The story does not make Simon's height a useful measure of his presence. His grounded look against the scale of his mech is more memorable than a measurement.

Who voices Simon in English?

Yuri Lowenthal voices Simon in English. Tetsuya Kakihara is his Japanese voice actor.

When does Simon first appear?

Simon is there from the opening stretch of Gurren Lagann (2007). The story introduces him through his work as a digger before the scale of his role comes into view.

Where can I watch Simon's story?

Simon appears in Gurren Lagann (2007), which streams on Crunchyroll and Hulu.

Is Simon worth watching for?

Yes, especially if you like watching confidence take shape under pressure. Simon gives the series a vulnerable center, and his choices make the action feel personal.

Simon

Gurren Lagann universe

Simon starts from a place that makes confidence feel almost unreasonable. A young digger asked to pilot a mech, he has to trust his own hands before they have earned much trust from him. Watching him work through that doubt gives Gurren Lagann its most human source of momentum. The spectacle grows enormous, but Simon's uncertainty stays legible, and each small decision to keep going lands with weight.

By Mika Tanabe

Appearance

Simon has the compact, practical look of someone whose days are spent close to the ground. His goggles and work clothes seem prepared for dirt before danger, while the scale of the machines around him makes his silhouette feel modest. He is not framed as a polished hero who arrived ready for a poster. His face has room for hesitation, concentration, and sudden resolve, sometimes in quick succession. The show lets you read the effort before it asks you to admire the result. As a mech pilot, Simon shares the image with something much larger than himself, yet the camera keeps his decisions personal. His appearance is memorable because being brave never requires him to look composed.

Personality

Simon is cautious in a way that feels earned rather than coy. He looks for reassurance, and that need can make his quiet moments uncomfortable, especially when others seem able to act on instinct. Yet he is not simply waiting for permission. Once he has a reason to act, his persistence becomes its own kind of force. Courage does not arrive as a new personality pasted over the old one. You can still recognize the person who was unsure, which gives his confidence texture. Simon's leadership grows from that attentiveness. He knows what it is to need someone else to believe first, so his authority has a warmth that loud declarations cannot manufacture. The show is blunt about its emotions, and Simon makes that sincerity easier to accept. He can still doubt himself and make a difficult choice.

Simon’s Story

Spoiler-free introduction

Early Simon is a digger whose work has taught him to keep his eyes on the next task. A discovery puts a mech in his hands, and the series tests what he can do with a responsibility larger than his sense of himself. The pleasure here is watching someone who does not feel ready meet a situation that will not wait for readiness. His first steps are not effortless triumphs. He has to think, react, and find a reason to trust his judgment while the world demands movement. That makes the action easy to follow emotionally even when the machines and scale are unfamiliar. Simon's part in the story is intimate: can he make a choice while fear is still present? You do not need to know the destination to feel the strain and excitement of that question. The Digger nickname suits the grounded quality of his beginnings, but the show gives it meaning through his work rather than treating it as a shortcut to heroism. Watch for moments when he acts without waiting to feel fearless. They are small enough to believe and strong enough to change a scene.

Spoilers beyond Simon's early story

As Simon's story develops, the series asks him to carry responsibility after the first rush of discovery has passed. His growth is not a clean climb where each challenge leaves doubt behind for good. He has to decide what kind of leader he can be while carrying the weight of earlier choices, and the uncertainty that once made him seem small becomes part of how carefully he judges what comes next. Simon does not become persuasive by sounding certain all the time. He becomes someone whose decisions can steady others because he understands how fragile resolve feels from the inside. The later story gives that idea real pressure, and it is best experienced without a synopsis spelling out each turn. Watch the shifts in his posture and how long he pauses before answering. The series trusts those changes to register alongside its louder set pieces.

Abilities

Simon pilots a mech, and the show connects that skill to his state of mind. He has to read a situation quickly, commit to a movement, and keep control when hesitation would leave him exposed. The action is larger than human scale, but his part in it stays understandable because the machine responds to choices the viewer can follow. He is not introduced as a flawless combatant. His piloting is compelling because we see him learn to act while unsure, then take responsibility for what those actions mean. As a leader, he also knows how to keep moving through discouragement and make that persistence useful to others. The series treats both forms of capability as things built under pressure.

Watch Simon’s Story

Gurren Lagann suits viewers who want action whose emotional scale grows with its machinery. Simon keeps it grounded in the feeling of being asked to act before you can picture yourself succeeding. The series is unembarrassed by earnestness, and that will either be its appeal or a point of friction. I like that it lets Simon's uncertainty remain visible instead of sanding it away for a cleaner hero image. His story gives the big gestures something to stand on, so the spectacle feels attached to a person. Gurren Lagann (2007) is available on Crunchyroll and Hulu. Tetsuya Kakihara voices Simon in Japanese, and Yuri Lowenthal voices him in English. Give Simon's quieter beats the same attention as the mech action. They are where the show earns its volume.

Start here: Gurren Lagann (2007) — on Crunchyroll, Hulu

Gurren LagannMain · 2007
Crunchyroll, Hulu

Questions

How tall is Simon?: The story does not make Simon's height a useful measure of his presence. His grounded look against the scale of his mech is more memorable than a measurement.
Who voices Simon in English?: Yuri Lowenthal voices Simon in English. Tetsuya Kakihara is his Japanese voice actor.
When does Simon first appear?: Simon is there from the opening stretch of Gurren Lagann (2007). The story introduces him through his work as a digger before the scale of his role comes into view.
Where can I watch Simon's story?: Simon appears in Gurren Lagann (2007), which streams on Crunchyroll and Hulu.
Is Simon worth watching for?: Yes, especially if you like watching confidence take shape under pressure. Simon gives the series a vulnerable center, and his choices make the action feel personal.

Spoilers: tap to reveal

Occupation: leader