List of Kenran Butohsai characters

This is a list of characters in the Japanese anime Mars Daybreak.

Main characters

Gram River

Gram River.

Voiced by: Tomokazu Seki (Japanese); Johnny Yong Bosch (English)

The anime's main protagonist. At the onset of the series Gram lives in the City-Ship of Adena. Gram is athletic and can hold his own in a fight, but is generally a peace-loving, laid-back person who enjoys cooking and honest toil more than fighting, although all three tend to suffer if he's distracted. He is also a competent pilot and hand-to-hand fighter due to the various jobs he has worked, which include as a circus performer and a heavy machine operator. He also tends to be rather reckless and optimistic about what he does, such as using the dangerous ice-booster skis.

Gram was apparently abandoned or orphaned in infancy, and it is implied that his parents were royalty among Mars aborigines because they left him "The Mark of the Chief," a special necklace that led to the Stone of the Gods. Gram grew up with Vestemona and some smaller children, stealing and making what money they could just to survive. After his adoption by Mr. Lauren, Gram took care of the younger children himself, and worked assorted jobs along with Bon. But when he tried to rescue Bon from the military during one of the Ship of Aurora's raids, Gram fell into the water and was captured by a strange Round Buckler that had been summoned by his necklace. The military assumed that this strange RB must be working with the Ship of Aurora, and Gram defended himself against their attacks.

Because of his rare RB and his skills, Captain Elizabeth allowed him to become part of the crew. Gram became friends with several people in the crew, and endeared himself to them by also becoming the ship's cook. He also bumped into Vestemona in a restaurant and ended up being chased through the streets of Adena with her. She berated him for not thinking of his future and even fired a gun at him, but Gram continued to not believe that she would actually hurt him. He also kissed her just before boarding the Ship of Aurora.

Gram discovered what "The Mark of the Chief" really was when they visited the Mars aborigines, and he rescued an elderly lady who was reclaiming some aboriginal relics. He was given the Box of Guidance to show him where the Stone of the Gods was, and defended it against several attempts to steal it. He also was challenged to a duel by the disgraced, presumed-dead Vestemona, and arrived without weapons because he didn't believe she actually wanted to fight, and he just wanted to return a scarf she had previously bandaged his arm with. The two fought with swords, and Vestemona ended up blurting out how she felt about Gram, and Gram assured her that she could start over again.

Gram then found the Stone of the Gods, and dueled with the mercenary pirate Kubernes over it, only to have his shipmates arrested and the Stone taken by their enemies. Gram played a central part in freeing the Ship of Aurora's crew before they could be executed, along with Vestemona and Enora. The Vector of Hope seems to have been irrevocably damaged during the fight.

As the series ends, we see that Gram has recovered a large ship that he found in the Ice Graveyard, comparable in size to the Ship of Aurora. He, Vestemona and the two children from Adena board it with the intention of living there, and he names it the "Ship of Hope."

Vestemona "Vess" Lauren

Voiced by: Houko Kuwashima (Japanese); Melissa Fahn (English)

Gram's childhood friend and eventual sweetheart, who was a fellow orphan on Adena Cityship. She eventually left Adena whens she was adopted by the wealthy Lauren family, and became a soldier in the Earth Forces. She is stationed on Mars at the start of the series and after an encounter with Gram and the Ship of Aurora she becomes intent on bringing Gram in.

Vestemona is extremely bitter towards Mars and Gram at the series' beginning, especially when Gram inadvertently falls in with the Ship of Aurora and becomes a pirate. She believes this is due to his irresponsibility and unwillingness to look at the future, and that she has to show him the error of his ways. She also hates pirates and believes them to be the lowest of the low, leading to several frenetic battles with the Ship of Aurora.

However one of her fights with him involves breaking orders from Earth Forces, and when they learn of her relationship with Gram, she is imprisoned in the brig. She later escapes, hijacks a Seahorse to fight Gram, and ends up adrift in the sea. Then she is rescued by the pirate Kubernes, who reveals that she has been declared dead by the military because of her dishonorable actions. He promises to teach her how to pilot a RB from the inside, but Vestemona soon grows impatient.

She finally confronts Gram in a fight on an old shieldship, and the two duel with swords. During the fight Vestemona confesses that she's angry with Gram because he did not try to stop her from going to Earth, and because he let her go alone. The two finally make up their differences. Vestemona then gives herself up to the military, but her father intervenes to keep her from being court-martialed. When she realized that her father is involved in shady dealings with Niall Poe and that Gram has been condemned to death as a result, she defects once more. At the series' end, she boards the Ship of Hope with Gram and his younger friends.

Crew of the Ship of Aurora

Elizabeth Liati

Voiced by: Miyuki Ichijou (Japanese); Barbara Goodson (English)

The Captain of Aurora. She oversees what's going on in the ship, and will not tolerate any betrayal. She is known to have anger management problems.

Kato Takigawa Jr.

Voiced by: Daisuke Sakaguchi (Japanese); Yuri Lowenthal (English)

Kato Takigawa Jr., a.k.a. Junior or Shou. His dream is becoming an R.B diver, despite what anyone says otherwise. Indeed, in later episodes he gets to pilot his own R.B.

