(no subject)
I finished watching the Trigun series a few weeks ago and it really got me thinking how much Vash the Stampede resembles Kenshin and vice versa. They are both badasses with incredible fighting capability. Both of them have killed A LOT of people. They both have shitty pasts. They are both pacifists and swear not to take (anymore) human lives. Both their love lives kind of suck. They both bear scars from said past and walk around with said past haunting them over their shoulder. Each of them has a dark side that can be downright frightening. The question is which one is better than the other?
So I present the Vash vs. Kenshin challenge!
First off a note: This was done completely in jest. I personally love both characters and both series with all my heart. I would probably molest both of them.
Second note: I am basing the Kenshin aspect completely off the manga. I didn't watch the anime. For Vash I am basing it off both manga and anime, though I haven't completely finished the manga yet. However I'll be using aspects from both. It has been a while since I have read Kenshin as well.
With that being said, let's begin!
1. Weaponry
I think this a pretty safe category to start off with first. Vash's usual weapon of choice is a custom made .45 caliber silver- or nickel-plated revolver, a classic six-shot double-action with a top break reloading mechanism that fires .45 Long Colt ammunition (I stole this from wikipedia). He's displayed on more than one occasion that his precision with the gun is top notch. He was able to turn a torpedo-fist off it's course by using six bullets alone, on top of the fact whenever he does shoot he ALWAYS manages to just injure his opponents and not kill them. I'd say that's pretty damn accurate. Beside his revolver, Vash has a cybernetic arm fitted with a hidden gun. In both the series and manga, it is initially a powerful semiautomatic pistol that is later upgraded to a fully automatic submachine gun (also stolen from Wikipedia). In other words Vash is packing a lot of fire power with just his arms alone. And that ain't even touching on the Angel Arm. I'll be using the manga verse for this, since in the anime verse Vash's arm, while powerful, ain't up to snuff where the manga is concerned. Vash's Angel Arm can destroy cities by accident. It can stop bullets. He can turn it into a cannon and blast holes through the hulls of ships. Also, which I guess it isn't exactly weaponry, he can infuse his power into bullets and cause mini explosions like his arm can do.
Basing this off weaponry alone and not fighting capability, Kenshin is left with his sakabato. It is a “reverse-edge sword”. The sharpened edge is the inward curved, longer side of the blade - the opposite of a standard katana - making it extremely difficult to kill an opponent; it generally knocks the wielder's enemies "senseless" rather than killing them. The only way for the sakabatō to cut is to rotate the hilt by 180 degrees within the hand, thus holding the sword backwards. Kenshin is an expert swordsman, however since he's more or less attacking people with a butter knife, he's at a real disadvantage here when it comes to Vash's artillery.
Therefore I'll have to give this one to Vash.
Score: Vash 1 Kenshin 0
2. Fighting Capability
Both of these gentleman have proven on more than one occasion they can hold their own in a fight. They've taken on some really powerful opponents and managed to walk away, albeit not unharmed. So who has the better fighting capability?
Okay so to be frank there aren't many instances I can recall where Vash gets downright down and dirty in his battles. Has he even punched anyone once? I can't recall (It seems like most of the time he's the one getting punched -- Milly, Wolfwood). Most of his battles revolve around using his gun or Angel Arm. As stated before, Vash is a superb gunsman and his accuracy is phenomenal. After a few minutes of battling his opponent he can figure out their fighting technique and generally predict what they are going to do next. He is incredibly intelligent (he'd have to be in order to stop his opponent without killing them). He has shown a superhuman level of agility, strength, reflexes, eyesight and complete muscle control. In episodes of the anime, Vash has often shown the ability to dodge bullets at close range and dodge skilled melee attacks.
Kenshin displays a lot of the same traits as Vash. He too has a superhuman level of agility and reflexes. Strength is a bit harder for me. Kenshin IS strong, but a lot of his skill is turning aside opponents attacks, using his opponents attacks to aid himself, and pulling tricks his opponents don't expect. I'd go so far as to say Kenshin is the more analytical of the two fighters. Kenshin practices the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū ("Flying Heaven Honorable Sword Style"), a fictional ancient sword art which can be based on Battōjutsu, that enables him to exercise superhuman speed and reflexes, study and predict his opponent's movements in battle, as well as perform many powerful sword techniques. While Vash too can read his opponents attacks, I'd say Kenshin is a true master of it, at least in terms how often it is displayed in the parent material. Vash is more of a charge in fighter with guns blazing. Kenshin is more of a fighter that takes his time to read his opponent and use it to his advantage. Also Kenshin can be downright brutal and is not afraid to throw a few punches. While Vash maintains a certain degree of dignity and finesse, all of that goes out the window for Kenshin when he gets riled up enough and his Battosai side comes out. In his first battle with Saito when they are reunited, the two are so bent on beating the other they use CLOTHING to try and kill each other. That's something Vash never comes close to doing. Furthermore, Kenshin's weapon of choice. Kenshin is able to survive battle after battle wielding his butter knife while Vash is using the much more deadly, and easier to defeat an opponent with, gun.
