Beyond the Grave (Gungrave)

rdf:langString Beyond the Grave (Gungrave)

rdf:langString Beyond the Grave

rdf:langString Beyond the Grave

rdf:langString Concept art for Beyond the Grave in Gungrave

rdf:langString Gungrave

rdf:langString Beyond the Grave (Japanese: ビヨンド・ザ・グレイヴ, Hepburn: Biyondo za gureivu), born Brandon Heat (Japanese: ブランドン・ヒート, Hepburn: Burandon Hīto), is the protagonist of Red Entertainment's action third-person shooter series Gungrave. Formerly a trusted member of the Millennion's Family who was killed by his best friend Harry McDowell, Brandon was revived as part of a result of experiments. Gungrave opens shortly after his resurrection, fifteen years after his death. Grave is a silent protagonist, receiving his mission and carrying it out without a word. He has reappeared in the multiple sequels Gungrave has had, where he faces new enemies alongside allies. The character has also appeared in the crossover game Chaos Wars and Madhouse's anime adaptation of the first game. Beyond the Grave was created by manga artist Yasuhiro Nightow when staff members from Red Entertainment requested his help with the idea of Gungrave. Nightow chose Grave to be silent based on his preferences with video games and felt that his design became too difficult to animate. Across the sequels, the staff in charge of the games wanted to improve the Grave's appeal through his new actions and how he encounters enemies. Despite being silent, Grave sometimes talks with Tomokazu Seki being his Japanese voice actor while Kirk Thornton portrays him in the English dub of the series. Critical reception to Beyond the Grave has been mixed. While game journalists have found his story in his debut simple, the character's design and powers as a gunner have received positive response, comparing him with other of Nightow's characters, most notably the ones from his manga Trigun. Critical response to his role in the anime adaptation of the game has been positive due to how the narrative handles his transformation from a street fighter to a ruthless mafia hitman and becoming Harry's enemy as his new undead persona, Grave, while still dealing with his friendship.