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Gungrave Terminology
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The meta-series Gungrave is well known for its unique world and varied characters. Because the terms used in the series would be alien to the casual reader, this page sums up the basic information on all these terms to make the series more understandable. Note there are differences between versions of the story and some elements may not appear in all versions. Methuselah On the planet that Gungrave takes place upon, there are several ruin sites that were left over by an alien intelligence that has been codenamed "Methuselah". The resident will of the Methuselah provides much of the background for the events of the Gungrave series. Almost all about this entity is unknown; however, its will, according to Garino, is merely to across the universe. To accomplish this, the Methuselah has made deals with both Harry MacDowel and Garino Corsione. These deals involve supplying them with advanced alien technology in return for the constant distribution of their Seed essence. As of the end of Gungrave: Overdose, however, both of these plans have been thwarted. The Ruins * The Tower: A giant metallic blue tower, well over three miles in height. It is the most notorious Methuselah ruin, and the city of Billion was built around it. Within this massive structure was a wealth of advanced technology far beyond what had been seen before. The super crime syndicate Millennion investigated it under the supervision of Big Daddy, with Dr. Tokioka as the head researcher. The being known as "The Mysterious Agent" resided within the giant fetus-like space suit floating above the Tower. * The Starship: This was the Ruin discovered by the Corsione Family. Garino brought the Starship to optimal working condition. The intelligence within the ship was still fully aware and made the same deal with Garino that Mysterious Agent made with Harry. If Project Seed succeeded, Garino planned to take the ship and fly off into deep space. The Mysterious Agent After reviewing the research data from the Tower, Big Daddy decided that the findings within were dangerous and utilizing them would be amoral. Harry MacDowel, who at the time was a young ambitious executive of Millennion, was then contacted by "The Mysterious Agent;" a being serving the will of the Methuselah. The Agent coerced Harry into betraying Big Daddy by appealing to his drive for power and status. It would supply Harry with the forbidden technology needed for him to take over the syndicate in exchange for Harry spreading the alien's seed. After Harry successfully took over Millennion in a bloody coup d'état, he held to his end of the deal by flooding Billion with Seed in the form of a highly addictive super-drug. The Agent would then continue to monitor and manipulate Harry and the Family behind the scenes. In regard to its appearance, The Agent resembled a mix between a Human and a Grey, having smooth gray skin, no ears or fingernails, and wide, black lidless eyes. It wore an ordinary shirt, jeans and its "favorite pair" of sneakers. The Agent's only in-game appearance is when it attacked Beyond the Grave in its own Over-Kill form as the final boss of the first game. After a bloody battle in the center of the Towers organic core, Grave destroyed the Agent by utilizing every single Graveyard Special at the same time. The Agent's standard form never appears in the game, but information about the Agent is detailed within the Gungrave: Archives art book. The Children of Methuselah This is the blanket term for all of the plans and technology produced by discovering the Methuselah ruins. This includes (but is not limited to) The Seed project, Hybridoma, Orgmen, Necrolization, and cloning. Hybridoma This is a specific term for the technology that involves the use of Seed as its base. Researching the Methuselah life-support technology within the Tower and Starship respectively discovered it. Hybridoma involves the infinite propagation of cells (essentially immortality) and acts as the backbone for both the Seed Project and Necrolization. * Cloning: Using a previously unknown application of Hybridoma technology, Garino was able to produce a perfect, albeit younger, clone of himself in the form of Spike Hubie. Through this unknown technology Garino was mentally linked to Spike, and was able to see and hear everything he did, and even control his body at will. The Seed Project Seed in the Gungrave universe is an organism in liquid form that is used to assimilate all known life forms into the Methuselah consciousness. Seed itself is the smallest unit of the Methuselah cell system that has successfully been extracted. In its most basic form, Seed is used as a highly addictive drug that can turn even the most stable individual into a mindless junky with no restraint who is basically a slave to his or her Seed-Dealer. Constant Seed abuse can cause irreparable biological changes. These changes are actually partially dependent on the user's willpower and fortitude. The final goal of the project is full distribution of Seed to all people on the planet, ideally