The Kindness of Vash the Stampede

For anyone who doesn't know, Trigun was a manga that started it's release in 1997 which later was adapted as an anime in 1998 in Japan and 2000 in America. This was around the same time as Hellsing, The Prince of Tennis, FLCL, Saiyuki, and a few others. It also aired in the wake of Toonami - a late night show that aired dubbed anime to American audiences. The show followed the antics of a notorious gunman named Vash the Stampede and his companions as they travelled No Man's Land. The anime itself is meant to be a western, set in a barren wasteland filled with bounty hunters after Vash's large bounty, criminals, and so on. While was considered somewhat of a flop in Japan, it was a beloved classic in America and while that is interesting, it's not what we're here to discuss. Now, in 2023, the anime classic has been reimaged and redone, having aired on a few different streaming services in a new, stunning CGI under the name Trigun Stampede. Now is probably a good time to mention that this blog will contain major spoilers for the original Trigun and, likely, the new version even though there are currently only six episodes released.

Image Credit: TOHO Animation

Trigun itself was, as you might say now, cringy. The characters were overdone, you might think the dubbing is actually the abridged version, and the episode-to-episode stories could be... silly. But if that was all it had going for it, it wouldn't be so well loved today. So let's talk about what Trigun did right. By that I mean it's lead character Vash the Stampede.

Like I said, the anime is a western set in a place called No Man's Land with Vash being wanted man with an outrageously high bounty on his head and the title of Stampede. The interesting point is that Vash is an outgoingly kind character who is more than willign to put himself in harms way to help complete strangers. This is a complete dichotomy to his supporting character Nichols D. Wolfwood who is more than willing to kill to survive, despite Vash's protests. He earned the title of Stampede not because he caused chaos but because chaos seemed to follow him wherever he went.

Now, when you think about some of the biggest titles in anime, you'll probably think about One Piece, Dragon Ball, Naruto, and Bleach for us early 2000's anime fans. Now, you might think about Demon Slayer, Jujutsu Kaisen, and My Hero Acedamia. While these shows are wildly different in story-telling and styles, they do all have one thing in common. All the main characters are inherently good. There isn't a lot of moral gray in their storytelling. You could argue Luffy, sure, because he likes to do as he please, but when his friends are hurt he'll stop at nothing to make them smile. Naruto, Deku, and Ichigo all went out of their way to help people who had almost nothing to do with them. They all follow the trope I like to call the noble idiot. I mention this because Vash in Trigun also falls into the same trope. In the new adaption, he's clearly shown as going out of his way to help people who are complete strangers to him and even his enemies.

Image Credit: Yasuhiro Nightow

It's important to know that, despite the fact that Vash does act like an idiot most of the time, he's actually very aware of the things that are happening around him. The problem is that he's seen to much. As someone who's basically immortal, he's been alive much longer than any of the humans he travels with and has seen much more than them. He knows that every action has a consequence and, as shown in the later episodes of Stampede, knows that kindness sometimes hurts more than it helps. In the original anime, Vash is written to be cringey and over the top though you could argue that he's written like that with purpose. He's a very skilled an knowledge person but acts as he does to hide who he is. In Stampede, he's written with a tinge of sadness. He's still given his outgoing flare, but in a much more human way. He walks the world carrying kindness like a burden though he'll never let it go despite the fact that it clearly weighs in him.

This is why Trigun is such a standout from other anime's. The story is superb, though you'll have to watch it to get the whole plot, and the characters are human despite their flaws. Vash is a noble idiot and overly kind, though he bears the consequences of it. As of right now, Stampede is still releasing once a week and I would highly recommend that everyone sits down to watch it. The show has a way of honoring it's predecessor while appealing to a broader and more mature audience. Say what you want about the CGI, but I went back and watched the episode one fight at least five times because of it and I can't wait to see more.