List of Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann secondary characters
This article contains a list of characters from the Japanese anime series Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann.
Team Great Gurren
Simon
- Voiced by: Tetsuya Kakihara
Simon (シモン, Shimon) is the protagonist of the story, a short and un-intimidating fourteen year old boy. He was born in Jiija Village and was raised by his parents until the age of seven, when his parents were killed in an underground avalanche caused by an earthquake. Their deaths traumatized Simon to the point of both hating and fearing life underground, and likely played a role in developing his relationship with Kamina. Ironically, Simon's role in his community was to dig more tunnels and caverns to expand Jiiha Village deeper underground.
Though valued as a skilled digger, Simon was ignored by the adults of his village and snubbed by the girls, who considered him disgusting. Along with his fear of earthquakes, Simon developed low self-esteem and had many cowardly tendencies. His only friend and role model growing up was Kamina, a brash and eccentric older boy who had an obsession with escaping the underground world for the surface, which he visited as a child with his father. Simon was slowly "recruited" into Team Gurren along with several other boys, and lead by Kamina made several attempts to reach the surface over several years. During one attempt, a sudden earthquake trapped Team Gurren within a chamber and cut off the supply of oxygen. Simon began to panic, but after inspration from Kamina he managed to dig all of the Team Gurren members out of danger. Yoko would later recall that Kamina himself was terrified during this incident, but he hid his fear from Simon knowing Simon was the only one capable of rescuing his gang.
One day during the digging of a new tunnel, Simon discovers a small drill-shaped object that periodically glows. Later that day, he unearths a large "face" in the ground, which he shows to Yoko and Kamina after Jiiha Village is attacked by a large Gunmen. The face is revealed to be a miniature Gunmen, and the object Simon dug up the key to starting it up. With the aid of this mech, which Kamina names "Lagann", Simon destroys the large Gunmen attacking Jiiha and rises to the surface world.
Although Lagann and Simon by extension are essential to form Gurren-Lagann, for much of the first story arc Simon is depicted as a sidekick to Kamina, his very presence overshadowed by his much more extroverted 'brother'. This treatment of Simon ultimately proves fatal for Kamina when Yoko, oblivious to Simon's feelings for her, kisses Kamina in front of a hidden Simon. Yoko's kiss upsets Simon and disrupts his ability to control Lagann, forcing Kamina to personally inspire him and leading him vulnerable to Thymilph, who ultimately deals a fatal blow on him.
The guilt over Kamina's death reduces the morale for all of Team Great Gurren, but it affects Simon to an extreme - mentally broken, bitter, and depressed, he becomes hostile to friend and foe alike, eventually leading to Lagann rejecting him as a pilot. It is during this dark time that he meets Nia, and the two immediately take a liking to one another. Continually inspired by Nia and touched by her kindness and sincerety, Simon regains his composure to fight and is elected Team Great Gurren's new leader.
Simon's name comes from the word shimo (下), meaning "below".
Kamina
- Voiced by: Katsuyuki Konishi
Kamina (カミナ) is a young man from Jiiha village who dreams of leaving the village and go to the surface, which he saw as a kid. He's very passionate about his goals, expressing his wishes through energetic speeches, which seems to affect all those who hear him. He convinces Simon to help him with his plan to drill through the roof of the village and get to the world above, but the plan failed and he was put in prison. He left the village shortly thereafter with the help of Simon and a young girl named Yoko, as a result of fighting a Gunmen, who broke into the village from the surface.
After he, Simon, and Yoko break through, they meet many enemies and friends as they go, to the point of building up a resistance force, the Gurren Brigade to fight in their war against the Beastmen Empire who hunt on human beings who live on surface, and becoming their leader. However, during a mission to hijack one of the enemy's moving fortress to their group, Kamina is heavily wounded and dies soon after sucessfully killing one of the the Four Generals. It should be noted however that the energetic words of Kamina are not forgotten by the Brigade, and still follow his motto even after his death.
Kamina's name comes from the word kami (上), meaning "above".
Yoko
- Voiced by: Marina Inoue
Yoko (ヨーコ, Yooko) is girl from Jiiha's neighboring village Ritona, who had been chasing the Gunmen which entered Jiiha village. She wields an extensive range of firearms and has previous experience fighting Gunmen. Although she is the same age as Simon, she is mature and one of the most rational of the group. Despite always badmouthing Kamina for his reckless behavior, it did not take long for her to confess her feelings to him, which he returns. She was also Simon's love interest, until Simon discovered that she was in love with Kamina and he met Nia.[1]. However, Yoko seems to have developed feelings for Simon after he proclaimed that he would do anything to protect her after she took over Rossiu's position(due to a sudden illness) of piloting Gurren.
