History Characters / GungraveMainCharacters

* GunsAkimbo: As Brandon and as Grave, he always dual-wielded handguns in a crossed fashion upon becoming a Sweeper. Before that, he just relied on GoodOldFisticuffs.

* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: Gives one to Bunji in the anime when the man is shooting at Mika and is questioning Brandon about his loyalty to Millennion.

* SuperStrength: After becoming Grave.

** In G.O.R.E, a brainwashed Bunji nearly kills him before he can be awakened. Quartz stops him, only to get her ass handed to her, which prompts Grave to awaken on his own and literally beat the brainwashing out of Bunji while screaming his name.

* WorldsStrongestMan: Lampshaded by Billy in OD.
--> '''Rocketbilly''': Wow, you are amazing, man. You really are hands down the world's strongest Deadman.

* BadassInDistress: [[spoiler: Becomes this for most of ''G.O.R.E'' thanks to being infected again, with a unique SEED variant made by Who-Knows-Who.]]

->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/HiroakiHirata (JP; ''Overdose''), Creator/SteveBlum (EN; ''Overdose'')

In combat, Juji dual-wields a pair of red Gun Blades, "Tsumuji" and "Hayate". He is fast and light on his feet, deftly slicing his opponents to ribbons using the "Kuchiba Style". His proficiency with melee combat means his long-range attacks suffer quite a bit. He cannot charge his guns the way Grave and Billy can, but he can charge his swords to perform a powerful series of sword attacks.\\\
Voiced by Creator/HiroakiHirata and Creator/CamClarke.

* BattleStrip: [[spoiler:He loses the jacket during the final battle in ''O.D.'']]

* DanceBattler: When using Blue Lightning as a melee weapon. His dodging abilities are more like stage dives than anything else.

* GameplayAndStorySegregation / CutscenePowerToTheMax: Billy is pretty much immune to everything in cutscenes because of his state as a spirit, yet if you choose to play his campaign, Billy can't dodge very well and takes conspicuous damage.
** To be fair, in game ''his guitar'' is being damaged, and if it's destroyed, then he will "die" for real. It's not his fault if enemies realize they must hit his weapon/weak point only out of cutscenes.
** "Aw man, I'm on my last guitar string!"
* GlassCannon: Billy has the best ranged attacks of the three playable characters. His bolts hit quite hard and he's quite beastly in boss fights. The downside is his low defense, which becomes more apparent in higher difficulty modes.

!!!'''Voiced by (Japanese):''' Creator/TomokazuSeki (''Overdose'' onwards)\\
'''Voiced by (English):''' Creator/KirkThornton (anime, ''Gungrave VR''), Chris Cook (''Overdose''), Seamus Bryner (''G.O.R.E'')\\
'''Voiced by (Spanish):''' Rafael Rivera (anime)

->"There is one thing I know for certain. [[UndyingLoyalty To protect is not to betray. Never betray. Never.]]"\\
''The roar of an anguished soul terminates everything that exists as it turns into a rave of bullets...''
The protagonist of the video game series ''Gungrave'' and its animated adaptation.\\\
Prior to his death, Beyond the Grave was Brandon Heat and Harry [=MacDowell=]'s best friend. Following the deaths of their friends after running afoul with a mobster's younger brother, Brandon and Harry eventually joined the Millennion crime syndicate, eventually going on to join Big Daddy's inner circle "The Family". During this time, Brandon became close friends with Big Daddy through Maria, who adopted Maria after the death of her guardian. Around this time, he also became one of the organization's top hitmen. Unfortunately, Brandon lost his life to Harry after the latter espoused his desire to usurp Big Daddy and take over Millennion, failing to recruit Brandon and killing him. Unbeknownst to Harry, Brandon's corpse was retrieved and necrolyzed by Dr. T, rechristening him as "Beyond the Grave" and went into hiding.\\\
When Mika Asagi, Maria and Big Daddy's daughter, found them with a case carrying the Left Head and Right Head as per her mother's instructions, Grave went after the Millennion organization with the intent of dismantling it.\\\
In ''O.D.'', Grave is awakened once again by Mika after SEED, the drug used by Harry and Millennion, resurfaces and helps her find out who is distributing it and destroy them.\\
In ''G.O.R.E'', Grave is a member of El-Al-Canhel, an organization created by Mika with the explicit purpose of wiping out SEED once and for all.

* BadassInANiceSuit: He initially wore casual clothes, like a leather vest and jeans, but after becoming one of Millenion's top assassins he switches to more formal dresses and suits. He even sports a ponytail and glasses in his later years.

