Crunchyroll is set to have a big 2026, with the likes of Jujutsu Kaisen season three, Hell’s Paradise season two, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End season two, Oshi no Ko season three, and far more anime hitting the streaming service in January. On top of this killer’s row of anime franchises, there is one big comeback that fans are counting down the days to see, as the follow-up series will take us back to the Planet Gunsmoke. Vash the Stampede and his animated allies are making a comeback to Crunchyroll on January 10th next month, and the streaming service has a surprise for fans to help viewers recount what has transpired in the show so far.
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As part of a promotion for Trigun Stargaze, Crunchyroll has announced that it is making the entirety of the sequel’s predecessor, Trigun Stampede, free to watch for anime fans online. From January 6th to 13th, the anime streaming service will offer all the episodes of Stampede for free on YouTube, helping fans to either revisit Vash’s latest anime adventure or see it for the first time. With Stargaze billed as the grand finale to Studio Orange’s remake, there is a good reason to refresh yourself on what transpired on the Planet Gunsmoke in the recent anime series that arrived in 2023. While January 2026 might fit to bursting at the seams with anime favourites, Vash the Stampede deserves to be one of the biggest comebacks.
Trigun Stampede Vs. Stargaze
Trigun has been a fixture in the anime world ever since the original production from Studio Madhouse introduced the world to Vash The Stampede back in the 1990s. While the franchise would return to the silver screen in 2010 thanks to Madhouse returning to this gun-slinging world via Trigun: Badlands Rumble, Trigun Stampede officially gave us our first new anime series since the initial introduction. The franchise stuck a bit closer to the manga than the Madhouse series, with Studio Orange re-inventing many of the heroes and villains that Trigun made household names for anime fans.
When last we left Vash, he was struggling with what to do in the face of his villainous brother, Millions Knives, and the nefarious organisation that he had fostered. While trailers for Trigun Stargaze have hinted at the idea that it will be changing more from the anime that first introduced Gunsmoke, the sequel series is also planning to bring back a major player who was absent in Trigun Stampede. While Meryl was a major part of the previous season, her “partner in crime,” Millie, was nowhere to be found. In promoting the franchise’s return, Orange confirmed that Millie will return, sporting a new aesthetic this time around. Considering how much Trigun Stargaze changed with its anime story, it will be interesting to see what changes are made for the upcoming grand finale.
What do you think of Trigun’s upcoming free offering for anime fans? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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Image courtesy of Universal Pictures.
