SPOILER FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN’T READ THE MANGA: One of the crimes, only crimes, of the anime is that they left Legato’s backstory out. Legato was a sex slaved, raped as a child. His dedication to Knives is simply based on circumstance. His captures were killed by Knives in an incident where he just happen to kill some bad people, but for Legato, he was a savior. Whatever cruelty Knives committed was nothing compare to what Legato suffered and so he saw what Knives did as a form of retribution against the humanity that abused him. Remember that Legato was only a kid when all of this happened. So, years later, when Knives was confronted by Vash, Legato saw a man coming for his savior but also a man who held an ignorant idealism that would have saved people like those who raped him. So, his need to die and his desire to die, along with a need and desire to be killed by Vash were connected. He wanted to kill that idealism and end his life that he never held value to. He was, after all, just a tool for anyone to use. It’s quite sad really...
Chute Boot Tomato Soup wow thanks for that. It’s a shame they didn’t include that honestly. They could of easily swapped out one of those comedic episodes in the 1st half for Legato’s backstory. That is ALOT of pivotal information. It would of been incredibly animated just Vash’s and Knives as kids.
It's funny how Legato is probably one of the most successful anime antagonist out there. "Haha! My nefarious plan to make you put a bullet through my head has succeeded. VICTORY IS MINE!"
+billybobboberson That's exactly who he reminded me of too! He knows how to get in your head and find out what gets to you. Which are the most deadly opponents in my opinion.
+billybobboberson That's exactly who he reminded me of too! He knows how to get in your head and find out what gets to you. Which are the most deadly opponents in my opinion.
13Elementguy Some guy in the comments said that in the manga Legatto backstory was very heavy on the feelings department, he was basically asking Vash to release him. It just dawned on me that his story was so heavy and gruesome that the directors had to shorten it and kinda censor it.
For more than 100 years, Vash has managed to not kill any living being, at least not directly. But here comes Legato and makes Vash break his vow....his promise to Rem.
A promise kept, Legato wasn't bluffing in any aspect of his existence, he truly hated himself and thought himself and humanity were worthless. He fulfilled his promise and broke Vash the Stampede. "Yes I understand master, Vash The Stampede will suffer eternal pain and suffering".
when i was a kid i never understood what legato was talking about and thought his death in this scene was pathetic, having mind controlling powers to die like that? and thought that vash won this. now after almost 20 years i understood that legato won this battle against vash on how he beat him and destroyed vash's principle, ideals, morals and ethics about how important all life is and made him break his own creed. man the older i got the more i realize this anime is awesome
I like how it shows Rem right before Vash shoots, with her slowly fading away. Like Vash is literally shooting her memory, her ideology that she taught him. Betraying the words he's lived by for over 100 years and betraying the last thing that exists of her, that pacifism. Now Rem is truly dead, nobody else exists that knows her nor evidence of her.
Episode 23- Wolfwood breaks his own philosophy and dies trying to be like Vash Episode 24- Vash breaks his own philosophy and kills, like Wolfwood would have done Truly an incredible parallel!!
Showing that both were wrong and a mix is of them is the best (obviously) . Use logical thinking and adapt instead of doing the same thing regardless of context
It was Revy in Black Lagoon who summed it up best for that. "You don't roll around in pain like those actors in Hollywood movies. You lose all feeling in your legs, your balance is lost, and you just crash down face first."
This scene is so heartbreaking. When you see Vash finally kill someone directly you feel his conflict as well as his pain. One of best and most well written characters in all of anime.
What makes this even worse is that the killing was over quickly. No slow-motion, no heartbeats in the background and there is not even a scene of Vash looking at the body and screaming to the heavens. It just ends abruptly and that makes so haunting. As the viewer you just look at the screen frozen, wondering what just happened and after it hits you, you break down the same way Vash must have felt too.