* FateWorseThanDeath: In the [[AllThereInTheManual side notes of the game's artbook]], Brandon/Grave was actually meant to be Millenion's greatest Deadman enforcer, a mindless tool of destruction for the syndicate that eventually killed him. Dr. Tokioka really didn't want Grave to be trapped in such a fate and escaped to the depths of the city with Grave in tow, living in secrecy for years until the day would come when Grave could destroy the syndicate once and for all.

* HandCannon: "Cerberus", a pair of HandGuns the size of ''submachine guns'', supposedly created by engineers of Millenion for Grave's use and, according to Jyuji in ''Overdose'', a brilliant insane mind. Naturally, only Grave can handle them. They're actually part of a series of guns known as the Cerberus series, named after the heads of the three-headed dog guarding the gates of the underworld, with Grave's guns being the Left and Right Heads.
* HandicappedBadass: As Grave, he can still shoot very accurately despite having just one eye. In the anime's finale, [[spoiler:Grave can still take out the Millenion goons with an arm and bricks despite having lost an arm and unable to walk properly.]]

* LoanShark: He briefly was one when he first joined Millenion, but quickly moved up the ranks after he saved Big Daddy's life during an attempted assassination and became a hitman.

->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/TomokoKawakami (JP; ''Gungrave (2002)'' & ''Gungrave: Overdose''), Creator/KumiSakuma (JP; Anime, G.O.R.E), Creator/KariWahlgren (EN; Anime Adaption), Renee Raudman (EN; ''Gungrave: Overdose''), Mayra Arellano (SP; Anime Adaption)

The only daughter of Big Daddy and Maria who had been living a normal life with her mother Maria and their butler Tokioka, until agents of Millenion came to their house. Barely escaping execution by Harry's minions, both Maria and Tokioka died protecting her. Injured, weary, and fearing for her life, she was given the Cerberus suitcase left to Maria, and one instruction: "Go to wherever he (Brandon) is." However, while she did manage to reach Dr. T.'s hideout, she sees that the man her mother knew is no longer Brandon--he is now the deadman called Grave. Her appearance and returning Cerberus to Grave had "awakened" him, finally allowing to him to bring vengeance to Harry and the Syndicate. As of ''Overdose'', not only is she under the protection of Grave, she also acts as his caretaker and assistant, being his only blood donor (which has made her physically weak but she silently bears it because it's one of the few things she can do to sustain Grave's body).

She always felt that she only causes trouble for Grave, and wonders why he would go to such great lengths to protect her, but Grave often pats her on the head, as if to remind her that she is his "special person" and that she is not a burden--she is a living memento of the people that Grave knew and loved when he was still known as Brandon. She means everything to him, and is the only person who can truly understand his gestures and expressions. Though not related by blood, Mika knows that they are a family. After slowly being overtaken by Seed infection, she and Grave are given a counter-antidote, which Grave administers to Mika. As she falls asleep, Grave breaks his usual silent mannerisms by gently telling her that she must live. In ''Gungrave: G.O.R.E'', she founds and leads an organization called El-Al-Canhel dedicated to destroying Seed once and for all.

* AwfulTruth: Mika was purposely kept without any knowledge about Millenion and her parents' involvement, as Maria just wanted her to grow up in a "normal" world. That gets turned upside down once the series opens in both the game and anime.
* BadassInDistress: [[spoiler: Becomes this for most of ''G.O.R.E'' thanks to being infected again, with a unique Seed variant made by Who-Knows-Who.]]

* LockedIntoStrangeness: [[spoiler: Thanks to Who-Knows-Who infecting her with a unique strand of Seed, her body is now half-crystallized and able to sense Seed all throughout the world. With her condition stabilized at the end of ''G.O.R.E'', now her goal is to gain control of her strangeness.]]

* ParentalAbandonment: She was born after her father was murdered and thus, never knew him. She saw her mother Maria die protecting her from Millenion's agents.

* ScarsAreForever: She retains the glowing blue scars along the left side of her face and body in ''VR'' and ''G.O.R.E'' even after being cured of her Seed infection in ''Overdose''.

* TookALevelInBadass: In the first game and the anime, she's effectively a DamselInDistress and emotional support. In the beginning of ''Overdose'', she has the guts to use a rocket launcher to fight off a SEED mob, and eventually takes charge of doing her damnedest to wipe out the Seed from the world to prevent more tragedy and Deadmen.

[[folder:Juji Kabane]]
!!'''Juji/Jyuji Kabane'''
[[quoteright:218: https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Juji_Kabane.jpg]]

-->''"You may think the dead feel no pain, but you're wrong. It's just the opposite. No matter how much pain we feel...we can never look forward to the release of death."''

