“Trigun” is a classic space western manga with a localization and an anime adaptation that were major players in introducing western audiences to the genre in the late 90s and early 2000s. The series is an action-packed tale that uses its high-octane battle scenes and over-the-top humor to disguise its true intentions as a treatise on humanity and compassion. Despite its many spinoffs and followup projects, nothing has ever covered the full story or matched the scope and depth of the manga. Spanning genres from spaghetti western to science fiction to existentialist drama, reading “Trigun” is an experience like little else even several decades later.

‘Trigun’ Summary: The Story of a Stampede

“Trigun” is a sprawling action epic by Yasuhiro Nightow that combines the science fiction and spaghetti western genres to tell a gripping story about humanity and perseverance. Taking place on a sparsely populated wasteland planet, the manga’s primary focus is Vash the Stampede, a mysterious wandering gunman known worldwide for both his incredible skill with a firearm and his outrageously destructive firefights. Having reached the point where he is literally considered a walking natural disaster, insurance agents Meryl Strife and Milly Thompson set out to find Vash to try and get his incredibly expensive demolition streak under control. What begins mostly as comedic hijinks and zany shenanigans soon spirals and twists into a massive conflict with everyone’s lives hanging in the balance.

Manga and Anime Like ‘Trigun’

• “Cowboy Bebop” (read our review of the “Cowboy Bebop: Shooting Star” manga or our review of the second “Cowboy Bebop” manga)
• “Desert Punk”
• “Dorohedoro”
• “Fist of the North Star”
• “Gurren Lagann”
• “Outlaw Star”
• “Space Dandy”

Audience and Genre: Something for Almost Everyone

“Trigun” tells a story where things are rarely as they first appear, and that’s true of the manga itself. From the outside and at the outset, it may seem like a standard but well-executed shonen manga. The heroes are almost always in the right, and hope will always win the day.

However, much like Vash himself, this cheery façade hides much darker undertones that slowly creep to the forefront. By the midway point, the joke-filled vignettes of the early chapters have been replaced by brutally violent extended fight scenes. By the end, the manga has morphed into a poetic thought piece on humanity and trying to survive through despair. A spaghetti western action-comedy evolves into a science fiction epic.

“Trigun” covers a lot of ground, and it’s astounding that the transition from one event to the next feels as seamless and cohesive as it does. The plot keeps readers guessing until the very end, and it touches on so many topics and styles that there’s something for almost everyone.

Perspective: A Growing Cast

One of “Trigun”’s defining characteristics is its massive cast of characters. Though the focus at first stays primarily with Vash, Meryl and Milly, the manga soon branches out to become something much grander. As such, the narrative is not afraid to switch perspectives as the plot demands.
The reader has a third-person omniscient view of the proceedings. Characters outside of the starting trio become the focal point of the chapter/arc and the audience’s lens into the world more and more as the plot progresses. By the halfway point, characters who weren’t even around at the start will be getting several consecutive chapters centered exclusively on them. Even villains will regularly take over the audience perspective, allowing the reader a very broad and even-keeled view of pivotal events.

Three Cs: Compelling, Clear, Concise

Editorial Note: We believe these three factors are important for evaluating general writing quality across every aspect of the book. Before you get into further analysis, here’s a quick breakdown to clarify how we’re using these words:

• Compelling: Does the author consistently write in a way that would make most readers emotionally invested in the book’s content?
• Clear: Are most sentences and parts of the book easy enough to read and understand?
• Concise: Are there sections or many sentences that could be cut? Does the book have pacing problems?

Compelling: Long But Engaging and Rewarding

“Trigun” is a long series spanning over 100 chapters, so it is a testament to Nightow’s talents as a writer and artist that the manga rarely feels like it’s spinning its wheels or wasting your time. The story maintains a careful balance between action, drama and comedy while also telling a unique and deep story that remains twisty and engaging to the very end. Even the earlier and less interconnected adventures provide vital lore, context, and worldbuilding for later events, some of which don’t pay off until well after the original “Trigun” run transitions into “Maximum”.

Nightow’s attention to detail and obvious affection for his characters and world mean there is little that feels like unnecessary fluff or filler. With how large the scope gets by the end, there are certain characters and plot threads that end up not mattering much in the long run, but the manga rewards readers who pay attention and keep track of the details, even if that reward is just a seemingly forgotten character appearing in a crowd shot or a quick easter egg reference. Apart from a few overlong fight scenes and expositional moments that bog down the pacing a bit, “Trigun” is a fascinating and often surprisingly breezy read despite its length and occasionally dark content.