turning all humans into Orgmen. When taking seed in its pure state, the body goes through a radical transformation whereas all cells of the body, brain cells especially, are scanned by the Seed and the body is then altered into what the Seed considers an ideal state, gradually replacing all cells with blue-white translucent Seed-Crystal. * Seed: This biological material is harvested from alien bodies within the ruins. The Mysterious Agent was Millennion's source of alien material to refine the Seed Drug, while the Corsione family got their samples from the Starship. When sold as a drug, Seed is delivered in small glass ampoules with a needle built in. Within the glass is a piece of cultured Seed-crystal ready to be delivered to the body via the needle. * Seed Junkie: Those who are addicted to the Seed drug feature very destructive symptoms. Most Seed junkies have sadistic and violent thoughts, and show no fear mindlessly charging enemies that could easily kill them. They appear to be unable to feel pain and some display disturbing sadomasochistic habits (surgically screwing screws into their heads, or necks etc). * Seed-Seeker: A creature made of Seed that was engineered by Spike Hubie. This was a small winged fetus-like object suspended in a liquid containment dome. It would react when in the presence of Seed and guide Mika and the others to the Corsione Family operation facilities. Considering all of the Seed-Seekers found within Garino's lab, it is more likely that Garino invented these creatures and that Spike knew how to create one subconsciously, since he is Garino's clone. It's implied that these creatures are how the Corsione family would harvest Seed as a drug. * Counter-Seed: This is a chemical produced by Garino which, when administered, removes all traces of Seed from within the Body. Only one vial has ever been produced, and it was used on Mika after Seed had been used to heal her. The fact that it was always in Garino's possession implies that he never intended to allow Seed to be used on himself. Orgmen These creatures are former humans, kidnapped by Millennion or the Corsione Family, and administered an overdose of Seed in a controlled environment. Using Hybridoma technology, the Seed transformation is manipulated into a standardized form, which usually results in a tall hairless, genderless, pale humanoid with a red bar code on its forehead. Within the left side of its chest is a skeletal creature called a "Seed-Core" which acts as the central-processor of an Orgman. The tiny wings of a Seed-Core can be seen poking out of an Orgman's left shoulder. All Orgmen are one hundred percent Seed-Crystal, with the core being what the Seed grows into. When their regeneration abilities are overloaded by damage, they shatter like glass, accompanied by a flash of blue-white light. Their name is short for "Re-Organized Man" to designate their physical reorganization by Seed. All Orgmen are capable of weathering all standard firearm rounds with ease, exhibit enough strength to punch through reinforced doors or leap across an auditorium, and fast enough to out maneuver all but the most skilled opponents. Their greatest value, however, is their mindless and selfless loyalty to their creators. There is also apparently a mental network across all Orgmen; in other words, what one knows, they all know. This network allows for complex coordination between separate Orgmen and could be considered the essence of the Methusaleh's goal and Project Seed itself. An Orgman once stated that it existed on a higher plane of existence, which was "A joy no human can understand". * Black Suits: The standard Orgman is usually equipped with a black suit and sunglasses, and armed with gatling guns disguised as suitcases. They have also been known to carry machine guns or act in pairs and carry missiles over in kamikaze runs. Almost anyone can become a Black Suit. * Heavy Types: There are other types of Orgmen who develop natural weaponry during the processing stages. These weapon types range from; built in cannons such as seen from the 70mm Finger types, blades as seen in Death Scythe types, flight as seen in the Dragonfly types, and some are merely capable of grabbing onto its target and instigating a chemical reaction within itself so it explodes. These types of Orgmen are rarer and more difficult to create, since they partly rely on the human subjects' inherent abilities. * Unrefined: Sometimes a person is given a dosage of pure Seed without any process to control the change. This results in an uncontrolled transformation with almost no definable shape. The casino manager Al Bettino became such a creature; it had many faces, and a bulbous vaguely humanoid frame. This is only one case however, and the results will always be very different. Superior A Superior is the most unlikely result of a Seed overdose. Occasionally, due to an incredible strength of will, a person will be able to overcome the changes caused by Seed and become much more powerful. The result is almost always different, but normally this will result in a powerful alternate form called an "Over Kill", which has its shape determined