In the distant future, mankind has lived quietly and restlessly underground for hundreds of years, subject to earthquakes and cave-ins. Living in one such village are 2 young men: one named Simon who is shy and naïve, and the other named Kamina who believes in the existence of a “surface” world above their heads.
Episode 1
Living underground in Giha Village, Simon and Kamina dream of a life on the surface. When their home is invaded from above, it is up to them to activate the mysterious mecha Lagann and save their village.
Episode 2
Now that they've made it to the surface, Simon and Kamina must join together with Yoko and her village to defeat the Beastmen pursuing them.
Episode 3
Kamina and Simon must work together to defeat a dangerous new Beastman threat.
Episode 4
Team Gurren must work together with the eccentric Black Syblings to take down a Beastman foe on empty stomachs.
Episode 5
Team Gurren must find their way out of a strange underground village where Gunmen are worshipped as divine beings.
Episode 6
Continuing to the Gunmen rallying point, Team Gurren finds themselves on a strange hot springs getaway.
Episode 7
Thymilph, one of the Four Divine Generals of the mysterious Spiral King, arrives to support Viral's Enki, with the massive mobile Gunmen fortress, the Dai-Ganzan. Kamina and Simon pilot the Gurren-Lagann against seemingly overwhelming odds.
Episode 8
Having temporarily stalled Viral and Thymilph in the last skirmish, the Team Gurren and their newly arrived allies join forces as "Team Dai-Gurren" and launch a decisive strike against the regrouping Gunmen force.
Episode 9
Team Dai-Gurren managed to take control of the enemy fortress, but is still mourning the death of one of their own, especially Simon. After falling off a cliff, he notices a Gunman throw a capsule into a deep valley. Simon inspects it and finds he is able to open it with the same drill key he uses to pilot Lagann, and inside is a young human girl named Nia, but their introduction is cut short when an enemy Gunman appears.
Episode 10
Nia true identity is revealed, as she flaunts her authority to get rid of another one of the Four Divine Generals, Adiane. The members of the Great Gurren Brigade are now suspicious of Nia and her true intentions, but she is only concerned about the depressed Simon. Adiane later returns to finish them all off, with Lordgenome's blessing.
Episode 11
Team Dai-Gurren falls into a trap set by the third member of the Four Divine Generals, Guame. The Team is taken captive and stored underground to await execution. While digging an escape path, Simon finally understands Kamina's last words to him and after having a discussion with Guame, Nia finds out the reason why she was thrown away.
Episode 12
Team Dai-Gurren are now on their way to Beastmen's capital city, Teppelin but there's a vast ocean in their way. The only way for them to get across is for the Dai-Gurren to be modified, so while they wait everyone goes to chill out at the beach. Once preparations are complete, the Great Gurren Brigade begins their cruise, but there's an ambush waiting for them.
Episode 13
Trying to do her part in Team Dai-Gurren, Nia decides to become a cook, but just before the crew have a taste of her dishes, Cytomander, the fourth member of the Divine Generals, launches an aerial attack on the Dai-Gurren. Simon leads the counter-attack on the Gurren-Lagann, this time accompanied by Yoko, who replaces a sick Rossiu.
Episode 14
At last, Team Dai-Gurren arrives at the outskirts of Teppelin, but before aiming to the city, they must face a combined full-scale attack of Cytomander and Guame's forces.
Episode 15
The last of the Divine Generals fall, and the city of Teppelin collapses, revealing a Gunman of gigantic proportions. Simon and Nia struggle to pass through it in order to confront her father, the Spiral King himself.
Episode 16
A recap of the story's events from the previous episodes.
Episode 17
During the following seven years, a new civilization rises and prospers under Simon's leadership. However, these peaceful times come to end when the threat mentioned in Lordgenome's last words starts to reveal itself.
Episode 18
After the Anti-Spirals' first attack and Nia's astonishing announcement, Simon looks desperately for her, while Rossiu finally completes his secret project.
Episode 19
To soothe the public opinion, Rossiu overthrows Simon and puts him under arrest. But when the Anti-Spirals launch a large-scale attack on Kamina City, he is left with no option but to let Simon engage the enemy using the Gurren-Lagann, not before resorting to extremes to put him under his control.
Episode 20
As Simon arrives in prison, he unexpectedly meets Viral, who comments on how far he has fallen. Meanwhile, the truth about Rossiu's emergency plan and the consequences for those left behind on Earth are revealed.
Episode 21
One year earlier, Yoko starts working as a schoolteacher on an island until she learns of the situation at Teppelin and returns to break Simon free. Once again reunited, Simon and the members of Team Dai-Gurren launch themselves into space to protect the Arc-Gurren from the enemy forces, now accompanied by Viral as co-pilot of the Gurren-Lagann.
Episode 22
The Gurren-Lagann and the Arc-Gurren join together to form the massive Arc-Gurren-Lagann and stop the Human Annihilation System.
Episode 23
The members of Team Dai-Gurren make their preparations for the imminent war against the Anti-Spirals, but Rossiu is missing. However, when Kinon tells Simon about what he really intends to do, both start to look desperately for him.
Episode 24
Guided by Simon and Nia's feelings for each other, Team Dai-Gurren break through dimensions in search for the Anti-Spirals' homeworld. But after falling into the enemy's trap, they end up losing some of their most precious members, due to its vicious offensive.
Episode 25
Team Dai-Gurren struggles to escape from the ocean of despair created by the Anti-Spirals without success, until history repeats itself, as another irreplaceable member of the Team sacrifices himself to save the others.
Episode 26
After finally transforming their flagship into the Super Galactic Gurren-Lagann, Simon and his friends successfully fight back against the enemy. When their enemy starts to use their own memories and desires against them, Kamina reappears to help.
Episode 27
At last, Simon and Nia are reunited, and by combining the power of its members, Team Dai-Gurren creates the galaxy-sized Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann, and engage the Anti-Spiral threat in a decisive battle to determine the fate of the universe.