Appears as a playable character in ''Overdose''. Juji is a skilled swordsman, and he is a necrolizer like Mika's guardian, Grave. Juji is loud, rude, and has a mind that operates like a runaway train. Claiming that diplomacy isn't his strong point, he is also blind. But with the loss of his sight, he gained an extremely acute sense of smell. He resembles a patchwork doll--he is covered with stitches and wears a tattered coat. When in battle, a large flame perpetually burns on his shoulder.\\\
In combat, Juji dual-wields a pair of red Gun Blades, "Tsumuji" and "Hayate". He is fast and light on his feet, deftly slicing his opponents to ribbons using the "Kuchiba Style". His proficiency with melee combat means his long-range attacks suffer quite a bit. He cannot charge his guns the way Grave and Billy can, but he can charge his swords to perform a powerful series of sword attacks.\\\
Voiced by Creator/HiroakiHirata and Creator/CamClarke.

Also first appearing in ''Overdose'', Billy is an outlandishly dressed rockabilly ghost (???), possessing an electric guitar that Juji found while traveling. He is Juji's best friend, and supposedly is a ladies' man. He has much admiration for his grandmother, and strives to be kind to every woman he meets. Why he wanders the world as a ghost is unknown. He plays the goofball foil to Juji's "straight man" persona, and while Billy has the air of a joker, he really is quite kind and earnest. He also holds some inner sadness, as being an incorporeal spirit means that he cannot hold a lady in his arms.\\\

Voiced by Creator/HochuOtsuka and Creator/ChrisCook.

* BroughtToYouByTheLetterS: The stylized "B" on the back of his jacket (see picture)

* SoulJar: The guitar?

!El-Alcanhel
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/el_al_canhels_symbol_2.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:El-Alcanhel's Emblem]]
An organization in ''Gungrave: G.O.R.E'' led by Mika that is dedicated to eradicating the drug SEED and destroying the Raven Clan, the mafia organization that is its primary handler, which Mika has Grave, under her will, to do the job. It was founded by Mika and a small organization.
----
[[folder:In General]]
* MeaningfulName: El Alcanhel translates to "The Archangel".
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Quartz]]
!!Cheni "Quartz" Angel
-> ''Voiced by:'' Creator/MasumiAsano (JP), Creator/BrittanyLauda (EN), Jeon Young-soo (KO)
The young granddaughter of Richard Wong from ''Overdose''. Following an ill-fated run-in with Ganpo Essex, Mika saved her life and recruited her into El-An-Canhel.
----
* ActionGirl: Capable in a fight with hand-to-hand and a gun.
* AndNowForSomeoneCompletelyDifferent: In stark contrast to previous playable characters, Quartz doesn't fight at long-range, instead relying on her hand-to-hand combat skills. She does have access to long-range attacks, but they're mostly to slow down enemies long enough for her to get in close.
* AnimeChineseGirl: Quartz is a martial artist like her grandfather, wears a qipao, and her accent in the English dub borders on sounding similar to a ValleyGirl.
* CloseRangeCombatant: To an even greater extent than Juji as she has nearly no ranged options outside of throwing a slight spread of Seed darts. She compensates by hitting like a truck and being able to close the distance with enemies incredibly fast.
* DownloadableContent: In the ''Ultimate Enhanced Edition'' version of ''G.O.R.E'' where she became fully playable outside of one stage.
* FanservicePack: Quartz undergoes this in the ''Ultimate Enhanced Edition'' re-release with her DLC, now wearing a dress that is even more revealing than her original one with some underboobs, wears thigh-highs, and foregoes her ModestyShorts for side-tie panties.
* GameplayAndStorySegregation: She's shown using a gun at several points in cutscenes, but in gameplay, she fights exclusively hand to hand.
* GirlishPigtails: Has two long ones down her back.
* HalfHumanHybrid: Has partially became part Orgman after her run-in with Gungpo and having SEED being used to treat her arm.
* AnIcePerson: She has gamed some ice-elemental powers after SEED was used to treat her injured arm.
* InSeriesNickname: Her full name is Cheni Angel, but everyone calls her "Quartz".
* IOweYouMyLife: She's devoted to Mika, seeing as how the latter saved her life after Ganpo nearly killed her.
* KamehameHadoken: One of her Demolition Shots, Seed Blast, has her firing a concentrated blast of SEED energy from the cup of her hands.
* SpeedEchoes: Performing a successful dodge before getting hit by an enemy will leave afterimages of Quartz, which indicates she can follow up with a counterattack that freezes her enemies.
[[/folder]]

'''Voiced by (English):''' Creator/KirkThornton (anime, ''Gungrave VR''), Chris Cook (''Overdose''), Seamus Bryner (''G.O.R.E.'')\\

In ''G.O.R.E.'', Grave is a member of El-Al-Canhel, an organization created by Mika with the explicit purpose of wiping out SEED once and for all.

