When Gurren Lagann premiered in 2007, it didn’t just breathe new life into the mecha genre. It shouted a battle cry that cut through the noise of safe, calculated anime. At a time when robot shows were either riding nostalgia or sinking into self-analysis, this series arrived like a punch to the chest. Gurren Lagann was loud, wild, emotional, and gloriously over-the-top. From its first episode, it made one thing clear. Belief was power, and power could change everything.

Created at GAINAX by director Hiroyuki Imaishi and writer Kazuki Nakashima, Gurren Lagann became an instant classic that continues to influence anime twenty years later. The duo brought a new energy to a studio paved the way for the creation of Studio TRIGGER, where director Imaishi would go on to expand his style and vision in works like Kill la Kill and Promare.

Breaking Through to the Surface

Built on Belief and Escalation

The story of Gurren Lagann begins underground, where a young boy named Simon digs tunnels for a village afraid of the surface. His world cracks open when he discovers a glowing drill and a strange robot buried in the earth. With encouragement from his hotheaded brother figure Kamina, the two burst through to the outside. There, they find ruins, enemies, and the tyranny of the Spiral King. But instead of backing down, they fight. And every time they fight, they grow stronger.

Gurren Lagann drew heavily from the super robot anime of the 1970s like Mazinger Z and Getter Robo. Director Hiroyuki Imaishi didn’t just reference these shows, he rebuilt them with raw energy and modern style. Working closely with writer Kazuki Nakashima, they mapped out a story that would constantly grow in size and intensity. There was no “enemy of the week” formula here. Every episode escalated. Every battle was louder. Every emotion was turned all the way up. And somehow, it never felt forced.

Team Gurren’s Rise to Glory

A Darker Turn, a Deeper Journey

Simon and Kamina form Team Gurren and begin gathering allies. One of the first is Yoko, a no-nonsense sniper who quickly becomes essential to both the team and the story. Their stolen Gunmen robots are combined and transformed with every new threat. They shout, they fight, they believe. And in this world, belief is everything. The more confidence they have, the more impossible their victories become.

Halfway through the series, things shift. The story jumps ahead seven years. Simon is no longer a boy with a drill. He is a man carrying the burden of leadership and the weight of loss. Enemies become uneasy allies. Love turns into tragedy. The mood darkens, but the spirit of the show remains. Even in despair, Gurren Lagann finds hope. It refuses to stop pushing forward. The message is clear. You cannot turn back. You must break through.

Kamina is the soul of the first half of Gurren Lagann, the spark that lights the fire in Simon. His confidence is outrageous, but it’s never hollow. He is foolish, brave, and unshakably ive. He tells Simon to believe in himself, and when that finally happens, it becomes the emotional core of the series. Kamina is gone too soon, but his presence lingers. Every choice Simon makes feels like it’s honoring him. The legacy of that relationship is what powers the second half.

Visual Mayhem with Emotional Core

Still Piercing the Heavens, 20 Years Later

Director Imaishi’s style explodes off the screen in Gurren Lagann. Like his later works from Studio TRIGGER, the animation is frantic and rough, but also deeply expressive. The camera spins. The characters shout. The robots transform in impossible ways. It is action, not for realism, but for impact. The final battles are pure spectacle. Galaxies are thrown like weapons. The laws of physics are shattered. Yet even with all that chaos, the story never forgets its heart. These characters matter. Their pain and triumphs are always real.

Now, two decades later, Gurren Lagann still towers over the mecha landscape. It was both a love letter to old robot anime and a declaration of what the genre could become. It told you to fight, to believe, and to never back down. It screamed that one strong feeling could beat a hundred logical reasons. And I believe that. Because no anime has topped it yet, and maybe none ever will.