# Brave Bang Bravern!

Brave Bang Bravern! (勇気爆発バーンブレイバーン, Yūki Bakuhatsu Bān Bureibān), also known as Bang Brave Bang Bravern, is an original Japanese mecha anime television series produced by Cygames, animated by CygamesPictures, and directed by Masami Ōbari, with series composition by Keigo Koyanagi, mechanical designs by MORUGA and Mizuki Sakura, and character designs by Kouichi Motomura based on Kamokamen's original designs.
It aired from January to March 2024 on TBS and its affiliates.
Though not officially part of the Brave Series, Bravern! is considered as the spiritual successor to it.

## Story

Lewis Smith and Isami Ao meet each other in Oahu, Hawaii, during joint American-Japanese military exercises under AD-RIMPAC when a mysterious enemy invades the island. When all hope seems lost, a mysterious talking robot named Bravern appears and asks Isami to pilot him into battle, revealing that the invaders are "Deathdrives", super robots who rely on the power of humans to pilot them.
After the first Deathdrive, Superbia, is destroyed, he ejects a young woman named Lulu, who Lewis cares for until she recovers. Upon awakening, she begins to develop both physically and mentally, learning to speak, eat, and walk.

## Characters
### Main characters
#### Isami Ao (イサミ・アオ)

    Voiced by: Ryōta Suzuki
    A soldier in the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Forces. He is the only one who can pilot Bravern, as he only allows him to pilot him.

#### Lewis Smith (ルイス・スミス, Ruisu Sumisu)

    Voiced by: Yōhei Azakami
    A soldier in the US Marine Corps, who befriends Isami after Bravern arrives. He later dies during the battle against Vanitas, Pessimism, and Knuth, but is reborn as Bravern after his ghost merges with his Titanostrider and Knuth, with Knuth's power sending him back in time to the beginning of the Deathdrive invasion. He is resurrected following the final battle against Verum Vita.

#### Bravern (ブレイバーン, Bureibān)

    Voiced by: Kenichi Suzumura
    A talking super robot who arrives to defend Earth from the Deathdrives. He seems to know Isami and will only let him pilot him. It is later revealed that he is Lewis, who was reborn after his ghost merged with his Titanostrider and Knuth, with Knuth's power sending him back in time to the beginning of the Deathdrive invasion.

#### Lulu (ルル, Ruru)

    Voiced by: Saya Aizawa
    A mysterious young woman who Lewis finds on the shore of Oahu and is Superbia's pilot.