Yoko's name comes from the word yoko (横), meaning "beside".
Nia
- Voiced by: Yukari Fukui
Nia (ニア) is a mysterious young girl found sleeping in a capsule in the middle of a dump site by Simon, one week after Kamina's death. She has had no prior contact with humans except her father, who is also the sovereign of the Beastmen, the Helix King. She is very curious, pure and innocent, because of growing up sheltered in a peaceful environment, away from all the battles occurring in the outside world. During her travels with the Gurren Brigade, she discovers the harsh reality of the world and develops a strong empathy towards Simon. In episode eleven, it is revealed why she was thrown out. Her most defining features are her "+" shaped irises and her blue and yellow hair. Nia's hairstyle changed in episode twelve, when she was taken hostage by Adiane, but was saved when Yoko shot Adiane's Gunmen's shoulder and she was rescued by Old Coco. However, her long hair was ruined by Yoko's bullets and she asked her to fix it, having a short haircut since then.
Nia's name has a double meaning; it can be read as near, but it's also based on the ani (兄) kanji of aniki(兄貴), a word for "older brother" with which Simon refers to Kamina.
Leeron
- Voiced by: Masaya Onosaka
Leeron (リーロン, Riiron), or "Lon", is the village mechanic of Ritona who is able to repair and scavenge the various Gunmen he and his group encounter. Quite knowledgeable, and very flamboyant, Leeron was the first one to join Kamina, Simon, and Yoko on their quest to defeat the "Beastmen". He has become the main technician for the Gurren Brigade as well as being in charge of coordination and communication between the Gunmen during battle from the Dai-Gurren.
Leeron's name comes from the word riron (理論), meaning "theory".
Rossiu
- Voiced by: Mitsuki Saiga
Rossiu (ロシウ, Roshiu) is a boy from another underground village, in which the people worship Gunmen as gods. He looks after Gimmy and Darry, and when they are chosen to leave the village, he decides to go with them. They join the Gurren Brigade. Before he leaves, the village leader gives him a book that seems to be connected to the Gunmen that guards the village, with the task to find someone able to read it, as no one in his village can decipher its content. After Kamina's death, Rossiu begins piloting the Gurren in his place though initially has trouble due to Simon's breakdown.
Rossiu's name comes from the word ushiro (後), meaning "behind".
Gimmy and Darry
- Voiced by: Shizuka Itō (Darry), Takako Honda (Gimmy)
Gimmy (ギミー, Gimii) and Darry (ダリー, Darii) are children from Rossiu's village, whom he cares for. When new children were born into the village, the population exceeded its limit of 50, which mandated that two people be removed and sent to the surface. Since the two children had no parents, the village leader chose them to leave the village, however Rossiu decided to go with them. Gimmy is a typical excitable boy, whilst Darry is a bit shyer, but the two children get well along and are always seen together.
Gimmy and Darry's names come from the words migi (右) and hidari (左), meaning "right" and "left".
Old Coco
A mysterious, silent old man who leads the Gurren Brigade to the hot springs in episode six. Although he tricks the group into entering the Beastmen's trap, he helps Kamina later on by letting him onto the Beastmen Gunmen. He then gets caught up with the Gurren Brigade, and now follows it around, although nobody seems to notice him. He seems to be incredibly hard to notice, to the point of saving Nia in episode eleven, and disappearing again before anyone realises he is gone. It seems he might have a connection to Nia as indicated by some scenes, and his loincloth which bears a symbol that looks similar to the one on Nia's head accessory
Kittan
- Voiced by: Kishô Taniyama
Kittan is the oldest member of the Black Kinsman. On his first encounter with the Gurren brigade, he mistakenly confuses Kamina for a Beastman. This is reconciled, when it is discovered that Kamina is piloting the Gunmen, Gurren. Shortly after, the two teams (Black Kinsman and the Gurren Brigade) come into contact with the sixteen-headed Gunmen (An enemy Gunmen, who the Black Kinsmen had crossed paths with earlier). After the eventual defeat of the enemy Gunmen, the two teams part ways.
Kittan returns in episode seven, in order to aid the Gurren Brigade against the Divine Helix General Thymilph. Apparently inspired by Kamina, Kittan and a few others join the fight with Gunmen of their own. This event consequently leads to the formation of the Great Gurren Brigade. As a result of the death of Kamina, Kittan temporarily takes over as the leader of the Brigade until Simon recovers from Kamina's death, and transfers the control to him.
Kittan's name comes from the word tanki (短気), meaning "short temper".
The name of Kittan’s Gunmen is the King Kittan.
