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Brad
Brad
A broken man...
Party Member
Full Name Bradley Edwin Armstrong
Nickname Brad
Class Nobody
Race Human
Sex Male
Relationships Marty Armstrong - Father
Lisa Armstrong - Sister
Mrs. Armstrong - Mother (deceased)
Mr. Armstrong - Grandfather
Richard Weeks - Friend
Sticky Angoneli - Friend
Cheeks Gaywood - Friend
Rando - Former Adopted Son and Student
Buddy - Adopted Daughter
Buzzo - Former Student
Gameplay
Appearances LISA: The RPG
Equip Types
Weapon Types Wristband
Armor Types Accessory / Poncho / Bald
Skill Types Skills
Traits
Target Rate 100%
Evasion 5%
Hit Rate 95%
Crit Chance 4%
Features
State Resist: Dead
Joy Addict
"No. You don't understand. I've been dead for 35 years. Today is the day I live."
―Brad Armstrong

Brad Armstrong is the protagonist of LISA: THE PAINFUL. The game surrounds his journey of sacrifice to save Buddy from the Rando Army by any means necessary. He is constantly tormented by the haunting memories of his broken past, the abuse from his father, Marty Armstrong, and the suicide of his sister, Lisa.

History[]

LISA: THE FIRST[]

Brad is not directly mentioned in LISA: THE FIRST. However, the events of the game have had a profound effect on Brad, as he witnessed the abuse of Lisa first-hand, and lives with the guilt and regret of not being able to stop Marty.

LISA: THE PAINFUL[]

Before the events of LISA: THE FIRST and the White Flash, Brad was a drug addict and prolific Karate master.

With the knowledge and teachings from his grandfather, Brad became a Karate instructor to help teach the youth how to protect themselves and others. To assist further with this, he became the owner of his own Dojo and would go on to train a number of students, including Dustin Armstrong and Bernard Buttfart.

The game begins years after the White Flash, long after Olathe has lost all law and women. Brad finds Buddy alone on the ground and adopts Buddy to protect her from the outside world.

LISA: THE JOYFUL[]

The game starts with a flashback of Brad dragging a bag into his house and opening it up in front of Buddy. Inside is a beaten man, and Brad instructs Buddy to kill him with a knife in order to become numb to the act. Buddy cries at first, but soon straightens up and stabs him. Brad remarks she's done good, however, "Next time he won't be tied up. The game then flashes forward to the end of PAINFUL, where Buddy is being attacked by a mutant Brad.

Background[]

Name: Bradley Edwin Armstrong

Fighting Art: Armstrong Style (A homebrewed mixture of Karate & pain.)

Past Occupation: Martial Arts Instructor

Likes: Helping the Youth

Favorite Food: Potato Chips

Most Hated Thing: Himself

A man with a very tough shell, but a weak core.


Appearance and Personality
[]

Before finding Buddy, Brad sported a beard and afro with a brown poncho. However, due to age and possible stress with protecting Buddy, he began to lose it and by the beginning of the game, had become bald on his crown.

Brad is a solemn, quiet, and often depressed man, constantly brooding and keeping to himself. He rarely shows much emotion outwardly and is always calm unless under the effects of Joy. In the end, he is shown to be extremely dedicated to his mission of saving Buddy. Owing to this, others find him boring and arrogant. Despite his hardy appearance and exterior, Brad is shy and speaks very little. In stark contrast to the rest of Olathe, he also has a fairly soft-spoken and courteous personality, though he is not without his eccentricities. Depending on his the player's decisions, his tendency towards self-sacrifice may also extend up to and including the loss of both of his arms.

Throughout the game, Brad proves to be extremely straight-laced, serious, and grim, not smiling once throughout the entirety of the game and rarely entertaining distractions except where they serve to further his goal of rescuing Buddy. He engages in activities such as cross dressing, sex work, wrestling, and motorcycle races with no appreciation for the strangeness nor the irony of the situations in which he finds himself. This tunnel vision proves to be the catalyst for much of the game's conflicts; his method of raising Buddy was stifling, suffocating, and left her without breathing room to explore herself as a person, ultimately resulting in a young girl with an extreme amount of pent up rage.

Prior to finding and subsequently adopting Buddy, Brad lived a drifting, idle, and extremely unhappy life. He was unable to place trust in or truly love others due to his own traumatic childhood. His first ever real bond with another human being with Buddy, something that terrified and bewildered him. He deeply regrets the mistakes he made in how he raised his adoptive daughter and after saying goodbye to Buddy in a flashback, begs for her forgiveness.

