Grand Unifying Guesses/Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


Every Gainax series is a spinoff of Gurren-Lagann.

A barren earth lapped by a toxic sea, with the only survivors hiding in the buried ruins of the 21st century? Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann is set After the End of End of Evangelion. Note that when Lord Genome swears to show Viral the secret history of mankind, the first thing he reveals is a wall made of thousands and thousands of 'Angel' skulls.
The Angels themselves? Renegade spiral beings, selfishly using their power to advantage themselves at the expense of other races. After the (literally) earth-shattering abuses of Spiral Power that ended the conflict, the Anti-Spiral appointed Lord Genome to keep the remnants of the human race under control in perpetuity. Adam was sealed inside of a robot and renamed 'Lagann'.

  • As a slight addendum to this, the entire Human Instrumentality Project was a plot by the Anti-Spiral, to get the human race to wipe themselves out in their effort to evolve/acquire more Spiral Power. The leaders of SEELE fell for it hook, line and sinker. This also means Rei was an Anti-Spiral mole just like Nia. Afterwards, of course, the Anti-Spiral realized this plot was far too complicated and decided to just drop a moon on them next time.
    • The effects of Instrumentality (everybody abandoning their bodies and merging into a collective cosmic mind) bear a suspicious resemblance to what the Antispirals inflicted on themselves. SEELE were playing with a bootlegged version of the technique without ever fully understanding it.
  • The S2 Engine/Organ generates Spiral Energy. The "Super Solenoid" part makes this obvious.
  • Neon Genesis Evangelion IS affected by Spiral Energy. Look at the Lance of Longinus, it is basically a SPIRAL!

The Space Monsters from Gunbuster and Diebuster? Also spiral beings, patrolling the galaxy to prevent a Spiral Nemesis event such as the one that consumed two thirds of the galaxy in Gunbuster and nearly collapsed the universe(!) in Diebuster. If not for their tireless efforts, we'd all be 3 nanometers thin today.

Of course, this also means, at least for Gunbuster anyway, that Spiral Nemesis events don't nessasarly need to be specificly black holes created as a result of evolution, rather, they can be made as a result of evolution alowing indivuduals to do crazy nonsence such as Buster Machine III and it's gambit.

The Medical Mechanica from FLCL, the guys that wanted to 'flatten' human nature until we 'can't even think'? Who could be bankrolling these jokers, but the Anti-Spiral? On the other hand, would you like to guess the form Atomsk first takes when he emerges?

Nadia's Gem, the blue water, is powered by Spiral energy in a sort of round a bout way It uses the spiral energy of the people of Atlantis who have died, in a sort of post human instrimentality. And, lets face it, if any given civilization was going to be able to use Spiral energy before Humanity had it's crack at the whip, the people of Atlantis were going to be that given civilization.

Series that were manga series previous to their animated adaptation being made by Gainax don't count, This disqualifies He is my Master and Melody of Oblivion. They can also be explained by noting that, clearly, both the bad future of M.o.O and the first part of Lagann can't be happening at the same time (And hence, the one that was fully Gainax's doing takes precedent) and He is my Master plays out with the supposed Gainax world, hence all the references that were in that show are merchandise and costume inspirations that happened from seeing all the Gainax shows.

Mahoromantic the anime was an attempt to install dispair into Suguru by the anti-spirals, in the Manga, this refusal to belive in that dispair, and hence belive in spiral energy, was what brought about the ending to the manga.

Kare Kano takes place in the Instrumentality world. Tell me that doesn't explain everything about it.

Hikari and Akari Hoshino are another pair of anti-spiral agents who attempted to wipe out humanity before Gendo Ikari got around to it, but went renegade due to The Power of Love.

