warnings: long post, spoiler Trigun Stampede episodes 3-12, Trigun Maximum chapter 10.
One of the most important differences in Trigun Stampede about Vash is his lack of…something although we still can see his characteristic sensitivity and empathy as in the manga.
Thanks to Sakura-Con 2023, we know that this series set before the city of July was lost, so Stampede Vash is more like a imperfect Vash and it was made more naive on purpose.
Naive? Vash has been always naive, in the manga and ´98 anime. He always thinks the best of humans…
Can he be more naive than that? How?
And that’s when it hit me: He is like an immature Vash. All of him, his emotions, his thoughts…even his hair.
We can see him nostalgic and there is sadness in his eyes.
It’s like he always goes back to the moment when he released Nai’s true intentions and thinks about that loop where he doesn’t want to do anything again his brother and the other plants being a plant himself…but he can’t go against human life either, which is Rem(his mother)’s teachings.
He is stuck in this for 150 years. Confused, alone, looking for answers while he is escaping from his brother, escaping from that past, escaping from that future that comes full speed to him and he begs it never arrives…
Because he is afraid too.
Afraid of loosing another dear one, afraid of his brother’s plans…and afraid of making a decision.
Even Roberto, Nebraska Father and also Nai asked which side is he on.
And his doubt is obvious through all the series, even more on episode 3, because he really doesn’t know yet…and it’s clear he doesn’t want to make a decision yet.
But when his hesitation involves Meryl and Roberto, he knows that he can’t delay the confrontation anymore.
BUT instead of choose a side, he tries to convence Nai. Expecting him to change his mind…
This reminds me Rollo’s death, when Vash is denying Wolfwood’s reasons to kill Rollo, letting us know that he is struggling with something inside him that he can’t explain himself either. In his anger he doesn’t try to understand Wolfwood’s point of view.
Even more, it is like he hasn’t consider the idea of others having a different way of thinking.
As a teenager who still wants everybody to fit in his beliefs.
In a moment, it’s almost like Vash is trying to force Wolfwood to change his beliefs. Instead of explain his ideas calmly as in Trigun Maximum chapter 10 where he at first is mad at Wolfwood killing the samurai but after a few moments he is not angry anymore. He is sad about his decision, but not angry.
This is similar to Knives, acting with no respect for Vash’s will, like in the manga.
And Stampede Vash doesn’t understand Knives’ reasons either. He doesn’t even try. He just know that they’re different from his own.
It is until Knives brings Vash back to his childhood, to a place where he doesn’t have to choose a side, that even in that situation a part of him still wonders about humans…
And that’s when he sees the answer deep inside himself, the answer that has been always there since the beginning and he didn’t want to see.
Because it doesn’t just mean he’s running towards his own path…but also running away from Knives too, who begs him to stay by his side.
At first, I thought he was is crying because he listens to Rem’s voice again thanking him to fight for her ideas and I felt this as a farewell
“Thanks for fighting for my beliefs…now, fight for YOURS”
but with that words, without doubts, he finally chooses a path for his own…away from Knives, his dear brother.
And when he is back, it is new birth to him indeed.
The change is clearly in ALL OF HIM: his hair, his color palette, his lack of hesitation at shooting his brother.
Because, as he explains himself: HE HAS MADE A DECISION.
And he is attacking with all he’s got: all his plant powers to stop Knives and all his Love and Peace towards humanity to protect them and being by their side even knowing that they could hunt him after all.
And yes, it can be a contradiction.
He accepts that maybe they’re people who don’t want to be saved.
It really is an awakening.
He accepts that the world isn’t ideal and it’s not what he thought…and now he knows he can’t force Knives to change his mind. Because Knives chose his path more than 150 years ago just as he has done now and he can’t change that.
He realized Knives is just too different from himself…
Something that Knives still doesn’t want to accept.
And yes, maybe plants and humans can’t live together as Vash wants to.
But even knowing that, he is going to do his best to fight for it.
Because he is Vash The Stampede.
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