Welcome to Anime Death Match, the weekly column where we throw anime’s top warriors into a thrilling four-round elimination tournament to determine who truly deserves the title of “Anime’s Strongest.”

Exciting news for fans of power fantasy: That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime has been renewed for another season. This renewal is set to propel Rimuru Tempest’s story closer to its ultimate conclusion, promising a level of power that will astonish fans akin to the epic showdown between Simon the Digger and the Anti Spiral in the finale of Gurren Lagann. For years, the Rimuru versus Simon debate has ignited passionate discussions among anime enthusiasts, and the release of the upcoming adaptation in 2026 is bound to revive these debates with new fervor.

The fervor surrounding Rimuru and Simon the Digger, who commands the mighty Super Toppa Tongan Gurren Lagann mecha, is fueled by their overwhelming strength, placing them among the elite in any power-ranking conversation. Both characters boast extraordinary feats of strength, often sidelining even the most ardent Goku fans from the debate. Now, CBR’s Anime Death Match is set to answer the burning question: who truly reigns supreme—Rimuru or Simon the Digger?

The popular discourse around Rimuru and Simon the Digger wielding his Super Toppa Tongan Gurren Lagann mecha stems from both characters’ OP levels of strength, which place each of them in the top tiers of power in any conversation. They each have some of the most concrete feats of strength in anime, often forcing even Goku’s biggest fans to sit out the discussion. Now, CBR’s Anime Death Match is putting two of the most infamously OP anime warriors to the test to decide once and for all whether Rimuru or Simon the Digger is stronger.

Rimuru Becomes an Untouchable God By The End of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime

Anime fans witnessed an inkling of Rimuru’s power in That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime by the end of Season 2, but they really haven’t seen anything yet. Light novel Rimuru is nothing short of a God by the end of the series, putting the version of the character fans have seen in the anime so far to shame. Rimuru’s strength all stems from his classic Gluttony ability, which allows him to absorb the abilities of anything he envelops using his slime body.

However, by the latest chapters of the light novel, Rimuru ascends to the level of True Dragon, and has accumulated abilities beyond comprehension. In terms of defense, Rimuru receives a Multidimensional Barrier that is, according to him, “always active.” His attack power is Universal at minimum by way of his ultimate technique, Turn Null, which gives him the power to either create or destroy Universes.

Rimuru also gains complete control over time and space, and has the power to control entire alternate dimensions, or “worlds”, as they’re called in the TenSura universe. Most terrifying of all is that Rimuru’s ultimate version of the Gluttony Skill, Beezlebub, contains an infinite dimension in which he can devour and hold entire Universes if he so chooses. He’s truly a terrifying entity in the Reincarnated as a Slime light novel.

Simon The Digger’s Potential For Power Using the Super Toppa Tengen Gurren Lagann is Truly Limitless

In Gurren Lagann, Simon the Digger’s tendency to break through any ceiling isn’t just a cryptic metaphor – it’s a literal way of life. It applies to both physical ceilings blocking humanity’s path, and ceilings of power which Simon’s Gurren Lagann mecha always seems to surpass. By the time Gurren Lagann reaches its ultimate, Super Toppa Tengen Gurren Lagann form, Simon has the power to turn the cosmos into his plaything.

Simon’s power comes from Spiral Power, which is something like the innate will of all things to evolve, grow and improve their standing in the Universe. As a result, Spiral Power is potentially limitless in scope, which is something the Super Toppa Tengen Gurren Lagann demonstrates by the end of the series. In the final battle with the Anti Spiral, Super Toppa Tengen Gurren Lagann grows larger than a Universe, and is able to throw entire Universes at his opponent with ease.

In short, Super Toppa Tengen Gurren Lagann is the very definition of multiversal in power. Some fans have even scaled Simon the digger himself to a similar power level because he fights the Anti Spiral in his human form without the power of his mecha, but it’s hard to say for certain whether the Anti Spiral has only changed its shape or whether it matched Simon’s strength too. In any case, Simon working as the pilot of the Super Toppa Tengen Gurren Lagann is easily one of the strongest anime characters of all time.

Rimuru Defeats Simon the Digger in a Closely-Matched Fight Thanks to His Superior Abilities

Image via CBR

TenSura‘s Rimuru and Gurren Lagann‘s Simon the digger using the Super Toppa Tengen Gurren Lagann mecha would be an incredible matchup because they’re both of comparable strength. Both That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime and Gurren Lagann take the notion of power creep to its most absurd limitations. Both series push the boundaries of power scaling, turning into almost surrealist exercises on the limits of the human imagination by the ends of their respective series.

In terms of raw attack power, each fighter has feats that scale them well into the multiverse-destruction range of strength. Where Rimuru ultimately edges Simon and the Super Toppa Tengen Gurren Lagann out is in his magical abilities and techniques. Rimuru’s abilities are just too OP for most raw displays of strength to overcome, Simon’s included. Simon definitely has superior demonstrable attack feats, and his potential is probably limitless. Additionally, he has demonstrated the capacity to even overcome the probability-alterating abilities of the Anti Spiral, which is no small task.

However, Rimuru is literally immortal to a degree not seen in many series. Even if the entire concept of his material body is destroyed, he can still survive in a world where the very concept of existence itself has vanished. It’s hard to imagine a way to even kill Rimuru, let alone defeat him in a battle. Then again, Simon the Digger is well-known for doing the impossible. Perhaps if there were anyone who could really beat Rimuru it might be Simon, but the odds definitely aren’t in his favor.

Simon’s raw willpower and determination to overcome any obstacle makes him one of the most admirable heroes in the anime medium, and he has definitely defeated god-like entities in the past. However, Rimuru achieves a level of omnipotence so extreme that fans wouldn’t believe it unless they actually read the ending of the TenSura light novel that just completed in November 2025. It’d definitely be a battle for the ages, but Rimuru Tempest would definitely win in a fight against Simon The Digger and the Super Toppa Tengen Gurren Lagann.

Rimuru Tempest defeats Simon The Digger in Round 1, Bracket 7 of Anime Death Match.