Gungrave

Gungrave
File:Gungravebox.jpg
Genre	Action, Drama, Supernatural
Video game
Developer	Red Entertainment
Publisher	Sega
Genre	Single player Action
Platform	PlayStation 2
Anime
Directed by	Toshiyuki Tsuru
Studio	Madhouse

Gungrave is a PlayStation 2 video game produced in Japan by Sega. It follows the story of "Beyond the Grave" (or just "Grave"), a man who was betrayed by the criminal organization he was once a part of. During the game, you set out to seek revenge on that organization.

Grave carries two twin guns, called Cerberos (named after the three-headed hound of Hades). He also carries a coffin strapped to his back that doubles as assorted special weapons, including a machine gun and a rocket launcher.

The game itself was given moderate ratings due mostly to its short gameplay and minimal replay value. However, the very anime-like stylings from creators Yasuhiro Nightow (of Trigun fame) and Kousuke Fujishima (of Oh My Goddess! and You're Under Arrest fame) gave the game a very distinct and unique look and feel that impressed many people.

Gungrave Overdose

In 2004 the sequel to the original video game was published, called Gungrave Overdose. Developed by Red Entertainment and published by Mastiff, it, like its predecessor, met with mediocre reviews. Yet many heralded its anime-inspired cutscenes and gunplay. This game however begins with Mika being attacked by fiends while inside a warehouse. Grave is in the process of being awakened and finally rescues her at the last minute. Thus the game starts on its rampage of death and destruction. You are fighting another syndicate that is distributing a dangerous drug by the name of "Seed," which mutates the host body more times than not, along the way meeting a few old characters from the first game and the anime.

Anime

Main Article: Gungrave (anime)

Gungrave anime manga

Dark Horse has released a Gungrave anime manga, most likely to boost the popularity of the show. It takes screencaps from the episodes and puts them together with word bubbles to create manga. So far only two volumes are out, each covering 7 episodes. The official summary from Dark Horse reads,

For Brandon Heat, death doesn't matter. Driven by his need for revenge, he returns from beyond the grave to cripple Millennion, the huge mafia organization that uses undead monsters as its enforcers. His ultimate goal will be to destroy Harry McDowell, the leader of Millennion, and at one time, Brandon's best friend...

• The Gungrave anime manga comes to you in full color, an adaptation of the popular anime created by the masterminds at Madhouse and creator Yasuhiro Nightow.

• Created by Trigun mastermind, Yasuhiro Nightow, Gungrave began as a popular video game and has been adapted into an animated TV series.

Characters

The Millennion Organization

Commonly also referred to as The Syndicate, it was one of the biggest criminal organizations of its time.

• Brandon Heat "Beyond the Grave":

A small-time criminal who was in a gang with his best friend, Harry McDowell, along with three other close friends. After these three were killed, Brandon and Harry joined Millennion, a powerful mafia-type organization formed by Big Daddy. Brandon was trained by the Millennion's Bear Walken to be a sweeper (hitman), eventually forming his own elite sweeper unit within Millennion called True Grave. Even as Harry rose to power, Brandon remained loyal to Big Daddy for Maria's sake. When he eventually confronted Harry over treason against the organization, Harry killed him. Brandon was then resurrected by Dr. T and "Beyond the Grave" was born. In the first game (and the anime), his purpose is to destroy the Millennion syndicate that he had once worked for and the man who betrayed him.

• Harry MacDowell:

"Bloody Harry" was the leader of Brandon's original crew in Desolation Alley and was also his best friend. After five years with Millennion, he and Brandon climbed to the top of the organization's hierarchy, joining Big Daddy's "Family" and adopting the "Code of Iron," a philosophy of trust and loyalty to the organization. However, MacDowell took the Code lightly and made deals behind the organization's back, pulling strings and putting himself at the very top of Millennion. When Brandon discovered this and confronted Harry, he was murdered, but Harry had no idea of the future consequences of his betrayal. Although Harry lacks the physical strength and agility of Brandon, he is charismatic and extremely cunning. In the anime, it is portrayed how the guilt of murdering his best friend drives him close to madness.

