Trigun Stampede returns HUNGRY this episode, greeting us with an old friend, as well as a potentially harrowing new subplot. The display of CG this time around is even more flashy than before (if that’s even possible), and with the direction that the series has taken you can tell Studio Orange is trying to give us a unique retelling of the story. The brakes appear to be off as far as the pacing is concerned, so every episode from here on out has the potential to be even more exciting than the last. Old fans may not be very fond of the new versions of their favorite characters, but there’s still just as much to love.
At the start of this episode, fans are introduced to our old friend Nicholas D. Wolfwood, carrying his cross through the desert as always. This time he’s looking a lot younger, and his demeanor might be even cooler than before. Vash is traveling with Meryl and Roberto at the moment, but their driving in the desert may need some work.
They end up almost literally running into Wolfwood, knocking him out, then rushing to get him medical aid (which it turns out he didn’t need). When they stop to fuel up and ask for help, they find that the couple running the Plant Station have been killed. Vash’s comments briefly indicate that he believes it’s the work of Knives.
While looking around inside, they find a young boy hiding who appears to have survived whatever attack had taken place. Wolfwood performs a strange prayer for them and tries to cheer the boy up stating that he was an orphan himself. Then in one of the funniest scenes of the series so far, he proceeds to hand Meryl an
overpriced bill for his services. Apparently this time he’s no priest; he’s a simple undertaker.
While everyone is standing around the ground is suddenly swallowed up from beneath them. We quickly find out that what swallowed them was a giant bug; part of a species referred to as “Worms”. After the group splits up attempting to find a way out, Meryl and the boy fail to return to the others.
This causes Roberto to question whether Wolfwood is the one responsible, as he informs Vash that he’s heard of humans who can control Worms. Before their discussion can reach a conclusion, however, Roberto mysteriously disappears. Vash and Wolfwood are then ejected back out into the desert just as they begin to search for him. Of course, our hero would never leave a companion behind, so Vash wastes no time getting eaten again to make his way back in. Oddly enough he’s greeted by the missing boy as soon as he reenters, and we also see that Wolfwood decided to stick around.
Vash finally realizes that the boy is the one controlling the Worm, but Wolfwood steals the show from there. When the boy’s disguise is blown, he somehow activates the Worm’s digestive system as if it’s as simple as pressing a button. While Vash is caught off guard by the ground beneath him essentially coming to life; Wolfwood reveals his trusty cross-shaped machine gun and blasts a hole into the side of the Worm. After that the boy flies off, leaving them to die.
Before Vash can even make a move, however, Wolfwood unleashes some kind of laser light beam from his gun, slicing the Worm in half (that gun is packing more than bullets). In the end, Meryl and Roberto managed to make it out in one piece, but exactly what happened to them was never explained. For now, the crew has pretty much agreed to let Wolfwood tag along with them. They’d better be careful though because his midnight meeting with “Zazie theBeast” hints that we may have a double agent on our hands.
TRIGUN STAMPEDE is streaming now on Crunchyroll.
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