Clear: Text, Concepts and Especially Art Are Occasionally Confusing

For how existentialist and surreal “Trigun” can get in its later chapters, the overarching goals and arcs of the characters are kept simple and traceable. Complex concepts are always explained or contextualized in a way that most readers should be able to understand, even if the specifics of the lore and functionality of certain things sometimes becomes murky. The manga even goes out of its way to reiterate pieces of information that may prove important later on.

There are a small handful of errors and suboptimal translations across the series, such as misused or awkward grammar, confusingly attributed speech bubbles, inconsistent name spellings and even a few instances of incorrect page numbers in the table of contents.

Here are a few examples:

• When Tesla is first introduced at the beginning of Maximum’s third omnibus (Maximum Chapter 40: “Happy Days”), her name is spelled with two s’s (“Tessla”).
• At the beginning of Maximum’s fourth omnibus, the first table of contents lists volume 11 (“Zero Hour”) as starting on page 195 and volume 12 (“The Gunslinger”) as starting on page 415. However, page 195 lands in the middle of the 10th volume’s seventh chapter (Maximum Chapter 64: “Wolfwood”). Volume 11 actually starts on page 243. Page 415 is in the middle of volume 11’s final chapter (Maximum Chapter 71: “That Which Can Be Protected”), with volume 12 actually beginning on page 431.
• It’s debatable if this is an error or just a product of differing translation styles, but Rem is referred to as “Rem Seibrem” in the manga instead of “Rem Saverem” like she is in all later Trigun media. I don’t think that she is ever referred to as “Saverem” within the manga, so it is technically internally consistent, and “Seibrem” is a direct romanization of her original Japanese name. However, if the author’s intention is for the last name “Saverem” to hold some kind of subtext or double meaning, then it could still possibly be considered a mistranslation or a localization that misunderstands the intent of the original.
• An example of clunky translation would be the chapter title, “That Which Can Be Protected.” While that is technically a direct translation of the chapter’s Japanese title, it’s kind of wordy and awkward. While doing research for this review, I saw a fair number of sources refer to the chapter as “Someone To Protect,” which is both easier to say and likely closer to the author’s original intent.

Nonetheless, these minor mistakes never obfuscate the intention or meaning behind any of the proceedings.

The larger issue stems from the artwork. Nightow is an incredibly talented artist, and his work in “Trigun” is consistently fantastic, but the over-the-top nature of the content doesn’t lend itself to legibility. The manga regularly depicts eldritch horrors, physics-defying fight scenes and metaphysical concepts, and that’s not even mentioning all of the additional artistic flourishes for comedic or dramatic effect.

Despite his skill, Nightow can’t keep some of the action from devolving into a confusing jumble, particularly when it comes to consistent spacing and movement within the environment and introducing new attacks and battle mechanics. Basic character and weapon designs can be bizarre and nonsensical, such as Elendira’s crossbow suitcase that can seemingly make nails come from literally any direction or Legato’s increasingly confusing revamps. It is obvious that the focus was often on cool imagery over clarity. While this cool factor leads to some incredible artwork, it also means readers may have trouble following certain moments, particularly during the longer and mostly wordless action setpieces.

Concise: Could Use Some Streamlining

While Nightow makes a concerted effort to keep escalating the stakes and changing the structure of the narrative over “Trigun”’s dozens of chapters, there are moments when the plot begins to meander. The two most prominent causes are the fight scenes and the exposition, and for completely opposite reasons.
The fight scenes regularly leave the reader flipping through pages upon pages of wordless carnage and violence. While it is entertaining, some of the later battles take several chapters to resolve, and it becomes as exhausting for the reader as it does for the characters.

Similarly, the exposition becomes more prominent as the plot becomes more complex. Characters will discuss the events at hand and explain futuristic or fantastical concepts at length, sometimes repeating themselves to ensure the reader’s comprehension. Nightow will also occasionally spend an unnecessary amount of time introducing or fleshing out characters that don’t ultimately affect the overarching plot much. By the end, pages of silent battling are interspersed with swaths of text explaining the context. While the art and writing are strong enough to keep the narrative engaging despite this weakness, it’s easy to feel the story could have been streamlined a bit.

Character Development: Quantity and Quality

As mentioned earlier, one of “Trigun”’s biggest strengths is its expansive cast. However, the cast isn’t impressive because of its size. What makes the cast stand out is the manga’s commitment to doing right by even the most minor side characters. No matter how little someone may factor into the overarching plot, Nightow goes out of his way to give them depth, personality and an interesting design. Even one-off damsels, villains and townsfolk get backstories and sometimes full focus chapters just for the sake of fleshing out the world.