* GentleGiant: Towards Mika, towering over her in both games (albeit less so in ''O.D.'' and ''G.O.R.E.'' where she's coming into adulthood).

** In G.O.R.E., a brainwashed Bunji nearly kills him before he can be awakened. Quartz stops him, only to get her ass handed to her, which prompts Grave to awaken on his own and literally beat the brainwashing out of Bunji while screaming his name.

->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/TomokoKawakami (JP; ''Gungrave (2002)'' & ''Gungrave: Overdose''), Creator/KumiSakuma (JP; Anime, G.O.R.E.), Creator/KariWahlgren (EN; Anime Adaption), Renee Raudman (EN; ''Gungrave: Overdose''), Mayra Arellano (SP; Anime Adaption)

She always felt that she only causes trouble for Grave, and wonders why he would go to such great lengths to protect her, but Grave often pats her on the head, as if to remind her that she is his "special person" and that she is not a burden--she is a living memento of the people that Grave knew and loved when he was still known as Brandon. She means everything to him, and is the only person who can truly understand his gestures and expressions. Though not related by blood, Mika knows that they are a family. After slowly being overtaken by Seed infection, she and Grave are given a counter-antidote, which Grave administers to Mika. As she falls asleep, Grave breaks his usual silent mannerisms by gently telling her that she must live. In ''Gungrave: G.O.R.E.'', she founds and leads an organization called El-Al-Canhel dedicated to destroying Seed once and for all.

* BadassInDistress: [[spoiler: Becomes this for most of ''G.O.R.E.'' thanks to being infected again, with a unique Seed variant made by Who-Knows-Who.]]

* LockedIntoStrangeness: [[spoiler: Thanks to Who-Knows-Who infecting her with a unique strand of Seed, her body is now half-crystallized and able to sense Seed all throughout the world. With her condition stabilized at the end of ''G.O.R.E.'', now her goal is to gain control of her strangeness.]]

* ScarsAreForever: She retains the glowing blue scars along the left side of her face and body in ''VR'' and ''G.O.R.E.'' even after being cured of her Seed infection in ''Overdose''.

* DownloadableContent: In the ''Ultimate Enhanced Edition'' version of ''G.O.R.E.''.

!El-Al-Canhel
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/el_al_canhels_symbol_2.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:El-Al-Canhel's Emblem]]
An organization in ''Gungrave: G.O.R.E.'' led by Mika that's dedicated to eradicating the drug SEED, and destroying the Raven Clan, the mafia organization that is its primary handler, which Mika has Grave, under her will, to do the job. It was founded by Mika and a small organization.

-> ''Voiced by:'' Creator/MasumiAsano (JP), Creator/BrittanyLauda (EN)

* DownloadableContent: In the ''Ultimate Enhanced Edition'' version of ''G.O.R.E.''.

* AnIcePerson: She has gamed some ice-elemental powers after seed was used to treat her injured arm.

* InSeriesNickname: Quartz.

->"There is one thing I know for certain. [[UndyingLoyalty To protect is not to betray. Never betray. Never]]."\\

Prior to his death, Beyond the Grave was Brandon Heat and Harry MacDowell's best friend. Following the deaths of their friends after running afoul with a mobster's younger brother, Brandon and Harry eventually joined the Millennion crime syndicate, eventually going on to join Big Daddy's inner circle "The Family". During this time, Brandon became close friends with Big Daddy through Maria, who adopted Maria after the death of her guardian. Around this time, he also became one of the organization's top hitmen. Unfortunately, Brandon lost his life to Harry after the latter espoused his desire to usurp Big Daddy and take over Millennion, failing to recruit Brandon and killing him. Unbeknownst to Harry, Brandon's corpse was retrieved and necrolyzed by Dr. T, rechristening him as "Beyond the Grave" and went into hiding.\\\

** Probably downplayed or zigzagged in the anime. She is a DistressedDamsel and rather cowardly, but she manages to reach Grave despite having an injured leg. Then, in the last few episodes, nothing stops her from finding Brandon/Grave. Even after being coldly dismissed by Biscoe, she immediately runs off and tries to go to the slum ''by foot'', which is very far. [[spoiler:She does reach Brandon/Grave in the end, with Biscoe's help.]]
* DistressedDamsel: In the anime.

