History Characters / Gungrave

* [[Characters/GungraveMainCharacters Main Characters]][[note]]Beyond the Grave, Mika Asagi, Juji Kabane, Billy Redcadillac, El-Al-Canhel (Quartz)[[/note]]
* [[Characters/GungraveAntagonists Antagonists]][[note]]Millenion (The Family [Harry [=MacDowell=], Big Four {Bob Poundmax, Balladbird Lee, Bear Walken}]), Corsione Family (Don Corsione, Garino Creale Corsione, Fangoram, Sherry Walken [=MacDowell=], Zell Condorbrave), Raven Clan, Others (Bunji Kugashira, Orgmen)[[/note]]
* [[Characters/GungraveOtherCharacters Other Characters]][[note]]Dr. T., Maria Asagi, Big Daddy, Spike Hubie, Methuselah, Orgmen, Butler Tokioka, Cannon Vulcan, Laguna Glock, Gary & Widge, Jolice, Nathan, & Kenny, Jester[[/note]]

* [[Characters/GungraveAntagonists Antagonists]][[note]]Millenion (Harry [=MacDowell=], Big Four [Bob Poundmax, Balladbird Lee, Bear Walken]), Corsione Family (Don Corsione, Garino Creale Corsione, Fangoram, Sherry Walken [=MacDowell=], Zell Condorbrave), Raven Clan, Others (Bunji Kugashira, Orgmen)[[/note]]

* [[Characters/GungraveSuportingCharacters Suporting Characters]][[note]]Dr. T., Maria Asagi, Big Daddy, Spike Hubie, Methuselah, Orgmen, Butler Tokioka, Cannon Vulcan, Laguna Glock, Gary & Widge, Jolice, Nathan, & Kenny, Jester[[/note]]

Cast of Characters in the ''VideoGame/{{Gungrave}}'' series. ('''MAJOR Spoilers for both the video game series and the anime adaptation!''')

[[/index]]

[[foldercontrol]]

!'''Others'''
[[folder:Dr. T. (Dr. Tokioka)]]
!!'''Dr. T. (Dr. Tokioka)'''
[[quoteright:225:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Tokioka01_6603.jpg]]

-->''"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.
----
* TheAtoner: Has some shades of this in the anime, along with MyGodWhatHaveIDone.
* BeatThemAtTheirOwnGame (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 [[BiggerStick creating an even ''better'' deadman to beat them with--Beyond the Grave]].)
* TheCaretaker: For Grave.
* DivingSave / TakingTheBullet: For Mika in the anime.
* ForScience (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 MyGodWhatHaveIDone?)
* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:Shields Mika from Lee's attack and later manages to provide Grave one last treatment before dying in the anime.]]
* MadScientist (Though not so much mad, or evil per se.)
* MissionControl (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.)
* MortalWoundReveal: Anime-only. When he reloads Grave's Cerberus with Anti-Superior bullets after Lee's assault, he looks fine. But when everything is over, [[spoiler:it's revealed that he is bleeding out from his stomach. Somehow he manages to provide Grave one last treatment before dying.]]
* PlayingWithSyringes: He's the one who discovered and engineered the Necrolization Project.
%%* ReluctantMadScientist
* ScaleOfScientificSins: He considers his creation of Necrolyzation technology as this.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Maria Asagi]]
!!'''Maria Asagi'''
[[quoteright:350: https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Maria_Asagi.jpg]]

-->''"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 Creator/KikukoInoue in Japanese, by Creator/MichelleRuff in the English dub of the anime and by Patricia Hannidez in the anime's Mexican Spanish dub.
----
* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: Subverted. Maria falls for Brandon when he saves her from some thugs and is actually concerned of his tendency to get into fights.
%%* BreakTheCutie: In the anime.
* DatingWhatDaddyHates: Uncle Jester doesn't like Maria's relationship with Brandon, a street thug who is frequently seen fighting with other gangs.
%%* MafiaPrincess
* LoveInterests: Brandon's sweetheart and later, becomes the wife of Big Daddy.
* TearsOfJoy: After learning from Big Daddy that Brandon is alive and hiding somewhere.
* TookALevelInBadass: 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!
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Mr. Asagi/"Big Daddy"]]
!!'''Big Daddy/Mr. Asagi'''
[[quoteright:300: https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Big_Daddy.jpg]]

-->''"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 Creator/IemasaKayumi in Japanese, by Creator/MichaelMcConnohie in the English dub and by Federico Romano in the Mexican Spanish dub.
----
* AFatherToHisMen: Especially Brandon.
* TheAtoner: 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.
* BenevolentBoss: ''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.
* CoolOldGuy: 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 [[Film/TheGodfather Michael Corleone]].
* FinalBoss: Sadly, he is this in the original game. There is no other way to save him aside from putting him out of his misery. We don't talk about the [[GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere alien head]].
* {{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.
* HonorBeforeReason: In the anime, [[spoiler: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.
* MetaphoricallyTrue / MotivationalLie: 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.
* PapaWolf: 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.
* ScaryShinyGlasses: Right before decking Dr. T with a punch.
* TragicMonster: Video game only.
** Also a bit of a TearJerker 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 MercyKill.
* VagueAge: 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.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Spike Hubie]]
!!'''Spike Hubie'''
[[quoteright:110: https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Spike_Corsione_Hubie.JPG]]

-->''"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 Creator/QuintonFlynn.
----
%%* BrattyHalfPint
%%* CloningBlues
* FlawedPrototype: He has amazingly high intelligence but is saddled with a physically frail, degenerating body.
* IdentityAmnesia: Or so it seems...
* SeeingThroughAnothersEyes: Unbeknownst to Spike, Garino can see and hear anything that Spike sees and hears.
* SpannerInTheWorks: Despite being almost dead, he manages to shoot and damage Garino's machine, lowering his defenses.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Methuselah]]

!!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.
----
%%* AlienInvasion
%%* HiveMind
%%* TheManBehindTheMan
* SufficientlyAdvancedAlien (Although whether the [[GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere Alien Head]] is related to them or not is anyone's guess)
%%* TheVirus
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Butler Tokioka]]
!!'''Butler Tokioka'''
[[quoteright:175:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/eabc8bd81da83ed0ac282f724f971e1e.jpg]]

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.
----
* BattleButler:
** 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. [[spoiler: He dies soon after.]]
%%* HeroicSacrifice
%%* HighClassGlass
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Brad Wong/Blood War]]
!!'''Blood War/Brad Wong'''
[[quoteright:240:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/76de6364d5e015547fe3eba0308eaa56.jpg]]

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.
----
* AGlassOfChianti: 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.
%%* BloodKnight
%%* BoisterousBruiser
%%* CoatCape
%%* CoolShades / TriangleShades
* DarkAndTroubledPast: He and Blood were once involved in a war, which was selfishly started by their country.
* GunsAkimbo: He wields a pair of gold and silver HandCannon.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Cannon Vulcan.
%%* HotBlooded
* MeaningfulName / NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: 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 BloodKnight.
%%* OneWingedAngel
%%* SlasherSmile
%%* SmokingIsCool
* SuperSerum: When he's losing against Brandon, he drinks this and shoots himself to transform into his OneWingedAngel form.
* SuperStrength / NighInvulnerability / SuperToughness: His OneWingedAngel form grants him these.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Cannon Vulcan]]
!!'''Cannon Vulcan'''
[[quoteright:240:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/edc9143db8834f6b3f747902bb87364b.jpg]]

Anime-only character. He once fought alongside Blood War in the past. Out of ambition to return to the battlefield, he killed his father, [[spoiler:sent Lee to work in Millennion to get informaion]], and began the Necrolyzation project and spent seven years to develop it.
----
* AmbitionIsEvil: Killed his father because of this.
* BloodKnight: Although he never truly fights (except in his flashback), his dream is to go to war.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: He and Blood were once involved in a war, which was selfishly started by their country.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Blood War.
* ManipulativeBastard: Sends [[spoiler:Lee]] to work in Millennion as a spy.
%%* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast
* NonIndicativeName: He never truly fights, except in his flashback.
* TheReveal: [[spoiler:He turns out to be related to Balladbird Lee by blood.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Laguna Glock]]
!!'''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.
----
* AlwaysSecondBest: When Grave destroys his facility and leaves him in the inferno, he asks if he is never a better scientist than Dr. T.
* EvilGenius: In the Millennion during Harry's reign.
%%* MadScientist
%%* SlasherSmile
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Gary & Widge]]
!!'''Gary & Widge'''
[[quoteright:240:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/39e6b2b4fde4d6c8d767dcbf86514ca8.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:240:Left: Widge; Right: Gary]]

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.
----
* DisabilitySuperpower: Downplayed. After the timeskip, Widge is blind, but he can hear very well. [[spoiler:Doesn't help him from Lee's onslaught though.]]
* DontTellMama: Widge. His mother never knows that he works in a mafia organization.
%%* HeterosexualLifePartners
* HonoraryUncle: Mika views them as her uncle.
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: [[spoiler:Lee killed them this way]].
* {{Jerkass}}: Gary in the beginning.
* RedOniBlueOni: Gary is Red; Widge is Blue. Gary is loud and sometimes leaks out secrets [[spoiler:(such as the fact that Brandon was killed and later, Big Daddy was killed)]], while Widge is calmer.
* TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth: [[spoiler: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]].
* ToothyIssue: Gary.
%%* TrueCompanions
* UndyingLoyalty: 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 [[TrueCompanions because they always consider them as a family]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Jolice, Nathan, & Kenny]]
!!'''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 [[Manga/{{Trigun}} Vash the Stampede]]. There's also the word 'Peace' on his apron.
* SacrificialLamb: All of them.
* TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth: 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.
%%* TrueCompanions
* WeaponJr: Kenny has a toy gun. Unfortunately, it leads to Nathan's and his death when Nathan attempts to shoot Ladd with it.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Jester]]
!!'''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.
----
* TheAtoner: His reason of raising Maria.
* JerkassHasAPoint: 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. [[HarsherInHindsight It's true, sadly.]]
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: 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.
* PapaWolf: 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.
* ProfessionalKiller: Formerly.
%%* SacrificialLamb
[[/folder]]

----

* [[Characters/GungraveAntagonists Antagonists]][[note]]Bunji Kugashira, Millenion (Harry [=MacDowell=], Big Four [Bob Poundmax, Balladbird Lee, Bear Walken]), Corsione Family (Don Corsione, Garino Creale Corsione, Fangoram, Sherry Walken [=MacDowell=], Zell Condorbrave), Raven Clan[[/note]]

[[folder:Orgmen]]
!!Orgmen

The main product of the Necrolization/Seed Project, these bioweapons are often known as the "Black Suits" or "Blue-white men". They are mass-produced and cultivated in Harry's labs to serve as his enforcers. They are also the result of test subjects with sub-optimal mental and physical strength to control the Seed implanted in them. Orgman stands for "re-organized man". These beings have no sense of self or free thought, possessing considerable strength in exchange for their heart and soul. When destroyed they shatter into blue-white crystals and are subconsciously connected to something more than human.

These are the creatures that attacked Mika in Butler Tokioka's car (and Dr. T.'s truck in the anime) when she was fleeing from Harry's agents. Butler Tokioka loses his life to one, holding it off long enough for Mika to escape.

* {{Mooks}} (In many shapes and sizes)
%%* RedEyesTakeWarning
* RedRightHand (For some reason most of them have two small wings growing from their neck)
%%* SuperSoldier

[[folder:Butler Tokioka]]
!!'''Butler Tokioka'''
[[quoteright:175:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/eabc8bd81da83ed0ac282f724f971e1e.jpg]]

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.

* BattleButler:
** 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. [[spoiler: He dies soon after.]]
%%* HeroicSacrifice
%%* HighClassGlass
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Brad Wong/Blood War]]
!!'''Blood War/Brad Wong'''
[[quoteright:240:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/76de6364d5e015547fe3eba0308eaa56.jpg]]

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.
----

* [[Characters/GungraveOtherCharacters Other Characters]][[note]]Dr. T., Maria Asagi, Big Daddy, Spike Hubie, Methuselah, Orgmen, Butler Tokioka, Cannon Vulcan, Laguna Glock, Gary & Widge, Jolice, Nathan, & Kenny, Jester[[/note]]

!Antagonists
!!Bunji Kugashira
[[folder:"Madman" Bunji Kugashira]]
!!'''"Madman" Bunji Kugashira'''
[[quoteright:350: https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Bunji_Kugashira.jpg]]

-->''"You did everything for the company, like I do. Everything I'm about to do and have ever done, it has been a fight with you."''

A recurring antagonist in the series. When Grave was still Brandon, Bunji was Brandon's apprentice. Bunji had lots of admiration for his mentor, and together formed their own sweeper group called ''True Grave''. While Bunji had great skills, he still ended up playing second banana to Brandon's impeccable marksmanship and couldn't really work with anyone else ''but'' Brandon, whom he often called "brother" as a term of endearment. Their partnership fell apart after Brandon's death and resurrection as Grave, which drove Bunji, as the last of the Big Four, to have one goal: to be the one that defeats Grave and "outshining his teacher". He had himself infused with Seed to help him with the task. Although killed in the original game, the Corsione Family gave him life in the form of a deadman, which allowed him to confront Grave one more time, as a thin man wrapped in bandages and the ability to project "spirit wolves" to attack.

Voiced by Creator/FumihikoTachiki in Japanese, Creator/SteveBlum in the second game, Creator/LexLang in the anime's English dub and Alejandro Ortega in the anime's Mexican Spanish dub.