by the Seed junkie's inner psyche. An Over Kill is usually monstrous (although this may simply reflect how they viewed themselves) and incredibly destructive, and through the use of Seed is able to self-generate weapons and complex machinery into its design. Even when not in Over Kill form, a Superior's human form still exhibits greatly enhanced attributes equaling and usually exceeding Orgmen. The only way to kill a Superior is to overload its regenerative systems with constant damage. Upon death, a Superior's body will break down into Seed-Crystal and blue-white light, leaving no trace behind. In a sense, the only difference between Orgmen and Superiors is that a Superior's brain remains unchanged. Superiors are so named because they have shown superior fortitude when compared to the average human, which has allowed them to retain some level of their humanity. * Bob Poundmax: In the case of Bob Poundmax, his Over Kill form grew five helicopter blades in order to support his massive girth, and the rest of his body was encased in leather and metal armor. Bob had the unique ability to grow Orgman-like creatures from his body and throw them at his opponents, whom they would crawl towards and explode upon making contact. Bob's Over Kill form reflected his gluttony, and his Orgmen-bombs probably reflect his preferred tactic of gathering and controlling information by spreading out his undercover agents. * Balladbird Lee: Lee possessed possibly the most bizarre Over Kill known. Lee's Over Kill form was actually supported by two bandage-wrapped human torsos instead of legs, his main body was suspended from wires hanging from a spine-like spike, his abdomen had a main head with a shock of long spiky hair, an O-fuda covering his face, and two secondary faces on the front and back of his "groin". A massive sword through his right and a machine gun through his left impaled Lee’s “legs”. Using these weapons along with Lee's advanced knowledge of martial arts and the attributes that came with being a Superior, he was a force to be reckoned with. This form reflects how working for a cold-blooded man like Harry has worn Lee down to the point that all that remains is a disjointed sociopath. * Bear Walken: Bear was a unique case in that his body was overly respondent to the Seed. This resulted in a secondary Over Kill form for him to turn into. Bear's first form resembled a massive man wearing a stylized hakama with six arms, and wearing a strange black mask (underneath his mask, his head remained unchanged). Four of his six arms were equipped with an enormous rocket launcher, flamethrower, and two machine guns. His two remaining arms were unarmed and pressed together as though in meditation or respect. He would attack with great coordination using all of his weapons in unison along with the speed his kendo training provided. After his first Over Kill form was defeated he quickly morphed into his second form; Bear Zen. This form was over five meters tall and had only three arms. His main body, which retained fairly human dimensions, was partially concealed within a coffin-like structure with his two arms still pressed together as before. Bear also wore the same mask as he had in his previous form. His two most distinguishing new features however, were his grossly disproportionate giant right arm, and the giant mechanical wheeled structure, which made up his left side. In this form, Bear would dash at his opponent with great speed and smash into them, run them down with his wheel, or throw debris at them. Basically he would use his enormous size as his greatest advantage. Bear's forms reflect that while he considered himself an inherently just and honorable man, his use of Seed and the bloody things he has done under Harry's command have made him feel tainted and dishonored to the point that he does not feel he deserves to use a respectable weapon like a katana. This is reflected in the fact that his first Over Kill form only wields guns and not the weapon that Bear proudly trains with. * Bunji Kugashira: Bunji's Over Kill has manifested is a unique way when compared to the other members of the Big Four. Bunji's normal and Over Kill form were one and the same. Through a great force of will, Bunji's body integrated the Seed into his human form, putting him in a constant state of Over Kill. Bunji's now inhuman status was visible from the fact that his body had crystallized from the neck down. All of his attributes (which were already well above average) were far greater then the other Superiors in almost every regard. In combat, he still relied on the same two automatic handguns he used as a human, but his Seed-energy greatly increased their destructive power. His bullets could easily pierce both a deadman's shield and skin with ease, and he could easily outmaneuver even Beyond the Grave. Lastly, when given enough time to concentrate, Bunji could completely reverse any damage done to him while still engaging in combat, giving his the most powerful regenerative ability of all the Superiors. Bunji never made excuses or saw himself as anything but what he was, and wished to do battle with Grave using the