While the minor characters are vibrant and add to the milieu, the layered and complex leads shine even brighter. While all of them are guided by core driving principles. Their mettle and beliefs are regularly tested. Watching them morph and evolve as the situation changes is one of the main conceits and pleasures of the story.

One of the primary motifs in this regard is Vash’s pacifism bumping up against increasingly dire circumstances. While some of the early conflicts repeatedly end with similar results to establish the characters and the status quo, there’s a real nuance and pathos to how the manga examines the toll Vash’s beliefs take on him and those around him as the tension escalates.

A special mention also has to go to the villains, particularly the Gung-Ho Guns, a group of assassins who become the primary antagonistic force opposing Vash. While they may at first seem like flat and generic shonen antagonists, characters like Wolfwood, Legato, Knives, Elendira and Livio grow to have some of the most dynamic and interesting arcs in the entire manga. Vash also builds up a massive rogues’ gallery of recurring criminals and enemies along his travels. In a world as battered and broken as the one presented in “Trigun”, having a varied and compelling roster of nemeses for our heroes to battle ensures that everything remains energized even when their feature chapter may end up being largely inconsequential.

Story: An Ever-Evolving Epic

“Trigun” tells the story of Vash the Stampede, a legendary gunman whose incredibly destructive gunfights and wacky personality belie his pacifistic ideals and dark past. As he wanders from town to town inadvertently causing mayhem while solving people’s personal problems, he accrues a ragtag group of friends and recurring acquaintances who help and support him on his journey across the barren desert planet. The main force opposing Vash is the Gung-Ho Guns, a mysterious group of powerful assassins led by the sadistic Legato Bluesummers who want to finally take Vash down and expose his pacificism as idealistic nonsense.

Just like its characters, though, the story of “Trigun” is constantly shifting and evolving. The loosely connected action-comedy vignettes of the first few volumes slowly morph into an existentialist manifesto on perseverance and hope in a dying world. Despite the massive escalation in scale and stakes from beginning to end, the story maintains its consistency and natural flow by filtering everything through its main cast. Thanks to its well-defined leads and clever foreshadowing, “Trigun” never loses its sense of purpose and identity even as events spiral out of control.

As the scope and scale of the conflict grow, “Trigun” is unafraid to move away from Vash’s perspective and allow other characters extended time in the spotlight. By the midway point, there are periods where Vash will be gone for several chapters at a time, and almost every important character gets a chance to take the lead at least once. Other people also regularly ebb and flow in and out of the plot, with primary protagonists sometimes disappearing for entire volumes and minor players rising to prominence. Just when you think Nightow has forgotten about a particular character or plot thread, it will make a comeback, often accompanied by some kind of shocking revelation or game-changing twist.

While the plot and characters are memorable, the pacing of the story is a bit messy at points. Part of this was caused by the cancellation of the magazine that published “Trigun”’s original run, Monthly Shonen Captain. When the manga was eventually picked up by seinen magazine Young King OURs about a year later, it was retitled “Trigun: Maximum” and technically became a different series. However, “Trigun” and “Maximum” undeniably tell one complete and continuous story. Without “Maximum”, “Trigun” is blatantly unfinished, losing most of its best content and ending on an abrupt, unsatisfying and shockingly sad note. Without “Trigun”, a reader would lack the context and backstory necessary to understand most of what happens in “Maximum”, which will most likely just leave them confused and uninvested. As such, it is not at all recommended to read one without the other, despite the change in title and original publisher.

Prose Style: Conversational Until It Isn’t

“Trigun” is a story that contains multitudes, and the writing reflects that. The comedic moments and many of the early chapters use a conversational and jokey tone that match their lighter and sillier content. Vash fires off one-liners and even dire moments have a triumphant undercurrent to them.

As the conflict grows more widespread and intense, however, the themes become more grandiose and existential. While some jokes do still slip through the cracks and maintain their usual style, they grow increasingly infrequent, now replaced by flowery passages about hope, trust and purpose. Characters will wax poetic about the past and future, and the artwork will occasionally disappear to allow the featured couplets to float meaningfully in nothingness.

Luckily, Nightow is a deft enough writer that the transition from one to the other feel fluid and natural. The gap between the original “Trigun” run and “Maximum” allows for a pretty clear (if originally unintentional) delineation of when the content and writing will grow darker and more serious.

