The Human Tragedy of Vash The Stampede (Trigun)

Vash the Stampede is a complex character at the  beginning of trigun we know nothing about him as   past for the plane at Gunsmoke were dropped into  a complete mystery a lonely tundra of heat with   nothing but small towns reminiscent of an era long  gone folk round these parts seem to be brought   right out of the Wild West yet there's plenty of  futuristic tech to let us know that we're not in   Kansas anymore the currency is in double dollars  the towns are named after Gregorian calendar   months guns abound whiskey pours like rain and  the sheriff and mayor keep the peace these are the   future people of Earth people from a time beyond  our own but they've regressed to an earlier social   state on a planet not their own while the setting  is taken in instantaneously our main character   Vash takes much longer to fully unravel so much so  that we don't actually get his whole story until   over halfway through the series in the beginning  all we know of Vash is that he is a goofy lanky   guy in a red trench coat that can't say no to  doughnuts basically Ryan if he had any style to   speak of but by the end we feel something is it  camaraderie empathy understanding whatever it is   it's this role it hits you deep makes you care it  creates a lasting and intimate connection between   you and your vessel into the world of Trigon at  least it did for me Vash is life story hit me and   more than just I can see myself in his shoes kind  of way a well-written character allows you to put   yourself in their shoes to feel the path that they  walk but an exceptional character takes time to   understand they build an ongoing and ever-changing  relationship with the audience throughout the show   they don't simply allow you to see yourself in  their shoes but instead they blur the line between   their shoes and your own it feels like they relate  to you more than you relate to them Vash was one   of the first characters to ever give me that  feeling a chilling spine tingle that went beyond   understanding and settled deeply in a brotherly  bond Trigon is one of my favorite classical animes   and it all starts with this one man in his iconic  red trench coat hey what's going on guys Mike here   if you haven't seen trigun yet you're life isn't  complete so you should probably go do that it's   one of those shows that really stands the test of  time and it's a space Western so gotta love that   basically anything that gives me Han Solo vibes  except for the Han Solo movie itself I'm gonna   be into however regardless of your personal  tastes Trigon and it's focal point Vash the   Stampede speaks to its audience on a universal  level it's something that can truly be enjoyed   by anyone and still looks good for its age anyway  before I gosh my guts out let's roll that intro the first scene of Trigon opens on a saloon in the  middle of nowhere two men playing cards around a   nearby table discussed the sixty billion double  dollar bounty on bash the stampedes head they   speak of his past horrific transgressions and  as the two men gossip a man cloaked in a bright   red coat sips a drink at the corner until bounty  hunters blow the entire saloon sky-high bullets   unbias lee tear apart everything inside and as the  smoke clears the metal saloon sign that fell from   its perch is pushed over revealing Vash the  Stampede completely unscathed silently Vash   stands up points his massive pistol at the group  of bounty hunters and the scene ends were steeped   in this feeling of danger and uncertainty Vash is  a monster a destroyer of towns a killer he has no   prejudice whether he kills man woman or child  someone so evil and dangerous the government   bounty on him is beyond comprehension no words are  given from this spiky-haired man of death he looks   and feels impressive untouchable and dangerous  right from this opening scene his image would   remain that way if not for Meryl and Milly to burn  deli Insurance Society employs Meryl specifically   is Vash as foil it's through her questions and  desire for a better understanding a bash that   we begin to learn more about him after the girl's  introduction we return to Vash who completely 180s   into a goof he's drawing pictures with bullets  and crawling around like a cockroach to avoid   enemy fire the best way I've seen Vash described  is crouching [ __ ] hidden badass his antics   are hilarious but he knows his way around a gun  after a quick battle Vash reveals a deep weakness   actually I can't stand blood just the very sight  of it makes me feel a little faint this is backed   up by his consistent need to say he's a hunter of  love and peace the first episode is a masterpiece   in writing and direction engaging from the start  but leaving many questions to be answered in the   future it also gives a glimpse into Bash's  paradoxical nature he's funny kind-hearted   and can't stand violence yet he's being hunted  for destroying entire towns and is likely the   best gunslinger on this doesn't add up how could  someone like Vash destroy an entire town someone   who can't even handle a little blood he has two  sides to himself he has two faces two types of   expressions similar to one punch man's Saitama  a serious one and a goofy one they're completely   distinct from the other shifting the tone of each  scene with ease trigun continually puts Vash and   increasingly dangerous in life-threatening  situations however he persevered unimpeded   by every obstacle in front of him while never  sacrificing the lives of others including those   who are trying to kill him for his bounty or  otherwise his moral code to never sacrifice   life is the Rope he's bound by he's willing to go  to great lengths to not break that code bash gets   hurt blood spills from his figure scars and  injuries uncounted are revealed whenever he   removes his shirt quite literally exposing himself  and each one marked upon him is a token reminder   that the decision to never kill comes with a price  hell he's even missing an entire hand that's been   replaced by an intricately concealed machine  gun these past injuries were obtained while   working to ironically not kill his attackers  it would seem that Vash has a hero complex a   need to help others even if they don't ask for  it and he does so without ending a single life   he's kind of like space