* AloofAlly: Bunji can work with nobody other than Brandon. Even after becoming one of the Big Four, he has the tendency to suddenly disappear to deal with Brandon/Grave by himself.
* BackFromTheDead: After his first death, he is resurrected as a Deadman. [[spoiler:Depending on which story route you chose, the protagonists take him down and finish him off a second time, yet apparently even ''that'' wasn't enough as he's somehow brought back in ''G.O.R.E'']].
* BadassNormal: He pulls a BigDamnHeroes moment to help Brandon deal with Blood War and his Necrolyzers, and is able to handle himself pretty well. In the game, it's implied that, unlike the rest of the group, Bunji is the only person who hasn't undergone any sort of Seed-altering enhancements. This is subverted in Over Dose, where he is brought back as a Deadman.
* BringIt: In his last duel with Brandon/Grave in the anime, he does this. It makes Brandon smile.
* CainAndAbel: He's [[spoiler:Juji]]'s older brother, and the latter wants to kill Garino. Naturally, he has to kill Bunji to do it.
* CoolShades: He is ''never'' seen without these. The only time they came off was when Grave punches him repeatedly and blows them off of his face.
* DefeatEqualsFriendship: Only agreed to join Millenion if he could be bested in a fist fight. Brandon took him up on his challenge, and apparently won.
* {{Expy}}: Of Manga/{{Trigun}}'s Wolfwood.
* FightsLikeANormal: In the anime, he became a Superior, but all he got out of the deal was enhanced strength and a regenerative factor. In the game, there was nothing that implied he was injected with Seed unlike his comrades and fights Grave with his own abilities -- that is to say, everything Brandon taught him.
* GunsAkimbo: Just like Brandon/Grave, he uses dual pistols, and he is just as good with these guns as his former mentor.
* HealingFactor: His superior ability in the anime.
* HitmanWithAHeart: Aside from being a KindheartedCatLover, Bunji (although he's clearly annoyed by Mika's beg not to kill Grave) chooses to scare Mika with a few misdirected gunshots instead of shooting her.
* HonorBeforeReason: After realising that Grave's body was quickly deteriorating, Bunji decides not to drag out the fight to win but instead end it with a fair quick draw contest.
* HotBlooded: Somewhat.
* HotBloodedSideburns: Older Bunji.
* IAmAMonster: In ''O.D.'' Bunji loathes himself for being a brutish deadman, and this mentality turned his implanted seed into a spirit wolf.
* KindheartedCatLover: In the anime, he adopts a cat.
* MirrorBoss: In the original game and the sequel he has the ability to regenerate his health, just like Grave can--and in the original game he can use his own Graveyard Special against the player.
* NobleDemon: Bunji may be a ruthless, aloof hitman who is said to have killed everybody who works under him, but he is an honorable person who WouldntHurtAChild (even if the child has annoyed him very much; he'll just yell and scare the child with misdirected gunshots) and honors every promise he has made.
* NothingUpMySleeve: Keeps his guns (and extra bullets!) in the sleeves of his jacket.
* OneLastSmoke: [[spoiler:After losing to Grave and dying.]]
* PermaStubble: Has one
* ProfessionalKiller: Became this after he joined Millennion and fought alongside Brandon, and remained as such even after Brandon's death.
* ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules: Harry asks Bunji to join the Millennion and offers to pay him higher than the Gashaw Gang does, but Bunji refuses because he's working under the gang due to honor. Bunji later joins the Millennion after being betrayed by the Gashaw Gang and (probably) defeated by Brandon in a fistfight, in which he honors his promise to join the organization.
* SmokingIsCool: Bunji ''really'' likes to smoke whenever he's got the chance.
* SunglassesAtNight: He never takes his CoolShades off.
** They get knocked off once though, when an enraged Brandon/Grave beats him for scaring Mika with misdirected gunshots.
* TheReveal: He's not only been resurrected as a Deadman by the Corsione Family, but [[spoiler:he's also Juji's older brother]].
* WouldntHurtAChild: He clearly states that he has no interest in kids and asks Mika to leave Grave while they fight. He even chooses to fire misdirected shots to scare Mika instead of shooting her although he is clearly annoyed when she begs him not to kill Grave. In the game, he actually saves her and has her deliver a message to Grave, saying its time to settle the score.
* {{Yakuza}}: Became this after being persuaded to join Millennion by Harry. He quickly comes to enjoy the lifestyle, though that feeling doesn't last very long after Brandon's death.

!!Millenion
[[folder:General]]
A crime syndicate originally founded and led by "Big Daddy", now is run by Harry [=MacDowell=]. They are the main antagonists of the [[VideGame/Gungrave2002 first game]].

[[folder:"Bloody" Harry [=MacDowell=]]]
!!'''"Bloody" Harry [=MacDowell=]'''
[[quoteright:350: https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Harry_MacDowell.jpg]]

-->''"Fall Brandon, down into the darkness and the grave that suits you so well."''

He used to be Brandon's closest friend, but...

Harry was never a completely nice individual. A smooth talker, he had many lofty ambitions. He wanted to be free and to have the power to give what he wants, and take what he wanted. He practically wanted to own the stars themselves. He joins Millenion with Brandon in tow, seeing it as an opportunity to gain fame, power and fortune. He does, but it still wasn't enough for him to make it to the top. Over the years he began to forget what was truly important--friendship--and a rift began to form between him and Brandon which would only grow deeper.

Harry presents Brandon with a plan: kill their boss, Big Daddy, thus assuming control of the entire Syndicate as the new leader. He reasons that if Big Daddy is out of the picture permanently, then Maria would be rightfully Brandon's wife. Shocked and appalled at Brandon's refusal (and being punched in the face for even suggesting such a thing), Harry pulls a gun on Brandon and murders him, which led to the birth of "Beyond the Grave".

Still not satisfied with the results, he kills Big Daddy in the anime and in the video game, has Big Daddy subjected to the early experiments with the latest in necro-rise technology, mutating him into a tortured, mindless abomination. To further cement his grip on the Syndicate, he created the Big Four: Bob Poundmax, Bunji Kugashira, Bear Walken, and Balladbird Lee, as his elite squad and bodyguards, along with using the fruits of the Necrolization Project's labors, the Orgmen, to rule the city of Billion with an iron fist. His cruelty eventually extends to the goal of killing off anyone and anything related to Big Daddy... which just so happens to be Maria Asagi, Big Daddy's wife, and their pre-teen daughter, Mika Asagi. He is successful in having Maria murdered, but Mika flees to the depths of the city, tasked to find a man named Brandon Heat...

Voiced by Creator/TsutomuIsobe in the Japanese version of the video game and the anime, Creator/TonyOliver in the anime's English dub, and Christian Strempler in the Mexican Spanish dub of the anime.

%%* AGodAmI
%%* AmbitionIsEvil
* BigBad: Of the first game and anime.
* TheCasanova: As lampshaded by the old gang, Harry is good with women.
* CigarChomper: He's sometimes seen with a cigar.
* TheDarkSideWillMakeYouForget
%%* DrunkWithPower
* EnjoKosai: In the anime, Young Harry uses this to get money for his gang.
* FaceHeelTurn: Starts out as a relatively normal, but rather ambitious and rebellious teen who is Brandon's best friend. But once he's in Millennion, his ambition soon gets better of him. [[spoiler:This turns him into a HeroKiller and a tyrant in Millennion after taking over TheSyndicate.]]
** HeelFaceTurn / LoveRedeems: Anime-only and implied. [[spoiler:In the end, after hearing from Brandon, the man whose life he had ruined by killing him and his loved ones during his FaceHeelTurn, that he has always considered Harry as his [[TrueCompanions best friend]] and can never kill him no matter what he has done, Harry breaks down and apologizes to Brandon. The gun he uses during the MutualKill attempt in the end, which is switched with Brandon's and has been shown to be empty early in the episode, and the way he holds the gun (he aims at Brandon's chest, where Brandon has just taken a lot of bullets and survived), further imply his HeelFaceTurn.]]
* FriendToAllChildren: He is seen buying toys for the kids in the orphanage.
* GoMadFromTheRevelation: When Big Daddy reveals that Brandon actually knows what Harry is up to and still refuses to shoot him despite that, Harry snaps and shoots Big Daddy. This becomes why he wants to kill anybody that reminds him of Big Daddy.
* GracefulLoser: After Grave beats the final boss (a Necrolized Big Daddy) Harry politely concedes to Grave and lets him shoot him.
** Made even more awesome because Grave won't shoot unless ''YOU'', the player, press the fire button during the cutscene.
* GraspTheSun: Does this in the anime.
* HeroKiller: In both series.
* {{Irony}}: Cares for children's welfare, but never has a kid after marrying Sherry for years.
* LaserGuidedKarma: Especially near the end. [[spoiler:Earlier, he murders Mika's parents (by himself for Big Daddy, while his agents are the ones who kill Maria).]] After that, he issues a manhunt on Mika, who ends up being chased around the town. [[spoiler:Later, Brandon/Grave murder all his trusted bodyguards, and the rebelling Millennion agents murder his wife, Sherry. To cap it all off, he also ends up being chased around the town by the rebelling agents, as Biscoe has issued a manhunt on him.]]
** KarmicDeath: [[spoiler:His death is not too different from how he murders Brandon: riddled with bullets before receiving a bullet to the left side of his face (off-screen).]]
* LonelyAtTheTop: Near the end of the anime, Harry is on the top, but he has nobody else with him except Sherry and Bear's Overkill. At the same time, he's being hunted down by the Millennion splinter-faction who remains loyal to Big Daddy.
%%* ManInWhite
%%* ManipulativeBastard
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: [[spoiler:After killing his best friend Brandon, he admits that he actually sees no hint of betrayal within Brandon. However, his best friend is gone, and he can only comfort himself by claiming that Brandon ''does'' betray him. This leads to his VillainousBreakdown. In the finale, when Brandon admits that he keeps choosing Harry over Millennion, he breaks down again.]]
* NonActionBigBad: He never battles the protagonist and lets his minnions do all the work.
* OneWingedAngel: Averted, as he never used seed or necro-rise on himself.
* PetTheDog: [[FriendToAllChildren To kids.]]
* PlayingWithSyringes: Once taking over the Necrolization Project, he became driven to have all the power in the world through the results of the project. As noted above, though, he never used it on himself.
* PyrrhicVillainy: In the anime, Harry takes over Millenion and makes it far greater than the city's law enforcement, which is either incompetent or seriously corrupt; he just had to abandon his morals, his ideals, and his best friend to get there. [[spoiler:He eventually loses everything he gained, and the lingering guilt over Brandon's murder doesn't do him any favors.]]
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney: Since Harry's life goes well in Millennion, he tends to use this to solve problems. When he hears about possible revolt from Biscoe, he buys Biscoe's daughter new dolls and lots of gifts. He also buys Biscoe's wife an expensive necklace. [[SubvertedTrope It doesn't work. Biscoe turns out to be responsible for leading a splinter-faction to hunt down Harry near the end of the anime.]]
* SlasherSmile: Sometimes shows this in the anime.
* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: Harry tends to fire his gun multiple times (even he has shot someone in the chest) to kill somebody unlike Brandon, who just needs to fire once to kill someone.
* TragicHero: Albeit a villainous version in the anime. His drive to have all the power in the world comes from his desire to protect the ones close to him, so guess what he ended up sacrificing to achieve that power?
* TyrantTakesTheHelm: Deconstructed in the anime. This starts the rebellion from Millennion splinter-faction that remains loyal to Big Daddy. The splinter-faction is hunting for him near the finale [[spoiler:and plays a part in his death]].
* VillainousBreakdown: In the anime.
* VisionaryVillain: His goal is just to earn power and the freedom to give and take anything he wants.
[[/folder]]

!!!The Big Four of Millenion
[[folder:General]]
The top members of Millenion under Harry.

* CoDragons

[[folder:Bob Poundmax]]
!!'''Bob Poundmax'''
[[quoteright:225: https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/36245.jpg]]

-->''"It's my greatest talent; if you took that away I'd have nothing left!"''

The friend of Balladbird Lee, Bob loves food. Really, ''really'' loves food. He is almost never without his favorite food, fried chicken, and seems to always have a drumstick in hand. He is a master of wiretapping and gathering information, which Harry and Lee use to a great extent. He becomes seriously obese due to his overeating, and almost dies because of it if he didn't undergo the process to become a Superior (an Orgman capable of free will/sentient thought). He is the first of Harry's "Big Four" that Brandon (as Beyond the Grave) will fight.

Voiced by Creator/{{Chafurin}} in both the game and the animation, Creator/DougStone in the anime's English dub, and by Gabriel Ortiz in the anime's Mexican Spanish dub.

%%* BigEater
* EmergencyTransformation: Bob has a clot forming in his brain due to overeating. He almost dies, but is saved thanks to the [[OneWingedAngel Superiorization]].
%%* FatBastard
* FoodAsBribe: Once asked Harry to buy him some chicken in exchange for his work.
%%* {{Gonk}}
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Ballardbird Lee.
* JabbaTableManners (He doesn't even practically chew the drumsticks, he ''inhales'' 'em by the bucketfull.)
* KnowledgeBroker: His job in Millennion.
* NinjaPirateZombieRobot: A big fat HeliCritter that produces skull-shaped bombs from his belly.
* TwoBeingsOneBody: Shows up in the second game as 1/3 of the Labratory boss, a mindless hybrid composed of himself, Bear, and Lee.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Chicken drumsticks.

[[folder:Balladbird Lee]]
!!'''Balladbird Lee'''
[[quoteright:225: https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/14731.jpg]]

-->''"Is the old man's daughter that important to you? Is it loyalty to Big Daddy? Such sentiments...'''from a corpse!'''"''

Bob's best buddy, Lee will do anything and everything in his power to get what he wants. A sharply dressed Chinese man whose gentle exterior hides a much more sinister personality. He is the second of the Big Four that Grave must do battle with in order to get to Harry. Upon learning of Bob's fate during his battle with Grave, Lee utterly ''snaps''.

Voiced by Creator/SteveBlum (English), Rafael Pacheco (Mexican Spanish) and Creator/TakehitoKoyasu (Japanese) in the anime. In the original game he's voiced by Creator/MasayaOnosaka. (In an interview, Onosaka was surprised that he wasn't voicing the hero in ''Gungrave'', which makes sense because [[HeroicMime Grave never speaks at all in the original game]].)

* AbsurdlySharpBlade: Cuts off a train and a house in his OneWingedAngel form.
* AvengingTheVillain (Let's say he was ''not'' happy when Bob returned from his fight with Grave full of holes.)
%%* AxCrazy
* BadassNormal: Lee is exceptionally good at [[SuperSpeed sneaking]] before becoming a Superior. He curbstomps Harry (who has a gun) with needles and SuperSpeed.
* BerserkButton: If you harm or insult Bob, Lee will do his (considerable) best to ''kill'' you. ''Very'' painfully.
* DivingSave: Does this to save Harry from Blood War's bullet. He takes it instead.
* EyesAlwaysShut: Unless he transforms into his OneWingedAngel.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Bob
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: In the animation he can do this to people with blades that shoot out of his body at will.
* KickTheDog: Has no qualms about throwing Mika out the window of ''a moving train''.
* KnifeNut (Ok, they're needles, but still...)
%%* LaughingMad
* ManiacTongue: His OneWingedAngel form in the anime. Complete with LaughingMad and SlasherSmile.
* OneWingedAngel / NinjaPirateZombieRobot (His Superior form is a big creepy spider thing in the anime, and in the original game...for lack of a better description, is a samurai robotic bouncing chicken.)
* TheReveal: In the anime, he turns out to be related to [[spoiler: Cannon Vulcan]] by blood. This is why Millennion's information is leaked to Lightning.
%%* SlasherSmile
* SlipknotPonytail: After transforming into his OneWingedAngel form.
* SpiderLimbs: Anime only, in his superior form.
* TakingTheBullet: For Harry, in episode 11 of the anime.
* TwoBeingsOneBody: Shows up in the second game as 1/3 of the Labratory boss, a mindless hybrid composed of himself, Bob, and Bear.
* UndyingLoyalty: To Harry.
* WolverineClaws: The way he holds his needles makes it look like he has claws.