Setting: Worldwide Wasteland, Western, Space and Churches

The wasteland planet of “Trigun” (called No Man’s Land in the manga and Gunsmoke in the first anime) is almost a character unto itself. Only inhabited by humans due to a century old space mission gone awry, it’s an endless desert dotted with a few sparsely populated towns, which are often named after months in the year. A desperate but weary air permeates every moment. Strange creatures wander the wasteland, such as the pack animal thomases, which look almost like a hybrid of an ostrich and a camel, and the ancient sand worms, which form a sentient hive mind that spans the entire planet. Most people have become beggars, thieves or outlaws just to survive. It’s almost as if the environment itself is acting as a foil to Vash’s endless cheer and optimism.

It makes sense then that, in the same way Vash’s character evolves across the series, so too must his environmental foil. The threats and conflicts begin small-scale and relatable. Despite their heightened nature, the core outline of most early plots wouldn’t be out of place in an old spaghetti western movie. This structure is reflective of Vash’s black and white worldview in which good morals will always win as long as you never give up. As more science fiction and supernatural elements creep in throughout the later parts of the story, Vash begins to doubt himself and his worldview, with the scope and threat level of the setting increasing significantly to match.

Core to the transition in both scope and worldview are beings called plants. Plants are remnants of the spaceship crash that populated the planet, used by the struggling humans to power cities and produce resources. They are massive creatures lying somewhere between angelic and eldritch in appearance, their bodies a grotesque mass of wings and limbs. Often contained within massive lightbulb-shaped cages in massive mechanized facilities that evoke a lighter H.R. Giger painting, the overuse and abuse of the plants by humans becomes a major plot point as events progress.

The existence of plants and the alien nature of them and their surroundings foreshadows “Trigun”’s eventual transition into something akin to a space opera. While most of the early happenings take place in one of the planet’s small towns or in the vast deserts in between, the second half will frequently move the perspective to the stars. Whether it’s in a flashback or in the present day, spaceships eventually become an important feature of the lore and world, their designs mimicking the futuristic yet vaguely organic plant facilities.

Diametrically opposed to “Trigun”’s increasing science fiction twist is its consistent use of religious imagery, particularly Christian iconography. Setting aside possible interpretations of Vash as some kind of messianic figure, this motif is first and most prominently featured with Wolfwood. He brands himself a priest, and he literally carries a massive cross on his back as he wanders the wasteland.

However, Nightow’s use of these concepts comes off as somewhat shallow. The specifics of Wolfwood’s religion are never specified, but he regularly murders people and actively pushes Vash to be more ruthless when fighting his enemies, telling him that it’s ultimately for the greater good. In fact, the characters most associated with religious imagery often tend to be morally grey at best and outright evil at worst. With how unfocused this angle can be, it’s unclear if Nightow is actually trying to make a larger point about religion or if he just thought the iconography looked cool. Either way, intentionally or not, characters like Chapel and Livio and organizations like the Eye of Michael do not paint religion in the best light.

Because of Vash’s nomadic lifestyle, the reader spends the bulk of “Trigun” following him on something akin to a road trip through a dying world. Though many of the places that he visits have a similar old western flavor, they are distinguished by a distinct sci-fi twist in their design, even before those elements become directly relevant to the plot. The spaceship colony crash of the backstory means that many of the towns Vash visits are adorned with strange metal structures and giant lightbulb-esque constructions that even the characters barely understand. Though some of the locales may end up blending together a bit, they share a common unifying tone and aesthetic that is almost completely unique to “Trigun.”

Rhetoric: Love and Peace, the Pros and Cons of Pacifism

If there is one point that “Trigun” wants to leave readers with, it is that we, as humans, need to love and support one another. The world is difficult and sometimes unfair, and we need to do everything that we can to help each other survive and achieve whatever safety and happiness we can. Vash the Stampede is this ideology personified.

Despite his inhuman abilities with his signature twin revolvers, Vash adamantly refuses to kill anyone. He believes that even the most vile and disgusting criminals are capable of redemption and reform if they are shown enough understanding and forgiveness. In a world as harsh as this manga’s desert planet, that kind of thinking can quickly get you taken advantage of or killed. However, Vash’s commitment to this promise is a driving factor for not only his development but also for those around him.

From this overarching message of peace also extends an environmental subtheme. By personifying the mostly dead planet through the existence of plants, Nightow can include even the world itself as part of his crusade of love. The parallels between the humans of the wasteland abusing plants and the real world wasting of natural resources and damaging of the environment are not subtle. In fact, one of Vash’s main goals beyond keeping people alive is figuring out how to bridge the gap between humans and plants. He believes that there is a way for everyone to coexist, allowing humans to survive without having to kill plants in the process. Nightow wants to make it clear that the planet is also a living being that deserves respect and help, both in the world of “Trigun” and in reality.

