, born , is the protagonist of
Red Entertainment's
action third-person shooter
Third-person shooter (TPS) is a subgenre of 3D shooter games in which the gameplay consists primarily of shooting. It is closely related to first-person shooters, but with the player character visible on-screen during play. While 2D shoot 'em ...
series ''Gungrave''. Formerly a trusted member of the Millennion's Family who was killed by his best friend Harry McDowell, Brandon was revived as part of a result of experiments. ''
Gungrave'' opens shortly after his resurrection, fifteen years after his death. Grave is a silent protagonist, receiving his mission and carrying it out without a word. He has reappeared in the multiple sequels ''Gungrave'' has had, where he faces new enemies alongside allies. The character has also appeared in the crossover game ''
Chaos Wars
is a tactical role-playing video game released by Idea Factory for the PlayStation 2 in Japan on September 21, 2006. Promotional art for the game is by Kinu Nishimura. The game's opening theme "Shūtan no Ou to Isekai no Kishi ~The Endia & The ...
'' and
Madhouse's
anime
is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...
adaptation of the first game.
Beyond the Grave was created by
manga artist
A is a comic artist who writes and/or illustrates manga. As of 2006, about 3,000 professional manga artists were working in Japan.
Most manga artists study at an art college or manga school or take on an apprenticeship with another artist be ...
Yasuhiro Nightow
is a Japanese manga artist. His major work ''Trigun'' was adapted into an anime series and film. He also designed the characters for the video game and anime series ''Gungrave'', and has been working on the manga ''Blood Blockade Battlefront''. ...
when staff members from Red Entertainment requested his help with the idea of ''Gungrave''. Nightow chose Grave to be silent based on his preferences with video games and felt that his design became too difficult to animate. Across the sequels, the staff in charge of the games wanted to improve the Grave's appeal through his new actions and how he encounters enemies. Despite being silent, Grave sometimes talks with
Tomokazu Seki
is a Japanese voice actor and singer. He has previously worked with Haikyō. He is honorary president of and affiliated with Atomic Monkey and the chairman of theater company HeroHero Q. He is a special lecturer at Japan Newart College.
Caree ...
being his Japanese voice actor while
Kirk Thornton portrays him in the English dub of the series.
Critical reception to Beyond the Grave has been mixed. While game journalists have found his story in his debut simple, the character's design and powers as a gunner have received positive response, comparing him with other of Nightow's characters, most notably the ones from his
manga
Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
''
Trigun''. Critical response to his role in the anime adaptation of the game has been positive due to how the narrative handles his transformation from a street fighter to a ruthless mafia hitman and becoming Harry's enemy as his new undead persona, Grave, while still dealing with his friendship.
Creation and design
![Yasuhiro Nightow 20110630 Japan Expo 1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/47/Yasuhiro_Nightow_20110630_Japan_Expo_1.jpg)
Beyond the Grave was created by
manga artist
A is a comic artist who writes and/or illustrates manga. As of 2006, about 3,000 professional manga artists were working in Japan.
Most manga artists study at an art college or manga school or take on an apprenticeship with another artist be ...
Yasuhiro Nightow
is a Japanese manga artist. His major work ''Trigun'' was adapted into an anime series and film. He also designed the characters for the video game and anime series ''Gungrave'', and has been working on the manga ''Blood Blockade Battlefront''. ...
. During a convention in America he was approached by game developer
Red Entertainment, who asked if there was a certain type of game Ihe was interested in making. In creating Grave, Nightow elaborated wanted him to be a silent person as he does not enjoy games where the main character talks too much. Nightow explained further influences in the making of the character and believed he was satisfied with the final result. He created Grave from his backside due to how the game would be designed and never thought about how hard it would be to animate him. When the ''Gungrave'' anime was released, Nightow noted the issues he made and made a brief plot summary for the staff. Nightow also took a liking to Grave's younger persona, Brandon Heat, being excited in a convention when he met a cosplayer of him. In ''
Gungrave: Overdose'' the developers wanted to keep showing people Beyond the Grave, as "just how great" he is based on response from the original game. The character is voiced in Japanese by
Tomokazu Seki
is a Japanese voice actor and singer. He has previously worked with Haikyō. He is honorary president of and affiliated with Atomic Monkey and the chairman of theater company HeroHero Q. He is a special lecturer at Japan Newart College.
Caree ...
and
Kirk Thornton in English.
For ''Gungrave G.O.R.E.'', Kim Min Soo of
Iggymob noted that there were difficulties in making enemies for the player as Beyond the Grave happened to have become a very powerful character across the series. As a result, Soo elaborated that while the enemies will "be hiding in buildings, as an example" to look for the right moment to strike", Grave would not care for their fates and kill them ruthlessly. The character's weaponry were made to the character stand out; Kim states "it doesn't just look cool, it also can be used to keep things, be used as a weapon, and such. It could be one of the things Grave unlocks in a “growth system”, where he can unlock some skills, so yes, there's skill trees in some form or another". Nightow to check the weapons the Grave can wield in combat. Iggymob also discussed the development process of Grave's new design, which was developed in collaboration with Nightow. In the game, Grave had various facial animations for expressing emotions. New fireweapons for Grave were designed by Nightow.
