HARD PUNCHER (episode)

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

HARD PUNCHER
Series
Japanese Name	HARD PUNCHER
English Name
English Name (Pioneer)
English Name (Funimation)	Hard Puncher
Season
Episode No.	5
Original Airdate	April 29, 1998
US Airdate	April 7, 2003
Writer
Director
Previous Episode	LOVE&PEACE
Next Episode	LOST JULY

"HARD PUNCHER" is the fifth episode of Trigun (1998 anime).

Synopsis

The people of Inepril City try to take down Vash the Stampede and claim the bounty to fix their damaged plants. In an act of desperation, the chairman calls in the extremely dangerous Nebraska Family.

Characters

In order of appearance:

• Vash the Stampede
• Tonis
• Tonis' mother
• Monica
• Old man
• Inepril bounty hunters
• Meryl Stryfe
• Milly Thompson
• Granny
• Kuroneko-sama
• Henry
• Chairman
• Gofsef Nebraska
• Professor Nebraska
• Sandie
• Women
  • Mother

Manga

This episode's story is adapted from the Trigun chapters "THE $$60 BILLION DOUBLE DOLLAR MAN", "LOONEY TUNES", and "HARD PUNCHER". The story is adapted fairly closely, but with the following major differences:

• Meryl and Milly have already met Vash and had several run-ins with him, where as in the manga, their first interaction with Vash occurs after the defeat of the Nebraska Family.
• Henry is named Vonnegut in the manga.
• Sandie is original to the anime and does not appear in the manga.
• Professor Nebraska wields an elongated Derringer in the anime, while in the manga, his entire lower body has been replaced by a large gun.
  • The Professor's lower body is never shown in the episode itself, but set materials printed in the anime art book depict him with normal legs, unlike his manga counterpart.
• Professor Nebraska is defeated by Vash, who uses Tonis' toy gun to shoot suction cup bullets at his face and then chants "This world is made of LOVE AND PEACE!" at the stunned Professor. In the manga, the Professor is defeated by Meryl and Milly, who shoot him with their guns, causing him to be flung into a nearby cactus.
• In the manga, Meryl announces Vash has been designated as a localized disaster and that his bounty had been rendered invalid before the events of the chapter began. In the anime, Vash doesn't receive his designation as a localized disaster until episode 16, after the Fifth Moon incident occurs, and his bounty is never explicitly invalidated.

Credits

See subpage Credits