cowboy Batman with a voice  that doesn't sound like his balls are so big that   they're dragging on the floor and this respect  for life or fear of taking it becomes his most   prominent character trait however we aren't given  the motives for this masochism until over halfway   through the series episode 17 is that turning  point it is by far the most revealing episode   in the series and it completely throws bashes  traumatic past into the limelight as well as his   brother knives in ramavaram we learn everything  we need to understand about what makes bash tick   bash and knives are kids on a spaceship part of  the seed project earth had become uninhabitable   due to human greed our natural desire for  destruction and this ship was a last-ditch effort   to save humankind the people of Earth had sealed  themselves in freezer tubes while a small crew man   the ship in an attempt to find a new habitable  planet bashing knives spend most of their days   with the crews specifically a young woman named  REM who plays with them and teaches them at one   point the brothers and REM are watching a  butterfly struggling to escape of spider's   web vash is being careful to release the captive  gently when knives suddenly crushes the spider   in his bare hands explaining that was the easiest  way to stop him however vash is appalled he didn't   want to kill either of the creatures he wanted  to save them both now denies saving the butterfly   is essentially the same as killing the spider you  can't logically save both helping all butterflies   means the death of all spiders REM inter Jax  asserting her role as the mother figure and she   wisely explains to knives that it's not right to  make the choice so easily the butterfly and the   spider are both living creatures predator and prey  both have a right to life knives is unfazed to him   saving both will always be a naive contradiction  in anger for his lack of empathy Vash attacks his   brother the two aren't able to comprehend each  other's thinking which is step one in creating   an enemy and starting a war this idea of whether  or not we can choose who lives and dies is pushed   to an ultimatum during a latter event on the ship  a deranged crewman has knives at gunpoint and is   accusing the boy being responsible for the death  of the person the crew man just shot REM comes   between the two staking her life on her next words  no one has the right to take the life of another   you don't want to kill him yet the onlooking  captain opens the airlock and sucks out the   gunman to save REM this situation highlights both  bash and knives thinking bash taking after REM   knives more in line with the captain unfortunately  the captain's actions stood as proof that killing   can protect and this is a lesson an angry young  man took to heart now I'm sabotages the ship in   an attempt to crash it into the planet they're  orbiting in one action dooming all of mankind   yet again while simultaneously letting bash  and himself live it's a cold and calculated   move promotion has no part in his plan logically  humans would act like a virus on this planet just   like they did on earth and end up destroying  it and each other once again but the brothers   would be safe because they aren't humans the two  are in fact hyper intelligent interdimensional   plants used as a source of power and energy it's a  little trippy but they are basically living tools   for Humanity their original purpose was to power  whatever planet the ships would land on however   Vashon knives are sentient as well as independent  whereas most of the other plants obviously aren't   it's why they can live outside of special light  bulb luminescent containers that are typically   required for plants to survive ironic how the to  mirror our relationship with plants so many heal   and so when you hurt but all are necessary for  life to continue in our habitats an attempt to   resolve knives actions REM corrects the course  of the failing ships allowing their downward   thrusters to extend and saving the humans frozen  aboard however this comes at the cost of her   life breathing color into her final unspoken  philosophy your life is the only life you may   choose to sacrifice because it is yours REMS  incineration was the igniting spark for eternal   flames of philosophical war between Bosch and  knives the agony edged on Bash's body reflects   that of his mind losing his mother figure because  of his brother's actions was bad enough but the   trials that came after were also excruciating  particularly the destruction of July city an event   which happened a hundred years after the ship  landed on Gunsmoke one does not simply receive   a 60 billion double dollar bounty on his head for  nothing the destruction happens during a flashback   Vash still isn't in control of the intense power  that his gun is able to unleash from his body in   a showdown with knives he unintentionally wiped  out the entire town ending not just one life but   many precious lives irreplaceable lives the man  ravished by the anguish of his own actions is who   we find in a red trenchcoat in a dusty saloon  in episode one his uncontrollable outburst in   complete conflict with his morals and his entire  existence is bound to atoning for his sin vowing   on Remz memory to never kill anyone ever again  his catchphrase cry of love and peace tainted   by his past his traumatic experiences of his youth  mixed with his destruction of July are the motives   which fuel him forward however it can't last  unfortunately Trigon is not about solving issues   with non-violence it's touched upon thematically  but the introduction of knives is minyan legato   ensures that we know what the real message is  legato is a villain hired by knives to make vash   is life a living hell he's a sadistic nihilist  who is determined to destroy humanity including   himself now for the record his character has a far  greater emotional range and is even sympathetic   in the manga but we're going to stick to the  animes adaption of him for the show so legato   and the lesser villains under his command known  as the gung-ho guns are intent on putting Vash in   life-or-death situations in order to force him to  kill and self-preservation their entire purpose is   to push bash to break his moral code or you know  kill him whatever works that's what Knives wants   to completely