    • Alternatively, it takes place after Neon Genesis Evangelion and Gurrenn Lagann and they are supposed to bring about Seventh Impact. Hikari and Akari supported the anti-spiral world view, but were not actually members of the anti-spiral race, and thus were able to survive the destruction of the anti-spirals
      • No, Hikari and Akari are Anthropomorphic Personifications of the death and rebirth of biospheres. The antispirals were created by them as a way to destroy worlds, but eventually went rogue and started to destroy worlds before their time.

Now, where does Otaku no Video fit in?

  • How would you even try to go about reconciling the timelines of Gunbuster and Evangelion?
    • Gunbuster could conceivably take place 2,015 years after Evangelion.

Types of energy that are secretly the same.

Relatedly, Spiral Energy is the basis for all Super Robot Green Rocks...

  • ... but it's a dangerous, unrefined state. After Spiral freedom was restored to the universe at large, various planets all began treating it in different ways, each finding its own type of mysterious green energy.
    • One planet failed to control it properly and it drove them to the technological singularity, then assimilating the entire planet and its technology into a world-eating monstrosity: the Getter Emperor, which roves from system to system looking for more life-energy and technological advancement to absorb into itself, with a wave of Getter Rays/uncontrolled Spiral Energy heralding its arrival.
    • Meanwhile, on another planet, a scientist managed to refine raw Spiral energy into a safe, controllable form. That scientist was Cain of the Green World, and his creation was the G-Crystal, a substance with the power and information capacities of Spiral Energy but without the disadvantageous tendency of overflowing and screwing with reality. Abel of the Red World attempted to duplicate his work with the alternate form of energy, that of order and intelligence rather than rage and chaos (possibly the Han-Rasen's analogous power?), and created the J-Jewel, a similarly refined, less dangerous form.

Alternatively, all forms of energy are the same, they just manifest as different entities and different quantities in different states.

The weird part? This isn't wmg, it's physics.

The Spirals of Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann are somehow related to the Protoculture of Macross

The victorious spirals went on to form The Stellar Republic of the Protoculture.

  • Both groups feature spirals quite prominently
  • Both groups have the power to win through sheer force of personality.

