When does Badlands Rumble take place?

Question

With regards to the rest of the anime series, when does Badlands Rumble take place? Does it happen before the show? After? In the middle some time?

Answer 1

According to this Anime News Network review, Badlands Rumble is canon and occurs "between episodes 9 and 11 (after Vash has met Wolfwood, but before Legato closes in)". See the second paragraph of the "Review" section. However, as they point out, the movie's style doesn't quite match that of the anime at that time, given the higher budget, so it may be better not to worry about when it occurs.

Edit: as atlantiza points out below, the author of this review doesn't cite a source. Until I can find a better source, you should take that with a grain of salt.

Answer 2

Somewhere in the middle.

Precise placement of Badlands Rumble in connection to Trigun Anime / Manga is challenging. It seems to slip between a few mile posts in different ways.

spoilers for anime, manga & the movie follow

Milepost 1:

Nicholas D. Wolfwood is there, and he knows everybody, but he's not traveling with Vash. That only happens early on, with the exception of Vash's complete isolation of himself immediately following the 5th moon incident. Wolfwood sticks pretty close to Vash in the later episodes/chapters prior to his death. On the other hand, Wolfwood already considers Vash a friend. He is already making efforts to avoid killing. These behaviors suggest a later date. Especially the tribute he does, of wearing Vash's sunglasses when he thinks Vash is dead.

Milepost 2:

The insurance girls are present, and they both know Vash. So aside from the flashback, it can't predate the anime or manga. They are not traveling with Vash, though. In fact, they're doing a different assignment for their job. In anime & manga, that pretty much only happens after the 5th moon acquires a huge crater. They are released from following him immediately after the 5th moon incident, though they are again assigned to follow him around after he reappears. They continue pursuing him... in Anime, until the end of the series... in manga, until after Meryl is captured by Gung-ho guns and Vash rescues her. She freaks out though, when she sees his wings the second time, and stays behind with Milly when Vash and Nicholas leave town.

Milepost 3:

Meryl and Milly say that it's been a long time since they've seen Vash, and express an expectation that he will again become their job in the near future.

Milepost 4:

There does not appear to be any oversized crater in the 5th moon... which, combined with the aforementioned details, makes placing the chronology of "Badlands Rumble" all the more puzzling.

Milepost 5:

Vash has his body armor and a (unique) red coat on, suggesting he's been in touch with Seeds village (who supply him with those).

So roughly where in the Trigun chronology would "Badlands Rumble" fall?

All other details considered, my best guess is that the lack of a hole in the 5th moon might be an oversight. The story almost has to fall after that, from the behavior of Wolfwood and the insurance girls. They seem to know Vash too well for it to come sooner.

My best guess is almost immediately after Vash leaves Lina would be the most likely placement. If Vash had a back-up coat stashed somewhere, that could explain just about everything.

From a manga perspective, probably also before Knives' hair started turning black. The things Knives did after that change largely compelled Vash and Nicholas to watch each other's backs constantly, so they'd not be separated leaving Wolfwood available to be hired as someone else's bodyguard. The coat and armor he wears in Badlands Rumble (both movie and manga) is not bullet-proof. The coat and armor he gets from Seeds after the 5th moon incident is, or is nearly so.

In the manga, I'd imagine the window of opportunity would fall between Trigun Maximum Volume 1 chapters 3 & 4.

I'm not sure how much help that is, but there's my few coppers added to the pile. :)

PS - in an interview with Mr. Nightow, it seems he said it was to go between the 10th and 12th episodes, which is earlier than I had speculated. I found the interview at the following link: http://www.asiaarts.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=110449

It's slightly possible they changed their minds on precise placement in process, though, since the insurance girls were never parted from Vash for a long time prior to the 5th moon incident. shrugs unknowingly

Answer 3

It's probably in the middle somewhere, because in the anime Vash doesn't meet Wolfwood for the first time until episode 9.

Answer 4

I'm sure that the movie is a "Stand-Alone" film. However if the movie HAD to be watched during the anime, it would probably be sometime after episode 17, if you notice Wolfwood calls out to Vash in his nickname "Needle-noggin" which Wolfwood didn't even call Vash that until episode 17 when they were traveling together.

Answer 5

@Konami, I think the use of Needle Noggin can either be a chicken or the egg situation, or a nod to the fans of the original series. If someone could fact check me (or I'll edit once I check myself), I don't recall seeing a hole in the 5th moon during the opening of Badlands Rumble. Also, no one seems to mention it, even after finding out who Vash is. Considering that the 16th episode is when he puts it there, it's hard to imagine that Badlands Rumble takes place after the 17th episode.

For my own use, I decided to say that it takes place immediately following the 11th episode, which is the last time you see Wolfwood for a bit (fits in with Gasback finding him in the middle of the desert), and right before the 12th episode, in which Legato sets the main plot in motion. Note; immediately after the 9th episode could also work, as you see Wolfwood hop onto his motorcycle and drive off. Either way, I definitely think Badlands Rumble takes place prior to the 12th episode.

Answer 6

Badlands rumble is an alternate world episode of what the original series may have been its after the main plot in this case BUT the opening where we first meet gas back would be before Vash gives up the red coat if that ever happened in this alternate world he may have taken knives to live with the S.E.E.D villagers as well and had an updated coat and arm made for himself and as obviously wolf wood is there he never died in this version of Gunsmoke he also has an alternate cross which is actually seen in the manga same with vash's gun he gave up the angel arm but may have had our old gunsmith friend Frank Marlin make him a new very similar gun for his new life

......end

Answer 7

Honestly I do not believe this could fit into the chronology of the series simply due to how the characters in the anime change throughout. I watched the movie and the series within 24 hours to try and figure out how they could fit together and simply could not see it.

Answer 8

It's always seemed a bit more like an alternate reality to me (spoilers to follow).

In the anime, Vash can't even seem to bring himself to hurt people until at the very end where he finally decides that injuring Knives is okay considering the alternative but in the movie seems to have no worries shooting Gasback in the leg and shoulder, yet Wolfwood is still alive in this movie, but in the anime dies before Vash is really willing to actually hurt anyone else.