History Fridge / TrigunStampede

* Legato, Zazie, and Elendira all have asymmetrical hairstyles that has the right side longer than the left. Who else had a similar style? Vash when he was a kid. Not only does this show that Knives really, really misses his brother, but it also shows his inability to let go of the past and accept the changes in their relationship. In Elendira's case, [[spoiler:her being a partial clone of Knives makes it seem like he's trying to make a ReplacementGoldfish.]] Also, a closer inspection of Knives's right upper arm as a teen in episode 9 shows it's wrapped in bandages. It seems to be an area where blood is usually drawn, and Knives rarely if ever gets injured. [[spoiler: So it's likely that Conrad's experimentations of Plant cloning started after Knives threatened Conrad to join his side.]]

* Roberto points out how Vash was actually scared out of his mind after seeing the red Plant and asks why. Vash then brings up Knives and given the last time the two met in episode 9, [[spoiler: Knives had killed dozens of humans for forcing their sisters into a Last Run, and sliced off Vash's arm that activated his gate.]] It's no wonder red Plants would trigger bad memories for Vash.

* After divulging some information to Roberto and Meryl, the two reporters start theorizing Knives's motives for stealing the Plants. Roberto ends up coming the closest to he truth, concluding Knives is out for revenge. [[spoiler: After watching humans abuse and kill off his kind, Knives's ultimate goal is to annihilate the entire human race to recreate the world as a paradise for him and Vash alone in retaliation.]]

* It's nice that Knives restores Vash's arm in the dream because he regrets being forced to cut it off, but on closer consideration it's yet another way to isolate Vash. Vash lost his arm because his distress over Knives attacking Luida activated his powers. His prosthetic was a gift, Brad's way of apologising to and demonstrating his affection for Vash. In the reality Knives wants, both obviously had to go, because he's the only one Vash is allowed to love.

* After divulging some information to Roberto and Meryl, the two reporters start theorizing Knives' motives for stealing the Plants. Roberto ends up coming the closest to Knives motives, concluding he was out for revenge. [[spoiler: After watching humans abuse and kill off his kind, Knives' ultimate goal is to annihilate the entire human race to recreate the world as a paradise for him and Vash alone in retaliation.]]

* Most of E.G. the Mines bombs go off on random citizens including Meryl and Roberto. However, even when trying to stop E.G. The Mine from taking the Plant, Vash's bomb is never triggered. Given how E.G. The Mine is working under Knives, he was likely told to not harm Vash, but everyone else was fair game.

* Vash loves to eat for fun, even punishing himself by going without food. [[spoiler:Plants, even Independent Plants like Vash and Knives, don't seem to need food or water at all]]. While eating serves a practical purpose for him beyond sustenance [[spoiler:by concealing his nature]], there's something else: [[spoiler: his unique ability is forming a black hole that consumes everything around it rather than producing things as a Plant normally does. Vash likes to eat because "eating" is what makes him special]].

** It parallels how he comes to view [[spoiler:Vash as well -- useless, fragile, without volition of his own, but still precious and to be protected. Sealed away, if necessary, from whatever might consume him. A pretty red thing in a jar. And "something to be consumed" is how he believes humans view both him and Vash, even as he uses Vash for resources himself]].

* When Rolo meets Vash, he already seems to know him, but the kid doesn't know Vash beyond the rumors about the Humanoid Typhoon. Vash plays it off by telling Rolo his mother asked to have her son returned home. The photo Meryl later finds of Vash and baby Rolo [[spoiler: shows Vash hasn't aged a day since the photo was taken]]. Like Rosa, Vash likely was on friendly terms with the townsfolk, especially Rolo's mother.

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* Episode 1, after the July police capture Vash, they declare they're taking him back to July. Vash's face gives way to a small OhCrap expression. He likely knows Knives is at July and that's the last place, or person he ever needs to see.

** Roberto points out how Vash was actually scared out of his mind after seeing the red Plant and asks why. Vash then brings up Knives and given the last time the two met in episode 9, [[spoiler: Knives had killed dozens of humans for forcing their sisters into a Last Run, and sliced off Vash's arm that activated his gate.]] It's no wonder red Plants would trigger bad memories for Vash.