Story
''Gungrave''
The game Mika dragging an oversized attaché case toward a warehouse with difficulty. "Bloody" Harry Macdowell has just carried out a coup against Big Daddy, the leader of the Millennion organization. Grave uses two massive handguns under its stages as a series of missions issued by Dr. T, first to gather information on the current makeup of Millennion from a low-level street gang, and next destroying a research facility that creates Harry's undead soldiers. Grave comes into contact with the leadership of the Millenion organization—once friends and allies that he now faces as enemies with supernatural powers.
As the player progresses, the game uses anime cutscenes to reflect on the history of young Brandon and Harry, gradually bringing the pair's back story into focus. Close friends, the two had both become lieutenants in the Millennion organization, working directly under Big Daddy, the group's leader. Brandon shared a bond with Big Daddy and some flashbacks show the two sharing more of a father-son relationship. Brandon even let Big Daddy marry the woman he loved so that she could find a better life. Not content with the power he had been given, Harry asked Brandon to help him kill Big Daddy so that he could take over. When Brandon refused, Harry shot his friend in the left eye, killing him. Fifteen years later, Harry carried out his coup. His actions as leader inspired Dr. T to revive Brandon who was the only person capable of stopping Harry. Dr. T's connection to all of this is not made clear, but he often makes comments that indicate some connection to Brandon's former life. Grave picks apart the leadership of Millennion to make his way to Harry. At the top of the tower that Harry uses as a headquarters, it is revealed that Big Daddy still lives in the form of a twisted monster. Harry forces Grave to fight his creation, and following the final battle, Harry accepts his defeat graciously and allows his friend to kill him. With Harry defeated, Mika's protection becomes Grave's only concern, and to keep his promise to Big Daddy of protecting the family, Grave protects Mika while they drive away from this tragedy.
''Gungrave: Overdose''
Grave is reawakened by an older Mika Asagi. Sporting a new outfit, a new Coffin, and even more firepower than before, Grave silently goes forth to destroy the SEED narcotics empire controlled by the Corisione Family. Before his disappearance, he breaks his "silent protagonist" character by making only one sentence, "You must live, Mika".
''Gungrave VR''
This game is a prologue to ''Gungrave G.O.R.E'', the third mainline entry that is in development. At the end of ''Gungrave: Overdose'', Grave finally achieved peace and went back to sleep, but as time goes on, SEED starts to spread across a town again. Mika finds out about this, and hesitatingly wakes up Grave, and together they throw themselves into the heat of battle again.”
''Gungrave VR U.N''
''Gungrave G.O.R.E''
The game's story will revolve around Grave and Mika taking down the drug cartel Raven Clan that is spreading SEED throughout the world in effort to control humanity. Though they have been trying to take down SEED, this time Grave and Mika will be joined together with a small organization to form a new one called the El-Al Canhel.
Other appearances
The character also appears in the crossover
role-playing game
A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within ...
''
Chaos Wars
is a tactical role-playing video game released by Idea Factory for the PlayStation 2 in Japan on September 21, 2006. Promotional art for the game is by Kinu Nishimura. The game's opening theme "Shūtan no Ou to Isekai no Kishi ~The Endia & The ...
'' alongside other characters with ''Gungrave: Overdose''. DieHardGameFan enjoyed how he managed to get his own proper storyline despite not being the lead. The character's role in the first game has also been explored in
Madhouse's anime series.
Reception
Critical reception to Beyond the Grave has been mixed in his introduction. ''
Game Revolution
''GameRevolution'' (formerly ''Game-Revolution'') is a gaming website created in 1996. Based in Berkeley, California, the site includes reviews, previews, a gaming download area, cheats, and a merchandise store, as well as webcomics, screenshots ...
'' regarded him as a "true hero" due to the skills he possesses, something the players would like control while describing him as an "arthritic
Frankenstein
''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific ex ...
" due to experiments have affected his nearly dead body. Nevertheless, his narrative was found common due to his journey to defeat mafia members with supernatural powers. ''
GameSpot
''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
'' drew a similar statement, considering his looks as mix between "cowboy and a vampire" while still keeping a stylish look and liking his interactions with Mika. ''
IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
'' enjoyed his main design, comparing it with Nightow's''
Trigun'' manga but more gothic and laballed him as "cool" due to the intense firepower he displays. In another review, ''IGN'' described Grave as "the one notably detailed character model on screen at any given time, since most of the cannon fodder are given comparatively short shrift in the modeling department" and lamented his lack of more diverse moves.
