Nicholas D. Wolfwood

Infobox animanga character
name = Nicholas D.Wolfwood
series = Trigun


caption = Nicholas D. Wolfwood by Yasuhiro Nightow
first =
last =
creator = Yasuhiro Nightow
voiced by = Sho Hayami Jeff Nimoy
nickname = "Preacher Man", "Churchman"
alias = Chapel (manga only) Nicholas The Punisher
age = Unstated (appears to be mid to late 20's)
gender = Male
species = Human
born =
death =
occupation = Itinerant Minister and Gunman
title =
relatives =

Nicholas D. Wolfwood (ニコラス・D・ウルフウッド "Nikorasu Dī Urufūddo") is a character in the manga and anime series Trigun. Wolfwood is considerably different between the manga and anime versions.

Concept & Creation

Wolfwood is modeled on Tortoise Matsumoto, the lead singer of the Japanese rock band Ulfuls. The name Wolfwood (ウルフウッド "urufuddo") is a corruption of Ulfuls (ウルフルズ "urufuruzu"), which is in turn a corruption of the English word (ソウルフル "sōrufuru").By fans he has been deemed "Wolfwood the holy man" due to the frequency of the name format in this series.

Nightow is frequently asked in interviews and at convention panels what the "D." in Wolfwood's name stands for. His responses have varied each time, ranging from "Dangerous" to "Dokonokuminomonjawaresumakinishiteshizumetarokakora." The common theme in these various expansions of the single letter "D" is one of destructive force, anger, or violence, which are traits Nightow has modeled the character after.

In the original Japanese version, Wolfwood speaks in a Kansai Dialect. Nightow has said of this: "It's an English-speaking world, so he's not actually speaking Kansai dialect. Think of it as indicating some accent."

Character Outline

Background

Manga

In the manga, Wolfwood was raised in an orphanage before being inducted into the Eye of Michael, an organization of assassins founded by a plant worshiper. The Eye of Michael worships Knives as a god and provides him with contract killers. Wolfwood's teacher and master was Chapel; a man much different from his anime incarnation. During his training, Wolfwood had been physically enhanced to superhuman status, including regenerative abilities that are triggered by consuming vials of a special drug. This also speeds up his metabolism resulting in him looking much older than he really is. In the manga, Wolfwood is somewhere around 14-16 years old.

Anime

Wolfwood is actually the student of the Gung-Ho Gun 'Chapel the Evergreen'. It is strongly hinted that had he lived, Wolfwood would have inherited the title once his mentor completed his service to Knives. Until the age of seven, Nicholas was raised by someone who called himself his guardian. Though the anime does not give specifics about him or what he did to Wolfwood, it is generally believed that this was his alcoholic uncle, who ultimately drives him to pull a trigger for the first time in his life, shooting his uncle to end the abuse. This survival instinct apparently appealed to Chapel, who then raises and trains him starting from early adolescence, seeming to sincerely care for him despite being a professional killer.

Personality

Wolfwood comes across as being like Vash; having a personality that is funny and easy-going, then getting serious when the time comes. A running gag is that Vash claims "Thou Shalt Not Kill, remember? What kind of churchman are you anyway?"; every time Wolfwood is involved in a gun battle - generally, Wolfwood just brushes off what Vash says and continues fighting. The two have their disputes, but they get along very well. Wolfwood is also a heavy smoker, and is usually seen lighting a cigarette whenever he can. Like with Vash, Wolfwood is kind and confident, and initially befriends anyone he meets (he also thinks of himself as something of a ladies man). During the course of the series, he develops a relationship with Milly that crosses from close friendship into romance, sleeping with her shortly before his death. In the manga, they do not have this relationship.

Despite his position as a priest, Wolfwood carries his own way of justice with him, and unlike Vash, does use violence in order to bring peace and order. Many a time, the two have disagreed over their philosophies what is the right way to accomplish true peace in the world.

Weapons & Abillities

The giant cross that he carries comes in two versions - Version 1 holds 12 pistols (across arms of the cross), while Version 2 houses a giant machine gun (long part of the cross) and a rocket launcher in the top, with the ammunition being stored in the arms of the cross (an alternate opinion is simply that one of the horizontal arms holds ammo for the machine gun and rocket launcher while the other holds six pistols). The trigger for the Version 2 is a skull shaped symbol in the center of the cross. As can be expected, the weapon/case is very heavy, and only Wolfwood, Milly, and Vash seem to have no trouble holding it (though Vash once comments on its weight). The weapon is not actually named in the anime, but it is commonly referred to as Punisher, which comes from the manga. Wolfwood states that it's heavy "because it holds so much mercy," a fitting statement from the cynical Wolfwood.

