History Recap / TrigunStampedeE12HighNoonAtJuly

* SayMyName: Despite all of the torture and pain Knives brought onto Vash and all the people Knives has killed, Vash still can't help but call out for his brother in desperation and grief as he watches him disintegrate in the Angel Arm's discharge.

* ConscienceMakesYouGoBack: Despite being resigned to whatever fate would have in store, all it takes it looking down at the pack of cigarettes he looted off of Roberto for Wolfwood to go back to July and save Meryl, claiming he was doing it as payback for the cigarettes.

* FantasticNuke: Vash draws back the mass of roots and flowers created from his Gate and compresses all their matter into a portable crystalline cube about as big as his palm. Unfortunately, that form is temporary, and the moment its bonds break down all the energy will be released. Even after Vash bleeds off most of it safely into space with his Angel Arm, the final burst unleashed when Vash crashes back into July ''[[SphereOfDestruction utterly erases]]'' the city.

* IAmWhatIAm: Vash interprets his title as "Vash the Stampede" in his own way: someone who will run as long as he needs to be with humans until they quiet down and he goes back to rejoin them. As he cries, Vash smiles as he declares, "I am Vash the Stampede", accepting his identity.

* LotusEaterMachine: The fantasy Knives traps Vash in is simply the twins as children, sitting together in one of the gardens aboard Ship Five. It's implied that Knives's idea of paradise has never been anything more sophisticated than that, and he sincerely believes it's all Vash needs to be happy.

** In the group photograph nailed to Roberto's memorial at July, Vash is sporting the cross-fingered Love & Peace symbol his previous incarnations loved to flaunt around.

* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Vash relentlessly unloads every bullet he has onto Knives without the slightest sign of his usual hesitation, expending more ammunition in the final battle than he has in the entire series so far combined.

** Meryl is given a cryptic warning that implies forces from Earth will be coming to their planet. She's also told that she will be assigned a new partner named Milly Thompson.
** In an unknown location, a girl is seen trying to jog the memories of a seemingly near-catatonic man with blonde hair named Eriks, who the audience should be quick to realize is actually Vash.

** Conrad successfully detached his lab and its tank full of impregnated Plants from the tower, escaping July's destruction. Even with Knives himself out of commission his people have cards to play.

* TenderTears: Vash begins to cry as Knives begs him to join him in wiping out humanity, realising that Knives will likely never see eye-to-eye with him and give up on his genocidal crusade. When he speaks, it's not to argue back, but to sadly ask Knives when they stopped being able to understand each other.
* ThousandYardStare: Eriks likely has this expression as he listlessly plays a couple of keys on the piano.

** Vash explaining how he'll run from humanity and Knives's [[YouHaveGOTToBeKiddingMe incredulous reaction]] is dialogue drawn more or less verbatim from the manga, though in a different context.

** The episode title is the exact same title of the prologue to the ''Trigun'' manga (#0. High Noon At July), which also definitively marks ''Stampede'' up to this point a combined re-imagining and prequel to the Trigun story at large.

* ForegoneConclusion: In both the original ''Trigun'' manga and the '98 anime adaptation, July had already been destroyed (in the manga this was revealed in the prologue, titled 'High Noon At July'). Anyone familiar with either knew the city wasn't getting out of ''Stampede'' intact.

* DueToTheDead: Meryl visit the crater of July to drop off a new packet of cigarettes next to Roberto's flask.

* PleaseDontLeaveMe: Knives and Nai both start begging for Vash not to leave, claiming he'd be so much happier with him. Vash doesn't stick around and continues to flee, leading Knives to scream for his brother.

* SpitefulSuicide: Knives's final charge into the Angel Arm is as much a means to destroy himself rather than live without Vash as it is a last gasp attempt to complete his plan. He mocks Vash in his dying moments, laughing at him and claiming Nai's death is Vash's fault.

* DreamTellsYouToWakeUp: Meryl's voice calling out for Vash is shown to be what helps invoke Rem in Vash's memories, and ultimately allows him to awaken and break free from Knives's control.

* CrisisCatchAndCarry: Wolfwood snatches Meryl off the battlefield as Vash and Knives's battle becomes more heated, hauling her around like a ragdoll as he hightails it out of July city.

** The episode title is the title of the prologue to the ''Trigun'' manga, which also definitively marks ''Stampede'' up to this point a combined re-imagining and prequel to the Trigun story at large.

* SequelHook: ''Many'' elements of plot points yet to come get teased or set up in the final minutes of the episode. ** Meryl is given a cryptic warning that implies forces from Earth will be coming to their planet. She's also told that she will be assigned a new partner named Milly Thompson.

* SequelHook: ''Many'' elements of plot points yet to come get teased or set up in the final minutes of the episode. Meryl is given a cryptic warning that implies forces from Earth will be coming to their planet. She's also told that she will be assigned a new partner named Milly Thompson. Meanwhile in an unknown location, a girl is seen trying to jog the memories of a seemingly near-catatonic man with blonde hair named Eriks, who the audience should be quick to realize is actually Vash. Finally, a transmission is heard in space detecting a 'fluctuation in the gate', by a woman named Chronica.

* SequelHook: *Many* elements of future plot points get set up in the final minutes of the episode. Meryl is given a cryptic warning that implies forces from Earth will be coming to their planet. She's also told that she will be assigned a new partner named Milly Thompson. Meanwhile in an unknown location, a girl is seen trying to jog the memories of a seemingly near-catatonic man with blonde hair named Eriks, who the audience should be quick to realize is actually Vash. Finally, a transmission is heard in space detecting a 'fluctuation in the gate', by a woman named Chronica.

** Meryl's boss threatens her that if she keeps going off on her own, she'll be sent to work at the Insurance Society. The occupation of her previous incarnations was working as an insurance claim agent.