Moiz Jafferji oi finally someone said it. Like, it wasn't all that dramatic with all those screamings. Realization hit him ten days ago and that's when he finally let it all out. I also have to point out the japanese va for that scream at the beginning of the aftermath of this scene. That's so good.
Yeah i love when anime does that, JoJo spoilers. Just like what they did with abbachio, avdol and narancia they had no time to say farewell to their comrades before passing on to the afterlife, after they experience tremendous pain they just trample and lose their consciousness like a completely lifeless body with no more power to even spout out words, it's painful how realistic it is.
I always thought that was suppose to be because of how easy it is for Vash to kill him -- not mentally or emotionally, of course, but physically. Vash could kill so many, and easily at that, but he holds himself back... That and it would not have as great an emotional impact otherwise.
@@seprithlicastia463 it also highlights legato as well, his death is simply meaningless both for him and the world. It's sort of like the bison line, for some his death shakes them to their core but for everyone else, it's just the same as the passing of time.
"A useless human being, just like me, but unlike you." That's probably my favorite line from a villain in any work of fiction. It's a self-deprecating statement which Legato uses to write off himself and the rest of humanity as nothing more than pests; the logic which Knives must have brainwashed Legato with for years. The complete anti-thesis of Vash's beliefs. In the Japanese dub you can even hear the self-hatred in Legato's voice. And at the same time it serves as both an insult and a compliment to Vash. To Legato, because Vash isn't human he is better than us. To Vash, it is a reminder that he is not like us, he is not the same as Rem whom he bases his principles around.
It took me a while to realize this. I always thought Vash's obsession with not killing was rather ridiculous. He waits for such a long time to kill Legato, leaving Meryl and Millys fates on the line, but to me that makes sense. First off, hes never done this before, taking a life is not a easy matter mentally, but more than that, Vash doesn't live by his principle simply out of a desire to do good in a world gone mad. I mean he does, but he also does it because of his love for Rem. Her life is long gone, with nothing left that exists to connect him to her, nothing except this one philosophy he promised he would live up to. To him this was the last connection to her, and it was something he could keep alive under his own free will, not latched to the fragile life of another whose life could be stolen (see Knives for that), nothing mortal such as that. It was all his. His own responsibility. And he was faced with losing it to Legato, only to finally concede when faced with an unthinkable alternative. It really is the only time I can say I appreciate this "do not kill" trope. It's idealism always bothered me, but in this story it makes a lot of sense. You're engaged by it, because whether or not you care Legato dies, (hopefully you're glad) you know it hurts so much to see Vash give in because to Vash himself, it's deeply important to him. In fact, it's everything to him.
I always think it's easy to preach no one has the right to kill someone when things are peaceful and fine, but when things hit the fan I feel not Rem or anyone else would be mad at or sad about Vash shooting Legato here. I always liked the last few things Wolfwood said to Vash, it seemed to boil down to telling him not to be too hard on yourself. It tears Vash up on the inside and he suffers, but he finds a way to live and keep going.
@@usul573 Yeah that's the thing about Vash, he takes Rem too literally. Notice how she responds to Knives saying "you shouldn't make that decision so easily" or something like that. Note she doesn't simple say "you shouldn't ever". Vash doesn't totally understand her lessons as he should. I think by the end he grows up knowing that.
@@stormcutter59 I'd say no one has the "right" to go out there and kill others, but shoved up against the wall defending yourself or someone you care about is almost universally accepted. Even if people claim killing in self-defense is wrong there tends to be a loophole or something. Kenshin swore to never kill again but I like how one scene showed he would still do it to defend an innocent, he'd had to live with it. I'd say Kenshin is less naive and idealistic.
@@usul573 I mean yeah I think their isn't a decent soul that would disagree with you that people shouldn't go out and kill.......duh. Of course when you have no choice, should it be an option. That's basically what Vash learns. The necessity to kill when given no other choice. It doesn't make you a monster. It isn't desirable, but if the choice is between protecting your life and others who are innocent, the choice is obvious. The morality "do not kill" isn't just a simple black and white moral. It's what you desire and you always pursue that ideal all the way up until the end. But once you meet that end, that's when you need to decide
Words alone cannot describe how great this anime is, and how great of a villain Legato is. In my opinion, Legato is the epitome of a true villain. Seriously, I don't think there's anyone else like him.