• Maria Asagi:

Maria was Brandon's sweetheart when they were young. She lived with her adoptive father Jester, a member of Millennion, who raised her from infancy after finding her while working a job for the group. After Jester was killed, she moved in with Big Daddy at his villa, eventually growing close to him after Brandon rejected her, on the pretense that he sinned to much during his profession as an assassin. Eventually they got married, despite the age difference, and later have a daughter named Mika. Maria was later killed by Harry MacDowell.

• Dr. T:

A scientist who formerly worked for Lightning and then Millennion, he developed the necrolyzation dead regeneration technique, eventually utilizing it to bring Grave back to life. In the original game it looks as if their hideout is a house, while in the anime, they reside in a huge truck. When Mika came to him, he knew that it was time to let Grave do what he does best. Brother of Big Daddy's butler.

• Big Daddy:

The founder of Millennion. He initially started Millennion in order to protect that which is close to him, namely his city and "Family," the inner council that few in the organization are privy to. He and Brandon first met in the early days of his membership in Millennion, when Heat had tried to meet with Maria. The two developed a bond, which saw them become fishing buddies, Brandon allowing Big Daddy to give Maria a life he could not, and Brandon's eventual death in the name of protecting Big Daddy's Millennion. He was later killed by Harry MacDowell and, in the game, re-created as a giant SEED-monster. After taking lethal damage from Grave, Big Daddy was then eaten to death by the mysterious beast "Alien Head". In the anime, Big Daddy bears a striking resemblance to Al Pacino's character in Godfather III.

• Bear Walken:

A sweeper (hitman) for Millennion, a member of Big Daddy's inner circle, and one of his oldest friends. Much like Brandon and Big Daddy himself, he also wishes to protect those close to him, most importantly his daughter Sherry. Due to this, he stays on with the organization even during the switch to Harry MacDowell's Millennion. In the game, Bear was the 3rd member Grave confronted and they both fought in Bear's private dojo. Grave defeated Bear in his first OverKill-form and he comments that he realized how the other members were defeated. Then he transformed again into a giant. Bear was ultimately destroyed by Grave.

• Bob Poundmax:

A portly intelligence operative, Bob was the best friend of Balladbird Lee. Also close to Harry and Brandon as the four of them rose through the ranks of Millenion. After Harry’s ascension to the head of the organization Bob sat as one of the Big Four under Harry. When his life was threatened from a heart condition brought about by his glutinous eating habits he became the second “Superior” created after the procedure was successfully performed on Balladbird Lee as an experiment. He was the first Superior to confront Beyond the Grave after his return 15 years past his death. In the game, Bob fought Grave in a zeppelin but lost. Bob turned into his OverKill-form and challenged Grave again outside the zeppelin. He was finally killed by Grave.

• Balladbird Lee:

Extremely loyal to Harry MacDowell, as well as being Bob Poundmax's best friend, he owes his life to Harry after it was found that he was working with Lightning, a rival group of which his brother Cannon Vulcan was a member, while in Millennion. However, Harry forgave Balladbird, looking the other way in exchange for his loyalty. In the game, Lee was the 2nd member that Grave has to face and he kidnapped Mika to lure Grave to him. Lee transformed into his OverKill-form and battled Grave to avenge his fallen friend Bob. Lee was killed by Grave.

• Bunji Kugashira:

An assassin from a rival group originally out to eliminate Harry, he joins Millennion after Harry convinces him of a double-cross by the group that hired him. As a member of Brandon Heat's True Grave sweeper unit, he's second only to him in rank and skill. After Brandon's death, he takes over leadership of the squad, eventually killing or scaring them all off until he is left to work alone, as per his preference. The only thing he showed kindness to is a small black cat that accompanied him throughout the show. In the game, Bunji was the last member of Millennion and battled Grave in a ruined church, right after the death of Bear Walken. He proved himself a equal to Grave, but he still met his demise. In Gungrave OD, Bunji was brought back to "life" by the Corsione family as a mummy. Though Bunji is displeased over his revival, he's more eager to battle Grave again. He was defeated for the last time by either Grave, Juji or Redcadillac.