Spiral Power has had a number of effects on different worlds

  • Gallifrey: destroyed by the Spiral Nemesis, though some highly evolved humans managed to escape.
  • Alhazred: destroyed by the Spiral Nemesis.
    • Midchilda: Spiral power was successfully sealed shortly before Spiral Nemesis could occur, and was replaced by magic.
    • Ancient Velka: All Spiral warriors were sealed into Empathic Weapons (Simon is in Graf Eisen).
      • More likely, Magic is something of a Shell Program to ensure that the use of Spiral Power doesn't go out of control. The circles/triangles of Instant Runes turn for a reason.
  • All universes created by Gainax: Search your feelings, you know it to be true.......
  • The Green/Purple/Red Planets or the Tri-star System: The G-Stone is a form of Spiral Energy collected in crystals, and Genesic Aura is a superconcentrated radiation of Spiral Power being released from G-Stones and the G-Crystal. The Sol Masters and Zonder Master Program were secretly corrupted by the Anti-Spirals, while Mamoru was born with superhuman levels of Spiral Power Manipulation. Shishioh Guy has natural affinity for Spiral power and was reformatted into the pinnacle of a human who embraced Spiral Power wholeheartedly at the end of the TV series. The Betterman is Earth's natural defense against the Anti-Spiral's machinations to extinct the human race.
  • Chrono Universe: Humans did not possess Spiral Power until it was introduced to humanity by Lavos and/or the Frozen Flame.
    • since the dreamstone Ayla has when you meet her is a fragment of Lavos' shell, that actually makes a lot of sense given that she seems the only cave person to possess Spiral Energy. Her dual techs all seem to involve spinning as well...
  • The Sonicverse: Chaos Emeralds, like G-Stones, are pure Spiral Power crystallized. The Master Emerald is a Lost Technology supercomputer that can collect and use Spiral Power. Sonic and his furry friends became humanoid due to the amount of Chaos Energy, aka Spiral Power, that they can tap into. Rings are regualar collections of Spiral Power, and the Special Stages are unique twisted-space dimensions naturally created by the Chaos Emeralds as a natural menhod of preventing critical Nemesis-levels of Spiral Power from accumulating. The Super/Hyper/Perfect forms of the various characters are due to temporary super-evolution due to exposure to vast amounts of Spiral Power.
    • Alternatively, Simon is a Time Lord, and Sonic is his final regeneration.
    • Alternatively, the Black Arms are from a planet which acts as natural Spiral capacitor, and they use this energy for their own twisted purposes. The Chaos Emeralds, being gems from their home planet, are also Spiral Power/Chaos Energy (hereafter referred to as ‘Spiral energy’) capacitors; the Chaos Powers are a natural growth from exposure to Spiral energy, and have become engraved in the genetic encoding of the Black Arms. Black Doom, during his first visit to Earth, left the Chaos Emeralds there when he gave the professor the DNA sample necessary for the Ultimate Lifeform project; this is all a part of his Evil Plan. The Chaos Emeralds, when removed from their origin planet, are no longer capable of controlling the massive amount of Spiral energy flowing through them, causing them to leak Spiral energy as a form of radiation. Sonic, due to not only the continued exposure to this radiation caused by continuously collecting the Emeralds, but also due to his ability to absorb their energy inside himself (sorta like a reverse Simon) to become Super Sonic, has been mutated by the Spiral energy as well, gaining the power of Chaos Control. While in his Super Sonic form, Sonic himself becomes a focus for the Spiral energy leaked out of the Emeralds; as a matter of fact, his transformation causes him to sponge up Spiral energy at such a large rate that it is concentrated inside him, essentially resulting in what would best be described as Spiral-7 energy (it’s roughly 7 times as potent as the Spiral energy normally leaked by the Chaos Emeralds; when the seven Chaos Emeralds are gathered together, they harmonise, resulting in the slight amount of Spiral-7 energy necessary to trigger Super form transformation). This Spiral-7 energy is so powerful that it further mutated Sonic, permanently and completely saturating his entire body with Spiral energy, so much that he is now able to use Chaos Control with any source of Spiral energy, no matter how slight (such as, for example, a reverse-engineered duplicate Chaos Emerald, or his own Super form); however, as his body is unable to contain it, he constantly leaks Spiral-7 energy, eventually causing him to revert to his usual form, unless he is holding a Spiral energy controller, such as a ring (Sonic only has finite reserves of Spiral-7 energy after transformation). Rings, however, are unable to fully contain this energy, and eventually disintegrate. When there are no more rings to regulate it, the Spiral-7 energy will dissipate rapidly; this rapid dissipation, however, always proves fatal (the only safe way to release Spiral-7 energy is to drain it