skills Grave taught him as a sweeper. This Bunji could never do in a monstrous Over Kill form. Partial Superior Occasionally a person injected with pure Seed will fall into an intermediary state between an Orgman and a Superior, or even rarer; between human and Superior. Usually this is simply because the Seed is taking longer than usual to take hold of the person's body and mind. Denito Corsione is an example of someone in an intermediary state between an Orgman and a Superior. After being injected with pure Seed by Garino, his body reorganized into a vague humanoid with a massive right arm similar to Bear. The skin around the arm would peel back and form a tripod to support the body, or the arm would act as an organic rocket to launch Denito upward, among other uses. He was only a partial Superior because the Seed had partially taken control of his brain, leaving him in a state of dementia. He was unable to go between this Over Kill form and his human one. The reason for this was probably because unlike the Big Four, who administered Seed to themselves over a period of years, Denito was given an overdose of pure Seed all at once. Mika Asagi is an example of one between human and Superior. After being maimed by Fangoram, Spike gave her a dosage of pure Seed to repair her damaged and dying body. The result was her torso and part of her face being converted to Seed crystal, which steadily continued to spread. Unlike Denito, she was strong enough to remain herself. She demonstrated incredible speed during this time, snatching all of Juji's bullets out of the air at close range when he tried to kill Spike. However, soon the Seed began to weaken her as it spread, but before anything severe could happen, Grave administered the Counter-Seed to Mika removing every trace of it from her body. Necrolization Necrolization, also known as "Necro-Raise" and "Necro-Rise", is the Hybridoma technology used to resurrect the dead as something known as a Necrolizer or more commonly a "Deadman" or "Dead Warrior". When Millennion first developed this technology, they found it to be a far more costly and complicated procedure when compared to the later Orgman technology, and it was for the most part abandoned. Very few active Necrolizers have ever been successfully produced. A deadman is created when a human corpse is first outfitted with cyborg parts, so as to allow for easier fresh blood transfusions. Second, the corpse is administered a dosage of Seed, which acts to jump start the body and reorganize and repair any organic damage left behind from injury and decomposition. Highly trained scientists must heavily monitor the entire process. The result of this is a human with physical attributes equal to or better than even a Superior, with skin harder than kevlar. Usually other physical changes accompany this process, such as a change in skin/hair color, increase in muscle mass, and/or sharpened teeth. A deadman's body uses Seed energy to naturally create a regenerative energy barrier around its body that is even stronger than its skin. It can also tap into this energy to improve its weapons and abilities in short bursts or when in states of great emotional duress. When damaged, the Seed within their body will act to replace the damaged cells when given enough time. Deadmen can literally tear through Orgmen, and fight Superiors on equal terms. A deadman must periodically transfuse the blood in its system, or it will become inactive. Due to decomposition of the brain, a deadman's memories are usually distorted, fragmented or missing altogether. A deadman is at a greater risk from blood loss than from organ/tissue damage. For undisclosed amounts of time, a deadman can be put into stasis until needed, the longest-known recorded stasis period being over thirteen years. The first generation of deadmen had no means of blood transfusion and their minds were nearly blank. After roughly forty hours of activity, they would break down and crumble to dust. Soon the blood transfusion implants were added and a second generation of Necrolizers was produced. This generation was given a larger dosage of Seed than average, resulting in physical deformity such as gigantism, spikes or retardation. Fangoram was a result of this generation. The third generation was fully perfected. The bodies and minds of the Necrolizers remained within controlled parameters and they had the highest success rating in all categories. This generation includes (but is not limited to), Beyond the Grave, Juji Kabane, and Sherry Walken. * Brandon "Beyond the Grave" Heat: The most powerful 3rd generation deadman, Grave employs his exceptional sweeper skills to obliterate his opponents. Grave's two firearms Right Head, and Left Head and a coffin-like weapons platform act as his signature armaments. As a result of the Necrolization, Grave is much larger than he was while alive, and his skin has darkened significantly. As a reminder of his death, his body bares several bullet scars along his chest and his left eye is a mess of scar tissue. Grave is emotionally dead and his memories are muddled. During moments of great emotional duress or rage, Grave