This is the tale of a man who has yet to realize what his destiny is.
Simon and Kamina live in an underground village.
But with the sudden appearance of a Gunmen, a gigantic mecha,
...and Yoko, a beautiful woman who fires wildly with a superconducting rifle,
...their daily routine is shattered.
They attack and destroy the enemy robot.
The momentum of the attack carries the trio up to the surface, but then...
Episode 2: I Said I'm Gonna Pilot That Thing!!
Ambushing people is playing dirty!
Sorry, I forgot to tell you!
These guys were up here this whole time!
Say what?
Three of them jumped me at once!
The one that fell into your village was one of them!
So what you're saying is, there's lots of these things up here?!
That's for sure, the place is crawling with them!
- Glad to hear it! - I hate this!
What do you think you're doing, Simon?
I'm leaving! I'm going back down! I'm going back to our village!
Don't lose your nerve now, Simon!
You did such a great job fighting them earlier, remember?
That was just a fluke!
I'll handle it, then! Open the hatch!
Listen up, you walking faces!
Having left his homeland, he never yields, never retreats, and never regrets!
Never retreat! Never look back! Male tenacity is all about the never's!
The great Kamina of Team Gurren is gonna take you on!
You have been warned!
Huh?
You could've been killed, seriously!
How long are you gonna keep running, Simon?
We finally made it to the surface.
Now's the time to cast off the boy you used to be.
It's now or never.
Hold us steady, Simon!
This is terrifying, Bro!
Hold us steady, I said! Sheesh!
Um, hello? We're falling.
What's wrong, Simon?
It's not working!
Why not?
I don't know!
I can't do this anymore! You do it, Bro!
Simon! You...
Save the family squabbles for later!
You okay, Yoko?
Dayakka!
Friends of yours?
Yeah!
Concentrate your fire on the one in front!
Something jumped out!
Keep your heads down!
Aw, my Gunmen...
It's almost sunset. We're pulling out.
I'll remember this, you stinking humans! We'll pick this up tomorrow!
Show no mercy! FIRE!
Hot, hot, hot!
You'll rue this day!
That's what was inside those things?
Beastmen. They're what pilot the Gunmen.
Every day, they show up when the sun rises...
...and leave again when the sun sets.
How come?
I have no idea!
You've been fighting those things your whole life?
That's right!
I'll fill you in on all the details later.
You did good today, Simon.
It's hopeless... I can't do this.
Whenever my ass is in trouble, you're always the one who saves it.
Thanks a lot.
Oh, my!
What's this darling little fellow? He's a handsome devil, isn't he?
I didn't mean you, I meant this mecha.
Mecha?
You know, this one is just my type!
What're you doing, Leeron? Hurry up and help me strip this thing.
Sure, I'm coming!
See you later, hon.
They've got all kinds up here on the surface, looks like.
I finally made it, Dad.
Never mind. This sight is something else, ain't it?
The surface sure is different, isn't it?
That huge, round light, and all them itty bitty lights...
This place is full of lights even at night.
This is way better than the pitch-black nights down in the pit.
Yep. Coming up here was the right call.
The big light is the moon. The "itty bitty" ones are called stars.
That's what people called them, way back in the past.
The moon and stars, huh? Pretty simple names, ain't they?
I wonder why they had names?
If they have names, maybe that means that people in the plast...
...used to look up at the lights in the sky all the time.
My goodness, you're not just a pretty face, are you, hon?
This mecha is fascinating!
It may be small, but it's packing a lot of power.
What're you doing?
Running some numbers. Are you interested?
A machine that makes squiggly lines?
Oh, you don't know how to read?
Read? Do you know how to do that, Bro?
Nope.
Wow, what bumpkins...
You aren't exactly a bookworm yourself, missy.
I can read just fine, thank you very much!
This one is "stars," and this one is "moon"!
It's possible that long, long ago, people used to live on the surface.
Really?
Some records say they did, and others say that they didn't.
Which is it?
It's like how I'm both and neither a man and a woman.
Who cares? Who ARE you, anyway?
I'm Leeron, but you can call me Ron.
- Or "Beautiful Queen," if you like. - I'd rather die!
You'd never guess it, but Ron here knows just about everything.
He also handles all of our weapons-related maintenance.
- YOU do that? - You find that strange?
Fine, put my dexterity to the test. Who knows, you might enjoy it.
You die.
Now, now...
So anyway, there's a favor that I'd like to ask you.
Would you mind carrying that for me?
But...
What do you have there? It's kinda pretty.
See, it works after all! Over here!
What, it responds to male spirit?
Fascinating...
Keep your mitts off of Simon, got it?
How about you, then?
You die!
Ladies don't care much for men who can't take a joke.
I'm really sorry about this.
Your village was damaged because we screwed up,
...and now we're making you carry stuff.
It's because resources are scarce. We have to use every scrap we find.
What's wrong?
What the hell is that?
Someone who was killed by Gunmen.
Around here, it's not exactly a rare occurrence.
That should do it.
Yeah, we couldn't leave his bones lying there.
Pathetic.
It's a waste of time to dig graves for people who die out in this empty dump.
Look, there's no telling when we'll be the ones lying there.
Never!
Our journey will continue until we pierce the heavens! As far as it takes!
Huh?
This place isn't the happy wonderland you seem to think it is.
We ourselves don't live here by choice.
You don't?
Our Littner was once an underground village like yours.
But there was an accident, and it became uninhabitable.
We had no choice but to come to surface,
...and when we did, those Gunmen were waiting for us.
We have nowhere to return to, so our only choice is to fight.
