Tear Jerker / Trigun Stampede

Much has changed, but Nightow's ability to make us bawl our eyes out hasn't in the slightest.

Moment Subpages are Spoilers Off. You Have Been Warned.

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Episode 1: Noman's Land

• As Rem gets Nai and Vash into the ship, she declines coming along with them and closes the door on them. Vash starts beating against the glass and crying for Rem, who ejects them to safety after telling the two how happy they made her.
• After ordering three waters for them, Meryl looks at the dirty water and Roberto gestures for her to look at all of the other filthy untouched glasses around them. Meryl is genuinely saddened by the state of the town, especially when Rosa informs them they had to get water from the next town over — which is likely miles from Jeneora Rock.
• The July captain after having his men beat the crap out of Vash laughs at his predicament. He tells Vash that the townspeople of Jeneora Rock wouldn't lift a finger to help him because his bounty would be enough to pay for a new Plant for their dying town. Vash doesn't even deny his statement.
• Roberto pulling Meryl back after she tries to call the July captain a coward. He reminds her they're not fighters and are just here to report on the events they see. You can start to see the cracks in Meryl's idea of her dream job as a reporter start to form as she quietly concedes to Roberto's orders.
• The fearful look on Vash's eyes as he sees Nai cackling over the wreckage of the ships falling onto the planet and calling Vash his "accomplice". This is only the beginning to the madness that becomes Millions Knives, and Vash is absolutely horrified that he had a part to play in all this destruction.

Episode 2: The Running Man

• Rosa and the other townspeople turning on Vash. He had just saved them before when fixing their plant and stopping the missiles falling onto Jeneora Rock. Rosa apologizes to Vash, and tells him the reason was because they couldn't stand to watch their children suffer when they could fix their problem by capturing him.
  Rosa: It's not you. It's the money.
• Gosef quickly running out of the bar when he sees all of the bombs planted on him. The last look he gives the townspeople and his father is an expression of worry before the bombs explode.

Episode 3: Bright Light, Shine Through the Darkness

• Nebraska believing he had lost his son, and continues to call out for him after the smoke disperses. Vash has to grab him and pull the old man away to safety.
• Vash finding Knives playing the piano, and holding his gun towards him. Knives comments on how Vash hasn't changed and asks if his brother feels better gaining the "adoration" of the people he comes across.
  Knives: It must feel nice, stunning the masses with your tricks, collecting their cries of adoration. Does their praise cure it? The loneliness?
  • As he activates his "gate". This leads Vash in a mental space where he's reverted back to a child and worriedly calling for his brother. As this happens, Knives simply walks past Vash with a gentle, "So long, Vash".
• You start to feel sorry for the townspeople who attempt to stop Knives and are mercilessly killed in front of Rosa, who starts backing away in fright when Knives starts to approach her. He doesn't even bother to do anything to Rosa, simply out of finding her not worth the time and forcing her to watch the destruction of her home.
• The cold smile Knives gives his brother as he asks, "Who's side are you on?"
• Vash yelling at Knives to put the Plant down, and firing warning shots at his brother. You can see how much Vash doesn't want to shoot Knives, and hates how he's being given very little choice.

  Knives: You would shoot me? Your own big brother?

• The horrified look on Vash's face as he sees Knives create a sphere made of a multitude of knives that start to slowly form over Jeneora Rock. Vash starts to quietly beg Knives to stop, but Knives ignores his brother and demolishes the city with one flick of his wrist.
  • As Vash runs while pulling Rosa along, he cries over what his brother is doing and desperately asks why it was all happening.
  Vash: (sobbing as he speaks) Why here? Why now? Why do this, Nai? Why?
• Meryl and Roberto stumble onto Tonis who was hiding on one of the rock ledges. As Jeneora Rock starts to fall apart, Meryl loses her grip on the child and screams in horror as she tries to catch him, but is pulled back by Roberto before she falls too.
• After the town has been destroyed and many of the residents killed, Vash tries to console Rosa who's holding her son Tonis. Only now, he's heavily bandaged and missing one of his limbs. Vash starts to promise he'll bring their Plant back before Rosa coldly cuts him off and tells him to leave her town and never come back. She bitterly calls him the "Humanoid Typhoon" and that her town would have still been standing if he never showed up. Vash silently grabs his bag, dusts it off and walks away.
• Meryl runs after Vash and tells him it wasn't fair that the townspeople turned on Vash when he had done his best to help them. She then sees he's smiling sadly and asks why.
  Vash: I don't deserve to cry.

