character information post
Character Info:
Fandom: Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
Name: Viral
Age: He looks like in his 20s. Immortal.
Physical Description of Character: Medium height, lean build, pale skinned. Long blond hair parted on the right side that reaches to the middle of his back; usually covers his eye. The only signs that he’s not fully human are his sharp teeth, pale eyes with a cat’s pupils, and arms that bulge from the elbow down and end clawed hands. Bandages cover the area below his elbows. There are distinct lines under his eyes. When he’s unclothed, you can see long scars across his chest, forearms, back, and legs.
As of his arrival, he’s wearing snazzy new clothes: a blue uniform, a red scarf wrapped around his neck, white boots. I can’t find a full-body anime shot, so have a cosplayer instead.
Point in Canon: Episode 27, when Simon delivers the final blow against the Anti-Spiral’s mecha.
Personality:
Viral, in general, is a cool, collected, confident, and introspective guy - cool, that is, until you piss him off or if he considers you as someone he has to avenge himself on. He can be hot blooded and passionate about the things he cares for, and this is especially pronounced when he’s fighting.
The hot-blooded manry reactions, however, are notably triggered mostly by equally hot-blooded men. He’s his crabby old self around most people, and if you’re sweet and gentle like Nia or his dream!family, he’ll be nice to you. Like… really nice. He’ll cut down the swearing and rough language, too. If he’s speaking with someone of higher rank, he’ll address them by their titles, and, during the first arc, mostly defer to their opinion until his sense of honor moves him to do otherwise. Post!timeskip Viral, I imagine, will react differently to seeing the Supreme Generals again.
His history with humans isn’t an easy one. At the beginning of the series, he obviously thinks of humans as inferior; brushing off their gunfire on his gunman [“Itchy”, he says] and calling them “naked apes”. In the manga, it's also mentioned that he's razed a village to the ground, hinting how ruthless and efficient he is with his job. (This attitude also likely has helped him earn his rank). After he is defeated by the Gurren Lagann, this starts to change. Seeing the Gurren Brigade at work may have shaken him out of his cool stance; we see him become more hot blooded in the succeeding battles, driven as he is by the desire to regain his honor by defeating the humans who, it seems, have done the impossible.
Honor is an important thing to him. It is what motivates him to seek out Kamina and then Simon after they repeatedly defeat him. It’s also what brings him to go against Adiane’s orders and force a retreat [better that he save a General for a victory in another day rather than failing another one], and why he went against Cytomander’s orders to kill Simon when Cytomander held Yoko hostage. He takes pride in being a Beastman, even when he’s aware of the differences between him and the human race, and he’s always respected those who ranked above him when he was still part of the Human Annihilation Army; he still calls Lordgenome “Rasen-ou”/”Helix King” even after seven long years.
The Anti-Spiral’s illusion of him having a family effectively summarizes not only his own desires, but his view of humans. Beastmen, as a rule, cannot have children because they themselves were created through cloning, thus possessing no spiral power. They, to paraphrase Lordgenome, cannot even dream of defeating those with spiral power - humans. In the course of the series, Viral has come to respect the power of change humans possess even as it angered him in the beginning, even becoming frustrated that he doesn’t have Spiral power when Simon charges up the Gurren Lagann for one attack while he, sitting in the cockpit of the Gurren, could not help. I believe Viral’s dream, in this context, would also mean that he desires to go as far as humans can, while retaining his own pride in being a Beastman. His vision of having a home is peaceful in contrast to the life he’s led so far. Indeed, in the final moments of the anime, we see him working alongside humans .as the head of a representative party for a Spiral Peace Conference. I believe he found fulfillment in working to bridge the gap between humans and Beastmen. Ultimately, he is still proud of his race and of what his race, alongside humans, can achieve.