Therefore due to Kenshin's ability to read his opponents, his sword technique, his ferocity, and his speed and agility, I'll be giving this one to him.
Score: Vash 1 Kenshin 1
3. Dark Side
You will succumb to it. Okay so both of these guys have fallen prey to a dark beast inside themselves that is capable of some pretty nasty stuff. There isn't a $60,000,000,000.00 bounty of Vash's head because he flirts too much. The Battosai isn't a feared swordsman because he loves running with wild horses or some such nonsense. So that begs the question, which one has a worse darkside?
Vash's darkside comes out when people around him start dying and he's the indirect cause of it. To Vash all human life is precious so when people start dying in front of him he loses it. His usual sunny personality changes into something that is morbid, dark, powerful, and chilling. He becomes brusque and unapproachable. Vash is a bit harder for me though because while he does have that darkside, it doesn't take the amount of control over him as it does for Kenshin. Even when Vash is flipping his shit he stops himself from killing and a large part of his darkside exists because of Knives' extorting him to wipe out July. Vash has killed a lot of people but he himself wasn't DIRECTLY responsible for it, as in he isn't the one pulling the trigger at least not consciously. The deaths he has caused are from Knives' driving him to that point or because others are hunting him and Vash can't stop other people from falling victim.
So let's move on to Kenshin.
Kenshin on the other hand is VERY responsible for people's deaths. He's a former legendary assassin and was the one who had to bear the sins of the revolution he was fighting for. In other words, he was the one the revolution was relying on to dirty his soul in order to make things happen by staining his hands over and over again. When Kenshin transforms into the Battosai he IS aiming to kill. When he becomes the Battosai, his whole vow to not kill deteriorates and on more than one occasion he is more than willing to break it for various reasons. The Battoasi does not fuck around. His one goal is to kill you and he will stop at nothing to make that happen. It's a very frightening characteristic.
I'll have to give this one to Kenshin.
Score: Vash 1 Kenshin 2
4. Bigger Dingbat
Both of these guys are goofy as hell. Who can recall how many times Vash has made a 'Derp' face, especially in the anime. Kenshin too is a Grade A goofball. So whose the Bigger Dingbat?
This will be based mostly off the anime because even though Vash is still a jokester in the manga I feel the anime really brought out his goofiness. Vash gets knocked down by children on a regular basis. Meryl hits him several times in one episode because he's being loud or doing weird things. He cries, he flirts, he whines, he gets drunk, and is more than happy to convince everyone around him that he's a complete idiot. I don't know how many times people were throwing 'baka' at him in the anime. If I made into a drinking game I'd probably be sloshed off my ass. He shoots people with toy guns, he holds a basketball with his mouth and chases children, he throws up from drinking too much more than once in just one episode alone, he hits on women by pretending to be injured, declares his love out of nowhere and gets turned down every. single. time. Honestly the best thing I can do to describe Vash's silliness is to link this screencap right here.
Kenshin's signature phrase of Oro sums up his goofiness rather well. He constantly has a smile on his face. He is easy going. He likes to do laundry and get yelled at by Karou. He can be downright oblivious at times. However I don't feel like his goofiness is to try and convince others that he is an idiot. Vash's goofiness seems more childlike compared to Kenshin's laid back ways.
Vash wins this one.
Score: Vash 2 Kenshin 2
4. Better Looking
So any fangirl is going to say they are both good looking. I'm basing this off what we have seen in canon material and my own personal opinion. Sorry.
Vash is tall, blond, and either blue or green eyed depending on if its manga or anime. He drinks, he shoots a gun, he hangs out with his bros. He's a manly man. Women have called him handsome, like the two -ahem- ladies that were hired to sleep with him, quoted as saying, "you don't get to sleep with a guy like that everyday." The sheriff in the second episode says something similar to this as well. He's a blubbering idiot but he isn't bad on the eyes. I think he never gets any because he comes across way too aggressively. Honestly if a guy came up and said some of the things he does to me I'd think he was off his rocker. Maybe that's what Trigun is all about. Vash not getting any.
