Main Characters | Antagonists | Other Characters
List of all other characters in Gungrave (MAJOR Spoilers for both the video game series and the anime adaptation!)
Dr. T. (Dr. Tokioka)
- "All the blood in his [Grave's] body must be periodically replaced. He got that body, designed for slaughter—in exchange for his soul."
A genius scientist, Dr. Tokioka is also the twin brother of Tokioka, Big Daddy's butler. A pensive old man but with a streak of kindness underneath, he is Grave's "creator" and only ally.In the anime he drives a semi-truck which acts as their base of operations, and is also loaded with the necessary life-support systems needed for sustaining Grave's body. In the video game, he and Grave reside in a small lab hidden deep within the lowest stratum of the city.
It should be noted that in the anime, Brandon requested the doctor to necrolize him in the event of his death, in the video game that's not quite the case. When Brandon died and Harry took over, Harry's new "Family" wanted Brandon's corpse to be used as a guinea pig. They figured if they could resurrect Brandon as a Deadman under their control (Brandon was a highly-skilled sweeper after all), it would mean they would produce a loyal, immortal killing machine with no will of its own, and incapable of rebelling against them. The doctor was not going to have any of that, and he somehow managed to escape from the Family and go into hiding, taking a valuable piece of "equipment" with him—the body of Brandon, revived as "Grave" but retaining some degree of free will. However, Big Daddy did leave one instruction to the doctor before his death—the order to only awaken Grave when Maria and Mika need his protection.
As one of the geniuses behind the Necrolization Project, Dr. T. feels he has committed an irredeemable sin. He is stricken by feelings of guilt over his "cowardice" and "damning" Brandon by raising him from the dead as Grave. In both the anime and video game, he is killed.
- The Atoner: Has some shades of this in the anime, along with My God, What Have I Done?.
- Beat Them at Their Own Game Since the doctor knew that Brandon was the only person who could truly put a stop to Harry's schemes and his army of deadmen, he decides to use the necrolization technology against them by creating an even ''better'' deadman to beat them with--Beyond the Grave.
- The Caretaker: For Grave.
- Diving Save / Taking the Bullet: For Mika in the anime.
- For Science! Seemed to be his initial reason for designing the necro-rise technology, but once he saw the effects of it, in the anime it leads to him thinking My God, What Have I Done??
- Heroic Sacrifice: Shields Mika from Lee's attack and later manages to provide Grave one last treatment before dying in the anime.
- Mad Scientist: Though not so much mad, or evil per se.
- Mission Control: In the first game, he usually gives an exposition on where Grave needs to go and performs maintenance on Grave's body and monitors his health.
- Mortal Wound Reveal: Anime-only. When he reloads Grave's Cerberus with Anti-Superior bullets after Lee's assault, he looks fine. But when everything is over, it's revealed that he is bleeding out from his stomach. Somehow he manages to provide Grave one last treatment before dying.
- Playing with Syringes: He's the one who discovered and engineered the Necrolization Project.
- Scale of Scientific Sins: He considers his creation of Necrolyzation technology as this.
Maria Asagi
- "Mika, please...listen to me...Go see Dr. Tokioka. You must survive, Mika. Never give up..."
A blonde-haired woman who grew up in the same city as Brandon. To Brandon, she was his one true love, but Maria's foster parent Jester disapproved of their relationship. After the murder of Jester, she is taken by Big Daddy and his agents to his estate in order to protect her. After being rejected by Brandon, she became Big Daddy's lover and grew pregnant with his child (who will later become their daughter Mika). She was utterly devastated by the loss of Brandon, but was told that he was "alive" and was entrusted with the suitcase that held the Cerberus weapons. She was instructed that if she ever was in dire straits, bringing the suitcase to Brandon will let him know she is in need of help. After the death of Big Daddy, she lived in a smaller home with Mika and Tokioka, until Harry sent out his agents with the order to have them killed. Maria sends Mika away with Tokioka with the suitcase, telling Mika to seek out Brandon's aid. Maria stays behind and stands her ground, fighting off the Millenion agents until they succeed in killing her.
In the video game Grave fights for Maria's daughter because of a promise Grave (as Brandon) and Maria made when they were still alive, and that promise is one of the few human memories that Grave can still remember.
Voiced by Kikuko Inoue in Japanese, by Michelle Ruff in the English dub of the anime and by Patricia Hannidez in the anime's Mexican Spanish dub.