History of the Character: Like all Beastmen, Viral was born from a test tube, one of the many creations of Lordgenome, the Spiral King. Until he met Kamina and the rest of the Gurren Brigade, he firmly believed that humans were inferior to beastmen, and reinforced Lordgenome’s policy of keeping humans from straying to the surface as the Human Annihilation Squad’s Eastern Cities commander.
He was called to the area of Ritonia to investigate reports of humans stealing Gunmen, and it is here that he first encounters Kamina, Simon, and Yoko during hunting. Their rivalry begins during their second encounter when the humans protect Ritona village. Kamina breaks Viral from thinking that this was a typical subjugation of humans by stealing the helmet of Enki, Viral’s Gunman - a sure sign of defeat for the latter. Viral hides his retreat, and from here his near obsession to regain his honor begins.
After he survived the third battle that lead to Thymilph’s death in the hands of the Gurren Lagann, Viral sought out Adiane, one of the other Supreme Generals and a close friend of Thymilph, to join her in her vengeance. She agrees after making Viral suffer the humiliation of begging, and thereafter abusing him whenever they failed to conquer the human rebels. He saves her life once by forcing her to retreat, claiming it was for a victory in another day, and she bitchslaps him for it. He continues to stay with her until she dies, and moves on to work under Cytomander, the third Supreme General.
Viral gets a bigger shock when he discovers that Kamina is dead and that it’s been Simon, a kid, who’s been kicking his ass all this time. This is a significant turning point, leading him to ask Lordgenome about what humans are when Cytomander brings him before the Helix King to be judged for allowing Simon and Yoko to escape. Lordgenome agrees to answer Viral’s question and grants him an “indestructible” body. It is only later that Lordgenome reveals his purpose: to make Viral the one to pass on the Helix King’s victory over the Spiral beings. Viral disappears after the defeat of Lordgenome and is presumed dead.
Seven years after the Teppelin was destroyed and most of humanity flourished on the surface, Viral reappears as a renegade Beastman, still piloting Enkidudu [Enki, his original Gunman, modified twice]. The Grapearl [or Grappal] force is sent out under Rossiu’s orders to arrest him. It first seems like a resistance against the new government; however, he later tells Simon he was simply defending a group of humans whom the government was forcing to live on the surface and comparing this policy to that of the Helix King.
He and Simon meet each other again in prison while Simon awaits his execution, and the two later get into a brawl when Viral provokes Simon. When Yoko busts in to free Simon, they take Viral with them. Simon makes Viral the official pilot of the Gurren after the two of them, as the Gurren Lagann, stopped the Moon from falling on Earth. After meeting the rest of the Gurren Brigade, Viral remarks that he thinks he understands the source of the Brigade’s power - the final link, perhaps, to the changes he had undergone in the past seven years. They, along with the rest of the Gurren Brigade, take off to space in order to fight the Anti-Spirals.
Interestingly enough, he also gains a core drill like the others from when Simon wakes him from the Anti-Spiral’s illusion. The Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, which utilizes Spiral energy to create weapons, was able to produce katanas - this fighting style is distinctly Viral’s. Whether he somehow gained Spiral power through his constant exposure to it by piloting the Gurren Lagann with Simon and Boota is something to speculate on.
Seven years after the defeat of the Anti-Spirals, Viral is seen as the head of the Earth Delegation for the Spiral Peace conference. The Super Galaxy Dai-Gurren is under his command.
Magical Powers/Skills: He’s a soldier trained in hand-to-hand combat, archery [both of these can be seen in episode 3], and piloting Gunmen. He’s extremely flexible, possibly due to his cat genes. Most of his moves on the Gunmen are cleanly executed - precise and focused movements, without excess swinging.
The immortality Lordgenome granted him is seen with his agelessness and instantaneous healing.
Weapons: He’ll be piloting Gurren when he arrives. His sword, which looks more like a chopping blade, will be with him.