Kiyoh
- Voiced by: Rina Satou
Kiyoh is the oldest of Kittan’s three sisters. In episode six, when fighting her way out of an enemy Gunmen, she is shown to possess good fighting ability. As of current episodes she seems to be undergoing training in order to pilot a Gunmen and has been seen helping out in controlling the Dai Gurren by monitoring displays.
Kiyoh's name comes from the word youki (陽気), meaning "cheerfulness".
Kinon
- Voiced by: Kana Ueda
Kinon is the second oldest of the three sisters. After the Brigade’s capture of the Dai Gurren, she takes up position within its control tower. She is perhaps the most intelligent member of the Black Kinsman.
Kinon's name comes from the word nonki (呑気), meaning "optimism".
Kiyal
- Voiced by: Kana Asumi
Kiyal is the youngest member of the Black Kinsman. As of current episodes it seems she has also helped in the control of the Dai Gurren by monitoring displays.
Kiyal's name comes from the word yaruki (やる気), meaning "willingness".
Zoushi
- Voiced by: Takafumi Kawakami
Zoushi appears at the end of episode seven as a new addition to the Gurren Brigade. The name of his Gunmen is Sozoshin.
Ailak
- Voiced by: Daisuke Kirii
- Ailak is a member of the Dai-Gurren-Brigade. He pilots a Gunmen that serves Yoko as a mobile rifle platform. Together they assaulted the Dai-Gunzan with the rest of the brigade in episode eight. The name of his Gunmen is Ainzer.
Kidd
- Voiced by: Takashi Kondo
Kidd is another new member of the Gurren Brigade. His Gunmen utilizes two pistols to attack enemies. His Gunmen is named Kidd Knuckle.
Makken
A silent man who is an important part of the Gurren-dan, but has never spoken and is rarely ever noticed.
Atenbrough
An irrational, impulsive, trigger-happy man who is a gunner of the Dai-Gurren's control team. He tends to fire at enemies or move the Dai-Gurren without warning.
Tetsukan
A member of the Control team for Dai-Gurren.
Beastmen (Helix Kingdom)
Viral
- Voiced by: Nobuyuki Hiyama
Viral (ヴィラル, Viraru) is a Beastman who is skilled with both Gunmen and close-combat. During a hunting trip in episode three, he attacks Kamina but has to retreat to his Gunmen. He manages to overcome Simon and Kamina's attacks, but leaves before the fight ends since the day has ended. The next day, Kamina and Simon challenge Viral again; this time however, Viral is defeated, and is forced to barrage Gurren-Lagann with missiles in order to conceal his escape, swearing revenge on Kamina for his humiliation.
Viral later returns along Thymilph and the Dai-Ganzan to crush the Gurren Brigade, but is severely injured in the battle which resulted in Dai-Gurren's capture. He tries to obtain another chance to fight by trying to join Adiane's side even though she treats him like garbage. Still, Viral saved Adiane from harm during a fight with the Dai-Gurren Brigade by stopping Dai-Gurren's foot from crushing her. After Adiane's death by the Dai-Gurren's attack, Viral curses Gurren-Lagann and swears to bring pain and punishment to those who killed his two superiors.
Viral returns later, now under Cytomander's command for an aerial attack on the Dai-Gurren. His battle with the Gurren-Lagann, piloted by Simon and Yoko at that moment extended to the control room of Cytomander's aerial fortess, the Dai-Ganten. There he learned of Kamina's death, and discovered that he not only lost to a human, but to a child human as well, challenging Simon to a one on one fight. Their battle was interrupted by Cytomander who took Yoko as a hostage, and ordered Viral to destroy the defenseless Gurren-Lagann, but he disobeyed him because he knew this outcome would not make him regain his lost pride. For this action Cytomander asked the Helix King's permission to execute him for treason, but Viral's last request was hearing from the King himself what is the true nature of the humans. Thus Lord Genome dispenses Cytomander and conducts Viral to a room where it seems he will have his answer.
Viral's name comes from the words "virus" and "rival".
Thymilph
- Voiced by: Kiyoyuki Yanada
"The Crasher" Thymilph (チミルフ, Chimirufu) was the first of the Helix King's Four Generals to be introduced and was responsible for both the large flagship Dai-Gunzan and his own personal Gunmen Byako. He was good friends with Adiane. When the Dai-Gunzan was taken over by Lagann's system he headed into battle himself to try and recapture it; however a combined Simon and Kamina stopped his strongest attack "Condemn Blaze" with one hand and he fell to the debut appearance of the Giga Drill Break.
