Trigun fans, rejoice! The last Trigun entry to grace our screens was 2010’s Trigun: Badlands Rumble, which followed Vash the Stampede and his mission to claim a million-dollar bounty on a notorious robber. Now, a brand new trailer for Trigun Stampede was released during last month’s Anime Expo, and the upcoming anime is going to be a reboot of the original series. The news was announced by the Trigun Stampede crew, which included creator Yasuhiro Nightow, producers Kiyotaka Waki and Katsuhiro Takei, and concept artist Kouji Tajima.
Check out the trailer for Trigun Stampede below:
Here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming reboot, including the possible premise, release window, voice cast, and more.
What will ‘Trigun Stampede’ be about?
Before we dive into the trailer, here’s a quick refresher about Trigun. The anime series is set on a fictional planet called No Man’s Land and revolves around the feared outlaw Vash the Stampede. Vash constantly engages in fights with bounty hunters, as they wish to claim the enormous bounty attached to him — however, all their efforts fail. Despite being a skilled gunman, Vash does not indulge in unnecessary violence, as he is somewhat of a pacifist at heart, avoiding conflict whenever he can.
The Trigun Stampede trailer opens with Vash and his twin brother, Knives, getting inside an escape pod. Rem, who is the guardian and caretaker of the brothers, stays behind in order for them to get to safety. Fast forward a few years, an older Vash is on his path to becoming a feared gunman, and we see wanted posters with his face on them appear at multiple points in the trailer. An older Knives muses how his brother has not changed, while Vash vows that he will never kill again.
While it is too early to speculate, Trigun Stampede might delve into Vash’s past, and trace his character arc by explaining why he has a ‘no-kill’ stance despite being a gunman. His relationship with Knives will also play a pivotal role, and we might get ample glimpses of the kind, emotionally vulnerable man Vash really is.
Vash sashays in with a new look
In the original manga and anime series, Vash sports a ‘90s hairdo, his blonde hair being spiked upwards. In the trailer, Vash is more of a wavy blonde, and his trademark six-shooter has been swapped for an eight-shot cylinder with a gray finish. In fact, Vash’s spiked hair used to be an important distinguisher in the manga, as it earned him the nickname “needlehead,” but the reboot seems to be taking a fresh approach in terms of his signature appearance.
However, the reboot is faithful to Vash’s anime design, as the trailer showcases him with a cybernetic prosthetic arm with a built-in weapons system. Trigun Stampede also features Vash wearing his signature long, crimson trenchcoat, with knee-high combat boots that have retractable knives fitted into them. The trailer also features Vash wearing light amber-tinted glasses, which is also a part of his original look.
‘Trigun Stampede’ voice cast and release window
The voice cast for Trigun Stampede includes Yoshitsugu Matsuoka (Vash the Stampede), Junya Ikeda (Knives), Maaya Sakamoto (Rem), and Tomoyo Kurosawa (young Vash), and Yumiri Hanamoru (young Knives).
Although we do not have an official synopsis for the reboot, here’s how the storyline of the original Trigun anime has been summed up:
“Vash the Stampede is a wanted man with a habit of turning entire towns into rubble. The price on his head is a fortune, and his path of destruction reaches across the arid wastelands of a desert planet. Unfortunately, most encounters with the spiky-haired gunslinger don’t end well for the bounty hunters who catch up with him; someone almost always gets hurt – and it’s never Vash. Oddly enough, for such an infamous fugitive, there’s no proof that he’s ever taken a life. In fact, he’s a pacifist with a doughnut obsession who’s more doofus than desperado. There’s a whole lot more to him than his reputation lets on – Vash the Stampede definitely ain’t your typical outlaw.”
An official release date is not attached to Trigun Stampede at the moment, but the anime series is expected to release sometime in 2023.