Kenshin is almost the direct opposite of Vash. He is short. He has long hair. He likes to cook and do laundry. He is wayyy more feminine in both looks and personality than Vash, even the guy who created Kenshin said he came out looking girly. I can't recall a single time that Kenshin tried to hit on a woman. Most women hardly seem to take any notice of him outside of Kauro and Megumi, and their attraction to him seems to stem from his personality once they have gotten to know him. I don't think there's a single instance where Kenshin was called handsome or good looking in the entire manga.
Another win goes to Vash.
Score: Vash 3 Kenshin 2
5. Pimpness
I decided to make this a separate category from good looks because good looking doesn't mean you are going to get any. So this is going to be based off the two boys and their successful or unsuccessful attempts with the ladies.
As I said before Trigun is about Vash not getting any. He hits on women pretty steadily through the anime and never. scores. once. Granted he did turn down those -ahem- ladies but they were PAID to sleep with him so I'm not surprised he would turn them down. The closest he gets to any titty action is when Elizabeth said she'd marry him if she did a favor for her, then she tries to kill him. He gets declined over and over again, and even children warn him to keep their hands off their mothers. He's a flirt but a pimp? Far from it. There is Meryl but in the anime, even though it is hinted they would end up together, we never SEE him get any. They don't even kiss by the end of the anime, and in the manga their relationship lacks the romantic streak that exists in the anime.
Kenshin is proof that you do not need to be good looking to get ladies. This is not to say that Kenshin is a pimp. HE IS A GENTLEMAN. He is proof that being a gentleman will get you the poontang, DESPITE WHAT YOU LOOK LIKE. He is married not only once but twice. In forty years he has accomplished more than Vash has in over a hundred. We SEE him getting some, and with more than one lady.
Kenshin wins this one hands down.
Score: Vash 3 Kenshin 3
5. Enemy
Both of these guys have an enemy who is incredibly powerful and is tied to them somehow from their pasts. But which one has the worst enemy?
I'll be basing this mostly off the manga since in the anime Knives isn't nearly as prevalent. Simply put Knives is an asshole. He hates the human race. Like really hates them. He wants to destroy every single human on the planet. And because Vash values human life Vash gets in his way a lot. Because of this Knives kind of goes out of his way to mentally, physically, and emotionally torture Vash. He cuts off Vash's arm. He forces him to blow up July and almost forces him to blow up another city. He sends 10 incredibly powerful assassins after him. He forces humans to work for him (Hornfreak, the doctor). He holds no regard for human life and wants to keep Vash alive only so that HE can kill him. He attempts to absorb Vash. He absorbs hundreds of plants, causing the death of most of the population on the planet, and then floats around on his Ark of death, waiting for the earth ships to come so he can kill them too. He holds Vash prison in his floating fortress of death for 7 months. AND HE IS VASH'S FREAKING BROTHER. In the manga Knives is one of the most abhorrent villains I've come across. He's one sadistic son of a bitch.
I was really torn whether to go with Shioshi or Enishi on this one but in the end I decided to use Enishi since he was the final enemy Kenshin had to face and one that really tied in with his past. Enishi is as much as asshole as Knives. He hates Kenshin because Kenshin married his sister and was ultimately the reason for her death. He WANTS Kenshin to suffer and tells him that pointblank to his face. Enishi is a bit more sadistic than Knives in the fact that he actively goes after the people Kenshin loves instead of Kenshin himself, namely Kaoru, convincing Kenshin that she is dead. However Enish does not kill her, he only pretends to. Overall Enishi does not succeed in killing anyone Kenshin is close to. But he still mentally and emotionally tortures Kenshin the same as Knives does to Vash if not more so. However he does not destroy most of the life on the planet. He does not have a floating fortress of death. If it were based off the sheer sadistic nature of this character I might give this one to Enishi but since the scope of his destruction is so much smaller I'll be giving this one to Knives.
Score: Vash 4 Kenshin 3
6. Sidekick
What series wouldn't be complete without the devoted sidekick? Both Vash and Kenshin have their devoted bro-hoes by their side that follow them into dangerous situations. But which side kick is better?
It was really hard to find a small size of this picture of this guy from the manga, because imo he looks better in the manga than anime, so my apologies. I was pretty amazed at the popularity of this character. I'd say it's almost pretty safe to say that his popularity almost overshadows Vash's. Wolfwood is a shitty priest. Actually he's not much of a priest at all. He's an orphan that, once he showed good fighting capability, was taken into a secret order known as the Order of Michael and put through various operations to make him heal faster, be stronger, be faster, etc. etc. Because of those experiments and because of the bottles of healing he drinks, his aging is rapidly increased. When he first appears in the manga he is only around 14 years old but looks like he's in his early thirties. Wolfwood is pessimistic, brooding, and thinks the world is full of shit. At the start of the manga he kills people with hardly a second thought. His moral ambiguity is fascinating. However the more time he spends around Vash, the more his mindset seems to change. He begins to value life more. His focus shifts from "I have to kill that person" to "I need to protect this person." He will risk his life for those he comes to care about, and ends up losing it to protect the ones he loves.