"and the sons of others Cú Chulainn had killed, to draw him out to his death. His fate is sealed by his breaking of the geasa (taboos) upon him. Cú Chulainn's geasa included a ban against eating dog meat, but in early Ireland there was a powerful general taboo against refusing hospitality, so when an old crone offers him a meal of dog meat, he has no choice to break his geis. In this way he is spiritually weakened for the fight ahead of him." through out history. breaking what you hold dear. and breaking your moral code. what you have lived by. can be regarded as worse then having your name sullied. or death. but the lesson of the next episode is really important. if your forced to break one of your cardinal rule's. seek forgiveness. and keep holding them close in your heart. these may change over time. but changing something and denying it or throwing it away are vary deferent.
The part that really gets me everytime I see this scene is that moment when you know Lagato realizes he has won and Vash is just about to shoot. He quietly looks down and closes his eyes knowing his task of forcing Vash into killing someone, something he swore to never do, was complete therefore he was no longer needed. The emotional power of that specific momentary action speaks volumes about his character. Truely one of the best villains in any series, anime or otherwise.
Absolutely love it when Vash's eyes go wide - solidifying the realization what must be done - Legato bows his head in preparation for death, knowing he caused Vash eternal suffering through the comprimisation of his morals, tearful silence, and the eerie ring of the gunshot.
Right ? No matter the circumstance, he know the only way to save the girls was to go against everything he morally believed in. THAT is the true meaning of sacrifice
What always gets to me is the moment Vash shoots Legato, Legato goes rag doll immediately and it's unnerving to see it even after watching gore, plus the guns echo was eerie too.
Exactly. All the typical quirky anime physics goes out the window. The antagonist doesn't go flying backwards or any such thing. Just that insane, powerful crack of the gunshot and his body slumping over instantly. Superbly done scene.
Oh my god, Vash' eyes at the end. q_q It's the realization of a man who knows he's about to commit something evil, something he thought he was strong enough to avoid.
What makes this so badass is that Legato literally could have killed him here. Vash was going to let Legato kill him. But when Legato threatened Millie and Merle he simply couldn’t do anything but do exactly what everyone expected him to do. Legato knew that. Amazing villain. He didnt want to destroy Vash’s life, he wanted to destroy his soul.
ladyaceina The man who directed this and other LA anime dubs and has done some voices of his own at times. The Mad Pierrot from Cowboy Bebop? That was him, as was that show's vo casting.
I will always love this scene for one reason: it avoid "the third option" trope. Too often when a hero is given a choice between "kill" and "don't kill, but suffer the consequences", a hero is given an easy out where he doesn't have to kill and gets away from the consequences. Reason I found Ang vs Ozai to be disappointing. But this doesn't have that. There's no easy way out and Vash has two bad options placed in front of him. And we can see how it breaks him to choose between killing someone and letting his friends die. No bullshit, just a hard choice and consequences he has to live with no matter what he decides.
+Greil9 It's always interesting to me when that type of situation pops up. What's very important to keep in mind is that there are situations that are, as you said, where there's only two choices, and then there are situations where you can find a third option, if you try hard enough. The trick is knowing which is which.
+Funnist Preacher But Legato's point was simply... at some point... there is no third option and to plan, hope, pray, and *Wait* to figure it out.... is pointless. No one stays clean... *Especially* if you try and be the "Hero"... no... people who try to live like vash did... *HAVE* to get dirty... because at the end of the day... A man who plays by no rules will defeat a man who thinks certain rules *have* to be followed. I'll end by quoting Morgan Freeman's character's final line in the movie "Se7en".... : "Ernest Hemingway once wrote: "The world is a fine place, and worth fighting for." .... I agree with the 2nd part"
+dementare Eh, I don't know. Every person who lives follows some kind of rule. Even Legato is absolutely loyal to Knives as his one rule. It really depends on the situation. After all, not every psycho will have as many cards as Legato. Personal philosophy: "The world is in large part what you make of it."
