10 Heartbreaking Deaths In Anime
4. The Death Of Kamina - Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
It wouldn’t be unfair to say that Kamina plays like the main
character of Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. While the story is introduced and
guided through the eyes of Simon, Kamina is certainly the mover and shaker of
the story. Being the renegade leader of the Gurren Brigade, and a constant
thorn in their village chief’s side, Kamina breaks Simon and himself out of
their underground village and onto the surface above - a place everyone was told
did not exist.
After that, Kamina led the charge on the tyrannical Beast Men that ruled supreme on the surface, having enough guts and good luck to score himself one of the mech suits that the Beast Men used to exterminate any human they find. He was the figurehead of the budding human resistance and formed bonds with anyone who crossed paths with him, showing his true leadership potential.
Watching Kamina fall from the heights that Simon and the viewer saw him atop was painful. Cut down unexpectedly in the early half of the series, viewers were left in a similar place to Simon - unsure of where it all went next. While his death was pivotal and necessary for Simon to rise up and become just as great as his “big bro”, the loss of Kamina was something felt throughout the remainder of the series and echoed through character interactions.