Dai-Gunten

A fortress-type Gunmen, the flying Dai-Gunten (ダイガンテン, Daiganten) is Cytomander's flagship.

Appearance
The Dai-Gunten is a giant airship aesthetically resembling an aircraft carrier with four runways - two long ones and two shorter ones on the side. The long runways flank the bridge, designed in the shape of a maniacal face. Two massive missiles can be seen under the long runways.

Armaments and capacities
The Dai-Gunten uses a pair of levia-spheres to remain afloat. Being a very heavy aircraft, it is not very manoeuverable.

The craft's primary function is to act as a carrier for smaller Gunmen aerial fighters and bombers. However, the Dai-Gunten itself is also equipped with bombs (against ground targets) and homing rockets (against aerial attackers). As a desperation move, the carrier can also fire its two gigantic homing missiles for devastating damage, though it seems their effectiveness against smaller targets is limited.

Role in the show
The Dai-Gunten made its debut during Cytomander's campaign against the Dai-Gurren. As the battle wore on, Simon and Yoko in Gurren-Lagann found their way deep below its decks, where they clashed with Viral's Enkidu and dealt severe internal damage to the ship. Having lost altitude in the process, the Dai-Gunten was eventually damaged by a series of powerful kicks delivered by the Dai-Gurren, which had launched itself into the air using a cliff face. In the process, Team Dai-Gurren managed to snatch one of the enemy airship's two Levia-Spheres for themselves, using it to safely float back to the ground while the Dai-Gunten withdrew for repairs.

A month after the first confrontation, the Dai-Gunten participated in the defense of Teppelin. On the sixth day of the siege, it led the initial assault against Dai-Gurren, quickly being reinforced by Guame's flagship, the Dai-Gundo. With most of Dai-Gurren's Gunmen forces protecting their main ship against Guame's offensive, Gurren-Lagann battled Cytomander alone, handily destroying Dai-Gunten's deployed fighters and evading its barrages of missiles before being trapped by more of Cytomander's minions. As the mad General of Wind sortied in the Shuzack to finish the job, Simon and Rossiu were saved by some unexpected allies who entered the battlefield to aid them. In the end, the Dai-Gunten was destroyed when the flying Dai-Gurren impaled it with its bladed bow, taking out its commander in the process. Pieces of its wreckage fell on the Dai-Gundo, provoking a massive explosion, but Guame's flagship was unharmed.

Role in the movie
Dai-Gunten appears at the climax of Gurren-hen, once again serving as Cytomander's flagship. It attacked the Dai-Gurren Brigade alongside Guame's Dai-Gundo, Adiane's Dai-Gunkai, and Viral's Dai-Gunzan-Du, holding the advantage until Simon regained his resolve and killed Cytomander in the Shuzack. Despite the loss of its commander, the Dai-Gunten was able to combine with its fellow Dai-Guns to form the Four Generals' ultimate weapon: Doten Kaizan.

Trivia

 * Dai-Gunten's design is based on aircraft carriers. This is also referenced in the show as numerous Gunmen use it as a hanger.
 * The ten in the name can be translated to "sky" or "heaven", referring to it being an aerial unit.
 * The Beastmen that operate the flagship are avian-based creatures, going along with the ship's theme.

Picture Gallery
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