Funnist Preacher I understand the sentiment of your personal philosophy, and agree with it even.. but would slightly change the wording...: ''*Your* world is in large part what you make of it." because without going into massive examples... Merely view the world as a whole, and attempt to apply your philosophy to the hundred's of thousands if not millions of people born only to die before 10yrs old... *The World* is what was made before you were born... how you depict it may be your choice... but the world is not.
+dementare True, the world will be what it will be no matter what you do, but your actions do make some difference on it as a whole. Besides, not all the world is like that.
Legato: pushing moral absolutes to their absurd extreme. I could be wrong, but this seems to be the first time in the show where Vash learns something.
Cap'n Yoshi there were other instances, but it’s hard to learn things when you’re over 130 years old but this was probably one of the most defining moments for him in those 130 years
I hate to do this, but Trigun did a much better job at handling the idea of a hero who is forced to kill way better than Man of Steel ever did. And this is coming from a guy whose favorite character in all of fiction is Superman. I remember watching this scene, and being so shocked when Vash actually killed. And the episode after this was just hard to get through. This is how you show the pain a hero has to go through, when he is forced to compromise his morals.
I totally agree with you. Man of Steel had no character at all and even if there is some conflict it is quickly replaced by pointless action scenes and things blowing up.
This all the way. Man of Steel focused too much on the action instead of the character, whereas Trigun was able to focus on both the action and character to create a better story.
This is one the greatest scenes in any show I have ever watched in my opinion. This scene is so perfect. I still get chills when Legato says, "A worthless human being, just like me.. but unlike you." God that line is so fucking perfect. I'll never forget this scene.
First time I ever saw this scene was 20 years ago when this show used to come on Adult Swim. 20 years later and this scene still stuck with me. Trigun is one of the GOATS
What's sad is, despite how evil legato is he almost sounded rather human in the way he embraced death. I can't explain why I feel that he does. But I feel kinda bad for him.
Madness I always kind of saw Legato as someone whose nihilism came about because of sort of rough life (which the manga shows) and his own self-hatred, so I guess that's why.
Madness he embraces his death because him dying at the hands of vash to bring him absolute suffering is his goal and ideal he must exist only to further the pain of vash at the hands of knives its why he smiles when he dies cus he know that his ideals,philosophy, and truth won over vash's and he succceded in his masters will to bring vash ultimate and absolute pain by making him take a life and destroy vash's memories of rem and crumble his very ideals. after killing lagato vash no longer has a right to call knives a murder and a monster cus he is now a monster as well in his own mind and actions. vash could have let himself and meryl and millie die for his ideals but he instead choose the selfish animalistic instinct to survive he became a beast an animal desperate to survive rather then fully accept his ideals as truth and die for them.
+piscespeter3 Except killing legato, a selfish, evil, monster of a so called human being to save the lives of two innocent girls is very different from the mass genocide that Knives and his cohorts spent committing. They did all of this to destroy the one man that was still a threat to them and all so they could create a new world where only the strong exist and the humans are all dead. Vash's ideals of no killing were beaten yes, and in Vash's own mind he believes exactly what you are describing right now....but he eventually comes to terms and faces the truth of himself and the difference between him and knives. Vash cares and will go through the most to avoid all death, while Knives treats killing as a way of life.
Legato was such an awesome villain. What makes him special is that he breaks the back-bone of our immortal all-powerful hero by sacrificing himself. He single-handedly destroys the philosophy Vash has lived by, and smiles while doing it. Does that guy know how to keep a promise or what? Eternal Pain? Check. Suffering? Check. fucking up Vash's head for forever? Check.
