series was directed by Hiroyuki Imaishi with series composition by veteran playwright Kazuki Nakashima.
- In North America, the license was initially announced by ADV Films in 2007, transferred to Bandai Entertainment in 2008, and then to Aniplex of America in 2013.
- Two animated film versions were produced; the first premiered in Japanese theaters in September 2008, and the second premiered in April 2009.
- As of 2021, alongside Imaishi's other works during his time in Gainax, the rights to the series are owned by Studio Trigger, which was formed by Imaishi in 2011.