#king kittan

[notanotherzombie]

In honor of what would be RoosterTeeth's 21st anniversary, and just showing some big feelings I have about them being shut down, my 3am feral thoughts realized there was no better way to honor that and the worry of RWBY's future by paying another homage to it in a Gurren Lagann Crossover. (and who better to put in my fav scene than our dearest Yang)

(for those who aren't aware, 9 years ago I made a similar mashup to honor the late Monty Oum. https://www.tumblr.com/notanotherzombie/110097938329/this-is-all-ive-got-holding-back-whatever-tears?source=share)

I want to not only have hope for all the creative people who have worked tirelessly within RT on so many of the things that I love, as well as a special nod to the animation team and CRWBY itself. I want to hope the series will continue with support from the original creators and will be given the same love and respect that it was first made with.

It won't end here.

[everyoneisgayandtrans]

[mofffun]

Kitten Kaniska ฅ^∫ﻌ•^ฅ

[gale-gentlepenguin]

Gurren lagann au where kamina survives but has PTSD and retired and developed common sense and becomes a cynic.

Now that first part is plausible. But him developing Common sense? Nah, that aint him.

But that might be a good what if to tackle.

(What if Kamina survived the Raid on Daigunzan?)

-The events leading up to the raid happened nearly identical. Even Simon seeing Kamina and Yoko kiss which messed with him.

-Kamina gets Simon back into the right head space. He enters Gurren, and everything seems to be fine. But something... felt off. And Kamina reacted. It was a split second faster, but he still got hit by Thymilph's sneak attack. But Because of his reaction, the wounds werent fatal... but it was close.

-Team Gurren managed to get the Daigunzan. But Kamina was badly injured. And fell into a Coma

-Kamina needed time to recover. And the air was similar to what it was. People were distraught and Simon blamed himself. There was not as intense of a power struggle as Kamina was still technically alive, but Simon was being reckless and people were pissed.

-This does result in Simon walking the same path that helps him meet Nia.

-Simon still goes through his depressive arc and Kamina is still in a coma. Nia doesnt understand why Simon is so depressed if Kamina is still alive.

-The events leading up to Simon's speech happen the same, and it was in that moment Kamina wakes up. Kamina witnessed the speech Simon gave. And after the win. Kamina calls it down right manly.

-Everyone is glad that Kamina is back, the leader is returned. But this is where Kamina says something no one expects.

-"Im not the leader. He is your leader." Pointing to Simon."

-This shocks the Dai-gurren group. But Kamina explains that he is still not fully healed. (He is missing an Eye and a Leg). He is still one foot in the grave, but Simon. He has shown he can be the leader. Simon isnt quite sure, but Kamina insists on it. Simon says that he will lead until Kamina is healed.

-Kamina tells him that Simon is a man, and that he should lead no ifs, ands, or butts.

-Simon and the others accept Kamina's wishes.

-Kamina didnt fully recover until the fight with the Spiral King happened.

-And only then with his and Simon's Combined Spiral Power did they win against Lord Genome.

-But it was Simon that dealt the final blow. Simon was the one who made it great.

______________________________________________________________

-Kamina was not the symbol like he was in Canon, but he was fine with that. Simon and Him were running the world. Simon was a lot less depressed and more confident with Kamina around. Kamina and Yoko even ended up married to him. And yes, she gives him a ton of crap whenever he does something dumb.

-Simon does propose to Nia, and as with the whole Anti-Spiral Debacle It goes a bit crazy.

-Simon is thrown in Jail, and Kamina has to lead to try and pick up the pieces, basically trying to keep Rossiu's Coup from succeeding.

-After Simon is out and they take the fight to space. Thats when things get a bit more nuts.

-Kittan still dies like he does in canon, though he doesnt Kiss Yoko. Because... well she's married.

-Kamina realized that during the fight with the Anti-Spiral, he is a dead man walking. That it was Simon's spiral power that actually kept him alive. And that Spiral power was keeping Simon from pushing through to his full potential.

-Kamina accepted his fate and told Simon the truth. He said his goodbye to Yoko. (Who btw, finds out she is pregnant shortly before this.)

-And Simon gets the spiral power back plus interest. Which combined with everyone, was able to finally help put down the Anti-spiral.

-Kamina did end up dead in the end. Because Gurran Lagann is about moving to the future,

[cloudyjp]

Here it is! The King Kittan From Gurren Lagann! Gurren Lagann is a Peak Series and Kittan was an awesome character🔥. I definitely wanna do more Mech Drawings in the future🤖

[motherfucker-unlimited]

literally crying over King Kittan's Giga Drill Breaker again

[fzzr]

I Can't Quit Gurren Lagann

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann is my favorite anime franchise of all time. The second movie, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann: Lagann-hen is not coincidentally the anime which I have rated 10/10 longer than any other†. So, why is Gurren Lagann great, and Lagann-hen Perfect In Every Way That Matters?

