The Running Man

逃げる男
Series
Japanese Name	逃げる男
English Name
English Name (Pioneer)
English Name (Funimation)
Season
Episode No.	2
Original Airdate	January 14th, 2023
US Airdate	January 14th, 2023
Writer
Director	Minoru Yamaoka
Previous Episode	NOMAN'S LAND
Next Episode	Bright Light, Shine through the Darkness

Japanese Title Card

逃げる男 (Eng: The Running Man) is the second episode of Trigun Stampede.

Synopsis

The episode opens with a flashback of the events from the crashing of the colony ships. In the present day, Vash sits at a desk in an inn room cleaning his gun while the DJ on the radio laments the position that the citizens of the planet are in. There is a picture of Rem with both Vash and Nai as children on the desk.

Later on, Vash sits with Meryl and Roberto at a table in the saloon while a radio blares in the background, announcing that the Nebraskas have escaped from the May City prison. Meryl is going over what Vash has told her so far, which is that he's not the person running around stealing plants, and that the actual culprit is his twin brother who looks exactly like him. Roberto says that they can't just believe that with no evidence. Vash tries to cry his way out of it, but it doesn't work. Roberto and Meryl both want to know why Vash's brother Knives is stealing all the plants in the first place, but Vash is silent. Roberto wonders if revenge has to do with it somehow.

Just then, a kid comes running up to Vash with some bugs in a cage. Meryl's freaked out, but Vash thanks the kid, Tonis, and pats him on the head. Tonis's mother Rosa comes up and yells at him for bringing worms into the diner, and then tells him to go outside and stay away for a while. Then she and everyone else in the diner pull out guns and point them at Vash. A mad scramble ensues as everyone in town tries to catch Vash alive for the bounty money. Vash somehow manages to evade most of the townsfolk and almost escapes, but gets cornered. Meryl and Roberto throw him a rope and haul him up to safety. Roberto asks what the hell is going on, and Vash says he'd like to know, too.

Elsewhere in the desert, the Nebraskas - father and son - have hijacked a car and are arguing with the driver over the car's rough suspension. The father pulls out a Wanted poster to reveal that he's also after the $$6,000,000 bounty attached to Vash. Back in town, Vash is lamenting the choice of photo on his Wanted poster. Meryl and Roberto overhear the townspeople talk about capturing the two people with Vash as well, reasoning that they can then demand more money. Roberto regrets saving Vash and says things would be easier if Vash would put up a fight, but Vash doesn't want to cause a shoot-out. Besides, he says, bullets are expensive - one bullet costs the same as two pizza slices.

Vash proposes that they sneak out of town. To mislead the townsfolk, the group ties a red cloth to a blue, bird-like creature and sends it through town. The group is almost successful when they are stopped by Rosa and two other women. At the same time, the Nebraskas are also approaching the town and are not happy to see that someone else got to Vash first. They tell the driver of the car to run them over, and when he refuses to do so, they toss him out. Unfortunately, they can't drive. Tonis has wandered out while Rosa explains her actions to Vash and an indignant Meryl, and the careening car almost hits him. However, Vash saves both mother and child in the nick of time as the car crashes to a stop.

The Nebraskas announce themselves by saying, "Power is justice! Power is truth! There's no future for those who can't fight!" They demand to see Vash and challenge him to a duel. Vash takes off on a blue bird and the Nebraskas follow in the car. Meryl and Roberto rush after them, not wanting their scoop to get away. The Nebraskas taunt Vash and try to rocket-punch him right up until their car's battery dies. They then continue to chase after him on foot until they are knocked out. Father laments letting the bounty get away, because without the money they will go back to prison. But then he gets an idea: maybe catching Vash isn't the only way to make some money...

Meryl is chewing Vash out when radio chatter erupts: Jeneora Rock is under attack. The Nebraskas have decided to steal the town's plant so that they can sell it. Vash hurries back with the reporters in tow as Gofsef lays waste to the town with his rocket fist. He carries the plant to the end of a long ledge, to which they've backed up the car so that they can grab the winch hook. Rosa lunges at Gofsef, who grabs her and tosses her into the air. He tries to rocket punch her, but Vash saves her in the nick of time. Father is surprised to see him. They argue, and he tries to get Vash to draw his gun but is unsuccessful. He attacks with a rocket launcher, which causes structural damage to the ledge that they're all on.

Nebraska can't figure out why Vash would want to save the town in the first place, since they stabbed him in the back in a bid for the bounty. However, Vash says they were kind to him once, and that's all that matters. Nebraska pulls out a handgun and fires it, causing Vash to pull out his gun and fire a bullet that knocks Nebraska's out of the air. Just then, the ledge starts to collapse. Father Nebraska jumps to safety, but Gofsef hangs back to grab the plant. He carries it to safety, but can't quite make it himself. He is able to grab the edge of the remaining ledge with his rocket hand but is left dangling. Vash talks Rosa and the other townspeople into helping pull Gofsef up, and Nebraska agrees not to take the plant.

Back at the diner, there is a party in celebration for saving the town. Tonis brings his worms back over to show them to Gofsef, who's creeped out. At another table, Meryl is getting white-girl-wasted and lecturing Roberto. He notices Vash try to slip away and follows, confronting him. He has figured out that Vash is on the run from his brother Knives. Just then, a scream is heard. The two run into the saloon to find Gofsef covered in what look like bacteriophages with cubic blue heads. The heads turn red as Gofsef stumbles outside and away from the diner. Papa tries to go after him, but Vash holds him back. There is an explosion and the episode ends, Gofsef's fate uncertain.

Gallery

• Rem and the kids

  Rem and the kids

• Blue thing

  Blue thing

• A bacteriophage-thing

  A bacteriophage-thing

• More of them

  More of them