Throughout his journey, he can be inflicted with injuries, superficial to life-threatening and his body will reflect those changes as a reminder of his past actions.

Story[]

PastPlayground

The story of LISA: The Painful begins with Rick, Cheeks and Sticky being beaten up by a group of children over the boys stealing their ball. Brad steps in and lies to the children that he stole the ball to protect his friends, getting beaten up instead. Brad proceeds to walk back to his house to be confronted by a drunk Marty watching TV. He has a beer bottle thrown at him and is told to go to his room, a familiar motif to that of the beginning of LISA: THE FIRST. Brad is left to cry alone in his room.


Baby secret

A time skip occurs to after the White Flash to an older Brad taking a drug called Joy. Brad overhears a baby in the distance and brings it back to his house. He is met by amazement by the guys as there are no women after the White Flash and therefore, no babies. They note that they can give her to Rando to begin repopulating the human race and that they will be given resources in return. Brad however wants to keep Buddy inside to protect her from the outside world, shunning the possibility of repopulation. Brad sees this as a second chance of retribution and to be able to protect someone else to make up for his perceived failure of protecting Lisa from Marty, despite the possible consequences to the human race.


The men then commit to raising Buddy themselves, with Brad attempting to quit his Joy addiction. They build a cave underneath the house to raise her in secret. We then see the struggle over many years of them building the cave with Brad slowly balding. The song that plays while we see this montage is 'The Sacrifice', this may just mean the sacrifice of time that Brad is making to raise Buddy, but also sacrificing the future of humanity's remaining members, to give Brad another chance of protecting someone.

Brad Marty hallucinationPNG

During this time, however, as Buddy grows up, we see Brad turning to his Joy addiction and alcoholism, shockingly similar to the way Marty acted when raising Brad and Lisa.

Brad addict
Brad-Buddy Flower

This seems to be due to, when not taking Joy, he sees the vision of Marty and a baby Lisa. Taking the Joy makes these visions disappear. It is seen that even as a young teen, Brad keeps Buddy in the basement and when she tried to escape to explore the world, forces her back inside. This shows that, while Brad feels he has the best intentions to protect Buddy from the outside world, he is doing the very same to her as Marty did to Lisa as he sees her crying downstairs, alone.


After a while, Brad attempts to quit Joy again and fashions a mask for Buddy to allow them to explore the outside world after seeing what he is doing to her.

BradMakeup
Brad Joy depression

Brad then learns to lighten up and allow himself to enjoy life. Buddy puts makeup on Brad and her "Uncles". Despite this, Brad relapses into drinking and taking Joy, more so than last time. After Brad's binge of Joy and alcohol, he hears a dog bark in the distance and finds Terry Hintz up a tree, fleeing from the dog. After defeating the dog, Terry joins Brad.

Cheeks Dead

Walking back to his house, he finds Cheeks dying on the ground. With his last breath, Cheeks tells Brad that Buddy is gone. Brad then sets off with Terry, reluctantly, to search for Buddy.


RickFlashback1

Upon entering a door to the Factory Town, Brad will enter a flashback of his past with Rick, seemingly before the White Flash and after Lisa's death. Brad walks into Rick's house, greeting Rick's wife, Shelly. She continues on to say Rick should be home soon with very little enthusiasm. Rick soon returns home from what looks like a white collar job. Rick asks Shelly if she has started dinner as he mentioned Brad was coming to visit, her only reply being a curt "No." Rick ends up covering for her and orders takeout, showing that Shelly doesn't seem to care about either of them. Rick also asks where his son Junior is, to which Shelly again replies she doesn't care.


Junior

Upon finishing dinner, his 'son' Junior comes downstairs. Junior proceeds to tell Rick "Fuck you old man". and leaves promptly. Shelly also takes her leave to watch TV -- alone.


RickSad

Rick and Brad go outside to speak over a few beers starting small talk over his new lawnmower. Rick gives up and confesses to Brad that he wants a life like Brad's, that his wife hates him, and that his son is a "whole 'nother story" He thinks of himself as a joke and that his life is a joke. He admires that Brad has no wife or kids, that he teaches martial arts and that his life is awesome.


LisaRickFlashback

Suddenly, Brad has a hallucination of Lisa, with her standing in between himself and Rick. She says to Brad "Don't forget about me", showing how Brad has it much worse than he shows his friends. The hallucination ends with Brad laying in front of the entrance to the Factory Town.