* PeekABangs: When Grave isn't wearing his glasses, he adopts this look to hide his scar located on where his left eye used to be.

* OurZombiesAreDifferent: MixAndMatch of Type C (Construct) and Type R (Revenant). He's one of the very few "products" of Necrolyzation that [[ItCanThink has a will of his own]].

!!!'''Voiced by (Japanese):''' Creator/TomokazuSeki\\

Prior to his death, Beyond the Grave was Brandon Heat and Harry MacDowell's best friend. After the deaths of their friends after running afoul with a mobster's younger brother, Brandon and Harry eventually joined the Millennion crime syndicate, eventually going on to join Big Daddy's inner circle "The Family". During this time, Brandon became close friends with Big Daddy through Maria, who adopted Maria after the death of her guardian. Around this time, he also became one of the organization's top hitmen. Unfortunately, Brandon lost his life to Harry after the latter espoused his desire to usurp Big Daddy and take over Millennion, failing to recruit Brandon and killing him. Unbenownst to Harry, Brandon's corpse was retrieved and necrolyzed by Dr. T, rechristening him as "Beyond the Grave" and went into hiding.\\\

* GlassCannon: Has the best ranged attacks of the three characters. His bolts hit quite hard and he's quite beastly in boss fights. Problem is that his defense is very low, and becomes more apparent in higher difficulty modes.

* TheAce: After becoming a hitman, he was regarded as being one of Millennion's best hitmen alongside Bear Walken. Ultimately, however, he's a BrokenAce as despite his skills, he ''really'' doesn't like his job. It's to the point that, after dealing with Blood War and realizing how much blood he has on his hands, Brandon cuts off all contact with Maria. When she, through Big Daddy, tries to reconnect with him, Brandon refuses on the grounds that he's killed too many people to be with her.

Appears as a playable character in ''Overdose''. Juji is a skilled swordsman, and he is a necrolizer like Mika's guardian, Grave. Juji is loud, rude, and has a mind that operates like a runaway train. Claiming that diplomacy isn't his strong point, he is also blind. But with the loss of his sight, he gained an extremely acute sense of smell. He resembles a patchwork doll--he is covered with stitches and wears a tattered coat. When in battle, a large flame perpetually burns on his shoulder. It's not certain how he got this flame or how he was necrolized, however Juji reveals himself to be a failed test subject. He had died while on the job and Garino forced him through several truly horrible experiments--being ''conscious'' while his body was cut open, and prodded. Juji was infused with a prototype Seed and "died" in agonizing pain, only surviving by using a special breathing technique. Even now he is constantly meditating to keep his deadman half and his seed half in balance. While he can override the need to have his blood refreshed, he is almost always in pain--but if he ever stops his meditation, it would mean a fate worse than death. He wanders the earth with his cohort Billy, seeking to take revenge on Garino.

He is the younger brother of Bunji Kugashira.

In combat, Juji dual-wields a pair of red Gun Blades, "Tsumuji" and "Hayate". He is fast and light on his feet, deftly slicing his opponents to ribbons using the "Kuchiba Style". His proficiency with melee combat means his long-range attacks suffer quite a bit. He cannot charge his guns the way Grave and Billy can, but he can charge his swords to perform a powerful series of sword attacks.

* AndIMustScream: Presumably he was like this during Garino's experiments.

* BlessedWithSuck: He can get by without being refilled with blood, but the trade-off: he's in neverending pain and has to keep his seed half in check.
* BlindWeaponmaster: Implied. Juji almost always wears his mask over his eyes, but the final fight has them off.

* ButNowIMustGo: "...We're born drifters. We can't stay in one place for long."

%%* CallingYourAttacks

* CoolMask: Although it's really there to cover up the parts of his face that's been eaten away by his seed implants.
* DisabilitySuperpower: He's implied to be blind because of the experiments done to him by Garino.

%%* HotBlooded
* IncendiaryExponent / PlayingWithFire: Ranging from hurling a simple fireball to just turning himself into a ''flaming missile''!
* LightningBruiser: Absurdly fast and strong melee attack power, good defense but very weak projectile/long-range attacks.

* TheNoseKnows: "I don't like this. Something stinks."
* RedOniBlueOni: Red, to Billy's Blue Oni.
%%* ReverseGrip
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Against Garino.

* StrappedToAnOperatingTable: Part of his backstory. It's how he received his power.
* VitriolicBestBuds: With Billy.