[[folder:Bear Walken]]
!!'''Bear Walken'''
[[quoteright:225: https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/10136.jpg]]

-->''"Everything I do...is for my daughter, Sherry."''

One of Millenion's most skilled and loyal sweepers, Bear is also the overprotective father of Sherry. He is driven by the need to protect what is dear to him, similar to Brandon. He also becomes part of Harry's Big Four, and allows Sherry to be in a relationship with Harry.

Voiced by Creator/RyuzaburoOtomo in Japanese and by Creator/BeauBillingslea in the anime's English dub.

* AbsurdlySharpBlade: Destroys a tree, a house, and Grave's Coffin with his katana in the anime.
* AFatherToHisMen (To his squad ''Overkill'')
* AntiVillain: In the anime, aside from trying to kill Brandon, he is a charismatic leader to his men and kind father who puts his daughter's happiness above all else.
** His reason of fighting Brandon? Because his daughter is Harry's wife, meaning that he is automatically on Harry's side (to watch over his daughter) and against Brandon. [[spoiler: Before his death, he even apologizes to Brandon]].
%%* BadassInANiceSuit
* FaceDeathWithDignity: [[spoiler:In the episode of his death, he has clearly admitted the choice he has made: choosing his daughter, which means that he sides with Harry. Later, he calmly lets Brandon execute him after losing the fight against him. At the same time, he begins reminiscing about her daughter and silently sheds ManlyTears]].
* {{Foreshadowing}} (In the anime, [[spoiler:the execution of his best friend Cid Geralde who chose to take the blame for Cid's own son's grave mistake foreshadows the similar choice that Bear will make. And just like Cid's case, this results in Bear's death.]])
* GenreSavvy: Bear is very experienced in the underworld of mafia.
** Bear has warned Sherry that her life is at risk if she is in a relationship with Harry, a mafioso. [[spoiler:Later, Sherry dies during a crossfire between Harry and a rebelling Millennion agent.]]
** Bear also warns Harry to proceed with caution after seeing how Harry treats his underlings. [[spoiler:Later, assassination attempts on Harry keep happening since many people don't like his reign.]]
* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: He trusted Harry [=McDowell=] with both the fate of Millennion and his daughter. Bear Walken was a good mafia boss but apparently terrible with people.
* KatanasAreJustBetter: In the anime.
* ManlyTears: Sheds them after Sid's execution, with Sid's corpse in his arms. [[spoiler: [[TearJerker He then sheds them again right before his execution while his memory of Sherry's life plays.]]]]
* MultiArmedAndDangerous (His OneWingedAngel forms)
** GiantHandsOfDoom: Particularly in the animated series.
%%* OlderAndWiser
* OverprotectiveDad: "Brandon, tell Harry that if he fools around with my daughter, I ''will'' kill him." He doesn't quite like the relationship between Harry and Sherry at first because Harry is a mafia, and his life is always at risk. If Sherry gets too close to him, her life is at risk too. [[spoiler: [[HarsherInHindsight It happens to be true; Sherry dies in the crossfire between Harry and the splinter-faction Millennion agents.]]]]
* PapaWolf: In the anime.
* PersonOfMassDestruction: In the anime, he destroys his dojo and many things around with his katana.
%%* RedEyesTakeWarning
* SequentialBoss: In the game he is only member of the Four that has two Overkill forms/phases.
** GetBackHereBoss: One of his attacks is a MegatonPunch which projects him to the other side of the battle area, out of the range of Grave's weapons. He then resumes pulling ''helicopters out of the sky'' to throw at you until you get in firing range again.
* SinisterShades
* SunglassesAtNight
* TheThingThatGoesDoink (In the anime, his house has one of these, as he's known to be a lover of Japanese things.)
* TragicVillain: His motive of trying to kill Brandon? His daughter is Harry's wife, and of course, he is on Harry's side.
* TwoBeingsOneBody: Shows up in the second game as 1/3 of the Labratory boss, a mindless hybrid composed of himself, Bob, and Lee.

!!The Corsione Family
[[folder:General]]
A mafia organization and the main antagonists in ''[[VideGame/GungraveOverdose Gungrave: Overdose]]''.

[[folder:Don Corsione]]
!!'''Don Corsione'''
[[quoteright:144: https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Don_D._Corsione.JPG]]

-->''"I have a feeling that this will be a very close battle indeed."''

The head of the Corsione Family. Upon discovering the power of Seed and Orgmen, which was supposedly destroyed by Grave but apparently not completely, his influence on the underworld spread like wildfire. He is closely guarded by Sherry, the Orgmen, and Zell's mercenary brigade. Garino is his adopted son. The Don's ultimate goal is to take full control of the underworld using Seed and the Orgmen, like Harry before him.

He is ultimately double-crossed by Garino, who just saw him as a pawn. Garino had been supposedly plotting to take the title of Don for years, and when it finally came to fruition, Garino had Corsione infected with a Seed, which transforms him into a mutated Orgman that Grave, Billy, or Juji must kill.

%%* DiscOneFinalBoss
* HighAltitudeBattle: Fought on a plane that's been set with explosives.
%%* KatanasAreJustBetter
* OneWingedAngel: Forced to become one.
%%* {{Yakuza}}

[[folder:Garino Creale Corsione]]
!!'''Garino Creale Corsione'''
[[quoteright:68: https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Garino_Creale_Corsione.JPG]]

-->''"You haven't beaten me yet."''

He is the main antagonist of ''Gungrave: Overdose'' who is the adopted son of Don Corsione, boss of the Corsione family. A blond-haired man sharply dressed in a blue suit, he is incredibly intelligent and commands the ferocious necrolizer, Fangoram. He has a rather cold personality and was given anything he ever wanted since childhood. Has a habit of talking down to people (seems to have a bit of a god complex), and seems to be after something greater than just controlling Seed trafficking.

He reveals that everything behind Seed and the Necrolization Project is the result of Methuselah, a parasitic alien race that came to the planet eons ago. Methuselah only wanted to reproduce and take over the lives of others, so Garino struck a deal with the aliens' "Will". In exchange for Methuselah's advanced technology, Garino agreed to infect every living thing on the planet with Seed, and then leave in the Starship to move on to other planets. He believed himself to be a god when he acquired this power, however, he is ultimately defeated when Grave joins up with Billy and Juji to blow him away with the combined power of their Final Demolition Shots. Garino relinquishes a "counter seed", which is used to cure Mika's infection.

%%* AGodAmI
* BigBad: Of ''Overdose''.
* BossBanter: "Witness my strength!" "Bow down before me!" ...And so on
* CarryingTheAntidote: Forks over a prototype seed neutralization medicine for Mika after you beat him, so ''maybe'' he's not a total {{jerkass}}.
* FinalBoss: Brandon fights him as the last boss ''Overdose''.
** LoadBearingBoss
%%* KlingonPromotion
%%* TheManBehindTheMan
* PowerFloats: During phase 2 of his boss battle.
%%* SequentialBoss
* ShieldedCoreBoss: He's protected by a barrier during the first phase of the battle. Destroying the generators flanking the area is the only way to break it.
* TimeMaster: With the power given to him by the methuselah parasites and the starship he can manipulate time and space on a small scale.
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Tries to do this to damn near everyone at some point.

[[folder:Fangoram]]
!!'''Fangoram'''
[[quoteright:122: https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Fangoram_and_Center_H..JPG]]

-->''"You traitor! You kill Fangoram's friends...You kill deadmen! Fangoram full of hatred. Must kill...Must kill YOU!"''

A vicious and cruel prototype necrolizer that is first seen in ''Overdose'' (almost seeming like Grave's evil counterpart) who serves as Garino's sweeper and bodyguard. He is feared by many and thought to be the world's strongest necrolizer by sheer destructive power, as he is the only being capable of wielding the Center Head, a large gun of otherworldly strength and the last of the Cerberus line of weapons. He is filled with hatred towards Grave, as Fangoram lost his jaw and many of his "comrades" to Grave and swore to get revenge someday.

Voiced by Creator/SteveBlum.

* {{BFG}} The Center Head of Cerberus, which fires rounds the size of ''footballs'' and nearly kills Grave in one shot. The recoil of firing is also weaponized, allowing Fangoram to make several shots around him by swinging the gun with the recoil, making him a threat in any direction.
%%* DamageSpongeBoss
* TheDragon: He is Garino's right-hand man.
* EvilCounterpart: To Grave. Both dress in identical colors with [[CreepyCoolCrosses the same motifs]] and use Cerberus-line weaponry. While Grave is silent, thoughtful, and agile whose fighting style is based on [[ImprobableAimingSkills accuracy]] and [[MoreDakka rapid-fire shooting]], Fangoram is a loud, brutish thug who switches between slow, singular shots and reckless shooting frenzies. They both seem to care for their allies (as seen in the quote above) and both hide their scars to some degree as well, with Grave missing his [[EyeScream left eye]] and Fangoram [[FacialHorror hiding his bloody mouth]].
* FacialHorror: When his mask comes off, there's a good shot of his mouth, which has been stripped of all flesh and has jagged teeth. Makes you wonder how he holds onto [[GoodSmokingEvilSmoking his cigarettes...]]
* GoodSmokingEvilSmoking: Does it through his [[CoolMask mask]].
* HulkSpeak: Evident in his quote, of course.
* SpikesOfVillainy: Sports some impressive ones on his boots.
* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: On the receiving end of a massive one by [[KillItWithFire whoever]] [[ShockAndAwe fights]] [[MoreDakka him]]. Grave's get's special mention for the fact that he finishes him off by nailing him with a ''thermonuclear railgun blast''. Guess he wasn't taking any chances after their [[CurbStompBattle first round...]]

[[folder:Sherry Walken [=MacDowell=]]]
!!'''Sherry Walken [=MacDowell=]'''
[[quoteright:81: https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Sherry_Walken_Dowell.JPG]]

-->''"This one's for Harry [=MacDowell=]...Now it's your turn...BRANDON HEAT."''

Bear Walken's only daughter, her well-being is of Bear's utmost concern. After being thoroughly convinced by Harry that she was okay in his hands, Bear allows them to marry. She fell in love with Harry at first sight during Harry and Brandon's induction ceremony to Big Daddy's inner circle, "The Family".

In the video game series, after the deaths of her father and Harry, she returns in ''Overdose'' as one of Don Corsione's bodyguards and also is his adviser. Her one true wish is to get revenge on Grave, the man who killed both her father and her beloved Harry. Her newfound rebirth as a necrolizer will help her see to that.

* AvengingTheVillain: She wants to kill Grave to avenge her father's and her husband's death. Although not quite explained in the game, she's already died once, and someone turned her into a dead''woman''.
* DiedInYourArmsTonight: [[spoiler:In the anime, in Harry's arms]].
* ImpossiblyCoolWeapon: She wields a crossbow/bludgeon/blade-shooter hybrid...thing called "Soul Reaver". (Not ''that'' [[VideoGame/LegacyOfKain Soul Reaver]] though...)
%%* MafiaPrincess
* TheSmurfettePrinciple: While she isn't the only female character in the series, she's the only female boss you'll fight.

[[folder:Zell Condorbrave]]
!!'''Zell/[[SpellMyNameWithAnS Zele]] Condorbrave'''
[[quoteright:138: https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Zell_Condorbrave.JPG]]

-->''"Don't confuse us for others who've never fought your kind before."''

In ''Overdose'', Zell leads a group of mercenaries who were hired by Don Corsione as extra security. He and his group are pretty much normal humans who have developed a special anti-deadman technique, which they have used to fight and destroy at least four deadmen. At his command, his soldiers will gang up on their target and bind it with chains. The immobilized target is then blasted with Zell's custom anti-deadman rifle.

%%* BadassNormal
* {{BFG}}: His "Bloody Omen" is a modified anti-deadman gun
* FlunkyBoss: Can't even damage him until you knock off his minions. Then he summons more!
* GracefulLoser: Calmly admits his defeat at Grave's hands before proposing towards take a vacation to his men.
%%* QuirkyMinibossSquad

!!The Raven Clan
[[folder:General]]
An internationally notorious mafia organization and the main handler of the drug SEED who are the main antagonists of ''[[VideGame/GungraveGORE Gungrave: G.O.R.E.]]'' chosen by "The Man" to rule over Scumland, an island in Southeast Asia by the South China Sea, who are also the ones responsible for producing and supplying [=SEEDs=], so they can distribute the drug all over the world by expanding their territory and operations outside into the surrounding countries in the region. Under the loyalty of other mafia groups, mercenaries, and [=SEED=]-addicted Orgmen, they took whole control of the island.
----
[[/folder]]

!'''Others'''
[[folder:Dr. T. (Dr. Tokioka)]]
!!'''Dr. T. (Dr. Tokioka)'''
[[quoteright:225:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Tokioka01_6603.jpg]]

-->''"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.
----
* TheAtoner: Has some shades of this in the anime, along with MyGodWhatHaveIDone.
* BeatThemAtTheirOwnGame (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 [[BiggerStick creating an even ''better'' deadman to beat them with--Beyond the Grave]].)
* TheCaretaker: For Grave.
* DivingSave / TakingTheBullet: For Mika in the anime.
* ForScience (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 MyGodWhatHaveIDone?)
* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:Shields Mika from Lee's attack and later manages to provide Grave one last treatment before dying in the anime.]]
* MadScientist (Though not so much mad, or evil per se.)
* MissionControl (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.)
* MortalWoundReveal: Anime-only. When he reloads Grave's Cerberus with Anti-Superior bullets after Lee's assault, he looks fine. But when everything is over, [[spoiler:it's revealed that he is bleeding out from his stomach. Somehow he manages to provide Grave one last treatment before dying.]]
* PlayingWithSyringes: He's the one who discovered and engineered the Necrolization Project.
%%* ReluctantMadScientist
* ScaleOfScientificSins: He considers his creation of Necrolyzation technology as this.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Maria Asagi]]
!!'''Maria Asagi'''
[[quoteright:350: https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Maria_Asagi.jpg]]