As Vash’s unerring pacifism gets routinely tested in more and more dire straits, Nightow makes it clear that he is not only the manga’s main character but also its intrinsic thesis statement. His emphasis on the importance of empathy even and especially during times of hardship was prescient and is more vital now than ever.

Cultural and Political Significance: Surprisingly Feminist and Pro-Trans

“Trigun” wears its commitment to peace, love, hope and humanity on its sleeve, but these messages are common in manga and anime. What may really surprise readers is the manga’s consistent undercurrent of feminist and gender ideology. While men do comprise a majority of the leading roles, there is also a large roster of engaging and varied female characters. Even the damsels who often end up tossed to the wayside usually get at least some shading or backstory to make them slightly more interesting.

The first and main exemplars of this are obviously Meryl and Milly, two women whose primary focus is their careers. They are immediately presented to the audience as intelligent and capable but not infallible. Meryl is the confident and outgoing leader of the duo, but she’s not a nag or obnoxious and is still allowed to feel emotional and insecure when the situation calls for it. Milly may come off at first as not much more than a ditzy comedic relief sidekick, but her bravery, kind heart and wherewithal end up becoming critical in later conflicts. Direct mention is made to how unorthodox it is for Meryl and Milly to be in such a dangerous line of work, but the manga makes it clear they are in the right for doing what they love, even if it’s not really accepted by those around them.

A very unique example is Elendira. When she enters the story, she seems to be just another escalation in the capabilities and numbers of the villains. However, Nightow makes it clear upfront that she is transgender and then proceeds to make her one of the most complex, powerful and pivotal characters in the entire story.
What makes it arguably even more progressive, especially for the time it was written, is how little of a fuss is made about Elendira’s gender identity. While the manga does use the dated term, “crossdresser”, a couple of times while referring to her, the writing and character interactions make it clear that she presents fully as a woman. She is never ridiculed, belittled, or made the butt of the joke due to her gender, and the other characters never question it.

The closest they come is during a conversation when Wolfwood accidentally misgenders Elendira. Even in this case, he immediately corrects himself after a wordless beat panel and a stern look.

Elendira’s intrigue and impact as a character have absolutely nothing to do with her gender. Many modern writers could learn from the respect and nonchalance Nightow brings to his depiction of her.

Nonetheless, the manga isn’t perfect in this regard. The story is still heavily male-centric, and it occasionally saddles even the protagonists with moments that read as questionable at best. Especially in the early going, there are a few gags and jokes that are more awkward than funny, like a one-off character that disappointingly does fall into some of the trans joke stereotypes that Elendira completely avoids.

Even some of the noncomedic morals and dialogue can come off as tone deaf, such as a scene in which it is seemingly implied that a woman should return to slavery to save the town and people who enslaved her because it is allegedly the morally right thing for her to do. While a few of these moments can contradict and detract from the great work Nightow does with characters like Meryl, Milly and Elendira, the manga truly does demonstrate a commitment to treating (almost) all of its characters with care and consideration.

Critiquing the Critics: A Flawed Classic

“Trigun” is often considered a classic when it comes to action manga. It was foundational and influential when it was released in the 90s, especially when it comes to anime fans in the West. The series was lauded worldwide for its outstanding artwork, unique aesthetic and world, intense action, complex characters and philosophical underpinnings. Even today, “Trigun” stands out for its ability to throw together so many disparate ideas and make them somehow feel cohesive and meaningful. While it does occasionally show its age, it can still surprise and delight both those unfamiliar with the story and those returning for another readthrough.

Despite its revered status and legacy, there are seemingly two major common complaints from both fans and critics. The first is that the manga is too repetitive, especially early on. Many of the more episodic and comedic adventures end in a similar way in an attempt to reinforce Vash’s characteristic pacifism and refusal to kill. Some feel the manga spends too long rehashing this status quo without truly saying anything new or expanding on Vash. Others feel that the worldviews presented stay too black-and-white for too long. While some of this dynamic can be explained away by the manga needing to fully establish its lead and main theme upfront, “Trigun” is somewhat betrayed by its shonen origins, with the early chapters feeling almost tailormade for long-running serialization as an anime.

The manga does eventually grow out of this format around the time that the original “Trigun” run transitions into “Maximum”, moving away from the more episodic formula to focus more on longform storytelling and character development. While some may feel that the longer fight scenes and exposition of “Maximum” drag the pacing down like the vignettes of the beginning did, the story itself undeniably continues to shake things up from where it started.