Also first appearing in ''Overdose'', Billy is an outlandishly dressed rockabilly ghost (???), possessing an electric guitar that Juji found while traveling. He is Juji's best friend, and supposedly is a ladies' man. He has much admiration for his grandmother, and strives to be kind to every woman he meets. Why he wanders the world as a ghost is unknown. He plays the goofball foil to Juji's "straight man" persona, and while Billy has the air of a joker, he really is quite kind and earnest. He also holds some inner sadness, as being an incorporeal spirit means that he cannot hold a lady in his arms.

Billy shreds through his foes using his guitar, the "B.L. 20,000V" to generate lightning bolts with slight homing capability and firing them. His melee attacks are weak, but his long-range attacks are the best of the three. Billy is also unable to dive laterally as well as having lower endurance against large crowds of enemies.

A young woman who is granddaughter of Richard Wong from ''[[VideoGame/GungraveOverdose Gungrave: Overdose]]'' and had her left arm infected with Seed. She formed El-Al-Canhel with Mika to eliminate the drug.

* UnstoppableRage: In the anime, there is one when Bunji pushes his both of his [[BerserkButton Berserk Buttons]] by questioning his loyalty ''and'' threatening Mika by shooting around her. What follows afterwards is Brandon/Grave beating Bunji savagely (all while [[ScreamingWarrior screaming]] [[NotSoStoic and]] [[BerserkerTears crying]]) until Mika pleads him to stop.

* CloseRangeCombatant: To an even greater extent than Juji as she has absolutely no ranged options. She compensates by hitting like a truck and being able to close the distance with enemies incredibly fast.
* GameplayStorySegregation: She's shown using a gun at several points in cutscenes, but in gameplay, she fights exclusively hand to hand.

!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/TomokazuSeki (JP), Creator/KirkThornton (EN; Anime Adaptation and ''Gungrave VR''), Chris Cook (EN; ''Gungrave: Overdose''), Seamus Bryner (EN; ''Gungrave: G.O.R.E.''), Rafael Rivera (SP; Anime Adaptation)

-> ''Voiced by:'' Creator/MasumiAsano (JP), Creator/BritannyLauda (EN)

-> ''Voiced by:'' Creator/MasumiAsano (JP)

* DistressedDamsel: In the anime. So very much.

[[AC:As Brandon]]
Brandon is the protagonist of both the ''{{VideoGame/Gungrave}}'' series and the anime television adaptation. A quiet, passive but gentle young man, he was originally a petty crook who was a prominent member of Harry [=MacDowell=]'s gang, Harry also being Brandon's closest friend since childhood. Though they lived in a crime-ridden slum called "Desolation Alley", Harry's gang was considered the most good-natured. After the loss of their three best friends, Brandon and Harry joined the Millenion Syndicate and worked their way up through the ranks. Brandon was often favored by Big Daddy, the syndicate's leader, and was trained to become one of Millenion's most powerful sweepers (assassins/hitmen). Brandon eventually chose to distance himself from Maria, the woman who he had strong romantic feelings for, as he felt unworthy of being with her, due to his profession as an emotionless killer. Meanwhile, Harry becomes drunk off of the power he had gained, and quickly desired more, once he discovered and took over "The Necrolization Project"--an otherworldly technology that reanimates the dead as "necrolizers" ("Deadmen" in the games) which are undead, near-invincible soldiers.\\\

Brandon appeared to have a promising future, but during an elevator ride with Harry, his fate was ultimately sealed when he could not side with Harry's plan to kill Big Daddy and ensure Harry's position as the leader of Millenion. Seeing as how Brandon could not bring himself to kill his friend for betrayal, Harry murders Brandon in cold blood by shooting Brandon in the chest multiple times, and finishing him off with a bullet to Brandon's left eye. However, Dr. Tokioka, one of the major members of the Necrolization Project, decides to use the procedure on Brandon's corpse to revive him.
[[quoteright:225:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Heat01_1042.jpg]]
[[AC:As "Beyond The Grave"]]
Brandon Heat, necrolized and reborn in the form of a 3rd Generation Model Deadman, the semi-titular "''Gungrave''". He was "sealed away" in a sleeping state for over ten years, until he is awakened and tasked to protect a young girl named Mika, the daughter of Big Daddy and Maria. In his resurrected form, Grave is taller, sports some spiffy purple cowboy-esque duds, missing his left eye (a scar now in its place), and his remaining eye is a distinct yellow/amber. Upon reclaiming his pair of guns, he goes out into the city to take down Harry and the syndicate.\\\

