Trigun
The Humanoid Typhoon: a 60 billion bounty, a red coat, and a gunman who refuses to kill.
Last updated: 10 November 2026
Trigun is Madhouse's 26 episode TV anime of Yasuhiro Nightow's manga, directed by Satoshi Nishimura and aired on TV Tokyo in 1998. It follows Vash the Stampede, a legendary gunman with a huge bounty who turns out to be a kind hearted pacifist, tracked by insurance agents Meryl Stryfe and Milly Thompson. Masaya Onosaka voices Vash in Japanese and Johnny Yong Bosch voices him in English. The franchise also includes the 2010 film Badlands Rumble and Orange's retelling, Trigun Stampede (2023) and Trigun Stargaze (2026), all streaming on Crunchyroll.
About Trigun
Trigun adapts Yasuhiro Nightow's manga, which began in Monthly Shonen Captain in 1995 and continued as Trigun Maximum in Young King Ours until 2007. The 1998 anime covers the early manga and builds its own ending, since the manga was still running. It opens as a comedy western about the gap between Vash's terrifying legend and his soft hearted reality, then darkens steadily as his past, his brother Millions Knives and the lost technology of the colony ships come into the open.
Trigun is a TV anime from 1998, first released in Spring 1998. It belongs to the Action and Adventure and Sci-Fi genres and is listed as a completed series. The summary above is written by the AnimeYug team in our own words.
Story & Plot
A hundred and fifty years after colony ships crashed on a desert planet, humanity scrapes by in frontier towns around failing Plants, the mysterious machines that give them water and power. Across this world walks a legend: Vash the Stampede, the Humanoid Typhoon, blamed for destroying the city of July and priced at 60 billion double dollars. The Bernardelli Insurance Society sends agents Meryl Stryfe and Milly Thompson to find him and limit the damage his bounty hunters cause.
The man they find is a tall goof in a red coat who loves donuts, flirts badly and cries over spilt milk. He is also, when cornered, the fastest gun alive, able to dodge bullets and outshoot anyone on the planet without ever taking a life. Vash's refusal to kill is absolute, and the early episodes play it for comedy as Meryl slowly accepts that the legend and the fool are the same person.
Then the Gung-Ho Guns come hunting, sent by Vash's twin brother Millions Knives, and the comedy burns away. Vash and Knives are not ordinary humans; they are Plants, born from the colony ships' technology, and Knives has hated humanity since childhood. With the travelling priest and gunman Nicholas D. Wolfwood at his side, Vash is forced toward the confrontation he has avoided for over a century.
The 1998 series tells a complete version of that story with its own ending. Orange's Stampede and Stargaze retell the manga from the start in a different style, so new viewers can begin with either version. Both are worth your time, and they make an ideal pair.
Story Arcs & Episode Guide
The Trigun anime is split into story sagas. Here is every saga in order, with its episodes and years.
| Arc | Episodes | Years | About |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Legend and the Man | Episodes 1-6 | 1998 | Meryl and Milly hunt the Humanoid Typhoon and find a donut loving pacifist. Light, funny and episodic. |
| Wolfwood and the Road | Episodes 7-12 | 1998 | Priest gunman Nicholas D. Wolfwood joins the journey, and hints of Vash's real age and past start to surface. |
| The Gung-Ho Guns | Episodes 13-20 | 1998 | Knives sends his assassins. The tone turns dark as Vash's history with July and Rem is revealed. |
| Vash vs Knives | Episodes 21-26 | 1998 | The brothers' story comes into the open and Vash faces the choice his whole life has pointed toward. |
Why Watch Trigun
- Animated by Madhouse, directed by Satoshi Nishimura
- 26 episodes aired on TV Tokyo in 1998, a hit on Adult Swim in the US from 2003
- Johnny Yong Bosch's first famous lead role as Vash in the English dub
- The 2010 film Badlands Rumble reunited the original cast and studio
- Orange's Stampede (2023) and Stargaze (2026) retell the manga for a new generation
Who Is It For?
Trigun suits teens and up. It has gun violence and some heavy deaths in its second half, but its heart is a message about mercy, and the comedy keeps the early stretch light. It is an ideal first classic for viewers who like westerns or space adventure.
Main Characters
View all characters →Voice Actors
The Japanese voices behind the main characters of Trigun.
