Dangerous Characters: Vash the Stampede

As I promised, this month we're taking a look at a character that epitomizes the tradition of mass collateral damage. Hailing from Madhouse's TV series based on Yasuhiro Nightow's manga Trigun, Vash the Stampede is notorious for the damage that is often left in his wake. You've most likely seen him during the time his show ran on Cartoon Network's "Adult Swim" block, after Funimation licensed the show for an American release. (Come to think of it, I should probably try to find some dangerous characters that aren't from Funimation titles. Oh well, I'll try to fix that next time.) His reputation has him down as regularly leaving whole towns in ruins and the people in them with nothing but their lives (most folks think it's a miracle he's never killed anybody). However, as with many characters, all is not necessarily as it seems.

Unlike what one would traditionally think of as a character inflicting a lot of damage to his environment, Vash the Stampede is the kind of character that draws damaging influences to him (notably bounty hunters, thrill seekers and other violent types that are all after his head), usually leaving a trail of destruction in his wake. But this is an instance where it really isn't his fault. If he had any say in the matter, he'd talk out his differences and coexist with his neighbors in peace. Unfortunately, his problems which were started by his personal conflict with his brother Knives (which involved the explosive destruction of the city of July), have earned him his title as well as his secondary nickname, "The Humanoid Typhoon," based on the assertion that whenever he comes through a town, it's virtually ruined. His problems are compounded by the fact that people hold him responsible for the damage left behind on the desert planet he inhabits. One of the biggest plot points in Vash's story has to do with two ladies from an insurance company that are charged with following him to keep track of the damages he is responsible for. However, this blame is really better placed on the people who try to start fights with him. So if you ever happen to find yourself on a desert planet and see this fellow run by, it's time to take cover. Chances are, the bounty hunters aren't far behind and things are going to start exploding real soon.

Image taken from Trigun.

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