A Writer's Take on Trigun: The Quiet Battle ~ September C. Fawkes

So in Trigun, we've been following this ongoing feud between Vash and Knives, which turns out to be a war over the whole human race. I feel like the only reason the human race has lasted this long on Gunsmoke is because Vash blasted Knives in July City, and Knives had to spend years regenerating from it. Knives' plan for the destruction of the human race was kind of put on hold; he's also upset with Vash about everything and wants to torment him, after all, that was what he was taught to do as a child from the SEEDS crew. They abused and tormented him, which is also partly why he wants to obliterate the whole human race.

So Knives wants to eradicate humans. Vash wants to save them, which is such a beautiful contradiction in and of itself, because if anyone is keeping count, Vash has been wronged way more times by humans than Knives has, or probably anyone for that matter. Vash is trying to save the very people who want to kill him. (I'm telling you, this series is pro at irony and contradiction!) He's like that literary Christ-like figure; he forgives them because they don't really understand the forces at work here. He also forgives them because of Rem's teachings, and he values them because Rem gave her life to save these people here. Rem had such an effect on Vash that if Rem values these people, Vash will too. Also, since she did give up her life to save them, keeping them alive and safe is like keeping Rem alive. If the human race dies, Rem dies in vain.

I love that the human race is completely oblivious that these two beings, Vash and Knives, are in a fight that will determine the humans' whole fate. In most epic stories, the humans know they're in the war for their lives, and they're all counting on the hero. In Trigun, they're ignorant. It kind of makes Vash even more of a hero, that he wants to save these people who are so out of the loop of what's going on in the world that they think Vash himself is the bane of their existence.

What kind of person does it take to fight a battle for the very people who hate you? Is there anyone more compassionate than Vash?

So I love the last battle between Vash and Knives. It takes place in the middle of nowhere. There is no audience. It's quiet. There isn't even much dialogue. There is no music playing. All this symbolically encapsulates what kind of war this has been. A quiet one.

And in the end, the human race will never know that Vash saved them from total destruction. He will still be hated because of his reputation. It takes a real kind of hero to do that.

I also love that it's just a battle between Vash and Knives because it emphasizes that the battles has really been fought just by these two people--it's a war of their belief systems. (More on that later).

For Writers: Try experimenting by tipping the whole stereotypical "epic" on its head somehow. Vash and Knvies' battle is epic, because they're powerful, it will determine the whole human race, and it's been going on for over a century. But their fight is so quiet and simplistic, it's almost a contradiction. It's kind of refreshing from the usual epic battles.

The Giveaway

Every time you like or share or reblog or retweet any of my Trigun dissection posts on my Tumblr, Facebook, or Twitter outlets, you will be entered to win a Trigun decal. You can pick out of the ones below. Obviously you can stick them on things other than iphones and mini ipads, like laptops, car windows (you can get them in white), whatever. This is an international giveaway. You must be a follower to win.