Episode 4: Hungry!

• Roberto offers Meryl Vash's sandwich since he hadn't touched it. It has likely only been a few days from Jeneora Rock, and Meryl looks at Vash in worry over his health. While Meryl doesn't think Vash deserves to punish himself, he certainly believes he does.

Episode 5: Child of Blessing

• Rollo's situation. He was born with an illness that can't be cured, and he's set up as the next sacrifice for their town since no wind had been blowing. In fear for his life, he runs away and stumbles onto Vash who tells him he was asked to bring Rollo home. As they approach the town, Rollo asks if his mother was worried over him missing, which Vash confirms.
  • Then when Rollo returns as Monev the Gale and calls for his mother, she screams in fright at the sight of her son now turned into a monster. He cries out in fear and anger before destroying his home.
• When Rollo runs back to his mother and waves to Vash, Vash promises the boy he will save him if God wouldn't. A promise Vash ends up unable to keep.
• Vash gently shaking Rollo's corpse as he begs for him to get up. Almost like a child who hasn't fully comprehended death. The dub makes it worse when Vash calls him "little man". Vash never stopped seeing the boy Rollo in that monster.
  • What makes it even more heartbreaking was how Vash knew Rollo as a baby. So he watched a child grow up, and get his life snuffed out too early, and he could do nothing about it.
• Vash and Wolfwood clashing heads with Vash saying they still could have saved Rollo while Wolfwood argues he was too far gone to save. Vash even grabs the front of Wolfwood's suit, enraged and confused at why Wolfwood did what he did.
• The start of the episode, Vash and Wolfwood are quietly sleeping next to each other in the back seat of the car. By the end, the two are quietly looking away from each other, not ready to talk after what had happened.

Episode 6: Once Upon a Time in Hopeland

• Meryl tries to break the ice between Wolfwood and Vash, but the two continue staring at the window at the endless desert. Roberto has to quietly tell Meryl to drop it and let the two go back to talking on their own terms.
• The horror on Wolfwood's face when he recognizing the grown man as his friend Livio. He even hesitates to shoot, with Vash trying to subdue him non-lethally.
  • In the dub as Livio chases after Vash, Wolfwood yells, "Livio, stop! He's not the one who hurt you!"
• The Eye of Michael using Livio as bait for Wolfwood to continue working for them, even though they were still going to use Livio as another experiment whether or not Wolfwood agreed.
• Meryl desperately arguing with Roberto to keep following Vash. She wants to make sure Vash doesn't get hurt again, but Roberto argues that this was getting too dangerous for mere reporters to deal with and wasn't worth risking their lives.

Episode 7: Wolfwood

• Wolfwood holding Livio at gunpoint and briefly asking his friend to "Save a seat for me in hell". At this point, Wolfwood just sees the both of them as beyond redemption or saving from what they've become.
• Livio coming to his sense after smelling Wolfwood's cigarette smoke. But after finally having his mind back, he starts having horrible flashes of what he did to get to this point and starts wailing in pain. He puts his gun to his head and waves the second at the others to not stop him. After he shoots himself, Wolfwood runs to the rails, watching his foster brother disappear into the sand and screams out in horror.
  • You can see Wolfwood is desperate to do something to help Livio, but can't as he helplessly has his hand out.
• Roberto insists he and Meryl abandon ship to save themselves, but Meryl refuses. She tells Roberto how useless she felt at Jeneora Rock and how her fleeing ended with her unable to save Tonis. She doesn't want to leave if she could save lives, and feels guilty over the ones she couldn't.

