Nicholas D. Wolfwood (anime)

Nicholas D. Wolfwood
Japanese name	ニコラス・D・ウルフウッド
Alternate spelling
Age
Born
Alias
Race	Human
Height
Hair Color	Black
Eye Color	Blue
Gender	Male
Occupation	Priest, gunman
Affiliation
First appearance	MURDER MACHINE
Last appearance	PARADISE on-screen UNDER THE SKY SO BLUE voice
First manga appearance
Last manga appearance
First anime appearance
Last anime appearance
First Stampede appearance
Last Stampede appearance
Japanese voice actor	Sho Hayami
English voice actor	Jeff Nimoy 1998 Brad Hawkins film

The subject of this article goes by multiple names that apply to other articles as well. See Nicholas D. Wolfwood (disambiguation) and Wolfwood (disambiguation).

Nicholas D. Wolfwood is one of the main characters of Trigun (1998 anime) and Trigun: Badlands Rumble.

Biography

1998 anime

Early Life

Young Wolfwood shoots his guardian.

Wolfwood first shot a gun at the age of 7 to kill his abusive guardian. He found it surprisingly easy to shoot the gun and kill the man, and remarked that he actually laughed. With his guardian now dead, Wolfwood felt free, but only for a short time. He soon ended up under the tutelage of Chapel the Evergreen, who put Wolfwood through strict and intensive training to be a gunman.

Young Wolfwood training as a gunman under Chapel's supervision.

As an adult, he started an orphanage in December so other kids didn't have to grow up in the same way he had. He found the work fulfilling and finally felt like he was doing something good for the world.

Wolfwood and the children from his orphanage.

Wolfwood began working for Knives and the Gung-Ho Guns with Chapel.

Meeting Vash

One heck of well-prepared dead guy.

When traveling to May City, Wolfwood's motorcycle broke down in the middle of the desert. He decided to continue traveling on foot while carrying his Punisher, but was unable to make it and collapsed. Wolfwood was saved when Vash spotted him from the window of the bus he was taking to May City. Once on the bus and given water to drink, Wolfwood met Meryl, Milly, and Vash.

When the bus stopped for a short rest, Wolfwood had to beg the driver to allow him to ride, as he did not have enough money to afford both the fare and food. The bus driver allowed Wolfwood to ride at a reduced rate--although he did not take up Wolfwood's offer for a free confession with his portable confessional. Vash asked if the confessional was part of his gospel. Wolfwood replied that it was not, instead just for business as he needed money to take care of the orphans back at his church in December. He explained he had left the church because he needed to make some money for them.

When noticing two children, Tania and Helen, complaining to their mother that they were hungry, Wolfwood offered two of his three meal bars--his only food--to them. The children and their mother were very grateful for his kindness and generosity. Wolfwood saw Vash had been watching the exchange and said he was "surprised that [he] could smile like that." Vash seemed confused, and Wolfwood elaborated that he'd noticed although Vash had been friendly and smiling before, it seemed empty, like he was "hurting like crazy on the inside." He then urged Vash to pay for some time in his portable confessional.

Back on the bus, Wolfwood attempted to treat the injured passenger. The mother suddenly shouted out for her daughter, Helen, who was missing. Both Vash and Wolfwood immediately leapt out of the moving bus to rescue the child. In his haste, Wolfwood forgot to retrieve his cross from the roof of the bus, leaving him unarmed. Vash loaned him his throwing knife to use.

The Quick Draw Tournament

In May City, Wolfwood was helping a family who were struggling to run their family restaurant. The husband disappeared, leaving the mother and son with a huge debt. He signed up Vash in the Quick Draw tournament without asking first. Vash was upset but reluctantly agreed to participate to help the family.

The caravan

Wolfwood and Milly helped Moore and Julius escape from the caravan.

Fifth Moon

Wolfwood witnessed the Fifth Moon event. When Rai-Dei found him, Wolfwood shot and killed him.

Relocating Vash

Wolfwood tracked down Vash, who was now living under the alias Ericks.

