Gradius

Gradius (グラディウス, Guradiusu; or ) is a series of shooter (shoot'em up) video games, introduced in 1985, developed and published by Konami for a variety of portable, console and arcade platforms. In many games in the series, the player controls a ship known as the Vic Viper.

The name Gradius is a Japanese misspelling of the Latin word Gladius, which means 'sword'.

On December 5, 2025, Konami Arcade Games held the Gradius Lottery, a lottery sale to commemorate the series' 40th anniversary. The lottery sale offered a chance to win Gradius items featuring numerous original illustrations, as well as special postcards as bonus gifts.