The second issue is comprehensibility. “Trigun” is a fantastical story that involves a lot of complex ideas and suspension of disbelief. As a result, the manga sets aside a lot of time to explain and exposit about the world, its history and the fictional concepts that fuel it. While some view these explanations as more pace-killing repetition in an attempt to keep readers up to speed, others feel that the manga is still unclear about certain plot beats and facets of its world. Whether it’s Nightow not answering lingering questions or just confusing mythology, there is a subsection of fans and critics who were left unsatisfied or perplexed by “Trigun”’s worldbuilding.

There is an argument to be made that Nightow only gives readers the information necessary to follow the plot, and it is very possible to grasp the characters’ respective arcs and goals without a comprehensive knowledge of the lore, but one could easily poke holes in certain aspects of the story and mythos if they applied too much logic. Some things, such as the existence of giants and cyborgs, just have to be taken at face value with no explanation. Some may find that willingness to boldly experiment and push the boundaries of the world exhilarating, but others may find it confounding or even frustrating.

Book Aesthetic: Stylish and Unique, But Sometimes Unclear

One of “Trigun”’s most appealing features is Yasuhiro Nightow’s beautiful and intricate art. Whether it’s a highly choreographed fight scene or a meaningful phrase floating solemnly on a blank page, every panel is filled with intention. Nightow understands how much small artistic shifts can affect the mood of a piece, getting tons of mileage out of choices as small as blurring half-forgotten memories or only drawing pieces of a character’s face to highlight certain emotions. He is also confident enough in his work to have many periods without dialogue or narration, allowing the art to speak for itself. Some of “Trigun”’s best moments are simply owed to how stunning certain pieces of imagery are, and Nightow’s skill only improves as the series progresses.

The characters also all have distinctive and memorable designs, from Vash’s iconic spiky hair and red trenchcoat to one-off criminals who are more visually interesting than the main villains of some other manga. It’s telling that crowd scenes can include minor characters from dozens of chapters ago, and they’re still recognizable despite having disappeared for so long. It helps that Nightow is unafraid to have characters that vary vastly in aesthetic all occupy the same space. While they are all united under the general “sci-fi western” vibe that pervades “Trigun”, there are no set parameters for what humans look like on this planet. Some look like the average people you’d find in a spaghetti western, while others are 10-foot tall cyborgs or a bunch of small guys in a suit. Several characters are blatantly anachronistic and out of place, such as one villain who’s a feudal samurai wielding a katana in a world of cowboys with revolvers, while others are almost eldritch, such as the pseudo-angelic “plants.” This mishmash of different characters and aesthetics can sometimes feel random or slapdash, but it also adds greatly to “Trigun”’s unique visual identity and ability to surprise readers.

If there’s one major issue that arises from Nightow’s outlandish and eclectic style, it’s that it can sometimes be hard to tell what’s supposed to be happening. Despite the skill and intricacy of the art, the story becomes so supernatural and metaphysical by its endgame that even just understanding certain imagery at a base level becomes difficult. Characters with nonsensical weapons end up battling creatures with confusing anatomies using attacks that sometimes defy both physics and logic. It becomes clear early on that the focus is more often on creating cool imagery over making complete sense. While this does lead to some incredible artwork and unforgettable scenarios, it also leaves some of the later extended fight sequences feeling at times like messy jumbles where you struggle just to figure out who’s supposed to be winning at any given moment.

It’s also worth mentioning that almost every volume ends with a gag comic by the creator discussing his behind-the-scenes thoughts and experiences creating the manga. These are done in a completely different visual style and tone than the rest of the proceedings, looking more similar to something like “Crayon Shin-chan” than anything from “Trigun.” Nightow mostly just uses these pages to thank the fans for their support, gush about his latest obsessions and panic about various aspects of his job.

These sections are probably most interesting nowadays for how they chart “Trigun”’s incredible success. It’s extremely charming to watch Nightow go from worrying about if anyone will actually buy and enjoy his work to relishing in the fact that “Trigun”’s fame has allowed him to create the kind of nerdy memorabilia that he enjoys collecting himself, such as action figures and video games. While it would be a stretch to call these vignettes vital to the “Trigun” experience, they do offer a time capsule and window into the manga’s production that’s fascinating to look back on.