Badlands Rumble

A very dehydrated Wolfwood struggles with a water vending machine.

Wolfwood is found by Gasback and his gang.

Wolfwood once again had become stranded in the desert. Weak and dehydrated, he struggled to put his only bill into a water vending machine, which refused to accept it. Gasback and his crew drove up to the vending machine. Gasback yelled at Wolfwood for being in his way and told him to go to the nearby cemetery if he wanted to die. Wolfwood feebly pleaded for them to break his bill. One of Gasback's men pointed out the Punisher, which was laying on the ground nearby. The wrappings had become loose and the weapon inside was visible. Gasback made the decision not to steal the Punisher and instead rescued Wolfwood. In return for saving him, Wolfwood temporarily became Gasback's bodyguard, but only under the condition that he would not take part in any actual robberies.

Character

Appearance

Wolfwood is a tall man with black hair, blue eyes, and tan skin. He is has a lithe build, and although he appears fairly slender, he is seen to be very strong as he is able to wield the Punisher with ease. He is often seen with some stubble on his chin.

Wolfwood may be of Asian descent, as his appearance was based on Japanese musician Tortoise Matsumoto.

Wolfwood's outfit consists of a simple black suit (often colored as a dark blue). The suit jacket has padded shoulders and the suit pants are of a slim fit. Beneath the jacket, he wears a white button-up dress shirt. His shirt is always seen partially unbuttoned and open at the top, his chest visible. He wears simple tan shoes (possibly loafers, as they have no laces) with white socks beneath. He has a white cross-shaped cufflink on each sleeve of his suit jacket. Wolfwood is sometimes seen wearing sunglasses, which have square frames and black (often colored as a dark brown) lenses.

Wolfwood is a smoker, and is often seen with a cigarette in his mouth.

• 

  Wolfwood's design in the 1998 anime.

• 

  Wolfwood's design in Badlands Rumble.

As a child, Wolfwood has a similar hairstyle as he does as an adult. He is seen wearing a grey button-up short-sleeved shirt, shorts (possibly dark blue or brown*), and a pair of loafers (possibly tan*), similar in style to what he wears as an adult.
*Wolfwood's scenes as a child in episode 23 were all tinted with red, making these colors unclear. However, the next episode preview in episode 22 features an alternate version of one scene of child Wolfwood without the red overlay, but only his head and shirt are visible.

• 

  Wolfwood as a child.

• 

  Young Wolfwood's design in the 1998 anime.

Personality

Wolfwood has a friendly and personable demeanor, but can also be very serious and blunt. Wolfwood is shown to be very protective of children and very generous towards them, often putting their needs and safety before his own without hesitation. He is quick to act in a situation. Although he is a priest, he has many vices including smoking, drinking, and gambling, and does not hesitate to resort to violence.

Occupation

Wolfwood is a priest of an unspecified Christian denomination, though he is rarely seen performing actual religious duties or rites aside from giving the occasional blessing or offering (paid) usage of his portable confessional. He also works as a gunman and acts as a both a caretaker and provider for the orphans in December. Wolfwood also worked as a bodyguard for Gasback a short time.

Portable Confessional

Wolfwood uses this miniature church-shaped box to perform the Rite of Penance on the go. A coin is inserted to the steeple on top as payment. Wolfwood explains to Vash that this is strictly business, as he desperately needs money to make a living and take care of the orphans in December.

• 

  The portable confessional's intended placement, as demonstrated by the bus driver.

• 

  Wolfwood holding the portable confessional.

• 

  Wolfwood indicates where to insert a coin, urging Vash to give it a try.

Family

Wolfwood was an orphan. The fate of his parents and any other family members he may have had is unknown.

Guardian

Wolfwood was under the care of a man he described as "a sickening piece of garbage who had the nerve to call himself [his] guardian." At the age of 7, Wolfwood shot and killed him. His relationship to this man, familial or otherwise, is unknown.

Wolfwood's guardian after being shot.

Chapel the Evergreen

Chapel was a mentor to Wolfwood.