* In episode 2 after divulging some information to Roberto and Meryl, the two reporters start theorizing Knives' motives for stealing the Plants. Roberto ends up coming the closest to Knives motives, concluding he was out for revenge. [[spoiler: After watching humans abuse and kill off his kind, Knives' ultimate goal is to annihilate the entire human race to recreate the world as a paradise for him and Vash alone in retaliation.]]
* In Episode 3, most of E.G. the Mines bombs go off on random citizens including Meryl and Roberto. However, even when trying to stop E.G. The Mine from taking the Plant, Vash's bomb is never triggered. Given how E.G. The Mine is working under Knives, he was likely told to not harm Vash, but everyone else was fair game.
** Vash freaks out when he hears a piano song being played that the others don't recognize. In a flashback, it shows him and Knives as children playing that song together in a duet. So Vash would recognize the song he and his brother made together. In episode 12 [[spoiler: a young Vash claims the song he's humming that sounds like their song calms him down when he's nervous. Knives was likely playing it in hopes of getting a warm welcome from Vash, but unbeknownst to Knives, the song now only instils fear in his younger brother.]]
** The reason Knives brings down his hood in front of Rosa? So she can see how similar he looks to Vash, which will lead to her to become distrustful towards his brother, and blame him for the tragedy that befell her town.
* The radio broadcast at the start of episode 3 that plays over Knives walking to Jeneora Rock warns that there's a sandstorm heading west, it's been intensified by air currents, and that its arrival will likely disrupt Plant operation. Jeneora Rock is on the western portion of the map. A (humanoid) typhoon could be described as an air current. And having a Plant stolen would certainly disrupt its operation. Without the radio operator knowing it, he's not just predicting the weather, but Knives's arrival at Jeneora Rock.
* In Episode 4, Meryl is shown to be the most concerned for the kid the group finds in the gas station, holding onto him as they're swallowed by the sand worm and acting relieved when she finds him after he disappeared. A few episodes later, she expresses guilt over what happened to Tonis, feeling responsible for his [[AnArmAndALeg injuries]] because she couldn't hang on to him when Jeneora Rock was collapsing. Knowing this, her previous actions toward Zazie gain new meaning, showing that she was already trying to make up for her past mistake by protecting who she thought was a civilian child.
* Vash loves to eat for fun, even punishing himself by going without food. [[spoiler:Plants, even Independent Plants like Vash and Knives, don't seem to need food or water at all]]. While eating serves a practical purpose for him beyond sustenance [[spoiler:by concealing his nature]], there's something else: [[spoiler: his unique ability is forming a black hole that consumes everything around it rather than producing things as a Plant normally does. Vash likes to eat because "eating" is what makes him special]].
* Legato, Zazie, and Elendira all have asymmetrical hairstyles that has the right side longer than the left. Who else had a similar style? Vash when he was a kid. Not only does this show that Knives really, really misses his brother, but it also shows his inability to let go of the past and accept the changes in their relationship. In Elendira's case, [[spoiler:her being a partial clone of Knives makes it seem like he's trying to make a ReplacementGoldfish.]] Also, a closer inspection of Knives's right upper arm as a teen in episode 9 shows it's wrapped in bandages. It seems to be an area where blood is usually drawn, and Knives rarely if ever gets injured. [[spoiler: So it's likely that Conrad's experimentations of Plant cloning started after Knives threatened Conrad to join his side.]]
** A closer look at Elendira's eyelashes shows they are identical to the eyelashes of the Plants, [[spoiler: another hint at her being a Plant-derived clone.]]

* In Episode 6, the English dub gives Wolfwood a very interesting line indeed when Vash asks him why Wolfwood's following him around. "I'm like a cool big brother. You won't smash the bullies' skulls, so it falls to me." [[spoiler:Wolfwood is working for Knives to escort Vash safely to July -- and not only does Knives consider himself the older brother, that's a simple but accurate description of his reasons for exterminating humankind.]]
* Episode 7, Legato seems to have a vendetta against Wolfwood, who has a strong familial bond with Livio. If Legato is anything like his past incarnations, he might be projecting his distaste for Knives being so focused and obsessed on getting Vash back onto Wolfwood and Livio's "love" for one another.

