The 12th and final episode ofTRIGUN STAMPEDEwas an incredibly emotional final affair that made several major deviations from the source material and original anime make a lot more sense. The finale was dramatic and filled with all the makings of a good conclusion to what hasbeen a brilliant reprisalof Yasuhiro Nightow’s original work.
With news of the sequel toTRIGUN STAMPEDEconfirmed, and various elements being set up for the future of the series, there are various exciting possibilities that have opened up with the conclusion of the first part, including the highly cryptic post-credits scene. Just what is happening in theTRIGUN STAMPEDEuniverse, and how will the sequel connect the old with the new when it does eventually arrive?
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Lost City
Fans of the franchise who read the manga or watched the 1998 anime would be extremely excited at the various seeds thatTRIGUN STAMPEDEhas sown, particularly in its last episode that focused primarily on the climactic final battle betweenVash and his older brother Knives. In a contest that showed the truth extent of the abilities of Independent Plants, Vash seemed to have been completely lost, reaching brink of total assimilation into Knives' plan to birth a whole new legion of Independent Plants using the various Plants he had collected from across No Man’s Land as forced surrogates. However, due to the intervention from Meryl, Vash was able to hold onto his most important value, his most treasured inheritance from his relationship with Rem Saverem – the determination to save everyone.
The battle that seemed won by Knives was completely turned around by Vash’s ideals, and his resonance with his fellow Plants, whose energy had been condensed into a single cube and supercharged one of the universe’s most devastating abilities: the Angel Arm. Vash works hard to fight off Knives' attempts to change the target of the impending blast from somewhere in outer space to the planet below; however, in his attempts to reclaim the power he had lost to his younger brother, Knives loses his life as the Angel Arm discharges a beam of cataclysmic proportions into the sky. When Vash eventually lands somewhere in July City, the remaining energy stored in the cube detonates, leading to the complete annihilation of the city reported to have been the doing of the notorious Vash The Stampede.
Eriks
Knives' death sends Vash into a depression that causes him to experience a severe form of amnesia as a result of the shock. Now known as Eriks, Vash is taken in by a kind family in a village that is constantly plagued with raids from criminals. This same set of circumstances befalls Vash in the manga and the original 1998 anime after his forced murder of Knives' underling, Legato Bluesummer. The psychological toll of having killed someone by his own hand, even if that person caused their own death using Vash as a means to that end. Vash’s identity, values and belief all collapse at the idea thathe may have taken a life, which is why Knives' insistence that the Big Fall was actually Vash’s fault is a huge tool in his psychological manipulation of his younger brother.
Knives chose to hit Vash exactly where it hurt; in his guilt and ideals. If the manga and original anime are anything to go by (events in which have repeatedly been shown to have major significance from time to time), Vash will soon have to return and leave his life as Eriks behind, with characters like Wolfwood and Meryl searching endlessly to find him. With a far greater notoriety than ever before, and a host of regrets far greater than before, Vash will first have to remember his past and accept it before being able to move forward.
Derringer Meryl
The death of De Niroin episode 10 ofTRIGUN STAMPEDEmay have been the starting point of the revelation that this particular reboot was serving as both a prelude and retelling of the events found in the original anime and the manga. De Niro’s death would leave a lasting impression on Meryl, and his entrusting of his derringer to her with his dying breath served as a huge moment to build the character that is Meryl Stryfe, and even give a foundation to the relationship between Meryl and Milly Thompson in the original narrative. In the final episode, the Bernadelli Agency contacts Meryl about two years after the destruction of July City, telling her that she will be getting a new junior by the name of “Thompson, or something”.
Meryl inTRIGUN STAMPEDEwas notably different from her, frankly, tough and no-nonsense personality in the original narrative. Her consistent sidelining as a doe-eyed junior was quite disrespectful of her true character in the 1998 anime and the manga, where she is also known by her nickname, “Derringer Meryl”, indicating a personality that isn’t just headstrong and stubborn, but also capable of competence in battle and great leadership. That being said; however, episode 12 ofTRIGUN STAMPEDEestablished Meryl as an existence that is at the very least,reminiscent of Rem Saverem, and serves largely as proof of humanity’s inherent value and the success of her sacrifice.
Earth?
The post-credits scene is the most exciting aspect of the finale ofTRIGUN STAMPEDEthat really ramps up the excitement for what the narrative is developing into, as well as for the various truths taken for granted over the course of the series. Initially, it appeared that the series was spoon-feeding its audience the truth about Vash and thus, removing various elements that created mystery around the “mythical” figure known as Vash The Stampede, the Plants, and the other aspects of life on No Man’s Land. However, over the course of twelve episodes, the series has shown that what we know about the series isn’t the truth as it is, but as it was, and various things we thought had been thrown away were merely re-purposed – such as the murky circumstances of humanity’s escape from Earth 200 years prior to their arrival on No Man’s Land. The post-credit scene has various voices communicating to each other, preparing for some kind of launch, as the frame slowly zooms in closer on the desolate planet coming into view, which turns out to be the ruined Earth. One of the voices is identified as belonging to one “Special Ops Colonel Independent Chronica”, who requests that the other scan for readings across the solar system as she can feel “fluctuations in the gate”.
The implications of the post-credit scene are enormous: it goes without saying that not every human could get off Earth; however, it was easy to assume that the SEEDS project was indicative of the total inhabitability of the Earth. The post-credit scene implies that the voices heard are coming from this planet, and not only that, but an Independent Plant has assumed a position of leadership in some kind of capacity. The aforementioned fluctuations are confirmed tohave come from Project SEEDS, before the frame goes to black, displaying the series title. It’s coming together in a way far beyond what we’ve seen inTRIGUN STAMPEDEthus far, and this last scene is enough to create a whole new layer of questions in a narrative that was once thought to have already revealed all the answers. TheTRIGUN STAMPEDEsequel is confirmed to be in production.
