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Trigun: How (and where) to watch the space western anime

Love space westerns? Check out this Trigun watch guide

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Image credit: Madhouse
Latonya Pennington avatar
How to by Latonya Pennington Contributing writer
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Taking place in the post-apocalyptic sci-fi world called No Man's Land, the Trigun franchise tells the story of the infamous gunman Vash The Stampede and his misadventures as the "Humanoid Typhoon" as he constantly fights bounty hunters trying to turn him in.

This year, the anime franchise Trigun experienced a resurgence with the premiere of the series Trigun Stampede, a new retelling of the 1998 anime series Trigun and the original manga series created by Yasushiro Nightow in 1995.

Although Trigun is more popular in America than its home country of Japan, Trigun and Trigun Stampede are known for their visually striking animation, sonically pleasing music, quirky cast of characters, and epic cowboy-Western style fights.

With season 1 of Trigun Stampede having recently concluded, now is the perfect time to jump into the Trigun anime franchise. If you need to know where to start, then this guide has you covered.

Where to watch the Trigun anime franchise

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Image credit: Madhouse

Right now, the various versions of Trigun are available to physically purchase and watch online through the following services.

  • Hulu
  • Crunchyroll
  • Rightstuf Anime
  • Amazon

It is important to note that while 1998's Trigun and 2023's Trigun Stampede are available to watch on Hulu and Crunchyroll with a paid subscription, the only place to watch the Trigun anime movie Trigun Badlands Rumble is on Hulu. At the same time, you can also buy a DVD boxset of Trigun on the websites Right Stuf Anime and Amazon.

How to watch Trigun in release order

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Image credit: Madhouse

As of this writing, there are currently only two series and one anime movie in the Trigun anime franchise. As a result, Trigun is one of the easier anime franchises to jump into. The order of Trigun is as follows:

How to watch Trigun in chronological order

There's not too much of Trigun, nor is it too complicated, so the chronological order of the show is pretty much the same as the release order. However, there is a flashback scene in Badlands Rumble, so you could split your viewing of the Trigun anime with the Badlands Rumble, if you felt like watching the flashback amongst the original anime.

Do I need to watch Trigun before Trigun Stampede?

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Image credit: Madhouse

Although Trigun and Trigun Stampede are part of the Trigun anime franchise, you don't have to watch Trigun first to appreciate Trigun Stampede. Since Trigun Stampede is basically a reboot, you can jump into the anime through this series without any prior knowledge.

Ultimately, whether you decide to start with Trigun or Trigun Stampede depends on your personal taste. If you like a modern animation style, Trigun Stampede is the best way to go. If you want to see where it all began, then go with Trigun first. However, be aware that starting with Trigun may cause you to have certain expectations for Trigun Stampede.

What genre is Trigun?

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Image credit: Madhouse

Trigun and its follow ups Trigun Badlands Rumble and Trigun Stampede are action-adventure sci-fi space Westerns. The action adventure elements come from the ongoing journey of the characters as they transverse No Man's Land while avoiding bounty hunters.

Meanwhile, the sci-fi influences come from the use of advanced futuristic technology as well as its post-apocalyptic setting. Finally, it is a space western because there are cowboy-like bounty hunters in a sci-fi world who settle things with gun fights.

Other upcoming Trigun projects

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Image credit: Madhouse

Currently, Trigun Stampede season 2 is in development. Studio Orange, the production studio behind Trigun Stampede, confirmed this in April 2023. Reportedly, season 2 will see the return of fan-favorite character Milly Thompson as well as other characters that were not seen in season 1.

Based on information provided by Studio Orange and the company's production schedule, It can be assumed that Trigun Stampede season 2 will have a 2024 premiere date.

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Latonya Pennington avatar
Latonya Pennington: Latonya Pennington is a freelance pop culture contributor at Reed Pop. In addition to writing about anime and manga, they have also written about video games, American comics, and young adult fiction. Their writing can also be found at Fandom Games, Into More, Gayming Magazine, and Comics XF among others. When they aren't writing for work, they can be found streaming shows, playing video games, reading novels, or doing creative writing.
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