Gun X Sword: More Than Just Trigun with Mecha

The Influence of Trigun and the Unique Story of Gun X Sword

Gun X Sword is more than just Trigun with mecha. As a popular and long-running anime series, Trigun has influenced later works, including the 2005 series Gun X Sword. Set on a planet called Endless Illusion, Gun X Sword is a tale of revenge that soon grows to encompass a conflict holding the fate of the entire planet in the balance. While the superficial similarities with Trigun are apparent, Gun X Sword goes beyond the shared Western trappings to tell a story that sets itself apart with a memorable cast of characters.

Gun X Sword

Although Trigun is a popular anime that recently spawned a remake called Trigun Stampede, Gun X Sword has never risen beyond being a cult classic, despite being directed by the legendary Goro Taniguchi. The most significant thing to note about Gun X Sword is that it's a mecha anime. The protagonist, Van, pilots a mecha named Dann, one of a group of seven particularly powerful Armors. Throughout the series, Van has to fight against the other six Armors and their pilots as he pursues revenge against their leader, the man called the Claw, who killed Van's wife. Helped by the strength of the mecha action, the story and characters of Gun X Sword establish the series as more than a cheap rip-off of Trigun.

Gun X Sword Dann

Gun X Sword: A Mecha Anime with Western Aesthetics

Gun X Sword, produced by AIC A.S.T.A, written by Hideyuki Kurata, and directed by Goro Taniguchi, opens with a quintessential Western scene. The series balances a fairly dark revenge plot with bombastic and larger-than-life characters and plotlines that verge into the ludicrous and outright silly. Standouts include the lovestruck criminal couple driving around in a heavily armored car, a lucha libre team of combining mechas, and the female cast's excursion to a spurned fashion designer's all-female utopia.

The main draw of Gun X Sword is the mecha action, with each fight feeling unique due to the differences in the featured mechas' designs and powers. Van's battles against the Claw's six primary minions provide some of the series' most memorable moments, especially when piloting the mech Dann. Fundamentally, Gun X Sword is more a mecha anime with a faint but persistent Western aesthetic than it is a full-blown Western anime.

The Uniqueness of Gun X Sword and Its Cultural Impact

Gun X Sword was initially written off as a rip-off due to some ultimately superficial similarities with better-known anime, but it soon goes in its own unique direction. Although it displays Western genre influences, Gun X Sword is so much more than just Trigun with mecha, and more fans should watch this underrated cult classic.

Gun X Sword is available to stream on Crunchyroll, providing an opportunity for fans to experience its unique story and characters. It's time for more fans to recognize the distinctiveness of Gun X Sword and appreciate it for the memorable and engaging series that it is.