break bash to bury that last light  of sympathy Vash is able to consistently get out   of the pair schemes without killing until legato  finally confronts him face to face in episode 24   ominously titled sin Vash is finally backed into  the ultimate corner one where Milly and Merrill's   death are assured unless Ian's legatos life  at this point Merrill's feelings for Vash are   extremely clear expounding upon the severity of  the situation legato wants bash to break his moral   code he wants the stain of never ending pain on  bashes mind and with no other option and the words   of his friends and mother figure running through  his mind - breaks that code and shoots legato in   order to save Maryland Millie's lives he stands  there afterwards with tears in his eyes and the   moment is so true it's the moment when we realized  that ideals are nothing more than hopes in the end   it's all just smoke and mirrors Vash is journey  is one of sorrow and excruciating philosophical   paradoxes he's haunted by a horrific childhood  and past weakness mistakes which defines the rest   of his life because of the destruction of July  misfortune follows him everywhere his bounty is   a constant under of the things he's done wrong  he can't stay in a single place for too long or   people will find out who he is resulting in them  either running away screaming or trying to kill   him for the bounty however it's not surprising  that he also has a goofy nature people trying   to escape their own reality often do he's running  from his past and attempting to live a normal life   without confronting the issues that plagued him  Vash continually seeks two simple things love and   peace and yet those are the two things he cannot  obtain not while his dark history lingers in his   head and on his reputation his moral code is a  reminder of his motherhood figure REM but in a   very real way Knives was always right you can't  always save everyone and that's what bash finally   had to come to terms with and sin his story  feels tangible because of the emotional pull   over hope desire and reality we all wish for the  best believe that things will work out and we've   all been crushed by reality reminding us that we  are fools so many of us have made transgressions   in our lives that seem to continually follow  us wherever we go lost figures of safety learn   that you can't make it everyone happy it's the  same thing as saying you can't save everyone and   that's the final weight placed on Vash the sins  of our past if unconfronted continue to pile up   until we break Vash breaks after killing legato  the arc of Trigon is a story we all experience   within ourselves it's not always about life and  death but the themes remain the same you can't   make everyone happy all the time the longer you  run from your past the worse things will get we   all have to break our moral code at some point in  life if we wish to survive sometimes you need to   relinquish control for the sake of others you  hold dear we're too hard on ourselves for the   blunders we regret or the things we can't change  but we can learn from Vash because he's able to   pick himself up and realize that mistakes are  a part of life that is what the series finale   is - fixing his first tragic mistake to atone for  all his others confronting his past owning up to   what happened and ensuring that it can't again by  taking care of knives he doesn't kill his brother   but he makes sure that knives can't continue  destroying humanity in that way he can atone   for what happened earlier in his life vas realizes  that while it's important to have a moral code you   also have to make your own choices to protect  that which you hold dear hence the symbolism in   the dropping of his red trench coat reminiscent of  the color of REMS favorite flower Bosch is finally   moving on shedding the crutch of his maternal  longing and realizing his full potential as an   individual allowing himself to be as human as  a plant monster could possibly be and letting   his mistakes guide him to a higher more meaningful  life instead of cowering at the immensity of what   he'd done that is the final motif of Trigon grow  from your mistakes the guilt means you care but   your path to redemption will never unfold if you  stew and self-hatred learn from it don't stagnate   with an understand that the ideals you hold are  simply a guiding light sometimes they have to   bend sometimes they have to break because nothing  is ever black and white and there's simply nothing   more human than that if you guys haven't seen  Trigon yet believe me we have not ruined it for   you I still know the plot and I go back and watch  it from time to time and with that being said it   is time to spread some love to our ultimate lucky  patron of the week Elizabeth Maki Liz is awesome   she always takes part in our viewing parties we  really appreciate it it's always better when she's   there Thank You Liz so much congratulations  on your win if you would like to be our lucky   patron of the week get entered into that contest  join our private discord or just get some extra   content for your downtime Holocaust is about just  $1 if you guys like this video and you haven't yet   I definitely recommend checking out our response  to Gig ik and mother's basement on classic anime   it is one of my favorites and while you're at  it why don't you go check out last week's video   we did on Dragon Ball it's very special and we're  super proud of it so we hope that you go and watch   it it's also our first collab on the channel so  it's a little bit of a historical point there as   well don't forget to follow us on social media  at bonsai underscore pop Instagram and Twitter   for news updates awesome pictures the dankest  memes you know the drill anyway we will be back   next week with a brand new story you never  knew one that I am personally very excited   for my name is Mike thank you for watching  Banzai pop and we'll see you next week bye

Channel: Bonsai Pop

Views: 1,078,278

Keywords: the story you never knew, vash the stampede, vash stampede, trigun, vash trigun, vash, trigun vash the stampede, vash vs knives, vash the stampede scars, vash the stampede explained, Bonsai Pop, bonsaipop, anime, anime analysis, anime explained, mike pixley

Id: e8U8PwrvDIk

Length: 17min 56sec (1076 seconds)

Published: Sat Jun 22 2019