‘Trigun’ Manga vs. Original Anime Series: Abridged But Still Worthwhile

After the end of the original “Trigun” run and just as “Maximum” was starting, the manga received an anime adaptation from Madhouse. Running 26 episodes, the anime covers a slightly remixed version of the events of the first 30 or so chapters. Most of the plots and characters are lifted directly from the show — such as the sand steamer incident and the confrontations with the Nebraska family — but the order is switched up. There are occasionally some new characters, ideas, and twists thrown in. There is also a zanier, campier and more comedic tone to a lot of the proceedings, heightening even what the manga was doing in its early stages. The series is quite adept at comedy, with both new and adapted jokes landing with solid frequency, but things become much darker and more serious in the second half, paralleling the trajectory of the manga.

The animation is much simpler and looser than the artwork of the manga. While this level of quality is to be expected, especially considering when the anime was created, the show can also be surprisingly static despite the usually frenetic nature of its content. A few of these moments can be explained away as building drama or tension, but there are many that make it clear that the budget was being saved for the set piece moments. Most of the characters are still recognizably themselves, but a few, such as Wolfwood, changed quite a bit visually in the transition. All things considered, though, the show looks good for the time period and for how complex Nightow’s illustrations are on the page.

Much like the artwork, the characters are also flattened out and simplified. While they do still retain some of their shading and complexity from the manga, the shorter timeframe and altered focus of the anime ends up shortchanging and omitting a lot of the development that made them so interesting. This deficiency is probably most obvious with Vash. The man who was once a jaded vigilante who used humor to cover up his deep emotional pain and trauma is now a womanizing idiot who only resembles the original when hostages are being held at gunpoint. Watching Vash awkwardly hit on every woman he comes across (some of whom are actively in distress) not only diminishes his image as an altruistic and all-loving hero but makes him less appealing as a leading character. It’s something of a blessing in disguise then that the anime puts more of a focus on Meryl and Milly, showing a good amount of the action and events from their perspective.

The anime is forced to drop most of the later science fiction developments, and the Gung-Ho Guns are greatly reworked to get through all of them in the reduced timeframe, with major endgame players like Livio and Elendira never even making an appearance. While some arcs do end up broadly mirroring the manga’s ultimate conclusions for major characters like Wolfwood and Legato, others like Meryl, Milly and even Vash himself finish in very different situations. While the anime is enjoyable and stands on its own with a slightly different take on “Trigun”’s events, it isn’t quite able to reach the emotional and cathartic heights of the manga due to its forcibly limited scope and runtime.

‘Trigun’ Manga vs Anime Ending

Probably the biggest change to the anime is the ending. While there had been liberties taken with certain plot details and characters throughout, the anime was forced to make massive edits to give the story some sort of conclusion. Considering that the manga would run for several years and over 50 additional chapters after the anime ended, it makes sense that the anime’s ending might end up feeling rushed and unsatisfying in comparison.

To go into greater detail in comparing the endings, there will be major spoilers for the rest of this section. The anime ending seems to miss the point of the manga’s overarching themes. Despite “Trigun”’s focus on humanity and nonviolent resolutions, the anime’s final confrontation between Vash and Knives essentially boils down to a regular shonen anime battle scene. Vash gets the upper hand on Knives using his wits, skills and a gift from Wolfwood, incapacitating him and saving the day. Vash walks off with an injured Knives slung over his shoulder, returning to Meryl and Milly and ending the series.

While Knives has seemingly been defeated, there’s no real indication that anything has fundamentally changed. When Knives reawakens, there’s no reason to believe he will think or act differently than before.

The manga, however, makes the final fight between Vash and Knives as ideological as it is physical. In addition to their combat skills being put to the test, they’re really battling to see whose worldview is “correct.” In the manga, Knives has merged with a massive number of plants to give himself the power necessary to wipe out the humans of the wasteland. Though he is allegedly doing this genocide for the ultimate well-being of the plant species, he discovers during his battle with Vash that the fused plants may not agree with his plans as much as he thought. The plants weep over the humans killed so far. Vash capitalizes on this discrepancy in purpose to both separate Knives from the fused plant entities and to finally make him realize the extremity of his methods. He also, finally, defeats Knives in a physical duel.

Vash’s victory is solidified when Knives uses the last of his power to not only save Vash’s life but also to create a small apple tree. This final gesture is symbolic of Knives denouncing his destructive ways in favor of trying to help the world prosper, even if it’s just in a small way. Vash’s victory over Knives in the manga wasn’t just physical but ideological, and it’s much more satisfying as a result.