Others

• Blood War: (also called: Bloodmore in the English dub of the Anime) A friend of Cannon Vulcan, he joins with him in an attempt to take over the town, killing his own group and having them necrolyzed in the process. He was first wounded by Brandon, then he took a concentrated dose of Necro-Rise and caused suicide, then he returned in the form of a monster resembling Blanka from Street Figther, he almost killed Brandon and Bunji, but they where rescued by Harry. He is often erroneously named "Brad Wong" in Fan-subs of the Anime.

• Cannon Vulcan: Brother to Balladbird Lee, he initiated a territorial war between Millennion and his own Lightning. Though Lightning was small in comparison to Millennion, they had an ace up their sleeve: necrolyzation. Along with Dr. T, who developed the process, his brother Balladbird Lee, working both sides, and Brad Wong, who supplied the corpses, Lightning warred with Millennion for control of the city.He killed Balladbird Lee`s father in the anime.

• Mika Asagi: She's the daughter of former Millennion leader Big Daddy and Maria Asagi. She retrieved the Cerberus pistols and brought them to Doctor Tokioka. Thus Grave was awakened from his "sleep."

• Juji Kabane: Juji Kabane, from the Kutaba school of martial arts--he's out for revenge and won't stop until he gets it. As a result of the experiments Garino performed on him, he's blind, dead, and was injected with an experimental version of SEED. Since he's blind he uses his sense of smell to guide him, as well as a little help from Billy (full name Rocketbilly Redcadillac), who is a ghost that haunts a guitar that Juji picked up during his travels. He is the brother of Bunji Kugashira. It has never been actually proven if he is actually blind or if he is pretending in order to hide his eyes that are under the effect, also, in the final battle of Gungrave: Overdose his face mask is replaced with sunglasses. He wields dual gunblades.

• Rocketbilly Redcadillac: He is a ghost...how he died is not specified. He haunts a guitar but somehow is able to use it to kill enemies in "Overdose". He is what you would call a ladies man. He won't admit it, but his grandma is his idea of the perfect woman. He wields his guitar as a weapon by shooting bolts from his guitar or wielding it as a melee weapon.

• Spike Hubie: Found by Mika when she was researching the appearance of SEED. He had lost his memory, but was holding a vial of SEED in his hand. He's a genius, helping Mika with her search for SEED. He had also helped make Grave's coffin better. He annoys Juji to no end but doesn't mean to. You find out later that he is Garino's clone and he can see and hear everything that Spike hears so that would explain why you would always get into some serious trouble. He is considered to be Mika's younger brother. He was killed by Garino shortly before the final boss battle of Gungrave Overdose.

• Fangoram: Another deadman, nothing is really known about him, but he does carry the third gun in the Cerberus series. He is the only one in the world who can wield that gun, they call it the "Center head" after the center head of cerberus; the three headed hound that guards the gates of hell. Its power is unrivaled even by Grave's two pistols, one shot from Center Head seriously wounded Grave.

• Garino Creale Corsione: The step-son of the Don that runs the new organization that distributes Seed. He takes over the business without his step-father knowing and ultimately betrays him and has him injected with seed, which spawns a short Boss battle on the plane in which Garino has rigged with explosives. He is very rich and has contributed greatly to the Necrolization Project and the development of Seed.

• Don Corsione: Head of the crime syndicate that Grave and the others are fighting against. Garino is his second in command, the don's ultimate goal is to control the entire underworld.

• Sherry: Bear Walken's daughter, she fell in love with Harry at a very young age. They were soon married and lived happily in their mansion. When the revolt against Harry began, a member of Millennion shot Sherry in an attempt to assassinate Harry. In Gungrave Overdose, she was later revived as a deadman (or deadwoman) and hired by the Corsione family to kill Grave. She, however, wants personal revenge against him for killing Harry. (Along with her father, and ruining her life...)

• Zell Condorbrave: The leader of an elite mercenary squad said to have defeated 4 deadmen. They have been hired by Garino to take care of Grave and the others.

External links

• Gungrave website from Geneon/Pioneer Entertainment
• gungrave.com - Official Japanese website
• Gungrave at jvcmusic.co.jp (Japanese website)
• Gungrave website
• (Gungrave Indepth) website
• Gungrave at MobyGames

Anime information

• GUNGRAVE OST UNO "RIGHTHEAD" at MusicBrainz
• GUNGRAVE OST 2 "LEFTHEAD" at MusicBrainz