- Vash the StampedeThe Humanoid Typhoon, a pacifist gunman with a 60 billion double dollar bountyJapanese voiceMasaya Onosaka
- Nicholas D. WolfwoodTravelling priest and gunman who carries a cross shaped arsenalJapanese voiceSho Hayami
- Meryl StryfeBernardelli insurance agent assigned to shadow VashJapanese voiceHiromi Tsuru
- Milly ThompsonMeryl's tall, kind partner at the insurance agencyJapanese voiceSatsuki Yukino
- Millions KnivesVash's twin brother, who wants humanity wiped outJapanese voiceToru Furusawa
- Rem SaveremThe colony ship crew member who raised Vash and KnivesJapanese voiceAya Hisakawa
Staff & Production
- Original Creator
- Yasuhiro Nightow
- Director
- Satoshi Nishimura
- Series Composition
- Yosuke Kuroda
- Character Design
- Takahiro Yoshimatsu
- Music
- Tsuneo Imahori
- Animation Studio
- Madhouse
Manga & Source Material
Trigun began as Yasuhiro Nightow's manga in Monthly Shonen Captain. When that magazine ended, the story continued as Trigun Maximum in Young King Ours, running until 2007. The 1998 anime was made while the manga was young, so it tells the early story and then builds its own ending. Dark Horse Comics publishes the manga in English, including recent Deluxe Editions.
- Written and drawn by Yasuhiro Nightow
- Trigun ran in Monthly Shonen Captain from 1995 to 1997
- The story continued as Trigun Maximum in Young King Ours from 1997 to 2007
- The 1998 anime's second half is largely original, since the manga was still running
- Published in English by Dark Horse Comics
- Nightow designed Vash's world around his love of westerns and his pacifist themes
Music
Tsuneo Imahori's score mixes rock guitar, jazz and spaghetti western twang into one of the most recognisable sounds of 1990s anime. The opening is a pure instrumental guitar attack and the ending slows everything down into a wistful ballad.
Opening Themes
- “H.T.”by Tsuneo ImahoriThe instrumental opening used for all 26 episodes.
Ending Themes
- “Kaze wa Mirai ni Fuku”by Akima & NeosThe ending for all 26 episodes. The title means The Wind Blows Toward the Future.
Series Timeline
- 1995-1997
Nightow's Trigun manga runs in Monthly Shonen Captain, then continues as Trigun Maximum in Young King Ours until 2007.
- April to October 1998
The 26 episode TV anime airs on TV Tokyo, produced by Madhouse.
- 2003
Trigun becomes a hit in the US on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim, building its lasting western fanbase.
- April 2010
The film Trigun: Badlands Rumble opens in Japan, with Madhouse, Nishimura and the original cast returning.
- January to March 2023
Trigun Stampede, a new adaptation by studio Orange, retells the manga with CG animation.
- January to March 2026
Trigun Stargaze, the final phase of the Orange version, airs and completes that retelling.
Release Schedule
- Premiere
- 2 April 1998
- Broadcast
- TV Tokyo
- Streaming
- Crunchyroll, Hulu
- Episodes
- 26 (complete), plus film and the Stampede retelling
Details as of 10 November 2026.
Quick Answers
Is Trigun finished?
Yes. Trigun has finished airing, so you can watch the complete story from start to end without waiting for new episodes.
What genre is Trigun?
Trigun is a Action and Adventure and Sci-Fi anime. You can browse more titles like it on our Action anime page.
When did Trigun release?
Trigun first released in Spring 1998. It is a TV series.
Where can I watch Trigun?
Crunchyroll streams the 1998 series, the Badlands Rumble film, Stampede and Stargaze. The 1998 series and the film are also on Hulu in the US. Availability varies by region.
Should I watch the 1998 Trigun or Stampede first?
Either works, since they are separate tellings of the same manga story. The 1998 series has the classic hand drawn look and its own ending. Stampede and Stargaze form a complete modern retelling in CG. Many fans start with 1998 and treat the Orange version as a second pass.
Who voices Vash the Stampede?
Masaya Onosaka voices Vash in the 1998 Japanese version, and Johnny Yong Bosch voices him in English, a role he returned to for Stampede and Stargaze. In the Japanese Stampede cast, Yoshitsugu Matsuoka plays Vash.
How many episodes does Trigun have?
The 1998 series has 26 episodes. Add the Badlands Rumble film from 2010, then Stampede with 12 episodes and Stargaze with 12, for the full franchise.
Is Trigun Stargaze finished?
Yes. Stargaze aired from January to March 2026 on TV Tokyo with 12 episodes, and it is billed as the final phase of the Stampede continuity, completing the Orange retelling.
Watch Order
Here is the release order for Trigun and the series connected to it. Start at step 1 and work your way down.
- 1Trigun (TV, 1998)The classic path starts here: 26 episodes, Madhouse's version with its own ending.
- 2Trigun: Badlands Rumble (Film, 2010)A standalone adventure made for the 1998 continuity, with the same director and cast. Watch after the series.
- 3Trigun Stampede (TV, 2023)A separate retelling by studio Orange. Start it whenever you like; it assumes nothing from the 1998 series.
- 4Trigun Stargaze (TV, 2026)The conclusion of the Orange continuity, set two and a half years after Stampede. Watch directly after Stampede.
Where to Watch
Trigun is officially available to stream on these platforms:
Streaming availability changes often and differs by country. Please check the platform in your region.