‘Gurren Lagann’ Director Upgrades ‘Avengers: Infinity War’s Hulkbuster

Avengers: Infinity War is out in theaters, and it seems like everyone has caught up with the blockbuster. Marvel Studios saw the film make a debut last weekend, and the flick has gone on to dominate the international box office. So, it isn’t surprising to hear fans around the world are sharing tributes to the film, but there are some you just cannot overlook.

You know, for instance, the tribute that Hiroyuki Imaishi shared on Twitter featuring the Hulkbuster suit.

As you can see below, the famed anime director went to Twitter to share some sick armored fan-art. The drawing, which seems to have been done entirely digitally, shows the Hulkbuster suit with some serious modifications. The director labeled the suit as the Hulkbuster 2, and its designs will make fans think back to the good-old days of Gurren Lagann.

Clearly, this hulking fan-art looks intimidating, and its dynamic aesthetic is enough to make any Gurren Lagann fan pleased. With Studio Trigger’s art style at his disposal, Imaishi knows how to make the Hulkbuster suit something truly extraordinary, and Tony Stark should really get his number on file.

If you are not familiar with Imaishi, then you should know a bit about his work. The vetted artist is one of Studio Trigger’s co-founders and top talents. After starting his career at Gainax in the like 1990s with Neon Genesis Evangelion, Imaishi went on to do animation on FLCL and more. As a director, he is best-known for overseeing Gurren Lagann as well as Kill la Kill.

For those unfamiliar with Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, it’s a mecha anime series produced by Gainax, Konami and Aniplex. The series takes place in a future where mankind has been forced underground thanks to the menace of the Beastmen and the Spiral King. One day, a digger named Simon and his friend Kamina find a mecha buried deep underground. Using this, the two break through to the surface and start fighting against the Beastmen and the other human rebels.

The series ran for 27 episodes on TV Tokyo from April to September 2007. Directed by Hiroyuki Imaishi and written by Kazuki Nakashima, the series was licensed for an English language release by ADV Films, Bandai Entertainment and Aniplex of America. Two feature-length films were produced that re-told the events of the original series and released in 2008 and 2009.