No Man's Land - A Trigun Wiki - User contributions [en]

NOMAN'S LAND

2024-01-10T08:07:55Z

NanoMoose:

{{Stub|type=episode|cont=Stampede}}{{Proofread|Synopsis; Gallery|Synopsis: Gallery: Improper tone/language|Both: Overall tone/accuracy/detail check Synopsis: General proofread for readability}}{{Sources needed|Episode airdates (English is missing)}}{{About|the ''[[Trigun Stampede]]'' episode|the similarly-named planet|No Man's Land (planet)}}{{Episode info
|subj =NOMAN'S LAND
|img =[[File:{{{img|TrSt1x01 Title card.png}}}|300px]]
|ja_kanji =NOMAN'S LAND
|ep_number =1
|ja_broadcast =January 7th, 2023
|us_broadcast =January 7th, 2023
|writer =
|director =Naomichi Yamato
|next_ep =[[The Running Man]]
}}

'''"NOMAN'S LAND'''''"'' is the first episode of [[Trigun Stampede|''Trigun Stampede'']].

== Synopsis==
A flotilla of ships navigates through space, the SEEDs fleet, passing through the upper atmosphere of a desert planet. Aboard one, SEEDs Ship Five, a boy in cold-weather gear enters a room full of hundreds of people in cryogenic suspension and greets them, some by name. As he does this, he is knocked off his feet by an explosion. The boy is called to return to his other companions over the PA: his twin brother, Nai, and a woman he addresses as Rem, their adoptive mother. Rem hurries both boys to an escape shuttle as the ship falls apart around them, deflecting Vash's fearful requests to know what's going on. After climbing into the pilot seat, Nai asks Rem to come too, but she hangs back. She tells the boys she loves them and that meeting them has brought her joy. Then she launches the shuttle, just before a gout of flame roars through the corridor and erases Rem from sight. Nai is almost entirely stoic, but the other boy - Vash - is tearful and devastated. Nai steers the shuttle through clouds of debris, around other dying ships, and towards the desert planet's surface.

May 25, 10:00 AM, an unknown amount of time later. Two people drive across a desert, driving a truck towing a battery pack with a satellite atop it and listening to November Public Broadcasting for the news, reporting that the July city government is after a suspect in a wide-ranging series of mass murders and Plant thefts. The driver, a small young woman by the name of Meryl Stryfe, is talking with her older male colleague, Roberto de Niro, who persistently refers to her as "Newbie". It turns out that they are reporters working for a news agency and have been assigned a story, and that she is the newest recruit to be brought on. Recently graduated from the high class November University, Meryl is eager to prove herself and change things for the better while Roberto says that her good intentions and inexperience will be quick routes to death - the planet they inhabit, No Man's Land, is a harsh and unforgiving place (as demonstrated by the enormous alien whale breaching the sand behind them). As Meryl grows defensive and irritated with his cynicism, the truck's engine suddenly dies, which Meryl is embarrassed to realise is because she forgot to charge its battery. Roberto sighs and wearily says Meryl doesn't have long to live.

Roberto and Meryl continue on foot, the harsh sun quickly tiring Meryl and leaving her thirsty. She asks if the so-called "Humanoid Typhoon" even exists. Roberto tosses her a tabloid-style magazine with an article on the topic, complete with a caricatured illustration, and tells her he's dangerous - anyone who encounters him is marked for death. She scoffs, saying that no person is only a monster. They pass near three bodies tied up and hanging upside-down from a pile of scrap metal, which Roberto stops to identify as the work of the Bad Lads Gang. The central corpse, Meryl realises, is not a corpse, as she accidentally pulls off its prosthetic left arm investigating. The very much alive young man in a bright red long coat spins on the rope and cackles madly. Declaring him a "creep", Roberto turns to leave, but Meryl decides to help him down rather than abandon him. Roberto notes the heavy pistol in his holster and his "Lost Tech" prosthetic arm, and asks if the mystery man is a gunman of some kind. Now seated on the ground and refitting his prosthetic, the young man acknowledges he can use his weapon but denies being a fighter.

Just then, the July military police show up riding toma, large bird-like creatures with blue feathers. They produce a "Wanted" poster bearing the face and name of the man that Meryl and Roberto just rescued: Vash the Stampede, the Humanoid Typhoon. He's wanted alive by the city of July for $$6,000,000, being suspected of mass murder and Plant theft. Realizing he's the subject of their assigned story, Meryl lies and sends the military men off in the wrong direction before throwing a rope around Vash and demanding an exclusive interview, either to learn more details of his story, or perhaps even clear his name. Vash agrees with enthusiasm, congratulating her on her integrity (Roberto is immediately distrustful) and says that they can do it at the diner in the nearby town. Startled to learn civilisation and water are close by, Meryl begins dragging Vash around by the rope while he makes comedic protests and Roberto looks at his poster and wonders: Who is Vash?

They arrive at the town of Jeneora Rock, where Meryl pulls ahead to enter the saloon. The reception is chilly until Vash walks in, causing the pregnant woman behind the counter - the proprietor and de facto town leader, named Rosa - to greet him happily. She shows angry suspicion of Roberto and Meryl for having Vash restrained, until he demonstrates he can slip free at any time (Roberto and Meryl are startled) and vouches for them. It's revealed that Vash saved the town once before. Roberto requests whisky from the bar but Meryl overrides him and orders water instead. She is surprised and concerned to realise the water she receives water is dirty, and is told that the town's water-producing Plant is broken. Rosa asks Vash take a look at it again, since he repaired it free of charge the last time it failed, so the group heads over to the building where the Plant is kept, behind a large and sturdy steel vault door. As they climb the stairs to access to the town's two Plants, Roberto asks Meryl if she knows what a "Plant" is, and she rattles off a textbook explanation: biological reactors that produce what humanity needs to survive. Roberto explains that Plants are Lost Tech and can't be built anymore; they are precious commodities and must be either bought for huge sums or stolen. Anyone who has one keeps it heavily guarded.

One Plant is red (the other, functional Plant is blue). Vash explains that it is dying, and while a new one may not be affordable, the situation will worsen dramatically if they don't act. He is visibly scared.

At that moment, the July military police captain chimes in to inform them Vash is worth $$6,000,000, which is just about exactly the cost of a new Plant. They've tracked Vash to Jeneora Rock and though Vash surrenders to their custody without resistance, they restrain and beat him. Rosa, though disturbed, says nothing, too desperate for the money to buy a new Plant. Meryl is appalled, but shrinks back behind Roberto when the July Captain pulls a gun. Roberto, however, steps up, goading the July MP Captain into a duel with Vash by calling him a coward and threatening to publish it as his legacy.

Vash and the Captain face off atop a scarp of rock overlooking the town. It's a quick-draw duel, so the last man standing wins. Meryl is concerned that Vash will get killed, but Roberto is more confident, telling her to watch and see whether Vash's claim he's not a fighter is the truth. Vash tries to convince the Captain to stand down by refusing to draw his gun on command and pointing out the situation is dumb. It seems like he might be successful as the Captain agrees and holsters his gun, until he replaces it with a rocket launcher and fires a cluster bomb into the air. Meryl angrily moves to confront him but Roberto throws her back into cover and informs her that they're here to observe, not run recklessly into danger, and she'll need to live a lot longer before being able to instigate confrontations like that. Meryl is crestfallen, but stays under cover.

Everyone in town runs for cover as Vash, dismayed but oddly calm, sighs that the Captain is crazy and decides to finally draw his gun. Roberto tells Meryl that Vash is just like her: well-intentioned and obviously doomed. Vash takes aim and pulls the trigger, but the gun is empty, and he checks his pockets only to realise he's completely out of bullets. He panics, wailing and crying theatrically, and calls for ammunition. Rosa approaches Meryl and hands her a single .22 bullet, which Mery runs to toss up to Vash. The July MP Captain first knocks the bullet away before Vash can catch it, then when Vash does catch it and load his weapon, the Captain throws him off-target by firing on his pistol and rushes to shoot Vash point-blank before he can recover his aim. Vash dodges three such shots with impossible, inhumanly effortless grace, then grapples the Captain and flips him off his feet before knocking him out by hitting him in the back of the head with his pistol. He then uses a piston installed in his prosthetic to break a large rock out of the ground, throws it upwards into the oncoming cloud of missiles, and fires his single bullet after it. The rock shatters upon hit and its pieces are thrown outward, harmlessly detonating all the missiles before they can destroy the town. The police are thrown out.

The next day, Meryl admiringly tells Vash he has amazing skill, but Vash demurs, claiming that he just got lucky. Neither Roberto nor Meryl are fooled and Roberto calls his bluff: Vash was not frightened by the military police, but he's scared of ''something'', and whatever it is, the red Plant has something to do with it. What is it? Vash drops his oblivious goofball attitude and hesitantly reveals that he has a brother. A flashback shows the moment just after the twins' escape shuttle crashed, where Vash finds Nai laughing atop a pillar of rubble while he watches burning SEEDS ships rain from the sky, and the pods with sleeping people inside being consumed by flames. Nai triumphantly shouts that his work is successful, and when Vash tells him in horror that he's committed murder with Rem among his victims, Nai gleefully names Vash his accomplice. The flashback ends, and Vash tells them his brother is named "Millions Knives". A strange insect-bird creature, one of several lingering around the town and Vash when he was tied up, flies from Jeneora Rock to the city of July. It reports to a robed man playing a complex piano piece under the gaze of twisted, snarling statue: Knives. He is glad to know what he wants has been located, and declares that he will go to claim it before exterminating the parasites once and for all.

==Characters==
In order of appearance:

*Vash
*Rem Saverem
*Nai
*Roberto de Niro
*Meryl Stryfe
*Captain Chuck Lee, July Military Police
*Rosa
*Tonis

== Manga ==

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Tsep01-cryobay.jpg|Vash greets the suspended people.
File:Tsep01-coldweatherchildvash.jpg|"Vash! Come back right now!"
File:Tsep01-meetroberto.jpg|Roberto is not enthused about his protégé.
File:MerylResume.PNG|Meryl's CV.
File:Tsep01-meetmeryl.jpg|Meryl is not impressed by her mentor's cynicism.
File:Tsep01-caricature.jpg|Beware the Humanoid Typhoon.
File:Tsep01-hangedman.jpg|The hanged man.
File:WantedPoster.PNG|The six million double-dollar man.
File:Tsep01-jeneorarock.jpg|Jeneora Rock.
File:Prostitutes.PNG|Rosa's diner serves all comers.
File:Tsep01-julycaptain.jpg|"That's just about the cost of a new Plant."
File:Currency.PNG|Currency, courtesy of the First Bank of No Man's Land.
File:Bridthing1.PNG|Alien planet, alien wildlife.
File:Birdthing2.PNG|"They did a number on this guy."
File:Birdthing3.PNG|The third city, July.
</gallery>

== Notes ==

== Credits ==
{{Subpage|Credits}}

== References ==
[[Category:Trigun Stampede]]
[[Category:Trigun Stampede episodes]]
[[Category:Episodes]]
[[Category:Stampede continuity]]

Bright Light, Shine through the Darkness

2024-01-08T08:22:04Z

NanoMoose: Added title card image.

{{Stub|type=episode|cont=Stampede}}{{Sources needed|Episode airdates (English is missing)}}{{Images needed|Title card}}{{Episode info
|subj =Bright Light, Shine through the Darkness
|img =[[File:Tsep3-titlecard.jpeg|300px|]]
|ja_kanji =光よ、闇を照らせ
|ep_number =3
|ja_broadcast =January 21st, 2023
|us_broadcast =
|writer =
|director =Mie Ōishi
|prev_ep =[[The Running Man]]
|next_ep =[[HUNGRY!]]
|eng_title=Bright Light, Shine through the Darkness}}
'''"光よ、闇を照らせ"''' (''Eng:'' '''"Bright Light, Shine through the Darkness'''''")'' is the third episode of [[Trigun Stampede|''Trigun Stampede'']].

== Synopsis==

==Characters==
In order of appearance:

*

== Manga ==

==Gallery==
<gallery>

</gallery>

== Notes ==

== Credits ==
{{Subpage|Credits}}

==References==
[[Category:Trigun Stampede]]
[[Category:Trigun Stampede episodes]]
[[Category:Episodes]]
[[Category:Stampede continuity]]

File:Tsep3-titlecard.jpeg

2024-01-08T08:17:01Z

NanoMoose: Trigun Stampede Episode Three, Bright Light Shine through the Darkness, Crunchyroll release https://fancaps.net/anime/picture.php?/23516685

== Summary ==
Trigun Stampede Episode Three, Bright Light Shine through the Darkness, Crunchyroll release

https://fancaps.net/anime/picture.php?/23516685

NOMAN'S LAND

2024-01-08T07:18:55Z

NanoMoose: /* Gallery */ More pictures.

{{Stub|type=episode|cont=Stampede}}{{Proofread|Synopsis; Gallery|Synopsis: Gallery: Improper tone/language|Both: Overall tone/accuracy/detail check Synopsis: General proofread for readability}}{{Sources needed|Episode airdates (English is missing)}}{{About|the ''[[Trigun Stampede]]'' episode|the similarly-named planet|No Man's Land (planet)}}{{Episode info
|subj =NOMAN'S LAND
|img =[[File:{{{img|TrSt1x01 Title card.png}}}|300px]]
|ja_kanji =NOMAN'S LAND
|ep_number =1
|ja_broadcast =January 7th, 2023
|us_broadcast =January 7th, 2023
|writer =
|director =Naomichi Yamato
|next_ep =[[The Running Man]]
}}

'''"NOMAN'S LAND'''''"'' is the first episode of [[Trigun Stampede|''Trigun Stampede'']].

== Synopsis==
A flotilla of ships navigates through space, the SEEDs fleet, passing through the upper atmosphere of a desert planet. Aboard one, SEEDs Ship Five, a boy in cold-weather gear enters a room full of hundreds of people in cryogenic suspension and greets them, some by name. As he does this, he is knocked off his feet by an explosion. The boy is called to return to his other companions over the PA: his twin brother, Nai, and a woman he addresses as Rem, their adoptive mother. Rem hurries both boys to an escape shuttle as the ship falls apart around them, deflecting Vash's fearful requests to know what's going on. After climbing into the pilot seat, Nai asks Rem to come too, but she hangs back. She tells the boys she loves them and that meeting them has brought her joy. Then she launches the shuttle, just before a gout of flame roars through the corridor and erases Rem from sight. Nai is almost entirely stoic, but the other boy - Vash - is tearful and devastated. Nai steers the shuttle through clouds of debris, around other dying ships, and towards the desert planet's surface.

May 25, 10:00 AM. Two people drive across a desert, driving a truck towing a battery pack with a satellite atop it and listening to November Public Broadcasting for the news, reporting that the July city government is after a suspect in a series of widespread mass murders and Plant thefts. The driver, a small young woman by the name of Meryl Stryfe, is talking with her older male colleague, Roberto de Niro, who persistently refers to her as "Newbie". It turns out that they are reporters working for a news agency and have been assigned a story, and that she is the newest recruit to be brought on. Recently graduated from the high class November University, Meryl is eager to prove herself and change things for the better while Roberto says that her good intentions and inexperience will be quick routes to death - the planet they inhabit, No Man's Land, is a harsh and unforgiving place (as demonstrated by the enormous alien whale breaching the sand behind them). As Meryl grows defensive and irritated with his cynicism, the truck's engine suddenly dies, which Meryl is embarrassed to realise is because she forgot to charge its battery. Roberto sighs and wearily says Meryl doesn't have long to live.

Roberto and Meryl continue on foot, the harsh sun quickly tiring Meryl and leaving her thirsty. She asks if the so-called "Humanoid Typhoon" even exists. Roberto tosses her a tabloid-style magazine with an article on the topic, complete with a caricatured illustration, and tells her he's dangerous - anyone who encounters him is marked for death. She scoffs, saying that no person is only a monster. They pass near three bodies tied up and hanging upside-down from a pile of scrap metal, which Roberto stops to identify as the work of the Bad Lads Gang. The central corpse, Meryl realises, is not a corpse, as she accidentally pulls off its prosthetic left arm investigating. The very much alive young man in a bright red long coat spins on the rope and cackles madly. Declaring him a "creep", Roberto turns to leave, but Meryl decides to help him down rather than abandon him. Roberto notes the heavy pistol in his holster and his "Lost Tech" prosthetic arm, and asks if the mystery man is a gunman of some kind. Now seated on the ground and refitting his prosthetic, the young man acknowledges he can use his weapon but denies being a fighter.

Just then, the July military police show up riding toma, large bird-like creatures with blue feathers. They produce a "Wanted" poster bearing the face and name of the man that Meryl and Roberto just rescued: Vash the Stampede, the Humanoid Typhoon. He's wanted alive by the city of July for $$6,000,000, being suspected of mass murder and Plant theft. Realizing he's the subject of their assigned story, Meryl lies and sends the military men off in the wrong direction before throwing a rope around Vash and demanding an exclusive interview, either to learn more details of his story, or perhaps even clear his name. Vash agrees with enthusiasm, congratulating her on her integrity (Roberto is immediately distrustful) and says that they can do it at the diner in the nearby town. Startled to learn civilisation and water are close by, Meryl begins dragging Vash around by the rope while he makes comedic protests and Roberto looks at his poster and wonders: Who is Vash?

They arrive at the town of Jeneora Rock, where Meryl pulls ahead to enter the saloon. The reception is chilly until Vash walks in, causing the pregnant woman behind the counter - the proprietor and de facto town leader, named Rosa - to greet him happily. She shows angry suspicion of Roberto and Meryl for having Vash restrained, until he demonstrates he can slip free at any time (Roberto and Meryl are startled) and vouches for them. It's revealed that Vash saved the town once before. Roberto requests whisky from the bar but Meryl overrides him and orders water instead. She is surprised and concerned to realise the water she receives water is dirty, and is told that the town's water-producing Plant is broken. Rosa asks Vash take a look at it again, since he repaired it free of charge the last time it failed, so the group heads over to the building where the Plant is kept, behind a large and sturdy steel vault door. As they climb the stairs to access to the town's two Plants, Roberto asks Meryl if she knows what a "Plant" is, and she rattles off a textbook explanation: biological reactors that produce what humanity needs to survive. Roberto explains that Plants are Lost Tech and can't be built anymore; they are precious commodities and must be either bought for huge sums or stolen. Anyone who has one keeps it heavily guarded.

One Plant is red (the other, functional Plant is blue). Vash explains that it is dying, and while a new one may not be affordable, the situation will worsen dramatically if they don't act. He is visibly scared.

At that moment, the July military police captain chimes in to inform them Vash is worth $$6,000,000, which is just about exactly the cost of a new Plant. They've tracked Vash to Jeneora Rock and though Vash surrenders to their custody without resistance, they restrain and beat him. Rosa, though disturbed, says nothing, too desperate for the money to buy a new Plant. Meryl is appalled, but shrinks back behind Roberto when the July Captain pulls a gun. Roberto, however, steps up, goading the July MP Captain into a duel with Vash by calling him a coward and threatening to publish it as his legacy.

Vash and the Captain face off atop a scarp of rock overlooking the town. It's a quick-draw duel, so the last man standing wins. Meryl is concerned that Vash will get killed, but Roberto is more confident, telling her to watch and see whether Vash's claim he's not a fighter is the truth. Vash tries to convince the Captain to stand down by refusing to draw his gun on command and pointing out the situation is dumb. It seems like he might be successful as the Captain agrees and holsters his gun, until he replaces it with a rocket launcher and fires a cluster bomb into the air. Meryl angrily moves to confront him but Roberto throws her back into cover and informs her that they're here to observe, not run recklessly into danger, and she'll need to live a lot longer before being able to instigate confrontations like that. Meryl is crestfallen, but stays under cover.

Everyone in town runs for cover as Vash, dismayed but oddly calm, sighs that the Captain is crazy and decides to finally draw his gun. Roberto tells Meryl that Vash is just like her: well-intentioned and obviously doomed. Vash takes aim and pulls the trigger, but the gun is empty, and he checks his pockets only to realise he's completely out of bullets. He panics, wailing and crying theatrically, and calls for ammunition. Rosa approaches Meryl and hands her a single .22 bullet, which Mery runs to toss up to Vash. The July MP Captain first knocks the bullet away before Vash can catch it, then when Vash does catch it and load his weapon, the Captain throws him off-target by firing on his pistol and rushes to shoot Vash point-blank before he can recover his aim. Vash dodges three such shots with impossible, inhumanly effortless grace, then grapples the Captain and flips him off his feet before knocking him out by hitting him in the back of the head with his pistol. He then uses a piston installed in his prosthetic to break a large rock out of the ground, throws it upwards into the oncoming cloud of missiles, and fires his single bullet after it. The rock shatters upon hit and its pieces are thrown outward, harmlessly detonating all the missiles before they can destroy the town. The police are thrown out.

The next day, Meryl admiringly tells Vash he has amazing skill, but Vash demurs, claiming that he just got lucky. Neither Roberto nor Meryl are fooled and Roberto calls his bluff: Vash was not frightened by the military police, but he's scared of ''something'', and whatever it is, the red Plant has something to do with it. What is it? Vash drops his oblivious goofball attitude and hesitantly reveals that he has a brother. A flashback shows the moment just after the twins' escape shuttle crashed, where Vash finds Nai laughing atop a pillar of rubble while he watches burning SEEDS ships rain from the sky, and the pods with sleeping people inside being consumed by flames. Nai triumphantly shouts that his work is successful, and when Vash tells him in horror that he's committed murder with Rem among his victims, Nai gleefully names Vash his accomplice. The flashback ends, and Vash tells them his brother is named "Millions Knives". A strange insect-bird creature, one of several lingering around the town and Vash when he was tied up, flies from Jeneora Rock to the city of July. It reports Vash's location to a robed man playing a complex piano piece under the gaze of twisted, snarling statue: Knives. He is glad to know Vash has been located, and declares that he will go to him and claim him before exterminating the parasites once and for all.

==Characters==
In order of appearance:

*Vash
*Rem Saverem
*Nai
*Roberto de Niro
*Meryl Stryfe
*Captain Chuck Lee, July Military Police
*Rosa
*Tonis

== Manga ==

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Tsep01-cryobay.jpg|Vash greets the suspended people.
File:Tsep01-coldweatherchildvash.jpg|"Vash! Come back right now!"
File:Tsep01-meetroberto.jpg|Roberto is not enthused about his protégé.
File:MerylResume.PNG|Meryl's CV.
File:Tsep01-meetmeryl.jpg|Meryl is not impressed by her mentor's cynicism.
File:Tsep01-caricature.jpg|Beware the Humanoid Typhoon.
File:Tsep01-hangedman.jpg|The hanged man.
File:WantedPoster.PNG|The six million double-dollar man.
File:Tsep01-jeneorarock.jpg|Jeneora Rock.
File:Prostitutes.PNG|Rosa's diner serves all comers.
File:Tsep01-julycaptain.jpg|"That's just about the cost of a new Plant."
File:Currency.PNG|Currency, courtesy of the First Bank of No Man's Land.
File:Bridthing1.PNG|Alien planet, alien wildlife.
File:Birdthing2.PNG|"They did a number on this guy."
File:Birdthing3.PNG|The third city, July.
</gallery>

== Notes ==

== Credits ==
{{Subpage|Credits}}

== References ==
[[Category:Trigun Stampede]]
[[Category:Trigun Stampede episodes]]
[[Category:Episodes]]
[[Category:Stampede continuity]]

File:Tsep01-julycaptain.jpg

2024-01-07T08:03:42Z

NanoMoose: Trigun Stampede Episode One, No Man's Land, Crunchyroll release https://fancaps.net/anime/picture.php?/23458447

== Summary ==
Trigun Stampede Episode One, No Man's Land, Crunchyroll release

https://fancaps.net/anime/picture.php?/23458447

File:Tsep01-hangedman.jpg

2024-01-07T07:59:58Z

NanoMoose: Trigun Stampede Episode One, No Man's Land, Crunchyroll release https://fancaps.net/anime/picture.php?/23458267

== Summary ==
Trigun Stampede Episode One, No Man's Land, Crunchyroll release

https://fancaps.net/anime/picture.php?/23458267

NOMAN'S LAND

2024-01-07T07:58:02Z

NanoMoose: /* Gallery */ Adding more images.

{{Stub|type=episode|cont=Stampede}}{{Proofread|Synopsis; Gallery|Synopsis: Gallery: Improper tone/language|Both: Overall tone/accuracy/detail check Synopsis: General proofread for readability}}{{Sources needed|Episode airdates (English is missing)}}{{About|the ''[[Trigun Stampede]]'' episode|the similarly-named planet|No Man's Land (planet)}}{{Episode info
|subj =NOMAN'S LAND
|img =[[File:{{{img|TrSt1x01 Title card.png}}}|300px]]
|ja_kanji =NOMAN'S LAND
|ep_number =1
|ja_broadcast =January 7th, 2023
|us_broadcast =January 7th, 2023
|writer =
|director =Naomichi Yamato
|next_ep =[[The Running Man]]
}}

'''"NOMAN'S LAND'''''"'' is the first episode of [[Trigun Stampede|''Trigun Stampede'']].

== Synopsis==
A flotilla of ships navigates through space, the SEEDs fleet, passing through the upper atmosphere of a desert planet. Aboard one, SEEDs Ship Five, a boy in cold-weather gear enters a room full of hundreds of people in cryogenic suspension and greets them, some by name. As he does this, he is knocked off his feet by an explosion. The boy is called to return to his other companions over the PA: his twin brother, Nai, and a woman he addresses as Rem, their adoptive mother. Rem hurries both boys to an escape shuttle as the ship falls apart around them, deflecting Vash's fearful requests to know what's going on. After climbing into the pilot seat, Nai asks Rem to come too, but she hangs back. She tells the boys she loves them and that meeting them has brought her joy. Then she launches the shuttle, just before a gout of flame roars through the corridor and erases Rem from sight. Nai is almost entirely stoic, but the other boy - Vash - is tearful and devastated. Nai steers the shuttle through clouds of debris, around other dying ships, and towards the desert planet's surface.

May 25, 10:00 AM. Two people drive across a desert, driving a truck towing a battery pack with a satellite atop it and listening to November Public Broadcasting for the news, reporting that the July city government is after a suspect in a series of widespread mass murders and Plant thefts. The driver, a small young woman by the name of Meryl Stryfe, is talking with her older male colleague, Roberto de Niro, who persistently refers to her as "Newbie". It turns out that they are reporters working for a news agency and have been assigned a story, and that she is the newest recruit to be brought on. Recently graduated from the high class November University, Meryl is eager to prove herself and change things for the better while Roberto says that her good intentions and inexperience will be quick routes to death - the planet they inhabit, No Man's Land, is a harsh and unforgiving place (as demonstrated by the enormous alien whale breaching the sand behind them). As Meryl grows defensive and irritated with his cynicism, the truck's engine suddenly dies, which Meryl is embarrassed to realise is because she forgot to charge its battery. Roberto sighs and wearily says Meryl doesn't have long to live.

Roberto and Meryl continue on foot, the harsh sun quickly tiring Meryl and leaving her thirsty. She asks if the so-called "Humanoid Typhoon" even exists. Roberto tosses her a tabloid-style magazine with an article on the topic, complete with a caricatured illustration, and tells her he's dangerous - anyone who encounters him is marked for death. She scoffs, saying that no person is only a monster. They pass near three bodies tied up and hanging upside-down from a pile of scrap metal, which Roberto stops to identify as the work of the Bad Lads Gang. The central corpse, Meryl realises, is not a corpse, as she accidentally pulls off its prosthetic left arm investigating. The very much alive young man in a bright red long coat spins on the rope and cackles madly. Declaring him a "creep", Roberto turns to leave, but Meryl decides to help him down rather than abandon him. Roberto notes the heavy pistol in his holster and his "Lost Tech" prosthetic arm, and asks if the mystery man is a gunman of some kind. Now seated on the ground and refitting his prosthetic, the young man acknowledges he can use his weapon but denies being a fighter.

Just then, the July military police show up riding toma, large bird-like creatures with blue feathers. They produce a "Wanted" poster bearing the face and name of the man that Meryl and Roberto just rescued: Vash the Stampede, the Humanoid Typhoon. He's wanted alive by the city of July for $$6,000,000, being suspected of mass murder and Plant theft. Realizing he's the subject of their assigned story, Meryl lies and sends the military men off in the wrong direction before throwing a rope around Vash and demanding an exclusive interview, either to learn more details of his story, or perhaps even clear his name. Vash agrees with enthusiasm, congratulating her on her integrity (Roberto is immediately distrustful) and says that they can do it at the diner in the nearby town. Startled to learn civilisation and water are close by, Meryl begins dragging Vash around by the rope while he makes comedic protests and Roberto looks at his poster and wonders: Who is Vash?

They arrive at the town of Jeneora Rock, where Meryl pulls ahead to enter the saloon. The reception is chilly until Vash walks in, causing the pregnant woman behind the counter - the proprietor and de facto town leader, named Rosa - to greet him happily. She shows angry suspicion of Roberto and Meryl for having Vash restrained, until he demonstrates he can slip free at any time (Roberto and Meryl are startled) and vouches for them. It's revealed that Vash saved the town once before. Roberto requests whisky from the bar but Meryl overrides him and orders water instead. She is surprised and concerned to realise the water she receives water is dirty, and is told that the town's water-producing Plant is broken. Rosa asks Vash take a look at it again, since he repaired it free of charge the last time it failed, so the group heads over to the building where the Plant is kept, behind a large and sturdy steel vault door. As they climb the stairs to access to the town's two Plants, Roberto asks Meryl if she knows what a "Plant" is, and she rattles off a textbook explanation: biological reactors that produce what humanity needs to survive. Roberto explains that Plants are Lost Tech and can't be built anymore; they are precious commodities and must be either bought for huge sums or stolen. Anyone who has one keeps it heavily guarded.

One Plant is red (the other, functional Plant is blue). Vash explains that it is dying, and while a new one may not be affordable, the situation will worsen dramatically if they don't act. He is visibly scared.

At that moment, the July military police captain chimes in to inform them Vash is worth $$6,000,000, which is just about exactly the cost of a new Plant. They've tracked Vash to Jeneora Rock and though Vash surrenders to their custody without resistance, they restrain and beat him. Rosa, though disturbed, says nothing, too desperate for the money to buy a new Plant. Meryl is appalled, but shrinks back behind Roberto when the July Captain pulls a gun. Roberto, however, steps up, goading the July MP Captain into a duel with Vash by calling him a coward and threatening to publish it as his legacy.

Vash and the Captain face off atop a scarp of rock overlooking the town. It's a quick-draw duel, so the last man standing wins. Meryl is concerned that Vash will get killed, but Roberto is more confident, telling her to watch and see whether Vash's claim he's not a fighter is the truth. Vash tries to convince the Captain to stand down by refusing to draw his gun on command and pointing out the situation is dumb. It seems like he might be successful as the Captain agrees and holsters his gun, until he replaces it with a rocket launcher and fires a cluster bomb into the air. Meryl angrily moves to confront him but Roberto throws her back into cover and informs her that they're here to observe, not run recklessly into danger, and she'll need to live a lot longer before being able to instigate confrontations like that. Meryl is crestfallen, but stays under cover.

Everyone in town runs for cover as Vash, dismayed but oddly calm, sighs that the Captain is crazy and decides to finally draw his gun. Roberto tells Meryl that Vash is just like her: well-intentioned and obviously doomed. Vash takes aim and pulls the trigger, but the gun is empty, and he checks his pockets only to realise he's completely out of bullets. He panics, wailing and crying theatrically, and calls for ammunition. Rosa approaches Meryl and hands her a single .22 bullet, which Mery runs to toss up to Vash. The July MP Captain first knocks the bullet away before Vash can catch it, then when Vash does catch it and load his weapon, the Captain throws him off-target by firing on his pistol and rushes to shoot Vash point-blank before he can recover his aim. Vash dodges three such shots with impossible, inhumanly effortless grace, then grapples the Captain and flips him off his feet before knocking him out by hitting him in the back of the head with his pistol. He then uses a piston installed in his prosthetic to break a large rock out of the ground, throws it upwards into the oncoming cloud of missiles, and fires his single bullet after it. The rock shatters upon hit and its pieces are thrown outward, harmlessly detonating all the missiles before they can destroy the town. The police are thrown out.

The next day, Meryl admiringly tells Vash he has amazing skill, but Vash demurs, claiming that he just got lucky. Neither Roberto nor Meryl are fooled and Roberto calls his bluff: Vash was not frightened by the military police, but he's scared of ''something'', and whatever it is, the red Plant has something to do with it. What is it? Vash drops his oblivious goofball attitude and hesitantly reveals that he has a brother. A flashback shows the moment just after the twins' escape shuttle crashed, where Vash finds Nai laughing atop a pillar of rubble while he watches burning SEEDS ships rain from the sky, and the pods with sleeping people inside being consumed by flames. Nai triumphantly shouts that his work is successful, and when Vash tells him in horror that he's committed murder with Rem among his victims, Nai gleefully names Vash his accomplice. The flashback ends, and Vash tells them his brother is named "Millions Knives". A strange insect-bird creature, one of several lingering around the town and Vash when he was tied up, flies from Jeneora Rock to the city of July. It reports Vash's location to a robed man playing a complex piano piece under the gaze of twisted, snarling statue: Knives. He is glad to know Vash has been located, and declares that he will go to him and claim him before exterminating the parasites once and for all.

==Characters==
In order of appearance:

*Vash
*Rem Saverem
*Nai
*Roberto de Niro
*Meryl Stryfe
*Captain Chuck Lee, July Military Police
*Rosa
*Tonis

== Manga ==

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Tsep01-cryobay.jpg|Vash greets the suspended people.
File:Tsep01-coldweatherchildvash.jpg|"Vash! Come back right now!"
File:Tsep01-meetroberto.jpg|Roberto is not enthused about his protégé.
File:MerylResume.PNG|Meryl's CV.
File:Tsep01-meetmeryl.jpg|Meryl is not impressed by her mentor's cynicism.
File:Tsep01-caricature.jpg|Beware the Humanoid Typhoon.
File:WantedPoster.PNG|The six million double-dollar man.
File:Tsep01-jeneorarock.jpg|Jeneora Rock.
File:Prostitutes.PNG|Rosa's diner serves all comers.
File:Currency.PNG|Currency, courtesy of the First Bank of No Man's Land.
File:Bridthing1.PNG|Alien planet, alien wildlife.
File:Birdthing2.PNG|"They did a number on this guy."
File:Birdthing3.PNG|The third city, July.
</gallery>

== Notes ==

== Credits ==
{{Subpage|Credits}}

== References ==
[[Category:Trigun Stampede]]
[[Category:Trigun Stampede episodes]]
[[Category:Episodes]]
[[Category:Stampede continuity]]

File:Tsep01-caricature.jpg

2024-01-07T07:50:07Z

NanoMoose: Trigun Stampede Episode One, No Man's Land, Crunchyroll release https://fancaps.net/anime/picture.php?/23458238

== Summary ==
Trigun Stampede Episode One, No Man's Land, Crunchyroll release

https://fancaps.net/anime/picture.php?/23458238

File:23458238.jpg

2024-01-07T07:35:15Z

NanoMoose: Trigun Stampede Episode One, No Man's Land, Crunchyroll release https://fancaps.net/anime/picture.php?/23458238

== Summary ==
Trigun Stampede Episode One, No Man's Land, Crunchyroll release

https://fancaps.net/anime/picture.php?/23458238

File:Tsep01-meetmeryl.jpg

2024-01-07T05:48:08Z

NanoMoose:

== Summary ==
Trigun Stampede Episode One, No Man's Land, Crunchyroll release

https://fancaps.net/anime/picture.php?/23458198

File:Tsep01-meetmeryl.jpg

2024-01-07T05:47:54Z

NanoMoose: rigun Stampede Episode One, No Man's Land, Crunchyroll release https://fancaps.net/anime/picture.php?/23458198

== Summary ==
rigun Stampede Episode One, No Man's Land, Crunchyroll release

https://fancaps.net/anime/picture.php?/23458198

File:Tsep01-meetroberto.jpg

2024-01-07T05:35:47Z

NanoMoose: Trigun Stampede Episode One, No Man's Land, Crunchyroll release https://fancaps.net/anime/picture.php?/23458182

== Summary ==
Trigun Stampede Episode One, No Man's Land, Crunchyroll release

https://fancaps.net/anime/picture.php?/23458182

File:Tsep01-jeneorarock.jpg

2024-01-07T05:34:01Z

NanoMoose:

== Summary ==
Trigun Stampede Episode One, No Man's Land, Crunchyroll release

https://fancaps.net/anime/picture.php?/23458339

File:Tsep01-cryobay.jpg

2024-01-07T05:30:06Z

NanoMoose:

== Summary ==
Trigun Stampede Episode One, No Man's Land, Crunchyroll release

https://fancaps.net/anime/picture.php?/23458081

File:Tsep01-coldweatherchildvash.jpg

2024-01-07T05:22:23Z

NanoMoose: /* Summary */

== Summary ==
Trigun Stampede Episode One, No Man's Land, Crunchyroll release

https://fancaps.net/anime/picture.php?/23458085

File:Tsep01-coldweatherchildvash.jpg

2024-01-07T05:20:44Z

NanoMoose: Trigun Stampede Episode One, No Man's Land, Crunchyroll release

== Summary ==
Trigun Stampede Episode One, No Man's Land, Crunchyroll release

File:Tsep01-jeneorarock.jpg

2024-01-07T05:18:10Z

NanoMoose: Trigun Stampede Episode One, No Man's Land, Crunchyroll release

== Summary ==
Trigun Stampede Episode One, No Man's Land, Crunchyroll release

File:Tsep01-cryobay.jpg

2024-01-07T05:16:02Z

NanoMoose: Trigun Stampede Episode One, No Man's Land, Crunchyroll release

== Summary ==
Trigun Stampede Episode One, No Man's Land, Crunchyroll release

Millions Knives (Stampede)

2024-01-06T14:42:15Z

NanoMoose: Added subheadings to Family section.

{{Stub|type=character|cont=stampede}}{{Sources needed|2=Storylinks in biography}}{{Disambig|Millions Knives|about=the [[Stampede continuity]] iteration of the character}} {{Character Info
|img= TrSt Knives infobox.png
|subj= Millions Knives
|ja_va= [[Junya Ikeda]]<ref>https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=117804</ref> [[Yumiri Hanamori]]young<ref>https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=118609</ref>
|en_va= [[Austin Tindle]]<ref>https://twitter.com/Crunchyroll/status/1616496580860715008</ref><ref>https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=97965</ref> [[Megan Shipman]]young<ref>https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=126916</ref>
|ja_kanji= ミリオンズ・ナイブズ
|first=[[NOMAN'S LAND]]
|last=TBD
|race= Plant (independent)
|hair= Pale blonde
|eye= Seafoam green
|gender= Male
|alias=Kni Angel of Salvation Hundreds Spoons|altspelling=Nai}}

'''Millions Knives''' (formerly '''Kni''' or '''Nai''') is the main antagonist from ''[[Trigun Stampede]].''