-->''"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 Creator/KikukoInoue in Japanese, by Creator/MichelleRuff in the English dub of the anime and by Patricia Hannidez in the anime's Mexican Spanish dub.
----
* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: Subverted. Maria falls for Brandon when he saves her from some thugs and is actually concerned of his tendency to get into fights.
%%* BreakTheCutie: In the anime.
* DatingWhatDaddyHates: Uncle Jester doesn't like Maria's relationship with Brandon, a street thug who is frequently seen fighting with other gangs.
%%* MafiaPrincess
* LoveInterests: Brandon's sweetheart and later, becomes the wife of Big Daddy.
* TearsOfJoy: After learning from Big Daddy that Brandon is alive and hiding somewhere.
* TookALevelInBadass: 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!
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Mr. Asagi/"Big Daddy"]]
!!'''Big Daddy/Mr. Asagi'''
[[quoteright:300: https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Big_Daddy.jpg]]

-->''"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 Creator/IemasaKayumi in Japanese, by Creator/MichaelMcConnohie in the English dub and by Federico Romano in the Mexican Spanish dub.
----
* AFatherToHisMen: Especially Brandon.
* TheAtoner: 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.
* BenevolentBoss: ''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.
* CoolOldGuy: 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 [[Film/TheGodfather Michael Corleone]].
* FinalBoss: Sadly, he is this in the original game. There is no other way to save him aside from putting him out of his misery. We don't talk about the [[GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere alien head]].
* {{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.
* HonorBeforeReason: In the anime, [[spoiler: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.
* MetaphoricallyTrue / MotivationalLie: 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.
* PapaWolf: 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.
* ScaryShinyGlasses: Right before decking Dr. T with a punch.
* TragicMonster: Video game only.
** Also a bit of a TearJerker 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 MercyKill.
* VagueAge: 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.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Spike Hubie]]
!!'''Spike Hubie'''
[[quoteright:110: https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Spike_Corsione_Hubie.JPG]]

-->''"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 Creator/QuintonFlynn.
----
%%* BrattyHalfPint
%%* CloningBlues
* FlawedPrototype: He has amazingly high intelligence but is saddled with a physically frail, degenerating body.
* IdentityAmnesia: Or so it seems...
* SeeingThroughAnothersEyes: Unbeknownst to Spike, Garino can see and hear anything that Spike sees and hears.
* SpannerInTheWorks: Despite being almost dead, he manages to shoot and damage Garino's machine, lowering his defenses.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Methuselah]]

!!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.
----
%%* AlienInvasion
%%* HiveMind
%%* TheManBehindTheMan
* SufficientlyAdvancedAlien (Although whether the [[GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere Alien Head]] is related to them or not is anyone's guess)
%%* TheVirus
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Orgmen]]
!!Orgmen

The main product of the Necrolization/Seed Project, these bioweapons are often known as the "Black Suits" or "Blue-white men". They are mass-produced and cultivated in Harry's labs to serve as his enforcers. They are also the result of test subjects with sub-optimal mental and physical strength to control the Seed implanted in them. Orgman stands for "re-organized man". These beings have no sense of self or free thought, possessing considerable strength in exchange for their heart and soul. When destroyed they shatter into blue-white crystals and are subconsciously connected to something more than human.

These are the creatures that attacked Mika in Butler Tokioka's car (and Dr. T.'s truck in the anime) when she was fleeing from Harry's agents. Butler Tokioka loses his life to one, holding it off long enough for Mika to escape.
----
* {{Mooks}} (In many shapes and sizes)
%%* RedEyesTakeWarning
* RedRightHand (For some reason most of them have two small wings growing from their neck)
%%* SuperSoldier
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Butler Tokioka]]
!!'''Butler Tokioka'''
[[quoteright:175:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/eabc8bd81da83ed0ac282f724f971e1e.jpg]]

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.
----
* BattleButler:
** 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. [[spoiler: He dies soon after.]]
%%* HeroicSacrifice
%%* HighClassGlass
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Brad Wong/Blood War]]
!!'''Blood War/Brad Wong'''
[[quoteright:240:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/76de6364d5e015547fe3eba0308eaa56.jpg]]

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.
----
* AGlassOfChianti: 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.
%%* BloodKnight
%%* BoisterousBruiser
%%* CoatCape
%%* CoolShades / TriangleShades
* DarkAndTroubledPast: He and Blood were once involved in a war, which was selfishly started by their country.
* GunsAkimbo: He wields a pair of gold and silver HandCannon.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Cannon Vulcan.
%%* HotBlooded
* MeaningfulName / NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: 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 BloodKnight.
%%* OneWingedAngel
%%* SlasherSmile
%%* SmokingIsCool
* SuperSerum: When he's losing against Brandon, he drinks this and shoots himself to transform into his OneWingedAngel form.
* SuperStrength / NighInvulnerability / SuperToughness: His OneWingedAngel form grants him these.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Cannon Vulcan]]
!!'''Cannon Vulcan'''
[[quoteright:240:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/edc9143db8834f6b3f747902bb87364b.jpg]]

Anime-only character. He once fought alongside Blood War in the past. Out of ambition to return to the battlefield, he killed his father, [[spoiler:sent Lee to work in Millennion to get informaion]], and began the Necrolyzation project and spent seven years to develop it.
----
* AmbitionIsEvil: Killed his father because of this.
* BloodKnight: Although he never truly fights (except in his flashback), his dream is to go to war.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: He and Blood were once involved in a war, which was selfishly started by their country.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Blood War.
* ManipulativeBastard: Sends [[spoiler:Lee]] to work in Millennion as a spy.
%%* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast
* NonIndicativeName: He never truly fights, except in his flashback.
* TheReveal: [[spoiler:He turns out to be related to Balladbird Lee by blood.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Laguna Glock]]
!!'''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.
----
* AlwaysSecondBest: When Grave destroys his facility and leaves him in the inferno, he asks if he is never a better scientist than Dr. T.
* EvilGenius: In the Millennion during Harry's reign.
%%* MadScientist
%%* SlasherSmile
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Gary & Widge]]
!!'''Gary & Widge'''
[[quoteright:240:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/39e6b2b4fde4d6c8d767dcbf86514ca8.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:240:Left: Widge; Right: Gary]]

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.
----
* DisabilitySuperpower: Downplayed. After the timeskip, Widge is blind, but he can hear very well. [[spoiler:Doesn't help him from Lee's onslaught though.]]
* DontTellMama: Widge. His mother never knows that he works in a mafia organization.
%%* HeterosexualLifePartners
* HonoraryUncle: Mika views them as her uncle.
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: [[spoiler:Lee killed them this way]].
* {{Jerkass}}: Gary in the beginning.
* RedOniBlueOni: Gary is Red; Widge is Blue. Gary is loud and sometimes leaks out secrets [[spoiler:(such as the fact that Brandon was killed and later, Big Daddy was killed)]], while Widge is calmer.
* TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth: [[spoiler: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]].
* ToothyIssue: Gary.
%%* TrueCompanions
* UndyingLoyalty: 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 [[TrueCompanions because they always consider them as a family]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Jolice, Nathan, & Kenny]]
!!'''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 [[Manga/{{Trigun}} Vash the Stampede]]. There's also the word 'Peace' on his apron.
* SacrificialLamb: All of them.
* TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth: 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.
%%* TrueCompanions
* WeaponJr: Kenny has a toy gun. Unfortunately, it leads to Nathan's and his death when Nathan attempts to shoot Ladd with it.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Jester]]
!!'''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.
----
* TheAtoner: His reason of raising Maria.
* JerkassHasAPoint: 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. [[HarsherInHindsight It's true, sadly.]]
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: 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.
* PapaWolf: 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.
* ProfessionalKiller: Formerly.
%%* SacrificialLamb
[[/folder]]

* [[Characters/GungraveSuportingCharacters Suporting Characters]][[note]]Dr. T., Maria Asagi, Big Daddy, Spike Hubie, Methuselah, Orgmen, Butler Tokioka, Cannon Vulcan, Laguna Glock, Gary & Widge, Jolice, Nathan, & Kenny, Jester[[/note]]

!Main Characters
[[folder:Brandon "Beyond the Grave" Heat]]
!!'''Brandon "Beyond the Grave" Heat'''
[[quoteright:350: https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Brandon_(pre-death).jpg]]

-->''"There is one thing I know for certain. 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...''

[[AC:As Brandon]]

Brandon is the protagonist of both the video game series and the anime. 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.

Creator/TomokazuSeki is Brandon/Grave's seiyuu, and reprises the role in ''O.D.''. Creator/KirkThornton voices him in the dubs of the anime and ''VR'', but did not reprise the role for ''Overdose'', [[TheOtherDarrin where he is voiced by]] Chris Cook. Rafael Rivera voices Brandon/Grave in the Mexican Spanish dub of the anime.