Vash the Stampede

Wolfwood had initially been ordered to bring Vash to Knives. He and Vash often butted heads over their differing philosophies and courses of actions but they developed a bond of mutual friendship and respect.

Milly Thompson

Wolfwood became very close with Milly.

Weapons

The Punisher

The Punisher, also called the Cross Punisher, is a large cross-shaped weapon that Wolfwood always travels with, usually wrapped in light beige cloth and secured with multiple black straps with clasps. Wolfwood typically uses one of these straps, slung over his shoulder, to carry the wrapped Punisher on his back. The Punisher is very heavy, which is remarked upon by multiple characters. Wolfwood's explanation for its weight is "that's because it's so full of mercy."

• 

  Three men struggle to lift the heavy Punisher.

• 

  "That's because it's so full of mercy."

Version 1

The first version of the Punisher first appears in episode 9 and last appears in episode 16. This iteration of the Punisher appears to only have a gun rack.

• 

  Diagram of 4 Grader handguns on the Punisher's gun rack, showing how they rotate out on the mechanism.

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  Four Grader handguns in the storage position before rotating outwards.

Version 2

The second version of the Punisher is closer in design to the one seen in the manga. It first appears in episode 18 and is used for the rest of the series, last appearing in the final episode. This iteration of the Punisher has more features than its predecessor, including a built-in machine gun and rocket launcher.

• 

  Wolfwood reveals his new Punisher.

Grader Handguns

Wolfwood owns at least 6 handguns, which are stored in a rack in the first version of the Punisher.

• 

  Design of Wolfwood's Grader handgun.

• 

  Wolfwood with 6 Grader handguns.

Non-Canon

Trigun: The 2nd Donut Happy Pack

Album Booklet Story

Wolfwood was a student at Trigun High School in Japan. He was a catcher on the baseball team, playing alongside Vash, who was a pitcher. The two of them became a powerful pitcher and catcher unit, carrying their team to the Koshien tournament. Unfortunately, Wolfwood suffered from an "incurable illness" that put him in the hospital and unable to play at the tournament.

Scenes of Wolfwood as a high school student/baseball player.

Development

Design

Yasuhiro Nightow has stated that Wolfwood's appearance was based on musician Tortoise Matsumoto, who is a member of the musical group Ulfuls, which Wolfwood's name is a pun of.

Voice

Jeff Nimoy, the English dub actor for Wolfwood, originally auditioned for the role of Vash. He was asked if he smoked cigarettes (which he did not) because there was a character on the show who smoked that his voice would be perfect for. Nimoy did not even know the name of the character he would be voicing until he went in to record.

Gallery

• 

  Wolfwood & Vash.

• 

  Vash & Wolfwood.

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  Wolfwood with Milly & Meryl.

Notes

• Wolfwood speaks Japanese with a Kansai regional dialect in the original audio.

Appearances

Trigun (1998 anime):

Episodes

• MURDER MACHINE
• QUICK DRAW
• ESCAPE FROM PAIN
• FIFTH MOON (disambiguation)
• GOODBYE FOR NOW
• HANG FIRE
• FLYING SHIP
• OUT OF TIME
• ALTERNATIVE
• PARADISE
• LIVE THROUGH (Flashback only, reused footage)
• UNDER THE SKY SO BLUE (Flashback, reused footage; voice only)

Opening Credits

• MURDER MACHINE
• QUICK DRAW
• ESCAPE FROM PAIN
• GOODBYE FOR NOW
• HANG FIRE
• FLYING SHIP
• OUT OF TIME
• ALTERNATIVE
• PARADISE

Preview Only

• AND BETWEEN THE WASTELAND AND SKY...
• DIABLO (disambiguation)*
• DEMONS EYE

*The preview clip featuring Wolfwood was recycled from episode 9. Despite being included in its preview, neither this clip nor Wolfwood himself appeared in episode 13.

Trigun: Badlands Rumble

Trigun: The 2nd Donut Happy Pack

• Album booklet story
• Audio dramas

References

• https://web.archive.org/web/20060719111501/http://www.shonengahosha.co.jp/ours/trigun/staff.html