Gungrave Is A Timeless Western-Inspired Anime Masterpiece from The 2000s

An underrated 2003 Western-inspired anime has only gotten better with time. The 2000s are widely regarded as one of anime’s defining decades. Beloved shows like Fullmetal Alchemist, Death Note, Naruto, Bleach, and Neon Genesis Evangelion shaped how anime was perceived both in Japan and internationally. These series established the tropes and styles that still echo throughout modern anime.

Traditional battle shōnen dominated mainstream popularity, but they coexisted with psychological thrillers like Death Note, philosophical mecha like Evangelion, and hip-hop-infused historical fiction like Samurai Champloo. Some genres, such as action and fantasy, were more prominent, but others like noir and Western, flourished more quietly in parallel.

Two Decades Later, Gungrave Has Aged Exceptionally Well

Gungrave Is A Hidden Jewel Of The 2000s

Gungrave is a tragic crime epic disguised as a supernatural action anime that makes the most out of Western mafia storytelling, with tinges of traditional anime melodrama and gothic sci-fi. At its center is the slowly decaying friendship between Brandon Heat and Harry McDowell as they let go of their morals. For a sci-fi anime, Gungrave offers plenty of intimate crime drama that helps its world feel lived-in and lifelike.

Visually, Gungrave has a vintage yet timeless quality that works in its favor. Its dark color palette, high contrast, and limited animation give it a cinematic feel closer to a late-’90s neo-noir movie than to the flashier anime of its era. The character designs by Trigun's Yasuhiro Nightow strike a perfect balance between grounded and stylized. Together, Gungrave's atmosphere evokes the retro-gothic, sinister Western vibes of its more popular contemporary, Hellsing.

Brandon Heat and Harry MacDowell's relationship certainly carries the series. Their brotherly and competitive bond is just as dynamic and tragic as Cowboy Bebop's Spike and Vicious, or more closely, to Trigun's own Vash and Millions Knives. Even when Gungrave leans fully into supernatural action, its gunfights remain emotionally driven. Like the best Westerns and crime dramas, Gungrave understands that action only resonates when it’s rooted in character, which is why this 26-episode masterpiece still packs a punch more than twenty years later.

Gungrave Is Among The Best Anime Of Its Niche

Western-Inspired Anime Is A Specific Kind Of Exciting

Western-inspired stories have only been sporadically explored in anime, making Gungrave stand out even more in hindsight. Series like Trigun, Cowboy Bebop, Outlaw Star, and Samurai Champloo all borrow heavily from Western movie elements such as proud gunslingers and personal codes of honor. Gungrave is comparatively more direct and somber, with an increasingly fantastical plot that may shock audiences who enter the series blind.

The Western genre's slow-burn storytelling and very specific tropes clash with market demands for high-concept hooks and rapid pacing. Yet, anime is uniquely suited to explore the genre’s core ideas: loyalty, greed, revenge, power, and decay. As anime continues to mature and global audiences grow more receptive to genre-blending, the Western genre could produce more timeless stories.