== Biography ==
Knives is Vash's twin brother, born alongside him aboard the SEEDs Ship Five as it journeyed to find a new home for humanity and the Plants, living generators of power, matter and gravity that humans depend on to survive. Both twins are rare examples of Independent Plants, who look and behave human, but possess the ability to survive outside the specialised environments required by their dependent brethren. As infants, the boys were discovered and adopted by Navigational Officer Rem Saverem. She named one twin Vash and the other Kni. The twins matured quickly, growing to appear age seven or eight when they celebrated their first birthday. By that stage, Kni had begun to demonstrate the generative abilities of a Plant and to distance himself from human traits like eating for nourishment, {{Storylink|Our Home.}} while Vash remained apparently powerless, but eagerly embraced humanity. {{Storylink|NOMAN'S LAND}}

Though demonstrably inhuman and highly intelligent, Kni seemed in other respects a normal child, albeit serious and somewhat emotionally withdrawn. He enjoyed composing and playing classical piano with Vash, {{Storylink|Millions Knives (episode)}} loved cowboy movies, {{Storylink|HIGH NOON AT JULY (episode)}} and colluded with his brother to play pranks on Rem. {{Storylink|Our Home.}} He adored his brother, who was always at his side, and cared for Rem, but resented her efforts to have him appear human by concealing his powers and eating food he didn't need (which he viewed as wasteful). {{Storylink|Our Home.}} In time resentment turned to suspicion, particularly as Vash seemed to grow more humanlike under Rem's encouragement, bringing him closer to Rem but alienating Kni, which he expressed by needling Vash for being useless as a Plant.{{Storylink|To A New World}} Kni began to investigate areas of the ship Rem had forbidden them from entering, pulling Vash along despite his trepidation, and the twins stumbled across a classified databank of the SEEDs fleet's history. Vash gleefully entered the password himself when Kni was stymied, but both were horrified by the databank's contents.{{Storylink|To A New World}}

Along with files on both twins there was a third - another Independent Plant born fifty years before, a girl named Tesla. She was discovered by the crew and treated like a research specimen, subjected to brutal and invasive examination until her body fell apart. Worse yet, though vivisected and dismembered she was still alive fifty years later in suspended animation, as the twins discovered when the tanks containing her remains were unlocked and revealed.{{Storylink|To A New World}}

Rem tried to soothe their fears by explaining that she had adopted them to ensure they wouldn't meet Tesla's fate, hoping that they would become the means by which Plants and humans could communicate and together ensure nothing like that ever happened again. Kni, however, no longer trusted her ability to keep them safe, concluding that humanity was incapable of changing for the better, whatever their intentions. When the twins discussed between themselves whether they would be accepted by humans, Vash told Kni he had faith that they would. It was then that Kni decided his course was set: Vash was naïve, weak and needed protection from humanity's exploitation.{{Storylink|To A New World}} Kni secretly accessed the SEEDs fleet's navigation with the password Vash had shown him and forced every ship in the fleet to crash on the desert planet that would be named No Man's Land, sparing only the Plant carriers, believing this would wipe out all threats. {{Storylink|Millions Knives (episode)}} Rem took the twins to an escape pod, but despite Kni's solemn request she come with them, she chose to stay aboard the ships to save whoever she could. {{Storylink|NOMAN'S LAND}} After planetfall, Vash found Kni laughing gleefully over the wreckage of the fleet and confronted Kni over the mass murder he'd just committed, but Kni countered by calling Vash his accomplice for giving him the code to access the fleet's controls. Guilt-stricken and fearful, Vash fled and vanished into the alien desert.{{Storylink|Our Home.}}

Kni located a surviving SEEDS crew member, one Dr. William Conrad, and under threat of death recruited him to research Plants and acquire the resources necessary to complete his plan and retrieve Vash. {{Storylink|Humanity}} Renaming himself Millions Knives to represent his belief that he was a righteous and noble avenger for his species, Knives founded the cult called the Eye of Michael in the third city of July, providing himself with loyal troops and headquarters, and appointed Dr. Conrad as his high priest. He also continued to develop his powers as a Plant, refining his abilities from producing rough metal blades from his hands and feet {{Storylink|Millions Knives (episode)}} to the capacity to destroy whole settlements and kill dozens of people in the blink of an eye. {{Storylink|Bright Light, Shine through the Darkness}} {{Storylink|HIGH NOON AT JULY (episode)}}

Since the day the ships crashed, Knives has been plotting to complete the extermination of humanity and bring Vash back to his side - a desire only intensified when Vash demonstrated he did indeed have abilities as a Plant, both to produce and, uniquely, to ''consume'', drawing matter ''to'' the plane that Plants draw matter from. {{Storylink|HUNGRY!}} {{Storylink|Millions Knives (episode)}} Every time Knives and Vash meet, they find themselves arguing over or battling to determine which of their philosophies is the right one. {{Storylink|Bright Light, Shine through the Darkness}} {{Storylink|Millions Knives (episode)}} {{Storylink|To A New World}} {{Storylink|HIGH NOON AT JULY (episode)}}

As of the first episode of ''Stampede'', Knives has been stealing Plants from human settlements and slaughtering their inhabitants, dooming survivors to death by starvation or dehydration. {{Storylink|NOMAN'S LAND}} He exploits his resemblance to Vash to frame his brother for these crimes, marking him as a dangerous criminal in the hopes that Vash will realise humanity can never accept him, driving him back to Knives as his only refuge. {{Storylink|The Running Man}}

The primary plot of ''Trigun Stampede'' is driven both by Knives's efforts to convince, then force Vash to assist in his plans, and by his desire to claim and control Vash's power so he can use it to make No Man's Land a paradise, with Independent Plants its sole inhabitants.

==Character ==

=== Appearance ===
Knives is almost identical to Vash, differing only in minor traits. Knives has paler skin and platinum blond hair, eyebrows and eyelashes. Where Vash has a mole beneath his left eye, Knives's is under his right, and Knives's blue eyes bear a slight green tint. They have the same facial features, the same undercut hair and the same athletic build. Both twins are rendered with the same delicate, expressive face and well-proportioned, muscular body.

In every other respect, however, the twins could not be more different. Knives rejects all human accoutrements in favor of clothing he created himself, which he seems to have designed to bring his appearance closer to that of the dependent Plants: a skin-tight white body suit covered in Plant patterns (resembling an unfurled dependent Plant) and a loose gray cloak, roughly knee-length, with bubbles of white material and a deep, round hood (resembling a dependent when in bulb form). The suit is bulletproof, and the cloak serves as a spare source of matter for Knives's blades. He wears no other clothing and is always barefoot, indifferent to environmental hazards. He has no visible markings, scars or injuries besides the mole beneath his eye.

Knives keeps his hair short, in neat spikes slicked back from his forehead.

His blades have a distinctive curved, feathered shape and usually emerge from his back and shoulders in the form of three or four prehensile chains. When desired, he can fold the blades inward and use the chains to pick up or grapple a target, or flare them outward into razor-sharp piercing and cutting weapons. Both blades and chains seems to act as extensions of his body, instantly responding to his will.

=== Personality ===
Knives presents a face of calm, cold superiority, and has a flair for grandiose acts of wide-scale destruction. His proclamations frequently allude to the Christian Bible, particularly the New Testament Book of Revelation, to present himself as an angel bringing God's wrath upon a sinful humankind. He relishes violence and views Vash's pacifism and love of humanity as an illness that must be cured by whatever means necessary. In Knives's mind, Vash is a victim of his own weakness and the manipulations of Rem and the humans he's befriended, unable to be trusted to make his own decisions. Everything he's done, Knives claims, he has done to protect Vash from them, with the freedom of the dependent Plants from humanity's chains as a secondary but no less pressing priority. As a superior lifeform and the perfect Independent Plant, it's up to Knives to destroy the disgusting parasites infesting the universe and to ensure all inferior examples of his species reflect the same perfection that he himself embodies.

However, Knives's icy pragmatism and lofty, judgemental attitude conceal selfishness, erratic outbursts of emotion, unwillingness to take responsibility for the harm he inflicts upon his loved ones, and a rigidly black-and-white view of the world that permits no nuance or dissent. Knives is fundamentally driven by fear, not only of what humanity could do to him or to Vash, but that Vash will abandon him in favor of humans and leave Knives alone. Since any human could potentially be a threat, all humanity must therefore suffer and die. He cannot, or will not, understand alternative viewpoints and has developed a habit of trying to isolate Vash by driving off or killing anyone who gets close to him, of gaslighting Vash to undermine his self-worth, and of lashing out with physical violence should those manipulations fail. Though his anger with humanity's reckless and unsustainable destruction of the beings they need to survive - his own species - is justified, he has no issue adopting the same tactics himself with Vash or the Plants under his control. Knives takes their consent for granted, dismisses any resistance as foolishness, and is willing to strip Vash of his personhood and autonomy, as well as exploit the dependents for his own ends. When his plans are thwarted, Knives descends into incoherently shrieking, indiscriminately destructive fury, tearing apart whatever stands in his way or even himself.

At heart, Knives is a frightened, angry and deeply traumatised individual, as well a perfectionist unable to cope when reality deviates from expectations formed without experience. He is sadistic, manipulative, controlling, and possessive, as well as prone to pushing blame onto those he harms for not submitting to his wishes. Despite his conviction and insistence that he's building a paradise for all the Plants, Knives's true goal is gaining Vash's utter devotion and a return to the carefree days of his childhood.

=== Occupation ===
Knives serves as the central figure of worship for the Eye of Michael but rarely bothers with its affairs, preferring to play his piano and reminiscence, or discuss his plans with Dr. Conrad. He seems to leave his music room only to terrorise and murder humans or steal Plants.

=== Family ===

==== Vash ====
His twin brother, from whom he is estranged. Knives has an obsession with Vash that shades into monomaniacal, but seems to love the idea of Vash as his brother more than the person that Vash has become. He has spent much of their time apart searching the planet for his brother, both to locate/retrieve him and sabotage Vash's efforts to co-exist with humanity. While Knives does make an effort to speak to Vash gently and calmly when they meet, he snaps into explosive rage or resorts to scornful emotional manipulation whenever Vash disagrees with him. Their relationship is also strained by Vash's undisguised terror of his brother. Tragically, despite all this Vash continues to love Knives, but has come to realise that they have both changed too much to return to the way they were.

==== Rem Saverem ====
His adoptive mother, whom he murdered. Knives once loved Rem but now bitterly despises her and anyone he perceives as being like her i.e. dark-haired woman who become emotionally close to Vash. Meryl, Luida, and Rosa (and the mothers of Jeneora Rock) thus all become targets of his murderous hatred and disgust.

==== Dr. William Conrad ====
Dr. Conrad serves as an adoptive father to Knives, albeit one over whom Knives asserts total control. Knives treats Conrad with politeness, even affection, always addressing him as "doctor" and never losing his temper. Conrad is protective of Knives and views him with awe as the perfect example of his species, almost a divine figure. However, Conrad has only lived this long in order to assist Knives with his plans and implies he would prefer death, which he is denied as long as Knives is dissatisfied.

==== Plants ====
The dependent Plants could be considered siblings or mothers, while Tesla is technically his older sister. Knives is protective of the dependent Plants and refers to them as his brethren, but treats them more as objects than people and is not depicted communicating with them in the way Vash does. He implicitly believes them to be soulless and without free will. Though he never knew Tesla, the sight of her affected him greatly when she was discovered aboard Ship Five, leaving an impression on his psyche that has yet to fade.

==== Elendira ====
Elendira is Knives's partial clone, in a sense his daughter. His feelings about her are unknown; Elendira spends the majority of her time accompanying Dr. Conrad. She is, however, very loyal to Knives.

=== Relationships ===
All humans with the sole exception of Dr. Conrad are insects to be exterminated if he can't ignore them. Though Knives has yet to be depicted speaking to any other members of the Eye of Michael, E.G. regarded him with awe, Legato with devotion and Zazie with wary familiarity, but if Knives cares what they think he does not show it. He knows enough about Rollo, Tonis and Wolfwood to adopt their images manipulating Vash, and about Roberto and Meryl to target and wipe them from Vash's mind. Luida he chose as the first human Vash would kill; when Vash refused, Knives attempted to strangle her to death with his bare hands, accusing her of stealing his brother. Meryl, he regarded as beneath notice until she freed Vash from Knives's control, at which point Knives was only barely prevented killing her. The latter two women attract the same intense, personal hatred as Rem, likely for the same reason: as alternative sources of emotional support for Vash, they threaten Knives's efforts to isolate him.

== Weapons & Abilities ==

=== Gate ===
Knives's body contains and is supported by a Gate, a vaguely defined organ or object acting as a one-way connection to a limitless source of energy and matter known as the "higher plane". It is versatile, granting him a number of superhuman abilities. All Plants have a Gate of some description, but dependents lack the volition to use it themselves; as an Independent, Knives can use his Gate at will, and telekinetically control the matter he produces with no more than a thought. His Gate constantly renews and revitalises his body, granting him inhuman fortitude, strength, dexterity and speed, as well as keeping him physically in the prime of health and youth.<ref>https://twitter.com/kenji_muto/status/1638398765039255557</ref> With all his needs supplied by his Gate, Knives does not require any form of sustenance or rest, or even seem to need to breathe, and is well into his second century of age while keeping the appearance of an athletic young adult.

Knives uses his Gate mostly to produce his clothing and weapons in the form of metal blades, chaining them into "tentacles" to grab and slice up individual targets, or forming deadly storms of blades to cause mass devastation. He can also create claws from his hands and feet, but rarely does so in combat, preferring them for basic utility or symbolism. His blades can cut through steel and bone without losing their edge, as well as deflect bullets.

Knives has more esoteric abilities mostly based around seizing control of Vash's own Gate and forcing it to react, allowing him to manipulate Vash's perception of reality or even alter his memories, leaving a dark residue that grows outward from the point of contact. He only needs to be close enough to physically touch Vash or something he's holding, whether with hands or blades.

It can be assumed that if ever cut off from his Gate, Knives would lose access to his powers, weaken and die the same way other members of his species do when pushed beyond their limits. As it is, Knives is almost impossible to harm with conventional weapons, requiring a sustained burst of immense destructive power to outpace his Gate-induced resilience and regeneration.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:TriStamp KV2.jpg | Second key visual
File:Prerel_promo_kn.jpg | Prerelease promotional render
File:Prerel_promo_vk.jpg | Prerelease promotional render with Vash
File:TrStJPBD3.jpg | Blu-Ray Volume 3 cover
File:TrStEp03 commemorative illust - Akihiko Orikasa.jpg | Episode 3 commemorative illustration by Akihiko Orikasa
File:TrStEp00 commemorative illust A - Kenji Muto.jpg | Episode 0 commemorative illustration by Kenji Muto
</gallery>

== Appearances==

===Trigun Stampede===

====Episodes====
* [[NOMAN'S LAND]]
* [[Bright Light, Shine through the Darkness]]
* [[HUNGRY!]]
* [[Our Home.]]
* [[Millions Knives (episode) | Millions Knives]]
* [[Humanity]]
* [[To A New World]]
* [[HIGH NOON AT JULY (episode)|High Noon At July]]
==References==
[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Trigun Stampede]]
<references />
[[Category:Stampede continuity]]

Legato Bluesummers (Stampede)

2024-01-06T13:05:35Z

NanoMoose:

{{Stub}}{{Disambig|Legato Bluesummers|about=the [[Stampede continuity]] iteration of the character}}{{Character Info
|img=Malevolent ken doll.PNG
|subj=Legato Bluesummers
|ja_va= [[Kouki Uchiyama]]<ref>https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=56091</ref>
|en_va= [[Daman Mills]]<ref> https://twitter.com/DamanMills/status/1629584484655054848 </ref><ref>https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=134672</ref>
|ja_kanji=レガート・ブルーサマーズ
|first=[[Once Upon a Time in Hopeland]]
|last=TBD
|race=Human
|hair=Cerulean Blue
|eye=Golden Yellow
|gender=Male
|occupation=''de facto'' head of the Eye of Michael cult
}}

'''Legato Bluesummers''' is one of the main characters in [[Trigun Stampede|''Trigun Stampede'']].

== Biography ==

=== In Stampede ===
Legato first appears in episode six, as part of Wolfwood's flashback. Wolfwood tries to escape from the Eye of Michael prison block by jumping out of a giant window, but he is caught mid-air and brutally crushed right before achieving freedom. When next we see him, he is in a holding cell whose doors part to reveal Legato. Legato tells Wolfwood he's working for the EoM now, despite his resistance. The two men verbally spar with each other, with Legato crushing Wolfwood into the floor in retaliation for being called a "blue-haired freak". He then presents Livio - the closest thing Wolfwood has to a brother - and says that if Wolfwood won't do the job, Livio has volunteered to do it instead. This at least gets Wolfwood working for Legato, albeit reluctantly.

In the present day, Legato has Livio target Vash aboard a sand steamer on its way to the city of July, knowing Wolfwood will protect Vash from harm. Legato's plan is to see whether Wolfwood will choose to protect Vash by killing Livio or spare Livio by allowing Vash to die. To up the ante, Legato uses telekinesis to break one of the drive shafts within the sand steamer and put it on a crash course with the Hopeland Orphanage - the place Wolfwood grew up.{{Storylink|Once Upon a Time in Hopeland}} Legato's reasoning is that if he can eliminate all emotional ties that Wolfwood has, then he can make Wolfwood into the perfect believer and a perfect instrument of Knives's plans. He is fixated on Wolfwood because Wolfwood has the rare physiological distinction of being highly receptive to the experimental drugs used on subjects of the Eye, with a grade of S+ - Wolfwood cannot simply leave the cult or die because more children would be taken from the orphanage until another like him is found. Legato is ultimately unsuccessful at crashing the sand steamer into the orphanage, nor does he secure Wolfwood's loyalty, but he orders Zazie to retrieve Livio's body, saying that he is still useful. {{Storylink|WOLFWOOD (episode)}}

Legato's backstory in ''Stampede'' has not yet been revealed, though Takehiko Okishi, writer of ''Stamped''e's background, offered a strong hint: unnatural hair colors like blue are a legacy of SEEDs passengers who underwent gene therapy to modify their appearances. These characteristics were merely fashionable and cosmetic, not intended to be passed on, but children born on No Man's Land still inherit them in extremely rare cases. Sadly, they subsequently become targeted for human trafficking and attract high prices on the slave market.<ref>https://twitter.com/TakeOxi/status/1639870472581165060</ref>

==Character ==

===Appearance===
Legato is very slender, with a toned physique. He has cerulean blue hair that's parted on the side, causing his long bangs to flop over his right eye.

Legato's outfit consists of white pants fastened at the waist with a belt and tucked into calf-high white boots. Tucked into the pants is a form-fitting black shirt, and over this shirt he wears a cropped white jacket with long sleeves. The right sleeve is normal, with a cuff at the wrist, but the left sleeve is fully enclosed, ending in a glove that has a pattern traced onto it in blue. The left sleeve also bears an emblem that looks like a spider with a skull-shaped body, and is topped with spikes in a fan shape.

===Personality===
Legato comes across as a sadist and sociopath. He is a fanatical devotee, striving to be like Knives in every way, including being cold and emotionless. However, every so often the mask will slip to reveal a man who is passionate and driven. He is devoted to Knives to the point of obsession, fully buying into the Eye of Michael's scripture describing Knives as an angel and referring to him as "beautiful", while regarding any opposition to him or his vision with disgust. Hypocritically, however, Legato's devotion borders upon jealousy and causes him to interfere with his master's plans. Like his master, Legato is prone to petulant violence when things don't go his way, despite regarding himself as above such emotional displays.

===Occupation===
Legato serves as the ''de facto'' leader of the Eye of Michael cult, using them to further Master Knives's agenda.

===Family===
He has no known family.

===Relationships===
Legato's relationship to Knives is that of a devoted worshipper and faithful servant. His relationship to Wolfwood is that of a cruel master and personal enemy, particularly after the events on the sand steamer. His relationships to Conrad and Zazie are ones of grudging tolerance laced with contempt. He has yet to meet Vash in person, but it is implied his jealousy may extend to the little brother his beloved master is so tirelessly focused on. He has no known lovers.

==Weapons & Abilities==

=== Telekinesis ===
Legato has the ability to manipulate physical matter without physical contact. The series has not yet revealed how he came by this ability - all he has said is that it isn't electrical or nerve impulses. One sleeve of his jacket has an emblem on it that may serve to amplify or enhance this power. It is unknown at this time if Legato can also manipulate minds.

==Non-Canon==

==Development==

==Gallery==
<gallery mode="packed" heights="200">
File:Malevolent ken doll.PNG|Legato.
File:Legato Hair.png|Don't talk about his hair.
</gallery>

==Notes & Trivia==

== Appearances==

===Trigun Stampede===

====Episodes====
* [[Once Upon a Time in Hopeland]]
* [[WOLFWOOD (episode)| WOLFWOOD]]

===Audio Dramas===

==References==
* https://www.trigun-anime.com (the character section)
[[Category:Trigun Stampede]]
[[Category:Characters]]

<references />
[[Category:Stampede continuity]]

Legato Bluesummers (Stampede)

2024-01-06T13:02:51Z

NanoMoose: Small tonal tweaks. Fixed citation.

{{Stub}}{{Disambig|Legato Bluesummers|about=the [[Stampede continuity]] iteration of the character}}{{Character Info
|img=Malevolent ken doll.PNG
|subj=Legato Bluesummers
|ja_va= [[Kouki Uchiyama]]<ref>https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=56091</ref>
|en_va= [[Daman Mills]]<ref> https://twitter.com/DamanMills/status/1629584484655054848 </ref><ref>https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=134672</ref>
|ja_kanji=レガート・ブルーサマーズ
|first=[[Once Upon a Time in Hopeland]]
|last=TBD
|race=Human
|hair=Cerulean Blue
|eye=Golden Yellow
|gender=Male
|occupation=''de facto'' head of the Eye of Michael cult
}}

'''Legato Bluesummers''' is one of the main characters in [[Trigun Stampede|''Trigun Stampede'']].

== Biography ==

=== In Stampede ===
Legato first appears in episode six, as part of Wolfwood's flashback. Wolfwood tries to escape from the Eye of Michael prison block by jumping out of a giant window, but he is caught mid-air and brutally crushed right before achieving freedom. When next we see him, he is in a holding cell whose doors part to reveal Legato. Legato tells Wolfwood he's working for the EoM now, despite his resistance. The two men verbally spar with each other, with Legato crushing Wolfwood into the floor in retaliation for being called a "blue-haired freak". He then presents Livio - the closest thing Wolfwood has to a brother - and says that if Wolfwood won't do the job, Livio has volunteered to do it instead. This at least gets Wolfwood working for Legato, albeit reluctantly.

In the present day, Legato has Livio target Vash aboard a sand steamer on its way to the city of July, knowing Wolfwood will protect Vash from harm. Legato's plan is to see whether Wolfwood will choose to protect Vash by killing Livio or spare Livio by allowing Vash to die. To up the ante, Legato uses telekinesis to break one of the drive shafts within the sand steamer and put it on a crash course with the Hopeland Orphanage - the place Wolfwood grew up. Legato's reasoning is that if he can eliminate all emotional ties that Wolfwood has, then he can make Wolfwood into the perfect believer and a perfect instrument of Knives's plans. He is fixated on Wolfwood because Wolfwood has the rare physiological distinction of being highly receptive to the experimental drugs used on subjects of the Eye, with a grade of S+ - Wolfwood cannot simply leave the cult or die because more children would be taken from the orphanage until another like him is found. Legato is ultimately unsuccessful at crashing the sand steamer into the orphanage, nor does he secure Wolfwood's loyalty, but he orders Zazie to retrieve Livio's body, saying that he is still useful.

Legato's backstory in ''Stampede'' has not yet been revealed, though Takehiko Okishi, writer of ''Stamped''e's background, offered a strong hint: unnatural hair colors like blue are a legacy of SEEDs passengers who underwent gene therapy to modify their appearances. These characteristics were merely fashionable and cosmetic, not intended to be passed on, but children born on No Man's Land still inherit them in extremely rare cases. Sadly, they subsequently become targeted for human trafficking and attract high prices on the slave market.<ref>https://twitter.com/TakeOxi/status/1639870472581165060</ref>

==Character ==

===Appearance===
Legato is very slender, with a toned physique. He has cerulean blue hair that's parted on the side, causing his long bangs to flop over his right eye.

Legato's outfit consists of white pants fastened at the waist with a belt and tucked into calf-high white boots. Tucked into the pants is a form-fitting black shirt, and over this shirt he wears a cropped white jacket with long sleeves. The right sleeve is normal, with a cuff at the wrist, but the left sleeve is fully enclosed, ending in a glove that has a pattern traced onto it in blue. The left sleeve also bears an emblem that looks like a spider with a skull-shaped body, and is topped with spikes in a fan shape.

===Personality===
Legato comes across as a sadist and sociopath. He is a fanatical devotee - he strives to be like Knives in every way, including being cold and emotionless. However, every so often the mask will slip to reveal a man who is passionate and driven. He is devoted to Knives to the point of obsession, fully buying into the Eye of Michael's scripture describing Knives as an angel and referring to him as "beautiful", while regarding any opposition to him or his vision with disgust. Hypocritically, however, Legato's devotion borders upon jealousy and causes him to interfere with his master's plans. Like his master, Legato is prone to petulant violence when things don't go his way, despite regarding himself as above such emotional displays.

===Occupation===
Legato serves as the ''de facto'' leader of the Eye of Michael cult, using them to further Master Knives's agenda.

===Family===
He has no known family.

===Relationships===
Legato's relationship to Knives is that of a devoted worshipper and faithful servant. His relationship to Wolfwood is that of a cruel master and personal enemy, particularly after the events on the sand steamer. His relationships to Conrad and Zazie are ones of grudging tolerance laced with contempt. He has yet to meet Vash in person, but it is implied his jealousy may extend to the little brother his beloved master is so tirelessly focused on. He has no known lovers.

==Weapons & Abilities==

=== Telekinesis ===
Legato has the ability to manipulate physical matter without physical contact. The series has not yet revealed how he came by this ability - all he has said is that it isn't electrical or nerve impulses. One sleeve of his jacket has an emblem on it that may serve to amplify or enhance this power. It is unknown at this time if Legato can also manipulate minds.

==Non-Canon==

==Development==

==Gallery==
<gallery mode="packed" heights="200">
File:Malevolent ken doll.PNG|Legato.
File:Legato Hair.png|Don't talk about his hair.
</gallery>

==Notes & Trivia==

== Appearances==

===Trigun Stampede===

====Episodes====
* [[Once Upon a Time in Hopeland]]
* [[WOLFWOOD (episode)| WOLFWOOD]]

===Audio Dramas===

==References==
* https://www.trigun-anime.com (the character section)
[[Category:Trigun Stampede]]
[[Category:Characters]]

<references />
[[Category:Stampede continuity]]

NOMAN'S LAND

2024-01-06T08:28:43Z

NanoMoose: Small wording changes, added English air-date.

{{Stub|type=episode|cont=Stampede}}{{Proofread|Synopsis; Gallery|Synopsis: Gallery: Improper tone/language|Both: Overall tone/accuracy/detail check Synopsis: General proofread for readability}}{{Sources needed|Episode airdates (English is missing)}}{{About|the ''[[Trigun Stampede]]'' episode|the similarly-named planet|No Man's Land (planet)}}{{Episode info
|subj =NOMAN'S LAND
|img =[[File:{{{img|TrSt1x01 Title card.png}}}|300px]]
|ja_kanji =NOMAN'S LAND
|ep_number =1
|ja_broadcast =January 7th, 2023
|us_broadcast =January 7th, 2023
|writer =
|director =Naomichi Yamato
|next_ep =[[The Running Man]]
}}

'''"NOMAN'S LAND'''''"'' is the first episode of [[Trigun Stampede|''Trigun Stampede'']].

== Synopsis==
A flotilla of ships navigates through space, the SEEDs fleet, passing through the upper atmosphere of a desert planet. Aboard one, SEEDs Ship Five, a boy in cold-weather gear enters a room full of hundreds of people in cryogenic suspension and greets them, some by name. As he does this, he is knocked off his feet by an explosion. The boy is called to return to his other companions over the PA: his twin brother, Nai, and a woman he addresses as Rem, their adoptive mother. Rem hurries both boys to an escape shuttle as the ship falls apart around them, deflecting Vash's fearful requests to know what's going on. After climbing into the pilot seat, Nai asks Rem to come too, but she hangs back. She tells the boys she loves them and that meeting them has brought her joy. Then she launches the shuttle, just before a gout of flame roars through the corridor and erases Rem from sight. Nai is almost entirely stoic, but the other boy - Vash - is tearful and devastated. Nai steers the shuttle through clouds of debris, around other dying ships, and towards the desert planet's surface.

May 25, 10:00 AM. Two people drive across a desert, driving a truck towing a battery pack with a satellite atop it and listening to November Public Broadcasting for the news, reporting that the July city government is after a suspect in a series of widespread mass murders and Plant thefts. The driver, a small young woman by the name of Meryl Stryfe, is talking with her older male colleague, Roberto de Niro, who persistently refers to her as "Newbie". It turns out that they are reporters working for a news agency and have been assigned a story, and that she is the newest recruit to be brought on. Recently graduated from the high class November University, Meryl is eager to prove herself and change things for the better while Roberto says that her good intentions and inexperience will be quick routes to death - the planet they inhabit, No Man's Land, is a harsh and unforgiving place (as demonstrated by the enormous alien whale breaching the sand behind them). As Meryl grows defensive and irritated with his cynicism, the truck's engine suddenly dies, which Meryl is embarrassed to realise is because she forgot to charge its battery. Roberto sighs and wearily says Meryl doesn't have long to live.

Roberto and Meryl continue on foot, the harsh sun quickly tiring Meryl and leaving her thirsty. She asks if the so-called "Humanoid Typhoon" even exists. Roberto tosses her a tabloid-style magazine with an article on the topic, complete with a caricatured illustration, and tells her he's dangerous - anyone who encounters him is marked for death. She scoffs, saying that no person is only a monster. They pass near three bodies tied up and hanging upside-down from a pile of scrap metal, which Roberto stops to identify as the work of the Bad Lads Gang. The central corpse, Meryl realises, is not a corpse, as she accidentally pulls off its prosthetic left arm investigating. The very much alive young man in a bright red long coat spins on the rope and cackles madly. Declaring him a "creep", Roberto turns to leave, but Meryl decides to help him down rather than abandon him. Roberto notes the heavy pistol in his holster and his "Lost Tech" prosthetic arm, and asks if the mystery man is a gunman of some kind. Now seated on the ground and refitting his prosthetic, the young man acknowledges he can use his weapon but denies being a fighter.

Just then, the July military police show up riding toma, large bird-like creatures with blue feathers. They produce a "Wanted" poster bearing the face and name of the man that Meryl and Roberto just rescued: Vash the Stampede, the Humanoid Typhoon. He's wanted alive by the city of July for $$6,000,000, being suspected of mass murder and Plant theft. Realizing he's the subject of their assigned story, Meryl lies and sends the military men off in the wrong direction before throwing a rope around Vash and demanding an exclusive interview, either to learn more details of his story, or perhaps even clear his name. Vash agrees with enthusiasm, congratulating her on her integrity (Roberto is immediately distrustful) and says that they can do it at the diner in the nearby town. Startled to learn civilisation and water are close by, Meryl begins dragging Vash around by the rope while he makes comedic protests and Roberto looks at his poster and wonders: Who is Vash?

They arrive at the town of Jeneora Rock, where Meryl pulls ahead to enter the saloon. The reception is chilly until Vash walks in, causing the pregnant woman behind the counter - the proprietor and de facto town leader, named Rosa - to greet him happily. She shows angry suspicion of Roberto and Meryl for having Vash restrained, until he demonstrates he can slip free at any time (Roberto and Meryl are startled) and vouches for them. It's revealed that Vash saved the town once before. Roberto requests whisky from the bar but Meryl overrides him and orders water instead. She is surprised and concerned to realise the water she receives water is dirty, and is told that the town's water-producing Plant is broken. Rosa asks Vash take a look at it again, since he repaired it free of charge the last time it failed, so the group heads over to the building where the Plant is kept, behind a large and sturdy steel vault door. As they climb the stairs to access to the town's two Plants, Roberto asks Meryl if she knows what a "Plant" is, and she rattles off a textbook explanation: biological reactors that produce what humanity needs to survive. Roberto explains that Plants are Lost Tech and can't be built anymore; they are precious commodities and must be either bought for huge sums or stolen. Anyone who has one keeps it heavily guarded.

One Plant is red (the other, functional Plant is blue). Vash explains that it is dying, and while a new one may not be affordable, the situation will worsen dramatically if they don't act. He is visibly scared.

At that moment, the July military police captain chimes in to inform them Vash is worth $$6,000,000, which is just about exactly the cost of a new Plant. They've tracked Vash to Jeneora Rock and though Vash surrenders to their custody without resistance, they restrain and beat him. Rosa, though disturbed, says nothing, too desperate for the money to buy a new Plant. Meryl is appalled, but shrinks back behind Roberto when the July Captain pulls a gun. Roberto, however, steps up, goading the July MP Captain into a duel with Vash by calling him a coward and threatening to publish it as his legacy.

Vash and the Captain face off atop a scarp of rock overlooking the town. It's a quick-draw duel, so the last man standing wins. Meryl is concerned that Vash will get killed, but Roberto is more confident, telling her to watch and see whether Vash's claim he's not a fighter is the truth. Vash tries to convince the Captain to stand down by refusing to draw his gun on command and pointing out the situation is dumb. It seems like he might be successful as the Captain agrees and holsters his gun, until he replaces it with a rocket launcher and fires a cluster bomb into the air. Meryl angrily moves to confront him but Roberto throws her back into cover and informs her that they're here to observe, not run recklessly into danger, and she'll need to live a lot longer before being able to instigate confrontations like that. Meryl is crestfallen, but stays under cover.

Everyone in town runs for cover as Vash, dismayed but oddly calm, sighs that the Captain is crazy and decides to finally draw his gun. Roberto tells Meryl that Vash is just like her: well-intentioned and obviously doomed. Vash takes aim and pulls the trigger, but the gun is empty, and he checks his pockets only to realise he's completely out of bullets. He panics, wailing and crying theatrically, and calls for ammunition. Rosa approaches Meryl and hands her a single .22 bullet, which Mery runs to toss up to Vash. The July MP Captain first knocks the bullet away before Vash can catch it, then when Vash does catch it and load his weapon, the Captain throws him off-target by firing on his pistol and rushes to shoot Vash point-blank before he can recover his aim. Vash dodges three such shots with impossible, inhumanly effortless grace, then grapples the Captain and flips him off his feet before knocking him out by hitting him in the back of the head with his pistol. He then uses a piston installed in his prosthetic to break a large rock out of the ground, throws it upwards into the oncoming cloud of missiles, and fires his single bullet after it. The rock shatters upon hit and its pieces are thrown outward, harmlessly detonating all the missiles before they can destroy the town. The police are thrown out.

The next day, Meryl admiringly tells Vash he has amazing skill, but Vash demurs, claiming that he just got lucky. Neither Roberto nor Meryl are fooled and Roberto calls his bluff: Vash was not frightened by the military police, but he's scared of ''something'', and whatever it is, the red Plant has something to do with it. What is it? Vash drops his oblivious goofball attitude and hesitantly reveals that he has a brother. A flashback shows the moment just after the twins' escape shuttle crashed, where Vash finds Nai laughing atop a pillar of rubble while he watches burning SEEDS ships rain from the sky, and the pods with sleeping people inside being consumed by flames. Nai triumphantly shouts that his work is successful, and when Vash tells him in horror that he's committed murder with Rem among his victims, Nai gleefully names Vash his accomplice. The flashback ends, and Vash tells them his brother is named "Millions Knives". A strange insect-bird creature, one of several lingering around the town and Vash when he was tied up, flies from Jeneora Rock to the city of July. It reports Vash's location to a robed man playing a complex piano piece under the gaze of twisted, snarling statue: Knives. He is glad to know Vash has been located, and declares that he will go to him and claim him before exterminating the parasites once and for all.

==Characters==
In order of appearance:

*Vash
*Rem Saverem
*Nai
*Roberto de Niro
*Meryl Stryfe
*Captain Chuck Lee, July Military Police
*Rosa
*Tonis

== Manga ==

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:MerylResume.PNG|Meryl's CV.
File:WantedPoster.PNG|The six million double-dollar man.
File:Prostitutes.PNG|Rosa's diner serves all comers.
File:Currency.PNG|Currency, courtesy of the First Bank of No Man's Land.
File:Bridthing1.PNG|Alien planet, alien wildlife.
File:Birdthing2.PNG|"They did a number on this guy."
File:Birdthing3.PNG|The third city, July.
</gallery>

== Notes ==

== Credits ==
{{Subpage|Credits}}

== References ==
[[Category:Trigun Stampede]]
[[Category:Trigun Stampede episodes]]
[[Category:Episodes]]
[[Category:Stampede continuity]]

The Running Man

2024-01-06T07:38:37Z

NanoMoose: Added characters, removed "episode", changed image captions.

{{Stub|type=episode|cont=Stampede}}{{Proofread|Synopsis; Gallery captions; Notes|Gallery: Improper tone/language|3=All: Overall tone/accuracy/detail check Synopsis: General proofread for readability}}{{Sources needed|Episode airdates, source for note about JYB's improvisation}}
{{Episode info
|subj =The Running Man
|img =[[File:{{{img|TrSt1x02 Title card.png}}}|300px]]
|ja_kanji =逃げる男
|ep_number =2
|ja_broadcast =January 14th, 2023
|us_broadcast =January 14th, 2023
|writer =
|director =Minoru Yamaoka
|prev_ep =[[NOMAN'S LAND]]
|next_ep =[[Bright Light, Shine through the Darkness]]
|eng_title=The Running Man}}'''"逃げる男'''''" (Eng: "'''''The Running Man'''''")'' is the second episode of [[Trigun Stampede|''Trigun Stampede'']].

==Synopsis==
Night-time. Vash sits at a desk in his room at Jeneora Rock's inn, cleaning his gun. He is being surreptitiously observed by an small, strange walking drone, which wanders off as the DJ on the radio laments the position that humanity is in trying to survive on No Man's Land. Without the Plants, everyone would have died long ago, but that may have been preferable to what they endure now. Is it divine retribution, or is it just bad luck? As Vash listens, he flashes back to the crash, the last time he saw Rem alive as she helped them escape, and to Nai laughing in triumph over the wreckage. On the desk, Vash has set a framed photo of himself, his brother, and Rem.

In the morning, Vash sits at a table in the saloon for his interview with Meryl and Roberto while a radio announces that the Nebraska Family has escaped from May City prison. Meryl recounts what Vash has told her so far, which is that he's ''not'' the person running around stealing Plants, and that the actual culprit is his twin brother, Knives, who looks exactly like him. Roberto points out this is an extremely convenient story and not terribly convincing, and Meryl adds that he doesn't have any proof. Vash tries to play on their sympathies by pretending to cry, but even Meryl is unmoved and Vash puts his face down on the table, looking defeated. Roberto and Meryl both begin to speculate what Knives's motive for the crimes could be - money, honor, revenge? - but Vash offers no answer.

Just then, a boy comes runs up to Vash carrying a cage of insects and puts them on the table to show Vash. Meryl flinches away and hides her face with her notebook, but Vash thanks the boy, Tonis, and gratefully tousles his hair, promising to keep the insects safe. Tonis's mother, Rosa, descends the stairs and sharply tells her son his Worms (the insects) don't belong in the diner, then warns him to go outside for a while. As Tonis takes his Worms and scurries out, Vash waves goodbye. Then Rosa and every other patron in the diner save Vash, Meryl and Roberto pulls out a gun and points it at Vash, who looks dismayed. Rosa apologises and Vash scrambles to escape as everyone in town moves to pursue and capture him for his bounty. Though screaming, wailing, flailing his arms and almost falling on his face several times, Vash dodges every bullet they fire until finally cornered. Meryl and Roberto throw him a rope and haul him to safety, though he accidentally lands on top of them. Roberto asks what the hell is going on, and Vash says he'd like to know, too.

Elsewhere in the desert, the Nebraska Family - father, an elderly man hardly taller than Meryl in a lab coat and goggles, and son, a hulking giant with mechanical modifications that allow him to fire his fist like a rocket and who can only repeat his own name - have hijacked a truck and are complaining to the driver, a patrol officer they've taken hostage, about the car's rough suspension. The driver shoots back that they won't get a smooth ride so far from a wealthy city like July and if they wanted one they should have hit a place like that. The father says he will, right after capturing Vash for his $$6,000,000 bounty, which - judging by the silly-looking picture on his Wanted poster - should be easy. Back in town, Vash is also considering his Wanted poster, lamenting the same silly photo of him printed on it. Meryl and Roberto overhear the townspeople talk about capturing the two people with Vash as well, reasoning that they can then demand more money. Roberto grumbles over Meryl getting them involved by saving Vash, telling him things would be easier for all of them if he'd put up a fight, but Vash doesn't want to cause a shoot-out. Besides, he says, bullets are expensive - one bullet costs the same as two pizza slices. Instead, he proposes that they sneak out of town. They distract the townsfolk by tying a flapping red cloth to an unsaddled toma and letting it draw them away, then creeping to the town's entrance, when they're stopped at gunpoint by Rosa and two other women. The Nebraskas are also approaching the town and the father of the pair isn't happy to see that someone else got to Vash first. They tell the driver of the truck to run all of them down, and when he refuses to do so, the father has Gofsef punch him through the window - right before realising neither of them actually knows how to drive the truck. Meanwhile, Rosa tells Vash they really need the money. Though Vash says nothing in his own defence, wearing a sad smile of acceptance, Meryl is outraged they'd hand over the man who saved their town twice. Rosa says that if it were only herself on the line they would let someone who'd done that for them go, but all three are mothers to children they don't want to see sick or starving. She tells him to blame bad luck, and Vash chuckles grimly. The Nebraskas burst onto the scene in the truck, careening toward a confused and frightened Tonis, who'd wandered out to see what was happening. Rosa drops her weapon and sprints to save him, only for Vash to leap to his feet and pull them both out of the way at the last instant before they're crushed, knocking Tonis's insects out of his hands.

The truck skids to a stop, showering the reporters with sand, and the father of the Nebraskas announces, "Power is justice! Power is truth! There's no future for those who can't fight!" and challenges Vash to a duel. Vash does not meet this challenge, saddling and mounting a toma and quickly riding away into the desert with the Nebraskas in pursuit. Meryl and Roberto climb into their truck and follow, Meryl driving and Roberto drinking. The father of the Nebraskas mocks Vash for fleeing from a fight and has Gofsef try to hit him with the rocket-punch, which he dodges, and then tries to run him down, but the truck's engine cuts out, overheated. They pursue on foot, Gofsef carrying his father on his shoulders as he still demands a fight, which Vash cheekily refuses by saying he doesn't really like pain, nor is he eager to defend his pride (since he doesn't have any). The father calls him a coward who deserves death if he won't fight to survive. The two criminals misjudge a grab and Gofsef's rocket-fist retracts too quickly, knocking them both over while Vash rides away, playfully telling them to take it easy. Gofsef stops his father from running after him alone and the father scorns him for cowardice too, lamenting the defeat since without the money they're both back in prison. Then he has an idea.

Stopping so Vash can rest and water his toma, Meryl agrees with the father Nebraska: Vash is a coward, acting like running will save everyone when he's just a wimp trying to avoid getting hurt. Vash responds that he might not be brave, but fighting head-on gets people killed. Is it always the right course?

