At first glance, Attack on Titan and Trigun Stampede may seem to bear little resemblance. After all, one is about a human who can transform into a giant to fight other giants, while the other is about a carefree gunslinger who can shoot through everything. But once you peel back the layers and delve deeper into both stories, you start to see some similarities.
In the final season of Attack on Titan, the story of Eren and his friends not only gets darker, but also more complicated. You’ll see how far Eren goes to exact his revenge, and you’ll see the centuries of abuse the Marleys have inflicted on the Eldians. At that point, it’s hard to point out who the real good guys and who the bad guys are in the story. Both men had legitimate reasons for their actions, and both fought to the death to protect their people.
While it may not be as complex as Attack on Titan, something similar happens in Trigun Stampede. As mentioned above, Nye’s dream is basically to create a utopia for his people, and he sees humanity as an entity that constantly abuses his people. He saw how little humans cared about the well-being of plants, despite the fact that they were absolutely dependent on them. So in his mind, the only way for his people to prosper was to get rid of the root of the problem. Vash may object to the way Nye realizes his dream, but even the peace-loving Vash cannot deny the atrocities humans have committed against his people. He was just willing to give them another chance, which was not something Nye would do.
So, in a sense, both series focus on the conflict between two opposing forces that just want to create a better place for their people. If this is part of what you enjoyed about Trigun Stampede, you’ll find this specific theme explored in greater depth in Attack on Titan’s final season.