When we see first meet Sanosuke he is a hired fighter and bears the kanji for evil on his back. He hates the current government and, like Wolfwood, thinks the world is pretty shitty. His hero was murdered in front of his eyes and after that he lost his direction. Kenshin restores all that. He brings the wild Sanosuke to a more agreeable, level field of existence. Sanosuke is loud, argumentative, uncompromising, and crass. However he is also faithful, diligent, and dependable. When Kenshin needs him, even the times when Kenshin DOESN'T want him there, Sanosuke comes crashing in with fists flying, insisting he will fight with him no matter what. He learns new techniques to better be able to fight by Kenshin's side, and even battles that have absolutely NOTHING to do with him he is there just to support Kenshin.
In this case because of Sanosuke's sheer devotedness to Kenshin I'll be giving this one to him. Wolfwood is certainly devoted to Vash but I feel like Sanosuke's loyalty came at a lighter price than did Wolfwood's. It took a long time before Wolfwood switched sides, unlike Sanosuke who joined Kenshin's side shortly after meeting him. If anything I feel like Vash is Wolfwood's Sanosuke.
Score: Vash 4 Kenshin 4
7. Bromance
Seriously it exists. How would these series' be what they were without the good ole bromance. I don't mean sidekick here. I mean how much of a bromance is going on with said sidekick.
This will be based off the manga. In the anime they threw Milly/Wolfwood together and while I love them, I honestly feel the manga is about Vash and Wolfwood and their relationship. Honestly if you think there wasn't some sort of bromance going on here then you're in denial. The two are constantly in each other's company. When Vash disappears, Wolfwood is the one who tracks him down. They fight together. They know each other's moves perfectly and can predict what the other is going to do. Wolfwood tries to protect Vash from the townspeople when they throw stones at him. He saves Vash from the Ark and nearly dies in the process. Vash states he wants to spend his tomorrow's with Wolfwood. Vash comes to save Wolfwood when he is battling Livio and that old dude. The last moments of Wolfwood's life is spent with Vash. Vash prays to God, the only time we have ever seen him do such a thing, asking God to just give him that one thing. When Wolfwood does dies, Vash breaks down and cries. He uses his power, which he is running short of, to strike at Knives just because he so emotionally torn at Wolfwood's death. When I think of these two all I can think about is this weird music video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2IIwYKposw
It's awful you shouldn't watch it. But if I knew how to make AMV's I would totally rip the audio and make a music video of Vash and Wolfwood to it.
Sanosuke and Kenshin are pretty close. But they are EPIC FRIENDS. There isn't a single instance in the mange where I would have thought, "Huh, is he flirting?" Kenshin has Kauro that occupies his romance angle. And Sanosuke kind of just does his own thing. Not to mention Sanosuke has other friends that he hangs out with outside of Kenshin. Wolfwood seems to be seriously lacking in the friendship department, Vash is the only thing he has.
This one easily goes to Trigun.
Score: Vash 5 Kenshin 4
8. Ending
Everything has to come to an end, including this incredibly long list which has taken me 2 hours. So which of these had the better ending?
Trigun has two endings. In the anime, Vash defeats Knives and brings him back, alive, to where he was staying with the Insurance Girls. It is somewhat implied that him and Meryl will end up together. Vash throws away his red coat and vows that he will still honor Rem's memory but look for his own words in life. However we have no idea how Knives will react. For all we know he woke up a week later and decimated every human in sight, leaving Vash and him to start their old song and dance over again. I haven't finished the manga but I know the gist of it and how it differs from the anime. Vash and Knives flee the scene of their battle and spend sometime in some random place. Knives "dies" when he plants a tree and puts his essence into it or something and disappears, leaving Vash alone. Meryl and Milly run into Vash again and declare that they are now radio girls and are going to follow him around for their new radio station. The last we see of Vash he is running off into the sunset with the two girls chasing him. There is no indication of what happens in their futures, if they go to earth or not, unless I missed it since I haven't finished the manga yet.
The ending for Kenshin is a bit less open ended. Kenshin marries Kaoru and they have a son together. Kenshin is living peacefully with his wife and son at the dojo. He gives his sakabato to Yahiko and more or less gives up his swordman days to live a calm, peaceful life. His scar is finally starting to fade. His friends are happy and healthy.