His trademark weapons are a pair of large handguns: the Left Head and Right Head; together they are called "Cerberus". His secondary weapon is a large "Coffin" , a device that is stocked with heavy weapons--a machine gun and a missile launcher/bazooka. This Coffin can also be used as a melee weapon or a shield. In ''O.D.'', he receives an enhanced version of his Coffin thanks to Spike, the "Death Hauler".\\\

Grave still retains his status as an expert gunfighter, and possesses all the strengths given by necrolization, but these gains carry weaknesses as well. He was given a "body built for slaughter", but it meant he had to give up his "soul" in exchange--his memories and his emotions. In the anime, Grave suffers "functional disorder" when trying to regain his memories, in which he gets a massive headache and other pains. Due to Grave being in a "dead" state, he has to undergo specially-prepared treatments that periodically refresh his entire body's supply of blood. If he is ever deprived of blood, his body will degenerate (his skin will harden, literally crack and fall apart) rapidly and eventually cease to function.\\\

Often known as "The man nicknamed Death", to most of the characters Grave is a relentless and unforgiving killer, whose body itself is a (un)living bioweapon. However, he's also a selfless, caring man who remains loyal to Big Daddy and his family, even in death. To Mika, he's as much as a close friend and family to her as he is her faithful protector. While viewed as an "antique" by Harry and Garino, Grave continues to prove through sheer determination, his devotion to Mika (whom he's sworn to protect), and '''lots''' of heavy firepower, that he is, in the words of Billy, "the world's strongest Deadman".\\\

In ''Overdose'', Grave is the most balanced of the three playable characters. Although slightly slow in terms of movement speed, he makes up for it by being useful for any situation. His Demolition Shots (except the time-stopper/slow ones, those are all the same for all three characters) also seem to have slightly more power and range/area of effect than Juji's or Billy's shots.

* TheAce: After becoming a hitman, he was regarded as being one of Millennion's best hitmen alongside Bear Walken.
** BrokenAce: In truth, however, Brandon didn't liked what he did, something he realizes after he kills Blood War and believes that he cannot make Maria happy and decides to cut off all contact with her save for a few instances and entrusts her happiness to Big Daddy.
* AdaptationDyeJob: In the anime, Brandon's hair turns white after becoming the Deadman called Grave, whereas in the game he always had dark hair.
* AdaptationPersonalityChange: In the game, Grave was quite stoic and very rarely showed any emotion, most likely due to his nature as a Deadman. In the anime, however, he is much more emotional.

* AlwaysSaveTheGirl: Averted in only one instance. He almost always saves Mika during their time together whenever she is kidnapped. The only person he couldn't save was Maria, Mika's mother and the love of his life, who died in the anime before he woke up.
* AmbiguouslyBrown: In the video games. He's white in the anime.

* BadassBandolier: Part of his cowboy outfit. He loses it in ''Overdose'', but gets it back in ''GORE''.

* BenevolentBoss: To his squad True Grave. He treats them fairly and doesn't treat them harshly, even helping pay a member's medical bills for his mother. After his death, the members of True Grave question whether he did betray the organization and don't like Bunji's makeover of the group, nor do they like how he rebrands it. By the time Brandon wakes up as Beyond the Grave, the Kugashira group is nowhere to be found and Bunji is the sole member, implying they either left in disgust or [[FridgeHorror rumors of how anyone who works with Bunji wind up dead turn out to be true]]...

* CelibateHero: The only woman he had eyes for was Maria, and [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy he distanced himself from Maria and let her be in a relationship with Asagi]].

* ChronicHeroSyndrome: In the anime, Brandon goes from saving Maria from thugs (which Harry tells him not to interfere) to TakingTheBullet for Big Daddy and even taking Bear's place in executing Sid. [[spoiler:Later on, he asks Dr. Tokioka to Necrolyze him so that he can deal with Harry if Harry ever veers off course.]] This is often lampshaded by other characters as well. Harry doesn't call him 'Mr. Buttinsky' for nothing.
* CoolBigBro: To Bunji. Sadly, this is no longer the case after Harry takes over the organization and both men are willing to kill the other.

* DoesNotLikeGuns: Before he became Millennion's top hitman, he wouldn't touch one. Killing the man who tried to kill Big Daddy changed that.
* TheDreaded: As Brandon Heat, Millennion's best sweeper agent and as Beyond the Grave, the man who single-handedly brings the organization down.

* GentleGiant: Grave is one towards Mika. In the anime, to his friends as well, such as Gary and Widge.

* TheGunslinger: [[MoreDakka Types two]] and [[ImprobableAimingSkills four]]. He was always an accurate shot during his time as a human, and in the games the autolock ensures that his bullets will always be hitting something. When his aim isn't enough, that's when he brings out the big guns in the form of his coffin, or [[ImpossiblyCoolWeapon "The]] [[RedBaron Death]] [[SwissArmyGun Hauler"]], as it is later known as.