Jeneora Rock is under attack; the Nebraskas have decided they won't need Vash's bounty if they steal the town's healthy Plant and sell it. Vash hurries back with the reporters in tow as Gofsef lays waste to the town with his rocket fist, with the Plant tied around his back with a rope. He carries it to the end of a long movable bridge, against which they've backed up the truck so that they can grab the winch hook to move the Plant. Rosa, accompanied by the other two women and some other townspeople, want to stop them but are concerned that opening fire might damage the Plant. Instead, Rosa runs at Gofsef alone to strike him with her gun, but he grabs her and tosses her into the air. He launches his rocket fist, but Vash jumps from nowhere to catch her and spin-kicks the fist away, landing on his feet with Rosa in his arms. The father is surprised to see him return, realising he ran to draw them away from the town rather than to escape, and once more demands a fight, having Gofsef launch his rocket fist several times. Vash dodges so easily, still refusing to attack, that the father Nebraska becomes insulted. Though reluctant to use such an expensive weapon, he fires a rocket launcher, which causes structural damage to the bridge that they're all on and knocks Vash over the edge. But Vash climbs back onto the bridge uninjured, complaining that he really doesn't want to fight. He says they can't take the Plant because then everyone in the town will die.

Genuinely confused, the father Nebraska demands to know why Vash is even bothering with this much for a town of people who pulled guns on him for his bounty. Vash says they were kind to him, so he'll save them regardless of what else they do. Rosa, overhearing, looks guilt-stricken. Becoming even more infuriated, the father Nebraska draws a handgun and fires it. Vash draws his own pistol and shoots the oncoming bullet out of the air, to the father's open astonishment, and says if they want, he'd like to save them too. Roberto is exasperated and asks Vash who's side he's on. Just then, the bridge they're on begins to crumble. Father Nebraska jumps to safety, but Gofsef hangs back to grab the Plant. While he carries it to the structurally sound portion of the bridge, he can't quite make it himself before the ground falls out from beneath him. He grabs the sturdy edge of the bridge with his rocket hand and Vash tries to heave him upward. The father begs for his son's rescue. When Vash asks for help, after making the father promise to return the Plant, Rosa has all her people pull the Nebraska son to safety. As everyone collapses with relief, Meryl stares at Vash in confusion as he smiles at her reassuringly.

Back at the diner, Rosa declares a free round to celebrate, inviting the Nebraskas to drink with them, though the father turns down alcohol and says he doesn't approve of drinking in daylight. Tonis happily shows his cage of insects to Gofsef, who flinches away. At another table, Meryl is already tipsy and lecturing Roberto over his alcoholism and smoking. Roberto isn't listening, having noticed Vash quietly slip from the building as everyone begins to relax. He follows and asks why he won't stay or say goodbye when these people trust him, and when Vash deflects, Roberto says he knows why already: Vash is still running from his brother.

A scream rings out from the diner. The two run back to see the place overrun with small, mechanical walking drones resembling [[wikipedia:Bacteriophage|bacteriophages]] with transparent blue cubic heads. Several climb onto Gofsef, covering him from head to toe. The heads change shape and glow red, and Gofsef stumbles outside and away from the diner. The father tries to go after him, but Vash holds him back. The drones covering Gofsef explode.

==Characters==
In order of appearance:

*Vash
*Rem Saverem
*Nai
*Meryl Stryfe
*Roberto de Niro
*Tonis
*Rosa
*Father Nebraska
*Gofsef Nebraska

== Manga ==

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Aww cute kids.PNG|Rem and the twins in better days.
File:Blue bird thing.PNG|A fashionably-dressed toma distracts the townspeople.
File:Macrophage1.PNG|An explosive drone resembling a bacteriophage.
File:Macrophage2.PNG|More drones assault the diner.
</gallery>

==Notes==

== Credits ==
{{Subpage|Credits}}

==References==
[[Category:Trigun Stampede]]
[[Category:Trigun Stampede episodes]]
[[Category:Episodes]]
[[Category:Stampede continuity]]

NOMAN'S LAND

2024-01-06T03:07:09Z

NanoMoose:

{{Stub|type=episode|cont=Stampede}}{{Proofread|Synopsis; Gallery|Synopsis: References to "episode" Gallery: Improper tone/langugae|Both: Overall tone/accuracy/detail check Synopsis: General proofread for readability}}{{Sources needed|Episode airdates (English is missing)}}{{About|the ''[[Trigun Stampede]]'' episode|the similarly-named planet|No Man's Land (planet)}}{{Episode info
|subj =NOMAN'S LAND
|img =[[File:{{{img|TrSt1x01 Title card.png}}}|300px]]
|ja_kanji =NOMAN'S LAND
|ep_number =1
|ja_broadcast =January 7th, 2023
|us_broadcast =
|writer =
|director =Naomichi Yamato
|next_ep =[[The Running Man]]
}}

'''"NOMAN'S LAND'''''"'' is the first episode of [[Trigun Stampede|''Trigun Stampede'']].

== Synopsis==
A flotilla of ships navigates through space, the SEEDs fleet, passing through the upper atmosphere of a desert planet. Aboard one, SEEDs Ship Five, a boy in cold-weather gear enters a room full of hundreds of people in cryogenic suspension and greets them, some by name. As he does this, he is knocked off his feet by an explosion. The boy is called to return to his other companions over the PA: his twin brother, Nai, and a woman he addresses as Rem, their adoptive mother. Rem hurries both boys to an escape shuttle as the ship falls apart around them, deflecting Vash's fearful requests to know what's going on. After climbing into the pilot seat, Nai asks Rem to come too, but she hangs back. She tells the boys she loves them and that meeting them has brought her joy. Then she launches the shuttle, just before a gout of flame roars through the corridor and erases Rem from sight. Nai is almost entirely stoic, but the other boy - Vash - is tearful and devastated. Nai steers the shuttle through clouds of debris, around other dying ships, and towards the desert planet's surface.

May 25, 10:00 AM. Two people drive across a desert, driving a truck towing a battery pack with a satellite atop it and listening to November Public Broadcasting for the news, reporting that the July city government is after a suspect in a series of widespread mass murders and Plant thefts. The driver, a small young woman by the name of Meryl Stryfe, is talking with her older male colleague, Roberto de Niro, who persistently refers to her as "Newbie". It turns out that they are reporters working for a news agency and have been assigned a story, and that she is the newest recruit to be brought on. Recently graduated from the high class November University, Meryl is eager to prove herself and change things for the better while Roberto says that her good intentions and inexperience will be quick routes to death - the planet they inhabit, No Man's Land, is a harsh and unforgiving place (as demonstrated by the enormous alien whale breaching the sand behind them). As Meryl grows defensive and irritated with his cynicism, the truck's engine suddenly dies, which Meryl is embarrassed to realise is because she forgot to charge its battery.

Roberto and Meryl continue on foot, the harsh sun quickly tiring Meryl and leaving her thirsty. She asks if the so-called "Humanoid Typhoon" even exists. Roberto tosses her a tabloid-style magazine with an article on the topic, complete with a caricatured illustration, and tells her he's dangerous - anyone who encounters him is marked for death. She scoffs, saying that no person is only a monster. They pass near three bodies tied up and hanging upside-down from a pile of scrap metal, which Roberto stops to identify as the work of the Bad Lads Gang. The central corpse, Meryl realises, is not a corpse, as she accidentally pulls off its prosthetic left arm investigating. The very much alive young man in a bright red long coat spins on the rope and cackles madly. Declaring him a "creep", Roberto turns to leave, but Meryl decides to help him down rather than abandon him. Roberto notes the heavy pistol in his holster and his "Lost Tech" prosthetic arm, and asks if the mystery man is a gunman of some kind. Now seated on the ground and refitting his prosthetic, the young man acknowledges he can use his weapon but denies being a fighter.

Just then, the July military police show up riding toma, large bird-like creatures with blue feathers. They produce a "Wanted" poster bearing the face and name of the man that Meryl and Roberto just rescued: Vash the Stampede, the Humanoid Typhoon. He's wanted alive by the city of July for $$6,000,000, being suspected of mass murder and Plant theft. Realizing he's the subject of their assigned story, Meryl lies and sends the military men off in the wrong direction before throwing a rope around Vash and demanding an exclusive interview, either to learn more details of his story, or perhaps even clear his name. Vash agrees with enthusiasm, congratulating her on her integrity (Roberto is immediately distrustful) and says that they can do it at the diner in the nearby town. Startled to learn civilisation and water are close by, Meryl begins dragging Vash around by the rope while he makes comedic protests and Roberto looks at his poster and wonders: Who is Vash?

They arrive at the town of Jeneora Rock, where Meryl pulls ahead to enter the saloon. The reception is chilly until Vash walks in, causing the pregnant woman behind the counter - the proprietor and de facto town leader, named Rosa - to greet him happily. She shows angry suspicion of Roberto and Meryl for having Vash restrained, until he demonstrates he can slip free at any time (Roberto and Meryl are startled) and vouches for them. It's revealed that Vash saved the town once before. Roberto requests whisky from the bar but Meryl overrides him and orders water instead. She is surprised and concerned to realise the water she receives water is dirty, and is told that the town's water-producing Plant is broken. Rosa asks Vash take a look at it again, since he repaired it free of charge the last time it failed, so the group heads over to the building where the Plant is kept, behind a large and sturdy steel vault door. As they climb the stairs to access to the town's two Plants, Roberto asks Meryl if she knows what a "Plant" is, and she rattles off a textbook explanation. Roberto explains that Plants are Lost Tech and can't be built anymore: they are precious commodities and must be either bought for huge sums or stolen. Anyone who has one keeps it heavily guarded.

One Plant is red (the other, functional Plant is blue). Vash explains that it is dying, and while a new one may not be affordable, the situation will worsen dramatically if they don't act. He is visibly scared.

At that moment, the July military police captain chimes in to inform them Vash is worth $$6,000,000, which is just about exactly the cost of a new Plant. They've tracked Vash to Jeneora Rock and though Vash surrenders to their custody without resistance, they restrain and beat him. Rosa, though disturbed, says nothing, too desperate for the money to buy a new Plant. Meryl is appalled, but shrinks back behind Roberto when the July Captain pulls a gun. Roberto, however, steps up, goading the July MP Captain into a duel with Vash by calling him a coward and threatening to publish it as his legacy.

Vash and the Captain face off atop a scarp of rock overlooking the town. It's a quick-draw duel, so the last man standing wins. Meryl is concerned that Vash will get killed, but Roberto is more confident, telling her to watch and see whether Vash's claim he's not a fighter is the truth. Vash tries to convince the Captain to stand down by refusing to draw his gun on command and pointing out the situation is dumb. It seems like he might be successful as the Captain agrees and holsters his gun, until he replaces it with a rocket launcher and fires a cluster bomb into the air. Meryl angrily moves to confront him but Roberto throws her back into cover and informs her that they're here to observe, not run recklessly into danger, and she'll need to live a lot longer before being able to instigate confrontations like that. Meryl is crestfallen, but stays under cover.

Everyone in town runs for cover as Vash, dismayed but oddly calm, sighs that the Captain is crazy and decides to finally draw his gun. He takes aim and pulls the trigger, but the gun is empty, and Vash checks his pockets only to realise he's completely out of bullets. He panics and calls for ammunition, wailing and crying theatrically. Rosa approaches Meryl and hands her a single bullet, which Mery runs to toss up to Vash. The July MP Captain first knocks the bullet away before Vash can catch it, then when Vash does catch it and load his weapon, the Captain throws him off-target by firing on his pistol and rushes to shoot Vash point-blank before he can recover his aim. Vash dodges three such shots with impossible, inhumanly effortless grace, then grapples the Captain and flips him off his feet before knocking him out by hitting him in the back of the head with his pistol. He then uses a piston installed in his prosthetic to break a large rock out of the ground, throws it upwards into the oncoming cloud of missiles, and fires his single bullet after it. The rock shatters upon hit and its pieces are thrown outward, harmlessly detonating all the missiles before they can destroy the town. The police are thrown out.

The next day, Meryl admiringly tells Vash he has amazing skill, but Vash demurs, claiming that he just got lucky. Neither Roberto nor Meryl are fooled and Roberto calls his bluff: Vash was not frightened by the military police, but he's scared of ''something'', and whatever it is, the red Plant has something to do with it. What is it? Vash drops his air of goofball incompetence and hesitantly reveals that he has a brother. A flashback shows the moment just after their pod crashed as children, where Vash finds Nai laughing maniacally atop a pillar of rubble while he watches burning SEEDS ships rain from the sky, and the pods with sleeping people inside being consumed by the flames. Nai triumphantly declares that his work is successful, and when Vash tells him in horror that he's committed murder with Rem among his victims, he names Vash his accomplice. The flashback ends, and Vash tells them his brother is named "Millions Knives". A strange insect-bird creature, one of several that have lingered around the town and Vash when he was tied up, flies from Jeneora Rock to the city of July. It reports Vash's location to a robed man playing a complex piano piece under the gaze of twisted, snarling statue: Knives. He is glad to know Vash has been located, and declares that he will go to him and claim him before exterminating the parasites once and for all.

==Characters==
In order of appearance:

*Vash
*Rem Saverem
*Nai
*Roberto de Niro
*Meryl Stryfe
*Captain Chuck Lee, July Military Police
*Rosa
*Tonis

== Manga ==

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:MerylResume.PNG|Meryl's CV.
File:WantedPoster.PNG|The six million double-dollar man.
File:Prostitutes.PNG|Rosa's diner serves all comers.
File:Currency.PNG|Currency
File:Bridthing1.PNG|Alien planet, alien wildlife.
File:Birdthing2.PNG|"They did a number on this guy."
File:Birdthing3.PNG|The third city, July.
</gallery>

== Notes ==

== Credits ==
{{Subpage|Credits}}

== References ==
[[Category:Trigun Stampede]]
[[Category:Trigun Stampede episodes]]
[[Category:Episodes]]
[[Category:Stampede continuity]]

NOMAN'S LAND

2024-01-06T02:33:10Z

NanoMoose:

{{Stub|type=episode|cont=Stampede}}{{Proofread|Synopsis; Gallery|Synopsis: References to "episode" Gallery: Improper tone/langugae|Both: Overall tone/accuracy/detail check Synopsis: General proofread for readability}}{{Sources needed|Episode airdates (English is missing)}}{{About|the ''[[Trigun Stampede]]'' episode|the similarly-named planet|No Man's Land (planet)}}{{Episode info
|subj =NOMAN'S LAND
|img =[[File:{{{img|TrSt1x01 Title card.png}}}|300px]]
|ja_kanji =NOMAN'S LAND
|ep_number =1
|ja_broadcast =January 7th, 2023
|us_broadcast =
|writer =
|director =Naomichi Yamato
|next_ep =[[The Running Man]]
}}

'''"NOMAN'S LAND'''''"'' is the first episode of [[Trigun Stampede|''Trigun Stampede'']].

== Synopsis==
The episode opens with a view of a flotilla of ships navigating through space, the SEEDs fleet, in the upper atmosphere of a desert planet. Onboard one, SEEDs Ship Five, a boy in cold-weather gear enters a room full of hundreds of people in cryogenic suspension and greets them, some by name. As he does this, he is knocked off his feet by an explosion. The boy is called to return to his other companions over the PA: his twin brother, Nai, and a woman he addresses as Rem, their adoptive mother. Rem hurries both boys to an escape pod as the ship falls apart around them, deflecting Vash's fearful requests to know what's going on. After climbing into the pilot seat, Nai asks Rem to come too, but she hangs back. She tells the boys she loves them and that meeting them has brought her joy. Then she launches the shuttle, just before a gout of flame roars through the corridor and erases Rem from sight. Nai is almost entirely stoic, but the other boy - Vash - is tearful and devastated. Nai steers the shuttle through clouds of debris, around other dying ships, and towards the desert planet's surface.

May 25, 10:00 AM. Two people drive across a desert, driving a truck towing a battery pack with a satellite atop it and listening to November Public Broadcasting for the news, reporting that the July city government is after a suspect in a series of widespread mass murders and Plant thefts. The driver, a small young woman by the name of Meryl Stryfe, is talking with her older male colleague, Roberto de Niro, who persistently refers to her as "Newbie". It turns out that they are reporters working for a news agency and have been assigned a story, and that she is the newest recruit to be brought on. Recently graduated from the high class November University, Meryl is eager to prove herself and change things for the better while Roberto says that her good intentions and inexperience will be quick routes to death - the planet they inhabit, No Man's Land, is a harsh and unforgiving place (as demonstrated by the enormous alien whale breaching the sand behind them). As Meryl grows defensive and irritated with his cynicism, the truck's engine suddenly dies, which Meryl is embarrassed to realise is because she forgot to charge its battery.

Roberto and Meryl continue on foot, the harsh sun quickly tiring Meryl and leaving her thirsty. She asks if the so-called "Humanoid Typhoon" even exists. Roberto tosses her a tabloid-style magazine with an article on the topic, complete with a caricatured illustration, and tells her he's dangerous - anyone who encounters him is marked for death. She scoffs, saying that no person is only a monster. They pass near three bodies tied up and hanging upside-down from a pile of scrap metal, which Roberto stops to identify as the work of the Bad Lads Gang. The central corpse, Meryl realises, is not a corpse, as she accidentally pulls off its prosthetic left arm investigating. The very much alive young man in a bright red long coat spins on the rope and cackles madly. Declaring him a "creep", Roberto turns to leave, but Meryl decides to help him down rather than abandon him. Roberto notes the heavy pistol in his holster and his "Lost Tech" prosthetic arm, and asks if the mystery man is a gunman of some kind. Now seated on the ground and refitting his prosthetic, the young man acknowledges he can use his weapon but denies being a fighter.

Just then, the July military police show up riding toma, large bird-like creatures with blue feathers. They produce a "Wanted" poster bearing the face and name of the man that Meryl and Roberto just rescued: Vash the Stampede, the Humanoid Typhoon. He's wanted alive by the city of July for $$6,000,000, being suspected of mass murder and Plant theft. Realizing he's the subject of their assigned story, Meryl lies and sends the military men off in the wrong direction before throwing a rope around Vash and demanding an exclusive interview, either to learn more details of his story, or perhaps even clear his name. Vash agrees with enthusiasm, congratulating her on her integrity (Roberto is immediately distrustful) and says that they can do it at the diner in the nearby town. Startled to learn civilisation and water are close by, Meryl begins dragging Vash around by the rope while he makes comedic protests and Roberto looks at his poster and wonders: Who is Vash?

They arrive at the town of Jeneora Rock, where Meryl pulls ahead to enter the saloon. The reception is chilly until Vash walks in, causing the pregnant woman behind the counter - the proprietor and de facto town leader, named Rosa - to greet him happily. She shows angry suspicion of Roberto and Meryl for having Vash restrained, until he demonstrates he can slip free at any time (Roberto and Meryl are startled) and vouches for them. It's revealed that Vash saved the town once before. Roberto requests whisky from the bar but Meryl overrides him and orders water instead. She is surprised and concerned to realise the water she receives water is dirty, and is told that the town's water-producing Plant is broken. Rosa asks Vash take a look at it again, since he repaired it free of charge the last time it failed, so the group heads over to the building where the Plant is kept, behind a large and sturdy steel vault door. As they climb the stairs to access to the town's two Plants, Roberto asks Meryl if she knows what a "Plant" is, and she rattles off a textbook explanation. Roberto explains that Plants are Lost Tech and can't be built anymore: they are precious commodities and must be either bought for huge sums or stolen. Anyone who has one keeps it heavily guarded.

One Plant is red (the other, functional Plant is blue). Vash explains that it is dying, and while a new one may not be affordable, the situation will worsen dramatically if they don't act. He is visibly scared.

At that moment, the July military police captain chimes in to inform them Vash is worth $$6,000,000, which is just about exactly the cost of a new Plant. They've tracked Vash to Jeneora Rock and though Vash surrenders to their custody without resistance, they restrain and beat him. Rosa, though disturbed, says nothing, too desperate for the money to buy a new Plant. Meryl is appalled, but shrinks back behind Roberto when the July Captain pulls a gun. Roberto, however, steps up, goading the July MP Captain into a duel with Vash by calling him a coward and threatening to publish it as his legacy.

Vash and the Captain face off atop a scarp of rock overlooking the town. It's a quick-draw duel, so the last man standing wins. Meryl is concerned that Vash will get killed, but Roberto is more confident, telling her to watch and see whether Vash's claim he's not a fighter is the truth. Vash tries to convince the Captain to stand down by refusing to draw his gun on command and pointing out the situation is dumb. It seems like he might be successful as the Captain agrees and holsters his gun, until he replaces it with a rocket launcher and fires a cluster bomb into the air. Meryl angrily moves to confront him but Roberto throws her back into cover and informs her that they're here to observe, not run recklessly into danger, and she'll need to live a lot longer before being able to instigate confrontations like that. Meryl is crestfallen, but stays under cover.

Everyone in town runs for cover as Vash, dismayed but oddly calm, sighs that the Captain is crazy and decides to finally draw his gun. He takes aim and pulls the trigger, but the gun is empty, and Vash checks his pockets only to realise he's completely out of bullets. He panics and calls for ammunition, wailing and crying theatrically. Rosa approaches Meryl and hands her a single bullet, which Mery runs to toss up to Vash. The July MP Captain first knocks the bullet away before Vash can catch it, then when Vash does catch it and load his weapon, the Captain throws him off-target by firing on his pistol and rushes to shoot Vash point-blank before he can recover his aim. Vash dodges three such shots with impossible, inhumanly effortless grace, then grapples the Captain and flips him off his feet before knocking him out by hitting him in the back of the head with his pistol. He then uses a piston installed in his prosthetic to break a large rock out of the ground, throws it upwards into the oncoming cloud of missiles, and fires his single bullet after it. The rock shatters upon hit and its pieces are thrown outward, harmlessly detonating all the missiles before they can destroy the town. The police are thrown out.

The next day, Meryl admiringly tells Vash he has amazing skill, but Vash demurs, claiming that he just got lucky. Neither Roberto nor Meryl are fooled and Roberto calls his bluff: Vash was not frightened by the military police, but he's scared of ''something'', and whatever it is, the red Plant has something to do with it. What is it? Vash drops his air of goofball incompetence and hesitantly reveals that he has a brother. A flashback shows the moment just after their pod crashed as children, where Vash finds Nai laughing maniacally atop a pillar of rubble while he watches burning SEEDS ships rain from the sky, and the pods with sleeping people inside being consumed by the flames. Nai triumphantly declares that his work is successful, and when Vash tells him in horror that he's committed murder with Rem among his victims, he names Vash his accomplice. The flashback ends, and Vash tells them his brother is named "Millions Knives". A strange insect-bird creature, one of several that have lingered around the town and Vash when he was tied up, flies from Jeneora Rock to the city of July. It reports Vash's location to a robed man playing a complex piano piece under the gaze of twisted, snarling statue: Knives. He is glad to know Vash has been located, and declares that he will go to him and claim him before exterminating the parasites once and for all.

==Characters==
In order of appearance:

*Vash
*Rem Saverem
*Nai
*Roberto de Niro
*Meryl Stryfe
*Captain Chuck Lee, July Military Police
*Rosa
*Tonis

== Manga ==

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:MerylResume.PNG|Meryl's resume
File:WantedPoster.PNG|The Wanted poster
File:Prostitutes.PNG|Some prostitutes
File:Currency.PNG|Currency
File:Bridthing1.PNG|Werid bird-bug thing
File:Birdthing2.PNG|More
File:Birdthing3.PNG|Approaching a city
</gallery>

== Notes ==

== Credits ==
{{Subpage|Credits}}

== References ==
[[Category:Trigun Stampede]]
[[Category:Trigun Stampede episodes]]
[[Category:Episodes]]
[[Category:Stampede continuity]]

Trigun Stampede

2024-01-06T02:15:43Z

NanoMoose:

{{DISPLAYTITLE:''Trigun Stampede''}}
{{Stub|cont=stampede}}{{SeriesInfobox|title=''Trigun Stampede''|director=[[Kenji Muto]]|img=StampedeTitleCard.png|producer=[[Yoshihiro Watanabe]]|composer=[[Tatsuya Kato]]|studio=[[Orange]]|creator=[[Yasuhiro Nightow]]|network_JP=TV Tokyo<ref name="ANN" />|network_US=Crunchyroll (streaming)<ref name="ANN">https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=25847</ref>|premiere_JP=January 7th, 2023<ref name="ANN" />|premiere_US=January 7th, 2023<ref name="ANN" />|episodes=12}}'''''Trigun Stampede''''' is the latest anime adaptation of [[Trigun]], released in 2023 via [https://www.crunchyroll.com/series/GXJHM3PK5/trigun-stampede?referrer=cap_cr_carousel_2_trigun-stampede&utm_campaign=trigun-stampede_en&utm_medium=carousel_2&utm_source=cap_cr Crunchyroll]. The first season, consisting of twelve episodes twenty-five minutes long, is complete as of March 26, and a second season is currently in production, referred to by Orange as "Final Phase".<ref>https://twitter.com/CG_Orange_eng/status/1640055709349064705?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet</ref><ref>https://twitter.com/trigun_anime/status/1639635026571587586?cxt=HHwWhMCzgdPXk8EtAAAA</ref><ref>https://trigun-anime.com/news/?p=573</ref>
== Overview ==
From Crunchyroll:<blockquote>Vash the Stampede’s a joyful gunslinging pacifist, so why does he have a $$6 million bounty on his head? That’s what’s puzzling rookie reporter Meryl Stryfe and her jaded veteran partner when looking into the vigilante only to find someone who hates blood. But their investigation turns out to uncover something heinous—his evil twin brother, Millions Knives.</blockquote>''Stampede'' heavily references both the manga and the earlier anime adaptation in broad plot developments, but expands upon and alters many details to create a "retelling" of Vash's story. Though the previously published material is not needed to understand the plot, numerous references to those works exist throughout ''Stampede'' for an informed viewer's enjoyment.

Tonally and thematically, ''Stampede'' most resembles the manga, particularly ''Trigun Maximum'', quickly moving from comedic and quirky to dark, disturbing and violent, though not without comedy or hope. While still greatly inspired by the aesthetics of the American West, ''Stampede'' also uses more science fiction elements and aesthetics than previous versions.

The largest change is in the story's reshuffled timeline. Where the manga opened in the aftermath of the "Lost July" incident, and the anime also depicted the incident as already in the past, ''Stampede''<nowiki/>'s main plot begins with the city of July still standing and follows Vash as he journeys to confront his brother, Millions Knives, accompanied by news reporters Meryl Stryfe and Roberto de Niro. Along the way, he encounters several other major characters, including Nicholas D. Wolfwood. Because they appear earlier than before in their lives and in the show's narrative, the characters are all designed to be young or incomplete versions of the ones viewers already know.<ref name=":0">https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/convention/2023/sakura-con/orange-reveals-the-making-of-trigun-stampede/.196922</ref>

Vash develops his conviction over the course of the series, going from uncertain in himself and fearful of his brother to determined to see Knives's plans fail, as their origins and previous confrontations are slowly revealed.

== Episodes ==

# [[NOMAN'S LAND]]
# [[The Running Man]]
# [[Bright Light, Shine through the Darkness]]
# [[HUNGRY!]]
# [[Child of Blessing]]
# [[Once Upon a Time in Hopeland]]
# [[WOLFWOOD (episode)|WOLFWOOD]]
# [[Our Home.]]
# [[Millions Knives (episode)|Millions Knives]]
# [[Humanity]]
# [[To A New World]]
# [[High Noon At July (episode)|High Noon At July]]

== Production ==

Created by Studio Orange, ''Stampede'' uses the same style as their previous works ''Land of the Lustrous''/''Houseki no Kuni'' and ''Beastars'': a hybrid of 3D models animated with 2D principles, warping the models in relation to the camera to resemble traditional anime stylisation.<ref name=":0" /> This is a challenging and time-consuming process, requiring two years spent creating custom software for the characters' faces alone, and five years total in production (compared to the studio's usual three years).<ref name=":0" />
=== Staff ===

=== Cast ===

== Soundtrack ==
The music for Trigun Stampede was composed by [[Tatsuya Kato]].

=== Theme Songs ===
All episodes use the same opening and closing theme songs, with the exception of Episodes 1 and 0. <ref>https://trigun-anime.com/music/</ref>

==== Opening ====
"TOMBI" by Kvi Baba Episodes 2-11

==== Closing ====
"TOMBI" by Kvi Baba Episode 1 
"星のクズ α" by Salyu × haruka nakamura Episodes 2-11 
"聖者の行進" by Salyu × haruka nakamura Episode 0

== Releases ==
{{Subpage|Home Media Releases}}

== Gallery ==
{{Subpage|Gallery}}

== Note ==

* Because of streaming, this series is the first Trigun series to be simulcast - episodes are able to premiere in Japan and the US on the same date.

== Links ==

* [https://trigun-anime.com/ Trigun Stampede official website]
* [https://www.orange-cg.com/ Studio Orange website]
* [https://www.crunchyroll.com/series/GXJHM3PK5/trigun-stampede?referrer=cap_cr_carousel_2_trigun-stampede&utm_campaign=trigun-stampede_en&utm_medium=carousel_2&utm_source=cap_cr Trigun Stampede on Crunchyroll]

== References ==
[[Category:Anime]]
[[Category:Trigun Stampede]]
<references />
[[Category:Stampede continuity]]

NOMAN'S LAND

2024-01-05T12:06:06Z

NanoMoose: Typos.

{{Episode info
|subj =NOMAN'S LAND
|img =[[File:{{{img|TrSt1x01 Title card.png}}}|300px]]
|ja_kanji =NOMAN'S LAND
|ep_number =1
|ja_broadcast =January 7th, 2023
|us_broadcast =
|writer =
|director =Naomichi Yamato
|prev_ep =None
|next_ep =[[The Running Man]]
}}
[[File:TrSt1x01 Title card.png|alt=Japanese title card for Trigun Stampede episode 1, NOMAN'S LAND|thumb|300x300px|Japanese Title Card]]

'''''NOMAN'S LAND''' (Eng: '''NOMAN'S LAND''')'' is the first episode of [[Trigun Stampede]].

== Synopsis==
The episode opens with a view of a flotilla of ships navigating through space, the SEEDs fleet, in the upper atmosphere of a desert planet. Onboard one, SEEDs Ship Five, a boy in cold-weather gear enters a room full of hundreds of people in cryogenic suspension and greets them, some by name. As he does this, he is knocked off his feet by an explosion. The boy is called to return to his other companions over the PA: his twin brother, Nai, and a woman he addresses as Rem, their adoptive mother. Rem hurries both boys to an escape pod as the ship falls apart around them, deflecting Vash's fearful requests to know what's going on. After climbing into the pilot seat, Nai asks Rem to come too, but she hangs back. She tells the boys she loves them and that meeting them has brought her joy. Then she launches the shuttle, just before a gout of flame roars through the corridor and erases Rem from sight. Nai is almost entirely stoic, but the other boy - Vash - is tearful and devastated. Nai steers the shuttle through clouds of debris, around other dying ships, and towards the desert planet's surface.

May 25, 10:00 AM. Two people drive across a desert, driving a truck towing a battery pack with a satellite atop it and listening to November Public Broadcasting for the news, reporting that the July city government is after a suspect in a series of widespread mass murders and Plant thefts. The driver, a small young woman by the name of Meryl Stryfe, is talking with her older male colleague, Roberto de Niro, who persistently refers to her as "Newbie". It turns out that they are reporters working for a news agency and have been assigned a story, and that she is the newest recruit to be brought on. Recently graduated from the high class November University, Meryl is eager to prove herself and change things for the better while Roberto says that her good intentions and inexperience will be quick routes to death - the planet they inhabit, No Man's Land, is a harsh and unforgiving place (as demonstrated by the enormous alien whale breaching the sand behind them). As Meryl grows defensive and irritated with his cynicism, the truck's engine suddenly dies, which Meryl is embarrassed to realise is because she forgot to charge its battery.

Roberto and Meryl continue on foot, the harsh sun quickly tiring Meryl and leaving her thirsty. She asks if the so-called "Humanoid Typhoon" even exists. Roberto tosses her a tabloid-style magazine with an article on the topic, complete with a caricatured illustration, and tells her he's dangerous - anyone who encounters him is marked for death. She scoffs, saying that no person is only a monster. They pass near three bodies tied up and hanging upside-down from a pile of scrap metal, which Roberto stops to identify as the work of the Bad Lads Gang. The central corpse, Meryl realises, is not a corpse, as she accidentally pulls off its prosthetic left arm investigating. The very much alive young man in a bright red long coat spins on the rope and cackles madly. Declaring him a "creep", Roberto turns to leave, but Meryl decides to help him down rather than abandon him. Roberto notes the heavy pistol in his holster and his "Lost Tech" prosthetic arm, and asks if the mystery man is a gunman of some kind. Now seated on the ground and refitting his prosthetic, the young man acknowledges he can use his weapon but denies being a fighter.

Just then, the July military police show up riding toma, large bird-like creatures with blue feathers. They produce a "Wanted" poster bearing the face and name of the man that Meryl and Roberto just rescued: Vash the Stampede, the Humanoid Typhoon. He's wanted alive by the city of July for $$6,000,000, being suspected of mass murder and Plant theft. Realizing he's the subject of their assigned story, Meryl lies and sends the military men off in the wrong direction before throwing a rope around Vash and demanding an exclusive interview, either to learn more details of his story, or perhaps even clear his name. Vash agrees with enthusiasm, congratulating her on her integrity (Roberto is immediately distrustful) and says that they can do it at the diner in the nearby town. Startled to learn civilisation and water are close by, Meryl begins dragging Vash around by the rope while he makes comedic protests and Roberto looks at his poster and wonders: Who is Vash?

They arrive at the town of Jeneora Rock, where Meryl pulls ahead to enter the saloon. The reception is chilly until Vash walks in, causing the pregnant woman behind the counter - the proprietor and de facto town leader, named Rosa - to greet him happily. She shows angry suspicion of Roberto and Meryl for having Vash restrained, until he demonstrates he can slip free at any time (Roberto and Meryl are startled) and vouches for them. It's revealed that Vash saved the town once before. Roberto requests whisky from the bar but Meryl overrides him and orders water instead. She is surprised and concerned to realise the water she receives water is dirty, and is told that the town's water-producing Plant is broken. Rosa asks Vash take a look at it again, since he repaired it free of charge the last time it failed, so the group heads over to the building where the Plant is kept, behind a large and sturdy steel vault door. As they climb the stairs to access to the town's two Plants, Roberto asks Meryl if she knows what a "Plant" is, and she rattles off a textbook explanation. Roberto explains that Plants are Lost Tech and can't be built anymore: they are precious commodities and must be either bought for huge sums or stolen. Anyone who has one keeps it heavily guarded.

One Plant is red (the other, functional Plant is blue). Vash explains that it is dying, and while a new one may not be affordable, the situation will worsen dramatically if they don't act. He is visibly scared.

At that moment, the July military police captain chimes in to inform them Vash is worth $$6,000,000, which is just about exactly the cost of a new Plant. They've tracked Vash to Jeneora Rock and though Vash surrenders to their custody without resistance, they restrain and beat him viciously. Rosa, though disturbed, says nothing, too desperate for the money to buy a new Plant. Meryl is appalled, but shrinks back behind Roberto when the July Captain pulls a gun. Roberto, however, steps up, goading the July MP Captain into a duel with Vash by calling him a coward and threatening to publish it as his legacy.

Vash and the Captain face off atop a scarp of rock overlooking the town. It's a quick-draw duel, so the last man standing wins. Meryl is concerned that Vash will get killed, but Roberto is more confident, telling her to watch and see whether Vash's claim he's not a fighter is the truth. Vash tries to convince the Captain to stand down by refusing to draw his gun on command and pointing out the situation is dumb. It seems like he might be successful as the Captain agrees and holsters his gun, until he replaces it with a rocket launcher and fires a cluster bomb into the air. Meryl angrily moves to confront him but Roberto throws her back into cover and informs her sternly that they're here to observe, not run recklessly into danger, and she'll need to live a lot longer before being able to instigate confrontations like that. Meryl is crestfallen, but stays under cover.

Everyone in town takes off running as Vash, dismayed but oddly calm, wearily sighs that the Captain is crazy and decides to finally draw his gun. He takes aim and pulls the trigger, but the gun is empty, and Vash realises he's completely out of bullets. He panics and calls for ammunition, wailing and crying theatrically. Rosa approaches Meryl and hands her a single bullet, which Mery runs and tosses up to Vash. The July MP Captain first knocks the bullet away before Vash can catch it, then when Vash does catch it and load his weapon, the Captain throws him off-target by firing on his pistol and rushes to shoot Vash point-blank before he can recover his aim. Vash dodges three such shots with impossible, inhumanly effortless grace, then grapples the Captain and flips him off his feet before knocking him out by hitting him in the back of the head with his pistol. He then uses a piston installed in his prosthetic to break a large rock out of the ground, throws it upwards into the oncoming cloud of missiles, and fires his single bullet after it. The rock shatters upon hit and its pieces are thrown outward, harmlessly detonating all the missiles before they can destroy the town. The police are thrown out.

The next day, Meryl admiringly tells Vash he has amazing skill, but Vash demurs, claiming that he just got really lucky. Neither Roberto nor Meryl are fooled and Roberto calls his bluff: Vash was not frightened by the military police, but he's scared of ''something'', and whatever it is, the red Plant has something to do with it. What is it? Vash drops his air of goofball incompetence and hesitantly reveals that he has a brother. A flashback shows the moment just after their pod crashed as children, where Vash finds Nai laughing maniacally atop a pillar of rubble while he watches burning SEEDS ships rain from the sky, and the pods with sleeping people still inside being consumed by the flames. Nai triumphantly declares that his work is successful, and names Vash his accomplice when Vash tells him in horror that he's committed murder with Rem among his victims. The flashback ends, and Vash tells them his brother is named "Millions Knives". A strange insect-bird creature, one of several that have lingered around the town and Vash when he was tied up, flies from Jeneora Rock to the city of July. It reports Vash's location to a robed man playing a complex piano piece under the gaze of twisted, snarling statue: Knives. He is glad to know Vash has been located, and declares that he will go to him and claim him before exterminating the parasites once and for all.

==Notes==
==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:MerylResume.PNG|Meryl's resume
File:WantedPoster.PNG|The Wanted poster
File:Prostitutes.PNG|Some prostitutes
File:Currency.PNG|Currency
File:Bridthing1.PNG|Werid bird-bug thing
File:Birdthing2.PNG|More
File:Birdthing3.PNG|Approaching a city
</gallery>
[[Category:Trigun Stampede]]
[[Category:Trigun Stampede episodes]]
[[Category:Episodes]]
[[Category:Stampede continuity]]

The Running Man

2024-01-05T11:36:59Z

NanoMoose: Typo fixes.

{{Episode info
|subj =The Running Man
|img =[[File:{{{img|TrSt1x02 Title card.png}}}|300px]]
|ja_kanji =逃げる男
|ep_number =2
|ja_broadcast =January 14th, 2023
|us_broadcast =January 14th, 2023
|writer =
|director =Minoru Yamaoka
|prev_ep =[[NOMAN'S LAND]]
|next_ep =[[Bright Light, Shine through the Darkness]]
}}
[[File:TrSt1x02 Title card.png|alt=Japanese title card for Trigun Stampede episode 2, 逃げる男|thumb|300x300px|Japanese Title Card]]

'''''逃げる男''' (Eng: '''The Running Man''')'' is the second episode of [[Trigun Stampede]].

==Synopsis==
Night-time. Vash sits at a desk in his room at Jeneora Rock's inn, cleaning his gun. He is being surreptitiously observed by an small, strange walking drone, which wanders off as the DJ on the radio laments the position that humanity is in trying to survive on No Man's Land. Without the Plants, everyone would have died long ago, but that may have been preferable to what they endure now. Is it divine retribution, or is it just bad luck? As Vash listens, he flashes back to the crash, the last time he saw Rem alive as she helped them escape, and to Nai laughing in triumph over the wreckage. On the desk, Vash has set a framed photo of himself, his brother, and Rem.

In the morning, Vash sits at a table in the saloon for his interview with Meryl and Roberto while a radio announces that the Nebraska Family has escaped from May City prison. Meryl recounts what Vash has told her so far, which is that he's ''not'' the person running around stealing Plants, and that the actual culprit is his twin brother, Knives, who looks exactly like him. Roberto points out this is an extremely convenient story and not terribly convincing, and Meryl adds that he doesn't have any proof. Vash tries to play on their sympathies by pretending to cry, but even Meryl is unmoved and Vash puts his face down on the table, looking defeated. Roberto and Meryl both begin to speculate what Knives's motive for the crimes could be - money, honor, revenge? - but Vash offers no answer.

Just then, a boy comes runs up to Vash carrying a cage of insects and puts them on the table to show Vash. Meryl flinches away and hides her face with her notebook, but Vash thanks the boy, Tonis, and gratefully tousles his hair, promising to keep the insects safe. Tonis's mother, Rosa, descends the stairs and sharply tells her son his Worms (the insects) don't belong in the diner, then warns him to go outside for a while. As Tonis takes his Worms and scurries out, Vash waves goodbye. Then Rosa and every other patron in the diner save Vash, Meryl and Roberto pulls out a gun and points it at Vash, who looks dismayed. Rosa apologises and Vash scrambles to escape as everyone in town moves to pursue and capture him for his bounty. Though screaming, wailing, flailing his arms and almost falling on his face several times, Vash dodges every bullet they fire until finally cornered. Meryl and Roberto throw him a rope and haul him to safety, though he accidentally lands on top of them. Roberto asks what the hell is going on, and Vash says he'd like to know, too.