So for better ending Kenshin wins this one. He gets to have a family and a peaceful life. Vash is still running around trying to get some.
Final Score!
Vash 5 Kenshin 5
Yaayyy they tied!
I certainly didn't do it on purpose >.>
So I present the Vash vs. Kenshin challenge!
First off a note: This was done completely in jest. I personally love both characters and both series with all my heart. I would probably molest both of them.
Second note: I am basing the Kenshin aspect completely off the manga. I didn't watch the anime. For Vash I am basing it off both manga and anime, though I haven't completely finished the manga yet. However I'll be using aspects from both. It has been a while since I have read Kenshin as well.
With that being said, let's begin!
1. Weaponry
I think this a pretty safe category to start off with first. Vash's usual weapon of choice is a custom made .45 caliber silver- or nickel-plated revolver, a classic six-shot double-action with a top break reloading mechanism that fires .45 Long Colt ammunition (I stole this from wikipedia). He's displayed on more than one occasion that his precision with the gun is top notch. He was able to turn a torpedo-fist off it's course by using six bullets alone, on top of the fact whenever he does shoot he ALWAYS manages to just injure his opponents and not kill them. I'd say that's pretty damn accurate. Beside his revolver, Vash has a cybernetic arm fitted with a hidden gun. In both the series and manga, it is initially a powerful semiautomatic pistol that is later upgraded to a fully automatic submachine gun (also stolen from Wikipedia). In other words Vash is packing a lot of fire power with just his arms alone. And that ain't even touching on the Angel Arm. I'll be using the manga verse for this, since in the anime verse Vash's arm, while powerful, ain't up to snuff where the manga is concerned. Vash's Angel Arm can destroy cities by accident. It can stop bullets. He can turn it into a cannon and blast holes through the hulls of ships. Also, which I guess it isn't exactly weaponry, he can infuse his power into bullets and cause mini explosions like his arm can do.
Basing this off weaponry alone and not fighting capability, Kenshin is left with his sakabato. It is a “reverse-edge sword”. The sharpened edge is the inward curved, longer side of the blade - the opposite of a standard katana - making it extremely difficult to kill an opponent; it generally knocks the wielder's enemies "senseless" rather than killing them. The only way for the sakabatō to cut is to rotate the hilt by 180 degrees within the hand, thus holding the sword backwards. Kenshin is an expert swordsman, however since he's more or less attacking people with a butter knife, he's at a real disadvantage here when it comes to Vash's artillery.
Therefore I'll have to give this one to Vash.
Score: Vash 1 Kenshin 0
2. Fighting Capability
Both of these gentleman have proven on more than one occasion they can hold their own in a fight. They've taken on some really powerful opponents and managed to walk away, albeit not unharmed. So who has the better fighting capability?
Okay so to be frank there aren't many instances I can recall where Vash gets downright down and dirty in his battles. Has he even punched anyone once? I can't recall (It seems like most of the time he's the one getting punched -- Milly, Wolfwood). Most of his battles revolve around using his gun or Angel Arm. As stated before, Vash is a superb gunsman and his accuracy is phenomenal. After a few minutes of battling his opponent he can figure out their fighting technique and generally predict what they are going to do next. He is incredibly intelligent (he'd have to be in order to stop his opponent without killing them). He has shown a superhuman level of agility, strength, reflexes, eyesight and complete muscle control. In episodes of the anime, Vash has often shown the ability to dodge bullets at close range and dodge skilled melee attacks.
Kenshin displays a lot of the same traits as Vash. He too has a superhuman level of agility and reflexes. Strength is a bit harder for me. Kenshin IS strong, but a lot of his skill is turning aside opponents attacks, using his opponents attacks to aid himself, and pulling tricks his opponents don't expect. I'd go so far as to say Kenshin is the more analytical of the two fighters. Kenshin practices the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū ("Flying Heaven Honorable Sword Style"), a fictional ancient sword art which can be based on Battōjutsu, that enables him to exercise superhuman speed and reflexes, study and predict his opponent's movements in battle, as well as perform many powerful sword techniques. While Vash too can read his opponents attacks, I'd say Kenshin is a true master of it, at least in terms how often it is displayed in the parent material. Vash is more of a charge in fighter with guns blazing. Kenshin is more of a fighter that takes his time to read his opponent and use it to his advantage. Also Kenshin can be downright brutal and is not afraid to throw a few punches. While Vash maintains a certain degree of dignity and finesse, all of that goes out the window for Kenshin when he gets riled up enough and his Battosai side comes out. In his first battle with Saito when they are reunited, the two are so bent on beating the other they use CLOTHING to try and kill each other. That's something Vash never comes close to doing. Furthermore, Kenshin's weapon of choice. Kenshin is able to survive battle after battle wielding his butter knife while Vash is using the much more deadly, and easier to defeat an opponent with, gun.
