History Recap / TrigunStampedeE06OnceUponATimeInHopeland

* {{Foreshadowing}}: As the Eye of Michael comes to collect Wolfwood, the Hopeland Orphanage children send off Wolfwood with a fond farewell. When Wolfwood looks back at the orphanage, Livio is suspiciously missing. After his experimentations and torture under Legato, he reveals the Eye of Michael also took Livio under them and is using him for experimentations as well. Something Wolfwood ''tried'' to prevent and is clearly horrified by as he screams for an unresponsive Livio to run.

* HiddenSupplies: Wolfwood has apparently been stealing and stashing some of his vials, since he's amassed a small pile of it hidden beneath a loose tile in his cell. He manages to use one of his stolen vials during his escape to recover from his wounds... too bad he doesn't make it too far before Legato catches him.

* StrappedToAnOperatingTable: Wolfwood, when he first goes through Conrad's experimentations, is strapped to a table similarly to Rollo.
* ThwartedEscape: Wolfwood attempts to escape his imprisonment at the Eye of Michael, with Conrad ordering the grunts to not shoot at him. He looks like he's about to escape through a window, only for Legato to interfere, catching and twisting Wolfwood's body around mid-air like a toy.

* WouldHurtAChild: Given Wolfwood is likely mentally still a teenager, Legato is merciless torturing him, twisting him telekinetically like a piece of play-dough and using Livio as blackmail for Wolfwood to stay with the Eye of Michael.

* MadeOfIron: Livio gets knocked across the ship by Vash and is shot multiple times by the ships onboard police force. But he manages to shake all of those off and continues firing on Vash. Having a HealingFactor certainly helps.

* MundaneUtility: Legato has powerful telekinetic abilities that allows him to break the mechanics of a Sand Steamer from miles away. Can crush and crunch the body of a human without barely lifting a finger. And yet instead of lowering himself to manually driving his vehicle, he instead uses his telekinetic abilities to do it in his stead. Leaving him free to read from the book of the Eye of Michael.

* SadisticChoice: Legato forces these options onto Wolfwood. Either save the orphans of Hopeland and kill Livio, or possibly save Livio while the Sand Steamer plows into Hopeland Orphanage. All to test Wolfwood's "faith" to Eye of Michael.

* GunsAkimbo: Livio the Double Fang wields a gun in each hand.

* NightmareSequence: As Wolfwood is experimented on, the entire sequence plays out like an incredibly bad drug-induced nightmare with flashing colors and scary imagery.

* StrappedToAnOperatingTable: Wolfwood when he first goes through Conrad's experimentations is strapped to a table similarly to Rollo.
* ThwartedEscape: Wolfwood attempts to escape his imprisonment at the Eye of Michael, with Conrad ordering the grunts to not shoot at him. He looks like he's about to escape through a window, only for Legato to interfere, twisting Wolfwood's body around mid-air like a toy.

* BigBrotherInstinct: With Livio being a new kid at Hopeland, Wolfwood took it upon himself to cheer Livio up and look after him. Livio started following Wolfwood around ever since. In the English dub, Wolfwood attributes his reason for following Vash to being "like a cool big brother" protecting him and is arguably telling the truth, in a sense.

* MindOverMatter: In this version of the character, Legato has telekinesis strong enough to seize control even of huge objects like the steamer and -- in the next episode -- its massive cannon. He also uses it to restrain and torture Wolfwood, breaking his bones and crushing him into the floor of his cell until its tiles crack.

* BigBrotherInstinct: With Livio being a new kid at Hopeland, Wolfwood took it upon himself to cheer Livio up and look after him. Livio started following Wolfwood around ever since. In the English dub, Wolfwood attributes his reason for following Vash to being "like a cool big brother" protecting and is arguably telling the truth, in a sense.

* ADayInTheLimelight: This episode and the next (appropriately called "Wolfwood") are both mostly about the eponymous "undertaker", going into his backstory, his relationship with Livio, and the struggle he faces now as he follows Vash. He's been the Punisher long enough and gotten so much blood on his hands that being anything else seems impossible, but Vash gives him hope -- hope Wolfwood believes he can't afford to have. Legato, in this appearance, intends to remind him just why that is.