** Earlier before that, there's young Brandon showing no fear towards Deed, who is pointing a gun at him and threatening to shoot him. Brandon simply walks up to Deed as though the gun is nothing and beats him up, and later, it's revealed that Deed's gun is a toy.
* HandCannon: "Cerberus", a pair of HandGuns the size of ''submachine guns'', supposedly created by engineers of Millenion for Grave's use and, according to Jyuji in ''Overdose'', a brilliant by insane mind. Naturally, only Grave can handle them. They're actually part of a series of guns known as the Cerberus series, named after the heads of the three-headed dog guarding the gates of the underworld, with Grave's guns being the Left and Right Heads.

* HeroesGoneFishing: With Big Daddy in the anime.
* HeroicBuild: He is extremely well-built, more so when becomes Beyond the Grave and extremely tall and burly.

* ImplacableMan: He literally came back from the grave so he can finish unsettled business with Harry. You will be hard pressed to find anyone who can keep him down for long.

* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Brandon had every opportunity to get together with Maria, and Asagi set things up so Brandon and Maria could potentially be official. While Brandon does love her and give anything in the world to be with her, [[TheseHandsHaveKilled his being a hitman for Millennion]] and personal belief that he's not worthy of her has him distance himself from her and cut off all contact, even giving Big Daddy his blessing to be in a relationship with Maria.

* LegendaryInTheSequel: By the time of ''Overdose'', which is set two years after the events of the first game, he's apparently become very well known in the criminal underworld for having single-handedly torn down Millennion as Jyuji stops fighting him and recognizes him once Mika calls him by name.

* MeaningfulName: In the anime, Widge lampshades this trope twice. First, he lampshades the [[NonIndicativeName inversion]]: he says that 'Heat' doesn't suit Brandon's quiet nature. The second time is after seeing how Brandon deals with their customer (who is in debt with them): giving out a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown. He says that Brandon may be quiet, but he has [[HotBlooded something burning within him]].
** MeaningfulRename: Dr. Tokioka's reason for renaming Brandon as Beyond the Grave? Brandon's loyalty and desire to protect literally go ''beyond the grave''.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: If Jyuji is to be believed, Grave's name became this in the criminal underworld. Brandon Heat was also someone to be feared back when he still worked for Millennion.
* MoeGreeneSpecial How Brandon was murdered.

* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: Gives one to Bunji in the anime when the man is shooting at Mika and is questioning Brandon about his loyalty to Millenion.

* OneManArmy: He single-handedly dismantles Millennion by himself, taking out countless gang members and even Harry's elite inner circle before offing the man himself. In ''Overdose'', Jyuji (who initially attacks Grave out of a misunderstanding) stops fighting when he learns the guy he's fighting is the same one who destroyed Millennion.

* TheQuietOne (Very rarely speaks, if at all. Mika, the girl he was entrusted to protect, usually reads his facial expressions and gestures to interpret what he wants or needs. He acts a lot more machinelike in the game than he does in the television series.)

* PapaWolf: While Mika may not be his child, he is the only thing he has left to remember Maria by. And if you threaten her, rest assured, you ''will'' find yourself staring down the barrels of his guns.
** When Bunji scares Mika with a few gunshots in the anime, Grave ''snaps'' and gives Bunji a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown even though the anti-Necrolyze bullets have crippled him and left only his left arm usable.

!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/TomokazuSeki (JP), Creator/KirkThornton (EN; Anime Adaptation and ''Gungrave VR''), Chris Cook (EN; ''Gungrave: Overdose''), Rafael Rivera (SP; Anime Adaptation)

* NamedWeapons: Those giant [[HandCannon Hand Cannons]] of his are part of a collection called the Cerberus series, with the guns themselves being named the Left Head and the Right Head.

* WeaponOfChoice: His "Cerberus" handguns, Left Head and Right Head, are his main weapons. Then there's the Coffin, which is a SwissArmyWeapon of [[MoreDakka heavy machine gun]], [[MacrossMissileMassacre missile launcher]] and bazooka, aside from being where he keeps his guns when he's not using them.

* TheyFightCrime: Juji is an angry undead blind swordsman. Billy is a sweet-tempered ghost of a rockabilly who loves women and possesses an electricity-shooting guitar. ''They fight crime!''

* NamedWeapons: Those giant HandCannons of his are part of a collection called the Cerberus series, with the guns themselves being named the Left Head and the Right Head.