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{{Character | {{Character | ||
|name = Graham Cray | |name=Graham Cray | ||
| | |jpname=グレアム・クレイ | ||
| | |roname=Gureamu Kurei | ||
| | |img=Graham Cray (S4 character art) | ||
|caption=Kawano Junko | |||
|caption = Kawano Junko | |gender=Male | ||
|gender = Male | |race=Human | ||
|race = Human | |dob=''c.''262<ref name="Age">Gensopedia.org, [[Gensopedia:Birth dates in Suikoden IV and Suikoden Tactics|Birth dates in Suikoden IV and Suikoden Tactics]]</ref> | ||
| | |age=45<ref name="Kiwami">[[Genso Suikoden Kiwami Encyclopedia]]</ref> {{S4}} | ||
| | |height=185cm<ref name="IVOCG">[[Genso Suikoden IV Official Guide Complete Edition]] (ISBN 4-86155-022-X)</ref> (6'1") {{S4}} | ||
|family=[[Cray's son|''One unnamed son'']] | |||
|va=[[Nakata Kazuhiro]]<ref name="Maru">[[Marugoto! Genso Suikoden Book]] (ISBN 978-4-7577-3673-3)</ref> {{S4}} | |||
|family = [[ | |vaen=Douglas Rye {{S4}} | ||
| | |S4=yes | ||
| | }} | ||
|S4= yes | '''Graham Cray''' (グレアム・クレイ, ''Gureamu Kurei'') is the primary antagonist of [[Suikoden IV]]. Cray is a former strategist of the [[Scarlet Moon Empire]] now working to further the [[Kooluk Empire]]'s [[Southern Expansion Policy]] for his own ends. | ||
}}'''Graham Cray''' (グレアム・クレイ, ''Gureamu Kurei'') is the primary antagonist of [[Suikoden IV]]. Cray is a former strategist of the [[Scarlet Moon Empire]] now working to further the [[Kooluk Empire]]'s [[Southern Expansion Policy]] for his own ends. | |||
==History== | |||
{{Quote|The islands, your lives, you exist only to fulfil our destiny.|Graham Cray}} | |||
===Early Life and Service under Elenor=== | |||
Graham Cray was a brilliant, sharp-minded native of a village on the [[Scarlet Moon Empire]]'s border with [[Kooluk Empire|Kooluk]]. His strategic acumen earned him a position as the first and brightest apprentice to the renowned strategist, [[Elenor Silverberg]]. | |||
However, the two were often at odds due to their conflicting philosophies; while Elenor believed in using any means necessary to win, including deceit and dirty tricks, Cray was highly principled and argued against such methods. Despite their clashes, Elenor found their debates exhilarating and considered him her only true intellectual challenger.<ref name="S4-3">[[Genso Suikoden IV: 3 (novel)|Genso Suikoden IV novel Vol.3]] (ISBN 4-8402-3299-7)</ref> | |||
===The Man-Hunting Incident=== | |||
{{Quote|The nobles killed his family, his friends. He never told me. Quietly, he helped with my inquiries, all the while brooding over revenge.<ref name="S4-3">[[Genso Suikoden IV: 3 (novel)|Genso Suikoden IV novel Vol.3]] (ISBN 4-8402-3299-7)</ref>|Elenor Silverberg}} | |||
[[File:Graham Cray mocks Troy.png|220px|thumb|left|This is Cray in "charm mode".]] | |||
Unaware that it was his homeland, Elenor sent Cray to investigate rumors that Scarlet Moon nobles were secretly slaughtering border villages and blaming Kooluk. Cray arrived with his young, [[Cray's son|adopted son]] to find his birthplace and surrounding villages utterly devastated by the so-called "[[Man-Hunting Incident|man-hunts]]" conducted by the nobility. | |||
At some point, he inherited the [[Rune of Punishment]] and, desperate to rid himself of the rune’s cursed influence, severed his left arm, later replacing it with a iron prosthetic. The Rune of Punishment then chose Cray’s son, as its next host. Cray would tell others that he had damaged his hand playing with his son and following the incident rarely spoke of him.<ref name="S4-3"/> | |||
Cray conducted his investigation with stoic precision, internalizing his immense grief and fury. His son, witnessing the suffering through innocent eyes, was unable to stand by. In a fateful moment, the boy unleashed the power of the Rune of Punishment embedded in his left hand, immolating the noble perpetrators. | |||
Cray found his son collapsed in the burning village. The boy apologized for breaking his promise not to use the rune before dissolving into black dust in his father's arms. The rune, its power spent for the cycle, then detached and vanished before Cray could reclaim it. | |||