### Allied Task Force
#### Hibiki Rio (ヒビキ・リオウ, Hibiki Riō)

    Voiced by: Yume Miyamoto

#### Miyu Katō (ミユ・カトウ)

    Voiced by: Ai Kakuma

#### Honoka Suzunagi (ホノカ・スズナギ)

    Voiced by: Kaori Maeda

#### Karen Aldrin (カレン・オルドレン, Karen Orudoren)

    Voiced by: Yukiyo Fujii

#### Nina Kowalski (ニーナ・コワルスキー, Nīna Kowarusukī)

    Voiced by: Nanako Mori

#### Hal King (ハル・キング, Haru Kingu)

    Voiced by: Kenta Miyake

#### Thomas J. Prahmman (トーマス・J・プラムマン, Tōmasu J Puramuman)

    Voiced by: Tomoyuki Shimura

#### Isao Kawada (イサオ・カワダ)

    Voiced by: Hiroshi Shirokuma

#### Akira Mishima (アキラ・ミシマ, Akira Mishima)

    Voiced by: Shiori Izawa

#### Shelley Rolen (シェリー・ローレン, Sherī Rōren)

    Voiced by: Saki Yoshida

#### Richard Haze (リチャード・ヘイズ, Richādo Heizu)

    Voiced by: Kazuhiro Nakaya

#### Kazuki Tōdō (カズキ・トウドウ)

    Voiced by: Taichi Takeda

#### Joshua (ジョシュア, Joshua)

    Voiced by: Yuna Kamakura

### Bundeswehr
#### Heidemarie Barrow (ハイデマリー・バロウ, Haidemarī Barō)

    Voiced by: Yū Asakawa

### CIA
#### Bob Craib (ボブ・クレイブ, Bobu Kureibu)

    Voiced by: Chō

### Deathdrives
#### Superbia (スペルビア, Superubia)

    Voiced by: Tomokazu Sugita

#### Cupiridas (クピリダス, Kupiridasu)

    Voiced by: Tetsu Inada

#### Knuth (クーヌス, Kūnusu)

    Voiced by: Atsuko Tanaka

#### Vanitas (ヴァニタス, Vanitasu)

    Voiced by: Hikaru Midorikawa

#### Pessimism (ペシミズム, Peshimizumu)

    Voiced by: Chafurin

#### Segnitis (セグニティス, Segunitisu)

    Voiced by: Katsuyuki Konishi

#### Ira (イーラ, Īra)

    Voiced by: Kenjiro Tsuda

#### Popalchipum (ポーパルチープム, Pōparuchīpumu)

    Voiced by: Fumihiko Tachiki

#### Verum Vita (ヴェルム・ヴィータ, Vuerumu Vuīta)

    Voiced by: Rie Kugimiya

## Media
### Anime

The opening theme song is "Babān to Suizan! Bānbureibān" (ババーンと推参！バーンブレイバーン, "Ba-Bang to Suisan! Bang Bravern"), performed by Kenichi Suzumura, while the ending theme song is "Sōen no Shōzō" (双炎の肖像, "Portrait of Twin Flames"), performed by Ryōta Suzuki and Yōhei Azakami.
An advance screening of the first two episodes was held at Toho Cinemas in Roppongi Hills on December 10, 2023.
Crunchyroll streamed the series under the title Brave Bang Bravern!, which is also available in India. Aniplus Asia streamed the series in Southeast Asia.