Elsewhere in the desert, the Nebraska Family - father, an elderly man hardly taller than Meryl in a lab coat and goggles, and son, a hulking giant with mechanical modifications that allow him to fire his fist like a rocket and who can only repeat his own name - have hijacked a truck and are complaining to the driver, a patrol officer they've taken hostage, about the car's rough suspension. The driver shoots back that they won't get a smooth ride so far from a wealthy city like July and if they wanted one they should have hit a place like that. The father says he will, right after capturing Vash for his $$6,000,000 bounty, which - judging by the silly-looking picture on his Wanted poster - should be easy. Back in town, Vash is also considering his Wanted poster, lamenting the same silly photo of him printed on it. Meryl and Roberto overhear the townspeople talk about capturing the two people with Vash as well, reasoning that they can then demand more money. Roberto grumbles over Meryl getting them involved by saving Vash, telling him things would be easier for all of them if he'd put up a fight, but Vash doesn't want to cause a shoot-out. Besides, he says, bullets are expensive - one bullet costs the same as two pizza slices. Instead, he proposes that they sneak out of town. They distract the townsfolk by tying a flapping red cloth to an unsaddled toma and letting it draw them away, then creeping to the town's entrance, when they're stopped at gunpoint by Rosa and two other women. The Nebraskas are also approaching the town and the father of the pair isn't happy to see that someone else got to Vash first. They tell the driver of the truck to run all of them down, and when he refuses to do so, the father has Gofsef punch him through the window - right before realising neither of them actually knows how to drive the truck. Meanwhile, Rosa tells Vash they really need the money. Though Vash says nothing in his own defence, wearing a sad smile of acceptance, Meryl is outraged they'd hand over the man who saved their town twice. Rosa says that if it were only herself on the line they would let someone who'd done that for them go, but all three are mothers to children they don't want to see sick or starving. She tells him to blame bad luck, and Vash chuckles grimly. The Nebraskas burst onto the scene in the truck, careening toward a confused and frightened Tonis, who'd wandered out to see what was happening. Rosa drops her weapon and sprints to save him, only for Vash to leap to his feet and pull them both out of the way at the last instant before they're crushed, knocking Tonis's insects out of his hands.

The truck skids to a stop, showering the reporters with sand, and the father of the Nebraskas announces, "Power is justice! Power is truth! There's no future for those who can't fight!" and challenges Vash to a duel. Vash does not meet this challenge, mounting a toma and quickly riding away into the desert with the Nebraskas in pursuit. Meryl and Roberto climb into their truck and follow, Meryl driving and Roberto drinking. The father of the Nebraskas mocks Vash for fleeing from a fight and has Gofsef try to hit him with the rocket-punch, which he dodges, and then tries to run him down, but the truck's engine cuts out, overheated. They pursue on foot, Gofsef carrying his father on his shoulders as he still demands a fight, which Vash cheekily refuses by saying he doesn't really like pain, nor is he eager to defend his pride (since he doesn't have any). The father calls him a coward who deserves death if he won't fight to survive. The two criminals misjudge a grab and Gofsef's rocket-fist retracts too quickly, knocking them both over while Vash rides away, playfully telling them to take it easy. Gofsef stops his father from running after him alone and the father scorns him for cowardice too, lamenting the defeat since without the money they're both back in prison. Then he has an idea.

Stopping so Vash can rest and water his toma, Meryl agrees with the father Nebraska: Vash is a coward, acting like running will save everyone when he's just a wimp trying to avoid getting hurt. Vash responds that he might not be brave, but fighting gets people killed. Is it always the right course?

Jeneora Rock is under attack. The Nebraskas have decided they won't need Vash's bounty if they steal the town's healthy Plant and sell it. Vash hurries back with the reporters in tow as Gofsef lays waste to the town with his rocket fist, with the Plant tied around his back with a rope. He carries it to the end of a long movable bridge, against which they've backed up the truck so that they can grab the winch hook to move the Plant. Rosa, accompanied by the other two women and some other townspeople, want to stop them but are concerned that opening fire might damage the Plant. Instead, Rosa runs at Gofsef alone to strike him with her gun, but he grabs her and tosses her into the air. He launches his rocket fist, but Vash jumps from nowhere to catch her and spin-kicks the fist away, landing on his feet with Rosa in his arms. The father is surprised to see him return, realising he ran to draw them away from the town rather than to escape, and once more demands he fight, having Gofsef launch his rocket fist several times. Vash dodges so easily, still refusing to attack, that the father Nebraska becomes insulted. Though reluctant to use such an expensive weapon, he fires a rocket launcher, which causes structural damage to the bridge that they're all on and knocks Vash over the edge. But he climbs back onto the bridge uninjured, complaining that he really doesn't want to fight. He says they can't take the Plant because then everyone in the town will die.

Genuinely confused, the father Nebraska demands to know why Vash is even bothering with this much for a town of people who pulled guns on him for his bounty. Vash says they were kind to him, so he'll save them regardless of what else they do. Rosa, overhearing, looks guilt-stricken. Becoming even more infuriated, the father Nebraska draws a handgun and fires it. Vash draws his own pistol and shoots the oncoming bullet out of the air, to the father's open astonishment, and says if they want, he'd like to save them too. Roberto is exasperated and asks Vash who's side he's on. Just then, the bridge they're on begins to crumble. Father Nebraska jumps to safety, but Gofsef hangs back to grab the Plant. While he carries it to the structurally sound portion of the bridge, he can't quite make it himself before the ground falls apart under him. He grabs the edge of the sturdy bridge with his rocket hand and Vash tries to heave him upward. The father begs for his son's rescue. When Vash asks for help, after making the father promise to return the Plant, Rosa has all her people pull the Nebraska son to safety. As everyone collapses with relief, Meryl stares at Vash in confusion as he smiles at her reassuringly.

Back at the diner, Rosa declares a free round to celebrate, inviting the Nebraskas to drink with them, though the father turns down alcohol and says he doesn't approve of drinking in daylight. Tonis happily shows his cage of insects to Gofsef, who flinches away. At another table, Meryl is already tipsy and lecturing Roberto over his alcoholism and smoking. Roberto isn't listening, having noticed Vash quietly slip from the building as everyone begins to relax. He follows and asks why he won't stay or say goodbye when these people trust him, and when Vash deflects, Roberto says he knows why already: Vash is running from his brother.

A scream rings out from the diner. The two run back to see the place overrun with small, mechanical walking drones resembling [[wikipedia:Bacteriophage|bacteriophages]] with transparent blue cubic heads. Several climb onto Gofsef, covering him from head to toe. The heads change shape and glow red, and Gofsef stumbles outside and away from the diner. The father tries to go after him, but Vash holds him back. The drones covering Gofsef explode, bringing an end to the episode.

==Notes==
In the English dub, rather than "two pizza slices", a line from the manga, Vash says bullets cost as much as "two dozen donuts", an improvisation from Johnny Yong Bosch referencing the anime from 1998.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Aww_cute_kids.PNG|Rem and the kids
File:Blue_bird_thing.PNG|Blue thing
File:Macrophage1.PNG|A bacteriophage-thing
File:Macrophage2.PNG|More of them
</gallery>
[[Category:Trigun Stampede]]
[[Category:Trigun Stampede episodes]]
[[Category:Episodes]]
[[Category:Stampede continuity]]

The Running Man

2024-01-05T05:46:04Z

NanoMoose: Re-written, adjusting tone and adding details.

{{Episode info
|subj =The Running Man
|img =[[File:{{{img|TrSt1x02 Title card.png}}}|300px]]
|ja_kanji =逃げる男
|ep_number =2
|ja_broadcast =January 14th, 2023
|us_broadcast =January 14th, 2023
|writer =
|director =Minoru Yamaoka
|prev_ep =[[NOMAN'S LAND]]
|next_ep =[[Bright Light, Shine through the Darkness]]
}}
[[File:TrSt1x02 Title card.png|alt=Japanese title card for Trigun Stampede episode 2, 逃げる男|thumb|300x300px|Japanese Title Card]]

'''''逃げる男''' (Eng: '''The Running Man''')'' is the second episode of [[Trigun Stampede]].

==Synopsis==
Night-time. Vash sits at a desk in his room at Jeneora Rock's inn, cleaning his gun while the DJ on the radio laments the position that humanity is in trying to survive on No Man's Land. Without the Plants, everyone would have died long ago, but that may have been preferable to what they endure now. Is it divine retribution, or is it just bad luck? As Vash listen, he flashes back to the crash, the last time he saw Rem alive as she helped them escape, and to Nai laughing in triumph over the wreckage. On the desk, he's set a framed photo of the twins and Rem.

In the morning, Vash sits with Meryl and Roberto at a table in the saloon while a radio announces that the Nebraska Family has escaped from May City prison. Meryl is recounts what Vash has told her so far, which is that he's ''not'' the person running around stealing plants, and that the actual culprit is his twin brother who looks exactly like him. Roberto points out this is an extremely convenient story and not terribly convincing, and Meryl adds that he doesn't have proof. Vash tries to play on their sympathies by pretending to cry, but even Meryl is unmoved and Vash puts his face down on the table, looking defeated. Roberto and Meryl both begin to speculate what Knives's motive for the crimes could be - money, honor, revenge? - but Vash offers no answer.

Just then, a boy comes runs up to Vash carrying a cage of insects and puts them on the table to show Vash. Meryl flinches away and hides her face with her notebook, but Vash thanks the boy, Tonis, and gratefully tousles his hair, promising to keep the insects safe. Tonis's mother Rosa descends the stairs and sharply tells her son his Worms (the insects) don't belong in the diner, then warns him to go outside for a while. As Tonis takes his Worms and scurries out, Vash waves goodbye. Then Rosa and every other patron in the diner save Vash, Meryl and Roberto pulls out a gun and points it at Vash, who looks dismayed. Rosa apologises and Vash scrambles to escape as everyone in town moves to pursue and capture him for his bounty. Though screaming, wailing. flailing his arms and almost falling on his face several times, Vash dodges every bullet they fire on him until he's cornered. Meryl and Roberto throw him a rope and haul him to safety, though he accidentally lands on top of them. Roberto asks what the hell is going on, and Vash says he'd like to know, too.

Elsewhere in the desert, the Nebraska Family - father, an elderly man hardly taller than Meryl in a lab coat and goggles, and son, a hulking giant with mechanical modifications that allow him to fire his fist like a rocket and who can only repeat his own name - have hijacked a truck and are arguing with the driver, a patrol officer they've taken hostage, over the car's rough suspension. The driver shoots back, pointing out they won't get a smooth ride so far from a wealthy city like July and if they wanted one they should have hit a place like that. The father says he will, right after capturing Vash for his $$6,000,000 bounty, which - judging by the silly-looking picture on his Wanted poster - should be easy. Back in town, Vash is also considering his Wanted poster, lamenting the same silly photo of him printed on it. Meryl and Roberto overhear the townspeople talk about capturing the two people with Vash as well, reasoning that they can then demand more money. Roberto grumbles over Meryl getting them involved by saving Vash, telling him things would be easier for all of them if he'd put up a fight, but Vash doesn't want to cause a shoot-out. Besides, he says, bullets are expensive - one bullet costs the same as two pizza slices. Instead, he proposes that they sneak out of town. They distract the townsfolk by tying a flapping red cloth to an unsaddled toma and letting it draw them away, then creeping to the town's entrance, when they're stopped at gunpoint by Rosa and two other women. The Nebraskas are also approaching the town and the father of the pair isn't happy to see that someone else got to Vash first. They tell the driver of the car to run all of them down, and when he refuses to do so, the father has Gofsef punch him through the window - right before realising neither of them actually knows how to drive the truck. Meanwhile, Rosa tells Vash they really need the money. Though Vash says nothing in his own defence, wearing a sad smile of acceptance, Meryl is outraged they'd hand over the man who saved their town twice. Rosa says that if it were only herself on the line they would let someone who'd done that for them go, but all three are mothers to children they don't want to see sick or starving. She tells him to blame bad luck, and Vash just chuckles grimly. The Nebraskas burst onto the scene in the truck, careening toward a confused and frightened Tonis who'd wandered out to see what was happening. Rosa drops her weapon and sprints to save him, only for Vash to leap to his feet and pull them both out of the way at the last instant before they're crushed, knocking Tonis's insects out of his hands.

The truck skids to a stop, showering the reporters with sand, and the father of the Nebraskas announces, "Power is justice! Power is truth! There's no future for those who can't fight!" and challenge Vash to a duel. Vash does not meet this challenge, mounting a toma and quickly riding away into the desert with the Nebraskas in pursuit. Meryl and Roberto climb into their truck and follow, Meryl driving and Roberto drinking. The father of the Nebraskas mocks Vash for fleeing from a fight and has Gofsef try to hit him with the rocket-punch, which he dodges, and then try to run him down, but the truck's engine cuts out, overheated. They pursue on foot, Gofsef carrying his father on his shoulders as he still demands a fight, which Vash cheekily refuses by saying he doesn't really like pain, nor is he eager to defend his pride (since he doesn't have any). The father calls him a coward who deserves death if he won't fight to survive. The two criminals misjudge a grab and Gofsef's rocket-fist retracts too quickly, knocking them both over while Vash rides away, playfully telling them to take it easy. Gofsef stops his father from running after him alone and the father scorns him for cowardice too, lamenting the defeat since without the money they're both back in prison. Then he has an idea.

Stopping so Vash can rest and water his toma, Meryl agrees with the father Nebraska: Vash is a coward, acting like running will save everyone when he's just a wimp trying to avoid getting hurt. Vash responds that he might not be brave, but fighting gets people killed. Is it always the right course?

Jeneora Rock is under attack. The Nebraskas have decided they won't need Vash's bounty if they steal the town's healthy Plant and sell it. Vash hurries back with the reporters in tow as Gofsef lays waste to the town with his rocket fist with the Plant tied around his back with a rope. He carries it to the end of a long ledge, to which they've backed up the car so that they can grab the winch hook. Rosa, accompanied by the other two women and some other townspeople, want to stop them but are concerned that opening fire might damage the Plant. Instead, Rosa runs at Gofsef alone to strike him with her gun, but he grabs her and tosses her into the air. He launches his rocket fist her, but Vash jumps from nowhere to catch her and spins-kicks the fist away, landing on his feet with Rosa in his arms. The father is surprised to see him back, realising he ran to draw them away from the town rather than to escape, and once more demands he fight, having Gofsef launch his rocket fist several times. Vash dodges so easily, still refusing to attack, that the father Nebraska becomes insulted. Though reluctant to use such an expensive weapon, he fires a rocket launcher, which causes structural damage to the ledge that they're all on and knocks Vash over the edge. Bu he climbs back onto the bridge uninjured, complaining that he really doesn't want to fight. He says they can't take the Plant because then everyone in the town will die.

Genuinely confused, the father Nebraska demands to know why Vash is even bothering with this much for a town that pulled guns on him for his bounty. Vash says they were kind to him, so he'll save them regardless of what else they do. Rosa, overhearing, looks guilt-stricken. Becoming even more infuriated, the father Nebraska draws a handgun and fires it. Vash draws his own pistol and shoots the oncoming bullet out of the air, to the father's open astonishment, and says if they want, he'll save them too. Roberto is exasperated by this unearned forgiveness and asks Vash who's side he's on. Just then, the bridge they're on begins to crumble. Father Nebraska jumps to safety, but Gofsef hangs back to grab the Plant. While he carries it to the structurally sound portion of the bridge, he can't quite make it himself before the ground collapses under him. He grabs the edge of the sturdy bridge with his rocket hand and Vash tries to heave him upward. The father begs for his son's rescue. When Vash asks for help, after making the father promise to return the Plant, Rosa has all her people help to pull the Nebraska son to safety. As everyone collapses with relief, Meryl looks at Vash in confusion as he smiles reassuringly.

Back at the diner, Rosa declares a free round to celebrate, inviting the Nebraskas to drink with them, though the father turns down alcohol and says he doesn't approve of drinking in daylight. Tonis happily shows his cage of insects to Gofsef, who flinches away. At another table, Meryl is already drunk and lecturing Roberto over his alcoholism and smoking. Roberto isn't listening, having noticed Vash quietly slip from the building as everyone begins to relax. He follows and asks why he won't stay or say goodbye when these people trust him, and when Vash deflects, Roberto says he knows why already: Vash is running from his brother.

A scream rings out from the diner. The two run back to see the place overrun with small, mechanical walking drones resembling [[wikipedia:Bacteriophage|bacteriophages]] with transparent and cubic blue heads. Several climb onto Gofsef, covering him from head and toe. The heads change shape and glow red, and Gofsef stumbles outside and away from the diner. The father tries to go after him, but Vash holds him back. The drones covering Gofsef explode, bringing an end to the episode.

==Notes==
==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Aww_cute_kids.png|Rem and the kids
File:Blue_bird_thing.png|Blue thing
File:Macrophage1.png|A bacteriophage-thing
File:Macrophage2.png|More of them
</gallery>
[[Category:Trigun Stampede]]
[[Category:Trigun Stampede episodes]]
[[Category:Episodes]]
[[Category:Stampede continuity]]

NOMAN'S LAND

2024-01-05T02:55:19Z

NanoMoose: Further detail, fixed tone.

{{Episode info
|subj =NOMAN'S LAND
|img =[[File:{{{img|TrSt1x01 Title card.png}}}|300px]]
|ja_kanji =NOMAN'S LAND
|ep_number =1
|ja_broadcast =January 7th, 2023
|us_broadcast =
|writer =
|director =Naomichi Yamato
|prev_ep =None
|next_ep =[[The Running Man]]
}}
[[File:TrSt1x01 Title card.png|alt=Japanese title card for Trigun Stampede episode 1, NOMAN'S LAND|thumb|300x300px|Japanese Title Card]]

'''''NOMAN'S LAND''' (Eng: '''NOMAN'S LAND''')'' is the first episode of [[Trigun Stampede]].

== Synopsis==
The episode opens with a view of a flotilla of ships navigating through space, the SEEDs fleet. Onboard one, SEEDs Ship Five, a boy in cold-weather gear enters a room full of hundreds of people in cryogenic suspension and greets them, some by name. As he does this, he is knocked off his feet by an explosion. The boy is called to return to his other companions over the PA: his twin brother, Nai, and a woman he addresses as Rem, his foster mother. Rem hustles both boys to an escape pod as the ship falls apart around them, deflecting Vash's fearful requests to know what's going on. Nai asks Rem to come too, but she hangs back. She tells the boys she loves them and that meeting them has brought her joy. Then she launches the pod. Nai is almost entirely stoic, but the other boy - Vash - is tearful and devastated. The escape pod falls to the desert planet below.

May 25, 10:00 AM. Two people drive across a desert, driving a truck towing a battery pack with a satellite atop it and listening to November Public Broadcasting for the news, reporting that the July city government is after a suspect in a series of widespread mass murders and Plant thefts. The driver, a young woman by the name of Meryl Stryfe, is talking with her older male colleague, Roberto de Niro, who persistently refers to her as "Newbie". It turns out that they are reporters working for a news agency and have been assigned a story, and that she is the newest recruit to be brought on. Recently graduated from the high class November University, Meryl is eager to prove herself and change things for the better while Roberto says that her good intentions and inexperience will be quick routes to death - the planet they inhabit, No Man's Land, is a harsh and unforgiving place (as demonstrated by the enormous alien whale breaching the sand behind them). As Meryl grows defensive and irritated with his cynicism, the truck's engine suddenly dies, which Meryl is embarrassed to realise is because she forgot to charge its battery.

Roberto and Meryl continue on foot, the harsh sun quickly tiring Meryl and leaving her thirsty. She asks if the so-called "Humanoid Typhoon" even exists. Roberto tosses her a tabloid-style magazine with an article on the topic, complete with a caricatured illustration, and tells her he's dangerous - anyone who encounters him is marked for death. She scoffs, saying that no person is only a monster. They pass near three bodies tied up and hanging upside-down from a pile of scrap metal, which Roberto stops to identify as the work of the Bad Lads Gang. The central corpse, Meryl realises, is not a corpse, as she accidentally pulls off its prosthetic left arm investigating. The very much alive young man in a bright red long coat spins on the rope and cackles madly. Declaring him a "creep", Roberto turns to leave, but Meryl decides to help him down rather than abandon him. Roberto notes the heavy pistol in his holster and his "Lost Tech" prosthetic arm, and asks if the mystery man is a gunman of some kind. Now seated on the ground and refitting his prosthetic, the young man acknowledges he can use his weapon but denies being a fighter.

Just then, the July military police show up riding toma, large bird-like creatures with blue feathers. They produce a "Wanted" poster bearing the face and name of the man that Meryl and Roberto just rescued: Vash the Stampede, the Humanoid Typhoon. He's wanted alive by the city of July for $$6,000,000, being suspected of mass murder and Plant theft. Realizing he's the subject of their assigned story, Meryl lies and sends the military men off in the wrong direction before throwing a rope around Vash and demanding an exclusive interview, either to learn more details of his story, or perhaps even clear his name. Vash agrees with enthusiasm, congratulating her on her integrity (Roberto is immediately distrustful) and says that they can do it at the diner in the nearby town. Startled to learn civilisation and water are close by, Meryl begins dragging Vash around by the rope while he makes comedic protests and Roberto looks at his poster and wonders: Who is Vash?

They arrive at the town of Jeneora Rock, where Meryl pulls ahead to enter the saloon. The reception is chilly until Vash walks in, causing the pregnant woman behind the counter - the proprietor and de facto town leader, named Rosa - to greet him happily. She shows angry suspicion of Roberto and Meryl for having Vash restrained, until he shows he can slip free at any time (Roberto and Meryl are startled) and vouches for them. It's revealed that Vash saved the town once before. Roberto requests whisky from the bar but Meryl overrides him and orders water instead. She is surprised and concerned to realise the water she receives water is dirty, and is told that the town's water-producing Plant is broken. Rosa asks Vash take a look at it again, since he repaired it free of charge the last time it failed, so the group heads over to the building where the Plant is kept. As they climb the stairs to access to the town's two Plants, Roberto asks Meryl if she knows what a "Plant" is, and she rattles of a textbook explanation. Roberto explains that Plants are Lost Tech and can't be built anymore: they are precious commodities and must be either bought for huge sums or stolen. Anyone who has one keeps it heavily guarded.

One Plant is red (the other, functional Plant is blue). Vash explains that it is dying, and while a new one may not be affordable, the situation will worsen dramatically if they don't act. He is visibly scared.

At that moment, the July military police captain chimes in to inform them Vash is worth $$6,000,000, which is about the cost of a new plant. They've tracked Vash to Jeneora Rock and though Vash surrenders to their custody without resistance, they restrain and beat him. Rosa, though disturbed, says nothing, too desperate for the money to buy a new Plant. Meryl is appalled. Roberto, however, goads the July MP Captain into having a duel by calling him a coward and threatening to publish it as his legacy.

Vash and the Captain face off atop a scarp of rock overlooking the town. It's a quick-draw duel, so the last man standing wins. Meryl is concerned that Vash will get killed, but Roberto is more confident, telling her to watch and see whether Vash's claim he's not a fighter is the truth. Vash tries to convince the Captain to stand down by refusing to draw his gun on command and pointing out the situation is dumb. It seems like he might be successful as the Captain stows his gun, until replaces it with a rocket launcher and fires a cluster bomb into the air. Meryl angrily moves to confront him but Roberto throws her back into cover and informs her sternly that they're here to observe, not run recklessly into danger, and she'll need to live a lot longer to instigate confrontations like that. Meryl is crestfallen, but stays under cover.

Everyone in town takes off running as Vash, dismayed but oddly calm, sighs that the captain is Captain is crazy and decides to finally draw his gun. He takes aim and pulls the trigger, but the gun is empty, and Vash realises he's completely out of bullets. He panics and calls for ammunition, wailing and crying theatrically. Rosa approaches Meryl and hands her a single bullet, which Mery runs and tosses up to Vash. The July MP Captain first knocks the bullet away before Vash can catch it, then when Vash does catch it and load his weapon, the Captain knocks him off-target by firing on his pistol and rushes to shoot Vash point-blank before he can recover his aim. Vash dodges three such shots with impossible, inhumanly effortless grace, then grapples the Captain and flips him over before knocking him out by hitting him in the back of the head with his pistol. He then uses a piston installed in his prosthetic to break a large rock out of the ground, throws it upwards into the oncoming cloud of missiles, and fires his single bullet upwards after it. The rock shatters upon hit and its pieces are thrown outward, harmlessly all detonating the missiles before they can destroy the town. The police are thrown out.

The next day, Meryl tells Vash he has amazing skill, but Vash demurs, saying he just got really lucky. Neither Roberto nor Meryl are fooled and Roberto calls his bluff: Vash was not frightened by the military police, but he's scared of something, and whatever it is, the red Plant has something to do with it. What is it? Vash drops his air of goofy incompetence and hesitantly reveals that he has a brother. A flashback shows the moment just after their pod crashed as children, where Vash finds Nai laughing maniacally atop a pillar of rubble while he watches burning SEEDS ships rain from the sky, and the pods with sleeping people still inside being consumed by the flames. Nai triumphantly declares that his work is successful, and names Vash his accomplice when Vash tells him in horror that he's committed murder with Rem among his victims. The flashback ends, and Vash tells them his brother is named "Millions Knives". A strange insect-bird creature, one of several that have lingered around the town and Vash when he was tied up, flies from Jeneora Rock to the city of July. It delivers news of Vash's location to a robed man playing a complex piano piece: Knives. He is glad to know Vash has been located, and declares that he will go to him and claim him before exterminating the parasites once and for all.

==Notes==
==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:MerylResume.PNG|Meryl's resume
File:WantedPoster.PNG|The Wanted poster
File:Prostitutes.PNG|Some prostitutes
File:Currency.PNG|Currency
File:Bridthing1.PNG|Werid bird-bug thing
File:Birdthing2.PNG|More
File:Birdthing3.PNG|Approaching a city
</gallery>
[[Category:Trigun Stampede]]
[[Category:Trigun Stampede episodes]]
[[Category:Episodes]]
[[Category:Stampede continuity]]

Millions Knives (Stampede)

2024-01-05T00:09:25Z

NanoMoose:

{{Stub|type=character|cont=stampede}}{{Sources needed|2=Storylinks in biography}}{{Disambig|Millions Knives|about=the [[Stampede continuity]] iteration of the character}} {{Character Info
|img= TrSt Knives infobox.png
|subj= Millions Knives
|ja_va= [[Junya Ikeda]]<ref>https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=117804</ref> [[Yumiri Hanamori]]young<ref>https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=118609</ref>
|en_va= [[Austin Tindle]]<ref>https://twitter.com/Crunchyroll/status/1616496580860715008</ref><ref>https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=97965</ref> [[Megan Shipman]]young<ref>https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=126916</ref>
|ja_kanji= ミリオンズ・ナイブズ
|first=[[NOMAN'S LAND]]
|last=TBD
|race= Plant (independent)
|hair= Pale blonde
|eye= Seafoam green
|gender= Male
|alias=Kni Angel of Salvation Hundreds Spoons|altspelling=Nai}}

'''Millions Knives''' (formerly '''Kni''' or '''Nai''') is the main antagonist from ''[[Trigun Stampede]].''

== Biography ==
Knives is Vash's twin brother, born alongside him aboard the SEEDs Ship Five as it journeyed to find a new home for humanity and the Plants, living generators of power, matter and gravity that humans depend on to survive. Both twins are rare examples of Independent Plants, who look and behave human, but possess the ability to survive outside the specialised environments required by their dependent brethren. As infants, the boys were discovered and adopted by Navigational Officer Rem Saverem. She named one twin Vash and the other Kni. The twins matured quickly, growing to appear age seven or eight when they celebrated their first birthday. By that stage, Kni had begun to demonstrate the generative abilities of a Plant and to distance himself from human traits like eating for nourishment, {{Storylink|Our Home.}} while Vash remained apparently powerless, but eagerly embraced humanity. {{Storylink|NOMAN'S LAND}}

Though demonstrably inhuman and highly intelligent, Kni seemed in other respects a normal child, albeit serious and somewhat emotionally withdrawn. He enjoyed composing and playing classical piano with Vash, {{Storylink|Millions Knives (episode)}} loved cowboy movies, {{Storylink|High Noon At July (episode)}} and colluded with his brother to play pranks on Rem. {{Storylink|Our Home.}} He adored his brother, who was always at his side, and cared for Rem, but resented her efforts to have him appear human by concealing his powers and eating food he didn't need (which he viewed as wasteful). {{Storylink|Our Home.}} In time resentment turned to suspicion, particularly as Vash seemed to grow more humanlike under Rem's encouragement, bringing him closer to Rem but alienating Kni, which he expressed by needling Vash for being useless as a Plant.{{Storylink|To A New World}} Kni began to investigate areas of the ship Rem had forbidden them from entering, pulling Vash along despite his trepidation, and the twins stumbled across a classified databank of the SEEDs fleet's history. Vash gleefully entered the password himself when Kni was stymied, but both were horrified by the databank's contents.{{Storylink|To A New World}}

Along with files on both twins there was a third - another Independent Plant born fifty years before, a girl named Tesla. She was discovered by the crew and treated like a research specimen, subjected to brutal and invasive examination until her body fell apart. Worse yet, though vivisected and dismembered she was still alive fifty years later in suspended animation, as the twins discovered when the tanks containing her remains were unlocked and revealed.{{Storylink|To A New World}}

Rem tried to soothe their fears by explaining that she had adopted them to ensure they wouldn't meet Tesla's fate, hoping that they would become the means by which Plants and humans could communicate and together ensure nothing like that ever happened again. Kni, however, no longer trusted her ability to keep them safe, concluding that humanity was incapable of changing for the better, whatever their intentions. When the twins discussed between themselves whether they would be accepted by humans, Vash told Kni he had faith that they would. It was then that Kni decided his course was set: Vash was naïve, weak and needed protection from humanity's exploitation.{{Storylink|To A New World}} Kni secretly accessed the SEEDs fleet's navigation with the password Vash had shown him and forced every ship in the fleet to crash on the desert planet that would be named No Man's Land, sparing only the Plant carriers, believing this would wipe out all threats. {{Storylink|Millions Knives (episode)}} Rem took the twins to an escape pod, but despite Kni's solemn request she come with them, she chose to stay aboard the ships to save whoever she could. {{Storylink|NOMAN'S LAND}} After planetfall, Vash found Kni laughing gleefully over the wreckage of the fleet and confronted Kni over the mass murder he'd just committed, but Kni countered by calling Vash his accomplice for giving him the code to access the fleet's controls. Guilt-stricken and fearful, Vash fled and vanished into the alien desert.{{Storylink|Our Home.}}

Kni located a surviving SEEDS crew member, one Dr. William Conrad, and under threat of death recruited him to research Plants and acquire the resources necessary to complete his plan and retrieve Vash. {{Storylink|Humanity}} Renaming himself Millions Knives to represent his belief that he was a righteous and noble avenger for his species, Knives founded the cult called the Eye of Michael in the third city of July, providing himself with loyal troops and headquarters, and appointed Dr. Conrad as his high priest. He also continued to develop his powers as a Plant, refining his abilities from producing rough metal blades from his hands and feet {{Storylink|Millions Knives (episode)}} to the capacity to destroy whole settlements and kill dozens of people in the blink of an eye. {{Storylink|Bright Light, Shine through the Darkness}} {{Storylink|High Noon At July (episode)}}

Since the day the ships crashed, Knives has been plotting to complete the extermination of humanity and bring Vash back to his side - a desire only intensified when Vash demonstrated he did indeed have abilities as a Plant, both to produce and, uniquely, to ''consume'', drawing matter ''to'' the plane that Plants draw matter from. {{Storylink|HUNGRY!}} {{Storylink|Millions Knives (episode)}} Every time Knives and Vash meet, they find themselves arguing over or battling to determine which of their philosophies is the right one. {{Storylink|Bright Light, Shine through the Darkness}} {{Storylink|Millions Knives (episode)}} {{Storylink|To A New World}} {{Storylink|High Noon At July (episode)}}

As of the first episode of ''Stampede'', Knives has been stealing Plants from human settlements and slaughtering their inhabitants, dooming survivors to death by starvation or dehydration. {{Storylink|NOMAN'S LAND}} He exploits his resemblance to Vash to frame his brother for these crimes, marking him as a dangerous criminal in the hopes that Vash will realise humanity can never accept him, driving him back to Knives as his only refuge. {{Storylink|The Running Man}}

The primary plot of ''Trigun Stampede'' is driven both by Knives's efforts to convince, then force Vash to assist in his plans, and by his desire to claim and control Vash's power so he can use it to make No Man's Land a paradise, with Independent Plants its sole inhabitants.

==Character ==

=== Appearance ===
Knives is almost identical to Vash, differing only in minor traits. Knives has paler skin and platinum blond hair, eyebrows and eyelashes. Where Vash has a mole beneath his left eye, Knives's is under his right, and Knives's blue eyes bear a slight green tint. They have the same facial features, the same undercut hair and the same athletic build. Both twins are rendered with the same delicate, expressive face and well-proportioned, muscular body.

In every other respect, however, the twins could not be more different. Knives rejects all human accoutrements in favor of clothing he created himself, which he seems to have designed to bring his appearance closer to that of the dependent Plants: a skin-tight white body suit covered in Plant patterns (resembling an unfurled dependent Plant) and a loose gray cloak, roughly knee-length, with bubbles of white material and a deep, round hood (resembling a dependent when in bulb form). The suit is bulletproof, and the cloak serves as a spare source of matter for Knives's blades. He wears no other clothing and is always barefoot, indifferent to environmental hazards. He has no visible markings, scars or injuries besides the mole beneath his eye.

Knives keeps his hair short, in neat spikes slicked back from his forehead.

His blades have a distinctive curved, feathered shape and usually emerge from his back and shoulders in the form of three or four prehensile chains. When desired, he can fold the blades inward and use the chains to pick up or grapple a target, or flare them outward into razor-sharp piercing and cutting weapons. Both blades and chains seems to act as extensions of his body, instantly responding to his will.

=== Personality ===
Knives presents a face of calm, cold superiority, and has a flair for grandiose acts of wide-scale destruction. His proclamations frequently allude to the Christian Bible, particularly the New Testament Book of Revelation, to present himself as an angel bringing down God's wrath upon a sinful humankind. He relishes violence and views Vash's pacifism and love of humanity as an illness that must be cured by whatever means necessary. In Knives's mind, Vash is a victim of his own weakness and the manipulations of Rem and the humans he's befriended, unable to be trusted to make his own decisions. Everything he's done, Knives claims, he has done to protect Vash from them, with the freedom of the dependent Plants from humanity's chains as a secondary but no less pressing priority. As a superior lifeform and the perfect Independent Plant, it's up to Knives to destroy the disgusting parasites infesting the universe and to ensure all inferior examples of his species reflect the same perfection that he himself embodies.

However, Knives's icy pragmatism and lofty attitude conceal selfishness, erratic outbursts of emotion, unwillingness to take responsibility for the harm he inflicts upon his loved ones, and a rigidly black-and-white view of the world that permits no nuance or dissent. Knives is fundamentally driven by fear, not only of what humanity could do to him or to Vash, but that Vash will abandon him in favor of humans, leaving Knives alone. Since any human could potentially be a threat, all humanity must therefore suffer and die. He cannot, or will not, understand alternative viewpoints and has developed a habit of trying to isolate Vash by driving off or killing anyone who gets close to him, of gaslighting Vash to undermine his self-worth, and of lashing out with physical violence should those manipulations fail. Though his anger with humanity's reckless and unsustainable destruction of the beings they need to survive - his own species - is justified, he has no issue adopting the same tactics himself with Vash or the Plants under his control. Knives takes their consent for granted, dismisses any resistance as foolishness, and is willing to strip Vash of his personhood and autonomy, as well as exploit the dependents for his own ends. When his plans are thwarted, Knives descends into incoherently shrieking, indiscriminately destructive fury, tearing apart whatever stands in his way or even himself.

At heart, Knives is a frightened, angry and deeply traumatised individual, as well a perfectionist unable to cope when reality deviates from expectations formed without experience. He is sadistic, manipulative, controlling, and possessive, as well as prone to pushing blame onto those he harms for not submitting to his wishes. Despite his conviction and insistence that he's building a paradise for all the Plants, Knives's true goal is gaining Vash's utter devotion and a return to the carefree days of his childhood.

=== Occupation ===
Knives serves as the central figure of worship for the Eye of Michael but rarely bothers with its affairs, preferring to play his piano and reminiscence, or discuss his plans with Dr. Conrad. He seems to leave his music room only to terrorise and murder humans or steal Plants.

=== Family ===
Twin brother to Vash, from whom he is estranged, and adopted son of Rem Saverem, whom he murdered. The dependent Plants could be considered siblings or mothers and are referred to as his brethren, while Tesla is technically his older sister. Dr. Conrad serves as a twisted father figure. Elendira is Knives's partial clone, in a sense his daughter.

=== Relationships ===
Knives has an obsession with Vash that shades into monomaniacal, but seems to love the idea of Vash as his brother more than the person Vash has become. He has spent much of their time apart searching the planet for his brother both to locate/retrieve him and sabotage Vash's efforts to co-exist with humanity. While Knives does make an effort to speak to Vash gently and calmly when they meet, he snaps into explosive rage or resorts to scornful emotional manipulation whenever Vash disagrees with him. Their relationship is strained by Vash's undisguised terror of his brother. Tragically, despite all this Vash continues to love Knives, but has come to realise that they have both changed too much to return to the way they were, which deeply saddens him.

Knives once loved Rem but now bitterly despises her and anyone he perceives as being like her i.e. dark-haired woman who become emotionally close to Vash. Meryl, Luida, and Rosa (and the mothers of Jeneora Rock) thus all become targets of his murderous hatred and disgust.

All other humans with the sole exception of Dr. Conrad are insects to be exterminated if he can't ignore them, but Knives treats Conrad himself with politeness, even affection, always addressing him as "doctor" and never losing his temper. Conrad is protective of Knives and views him with awe as the perfect example of his species, almost a divine figure.

Though Knives has yet to be depicted speaking to any other members of the Eye of the Michael, Elendira and Legato both regard him with devotion and Zazie with wary familiarity, but if Knives cares what they think he does not show it. He knows enough about Rollo, Tonis and Wolfwood to adopt their images manipulating Vash, and about Roberto and Meryl to target and wipe them from Vash's mind. He is protective of the dependent Plants and refers to them as his brethren, but treats them more as objects than people and is not depicted communicating with them in the way Vash does. He implicitly believes them to be soulless and without free will.

== Weapons & Abilities ==

=== Gate ===
Knives's body contains and is supported by a Gate, a vaguely defined organ or object acting as a one-way connection to a limitless source of energy and matter known as the "higher plane". All Plants have a Gate of some description, but lack the volition to use it themselves; as an Independent, Knives can use his Gate at will, and telekinetically control the matter he produces with no more than a thought. His Gate constantly renews and revitalises his body, granting him inhuman fortitude, strength and speed, as well as keeping him physically in the prime of health and youth. With all his needs supplied by his Gate, Knives does not require any form of sustenance or rest, or even seem to need to breathe, and is well into his second century of age while keeping the appearance of an athletic young adult.

Knives uses his Gate mostly to produce his clothing and weapons in the form of metal blades, chaining them into "tentacles" to grab and slice up individual targets, or forming deadly storms of blades to cause mass devastation. He can also create claws from his hands and feet, but rarely does so in combat, preferring them for symbolism or utility. His blades can cut through steel and deflect bullets without losing their edge.

Knives has more esoteric abilities mostly based around seizing control of Vash's own Gate and forcing it to react, allowing him to manipulate Vash's perception of reality or even alter his memories, leaving a dark residue that grows outward from the point of contact. He only needs to be close enough to physically touch Vash or something he's holding, whether with hands or blades.

