Nicholas D. Woolwood

Unlike Vesh Hurricane , the main character of Trigan , who was the original creation of Yasuhiro Naito , Wulfwood was created under external influence. The surname "Woolwood" was taken from the name of the band of the same name, the leader of Wolfwood advised Naito to make the character a priest . The prototype of the hero was rock musician Tortoise Matsumoto from the group Ulfuls . Naito really liked the shape of his sharp, down-curved nose. Subsequently, the artist joked that many could notice that he paid great attention to Wulfwood's nose. ^{[2] [3]} Naito noted that he was proud of how Wulfwood's life and death, as well as the storyline around him, were successful. ^[2] His outfit was simple, and Naito decided to refrain from adding many things, noting that if he did, the character would be completely different from what he had been conceived. ^[3]

Manga

According to Naito , Nicholas's middle name stands for "Dokonokuminomonjawaresumakinishiteshizumetarokakora" (Daily Cigarette Consumer) . ^[3] Wolfwood showed his potential in an orphanage . From there he was taken by the Chapel (also known as Master C) and brought the hero to an organization engaged in the training of killers called "Eye of Michael." There Wulfwood trained for a long time to become a killer . Training gave him advanced capabilities and the ability to regenerate with the help of special bottles, but accelerated his aging. Although he was young, he looked like a middle-aged man. Its potential was recognized as exceptional, and therefore Wolfwood received the tenth version of the organization’s most powerful weapon, the Punisher’s special large cruciform weapon (Punisher), consisting of a machine gun , a rack with pistols and a grenade launcher . Subsequently, Nicholas betrayed and shot the Chapel to get into the Gang-How-Hans gang of Legato Blusammers , posing as the Chapel. But his venture fails, and instead, Nives sends Wulfwood to help Vesh Hurricane and defend him in order to bring him alive to Nives base. Together they made their way to the base, killing the Gang-Hou-Hans mercenaries: the Blade's Paradise-Day and the Nine Lives of Gray. Vash is captured on the spot, but Nicholas rescues him and leaves for December to protect his orphanage from the retaliation of the Gang-How-Hans. He fights with Livio, a friend of his childhood and a crippled Master C. Wolfwood mortally wounded the Chapel and defeated Livio, as well as Raslo, “The Third Death Punisher.” Soon, Nicholas D. Woolwood dies from an overdose of regenerative vials by drinking the last bottle with Vash.

Anime

In the anime, seven-year-old Wolfwood kills his guardian and ends up in an orphanage . From there he is taken to Evergreen Chapel, which teaches Nicholas the craft of the killer and prepares the hero for the role of his successor. After completing his studies, Wolfwood founds an orphanage in Evergreen. Nicholas first meets Vash in the desert. Wulfwood's motorcycle broke, and he (Wulfwood) was forced to cross the desert on foot. Vash saw exhausted Nicholas from the bus window and saved him. Throughout the series, Wulfwood has a romantic relationship with Millie Thompson , a girl from the Bernarddell Insurance Company. The goal of Nicholas was to raise money for the maintenance of the shelter in order to save children from suffering, such as those that he himself experienced in his childhood. At first, he adheres to his ideals, believing that opponents should be killed, but ultimately accepts the ideals of Vash. Nicholas fights the Chapel and defeats him. Wolfwood decides not to kill his mentor. However, Legato Blusammers takes control of the Chapel and forces him to shoot Nicholas in the back. The wounded Wolfwood spends his last minutes in thought about his life and acceptance of the final confession before death. In church, he dies with a smile on his face, leaning against his cross-shaped weapon. Leaving the settlement, Vash takes Wolfwood's weapons out of respect for the fallen hero. In a fight with Knives, he uses it after he hears the voice of a dead priest .

He is a priest , but most of his life he devoted to teaching the craft of a killer . Nicholas almost never feels remorse for the killings, especially when needed to protect innocent people. He and Vash have disagreements on this issue. The humanoid Typhoon is ironic about the profession of Woolwood. He often shows his disappointment with the inability to live on Vash’s lifestyle, demonstrating guilt over his life, even if he was taken for good purposes. Its main goal is to raise money for the maintenance of the orphanage. He loved Millie very much and hoped to spend his life with her, taking care of the children from his shelter as well .

The Punisher is a large cruciform weapon that was issued to the best representatives of the organization Eye of Michael. There were only ten Punishers, and each was unique in its own way. Wolffwood's “Punisher” was created last, tenth. His weapon has a machine gun in front and a rocket launcher in the side of the cross . Also, if you open the sides of the cross, a rack with guns will appear. After the death of Wulfwood, the Punisher uses the Vash Hurricane to fight Knives. Naito explained that Woolwood was able to support the heavy weight of the Punisher, as he had “an incredible sense of balance.” ^[3] Two other “Punishers” belonged to the Chapel, two more cruciform automatic machines were at Livio, three were owned by Raslo “The Third Punisher of Death”, and two more were at the minions of Raslo, Agil and Zayn.

Wolfwood was a Christian priest , his clothing and main weapon were also Christian-themed. Yasuhiro Naito is known as one of the few successful manga artists who believes in Christ . Most of the population of Japan is not Christians , but Trigan has incorporated themes and ideas that have a connection with Christianity . ^[4] Naito grew up as a Buddhist, but studied Catholicism and converted to it, while maintaining Buddhist principles. ^[5] Many Christian themes were found in the manga and anime “ Trigan ”. Even as a killer, Wolfwood pays considerable attention to his faith, but, unlike the pacifist Vash, Nicholas considers himself a realist, thinking that violence and murder are part of life. When asked about this, he always answers: "I always chose the right path, right?" Wolfwood's actions can be seen in his biblical predecessors. There was John the Baptist, just like Wolfwood, who traveled on foot through the desert. St. Peter used causeless violence to save Jesus, and Wolfwood might have shot Zazi the Beast in vain in order to save Vash. Jesus forbade the killing of Peter, saying: "He who lives by the sword will die by the sword." In the manga and anime, Wolfwood ultimately dies. Samson from the Old Testament, who lived a wild and cruel life, killing because of resentment. But God used him as a judge for his people. Wolfwood also lives wildly and cruelly, but tried to do good deeds. St. Paul traveled through an unknown land to spread Christianity, as Wolfwood traveled through a harsh planet to save his orphanage and the people he came across. ^[four]

Nicholas D. Woolwood took 75th place in the Anime Source ranking of "Top 100 Anime Characters" based on nineteen experts. ^[6] Mania.com put Wulfwood in ninth place on the Top 10 Biggest Bad Ass Anime Gunslingers list, commenting on his choice as follows: “His cross really represents death, not only in its symbolic meaning, but also in what it contains in itself a gigantic arsenal. It has the functions of a machine gun and rocket launcher, and also contains a rack of pistols in the anime. Before Wulfwood met with Vash, he did everything he could to give people lead, as he set people on the path to God in a very similar way. ” ^[7] Beneath The Tangles commented that Wolfwood is an important character in the series: “Nicholas D. Wolfwood has long been a fan favorite, most likely due to his cool character in“ Trigan, ”and the series has long been popular in the USA. He is a heavily armed priest who carries a deadly cross full of mercy and weapons, but, moreover, I think that people connect him with his humanity - that he is fragile, cruel. Despite all this, however, he tries to do what he thinks is right. ” ^[eight]

• Trigun Wiki: Nicholas D. Wolfwood
• Trigun Wiki: Punisher