MAKI

Voiced by: Gara Takashima (Japanese); Peggy O'Neal (English)

The AI of the Aurora who has a personality of her own.

Ester Ein Astrada

Voiced by: Fumiko Orikasa (Japanese); Kate Higgins (English)

Like Elizabeth, she also pilots the Aurora. She also keeps track on the surrounding waters, whether it be the Earth Forces launching their attack or any other creatures. She is 141 years old. Ester often refers to herself as a Nautical Witch, who fought in a war a long time ago. It is possible she is a gynoid or some other kind of artificial being. In the Japanese anime, her voice actress is Fumiko Orikasa, and her voice actress is Kate Higgins in the English adaptation.

Yagami "The Reaper" Arian

Yagami the Reaper.

Voiced by: Jin Yamanoi (Japanese); Steven Blum (English)

Yagami Arian was originally a soldier under Nelle Poe who fought for Mars independence during the Pan-Galactic War, where he was apparently part of a vast battle in which he was either the only survivor, or one of very few. He is nicked-named "The Reaper" because of the many RBs he has destroyed, and the coldly efficient way he operates; early in the series, he informs Elizabeth that "I just don't know how to hold back."

Yagami initially has a cold demeanor though he isn't adverse to a good practical joke, and at one point stages a faux mutiny as a prelude to Ester's birthday party. Though he rarely shows it, he has great affection for his crewmates, particularly Gram and Junior. However his loyalties are somewhat split, since he has served under Poe for many years yet feels great loyalty towards Elizabeth.

Eventually, Yagami chooses to return to Poe's side, and leaves Elizabeth a valuable piece of intel so she can find the Stone of the Gods. He then takes off in the Vector of Wings, leading the Earth Forces RBs away from the Ship of Aurora. However, when he discovers that Poe has sold out the Ship of Aurora and that her crew will be executed, he returns to his true friends' side.

Aki Polandwood

Voiced by: Takumi Yamazaki (Japanese); Erik Davies (English)

As with Nelly, he also works as a mechanic in the Aurora, which they get the RBs ready for take off. In the anime he wears a pressure suit to pilot a corded RB called the Spirit of Valor, which has a claw weapon. At times, he would have this teenager-like attitude, which would tend to tick some of the members off. With that, he sometimes tends to not take things seriously. But when a heavy situation arises—he'll always be there to lend a hand until the objective is completed.

Megumi Higashibara

Voiced by: Yui Horie (Japanese); Stephanie Sheh (English)

Megumi Higashibara has the ability to read the minds, thoughts and emotions of various life forms. Due to this, she at first wants to keep to herself and stays in her room almost constantly, except for the company of the BALLs. Junior often asked her to come out, but she refused until the Ship of Aurora was being drained by a vast manta-like creature. She detected that the creature was actually only a confused baby, and told Gram where to find others of its kind.

Having come out of her shell, Megumi is more sociable with the crew and particularly with Junior, who clearly has a crush on her. She is often seen in the dining hall, sometimes helping with the cooking.

Neli

Voiced by: Maki Tamura (Japanese); Wendee Lee (English)

As with Aki, she also takes care of the RB repairs and also prepares the RBs for launch.

Enora Taft

Voiced by: Akino Murata (Japanese); Colleen Villard (English)

The granddaughter of Earth's president. She was on Mars for her education, and particularly so she could study the Mars aborigines, but she was kidnapped by a trio of not-very-bright communists whom she soon overwhelmed. They took her back to a collapsing city-ship, where she was rescued by Gram River, whom she immediately decided was her "big brother."

Enora initially doesn't tell anyone that she is President Taft's granddaughter, since she wants to stay on the Ship of Aurora. Kubernes attempts to take her back by force, revealing her true identity. But Elizabeth allows her to stay anyway until she wants to return to her home planet. Enora remains enamored of the pirate life until the crew is arrested, and she butts head with Anna Grace who wants to execute them. She helps Vestemona free the crew, and subsequently goes back to Earth (but remains in contact with her friends).

Enora attempts to help the crew in various ways although she usually ends up getting in the way, and is deeply disappointed by the Mars aborigines' lack of "romantic" rusticity. She also befriends several members of the crew, and has a long-running feud with Junior.

She also develops a growing romantic attachment to "Big brother" Gram, often trying to get his attention or trying to take him out for shopping or "alone" time. She becomes extremely jealous of his interest in Vestemona, and becomes extremely upset and angry when she thinks that Gram is planning to return with Vess. Gram seems only vaguely aware of her feelings. Enora becomes reconciled to Gram's lack of romantic interest (in vague terms) and Vess's presence after she inadvertently befriends Vess on a shuttle.

Sala

Voiced by: Akiko Yajima (Japanese); Megan Hollingshead (English)

The nurse of the Aurora's clinic who tends to the wounded crew members, although the relative infrequence of serious injuries means that she's rarely seem doing her job. Sala is a dark-skinned woman with elaborate hair and a lab coat, and she enjoys playing cards with Megumi, although the girl's psychic abilities mean that she's always beaten.

