Vash the Stampede

Vash the Stampede
Trigun character
Vash the Stampede as seen in Trigun Maximum
First appearance	Chapter 1
Created by	Yasuhiro Nightow
Voiced by	Masaya Onosaka (Japanese) Johnny Yong Bosch (English)

Vash the Stampede (Japanese: ヴァッシュ・ザ・スタンピード, Hepburn: Vasshu za Sutanpīdo^?), also simply referred as Vash, is the main protagonist and the titular character of Trigun, an anime and manga series created by Yasuhiro Nightow. Vash is the most feared outlaw on the planet Gunsmoke, and has a $$60 billion ("double dollar") price on his head. He displays a kindhearted, goofy demeanor and goes out of his way not to hurt anyone if he can help it. Most of the destruction blamed on him is actually caused by the extreme measures people take to capture or kill him for the reward; as a result, he has been nicknamed "The Humanoid Typhoon."

Vash's silly behavior hides the fact that he is a gunman of extraordinary skill, and he is almost always able to avoid capture by his opponents and defeat them easily without killing them. He spends most of his time traveling from town to town, getting into and out of trouble and making sure everyone survives, often hindered (and sometimes helped) by his fearsome reputation.

Nightow, Vash's creator, has stated that every one of his characters projects a "certain part of [him]", but in a way, Vash is the one most closely identifies with, saying that Vash represents his determination and some of his more-childish side.

Nightow reported Vash's gun design to be a huge problem, because it had to be not only dangerous and reliable, but also cool-looking. The gun's original design had no way of opening to insert bullets, so Nightow found a real picture of an upside-down barrel and since it looked cool, he went with it. It was difficult for him to conceive the odd guns that came in later episodes, and the idea of 'baka guns'—weapons that fire unlimited magical bullets—slowly disappeared. The concept designer described creating the original angel arms with a feminine form, because the guns could create matter, and females create and give birth.

When asked why Vash was made to be such a pacifist, Nightow explained that he always felt strange how people are always dying in action movies. He always wondered why they died so quickly. It's okay that they die, but he asks why was it so sudden. Because of that, he wanted to create Vash as a character who is a strong gunman but could say, "Hey, sorry. Love and peace?"