Simon

シモン

Simon is the story's protagonist, a short and un-intimidating fourteen-year-old boy at the start of this tale. He was born in Jiiha Village and raised by his parents until age seven, when they were killed in an underground avalanche triggered by an earthquake. Their deaths traumatized Simon to the point of both hating and fearing life underground, and likely played a role in shaping his relationship with Kamina. Ironically, Simon's role in his community was to dig more tunnels and caverns to expand Jiiha Village deeper underground.
Though valued as a skilled digger, Simon was ignored by the village adults and snubbed by the girls, who considered him disgusting. Along with his fear of earthquakes, Simon developed low self-esteem and many cowardly tendencies. His only friend and role model growing up was Kamina, a brash and eccentric older boy obsessed with escaping the underground world for the surface, which he had visited as a child with his father. Simon was slowly "recruited" into Team Gurren along with several other boys, and led by Kamina, they made several attempts to reach the surface over several years. During one attempt, a sudden earthquake trapped Team Gurren within a chamber and cut off the oxygen supply. Simon began to panic, but after inspiration from Kamina, he managed to dig all of the Team Gurren members out of danger. Yoko would later recall that Kamina himself was terrified during this incident, but he hid his fear from Simon, knowing Simon was the only one capable of rescuing his gang.
One day while digging a new tunnel, Simon discovers a small drill-shaped object that periodically glows. Later that day, he unearths a large "face" in the ground, which he shows to Yoko and Kamina after Jiiha Village is attacked by a large Gunmen. The face is revealed to be a miniature Gunmen, and the object Simon dug up is the key to starting it. With the aid of this mech, which Kamina names "Lagann," Simon destroys the large Gunmen attacking Jiiha and rises to the surface world.