Therefore due to Kenshin's ability to read his opponents, his sword technique, his ferocity, and his speed and agility, I'll be giving this one to him.
Score: Vash 1 Kenshin 1
3. Dark Side
You will succumb to it. Okay so both of these guys have fallen prey to a dark beast inside themselves that is capable of some pretty nasty stuff. There isn't a $60,000,000,000.00 bounty of Vash's head because he flirts too much. The Battosai isn't a feared swordsman because he loves running with wild horses or some such nonsense. So that begs the question, which one has a worse darkside?
Vash's darkside comes out when people around him start dying and he's the indirect cause of it. To Vash all human life is precious so when people start dying in front of him he loses it. His usual sunny personality changes into something that is morbid, dark, powerful, and chilling. He becomes brusque and unapproachable. Vash is a bit harder for me though because while he does have that darkside, it doesn't take the amount of control over him as it does for Kenshin. Even when Vash is flipping his shit he stops himself from killing and a large part of his darkside exists because of Knives' extorting him to wipe out July. Vash has killed a lot of people but he himself wasn't DIRECTLY responsible for it, as in he isn't the one pulling the trigger at least not consciously. The deaths he has caused are from Knives' driving him to that point or because others are hunting him and Vash can't stop other people from falling victim.
So let's move on to Kenshin.
Kenshin on the other hand is VERY responsible for people's deaths. He's a former legendary assassin and was the one who had to bear the sins of the revolution he was fighting for. In other words, he was the one the revolution was relying on to dirty his soul in order to make things happen by staining his hands over and over again. When Kenshin transforms into the Battosai he IS aiming to kill. When he becomes the Battosai, his whole vow to not kill deteriorates and on more than one occasion he is more than willing to break it for various reasons. The Battoasi does not fuck around. His one goal is to kill you and he will stop at nothing to make that happen. It's a very frightening characteristic.
I'll have to give this one to Kenshin.
Score: Vash 1 Kenshin 2
4. Bigger Dingbat
Both of these guys are goofy as hell. Who can recall how many times Vash has made a 'Derp' face, especially in the anime. Kenshin too is a Grade A goofball. So whose the Bigger Dingbat?
This will be based mostly off the anime because even though Vash is still a jokester in the manga I feel the anime really brought out his goofiness. Vash gets knocked down by children on a regular basis. Meryl hits him several times in one episode because he's being loud or doing weird things. He cries, he flirts, he whines, he gets drunk, and is more than happy to convince everyone around him that he's a complete idiot. I don't know how many times people were throwing 'baka' at him in the anime. If I made into a drinking game I'd probably be sloshed off my ass. He shoots people with toy guns, he holds a basketball with his mouth and chases children, he throws up from drinking too much more than once in just one episode alone, he hits on women by pretending to be injured, declares his love out of nowhere and gets turned down every. single. time. Honestly the best thing I can do to describe Vash's silliness is to link this screencap right here.
Kenshin's signature phrase of Oro sums up his goofiness rather well. He constantly has a smile on his face. He is easy going. He likes to do laundry and get yelled at by Karou. He can be downright oblivious at times. However I don't feel like his goofiness is to try and convince others that he is an idiot. Vash's goofiness seems more childlike compared to Kenshin's laid back ways.
Vash wins this one.
Score: Vash 2 Kenshin 2
4. Better Looking
So any fangirl is going to say they are both good looking. I'm basing this off what we have seen in canon material and my own personal opinion. Sorry.
Vash is tall, blond, and either blue or green eyed depending on if its manga or anime. He drinks, he shoots a gun, he hangs out with his bros. He's a manly man. Women have called him handsome, like the two -ahem- ladies that were hired to sleep with him, quoted as saying, "you don't get to sleep with a guy like that everyday." The sheriff in the second episode says something similar to this as well. He's a blubbering idiot but he isn't bad on the eyes. I think he never gets any because he comes across way too aggressively. Honestly if a guy came up and said some of the things he does to me I'd think he was off his rocker. Maybe that's what Trigun is all about. Vash not getting any.
Kenshin is almost the direct opposite of Vash. He is short. He has long hair. He likes to cook and do laundry. He is wayyy more feminine in both looks and personality than Vash, even the guy who created Kenshin said he came out looking girly. I can't recall a single time that Kenshin tried to hit on a woman. Most women hardly seem to take any notice of him outside of Kauro and Megumi, and their attraction to him seems to stem from his personality once they have gotten to know him. I don't think there's a single instance where Kenshin was called handsome or good looking in the entire manga.
