Warning: Spoilers for Trigun Stampede, Episode 4A fan-favorite character from the original Trigun has arrived in Trigun Stampede, but this time his scheme has been revealed up front, radically changing the viewing experience from the original.
Nicholas D. Wolfwood is the fourth main character of Trigun Stampede, shown in promotional materials prior to release but only just now showing up in episode 4 of the anime. Four has an association with death in Japan, which might’ve been a subtle hint towards Wolfwood’s true motivations… but the episode ends with a scene revealing that Wolfwood, who has befriended Meryl, Roberto, and Vash over the course of the story, is actually a member of the Gung-Ho Guns, and is here specifically to kill Vash. Wolfwood’s operating procedure is to befriend his targets before killing them, making the eventual betrayal all the more brutal.
Wolfwood’s Secret is Out in the Open
In the original Trigun anime, Wolfwood was secretly hired by Knives to travel with Vash and keep the other Gung-Ho Guns from actually killing him. Knives, after all, does care for his brother, and wants him to rethink his non-violent approach to life by forcing him into life-or-death situations. This, however, isn’t revealed until much later, causing Wolfwood’s betrayal to come across as a major twist. Trigun Stampede knows that a lot of fans are already familiar with Wolfwood’s situation, and thus doesn’t even try to hide the betrayal. Instead, it’s set up as dramatic irony: the audience knows that Wolfwood poses a danger to Vash and his friends, even though they don’t. Every scene with Wolfwood from this point forward will have an extra degree of tension to it, for both those familiar with the first anime and those who aren’t.
Trigun Stampede Removes the Original’s Mystery (for the Better)
This is continuing a trend seen in Trigun Stampede already of taking major reveals and laying them out early. Vash and Knives’ backstory aboard the spaceships, for example, wasn’t revealed until the 17th episode, whereas in Trigun Stampede it was one of the first things shown. It’s an interesting tactic that’s surely inspired by the fact that so much of the audience is already aware of the twists (and will spoil them for those that aren’t). The story is certainly interesting enough that it doesn’t need to rely on twists, and as noted above, by providing the information to the audience before characters, it allows for dramatic irony to build, as viewers wonder when this information will come into play.
Instead of looking back on Wolfwood’s actions differently after the reveal, Trigun Stampede viewers will be taking everything he says and does with a grain of salt, which can be just as engaging if done right.
Trigun Stampede debuts new episodes on Saturdays, via Crunchyroll.