through combat). The full extent of this Spiral-7 mutation is unknown; however, it is known that he has been changed so drastically that exposure to any source of Spiral-7 energy can revive him after death. Due to his Black Arms DNA, Shadow is also able to focus Spiral energy inside himself to transform (perhaps this suggests that hedgehogs are natural Spiral capacitors?); due to his shorter exposure period, however, he does not have the extreme Spiral energy reserves possessed by Sonic, meaning he needs a concentrated source of either Spiral or Spiral-7 energy (such as a Chaos Emerald or his Super form; he has yet to be observed using a fake Emerald). Silver has also gained the power of Chaos Control, due to one of three possibilities: either he has been exposed to the Chaos Emeralds for a long period of time in his original time period (not likely due to his inability to focus Spiral energy internally); destruction wrought upon the timeline (or age) has accelerated the Spiral energy leak inherent to the Emeralds, causing all life in that time period to have been mutated by Spiral energy (but only those who are strong enough can use Chaos Control); or exposure to the Spiral-7 radiation leaked by Super Sonic instantaneously mutated Silver to the point where he is able to utilise enough Spiral energy to perform Chaos Control, but no more. Metal Sonic, upon gathering ‘ultimate life form data’ from Shadow, was able to reverse engineer a synthetic Spiral energy capacitor, allowing him to use Chaos Control as well. The creature known as Chaos is living Spiral energy, caused by an unknown phenomenon. Eggman studied the remnants of Lordgenome’s technology, learning to build machines which can harness Spiral energy. The Flickies, being the sole survivors of the Anti-Spiral races, have to use the Dimension Rings to travel between Sonic's world and their own; these Dimension Rings, however, disrupt Spiral energy, preventing any Super transformation as well. The Master Emerald, native to Sonic's world (which, depending on the game, is either Mobius or Earth), is somewhat similar in nature to the Chaos Emeralds. It can channel both Spiral energy and Order energy (a form of energy similar to, but distinct from, Spiral energy; that’s just my name for this energy), allowing it to both negate the energy flow from the Chaos Emeralds and to supply a slight amount of Spiral-7 energy as well (although it’s probably not capable of doing both at the same time). It also regulates the flow of all forms of energy in and on the planet, including the energies present in the planet’s core (you know, like in FFVII). When the Chaos Emeralds were first brought to the planet, the Order energy from the Master Emerald interacted with the Spiral energy (a.k.a. Chaos Energy) they leaked, resulting in the creation of the Super Emeralds. These Super Emeralds radiate a new form of energy, which is a combination of both Spiral and Order energy; let’s call it Spiral Ki, for lack of a better term. They also balance the Spiral and Order energies, something that not even the Master Emerald is able to do (it can only channel them, although it can regulate pretty much every other type of energy). This Spiral Ki, being stronger even than Spiral-7 energy, transforms compatible individuals (i.e., anyone who has a Super form, probably) into their Hyper forms; based on the names, one would suspect that a Hyper form is five times as strong as a Super form. Spiral Ki, for some unknown reason, can flow back into the Master Emerald, where Mecha Sonic can use it to change into Hyper form. The Sol Emeralds harness the nuclear energy from the Earth’s sun, and are thus only found on (the Sonic verse’s) Earth. Pyrokinetic abilities, such as those used by Blaze the Cat, can be amplified by this nuclear energy, resulting in giving said individuals their own transformation, the Burning form; this form not only enhances pyrokinesis, it also allows limited flight via manipulation of gravitic fields. The excess energy from this form is also expelled through pyrokinesis, engulfing the individual in fire. Combat burns nuclear energy at a faster rate, resulting in the individual losing the transformation sooner. The World Rings use the energy in the planet’s core, harnessing it like Chaos Emeralds harness Spiral energy.
      • Wow.
  • The Earth of Uzumaki is afflicted by a debased form of Spiral-Power. In this universe, the Anti-Spirals used their ability to manipulate probability and space to create a device that targets releases of spiral energy and surrounds them with despair and agony. The 'curse' on that particular town was merely a test-run; when the system is brought to full power, there's no telling what will become of their Earth.
  • Samurai Jack: Jack's sword is made of raw Spiral power, and acts as a focus in the episode where he pilots "Robo-Samurai" (which is this world's equivalent of a Ganmen).