Another win goes to Vash.
Score: Vash 3 Kenshin 2
5. Pimpness
I decided to make this a separate category from good looks because good looking doesn't mean you are going to get any. So this is going to be based off the two boys and their successful or unsuccessful attempts with the ladies.
As I said before Trigun is about Vash not getting any. He hits on women pretty steadily through the anime and never. scores. once. Granted he did turn down those -ahem- ladies but they were PAID to sleep with him so I'm not surprised he would turn them down. The closest he gets to any titty action is when Elizabeth said she'd marry him if she did a favor for her, then she tries to kill him. He gets declined over and over again, and even children warn him to keep their hands off their mothers. He's a flirt but a pimp? Far from it. There is Meryl but in the anime, even though it is hinted they would end up together, we never SEE him get any. They don't even kiss by the end of the anime, and in the manga their relationship lacks the romantic streak that exists in the anime.
Kenshin is proof that you do not need to be good looking to get ladies. This is not to say that Kenshin is a pimp. HE IS A GENTLEMAN. He is proof that being a gentleman will get you the poontang, DESPITE WHAT YOU LOOK LIKE. He is married not only once but twice. In forty years he has accomplished more than Vash has in over a hundred. We SEE him getting some, and with more than one lady.
Kenshin wins this one hands down.
Score: Vash 3 Kenshin 3
5. Enemy
Both of these guys have an enemy who is incredibly powerful and is tied to them somehow from their pasts. But which one has the worst enemy?
I'll be basing this mostly off the manga since in the anime Knives isn't nearly as prevalent. Simply put Knives is an asshole. He hates the human race. Like really hates them. He wants to destroy every single human on the planet. And because Vash values human life Vash gets in his way a lot. Because of this Knives kind of goes out of his way to mentally, physically, and emotionally torture Vash. He cuts off Vash's arm. He forces him to blow up July and almost forces him to blow up another city. He sends 10 incredibly powerful assassins after him. He forces humans to work for him (Hornfreak, the doctor). He holds no regard for human life and wants to keep Vash alive only so that HE can kill him. He attempts to absorb Vash. He absorbs hundreds of plants, causing the death of most of the population on the planet, and then floats around on his Ark of death, waiting for the earth ships to come so he can kill them too. He holds Vash prison in his floating fortress of death for 7 months. AND HE IS VASH'S FREAKING BROTHER. In the manga Knives is one of the most abhorrent villains I've come across. He's one sadistic son of a bitch.
I was really torn whether to go with Shioshi or Enishi on this one but in the end I decided to use Enishi since he was the final enemy Kenshin had to face and one that really tied in with his past. Enishi is as much as asshole as Knives. He hates Kenshin because Kenshin married his sister and was ultimately the reason for her death. He WANTS Kenshin to suffer and tells him that pointblank to his face. Enishi is a bit more sadistic than Knives in the fact that he actively goes after the people Kenshin loves instead of Kenshin himself, namely Kaoru, convincing Kenshin that she is dead. However Enish does not kill her, he only pretends to. Overall Enishi does not succeed in killing anyone Kenshin is close to. But he still mentally and emotionally tortures Kenshin the same as Knives does to Vash if not more so. However he does not destroy most of the life on the planet. He does not have a floating fortress of death. If it were based off the sheer sadistic nature of this character I might give this one to Enishi but since the scope of his destruction is so much smaller I'll be giving this one to Knives.
Score: Vash 4 Kenshin 3
6. Sidekick
What series wouldn't be complete without the devoted sidekick? Both Vash and Kenshin have their devoted bro-hoes by their side that follow them into dangerous situations. But which side kick is better?
It was really hard to find a small size of this picture of this guy from the manga, because imo he looks better in the manga than anime, so my apologies. I was pretty amazed at the popularity of this character. I'd say it's almost pretty safe to say that his popularity almost overshadows Vash's. Wolfwood is a shitty priest. Actually he's not much of a priest at all. He's an orphan that, once he showed good fighting capability, was taken into a secret order known as the Order of Michael and put through various operations to make him heal faster, be stronger, be faster, etc. etc. Because of those experiments and because of the bottles of healing he drinks, his aging is rapidly increased. When he first appears in the manga he is only around 14 years old but looks like he's in his early thirties. Wolfwood is pessimistic, brooding, and thinks the world is full of shit. At the start of the manga he kills people with hardly a second thought. His moral ambiguity is fascinating. However the more time he spends around Vash, the more his mindset seems to change. He begins to value life more. His focus shifts from "I have to kill that person" to "I need to protect this person." He will risk his life for those he comes to care about, and ends up losing it to protect the ones he loves.