In a further analysis of the game while detailing the revenge story arcs as common in fiction,
GameSpy
GameSpy was an American provider of online multiplayer and matchmaking middleware for video games founded in 1996 by Mark Surfas. After the release of a multiplayer server browser for the game, QSpy, Surfas licensed the software under the GameS ...
found there is a common misinterpretation of Grave as an anti-hero but instead is portrayed as "the reformed gangster, whose loyalty and caring feelings toward those he loves gives him a type of nobility that allows him to somewhat transcend his bloodthirsty one-man war." ''
GamePro
Gamepro.com is an international multiplatform video game magazine media company that covers the video game industry, video game hardware and video game software in countries such as Germany and France. The publication, GamePro, was originally la ...
'' enjoyed the character, but describing him as a "low-rent
Max Payne
''Max Payne'' is a neo-noir third-person shooter video game series developed by Remedy Entertainment (''Max Payne'' and ''Max Payne 2'') and Rockstar Studios (''Max Payne 3''). The series is named after its protagonist, Max Payne, a New York Ci ...
".
Grave's return in ''Overdose'' was described by Eurogamer as a forced sequel due to how the plot recycles elements from his original portrayal. ''GameSpot'' enjoyed some segments of the game where Grave fights boss character in an appealing fashion.
In retrospective, ''GameSpy'' he saw him as "undeniably cool, being the strong, silent, undead type" making him one of the best parts from the original game, while adding new sides for his personality in ''Overdose''. While liking the character, ''IGN'' appreciated the new moves he was given alongside his new allies.
GameZone also liked their "cool" appeal regardless of what happens in the gameplay. Despite criticism to the sequel ''Gungrave VR'', PlayStation LifeStyle considered Grave to be still well designed. WorthPlaying lamented how Grave's new unlockable skin did not improve his skills.
Critics have also commented on the character's arc from
Madhouse television series. Upon his introduction,
Anime News Network
Anime News Network (ANN) is a news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, video games, Japanese popular music and other related cultures within North America, Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan. The website offers reviews and oth ...
panned his silent attitude displayed in the series' primitive, comparing him negatively with characters with a similar design. When the anime focused on his younger persona, Brandon Heat, ANN still felt it was hard to sympathize with him due to his calm demeanor and the anime's slow pace. Nevertheless, ANN looked forward to the time he and his best friend, Harry MacDowel, become enemies as foreshadowed. By the next review, the same site enjoyed how the character has taken action in Millennium organization alongside Harry while also finding his relationship with love interest Maria appealing.
DVD Talk enjoyed the early tragic setting the cast are initially put into and, like how ANN, the two become invested in becoming powerful people. Mania Entertainment enjoyed the backstory due to how such friendly people, Brandon and Harry, would become enemies in the series, making it enjoyable. By a following DVD, Mania enjoyed Brandon's darker characterization as a result of being involved in Millennium and how his loyalty for his boss, Big Daddy, results in his tragedy that would later turn him into Grave. In the final review where Grave's lifespan is reaching its limit while facing Harry's forces was praised by the same site due to how the narrative further explores the friendship between the two main characters despite their current situation.
In a more general review, DVD Talk enjoyed the handling of Brandon and Harry's story due to how it changes their personalities while going for enjoyable
character arc
A character arc is the transformation or inner journey of a character over the course of a story. If a story has a character arc, the character begins as one sort of person and gradually transforms into a different sort of person in response to ch ...
s. Manga.Tokyo commented that the friendship between Brandon and Harry were the biggest appeal in the anime despite the setting being chaotic due to the quest the two characters face when becoming mafia. Hardcore Gaming 101 enjoyed how the anime corrupts the young Brandon and Harry when working for Millennium leading to the scene in which the former becomes Grave. ''IGN'' compared Brandon to
Terminator due to his deadly skills but questioned how depressed he is about his job as a gangster and why he would not quit Millennium alongside his love interest.
Tomokazu Seki
is a Japanese voice actor and singer. He has previously worked with Haikyō. He is honorary president of and affiliated with Atomic Monkey and the chairman of theater company HeroHero Q. He is a special lecturer at Japan Newart College.
Caree ...
's vocal performance as the two personas was also praised by Mania over the English dub,
with ''Famitsu'' offering similar comments.
See also
*''
Gungrave''
*''
Gungrave: Overdose''
*
''Gungrave'' (TV series)
References
{{Gungrave series
Fictional elective mutes
Fictional gunfighters
Fictional marksmen and snipers
Fictional mass murderers
Gungrave
Male characters in anime and manga
Male characters in video games
Orphan characters in anime and manga
Orphan characters in video games
Science fiction video game characters
Shooter video games characters
Silent protagonists
Undead characters in video games
Video game characters introduced in 2002
Video game protagonists