  • The entire galaxy of Warhammer 40,000: As a meta WMG: it is a bit worshipped by TV Tropes Wiki (or just about EVERYONE) as the hammiest, most badass, manliest tabletop game ever to exist. God himself could not sink into this game! Don't even get me started on the tropes involved. In canon: There was so much Spiral Power created in the 40k galaxy that it was almost on the verge of Spiral Nemesis, but most of the Spiral Power that should have caused Spiral Nemesis was redirected to a dimension known as the Warp, where the excess Spiral Nemesis was redirected into the creation of more horrifying (and therefore more awesome) Eldritch Abominations.
    • Well, by the 41st Millennium, natural selection has killed off every being who aren't badass enough to carry Spiral Power.
  • Alternia, and by extension every planet seeded by Sburb: Spiral Races, such as trolls and humans, are able to access Spiral Energy through Sburb. However, since the Gunmen have yet to be invented, it's unrefined and this results in meteor storms destroying the planet to prevent Spiral Nemesis.
  • Pandora: It's outlawed, since the Na'vi are Anti-Spirals.
  • The Planet from Final Fantasy VII: Spiral Energy is where Limit Breaks and Mako come from. Shinra has Gunmen technology, but they used it to refine mako.
  • Transformers Cybertron: The Cybertronians are, in effect, a Spiral-Neutral race. They can consume other forms of energy - even Spiral Energy, if they wanted), but, as they cannot evolve or reproduce, pose no threat to the universe. However, some Cybertronians (namely, the Decepticons) joined up with the Anti-Spirals either because some were Well-Intentioned Extremists, while others were just looking for a good bout of universal genocide. Eventually, they forgot WHY they wanted to kill organics, and simply became an army of thugs ranging from Noble Demons to Complete Monsters. The Autobots opposed them simply because of their creed: Freedom is the right of all sentient beings.
  • The Cthulhu Mythos: The reason Nyarlathotep wants to destroy us is because he's the Anti-Spiral, and we have too much unrefined spiral power in us which if combined with our dickery the discovery of this power will be greater than the Old Ones would ever imagine, awakening Azathoth and initiating Spiral Nemesis.
  • The world of The Bible: But God is the Anti-Spiral, thus he sealed it in Hell while also putting antisex laws. Also, Kamina died for our sins.
  • Real Life: We just tend to call it "Chaos Theory". How do you explain a butterfly from the other side of the world causing spiraling hurricanes and tornadoes in America? Answer: Spiral Energy.
    • That means butterflies are the manliest creatures around.
      • Logically, this means that Butterfree is the manliest Pokemon.
    • Spiral Power is also known in this world as the Id.
      • Nope, Id and Superego spin around each other forming a double helix, which is the Ego. THAT is Spiral Power.
    • Spiral Power is also described as "The power of Evolution". It is common knowledge that Natural Selection is how evolution works, and Natural Selection works by determining who is the toughest and most enduring alpha male around, therefore one who contains more Spiral Power, so that the Spiral gene can be passed on to later generations and ensure the survival of species. Humans can be considered as the Anti-Spirals, since their too much dependence technology got them to subvert the laws of Natural Selection, which means they have more mediocre uses for Spiral Power, and oh, humans have depression and suicide.
      • Not all Humans are Anti-Spirals, though. Back then, Humans have more Spiral Power than you can ever imagine. After all, how do you explain The Spartans? It wasn't only the Spartans, though, everybody in the past kicked the shit all day, and went to wars almost everytime of their lives, until WW 2, where too much Spiral Power was generated and had to be redirected to the world of Fullmetal Alchemist. It was only until the Cold War and the modern era (with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the invention of new networking technology alias The Internet, the modern military relying more and more on chessmasters and futureweapons, and the rising numbers of depression and suicide) that humans finally decided that it doesn't need Spiral Energy as a method of natural selection anymore.
      • Jossed: Sure, nowadays for humans Spiral Energy is almost useless as natural selection, but still remnants of Spiral Power are present in our everyday lives, most especially Spiral Power as a form of Chaos Theory and the Spiral Power found in inert matter. Think about it: How can humans reproduce to six billion and almost rival the Bacteria? Spiral Power, especially involving those "drills". How can beliefs spread? Spiral Power. Why do mundane discussions between two people grow into total chaos involving several anonymous people and a lot of wrath? Spiral Power. How does This Very Wiki grow? Spiral Power. Most of all, why do we have these Eldritch Abominations called Emotions and Free Will? Spiral Power. Spirals, spirals, SPIRALS! Like all forms of energy, Spiral Power can neither be created nor destroyed, but it can only transform.
Retrieved from "https://allthetropes.org/wiki/Grand_Unifying_Guesses/Tengen_Toppa_Gurren_Lagann?oldid=1905287"