Graham Cray | ===Merchant of Death=== | ||
{{Quote|B-But... Of all people, he is being targeted by Graham Cray, "The Merchant of Death"...|Setsu}} | |||
The Empire moved quickly to cover up the massacre to protect the powerful figures involved, scapegoating Elenor and her assistant and erasing the event from official records. Emotionally shattered, Cray fled the Empire and disappeared. | |||
Driven by grief and an obsession for vengeance against the Empire that had destroyed his family and corrupted his home, Cray's purpose became singular: to acquire enough power to bring the Scarlet Moon Empire to its knees. He concluded that only the Rune of Punishment possessed the devastating strength required.<ref name="S4-3"/> | |||
To fund his quest, he entered the weapons trade, establishing [[Cray Trading Company]], amassing a vast fortune, and earning the moniker "Merchant of Death." Over time, his initial motive was consumed by the Rune's allure, and obtaining it became his sole purpose, leading him to employ the very underhanded tactics he once condemned. | |||
===Cooperation With Kooluk=== | |||
{{Quote|I came to the backwaters of El-Eal with the Governor because we had common interests.|Graham Cray}} | |||
Cray's obsession with the Rune of Punishment led him to forge an alliance with the Kooluk Empire, where he became a key supporter of their [[Southern Expansion Policy]] and helped spark the [[Island Liberation War]]. At [[El-Eal Fortress]], he manipulated the [[Governor]] into joining his search for the [[27 True Runes|True Rune]], claiming it would serve as a diplomatic offering to secure military support from the [[Holy Kingdom of Harmonia]]. | |||
When Cray’s subordinate, [[Ramada]], reported an encounter with the pirate [[Brandeau]], Cray began planning to track down the rune. Upon confirming its return to the [[Kingdom of Obel]], he ordered Ramada to seize it from the [[Hero (Suikoden IV)|bearer]], showing no concern for the potential loss of life. | |||
[[File:Graham Cray replaces the Governor.png|220px|thumb|right|For our safety, the Governor has been placed in super double self-isolation.]] | |||
As a key Kooluk strategist during the war, Cray devised the plans for the giant [[Rune Cannon]] at El-Eal and ordered the destruction of [[Iluya Island]]’s surface as a demonstration of its power. He dismissed [[Troy]]’s morals throughout the war, openly mocking his title of "Child of the Sea God", though he held high regard for Troy's military acumen on the sea. | |||
Once entrenched in El-Eal, Cray secretly poisoned and imprisoned the Governor. Claiming the Governor was ill, he assumed full control of El-Eal Fortress and the war effort. He dispatched the Governor’s own privateer fleet in a [[Mysterious Fleet|suicide strike]] against the [[Allied Forces]], heavily taxing their strength. | |||
When Cray discovered Ramada’s espionage at El-Eal, he confronted his former spy. Ramada claimed he had gone into deep cover and returned with valuable intelligence on the Rune of Punishment. Unconvinced, Cray shot him with a poison dart from his prosthetic arm and left him for dead in the fortress basement. | |||
===Final Defeat=== | |||
{{Quote|So... you've returned... Oh, Rune of Punishment...|Graham Cray}} | |||
[[File:Graham Cray desires the Rune of Punishment.png|220px|thumb|left|I, too, wish to hang out in purple fog with dust people.]] | |||
Despite his efforts, the Empire could not overcome the combined forces of the [[Island Nations]], guided by Elenor Silverberg. Cray seemed unaware of his old mentor’s full involvement until she confronted him during her covert mission to disable the Rune Cannon in preparation for the [[Final Engagement]]. | |||
He attempted to kill Elenor with a poison dart, but Ramada—who had survived Cray’s earlier attempt on his life—took the dart instead. Elenor’s infiltration team then fought Cray, forcing him to retreat. | |||
