Trigun Stampede kills off Milly Thompson's replacement ahead of the season finale

Trigun Stampede, a sci-fi action anime based on a well-known action manga series by Yasuhiro Nightow, was one of the most eagerly anticipated series of the year. With all the brilliance CGI can muster, it brought Vash's story back to life.

Since its release in January 2023, viewers' reactions have been incredibly divided. While some people are in amazement at the work of CGI, others are quite disappointed with the approach. It constantly draws comparisons to the original despite having a very different pace, characterization, and overall tone.

There is no doubt that Trigun's story will become darker as it goes on. The action-packed episodes of Trigun Stampede have become increasingly intense, and all that bloodshed has claimed a character. The unfortunate victim appears to be Roberto De Niro, a newly introduced character in this 2023 series.

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Trigun Stampede: The death of Roberto De Niro, a replacement for Milly Thompson

Roberto, as seen in episode 10 of Trigun Stampede. (Image via Studio Orange)

Milly Thompson, a cherished manga original character, was replaced by Roberto De Niro, whose death in the most recent episode shocked all the viewers. Meryl and Roberto were abducted at the conclusion of episode 10, titled Humanity, and taken to JuLai, located in the middle of Knives' base in Trigun Stampede.

William Conrad, a researcher who works at Knives' base, attempted to explain to the two what their objectives were and that he has been working to develop a new kind of weaponized human that would be better suited to the hostile environment of Nomans Land. He also talked about his failures in experiments.

One of these experimental creations, Elendira, burst out of her capsule when Meryl was expressing sympathy for them. The recently discovered Human/Plant hybrid started attacking Meryl and Roberto. Elendira summoned hundreds of enormous nails and launched at them.

Although Roberto was able to shield them for a while as they battled for their lives, he ultimately was wounded by the attacks. Roberto bled out in the elevator while giving up his gun to Meryl to protect herself.

Although Vash and Wolfwood rushed to protect him and Meryl from the Gung Ho Guns, it was already too late as the attack by Elendira's Crimsonnail left a spike embedded in Roberto's abdomen which caused him to bleed to death. The series is almost at its conclusion, and the latest installment ended by taking the life of this seminal character.

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Who is Roberto De Niro, and what is the significance of his death in Trigun Stampede?

Roberto was introduced to replace Milly Thompson, the original manga character and one of the most well-received Trigun characters from 1998. He is a middle-aged veteran reporter for the Bernardelli News Agency in Trigun Stampede.

He served as Meryl's mentor in the series. Despite living outside No Man's Land, Roberto has a great deal of insider knowledge about it, thanks to his time at the news agency. Roberto is known to be a reserved but keen observer. Given the nature and tone of the series, he was even anticipated to be the first to die.

Roberto and Meryl (Image via Studio Orange)

The character's death in episode 10 was significant in more ways than one. Giving Meryl his gun, a Derringer pistol, was Roberto's last and ultimate contribution to the plot. This move cleverly suggests how Merly's character develops throughout the series.

Meryl is renowned for carrying a Derringer pistol in the older Trigun and manga. The final few episodes of Trigun Stampede have undoubtedly compelled Meryl to step forward and pick up the weapon expected to establish her as the widely renowned Derringer Meryl from the manga.