* Wolfwood is an "undertaker" rather than a priest this time around because a priest ministers to the living while an undertaker prepares the dead, [[spoiler:and his mission is to ensure Vash is delivered safely to what might as well be his death]].
* In episode 11, Nai doesn't believe Vash when he tells him Rem promised to never let [[spoiler: what happened to Tesla]] ever happen again to her boys. Viewers who know this part of the manga's story point out how odd it was that Vash seemed so quick in accepting Rem's words and trusting humans. However, you need to remember - this is Knives showing Vash only his memories. Knives is being an UnreliableNarrator, as he wants Vash to see and agree with only ''his'' version of events, of the pain and suffering humanity continues to inflict upon themselves. In the manga, the readers got to see Vash and Rem console and talk through what happened to [[spoiler: Tesla]] and come to an understanding. However, Nai was not present since he was unconscious, which was likely what happened in ''Stampede'', hence the gap in Nai's story since we don't see Vash's point of view.

* In episode 12, a child Nai shows an interest in Western cowboy films whereas Vash voices his distaste for them. This reflects the twins ideals when they get older. Knives finds it acceptable to use violence to protect the people you care about and believes he's the "good guys" taking down the "bad guys". Vash on the other hand becomes the pistol wielder, but would rather avoid any bloodshed at all if possible, as there are other means besides violence for a peaceful solution.

* In his memories, Vash sees Rollo, now a mutated and pitiable monster. He cries out for Vash to help him just as he promised he would. [[spoiler:But what he asks for is to die. The real Rollo didn't want to die, he wanted to live, and he called out to Vash to save him. What Knives is presenting has never been the objective truth, just whatever will most effectively destroy his brother.]]
** Just to twist the knife (ha) further, [[spoiler:this is another way to mock Vash's love for humanity and manipulate him onto Knives's side. After all, if Vash wants to help the humans so much, he should let Knives eradicate them, rather than torturing them by continuing to let them live.]]

* The twins celebrate their first birthday with Rem, something Nai is unenthused about but Vash loves, and Rem promises they'll do it again next year. Her death and the Great Fall meant that didn't happen... until Vash and Knives meet again in July. This time, Knives is much more enthused, and Vash is... not.
* For anyone familiar with the manga - parts of Vash's hair [[spoiler: turns black after using a lot of his energy via his Angel Arm - leading him closer to death.]] Vash as a child has full blonde hair, but as a teen and his present day look, his undercut shows brown roots growing in place of the blonde. If you pay attention to his eyebrows in particular, they've progressively darkened the most with each stage of his life and in present day are nearly black. Given how Vash has been helping heal Plants since he was a child, [[spoiler: he's likely already been giving up his life energy in exchange for healing his sister's. So while he's not in danger of dying just yet, the appearance of his Angel Arm in the season 1 finale is likely going to speed up that process a bit more.]]

* The sigil of the Eye of Michael looks a bit like an eye surrounded by Plant patterns. [[spoiler:Knives's way of memorialising and avenging Tesla, after seeing her detached eyeball with its patterns floating in a jar?]]
** An interview with Orange confirmed, by the way, that the giant sphere of blades used to obliterate Jeneora Rock is Knives subconsciously [[spoiler:recreating Tesla's eye so she can "see" what he does. His statement that she was "but one grain of sand" is sounding less and less like the truth]].
** When [[spoiler:Knives is burning up in the Angel Arm blast, he talks about the paradise he wants to create.]] During this, a shot of the twins, as children, sitting together is shown. Note the concentric circles in the structure of the glass ceiling. [[spoiler:He really wants Tesla to watch over them, huh.]]

* The season begins and ends with Vash watching helplessly as someone he loves is consumed by fire. Both times he's led to believe [[ItsAllMyFault it's his own fault]]. No wonder he's so ruined by the end.

** It parallels how he comes to view [[spoiler:Vash as well -- useless, fragile, without volition of his own, but still precious and to be protected. Sealed away, if necessary, from whatever might consume him. Of course, "something to be consumed" is how he believes humans view both him and Vash, even as he uses Vash for resources himself]].