It can be assumed that if ever cut off from his Gate, Knives would lose access to his powers, weaken and die the same way other members of his species do when pushed beyond their limits. As it is, Knives is almost impossible to harm with conventional weapons, requiring a sustained burst of immense destructive power to outpace his Gate-induced resilience and regeneration.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:TriStamp KV2.jpg | Second key visual
File:Prerel_promo_kn.jpg | Prerelease promotional render
File:Prerel_promo_vk.jpg | Prerelease promotional render with Vash
File:TrStJPBD3.jpg | Blu-Ray Volume 3 cover
File:TrStEp03 commemorative illust - Akihiko Orikasa.jpg | Episode 3 commemorative illustration by Akihiko Orikasa
File:TrStEp00 commemorative illust A - Kenji Muto.jpg | Episode 0 commemorative illustration by Kenji Muto
</gallery>

== Appearances==

===Trigun Stampede===

====Episodes====
* [[NOMAN'S LAND]]
* [[Bright Light, Shine through the Darkness]]
* [[HUNGRY!]]
* [[Our Home.]]
* [[Millions Knives (episode) | Millions Knives]]
* [[Humanity]]
* [[To A New World]]
* [[High Noon At July (episode)|High Noon At July]]
==References==
[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Trigun Stampede]]
<references />
[[Category:Stampede continuity]]

Vash the Stampede (Stampede)

2024-01-04T06:18:59Z

NanoMoose:

{{Stub|type=character|cont=stampede}}{{Disambig|Vash the Stampede|about=the [[Stampede continuity]] iteration of the character}} {{Character Info
|img= TrSt Vash infobox.png
|subj= Vash the Stampede
|ja_va= [[Yoshitsugu Matsuoka]]<ref>https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=93780</ref> [[Tomoyo Kurosawa]]young<ref>https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=86495</ref>
|en_va=[[Johnny Yong Bosch]]<ref>https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=1283</ref><ref>https://twitter.com/johnnyyongbosch/status/1616571712639991808</ref> [[Kristen McGuire]]young<ref>https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=127814</ref><ref>https://twitter.com/KrisComics/status/1616501485902172180</ref>
|ja_kanji= ヴァッシュ・ザ・スタンピード
|first=[[NOMAN'S LAND]]
|last=TBD
|race= Plant (independent)
|hair= Yellow blonde, light brown
|eye= Sky blue
|gender= Male
|alias=Needle-Noggin
Eriks}}

'''Vash the Stampede''' is the main character of ''[[Trigun Stampede]]''.
== Biography ==

==Character ==

=== Appearance ===

=== Personality ===

=== Relationships ===

== Weapons & Abilities ==

==Gallery==
===Promotional art===
<gallery>
File:TriStamp_Teaser.jpg | Teaser visual
File:TriStamp KV1.jpg | First key visual
File:TriStamp KV2.jpg | Second key visual
File:Prerel promo vs.jpg | Prerelease promotional render
File:Prerel promo vw.jpg | Prerelease promotional render with Wolfwood
File:Prerel_promo_vk.jpg | Prerelease promotional render with Knives
File:FWsy95xUYAEVqKQ.jpg | First wanted poster
File:StampedeFP Vash wanted poster.jpg | Second wanted poster
</gallery>
===Screenshots===
<gallery>
</gallery>
===Merchandise===
<gallery>
File:JPBD1.jpg | Blu-Ray Volume 1 cover
File:TrSt Amazon JP preorder bonus.jpg | Amazon Japan preorder bonus
</gallery>
===Other===
<gallery>
File:TrStEp01 commemorative illust - Eiji Inomoto.png | Episode 1 commemorative illustration by Eiji Inomoto
File:Ep10 commemorative illust - Keisuke Kawatani.jpg | Episode 10 commemorative illustration by Keisuke Kawatani
File:Ep00 commemorative illust B - Kenji Muto.jpg | Episode 0 commemorative illustration by Kenji Muto
</gallery>

== Notes ==

== Appearances==

===Trigun Stampede===

====Episodes====
* [[NOMAN'S LAND]]
* [[The Running Man]]
* [[Bright Light, Shine through the Darkness]]
* [[HUNGRY!]]
* [[Child of Blessing]]
* [[Once Upon a Time in Hopeland]]
* [[WOLFWOOD (episode) | WOLFWOOD]]
* [[Our Home.]]
* [[Millions Knives (episode) | Millions Knives]]
* [[Humanity]]
* [[To A New World]]
* [[High Noon At July (episode)|High Noon At July]]
==References==
[[Category:Trigun Stampede]]
[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Stampede continuity]]

Millions Knives (Stampede)

2024-01-04T03:00:03Z

NanoMoose:

{{Stub|type=character|cont=stampede}}{{Sources needed|2=Storylinks in biography}}{{Disambig|Millions Knives|about=the [[Stampede continuity]] iteration of the character}} {{Character Info
|img= TrSt Knives infobox.png
|subj= Millions Knives
|ja_va= [[Junya Ikeda]]<ref>https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=117804</ref> [[Yumiri Hanamori]]young<ref>https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=118609</ref>
|en_va= [[Austin Tindle]]<ref>https://twitter.com/Crunchyroll/status/1616496580860715008</ref><ref>https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=97965</ref> [[Megan Shipman]]young<ref>https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=126916</ref>
|ja_kanji= ミリオンズ・ナイブズ
|first=[[NOMAN'S LAND]]
|last=TBD
|race= Plant (independent)
|hair= Pale blonde
|eye= Seafoam green
|gender= Male
|alias=Kni Angel of Salvation Hundreds Spoons|altspelling=Nai}}

'''Millions Knives''' (formerly '''Kni''' or '''Nai''') is the main antagonist from ''[[Trigun Stampede]].''

== Biography ==
Knives is Vash's twin brother, born alongside him aboard the SEEDs Ship Five as it journeyed to find a new home for humanity and the Plants, living generators of power, matter and gravity that humans depend on to survive. Both twins are rare examples of Independent Plants, who look and behave human, but possess the ability to survive outside the specialised environments required by their dependent brethren. As infants, the boys were discovered and adopted by Navigational Officer Rem Saverem. She named one twin Vash and the other Kni. The twins matured quickly, growing to appear age seven or eight when they celebrated their first birthday. By that stage, Kni had begun to demonstrate the generative abilities of a Plant and to distance himself from human traits like eating for nourishment, {{Storylink|Our Home.}} while Vash remained apparently powerless, but eagerly embraced humanity. {{Storylink|NOMAN'S LAND}}

Though demonstrably inhuman and highly intelligent, Kni seemed in other respects a normal child, albeit serious and somewhat emotionally withdrawn. He enjoyed composing and playing classical piano with Vash, {{Storylink|Millions Knives (episode)}} loved cowboy movies, {{Storylink|High Noon At July (episode)}} and colluded with his brother to play pranks on Rem. {{Storylink|Our Home.}} He adored his brother, who was always at his side, and cared for Rem, but resented her efforts to have him appear human by concealing his powers and eating food he didn't need (which he viewed as wasteful). {{Storylink|Our Home.}} In time resentment turned to suspicion, particularly as Vash seemed to grow more humanlike under Rem's encouragement, bringing him closer to Rem but alienating Kni, which he expressed by needling Vash for being useless as a Plant.{{Storylink|To A New World}} Kni began to investigate areas of the ship Rem had forbidden them from entering, pulling Vash along despite his trepidation, and the twins stumbled across a classified databank of the SEEDs fleet's history. Vash gleefully entered the password himself when Kni was stymied, but both were horrified by the databank's contents.{{Storylink|To A New World}}

Along with files on both twins there was a third - another Independent Plant born fifty years before, a girl named Tesla. She was discovered by the crew and treated like a research specimen, subjected to brutal and invasive examination until her body fell apart. Worse yet, though vivisected and dismembered she was still alive fifty years later in suspended animation, as the twins discovered when the tanks containing her remains were unlocked and revealed.{{Storylink|To A New World}}

Rem tried to soothe their fears by explaining that she had adopted them to ensure they wouldn't meet Tesla's fate, hoping that they would become the means by which Plants and humans could communicate and together ensure nothing like that ever happened again. Kni, however, no longer trusted her ability to keep them safe, concluding that humanity was incapable of changing for the better, whatever their intentions. When the twins discussed between themselves whether they would be accepted by humans, Vash told Kni he had faith that they would. It was then that Kni decided his course was set: Vash was naïve, weak and needed protection from humanity's exploitation.{{Storylink|To A New World}} Kni secretly accessed the SEEDs fleet's navigation with the password Vash had shown him and forced every ship in the fleet to crash on the desert planet that would be named No Man's Land, sparing only the Plant carriers, believing this would wipe out all threats. {{Storylink|Millions Knives (episode)}} Rem took the twins to an escape pod, but despite Kni's solemn request she come with them, she chose to stay aboard the ships to save whoever she could. {{Storylink|NOMAN'S LAND}} After planetfall, Vash found Kni laughing gleefully over the wreckage of the fleet and confronted Kni over the mass murder he'd just committed, but Kni countered by calling Vash his accomplice for giving him the code to access the fleet's controls. Guilt-stricken and fearful, Vash fled and vanished into the alien desert.{{Storylink|Our Home.}}

Kni located a surviving SEEDS crew member, one Dr. William Conrad, and under threat of death recruited him to research Plants and acquire the resources necessary to complete his plan and retrieve Vash. {{Storylink|Humanity}} Renaming himself Millions Knives to represent his belief that he was a righteous and noble avenger for his species, Knives founded the cult called the Eye of Michael in the third city of July, providing himself with loyal troops and headquarters, and appointed Dr. Conrad as his high priest. He also continued to develop his powers as a Plant, refining his abilities from producing rough metal blades from his hands and feet {{Storylink|Millions Knives (episode)}} to the capacity to destroy whole settlements and kill dozens of people in the blink of an eye. {{Storylink|Bright Light, Shine through the Darkness}} {{Storylink|High Noon At July (episode)}}

Since the day the ships crashed, Knives has been plotting to complete the extermination of humanity and bring Vash back to his side - a desire only intensified when Vash demonstrated he did indeed have abilities as a Plant, both to produce and, uniquely, to ''consume'', drawing matter ''to'' the plane that Plants draw matter from. {{Storylink|HUNGRY!}} {{Storylink|Millions Knives (episode)}} Every time Knives and Vash meet, they find themselves arguing over or battling to determine which of their philosophies is the right one. {{Storylink|Bright Light, Shine through the Darkness}} {{Storylink|Millions Knives (episode)}} {{Storylink|To A New World}} {{Storylink|High Noon At July (episode)}}

As of the first episode of ''Stampede'', Knives has been stealing Plants from human settlements and slaughtering their inhabitants, dooming survivors to death by starvation or dehydration. {{Storylink|NOMAN'S LAND}} He exploits his resemblance to Vash to frame his brother for these crimes, marking him as a dangerous criminal in the hopes that Vash will realise humanity can never accept him, driving him back to Knives as his only refuge. {{Storylink|The Running Man}}

The primary plot of ''Trigun Stampede'' is driven both by Knives's efforts to convince, then force Vash to assist in his plans, and by his desire to claim and control Vash's power so he can use it to make No Man's Land a paradise, with the Plants its sole inhabitants.

==Character ==

=== Appearance ===
Knives is almost identical to Vash, differing only in minor traits. Knives has paler skin and platinum blond hair, eyebrows and eyelashes. Where Vash has a mole beneath his left eye, Knives's is under his right, and Knives's blue eyes bear a slight green tint. They have the same facial features, the same undercut hair and the same athletic build. Both twins are rendered with the same delicate, expressive face and well-proportioned, muscular body.

In every other respect, however, the twins could not be more different. Knives rejects all human accoutrements in favor of clothing he created himself, which he seems to have designed to bring his appearance closer to that of the dependent Plants: a skin-tight white body suit covered in Plant patterns (resembling an unfurled dependent Plant) and a loose gray cloak, roughly knee-length, with bubbles of white material and a deep, round hood (resembling a dependent when in bulb form). The suit is bulletproof, and the cloak serves as a spare source of matter for Knives's blades. He wears no other clothing and is always barefoot, indifferent to environmental hazards. He has no visible markings, scars or injuries besides the mole beneath his eye.

Knives keeps his hair short, in neat spikes slicked back from his forehead.

His blades have a distinctive curved, feathered shape and usually emerge from his back and shoulders in the form of three or four prehensile chains. When desired, he can fold the blades inward and use the chains to pick up or grapple a target, or flare them outward into razor-sharp piercing and cutting weapons. Both blades and chains seems to act as extensions of his body, instantly responding to his will.

=== Personality ===
Knives presents a face of calm, cold superiority, and has a flair for grandiose acts of wide-scale destruction. His proclamations frequently allude to the Christian Bible, particularly the New Testament Book of Revelation, to present himself as an angel bringing down God's wrath upon a sinful humankind. He relishes violence and views Vash's pacifism and love of humanity as an illness that must be cured by whatever means necessary. In Knives's mind, Vash is a victim of his own weakness and the manipulations of Rem and the humans he's befriended, unable to be trusted to make his own decisions. Everything he's done, Knives claims, he has done to protect Vash from them, with the freedom of the dependent Plants from humanity's chains as a secondary but no less pressing priority. As a superior lifeform and the perfect Independent Plant, it's up to Knives to destroy the disgusting parasites infesting the universe and to ensure all inferior examples of his species reflect the same perfection that he himself embodies.

However, Knives's icy pragmatism and lofty attitude conceal selfishness, erratic outbursts of emotion, unwillingness to take responsibility for the harm he inflicts upon his loved ones, and a rigidly black-and-white view of the world that permits no nuance or dissent. Knives is fundamentally driven by fear, not only of what humanity could do to him or to Vash, but that Vash will abandon him in favor of humans, leaving Knives alone. Since any human could potentially be a threat, all humanity must therefore suffer and die. He cannot, or will not, understand alternative viewpoints and has developed a habit of trying to isolate Vash by driving off or killing anyone who gets close to him, of gaslighting Vash to undermine his self-worth, and of lashing out with physical violence should those manipulations fail. Though his anger with humanity's reckless and unsustainable destruction of the beings they need to survive - his own species - is justified, he sees no issue adopting the same tactics himself with Vash or the Plants under his control. Knives takes their consent to his plans for granted, dismisses any resistance as foolishness, and is willing to strip Vash of his personhood and autonomy, as well as exploit the dependents for his own ends. When his plans are thwarted, Knives descends into indiscriminately destructive, incoherently shrieking fury, tearing apart whatever stands in his way or even himself.

At heart, Knives is a frightened, angry and deeply traumatised individual, as well a perfectionist unable to cope when reality deviates from his expectations. He is manipulative, controlling, and possessive, as well as prone to pushing blame onto those he harms for not submitting to his wishes. Despite his conviction and insistence that he's building a paradise for all the Plants, Knives's true goal is gaining Vash's utter devotion and a return to the carefree days of his childhood.

=== Occupation ===
Knives serves as the central figure of worship for the Eye of Michael but rarely bothers with its affairs, preferring to play his piano and reminiscence, or discuss his plans with Dr. Conrad. He seems to leave his music room only to terrorise and murder humans or steal Plants.

=== Family ===
Twin brother to Vash, from whom he is estranged, and adopted son of Rem Saverem, whom he murdered. The dependent Plants could be considered siblings or mothers and are referred to as his brethren, while Tesla is technically his older sister. Dr. Conrad serves as a twisted father figure. Elendira is Knives's partial clone, in a sense his daughter.

=== Relationships ===
Knives has an obsession with Vash that shades into monomaniacal, but seems to love the idea of Vash as his brother more than the person Vash has become. He has spent much of their time apart searching the planet for his brother both to locate/retrieve him and sabotage Vash's efforts to co-exist with humanity. While Knives does make an effort to speak to Vash gently and calmly when they meet, he snaps into explosive rage or resorts to scornful emotional manipulation whenever Vash disagrees with him. Their relationship is strained by Vash's undisguised terror of his brother. Tragically, despite all this Vash continues to love Knives, but has come to realise that they have both changed too much to return to the way they were, which deeply saddens him.

Knives once loved Rem but now bitterly despises her and anyone he perceives as being like her i.e. dark-haired woman who become emotionally close to Vash. Meryl, Luida, and Rosa (and the mothers of Jeneora Rock) thus all become targets of his murderous hatred and disgust.

All other humans with the sole exception of Dr. Conrad are insects to be exterminated if he can't ignore them, but Knives treats Conrad himself with politeness, even affection, always addressing him as "doctor" and never losing his temper. Conrad is protective of Knives and views him with awe as the perfect example of his species, almost a divine figure.

Though Knives has yet to be depicted speaking to any other members of the Eye of the Michael, Elendira and Legato both regard him with devotion and Zazie with wary familiarity, but if Knives cares what they think he does not show it. He knows enough about Rollo, Tonis and Wolfwood to adopt their images manipulating Vash, and about Roberto and Meryl to target and wipe them from Vash's mind. He is protective of the dependent Plants and refers to them as his brethren, but treats them more as objects than people and is not depicted communicating with them in the way Vash does. He implicitly regards them as soulless and without free will.

== Weapons & Abilities ==

=== Gate ===
Knives's body contains and is supported by a Gate, a vaguely defined organ or object acting as a one-way connection to a limitless source of energy and matter known as the "higher plane". All Plants have a Gate of some description, but lack the volition to use it themselves; as an Independent, Knives can use his Gate at will, and telekinetically control the matter he produces with no more than a thought. His Gate constantly renews and revitalises his body, granting him inhuman fortitude, strength and speed, as well as keeping him physically in the prime of health and youth. With all his needs supplied by his Gate, Knives does not require any form of sustenance or rest, or even seem to need to breathe, and is well into his second century of age while keeping the appearance of an athletic young adult.

Knives uses his Gate mostly to produce his clothing and weapons in the form of metal blades, chaining them into "tentacles" to grab and slice up individual targets, or forming deadly storms of blades to cause mass devastation. He can also create claws from his hands and feet, but rarely does so in combat, preferring them for symbolism or utility. His blades can cut through steel and deflect bullets without losing their edge.

Knives has more esoteric abilities mostly based around seizing control of Vash's own Gate and forcing it to react, allowing him to manipulate Vash's perception of reality or even alter his memories, leaving a dark residue that grows outward from the point of contact. He only needs to be close enough to physically touch Vash or something he's holding, whether with hands or blades.

It can be assumed that if ever cut off from his Gate, Knives would lose access to his powers, weaken and die the same way other members of his species do when pushed beyond their limits. As it is, Knives is almost impossible to harm with conventional weapons, requiring a sustained burst of immense destructive power to outpace his Gate-induced resilience and regeneration.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:TriStamp KV2.jpg | Second key visual
File:Prerel_promo_kn.jpg | Prerelease promotional render
File:Prerel_promo_vk.jpg | Prerelease promotional render with Vash
File:TrStJPBD3.jpg | Blu-Ray Volume 3 cover
File:TrStEp03 commemorative illust - Akihiko Orikasa.jpg | Episode 3 commemorative illustration by Akihiko Orikasa
File:TrStEp00 commemorative illust A - Kenji Muto.jpg | Episode 0 commemorative illustration by Kenji Muto
</gallery>

== Appearances==

===Trigun Stampede===

====Episodes====
* [[NOMAN'S LAND]]
* [[Bright Light, Shine through the Darkness]]
* [[HUNGRY!]]
* [[Our Home.]]
* [[Millions Knives (episode) | Millions Knives]]
* [[Humanity]]
* [[To A New World]]
* [[High Noon At July (episode)|High Noon At July]]
==References==
[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Trigun Stampede]]
<references />
[[Category:Stampede continuity]]

Millions Knives (Stampede)

2024-01-04T02:56:31Z

NanoMoose:

{{Stub|type=character|cont=stampede}}{{Sources needed|2=Storylinks in biography}}{{Disambig|Millions Knives|about=the [[Stampede continuity]] iteration of the character}} {{Character Info
|img= TrSt Knives infobox.png
|subj= Millions Knives
|ja_va= [[Junya Ikeda]]<ref>https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=117804</ref> [[Yumiri Hanamori]]young<ref>https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=118609</ref>
|en_va= [[Austin Tindle]]<ref>https://twitter.com/Crunchyroll/status/1616496580860715008</ref><ref>https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=97965</ref> [[Megan Shipman]]young<ref>https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=126916</ref>
|ja_kanji= ミリオンズ・ナイブズ
|first=[[NOMAN'S LAND]]
|last=TBD
|race= Plant (independent)
|hair= Pale blonde
|eye= Seafoam green
|gender= Male
|alias=Kni Angel of Salvation Hundreds Spoons|altspelling=Nai}}

'''Millions Knives''' (formerly '''Kni''' or '''Nai''') is the main antagonist from ''[[Trigun Stampede]].''

== Biography ==
Knives is Vash's twin brother, born alongside him aboard the SEEDs Ship Five as it journeyed to find a new home for humanity and the Plants, living generators of power, matter and gravity that humans depend on to survive. Both twins are rare examples of Independent Plants, who look and behave human, but possess the ability to survive outside the specialised environments required by their dependent brethren. As infants, the boys were discovered and adopted by Navigational Officer Rem Saverem. She named one twin Vash and the other Kni. The twins matured quickly, growing to appear age seven or eight when they celebrated their first birthday. By that stage, Kni had begun to demonstrate the generative abilities of a Plant and to distance himself from human traits like eating for nourishment, {{Storylink|Our Home.}} while Vash remained apparently powerless, but eagerly embraced humanity. {{Storylink|NOMAN'S LAND}}

Though demonstrably inhuman and highly intelligent, Kni seemed in other respects a normal child, albeit serious and somewhat emotionally withdrawn. He enjoyed composing and playing classical piano with Vash, {{Storylink|Millions Knives (episode)}} loved cowboy movies, {{Storylink|High Noon At July (episode)}} and colluded with his brother to play pranks on Rem. {{Storylink|Our Home.}} He adored his brother, who was always at his side, and cared for Rem, but resented her efforts to have him appear human by concealing his powers and eating food he didn't need (which he viewed as wasteful). {{Storylink|Our Home.}} In time resentment turned to suspicion, particularly as Vash seemed to grow more humanlike under Rem's encouragement, bringing him closer to Rem but alienating Kni, which he expressed by needling Vash for being useless as a Plant.{{Storylink|To A New World}} Kni began to investigate areas of the ship Rem had forbidden them from entering, pulling Vash along despite his trepidation, and the twins stumbled across a classified databank of the SEEDs fleet's history. Vash gleefully entered the password himself when Kni was stymied, but both were horrified by the databank's contents.{{Storylink|To A New World}}

Along with files on both twins there was a third - another Independent Plant born fifty years before, a girl named Tesla. She was discovered by the crew and treated like a research specimen, subjected to brutal and invasive examination until her body fell apart. Worse yet, though vivisected and dismembered she was still alive fifty years later in suspended animation, as the twins discovered when the tanks containing her remains were unlocked and revealed.{{Storylink|To A New World}}

Rem tried to soothe their fears by explaining that she had adopted them to ensure they wouldn't meet Tesla's fate, hoping that they would become the means by which Plants and humans could communicate and together ensure nothing like that ever happened again. Kni, however, no longer trusted her ability to keep them safe, concluding that humanity was incapable of changing for the better, whatever their intentions. When the twins discussed between themselves whether they would be accepted by humans, Vash told Kni he had faith that they would. It was then that Kni decided his course was set: Vash was naïve, weak and needed protection from humanity's exploitation.{{Storylink|To A New World}} Kni secretly accessed the SEEDs fleet's navigation with the password Vash had shown him and forced every ship in the fleet to crash on the desert planet that would be named No Man's Land, sparing only the Plant carriers, believing this would wipe out all threats. {{Storylink|Millions Knives (episode)}} Rem took the twins to an escape pod, but despite Kni's solemn request she come with them, she chose to stay aboard the ships to save whoever she could. {{Storylink|NOMAN'S LAND}} After planetfall, Vash found Kni laughing gleefully over the wreckage of the fleet and confronted Kni over the mass murder he'd just committed, but Kni countered by calling Vash his accomplice for giving him the code to access the fleet's controls. Guilt-stricken and fearful, Vash fled and vanished into the alien desert.{{Storylink|Our Home.}}

Kni located a surviving SEEDS crew member, one Dr. William Conrad, and under threat of death recruited him to research Plants and acquire the resources necessary to complete his plan and retrieve Vash. {{Storylink|Humanity}} Renaming himself Millions Knives to represent his belief that he was a righteous and noble avenger for his species, Knives founded the cult called the Eye of Michael in the third city of July, providing himself with loyal troops and headquarters, and appointed Dr. Conrad as his high priest. He also continued to develop his powers as a Plant, refining his abilities from producing rough metal blades from his hands and feet {{Storylink|Millions Knives (episode)}} to the capacity to destroy whole settlements and kill dozens of people in the blink of an eye. {{Storylink|Bright Light, Shine through the Darkness}} {{Storylink|High Noon At July (episode)}}

Since the day the ships crashed, Knives has been plotting to complete the extermination of humanity and bring Vash back to his side - a desire only intensified when Vash demonstrated he did indeed have abilities as a Plant, both to produce and, uniquely, to ''consume'', drawing matter ''to'' the plane that Plants draw matter from. {{Storylink|Millions Knives (episode)}} Every time Knives and Vash meet, they find themselves arguing over or battling to determine which of their philosophies is the right one. {{Storylink|Bright Light, Shine through the Darkness}} {{Storylink|Millions Knives (episode)}} {{Storylink|To A New World}} {{Storylink|High Noon At July (episode)}}

As of the first episode of ''Stampede'', Knives has been stealing Plants from human settlements and slaughtering their inhabitants, dooming survivors to death by starvation or dehydration. {{Storylink|NOMAN'S LAND}} He exploits his resemblance to Vash to frame his brother for these crimes, marking him as a dangerous criminal in the hopes that Vash will realise humanity can never accept him, driving him back to Knives as his only refuge. {{Storylink|The Running Man}}

The primary plot of ''Trigun Stampede'' is driven both by Knives's efforts to convince, then force Vash to assist in his plans, and by his desire to claim and control Vash's power so he can use it to make No Man's Land a paradise, with the Plants its sole inhabitants.

==Character ==

=== Appearance ===
Knives is almost identical to Vash, differing only in minor traits. Knives has paler skin and platinum blond hair, eyebrows and eyelashes. Where Vash has a mole beneath his left eye, Knives's is under his right, and Knives's blue eyes bear a slight green tint. They have the same facial features, the same undercut hair and the same athletic build. Both twins are rendered with the same delicate, expressive face and well-proportioned, muscular body.

In every other respect, however, the twins could not be more different. Knives rejects all human accoutrements in favor of clothing he created himself, which he seems to have designed to bring his appearance closer to that of the dependent Plants: a skin-tight white body suit covered in Plant patterns (resembling an unfurled dependent Plant) and a loose gray cloak, roughly knee-length, with bubbles of white material and a deep, round hood (resembling a dependent when in bulb form). The suit is bulletproof, and the cloak serves as a spare source of matter for Knives's blades. He wears no other clothing and is always barefoot, indifferent to environmental hazards. He has no visible markings, scars or injuries besides the mole beneath his eye.

Knives keeps his hair short, in neat spikes slicked back from his forehead.

His blades have a distinctive curved, feathered shape and usually emerge from his back and shoulders in the form of three or four prehensile chains. When desired, he can fold the blades inward and use the chains to pick up or grapple a target, or flare them outward into razor-sharp piercing and cutting weapons. Both blades and chains seems to act as extensions of his body, instantly responding to his will.

=== Personality ===
Knives presents a face of calm, cold superiority, and has a flair for grandiose acts of wide-scale destruction. His proclamations frequently allude to the Christian Bible, particularly the New Testament Book of Revelation, to present himself as an angel bringing down God's wrath upon a sinful humankind. He relishes violence and views Vash's pacifism and love of humanity as an illness that must be cured by whatever means necessary. In Knives's mind, Vash is a victim of his own weakness and the manipulations of Rem and the humans he's befriended, unable to be trusted to make his own decisions. Everything he's done, Knives claims, he has done to protect Vash from them, with the freedom of the dependent Plants from humanity's chains as a secondary but no less pressing priority. As a superior lifeform and the perfect Independent Plant, it's up to Knives to destroy the disgusting parasites infesting the universe and to ensure all inferior examples of his species reflect the same perfection that he himself embodies.

However, Knives's icy pragmatism and lofty attitude conceal selfishness, erratic outbursts of emotion, unwillingness to take responsibility for the harm he inflicts upon his loved ones, and a rigidly black-and-white view of the world that permits no nuance or dissent. Knives is fundamentally driven by fear, not only of what humanity could do to him or to Vash, but that Vash will abandon him in favor of humans, leaving Knives alone. Since any human could potentially be a threat, all humanity must therefore suffer and die. He cannot, or will not, understand alternative viewpoints and has developed a habit of trying to isolate Vash by driving off or killing anyone who gets close to him, of gaslighting Vash to undermine his self-worth, and of lashing out with physical violence should those manipulations fail. Though his anger with humanity's reckless and unsustainable destruction of the beings they need to survive - his own species - is justified, he sees no issue adopting the same tactics himself with Vash or the Plants under his control. Knives takes their consent to his plans for granted, dismisses any resistance as foolishness, and is willing to strip Vash of his personhood and autonomy, as well as exploit the dependents for his own ends. When his plans are thwarted, Knives descends into indiscriminately destructive, incoherently shrieking fury, tearing apart whatever stands in his way or even himself.

At heart, Knives is a frightened, angry and deeply traumatised individual, as well a perfectionist unable to cope when reality deviates from his expectations. He is manipulative, controlling, and possessive, as well as prone to pushing blame onto those he harms for not submitting to his wishes. Despite his conviction and insistence that he's building a paradise for all the Plants, Knives's true goal is gaining Vash's utter devotion and a return to the carefree days of his childhood.

=== Occupation ===
Knives serves as the central figure of worship for the Eye of Michael but rarely bothers with its affairs, preferring to play his piano and reminiscence, or discuss his plans with Dr. Conrad. He seems to leave his music room only to terrorise and murder humans or steal Plants.

=== Family ===
Twin brother to Vash, from whom he is estranged, and adopted son of Rem Saverem, whom he murdered. The dependent Plants could be considered siblings or mothers and are referred to as his brethren, while Tesla is technically his older sister. Dr. Conrad serves as a twisted father figure. Elendira is Knives's partial clone, in a sense his daughter.

=== Relationships ===
Knives has an obsession with Vash that shades into monomaniacal, but seems to love the idea of Vash as his brother more than the person Vash has become. He has spent much of their time apart searching the planet for his brother both to locate/retrieve him and sabotage Vash's efforts to co-exist with humanity. While Knives does make an effort to speak to Vash gently and calmly when they meet, he snaps into explosive rage or resorts to scornful emotional manipulation whenever Vash disagrees with him. Their relationship is strained by Vash's undisguised terror of his brother. Tragically, despite all this Vash continues to love Knives, but has come to realise that they have both changed too much to return to the way they were, which deeply saddens him.

Knives once loved Rem but now bitterly despises her and anyone he perceives as being like her i.e. dark-haired woman who become emotionally close to Vash. Meryl, Luida, and Rosa (and the mothers of Jeneora Rock) thus all become targets of his murderous hatred and disgust.

All other humans with the sole exception of Dr. Conrad are insects to be exterminated if he can't ignore them, but Knives treats Conrad himself with politeness, even affection, always addressing him as "doctor" and never losing his temper. Conrad is protective of Knives and views him with awe as the perfect example of his species, almost a divine figure.

Though Knives has yet to be depicted speaking to any other members of the Eye of the Michael, Elendira and Legato both regard him with devotion and Zazie with wary familiarity, but if Knives cares what they think he does not show it. He knows enough about Rollo, Tonis and Wolfwood to adopt their images manipulating Vash, and about Roberto and Meryl to target and wipe them from Vash's mind. He is protective of the dependent Plants and refers to them as his brethren, but treats them more as objects than people and is not depicted communicating with them in the way Vash does. He implicitly regards them as soulless and without free will.

== Weapons & Abilities ==

=== Gate ===
Knives's body contains and is supported by a Gate, a vaguely defined organ or object acting as a one-way connection to a limitless source of energy and matter known as the "higher plane". All Plants have a Gate of some description, but lack the volition to use it themselves; as an Independent, Knives can use his Gate at will, and telekinetically control the matter he produces with no more than a thought. His Gate constantly renews and revitalises his body, granting him inhuman fortitude, strength and speed, as well as keeping him physically in the prime of health and youth. With all his needs supplied by his Gate, Knives does not require any form of sustenance or rest, or even seem to need to breathe, and is well into his second century of age while keeping the appearance of an athletic young adult.

Knives uses his Gate mostly to produce his clothing and weapons in the form of metal blades, chaining them into "tentacles" to grab and slice up individual targets, or forming deadly storms of blades to cause mass devastation. He can also create claws from his hands and feet, but rarely does so in combat, preferring them for symbolism or utility. His blades can cut through steel and deflect bullets without losing their edge.

Knives has more esoteric abilities mostly based around seizing control of Vash's own Gate and forcing it to react, allowing him to manipulate Vash's perception of reality or even alter his memories, leaving a dark residue that grows outward from the point of contact. He only needs to be close enough to physically touch Vash or something he's holding, whether with hands or blades.

It can be assumed that if ever cut off from his Gate, Knives would lose access to his powers, weaken and die the same way other members of his species do when pushed beyond their limits. As it is, Knives is almost impossible to harm with conventional weapons, requiring a sustained burst of immense destructive power to outpace his Gate-induced resilience and regeneration.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:TriStamp KV2.jpg | Second key visual
File:Prerel_promo_kn.jpg | Prerelease promotional render
File:Prerel_promo_vk.jpg | Prerelease promotional render with Vash
File:TrStJPBD3.jpg | Blu-Ray Volume 3 cover
File:TrStEp03 commemorative illust - Akihiko Orikasa.jpg | Episode 3 commemorative illustration by Akihiko Orikasa
File:TrStEp00 commemorative illust A - Kenji Muto.jpg | Episode 0 commemorative illustration by Kenji Muto
</gallery>

== Appearances==

===Trigun Stampede===

====Episodes====
* [[NOMAN'S LAND]]
* [[Bright Light, Shine through the Darkness]]
* [[Our Home.]]
* [[Millions Knives (episode) | Millions Knives]]
* [[Humanity]]
* [[To A New World]]
* [[High Noon At July (episode)|High Noon At July]]
==References==
[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Trigun Stampede]]
<references />
[[Category:Stampede continuity]]

Millions Knives (Stampede)

2024-01-04T02:50:25Z

NanoMoose: Changing some terminology and adding storylinks.

{{Stub|type=character|cont=stampede}}{{Sources needed|2=Storylinks in biography}}{{Disambig|Millions Knives|about=the [[Stampede continuity]] iteration of the character}} {{Character Info
|img= TrSt Knives infobox.png
|subj= Millions Knives
|ja_va= [[Junya Ikeda]]<ref>https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=117804</ref> [[Yumiri Hanamori]]young<ref>https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=118609</ref>
|en_va= [[Austin Tindle]]<ref>https://twitter.com/Crunchyroll/status/1616496580860715008</ref><ref>https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=97965</ref> [[Megan Shipman]]young<ref>https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=126916</ref>
|ja_kanji= ミリオンズ・ナイブズ
|first=[[NOMAN'S LAND]]
|last=TBD
|race= Plant (independent)
|hair= Pale blonde
|eye= Seafoam green
|gender= Male
|alias=Kni Angel of Salvation Hundreds Spoons|altspelling=Nai}}

'''Millions Knives''' (formerly '''Kni''' or '''Nai''') is the main antagonist from ''[[Trigun Stampede]].''

== Biography ==
Knives is Vash's twin brother, born alongside him aboard the SEEDs Ship Five as it journeyed to find a new home for humanity and the Plants, living generators of power, matter and gravity that humans depend on to survive. Both twins are rare examples of Independent Plants, who look and behave human, but possess the ability to survive outside the specialised environments required by their dependent brethren. As infants, the boys were discovered and adopted by Navigational Officer Rem Saverem. She named one twin Vash and the other Kni. The twins matured quickly, growing to appear age seven or eight when they celebrated their first birthday. By that stage, Kni had begun to demonstrate the generative abilities of a Plant and to distance himself from human traits like eating for nourishment, {{Storylink|Our Home.}} while Vash remained apparently powerless, but eagerly embraced humanity. {{Storylink|No Man's Land}}

Though demonstrably inhuman and highly intelligent, Kni seemed in other respects a normal child, albeit serious and somewhat emotionally withdrawn. He enjoyed composing and playing classical piano with Vash, {{Storylink|Millions Knives (episode)}} loved cowboy movies, {{Storylink|High Noon At July (episode)}} and colluded with his brother to play pranks on Rem. {{Storylink|Our Home.}} He adored his brother, who was always at his side, and cared for Rem, but resented her efforts to have him appear human by concealing his powers and eating food he didn't need (which he viewed as wasteful). {{Storylink|Our Home.}} In time resentment turned to suspicion, particularly as Vash seemed to grow more humanlike under Rem's encouragement, bringing him closer to Rem but alienating Kni, which he expressed by needling Vash for being useless as a Plant.{{Storylink|To A New World}} Kni began to investigate areas of the ship Rem had forbidden them from entering, pulling Vash along despite his trepidation, and the twins stumbled across a classified databank of the SEEDs fleet's history. Vash gleefully entered the password himself when Kni was stymied, but both were horrified by the databank's contents.{{Storylink|To A New World}}

Along with files on both twins there was a third - another Independent Plant born fifty years before, a girl named Tesla. She was discovered by the crew and treated like a research specimen, subjected to brutal and invasive examination until her body fell apart. Worse yet, though vivisected and dismembered she was still alive fifty years later in suspended animation, as the twins discovered when the tanks containing her remains were unlocked and revealed.{{Storylink|To A New World}}

Rem tried to soothe their fears by explaining that she had adopted them to ensure they wouldn't meet Tesla's fate, hoping that they would become the means by which Plants and humans could communicate and together ensure nothing like that ever happened again. Kni, however, no longer trusted her ability to keep them safe, concluding that humanity was incapable of changing for the better, whatever their intentions. When the twins discussed between themselves whether they would be accepted by humans, Vash told Kni he had faith that they would. It was then that Kni decided his course was set: Vash was naïve, weak and needed protection from humanity's exploitation.{{Storylink|To A New World}} Kni secretly accessed the SEEDs fleet's navigation with the password Vash had shown him and forced every ship in the fleet to crash on the desert planet that would be named No Man's Land, sparing only the Plant carriers, believing this would wipe out all threats. {{Storylink|Millions Knives (episode)}} Rem took the twins to an escape pod, but despite Kni's solemn request she come with them, she chose to stay aboard the ships to save whoever she could. {{Storylink|No Man's Land}} After planetfall, Vash found Kni laughing gleefully over the wreckage of the fleet and confronted Kni over the mass murder he'd just committed, but Kni countered by calling Vash his accomplice for giving him the code to access the fleet's controls. Guilt-stricken and fearful, Vash fled and vanished into the alien desert.{{Storylink|Our Home.}}

Kni located a surviving SEEDS crew member, one Dr. William Conrad, and under threat of death recruited him to research Plants and acquire the resources necessary to complete his plan and locate, capture and subdue Vash. {{Storylink|Humanity}} Renaming himself Millions Knives to represent his belief that he was a righteous and noble avenger for his species, Knives founded the cult called the Eye of Michael in the third city of July, providing himself with loyal troops and headquarters, and appointed Dr. Conrad as his high priest. He also continued to develop his powers as a Plant, refining his abilities from producing rough metal blades from his hands and feet {{Storylink|Millions Knives (episode)}} to the capacity to destroy whole settlements and kill dozens of people in the blink of an eye. {{Storylink|Bright Light, Shine through the Darkness}} {{Storylink|High Noon At July (episode)}}

Since the day the ships crashed, Knives has been plotting to complete the extermination of humanity and bring Vash back to his side - a desire only intensified when Vash demonstrated he did indeed have abilities as a Plant, both to produce and, uniquely, to ''consume'', drawing matter ''to'' the plane that Plants draw matter from. {{Storylink|Millions Knives (episode)}} Every time Knives and Vash meet, they find themselves arguing over or battling to determine which of their philosophies is the right one. {{Storylink|Bright Light, Shine through the Darkness}} {{Storylink|Millions Knives (episode)}} {{Storylink|To A New World}} {{Storylink|High Noon At July (episode)}}

As of the first episode of ''Stampede'', Knives has been stealing Plants from human settlements and slaughtering their inhabitants, dooming survivors to death by starvation or dehydration. {{Storylink|No Man's Land}} He exploits his resemblance to Vash to frame his brother for these crimes, marking him as a dangerous criminal in the hopes that Vash will realise humanity can never accept him, driving him back to Knives as his only refuge. {{Storylink|The Running Man}}

The primary plot of ''Trigun Stampede'' is driven both by Knives's efforts to convince, then force Vash to assist in his plans, and by his desire to claim and control Vash's power so he can use it to make No Man's Land a paradise, with the Plants its sole inhabitants.

==Character ==

=== Appearance ===
Knives is almost identical to Vash, differing only in minor traits. Knives has paler skin and platinum blond hair, eyebrows and eyelashes. Where Vash has a mole beneath his left eye, Knives's is under his right, and Knives's blue eyes bear a slight green tint. They have the same facial features, the same undercut hair and the same athletic build. Both twins are rendered with the same delicate, expressive face and well-proportioned, muscular body.

In every other respect, however, the twins could not be more different. Knives rejects all human accoutrements in favor of clothing he created himself, which he seems to have designed to bring his appearance closer to that of the dependent Plants: a skin-tight white body suit covered in Plant patterns (resembling an unfurled dependent Plant) and a loose gray cloak, roughly knee-length, with bubbles of white material and a deep, round hood (resembling a dependent when in bulb form). The suit is bulletproof, and the cloak serves as a spare source of matter for Knives's blades. He wears no other clothing and is always barefoot, indifferent to environmental hazards. He has no visible markings, scars or injuries besides the mole beneath his eye.

Knives keeps his hair short, in neat spikes slicked back from his forehead.

His blades have a distinctive curved, feathered shape and usually emerge from his back and shoulders in the form of three or four prehensile chains. When desired, he can fold the blades inward and use the chains to pick up or grapple a target, or flare them outward into razor-sharp piercing and cutting weapons. Both blades and chains seems to act as extensions of his body, instantly responding to his will.

