Short Answer: Simon has so much Spiral Power because of just like Kamina, he has a lot of willpower in him. The support of his friends and allies also give Simon the willpower to continue fighting. With Simon developing his willpower, he can harness Spiral Power and continuously surpass his limits. This can be seen in the series when Simon’s back is already on the wall, he utilizes his willpower to gain more Spiral Power and eventually overpowers his enemies. It is even noted that his Spiral Power reached multi-galaxy (universal) levels that he created the super-giant mecha Super Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann which was 52.8 billion light-years tall.
What is Spiral Power?
Spiral Power (or energy) is the basis of power in the Gurren Lagann series. You could say this is Chakra (Naruto series), Furyoku (Shaman King), Ki (Dragonball) or Reiatsu/Reishi (Bleach) in other animes. However, it was explained how Spiral Power can be quantified but it was only shown what a being can do with so much Spiral Power – achieve big gunmen, instant repair/recovery of parts, enhanced and Spiral imbued ammunition, etc. It was also explained in the series that DNA-based beings (humans, animals, etc.) can harness Spiral Power as they have helix-shaped DNAwhich enables them to get stronger through generations (via evolution).
“We evolve, beyond the person that we were a minute before. Little by little, we advance with each turn. That’s how a drill works!”
Simon
Does Spiral power comes from the power of friendship?
Spiral Power is generated from gametogenesis in living creatures. This is to keep evolution moving forward. In addition, Spiral Power connects Spiral Beings (generally living things) to the universe. Spiral Power is not generally produced with friendship however in the series, a huge amount of Spiral Power was produced as several Spiral Beings harnessed it – a noticeable instance was during the Anti-Spiral war and team Gurren Lagann was battling the Anti-Spiral King. Simon alone can already harness ridiculous amounts of Spiral Power. If you add all the members of team Gurren Lagann, they would increase its amount exponentially.
“And defy all who would stop us to grab hold of our path!”
Team Gurren Lagann
Where does Simon get his Spiral Power?
Initially in the series, Simon depends on his core drill to harness Spiral Power. This is because the core drill acts like a conduit for Spiral Power and powers up Lagann (Simon’s gunmen).However, it was later seen in the series that with willpower, a Spiral Being can harness more Spiral Power. Kamina’s speeches and words of wisdom would inspire and uplift Simon that resulting in developing Simon’s willpower in small increments. After Kamina’s death (and after Simon’s recovery from it) though, Simon embraced Kamina’s words and develop his self-respect, and started believing in himself more which in turnexponentially developed his willpower.
“I will believe! I will believe in the me that believes in us, humans, and the future! This drill is… my soul!”
Simon
Who has the most Spiral Power?
Initially, Lordgenome (AKA the Spiral King) had the most Spiral Power (first introduced in episode 9). It was not mentioned nor claimed but it was only implied. During the Anti-Spiral war, it was revealed that there was already a previous war between the Spiral Beings and the Anti-Spiralin which Lordgenome participated. Unfortunately, they failed in the war. A big possibility is that compared to team Gurren Lagann’s skirmish against the Anti-Spiral, they haven’t found the Anti-Spiral’s location. This led to years of attrition, the Spiral Warriors being slain and getting weary, and driven them to despair. This prompted Lordgenome to push humanity back to planet Earth and drive them below the surface. In the process, he also built his fortress, Teppelin.
“If this body can create a tomorrow for all spiral life, I will gladly give it.”
Lord Genome
Ultimately, Simon has the most Spiral Power in Gurren Lagann. This was first confirmed by Lordgenome after Simon defeated him. Simon used his core drill to inflict damage on Lordgenome resulting in creating a big hole in Lordgenomes body. This was reconfirmed during the Anti-Spiral war when Simon achieved the end-game form of Gurren Lagann – Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. This is a feat that not all Spiral Beings may achieve. Despite Simon having team Gurren Lagann, harnessing such vast amounts of Spiral Powers requires mastery of it and developing one’s willpower to such extent.
Can beastmen harness Spiral Powers?
Unfortunately, no. Despite these beings being a hybrid of both human and animal DNA, they do not reproduce naturally. Lordgenome genetically altered the Beastmen’s DNA to avoid harnessing Spiral Power. This is to avoid setting off the Human Extermination System that the Anti-Spiral set up. In lieu of Spiral Powers, Beastmen uses solar-powered batteries to pilot gunmen however, this limits them from using gunmen at night.Larger gunmen (i.e the hot spring), however, can provide power to the Beastmen which can allow them to operate any time of the day. With this reasoning, we can say that Viral is the only member of team Gurren Laggan not able to harness any Spiral Powers however, he can support the team with this battle prowess and experience.
You might also like: Why did Kamina have to die?
As stated by uncle Ben in the Spiderman (2001) film, “… With great power, comes with great responsibility…”, heroes, in general, are given heavy responsibility with the power they are blessed (or cursed). Kamina definitely played a vital role and heavy responsibility in the series. One of his core responsibilities is to make sure that Simon does not lose his self-confidence and focus – especially during battles. This definitely paid off as Simon became a better man (literally).
However, Kamina’s fate may not be in his favor. We, as viewers (and supporters), even wanted Kamina to be with team Gurren Lagann until the end. But it begs the question, “what if Kamina did not die”? Would they have successfully hurdled every struggle and obstacle? Would the team grow and improve? Would Kamina being alive all throughout the series make a difference?
You might also like: Darling in the Franxx: Did Zero Two know from the start that Hiro was her Darling?
Zero Two and Hiro ended up together in the series. Despite the ending, the promise they made to each other even came true. You could say that they were meant to be. On a related note, you might be curious if Zero Two knew already from the start if Hiro was her darling. Would you also agree? Did the events that had happened point in that direction? If so, would it make sense? Click here to find out more!
Our Final Thoughts
Aside from being a Spiral Being, Simon’s willpower played a big factor in having a vast amount of Spiral Power. Even Lordgenome himself confirmed this in episode 15. We can also thank Kamina for his speeches and words of wisdom whichwere mostly directedat Simon. We also give credit to Lordgenome and his Beastmen as these were the initial trials and obstacles that team Gurren Lagann, and most especially Simon, had to face. We must also forget Nia as she was also Simon’s inspiration and love which boosted his confidence. And we must not also forget team Gurren Lagann as this solidifies Simon’s resolve – most especially during battles and skirmishes.
Thank you for reading!
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