Episode 8: Our Home

• The nightmarish visions Vash gets of the humans who didn't survive the crash as they try and grab at him from the sand. He cries and runs, apologizing for his role in all this until he trips.
• Eventually Vash can't run anymore and simply lies down in the sand, utterly alone and trying to die. He's a child, not even three years old, and that's the level of despair he's reached.
• Luida and Brad take in Vash, but keep him separated from the other crew members. Vash has noticeably not touched a bite of the food Luida offered and tells her she should have left him to die in the desert. The other crew members peek into the room, see the sweet little boy we know has never hurt anyone, and call him a monster. Vash barely reacts to them, but you know those words will sink deeply into his mind and remain there for years to come.
• Vash asks if Rem possibly survived the crash, leading Brad to search for any sign of her at Ship Five for over a month. Luida then has to break it to Vash that Rem is gone through the door to his cell. Vash just quietly drops his head and looks like he just wants to curl up and cry.
• Brad and Luida come across footage of Nai and Vash arguing over what Nai did to the ships. They both come to the realization that Vash lied about who else was with him and he may be hiding other things from them.
  • The hurt look on Vash's face when he overhears their shock. He can't even bring himself to face them as he quickly runs away. When Luida and Brad go to his room, Vash has already left and neatly folded up the coat Ship Three gave him.

Episode 9: Millions Knives

• As Knives plays on the piano, he reminisces over when it was him and Vash playing together. As the scene slowly pulls back to the current Knives, he stretches across the piano as he continues to play. Making up for the empty space where Vash should have been playing alongside him. You can tell by Knives' playing how much he misses Vash and is trying to make up for the loneliness he feels.
  • The song he played when he appeared at Jeneora Rock? It's been the song he and Vash created as children this whole time.
• Knives desperately putting his hands against the glass of the Plants and looking upon their withered appearance. As the "Last Run" is activated, he steps back in horror as he hears a chorus of anguished cries from the Plants. Knives is powerless in helping his brethren and this is when his mentality for humans completely snaps.
• After handing Vash one of the guns, Knives tells his brother to shoot Luida, which he hesitates to do. So Knives takes the gun and starts making his way towards her. Vash tackles Knives and yells that he wouldn't let his brother take anyone else he cares for away, causing Knives to roar and throw Vash against the railings, knocking him senseless. Even after seeing how humans have abused and tossed away Plants, he still chooses to protect humans, which infuriates Knives.
  Knives: You witch. How many times will you steal him away from me?
• Knives cutting off Vash's left arm that summoned a black hole. As he collapses from the shock, Luida tries to get to Vash with Knives yelling at her to not touch his brother. Just as Knives crawls towards Vash, Vash pulls out the gun he gave him, glaring coldly at his brother.
  • The mixture of emotions going across Knives face as he realizes Vash has truly turned on him now. Never did Knives expect that Vash would turn on him, his own brother. Knives is truly hurt by the choice Vash made, but refuses to believe he still can't convince his brother to join him one day.
    Knives: Just wait for me. In a century or so, I will build a paradise for all Plants.

Episode 10: Humanity

• With the July Military police cornering Vash, one of the men amongst them recognizes Vash as the one who played a part in Jeneora Rock's destruction. He yells at Vash, and tells him how both his parents died because of him. That if it weren't for his moniker as the Humanoid Typhoon, he wouldn't bring so much misery to the people around him. Vash in shock slowly lowers his arms, and allows the young man to shoot him without any regards to himself. Even afterwards when Wolfwood supports him, Vash just quietly asks to leave the area. Wolfwood is shocked, but obeys.
• Vash revealing his scars to Wolfwood. While he laughs it off, Wolfwood stares at him in shock and asks what the hell he did to get into that state. Seeing as how Vash willingly let himself get shot, this is the price he pays for his pacifist ideals and for the terrible burden of guilt he carries.
• Meryl tries to warn Vash he's heading into a trap. It's unclear whether Vash already knew and is going through with it anyway (but likely that he does) as he smiles and waves at Meryl. All Meryl can do is watch Vash disappear from view and fear this may be the last time she sees him.
• In the elevator Roberto reveals to Meryl he had been stabbed by one of Elendira's nails, and calls her by her full name. Meryl falls to the floor, apologizing and blaming herself for Roberto dying to protect her. He assures her he just ran out of luck despite her protests. He then offers her his gun, which she refuses, but he insists. After she reloads the derringer gun (which is stained with Roberto's blood) and makes the elevator go back up, it's clear this will likely haunt Meryl for the rest of her life.
• Wolfwood turning Vash over to Knives. All Vash can do is thank Wolfwood and part ways with him amicably. He's been used by humans once again, and all he can do at this point is accept it and move onward.
• Conrad asks if Wolfwood can finally lay down his weapon, with Wolfwood turning the question back on him. The doctor looks sadly at a portrait of him and Tesla, admitting he's done far too much and feels he'll never be forgiven.
  • When Knives as a teen finds Conrad, he threatens him with his claw while a single eye near his wrist peeks out and stares at Conrad. The man breaks down crying, knowing what he did and begs for forgiveness.
• Knives's face twisting from heart-wrenching pain, sadness and then determined anger as he cuts Vash's wire. Vash screams out in horror for Nai to not go through with it, but Knives does it anyway.