After the 1st Kooluk Fleet’s defeat in the final battle, Graham Cray was confronted by the Hero atop El-Eal. He confessed that he sought the Rune of Punishment to immerse himself in its memories and claimed the Island Nations existed only to fulfill his and Kooluk’s destiny. Activating the [[Giant Tree]], he sought to reclaim what he considered rightfully his. | |||
When the Giant Tree was destroyed and the fortress began to collapse, Cray’s ambitions were left unfulfilled. He was last seen amid the crumbling rubble in confrontation with Elenor and was presumed to have perished in the fall of El-Eal Fortress. | |||
==Gameplay== | |||
{{Main|Graham Cray (enemy)}} | |||
Graham Cray is fought as the penultimate boss of [[Suikoden IV]]. He is fought by the player's secondary infiltration team at [[El-Eal Fortress]], meaning [[Hero (Suikoden IV)|the hero]] and the party chosen to accompany him is not available for this battle. | |||
Cray fights mainly as a physical bruiser and holds a slight susceptibility to physical attacks over magic attacks. He also holds a slightly greater than average resistance to all attack elements, but especially lightning and darkness magic. | |||
==Genso Suikoden Card Stories TCG== | |||
{{CS head}} | |||
{{CS list|CS2-654|[[Graham Cray (CS card CS2-654)|Graham Cray]]|{{Leader}}|[[CS2 Booster Pack Vol.4]]}} | |||
{{CS break}} | |||
{{CS list|CS2-783|[[El-Eal Fortress (CS card CS2-783)|El-Eal Fortress]]|{{Mission}}|[[CS2 Booster Pack Vol.4]]}} | |||
{{CS foot}} | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
<references /> | |||
{{ | {{Navbox S4 characters}}{{Short description|The Merchant of Death and head of Cray Trading Company}} | ||
| | |||
}} | |||
Latest revision as of 16:01, 15 September 2025
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Graham Cray (グレアム・クレイ, Gureamu Kurei) is the primary antagonist of Suikoden IV. Cray is a former strategist of the Scarlet Moon Empire now working to further the Kooluk Empire's Southern Expansion Policy for his own ends.
History
|
Early Life and Service under Elenor
Graham Cray was a brilliant, sharp-minded native of a village on the Scarlet Moon Empire's border with Kooluk. His strategic acumen earned him a position as the first and brightest apprentice to the renowned strategist, Elenor Silverberg.
However, the two were often at odds due to their conflicting philosophies; while Elenor believed in using any means necessary to win, including deceit and dirty tricks, Cray was highly principled and argued against such methods. Despite their clashes, Elenor found their debates exhilarating and considered him her only true intellectual challenger.[5]
The Man-Hunting Incident
|
Unaware that it was his homeland, Elenor sent Cray to investigate rumors that Scarlet Moon nobles were secretly slaughtering border villages and blaming Kooluk. Cray arrived with his young, adopted son to find his birthplace and surrounding villages utterly devastated by the so-called "man-hunts" conducted by the nobility.
At some point, he inherited the Rune of Punishment and, desperate to rid himself of the rune’s cursed influence, severed his left arm, later replacing it with a iron prosthetic. The Rune of Punishment then chose Cray’s son, as its next host. Cray would tell others that he had damaged his hand playing with his son and following the incident rarely spoke of him.[5]
Cray conducted his investigation with stoic precision, internalizing his immense grief and fury. His son, witnessing the suffering through innocent eyes, was unable to stand by. In a fateful moment, the boy unleashed the power of the Rune of Punishment embedded in his left hand, immolating the noble perpetrators.
Cray found his son collapsed in the burning village. The boy apologized for breaking his promise not to use the rune before dissolving into black dust in his father's arms. The rune, its power spent for the cycle, then detached and vanished before Cray could reclaim it.
Merchant of Death
|
The Empire moved quickly to cover up the massacre to protect the powerful figures involved, scapegoating Elenor and her assistant and erasing the event from official records. Emotionally shattered, Cray fled the Empire and disappeared.
