Yasuhiro Nightow’s Trigun is a truly generation-defying masterpiece, once revered as a ‘90s classic, but now, with the release of Studio Orange’s Trigun Stampede & Stargaze, it is just as beloved by modern audiences. Trigun Stargaze’s Winter 2026 premiere marks the highly anticipated culmination of this new take on the beloved series – a high-stakes climax to the story of Vash the Stampede and his relentless fight to save the desert planet of No-Man’s Land while still staying true to his ideals.
The lovable yet complex characters of Trigun have always been the core of the series’ timeless appeal, and in the new reimagining, they were brought to life marvelously by the show’s English voice cast. As a part of an event to celebrate the finale of Trigun Stargaze, English voice actors Johnny Yong Bosch, who voices Vash the Stampede, and Sarah Roach, who voices Meryl Stryfe, sat down with CBR to discuss their characters’ turbulent arcs and Trigun Stargaze’s success.
CBR: From the very first episode, Stargaze shows the characters in a much more emotional and intense headspace than they were in the previous season – and it only gets more turbulent from there. How has your approach to portraying them changed as Vash and Meryl themselves matured?
Johnny Yong Bosch: I think in the first season, [Vash] was very hopeful and making a change to the world, to this very violent world. He believed in the hope of humanity, and he resisted Knives, his brother. Then Knives questions him, he says: “I won’t stop until they believe in me,” you know.
But then, for that to go so horribly wrong – that event, and for him to carry that weight for all those years, to see him start off that way… I hate it for him personally, but I love it as far as the story and where you get to take this character.
Because it’s a very rich character to play, and these questions are very deep questions, you know. Can you achieve that goal of peace in such a violent world? Can you get there without killing anybody?
Sarah Roach: I think for Meryl, she starts out brand-new, she is very eager, and she goes through a lot – especially at the end of Stampede. And, seeing how those things sort of harden her a little bit, but also strengthen her convictions – she is stronger now, and she is filling in Roberto’s shoes as a mentor for Milly. I really love where she ended up in her story.
CBR: Meryl in particular had to grow up quite a bit during the time skip – especially in regards to her role as a journalist. Sarah, what do you think of Meryl and her role as both a recorder of Vash and No-Man’s Land’s story and an active participant in this unfolding apocalypse?
Sarah Roach: I love that angle, because she is so dedicated to the truth. She says she has her journalistic integrity.
She’s been trying to let everyone know that Vash is good, he is not the villain that people think. And I think her way of doing that now is by fully dedicating herself to making sure people know what’s happening.
CBR: This season also has been harsh for Vash – from us meeting him as a shell of himself after the July Incident, his conflict with Knives reaching its boiling point, and Vash’s agency, even pertaining to his ideals of pacifism, being taken from him multiple times. Johnny, do you think that the ‘soul’ of Vash’s character stayed the same after everything he’s been through?
Johnny Yong Bosch: Yes, absolutely. He wants to protect everyone. Even those who are causing the violence and the pain – he wants to protect them too. He is stubborn in that way.
But he believes that he can achieve it some way; he doesn’t know how, necessarily, but he’s gonna try to find a way, even if it means his own suffering and sacrificing himself to get there.
CBR: In a way, Stargaze isn’t just the end of this particular journey – it feels like a culmination of the entire Trigun franchise. What, in your opinion, makes Trigun and its characters so timeless and capable of resonating with fans across generations and versions?
Johnny Yong Bosch: Well, the world is very different – this kind of future, space Western kind of thing that’s going on there, that’s very unique. The characters are very rich characters with amazing journeys.
Also, just Vash, and who he is – he doesn’t want to kill anyone, you know, and it’s a very violent world. Can he accomplish that goal? That’s also very unique to anime; you don’t see that a lot.
That, and the character design, and every time they do in and do this, they make him look great. The music, the scoring, is wonderful. They really know what they’re doing.
Sarah Roach: They do. And it’s so expressive! The animation that Studio Orange does – it’s dynamic, it’s cinematic, there is so much detail in the expressions that I think is really compelling.
CBR: Aside from the characters you voice, who is your personal favorite Trigun character?
Sarah Roach: I like Roberto! You know, I miss him. I think he is a great character.
Johnny Yong Bosch: Wolfwood. Yeah, definitely Wolfwood. Although this time around, Knives was a pretty awesome character, too. You get to see more of him.