[additional notes]
I. Pre-Series Viral
a) He's directly under one of the supreme generals who, in turn, are directly under the Helix King, who is the creator and ruler of the Beastmen. In other words, he's an extremely high-ranked military officer who has good training in strategy, fighting, and piloting,\.
b) He has a bloody custom-made gunman. That it's custom-made means he's really good, since you don't give those away to anyone with shitty or average proficiency.
c) it's his first time to encounter really gutsy, persistent humans. His repeated defeat is a crushing blow to his pride. And then he had to beg the other two generals just to get into the fight to avenge himself and his former general.
d) In the manga, Thylimph actually mentions something to the effect of "it's been a while since I've seen gutsy humans." This, aside from his shocking defeat against Gurren Lagann [the "stupid way" it was formed, the "impossible" energy it had], was likely the second push he had that brought him to later on question Lordgenome about what exactly humans were.
e) He mentions the "honor of a soldier" and the "civilisation of Beastmen" a few times, implying that he also thinks of humans as barbarians. [Kamina's rough manners likely didn't improve his views]. This is an interesting reversal of the usual answer of "Civilization is what makes man a human."
II. Post-time skip
f) Until he and Simon broke out of prison, he made it clear that he resented the new government because, in effect, very little had changed - the old problem of forcing humans to live in a certain place was always there, for example, and there was oppression against both races.
g) Food for thought: He's likely witnessed all of Simon's frustrations after he becomes Gurren's pilot. This greatly improved his understanding of Simon and of the Spiral race's determination in general. [He mentions the line "I understand you guys better now" twice - after being introduced as Gurren's pilot, and ________]. He is notably solemn after several members of the Brigade die before they sink into the sea of high-density space, saying only that the "critical point has been reached" after Simon states that he won't forget "this moment".
h) As Lagann's pilot, he "manages" the mecha, so to speak, keeps track of what damages they've had, and generally offers a second opinion on what could be done. [eg., "we need a bigger drill"] Viral is also an ideal co-pilot, as he's had formal training with handling Gunmen, and has had experience with having to maintain Enkidudu on his own for seven years.
i) The Earth representatives team is comprised of both Beastmen and humans.
Fandom: Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
Name: Viral
Age: He looks like in his 20s. Immortal.
Physical Description of Character: Medium height, lean build, pale skinned. Long blond hair parted on the right side that reaches to the middle of his back; usually covers his eye. The only signs that he’s not fully human are his sharp teeth, pale eyes with a cat’s pupils, and arms that bulge from the elbow down and end clawed hands. Bandages cover the area below his elbows. There are distinct lines under his eyes. When he’s unclothed, you can see long scars across his chest, forearms, back, and legs.
As of his arrival, he’s wearing snazzy new clothes: a blue uniform, a red scarf wrapped around his neck, white boots. I can’t find a full-body anime shot, so have a cosplayer instead.
Point in Canon: Episode 27, when Simon delivers the final blow against the Anti-Spiral’s mecha.
Personality:
Viral, in general, is a cool, collected, confident, and introspective guy - cool, that is, until you piss him off or if he considers you as someone he has to avenge himself on. He can be hot blooded and passionate about the things he cares for, and this is especially pronounced when he’s fighting.
The hot-blooded manry reactions, however, are notably triggered mostly by equally hot-blooded men. He’s his crabby old self around most people, and if you’re sweet and gentle like Nia or his dream!family, he’ll be nice to you. Like… really nice. He’ll cut down the swearing and rough language, too. If he’s speaking with someone of higher rank, he’ll address them by their titles, and, during the first arc, mostly defer to their opinion until his sense of honor moves him to do otherwise. Post!timeskip Viral, I imagine, will react differently to seeing the Supreme Generals again.
His history with humans isn’t an easy one. At the beginning of the series, he obviously thinks of humans as inferior; brushing off their gunfire on his gunman [“Itchy”, he says] and calling them “naked apes”. In the manga, it's also mentioned that he's razed a village to the ground, hinting how ruthless and efficient he is with his job. (This attitude also likely has helped him earn his rank). After he is defeated by the Gurren Lagann, this starts to change. Seeing the Gurren Brigade at work may have shaken him out of his cool stance; we see him become more hot blooded in the succeeding battles, driven as he is by the desire to regain his honor by defeating the humans who, it seems, have done the impossible.