Driven by grief and an obsession for vengeance against the Empire that had destroyed his family and corrupted his home, Cray's purpose became singular: to acquire enough power to bring the Scarlet Moon Empire to its knees. He concluded that only the Rune of Punishment possessed the devastating strength required.[5]
To fund his quest, he entered the weapons trade, establishing Cray Trading Company, amassing a vast fortune, and earning the moniker "Merchant of Death." Over time, his initial motive was consumed by the Rune's allure, and obtaining it became his sole purpose, leading him to employ the very underhanded tactics he once condemned.
Cooperation With Kooluk
|
Cray's obsession with the Rune of Punishment led him to forge an alliance with the Kooluk Empire, where he became a key supporter of their Southern Expansion Policy and helped spark the Island Liberation War. At El-Eal Fortress, he manipulated the Governor into joining his search for the True Rune, claiming it would serve as a diplomatic offering to secure military support from the Holy Kingdom of Harmonia.
When Cray’s subordinate, Ramada, reported an encounter with the pirate Brandeau, Cray began planning to track down the rune. Upon confirming its return to the Kingdom of Obel, he ordered Ramada to seize it from the bearer, showing no concern for the potential loss of life.
As a key Kooluk strategist during the war, Cray devised the plans for the giant Rune Cannon at El-Eal and ordered the destruction of Iluya Island’s surface as a demonstration of its power. He dismissed Troy’s morals throughout the war, openly mocking his title of "Child of the Sea God", though he held high regard for Troy's military acumen on the sea.
Once entrenched in El-Eal, Cray secretly poisoned and imprisoned the Governor. Claiming the Governor was ill, he assumed full control of El-Eal Fortress and the war effort. He dispatched the Governor’s own privateer fleet in a suicide strike against the Allied Forces, heavily taxing their strength.
When Cray discovered Ramada’s espionage at El-Eal, he confronted his former spy. Ramada claimed he had gone into deep cover and returned with valuable intelligence on the Rune of Punishment. Unconvinced, Cray shot him with a poison dart from his prosthetic arm and left him for dead in the fortress basement.
Final Defeat
|
Despite his efforts, the Empire could not overcome the combined forces of the Island Nations, guided by Elenor Silverberg. Cray seemed unaware of his old mentor’s full involvement until she confronted him during her covert mission to disable the Rune Cannon in preparation for the Final Engagement.
He attempted to kill Elenor with a poison dart, but Ramada—who had survived Cray’s earlier attempt on his life—took the dart instead. Elenor’s infiltration team then fought Cray, forcing him to retreat.
After the 1st Kooluk Fleet’s defeat in the final battle, Graham Cray was confronted by the Hero atop El-Eal. He confessed that he sought the Rune of Punishment to immerse himself in its memories and claimed the Island Nations existed only to fulfill his and Kooluk’s destiny. Activating the Giant Tree, he sought to reclaim what he considered rightfully his.
When the Giant Tree was destroyed and the fortress began to collapse, Cray’s ambitions were left unfulfilled. He was last seen amid the crumbling rubble in confrontation with Elenor and was presumed to have perished in the fall of El-Eal Fortress.
Gameplay
- Main article: Graham Cray (enemy)
Graham Cray is fought as the penultimate boss of Suikoden IV. He is fought by the player's secondary infiltration team at El-Eal Fortress, meaning the hero and the party chosen to accompany him is not available for this battle.
Cray fights mainly as a physical bruiser and holds a slight susceptibility to physical attacks over magic attacks. He also holds a slightly greater than average resistance to all attack elements, but especially lightning and darkness magic.
Genso Suikoden Card Stories TCG
| Card # | Name | Type | Release |
|---|---|---|---|
| CS2-654 | Graham Cray |  |
CS2 Booster Pack Vol.4 |
| Non-character cards depicting this character | |||
| CS2-783 | El-Eal Fortress |  |
CS2 Booster Pack Vol.4 |
References
- ↑ Gensopedia.org, Birth dates in Suikoden IV and Suikoden Tactics
- ↑ Genso Suikoden Kiwami Encyclopedia
- ↑ Genso Suikoden IV Official Guide Complete Edition (ISBN 4-86155-022-X)
- ↑ Marugoto! Genso Suikoden Book (ISBN 978-4-7577-3673-3)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Genso Suikoden IV novel Vol.3 (ISBN 4-8402-3299-7)