Trigun Maximum Vol.1 - part 3: Wolfwood and Vash get to meet each other (again)
Like I pointed out before, Trimax Vol.1 is a (re)introduction to Trigun, we get the landscape, the town, the people, the fear and violence, we get Wolfwood and we get Vash. We get these 2 meeting each other.
At the end of the previous volume (Trigun Vol.2), it is clear that Wolfwood is in a kind of a dilemma, after having witnessed Vash's destructive power and clearly showing that that power causes him fear. However, for some reason, that doesn't stop Wolfwood from looking for Vash after his disappearance, and he does so for 2 years. And it's implied that this is basically all that Wolfwood has been doing during that time.
After he also witnesses Vash facing his imposter, where he just stays on the sidelines watching, Wolfwood is oddly casual around Vash, like recklessly casual, I might say. To the point where the first thing he does, when finally being able to reach Vash, is to slap him in the face while he is unconcious at the hospital.
(Help, they are so unserious 😂)
But, Wolfwood being so casual and reckless around Vash can be justified by the fact that Wolfwood saw what Vash did before, which served to show Vash's true colors as a peaceful protector. So, Vash might not be as terrifying as he is made out to be. Which gets confirmed when Vash says this, after Wolfwood brings up his terrifying legend:
Vash outright tells and shows Wolfwood that he hates the legends about him and that he fears what he can do, what he did, as well, and that he fears it will happen again. That's one of the reasons he retired, to avoid reaching a point where the Fifth Moon incident could happen again.
And then, when they go to save Lina, Vash and Wolfwood are oddly in synch. And Vash is also relatively casual about Wolfwood and the Punisher reveal.
Like ya, Vash looks nervous, but not because he discovered something crazy about Wolfwood, but because he doesn't want Wolfwood to kill anyone. Which implies he probably knows/has an idea that Wolfwood can kill. Maybe because he did see Wolfwood in the crowd of the GHG during his confrontation with Knives (though, I'm not sure, it's a guess). But it might be just because of him seeing the Punisher for the first time, which told him that Woowoo has some very serious fire power. Though, I think Vash reacted like this because of the 2 previously stated reasons, not just one of them.
And then Vash poses a pretty good question, that Wolfwood, quite reasonably, considering what their priority is in this moment, deflects by claiming that Vash is "screwing around", lol.
(Like, boys, sorry, but you guys are awful at communication, lol.)
And then, after saving the day, they go and eat together, while fighting over the food like a bunch of sillies. - This is important bonding time for the boys.
But then, the fun is interrupted, when Wolfwood brings up the reason he has been looking for Vash for the past 2 years. And apparently, it's not because Knives assigned him to do so (at least according to what Woowoo says). But because something strange happened to one town.
The people of that town disappeared and Knives is related to it.
Also, it's interesting how the name of the town is Carcasas, as in carcass, which means corpse/remains. That town died overnight.
And then, Wolfwood shows that he knows a little too much about Knives...
Like, he doesn't even try to hide that he has a connection to Knives somehow. He has a "score to settle" with Knives. Like ya, it doesn't out him as a GHG, but he still basically says that he met Knives or, well, at least that Knives did something to him and thus he wants revenge on him, or something along those lines.
And this also might be another reason why Wolfwood put his fear of Vash aside to look for him. He needs Vash if he wants at least a little chance of finding Knives and being able to "settle their score". He cannot do it alone. After all, like we saw in Trigun Vol.2, Knives is terrifying and very powerful. And Vash might be the only one able to face him on more equal terms, even if Vash fears Knives as well and that their last confrontation didn't go well for Vash.
Also, I feel like Wolfwood is still trying to play up his own "mysteriousness", though idk how successful he is being, lol. But, to be fair, they all just technically met.
And here begins the weird game of "Vash and Wolfwood trusting each other with their lives and creating a deep bond but still having 10 million questions about each other's true selves and intentions".