Warning: Spoilers for Trigun StampedeFans of Trigun have suspected for some time that Trigun Stampede was moving toward a big moment in the franchise’s story, and now that dark moment has been shown on screen for the first time.
In the original 1998 anime and the manga, the “July Incident” is an event only alluded to, where Knives and Vash had a confrontation before Trigun began that resulted in the destruction of the city. In the manga, that meant everyone who lived there, too, but in the anime, the city was destroyed while no one was harmed. Trigun Stampede arrived in JuLai (as it’s spelled here) at the end of the 9th episode, and the city was alive and well, confirming what many fans suspected–that its destruction would be the climax of the season. Sure enough, episode 11 begun exactly that, as a massive figure made of branches and roots was been created and towered over the city.
Trigun Stampede’s July Incident is Horrific
In episode 11, Vash has been captured and is being experimented on by Knives, who is trying to use Vash’s ability to open a portal to the realm from which the Plants draw their power. Only Trigun’s Vash has the power to do this, although the reasons why aren’t quite clear. In order to force Vash to comply, Knives has been attempting to directly take control of him, wiping significant memories from his mind. Roots and branches emerge from Vash’s back, much like Knives’ blades do, and begin growing and writhing around the area, pinning Meryl to the ground. Outside Knives’ base, the branches and roots begin to take the shape of a person–and it vaguely resembles Vash’s beloved mother-figure, Rem. The roots and branches begin going out of control, and the destruction of the city has begun.
Vash is in no position to control the roots, but it doesn’t seem as if Knives is in control of them, either. They may be acting on Vash’s subconscious thoughts and impulses, striking out on instinct in response to the attacks launched by the city’s military. In other Trigun media, Vash traditionally loses his memory of these events, so what exactly happened has never been revealed before. Episode 11 and the season finale, episode 12, paint a horrific picture of the incident. With season two of the series looming on the horizon, it appears like Vash will be where he started in over versions of the classic story.
Trigun Stampede‘s take on the destruction of JuLai may have been expected by some fans, but few could’ve predicted it would all go down like this.
Trigun Stampede debuts new episodes on Saturdays, via Crunchyroll.