* 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.
* AffectionateGestureToTheHead: Grave often does this to Mika.
* 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 her mother and love of his life Maria.
* AmbiguouslyBrown: In the video games.
* AnArmAndALeg: By the final episode of the anime. [[spoiler:He lost his left arm in episode 24, which was shot off by Bunji. Near the end, his right leg broke off due to the effect of Anti-Necrolyze, which is shot to his knee.]]
* AntiHero: Type [[GoodIsNotNice III]]. The PragmaticHero type. He will do anything to protect his loved ones, even if it involves killing. Though it doesn't mean that he isn't pained by his duty, especially in his early days as a hitman.
* AudienceSurrogate: The character-driven nature of the anime turns Brandon into one.
* BadassAndChildDuo: He and Mika.
* BadassBack: He doesn't need to turn to gun down somebody.
* BadassBandolier: Part of his cowboy outfit.
* BadassInANiceSuit: During his days as Millennion's hitman.
* BadassNormal: He was already an expert gunman long before he became the undead OneManArmy known as Beyond the Grave.
* BadassLongcoat Oddly enough, it's a purple one, unlike fellow gunslingers [[Manga/{{Hellsing}} Alucard]], [[Manga/TriGun Vash]], or [[VideoGame/DevilMayCry Dante]]. In the anime, he often sports a black longcoat.
* BarbarianLongHair: As Grave.
* BenevolentBoss: To his squad True Grave. He funds his member's mother's medical expenses. After his death, his members still question about his betrayal and prefer using his method instead of Bunji's method when completing tasks. Since Bunji leads them and renames the squad as The Kugashira Group, the squad is never heard again (may be related to the information in episode 19; it's said that Bunji works alone and [[FridgeHorror people who work under him always end up dead]]).
* BerserkButton: In the anime, mess around with his loved ones and Brandon/Grave will roar and thrash you.
** Brandon/Grave doesn't like it when someone talks about betrayal (and implies him as a traitor) or he sees someone as a traitor.
* BewareTheQuietOnes: Especially apparent as Grave. When Bunji scares Mika with misdirected shots, he just ''snaps'' and proceeds to give Bunji a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown.
* {{BFG}}: The "Coffin", a secondary/backup weapon created and designed by Dr. Tokioka. Like Cerberus, only Grave is able to use it. It's loaded with a portable missile platform and a chaingun/machinegun. For some reason, the coffin also has a "brain". When it's upgraded by Spike, he gives it a name--[[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast "Death Hauler"]].
* BigBrotherMentor: To Bunji.
* TheBigGuy: Even when carrying the coffin Grave is the tallest of all major characters, similar to [[{{Manga/Berserk}} Guts]].
* BlessedWithSuck: Grave's powers would be fine if he didn't lose his memory and his feelings (more apparent in the game due to differences in characterization). Then there's the whole thing of needing fresh blood every ten days (supposedly his blood coagulates after a while because his body is dead). The blood needed for transfusion has to match the blood type he was when he was human. On the flipside he doesn't age and lacks the mindless and/or villainous insanity (barring Juji, he's just really short-tempered) of every other Deadman or Orgman.
* BringIt: In the anime, he has the tendency to wiggle his finger at his opponents.
* CelibateHero: A variant of sort, as Brandon is too dedicated to Maria to be involved with any other woman.
* ChasteHero: He looks puzzled when Maria hugs him. He also gives out a similar reaction when Maria asks him to dance with her.
* 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.
* CreepyCoolCrosses: His battle costumes tend to have a lot of these, even more so when in his Cowboy outfit
* DeathByOriginStory: And it's a doozy at that...
* DeclarationOfProtection: In the games, his promise to protect Mika.
* {{Determinator}}: Even when he was still Brandon he would steadfastly refuse to give up or give in, even when faced with seemingly impossible odds as he valued the lives of his friends and loved ones over his own, and his sole driving force is his desire to protect, no matter what the cost, and not even death stopped him--which is why the doctor gave Brandon his new name.
* DoesNotLikeGuns: Young Brandon. Ironically, he becomes a hitman with exceptional skills in guns.
* TheDreaded: Brandon became the boogeyman of every one of Millenion's enemies after he became a hitman. He still retains this status after he becomes Grave, only this time every criminal organization knows him as the man who brought down Millenion.
* TheDyingWalk: A variant in the anime only. [[spoiler:Overlaps with AlmostDeadGuy. After revealing to Mika that his body is falling apart, Brandon sets off to resolve his conflict with Harry. He manages to reconcile with Harry before his Necrolyze completely wears off.]]
* EatingOptional: After becoming a necrolyzer, he can't eat. Gary also remarks that he can't seem to enjoy the taste of booze.
* EyeScream: He was shot in the eye when Harry killed him. Even when he's been turned into a Deadman, his eye has not been repaired. This is also reflected by the Death Hauler's Skull in the anime - one eye is glowing and open while the other is filled with tubes.
* {{Expy}}: His anime version closely resembles a cross between [[VideoGame/DevilMayCry Dante]] (without the [[{{BFS}} giant sword]] and [[TrashTalk snarky one-liners]]) and [[Manga/TriGun Legato Bluesummers]] (without the hefty doses of [[AxCrazy insanity]], [[YouGottaHaveBlueHair blue hair]], and PsychicPowers).
** Young Brandon looks like [[Anime/{{Texhnolyze}} Ichise]].
* 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.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: [[spoiler:In the episode of his death, there's a scene where the left lens of his glasses gets ScaryShinyGlasses. Later, Harry deals the killing blow by shooting his left eye and when he returns as Grave, he has no left eye.]]
* GangstaStyle: His trademark style is his arms crossed above his wrists when shooting.
* GentleGiant: Grave is one towards Mika. In the anime, to his friends as well, such as Gary and Widge.
* GoodOldFisticuffs: Young Brandon is quite the capable hand to hand fighter.
* GoodScarsEvilScars: Lost his left eye, and the scar left behind as well as his other bullet wounds serves as a reminder of his murder.
* 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.
* 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]] [[CrazyAwesome Death]] [[SwissArmyGun Hauler"]], as it is later known as.
* GutFeeling: Implied throughout the show. [[spoiler:In his letter to Big Daddy, it's hinted that before he dies, he already knows that Harry will soon take the wrong path and kill him in process. And then, years before that, he has a nightmare about Harry [[SeanConneryIsAboutToShootYou pointing a gun at the audience]] and...bang.]]
** 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. Naturally, only Grave can handle them. Consists of Left Head (silver) and Right Head (red).
* HandicappedBadass: As Grave, he can still shoot very accurately despite having just one eye. In the anime, the final episode. [[spoiler:Grave can still take out the Millenion goons with an arm and bricks despite having losing an arm and unable to walk properly.]]
* TheHeroDies: Which is why he is an undead. In the anime, [[spoiler:depending on how one views the AmbiguousEnding, he may truly die]].
* HeroesGoneFishing: With Big Daddy in the anime.
* HeroicBuild
* HiddenDepths: Especially in the anime. Brandon may be a street thug, an unforgiving ProfessionalKiller in a mafia organization, and later on, an emotionless undead gunslinger, but he is gentle, selfless, and very faithful to the people he loves.
* HonorBeforeReason: One of his defining traits. Unfortunately, it also leads to his death at the hands of his power-hungry best friend, Harry [=MacDowel=].
* HugeGuyTinyGirl: The huge guy half of the equation; his hand is practically bigger than Mika's ''head''.
* HunterOfHisOwnKind: Grave's a deadman who destroys other orgmen and deadmen (except for Billy and Juji).
* IconicItem: The Coffin and arguably, his [[NiceHat original]] [[BadassLongcoat costume]]
* ImplacableMan: A protagonist example. He won't stop until he settles his score with Harry.
* ImpossiblyCoolClothes: That cowboy getup is ''really'' hard to replicate for cosplays
* ImprobableAimingSkills: In the anime, if he's doing target practice, he's shown to always hit the head perfectly. And with a sniper rifle, he can deal a headshot to someone behind a window and a closed curtain.
* {{Irony}}: DoesNotLikeGuns, but becomes the most fearsome hitman in Millennion. Even after becoming Grave, he is still extremely skilled with guns.
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: In the anime, Brandon refuses to be with Maria as he believes Big Daddy can provide a much happier life for her.
* JackOfAllStats: Well-balanced in offense and defense, although ''slightly'' slower in speed than Billy. He's also the one that must be used before the other two become available.
** In VideoGame/ChaosWars, he is very tanky with great offenses while lacking speed, making him a MightyGlacier.
* TheJuggernaut: As Grave.
* KnightInSourArmor: Brandon when he became hitman for The Organization.
* LaserGuidedKarma:
** Protects Mika all the time, [[spoiler:and in the end, thanks to Mika's intervention, Biscoe's agents stop attacking him]].
** Kneecaps a Millennion agent and destroys Millennion's research facility, [[spoiler:and his right leg is shot off later]].
** As Grave, he only beats up Millennion agents instead of killing them, [[spoiler:and in the end, the agents shoot off his right leg and attack him with submachine guns, which only slow him down]].
** [[spoiler:Brandon can never shoot Harry, and near the end, his empty gun is switched with Harry's loaded gun. During the MutualKill at the end, Harry points his empty gun at him, and Harry, Brandon's murderer, is presumably shot down while Brandon is spared.]]
* LivingOnBorrowedTime: As Grave, unless he gets his blood replaced regularly.
* 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.
* ManlyTears: Sheds them when he finds his colleagues, [[spoiler:Gary and Widge]], have been massacred. Sheds some more [[spoiler:when he hears Mika mourning Dr. T's death]]. In the anime finale, [[spoiler:when he admits that he cannot shoot his best friend Harry.]]
* MartyrWithoutACause: In the anime. Other characters often ask why he is willing to go so far for them.
* 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 of renaming Brandon as Beyond the Grave? Brandon's loyalty and desire to protect literally go ''beyond the grave''.
** NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast
* MoeGreeneSpecial (How Brandon was murdered.)
* MortalWoundReveal: A variant in the anime only. [[spoiler:Brandon/Grave shows the cracks on his body, indicating that his time is about to end. Cue a crying Mika.]]
* MrFanservice: In the anime, Brandon has a WorkoutFanservice scene in the second episode, and as Grave, he gets a ShirtlessScene when his body receives a treatment from Dr. T or ClothingDamage ensues.
%%* MyMasterRightOrWrong
%%* NamedWeapons
* NiceHat: Because Cowboy hats are just naturally nice.
* NighInvulnerability / HealingFactor: Grave's regeneration allows him to heal almost any injury he sustains. As long as he receives his blood treatments, he can essentially "live" forever.
** In the anime, it looks more like SuperToughness along with ImmuneToBullets. Being hit by a truck, stomped repeatedly by a hulking Orgman [[spoiler:(this is how Butler Tokioka is killed)]], and hit by a huge slab of concrete only slow him down. Additionally, explosives barely affect him [[spoiler:even in the last episode, in which his body is already very weak]].
* NinjaPirateZombieRobot: [[EyepatchOfPower Pirate]] (not really an eyepatch; it's just a blackened lens to hide his lost eye). [[ArtificialZombie Zombie. Robot.]] Grave is a one-eyed techno-zombie who wields two HandCannon simultaneously and carries around a coffin that is loaded with missile launchers and a chaingun/machine gun.
** The anime adds Ninja into the mix: Grave jumps very well. He can jump from roof to roof.
* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: Gives one to Bunji in the anime when the man is shooting at Mika and is questioning Brandon about his loyalty to Millenion.
* NotSoStoic: When he finds that his colleagues are massacred, he sheds ManlyTears and gives out a DeathWail.
* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: There's one in the anime when he takes out two spider-like creatures with his bare hands. Never get to see how, but he easily sends those monsters ''flying''.
* 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.
* 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]].
* 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.)
* RealMenGetShot: In contrast to Harry, who is never hit by a bullet until the last episode, [[spoiler:in which he dies]]. Brandon/Grave is shot almost in a regular basis, usually because of his habit of TakingTheBullet for his loved ones.
* 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.
* ParentalSubstitute: Grave is one for Mika.
* 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.
%%* PersonOfMassDestruction
* PossessionImpliesMastery: Grave just seems to instinctively know how to use the Coffin.
* PrinciplesZealot: '''Never''' betray.
* ProfessionalKiller: His original occupation before his death. He was the best hitman besides Bear Walken that Millennion had.
* PurpleIsPowerful: In the first game, Grave wears a lot of purple in his outfit, and he is the last person you want to pick a fight with.
* ScarsAreForever: Not even necro-regeneration could restore his left eye or heal the scars on his body.
* ScaryShinyGlasses: In the anime.
* ScaryTeeth: Some of the artworks depict him to have sharp teeth as a Necrolyzer/Deadman.
* SealedBadassInACan: And actually necessary while he's "inactive", to prevent his body from collapsing and Mika respecting her parents' wishes to allow Grave to sleep until she '''really''' needs his assistance.
* SealedGoodInACan: Before his death, Brandon left a letter for Big Daddy, stating that in the event of his (Brandon's) death, and if Harry and Millennion go down the wrong path, Brandon would allow his body to undergo necrolization and become a Deadman. His last request was to remain locked away in the doctor's confinement chamber, in a state of hibernation, until the time he needs to be summoned. Brandon (better known as 'Grave'), 'sleeps' for thirteen years until Mika (Big Daddy's daughter) awakens/releases him because she was told to seek his protection.
* SlidingScaleOfUndeadRegeneration: Type III. His healing power is powered by the blood he receives, or else his body will rot and fall to pieces.
* SmokingIsCool: Averted. Unlike Harry, Blood War, Bear, and Bunji, Brandon doesn't smoke.
* SpikesOfVillainy: Inverted. The spikes on his Coffin looks like [[Manga/{{Trigun}} Legato's]], but Brandon/Grave is by no means evil.
* StoicSpectacles: By the time he starts wearing glasses, he has become a complete ConsummateProfessional.
* SugarAndIcePersonality: May seem really cold and stoic and apathetic on the outside but deep down lies a warm and gentle heart.
* SupernaturalGoldEyes: His eyes turned gold after becoming a Deadman.
* SuperStrength: After becoming Grave.
* TallDarkAndHandsome: As Brandon.
* TakingTheBullet: For Big Daddy early in the anime. As Grave, he often does it for Mika. It isn't a big problem for him since he is immune to bullets (unless they're the anti-Necrolyze ones).
* TechnicalPacifist: In the anime. It appears to be zigzagged.
** Young Brandon can give people NoHoldsBarredBeatdown, but he is unwilling to use a gun. He is terrified when Harry shoots [[spoiler: Deed]] to avenge the gang and when Widge solves an organization issue by shooting some people. After shooting a Lightning goon to save Big Daddy, he asks himself why he kills.
** As a hitman, Brandon kills, but he doesn't really like it. The more he kills, the more he feels that he has to distance himself from Maria.
** As Grave, he kills Orgmen, but is never seen to kill any Millennion agents. In the finale, he is holding a gun, but he chooses to only give out NoHoldsBarredBeatdown to the Millennion agents.
** [[spoiler: Against the Big Four, Grave usually seriously injures them and leaves them for dead instead of killing them 'here and now'.]]
** [[spoiler: A variant happens to Bob. Grave is actually leaving when Bob asks him to spare him, but Bob then attacks. Grave counters by killing Bob.]]
** [[spoiler: Grave only knocks Lee off the train by shooting Anti-Superior bullets at his legs. Lee dies alone on the railroad when the train is already gone.]]
** [[spoiler: Bear is the exception. He asks Grave to execute him after his loss.]]
** [[spoiler: Bunji loses a western-style exchange against Grave and dies in the lobby alone.]]
** Interestingly, when Grave destroys Millennion's research facility, he doesn't kill any of the scientists. Sadly, this enables Biscoe to re-hire them to produce Anti-Necrolyze bullets, [[spoiler:which are later used against him ''and'' destroy his right leg]].
* TheStoic: Brandon pre and post-death was noted to be someone who didn't express himself very well, except for the rare times he smiled or showed genuine sadness and anger.
* TragicHero: In the anime, Brandon whole-heartedly believed in The Family's singular principle to "never betray." This applied not just to Big Daddy, but also to his best friend as well. He couldn't choose between either one of them when Harry told him about his plans, and Harry believed Brandon had betrayed him and shot him dead in retribution.
* TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth: The deconstruction of his UndyingLoyalty. He chooses to remain loyal to Harry, his best friend. What does it get him? Harry riddles him with bullets before jamming a gun into his left eye and shoots him out of the glass elevator. He gets better.
* TookALevelInBadass: Happens twice in the anime. First, after training under Bear Walken. Second, after becoming Grave.
* WhenHeSmiles: The few times he smiles, he looks genuinely happy.
%%* UndeathAlwaysEnds
** In the anime canon, Grave (whose [[SpellMyNameWithAnS necro-rise/necrolize/necroraise]] is fading fast) and a dying Harry decide the only way they can truly be "free" is to kill each other, which they do. [[spoiler:However, if Grave indeed dies, it's likely to be caused by his Necrolyze wearing off.]]
** In the video game series canon, this doesn't happen as Grave simply kills Harry and leaves the city with Mika, protecting her now his one and only concern. He remains in his undead state (there seems to be no way to "cure" him anyways, nor is there any indication that Grave wants to be human again) and still needs blood transfusions now and then while lucid. He is put into hibernation when his services aren't needed, as he's only supposed to be awakened in times of crisis.
* UndyingLoyalty: ''Very'' faithful to those he loves, willingly takes on their burdens so they don't have to do so for others. Sadly, this philosophy also plays a part in his undoing.
* UnstoppableRage: In the anime, there is once 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.
* 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.
* WorldsStrongestMan: Lampshaded by Billy in OD.
--> '''Rocketbilly''': Wow, you are amazing, man. You really are hands down the world's strongest Deadman.

[[folder:Mika Asagi]]
!!'''Mika Asagi'''
[[quoteright:225: https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/14734.jpg]]

-->''"Have...I met you before? Dr. Tokioka told me...about you. That you're a friend of my mother..."''

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.

Voiced by Creator/TomokoKawakami in the first two games, Creator/KumiSakuma in the anime, Creator/KariWahlgren in the English dub of the anime, Renee Raudman in Overdose, and Mayra Arellano in the Mexican Spanish dub of the anime.

* AdaptationPersonalityChange: In the game, Mika was surprisingly calm but no less frightened by her situation of being hunted down by Millennion, with Dr.T mentionining that she shakes whenever she sleeps. By Over Dose, she has become quite mature and can snark back at a Orgman who has her dead to rights like it's nothing. In the anime, which covers and expands certain events of the first game, Mika is a lot more childish but does undergo her own CharacterDevelopment.
* 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.
* BreakTheCutie: In the anime. Every single episode since her debut either makes her scared or cry, be it losing somebody close to her, barely escaping from death, getting threatened, terrified by gunshots (including misdirected shots), and kidnapped.
* BodyguardCrush On Brandon/Grave. Before he goes off to finish the rest of his quest for revenge, she gives him a AguishedDeclarationOfLove and tries to get him to stop.
* {{Determinator}}: In the game series. This is what enables her not to let SEED overtake her.
** 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. So very much.
* DullEyesOfUnhappiness: Shows them after [[spoiler:Brandon/Grave leaves her]].
* FragileSpeedster: In VideoGame/ChaosWars, Mika has very low offense and durability, but she is one of the fastest characters and thus, can be utilized to perform combos with the MightyGlacier Grave.
* HappilyAdopted: The first game ends with [[spoiler:her riding to the sunset with Grave]]. In the anime however, [[AmbiguousEnding this trope may or may not happen]].
* HugeGuyTinyGirl: She's the Tiny Girl (obviously) while her guardian (Grave) is the Huge Guy.
* InnocentBlueEyes: She has blue eyes and remains very optimistic, even in the most dire of situations. This fades by the time of ''Overdose'', where she's more experienced with the world.
* TheKidWithTheRemoteControl: She was tasked to seek out Grave and be protected by him as she is the only one left who can call upon and "control" him. She is far from being a spoiled brat--she genuinely cares about and loves Grave dearly, and is eternally grateful to the people who gave up their lives to ensure that she and Grave can be together.
** In the anime, when Grave is savagely pummeling Bunji in a fit of rage, he stops when Mika calls him and pleads him to stop.
* MoralityPet (To Grave. She gives him a reason to "live" and to fight, aside from revenge.)
* 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.)
* PrecociousCrush: Mika begins to fall for Brandon/Grave while under his care and protection in the anime, despite her being fourteen and Grave being a 30+ year old reanimated corpse. In the game series, she looks up to Grave more as a close friend, a Cool Big Brother and/or possible father figure, rather than falling for him.
* {{Protectorate}}: To Brandon/Grave.
* RoyalBlood: Her biological father is Big Daddy, the founder of Millennion. This is the reason why Harry is after her (wanting to eliminate those who are related to Big Daddy and is afraid of succession dispute). Similarly, Biscoe respects her for the same reason.
* TearfulSmile: In the anime's finale. Doesn't make the ending less ambiguous.
* TookALevelInBadass: In the beginning of OD, she has the guts to use a rocket launcher to fight off a SEED mob.
** In a Fire Emblem-like [=Strategy/RPG=] game VideoGame/ChaosWars, she's a playable character and even wields a smaller replica of Grave's Right Head (named Puppy Fang) to fight.
* ZettaiRyouiki (In the anime and original game. She wears a different outfit in ''Overdose'').