Manga and Original Anime Series vs. ‘Trigun: Stampede’ Anime

Then, approximately 25 years after the original aired, a new anime called “Trigun: Stampede” was released. Because the manga had now been complete for over a decade, many fans were hoping for a full adaptation that covered all of the content that the first anime missed, similar to something like “Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood”. However, “Stampede” makes the unorthodox decision to completely change the plot and characters of the story to create something almost entirely new.

The basic premise and setting are the same. Vash is still a wandering pacifist gunman who’s been labeled a walking disaster, and the planet is still a wasteland colonized by the descendants of a spaceship crash that occurred generations ago. That’s more or less where the similarities to the original manga’s story end. This iteration takes the core themes and ideas and uses them to tell an almost completely different story.

Every character who returns from the manga has received a major redesign, and many have overhauled personalities and backstories to match. Certain pivotal characters like Vash, Wolfwood, Knives, and Rem are still broadly the same, even if their looks and a few lore details have been adjusted. Other characters, like Brad, Luida, and most of the Gung-Ho Guns, are almost completely changed, with only their names and a few vague references connecting them back to their original counterparts.

Meryl, for example, has seemingly been aged down and is no longer an insurance agent, but a rookie journalist. She also no longer travels with Milly (who doesn’t appear at all) but new character Roberto, a cynical drunk who is constantly ribbing Meryl and complaining to and about her. Strangely, this new dynamic combined with Meryl’s added youthful naivete seems to almost put her in the role once filled by Milly, leaving this version of her as something of a fusion of the two.

Beyond the core plot of Vash going after Knives, the story heavily diverges from that of the manga as well. While it does touch on and include certain plot elements that the original anime couldn’t, such as the Eye of Michael and Livio, they have been remixed so drastically that it feels almost pointless to think of them as the same thing. For instance, Elendira makes her first appearance outside of the manga, but her only similarity to her manga counterpart is their shared use of giant flying nails as a weapon. Otherwise, she looks and acts completely different, and her backstory and role in the plot are entirely changed as well. She is also built up as a major player only to disappear entirely after her first real fight, which is unfortunately a recurring theme due to “Stampede” trying to cram so much into 12 episodes.

It’s honestly a bit difficult to tell who “Stampede” is for. Fans of the manga and original anime might end up confused when very few plot points match up and familiar names are given to fundamentally different characters. Newcomers who start with this anime might be pulled in by the legitimately impressive CGI visuals and a few strong emotional beats, but they then may end up disappointed when no other “Trigun” media matches the tone, style, or even basic story beats of “Stampede”. For anyone who has an even passing familiarity with “Trigun”, it is probably best to go into “Stampede” with the mindset that it’s a very experimental reimagining and not at all an adaptation of the source material. Despite veering from the manga’s plot in a few spots and at the end, the original anime remains much more faithful overall. That said, with a second and final season called “Trigun: Stargaze” scheduled for release in 2026, it seems that the new story that “Stampede” started isn’t over just yet.

Reviewer’s Personal Opinion: A Long Trip Worth Taking

“Trigun” is a classic for a reason, and it’s legitimately impressive how fresh and unique it still feels today. Many anime and manga have attempted to reverse engineer or recreate what “Trigun” did, but few have been able to match the fearless mélange of genres, aesthetics, and tones that Nightow managed to so expertly balance.
The main hurdle for most will likely be the length of the story, requiring several thousand pages worth of commitment to get through. While the plot and writing can sometimes drag and show their age a bit, readers who are willing to accept the challenge will be rewarded with a story and characters that will stick with them. While many shonen, action, and comedy manga are content to rest on their laurels and tread water, “Trigun” keeps readers on their toes by regularly switching up its structure and recontextualizing what they thought they knew. Nightow is unafraid to take huge chances that might ruffle feathers for the sake of making the story more interesting and impactful. It’s difficult to explain what makes “Trigun” so legendary without giving away or spoiling some of its most surprising moments, but suffice to say that this series definitely deserves its lasting reputation.
‘Trigun’: An Icon with a Few Issues
“Trigun” is a revered manga from the 90’s that still holds up today. With its unique aesthetic, fantastic artwork, and compelling characters, the story will keep readers hooked despite its immense length. The writing does have a few problems with pacing and conciseness, and some people may be turned off by a handful of dated or questionable choices made by Nightow, but most will find a heartfelt and thought-provoking tale full of action, comedy, drama, and surprises.

Buying and Rental Options

E-Commerce Text and Audio Purchases

• Amazon

Physical Location Purchase and Rental Options

Most comic book and manga stores have at least one edition of each volume in the series. Don’t expect to find the manga at a standard bookstore or in libraries.