The manga version of his weapon is part of a special series of guns named "Punisher," and the highest honor in the Eye of Michael is to receive one, since the Punisher is considered to be the strongest personal weapon the Eye of Michael possesses. His teacher Chapel tells him that his Punisher is the tenth to have been built in the 133 years of history of the Eye of Michael. The manga Punisher differs from its anime counterpart slightly in coloration, and in that the two side arms of the cross are used to hold the ammunition for the main machine gun rather than additional pistols. His "true" Eye of Michael title is Nicholas the Punisher.

Plot Summary

Anime

Vash and Wolfwood first meet when a bus Vash is on happens upon Wolfwood stranded in the desert with his motorcycle. He proves to be a valuable ally, although his and Vash's philosophies often conflict - Wolfwood is a firm believer in martialism while Vash is a pacifist. By the end of the series, he agrees with Vash's way of thinking even though it costs him dearly. Wolfwood's purpose is to raise money for the children in the orphanage he runs, trying to keep other children from suffering as he did in his own childhood (see below).

Ironically, Wolfwood dies because he embraces Vash's beliefs - he spares Chapel after defeating him, after which Legato proceeds to control Chapel and force him to shoot Wolfwood. He stumbles into a nearby church, collapsing and dying from blood loss soon afterwards. Vash then takes his giant cross as an act of honor, and uses it fighting against Knives.

Manga

Shortly before the series begins, Wolfwood shoots his mentor, leaving Chapel without the use of his legs and taking his Master's identity so he can join the Gung-Ho Guns in his place. After the fifth moon incident, he attempts to kill Knives but is overcome by fear and is unable to move. Instead of punishing him, Knives gives Wolfwood the task of protecting his brother until Knives is able to see him again. This caused Legato and other Gung-Ho Guns to assume that Wolfwood was a traitor although his actions do not directly contradict Knives' orders until Volume 8 of the manga, when Wolfwood breaks into the ark in order to rescue Vash, Midvalley hinted at knowing Wolfwood intended to do something like this though in volume 5.

Wolfwood dies in Volume 10, after fighting Chapel, Livio the Double Fang and Razlo the Tri Punisher of Death. In order to continue fighting, he overdoses by taking two vials of the Super Regenerative Drug simultaneously, causing massive internal bleeding and organ damage, ultimately resulting in Wolfwood's death shortly after the fight. Despite his aim to take Livio's life in volume 9, when fighting Razlo he seems to hold back, sparing the antagonist's life and giving Livio enough time to regain control of his body. In his final moments he gives Vash the broken coins, his own and Rai Dei the Blade's.

Character reception

"AnimeOnDVD" states Wolfwood has "..the typical style and charm reminiscent of Harrison Ford in the original Star Wars.." and that "he is just plain fun to watch!" [ [http://www.animeondvd.com/reviews2/disc_reviews/756.php AnimeOnDVD - Trigun Vol 3 Review] ] A later review for Volume 4 said that the relationship between him and Milly Thompson was "interesting and amusing at the same time". [ [http://www.animeondvd.com/reviews2/disc_reviews/757.php AnimeOnDVD - Trigun Vol 4 Review] ] The reviewer was disappointed with Wolfwood's death as he said "I'm unsure if I could watch more Trigun knowing that there'd be no more appearances from Wolfwood. Wolfwood essentially made all the episodes he was in among my favorites in this series..." [ [http://www.animeondvd.com/reviews2/disc_reviews/761.php AnimeOnDVD - Trigun Vol 8 Review] ] "T.H.E.M Anime Reviews" say that Wolfwood "..wins my vote for the very best supporting hero ever.." [ [http://www.themanime.org/viewreview.php?id=461 T.H.E.M Anime Reviews - Trigun] ]

Various merchandise has been created from Wolfwood including keychains [ [http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000BD9OEE Amazon.com - Wolfwood Keychains] ] & action figures [ [http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000A8REOM Amazon.com - Trigun: Wolfwood Action Figure] ]

References