- All Girls Want Bad Boys: Subverted. Maria falls for Brandon when he saves her from some thugs and is actually concerned of his tendency to get into fights.
- Dating What Daddy Hates: Uncle Jester doesn't like Maria's relationship with Brandon, a street thug who is frequently seen fighting with other gangs.
- Love Interests: Brandon's sweetheart and later, becomes the wife of Big Daddy.
- Tears of Joy: After learning from Big Daddy that Brandon is alive and hiding somewhere.
- Took a Level in Badass: For a good ten minutes of the anime, what does Maria do when the Millenion agents come calling? She picks up a shotgun and starts blasting!
Big Daddy/Mr. Asagi
- "Brandon, I have achieved everything I wanted in this lifetime, with this company. I have achieved my dream. It is time to slowly enjoy my life, with Maria and the child within her."
The leader and founder of Millenion. Despite Millenion being at its core organized crime, Big Daddy is a calm, kindly, if a bit lonely, old man who is respected by many. His outlook on life was to "find harmony in thought". He has a fondness for fishing, and when he began spending time with Brandon, he taught him how to fish and thought of Brandon as the son he never had. He created Millenion as a means to protect his friends and family, and his innermost circle of most trusted associates is called "The Family". To ensure that the Syndicate operates smoothly, he created "The Code of Iron": Traitors of the Syndicate can only receive the punishment of death.
He also wished for Brandon to do what he could to protect Maria and his unborn child, once Maria became pregnant. In the anime Big Daddy eventually confronted Harry after receiving a letter written by Brandon before his death. The confrontation ended with Harry murdering him, who flew into a rage and claims of Big Daddy "taking Brandon away from him". Though the circumstances are different between the game and the anime, it was Big Daddy that supposedly ordered the Doctor to "lock" away the necrolized Brandon, and allow him to sleep until his power is needed.
In the video game series, he is put through a series of experiments conducted by Harry after Brandon's death and disappearance. He exists as a twisted monstrosity at the very top of the Millenion's Tower, a completely mindless shell of his former self.
Voiced by Iemasa Kayumi in Japanese, by Michael McConnohie in the English dub and by Federico Romano in the Mexican Spanish dub.
- A Father to His Men: Especially Brandon.
- The Atoner: He seeks order and frequently preaches about harmony in the organization to atone for all the bad things he committed in the past.
- Hypocrite: But in the present... Just look at his vicious loan sharks and how they operate.
- Benevolent Boss: Very benevolent, considering he's the head of a leading criminal organisation. Even consoled a low-ranking member of his organisation on the death of his mother.
- Cool Old Guy: Decked Dr T with one punch after finding out about Brandon's necrolization, proving he still had some of that toughness he would have needed in his youth to get to where he did.
- Expy: Of Michael Corleone.
- Final Boss: Sadly, he is this in the original game. There is no other way to save him aside from putting him out of his misery.
- Foil: To Harry in the anime. Explicitly pointed out in the last episode, when Harry accuses Big Daddy of being a hypocrite (as Big Daddy himself did many horrible deeds in order to get to where he is), Brandon replies that Big Daddy was aware of his own flaws and thus pursued harmony in his later life.
- Honor Before Reason: In the anime, after learning the truth behind Brandon's death and necrolization, Big Daddy confronts Harry in order to prevent Brandon from getting awakened as a deadman. Unfortunately, this leads to Big Daddy's death and Harry's even further descent to madness.
- Metaphorically True / Motivational Lie: Before sending a pregnant Maria away with Butler Tokioka, Big Daddy encourages Maria to take care of their child by telling her that Brandon is alive. It isn't correct, but neither is it completely wrong. Brandon has been necrolyzed and is now a zombie in hibernation. Hilariously enough, his daughter, Mika, also insists that Brandon is alive when Brandon says that he is already dead.
- Papa Wolf: Not only was he determined to keep Maria and their unborn child safe, but he was grief-stricken over Brandon's death and necrolization, and determined to discover the truth, which led to his confrontation with Harry, and, of course, his death.
- Scary Shiny Glasses: Right before decking Dr. T with a punch.
- Tragic Monster: Video game only.
- Also a bit of a
Tear Jerker when you read up on the backstory and realize...you pretty much have to kill your former boss (who was actually a really nice person) and the father Mika never really got to meet or know. Could also count as a Mercy Kill.
