Self-confidence is nothing new to the shonen genre, which has been characterized by idealistic protagonists who either start the story fully resilient or develop resilience over time and become the hero their world needs. It’s essentially a prerequisite for any shonen series that really wants to join the club.
With all the iconic hits out there, what makes one shonen better than another in embodying that timeless theme of inner strength? Surely, viewers can rattle off a list of shows they’ve seen that convey this idea in one form or another. Gurren Lagann, also known as Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, should be near the top of that list, and here’s why.
Do The Impossible, See The Invisible
The song that plays during some of the most pivotal moments of the show has lyrics that literally say “Do the impossible! See the invisible!”. Watching just an episode or two makes it easy to see just how much this series focuses on conveying the power behind self-confidence.
In addressing the concept, it digs deep into all the ways it can be explored and never stops digging. The core protagonists each have their own struggles with self-confidence and different ways of interacting with the idea. Furthermore, they see the ways that their allies approach self-confidence and admire them for it, but more on that later.
Undefeatable, Untouchable, With No Regrets
Just who do you think Kamina is? He loves to shout the question to anyone who questions his abilities or integrity. Ironically, it’s one of his most iconic lines and one that gives the most insight into who he is. From the moment he appears on the screen, Kamina doesn’t hesitate to share his beliefs and refuses to let anyone shake his confidence. Upon first escaping to the surface he’s been withheld from for most of his life, he experiences a moment of self-doubt, but it doesn’t take long for him to conquer it.
Kamina’s self-confidence emanates from him so fiercely that it inspires almost everyone around him to believe in themselves and push past their limits. He’s the inspirational leader who establishes Team Dai-Gurren, who later become the saviors of the universe. Even after his death, his legacy lives on through the team and propels them to keep blasting upwards to new heights.
The One To Face Tomorrow
Nia is introduced at an interesting point in the series compared to the other protagonists. She comes into the story when Team Dai-Gurren is at their lowest. With the team still reeling from Kamina’s death, Nia’s positive outlook on life and effervescent personality pull them right out of their funk. At first, Nia has a blissful mindset, partially because she’s oblivious to the ideas of self-confidence and self-worth. Once the idea of self-worth becomes more solidified for her, she struggles with her own morale.
As a former princess and daughter of Lord Genome, Nia finds herself demoralized by her father disowning her and tossing her out of the kingdom into a literal dump of other rejected princesses. With Team Dai-Gurren’s help, she’s able to learn that her father disowning her doesn’t tarnish her self-worth. Rather, her father didn’t understand her true worth, and he was the one who’ll lose out due to his decision. Unlike Kamina, she inspires others not with blazing self-confidence, but with loyalty and soothing enthusiasm.
The Drill To Pierce The Heavens
Last but not least, the golden child of Team Dai-Gurren. “Believe in the me that believes in you.” These are the words that Kamina tells Simon in the first episode and for a while, it becomes a mantra that Simon reminds himself of when he needs confidence. Later on in the series, shortly before Kamina’s departure, he changes it to “Believe in yourself. Not in the you who believes in me. Not the me who believes in you. Believe in the you who believes in yourself.” This change forms the backbone of how Simon approaches self-confidence. It’s also one of the most layered and original approaches to self-confidence in anime.
Simon starts the series severely lacking self-confidence and after Kamina shares those iconic words with him, he feels free to trust Kamina’s belief in him since he can’t believe in himself on his own. It’s a roundabout way of believing in oneself, but it takes the pressure off of trusting one’s own abilities by trusting someone else’s judge of character. By the end of the series, Simon’s self-confidence rivals Kamina’s in spirit, although he’s not as “shouty”.
There’s also a story viewers hear a few times in the show, from a different perspective each time. The first time is when Kamina tells Yoko, another core character, that he’s able to believe in Simon without fail because in a moment of hopelessness he saw Simon’s grit to survive, and it inspired him to keep his composure. The next time viewers hear the story, it’s from Simon’s perspective, but he says that he was only able to persevere because he felt Kamina’s support behind him and Kamina’s words of encouragement inspired him.
Gurren Lagann is an iconic mecha anime packed to the brim with stunning visuals, interesting character design, epic fights, unique mecha designs, and smoldering self-confidence. So, take a trip to the world of beastmen and soak up all the lessons this series has to offer. Go beyond the impossible and kick reason to the curb. After all, that’s how Team Gurren rolls.