=== Personality ===
Knives presents a face of calm, cold superiority, and has a flair for grandiose acts of wide-scale destruction. His proclamations frequently allude to the Christian Bible, particularly the New Testament Book of Revelation, to present himself as an angel bringing down God's wrath upon a sinful humankind. He relishes violence and views Vash's pacifism and love of humanity as an illness that must be cured by whatever means necessary. In Knives's mind, Vash is a victim of his own weakness and the manipulations of Rem and the humans he's befriended, unable to be trusted to make his own decisions. Everything he's done, Knives claims, he has done to protect Vash from them, with the freedom of the dependent Plants from humanity's chains as a secondary but no less pressing priority. As a superior lifeform and the perfect Independent Plant, it's up to Knives to destroy the disgusting parasites infesting the universe and to ensure all inferior examples of his species reflect the same perfection that he himself embodies.

However, Knives's icy pragmatism and lofty attitude conceal selfishness, erratic outbursts of emotion, unwillingness to take responsibility for the harm he inflicts upon his loved ones, and a rigidly black-and-white view of the world that permits no nuance or dissent. Knives is fundamentally driven by fear, not only of what humanity could do to him or to Vash, but that Vash will abandon him in favor of humans, leaving Knives alone. Since any human could potentially be a threat, all humanity must therefore suffer and die. He cannot, or will not, understand alternative viewpoints and has developed a habit of trying to isolate Vash by driving off or killing anyone who gets close to him, of gaslighting Vash to undermine his self-worth, and of lashing out with physical violence should those manipulations fail. Though his anger with humanity's reckless and unsustainable destruction of the beings they need to survive - his own species - is justified, he sees no issue adopting the same tactics himself with Vash or the Plants under his control. Knives takes their consent to his plans for granted, dismisses any resistance as foolishness, and is willing to strip Vash of his personhood and autonomy, as well as exploit the dependents for his own ends. When his plans are thwarted, Knives descends into indiscriminately destructive, incoherently shrieking fury, tearing apart whatever stands in his way or even himself.

At heart, Knives is a frightened, angry and deeply traumatised individual, as well a perfectionist unable to cope when reality deviates from his expectations. He is manipulative, controlling, and possessive, as well as prone to pushing blame onto those he harms for not submitting to his wishes. Despite his conviction and insistence that he's building a paradise for all the Plants, Knives's true goal is gaining Vash's utter devotion and a return to the carefree days of his childhood.

=== Occupation ===
Knives serves as the central figure of worship for the Eye of Michael but rarely bothers with its affairs, preferring to play his piano and reminiscence, or discuss his plans with Dr. Conrad. He seems to leave his music room only to terrorise and murder humans or steal Plants.

=== Family ===
Twin brother to Vash, from whom he is estranged, and adopted son of Rem Saverem, whom he murdered. The dependent Plants could be considered siblings or mothers and are referred to as his brethren, while Tesla is technically his older sister. Dr. Conrad serves as a twisted father figure. Elendira is Knives's partial clone, in a sense his daughter.

=== Relationships ===
Knives has an obsession with Vash that shades into monomaniacal, but seems to love the idea of Vash as his brother more than the person Vash has become. He has spent much of their time apart searching the planet for his brother both to locate/retrieve him and sabotage Vash's efforts to co-exist with humanity. While Knives does make an effort to speak to Vash gently and calmly when they meet, he snaps into explosive rage or resorts to scornful emotional manipulation whenever Vash disagrees with him. Their relationship is strained by Vash's undisguised terror of his brother. Tragically, despite all this Vash continues to love Knives, but has come to realise that they have both changed too much to return to the way they were, which deeply saddens him.

Knives once loved Rem but now bitterly despises her and anyone he perceives as being like her i.e. dark-haired woman who become emotionally close to Vash. Meryl, Luida, and Rosa (and the mothers of Jeneora Rock) thus all become targets of his murderous hatred and disgust.

All other humans with the sole exception of Dr. Conrad are insects to be exterminated if he can't ignore them, but Knives treats Conrad himself with politeness, even affection, always addressing him as "doctor" and never losing his temper. Conrad is protective of Knives and views him with awe as the perfect example of his species, almost a divine figure.

Though Knives has yet to be depicted speaking to any other members of the Eye of the Michael, Elendira and Legato both regard him with devotion and Zazie with wary familiarity, but if Knives cares what they think he does not show it. He knows enough about Rollo, Tonis and Wolfwood to adopt their images manipulating Vash, and about Roberto and Meryl to target and wipe them from Vash's mind. He is protective of the dependent Plants and refers to them as his brethren, but treats them more as objects than people and is not depicted communicating with them in the way Vash does. He implicitly regards them as soulless and without free will.

== Weapons & Abilities ==

=== Gate ===
Knives's body contains and is supported by a Gate, a vaguely defined organ or object acting as a one-way connection to a limitless source of energy and matter known as the "higher plane". All Plants have a Gate of some description, but lack the volition to use it themselves; as an Independent, Knives can use his Gate at will, and telekinetically control the matter he produces with no more than a thought. His Gate constantly renews and revitalises his body, granting him inhuman fortitude, strength and speed, as well as keeping him physically in the prime of health and youth. With all his needs supplied by his Gate, Knives does not require any form of sustenance or rest, or even seem to need to breathe, and is well into his second century of age while keeping the appearance of an athletic young adult.

Knives uses his Gate mostly to produce his clothing and weapons in the form of metal blades, chaining them into "tentacles" to grab and slice up individual targets, or forming deadly storms of blades to cause mass devastation. He can also create claws from his hands and feet, but rarely does so in combat, preferring them for symbolism or utility. His blades can cut through steel and deflect bullets without losing their edge.

Knives has more esoteric abilities mostly based around seizing control of Vash's own Gate and forcing it to react, allowing him to manipulate Vash's perception of reality or even alter his memories, leaving a dark residue that grows outward from the point of contact. He only needs to be close enough to physically touch Vash or something he's holding, whether with hands or blades.

It can be assumed that if ever cut off from his Gate, Knives would lose access to his powers, weaken and die the same way other members of his species do when pushed beyond their limits. As it is, Knives is almost impossible to harm with conventional weapons, requiring a sustained burst of immense destructive power to outpace his Gate-induced resilience and regeneration.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:TriStamp KV2.jpg | Second key visual
File:Prerel_promo_kn.jpg | Prerelease promotional render
File:Prerel_promo_vk.jpg | Prerelease promotional render with Vash
File:TrStJPBD3.jpg | Blu-Ray Volume 3 cover
File:TrStEp03 commemorative illust - Akihiko Orikasa.jpg | Episode 3 commemorative illustration by Akihiko Orikasa
File:TrStEp00 commemorative illust A - Kenji Muto.jpg | Episode 0 commemorative illustration by Kenji Muto
</gallery>

== Appearances==

===Trigun Stampede===

====Episodes====
* [[NOMAN'S LAND]]
* [[Bright Light, Shine through the Darkness]]
* [[Our Home.]]
* [[Millions Knives (episode) | Millions Knives]]
* [[Humanity]]
* [[To A New World]]
* [[High Noon At July (episode)|High Noon At July]]
==References==
[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Trigun Stampede]]
<references />
[[Category:Stampede continuity]]

Millions Knives (Stampede)

2024-01-03T13:18:30Z

NanoMoose:

{{Stub}}{{Disambig|Millions Knives|about=the [[Stampede continuity]] iteration of the character}} {{Character Info
|img= TrSt Knives infobox.png
|subj= Millions Knives
|ja_va= Junya Ikeda Yumiri Hanamori young
|en_va= Austin Tindle <ref>https://twitter.com/Crunchyroll/status/1616496580860715008</ref>
|ja_kanji= ミリオンズ・ナイブズ
|first=[[NOMAN'S LAND]]
|last=TBD
|race= Plant (independent)
|hair= Pale blonde
|eye= Seafoam green
|gender= Male
|occupation=
|alias=Kni
Angel of Salvation

Hundreds Spoons|altspelling=Nai}}

'''Millions Knives''' (formerly Kni or Nai) is the main antagonist from ''[[Trigun Stampede]].''

== Biography ==
Knives is Vash's twin brother, born alongside him aboard the SEEDs Ship Five as it journeyed to find a new home for humanity and the Plants, living generators of power, matter and gravity that humans depend on to survive. Both twins are rare examples of Independent Plants, who look and behave human, but possess the ability to survive outside the specialised environments required by their dependent brethren. As infants, the boys were discovered and adopted by Navigational Officer Rem Saverem. She named one twin Vash and the other Kni. The twins matured quickly, growing to appear age seven or eight when they celebrated their first birthday. By that stage, Kni had begun to demonstrate the generative abilities of a Plant and to distance himself from human traits like eating for nourishment, while Vash remained apparently powerless, but eagerly embraced humanity.

Though demonstrably inhuman and highly intelligent, Kni seemed in other respects a normal child, albeit serious and somewhat emotionally withdrawn. He enjoyed playing classical piano, loved cowboy movies, and colluded with Vash to play pranks. He adored his brother, who was always at his side, and cared for Rem, but resented her efforts to have him appear human by concealing his powers and eating food he didn't need (which he viewed as wasteful). In time resentment turned to suspicion, particularly as Vash seemed to grow more humanlike under Rem's encouragement, bringing him closer to Rem but alienating Kni, which he expressed by needling Vash for being useless as a Plant. Kni began to investigate areas of the ship Rem had forbidden them from entering, pulling Vash along, and the twins stumbled across a classified databank of the SEEDs fleet's history. Vash gleefully entered the password himself when Kni was stymied, happy to prove he wasn't just a "waste", but both were horrified by the databank's contents.

Along with files on both twins there was a third - another Independent Plant born fifty years before, a girl named Tesla. She was discovered by the crew and treated like a research specimen, subjected to brutal and invasive examination until her body fell apart. Worse yet, though vivisected and dismembered she was still alive fifty years later in suspended animation, as the twins discovered when the tanks containing her remains were unlocked and revealed.

Rem tried to soothe their fears by explaining that she had adopted them to ensure they wouldn't meet Tesla's fate, hoping that they would become the means by which Plants and humans could communicate and together ensure nothing like that ever happened again. Kni, however, no longer trusted her ability to keep them safe, concluding that humanity was incapable of changing for the better, whatever their intentions. When the twins discussed between themselves whether they would be accepted by humans, Vash told Kni he had faith that they would. It was then that Kni decided his course was set: Vash was naïve, weak and needed protection from humanity's exploitation - which would, incidentally, leave Vash with no one to love but his brother. Kni secretly accessed the SEEDs fleet's navigation with the password Vash had shown him and forced every ship in the fleet to crash on the desert planet that would be named No Man's Land, sparing only the Plant carriers, believing this would wipe out all threats. Rem took the twins to an escape pod, but despite Kni's solemn request she come with them, she chose to stay aboard the ships to save whoever she could. Kni's resentment of her turned in that moment to stark, burning hatred of her for this betrayal. After planetfall, Vash found Kni laughing gleefully over the wreckage of the fleet and confronted Kni over the mass murder he'd just committed, but Kni countered by calling Vash his accomplice for giving him the code to access the fleet's controls. Guilt-stricken and fearful, Vash fled and vanished into the alien desert.

Kni located a surviving SEEDS crew member, one Dr. William Conrad, and under threat of death recruited him to research Plants and acquire the resources necessary to locate, capture and subdue Vash. Renaming himself Millions Knives to represent his belief that he was a righteous and noble avenger for his species, Knives founded the cult called the Eye of Michael in the third city of July, providing himself with loyal troops and lavish headquarters, and appointed Dr. Conrad as his high priest. He also continued to develop his powers as a Plant, refining his abilities from producing rough metal blades from his hands and feet to the capacity to destroy whole settlements and kill dozens of people in the blink of an eye.

Since the day the ships crashed, Knives has been plotting to complete the extermination of humanity and bring Vash back to his side - a desire only intensified when Vash demonstrated he did indeed have abilities as a Plant, both to produce and, uniquely, to ''consume'', drawing matter ''to'' the plane that Plants draw matter from. Every time Knives and Vash meet, they find themselves battling to determine which of their philosophies is the right one.

As of the first episode of ''Stampede'', Knives has been stealing Plants from human settlements and slaughtering their inhabitants, dooming survivors to death by starvation or dehydration. He exploits his resemblance to Vash to frame his brother for these crimes, marking him as a dangerous criminal in the hopes that Vash will realise humanity can never accept him, driving him back to Knives as his only refuge.

The primary plot of ''Trigun Stampede'' is driven both by Knives's efforts to convince, then force Vash to assist in his plans, and by his desire to claim and control Vash's power so he can use it to make No Man's Land a paradise, with the Plants its sole inhabitants and supreme rulers.

==Character ==

=== Appearance ===
Knives is almost identical to Vash, differing only in minor traits. Knives has paler skin and platinum blond hair, eyebrows and eyelashes. Where Vash has a mole beneath his left eye, Knives's is under his right, and Knives's blue eyes bear a slight green tint. They have the same facial features, the same undercut hair and the same athletic build. Both twins are drawn to be extremely physically attractive, with delicate, expressive faces and well-proportioned, muscular bodies.

In every other respect, however, the twins could not be more different. Knives rejects all human accoutrements in favor of clothing he created himself, which he seems to have designed to bring his appearance closer to that of the dependent Plants: a skin-tight white body suit covered in Plant patterns (resembling an unfurled dependent Plant) and a loose gray cloak, roughly knee-length, with bubbles of white material and a deep, round hood (resembling a dependent when in bulb form). The suit is bulletproof, and the cloak serves as a spare source of matter for Knives's blades. He wears no other clothing and is always barefoot, indifferent to environmental hazards. He has no visible markings, scars or injuries besides the mole beneath his eye.

Knives keeps his hair short, in spikes slicked back from his forehead.

His blades have a distinctive curved, feathered shape and usually emerge from his back and shoulders in the form of three or four prehensile chains. When desired, he can fold the blades inward and use the chains to pick up or grapple a target, or flare them outward into razor-sharp and deadly swift cutting weapons. Both blades and chains seems to act as extensions of his body, instantly responding to his will.

=== Personality ===
Knives presents a face of calm, cold superiority, and has a flair for grandiose acts of wide-scale destruction. His proclamations frequently allude to the Christian Bible, particularly the New Testament Book of Revelation, to present himself as an angel bringing down God's wrath upon humanity. He relishes violence and views Vash's pacifism and love of humanity as an illness that must be cured by whatever means necessary. In Knives's mind, Vash is a victim of his own weakness and the manipulations of Rem and the humans he's befriended, unable to be trusted to make his own decisions. Everything he's done, Knives claims, he has done to protect Vash from them, with the freedom of the dependent Plants from humanity's chains as a secondary but no less pressing priority. As a superior lifeform and the perfect Independent Plant, it's up to Knives to destroy the disgusting parasites infesting the universe and to ensure all inferior examples of his species reflect the same perfection that he embodies.

However, Knives's icy pragmatism and lofty attitude conceal selfishness, mental instability, a childish unwillingness to take responsibility for the harm he does to his loved ones, and a rigidly black-and-white view of the world that permits no nuance or dissent. Knives is fundamentally driven by fear, not only of what humanity could do to him or to Vash, but that Vash will abandon him in favor of humans, leaving Knives alone. Since all humans could potentially be a threat, all humanity must therefore suffer and die. He cannot, or will not, understand alternative viewpoints and has developed a habit of trying to isolate Vash by driving off or killing anyone who gets close to him, emotionally abusing or gaslighting Vash to undermine his self-worth, and of lashing out with extreme physical violence should those manipulations fail. Though his anger with humanity's reckless consumption of the beings they need to survive is justified, he sees no issue adopting the same tactics himself with Vash and the Plants under his control. Knives takes their consent to his plans for granted, dismisses any resistance as foolishness, and is willing to strip Vash of his personhood and autonomy, as well as exploit the dependents for his own ends. When his plans are thwarted, Knives descends into blind, destructive, incoherently shrieking fury.

At heart, Knives is a frightened, angry and deeply traumatised child, as well a perfectionist unable to cope when reality deviates from his expectations. He is manipulative, controlling, cruel and possessive, as well as prone to pushing blame onto those he harms for not submitting to his wishes. Despite his conviction that he's building a paradise for all the Plants, Knives's true goal is gaining Vash's utter devotion and a return to the days of his carefree childhood.

=== Occupation ===
Knives serves as the central figure of worship for the Eye of Michael but rarely bothers with its affairs, preferring to play his piano and reminiscence, or discuss his plans with Dr. Conrad. He seems to leave his music room only to terrorise and murder humans or steal Plants.

=== Family ===
Twin brother to Vash, from whom he is estranged, and adopted son of Rem Saverem, whom he murdered. The dependent Plants could be considered siblings or mothers and are referred to as his brethren, while Tesla is technically his older sister. Dr. Conrad serves as a twisted father figure. Elendira is Knives's partial clone, in a sense his daughter.

=== Relationships ===
Knives has an obsession with Vash that shades into monomaniacal, but seems to love the idea of Vash as his brother more than the person Vash has become. He has spent much of their time apart stalking his brother both to locate Vash himself and sabotage Vash's efforts to co-exist with humanity. While Knives does make an effort to speak to Vash gently and calmly, he snaps into explosive rage or resorts to insidious and cruel verbal abuse whenever Vash disagrees with him. Their relationship is strained by Vash's undisguised terror of his brother. Tragically, despite all this Vash continues to love Knives, but has come to realise that they have both changed too much to return to the way they were, which deeply saddens him.

Knives once loved Rem but now bitterly despises her and anyone he perceives as being like her i.e. dark-haired woman who become emotionally close to Vash. Meryl, Luida, and Rosa (and the mothers of Jeneora Rock) thus all become targets of his murderous hatred and disgust.

All other humans with the sole exception of Dr. Conrad are insects to be exterminated if he can't ignore them, but Knives treats Conrad himself with unexpected politeness, even affection, always addressing him as "doctor" and never losing his temper. Conrad is protective of Knives and views him with awe as the perfect example of his species, almost a divine figure.

Though Knives has yet to be depicted speaking to any other members of the Eye of the Michael, Elendira and Legato both regard him with devotion and Zazie with wary familiarity, but if Knives cares what they think he does not show it. He knows enough about Rollo, Tonis and Wolfwood to adopt their images manipulating Vash, and about Roberto and Meryl to target and wipe them from Vash's mind. He is protective of the dependent Plants and refers to them as his brethren, but treats them more as objects than people, regarding them as soulless.

== Weapons & Abilities ==

=== Gate ===
Knives's body contains and is supported by a Gate, a vaguely defined organ or object acting as a one-way connection to a limitless source of energy and matter known as the "higher plane". All Plants have a Gate of some description, but lack the volition to use it themselves; as an Independent, Knives can use his Gate at will, and telekinetically control the matter he produces with no more than a thought. His Gate constantly renews and revitalises his body, granting him inhuman fortitude, strength and speed, as well as keeping him physically in the prime of health and youth. With all his needs supplied by his Gate, Knives does not require any form of sustenance or rest, or even seem to need to breathe, and is well into his second century of age while keeping the appearance of an athletic young adult.

Knives uses his Gate mostly to produce his clothing and weapons in the form of metal blades, chaining them into "tentacles" to grab and slice up individual targets, or forming deadly storms of blades to cause mass devastation. He can also create claws from his hands and feet, but rarely does so in combat, preferring them for symbolism or utility. His blades can cut through steel and deflect bullets without losing their edge.

Knives has more esoteric abilities mostly based around seizing control of Vash's own Gate and forcing it to react, allowing him to manipulate Vash's perception of reality or even alter his memories, leaving a dark residue that grows outward from the point of contact. He only needs to be close enough to physically touch Vash or something he's holding, whether with hands or blades.

It can be assumed that if ever cut off from his Gate, Knives would lose access to his powers, weaken and die the same way other members of his species do when pushed beyond their limits. As it is, Knives is almost impossible to harm with conventional weapons, requiring a sustained burst of immense destructive power to outpace his regenerative capabilities.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:TriStamp KV2.jpg | Second key visual
File:Prerel_promo_kn.jpg | Prerelease promotional render
File:Prerel_promo_vk.jpg | Prerelease promotional render with Vash
File:TrStJPBD3.jpg | Blu-Ray Volume 3 cover
File:TrStEp03 commemorative illust - Akihiko Orikasa.jpg | Episode 3 commemorative illustration by Akihiko Orikasa
File:TrStEp00 commemorative illust A - Kenji Muto.jpg | Episode 0 commemorative illustration by Kenji Muto
</gallery>

== Appearances==

===Trigun Stampede===

====Episodes====
* [[NOMAN'S LAND]]
* [[Bright Light, Shine through the Darkness]]
* [[Our Home.]]
* [[Millions Knives (episode) | Millions Knives]]
* [[Humanity]]
* [[To A New World]]
* [[High Noon At July (episode)|High Noon At July]]
==References==
[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Trigun Stampede]]
<references />
[[Category:Stampede continuity]]

Millions Knives (Stampede)

2024-01-03T12:45:06Z

NanoMoose:

{{Stub}}{{Disambig|Millions Knives|about=the [[Stampede continuity]] iteration of the character}} {{Character Info
|img= TrSt Knives infobox.png
|subj= Millions Knives
|ja_va= Junya Ikeda Yumiri Hanamori young
|en_va= Austin Tindle <ref>https://twitter.com/Crunchyroll/status/1616496580860715008</ref>
|ja_kanji= ミリオンズ・ナイブズ
|first=[[NOMAN'S LAND]]
|last=TBD
|race= Plant (independent)
|hair= Pale blonde
|eye= Seafoam green
|gender= Male
|occupation=
}}

'''Millions Knives''' (formerly Kni or Nai) is the main antagonist from ''[[Trigun Stampede]].''

== Biography ==
Knives is Vash's twin brother, born alongside him aboard the SEEDs Ship Five as it journeyed to find a new home for humanity and the Plants, living generators of power, matter and gravity that humans depend on to survive. Both twins are rare examples of Independent Plants, who look and behave human, but possess the ability to survive outside the specialised environments required by their dependent brethren. As infants, the boys were discovered and adopted by Navigational Officer Rem Saverem. She named one twin Vash and the other Kni. The twins matured quickly, growing to appear age seven or eight when they celebrated their first birthday. By that stage, Kni had begun to demonstrate the generative abilities of a Plant and to distance himself from human traits like eating for nourishment, while Vash remained apparently powerless, but eagerly embraced humanity.

Though demonstrably inhuman and highly intelligent, Kni seemed in other respects a normal child, albeit serious and somewhat emotionally withdrawn. He enjoyed playing classical piano, loved cowboy movies, and colluded with Vash to play pranks. He adored his brother, who was always at his side, and cared for Rem, but resented her efforts to have him appear human by concealing his powers and eating food he didn't need (which he viewed as wasteful). In time resentment turned to suspicion, particularly as Vash seemed to grow more humanlike under Rem's encouragement, bringing him closer to Rem but alienating Kni, which he expressed by needling Vash for being useless as a Plant. Kni began to investigate areas of the ship Rem had forbidden them from entering, pulling Vash along, and the twins stumbled across a classified databank of the SEEDs fleet's history. Vash gleefully entered the password himself when Kni was stymied, happy to prove he wasn't just a "waste", but both were horrified by the databank's contents.

Along with files on both twins there was a third - another Independent Plant born fifty years before, a girl named Tesla. She was discovered by the crew and treated like a research specimen, subjected to brutal and invasive examination until her body fell apart. Worse yet, though vivisected and dismembered she was still alive fifty years later in suspended animation, as the twins discovered when the tanks containing her remains were unlocked and revealed.

Rem tried to soothe their fears by explaining that she had adopted them to ensure they wouldn't meet Tesla's fate, hoping that they would become the means by which Plants and humans could communicate and together ensure nothing like that ever happened again. Kni, however, no longer trusted her ability to keep them safe, concluding that humanity was incapable of changing for the better, whatever their intentions. When the twins discussed between themselves whether they would be accepted by humans, Vash told Kni he had faith that they would. It was then that Kni decided his course was set: Vash was naïve, weak and needed protection from humanity's exploitation - which would, incidentally, leave Vash with no one to love but his brother. Kni secretly accessed the SEEDs fleet's navigation with the password Vash had shown him and forced every ship in the fleet to crash on the desert planet that would be named No Man's Land, sparing only the Plant carriers, believing this would wipe out all threats. Rem took the twins to an escape pod, but despite Kni's solemn request she come with them, she chose to stay aboard the ships to save whoever she could. Kni's resentment of her turned in that moment to stark, burning hatred of her for this betrayal. After planetfall, Vash found Kni laughing gleefully over the wreckage of the fleet and confronted Kni over the mass murder he'd just committed, but Kni countered by calling Vash his accomplice for giving him the code to access the fleet's controls. Guilt-stricken and fearful, Vash fled and vanished into the alien desert.

Kni located a surviving SEEDS crew member, one Dr. William Conrad, and under threat of death recruited him to research Plants and acquire the resources necessary to locate, capture and subdue Vash. Renaming himself Millions Knives to represent his belief that he was a righteous and noble avenger for his species, Knives founded the cult called the Eye of Michael in the third city of July, providing himself with loyal troops and lavish headquarters, and appointed Dr. Conrad as his high priest. He also continued to develop his powers as a Plant, refining his abilities from producing rough metal blades from his hands and feet to the capacity to destroy whole settlements and kill dozens of people in the blink of an eye.

Since the day the ships crashed, Knives has been plotting to complete the extermination of humanity and bring Vash back to his side - a desire only intensified when Vash demonstrated he did indeed have abilities as a Plant, both to produce and, uniquely, to ''consume'', drawing matter ''to'' the plane that Plants draw matter from. Every time Knives and Vash meet, they find themselves battling to determine which of their philosophies is the right one.

As of the first episode of ''Stampede'', Knives has been stealing Plants from human settlements and slaughtering their inhabitants, dooming survivors to death by starvation or dehydration. He exploits his resemblance to Vash to frame his brother for these crimes, marking him as a dangerous criminal in the hopes that Vash will realise humanity can never accept him, driving him back to Knives as his only refuge.

The primary plot of ''Trigun Stampede'' is driven both by Knives's efforts to convince, then force Vash to assist in his plans, and by his desire to claim and control Vash's power so he can use it to make No Man's Land a paradise, with the Plants its sole inhabitants and supreme rulers.

==Character ==

=== Appearance ===
Knives is almost identical to Vash, differing only in minor traits. Knives has paler skin and platinum blond hair, eyebrows and eyelashes. Where Vash has a mole beneath his left eye, Knives's is under his right, and Knives's blue eyes bear a slight green tint. They have the same facial features, the same undercut hair and the same athletic build. Both twins are drawn to be extremely physically attractive, with delicate, expressive faces and well-proportioned, muscular bodies.

In every other respect, however, the twins could not be more different. Knives rejects all human accoutrements in favor of clothing he created himself, which he seems to have designed to bring his appearance closer to that of the dependent Plants: a skin-tight white body suit covered in Plant patterns (resembling an unfurled dependent Plant) and a loose gray cloak, roughly knee-length, with bubbles of white material and a deep, round hood (resembling a dependent when in bulb form). The suit is bulletproof, and the cloak serves as a spare source of matter for Knives's blades. He wears no other clothing and is always barefoot, indifferent to environmental hazards. He has no visible markings, scars or injuries besides the mole beneath his eye.

Knives keeps his hair short, in spikes slicked back from his forehead.

His blades have a distinctive curved, feathered shape and usually emerge from his back and shoulders in the form of three or four prehensile chains. When desired, he can fold the blades inward and use the chains to pick up or grapple a target, or flare them outward into razor-sharp and deadly swift cutting weapons. Both blades and chains seems to act as extensions of his body, instantly responding to his will.

=== Personality ===
Knives presents a face of calm, cold superiority, and has a flair for grandiose acts of wide-scale destruction. His proclamations frequently allude to the Christian Bible, particularly the New Testament Book of Revelation, to present himself as an angel bringing down God's wrath upon humanity. He relishes violence and views Vash's pacifism and love of humanity as an illness that must be cured by whatever means necessary. In Knives's mind, Vash is a victim of his own weakness and the manipulations of Rem and the humans he's befriended, unable to be trusted to make his own decisions. Everything he's done, Knives claims, he has done to protect Vash from them, with the freedom of the dependent Plants from humanity's chains as a secondary but no less pressing priority. As a superior lifeform and the perfect Independent Plant, it's up to Knives to destroy the disgusting parasites infesting the universe and to ensure all inferior examples of his species reflect the same perfection that he embodies.

However, Knives's icy pragmatism and lofty attitude conceal selfishness, mental instability, a childish unwillingness to take responsibility for the harm he does to his loved ones, and a rigidly black-and-white view of the world that permits no nuance or dissent. Knives is fundamentally driven by fear, not only of what humanity could do to him or to Vash, but that Vash will abandon him in favor of humans, leaving Knives alone. Since all humans could potentially be a threat, all humanity must therefore suffer and die. He cannot, or will not, understand alternative viewpoints and has developed a habit of trying to isolate Vash by driving off or killing anyone who gets close to him, emotionally abusing or gaslighting Vash to undermine his self-worth, and of lashing out with extreme physical violence should those manipulations fail. Though his anger with humanity's reckless consumption of the beings they need to survive is justified, he sees no issue adopting the same tactics himself with Vash and the Plants under his control. Knives takes their consent to his plans for granted, dismisses any resistance as foolishness, and is willing to strip Vash of his personhood and autonomy, as well as exploit the dependents for his own ends. When his plans are thwarted, Knives descends into blind, destructive, incoherently shrieking fury.

At heart, Knives is a frightened, angry and deeply traumatised child, as well a perfectionist unable to cope when reality deviates from his expectations. He is manipulative, controlling, cruel and possessive, as well as prone to pushing blame onto those he harms for not submitting to his wishes. Despite his conviction that he's building a paradise for all the Plants, Knives's true goal is gaining Vash's utter devotion and a return to the days of his carefree childhood.

=== Occupation ===
Knives serves as the central figure of worship for the Eye of Michael but rarely bothers with its affairs, preferring to play his piano and reminiscence, or discuss his plans with Dr. Conrad. He seems to leave his music room only to terrorise and murder humans or steal Plants.

=== Family ===
Twin brother to Vash, from whom he is estranged, and adopted son of Rem Saverem, whom he murdered. The dependent Plants could be considered siblings or mothers and are referred to as his brethren, while Tesla is technically his older sister. Dr. Conrad serves as a twisted father figure. Elendira is Knives's partial clone, in a sense his daughter.

=== Relationships ===
Knives has an obsession with Vash that shades into monomaniacal, but seems to love the idea of Vash as his brother more than the person Vash has become. He has spent much of their time apart stalking his brother both to locate Vash himself and sabotage Vash's efforts to co-exist with humanity. While Knives does make an effort to speak to Vash gently and calmly, he snaps into explosive rage or resorts to insidious and cruel verbal abuse whenever Vash disagrees with him. Their relationship is strained by Vash's undisguised terror of his brother. Tragically, despite all this Vash continues to love Knives, but has come to realise that they have both changed too much to return to the way they were, which deeply saddens him.

Knives once loved Rem but now bitterly despises her and anyone he perceives as being like her i.e. dark-haired woman who become emotionally close to Vash. Meryl, Luida, and Rosa (and the mothers of Jeneora Rock) thus all become targets of his murderous hatred and disgust.

All other humans with the sole exception of Dr. Conrad are insects to be exterminated if he can't ignore them, but Knives treats Conrad himself with unexpected politeness, even affection, always addressing him as "doctor" and never losing his temper. Conrad is protective of Knives and views him with awe as the perfect example of his species, almost a divine figure.

Though Knives has yet to be depicted speaking to any other members of the Eye of the Michael, Elendira and Legato both regard him with devotion and Zazie with wary familiarity, but if Knives cares what they think he does not show it. He knows enough about Rollo, Tonis and Wolfwood to adopt their images manipulating Vash, and about Roberto and Meryl to target and wipe them from Vash's mind. He is protective of the dependent Plants and refers to them as his brethren, but treats them more as objects than people, regarding them as soulless.

== Weapons & Abilities ==

=== Gate ===
Knives's body contains and is supported by a Gate, a vaguely defined organ or object acting as a one-way connection to a limitless source of energy and matter known as the "higher plane". All Plants have a Gate of some description, but lack the volition to use it themselves; as an Independent, Knives can use his Gate at will, and telekinetically control the matter he produces with no more than a thought. His Gate constantly renews and revitalises his body, granting him inhuman fortitude, strength and speed, as well as keeping him physically in the prime of health and youth. With all his needs supplied by his Gate, Knives does not require any form of sustenance or rest, or even seem to need to breathe, and is well into his second century of age while keeping the appearance of an athletic young adult.

Knives uses his Gate mostly to produce his clothing and weapons in the form of metal blades, chaining them into "tentacles" to grab and slice up individual targets, or forming deadly storms of blades to cause mass devastation. He can also create claws from his hands and feet, but rarely does so in combat, preferring them for symbolism or utility. His blades can cut through steel and deflect bullets without losing their edge.

Knives has more esoteric abilities mostly based around seizing control of Vash's own Gate and forcing it to react, allowing him to manipulate Vash's perception of reality or even alter his memories, leaving a dark residue that grows outward from the point of contact. He only needs to be close enough to physically touch Vash or something he's holding, whether with hands or blades.

It can be assumed that if ever cut off from his Gate, Knives would lose access to his powers, weaken and die the same way other members of his species do when pushed beyond their limits. As it is, Knives is almost impossible to harm with conventional weapons, requiring a sustained burst of immense destructive power to outpace his regenerative capabilities.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:TriStamp KV2.jpg | Second key visual
File:Prerel_promo_kn.jpg | Prerelease promotional render
File:Prerel_promo_vk.jpg | Prerelease promotional render with Vash
File:TrStJPBD3.jpg | Blu-Ray Volume 3 cover
File:TrStEp03 commemorative illust - Akihiko Orikasa.jpg | Episode 3 commemorative illustration by Akihiko Orikasa
File:TrStEp00 commemorative illust A - Kenji Muto.jpg | Episode 0 commemorative illustration by Kenji Muto
</gallery>

== Appearances==

===Trigun Stampede===

====Episodes====
* [[NOMAN'S LAND]]
* [[Bright Light, Shine through the Darkness]]
* [[Our Home.]]
* [[Millions Knives (episode) | Millions Knives]]
* [[Humanity]]
* [[To A New World]]
* [[High Noon At July (episode)|High Noon At July]]
==References==
[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Trigun Stampede]]
<references />
[[Category:Stampede continuity]]

Vash the Stampede (Stampede)

2024-01-03T12:43:02Z

NanoMoose:

{{Stub}}{{Disambig|Vash the Stampede|about=The [[Stampede continuity]] iteration of the character}} {{Character Info
|img= TrSt Vash infobox.png
|subj= Vash the Stampede
|ja_va= Yoshitsugu Matsuoka Tomoyo Kurosawa young
|en_va=[[Johnny Yong Bosch]]<ref>https://twitter.com/johnnyyongbosch/status/1616571712639991808</ref> Kristen McGuire young<ref>https://twitter.com/KrisComics/status/1616501485902172180</ref>
|ja_kanji= ヴァッシュ・ザ・スタンピード
|first=[[NOMAN'S LAND]]
|last=TBD
|race= Plant (independent)
|hair= Yellow blonde, light brown
|eye= Sky blue
|gender= Male
|occupation=
}}

'''Vash the Stampede''' is the main character of ''[[Trigun Stampede]]''.
== Biography ==

==Character ==

==Gallery==
===Promotional art===
<gallery>
File:TriStamp_Teaser.jpg | Teaser visual
File:TriStamp KV1.jpg | First key visual
File:TriStamp KV2.jpg | Second key visual
File:Prerel promo vs.jpg | Prerelease promotional render
File:Prerel promo vw.jpg | Prerelease promotional render with Wolfwood
File:Prerel_promo_vk.jpg | Prerelease promotional render with Knives
File:FWsy95xUYAEVqKQ.jpg | First wanted poster
File:StampedeFP Vash wanted poster.jpg | Second wanted poster
</gallery>
===Screenshots===
<gallery>
</gallery>
===Merchandise===
<gallery>
File:JPBD1.jpg | Blu-Ray Volume 1 cover
File:TrSt Amazon JP preorder bonus.jpg | Amazon Japan preorder bonus
</gallery>
===Other===
<gallery>
File:TrStEp01 commemorative illust - Eiji Inomoto.png | Episode 1 commemorative illustration by Eiji Inomoto
File:Ep10 commemorative illust - Keisuke Kawatani.jpg | Episode 10 commemorative illustration by Keisuke Kawatani
File:Ep00 commemorative illust B - Kenji Muto.jpg | Episode 0 commemorative illustration by Kenji Muto
</gallery>

== Appearances==

===Trigun Stampede===

====Episodes====
* [[NOMAN'S LAND]]
* [[The Running Man]]
* [[Bright Light, Shine through the Darkness]]
* [[HUNGRY!]]
* [[Child of Blessing]]
* [[Once Upon a Time in Hopeland]]
* [[WOLFWOOD (episode) | WOLFWOOD]]
* [[Our Home.]]
* [[Millions Knives (episode) | Millions Knives]]
* [[Humanity]]
* [[To A New World]]
* [[High Noon At July (episode)|High Noon At July]]
==References==
[[Category:Trigun Stampede]]
[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Stampede continuity]]

Millions Knives (Stampede)

2024-01-03T02:01:20Z

NanoMoose:

{{Stub}}{{Disambig|Millions Knives|about=the [[Stampede continuity]] iteration of the character}} {{Character Info
|img= TrSt Knives infobox.png
|subj= Millions Knives
|ja_va= Junya Ikeda Yumiri Hanamori young
|en_va= Austin Tindle <ref>https://twitter.com/Crunchyroll/status/1616496580860715008</ref>
|ja_kanji= ミリオンズ・ナイブズ
|first=[[NOMAN'S LAND]]
|last=TBD
|race= Plant (independent)
|hair= Pale blonde
|eye= Pale blue
|gender= Male
|occupation=
}}

'''Millions Knives''' (formerly Kni or Nai) is the main antagonist from ''[[Trigun Stampede]].''

== Biography ==
Knives is Vash's twin brother, born alongside him aboard the SEEDs Ship Five as it journeyed to find a new home for humanity and the Plants, living generators of power, matter and gravity that humans depend on to survive. Both twins are rare examples of Independent Plants, who look and behave human, but possess the ability to survive outside the specialised environments required by their dependent brethren. As infants, the boys were discovered and adopted by Navigational Officer Rem Saverem. She named one twin Vash and the other Kni. The twins matured quickly, growing to appear age seven or eight when they celebrated their first birthday. By that stage, Kni had begun to demonstrate the generative abilities of a Plant and to distance himself from human traits like eating for nourishment, while Vash remained apparently powerless, but eagerly embraced humanity.

Though demonstrably inhuman and highly intelligent, Kni seemed in other respects a normal child, albeit serious and somewhat emotionally withdrawn. He enjoyed playing classical piano, loved cowboy movies, and colluded with Vash to play pranks. He adored his brother, who was always at his side, and cared for Rem, but resented her efforts to have him appear human by concealing his powers and eating food he didn't need (which he viewed as wasteful). In time resentment turned to suspicion, particularly as Vash seemed to grow more humanlike under Rem's encouragement, bringing him closer to Rem but alienating Kni, which he expressed by needling Vash for being useless as a Plant. Kni began to investigate areas of the ship Rem had forbidden them from entering, pulling Vash along, and the twins stumbled across a classified databank of the SEEDs fleet's history. Vash gleefully entered the password himself when Kni was stymied, happy to prove he wasn't just a "waste", but both were horrified by the databank's contents.

Along with files on both twins there was a third - another Independent Plant born fifty years before, a girl named Tesla. She was discovered by the crew and treated like a research specimen, subjected to brutal and invasive examination until her body fell apart. Worse yet, though vivisected and dismembered she was still alive fifty years later in suspended animation, as the twins discovered when the tanks containing her remains were unlocked and revealed.

Rem tried to soothe their fears by explaining that she had adopted them to ensure they wouldn't meet Tesla's fate, hoping that they would become the means by which Plants and humans could communicate and together ensure nothing like that ever happened again. Kni, however, no longer trusted her ability to keep them safe, concluding that humanity was incapable of changing for the better, whatever their intentions. When the twins discussed between themselves whether they would be accepted by humans, Vash told Kni he had faith that they would. It was then that Kni decided his course was set: Vash was naïve, weak and needed protection from humanity's exploitation - which would, incidentally, leave Vash with no one to love but his brother. Kni secretly accessed the SEEDs fleet's navigation with the password Vash had shown him and forced every ship in the fleet to crash on the desert planet that would be named No Man's Land, sparing only the Plant carriers, believing this would wipe out all threats. Rem took the twins to an escape pod, but despite Kni's solemn request she come with them, she chose to stay aboard the ships to save whoever she could. Kni's resentment of her turned in that moment to stark, burning hatred of her for this betrayal. After planetfall, Vash found Kni laughing gleefully over the wreckage of the fleet and confronted Kni over the mass murder he'd just committed, but Kni countered by calling Vash his accomplice for giving him the code to access the fleet's controls. Guilt-stricken and fearful, Vash fled and vanished into the alien desert.

Kni located a surviving SEEDS crew member, one Dr. William Conrad, and under threat of death recruited him to research Plants and acquire the resources necessary to locate, capture and subdue Vash. Renaming himself Millions Knives to represent his belief that he was a righteous and noble avenger for his species, Knives founded the cult called the Eye of Michael in the third city of July, providing himself with loyal troops and lavish headquarters, and appointed Dr. Conrad as his high priest. He also continued to develop his powers as a Plant, refining his abilities from producing rough metal blades from his hands and feet to the capacity to destroy whole settlements and kill dozens of people in the blink of an eye.