[[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. 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.

Voiced by Creator/HiroakiHirata and Creator/CamClarke.

* AndIMustScream: Presumably he was like this during Garino's experiments.
* BadassLongcoat: Wears a tattered one, and damn does he make it look good.
* 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.
* BloodKnight: He seems to enjoy all the fighting more than he should.
* ButNowIMustGo: "...We're born drifters. We can't stay in one place for long."
* CainAndAbel: The Abel to [[spoiler:Bunji]]'s Cain.
%%* 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.
* DramaticWind: His coattails always seem to be fluttering about, even in indoor stages.
* DualWielding: He wields twin gunblades, and he knows how to use them effectively.
* EyeScream: Garino did this as part of his "experiments".
%%* 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.
* SwordBeam: His full-charged melee attack.
* StrappedToAnOperatingTable: Part of his backstory. It's how he received his power.
* VitriolicBestBuds: With Billy.

[[folder:Rocketbilly "Billy" Redcadillac]]
!!'''Rocketbilly Redcadillac'''
[[quoteright:90: https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Billy_Redcadillac.jpg]]

-->''"She's a lady, and she's sad. That means she needs to be treated with kindness. Real men have a duty to supply that kindness. Period. No exceptions."''

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.

Voiced by Creator/HochuOtsuka and Creator/ChrisCook.

* TheAtoner: Possibly. His origins are never really explained, but if his dialog after some boss fights are to be believed, Billy might have underwent a really gruesome death, and is trying to make up for whatever he did.
* BlessedWithSuck (Seems to be a pattern--if you're some kind of undead in the series' world, it's mostly unpleasant.)
* BoisterousBruiser (Although more virtuous and chivalrous than most, he's still an all-around nice person/ghost. Even in his appearance in ''Chaos Wars'', Hyoma (the main character of said game) even comments about how Billy just seems to have the natural ability to brighten someone's day.)
* BroughtToYouByTheLetterS: The stylized "B" on the back of his jacket (see picture)
%%* ChivalrousPervert
* DanceBattler: When using Blue Lightning as a melee weapon. His dodging abilities are more like stage dives than anything else.
* AnimeHair: Plays this trope straighter than any other character in the game.
* 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: 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.
* ImprobableWeaponUser: Really, who in their right minds would expect a ghost of all people to use a ''guitar'' was a weapon? Granted, this one's obviously empowered by Billy and obviously has modifications done to it, but the point still stands.
* InstrumentOfMurder: Blue Lightning is the guitar that makes the peoples fall down. Someone or something gets fried every time Billy shreds on it, similar to the Nevan weapon in ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry 3''.
%%* MusicalAssassin
* RedOniBlueOni: The Blue Oni to Juji's Red.
* ShockAndAwe: His guitar fires arcs of lightning strikes, which excel in crowd control when used properly.
* SomethingAboutARose: "Roses from Heaven"
* SoulJar: The guitar?
* 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!''
* WaveMotionGun: "Thunder Love". When you kill Fangoram in Billy's campaign, the beam has more than a striking resemblance to the [[Manga/TriGun The Angel Arm]].

!!El-Al-Canhel
[[folder:General]]
An organization in ''[[VideoGame/GungraveGORE Gungrave: G.O.R.E.]]'' led by Mika dedicated to eradicating [=SEEDs=], and crime syndicate, the Raven Clan. It was founded by Mika and a small organization.

[[folder:Quartz]]
!!Cheni Quartz Angel
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.

!Antagonists
!!Bunji Kugashira
[[folder:"Madman" Bunji Kugashira]]
!!'''"Madman" Bunji Kugashira'''
[[quoteright:350: https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Bunji_Kugashira.jpg]]

-->''"You did everything for the company, like I do. Everything I'm about to do and have ever done, it has been a fight with you."''

A recurring antagonist in the series. When Grave was still Brandon, Bunji was Brandon's apprentice. Bunji had lots of admiration for his mentor, and together formed their own sweeper group called ''True Grave''. While Bunji had great skills, he still ended up playing second banana to Brandon's impeccable marksmanship and couldn't really work with anyone else ''but'' Brandon, whom he often called "brother" as a term of endearment. Their partnership fell apart after Brandon's death and resurrection as Grave, which drove Bunji, as the last of the Big Four, to have one goal: to be the one that defeats Grave and "outshining his teacher". He had himself infused with Seed to help him with the task. Although killed in the original game, the Corsione Family gave him life in the form of a deadman, which allowed him to confront Grave one more time, as a thin man wrapped in bandages and the ability to project "spirit wolves" to attack.

Voiced by Creator/FumihikoTachiki in Japanese, Creator/SteveBlum in the second game, Creator/LexLang in the anime's English dub and Alejandro Ortega in the anime's Mexican Spanish dub.

* AloofAlly: Bunji can work with nobody other than Brandon. Even after becoming one of the Big Four, he has the tendency to suddenly disappear to deal with Brandon/Grave by himself.
* BackFromTheDead: After his first death, he is resurrected as a Deadman. [[spoiler:Depending on which story route you chose, the protagonists take him down and finish him off a second time, yet apparently even ''that'' wasn't enough as he's somehow brought back in ''G.O.R.E'']].
* BadassNormal: He pulls a BigDamnHeroes moment to help Brandon deal with Blood War and his Necrolyzers, and is able to handle himself pretty well. In the game, it's implied that, unlike the rest of the group, Bunji is the only person who hasn't undergone any sort of Seed-altering enhancements. This is subverted in Over Dose, where he is brought back as a Deadman.
* BringIt: In his last duel with Brandon/Grave in the anime, he does this. It makes Brandon smile.
* CainAndAbel: He's [[spoiler:Juji]]'s older brother, and the latter wants to kill Garino. Naturally, he has to kill Bunji to do it.
* CoolShades: He is ''never'' seen without these. The only time they came off was when Grave punches him repeatedly and blows them off of his face.
* DefeatEqualsFriendship: Only agreed to join Millenion if he could be bested in a fist fight. Brandon took him up on his challenge, and apparently won.
* {{Expy}}: Of Manga/{{Trigun}}'s Wolfwood.
* FightsLikeANormal: In the anime, he became a Superior, but all he got out of the deal was enhanced strength and a regenerative factor. In the game, there was nothing that implied he was injected with Seed unlike his comrades and fights Grave with his own abilities -- that is to say, everything Brandon taught him.
* GunsAkimbo: Just like Brandon/Grave, he uses dual pistols, and he is just as good with these guns as his former mentor.
* HealingFactor: His superior ability in the anime.
* HitmanWithAHeart: Aside from being a KindheartedCatLover, Bunji (although he's clearly annoyed by Mika's beg not to kill Grave) chooses to scare Mika with a few misdirected gunshots instead of shooting her.
* HonorBeforeReason: After realising that Grave's body was quickly deteriorating, Bunji decides not to drag out the fight to win but instead end it with a fair quick draw contest.
* HotBlooded: Somewhat.
* HotBloodedSideburns: Older Bunji.
* IAmAMonster: In ''O.D.'' Bunji loathes himself for being a brutish deadman, and this mentality turned his implanted seed into a spirit wolf.
* KindheartedCatLover: In the anime, he adopts a cat.
* MirrorBoss: In the original game and the sequel he has the ability to regenerate his health, just like Grave can--and in the original game he can use his own Graveyard Special against the player.
* NobleDemon: Bunji may be a ruthless, aloof hitman who is said to have killed everybody who works under him, but he is an honorable person who WouldntHurtAChild (even if the child has annoyed him very much; he'll just yell and scare the child with misdirected gunshots) and honors every promise he has made.
* NothingUpMySleeve: Keeps his guns (and extra bullets!) in the sleeves of his jacket.
* OneLastSmoke: [[spoiler:After losing to Grave and dying.]]
* PermaStubble: Has one
* ProfessionalKiller: Became this after he joined Millennion and fought alongside Brandon, and remained as such even after Brandon's death.
* ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules: Harry asks Bunji to join the Millennion and offers to pay him higher than the Gashaw Gang does, but Bunji refuses because he's working under the gang due to honor. Bunji later joins the Millennion after being betrayed by the Gashaw Gang and (probably) defeated by Brandon in a fistfight, in which he honors his promise to join the organization.
* SmokingIsCool: Bunji ''really'' likes to smoke whenever he's got the chance.
* SunglassesAtNight: He never takes his CoolShades off.
** They get knocked off once though, when an enraged Brandon/Grave beats him for scaring Mika with misdirected gunshots.
* TheReveal: He's not only been resurrected as a Deadman by the Corsione Family, but [[spoiler:he's also Juji's older brother]].
* WouldntHurtAChild: He clearly states that he has no interest in kids and asks Mika to leave Grave while they fight. He even chooses to fire misdirected shots to scare Mika instead of shooting her although he is clearly annoyed when she begs him not to kill Grave. In the game, he actually saves her and has her deliver a message to Grave, saying its time to settle the score.
* {{Yakuza}}: Became this after being persuaded to join Millennion by Harry. He quickly comes to enjoy the lifestyle, though that feeling doesn't last very long after Brandon's death.

!!Millenion

A crime syndicate originally founded and led by "Big Daddy", now is run by Harry [=MacDowell=]. They are the main antagonists of the [[VideGame/Gungrave2002 first game]].

[[folder:"Bloody" Harry [=MacDowell=]]]
!!'''"Bloody" Harry [=MacDowell=]'''
[[quoteright:350: https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Harry_MacDowell.jpg]]

-->''"Fall Brandon, down into the darkness and the grave that suits you so well."''

He used to be Brandon's closest friend, but...

Harry was never a completely nice individual. A smooth talker, he had many lofty ambitions. He wanted to be free and to have the power to give what he wants, and take what he wanted. He practically wanted to own the stars themselves. He joins Millenion with Brandon in tow, seeing it as an opportunity to gain fame, power and fortune. He does, but it still wasn't enough for him to make it to the top. Over the years he began to forget what was truly important--friendship--and a rift began to form between him and Brandon which would only grow deeper.

Harry presents Brandon with a plan: kill their boss, Big Daddy, thus assuming control of the entire Syndicate as the new leader. He reasons that if Big Daddy is out of the picture permanently, then Maria would be rightfully Brandon's wife. Shocked and appalled at Brandon's refusal (and being punched in the face for even suggesting such a thing), Harry pulls a gun on Brandon and murders him, which led to the birth of "Beyond the Grave".

Still not satisfied with the results, he kills Big Daddy in the anime and in the video game, has Big Daddy subjected to the early experiments with the latest in necro-rise technology, mutating him into a tortured, mindless abomination. To further cement his grip on the Syndicate, he created the Big Four: Bob Poundmax, Bunji Kugashira, Bear Walken, and Balladbird Lee, as his elite squad and bodyguards, along with using the fruits of the Necrolization Project's labors, the Orgmen, to rule the city of Billion with an iron fist. His cruelty eventually extends to the goal of killing off anyone and anything related to Big Daddy... which just so happens to be Maria Asagi, Big Daddy's wife, and their pre-teen daughter, Mika Asagi. He is successful in having Maria murdered, but Mika flees to the depths of the city, tasked to find a man named Brandon Heat...

Voiced by Creator/TsutomuIsobe in the Japanese version of the video game and the anime, Creator/TonyOliver in the anime's English dub, and Christian Strempler in the Mexican Spanish dub of the anime.