LISA: THE JOYFUL[]

Brad
Battler Demon Brad
Enemy information
Gameplay
Parameters
HP 2000 ATK 63
SP 200 DEF 19
SATK 25 AGI 1
SDEF 25 LUCK 1
Rewards
Exp 3000 Mags 0
Item Drops
1/1 chance of Joy(Item)
1/1 chance of Joy(Item)
1/1 chance of Joy(Item)
Features
Attack Element: Physical Collapse Effect: Boss
HIT * 100% State Resist: Fallen
State Resist: Scared Stun * 50%
State Resist: Paralysis State Resist: Paralysis
State Resist: Confusion State Resist: Sleep
Actions
Blood cough Always 4
Cry Always 3
Wail Always 3
Struggle Always 4
Stare Always 3
Bite Always 3

Brad
Battler brad4
Enemy information
Gameplay
Parameters
HP 5000 ATK 110
SP 200 DEF 19
SATK 25 AGI 1
SDEF 25 LUCK 1
Rewards
Exp 2000 Mags 0
Features
Attack Element: Physical Collapse Effect: Boss
HIT * 100% State Resist: Fallen
State Resist: Scared Stun * 50%
State Resist: Paralysis State Resist: Paralysis
State Resist: Confusion State Resist: Sleep
State Resist: Flustered
Actions
Stall Always 3
lost Always 5

Brad
Battler brad
Enemy information
Gameplay
Parameters
HP 4000 ATK 110
SP 200 DEF 19
SATK 25 AGI 1
SDEF 25 LUCK 1
Rewards
Exp 2000 Mags 0
Features
Attack Element: Physical Collapse Effect: Boss
HIT * 100% State Resist: Fallen
State Resist: Scared Stun * 50%
State Resist: Paralysis State Resist: Paralysis
State Resist: Confusion State Resist: Sleep
State Resist: Flustered
Actions
unsure Always 5
lost Always 5
give up. Always 5
miss up Always 5
Joy Always 5

Dad
Battler brad2
Enemy information
Gameplay
Parameters
HP 5000 ATK 110
SP 200 DEF 19
SATK 25 AGI 1
SDEF 25 LUCK 1
Rewards
Exp 2000 Mags 0
Features
Attack Element: Physical Collapse Effect: Boss
HIT * 100% State Resist: Fallen
State Resist: Scared Stun * 50%
State Resist: Paralysis State Resist: Paralysis
State Resist: Confusion State Resist: Sleep
State Resist: Flustered
Actions
Hug Always 5
Comfort Always 5
miss up Always 5

The Nobody
Battler brad3
Enemy information
Gameplay
Parameters
HP 5000 ATK 110
SP 200 DEF 19
SATK 25 AGI 1
SDEF 25 LUCK 1
Rewards
Exp 2000 Mags 0
Features
Attack Element: Physical Collapse Effect: Boss
HIT * 100% State Resist: Fallen
State Resist: Scared Stun * 50%
State Resist: Paralysis State Resist: Paralysis
State Resist: Confusion State Resist: Sleep
State Resist: Flustered
Actions
Cry Always 5
failure Always 5
Heart break Always 5
Wail Always 5
Hit self. Always 5

JOYFUL

The game picks up immediately where PAINFUL ended, with a mutant Brad approaching Buddy. It is at this point that the player takes control of Buddy for the first time as she tries to defend herself. Buddy wakes up and begins to fight Brad, but is interrupted by Buzzo before she can land a lethal blow. Buzzo tells her to be careful and takes Brad away.

Throughout the game several hallucinations can be seen of Brad in inaccessible places, some of him dead, some of him looking over Buddy. One particular hallucination is of him mourning over Rando's dead body.

After defeating Dr. Yado, Buddy hallucinates that she is in a red field covered in flowers. After walking for a bit, she comes across a bloody human Brad, looking as he did at the end of LISA: The Painful. The weapons that were once stuck in him are instead flowers. Talking to him triggers a boss fight.

The fight starts out against Brad when he first found Buddy. He does not attack, he only stalls. Once enough damage is dealt with, a conversation triggers between him and Buddy about her name. Brad changes form and becomes much older. This form will also not attack but will restore some health by taking Joy. Enough damage triggers more dialogue, this time about Buddy calling him Dad. Brad's next form is "Dad", his only attack is to hug Buddy, which does no damage. He can also comfort Buddy, restoring health to her. Finally, Brad becomes the failure, the bloody beaten Brad from the end of The Painful. Brad now cries, wails and hits himself, dealing damage. Once he is defeated, he reveals his true feelings towards Buddy and says goodbye before the hallucination ends.

