UPDATE! On Thursday, June 16th, Crunchyroll revealed that a new Trigun anime is coming our way in 2023 and will be available on their platform! This news comes about a week after rumors circulated online about a potential new series.
The press release is below.
Classic fan favorite anime series TRIGUN will be reborn as a new anime series in 2023 entitled TRIGUN STAMPEDE, produced by Orange (BEASTARS) with an all-new staff and cast. Crunchyroll will simulcast the series from Japan in more than 200 countries and territories around the world.
TRIGUN is a popular action manga series by Yasuhiro Nightow that follows the story of Vash the Stampede, a legendary gunman and a pacifist with a bounty on his head. Its original 1998 anime series, TRIGUN, and a 2010 feature film, Trigun: Badlands Rumble, achieved global popularity and inspired many creators.
The latest information on TRIGUN STAMPEDE will be announced at Anime Expo 2022 in Los Angeles during a panel hosted by Crunchyroll, on Saturday, July 2 at 8pm PT at the JW Marriott Hotel. The author Yasuhiro Nightow and producers of the show are slated to appear on stage to discuss the series and behind-the-scenes of the production. Panelists alongside Yasuhiro Nightow will include, Kouji Tajima (designer), Kiyotaka Waki (producer, Orange), Yoshihiro Watanabe (producer, Orange), and Katsuhiro Takei (producer, Toho).
This news also comes with the launch of the official Trigun Stampede website and Twitter account. The Twitter page shared brand-new concept art to celebrate the announcement.
Our original story about the rumor is below. Love & Peace!
ORIGINAL STORY: When it comes to releasing a new adaptation to a franchise, anime has had a pretty stellar track record. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Hunter x Hunter, Fruits Basket, the thought of a reboot to an anime series is usually met with positive reception for a reason. The quality of animation tends to be better, and if the work is based on the manga, we usually get to see parts of the story that didn’t make it into the original.
So, when a Twitter post started making the rounds that claimed that we’d be getting a new adaptation for Trigun, everyone got excited – including Vash’s original dub voice actor, Johnny Yong Bosch.
Love & Peace!
While there’s nothing to confirm whether or not this is true, if it does end up being legit, this would be a pretty amazing reboot for a classic anime series. Based on the manga by Yasuhiro Nightow, the story focuses on the 60 billion double dollar man, Vash the Stampede, and takes place in the 32nd Century. Despite his dangerous reputation, Vash is a kindhearted, lovable, doughnut-eating good boy who doesn’t want to fight anyone. However, when you accidentally destroy a city with your supernatural powers, folks tend to think the worst of you – not that Vash actually remembers the destruction he caused, or much of anything from his past, really (damn that amnesia).
To be honest, whenever there’s damage done, it’s not actually Vash’s fault. The ones going after him are usually responsible for the chaos. Vash is genuinely a good person who wants to do what’s best for humanity, but anime can’t make it that easy on its protagonist.
I was introduced to Trigun back when it aired on Toonami. Originally released in 1998 in Japan (with the manga starting in 1995), the series premiered here in the U.S. in 2003. It was stylish and full of action, with a protagonist that you came to care for pretty quickly, and it was one of my earliest examples of “if your anime protag smiles a lot, it means they’ve suffered a great deal in their life.” It also has one of my top 10 saddest anime deaths along with one of my all-time favorite AMV crossovers, “Tainted Doughnuts” by E-Ko, where Spike (Cowboy Bebop) pursues Vash to try and collect that bounty.
Why this is a big deal
Assuming this rumor is legit, a Trigun reboot would be fantastic to see. That’s not just because I’m a fan of the original and long for the return of that slick ass coat Vash wears, but the anime is, technically, predominantly filler! It’s hard to tell because the episodes are so good and everything feels like it makes sense the way it’s presented, but according to the website Anime Filler List, out of the anime’s 26 episodes, 17 are filler!
I was, legitimately, today years old when I found that out. I thought for sure this was the story as it’s told in the manga. A new adaptation would give us the chance to see more of the manga’s story animated. Like. What did we miss out on back in the early 2000s?
(Featured Image: Satoshi Nishimura/Madhouse)
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