FIFTH MOON (episode)

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This article is about the anime episode. For the manga chapter of the same name, see FIFTH MOON (chapter).

FIFTH MOON
Series
Japanese Name	FIFTH MOON
English Name
English Name (Pioneer)
English Name (Funimation)	Fifth Moon
Season
Episode No.	16
Original Airdate	July 22, 1998
US Airdate	April 24, 2003
Writer
Director
Previous Episode	DEMONS EYE
Next Episode	REM SAVEREM

"FIFTH MOON" is the sixteenth episode of Trigun (1998 anime).

Synopsis

The episode opens in a nice-looking hotel lounge. Midvalley and the other members of his band are sitting on some couches and canoodling with half a dozen young women while Legato sits slightly apart from them at a table eating a dish of vanilla ice cream. E.G. Mine pokes his head into the doorway behind him and expresses his impatience with the course of events so far, saying that he should've gone out first. Legato decides to let him go out next, which pleases him, and he leaves. Midvalley then asks if E.G. will be sent alone. Legato says no, he's got a twist up his sleeve, and says that the greater a tragedy is, the greater an emotional effect it will have. He then taps his now-empty ice cream dish with his spoon, ringing it like a boxing bell.

Back at Jeneora Rock, Milly and Meryl are sitting on some benches outside and thinking about Vash. Milly notes that it's been two whole weeks since they parted ways, while Meryl remembers their last encounter. Milly says she's worried about him and wonders how he's doing. Meryl responds with her usual sarcasm, but it falls flat - it's obvious she's worried, too. Just then, Meryl hears some men nearby discussing the incident in the saloon and linking Legato to Vash as an accomplice. One of the men says that he wishes Vash would just drop dead, which causes Meryl to jump up and speak passionately in his defense. Milly is surprised, and Meryl is embarrassed. The two women walk away, and as they do, Meryl remembers the advice that Badwick's father gave her. She resolves at that moment to keep following Vash, and tells Milly that they're leaving.

40 iles from Augusta, an eccentric little courier jumps out of his car and approaches the door of a saloon. He's barely opened it before he has Vash's gun in his face while Vash monologues what he's going to say to Legato when they meet. The courier appropriately freaks out while Vash falls into despair because he realizes that he's actually going to have to fight with Legato and he really doesn't want to. He manages to convince himself that it's okay to just back out before having a sandwich from a plate on the bar while the courier heckles him. Seemingly out of nowhere, a big, burly, deathly pale guy walks up to Vash and utters a single word: Augusta. Vash dives to protect the remaining sandwiches while the burly guy tells Vash to go to Augusta before shooting himself through the temple. He falls to the ground but does not bleed. Vash realizes that the man was serving as Legato's calling card, which angers him, and he resolves to go to Augusta to meet him.

On the outskirts of Augusta (65 iles away), a man runs into a bar and frantically tells the patrons that Vash the Stampede is in the city and that they need to get out of there ASAP. Wolfwood is sitting at a table having a drink and presumably notes this. Elsewhere, Milly and Meryl are talking to a truck of fleeing citizens who fill them in on what's happening with Vash. In town, Vash is drawing as much attention to himself as he can by shouting and firing his pistol into the sky, hoping that his antics and reputation will get the citizens out of harm's way before he has his actual fight. He ends up exhausted but successful.

The town is eerily quiet as Vash begins to walk. A drop of blood falls onto his shoulder, causing him to look up and see the corpses of Monev and Dominique hanging from the side of a building. He is shocked and disgusted. E.G. Mine then comes out and greets him, asking Vash if he liked his "decorations". He taunts Vash and then attacks him. Vash is quick, though, and has him at gunpoint soon enough. A blast surprises both men, and when the dust clears, Rai-Dei the Blade is standing there. He introduces himself to Vash and says that he wishes to engage him in "Shi-Ai," or a fight to the death in order to achieve spiritual enlightenment.