Battle[]

Statistics[]

Core Statistics
Level HP SP ATK DEF SATK SDEF AGI LUCK
6 1069 129 28 32 28 16 34 27

Skills[]

Brad is a Party Member that can use a Combo Dial to use skills, though he can also use them directly from the Skills menu. Brad's combo type is called Armstrong Style. The buttons below can be used in certain combinations to use a normal skill.

Both Arms
Skill Name Combo Letter Description
Left Punch Icon Brown W A swift left punch.
Right Punch Icon Brown A A swift right punch.
Zipper Punches Icon Brown S A swift one, two punch.
Double Palm Thrust Icon Brown D A heavy palm thrust.
One Arm
Skill Name Combo Letter Description
Bite Icon Brown A A quick tug with your teeth.
Right Punch Icon Brown S A swift right punch.
Palm Thrust Icon Brown D A heavy palm thrust.

When used, the above skills will deal individual damage, as well as the damage of the relevant skill (if completed). If Brad loses both arms, he will be unable to use a Combo Dial at all.(the dial skill combos change when you lose an arm such as fire ball 3 becoming a-s-d; w's turning into s's, with some skills being removed entirely)

Two-Armed Skills[]

Skill Name Combo Description Level Learned MP Cost
Buster Punches
Icon Brown W Icon Brown W Icon Brown S
(WWS) An Armstrong classic. 2 3
Suprise Attack
Icon Brown D Icon Brown D Icon Brown A
(DDA) An unsuspected kick to the groin. Causes stunning. 3 5
Fire Ball
Icon Brown W Icon Brown S Icon Brown D
(WSD) A blast of flaming emotion. 5 10
Dropkick
Icon Brown D Icon Brown W Icon Brown W Icon Brown A
(DWWA) A flying double foot press 6 10
Machine Gun Fist
Icon Brown W Icon Brown A Icon Brown W Icon Brown A
(WAWA) Unleash a flurry of punches. 7 15
Horse Stance Chosen from Skills menu, does not have a dial combo. Assumes a sturdy Horse Stance, increases SP. 8 0
Tackle
Icon Brown D Icon Brown D Icon Brown W
(DDW) An American classic. Capable of knocking the opponent over. 10 15
Fire Ball 2
Icon Brown W Icon Brown D Icon Brown D
(WDD) A blast of flaming emotion. 12 15
Head Slide
Icon Brown S Icon Brown D Icon Brown D Icon Brown S
(SDDS) A sliding head strike at the opponent's knees. Causes tripping. 13 20
Headbutt
Icon Brown W Icon Brown A Icon Brown D
(WAD) A full force slam with your shiny head. 15 15
Fire Ball 3
Icon Brown W Icon Brown S Icon Brown S
(WSS) A blast of flaming emotion. 18 20
Cannonball
Icon Brown D Icon Brown D Icon Brown S
(DDS) Fly in like a cannonball. 20 15
Fire Ball 4
Icon Brown W Icon Brown D Icon Brown A Icon Brown S
(WDAS) A blast of flaming emotion. 22 25
Charging Headbutt
Icon Brown W Icon Brown A Icon Brown W Icon Brown S
(WAWS) A flying slam with your shiny head. Capable of stunning. 24 15
Homerun Head Slide
Icon Brown S Icon Brown D Icon Brown D Icon Brown W
(SDDW) A sliding head strike at the opponent's knees. Causes tripping. 25 20

One-Armed Skills[]