%%* AmbitionIsEvil
* BigBad: Of the first game and anime.
* TheCasanova: As lampshaded by the old gang, Harry is good with women.
* CigarChomper: He's sometimes seen with a cigar.
* TheDarkSideWillMakeYouForget
%%* DrunkWithPower
* EnjoKosai: In the anime, Young Harry uses this to get money for his gang.
* FaceHeelTurn: Starts out as a relatively normal, but rather ambitious and rebellious teen who is Brandon's best friend. But once he's in Millennion, his ambition soon gets better of him. [[spoiler:This turns him into a HeroKiller and a tyrant in Millennion after taking over TheSyndicate.]]
** HeelFaceTurn / LoveRedeems: Anime-only and implied. [[spoiler:In the end, after hearing from Brandon, the man whose life he had ruined by killing him and his loved ones during his FaceHeelTurn, that he has always considered Harry as his [[TrueCompanions best friend]] and can never kill him no matter what he has done, Harry breaks down and apologizes to Brandon. The gun he uses during the MutualKill attempt in the end, which is switched with Brandon's and has been shown to be empty early in the episode, and the way he holds the gun (he aims at Brandon's chest, where Brandon has just taken a lot of bullets and survived), further imply his HeelFaceTurn.]]
* FriendToAllChildren: He is seen buying toys for the kids in the orphanage.
* GoMadFromTheRevelation: When Big Daddy reveals that Brandon actually knows what Harry is up to and still refuses to shoot him despite that, Harry snaps and shoots Big Daddy. This becomes why he wants to kill anybody that reminds him of Big Daddy.
* GracefulLoser: After Grave beats the final boss (a Necrolized Big Daddy) Harry politely concedes to Grave and lets him shoot him.
** Made even more awesome because Grave won't shoot unless ''YOU'', the player, press the fire button during the cutscene.
* GraspTheSun: Does this in the anime.
* HeroKiller: In both series.
* {{Irony}}: Cares for children's welfare, but never has a kid after marrying Sherry for years.
* LaserGuidedKarma: Especially near the end. [[spoiler:Earlier, he murders Mika's parents (by himself for Big Daddy, while his agents are the ones who kill Maria).]] After that, he issues a manhunt on Mika, who ends up being chased around the town. [[spoiler:Later, Brandon/Grave murder all his trusted bodyguards, and the rebelling Millennion agents murder his wife, Sherry. To cap it all off, he also ends up being chased around the town by the rebelling agents, as Biscoe has issued a manhunt on him.]]
** KarmicDeath: [[spoiler:His death is not too different from how he murders Brandon: riddled with bullets before receiving a bullet to the left side of his face (off-screen).]]
* LonelyAtTheTop: Near the end of the anime, Harry is on the top, but he has nobody else with him except Sherry and Bear's Overkill. At the same time, he's being hunted down by the Millennion splinter-faction who remains loyal to Big Daddy.
%%* ManInWhite
%%* ManipulativeBastard
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: [[spoiler:After killing his best friend Brandon, he admits that he actually sees no hint of betrayal within Brandon. However, his best friend is gone, and he can only comfort himself by claiming that Brandon ''does'' betray him. This leads to his VillainousBreakdown. In the finale, when Brandon admits that he keeps choosing Harry over Millennion, he breaks down again.]]
* NonActionBigBad: He never battles the protagonist and lets his minnions do all the work.
* OneWingedAngel: Averted, as he never used seed or necro-rise on himself.
* PetTheDog: [[FriendToAllChildren To kids.]]
* PlayingWithSyringes: Once taking over the Necrolization Project, he became driven to have all the power in the world through the results of the project. As noted above, though, he never used it on himself.
* PyrrhicVillainy: In the anime, Harry takes over Millenion and makes it far greater than the city's law enforcement, which is either incompetent or seriously corrupt; he just had to abandon his morals, his ideals, and his best friend to get there. [[spoiler:He eventually loses everything he gained, and the lingering guilt over Brandon's murder doesn't do him any favors.]]
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney: Since Harry's life goes well in Millennion, he tends to use this to solve problems. When he hears about possible revolt from Biscoe, he buys Biscoe's daughter new dolls and lots of gifts. He also buys Biscoe's wife an expensive necklace. [[SubvertedTrope It doesn't work. Biscoe turns out to be responsible for leading a splinter-faction to hunt down Harry near the end of the anime.]]
* SlasherSmile: Sometimes shows this in the anime.
* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: Harry tends to fire his gun multiple times (even he has shot someone in the chest) to kill somebody unlike Brandon, who just needs to fire once to kill someone.
* TragicHero: Albeit a villainous version in the anime. His drive to have all the power in the world comes from his desire to protect the ones close to him, so guess what he ended up sacrificing to achieve that power?
* TyrantTakesTheHelm: Deconstructed in the anime. This starts the rebellion from Millennion splinter-faction that remains loyal to Big Daddy. The splinter-faction is hunting for him near the finale [[spoiler:and plays a part in his death]].
* VillainousBreakdown: In the anime.
* VisionaryVillain: His goal is just to earn power and the freedom to give and take anything he wants.

!!!The Big Four of Millenion
[[folder:General]]
The top members of Millenion under Harry.

* CoDragons

[[folder:Bob Poundmax]]
!!'''Bob Poundmax'''
[[quoteright:225: https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/36245.jpg]]

-->''"It's my greatest talent; if you took that away I'd have nothing left!"''

The friend of Balladbird Lee, Bob loves food. Really, ''really'' loves food. He is almost never without his favorite food, fried chicken, and seems to always have a drumstick in hand. He is a master of wiretapping and gathering information, which Harry and Lee use to a great extent. He becomes seriously obese due to his overeating, and almost dies because of it if he didn't undergo the process to become a Superior (an Orgman capable of free will/sentient thought). He is the first of Harry's "Big Four" that Brandon (as Beyond the Grave) will fight.

Voiced by Creator/{{Chafurin}} in both the game and the animation, Creator/DougStone in the anime's English dub, and by Gabriel Ortiz in the anime's Mexican Spanish dub.

%%* BigEater
* EmergencyTransformation: Bob has a clot forming in his brain due to overeating. He almost dies, but is saved thanks to the [[OneWingedAngel Superiorization]].
%%* FatBastard
* FoodAsBribe: Once asked Harry to buy him some chicken in exchange for his work.
%%* {{Gonk}}
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Ballardbird Lee.
* JabbaTableManners (He doesn't even practically chew the drumsticks, he ''inhales'' 'em by the bucketfull.)
* KnowledgeBroker: His job in Millennion.
* NinjaPirateZombieRobot: A big fat HeliCritter that produces skull-shaped bombs from his belly.
* TwoBeingsOneBody: Shows up in the second game as 1/3 of the Labratory boss, a mindless hybrid composed of himself, Bear, and Lee.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Chicken drumsticks.

[[folder:Balladbird Lee]]
!!'''Balladbird Lee'''
[[quoteright:225: https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/14731.jpg]]

-->''"Is the old man's daughter that important to you? Is it loyalty to Big Daddy? Such sentiments...'''from a corpse!'''"''

Bob's best buddy, Lee will do anything and everything in his power to get what he wants. A sharply dressed Chinese man whose gentle exterior hides a much more sinister personality. He is the second of the Big Four that Grave must do battle with in order to get to Harry. Upon learning of Bob's fate during his battle with Grave, Lee utterly ''snaps''.

Voiced by Creator/SteveBlum (English), Rafael Pacheco (Mexican Spanish) and Creator/TakehitoKoyasu (Japanese) in the anime. In the original game he's voiced by Creator/MasayaOnosaka. (In an interview, Onosaka was surprised that he wasn't voicing the hero in ''Gungrave'', which makes sense because [[HeroicMime Grave never speaks at all in the original game]].)

* AbsurdlySharpBlade: Cuts off a train and a house in his OneWingedAngel form.
* AvengingTheVillain (Let's say he was ''not'' happy when Bob returned from his fight with Grave full of holes.)
%%* AxCrazy
* BadassNormal: Lee is exceptionally good at [[SuperSpeed sneaking]] before becoming a Superior. He curbstomps Harry (who has a gun) with needles and SuperSpeed.
* BerserkButton: If you harm or insult Bob, Lee will do his (considerable) best to ''kill'' you. ''Very'' painfully.
* DivingSave: Does this to save Harry from Blood War's bullet. He takes it instead.
* EyesAlwaysShut: Unless he transforms into his OneWingedAngel.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Bob
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: In the animation he can do this to people with blades that shoot out of his body at will.
* KickTheDog: Has no qualms about throwing Mika out the window of ''a moving train''.
* KnifeNut (Ok, they're needles, but still...)
%%* LaughingMad
* ManiacTongue: His OneWingedAngel form in the anime. Complete with LaughingMad and SlasherSmile.
* OneWingedAngel / NinjaPirateZombieRobot (His Superior form is a big creepy spider thing in the anime, and in the original game...for lack of a better description, is a samurai robotic bouncing chicken.)
* TheReveal: In the anime, he turns out to be related to [[spoiler: Cannon Vulcan]] by blood. This is why Millennion's information is leaked to Lightning.
%%* SlasherSmile
* SlipknotPonytail: After transforming into his OneWingedAngel form.
* SpiderLimbs: Anime only, in his superior form.
* TakingTheBullet: For Harry, in episode 11 of the anime.
* TwoBeingsOneBody: Shows up in the second game as 1/3 of the Labratory boss, a mindless hybrid composed of himself, Bob, and Bear.
* UndyingLoyalty: To Harry.
* WolverineClaws: The way he holds his needles makes it look like he has claws.

[[folder:Bear Walken]]
!!'''Bear Walken'''
[[quoteright:225: https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/10136.jpg]]

-->''"Everything I do...is for my daughter, Sherry."''

One of Millenion's most skilled and loyal sweepers, Bear is also the overprotective father of Sherry. He is driven by the need to protect what is dear to him, similar to Brandon. He also becomes part of Harry's Big Four, and allows Sherry to be in a relationship with Harry.

Voiced by Creator/RyuzaburoOtomo in Japanese and by Creator/BeauBillingslea in the anime's English dub.

* AbsurdlySharpBlade: Destroys a tree, a house, and Grave's Coffin with his katana in the anime.
* AFatherToHisMen (To his squad ''Overkill'')
* AntiVillain: In the anime, aside from trying to kill Brandon, he is a charismatic leader to his men and kind father who puts his daughter's happiness above all else.
** His reason of fighting Brandon? Because his daughter is Harry's wife, meaning that he is automatically on Harry's side (to watch over his daughter) and against Brandon. [[spoiler: Before his death, he even apologizes to Brandon]].
%%* BadassInANiceSuit
* FaceDeathWithDignity: [[spoiler:In the episode of his death, he has clearly admitted the choice he has made: choosing his daughter, which means that he sides with Harry. Later, he calmly lets Brandon execute him after losing the fight against him. At the same time, he begins reminiscing about her daughter and silently sheds ManlyTears]].
* {{Foreshadowing}} (In the anime, [[spoiler:the execution of his best friend Cid Geralde who chose to take the blame for Cid's own son's grave mistake foreshadows the similar choice that Bear will make. And just like Cid's case, this results in Bear's death.]])
* GenreSavvy: Bear is very experienced in the underworld of mafia.
** Bear has warned Sherry that her life is at risk if she is in a relationship with Harry, a mafioso. [[spoiler:Later, Sherry dies during a crossfire between Harry and a rebelling Millennion agent.]]
** Bear also warns Harry to proceed with caution after seeing how Harry treats his underlings. [[spoiler:Later, assassination attempts on Harry keep happening since many people don't like his reign.]]
* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: He trusted Harry [=McDowell=] with both the fate of Millennion and his daughter. Bear Walken was a good mafia boss but apparently terrible with people.
* KatanasAreJustBetter: In the anime.
* ManlyTears: Sheds them after Sid's execution, with Sid's corpse in his arms. [[spoiler: [[TearJerker He then sheds them again right before his execution while his memory of Sherry's life plays.]]]]
* MultiArmedAndDangerous (His OneWingedAngel forms)
** GiantHandsOfDoom: Particularly in the animated series.
%%* OlderAndWiser
* OverprotectiveDad: "Brandon, tell Harry that if he fools around with my daughter, I ''will'' kill him." He doesn't quite like the relationship between Harry and Sherry at first because Harry is a mafia, and his life is always at risk. If Sherry gets too close to him, her life is at risk too. [[spoiler: [[HarsherInHindsight It happens to be true; Sherry dies in the crossfire between Harry and the splinter-faction Millennion agents.]]]]
* PapaWolf: In the anime.
* PersonOfMassDestruction: In the anime, he destroys his dojo and many things around with his katana.
%%* RedEyesTakeWarning
* SequentialBoss: In the game he is only member of the Four that has two Overkill forms/phases.
** GetBackHereBoss: One of his attacks is a MegatonPunch which projects him to the other side of the battle area, out of the range of Grave's weapons. He then resumes pulling ''helicopters out of the sky'' to throw at you until you get in firing range again.
* SinisterShades
* SunglassesAtNight
* TheThingThatGoesDoink (In the anime, his house has one of these, as he's known to be a lover of Japanese things.)
* TragicVillain: His motive of trying to kill Brandon? His daughter is Harry's wife, and of course, he is on Harry's side.
* TwoBeingsOneBody: Shows up in the second game as 1/3 of the Labratory boss, a mindless hybrid composed of himself, Bob, and Lee.

!!The Corsione Family
[[folder:General]]
A mafia organization and the main antagonists in ''[[VideGame/GungraveOverdose Gungrave: Overdose]]''.

[[folder:Don Corsione]]
!!'''Don Corsione'''
[[quoteright:144: https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Don_D._Corsione.JPG]]

-->''"I have a feeling that this will be a very close battle indeed."''

The head of the Corsione Family. Upon discovering the power of Seed and Orgmen, which was supposedly destroyed by Grave but apparently not completely, his influence on the underworld spread like wildfire. He is closely guarded by Sherry, the Orgmen, and Zell's mercenary brigade. Garino is his adopted son. The Don's ultimate goal is to take full control of the underworld using Seed and the Orgmen, like Harry before him.

He is ultimately double-crossed by Garino, who just saw him as a pawn. Garino had been supposedly plotting to take the title of Don for years, and when it finally came to fruition, Garino had Corsione infected with a Seed, which transforms him into a mutated Orgman that Grave, Billy, or Juji must kill.

%%* DiscOneFinalBoss
* HighAltitudeBattle: Fought on a plane that's been set with explosives.
%%* KatanasAreJustBetter
* OneWingedAngel: Forced to become one.
%%* {{Yakuza}}

[[folder:Garino Creale Corsione]]
!!'''Garino Creale Corsione'''
[[quoteright:68: https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Garino_Creale_Corsione.JPG]]

-->''"You haven't beaten me yet."''

He is the main antagonist of ''Gungrave: Overdose'' who is the adopted son of Don Corsione, boss of the Corsione family. A blond-haired man sharply dressed in a blue suit, he is incredibly intelligent and commands the ferocious necrolizer, Fangoram. He has a rather cold personality and was given anything he ever wanted since childhood. Has a habit of talking down to people (seems to have a bit of a god complex), and seems to be after something greater than just controlling Seed trafficking.

He reveals that everything behind Seed and the Necrolization Project is the result of Methuselah, a parasitic alien race that came to the planet eons ago. Methuselah only wanted to reproduce and take over the lives of others, so Garino struck a deal with the aliens' "Will". In exchange for Methuselah's advanced technology, Garino agreed to infect every living thing on the planet with Seed, and then leave in the Starship to move on to other planets. He believed himself to be a god when he acquired this power, however, he is ultimately defeated when Grave joins up with Billy and Juji to blow him away with the combined power of their Final Demolition Shots. Garino relinquishes a "counter seed", which is used to cure Mika's infection.

%%* AGodAmI
* BigBad: Of ''Overdose''.
* BossBanter: "Witness my strength!" "Bow down before me!" ...And so on
* CarryingTheAntidote: Forks over a prototype seed neutralization medicine for Mika after you beat him, so ''maybe'' he's not a total {{jerkass}}.
* FinalBoss: Brandon fights him as the last boss ''Overdose''.
** LoadBearingBoss
%%* KlingonPromotion
%%* TheManBehindTheMan
* PowerFloats: During phase 2 of his boss battle.
%%* SequentialBoss
* ShieldedCoreBoss: He's protected by a barrier during the first phase of the battle. Destroying the generators flanking the area is the only way to break it.
* TimeMaster: With the power given to him by the methuselah parasites and the starship he can manipulate time and space on a small scale.
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Tries to do this to damn near everyone at some point.

[[folder:Fangoram]]
!!'''Fangoram'''
[[quoteright:122: https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Fangoram_and_Center_H..JPG]]

-->''"You traitor! You kill Fangoram's friends...You kill deadmen! Fangoram full of hatred. Must kill...Must kill YOU!"''