E.G then tries to attack, but Rai-Dei knocks his spikes out of the air. E.G. expresses dismay and says that it's his turn to fight with Vash. Rai-Dei tells E.G. that he's way out of his league before stabbing him with his sword. He then takes over as Vash's challenge. Rai-Dei attacks, while Vash fights largely on the defensive. Rai-Dei tries to goad Vash into attacking, but does not have much success. Midvalley and Legato watch the mayhem unfold from a distant scarp of rock outside the city. Elsewhere, Meryl and Milly also witness the damage, and wonder if it's Vash. Meryl takes off to go find him, while Milly expresses her misgivings but follows anyway.

Back in town, Rai-Dei is still trying to get Vash to attack him. A shockwave from his sword knocks Vash backwards, but Vash gets up and leaps into the air. To Rai-Dei's surprise, Vash reveals his prosthetic arm gun, but aims it so as not to kill. Rai-Dei retaliates by firing the blade of his sword at Vash, slicing his shoulder and knocking him out of the sky. He fires more shots with his scabbard, which is apparently a gun as well. Vash falls to the ground with his back against a wall, injured. Rai-Dei is furious at Vash for seemingly denying him enlightenment, and demands that Vash tell him what it is he's seeing at that very moment.

Unknown to Rai-Dei, Legato has picked that moment to invade Vash's mind and ask him if he intends to die. Vash is taken by surprise. Legato then prompts Vash to "use it - it's something only you can do." He is referring to the Angel Arm, an eldritch weapon capable of destroying entire cities in one shot. The top pops off of Vash's gun to reveal a glowing capsule. Vash tries hard to fight the weapon's activation, screaming and begging the entire time. Elsewhere, Milly and Meryl come across some of the damage from Vash's fight. Meryl spots a scrap of fabric from Vash's coat and moves to grab it when a white light engulfs everything. Milly doesn't hesitate - she grabs a protesting Meryl and runs for safety.

Rai-Dei is horrified and absolutely clueless as to what's happening. Vash struggles to keep his arm from forming the eldritch cannon, but can't. Vash tells Rai-Dei to run, and he actually listens. However, his path is blocked by fallen debris. He looks on in terror as Vash completes forming the Angel Arm and fires it upward - the shockwave from the gun levels Augusta, while the beam from the cannon strikes one of the planet's five moons. Legato and Midvalley watch this new development from their scarp of rock while Legato strokes his left hand. Midvalley asks if Vash is the one responsible for creating the horrible blue light engulfing the city. Legato says yes, and then tells him that it was the very same thing that destroyed July 23 years prior before creepily licking his left hand.

Elsewhere, Meryl and Milly hang on for dear life as they witness the Angel Arm burn a new crater into the closest of the planet's moons.

The craziness dies down, leaving Augusta in ruins. Wolfwood pulls up on his motorcycle looking for Vash, but finds Rai-Dei. Rai-Dei appeals to Wolfwood to help him go after Vash, because someone that dangerous can't be allowed to live. Instead, Wolfwood shoots Rai-Dei, killing him. Wolfwood then muses about the path Vash has chosen. There is a montage showing the reactions of the people that Vash's life has touched as they hear the news and the rumors. The episode finally ends with Meryl and Milly receiving a letter from Bernardelli saying that Vash is now a "Human Disaster" and that the insurance company will not be involved with him anymore. Meryl cries in Milly's arms as Milly curses Vash for making her cry.

Characters

In order of appearance:

Manga

This episode's story is loosely adapted from portions of the Trigun chapters "SCARS" and "FIFTH MOON".

Elements of Vash's battle with Rai-Dei were later incorporated into the Trigun Maximum chapters "RESUME OUR BUSINESS", "SAMURAI SHOWDOWN", and "WOLFWOOD".

Gallery

See subpage Gallery

Notes

Liquor bottles.

Trivia

• The Monthly Satellite Times headline for this episode reads "Is This Reappearance of JULY? Mysterious Flash in AUGUSTA"
• The next episode preview for "REM SAVEREM" at the end of this episode is narrated by child Vash.
• The designs of several of the liquor bottles seen in this episode appear to be based on real-world brands, including:
  • Highland Queen
  • Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve

Credits

See subpage Credits