Damn there’s needs to be more anime like Cowboy Bebop and Trigun. They had the perfect mix of action, comedy, and drama, and really knew how to transition into it while telling a story that goes deeper beyond what you see on screen.
Vash: "I SAID STOP IT NOW!!!" Legato: "THEN SHOOT ME.....(calmly)its alright, kill me" so twisted, dark, cold...makes me feel the pain for eternity with vash
It's incredible how Legato had to go so far to contrive a hundred impossible scenarios to actually force him to kill, in an attempt to prove that Vash's morality was flawed. But I think that teaches another valuable lesson about the world. About the people who just want to destroy, who are wholly malicious.
Putting aside how beautifully written this scene is when it comes to conveying the morality of Vash's flawed creed, let's talk about dub performances. My sister has severe dyslexia. She can't read at a speed that would make watching subbed anime enjoyable, and learning an entire different language is incredibly hard for anyone, but for her, it's near impossible. She is, however, incredibly intelligent and has a real interest in foreign media. Most of the time, she enjoys it without worrying about translation, but in this case, a show that thrives on its script, she needed a dub. So, naysayers of dubbing can go fuck off because I ain't having it. I thank this show and this incredible dub for allowing my sister to enjoy such an incredible story. I give so much love to the actors and their amazing performances. Props to Johnny Yong Bosch in particular, who has brought to her Trigun, Bleach, Code Geass, and many more.
What "naysayers"? the Trigun dub is universally or at least near-universally regarded as one of the best JP to EN dubs of all time. As good or even arguably better than the original JP.
I'm a dub naysayer when the dub damages the material. I love the trigun dub, the dragonball dub, and the death note dub. when dubs pull it off, it's amazing.
Man, such an incredible scene with an absolutely horrific moral choice. Really left an impact on me the first time I saw this. It's both absolute genius and terribly sad.
I have to be honest, i couldn’t bring myself to watching this scene, vash is a pacifist character done right, none of that batman shit, seeing him mentally broken throughout before finally being forced to break his ideals to save some of the few people he loved emotionally hit me like a truck, trigun is without a doubt the most underrated anime and a classic that i urge any anime watches new or old to watch
By far the greatest anime ive ever seen. Incredibly put together and interesting in such a way its breathtaking. A show filled with incredible characters and an incomparable story. The show has truly showed me the meaning of just a simple life. Im glad I have a tattoo of it on my arm, I hope to re-watch this show till the day I die.
+rudy cabrera I completely agree. One of the things I like best about the anime... is it ends. Appropriately, timely, it wasn't drug out for extra seasons, filler, etc. In a world so tainted by selfish, greedy, social, politically correct, majority approved influences... an simple honest story like this one shines against the backdrop of their mediocrity.
+dementare yea definitely agree. The fact that it ends makes it incredible. Along with having so many unanswered questions and...of course I could go on and on but yes, Incredible show. I hope they make another movie lol
I find it interesting how Legato won, but at the same time he lost: he got Vash to break is "never kill" rule and this will leave big emotional scars into Vash... However, despite Legato's claims we see in the next episode Vash is able to overcome most of his trauma thanks to his friends, which would then lead to Vash beating Legato's master. Plus y'know... He's dead, and if Wolfwood subscribed to the right religion Legato is burning in Hell right now.
Well said. Legato won this battle, showing the faults in Vash and his Morality bu lost the war because Vash is still carried. Later Vash continued on with his moral goals even though he couldn't fullfill it completely but he is still trying to keep to his original promise the best he can.
I remember staying up until like 4am every night over the summer watching this on toonami when I was like 11 years old and it's only gotten better being able to appreciate it more as an adult. Such an underrated series.
I would LOVE to see a Trigun remastered. With all of the original sounds, just completely brand new artwork based on the same aesthetics. It would be absolutely amazing
Personally I think it could be a good live action. The only anime that can really be one good live actions are ones that do not have a ton of CGI like this, cowboy bebop. death note could have been great, but they made it into a movie. I really hope that Cowboy Bebop live action is good.