* WouldHurtAChild: Given Wolfwood is likely mentally still a teenager, Legato is merciless in his torture against him, twisting him telekinetically like a piece of play-dough and using Livio as blackmail for Wolfwood to stay with the Eye of Michael.

* BigBrotherInstinct: With Livio being a new kid at Hopeland, Wolfwood took it upon himself to cheer Livio up and look after him. Livio started following Wolfwood around ever since. In the English dub, Wolfwood attributes his reason for following Vash to this and is arguably telling the truth, in a sense.

* ADayInTheLimelight: This episode and the next (appropriately called "Wolfwood") are both almost entirely about the eponymous "undertaker", going into his backstory, his relationship with Livio, and the struggle he faces now as he follows Vash. He's been the Punisher long enough and gotten so much blood on his hands that being anything else seems impossible, but Vash gives him hope -- hope Wolfwood believes he can't afford to have. Legato, in this appearance, intends to remind him just why that is.

* UsedToBeASweetKid: Both Livio and Wolfwood were once just innocent boys, with Wolfwood especially being adored by the other children at the Hopeland Orphanage and happy taking care of "crybaby" Livio. But both were abducted, mutated by the Eye of Michael, and turned into killers

* UsedToBeASweetKid: Both Livio and Wolfwood were once just innocent and gentle little boys, with Wolfwood especially being adored by the other children at the Hopeland Orphanage and happy taking care of "crybaby" Livio. But both were abducted, mutated by the Eye of Michael, and turned into killers

* ADayInTheLimeLight: This episode and the next (appropriately called "Wolfwood") are both almost entirely about the eponymous undertaker, going into his backstory, his relationship with Livio, and the struggle he faces now as he follows Vash. He's been the Punisher long enough and gotten so much blood on his hands that being anything else seems impossible, but Vash gives him hope -- hope Wolfwood believes he can't afford to have. Legato, in this appearance, intends to remind him just why that is.

* CultDefector: One foot soldier from the Eye of Michael attempts to escape with Wolfwood being sent after him. After unloading a clip into Wolfwood and seemingly killing him, the defector triumphantly starts to walk away. Wolfwood then takes one of his vials, aims Punisher at the man and opens fire, just as the man looks up at Wolfwoood and calls him a monster.
* HealingFactor: Wolfwood and Vash come to realize that Livio can heal himself every time he takes damage. However, Wolfwood is concerned how Livio can heal without taking the drug.
* NightmareSequence: As Wolfwood is experimented on, the entire sequence plays out like an incredibly bad drug induced nightmare with flashing colors and scary imagery.

* ThwartedEscape: Wolfwood attempts to escape his imprisonment at the Eye of Michael, with Conrad ordering the grunts to not shoot at him. He looks like he's about to escape through a window, only for Legato to interfere, twisting Wolfwood's body around midair like a toy.
* WouldHurtAChild: Given Wolfwood is likely mentally still a teenager, Legato is merciless in his torture against him. Twisting him telekinetically like a piece of play-dough and using Livio as blackmail for Wolfwood to stay with the Eye of Michael.

Unfortunately the two don't pass unnoticed: a masked, gun-wielding assassin from the Eye of Michael boards the steamer and takes his shot at Vash. Worse yet, Wolfwood realises the man is his foster brother from the orphanage, Livio, but Livio seems unable to recognise Wolfwood. The situation escalates as Wolfwood tries to defend Vash without harming his brother or the security forces that arrive to sort out the mess.

A member of the Eye of Michael flees through the night, pursued by Wolfwood. The fleeing man frantically unloads bullets at the Punisher, who's hit in several places. But as he sags in relief at what he assumes is the death of his pursuer, Wolfwood drinks one of his healing vials, regenerates his wounds, and coldly executes the former cultist before walking away.

* BigBrotherInstinct: With Livio being a new kid at Hopeland, Wolfwood took it upon himself to cheer Livio up and look after him. Livio started following Wolfwood around ever since.

!Tropes that appear in this episode: