Legato Bluesummers (anime)
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- This article is about the anime continuity iteration of the character. For other uses of "Legato Bluesummers", see Legato Bluesummers (disambiguation).
| Legato Bluesummers | |
|---|---|
| |
| Japanese name | レガート・ブルーサマーズ |
| Race | Human |
| Hair Color | Cornflower Blue |
| Eye Color | Golden Yellow |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Knives' second-in-command Gung-Ho-Guns' de facto leader |
| Affiliation | Gung-Ho Guns |
| First appearance | DIABLO |
| Last appearance | SIN physical UNDER THE SKY SO BLUE In Flashback |
| Japanese voice actor | Toshihiko Seki |
| English voice actor | Richard Cansino (credited as Richard Hayworth) |
Legato Bluesummers is one of the main characters in Trigun (1998 anime).
Biography
1998 anime
In the 90s anime, no mention is made of Legato's past or how he came to know Millions Knives. He is first seen telling Monev the Gale that it is now his time to go challenge Vash the Stampede. Later on, he finds Vash and tells him that he'll be visited by the Gung-Ho-Guns. After this, he ends up in the saloon at Jeneora Rock alongside some of the Roderick Thieves and their girlfriend-captives. He catches the eye of one of the girls, which enrages her gang-member boyfriend and makes him challenge Legato to a fight. At first Legato is indifferent, but once he's provoked enough he makes the challenger quite literally rip his own heart out. He then makes the rest of the gang members present shoot each other to death (notably, he spares the girls). Legato leaves the saloon and travels to the top of a rocky spire housing the town's giant windmill, where he is confronted by the rest of the Roderick Thieves. The other Gung-Ho-Guns meet up with him here as well, and they all proceed to kill half of the remaining members - the half that were spared are explicitly told that it was only so that they could bury their dead. Legato sets Dominique the Cyclops to fight with Vash and then leaves.
Legato then goads Vash into coming to the city of Augusta to fight with him. When Vash gets there, he is confronted first by E.G. Mine and then challenged to a fight with Rai-Dei the Blade (disambiguation). Legato invades Vash's mind and pushes him into fully activating his Angel Arm, annihilating the city of Augusta in the process. Legato and Midvalley watch the mayhem unfold from atop a distant scarp of rock, where Legato reveals to him that this was the exact same thing that caused the annihilation of July 23 years prior.
Legato appears again when Leonof the Puppetmaster (disambiguation) infiltrates the semi-intact SEEDS ship that Vash is visiting and reports back to him what's going on. This is when he realizes that Nicholas D. Wolfwood has turned traitor, and also realizes how he can take advantage of that to make Vash truly suffer. Legato's plan presumably plays out in the episode "Paradise", when he has Chapel the Evergreen confront Wolfwood about proving his loyalty and killing Vash. Chapel challenges him to a duel, but surprisingly loses. Wolfwood decides to spare Chapel, trusting that his old mentor won't shoot him when he turns his back. Legato, however, takes control of Chapel's body and makes him shoot Wolfwood anyway, killing him. Chapel is angry enough to try and seek vengeance by killing Legato, but is unsuccessful. Knives has healed by this time, so Legato assumes that he's no longer needed and decides to go out in dramatic fashion. He has Vash meet him on a scarp of rock above LR Town, where he forces Vash to choose to deliberately kill him. He dies smiling, knowing that he's likely broken Vash mentally.
Character
Appearance
Legato is about as tall as Vash, with a slender build and broad shoulders. He has overgrown blue hair, the bangs of which cover his left eye. Aesthetically speaking, he is an unusually beautiful man.
For clothes, he wears a black long-sleeved turtleneck paired with waist-high gray pants that have a skinny leg. Over this outfit he wears a long white duster with a high collar and prominent lapels (the left lapel has a notch taken out of it). The sleeves on the jacket are short, and are cuffed with metal rings. The right shoulder of the jacket bulges into a spherical shape and has a set of wicked-looking impalement spikes protruding from it. The left arm of the jacket has a skull lashed to it. To complete the outfit, Legato also wears fingerless gloves and leather boots that are cuffed at the ankles with metal rings. He wears a weird metal ring around his right thigh like a garter.
Personality
Legato is a "straw nihilist" who is preoccupied with the idea that living is painful. He is dutiful, faithful, and obedient, at least to those he deems worthy (Knives). To everyone else he seems polite but aloof at best; frightening and dangerous at worst. He exudes an aura of power and total control. He seems to have a sadistic streak, though it's debatable as to whether he actually gets pleasure out of tormenting his victims (the exception being Vash). Legato can also be passive-aggressive and is given to deadpan sarcasm, though he doesn't seem to emote much vocally.
Occupation
Legato serves as Knives' second-in-command and the de facto leader of the Gung-Ho-Guns (he is the first Gung-Ho-Gun). His primary job is to cause Vash eternal pain and suffering on Knives' behalf, presumably for injuring him during the events that annihilated July.
Relationships
Legato's relationship to Knives is that of a devoted worshipper and faithful servant. His relationship to Vash is that of a bully or antagonist. His relationship to the Gung-Ho-Guns is that of "boss" (Midvalley the Hornfreak (disambiguation) serves as a kind of personal assistant). His relationship to himself is one of loathing and contempt. Legato does not have a relationship with the insurance girls, except to take them hostage in order to provoke Vash into shooting him. He has no canonical lovers.
Weapons & Abilities
Telepathy
Legato's weapon is his mind. He is able to take control of another person's mind and body and make them do his bidding (they may or may not be conscious of what's happening). He can also project mental images into a person's mind, and seemingly astral project. Most significantly, he is able to activate Vash's Angel Arm.
Though it isn't outright stated, the source of Legato's power is thought to be Vash's left arm - this was grafted to his body at some point prior to the events of the series. Since Vash is a plant, the graft likely imbued Legato with some of whatever it is that gives plants their powers and abilities.
Non-Canon
Development
Gallery
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Legato's outfit
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From one of the artbooks
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Legato.
Notes & Trivia
- The word "Legato" comes from the Latin term ligare, which means "to bind". It's where the terms "ligand", "ligament", and "delegate" come from. The character was probably so named because he acts as Knives' emissary, or delegate, for most of the series - he is the tie binding Knives to his brother. (Note: His weapon of choice in the manga also makes use of strings, but that hadn't yet been revealed at the time the 90s anime was produced.)
- Legato is also a type of musical notation used to indicate that a series of notes should be played in a smooth and connected way.
- Legato's English voice actor, Richard Cansino, is the nephew of Old Hollywood actress Rita Hayworth. He sometimes goes by "Richard Hayworth" when credited.
Appearances
Trigun (1998)
Episodes
- DIABLO
- DEMONS EYE
- FIFTH MOON
- FLYING SHIP
- OUT OF TIME
- ALTERNATIVE
- PARADISE
- SIN
- LIVE THROUGH (Flashback only, reused footage)
- UNDER THE SKY SO BLUE (Flashback only, reused footage)