body explodes with continuous Seed energy, which causes his hair to take on a spikier quality, and allows him limitless use of his coffins armaments. * Sherry Walken: Sherry was Bear's daughter and Harry's wife. During the Billion City incident she was killed but was later resurrected as the first female Necrolizer by Garino. Sherry was soon to find that her father and husband had both been killed by Grave over three years ago and swore bloody vengeance against Grave. While working for the Corsione family Sherry acted as a loyal assistant and bodyguard to Garino with the hopes that she might be able to encounter Grave in the future. During combat she used a laser guided scissor blade called the Soul Reaver and attacked with the fastest known speed of any of Grave's past opponents. Like Grave, the Necrolization process had given her a slightly larger, more muscular frame, and left her with pale hair and skin. * Fangoram: Fangoram was the most powerful deadman the world had ever seen. His strength, speed, agility, and raw power were in a playing field all his own. When he was first produced, Fangoram and the other 2nd generation Necrolizers went on a rampage and killed any and all researchers they could get their hands on. Grave was temporarily activated by Dr. Tokioka to deal with them and all the deadmen but Fangoram were killed. Somehow, despite losing most of his lower jaw and right leg, Fangoram survived and managed to develop a frightening reputation all the while cursing Grave for killing the other prototypes. Like the other prototypes, Fangoram was roughly eight feet tall with long limbs and a hunched figure. His face had a metal grate screwed over the mouth that he smoked cigarettes through and his right leg from the knee down was a prosthetic that had spikes built in to dig into the ground and steady him when he used his gun, the Center Head at its highest setting. How Fangoram obtained this devastating weapon wasn't disclosed, however only he was capable of wielding it, which he did with terrifying ease. While his combat skills were amazing, his intelligence was rather lacking. His speech was broken, and he was prone to out-of-control fits of rage. Regardless, his skill in combat made him something of an idiot savant. Other These beings do not properly fit in any one category. * Big Daddy: As an act of vengeance, Harry turned Big Daddy into a monstrous Seed experiment and attached him to the tower's "heart". What remains of Big Daddy is a massive humanoid creature composed of Seed-crystal, with a skull-like head with no lower jaw, and huge muscular arms. His left index finger has been replaced with a large vulcan gun, and he would vomit fire using his stomach acid. Nothing of Big Daddy remained within the monster he became. * B.L.W.: Somehow Garino managed to salvage the bodies of Bob Poundmax, Balladbird Lee, and Bear Walken and from those salvaged parts he created a horrible amalgamation called the B.L.W. (Bob-Lee-Walken). This creature’s body possessed Bob's abdomen, Lee's legs, and Bear's right arm, all supported by a thick belted stalk. Garino used this creature to act as a guard dog for his laboratories power plant where the B.L.W. was attached via its stalk. Because of its connection to an inexhaustible power supply, the B.L.W.'s regenerative capabilities could act infinitely leaving the creature virtually indestructible. Unlike Big Daddy, the B.L.W. seemed to possess memories of the three that composed him and apparently recognized Grave. During combat it would laugh and say things like, "Not bad, Grave" or "Impressive". * Bunji Kugashira: Like the other members of the Big Four, Bunji was also salvaged by Garino but in a far more recognizable (and powerful) form. As a result of his resurrection Bunji's body was now entirely composed of Seed-crystal. He wore the same clothing (albeit tattered and shredded) and his body was nearly covered in bandages. Aside from that, his right eye glowed red through his perpetually worn sunglasses. Since he was resurrected using Necrolization but was originally a Superior Bunji now fits neither of these categories. In regard to his abilities, his original attributes had greatly increased including his healing ability, and his Seed energy output was far superior to any other in the series and was now capable of forming ethereal wolves out of the energy that he would send against his opponents in legion. His trademark guns were still his preferred weapon overall. * Juji Kabane: Originally Juji was a standard deadman, however Garino then injected him with a Seed overdose creating a being neither a Superior, nor a Necrolizer. Juji was then vivisected by Garino and disposed of. Like his brother Bunji, Juji now gives off an abnormal amount of fiery red Seed energy that can usually be seen radiating from his left shoulder in the shape of a skull. The energy only appears while in combat, and turns the same blue as Bunji's when in a state of great emotional distress or rage. His preferred weapons are two gunblades called the Samurai Spirits. Because of this energy Juji doesn't need blood transfusions like other Necrolizers but must always be sure