@@michealharrison2219 You don’t need to watch it lol. There are plenty of people who will never watch an anime and will only watch live action. So even if the live action isn’t as good it will still bring in some new people.
Does anyone get the irony that Richard Cansino’s character forces someone to break a vow on never killing anyone again, while his most famous anime role is another character with a vow to never kill again?
I love the fact that the “fight” between legato and Vash was one of psychological torment and forcing Vash to forsake evertything he believes in just to make a point to Knives.
I'm only realizing now just how good of a villain Legato was. He made Vash break his vow of not killing when no one else could, and in that he actually won. (Also I love the design of his character)
All in all a Perfectly Callous Villain to antagonize the Vibrant Vash The Stampede. He's so great a villain that I honestly feel that Knives pales in comparison as a character.
Is it weird that I feel sorry for both Vash and Legato? Even though his main goal with this was to make Vash suffer, you can tell that he also just wanted to die already. As evil and disgusting as he is, he's suffered so much throughout his life that he completely gave up all hope and just wallowed in his own despair.
***** If you think so, then here our debate has to stop. You clearly are misguided in some stuff and there is no sense in me trying to convince you. I wish you a fine day and let's just each leave the discussion with our own opinions
legato did not force vash is with his mind powers thoe well not in the way your suggesting and ye ai know about the examples you gave i was more refering to comic batman as thats the one who keeps getting protected from it
This depends on the interpretation of Batman you're going with. Some versions he kills easily. Others he doesn't kill under any circumstance, even if not doing so means more suffering for more people. Others he'll kill under certain circumstances and not under most. It really does depend on the time period, medium, and writer. I mean, there are writers that portray him as a good man with an idealistic moral code and a genuine desire to save and redeem, and others who write him as a total sociopath who sticks by his code to avoid becoming a serial killer. And others still that make him a mix.
the whole batman doesn't kill or use guns is pointless when he zooms around in a fighter jet or gun boat shooting missles at bad guys. Batman just doesn't kill face to face and avoids killing the main villains who by their existence justify his.
I just realized it’s not only Vash’s ideals that died here. But more so his promise to Rem. His promise kept her alive in him in some way but doing this cemented her death. Though he killed Legato that doesn’t mean Vash is no longer a pacifist. But maybe this gives him the opportunity to move on from Rem’s death. The ending with him and Knives makes me think he still values life. Though the manga may be different. Never read it.
When I was 10, I was doing a music project and found Legato in Google images. I think I thought "interesting" even though I got the impression that he was an antagonist. Then I saw a gun to his head and the worst feeling stirred in the pit of my stomach. I still don't know why. Legato's face and expressions just made me so sad when I realized that this guy might die in the series and I didn't even know who he was. Even if he was the bad guy. It messed me up for years, everytime I thought about. This is the first time I've watched the scene but the stirring in my gut is still there, not as strong, but I'm still really emotional about him for some reason. I've seen a lot of blood and gore in anime but nothing affects me quite like this death. I don't know why.
3 years after you still don’t understand what they did on MOS. That’s sad. Think you need to watch that scene with subtitles on and maybe you see what he says during their fight.
@@Kuraimizu9152 That does not have the same impact especially when Superman in that movie is walking contradictory. He says "Krypton had its chance" but then gets shocked and sad after snapping Zod's neck. And in the next scene Superman is a hokey-dorey so what was the point of killing Zod if this was never addressed again. When Vash killed Legato, it impacted him and he was out for action for about week. After with more self-discovery and learning that its always possible make things right after you fall, Vash finally rises up to his feet and is ready to confront Knives
I was waiting for Vash to either find a way out if this or maybe have Knives call off Legato at the last second, but nope. Legato turned Vash's no killing rule into a No killing suggestion.