Since the day the ships crashed, Knives has been plotting to complete the extermination of humanity and bring Vash back to his side - a desire only intensified when Vash demonstrated he did indeed have abilities as a Plant, both to produce and, uniquely, to ''consume'', drawing matter ''to'' the plane that Plants draw matter from. Every time Knives and Vash meet, they find themselves battling to determine which of their philosophies is the right one.

As of the first episode of ''Stampede'', Knives has been stealing Plants from human settlements and slaughtering their inhabitants, dooming survivors to death by starvation or dehydration. He exploits his resemblance to Vash to frame his brother for these crimes, marking him as a dangerous criminal in the hopes that Vash will realise humanity can never accept him, driving him back to Knives as his only refuge.

The primary plot of ''Trigun Stampede'' is driven both by Knives's efforts to convince, then force Vash to assist in his plans, and by his desire to claim and control Vash's power so he can use it to make No Man's Land a paradise, with the Plants its sole inhabitants and supreme rulers.

==Character ==

=== Appearance ===
Knives is almost identical to Vash, differing only in minor traits. Knives has paler skin and platinum blond hair, eyebrows and eyelashes. Where Vash has a mole beneath his left eye, Knives's is under his right, and Knives's blue eyes bear a slight green tint. They have the same facial features, the same undercut hair and the same athletic build. Both twins are drawn to be extremely physically attractive, with delicate, expressive faces and well-proportioned, muscular bodies.

In every other respect, however, the twins could not be more different. Knives rejects all human accoutrements in favor of clothing he created himself, which he seems to have designed to bring his appearance closer to that of the dependent Plants: a skin-tight white body suit covered in Plant patterns (resembling an unfurled dependent Plant) and a loose gray cloak, roughly knee-length, with bubbles of white material and a deep, round hood (resembling a dependent when in bulb form). The suit is bulletproof, and the cloak serves as a spare source of matter for Knives's blades. He wears no other clothing and is always barefoot, indifferent to environmental hazards. He has no visible markings, scars or injuries besides the mole beneath his eye.

Knives keeps his hair short, in spikes slicked back from his forehead.

His blades have a distinctive curved, feathered shape and usually emerge from his back and shoulders in the form of three or four prehensile chains. When desired, he can fold the blades inward and use the chains to pick up or grapple a target, or flare them outward into razor-sharp and deadly swift cutting weapons. Both blades and chains seems to act as extensions of his body, instantly responding to his will.

=== Personality ===
Knives presents a face of calm, cold superiority, and has a flair for grandiose acts of wide-scale destruction. His proclamations frequently allude to the Christian Bible, particularly the New Testament Book of Revelation, to present himself as an angel bringing down God's wrath upon humanity. He relishes violence and views Vash's pacifism and love of humanity as an illness that must be cured by whatever means necessary. In Knives's mind, Vash is a victim of his own weakness and the manipulations of Rem and the humans he's befriended, unable to be trusted to make his own decisions. Everything he's done, Knives claims, he has done to protect Vash from them, with the freedom of the dependent Plants from humanity's chains as a secondary but no less pressing priority. As a superior lifeform and the perfect Independent Plant, it's up to Knives to destroy the disgusting parasites infesting the universe and to ensure all inferior examples of his species reflect the same perfection that he embodies.

However, Knives's icy pragmatism and lofty attitude conceal selfishness, mental instability, a childish unwillingness to take responsibility for the harm he does to his loved ones, and a rigidly black-and-white view of the world that permits no nuance or dissent. Knives is fundamentally driven by fear, not only of what humanity could do to him or to Vash, but that Vash will abandon him in favor of humans, leaving Knives alone. Since all humans could potentially be a threat, all humanity must therefore suffer and die. He cannot, or will not, understand alternative viewpoints and has developed a habit of trying to isolate Vash by driving off or killing anyone who gets close to him, emotionally abusing or gaslighting Vash to undermine his self-worth, and of lashing out with extreme physical violence should those manipulations fail. Though his anger with humanity's reckless consumption of the beings they need to survive is justified, he sees no issue adopting the same tactics himself with Vash and the Plants under his control. Knives takes their consent to his plans for granted, dismisses any resistance as foolishness, and is willing to strip Vash of his personhood and autonomy, as well as exploit the dependents for his own ends. When his plans are thwarted, Knives descends into blind, destructive, incoherently shrieking fury.

At heart, Knives is a frightened, angry and deeply traumatised child, as well a perfectionist unable to cope when reality deviates from his expectations. He is manipulative, controlling, cruel and possessive, as well as prone to pushing blame onto those he harms for not submitting to his wishes. Despite his conviction that he's building a paradise for all the Plants, Knives's true goal is gaining Vash's utter devotion and a return to the days of his carefree childhood.

=== Occupation ===
Knives serves as the central figure of worship for the Eye of Michael but rarely bothers with its affairs, preferring to play his piano and reminiscence, or discuss his plans with Dr. Conrad. He seems to leave his music room only to terrorise and murder humans or steal Plants.

=== Family ===
Twin brother to Vash, from whom he is estranged, and adopted son of Rem Saverem, whom he murdered. The dependent Plants could be considered siblings or mothers and are referred to as his brethren, while Tesla is technically his older sister. Dr. Conrad serves as a twisted father figure. Elendira is Knives's partial clone, in a sense his daughter.

=== Relationships ===
Knives has an obsession with Vash that shades into monomaniacal, but seems to love the idea of Vash as his brother more than the person Vash has become. He has spent much of their time apart stalking his brother both to locate Vash himself and sabotage Vash's efforts to co-exist with humanity. While Knives does make an effort to speak to Vash gently and calmly, he snaps into explosive rage or resorts to insidious and cruel verbal abuse whenever Vash disagrees with him. Their relationship is strained by Vash's undisguised terror of his brother. Tragically, despite all this Vash continues to love Knives, but has come to realise that they have both changed too much to return to the way they were, which deeply saddens him.

Knives once loved Rem but now bitterly despises her and anyone he perceives as being like her i.e. dark-haired woman who become emotionally close to Vash. Meryl, Luida, and Rosa (and the mothers of Jeneora Rock) thus all become targets of his murderous hatred and disgust.

All other humans with the sole exception of Dr. Conrad are insects to be exterminated if he can't ignore them, but Knives treats Conrad himself with unexpected politeness, even affection, always addressing him as "doctor" and never losing his temper. Conrad is protective of Knives and views him with awe as the perfect example of his species, almost a divine figure.

Though Knives has yet to be depicted speaking to any other members of the Eye of the Michael, Elendira and Legato both regard him with devotion and Zazie with wary familiarity, but if Knives cares what they think he does not show it. He knows enough about Rollo, Tonis and Wolfwood to adopt their images manipulating Vash, and about Roberto and Meryl to target and wipe them from Vash's mind. He is protective of the dependent Plants and refers to them as his brethren, but treats them more as objects than people, regarding them as soulless.

== Weapons & Abilities ==

=== Gate ===
Knives's body contains and is supported by a Gate, a vaguely defined organ or object acting as a one-way connection to a limitless source of energy and matter known as the "higher plane". All Plants have a Gate of some description, but lack the volition to use it themselves; as an Independent, Knives can use his Gate at will, and telekinetically control the matter he produces with no more than a thought. His Gate constantly renews and revitalises his body, granting him inhuman fortitude, strength and speed, as well as keeping him physically in the prime of health and youth. With all his needs supplied by his Gate, Knives does not require any form of sustenance or rest, or even seem to need to breathe, and is well into his second century of age while keeping the appearance of an athletic young adult.

Knives uses his Gate mostly to produce his clothing and weapons in the form of metal blades, chaining them into "tentacles" to grab and slice up individual targets, or forming deadly storms of blades to cause mass devastation. He can also create claws from his hands and feet, but rarely does so in combat, preferring them for symbolism or utility. His blades can cut through steel and deflect bullets without losing their edge.

Knives has more esoteric abilities mostly based around seizing control of Vash's own Gate and forcing it to react, allowing him to manipulate Vash's perception of reality or even alter his memories, leaving a dark residue that grows outward from the point of contact. He only needs to be close enough to physically touch Vash or something he's holding, whether with hands or blades.

It can be assumed that if ever cut off from his Gate, Knives would lose access to his powers, weaken and die the same way other members of his species do when pushed beyond their limits. As it is, Knives is almost impossible to harm with conventional weapons, requiring a sustained burst of immense destructive power to outpace his regenerative capabilities.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:TriStamp KV2.jpg | Second key visual
File:Prerel_promo_kn.jpg | Prerelease promotional render
File:Prerel_promo_vk.jpg | Prerelease promotional render with Vash
File:TrStJPBD3.jpg | Blu-Ray Volume 3 cover
File:TrStEp03 commemorative illust - Akihiko Orikasa.jpg | Episode 3 commemorative illustration by Akihiko Orikasa
File:TrStEp00 commemorative illust A - Kenji Muto.jpg | Episode 0 commemorative illustration by Kenji Muto
</gallery>

== Appearances==

===Trigun Stampede===

====Episodes====
* [[NOMAN'S LAND]]
* [[Bright Light, Shine through the Darkness]]
* [[Our Home.]]
* [[Millions Knives (episode) | Millions Knives]]
* [[Humanity]]
* [[To A New World]]
* [[High Noon At July (episode)|High Noon At July]]
==References==
[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Trigun Stampede]]
<references />
[[Category:Stampede continuity]]

Millions Knives (Stampede)

2024-01-02T15:45:07Z

NanoMoose:

{{Stub}}{{Disambig|Millions Knives|about=the [[Trigun Stampede]] iteration of the character}} {{Character Info
|img= TrSt Knives infobox.png
|subj= Millions Knives
|ja_va= Junya Ikeda Yumiri Hanamori young
|en_va= Austin Tindle <ref>https://twitter.com/Crunchyroll/status/1616496580860715008</ref>
|ja_kanji= ミリオンズ・ナイブズ
|first=[[NOMAN'S LAND]]
|last=TBD
|race= Plant (independent)
|hair= Pale blonde
|eye= Pale blue
|gender= Male
|occupation=
}}

'''Millions Knives''' (formerly Kni or Nai) is the main antagonist from ''[[Trigun Stampede]].''

== Biography ==
Knives is Vash's twin brother, born alongside him aboard the SEEDs Ship Five as it journeyed to find a new home for humanity and the Plants, living generators of power, matter and gravity that humans depend on to survive. Both twins are rare examples of Independent Plants, who look and behave human, but possess the ability to survive outside the specialised environments required by their dependent brethren. As infants, the boys were discovered and adopted by Navigational Officer Rem Saverem. She named one twin Vash and the other Kni. The twins matured quickly, growing to appear age seven or eight when they celebrated their first birthday. By that stage, Kni had begun to demonstrate the generative abilities of a Plant and to distance himself from human traits like eating for nourishment, while Vash remained apparently powerless, but eagerly embraced humanity.

Though demonstrably inhuman and highly intelligent, Kni seemed in other respects a normal child, albeit serious and somewhat emotionally withdrawn. He enjoyed playing classical piano, loved cowboy movies, and colluded with Vash to play pranks. He adored his brother, who was always at his side, and cared for Rem, but resented her efforts to have him appear human by concealing his powers and eating food he didn't need (which he viewed as wasteful). In time resentment turned to suspicion, particularly as Vash seemed to grow more humanlike under Rem's encouragement, bringing him closer to Rem but alienating Kni, which he expressed by needling Vash for being useless as a Plant. Kni began to investigate areas of the ship Rem had forbidden them from entering, pulling Vash along, and the twins stumbled across a classified databank of the SEEDs fleet's history. Vash gleefully entered the password himself when Kni was stymied, happy to prove he wasn't just a "waste", but both were horrified by the databank's contents.

Along with files on both twins there was a third - another Independent Plant born fifty years before, a girl named Tesla. She was discovered by the crew and treated like a research specimen, subjected to brutal and invasive examination until her body fell apart. Worse yet, though vivisected and dismembered she was still alive fifty years later in suspended animation, as the twins discovered when the tanks containing her remains were unlocked and revealed.

Rem tried to soothe their fears by explaining that she had adopted them to ensure they wouldn't meet Tesla's fate, hoping that they would become the means by which Plants and humans could communicate and together ensure nothing like that ever happened again. Kni, however, no longer trusted her ability to keep them safe, concluding that humanity was incapable of changing for the better, whatever their intentions. When the twins discussed between themselves whether they would be accepted by humans, Vash told Kni he had faith that they would. It was then that Kni decided his course was set: Vash was naïve, weak and needed protection from humanity's exploitation - which would, incidentally, leave Vash with no one to love but his brother. Kni secretly accessed the SEEDs fleet's navigation with the password Vash had shown him and forced every ship in the fleet to crash on the desert planet that would be named No Man's Land, sparing only the Plant carriers, believing this would wipe out all threats. Rem took the twins to an escape pod, but despite Kni's solemn request she escape with them, she chose to stay aboard the ships to save whoever she could. Kni's resentment of her turned in that moment to stark, burning hatred. After planetfall, Vash found Kni laughing gleefully over the wreckage of the fleet and confronted Kni over the murders he'd committed, but Kni countered by calling Vash his accomplice for giving him the code to access the fleet's controls. Guilt-stricken and fearful, Vash fled and vanished into the alien desert.

Kni located a surviving SEEDS crew member, one Dr. William Conrad, and under threat of death recruited him to research Plants and acquire the resources necessary to locate, capture and subdue Vash. Renaming himself Millions Knives to represent his belief that he is a righteous and noble avenger for his species, Knives founded the cult called the Eye of Michael in the third city of July, providing himself with loyal troops and lavish headquarters, and appointed Dr. Conrad as his high priest. He also continued to develop his powers as a Plant, refining his abilities from producing rough metal blades from his hands and feet to the capacity to destroy whole settlements and kill dozens of people in the blink of an eye.

Since the day the ships crashed, Knives has been plotting to complete the extermination of humanity and bring Vash back to his side - a desire only intensified when Vash demonstrated he did indeed have abilities as a Plant, both to produce and, uniquely, to ''consume'', drawing matter ''to'' the plane that Plants draw matter from. Every time Knives and Vash meet, they find themselves fighting to determine which of their philosophies is the right one. As of the first episode, Knives has been stealing Plants from human settlements and slaughtering their inhabitants, dooming survivors to death by starvation or dehydration. He exploits his resemblance to Vash to frame his brother for these crimes, marking him as a dangerous criminal in the hopes that Vash will realise humanity can never accept him, driving him back to Knives as his only refuge.

The primary plot of ''Trigun Stampede'' is driven both by Knives's efforts to convince, then force Vash to assist in his plans, and by his desire to claim and control Vash's power so he can use it to make No Man's Land a paradise, with the Plants its sole and supreme rulers.

==Character ==

=== Appearance ===
Knives is almost identical to Vash, differing only in minor traits. Knives has paler skin and platinum blond hair, eyebrows and eyelashes. Where Vash has a mole beneath his left eye, Knives's is under his right, and Knives's blue eyes bear a slight green tint. They have the same facial features, the same undercut hair and the same athletic build. Both twins are drawn to be extremely physically attractive, with delicate, expressive faces and well-proportioned, muscular bodies.

In every other respect, however, the twins could not be more different. Knives rejects all human accoutrements in favor of clothing he created himself, which he seems to have designed to bring his appearance closer to that of the dependent Plants: a skin-tight white body suit covered in Plant patterns (resembling an unfurled dependent Plant) and a loose gray cloak, roughly knee-length, with bubbles of white material and a deep, round hood (resembling a dependent when in bulb form). The suit is bulletproof, and the cloak serves as a spare source of matter for Knives's blades. He wears no other clothing and is always barefoot, indifferent to environmental hazards. He has no visible markings, scars or injuries.

Knives keeps his hair short, in spikes brushed back from his forehead.

His blades have a distinctive curved, feathered shape and usually emerge from his back and shoulders in the form of three or four prehensile chains. When desired, he can fold the blades inward and use the chains to pick up or grapple a target, or flare them outward into razor-sharp and deadly swift cutting weapons. Both blades and chains seems to act as extensions of his body, instantly responding to his will.

=== Personality ===
Knives presents a face of calm, cold superiority, and has a flair for grandiose acts of wide-scale destruction. His proclamations frequently allude to the Christian Bible, particularly the New Testament Book of Revelation, to present himself as an angel bringing God's wrath down upon humanity. He relishes violence and views Vash's pacifism and love of humanity as an illness that must be cured by whatever means necessary. In Knives's mind, Vash is a victim of his own weakness and the manipulations of Rem and the humans he's befriended, unable to be trusted to make his own decisions. Everything he's done, Knives claims, he has done to protect Vash from them, with the freedom of the dependent Plants from humanity's chains as a secondary but no less pressing priority. As a superior lifeform and the perfect Independent Plant, it's up to Knives to destroy the disgusting parasites infesting the universe and to ensure all inferior examples of his species reflect the same perfection that he embodies.

However, his icy pragmatism and lofty attitude conceal selfishness, mental instability, a childish unwillingness to take responsibility for the harm he does to his loved ones, and a rigidly black-and-white perception of the world that permits no nuance or dissent. Knives is driven by fear, not only of what humanity could do to him or to Vash, but that Vash will abandon him in favor of humans, leaving Knives alone. He cannot, or will not, understand alternative viewpoints and develops a habit of trying to isolate Vash by driving off or killing anyone who gets close to him, emotionally abusing Vash to undermine his self-worth, and of lashing out with extreme physical violence should those manipulations fail. Though his anger with humanity's reckless consumption of the beings they need to survive is justified, he sees no problem adopting the same tactics himself with the Plants and Vash under his control. Knives takes their consent to his plans for granted, dismisses any resistance as foolishness, and is willing to strip Vash of his personhood and autonomy, as well as exploit the dependents for his own ends. When his plans are thwarted, Knives descends into blind, destructive, incoherently shrieking fury.

At heart, Knives is a frightened, angry and deeply traumatised child, as well a perfectionist unable to cope when reality deviates from his expectations. He is manipulative, controlling, cruel and possessive, as well as prone to pushing blame onto those he harms for not submitting to his wishes.

=== Occupation ===
Knives serves as the central figure of worship for the Eye of Michael but rarely bothers with its affairs, preferring to play his piano and reminiscence, or discuss his plans with Dr. Conrad. He seems to leave his music room only to terrorise and murder humans or steal Plants.

=== Family ===
Twin brother to Vash, from whom he is estranged, and adopted son of Rem Saverem, whom he murdered. The dependent Plants could be considered siblings or mothers and are referred to as his brethren. Dr. Conrad serves as a twisted father figure. Elendira is Knives's partial clone, in a sense his daughter.

=== Relationships ===
Knives has an obsession with Vash that shades into monomaniacal, but seems to love the idea of Vash as his brother more than the person Vash has become. While Knives does make an effort to speak to Vash gently and calmly, he can quickly snap into screaming fury or verbal abuse. Their relationship is strained by Vash's undisguised terror of his brother.

Knives once loved Rem but now bitterly despises her and anyone he perceives as being like her i.e. dark-haired woman who become emotionally close to Vash. Meryl, Luida, and Rosa (and the mothers of Jeneora Rock) thus all become targets of his murderous hatred and disgust.

All other humans with the sole exception of Dr. Conrad are insects to be exterminated if he can't ignore them, but Knives treats Conrad himself with unexpected politeness, even affection, always addressing him as "doctor" and never losing his temper. Conrad is protective of Knives and views him with awe as the perfect example of his species, almost a divine figure.

Though Knives has yet to be depicted speaking to any other members of the Eye of the Michael, Elendira and Legato both regard him with devotion and Zazie with wary familiarity, but if Knives cares what they think of him he does not show it. He knows enough about Rollo, Tonis and Wolfwood to adopt their images manipulating Vash, and about Roberto and Meryl to target and wipe them from Vash's mind. He is protective of the dependent Plants and refers to them as his brethren, but views them more as objects than people, regarding them as soulless.

== Weapons & Abilities ==

=== Gate ===
Knives's body contains and is supported by a Gate, a vaguely defined organ or object acting as a one-way connection to a limitless source of energy and matter known as the "higher plane". All Plants have a Gate of some description, but lack the volition to use it themselves; as an Independent, Knives can use his Gate at will, and control the matter he produces with no more than a thought. His Gate constantly renews and revitalises his body, granting him inhuman fortitude, strength and speed, as well as keeping him physically in the prime of health and youth. With all his needs supplied by his Gate, Knives does not require any form of sustenance or rest, or even seem to need to breathe, and is well into his second century while keeping the appearance of an athletic young adult.

Knives uses his Gate mostly to produce his clothing and weapons in the form of metal blades, chaining them into "tentacles" to grab and slice up individual targets, or forming deadly storms of blades to cause mass devastation. He can also create claws from his hands and feet, but rarely does so in combat, preferring them for symbolism or utility. His blades can cut through steel and deflect bullets without losing their edge.

Knives has more esoteric abilities mostly based around seizing control of Vash's own Gate and forcing it to react, allowing him to manipulate Vash's perception of reality or even alter memories, leaving a dark residue at the point of contact. He only needs to be close enough to physically touch Vash or something he's holding, whether with hands or blades.

It can be assumed that if ever cut off from his Gate, Knives would lose access to his powers, weaken and die the same way other members of his species do when pushed beyond their limits. As it is, Knives is extremely difficult to harm with conventional weapons, required a sustained burst of immense power to outpace his regenerative capabilities.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:TriStamp KV2.jpg | Second key visual
File:Prerel_promo_kn.jpg | Prerelease promotional render
File:Prerel_promo_vk.jpg | Prerelease promotional render with Vash
File:TrStJPBD3.jpg | Blu-Ray Volume 3 cover
File:TrStEp03 commemorative illust - Akihiko Orikasa.jpg | Episode 3 commemorative illustration by Akihiko Orikasa
File:TrStEp00 commemorative illust A - Kenji Muto.jpg | Episode 0 commemorative illustration by Kenji Muto
</gallery>

== Appearances==

===Trigun Stampede===

====Episodes====
* [[NOMAN'S LAND]]
* [[Bright Light, Shine through the Darkness]]
* [[Our Home.]]
* [[Millions Knives (episode) | Millions Knives]]
* [[Humanity]]
* [[To A New World]]
* [[High Noon At July]]
==References==
[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Trigun Stampede]]

Millions Knives (Stampede)

2024-01-02T15:36:43Z

NanoMoose:

{{Stub}}{{Disambig|Millions Knives|about=the [[Trigun Stampede]] iteration of the character}} {{Character Info
|img= TrSt Knives infobox.png
|subj= Millions Knives
|ja_va= Junya Ikeda Yumiri Hanamori young
|en_va= Austin Tindle <ref>https://twitter.com/Crunchyroll/status/1616496580860715008</ref>
|ja_kanji= ミリオンズ・ナイブズ
|first=[[NOMAN'S LAND]]
|last=TBD
|race= Plant (independent)
|hair= Pale blonde
|eye= Pale blue
|gender= Male
|occupation=
}}

'''Millions Knives''' (formerly Kni or Nai) is the main antagonist from ''[[Trigun Stampede]].''

== Biography ==
Knives is Vash's twin brother, born alongside him aboard the SEEDs Ship Five as it journeyed to find a new home for humanity and the Plants, living generators of power, matter and gravity that humans depend on to survive. Both twins are rare examples of Independent Plants, who look and behave human, but possess the ability to survive outside the specialised environments required by their dependent brethren. As infants, the boys were discovered and adopted by Navigational Officer Rem Saverem. She named one twin Vash and the other Kni. The twins matured quickly, growing to appear age seven or eight when they celebrated their first birthday. By that stage, Kni had begun to demonstrate the generative abilities of a Plant and to distance himself from human traits like eating for nourishment, while Vash remained apparently powerless, but eagerly embraced humanity.

Though demonstrably inhuman and highly intelligent, Kni seemed in other respects a normal child, albeit serious and somewhat emotionally withdrawn. He enjoyed playing classical piano, loved cowboy movies, and colluded with Vash to play pranks. He adored his brother, who was always at his side, and cared for Rem, but resented her efforts to have him appear human by concealing his powers and eating food he didn't need (which he viewed as wasteful). In time resentment turned to suspicion, particularly as Vash seemed to grow more humanlike under Rem's encouragement, bringing him closer to Rem but alienating Kni, which he expressed by needling Vash for being useless as a Plant. Kni began to investigate areas of the ship Rem had forbidden them from entering, pulling Vash along, and the twins stumbled across a classified databank of the SEEDs fleet's history. Vash gleefully entered the password himself when Kni was stymied, happy to prove he wasn't just a "waste", but both were horrified by the databank's contents.

Along with files on both twins there was a third - another Independent Plant born fifty years before, a girl named Tesla. She was discovered by the crew and treated like a research specimen, subjected to brutal and invasive examination until her body fell apart. Worse yet, though vivisected and dismembered she was still alive fifty years later in suspended animation, as the twins discovered when the tanks containing her remains were unlocked and revealed.

Rem tried to soothe their fears by explaining that she had adopted them to ensure they wouldn't meet Tesla's fate, hoping that they would become the means by which Plants and humans could communicate and together ensure nothing like that ever happened again. Kni, however, no longer trusted her ability to keep them safe, concluding that humanity was incapable of changing for the better, whatever their intentions. When the twins discussed between themselves whether they would be accepted by humans, Vash told Kni he had faith that they would. It was then that Kni decided his course was set: Vash was naïve, weak and needed protection from humanity's exploitation - which would, incidentally, leave Vash with no one to love but his brother. Kni secretly accessed the SEEDs fleet's navigation with the password Vash had shown him and forced every ship in the fleet to crash on the desert planet that would be named No Man's Land, sparing only the Plant carriers, believing this would wipe out all threats. Rem took the twins to an escape pod, but despite Kni's solemn request she escape with them, she chose to stay aboard the ships to save whoever she could. Kni's resentment of her turned in that moment to stark, burning hatred. After planetfall, Vash found Kni laughing gleefully over the wreckage of the fleet and confronted Kni over the murders he'd committed, but Kni countered by calling Vash his accomplice for giving him the code to access the fleet's controls. Guilt-stricken and fearful, Vash fled and vanished into the alien desert.

Kni located a surviving SEEDS crew member, one Dr. William Conrad, and under threat of death recruited him to research Plants and acquire the resources necessary to locate, capture and subdue Vash. Renaming himself Millions Knives to represent his belief that he is a righteous and noble avenger for his species, Knives founded the cult called the Eye of Michael in the third city of July, providing himself with loyal troops and lavish headquarters, and appointed Dr. Conrad as his high priest. He also continued to develop his powers as a Plant, refining his abilities from producing rough metal blades from his hands and feet to the capacity to destroy whole settlements and kill dozens of people in the blink of an eye.

Since the day the ships crashed, Knives has been plotting to complete the extermination of humanity and bring Vash back to his side - a desire only intensified when Vash demonstrated he did indeed have abilities as a Plant, both to produce and, uniquely, to ''consume'', drawing matter ''to'' the plane that Plants draw matter from. Every time Knives and Vash meet, they find themselves fighting to determine which of their philosophies is the right one. As of the first episode, Knives has been stealing Plants from human settlements and slaughtering their inhabitants, dooming survivors to death by starvation or dehydration. He exploits his resemblance to Vash to frame his brother for these crimes, marking him as a dangerous criminal in the hopes that Vash will realise humanity can never accept him, driving him back to Knives as his only refuge.

The primary plot of ''Trigun Stampede'' is driven both by Knives's efforts to convince, then force Vash to assist in his plans, and by his desire to claim and control Vash's power so he can use it to make No Man's Land a paradise, with the Plants its sole and supreme rulers.

==Character ==

=== Appearance ===
Knives is almost identical to Vash, differing only in minor traits. Knives has paler skin and platinum blond hair, eyebrows and eyelashes. Where Vash has a mole beneath his left eye, Knives's is under his right, and Knives's blue eyes bear a slight green tint. They have the same facial features, the same undercut hair and the same athletic build. Both twins are drawn to be extremely physically attractive, with delicate, expressive faces and well-proportioned, muscular bodies.

In every other respect, however, the twins could not be more different. Knives rejects all human accoutrements in favor of clothing he created himself, which he seems to have designed to bring his appearance closer to that of the dependent Plants: a skin-tight white body suit covered in Plant patterns (resembling an unfurled dependent Plant) and a loose gray cloak, roughly knee-length, with bubbles of white material and a deep, round hood (resembling a dependent when in bulb form). The suit is bulletproof, and the cloak serves as a spare source of matter for Knives's blades. He wears no other clothing and is always barefoot, indifferent to environmental hazards. He has no visible markings, scars or injuries.

Knives keeps his hair short, in spikes brushed back from his forehead.

His blades have a distinctive curved, feathered shape and usually emerge from his back and shoulders in the form of three or four prehensile chains. When desired, he can fold the blades inward and use the chains to pick up or grapple a target, or flare them outward into razor-sharp and deadly swift cutting weapons. Both blades and chains seems to act as extensions of his body, instantly responding to his will.

=== Personality ===
Knives presents a face of calm, cold superiority, and has a flair for grandiose acts of wide-scale destruction. His proclamations frequently allude to the Christian Bible, particularly the New Testament Book of Revelation, to present himself as an angel bringing God's wrath down upon humanity. He relishes violence and views Vash's pacifism and love of humanity as an illness that must be cured by whatever means necessary. In Knives's mind, Vash is a victim of his own weakness and the manipulations of Rem and the humans he's befriended, unable to be trusted to make his own decisions. Everything he's done, Knives claims, he has done to protect Vash from them, with the freedom of the dependent Plants from humanity's chains as a secondary but no less pressing priority. As a superior lifeform and the perfect Independent Plant, it's up to Knives to destroy the disgusting parasites infesting the universe and to ensure all inferior examples of his species reflect the same perfection that he embodies.

However, his icy pragmatism and lofty attitude conceal selfishness, mental instability, a childish unwillingness to take responsibility for the harm he does to his loved ones, and a rigidly black-and-white perception of the world that permits no nuance or dissent. Knives is driven by fear, not only of what humanity could do to him or to Vash, but that Vash will abandon him in favor of humans, leaving Knives alone. He cannot, or will not, understand alternative viewpoints and develops a habit of trying to isolate Vash by driving off or killing anyone who gets close to him, emotionally abusing Vash to undermine his self-worth, and of lashing out with extreme physical violence should those manipulations fail. Though his anger with humanity's reckless consumption of the beings they need to survive is justified, he sees no problem adopting the same tactics himself with the Plants and Vash under his control. Knives takes their consent to his plans for granted, dismisses any resistance as foolishness, and is willing to strip Vash of his personhood and autonomy, as well as exploit the dependents for his own ends. When his plans are thwarted, Knives descends into blind, destructive, incoherently shrieking fury.

At heart, Knives is a frightened, angry and deeply traumatised child, as well a perfectionist unable to cope when reality deviates from his expectations. He is manipulative, controlling, cruel and possessive, as well as prone to pushing blame onto those he harms for not submitting to his wishes.

=== Occupation ===
Knives serves as the central figure of worship for the Eye of Michael but rarely bothers with its affairs, preferring to play his piano and reminiscence, or discuss his plans with Dr. Conrad. He seems to leave his music room only to terrorise and murder humans or steal Plants.

=== Family ===
Twin brother to Vash, from whom he is estranged, and adopted son of Rem Saverem, whom he murdered. The dependent Plants could be considered siblings or mothers and are referred to as his brethren. Dr. Conrad serves as a twisted father figure. Elendira is Knives's partial clone, in a sense his daughter.

=== Relationships ===
Knives has an obsession with Vash that shades into monomaniacal, but seems to love the idea of Vash as his brother more than the person Vash has become. While Knives does make an effort to speak to Vash gently and calmly, he can quickly snap into screaming fury or verbal abuse. Their relationship is strained by Vash's undisguised terror of his brother.

Knives once loved Rem but now bitterly despises not her and anyone he perceives as being like her i.e. dark-haired woman who become emotionally close to Vash. Meryl, Luida, and Rosa (and the mothers of Jeneora Rock) thus all become targets of his murderous hatred and disgust.

All other humans with the sole exception of Dr. Conrad are insects to be exterminated if he can't ignore them, but Knives treats Conrad himself with unexpected politeness, even affection, always addressing him as "doctor" and never losing his temper. Conrad is protective of Knives and views him with awe as the perfect example of his species, almost a divine figure.

Though Knives has yet to be depicted speaking to any other members of the Eye of the Michael, Elendira and Legato both regard him with devotion and Zazie with wary familiarity, but if Knives cares what they think of him he does not show it. He knows enough about Rollo, Tonis and Wolfwood to adopt their images manipulating Vash, and about Roberto and Meryl to target and wipe them from Vash's mind. He is protective of the dependent Plants and refers to them as his brethren, but views them more as objects than people, regarding them as soulless.

== Weapons & Abilities ==

=== Gate ===
Knives's body contains and is supported by a Gate, a vaguely defined organ or object acting as a one-way connection to a limitless source of energy and matter known as the "higher plane". All Plants have a Gate of some description, but lack the volition to use it themselves; as an Independent, Knives can use his Gate at will, and control the matter he produces with no more than a thought. His Gate constantly renews and revitalises his body, granting him inhuman fortitude, strength and speed, as well as keeping him physically in the prime of health and youth. With all his needs supplied by his Gate, Knives does not require any form of sustenance or rest, or even seem to need to breathe, and is well into his second century while keeping the appearance of an athletic young adult.

Knives uses his Gate mostly to produce his clothing and weapons in the form of metal blades, chaining them into "tentacles" to grab and slice up individual targets, or forming deadly storms of blades to cause mass devastation. He can also create claws from his hands and feet, but rarely does so in combat, preferring them for symbolism or utility. His blades can cut through steel and deflect bullets without losing their edge.

Knives has more esoteric abilities mostly based around seizing control of Vash's own Gate and forcing it to react, allowing him to manipulate Vash's perception of reality or even alter memories, leaving a dark residue at the point of contact. He only needs to be close enough to physically touch Vash or something he's holding, whether with hands or blades.

It can be assumed that if ever cut off from his Gate, Knives would lose access to his powers, weaken and die the same way other members of his species do when pushed beyond their limits. As it is, Knives is extremely difficult to harm with conventional weapons, required a sustained burst of immense power to outpace his regenerative capabilities.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:TriStamp KV2.jpg | Second key visual
File:Prerel_promo_kn.jpg | Prerelease promotional render
File:Prerel_promo_vk.jpg | Prerelease promotional render with Vash
File:TrStJPBD3.jpg | Blu-Ray Volume 3 cover
File:TrStEp03 commemorative illust - Akihiko Orikasa.jpg | Episode 3 commemorative illustration by Akihiko Orikasa
File:TrStEp00 commemorative illust A - Kenji Muto.jpg | Episode 0 commemorative illustration by Kenji Muto
</gallery>

== Appearances==

===Trigun Stampede===

====Episodes====
* [[NOMAN'S LAND]]
* [[Bright Light, Shine through the Darkness]]
* [[Our Home.]]
* [[Millions Knives (episode) | Millions Knives]]
* [[Humanity]]
* [[To A New World]]
* [[High Noon At July]]
==References==
[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Trigun Stampede]]

Millions Knives (Stampede)

2024-01-02T13:46:13Z

NanoMoose:

{{Stub}}{{Disambig|Millions Knives|about=the [[Trigun Stampede]] iteration of the character}} {{Character Info
|img= TrSt Knives infobox.png
|subj= Millions Knives
|ja_va= Junya Ikeda Yumiri Hanamori young
|en_va= Austin Tindle <ref>https://twitter.com/Crunchyroll/status/1616496580860715008</ref>
|ja_kanji= ミリオンズ・ナイブズ
|first=[[NOMAN'S LAND]]
|last=TBD
|race= Plant (independent)
|hair= Pale blonde
|eye= Pale blue
|gender= Male
|occupation=
}}

'''Millions Knives''' (formerly Kni or Nai) is the main antagonist from ''[[Trigun Stampede]].''

== Biography ==
Knives is Vash's twin brother, born alongside him aboard the SEEDs Ship Five as it journeyed to find a new home for humanity and the Plants, living generators of power, matter and gravity that humans depend on to survive. Both twins are rare examples of Independent Plants, who look and behave human, but possess the ability to survive outside the specialised environments required by their dependent brethren. As infants, the boys were discovered and adopted by Navigational Officer Rem Saverem. She named one twin Vash and the other Kni. The twins matured quickly, growing to appear age seven or eight when they celebrated their first birthday. By that stage, Kni had begun to demonstrate the generative abilities of a Plant and to distance himself from human traits like eating for nourishment, while Vash remained apparently powerless, but eagerly embraced humanity.

Though demonstrably inhuman and highly intelligent, Kni seemed in other respects a normal child, albeit serious and somewhat emotionally withdrawn. He enjoyed playing classical piano, loved cowboy movies, and colluded with Vash to play pranks. He adored his brother, who was always at his side, and cared for Rem, but resented her efforts to have him appear human by concealing his powers and eating food he didn't need (which he viewed as wasteful). In time this resentment turned to suspicion, particularly as Vash seemed to grow more humanlike under Rem's encouragement, bringing him closer to Rem but alienating Kni as he needled Vash for being useless as a Plant. Kni began to investigate areas of the ship Rem had forbidden them entering, pulling Vash along, and the twins stumbled across a classified databank of the SEEDs fleet's history. Vash gleefully entered the password himself when Kni was stymied, happy to prove he wasn't just a "waste", but both were horrified by the databank's contents.

Along with files on both twins there was a third - another Independent Plant born fifty years before, a girl named Tesla. She was discovered by the crew and treated like a research specimen, subjected to brutal and invasive examination until her body fell apart. Worse yet, though vivisected and dismembered she was still alive fifty years later in suspended animation, as the twins discovered when the tanks containing her remains were unlocked and revealed.

Rem tried to soothe their fears by explaining that she had adopted them to ensure they wouldn't meet Tesla's fate, hoping that they would become the means by which Plants and humans could communicate and together ensure nothing like that ever happened again. Kni, however, no longer trusted her ability to keep them safe, concluding that humanity was incapable of changing for the better, whatever their intentions. When the twins discussed between themselves whether they would be accepted by humans, Vash told Kni he had faith that they would. It was then that Kni decided his course was set: Vash was naïve, weak and needed his protection from humanity's exploitation - which would, incidentally, leave Vash with no one to love but his brother. Kni secretly accessed the SEEDs fleet's navigation with the password Vash had shown him and forced every ship in the fleet to crash on the desert planet that would be named No Man's Land, sparing only the Plant carriers, believing this would wipe out all threats. Rem took the twins to an escape pod, but despite Kni's solemn request she escape with them, she chose to stay aboard the ships to save whoever she could. Kni's resentment of her turned in that moment to stark, burning hatred. After planetfall, Vash found Kni laughing gleefully over the wreckage of the fleet and confronted Kni over the murders he'd committed, but Kni countered by calling Vash his accomplice. Guilt-stricken and fearful, Vash fled from his brother and vanished into the alien desert.

Kni located a surviving SEEDS crew member, one Dr. William Conrad, and under threat of death recruited him to research Plants and acquire the resources necessary to locate, capture and subdue Vash. Renaming himself Millions Knives to represent his belief that he was a righteous and noble weapon of his species, Knives founded the cult called the Eye of Michael in the third city of July, providing himself with loyal troops and lavish headquarters, and appointed Dr. Conrad as his high priest. He also continued to develop his powers as a Plant, refining his abilities from producing rough metal blades from his hands and feet to the capacity to destroy whole settlements and kill dozens of people in the blink of an eye.

Since that day, Knives has been plotting to complete the extermination of humanity and bring Vash back to his side - a desire only intensified when Vash demonstrated he did indeed have abilities as a Plant, both to produce and, uniquely, to ''consume'', drawing matter ''to'' the plane that Plants draw matter ''from''. Every time Knives and Vash meet, they find themselves fighting to determine which of their philosophies is the right one. As of the first episode, Knives has been stealing Plants from human settlements and slaughtering their inhabitants, dooming survivors to death by starvation or dehydration. He exploits his resemblance to Vash to frame his brother for these crimes, marking him as a dangerous criminal in the hopes that Vash will suffer enough to realise humanity will never accept him, driving him back to Knives as his only refuge.

The primary plot of ''Trigun Stampede'' is driven by Knives's efforts both to convince, then force Vash to assist in his plans, and by his desire to claim and control Vash's power so he can use it to make No Man's Land a paradise, with the Plants its sole and supreme rulers.

==Character ==

=== Appearance ===
Knives is almost identical to Vash, differing only in very minor traits. Knives has paler skin and platinum blond hair, eyebrows and eyelashes. Where Vash has a mole beneath his left eye, Knives's is under his right, and Knives's blue eyes bear a slight green tint. They have the same facial features, the same undercut hair and the same athletic build. Both twins are drawn to be extremely physically attractive, with delicate, expressive faces and well-proportioned, muscular bodies.

In every other respect, however, the twins could not be more different. Knives rejects all human accoutrements in favor of clothing he created himself, which he seems to have designed to bring his appearance closer to that of the dependent Plants: a skin-tight white body suit covered in Plant patterns (resembling an unfurled dependent Plant) and a loose gray cloak, roughly knee-length, with bubbles of white material and a deep, round hood (resembling a dependent when in bulb form). The suit is bulletproof, and the cloak serves as a spare source of matter for Knives's blades. He wears no other clothing and is always barefoot, indifferent to environmental hazards. He has no visible markings, scars or injuries.