to keep it in check with his Kutaba-Ryu meditation practices or he may lose control and be overcome by the Seed. Only the upper half of his face and eyes have converted into Seed-crystal, which he covers with a mask. Ghosts * Rocketbilly Redcadillac: Unique in Gungrave, a ghost named Rocketbilly Redcadillac is shown possessing a weapon-like guitar called the BL2000V. Who or what he was is left to conjecture and so is how long he has been dead. What is known is that he is unable to physically interact with matter, or be separate from the guitar he haunts. He can go invisible, and appears to possess some form of empathic powers; Billy could sense Mika's sadness and Fangoram's hatred. According to Billy he is not unique and tells Zell that there are ghosts all around him. In combat Billy is able to channel out electrical energy through his guitar, which tears his opponents apart by the dozens. Since Billy lacks a physical form, his one weakness is the object he haunts, and should it be destroyed he would be destroyed along with it. Billy is the only ghost featured in the entire series and the most mysterious character. Organizations The Millennion Organization The Family, founded over thirty years ago by Big Daddy, ruled Billion city with an iron fist. Under the rule of Big Daddy, Millennion took control of all the rival factions fighting for power over the city and united them under a single banner in a state of unity. This all changed when Harry MacDowell, Big Daddy's right hand seized power and used the forbidden technology from the Tower to run Millennion and Billion like a tyrant. Using the addictive Seed, Harry bent the population to his every whim including the police force. As of the end of Gungrave, Millennion no longer exists. * "Big Daddy" Asagi: The original founder of Millennion, Big Daddy wanted to create an organization to protect those close to him. He avoided any needless bloodshed and had no interest to violently expand his empire. He saw the technology the Tower promised as amoral and declared it forbidden. He was an overall honorable man with a jagged scar along the right side of his face and always wore sunglasses. * Harry MacDowell: The ambitious right hand to Big Daddy, and current leader of Millennion as of the beginning of Gungrave. Harry wanted endless power and even at the expense of his best friend, Brandon Heat's life he intended to get it. The Agent contacted him and gave him the necessary power required to overthrow Big Daddy, and in return Harry spread Seed across the City. Surprisingly, despite the power it would guarantee him, Harry never used Seed, or wanted to become a Superior. * The Big Four: These four people made up Harry's inner circle and were the people he conspired with during his coup. Each one of the four gradually became a Seed junkie, and after awhile developed into Superiors to greatly increase Millennions absolute control. Bob Poundmax was in charge of intelligence gathering and control, which he accomplished with remarkable skill. Bob's best friend, Balladbird Lee was Harry's chief assistant and most loyal follower. Bear Walken was the man in charge of the organizations sweepers but under Harry's rule arranged the use of the Orgmen. His loyalty to Harry was guaranteed when Harry married his daughter, Sherry. Bunji Kugashira was the only student of the organizations best sweeper, Brandon Heat, and had risen up among the ranks as the best in the organization. He cared very little for the organization and remained the least loyal to Harry. The Corsione Family This organization, modeled after the Cosa Nostra of old, lacks the honorable background Millennion possessed and cared for nothing but power and control. They discovered the Starship ruin under the city of Metaslica and using that technology and Millennion's leftovers they created a powerful empire, riding the profit that Seed provided. * Denito Corsione: The organizations Don. Denito was a power-hungry criminal with delusions of grandeur. While he felt like he had control of his own syndicate, he failed to notice all of his power slipping into his adopted son Garino's direction. He always carried a Katana which he had some skill with. * Garino Creale Corsione: Garino was Denito's adopted son, and was the head of the Corsione family's R&D department. He had been steadily seizing control of the Organization since before the events of Gungrave: Overdose even began. Possessing a brilliant mind, he arranged an intricate conspiracy to seize control of the Corsione Family using his clone, Spike Hubie, and even the protagonists. When he became the new Don after disposing of Denito, he planned to overrun the world with Seed and then leave in the Starship to explore space. He later admitted his reasons as merely petty boredom. Like Harry Macdowell before him, Garino never intended to use Seed on himself. He was Gungrave: Overdose' main antagonist. * Gordo: This overweight black man was the manager of the Gargoyle Hotel, which was actually a Seed distribution center. A Seed junkie himself, Gordo was more than willing to defend the hotel with his life. * Al Bettino: This arrogant man was the