I watch this when I was like 13 years old and I didn't realize the genius of it. Vash the stampede his story is about not making everybody that sometimes as much as we like to stick morals and ideals... In reality they are nothing but smoke and mirrors and ultimately cause more problems than they solve. His morals about never killing someone was a ultimate paradox because of the end of the day in the situation he's in there was no way he could have stuck to them at some point fast would have to kill. sometimes people need to except that somethings are out of their control and at the end of the day you shouldn't beat yourself up and let your past control you as the moral code you set up is ultimately your greatest weakness. Sometimes you need to learn to let go
If you watch this show from the very beginning and follow Vash's story, the moment he pulls that trigger is one of the saddest and emotional things in the series; and you feel the pain that he felt in his heart in your own. Damn this is a good story.
MrPlee01 so if your friend or family member is a mass murderer, serial killer, or the like the only right thing to do is preserve their life at all costs even if you have to kill the innocent to do so?
@@KelsaRavenlock :))) yes or you can thrown, give away all your friendship, love for the people that you love and Embrace eternal suffering. Is like the scene XD You can kill your friend doing the right thing and suffer or protect your friend and suffer anyway. Is the life. Is not about what you choose, is about what you are capable of sustain, the pain of the life itself and choices. there is no answer only the way you choose.
That look on Vash's face when Meryl and Millie start screaming for their lives... its like he's shocked by the realization that there's only one real choice he can make.
here's a fan Theory where Legato unintentionally saved Vash by forcing Vash to kill for the first and last time. it's quite possible had this event never happened in Trigun Vash would not I've been able to confront knives beat him without killing him.
In the manga, he actually fights Vash and goes batshit crazy when doing so. It's really weird to never see him break his calm, graceful demeanor in the anime, and just watch him go from that to just rabid monster in the manga.
What hits me the hardest is Legato asking for it. He's obviously trying to cause Vash to suffer, but it also feels a bit like pity. Unlike him Vash has true free will and refuses to use it, and Legato is asking him to finally think for himself. It's obviously screwed up, but it's there.
This animation and the characters age better than wine. The more time is passed, the more I appreciate how much of a jewel this is. The characters are great. Legato is a great character, and very complex, for example, despite making very little appearance in the animation itself. It's interesting how the animation also plays with the third option trope. It gives the audience the expectation that there will always be a way out, with too many such occasions until, of course, plot twist, it doesn't. So it has that much more power when it breaks the expectations it drills into our minds. It makes us trust the animation, the trope, and then smashes it into pieces.
This episode, and the episode after, were one of my favorite in the series. Just because of how Vash deals with the guilt of taking a life, which wasn't really as touched upon in the manga.
what makes it awesome is how legato's specialty is his power to control people's actions to force them to do what he wants, but here he gives vash, as he puts it, free will to shoot him and in a way he's still forcing him to do so
Life is an incessant series of problems... all difficult, with brutally limited choices - and a time limit... Legato's voice actor and the music here is absolutely brilliant...so devastatingly sad and poetic...I mourn for Legato as well..."Give me the gift of nothingness." So dedicated to his task and proud at what he knows he will soon accomplish; he grins at his impending death. *tears up*
Legato is the anime version of the Joker. they both have killer sense of humors, they both embody nihilism with no care for their own well-being, in fact both of their biggest drive is to break the hero with a no-kill code. and just like the Joker, in the end when Legato broke our hero he died with a smile on his face
One of the best scenes in all of anime , really well voice acted by the English cast as well. Vash’s scream at the end of this scene is fucking haunting
Truly moving. One of the best poignant scenes of any media I've ever encountered. When Vash finally pulls the trigger as tears stream down his face, my heart nearly stopped, and for me that hardly ever happens.
This scene even as kid but now even more so as a 23 year old man makes me teary eyed. I also think the eng dub adds even more emotional weight to it. Just here again on a nostalgia trip.
4:38 Whenever anime does that thing where everything goes silent but the show keeps going during a traumatic/emotional scene. That shit fucking GETS ME