Chrysalis Milch

Voiced by: Kiyoyuki Yanada (Japanese); Jamieson Price (English)

The person in charge of loading the torpedoes and firing them at incoming enemies. Milch is a large, muscular blond man who always wears a naval hat and sleeveless shirt. He is very quiet and taciturn, and extremely dedicated to his work. However he is still quite friendly to his crewmates, and seems to have a soft spot for women and children.

Clara

Voiced by: Mako Hyoudou (Japanese); Mela Lee (English)

A cat that can talk. She is technically the "professor" of the Ship of Aurora, and is the most intelligent and logical of the crew. For example, she comes up with a plausible explanation for strange occurrences when the ship seems to be haunted. She is also very useful in a fight, because while her tiny body is not effective for battle, she makes an excellent diversion. There is no explanation given for why Clara is able to speak, though it's made obvious that the ability comes from wearing her necklace. She can apparently understand Poipoider's language when he's out of his suit.

Poipoider

Voiced by: Hiroshi Yanaka (Japanese); Michael McConnohie (English)

A talking cetacean (resembles a small beluga whale) in a large water-filled suit, which enables him to walk on robotic legs and use robotic arms. Poipoider is a capable, gruff-spoken pirate who loves spinning tall tales and telling ghost stories, and is considered extremely capable. He is also something of a ladies' man, since he is said to have a girl in every port and is romantically approached by both cetacean and human women. Poipoider's ability to speak seems to be tied into the suit he wears, as he speaks only in clicks and whistles when outside of it.

Others

Kubernes

Voiced by: Keiji Fujiwara (Japanese); Lex Lang (English)

An old acquaintance of Elizabeth.

Niall Poe

Voiced by: Shinpachi Tsuji (Japanese); Michael McConnohie (English)

Sold out the crew of the Ship of Aurora, even though he is the owner of the Ship of Aurora.

Bon

Voiced by: Rikako Aikawa (Japanese); Brianne Siddall (English)

Friend of Grahm.

Shie

Voiced by: Yoko Teppouzuka (Japanese); Sandy Fox (English)

An orphan that Grahm took care of.

Selena Knightley

Voiced by: Akiko Hiramatsu (Japanese); Bridget Hoffman (English)

From the Rodeo Sector where rich people live. She went to find her lover who apparently was a pirate. Stays with the Ship of Aurora for a short time before departing to find her lost love.

Technology

Ship of Aurora

One of the most notorious pirate ships on Mars, where the mere mention of the name and/or just the sight of the Auroras' crewman puts fear in pirates and Earth Force service men alike. Other pirates would run away from encounters with the Ship of Aurora. In the series this is first shown during episode seven when the Black Whirlpool proclaimed that service shuttle form the Ship of Aurora is in the Whirlpool's personal berth. The captain soon reverses his proclamation once he notice Milch, torpedo room officer in also being a formidable crewman of the Aurora, leaves the berth to the shuttle.

Just like any pirate ship, the Ship of Aurora is crewed by many different species from a cat to a Naval Witch. The ships AI, MAKI, is also considered a crewman with its own personality. The submarine is armed with torpedoes, cannons, missiles, grappling hooks and several Round Bucklers. Its two most infamous attacks is the Daybreak, (which basically a ramming technique), and the Elizabeth Cannon, (which is just the Captain screaming at the top of her lungs), causing all those in the immediate vicinity to flee in absolute terror.

City-Ships

City-Ships are literally floating cities that drift in Mars huge ocean. The city ships have been around since Mars was colonized for a second time and some are over a hundred years old.

Round Bucklers

The front and rear side of a Round Buckler, The Vector of Hope. Piloted by Gram River.

These are mecha designed solely for an underwater environment. RBs can come in two different build designs, but all RBs are unique since they are completely based on the equipment used in the construction process. The size of an RB varies form as roughly larger than basic pressure suit to a small iceberg. Throughout the series other mecha units are shown and used but are given no name and used in a variety of Jobs.

Cordless

A "Cordless" Round Buckler means that the pilot himself is contained within the unit itself, this most commonly used by pirates since the Earth Forces view Cordless designs as archaic. Throughout the series there are only five Cordless Round Bucklers. Some details of how an RB is built is shown when the captain of The Ship of Aurora orders a crew member's RB sim pod to be scrapped and then be used in the construction of another Round Buckler.

Corded

Round Bucklers controlled externally (known as "corded") come in pairs, usually commanded by most simply a pressure suit to a Seahorse, a control unit used by the Earth forces. Cables are attached to the RBs which are usually smaller, faster, capable of extreme maneuvers since there is no actual pilot within the RB itself compared to cordless; yet through the series whenever cordless and cord RBs are in combat a cordless RB is victorious, this may merely be because of the relative skill of most cordless pilots. Though technically attached to control unit most cables have a beacon at the end of the cable that allows the RBs to move beyond the cables maximum length, usually several nautical miles further before the pilot is unable to control the RB