Fans of The Mandalorian will notice that the first episode of the long-awaited season 3 has just come out on Disney+. However, once you’ve watched it, you now have a week to wait before the next episode. So what should you do to get your fix of Space Westerns in the meantime? Well, why not check out Trigun Stampede on Crunchyroll?

Trigun Stampede: What is It?

'Trigun Stampede' NA key art.
As chaotic as it looks in this key art.

Trigun Stampede is an ongoing 2023 post-apocalyptic Space Western CGI anime series. In fact, it’s actually a reboot of the 1998 anime Trigun. Trigun, in turn, is the anime adaptation of the 1995 manga of the same name by Yasuhiro Nightow (Trigun, Gungrave, Blood Blockade Battlefront).

Orange (Land of the Lustrous, Beastars, Godzilla Singular Point) is the Japanese animation studio behind Trigun Stampede. Kenji Mutō is the director of this anime, with Toho producer Katsuhiro Takei producing. Tatsurō Inamoto, Shin Okashima, and Yoshihisa Ueda wrote for the anime. Amazingly, Yasuhiro Nightow was involved in the anime’s production at every step, with him correcting the script if he felt it was off, and apparently finding no major issues with said script when the writers presented it to him. Lastly, Tatsuya Kato composed the music for this anime.

Speaking of music: “Tombi” by Kvi Baba is the theme music for the opening sequence of Trigun Stampede.

Complete with some psychedelic CGI animation to boot.

Meanwhile, “Hoshi no Kuzu α” (星のクズ α) by singer Salyu and composer Haruka Nakamura is the theme music for the ending sequence of this anime.

A nice relaxing song to jam to while you watch the pretty animation.

Trigun Stampede premiered on January 7, 2023; and is ongoing as of this writing. In fact, episode 8 just recently premiered on February 25, 2023. You can watch this anime only on Crunchyroll though. so you need a premium Crunchyroll account to watch it. Unfortunately, Crunchyroll no longer believes in free anime as of early 2022.

The Mandalorian Fans: Why You Should Watch This Anime

The very first episode on YouTube should really speak for itself.

At its heart, The Mandalorian is a Space Western akin to Firefly, but set in the Star Wars universe. If you enjoy that blend of genres, then it should be obvious why you should check out Trigun Stampede, since that too is a Space Western. Both of them have the theme of a lone gunman with a complex backstory being the main protagonist. The only difference here is in the personalities of Din Djarin and Vash the Stampede, but that’s what gives each show its unique appeal distinct from each other. Their core personalities though remain more or less the same: they’re both protectors at heart. Thus, it gives both main characters an appeal to audiences.

Even on the post-apocalyptic front, The Mandalorian shares that aspect with Trigun Stampede. True, Din Djarin isn’t stuck wandering around on a single desert planet among the remains of humanity’s survivors like Vash is. However, Din Djarin does wander around a post-Clone Wars galaxy in the grip of the Galactic Empire. In many ways, he’s wandering around the ruins of the Old Republic (and by extension, the Jedi) after Palpatine ended it. You could say that Din Djarin is wandering around a post-apocalyptic galaxy in this case, thus giving the show a strong link to Trigun Stampede.

The Contrast is Important Too

'The Mandalorian' screenshot showing Din Djarin pointing a blaster at the camera.
A sudden change from anime to live-action would be quite the contrast indeed.

It’s not just the similarities between The Mandalorian and Trigun Stampede that make the latter appealing. It’s the differences as well. To start with: Din Djarin and Vash the Stampede are pretty contrasting personalities.

Din Djarin is a hardened bounty hunter, motivated by a combination of profit and a desire to keep the old Mandalorian religion alive. He can and will kill people to get to his bounty if need be, and he certainly doesn’t hesitate to do so when he does. It makes him initially seem like a cold personality. However, when he’s confronted with Grogu (AKA: Baby Yoda), we see that he has a softer and kinder side deep inside. A side to him that wants to protect instead of kill. It’s like chewing through the hard candy coating of a Tootsie pop to get to the soft chewy chocolate candy in the center.

Meanwhile, Vash is an out-and-out pacifist and a fairly devoted one at that. He refuses to actually shoot to kill, or even just kill an enemy period. This means that he has to come up with some very creative ways to take down his enemies and save people. This also means a whole lot of drama when Vash is forced to choose between saving someone and violating his ideals. Just like with Din Djarin, it reveals what kind of person Vash is in those moments. It’s these differences in character that makes Trigun Stampede an appealing show for any fan of The Mandalorian.