Episode 11: To the New World

• An image of Tonis and Rollo appear in front of Vash, blaming him for their misfortune and broken promises. Then as Rollo gets shot through the head and turns into Monev, begging Vash for death. Vash instead screams over the boys body and tells his brother to stop hurting them. Knives, holding Punisher coldly shoots at Monev's body until it turns into geranium petals.
• As Vash looks down at his left hand, he realizes his entire arm is now flesh. In Knives' ideal world, he never would have needed to cut Vash's arm off to stop his gate.
• At a memory of Ship Five's crash site, Knives shows Vash an image of Roberto and Meryl, telling him they mean nothing since they'll only die and to forget about them. Vash grabs his head in pain, and then looks over to his travelling companions, asking who they were.
  Vash: ...Who are they?
  • Even sadder is that Vash doesn't know Roberto is now dead.
• How Knives finally breaks Vash's resistance. He tells Vash that the only reason he caused the Great Fall was because Vash wanted to give humanity another chance, even after finding out about Tesla and humanity's history of war, and Knives realised he had to protect him. He effectively puts the entirety of the catastrophe on Vash's shoulders. Vash's cry of anguish as the guilt overwhelms him is downright gut-wrenching.
  Knives: Without any powers, you're too weak to live as a Plant, and you needed the humans to love and accept you. They only loved your tricks, your charm, and the tightness of your leash.
• To fully break Vash, Knives shows him the last memory of Rem as the ship goes up in flames. Vash desperately holds onto the image of his mother figure and begs her not to leave him alone. Then Knives slices off her head as the rest of her body disappears in geranium petals. As we cut back to what's happening outside of Vash's mind, his entire body has turned black and he looks like nothing more than a statue. And Knives is overjoyed.
  Knives: After all this time, I finally have him back! Happy birthday, Vash.

