Trigun Watch Order: 1998, Badlands Rumble, Stampede and Stargaze

There are two separate Trigun anime, and you can start with either. Trigun (1998, 26 episodes) is the original anime adaptation; Trigun: Badlands Rumble (2010) is a film that belongs with it. Trigun Stampede (2023, 12 episodes) is a new adaptation of the manga, and Trigun Stargaze (2026, 12 episodes) finishes that version. Stampede is not a sequel to the 1998 show.

The two Trigun anime lines (checked October 7, 2026)

Line	Watch in this order	Studio
1998 adaptation	Trigun (TV, 26 episodes, 1998), then Trigun: Badlands Rumble (film, 2010)	Madhouse
2023 adaptation	Trigun Stampede (TV, 12 episodes, 2023), then Trigun Stargaze (TV, 12 episodes, 2026)	Orange

Why Stampede is not season 2

When TOHO announced Stampede in 2022, Anime News Network reported it as a new anime based on Yasuhiro Nightow's Trigun manga, produced by the CG studio Orange; the same report notes that Madhouse made the earlier television adaptation. Crunchyroll's announcement put it this way: the classic series "will be reborn as a new anime series in 2023 entitled TRIGUN STAMPEDE, produced by Orange (BEASTARS) with an all-new staff and cast." The official site likewise calls Stampede a newly born Trigun.

So both shows start Vash's story from the manga, each in its own way. Nothing in Stampede assumes you have seen the 1998 series, and nothing in the 1998 series sets up Stampede. The Japanese voice of Vash changed (Masaya Onosaka in 1998, Yoshitsugu Matsuoka in Stampede, per ANN's cast lists), although ANN credits Johnny Yong Bosch as Vash in the English dubs of both, so "all-new cast" applies to the Japanese production rather than every dub.

The 1998 line: series, then Badlands Rumble

ANN's encyclopedia lists the Madhouse series at 26 episodes, airing in Japan from April 1 to September 30, 1998. Badlands Rumble followed in April 2010, which ANN described as the first new Trigun animation in over a decade. Madhouse made it, Satoshi Nishimura directed both the series and the film, and Onosaka and Bosch returned as Vash, according to ANN's credits.

Watch the film after the series. In ANN's review, Jacob Chapman places the story in the anime's continuity between episodes 9 and 11, calls it "an extended standalone", and writes that "The heavy reliance on callbacks and Vash-service ousts any newcomers". It fits inside the show's timeline, but it was made for people who already know the characters. The same review graded the dub B-.

The 2023 line: Stampede, then Stargaze

Stampede premiered in Japan in January 2023 and ran 12 episodes, according to ANN. Its follow-up was first announced as a "final phase"; ANN reported in July 2024 that it would be titled Trigun Stargaze and set two and a half years after the end of Stampede.

The official site calls Stargaze the conclusion of the series. Its broadcast page gives the Japanese premiere as January 10, 2026 on the TV Tokyo network, and its episode list runs from #01 to #12. The synopsis for #12 says the brothers' story finally concludes. Stargaze is finished, so the 2023 line is complete at 24 episodes across the two titles. Watch Stampede first: Stargaze picks up from its ending and is not a jumping-on point.

Which line first?

Either works, because neither depends on the other. Our recommendation: pick the 1998 series and its film if you want the longer run, made by Madhouse; pick Stampede and Stargaze if you want a shorter, complete run made in 3D CG. Both draw on the same manga, which Nightow serialized from 1995 to 2007, according to the official site. If you watch both, keep each line together rather than alternating between them, because each line follows its own continuity.

Our verified Trigun quotes and the Trigun quote archive contain spoilers; read them once you have finished a line.