Honor is an important thing to him. It is what motivates him to seek out Kamina and then Simon after they repeatedly defeat him. It’s also what brings him to go against Adiane’s orders and force a retreat [better that he save a General for a victory in another day rather than failing another one], and why he went against Cytomander’s orders to kill Simon when Cytomander held Yoko hostage. He takes pride in being a Beastman, even when he’s aware of the differences between him and the human race, and he’s always respected those who ranked above him when he was still part of the Human Annihilation Army; he still calls Lordgenome “Rasen-ou”/”Helix King” even after seven long years.
The Anti-Spiral’s illusion of him having a family effectively summarizes not only his own desires, but his view of humans. Beastmen, as a rule, cannot have children because they themselves were created through cloning, thus possessing no spiral power. They, to paraphrase Lordgenome, cannot even dream of defeating those with spiral power - humans. In the course of the series, Viral has come to respect the power of change humans possess even as it angered him in the beginning, even becoming frustrated that he doesn’t have Spiral power when Simon charges up the Gurren Lagann for one attack while he, sitting in the cockpit of the Gurren, could not help. I believe Viral’s dream, in this context, would also mean that he desires to go as far as humans can, while retaining his own pride in being a Beastman. His vision of having a home is peaceful in contrast to the life he’s led so far. Indeed, in the final moments of the anime, we see him working alongside humans .as the head of a representative party for a Spiral Peace Conference. I believe he found fulfillment in working to bridge the gap between humans and Beastmen. Ultimately, he is still proud of his race and of what his race, alongside humans, can achieve.
History of the Character: Like all Beastmen, Viral was born from a test tube, one of the many creations of Lordgenome, the Spiral King. Until he met Kamina and the rest of the Gurren Brigade, he firmly believed that humans were inferior to beastmen, and reinforced Lordgenome’s policy of keeping humans from straying to the surface as the Human Annihilation Squad’s Eastern Cities commander.
He was called to the area of Ritonia to investigate reports of humans stealing Gunmen, and it is here that he first encounters Kamina, Simon, and Yoko during hunting. Their rivalry begins during their second encounter when the humans protect Ritona village. Kamina breaks Viral from thinking that this was a typical subjugation of humans by stealing the helmet of Enki, Viral’s Gunman - a sure sign of defeat for the latter. Viral hides his retreat, and from here his near obsession to regain his honor begins.
After he survived the third battle that lead to Thymilph’s death in the hands of the Gurren Lagann, Viral sought out Adiane, one of the other Supreme Generals and a close friend of Thymilph, to join her in her vengeance. She agrees after making Viral suffer the humiliation of begging, and thereafter abusing him whenever they failed to conquer the human rebels. He saves her life once by forcing her to retreat, claiming it was for a victory in another day, and she bitchslaps him for it. He continues to stay with her until she dies, and moves on to work under Cytomander, the third Supreme General.
Viral gets a bigger shock when he discovers that Kamina is dead and that it’s been Simon, a kid, who’s been kicking his ass all this time. This is a significant turning point, leading him to ask Lordgenome about what humans are when Cytomander brings him before the Helix King to be judged for allowing Simon and Yoko to escape. Lordgenome agrees to answer Viral’s question and grants him an “indestructible” body. It is only later that Lordgenome reveals his purpose: to make Viral the one to pass on the Helix King’s victory over the Spiral beings. Viral disappears after the defeat of Lordgenome and is presumed dead.
Seven years after the Teppelin was destroyed and most of humanity flourished on the surface, Viral reappears as a renegade Beastman, still piloting Enkidudu [Enki, his original Gunman, modified twice]. The Grapearl [or Grappal] force is sent out under Rossiu’s orders to arrest him. It first seems like a resistance against the new government; however, he later tells Simon he was simply defending a group of humans whom the government was forcing to live on the surface and comparing this policy to that of the Helix King.