** Rosa is told by Chuck Lee that Vash's bounty of 6 million double dollars is about the price to fix their current dying plant. [[spoiler: Vash is later revealed to be an Independent Plant.]] It should also be noted that it's likely Conrad and Knives were the ones who set up the bounty, with Vash's wanted poster specifically asking for Vash to be brought in "alive".
** Roberto points out how Vash was actually scared out of his mind after seeing the red plant and asks why. Vash then brings up Knives and given the last time the two met in episode 9, [[spoiler: Knives had killed dozens of humans for forcing their sisters into a Last Run, and sliced off Vash's arm that activated his gate.]] It's no wonder red plants would trigger bad memories for Vash.
* In episode 2 after divulging some information to Roberto and Meryl, the two reporters start theorizing Knives' motives for stealing the plants. Roberto ends up coming the closest to Knives motives, concluding he was out for revenge. [[spoiler: After watching humans abuse and kill off his kind, Knives' ultimate goal is to annihilate the entire human race to recreate the world as a paradise for him and Vash alone in retaliation.]]

** A closer look at Elendira's eyelashes shows they are identical to the eyelashes of the plants, [[spoiler: another hint at her being a Plant-derived clone.]]

* In episode 11, Nai doesn't believe Vash when he tells him Rem promised to never let [[spoiler: what happened to Tesla]] ever happen again to her boys. Viewers who know this part of the manga's story and point out how odd it was that Vash seemed so quick in accepting Rem's words and trusting humans. However, you need to remember - this is Knives showing Vash only his memories. Knives is being an UnreliableNarrator, as he wants Vash to see and agree with only ''his'' version of events, of the pain and suffering humanity continues to inflict upon themselves. In the manga, the readers got to see Vash and Rem console and talk through what happened to [[spoiler: Tesla]] and come to an understanding. However, Nai was not present since he was unconscious, which was likely what happened in ''Stampede'', hence the gap in Nai's story since we don't see Vash's point of view.

* Livio moves around like he's a puppet or under some heavy drug usage when he fights Wolfwood and Vash. [[spoiler: Given how much of a wild card Razlo is when he's in charge, the Eye of Michael likely use whatever they have to keep Livio as semi-conscious as possible while still keeping Razlo locked away.]]

* For anyone familiar with the manga parts of Vash's hair [[spoiler: turns black after using a lot of his energy via his Angel Arm - leading him closer to death.]] Vash as a child has full blonde hair, but as a teen and his present day look, his undercut shows brown roots growing in place of the blonde. If you pay attention to his eyebrows in particular, they've progressively darkened the most with each stage of his life and in present day are nearly black. Given how Vash has been helping heal Plants since he was a child, [[spoiler: he's likely already been giving up his life energy in exchange for healing his sister's. So while he's not in danger of dying just yet, the appearance of his angel arm in the season 1 finale is likely going to speed up that process a bit more.]]

** Also as the twins scream, they're not covering their eyes, but their ears. [[spoiler: Since Tesla is an Independent Plant, she's likely giving off sounds only Vash and Nai can hear, and those sounds are possibly her own screams.]]

* During their final confrontation, Vash seems to know how to safely and quickly get himself out through a window, whereas Knives just smashes his way through. Vash likely has had to escape through a window plenty of times before...
* The season begins and ends with Vash watching helplessly as someone he loves is consumed by fire. Both times he's led to believe it's his own fault. No wonder he's so ruined by the end.

* During their final confrontation, Vash seems to know how to safely and quickly get himself out through a window, whereas Knives just smashes his way through. Vash likely has had to escape through a window plenty of times before...

* In episode 11, Nai doesn't believe Vash when he tells him Rem promised to never let [[spoiler: what happened to Tesla]] ever happen again to her boys. While his distrust for humans and Rem likely plays a huge role in his decision, these are Nai's memories. Knives showing Vash only his memories is him being an UnreliableNarrator, and he wants Vash to see and agree with only ''his'' version of events. In the manga, the readers got to see Vash and Rem console and talk through what happened to [[spoiler: Tesla]] and come to an understanding. However, Nai was not present, being unconscious, and his version of events lead him to start harboring his hatred for humanity and come to a different conclusion than Vash.

* The decision to make it so that Meryl's occupation from the get-go is that of a reporter instead of an insurance claim agent has a certain brilliance to it, as while both jobs give her a reason to tail Vash, the job of a reporter puts her in a position where she can help clear misconceptions about Vash, who the world hunts down as a Wanted fugitive despite the fact he wants nothing more than to just help people. Meryl is also the closest thing to a PointOfView character Trigun has, so her being a reporter is fitting because it means she can chronicle Vash's story for the masses.