Gurren Lagann starts with only a few minutes to introduce us to the protagonist, Simon, and his slow life digging new tunnels for the underground village he calls home. The first domino of the series falls immediately, with his discovery of a tiny, glowing drill perfect for use as a necklace. From there we move on directly to Simon's "big bro" Kamina trying to break through the roof of the village using a tower of screaming livestock. Next, Simon discovers the lock to which the drill he found is the key - a miniature mecha (later named Lagann), glowing with that same pulsing green. Soon the ceiling cracks open, and in falls a mecha at full scale. It is pursued by a woman with a railgun sniper rifle wearing nothing but a bikini, tights, and ammunition. After some shenanigans and encouragement from Kamina, Simon pilots his miniature mecha to victory and in the same motion launches himself, Kamina, and the lady sharpshooter Yoko into an open sky nigh unimaginable to residents of an underground village.

I could summarize the series blow-by-blow from memory, but I'll cut myself off here. The plot consists of the trio and others they meet along the way building up the titular mecha Gurren Lagann from the parts of the mecha they defeat. They then declare a revolution against the "beastmen" who pilot the hostile mecha, as well as their commander, the Spiral King Lordgenome. The key theme is advancement, with each turn of the drill of your soul moving you forward a bit more. The story is actually four repetitions of the same pattern: Our protagonists seize something small by their own effort and build it up until they can take on and capture something orders of magnitude larger, both literally and emotionally. Lagann is shorter than an adult man. By the end of the first arc, they are up against a battleship. After that, it escalates to them facing a mecha the size of a city, and things get exponential from there as each revolution is succeeded by another.

Around and around and around

What else should I gush about? Speed round!

The music is awesome. From the OP to the eyecatch stings to the hiphop-and-Latin-prayer banger Libera Me From Hell, it's hits all the time. Sorairo Days is so beloved it makes cameos in other anime. It's not just the epic moments, either. Gurren Lagann gets dark sometimes and it takes the music there, but it always has its signature sound. I have a lot of anime songs on my playlist rotations, but Gurren Lagann might have songs on the most diverse playlists.

Animation! When at the top of its game (and especially in the movies), Gurren Lagann's action animation can stand up to anything from Akira to Demon Slayer. Even in regular scenes, there's always something to look at. Still, Gurren Lagann is a show that lives on spectacle, but it doesn't die on it. Fights are always dynamic, and character action both informs and is informed by their unique personality and goals.

And those characters are iconic. Kamina, Yoko, Simon, Nia, Kittan, Viral, all of them except Rossiu. I appreciate how each of them grows in the story and grows on you at the same time. For a series about advancement and moving ever forward, it was critical that the characters progress in their own ways, and so they do. For such a bombastic show, it's crazy how subtly some of them get where they're going.

How to Watch Gurren Lagann

The correct answer is "as soon as possible and as much as is necessary" but that's probably not what you're looking for. Gurren Lagann the series is 27 episodes long. It is broadly split in half by a timeskip. The two movies each summarize and adapt one side of the timeskip give or take an episode. Unfortunately, Gurren-hen, the first movie, does too much summarizing and not enough adapting. As a result it yadda yaddas over a bunch of character introduction and development you need to know for later. Thus the best way to watch the pre-timeskip is the TV series. Lagann-hen on the other hand is Perfect In Every Way That Matters. It pretty much completely obsoletes the post-timeskip part of the series. There is still good stuff to be had, but Lagann-hen is proof that it's not necessary. Unfortunately, the continuity of Lagann-hen is set up to match Gurren-hen, so transitioning from the series into Lagann-hen is not seamless. I think it's worth watching the whole series and then the movies, but if you only want to make one run through the story, go with the TV series for episodes 1-15, then Lagann-hen. Lagann-hen changes some dialogue from episode 15, but don't worry about it - just go with the Lagann-hen version.

Conclusion

Scores: TV series and Gurren-hen: 9/10. Lagann-hen: 10/10.

Recommendation: In my opinion Gurren Lagann is just as suitable to be a first mecha anime as a fiftieth, but the necessary watch order for the best results can lead to either some confusion or some repetition, knocking off points for those not willing to put in that much time. Nonetheless, in my opinion everyone who cares about anime action owes it to themselves to watch Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann.

Gurren Lagann does require a somewhat elevated power level. In their time, excessive use of bouncy breast physics was known as "Gainaxing" and that is certainly present in some parts of Gurren Lagann. The movies, free of the requirements of broadcast television, don't bother with even token censorship in this matter.

Comparisons

At the time they made Gurren Lagann, Gainax was arguably the studio with the most impact on the Super Robot genre. Eleven years earlier, they had shattered the scene with Neon Genesis Evangelion, the influence of which is inescapable to this day (and not just because Hideaki Anno spent fifteen years cashing in on the IP with the Rebuild movies). Gurren Lagann was their first full-length return to the genre after Evangelion, and they brought their A game.