He and Simon meet each other again in prison while Simon awaits his execution, and the two later get into a brawl when Viral provokes Simon. When Yoko busts in to free Simon, they take Viral with them. Simon makes Viral the official pilot of the Gurren after the two of them, as the Gurren Lagann, stopped the Moon from falling on Earth. After meeting the rest of the Gurren Brigade, Viral remarks that he thinks he understands the source of the Brigade’s power - the final link, perhaps, to the changes he had undergone in the past seven years. They, along with the rest of the Gurren Brigade, take off to space in order to fight the Anti-Spirals.
Interestingly enough, he also gains a core drill like the others from when Simon wakes him from the Anti-Spiral’s illusion. The Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, which utilizes Spiral energy to create weapons, was able to produce katanas - this fighting style is distinctly Viral’s. Whether he somehow gained Spiral power through his constant exposure to it by piloting the Gurren Lagann with Simon and Boota is something to speculate on.
Seven years after the defeat of the Anti-Spirals, Viral is seen as the head of the Earth Delegation for the Spiral Peace conference. The Super Galaxy Dai-Gurren is under his command.
Magical Powers/Skills: He’s a soldier trained in hand-to-hand combat, archery [both of these can be seen in episode 3], and piloting Gunmen. He’s extremely flexible, possibly due to his cat genes. Most of his moves on the Gunmen are cleanly executed - precise and focused movements, without excess swinging.
The immortality Lordgenome granted him is seen with his agelessness and instantaneous healing.
Weapons: He’ll be piloting Gurren when he arrives. His sword, which looks more like a chopping blade, will be with him.
[additional notes]
I. Pre-Series Viral
a) He's directly under one of the supreme generals who, in turn, are directly under the Helix King, who is the creator and ruler of the Beastmen. In other words, he's an extremely high-ranked military officer who has good training in strategy, fighting, and piloting,\.
b) He has a bloody custom-made gunman. That it's custom-made means he's really good, since you don't give those away to anyone with shitty or average proficiency.
c) it's his first time to encounter really gutsy, persistent humans. His repeated defeat is a crushing blow to his pride. And then he had to beg the other two generals just to get into the fight to avenge himself and his former general.
d) In the manga, Thylimph actually mentions something to the effect of "it's been a while since I've seen gutsy humans." This, aside from his shocking defeat against Gurren Lagann [the "stupid way" it was formed, the "impossible" energy it had], was likely the second push he had that brought him to later on question Lordgenome about what exactly humans were.
e) He mentions the "honor of a soldier" and the "civilisation of Beastmen" a few times, implying that he also thinks of humans as barbarians. [Kamina's rough manners likely didn't improve his views]. This is an interesting reversal of the usual answer of "Civilization is what makes man a human."
II. Post-time skip
f) Until he and Simon broke out of prison, he made it clear that he resented the new government because, in effect, very little had changed - the old problem of forcing humans to live in a certain place was always there, for example, and there was oppression against both races.
g) Food for thought: He's likely witnessed all of Simon's frustrations after he becomes Gurren's pilot. This greatly improved his understanding of Simon and of the Spiral race's determination in general. [He mentions the line "I understand you guys better now" twice - after being introduced as Gurren's pilot, and ________]. He is notably solemn after several members of the Brigade die before they sink into the sea of high-density space, saying only that the "critical point has been reached" after Simon states that he won't forget "this moment".
h) As Lagann's pilot, he "manages" the mecha, so to speak, keeps track of what damages they've had, and generally offers a second opinion on what could be done. [eg., "we need a bigger drill"] Viral is also an ideal co-pilot, as he's had formal training with handling Gunmen, and has had experience with having to maintain Enkidudu on his own for seven years.
i) The Earth representatives team is comprised of both Beastmen and humans.