* Legato, Zazie, and Elendira all have asymmetrical hairstyles that has the right side longer than the left. Who else had a similar style? Vash when he was a kid. Not only does this show that Knives really, really misses his brother, but it also shows his inability to let go of the past and accept the changes in their relationship. In Elendira's case, [[spoiler:her being a partial clone of Knives makes it seem like he's trying to make a ReplacementGoldfish.]] Also, a closer inspection of Knives's upper arm as a teen in episode 9 shows it's wrapped in bandages. It seems to be an area where blood is usually drawn, and Knives rarely if ever gets injured. [[spoiler: So it's likely that Conrad's experimentations of Plant cloning started after Knives threatened Conrad to join his side.]]

* Legato, Zazie, and Elendira all have asymmetrical hairstyles that has the right side longer than the left. Who else had a similar style? Vash when he was a kid. Not only does this show that Knives really, really misses his brother, but it also shows his inability to let go of the past and accept the changes in their relationship. In Elendira's case, [[spoiler:her being a partial clone of Knives makes it seem like he's trying to make a ReplacementGoldfish.]]

* Meryl's new outfit, as well as demonstrating her more jaded outlook, draws from each of her companions who are now lost to her in one way or another. She wears brown slacks like Roberto, sunglasses like Wolfwood, and her earrings have hoops like the one Vash wears.

** Vash freaks out when he hears a piano song being played that the others don't recognize. In a flashback, it shows him and Knives as children playing that song together in a duet. So Vash would recognize the song he and his brother made together. In episode 12 [[spoiler: a young Vash claims the song he's humming that sounds like their song calms him down when he's nervous. Knives was likely playing it in hopes of getting a warm welcome from Vash, but ubenowest to Knives, the song now only instills fear in his younger brother.]]

* There's a photograph in Vash's room of Luida cutting his hair as a child, implying that the haircut he has now is because of her. If you look at Luida herself, suddenly makes complete sense that his haircut looks the way it does, because she basically has the same haircut as Vash, just arranged differently - an undercut with messy bangs.

* Unlike the manga and 1998 anime, Vash was taken in by surviving SEEDS colony very shortly after the Great Fall and raised by them thereafter, which may explain some of the differences in his personality in ''Stampede'' beyond him seeming generally younger. Vash in the manga and 1998 anime was very quick to distance himself from other people at first opportunity and frequently would go missing for long stretches of time, even from his closest connections. In ''Stampede'' Vash still attempts to distance himself from his new companions, but he's a ''lot'' less adamant about it and winds up traveling with them anyway. Considering that ''Stampede'''s Vash has a more stable support system who he is emotionally close with, it makes sense that he's more receptive to offers of friendship, even when trying to be a loner.

* Unlike the manga and 1998 anime, Vash in ''Stampede'' was taken in by surviving SEEDS colony very shortly after the Great Fall and raised by them thereafter, which may explain some of the differences in his personality in ''Stampede'' beyond him seeming generally younger. Vash in the manga and 1998 anime was very quick to distance himself from other people at first opportunity and frequently would go missing for long stretches of time, even from his closest connections. In ''Stampede'' Vash still attempts to distance himself from his new companions, but he's a ''lot'' less adamant about it and winds up traveling with them anyway. Considering that ''Stampede'''s Vash has a more stable support system who he is emotionally close with, it makes sense that he's more receptive to offers of friendship, even when trying to be a loner.

* For anyone familiar with the manga parts of Vash's hair [[spoiler: turns black after using a lot of his energy via his Angel Arm - leading him closer to death.]] Vash as a child has full blonde hair, but as a teen and his present day look, his undercut shows brown roots growing in place of the blonde. Given how Vash has been helping heal Plants since he was a child, [[spoiler: he's likely already been giving up his life energy in exchange for healing his sister's. So while he's not in danger of dying just yet, the appearance of his angel arm in the season 1 finale is likely going to speed up that process a bit more.]]

* The decision to change Meryl's occupation to that of a reporter instead of an insurance claim agent has a certain brilliance to it, as while both jobs give her a reason to tail Vash, the job of a reporter puts her in a position where she can help clear misconceptions about Vash, who the world hunts down as a Wanted fugitive despite the fact he wants nothing more than to just help people.