When we see first meet Sanosuke he is a hired fighter and bears the kanji for evil on his back. He hates the current government and, like Wolfwood, thinks the world is pretty shitty. His hero was murdered in front of his eyes and after that he lost his direction. Kenshin restores all that. He brings the wild Sanosuke to a more agreeable, level field of existence. Sanosuke is loud, argumentative, uncompromising, and crass. However he is also faithful, diligent, and dependable. When Kenshin needs him, even the times when Kenshin DOESN'T want him there, Sanosuke comes crashing in with fists flying, insisting he will fight with him no matter what. He learns new techniques to better be able to fight by Kenshin's side, and even battles that have absolutely NOTHING to do with him he is there just to support Kenshin.
In this case because of Sanosuke's sheer devotedness to Kenshin I'll be giving this one to him. Wolfwood is certainly devoted to Vash but I feel like Sanosuke's loyalty came at a lighter price than did Wolfwood's. It took a long time before Wolfwood switched sides, unlike Sanosuke who joined Kenshin's side shortly after meeting him. If anything I feel like Vash is Wolfwood's Sanosuke.
Score: Vash 4 Kenshin 4
7. Bromance
Seriously it exists. How would these series' be what they were without the good ole bromance. I don't mean sidekick here. I mean how much of a bromance is going on with said sidekick.
This will be based off the manga. In the anime they threw Milly/Wolfwood together and while I love them, I honestly feel the manga is about Vash and Wolfwood and their relationship. Honestly if you think there wasn't some sort of bromance going on here then you're in denial. The two are constantly in each other's company. When Vash disappears, Wolfwood is the one who tracks him down. They fight together. They know each other's moves perfectly and can predict what the other is going to do. Wolfwood tries to protect Vash from the townspeople when they throw stones at him. He saves Vash from the Ark and nearly dies in the process. Vash states he wants to spend his tomorrow's with Wolfwood. Vash comes to save Wolfwood when he is battling Livio and that old dude. The last moments of Wolfwood's life is spent with Vash. Vash prays to God, the only time we have ever seen him do such a thing, asking God to just give him that one thing. When Wolfwood does dies, Vash breaks down and cries. He uses his power, which he is running short of, to strike at Knives just because he so emotionally torn at Wolfwood's death. When I think of these two all I can think about is this weird music video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2IIwYKposw
It's awful you shouldn't watch it. But if I knew how to make AMV's I would totally rip the audio and make a music video of Vash and Wolfwood to it.
Sanosuke and Kenshin are pretty close. But they are EPIC FRIENDS. There isn't a single instance in the mange where I would have thought, "Huh, is he flirting?" Kenshin has Kauro that occupies his romance angle. And Sanosuke kind of just does his own thing. Not to mention Sanosuke has other friends that he hangs out with outside of Kenshin. Wolfwood seems to be seriously lacking in the friendship department, Vash is the only thing he has.
This one easily goes to Trigun.
Score: Vash 5 Kenshin 4
8. Ending
Everything has to come to an end, including this incredibly long list which has taken me 2 hours. So which of these had the better ending?
Trigun has two endings. In the anime, Vash defeats Knives and brings him back, alive, to where he was staying with the Insurance Girls. It is somewhat implied that him and Meryl will end up together. Vash throws away his red coat and vows that he will still honor Rem's memory but look for his own words in life. However we have no idea how Knives will react. For all we know he woke up a week later and decimated every human in sight, leaving Vash and him to start their old song and dance over again. I haven't finished the manga but I know the gist of it and how it differs from the anime. Vash and Knives flee the scene of their battle and spend sometime in some random place. Knives "dies" when he plants a tree and puts his essence into it or something and disappears, leaving Vash alone. Meryl and Milly run into Vash again and declare that they are now radio girls and are going to follow him around for their new radio station. The last we see of Vash he is running off into the sunset with the two girls chasing him. There is no indication of what happens in their futures, if they go to earth or not, unless I missed it since I haven't finished the manga yet.
The ending for Kenshin is a bit less open ended. Kenshin marries Kaoru and they have a son together. Kenshin is living peacefully with his wife and son at the dojo. He gives his sakabato to Yahiko and more or less gives up his swordman days to live a calm, peaceful life. His scar is finally starting to fade. His friends are happy and healthy.
So for better ending Kenshin wins this one. He gets to have a family and a peaceful life. Vash is still running around trying to get some.
Final Score!
Vash 5 Kenshin 5
Yaayyy they tied!
I certainly didn't do it on purpose >.>