I do not like Evangelion. I have never managed to sit through the whole TV series, and I found the third and fourth Rebuild movies so exasperatingly boring and obtuse that they made me actually mad for how much money was spent on them. Rebuild's baffling storytelling aside, the main reason I don't like Evangelion is the characters are just not fun to be around. Gurren Lagann is the anti-Evangelion in this (and many other) ways. The characters are bright, generally having a good time, take action, and of course kick ass. Even when characters are down in the dumps and act in self-destructive ways, you have had enough time making friends with them to want to stick it out until they're through it. When they do make it through, it's glorious and earned and inspiring.

Final Thoughts

I couldn't fit anywhere near everything I wanted to say in here. I'll leave you with one more thing: It's not notable by general otaku standards, but I am not someone who buys much merch. Gurren Lagann is the only anime franchise for which I have bought third party merch. Specifically I bought a physical printing of the sadly defunct fan webcomic Double K, a buddy cop comedy starring Kamina and Kittan (spoiler, they're BOTH the loose cannon).

† By the way, any time I talk about top rated anime movies, you can assume I excluded Ghibli movies from contention. They are excellent in a way almost completely orthogonal to how I think about most anime, and putting them on the same list would water down the significance of a 10/10 rating through sheer numbers.

[aftonfamilyvalues]

King Kittan from Gurren Lagann 😌

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 9.8 (before 1860)

70 – After the capture of Herod's Palace the previous day, a Roman army under Titus secures and plunders the city of Jerusalem. 617 – Battle of Huoyi: Li Yuan defeats a Sui dynasty army, opening the path to his capture of the imperial capital Chang'an and the eventual establishment of the Tang dynasty. 1100 – Election of Antipope Theodoric. 1198 – Philip of Swabia, Prince of Hohenstaufen, is crowned King of Germany (King of the Romans) 1253 – Pope Innocent IV canonises Stanislaus of Szczepanów, killed by King Bolesław II. 1264 – The Statute of Kalisz, guaranteeing Jews safety and personal liberties and giving battei din jurisdiction over Jewish matters, is promulgated by Bolesław the Pious, Duke of Greater Poland. 1276 – Pope John XXI is elected Pope. 1331 – Stefan Dušan declares himself king of Serbia. 1334 – The Battle of Adramyttion begins in which a Christian naval league defeats a Turkish fleet in several encounters. 1380 – Battle of Kulikovo: Russian forces defeat a mixed army of Tatars and Mongols, stopping their advance. 1504 – Michelangelo's David is unveiled in Piazza della Signoria in Florence. 1514 – Battle of Orsha: In one of the biggest battles of the century, Lithuanians and Poles defeat the Russian army. 1522 – Magellan–Elcano circumnavigation: Victoria arrives at Seville, completing the first circumnavigation. 1565 – St. Augustine, Florida is founded by Spanish admiral and Florida's first governor, Pedro Menéndez de Avilés. 1655 – Warsaw falls without resistance to a small force under the command of Charles X Gustav of Sweden during The Deluge, making it the first time the city is captured by a foreign army. 1727 – A barn fire during a puppet show in the village of Burwell in Cambridgeshire, England kills 78 people, many of whom are children. 1755 – French and Indian War: Battle of Lake George. 1756 – French and Indian War: Kittanning Expedition. 1760 – French and Indian War: French surrender Montreal to the British, completing the latter's conquest of New France. 1761 – Marriage of King George III of the United Kingdom to Duchess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. 1775 – The unsuccessful Rising of the Priests in Malta. 1781 – American Revolutionary War: The Battle of Eutaw Springs in South Carolina, the war's last significant battle in the Southern theater, ends in a narrow British tactical victory. 1793 – French Revolutionary Wars: Battle of Hondschoote. 1796 – French Revolutionary Wars: Battle of Bassano: French forces defeat Austrian troops at Bassano del Grappa. 1810 – The Tonquin sets sail from New York Harbor with 33 employees of John Jacob Astor's newly created Pacific Fur Company on board. 1813 – At the final stage of the Peninsular War, British-Portuguese troops capture the town of Donostia (now San Sebastián), resulting in a rampage and eventual destruction of the town. 1819 – 1819 Balloon riot occurred at Vauxhall Garden in Philadelphia, PA and resulted in the destruction of the amusement park. 1831 – William IV and Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen are crowned King and Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. 1831 – November uprising: The Battle of Warsaw effectively ends the Polish insurrection. 1855 – Crimean War: The French assault the tower of Malakoff, leading to the capture of Sevastopol.

[dancing-bananas-archive]

king kittan banana

[sshoujo-ais]

finally came up with a name for my ttgl s/i's mech! it is called Daimatic (since most of the team dai gurren mechs have names similar to their pilot, such as king kittan or dayakkaiser, and her name is daina)

and the movie-exclusive tengen toppa version would be called the Tengen Toppa Daimanticore

[boxonarock]

so this is spiral power

[wallpapermadness]

[fauxzone]

[voltkaizer]

“Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann”, by Anti-Bone Max

[rlopezortiz]

Gurren Lagann Kittan and King Kittan commission.

For original art and commissions please contact Modern Mythology Comic Art here:

https://www.modernmythologycomicart.com/ricardo-lopez-ortiz

And here:

https://www.modernmythologycomicart.com/ricardo-lopez-ortiz-commissions