A vicious and cruel prototype necrolizer that is first seen in ''Overdose'' (almost seeming like Grave's evil counterpart) who serves as Garino's sweeper and bodyguard. He is feared by many and thought to be the world's strongest necrolizer by sheer destructive power, as he is the only being capable of wielding the Center Head, a large gun of otherworldly strength and the last of the Cerberus line of weapons. He is filled with hatred towards Grave, as Fangoram lost his jaw and many of his "comrades" to Grave and swore to get revenge someday.

Voiced by Creator/SteveBlum.

* {{BFG}} The Center Head of Cerberus, which fires rounds the size of ''footballs'' and nearly kills Grave in one shot. The recoil of firing is also weaponized, allowing Fangoram to make several shots around him by swinging the gun with the recoil, making him a threat in any direction.
%%* DamageSpongeBoss
* TheDragon: He is Garino's right-hand man.
* EvilCounterpart: To Grave. Both dress in identical colors with [[CreepyCoolCrosses the same motifs]] and use Cerberus-line weaponry. While Grave is silent, thoughtful, and agile whose fighting style is based on [[ImprobableAimingSkills accuracy]] and [[MoreDakka rapid-fire shooting]], Fangoram is a loud, brutish thug who switches between slow, singular shots and reckless shooting frenzies. They both seem to care for their allies (as seen in the quote above) and both hide their scars to some degree as well, with Grave missing his [[EyeScream left eye]] and Fangoram [[FacialHorror hiding his bloody mouth]].
* FacialHorror: When his mask comes off, there's a good shot of his mouth, which has been stripped of all flesh and has jagged teeth. Makes you wonder how he holds onto [[GoodSmokingEvilSmoking his cigarettes...]]
* GoodSmokingEvilSmoking: Does it through his [[CoolMask mask]].
* HulkSpeak: Evident in his quote, of course.
* SpikesOfVillainy: Sports some impressive ones on his boots.
* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: On the receiving end of a massive one by [[KillItWithFire whoever]] [[ShockAndAwe fights]] [[MoreDakka him]]. Grave's get's special mention for the fact that he finishes him off by nailing him with a ''thermonuclear railgun blast''. Guess he wasn't taking any chances after their [[CurbStompBattle first round...]]

[[folder:Sherry Walken [=MacDowell=]]]
!!'''Sherry Walken [=MacDowell=]'''
[[quoteright:81: https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Sherry_Walken_Dowell.JPG]]

-->''"This one's for Harry [=MacDowell=]...Now it's your turn...BRANDON HEAT."''

Bear Walken's only daughter, her well-being is of Bear's utmost concern. After being thoroughly convinced by Harry that she was okay in his hands, Bear allows them to marry. She fell in love with Harry at first sight during Harry and Brandon's induction ceremony to Big Daddy's inner circle, "The Family".

In the video game series, after the deaths of her father and Harry, she returns in ''Overdose'' as one of Don Corsione's bodyguards and also is his adviser. Her one true wish is to get revenge on Grave, the man who killed both her father and her beloved Harry. Her newfound rebirth as a necrolizer will help her see to that.

* AvengingTheVillain: She wants to kill Grave to avenge her father's and her husband's death. Although not quite explained in the game, she's already died once, and someone turned her into a dead''woman''.
* DiedInYourArmsTonight: [[spoiler:In the anime, in Harry's arms]].
* ImpossiblyCoolWeapon: She wields a crossbow/bludgeon/blade-shooter hybrid...thing called "Soul Reaver". (Not ''that'' [[VideoGame/LegacyOfKain Soul Reaver]] though...)
%%* MafiaPrincess
* TheSmurfettePrinciple: While she isn't the only female character in the series, she's the only female boss you'll fight.

[[folder:Zell Condorbrave]]
!!'''Zell/[[SpellMyNameWithAnS Zele]] Condorbrave'''
[[quoteright:138: https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Zell_Condorbrave.JPG]]

-->''"Don't confuse us for others who've never fought your kind before."''

In ''Overdose'', Zell leads a group of mercenaries who were hired by Don Corsione as extra security. He and his group are pretty much normal humans who have developed a special anti-deadman technique, which they have used to fight and destroy at least four deadmen. At his command, his soldiers will gang up on their target and bind it with chains. The immobilized target is then blasted with Zell's custom anti-deadman rifle.

%%* BadassNormal
* {{BFG}}: His "Bloody Omen" is a modified anti-deadman gun
* FlunkyBoss: Can't even damage him until you knock off his minions. Then he summons more!
* GracefulLoser: Calmly admits his defeat at Grave's hands before proposing towards take a vacation to his men.
%%* QuirkyMinibossSquad

!!The Raven Clan
[[folder:General]]
An internationally notorious mafia organization and the main handler of the drug SEED who are the main antagonists of ''[[VideGame/GungraveGORE Gungrave: G.O.R.E.]]'' chosen by "The Man" to rule over Scumland, an island in Southeast Asia by the South China Sea, who are also the ones responsible for producing and supplying [=SEEDs=], so they can distribute the drug all over the world by expanding their territory and operations outside into the surrounding countries in the region. Under the loyalty of other mafia groups, mercenaries, and [=SEED=]-addicted Orgmen, they took whole control of the island.

!'''Others'''
[[folder:Dr. T. (Dr. Tokioka)]]
!!'''Dr. T. (Dr. Tokioka)'''
[[quoteright:225:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Tokioka01_6603.jpg]]

-->''"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.

* TheAtoner: Has some shades of this in the anime, along with MyGodWhatHaveIDone.
* BeatThemAtTheirOwnGame (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 [[BiggerStick creating an even ''better'' deadman to beat them with--Beyond the Grave]].)
* TheCaretaker: For Grave.
* DivingSave / TakingTheBullet: For Mika in the anime.
* ForScience (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 MyGodWhatHaveIDone?)
* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:Shields Mika from Lee's attack and later manages to provide Grave one last treatment before dying in the anime.]]
* MadScientist (Though not so much mad, or evil per se.)
* MissionControl (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.)
* MortalWoundReveal: Anime-only. When he reloads Grave's Cerberus with Anti-Superior bullets after Lee's assault, he looks fine. But when everything is over, [[spoiler:it's revealed that he is bleeding out from his stomach. Somehow he manages to provide Grave one last treatment before dying.]]
* PlayingWithSyringes: He's the one who discovered and engineered the Necrolization Project.
%%* ReluctantMadScientist
* ScaleOfScientificSins: He considers his creation of Necrolyzation technology as this.

[[folder:Maria Asagi]]
!!'''Maria Asagi'''
[[quoteright:350: https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Maria_Asagi.jpg]]

-->''"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 Creator/KikukoInoue in Japanese, by Creator/MichelleRuff in the English dub of the anime and by Patricia Hannidez in the anime's Mexican Spanish dub.

* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: Subverted. Maria falls for Brandon when he saves her from some thugs and is actually concerned of his tendency to get into fights.
%%* BreakTheCutie: In the anime.
* DatingWhatDaddyHates: Uncle Jester doesn't like Maria's relationship with Brandon, a street thug who is frequently seen fighting with other gangs.
%%* MafiaPrincess
* LoveInterests: Brandon's sweetheart and later, becomes the wife of Big Daddy.
* TearsOfJoy: After learning from Big Daddy that Brandon is alive and hiding somewhere.
* TookALevelInBadass: 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!

[[folder:Mr. Asagi/"Big Daddy"]]
!!'''Big Daddy/Mr. Asagi'''
[[quoteright:300: https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Big_Daddy.jpg]]

-->''"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 Creator/IemasaKayumi in Japanese, by Creator/MichaelMcConnohie in the English dub and by Federico Romano in the Mexican Spanish dub.

* AFatherToHisMen: Especially Brandon.
* TheAtoner: 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.
* BenevolentBoss: ''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.
* CoolOldGuy: 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 [[Film/TheGodfather Michael Corleone]].
* FinalBoss: Sadly, he is this in the original game. There is no other way to save him aside from putting him out of his misery. We don't talk about the [[GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere alien head]].
* {{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.
* HonorBeforeReason: In the anime, [[spoiler: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.
* MetaphoricallyTrue / MotivationalLie: 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.
* PapaWolf: 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.
* ScaryShinyGlasses: Right before decking Dr. T with a punch.
* TragicMonster: Video game only.
** Also a bit of a TearJerker 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 MercyKill.
* VagueAge: 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.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Spike Hubie]]
!!'''Spike Hubie'''
[[quoteright:110: https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Spike_Corsione_Hubie.JPG]]

-->''"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 Creator/QuintonFlynn.

%%* BrattyHalfPint
%%* CloningBlues
* FlawedPrototype: He has amazingly high intelligence but is saddled with a physically frail, degenerating body.
* IdentityAmnesia: Or so it seems...
* SeeingThroughAnothersEyes: Unbeknownst to Spike, Garino can see and hear anything that Spike sees and hears.
* SpannerInTheWorks: Despite being almost dead, he manages to shoot and damage Garino's machine, lowering his defenses.

[[folder:Methuselah]]

!!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.

%%* AlienInvasion
%%* HiveMind
%%* TheManBehindTheMan
* SufficientlyAdvancedAlien (Although whether the [[GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere Alien Head]] is related to them or not is anyone's guess)
%%* TheVirus

[[folder:Orgmen]]
!!Orgmen

The main product of the Necrolization/Seed Project, these bioweapons are often known as the "Black Suits" or "Blue-white men". They are mass-produced and cultivated in Harry's labs to serve as his enforcers. They are also the result of test subjects with sub-optimal mental and physical strength to control the Seed implanted in them. Orgman stands for "re-organized man". These beings have no sense of self or free thought, possessing considerable strength in exchange for their heart and soul. When destroyed they shatter into blue-white crystals and are subconsciously connected to something more than human.

These are the creatures that attacked Mika in Butler Tokioka's car (and Dr. T.'s truck in the anime) when she was fleeing from Harry's agents. Butler Tokioka loses his life to one, holding it off long enough for Mika to escape.
----
* {{Mooks}} (In many shapes and sizes)
%%* RedEyesTakeWarning
* RedRightHand (For some reason most of them have two small wings growing from their neck)
%%* SuperSoldier
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Butler Tokioka]]
!!'''Butler Tokioka'''
[[quoteright:175:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/eabc8bd81da83ed0ac282f724f971e1e.jpg]]

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.
----
* BattleButler:
** 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. [[spoiler: He dies soon after.]]
%%* HeroicSacrifice
%%* HighClassGlass
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Brad Wong/Blood War]]
!!'''Blood War/Brad Wong'''
[[quoteright:240:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/76de6364d5e015547fe3eba0308eaa56.jpg]]

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.
----
* AGlassOfChianti: 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.
%%* BloodKnight
%%* BoisterousBruiser
%%* CoatCape
%%* CoolShades / TriangleShades
* DarkAndTroubledPast: He and Blood were once involved in a war, which was selfishly started by their country.
* GunsAkimbo: He wields a pair of gold and silver HandCannon.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Cannon Vulcan.
%%* HotBlooded
* MeaningfulName / NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: 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 BloodKnight.
%%* OneWingedAngel
%%* SlasherSmile
%%* SmokingIsCool
* SuperSerum: When he's losing against Brandon, he drinks this and shoots himself to transform into his OneWingedAngel form.
* SuperStrength / NighInvulnerability / SuperToughness: His OneWingedAngel form grants him these.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Cannon Vulcan]]
!!'''Cannon Vulcan'''
[[quoteright:240:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/edc9143db8834f6b3f747902bb87364b.jpg]]

Anime-only character. He once fought alongside Blood War in the past. Out of ambition to return to the battlefield, he killed his father, [[spoiler:sent Lee to work in Millennion to get informaion]], and began the Necrolyzation project and spent seven years to develop it.
----
* AmbitionIsEvil: Killed his father because of this.
* BloodKnight: Although he never truly fights (except in his flashback), his dream is to go to war.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: He and Blood were once involved in a war, which was selfishly started by their country.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Blood War.
* ManipulativeBastard: Sends [[spoiler:Lee]] to work in Millennion as a spy.
%%* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast
* NonIndicativeName: He never truly fights, except in his flashback.
* TheReveal: [[spoiler:He turns out to be related to Balladbird Lee by blood.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Laguna Glock]]
!!'''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.
----
* AlwaysSecondBest: When Grave destroys his facility and leaves him in the inferno, he asks if he is never a better scientist than Dr. T.
* EvilGenius: In the Millennion during Harry's reign.
%%* MadScientist
%%* SlasherSmile
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Gary & Widge]]
!!'''Gary & Widge'''
[[quoteright:240:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/39e6b2b4fde4d6c8d767dcbf86514ca8.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:240:Left: Widge; Right: Gary]]

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.
----
* DisabilitySuperpower: Downplayed. After the timeskip, Widge is blind, but he can hear very well. [[spoiler:Doesn't help him from Lee's onslaught though.]]
* DontTellMama: Widge. His mother never knows that he works in a mafia organization.
%%* HeterosexualLifePartners
* HonoraryUncle: Mika views them as her uncle.
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: [[spoiler:Lee killed them this way]].
* {{Jerkass}}: Gary in the beginning.
* RedOniBlueOni: Gary is Red; Widge is Blue. Gary is loud and sometimes leaks out secrets [[spoiler:(such as the fact that Brandon was killed and later, Big Daddy was killed)]], while Widge is calmer.
* TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth: [[spoiler: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]].
* ToothyIssue: Gary.
%%* TrueCompanions
* UndyingLoyalty: 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 [[TrueCompanions because they always consider them as a family]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Jolice, Nathan, & Kenny]]
!!'''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 [[Manga/{{Trigun}} Vash the Stampede]]. There's also the word 'Peace' on his apron.
* SacrificialLamb: All of them.
* TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth: 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.
%%* TrueCompanions
* WeaponJr: Kenny has a toy gun. Unfortunately, it leads to Nathan's and his death when Nathan attempts to shoot Ladd with it.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Jester]]
!!'''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.
----
* TheAtoner: His reason of raising Maria.
* JerkassHasAPoint: 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. [[HarsherInHindsight It's true, sadly.]]
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: 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.
* PapaWolf: 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.
* ProfessionalKiller: Formerly.
%%* SacrificialLamb
[[/folder]]

* [[Characters/GungraveAntagonists Antagonists]][[note]]Bunji Kugashira, Millenion (Harry MacDowell, Big Four [Bob Poundmax, Balladbird Lee, Bear Walken]), Corsione Family (Don Corsione, Garino Creale Corsione, Fangoram, Sherry Walken MacDowell, Zell Condorbrave), Raven Clan[[/note]]

* [[Characters/GungraveAntagonists Antagonists]][[note]]Bunji Kugashira, Millenion, Corsione Family, Raven Clan[[/note]]