Sounds nice! That's exactly the sort of world I was looking for.
It's no wonder they're exhausted. It's been a day full of firsts for them.
Gurren Lagann
Look at that, kiddo! This is "up"! This is the surface!
There's nothing here...
Nope, not a thing.
That's why I like it.
There are no walls and no ceiling. This is truly a man's world.
Ready to go?
I see...
When you're ready, come up and join me.
Until then! Goodbye for now, Kamina!
What the hell?
- C'mon, Simon! - Hey, wait for me, Bro!
- What was that?! - What just happened?!
Good morning.
What the hell was that?!
Mornings on the surface start with Gunmen.
Care for some morning coffee?
What's that? Dirty water?
Here comes another one.
Ow, that's hot!
That's...
Two days in a row, that's pretty rough.
There's usually a longer gap between raids.
Maybe this is payback for yesterday.
Whatever the reason, we gotta fight 'em!
Keep your opinions to yourself, please. Can you use a gun?
Don't look down on me, missy! Who the hell do you think I am?
Bro...
Simon, you're in Lagann.
No, you pilot it, Bro. I bet you'd do a better job than...
No, that thing belongs to you.
But I'm not...
We're counting on you!
Don't let them get near the camp! Split into two teams and hold them off!
Come on, your place is over here!
This is...
I was up all night polishing it. What do we say?
Um... Thank you.
All right, hop in!
Give the Spin On order to your Core Drill.
What's "Spin On"?
When you screw it in! Give it a hard, manly twist!
O-Okay...
Uh-oh.
Problems again, dear?
All right, you uppity human filth!
We're gonna take out the trash this morning!
Listen to 'em talk...
Let's get started, people.
- Anoher one's coming? - Another?
You might want to cover your ears.
One, two, one, two, one, two...
W-What the hell?
These tremors!
One, two, one, two, one, two...
It was them!
They caused them! All those earthquakes were their fault!
It's because of them that my mom and dad are...
That's a big one...
I haven't seen that one before.
I like the face on that one.
Now!
What was that?
We lined the top of the cliff with explosives.
That worked beautifully.
Geez, those things are tough!
That's fine by me! That thing is giving me chills!
That settles it! I'm gonna take that Gunmen!
What in the world are you talking about?
I SAID, I'm gonna pilot that thing!
Hello? You listening?
Those Beastmen or whatever are piloting them now, right?
There's no way in hell that I can't do it, too!
I have no idea where his confidence comes from.
Screw you! For a man, what matters is deeds, not words!
I'm a woman!
Bro!
You got here just in time, blood brother!
What is that guy thinking?
Bro, it was them!
The tremors they cause up here end up as earthquakes down below!
Oh, that's what they were!
These guys killed my mom and dad!
Simon, I'm glad to see you worked up! But don't be impatient.
To win a fight, it's vital to have burning passion, but a cool head!
Listen up, I'm gonna help myself to that pointy one.
I'm betting that I can get inside through the face in its belly.
I need you to force it open for me.
But can you operate it?
How did you know how to operate Lagann?
It's like the knowledge came flowing into me when I grabbed these.
That's what I'll do, then!
It means that fighting spirit is the important thing!
Um, I think there might be more than that...
Whatever, just take us in!
I'm not sensing a cool head here!
S-Sorry!
Good grief, why do I have to keep providing backup for that moron?
Oopsie daisy!
That body gives me chills every time I look at it!
What the...?
Get off his head, human!
Simon!
You won't lay a hand on my brother!
Give me a minute, Bro!
Get out, I'm taking over.
Oh, yeah! It's all about the fighting spirit!
Commander Guzack has been killed!
Stinking humans! You'll pay for this!
I'm not dead yet, you two idiots!
How dare you kill Squad Leader Guzack!
This is for the commander!
Bro!
I'm sending you to the afterlife, too, pipsqueak!
Crap, what's slowing you down, Kamina? Let's see some more spirit!
Don't screw with me, you Gunmen bastards!
Who the hell do you think I am?!
It's all over for you, runt!
"Who The Hell Do You Think I Am" Kick!
"Hands Off My Beloved Little Brother" Punch!
Simon! Pull it together, Simon!
B-Bro?
Sorry 'bout that. Got a little held up back there.
Let's take 'em down together!
Wait, what?
You deliver the final blow! Put some backbone into it, Simon!
Chew on this! Finishing move!
Perfect Combustion of Manly Souls! Cannonball Attack!
This is so messed up!
Ha! You missed!
Oh? Did we?
I guess I have to do it!
Neener neen...
T-They've all been destroyed!
Talk about overkill...
But you have to admit, it was pretty cool.
You have a weakness for his type, huh?
How long have you been standing there?
I must admit, I'm surprised.
Hijacking a Gunmen isn't something that ever occured to us.
Those two certainly are amusing.
Give me a break, Bro...
I've decided. I'm naming this Gurren.
No matter how unforgiving this place may be, we'll fight our way through!
Me in my Gurren, and you in your Lagann!
Wait for me, Dad...
Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up from your sleep.
I guess I got a little wild this afternoon, but don't hold it against me, okay?
No way... It can't be!
It isn't possible!
Dad...
You bought it out here?
You didn't wait... You died too soon...
Dad!
To Be Continued...
Next Time
This face I show to the world is the only billboard I need!
What sort of face has the gall to pick a fight with a man of such a noble sentiment?!
Next time on Gurren Lagann,
Who Do You Think You Are, Having Two Faces!!
"Who Do You Think You Are, Having Two Faces!!"