TRIGUN STARGAZE Ep. 9 “Reunion”: One Last Laugh [Review]

TRIGUN STARGAZE has one last laugh for our heroes Vash and co. before the big battle against Knives in Ep. 9 “Reunion”. It’s quite the laugh too, full of ridiculous comedy and fluffy slice of life galore. However, it also looks like it’s the last bit of calm before they finally got into the last couple of episodes against Knives and his subordinates.

TRIGUN STARGAZE Ep. 9 “Reunion”: Details in Brief

TRIGUN STARGAZE Ep. 9 “Reunion” is the ninth episode (you can read my reviews of Ep. 1, Ep. 2, Ep. 3, Ep. 4, Ep. 5, Ep. 6, and Ep. 7, and Ep. 8 here) of the second and final season of this reboot anime, with TRIGUN STAMPEDE serving as the first season. Said reboot anime is the reboot of the 1998 Trigun anime series, which itself was the anime adaptation of the manga of the same name by Yasuhiro Nightow.

Studio Orange (Land of the Lustrous, BEASTARS, Leviathan) returns as the animation studio behind this anime. Interestingly though, Kenji Mutō is not returning as the director, and none of the writers from TRIGUN STAMPEDE are returning either. Instead, Masako Satō will be the director, with Kazuyuki Fudeyasu as the writer. Tatsuya Kato does return as the composer though.

The opening theme song for TRIGUN STARGAZE is “Picaresque Hero” by ano. Meanwhile, “Stardust” by FOMARE is the ending theme song.

Synopsis

Alas, TRIGUN STARGAZE is an ongoing anime series. In fact, Ep. 9 “Reunion” only just made its debut on March 7, 2026 exclusively on Crunchyroll. Thus, to prevent spoilers for those who haven’t watch this episode yet, here’s the official synopsis from Crunchyroll below:

“The crew, with its latest new member Livio, regroup at Hopeland to kick off their plan to stop Knives.”

TRIGUN STARGAZE Ep. 9 “Reunion”: The Good

Ep. 9 “Reunion” starts off what seems like the final bit of calm before the upcoming storm. All with some excellent comedy on the part of Vash (voiced by Yoshitsugu Matsuoka (JP)) and his friends Nicholas (voiced by Yoshimasa Hosoya (JP)), Meryl (voiced by Sakura Ando (JP)), and Milly (voiced by Chika Ayamori (JP)). With even their new friend Livio (voiced by Genki Muro (JP)) joining in on the silliness. It’s hard not to laugh when you realize that two out of three of the male main characters can’t figure out how a motorcycle works.

It’s not just the comedy though. The story of this episode as a whole just makes sense on an intrinsic level. Luida asking Hopeland to take care of their children and non-combatants, reversing the original plea for help for Home to take in Hopeland’s kids, is an ingenious way to take care of their civilians before the ship herself heads into battle against Knives. In fact, the lack of any view of Knives save for flashbacks in Vash’s memory further emphasizes how this episode is purely for the main cast to relax a bit, and enjoy a bit of life. As well as reap the rewards of them sparing various members of Knives’ gang in a bit of metaphor about how mercy can cut deeper than the sharpest blade.

Oh, and with some more characterization in this episode to boot. In particular, Orange decided to expand more on Milly’s character in a big way that was definitely not in Yasuhiro Nightow’s canon. Apparently, in Orange’s canon, Milly comes from a family of Worm Tamers, and it gives her the ability to communicate with worms through some sort of partial telepathy. It’s an odd direction to take with her character, and one that seems very deliberate. After all, Milly in this story seems to have an odd…friendship(?) with Zazie the Beast (voiced by Minami Takayama (JP)). It seems to be a sign that they’re somehow going to have a story arc together. I have no idea what that is, but it will be interesting to see how the remaining episodes of TRIGUN STARGAZE expands on that.

On top of that, we also have a nice bit where Vash essentially honors Rem’s memory by teaching kids the same lessons she taught him and Knives when they were young. It’s giving us a sense of what Vash wants to be when things are peaceful again, which is probably a teacher of some sort. Let’s hope that he gets the chance to do that.

TRIGUN STARGAZE Ep. 9 “Reunion”: The Bad

Alas, as much as I like Milly getting a bit more characterization, canon purists will have a hard time grappling with it. To be fair, Yasuhiro Nightow apparently only ever mentioned that Milly came from a large family, and nothing further. Orange simply took that little bit of Milly’s backstory, and then expanded on it. Still, it is still basically their headcanon for Milly’s backstory, and if you don’t like it, then there’s nothing to be done about it.

The other big thing about Ep. 9 “Reunion” is the mostly nonexistent action. There is a little bit of action-comedy when Livio has flashbacks about his needlessly long and arduous journey across the desert, but that’s it. If you want more than that, then you will need to look elsewhere.

Anime Recommendations

Fortunately, there are options. If you want more violently bloody anime packed full of action, then you might want to check out Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Kaiju No. 8, DDDD, DAN DA DAN, Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online II, Zenshu, Blue Box, Solo Leveling, Black Butler, Nyaight of the Living Cat, and/or May I Ask for One Final Thing?. On the other hand, if you want an anime to chill out to or for some quiet drama, then you might also like Spy x Family, Senpai is an Otokonoko, Apocalypse Hotel, Spice and Wolf: Merchant Meets the Wise Wolf, The Ancient Magus’ Bride, My Dress-Up Darling, This Monster Wants to Eat Me, Hana-Kimi, and/or Journal with Witch.

What did you think of this week’s episode of TRIGUN STARGAZE? Tell us your motorcycle crash-filled thoughts in the comment section below.

For more on Anime, make sure to check back to That Hashtag Show.

Keep Reading:

One Piece Season 2: Into the Grand Line Review – Bigger Craft, Deeper Tears, And On Pace to be a Smash Hit