Knives keeps his hair short, in spikes brushed back from the front of his head.

His blades have a distinctive curved, feathered shape and usually emerge from his back and shoulders in the form of three or four prehensile chains. When desired, he can fold the blades inward and use the chains to pick up or grapple a target, or flare them outward into razor-sharp and deadly swift cutting weapons. Both blades and chains seems to act as extensions of his body, instantly responding to his will.

=== Personality ===
Knives presents a face of calm, cold superiority, and has a flair for grandiose acts of wide-scale destruction. His proclamations frequently allude to the Christian Bible, particularly the New Testament Book of Revelation, to present himself as an angel bringing God's wrath down upon humanity. He relishes violence and views Vash's pacifism as an illness that must be cured by whatever means necessary. In his mind, Vash is a victim of his own weakness and the manipulations of Rem and the other humans he's befriended, unable to be trusted to make his own decisions. Everything he's done, Knives claims, he has done to protect Vash from them, with the freedom of the dependent Plants from humanity's chains as a secondary but no less pressing priority. As a superior lifeform and the perfect Independent Plant, it's up to Knives to destroy the disgusting parasites infesting the universe and to ensure all inferior examples of his species come to reflect the perfection he embodies.

However, his icy pragmatism and lofty attitude conceal selfishness, mental instability, and a childish unwillingness to take responsibility or admit to mistakes. Knives is driven by fear, not only of what humanity could do to him or to Vash, but that Vash will abandon him in favor of humans, leaving Knives alone. He cannot, or will not, understand alternative viewpoints to his own and develops a habit of trying to isolate Vash by driving off or killing anyone who gets close to him, emotionally abusing Vash to undermine his self-worth, and of lashing out with extreme physical violence should those manipulations fail. Though his anger with humanity's reckless consumption of the beings they need to survive is justified, he sees no problem adopting the same tactics himself with the Plants and Vash under his control. He takes their consent to his plans for granted, dismisses any resistance as foolishness, and is willing to strip Vash of his personhood and autonomy, as well as exploit the dependents for his own ends. When his plans are thwarted, he descends into blind, incoherently shrieking fury.

At heart, Knives is a frightened, angry and deeply traumatised child, as well a perfectionist unable to cope when reality deviates from his expectations. He is manipulative, controlling, cruel and possessive, as well as prone to pushing blame onto those he harms for not submitting to his wishes.

=== Occupation ===
Knives serves as the central figure of worship for the Eye of Michael but rarely bothers with its affairs, preferring to play his piano and reminiscence, or discuss his plans with Dr. Conrad. He seems to leave his music room only to terrorise and murder humans or steal Plants.

=== Family ===
Twin brother to Vash, from whom he is estranged, and adopted son of Rem Saverem, whom he murdered. The dependent Plants could be considered siblings or mothers and are referred to as his brethren. Dr. Conrad seems to serve as a twisted father figure. Elendira is Knives's partial clone, in some sense his daughter.

=== Relationships ===
Knives has an obsession with Vash that shades into monomaniacal, but seems to love the idea of Vash as his brother more than the person Vash has become. While he makes an effort to speak to Vash gently and calmly, he can quickly snap into screaming fury or verbal abuse. Their relationship is strained by Vash's undisguised terror of his brother.

Knives once loved Rem but now bitterly despises not only her but anyone he perceives as being like her i.e. dark-haired woman who become emotionally close to Vash. Meryl, Luida, and Rosa (and the mothers of Jeneora Rock) all become targets of his murderous hatred and disgust.

All other humans with the sole exception of Dr. Conrad are insects to be exterminated if he can't ignore them, but Knives treats Conrad himself with unexpected politeness, even affection, always addressing him as "doctor" and never losing his temper. Conrad is protective of Knives and views him with awe as the perfect example of his species, almost a divine figure.

Though he has yet to be depicted speaking to any other members of the Eye of the Michael, Elendira and Legato both regard him with devotion and Zazie with wary familiarity, but if Knives cares what they think of him he does not show it. He knows enough about Rollo, Tonis and Wolfwood to adopt their images manipulating Vash, and about Roberto and Meryl to target and wipe them from Vash's mind. He is protective of the dependent Plants and refers to them as his brethren, but seemingly views them more as objects than people, regarding them as soulless.

== Weapons & Abilities ==

=== Gate ===
Knives's body contains and is supported by a Gate, a vaguely defined organ or object acting as a one-way connection to a limitless source of energy and matter known as the "higher plane". All Plants have a Gate of some description, but lack the volition to use it themselves; as an Independent, Knives can use his Gate at will, and control the matter he produces with no more than a thought. His Gate constantly renews and revitalises his body, granting him inhuman fortitude, strength and speed, as well as keeping him physically in the prime of health and youth. With all his needs supplied by his Gate, Knives does not require any form of sustenance or rest, or even seem to need to breathe, and is well into his second century while keeping the appearance of an athletic young adult.

Knives uses his Gate mostly to produce his clothing and weapons in the form of metal blades, chaining them into "tentacles" to grab and slice up individual targets, or forming deadly "storms" of blades when moved to cause mass devastation. He can also create claws from his hands and feet, but rarely does so in combat, preferring them for symbolism or utility. His blades can cut through steel and deflect bullets without losing their edge.

He has more esoteric abilities mostly based around seizing control of Vash's own Gate and forcing it to react, allowing him to manipulate Vash's perception of reality or even alter memories, leaving a dark residue at the point of contact. He only needs to be close enough to physically touch Vash or something he's holding, whether with his hands or blades.

It can be assumed that if ever cut off from his Gate, Knives would lose access to his power, weaken and die the same way other members of his species do when pushed beyond their limits. As it is, Knives is extremely difficult to harm with conventional weapons, required a sustained burst of intense power to outpace his regenerative capabilities.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:TriStamp KV2.jpg | Second key visual
File:Prerel_promo_kn.jpg | Prerelease promotional render
File:Prerel_promo_vk.jpg | Prerelease promotional render with Vash
File:TrStJPBD3.jpg | Blu-Ray Volume 3 cover
File:TrStEp03 commemorative illust - Akihiko Orikasa.jpg | Episode 3 commemorative illustration by Akihiko Orikasa
File:TrStEp00 commemorative illust A - Kenji Muto.jpg | Episode 0 commemorative illustration by Kenji Muto
</gallery>

== Appearances==

===Trigun Stampede===

====Episodes====
* [[NOMAN'S LAND]]
* [[Bright Light, Shine through the Darkness]]
* [[Our Home.]]
* [[Millions Knives (episode) | Millions Knives]]
* [[Humanity]]
* [[To A New World]]
* [[High Noon At July]]
==References==
[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Trigun Stampede]]

Millions Knives (Stampede)

2024-01-02T13:26:13Z

NanoMoose: Expanded, added stuff to character section. I have no idea how to cite this.

{{Stub}}{{Disambig|Millions Knives|about=the [[Trigun Stampede]] iteration of the character}} {{Character Info
|img= TrSt Knives infobox.png
|subj= Millions Knives
|ja_va= Junya Ikeda Yumiri Hanamori young
|en_va= Austin Tindle <ref>https://twitter.com/Crunchyroll/status/1616496580860715008</ref>
|ja_kanji= ミリオンズ・ナイブズ
|first=[[NOMAN'S LAND]]
|last=TBD
|race= Plant (independent)
|hair= Pale blonde
|eye= Pale blue
|gender= Male
|occupation=
}}

'''Millions Knives''' (formerly Kni or Nai) is the main antagonist from ''[[Trigun Stampede]].''

== Biography ==
Knives is Vash's twin brother, born alongside him aboard the SEEDs Ship Five as it journeyed to find a new home for humanity and the Plants, living generators of power, matter and gravity that humans depend on to survive. Both twins are rare examples of Independent Plants, who look and behave human, but possess the ability to survive outside the specialised environments required by their dependent brethren. As infants, the boys were discovered and adopted by Navigational Officer Rem Saverem. She named one twin Vash and the other Kni. The twins matured quickly, growing to appear age seven or eight when they celebrated their first birthday. By that stage, Kni had begun to demonstrate the generative abilities of a Plant and to distance himself from human traits like eating for nourishment, while Vash remained apparently powerless, but eagerly embraced humanity.

Though demonstrably inhuman and highly intelligent, Kni seemed in other respects a normal child, albeit serious and somewhat emotionally withdrawn. He enjoyed playing classical piano, loved cowboy movies, and colluded with Vash to play pranks. He adored his brother, who was always at his side, and cared for Rem, but resented her efforts to have him appear human by concealing his powers and eating food he didn't need (which he viewed as wasteful). In time this resentment turned to suspicion, particularly as Vash seemed to grow more humanlike under Rem's encouragement, bringing him closer to Rem but alienating Kni as he needled Vash for being useless as a Plant. Kni began to investigate areas of the ship Rem had forbidden them entering, pulling Vash along, and the twins stumbled across a classified databank of the SEEDs fleet's history. Vash gleefully entered the password himself when Kni was stymied, happy to prove he wasn't just a "waste", but both were horrified by the databank's contents.

Along with files on both twins there was a third - another Independent Plant born fifty years before, a girl named Tesla. She was discovered by the crew and treated like a research specimen, subjected her to brutal and invasive examination until her body fell apart. Worse yet, though vivisected and dismembered she was kept alive in suspended animation, as the twins discovered when the tanks containing her remains were unlocked and revealed.

Rem tried to soothe their fears by explaining that she had adopted them to ensure they wouldn't meet Tesla's fate, hoping that they would become the means by which Plants and humans could communicate and together ensure nothing like that ever happened again. Kni, however, no longer trusted her ability to keep them safe, concluding that humanity was incapable of changing for the better, whatever their intentions. When the twins discussed between themselves whether they would be accepted by humans, Vash told Kni he had faith that they would. It was then that Kni believed his course was set: Vash was naïve, weak and needed his protection from humanity's exploitation - which would, incidentally, leave Vash with no one to love but his brother. Kni secretly accessed the SEEDs fleet's navigation with the password Vash had shown him and forced every ship in the fleet to crash on the desert planet that would be named No Man's Land, sparing only the Plant carriers, believing this would wipe out all threats. Rem took the twins to an escape pod, but despite Kni's solemn request she escape with them, she chose to stay aboard the ships to save whoever she could. Kni's resentment of her turned in that moment to stark, burning hatred. After planetfall, Vash found Kni laughing gleefully over the wreckage of the fleet and confronted Kni over the murders he'd committed, but Kni countered by calling Vash his accomplice. Guilt-stricken and fearful, Vash fled from his brother and vanished into the alien desert.

Kni located a surviving SEEDS crew member, one Dr. William Conrad, and under threat of death recruited him to research Plants and acquire the resources necessary to locate, capture and subdue Vash. Renaming himself Millions Knives to represent his belief that he was a righteous and noble weapon of his species, Knives founded the cult called the Eye of Michael in the third city of July, providing himself with loyal troops and lavish headquarters, and appointed Dr. Conrad as his high priest. He also continued to develop his powers as a Plant, refining his abilities from producing rough metal blades from his hands and feet to the capacity to destroy whole settlements and kill dozens of people in the blink of an eye.

Since that day, Knives has been plotting to complete the extermination of humanity and bring Vash back to his side - a desire only intensified when Vash demonstrated he did indeed have abilities as a Plant, both to produce and, uniquely, to ''consume'', drawing matter ''to'' the plane that Plants draw matter ''from''. Every time Knives and Vash meet, they find themselves fighting to determine which of their philosophies is the right one. As of the first episode, Knives has been stealing Plants from human settlements and slaughtering their inhabitants, dooming survivors to death by starvation or dehydration. He exploits his resemblance to Vash to frame his brother for these crimes, marking him as a dangerous criminal in the hopes that Vash will suffer enough to realise humanity will never accept him, driving him back to Knives as his only refuge.

The primary plot of ''Trigun Stampede'' is driven by Knives's efforts both to convince, then force Vash to assist in his plans, and by his desire to claim and control Vash's power so he can use it to make No Man's Land a paradise, with the Plants its sole and supreme rulers.

==Character ==

=== Appearance ===
Knives is almost identical to Vash, differing only in very minor traits. Knives has paler skin and platinum blond hair, eyebrows and eyelashes. Where Vash has a mole beneath his left eye, Knives's is under his right, and Knives's blue eyes bear a slight green tint. They have the same facial features, the same undercut hair and the same athletic build. Both twins are drawn to be extremely physically attractive, with delicate, expressive faces and well-proportioned, muscular bodies.

In every other respect, however, the twins could not be more different. Knives rejects all human accoutrements in favor of clothing he created himself, which he seems to have designed to bring his appearance closer to that of the dependent Plants: a skin-tight white body suit covered in Plant patterns (resembling an unfurled dependent Plant) and a loose gray cloak, roughly knee-length, with bubbles of white material and a deep, round hood (resembling a dependent when in bulb form). The suit is bulletproof, and the cloak serves as a spare source of matter for Knives's blades. He wears no other clothing and is always barefoot, indifferent to environmental hazards. He has no visible markings, scars or injuries.

Knives keeps his hair short, in spikes brushed back from the front of his head.

His blades have a distinctive curved, feathered shape and usually emerge from his back and shoulders in the form of three or four prehensile chains. When desired, he can fold the blades inward and use the chains to pick up or grapple a target, or flare them outward into razor-sharp and deadly swift cutting weapons. Both blades and chains seems to act as extensions of his body, instantly responding to his will.

=== Personality ===
Knives presents a face of calm, cold superiority, and has a flair for grandiose acts of wide-scale destruction. His proclamations frequently allude to the Christian Bible, particularly the New Testament Book of Revelation, to present himself as an angel bringing God's wrath down upon humanity. He relishes violence and views Vash's pacifism as an illness that must be cured by whatever means necessary. In his mind, Vash is a victim of his own weakness and the manipulations of Rem and the other humans he's befriended, unable to be trusted to make his own decisions. Everything he's done, Knives claims, he has done to protect Vash from them, with the freedom of the dependent Plants from humanity's chains as a secondary but no less pressing priority. As a superior lifeform and the perfect Independent Plant, it's up to Knives to destroy the disgusting parasites infesting the universe and to ensure all inferior examples of his species come to reflect the perfection he embodies.

However, his icy pragmatism and lofty attitude conceal selfishness, mental instability, and a childish unwillingness to take responsibility or admit to mistakes. Knives is driven by fear, not only of what humanity could do to him or to Vash, but that Vash will abandon him in favor of humans, leaving Knives alone. He cannot, or will not, understand alternative viewpoints to his own and develops a habit of trying to isolate Vash by driving off or killing anyone who gets close to him, emotionally abusing Vash to undermine his self-worth, and of lashing out with extreme physical violence should those manipulations fail. Though his anger with humanity's reckless consumption of the beings they need to survive is justified, he sees no problem adopting the same tactics himself with the Plants and Vash under his control. He takes their consent to his plans for granted, dismisses any resistance as foolishness, and is willing to strip Vash of his personhood and autonomy, as well as exploit the dependents for his own ends.

At heart, Knives is a frightened, angry and deeply traumatised child, as well a perfectionist unable to cope when reality deviates from his expectations. He is manipulative, controlling, vicious and possessive, as well as prone to pushing blame onto those he harms for not submitting to his wishes.

=== Occupation ===
Knives serves as the central figure of worship for the Eye of Michael but rarely bothers with its affairs, preferring to play his piano and reminiscence, or discuss his plans with Dr. Conrad. He seems to leave his music room only to terrorise and murder humans or steal Plants.

=== Family ===
Twin brother to Vash, from whom he is estranged, and adopted son of Rem Saverem, whom he murdered. Dr. Conrad seems to serve as a father figure. Elendira is Knives's partial clone, in some sense his daughter.

=== Relationships ===
Knives has an obsession with Vash that shades into monomaniacal, but seems to love the idea of Vash as his brother more than the person Vash has become. While he makes an effort to speak to Vash gently and calmly, he can easily snap into screaming or verbal abuse and their relationship is strained by Vash's undisguised terror of his brother.

Knives once loved Rem but now bitterly despises not only her but anyone he perceives as being like her i.e. dark-haired woman who become emotionally close to Vash; Meryl, Luida, and Rosa (and the mothers of Jeneora Rock) all become targets of his murderous hatred and disgust.

All other humans with the sole exception of Dr. Conrad are insects to be exterminated if he can't ignore them, but Knives treats Conrad himself with unexpected politeness, even affection, always addressing him as "doctor" and never losing his temper.

Though he has yet to be depicted speaking to any other members of the Eye of the Michael, Elendira and Legato both regard him with devotion and Zazie with wary familiarity, but if Knives cares what they think of him he does not show it. He knows enough about Rollo, Tonis and Wolfwood to adopt their images manipulating Vash, and about Roberto and Meryl to target and wipe them from Vash's mind. He is protective of the dependent Plants and refers to them as his "brethren", but seemingly views them more as objects than people, regarding them as soulless.

== Weapons & Abilities ==

=== Gate ===
Knives's body contains and is supported by a Gate, a vaguely defined organ or object acting as a one-way connection to a limitless source of energy and matter known as the "higher plane". All Plants have a Gate of some description, but lack the volition to use it themselves; as an Independent, Knives can use his Gate at will, and control the matter he produces with no more than a thought. His Gate constantly renews and revitalises his body, granting him inhuman fortitude, strength and speed, as well as keeping him physically in the prime of health and youth. With all his needs supplied by his Gate, Knives does not require any form of sustenance or rest, or even seem to need to breathe, and is well into his second century while keeping the appearance of an athletic young adult.

Knives uses his Gate mostly to produce his clothing and weapons in the form of metal blades, chaining them into "tentacles" to grab and slice up individual targets, or forming deadly "storms" of blades when moved to cause mass devastation. He can also create claws from his hands and feet, but rarely does so in combat, preferring them for symbolism or utility. His blades can cut through steel and deflect bullets without losing their edge.

He has more esoteric abilities mostly based around seizing control of Vash's own Gate and forcing it to react, allowing him to manipulate Vash's perception of reality or even alter memories, leaving a dark residue at the point of contact. He only needs to be close enough to physically touch Vash or something he's holding, whether with his hands or blades.

It can be assumed that if ever cut off from his Gate, Knives would lose access to his power, weaken and die the same way other members of his species do when pushed beyond their limits. As it is, Knives is extremely difficult to harm with conventional weapons, required a sustained burst of intense power to outpace his regenerative capabilities.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:TriStamp KV2.jpg | Second key visual
File:Prerel_promo_kn.jpg | Prerelease promotional render
File:Prerel_promo_vk.jpg | Prerelease promotional render with Vash
File:TrStJPBD3.jpg | Blu-Ray Volume 3 cover
File:TrStEp03 commemorative illust - Akihiko Orikasa.jpg | Episode 3 commemorative illustration by Akihiko Orikasa
File:TrStEp00 commemorative illust A - Kenji Muto.jpg | Episode 0 commemorative illustration by Kenji Muto
</gallery>

== Appearances==

===Trigun Stampede===

====Episodes====
* [[NOMAN'S LAND]]
* [[Bright Light, Shine through the Darkness]]
* [[Our Home.]]
* [[Millions Knives (episode) | Millions Knives]]
* [[Humanity]]
* [[To A New World]]
* [[High Noon At July]]
==References==
[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Trigun Stampede]]

Legato Bluesummers (Stampede)

2024-01-02T10:56:17Z

NanoMoose:

{{Stub}}{{Disambig|Legato Bluesummers|about=the [[Trigun Stampede]] iteration of the character}}{{Character Info
|img=Malevolent ken doll.PNG
|subj=Legato Bluesummers
|ja_va= Koki Uchiyama
|en_va= Daman Mills <ref> https://twitter.com/DamanMills/status/1629584484655054848 </ref>
|ja_kanji=レガート・ブルーサマーズ
|first=[[Once Upon a Time in Hopeland]]
|last=TBD
|race=Human
|hair=Cerulean Blue
|eye=Golden Yellow
|gender=Male
|occupation=''de facto'' head of the Eye of Michael cult
}}

'''Legato Bluesummers''' is one of the main characters in [[Trigun Stampede]].

== Biography ==

=== In Stampede ===
Legato first appears in episode six, as part of Wolfwood's flashback. Wolfwood tries to escape from the Eye of Michael prison block by jumping out of a giant window, but he is caught mid-air and brutally crushed right before achieving freedom. When next we see him, he is in a holding cell whose doors part to reveal Legato. Legato tells Wolfwood he's working for the EoM now, despite his resistance. The two men verbally spar with each other, with Legato crushing Wolfwood into the floor in retaliation for being called a "blue-haired freak". He then presents Livio - the closest thing Wolfwood has to a brother - and says that if Wolfwood won't do the job, Livio has volunteered to do it instead. This at least gets Wolfwood working for Legato, albeit reluctantly.

In the present day, Legato has Livio target Vash aboard a sand steamer on its to the city of July, knowing Wolfwood will protect Vash from harm. Legato's plan is to see whether Wolfwood will choose to protect Vash by killing Livio or spare Livio by allowing Vash to die. To up the ante, Legato uses telekinesis to break one of the drive shafts within the sand steamer and put it on a crash course with the Hopeland Orphanage - the place Wolfwood grew up. Legato's reasoning is that if he can eliminate all emotional ties that Wolfwood has, then he can make Wolfwood into the perfect believer and a perfect instrument of Knives's plans. The reason he is so dead-set on Wolfwood is because Wolfwood has the rare physiological distinction of being able to tolerate all of the weird drugs that the EoM has given him with minimal side-effects - Wolfwood cannot simply leave or die because more children would be taken from the orphanage until another like him is found. Legato is ultimately unsuccessful at crashing the sand steamer into the orphanage. He orders Zazie to retrieve Livio because Livio is still useful.

Legato's backstory in ''Stampede'' has not yet been revealed, though some [https://twitter.com/TakeOxi/status/1639870472581165060 tantalizing lore] recently dropped from a ''Stampede'' staff member (Takehiko Okishi, writer of the series background) on Twitter: unnatural hair colors like blue are a legacy of SEEDs passengers who underwent gene therapy to modify their appearances. These characteristics were merely fashionable and cosmetic, not intended to be passed on, but children born on No Man's Land still inherit them in extremely rare cases. Sadly, they subsequently become targeted for human trafficking and attract high prices on the slave market.

==Character ==

===Appearance===
Legato is slender, with an incredibly toned physique. He has cerulean blue hair that's parted on the side, causing his long bangs to flop over his right eye. Aesthetically, he looks very beautiful.

Legato's outfit consists of white pants fastened at the waist with a belt and tucked into calf-high white boots. Tucked into the pants is a form-fitting black shirt, and over this shirt he wears a cropped white jacket with long sleeves. The right sleeve is normal, with a cuff at the wrist, but the left sleeve is fully enclosed, ending in a glove that has a pattern traced onto it in blue. The left sleeve also bears an emblem that looks like a spider with a skull-shaped body, and is topped with spikes in a fan shape.

===Personality===
Legato comes across as a sadist and sociopath. He is a fanatical devotee - he strives to be like Knives in every way, including being cold and emotionless. However, he is not perfect, and every so often the mask will slip to reveal a man who is actually very passionate and driven. He is devoted to Knives to the point of obsession, fully buying into the Eye of Michael's scripture describing Knives as an angel and referring to him as "beautiful", while regarding any opposition to him or his vision with disgust. Hypocritically, however, Legato's devotion borders upon jealousy and causes him to interfere with his master's plans. Like his master, Legato is prone to petulant violence when things don't go his way, despite regarding himself as above such emotional displays.

===Occupation===
Legato serves as the ''de facto'' leader of the Eye of Michael cult, using them to further Master Knives' agenda.

===Family===
He has no canonical family at this time.

===Relationships===
Legato's relationship to Knives is that of a devoted worshipper and faithful servant. His relationship to Wolfwood is that of a cruel master and personal enemy, particularly after the events on the sand steamer. His relationships to Conrad and Zazie are ones of grudging tolerance laced with contempt. He has yet to meet Vash in person, but it is implied his jealousy may extend to the little brother his beloved master is so tirelessly focused on. He has no canonical lovers as of yet.

==Weapons & Abilities==

=== Telekinesis ===
Legato has the ability to manipulate physical matter without physical contact. The series has not yet revealed how he came by this ability - all he has said is that it isn't electrical or nerve impulses. One sleeve of his jacket has an emblem on it that may serve to amplify or enhance this power. It is unknown at this time if Legato can also manipulate minds.

==Non-Canon==

==Development==

==Gallery==
<gallery mode="packed" heights="200">
File:Malevolent ken doll.PNG|Legato.
File:Legato Hair.png|Don't talk about his hair.
</gallery>

==Notes & Trivia==

== Appearances==

===Trigun Stampede===

====Episodes====
* [[Once Upon a Time in Hopeland]]
* [[WOLFWOOD (episode)| WOLFWOOD]]

===Audio Dramas===

==References==
* https://www.trigun-anime.com (the character section)
[[Category:Trigun Stampede]]
[[Category:Characters]]

Trigun Stampede

2024-01-02T10:38:12Z

NanoMoose:

{{DISPLAYTITLE:''Trigun Stampede''}}
{{Stub|cont=stampede}}{{Sources needed|2=Infobox needs citations implemented}}{{SeriesInfobox
| title = Trigun Stampede
| img = StampedeTitleCard.png
| director = Kenji Muto
| producer = Yoshihiro Watanabe
| writer =
| music = Tatsuya Kato
| studio = Studio Orange
| licensee = Crunchyroll (worldwide)
| network = TV Tokyo
| network_US = Crunchyroll
| premiere = January 7th, 2023
| premiere_US = January 7th, 2023
| episodes = 12
}}'''''Trigun Stampede''''' is the latest anime adaptation of [[Trigun]], released in 2023 via [https://www.crunchyroll.com/series/GXJHM3PK5/trigun-stampede?referrer=cap_cr_carousel_2_trigun-stampede&utm_campaign=trigun-stampede_en&utm_medium=carousel_2&utm_source=cap_cr Crunchyroll]. The first season, consisting of twelve episodes twenty-five minutes long, is complete as of March 26, and a second season is currently in production, referred to by Orange as "Final Phase".<ref>https://twitter.com/CG_Orange_eng/status/1640055709349064705?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet</ref><ref>https://twitter.com/trigun_anime/status/1639635026571587586?cxt=HHwWhMCzgdPXk8EtAAAA</ref><ref>https://trigun-anime.com/news/?p=573</ref>

Because of streaming, this series is the first Trigun series to be simulcast - episodes are able to premiere in Japan and the US on the same date.

Created by Studio Orange, ''Stampede'' uses the same style as their previous works ''Land of the Lustrous''/''Houseki no Kuni'' and ''Beastars'': a hybrid of 3D models animated with 2D principles, warping the models in relation to the camera to resemble traditional anime stylisation.<ref name=":0">https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/convention/2023/sakura-con/orange-reveals-the-making-of-trigun-stampede/.196922</ref> This is a challenging and time-consuming process, requiring two years spent creating custom software for the characters' faces alone, and five years total in production (compared to the studio's usual three years).<ref name=":0" />

== Overview ==
From Crunchyroll:<blockquote>Vash the Stampede’s a joyful gunslinging pacifist, so why does he have a $$6 million bounty on his head? That’s what’s puzzling rookie reporter Meryl Stryfe and her jaded veteran partner when looking into the vigilante only to find someone who hates blood. But their investigation turns out to uncover something heinous—his evil twin brother, Millions Knives.</blockquote>''Stampede'' heavily references both the manga and the earlier anime adaptation in broad plot developments, but expands upon and alters many details to create a "retelling" of Vash's story. Though the previously published material is not needed to understand the plot, numerous references to those works exist throughout ''Stampede'' for an informed viewer's enjoyment.

Tonally and thematically, ''Stampede'' most resembles the manga, particularly ''Trigun Maximum'', quickly moving from comedic and quirky to dark, disturbing and violent, though not without comedy or hope. While still greatly inspired by the aesthetics of the American West, ''Stampede'' also uses more science fiction elements and aesthetics than previous versions.

The largest change is in the story's reshuffled timeline. Where the manga opened in the aftermath of the "Lost July" incident, and the anime also depicted the incident as already in the past, ''Stampede''<nowiki/>'s main plot begins with the city of July still standing and follows Vash as he journeys to confront his brother, accompanied by news reporters Meryl Stryfe and Roberto de Niro. Along the way, he encounters several other major characters, including Nicholas D. Wolfwood. Because they appear earlier than before in their lives and in the show's narrative, the characters are all designed to be young or incomplete versions of the ones viewers already know.<ref name=":0" />

Vash develops his conviction over the course of the series, going from uncertain in himself and fearful of his brother to determined to see Knives's plans fail, as their origins and previous confrontations are slowly revealed.

== Episodes ==

# [[NOMAN'S LAND]]
# [[The Running Man]]
# [[Bright Light, Shine through the Darkness]]
# [[HUNGRY!]]
# [[Child of Blessing]]
# [[Once Upon a Time in Hopeland]]
# [[WOLFWOOD (episode)|WOLFWOOD]]
# [[Our Home.]]
# [[Millions Knives (episode)|Millions Knives]]
# [[Humanity]]
# [[To A New World]]
# [[High Noon At July]]

== Production ==

=== Staff ===

=== Cast ===

== Soundtrack ==
The music for Trigun Stampede was composed by [[Tatsuya Kato]].

=== Theme Songs ===
All episodes use the same opening and closing theme songs, with the exception of Episodes 1 and 0. <ref>https://trigun-anime.com/music/</ref>

==== Opening ====
"TOMBI" by Kvi Baba Episodes 2-11

==== Closing ====
"TOMBI" by Kvi Baba Episode 1 
"星のクズ α" by Salyu × haruka nakamura Episodes 2-11 
"聖者の行進" by Salyu × haruka nakamura Episode 0

== Releases ==
{{Subpage|Home Media Releases}}

== Gallery ==
{{Subpage|Gallery}}

== Notes ==

== Links ==

* [https://trigun-anime.com/ Trigun Stampede official website]
* [https://www.orange-cg.com/ Studio Orange website]
* [https://www.crunchyroll.com/series/GXJHM3PK5/trigun-stampede?referrer=cap_cr_carousel_2_trigun-stampede&utm_campaign=trigun-stampede_en&utm_medium=carousel_2&utm_source=cap_cr Trigun Stampede on Crunchyroll]

== References ==
[[Category:Trigun Stampede]]

Millions Knives (Stampede)

2024-01-02T10:09:57Z

NanoMoose:

Millions Knives (Stampede)

2024-01-02T09:55:47Z

NanoMoose: Character biography and profile added.

Legato Bluesummers (Stampede)

2024-01-02T07:09:36Z

NanoMoose: Minor tweaks, some stuff about his psychology.

{{Stub}}{{Disambig|Legato Bluesummers|about=the [[Trigun Stampede]] iteration of the character}}{{Character Info
|img=Malevolent ken doll.PNG
|subj=Legato Bluesummers
|ja_va= Koki Uchiyama
|en_va= Daman Mills <ref> https://twitter.com/DamanMills/status/1629584484655054848 </ref>
|ja_kanji=レガート・ブルーサマーズ
|first=[[Once Upon a Time in Hopeland]]
|last=TBD
|race=Human
|hair=Cerulean Blue
|eye=Golden Yellow
|gender=Male
|occupation=''de facto'' head of the Eye of Michael cult
}}

'''Legato Bluesummers''' is one of the main characters in [[Trigun Stampede]].

== Biography ==

=== In Stampede ===
Legato first appears in episode six, as part of Wolfwood's flashback. Wolfwood tries to escape from the Eye of Michael prison block by jumping out of a giant window, but he is caught mid-air and brutally crushed right before achieving freedom. When next we see him, he is in a holding cell whose doors part to reveal Legato. Legato tells Wolfwood he's working for the EoM now, despite his resistance. The two men verbally spar with each other, with Legato crushing Wolfwood into the floor in retaliation for being called a "blue-haired freak". He then presents Livio - the closest thing Wolfwood has to a brother - and says that if Wolfwood won't do the job, Livio has volunteered to do it instead. This at least gets Wolfwood working for Legato, albeit reluctantly.

In the present day, Legato has Livio target Vash aboard a sand steamer on its to the city of July, knowing Wolfwood will protect Vash from harm. Legato's plan is to see whether Wolfwood will choose to protect Vash by killing Livio or spare Livio by allowing Vash to die. To up the ante, Legato uses telekinesis to break one of the drive shafts within the sand steamer and put it on a crash course with the Hopeland Orphanage - the place Wolfwood grew up. Legato's reasoning is that if he can eliminate all emotional ties that Wolfwood has, then he can make Wolfwood into the perfect believer and a perfect instrument of Knives's plans. The reason he is so dead-set on Wolfwood is because Wolfwood has the rare physiological distinction of being able to tolerate all of the weird drugs that the EoM has given him with minimal side-effects - Wolfwood cannot simply leave or die because more children would be taken from the orphanage until another like him is found. Legato is ultimately unsuccessful at crashing the sand steamer into the orphanage. He orders Zazie to retrieve Livio because Livio is still useful.

Legato's backstory in ''Stampede'' has not yet been revealed, though some [https://twitter.com/TakeOxi/status/1639870472581165060 tantalizing lore] recently dropped from a ''Stampede'' staff member (Takehiko Okishi, writer of the series bible) on Twitter: unnatural hair colors such as blue are a legacy of SEEDs passengers who underwent gene therapy to modify their appearances. These characteristics were merely cosmetic, not intended to be passed on, but children born on No Man's Land still inherit them in extremely rare cases. They subsequently become targeted for human trafficking and attract high prices on the slave market.

==Character ==

===Appearance===
Legato is slender, with an incredibly toned physique. He has cerulean blue hair that's parted on the side, causing his long bangs to flop over his right eye. Aesthetically, he looks very beautiful.

Legato's outfit consists of white pants fastened at the waist with a belt and tucked into calf-high white boots. Tucked into the pants is a form-fitting black shirt, and over this shirt he wears a cropped white jacket with long sleeves. The right sleeve is normal, with a cuff at the wrist, but the left sleeve is fully enclosed, ending in a glove that has a pattern traced onto it in blue. The left sleeve also bears an emblem that looks like a spider with a skull-shaped body, and is topped with spikes in a fan shape.

===Personality===
Legato comes across as a sadist and sociopath. He is a fanatical devotee - he strives to be like Knives in every way, including being cold and emotionless. However, he is not perfect, and every so often the mask will slip to reveal a man who is actually very passionate and driven. He is devoted to Knives to the point of obsession, fully buying into the Eye of Michael's description of Knives as an angel and referring to him as "beautiful", while regarding any opposition to him or his vision with disgust. Hypocritically, Legato's devotion borders upon jealousy and causes him to interfere with his master's plans.

===Occupation===
Legato serves as the ''de facto'' leader of the Eye of Michael cult, using them to further Master Knives' agenda.

===Family===
He has no canonical family at this time.

===Relationships===
Legato's relationship to Knives is that of a devoted worshipper and faithful servant. His relationship to Wolfwood is that of a cruel master and personal enemy, particularly after the events on the sand steamer. His relationships to Conrad and Zazie are ones of grudging tolerance laced with contempt. He has yet to meet Vash in person, but it is implied his jealousy may extend to the little brother his beloved master is so tirelessly focused on. He has no canonical lovers as of yet.

==Weapons & Abilities==

=== Telekinesis ===
Legato has the ability to manipulate physical matter without physical contact. The series has not yet revealed how he came by this ability - all he has said is that it isn't electrical or nerve impulses. One sleeve of his jacket has an emblem on it that may serve to amplify or enhance this power. It is unknown at this time if Legato can also manipulate minds.

==Non-Canon==

==Development==

==Gallery==
<gallery mode="packed" heights="200">
File:Malevolent ken doll.PNG|Legato.
File:Legato Hair.png|Don't talk about his hair.
</gallery>

==Notes & Trivia==

== Appearances==

===Trigun Stampede===

====Episodes====
* [[Once Upon a Time in Hopeland]]
* [[WOLFWOOD (episode)| WOLFWOOD]]

===Audio Dramas===

==References==
* https://www.trigun-anime.com (the character section)
[[Category:Trigun Stampede]]
[[Category:Characters]]

Trigun Stampede

2024-01-02T06:31:20Z

NanoMoose: Expanded overview but this is placeholder-y.

{{DISPLAYTITLE:''Trigun Stampede''}}
{{Stub|cont=stampede}}{{Sources needed|2=Infobox needs citations implemented}}{{SeriesInfobox
| title = Trigun Stampede
| img = StampedeTitleCard.png
| director = Kenji Muto
| producer = Yoshihiro Watanabe
| writer =
| music = Tatsuya Kato
| studio = Studio Orange
| licensee = Crunchyroll (worldwide)
| network = TV Tokyo
| network_US = Crunchyroll
| premiere = January 7th, 2023
| premiere_US = January 7th, 2023
| episodes = 12
}}'''''Trigun Stampede''''' is the latest anime adaptation of [[Trigun]], released in 2023 via [https://www.crunchyroll.com/series/GXJHM3PK5/trigun-stampede?referrer=cap_cr_carousel_2_trigun-stampede&utm_campaign=trigun-stampede_en&utm_medium=carousel_2&utm_source=cap_cr Crunchyroll]. The first season, consisting of twelve episodes twenty-five minutes long, is complete as of March 26, and a second season is currently in production, referred to by Orange as "Final Phase".<ref>https://twitter.com/CG_Orange_eng/status/1640055709349064705?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet</ref><ref>https://twitter.com/trigun_anime/status/1639635026571587586?cxt=HHwWhMCzgdPXk8EtAAAA</ref><ref>https://trigun-anime.com/news/?p=573</ref>

Because of streaming, this series is the first Trigun series to be simulcast - episodes are able to premiere in Japan and the US on the same date.

Created by Studio Orange, ''Stampede'' uses the same style as their previous works ''Land of the Lustrous''/''Houseki no Kuni'' and ''Beastars'': a hybrid of 3D models animated with 2D principles, warping the models in relation to the camera to resemble traditional anime stylisation.<ref name=":0">https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/convention/2023/sakura-con/orange-reveals-the-making-of-trigun-stampede/.196922</ref> This is a challenging and time-consuming process, requiring two years spent creating custom software for the characters' faces alone, and five years total in production (compared to the studio's usual three years).<ref name=":0" />

== Overview ==
From Crunchyroll:<blockquote>Vash the Stampede’s a joyful gunslinging pacifist, so why does he have a $$6 million bounty on his head? That’s what’s puzzling rookie reporter Meryl Stryfe and her jaded veteran partner when looking into the vigilante only to find someone who hates blood. But their investigation turns out to uncover something heinous—his evil twin brother, Millions Knives.</blockquote>''Stampede'' heavily references both the manga and the earlier anime adaptation in broad plot developments, but expands upon and alters many specific details to create a "retelling" of Vash's story. Though viewing the previously published material is not required, numerous references to those works exist throughout ''Stampede'' for an informed viewer. Tonally and thematically, ''Stampede'' most resembles the manga, particularly ''Trigun Maximum''.

The largest change is in the story's timeline. Where the manga opened in the aftermath of the "Lost July" incident, ''Stampede''<nowiki/>'s main plot begins with the city of July still standing and follows Vash as he journeys there to confront his brother, accompanied by reporters Meryl and Roberto. Along the way he encounters several other major characters, introducing them earlier then their appearances in either of the older works. Because they appear earlier in their lives and in the show's narrative development, they are designed to be young, incomplete or imperfect versions of the individuals viewers already know.<ref name=":0" />

== Episodes ==

# [[NOMAN'S LAND]]
# [[The Running Man]]
# [[Bright Light, Shine through the Darkness]]
# [[HUNGRY!]]
# [[Child of Blessing]]
# [[Once Upon a Time in Hopeland]]
# [[WOLFWOOD (episode)|WOLFWOOD]]
# [[Our Home.]]
# [[Millions Knives (episode)|Millions Knives]]
# [[Humanity]]
# [[To A New World]]
# [[High Noon At July]]

== Production ==

=== Staff ===

=== Cast ===

== Soundtrack ==
The music for Trigun Stampede was composed by [[Tatsuya Kato]].

=== Theme Songs ===
All episodes use the same opening and closing theme songs, with the exception of Episodes 1 and 0. <ref>https://trigun-anime.com/music/</ref>

==== Opening ====
"TOMBI" by Kvi Baba Episodes 2-11

==== Closing ====
"TOMBI" by Kvi Baba Episode 1 
"星のクズ α" by Salyu × haruka nakamura Episodes 2-11 
"聖者の行進" by Salyu × haruka nakamura Episode 0

== Releases ==
{{Subpage|Home Media Releases}}

== Gallery ==
{{Subpage|Gallery}}

== Notes ==

== Links ==

* [https://trigun-anime.com/ Trigun Stampede official website]
* [https://www.orange-cg.com/ Studio Orange website]
* [https://www.crunchyroll.com/series/GXJHM3PK5/trigun-stampede?referrer=cap_cr_carousel_2_trigun-stampede&utm_campaign=trigun-stampede_en&utm_medium=carousel_2&utm_source=cap_cr Trigun Stampede on Crunchyroll]

== References ==
[[Category:Trigun Stampede]]

Trigun Stampede

2024-01-02T03:41:31Z

NanoMoose: More detail on the style used, some citations.