Brandon Heat

**Brandon Heat**, also known as **Beyond the Grave** or simply **Grave**, is the main protagonist from the *Gungrave* anime and games.

A small-time criminal who was in a gang with his best friend, Harry McDowell, along with three other close friends. After their friends were killed, Brandon and Harry joined the crime syndicate Millennion, led by Big Daddy. After joining Millennion, Brandon was assigned to a small collection crew in the West District, where they collected the organization's income from its illegal race track betting and black market operations. After being proven by a special assignment recommended by Harry, his affiliation with Maria and risking his life for Big Daddy, Brandon began to move up within the ranks of the organization. Brandon was trained by Millennion's Bear Walken to be a sweeper (assassin), eventually forming his own elite sweeper unit within Millennion called "True Graves".

As Harry rose to power, Brandon remained loyal to the syndicate. Brandon confronted Harry for betraying the organization but found himself unable to kill his friend. Instead, Harry kills Brandon during his moment of hesitation. Brandon was resurrected by Dr. Tokioka as "Beyond the Grave". His purpose is to destroy the syndicate that he once worked for and the friend who betrayed him. At the end of the anime, Brandon chose to protect Harry instead of killing him out of respect for their old friendship. It's unknown whether he lives or dies when Mika finally arrives. He acts like a parental figure to Mika and told her to move on as he no longer belongs to the living.

In the AWA fics, Brandon is part of the AWA as one of it's many instructors.

## **Appearance**

Brandon is a tall, handsome young man with a muscular physique. He has a short, messy hair and has brown eyes.

As Grave, he is a lot taller and has a silver-gray hair styled in a bobcut, and has red eyes. He wears a dark-brown high-collared jacket over a white collared shirt, a black buttoned vest and black tie, black trousers, black leather shoes with white cuffs, white gloves, a black Fedora hat with a red trimmings and a shades with the left eye covered with a red & white crossed design.

## **Personality**

Brandon is a calm, kind and loyal man despite being raised in the streets. He cares more for those around him than himself: he refused to leave his gang and find a job with Maria's uncle so that he could continue to fight for his friends, going as far killing Cid Gallarde for Bear Walken as part of the Code of Iron when the latter was unable to do so, and later willingly gave up Maria to Big Daddy to ensure her safety.

As Grave, he is much more talkative, although still quite a silent figure. He is usually stoic, but he is actually capable of feeling and showing emotions, such as shedding tears when his friends die. When placed against adversaries, Grave is ruthless (although he does spare human enemies like Millennion agents), but to his friends, he is kind and gentle.

## **Abilities**

* **Death Blow:** Grave crouches down and hoists the Coffin onto his right shoulder, before it opens a hatch to fire ahead a missile.
* **Bullet Dance:** Taking the Coffin and hoisting it under his right arm, Grave activates its machine gun attachment, which activates a jet on its back to allow him to spin around and assail all foes near him. All bullets fired explode on contact.
* **Hellhound Roar:** As Grave crouches and readies the Coffin, he instead places it flat upright on his shoulder. Three ports are then ejected to fire three missiles at different angled trajectories to destroy all foes in a wider radius.
* **Raging Inferno:** A Bullet Dance in where the munitions are greater, allowing Grave to destroy and annihilate more enemies. At its end, Grave will use the additional munitions to jump up, spin, and assault more enemies that are on a higher elevation.
* **Graveyard Special:** Executed when Grave has at least one Stock available and when a boss in their Seed form are at a low fraction of health. Bringing them to the realm of Beyond the Grave, a decrepit and desolate graveyard wasteland lit by a grim red moon in the distance, Grave then finishes them off for good in a cinematic display.
	+ **Poundmax Execution:** Wearing the Coffin up right, the top of the Coffin ejects four missile ports, and launches them in synchronization. As Bob is grievously injured, the missiles blow him apart one by one.
	+ **Lee Execution:** Grave readies down for a more intricate Bullet Dance; as the jets on the back of the Coffin propel itself and Grave, the momentum goes faster and faster until the Coffin decides to unleash a storm of bullets. Unable to find a proper opening, Balladbird is blasted apart by the fusillades.
	+ **Walken Execution:** With Bear unable to handle Grave's assault and goes in reverse to recover, Grave then fires off a final Death Blow that detonates and blows up Bear helpless.
	+ **Kugashira Execution:** In stride, Grave runs forward. Jumping and grabbing the Coffin, Grave then slides and skids across the scene standing, firing off a non stop volley from the Coffin straight ahead. Kugashira, unable to react and recover fast enough in time, is ripped to shreds by the firing.
	+ **Big Daddy Execution:** As the twisted remains of Big Daddy are on its last legs, Grave launches four missiles and fires one off personally. With the missiles blasting apart the monstrosity, Big Daddy is able to be put to rest for good by Grave.
	+ **Alien Execution:** In an all out display, Grave unleashes all Executions he had unleashed on the Big Four in order, wiping out the enigmatic menace for good.

## **Trivia**

* In episode 15, Brandon's tombstone indicates that he was born on year 19635 and died on 5th January 19662.
* Brandon's preferred weapons before he became Beyond the Grave were two Sig Sauer P226 handguns. When he shot, he had a habit of crossing his wrists and holding his guns sideways. This would become a signature shooting style of his that he retained as Grave.

* The game manual lists Grave as being 26 years old. This would apply to him at the time of his death, as more than 13 years pass between Brandon's death and the events of Gungrave.

## **External Links**

* Brandon Heat at GunGrave Wiki
* Beyond the Grave at GunGrave Wiki