#### Episodes

| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Storyboarded by | Original release date |
| 1 | "Wait's Over, Isami!" Transliteration: "Mata Seta na, Isami!" (Japanese: 待たせたな、イサミ！) | Katsuya Shigehara | Keigo Koyanagi | Masami Ōbari & Katsuya Shigehara | January 11, 2024 (2024-01-11) |
| During a joint American-Japanese military exercise, Isami Ao meets Lewis Smith. Suddenly, alien robots attack Earth; during the battle, a giant talking robot appears from the sky and asks Isami to pilot him. With Isami as his pilot, the robot, calling himself "Bravern", fights off the invaders. ||||||
| 2 | "Isami! You'll Be Here Soon, Won't You, Isami!?" Transliteration: "isamīーーītu! Sorosoro Dayo na, Isamīーーītu!!" (Japanese: イサミィーーッ！そろそろだよな、イサミィーーッ！！) | Takehiro Miura | Keigo Koyanagi | Takehiro Miura & Katsuya Shigehara | January 18, 2024 (2024-01-18) |
| Bravern tells the joint military leaders about the threat of the "Deathdrives". While Isami is being interrogated and tortured, another giant robot, Superbia, attacks. Lewis offers to pilot Bravern in Isami's stead, but Bravern insists that only Isami can pilot him. Although Isami and Bravern defeat Superbia, Isami is reduced to curling up into a fetal position in Bravern's cockpit. ||||||
| 3 | "Lulu... That's Her Name" Transliteration: "Ruru…… Sore ga, Kanojo no Namaeda" (Japanese: ルル……それが、彼女の名前だ) | Taro Shimoigusa, Hidetoshi Watanabe | Keigo Koyanagi | Masami Ōbari, Yoshinari Saito | January 25, 2024 (2024-01-25) |
| Lewis finds a young woman on the beach where Bravern fought Superbia. An aquatic Deathdrive attacks the naval fleet from underwater. Bravern and Isami defeat it, but then find Lewis and the woman, who calls herself "Lulu". ||||||
| 4 | "Isami, It Seems You Still Have Much to Learn About People" Transliteration: "Isami, Kimi wa Mada, Hito Toiu Mono o Wakatteinai Yōda" (Japanese: イサミ、キミはまだ、人というものを分かっていないようだ) | Yoshinari Saito | Keigo Koyanagi | Yoshinari Saito | February 1, 2024 (2024-02-01) |
| Isami gets a new pilot suit while Lewis tries to help Lulu adjust to life at the base. Tokyo is destroyed by a Deathdrive. ||||||
| 5 | "That's One Thing That's Beyond My Powers" Transliteration: "Sore wa Kitto, Watashi ni wa Dekinai Kotodarō" (Japanese: それはきっと、私には出来ないことだろう) | Takashi Narukawa & Kenta Hayashi | Keigo Koyanagi | Takashi Narukawa & Takehiro Miura | February 8, 2024 (2024-02-08) |
| The military forces head to Japan as Bravern encourages Lewis to help Isami cope. Isami and Lewis face off in a boxing match. ||||||
| 6 | "Everything Will Be Okay. For I... I Am Bravern!" Transliteration: "Zettai ni Daijōbuda. Nazenara…… Watashi ga Bureibān Dakarada!" (Japanese: 絶対に大丈夫だ。なぜなら……私がブレイバーンだからだ！) | Takashi Narukawa & Kenta Hayashi | Keigo Koyanagi | Takashi Narukawa & Takehiro Miura | February 15, 2024 (2024-02-15) |
| The military arrives in Japan in search of survivors, planning to initiate a bombing run if none are found. At first, they find only Deathdrives, but at the last moment they make contact with surviving soldiers. When they are unable to call off the bombing run in time, Bravern takes control of the missiles and guides them to only hit the Deathdrives. Superbia returns and demands that they return Lulu to him. ||||||
| 7 | "Well, Isami? What Would You Do in a Situation Like This?" Transliteration: "Dōsuru Isami! Konna Toki, Isami Nara Dōsuru nda!" (Japanese: どうするイサミ！こんな時、イサミならどうするんだ！) | Yorihiro Tanimoto | Keigo Koyanagi | Toshihiko Masuda | February 22, 2024 (2024-02-22) |
| Another Deathdrive, Cupiridas, arrives near an alien tower. Bravern and Isami go to face him, leaving the others to deal with Superbia. The tower keeps replicating Cupiridas every time Bravern and Isami defeat him, so they destroy the tower to defeat him. Superbia is shocked to find that Lulu is now sentient and talking. They find another Lulu, dead, inside Cupiridas' capsule. Superbia reveals that the Lulus are organic batteries the Deathdrives use to empower themselves. Lewis tries to pilot Superbia himself, but it does not work. Lewis is given a new Titanostrider that Lulu can co-pilot with him. ||||||
| 8 | "Until We Meet Again, Smith" Transliteration: "Mata Aō, Sumisu" (Japanese: また会おう、スミス) | Katsuya Shigehara | Keigo Koyanagi | Masami Ōbari & Katsuya Shigehara | February 29, 2024 (2024-02-29) |
| Lewis forms his new unit, the Brave Knights. When three new Deathdrives, Vanitas, Pessimism, and Knuth, attack, Bravern and Isami fight Vanitas and Pessimism while the Brave Knights face Knuth. During the battle, Lewis sacrifices himself to destroy Knuth. ||||||
| 9 | "Isami! We Must Save the World Together!" Transliteration: "Isamī! Oretachi de, Sekai o Sukū nda!!" (Japanese: イサミィ！俺たちで、世界を救うんだ！！) | Yoshinari Saito | Yūsuke Kambayashi | Masami Ōbari & Yoshinari Saito | March 7, 2024 (2024-03-07) |
| As the team mourns Lewis's death, Bravern and Isami continue their battle against Vanitas and Pessimism. Lewis and Knuth meet as ghosts. Refusing to accept his fate, Lewis's ghost merges with his Titanostrider and Knuth. Knuth's power sends him back in time to the beginning of the Deathdrive invasion, where he is reborn as Bravern. In the present, Bravern fuses with a new armor suit, becoming Burn Bravern. With new power, Burn Bravern and Isami destroy Vanitas and Pessimism, with Isami finding new resolve to fight on in Lewis's honor. ||||||
| 10 | "In Japan, They Call This OMIAI" Transliteration: "Nippon de wa Sore o OMIAI Toiu" (Japanese: 日本ではそれをＯＭＩＡＩという) | Hidetoshi Watanabe | Keigo Koyanagi | Katsuya Shigehara | March 14, 2024 (2024-03-14) |
| 11 | "Commence Operation Bonfire!" Transliteration: "Operēshon・Bōnfaia, Kaishida!" (Japanese: オペレーション・ボーンファイア、開始だ！) | Kana Sakashita | Masaki Kuribayashi | Tetsuya Akutsu | March 21, 2024 (2024-03-21) |
| 12 | "Beyond Brave Bang!" Transliteration: "Yūki Bakuhatsu no, Sonosakihe!!" (Japanese: 勇気爆発の、その先へ！！) | Masami Ōbari, Katsuya Shigehara & Takehiro Miura | Keigo Koyanagi | Masami Ōbari, Katsuya Shigehara, Toshihiko Masuda & Takehiro Miura | March 28, 2024 (2024-03-28) |

### Web radio

A web radio program hosted by Ryōta Suzuki and Yōhei Azakami began streaming via Cygames Anime's YouTube channel on January 17, 2024, under the title Original TV Anime “Yūki Bakuhatsu Bān Bureibān” Web Radio (オリジナルTVアニメ「勇気爆発バーンブレイバーン」Webレイディオ).

### Video Games

Bravern will appear in Super Robot Wars DD and Medarot S.