manager of a casino owned by the Corsione family, which was a front for Seed deals. When he failed to protect the casino, he was given an overdose of pure Seed, changing him into a giant malformed Orgman, and then sent after Mika and her allies. * Zell Condorbrave: This man was in charge of a large well armed and maintained mercenary company on the Corsione Family's payroll. Denito hired them because of their successful past experiences dealing with deadmen. According to Zell, they have managed to kill four in total, which is something few if any other humans can boast. Their method of attack is simple and straightforward. They would rush the deadman and manage to eventually chain it down, then Zell would rush the prone Necrolizer with his, "Bloody Omen" rifle. He is the only character Beyond the Grave has ever left alive (likely because he was human). The Gatou Gang This Chinese mafia operates within the Chinatown of Kuko-Jo and was a rival to the Corsione Family for the drug market. When the Corsione Family began to use the alien technology and Seed, they seized the market leaving the Gatou gang behind. * Richard Wong: This wise old Chinese man is the leader of the Gatou gang. When Seed first flooded the drug market, his group’s products lost all value. Despite this he feels there is no future in Seed and sees its destructive properties. When Mika and her team attack the Gatou gang for information, he happily tells them all they want to know under the hope that the Corsione Family are destroyed. He is skilled in the use of acupuncture needles. * Guido Bortoli: This man who was on the run from the Corsione family tells gives Mika a disk containing all the information he had gathered on the Family. The Corsione destroyed his own crime organization and he sought revenge. After helping Mika, he was quickly gunned down by Zell's mercenaries. Notable Locations * Autonomous City Billion: The self-sufficient metropolis was built around the Tower ruin farther back then anyone can remember. The city is divided into levels based on class, the lowest level being an almost unlivable ghetto that sees no sunlight. The upper levels are composed of skyscrapers owned by the rich and powerful. The entire city is controlled the Millennion Organization, and nothing in the city happens without their permission. The police (who are little more than Millennion's guard dogs) patrol the city in flying "Police Spinner" hovercars and the city levels are connected by a large subway system. * Kaku-Jo Chinatown: This dark town is made up of long narrow streets barely large enough to fit a car, and is overshadowed by interconnected rooftops. The Gatou Gang, a Triad-like syndicate, runs this town. * The Metaslica Peninsula: Originally a scenic tourist spot, Metaslica is dictated over by the Corsione family. Under the Metaslica mental asylum was buried the Starship which gave the Family all the control it needed to keep the town tightly within their grip. Mechanics Weapons * Left Head & Right Head: When Millennion first planned to use Necrolizers in combat they decided that a stronger class of arsenal was required for this stronger class of soldier. Dr. T and the other engineers of Millennion created three firearms known as the Cerberus Series (named for the three headed guard dog of Hades) as the first set of these weapons. However, the Necrolizer plan was soon scrapped in favor of the more cost effective Orgman plan. In Beyond the Grave's case he wields two out of three of these enormous weapons known as the Right Head and the Left Head. These weapons resemble two nearly identical automatic handguns which (in usual Yasuhiro Nightow fashion) have crucifixs along the length of both guns. The entire underside of the guns act as clips allowing for an unusually high amount of rounds. The only difference between the two weapons is the Right Head's crucifix is red while the Left Head's is silver. These two guns possess 15mm of destructive power, which can level both tanks and Orgmen with surprising ease. The caliber and size of the barrel (60 centimeters) move this weapon far beyond what could be considered practical. As these weapons created for the use of deadmen, there power can be temporarily boosted by Seed-energy output for a far more devastating cluster shots * Coffin: The Coffin was designed by Dr. T to be exclusively used by Beyond the Grave during combat. This device is so named because it resembles a gothic metal coffin with spikes and a skull in the center. It is not a gun so much as it is an automated weapons-platform directly connected to Grave via chains. This weapon manages to contain rocket launchers, homing missile clusters, machine guns, gatling guns, and can use them in several different configurations. The Coffin can contain such an arsenal because it does not make room for any sort of engine or battery and instead is powered by accumulated Seed-energy via Grave. Its enormous weight and size makes it a devastating bludgeon, and it can also house the Right Head and Left Head. * Death Hauler: During Grave's third hibernation period his Coffin was completely redesigned by Spike Hubie into a far more