- Also a bit of a
- Vague Age: It's never clear how old Big Daddy is. If the anime is to be believed, he basically built the city all this takes place in, which is a city both large enough and old enough to have suffered some damned severe urban decay. But he doesn't look more than sixty.
- It's possible that he just came and turned it into the place of such importance, as opposed to literally building it from scratch.
Spike Hubie
- "That was amazing sir, incredible beyond imagination!"
A supporting character who debuted in Overdose. Mika found the young boy, who was wearing dirty clothes and holding a sample of the Seed drug. He claims to have amnesia, but possesses incredible knowledge of Seed and the Necrolization Project. His genius allowed him to create a "seed seeker" a tiny creature composed of Seed which he and Mika use to detect and sense Seed. Spike often is at odds with Juji Kabane, who claims to smell "something not right about him".
Spike is really a creation of Garino's, built to serve as an obedient clone, but Spike rebelled and sought out Mika in a plan to use Grave against Garino. Unbeknownst to Spike, his senses were connected to Garino, who could witness everything Spike did and heard. Garino kills him in front of Mika and company, which drives Grave, Billy, and Juji into a berserk mode as they proceed to engage Garino in the final boss battle of the game. In the end, Mika buries Spike next to her mother's grave.
Despite his true intentions, he did help Mika by creating many of the gadgets and machinery used in Mika's semi-truck and helped her maintain Grave's body and functionality. He also is responsible for improving the functionality and power of Grave's Coffin, even giving the Coffin the name of "Death Hauler".
Voiced by Quinton Flynn.
- Flawed Prototype: He has amazingly high intelligence but is saddled with a physically frail, degenerating body.
- Identity Amnesia: Or so it seems...
- Seeing Through Another's Eyes: Unbeknownst to Spike, Garino can see and hear anything that Spike sees and hears.
- Spanner in the Works: Despite being almost dead, he manages to shoot and damage Garino's machine, lowering his defenses.
Methuselah
An ancient race of alien parasites whose visiting to the planet centuries ago sparked the events of the series. With intelligence and technology far beyond human reasoning, they only had one goal: to reproduce. However, to do so the parasites needed to take control of a host and transform it into a more effective form. Their technology is the backing force that produced not only the Necrolization Project, but the Seed Project and the Hybridoma Theory as well. Subjects infected with "seed", the substance derived from this alien lifeform, if their mental abilities are not strong enough to control the infection, the result is the Orgmen ("re-organized man"), mindless drones to the alien consciousness. When a host is infected, the seed begins to "analyze" its host to ascertain the most effective way of transformation. Usually only "pure" seed can cause the transformation of the host, so low-quality seed is sold as a designer drug.
Ultimately responsible for corrupting Harry MacDowell, and granting near-godlike powers to Garino Corsione. Seed and Methuselah are absent in the anime.
- Sufficiently Advanced Alien (Although whether the Alien Head is related to them or not is anyone's guess)
Butler Tokioka
Anime-only character. He is Dr. Tokioka's twin brother who serves as Big Daddy's butler. After Big Daddy's death, he serves Maria and Mika.
- Battle Butler:
- When Maria's house is invaded by the Millennion, Butler Tokioka knocks several Millennion men out with bare hands. This enables him to escape with Mika.
- He wrestles with an Orgmen, buying just enough time for Mika to escape with the Cerberus suitcase and find Dr. T. He dies soon after.
Blood War/Brad Wong
Anime-only character. He was imprisoned for killing 327 people, but after serving in the prison for eight years, he was released. He belonged to the Volcano organization, but he soon cut his connection to join Lightning after discovering the Necrolyzation project by Cannon Vulcan.
- A Glass of Chianti: Played with. He drinks a bottle of booze while sitting on a car, waiting for Brandon to have a face off with him and his army of Necrolyze.
- Dark and Troubled Past: He and Blood were once involved in a war, which was selfishly started by their country.
- Guns Akimbo: He wields a pair of gold and silver Hand Cannon.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Cannon Vulcan.
- Meaningful Name / Names to Run Away from Really Fast: Applies to the Japanese version of the anime only. He is called Blood War because he is said to be able to turn any place into a battlefield. And he is a Blood Knight.
- Super Serum: When he's losing against Brandon, he drinks this and shoots himself to transform into his One-Winged Angel form.
- Super-Strength / Nigh-Invulnerability / Super-Toughness: His One-Winged Angel form grants him these.