Episode 12: High Noon At July

• Meryl desperately shooting at the glass and banging her fists against it to call to Vash. She already lost Roberto and is just as powerless to help Vash, who doesn't even seem to notice she's there.
• Inside the higher dimension, Vash realizes that what Knives is showing him is not real, and starts to reject it. Child Knives and current Knives's voices mingle together, begging Vash not to leave. But Vash runs away in fear from his brother, leading Knives's adult voice to bellow at Vash not to go.
  Nai and Knives speaking together: You'll be happier if you stay here.
• The July police catch sight of Vash and immediately open fire on him. Vash desperately tells them to flee the city and protectively curls himself around the cube, like a parent shielding their child. However, they refuse to listen, only trying to contain any more damage the Humanoid Typhoon is likely to inflict. Then Knives appears, slicing up the tank and the torsos of the men who were firing on Vash. Vash looks absolutely broken when he sees he failed to save more innocent lives, knowing that Knives believes this is the only way to protect him.
  Vash: He'll kill you! You have to run away!
• In the dub, Vash's response to Knives on how he'll protect humanity, even if it comes at a huge personal cost to himself.
  Vash: I won't stop until they believe in me! I'll prove myself to them! I'm ready to do whatever I have to! I don't care what happens to me!!
  • From the outskirts of July, Meryl is watching the two angel-like beings take to the skies and informs Wolfwood what Vash is doing. Wolfwood sounds panicked as he notes that the blast would likely kill Vash if he's trying to detonate it in space. The sad part is, Vash likely knows what would happen to him if he goes through with it, and it hammers home just how little he cares for his own wellbeing.
• Knives yells at Vash the only way towards true freedom will be recreating the world just for Independents like them. Vash, for the first time in the season, starts crying as he looks to his brother. The two of them were once so close, but now it seems they'll never be able to understand each other as they once did. To the very end, Vash was searching for a way to save him with everyone else, and the realisation that Knives can't - won't - be saved hurts Vash more than anything Knives has done.
  Vash: Since when have we been so different?
  • Once again, the dub actually makes it worse. Vash asks a different question, and the grief in his voice for the brother he no longer recognises is profound.
  Vash: Who are you? We've grown so different that I don't think I even know you anymore!
• Vash continues to cry and smile as he tells Knives he'll continue to do what he's always done for the past 150 years to be with humans.
  Vash: Even if they hunt me, I'll just run away! I'll run, run, run, and keep running as far as I have to! And when things calm down, I'll quietly settle by their side again. I am Vash the Stampede.
  • In the dub he yells, "I don't care if they hunt me! [...] And I'll keep on running for another lifetime if I have to!" As he comes to his conclusion, he cries, but smiles as he says there's "no choice".
  • After Vash states this with such emotion and conviction, the look on Knives's face says it all. He has finally realized that his brother will never agree with his crusade against the humans, no matter how much he tries to convince (or force) him to. It's at this very moment that he snaps into Laughing Mad and resorts to basically saying that he'll do it himself, Vash be damned. His hate for humans was so ingrained in him that it caused him to give up on the one thing he truly loved (as warped as it was).
• Vash's screams of heartfelt grief as Knives burns up in the discharge of his Angel Arm, and Knives's line, "Nai is dead. You killed him." After everything, Vash still simply can't stop loving his brother, and Knives uses it to hurt him over and over again.
  • Even as he's being burnt down to his muscles trying to grab at the core, Nai still promises Vash to build them a home - a paradise for just the two of them. While declaring this, we see flashes of the twins, in more peaceful times as children holding each other while staring at the stars. All Knives wants is to return to the days when they were innocent and in no danger of being hurt by humans.
    Knives: I will create it! No fear. No pain. No humiliation. I'll win a place for us... A paradise... for us...
  • The dub has Knives, as he's stripped down to almost his bones, hoarsely call out for Vash as his body slowly drifts away from the blast.
• As he falls back to the planet, Vash lands onto July, engulfing the entire city in a blast of purple energy. He ends up losing his brother and taking away 90% of the population of July, despite all of his efforts to save both.
• After the Time Skip, we see Meryl driving to what remains of July with a packet of cigarettes, which she sets down at a makeshift grave for Roberto, marked by his flask and a picture of him, Meryl, Vash and Wolfwood nailed to a post. This little pile of keepsakes are all that physically remains of him, as his body was destroyed when July was vaporised by Vash. Thankfully Meryl seems to be taking it well, but imagine the pain of losing someone that important to you and not being able to give them a proper funeral because there's nothing left... and Meryl was just his student. Imagine the pain his family members are going through, if he even still had any.
  • And the pain of the loved ones of everyone who died in the blast, 90% of the city's population. Even the ground the city was founded on has been vaporised. None of them have graves.
  • There's a subtle implication that Meryl and Wolfwood honor Roberto jointly, as Meryl leaves a fresh carton while there's an older one beside it that's empty. Wolfwood did love snatching cigarettes from Roberto, after all...
• In what appears to be a small town, Vash, now going by the name Eriks and apparently having lost some of his memories, is standing in front of piano, solemnly playing only a couple keys and staring blankly ahead. He is not only mourning the lives he took, but also the loss of his brother, who blames him for "killing" Nai. Two years later, and he still hasn't come to terms with all that he went through.

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