powerful form and dubbed it the Death Hauler. This new coffin featured a smooth chrome exterior, which was enforced by thick armor allowing the Death Hauler to double as a shield. Regarding weapons this machine had a powerful vulcan cannon, homing missile cluster, rocket launcher, coil gun, and lastly the twin rail guns; the Cerberus Overdose. The Cerberus Overdose requires that Grave plug in his Right Head and Left Head into the separate cannons each resembling giant versions of the two guns and sending their shots forward with enough force to level an entire army of Orgmen. Like its original, the Death Hauler can also be used as a bludgeon, or house Grave's guns. * Samurai Spirits: This pair of gunblades is wielded exclusively by Juji Kabane, who utilizes them with considerable skill, using his Kutaba-Ryu/Kuchiba ninja arts. They resemble two small machine guns with long bright red sword blades affixed to the top or bottom. While the gun portions of these weapons are average at best, the blades are very long and sharp, and made even more dangerous with the burning Seed-energy flowing through them. The gun with the blade pointing up is named Tsumuji, and is held in Juji's right hand. The left-handed gun, Hayate, has the blade facing down. * BL2000V: This strange instrument produced by Electrigger is both a guitar and a weapon, as well as being home to the spirit of Rocketbilly Redcadillac. It resembles a blue guitar with a long antenna like attachment along its right side that accumulates blue electrical energy while Billy plays which it discharges as a powerful blast. Through unknown means, Billy is able to summon a large mechanical attachment called the "Thunder Love" that plugs into the antenna and extends into a massive cannon barrel which builds up a powerful beam of blue energy that is able to easily pierce even the thickest armor. Billy can also summon many giant speakers for a wide area attack called the "Good Vibrations" that send wave after wave of destructive sound waves towards his enemies. As with anything involving Billy, much of this is left unexplained. * Bloody Omen: This enormous payload rifle is the personal anti-deadman weapon of Zell Condorbrave. It is much larger then Zell, and uses 50BMG bullets as ammunition. However, its use as an anti-deadman weapon has little to do with this weapon as a rifle. During combat, when the deadman is restrained, the rifle would convert to lance-mode, and Zell would activate its booster sending it bayonet-first deep into the enemy deadman usually finishing it off with ease and fulfilling the weapon's macabre name. * Soul Reaver: Sherry's personal weapon, the Soul Reaver helps supplement her quick movements and martial arts techniques. The Soul Reaver resembles a large automated scissor blade with a laser sight and a bladed arm guard. The scissor end could be launched off towards targets along two steel wires using the laser as a guide, and then when thoroughly stuck in the target it would retract with enough force to launch Sherry towards her target for a powerful series of kicks. It was also a dangerous melee weapon at close-range. * Center Head: The Center Head is the most powerful weapon in the Cerberus series and of all the other featured weapons. Even though the deadman Fangoram wields this gun it still dwarfs him at nearly nine feet in length. The Center Head is shaped like a giant crucifix and fires bullets nearly the size of footballs. The force of this weapon is dependent on how much Seed-energy Fangoram uses per shot, but even with none, it can easily do damage even to a deadman and at its highest power output a single shot is utterly fatal even to an above-average Necrolizer like Grave. In combat Fangoram holds it as if it was weightless but even he must anchor himself to use a charged shot. No other is capable of handling this weapon. Vehicles * Friedrich: This giant airship was designed after the graf-zeppelins of older times and was owned and operated by Millennion for parties and other gatherings. It had a pair of floating bodies, a helipad and was a startling 250 meters in length. Grave attacked it in order to get to Harry and the Big Four and in the battle that followed the ship was sunk. * GB-Δ: This was Grave's personal transportation while dealing with Millennion, and was shaped like some futuristic form of red chopper with a large sidecar. This vehicle had a powerful V8 engine which allowed it considerable strength for jumps and climbing near vertical surfaces. The sidecar was built to hold the Coffin and Grave could access its store of weapons while driving. After the fall of Millennion, the sidecar was modified so Mika could sit in it. * Trailer: This massive armored truck trailer had a black cab and silver trailer, which housed a cot for sleeping, Grave's transfusion chair, computer monitors, the Seed-Seeker Spike created and other living necessities. The top of the trailer was equipped with solar panels for an easy source of power. Everything needed to maintain Grave was built into this large vehicle, and it could reasonably accommodate up to five people. 
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