Skill Name Combo Description Level Learned MP Cost
Suprise Attack
Icon Brown D Icon Brown D Icon Brown A
(DDA) An unsuspected kick to the groin. Causes stunning. 3 5
Fire Ball
Icon Brown A Icon Brown S Icon Brown D
(ASD) A blast of flaming emotion. 5 10
Dropkick
Icon Brown D Icon Brown S Icon Brown S Icon Brown A
(DSSA) A flying double foot press. 6 10
Pea Gun Fist
Icon Brown A Icon Brown A Icon Brown A Icon Brown A
(AAAA) Unleash a flurry of punches. 7 15
Horse Stance Chosen from Skills menu, does not have a dial combo. Assumes a sturdy Horse Stance, increases SP. 8 0
Tackle
Icon Brown D Icon Brown D Icon Brown D
(DDD) An American classic. Capable of knocking the opponent over. 10 15
Fire Ball 2
Icon Brown S Icon Brown D Icon Brown D
(SDD) A blast of flaming emotion. 12 15
Head Slide
Icon Brown A Icon Brown D Icon Brown D Icon Brown S
(ADDS) A sliding head strike at the opponent's knees. Causes tripping. 13 20
Headbutt
Icon Brown D Icon Brown A Icon Brown D
(DAD) A full force slam with your shiny head. 15 15
Fire ball 3
Icon Brown A Icon Brown S Icon Brown S
(ASS) A blast of flaming emotion. 18 20
Canonball
Icon Brown D Icon Brown D Icon Brown S
(DDS) Fly in like a cannonball. 20 15
Fire Ball 4
Icon Brown A Icon Brown D Icon Brown A Icon Brown S
(ADAS) A blast of flaming emotion. 22 25
Charging Headbutt
Icon Brown S Icon Brown A Icon Brown S Icon Brown D
(SASD) A flying slam with your shiny head. Capable of stunning. 24 15
Homerun Head Slide
Icon Brown A Icon Brown D Icon Brown D Icon Brown A
(ADDA) A sliding head strike at the opponent's knees. Causes tripping. 25 20


(^ INCOMPLETE)

At the end of the game, Brad's class will change from Nobody to Failure. He will unlock several extremely powerful moves used only for the final stretch.

Skill Name Description MP Cost
Bite A quick tug with your teeth. 0
Dropkick A flying double foot press. 10
Fire Blast A blast of flaming emotion. 20
Charging Headbutt A flying slam with your shining head. Capable of stunning. 15
Burning Head Slide A sliding head strike at the opponent's knees. Causes tripping. 25
Cry Help me Lisa? Cry out for relief. 0
Scream It hurts... You have to scream. 0

Battle Quotes[]

Win Quotes[]

Level Quotes[]

Drop Quotes[]

  • ...
  • ...
  • ...

Default Equipment[]

Art[]

Tips[]

Brad is by far one of the strongest characters in the entire game, even when missing two limbs. As the game progresses, he gains the ability to stun, mass trip, throw fireballs, and deal strong, single-target damage. Brad doesn't, however, have any debuff removers or support abilities, making him entirely damage focused. Brad can be well partnered with anyone, and his large variety of moves allows him to be useful in any situation, despite his Joy addiction.

Trivia[]

  • If Brad loses both of his arms, he can no longer use Armstrong Style, and the attack that replaces it is Bite. Brad can still use certain skills, however.
  • Brad had the ability to crawl and hide in bushes in early versions of the game, but these were later scrapped.
  • Brad wanted a wife but didn't think he deserved one. [1]
  • The Joy Mutant scream is often used in situations where Brad is hallucinating or losing control.
  • Brad is one of the shortest characters in LISA: THE PAINFUL. Dingaling has said that shortness runs in the Armstrong family. [2]
  • Brad has Italian ancestry.[3]
  • Brad is Dingaling's favorite protagonist in the LISA series. [4]
  • It's implied by Joyful's Father Ending epilogue and achievement description that at one point Marty forced alcohol upon Brad and not only made him bare witness to Lisa's abuse at his hands, but even partake in the abuse himself.
  • Brad is not the father of Buddy's child. [5]
  • Brad has really bad teeth. [6]
  • Brad abandoned Dusty "because he's fuuuuucked". [7]
  • Brad is a introvert. [8]
  • There are a handful of unused sprites for Brad shown in the large sprite gallery that comes with the Art and OST DLC.
    • Sprites that seem to be him slowly turning into a Joy Mutant with his arm horrifically stretched out.
    • Sprites of Brad giving Buddy a piggyback ride.
    • Sprites that appear to show Brad rolling.
    • Many sprites of Brad interacting with characters that were important in earlier versions of the game that are now no longer present.
    • There is also a sprite of Brad pulling his mouth open at the side and eyes wide, revealing beady eyes seen in the Kickstarter after all the goals had been reached.
  • Austin has stated in a Twitter post that Brad Armstrong was named after his father, Brad Jorgensen. He also inherited his driven and resilient nature from his namesake.
  • In the "Breeding Ground" achievement epilogue to LISA: the Joyful, it's revealed by Marty that Brad's grandfather taught Brad Karate.
  • In early development of LISA, images and sprites featuring Brad had the name "Ren" meaning he was originally called Ren.

References[]

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