Trigun Stampede Review

 

I am a major fan of the 1998’s Trigun. The principle character, Vash The Stampede, a blond spiked haired tall fellow with Steampunk orange sunglasses and rose color trench coat traveling the desert world of Gunsmoke (No Man’s Land) while being hunted by bounty hunters for his crimes as The Humaniod Typhoon, a name he received for destroying towns. Vash has a child like silliness, purity, hope, and desire to spread “love and peace!” His other side is a tormented soul of being a twin brother to Million Knives, a psychotic killer who seeks supremacy and the end of the human race. Vash and Knives are plants, another species akin to angels that more advanced humans grew in test tubes aboard their spaceships (SEEDS) as they sought to create a new world on a barren planet (Gunsmoke). Knives decided to avenge himself of being abused and that his kin, the plants being used as power sources, later being connected to giant bulbs to power cities and towns. Knives believes humans are irredeemable and if his people and Vash are to survive, humanity must die, “kill the spider to save the butterfly.” Knives fails to see he is a maniacal monster playing god, while Vash in contrast believes humans deserve mercy, forgiveness, and salvation. Vash thus adopts a pacifist philosophy, only using his gunslinger skills to wound not kill. Knives undoubtedly is Lucifer, and Vash is a Christ-type or Messianic figure. There is even a priest named Nicholas D. Wolfwood who wields a cross shaped gun and rocket launcher, and in the final episode, “Under The Sky So Blue,” Vash defeats Knives with the punisher (cross shaped gun) in a symbolic scene. 

Trigun  1998 is full of Christian messages of the power of love and forgiveness to defeat hate and murder. Vash when he is forced to kill Legato Bluesummers feels he has failed, and goes into hiding, but he realizes what matters is that you try, you may fail to promote peace and love, but what matters is you keep trying. His slogan “love and peace” may invoke hippy sensibilities, but God is Love, “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” (1 John 4:8) and He is the Prince of Peace who gives us peace that surpasses all, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid,” (John 14:27), and “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7); love and peace. That is what I love about Trigun, the subtle nods to Scripture, and Christianity. I even love when Wolfwood is asked why the cross is do heavy, he says “because its so full of mercy.” 

Suffice to say you can imagine my attention was peaked when I heard Trigun was being rebooted with Orange’s incredible 3D Animation. Well I have watched the first five episodes, and to my dismay the Christian message is gone, in its place is Nihilism and Luciferianism. In Episode 3 Knives plays an organ with a frozen devil statue, he then later slaughters women with mystical knives, and makes claims at being a god, He even says God cleansed the earth with fire, Knives thus makes clear its “Sinners in The Hands of An Angry God.” In Episode 5 we are treated to the most antichrist episode, we get a Cult of Angels, a church that worships the plants (Vash and Knives’ race) and demands a human sacrifice to God; they (cultists chant) say to praise the angel and praise death as they look at cross of New Mexico design with a great eye in the center, and on the carpet is cross formee (french heraldric cross), and the boy chosen is placed on a cross shaped table to be experimented on. The cross is used in all these scenes in a negative light, with the aim to get the message across that religions with the cross are fatalistic and bad. Vash in a flashback promises the child to be sacrificed, “If God does not save you, I will.” So Vash now is against God, as in he shall be a savior (antichrist), when in the  1998’s anime he did not speak such  blasphemy.  

Orange’s Trigun Stampede beats you over the head with God is harsh, aloof like Agnosticism claims, and inclined to demand sacrifices and pour out wrath. This is in stark contrast to God depicted in the 90’s series, where Vash never claims God is inept, but acts as His agent, even angel to try and save lives from mortal danger and even save people from dangers of hatred and violence in their own hearts; Vash approached each person as if they are The Image of God, worthy of life. This new Vash in Stampede is more generic and seems powerless when facing Knives; in fact Vash seems purposely downgraded as gunfighter and his genius at solving how to save as many lives as possible is downplayed. 

I am greatly disappointed. While it was clear a Catholic wrote and directed Trigun 80’s, this new iteration is likely directed by a Satanist who has removed the innocence and joy of Vash and downgraded his fighting abilities while making Knives omnipotent with bizarre powers to create carnage. Many will decry you shouldn’t compare animes, older and newer versions. I say hogwash! When the spirit and message of the story is altered so substantially to shift the message from Christian values to Satanic, it behooves us to warn others. I honestly shouldn’t be surprised, of course Satanists would take the one popular Christian/Catholic anime and tear it down, and glorify evil. “Love and peace,” is not in Trigun Stampede (2023), rather it is  “eternal pain and suffering.” And for that reason, this long time Trigun fan shall not continue watching Orange’s blasphemous reboot. I choose to remember Vash as he was 1998, a Christ-like figure battling hate, murder, and unforgiveness with “love and peace.” Amen.