Thymilph's name is based on the DNA chemical Thymine and the elemental Sylph. His Gunmen, Byako, is based off of the mythical white tiger Byakko.
Adiane
- Voiced by: Michiko Neya
"The Elegant" Adiane (アディーネ, Adiine) is one of the Helix King's Four Generals, and the only women among them. She seems to specialise in Water-type combat, as indicated by the giant wave that she appeared along with when she arrives on the deck of Dai-Gurren. Her personal Gunmen is called Sayrune, and she also has her own Fortress-type Gunmen known as Dai-Gunkai. Her animal attributes are insectile in nature, as she has the tail of a scorpion, and the Sayrune converts between two forms that resemble a crab and a mantis. Worth noting is that she had a good relationship with Thymilph (whose name is based off Thymine), a play on the fact that the nucleotides adenine and thymine bond exclusively in double-helical DNA. She is very strong, being able to fend off at least five Gunmen in episode ten. However, her upper hand was lost when she was defeated in one blow by a kick from Dai-Gurren, which had only started to move. She was rescued by Viral, and in episode twelve set an ambush while the Dai-Gurren was crossing the ocean in its march to the capital. Her Gunmen and the Dai-Gunkai had the advantage in underwater battle, but her plans were foiled by Gurren-Lagann. She tried to gain the upper hand again by taking Nia as hostage, but when Nia was saved by Yoko, Adiane was shot by the Dai-Gurren's cannons at point blank, being ultimately destroyed along with the Sayrune, while her flagship was destroyed by Gurren-Lagann.
Adiane's name is based on the DNA chemical Adenine and the elemental Undine.
Cytomander
- Voiced by: Akio Suyama
"The Swift" Cytomander (シトマンドラ, Shitomandora) is one of the Helix King's Four Generals. It is speculated he specialises in Air combat, since his flagship is a flying fortress and he has the appearance of a bird. As Adiane only could get herself well with Thymilph, it seems that Cytomander only gets himself well with Guame, just like Cytosine and Guanine only bond with eachother in the Double Helix.
Cytomander's name is based on the DNA chemical Cytosine and the elemental Salamander.
Guame
- Voiced by: Kiyoshi Kawakubo
"The Stoic" Guame (グアーム, Guaamu) is one of the Helix King's Four Generals, who specialises in ground combat. Guame first appears in episode nine. He pilots Gember. His appearance is like that of an armadillo and he looks the oldest of the four generals. In episode nine, he, along with the two other generals, reported the death of one of the generals, Thymilph, to the Spiral King. He appeared unconcerned about the death of his comrade. The only thing that bothered him was how Thymiliph died - in the hands of the Leaders of the Gurren Brigade. He gives off the impression of one with a perverted mind and showed why when he made snide comments about the relationship between Thymilph and Adiane. It is not until episode eleven that we see Guame again. This time, he and Cytomander(one of the four generals) went to report the failure of Adiane to carry out her mission - the recovery of the Dai-Gunzan now known as Dai-Gurren, and the extermination of the entire Gurren Brigade. This time, Guame asked the Helix King to give him the order to carry out the mission Adiane failed openly opposing the King. The Helix King asked if he (Guame) was giving him instructions and Guame merely closed his eyes and did not answer. Soon after, Cytomander made an interesting statement saying that it was only Guame that could oppose the king. Guame merely said that he and the king had known each other for a long time which gives off the impression that he has lived as long as or almost as long as the Helix King has. Guame proved that he was an extremely smart individual when he had human girls pretend that they were under attack from the beastmen's gunmen to lure the Gurren Brigade out to attack. The events that followed worked according to his plans and he soon took control of the Dai Gurren. It was Guame who later made it known why Nia was abandoned and that she was not the first princess to be abandoned. Later then Guame became the first victim of the rejuvenated Simon. As far as we know, Guame does not have a gunmen having lost it to the sheer destructive power that is Simon.
Guame's name is based on the DNA chemical Guanine and the elemental Gnome.
Lord Genome
- Voiced by: Narushi Ikeda
Lord Genome (ロージェノム, Roojenomu) is the mysterious Helix King himself who rules the planet from his Teppelin (the capitol city). Through Nia and Guame's comments we are led to believe that he is a human(oid) rather than a beastman, but at the same time through some means or another he has prolonged his life to an unnatural 1000 years. He cares little for people, treating the girls he surrounds himself with as dolls to be cast aside when they've outlived their interest to him. From Guame we find out that Lord Genome despises human consciousness and self-awareness although we are yet to be given a reason for this dislike. Little else is known about him at this point in time.
- ^ "About Gainax's new series=Dengeki Online" (in Japanese). February 1 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-13.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Missing pipe in:|title=(help)