Cannon Vulcan
Anime-only character. He once fought alongside Blood War in the past. Out of ambition to return to the battlefield, he killed his father, sent Lee to work in Millennion to get informaion, and began the Necrolyzation project and spent seven years to develop it.
- Ambition Is Evil: Killed his father because of this.
- Blood Knight: Although he never truly fights (except in his flashback), his dream is to go to war.
- Dark and Troubled Past: He and Blood were once involved in a war, which was selfishly started by their country.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Blood War.
- Manipulative Bastard: Sends Lee to work in Millennion as a spy.
- Non-Indicative Name: He never truly fights, except in his flashback.
- The Reveal: He turns out to be related to Balladbird Lee by blood.
Laguna Glock
Anime-only character. He survives the Necrolyze accident, and is later found by Harry, Lee, and Bob in the ruined facility. He tells them about his review to Dr. T's Necrolyze research, which actually only complicates things because Necrolyze can be applied to living subjects (or so, he says). Then he offers to work under Harry, which Harry accepts.
- Always Second Best: When Grave destroys his facility and leaves him in the inferno, he asks if he is never a better scientist than Dr. T.
- Evil Genius: In the Millennion during Harry's reign.
Gary & Widge
Anime-only characters. Gary and Widge worked as loan sharks for those who bet in the illegal race betting, and Widge often considered that position as the lowest position in the Millennion. In the present days, Gary and Widge decided to cut their connections to Millennion not only because the betting was now managed by modern computers, but also out of their loyalty to Big Daddy. Young Brandon worked under them.
- Disability Superpower: Downplayed. After the timeskip, Widge is blind, but he can hear very well. Doesn't help him from Lee's onslaught though.
- Don't Tell Mama: Widge. His mother never knows that he works in a mafia organization.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: They spend their old age living together in Widge's house.
- Honorary Uncle: Mika views them as her uncle.
- Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Lee killed them this way.
- Jerkass: Gary in the beginning.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: Gary is Red; Widge is Blue. Gary is loud and sometimes leaks out secrets (such as the fact that Brandon was killed and later, Big Daddy was killed), while Widge is calmer.
- Too Good for This Sinful Earth: While Gary and Widge may be some retired mafiosi, they're nice to Brandon and Mika. After they die, Mika lampshades this trope by asking why innocent men like them have to die.
- Toothy Issue: Gary.
- Undying Loyalty: To Big Daddy and Brandon. They may have grown old (and Widge has gone blind) during the last time Brandon/Grave visits them, but they're still willing to take care of Mika for Grave because they always consider them as a family.
Jolice, Nathan, & Kenny
Members of Brandon's and Harry's old gang. The five of them live together in the crime-ridden slums called 'Desolation Alley'. Unfortunately, they are all killed when the gang somehow picks a fight with Deed (whose brother is related to the mafia) and his gang.
- Expy: Jolice looks like Vash the Stampede. There's also the word 'Peace' on his apron.
- Forgotten Fallen Friend: Shortly before killing Brandon, Harry expressed troubling remembering Jolice, Nathan, and Kenny. After rising to the top of Millennion, although he never made good of making them proper graves, he did bother to recover a photograph of their old gang, which he kept framed in his office.
- Sacrificial Lamb: All of them.
- Too Good for This Sinful Earth: Jolice is the first to be shot down by Ladd. The gang wonders why Jolice is targeted by Ladd, because he is apparently a shy and innocent chef.
- Weapon Jr.: Kenny has a toy gun. Unfortunately, it leads to Nathan's and his death when Nathan attempts to shoot Ladd with it.
Jester
Maria's guardian before Big Daddy adopts her. Jester is a friend of Big Daddy's. Regretting his action of murdering Maria's biological parents, Jester decides to raise Maria.
- The Atoner: His reason of raising Maria.
- Jerkass Has a Point: The reason why he hates Brandon and his gang is because they are street thugs, and they will just bring troubles to him and Maria. It's true, sadly.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He has no qualms chewing out Brandon for dating Maria. However, when Brandon's gang is in trouble, he tries to help Brandon by giving him some money and a gun. He also asks Brandon to leave the town and survive, as his death is sure to sadden Maria.
- Papa Wolf: He is highly protective of Maria. This is also the reason why he doesn't like Maria dating with Brandon, because street thugs like Brandon will only cause troubles to her.
- Professional Killer: Formerly.
