Razlo The Tri Punisher Of Death - Blog Posts

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Need to ramble a bit about Livio in Stampede, have had thoughts tumbling around my head for a bit and need to put em out somewhere-

For a while I think I’ve been on the fence about the character that’s been portrayed for him so far in the anime- ill very readily admit I’m biased, as the manga version of him and Razlo I can easily say have been my favorite characters from any story I’ve experienced thus far and have been for quite a few years now.

As much as I joke or whine about his size in Stampede I think his design is fine on its own, it portrays what his character is supposed to be- a clean cut professional hitman/assassin that’s tied to this universe’s tech. I can also appreciate the concept of him constantly chasing after Wolfwood, I think there’s a lot that can be worked with there- but there’s an issue with the sense of his agency with that, which I’ll get into more.

It’s difficult not to compare Stampede to the manga, I understand that it’s supposed to be “its own thing”- but in regards to this specific topic I’m going to go into, imo, compared to the manga it’s objectively handled worse. (I also understand that being it’s an anime there is a greater time restraint to work with, and the episodes he was featured in are meant to have Wolfwood as the primary focus- at the end of the day LR are side characters)

The thing that easily gives me the biggest ick is was him attempting to “check out” at the end of ep. 7- actively suicidal and acting on impulse as a result of the rush of memories returning because of horrid acts either he or Razlo committed (this ramble isn’t about how Stampede portrayed Razlo in the brief .5 seconds he was there, given we don’t know for sure how Stargaze will handle him- but given how Liv was treated, I’m preparing myself to be very disappointed ((but open to being pleasantly surprised))

For me personally, one of the things that makes manga Liv so relatable is his passive suicidal nature, especially while being under Chapel in EOM. His general apathy and readiness to claim the status of being a victim can have someone easily argue that he is a bad person, and he doesn’t have much of a stance on whether he lives or dies. We do get hints of empathy from him (like killing the bad guy who was threatening the child from the orphanage and being willing to take the time to tell Wolfwood his story), but overall he believes his only purpose is to serve as sword and shield to the best of his abilities and does not care how others fare as a result, including himself. Quite frankly he more than likely would not be alive, either by his own hand or allowing someone to take his life if it weren’t for Razlo.

Part of this mindset of his remains even after volume ten, again I’ll refer to his quote referring to himself as a tool/weapon- while now having a purpose to live and go on, at no point does Liv himself state or portray a fear of dying. Regardless, his character development from having a victim mindset being turned into a sense of resolve and making choices to do better for himself and those around him is, quite frankly imo, the entire message that Trigun conveys.

Manga Livio is the precipice of the “blank ticket” metaphor- someone who was given the opportunity to start over, and made a choice to do better in spite of the actions he knowingly and readily committed prior.

Stampede Livio is unfortunately not that. From what we’ve seen his entire ability to choose at all was taken from him at some point. We’ve seen that he was a willing volunteer of EOM, and we’ve seen that he was working really hard to be on par with Wolfwood- but at some point it’s strongly implied that he was forced to commit atrocities that he wouldn’t normally have done by his own volition, and that the piece of tech he wears insures that he continues to do as instructed. There is a sort of horror that goes with that which in of itself is extremely interesting, but it doesn’t really flow with the message that Trigun intends to give. What can Livio learn or change from if it wasn’t “him” ever committing heinous acts or if his troubled past doesn’t continue to eat at him? What does he learn, or the main cast learn, if he was successful in committing suicide in a state of panic?

I honestly have no idea what to expect from Stargaze- I’m excited for it (although nervous) and I really hope they expand on the narrative for Liv, even if just a little bit. I can imagine it’ll be hard for the anime to make Liv be the precipice for the blank ticket metaphor again story-wise at this point, so I won’t be surprised if that turns out to be someone else.

long time no LR

why do some people insist on characterising livio as being appalled or shocked or scared or whatever by razlo's actions, like it isn't a point in the manga that livio shouldered all of the hard shit onto razlo (and felt bad about and apologised to him for it later btw), like livio isn't Also a Death Cult Raised Murdering Super Assassin who was prized by the eye because he was a Very Good Death Cult Raised Murdering Super Assassin 😑 razlo isn't really even any more violent than livio (or wolfwood for that matter), he just likes to have fun when he fights.

like you know livio made the choice to kill people for the eye, right? don't forget that about him. that agency of him deliberately choosing to do bad is crucial to his heelface and new lease on life later on. i think maybe a lot of you guys are just fucking weird about systems and think "evil alters" are actually a thing bc you saw a couple bad horror movies and want to malign razlo to--what, exactly? make livio look weaker and more innocent than he actually is? he kills people. he's a gung ho gun. he's one of the eye's best. he was totally fine with threatening the orphanage and using the kids as bait for wolfwood.

Razlo bein' painted as a cruel monster when he's but a misguided protector is real tragic.

And he's not just Livio's protector. The first time we see him kill for someone, it's for the little girl Livio saved. It was wrong but to him it was logical, the dog was what put her into danger so he removed it from the equation.

I think Wolfwood would have liked him, if he got the chance to.

Dump part 2: old Trigun doodles I like them though. The last one kills me every time

Choose your plushie 👀

I made this because I desperately needed Livio plushie and then decided to do more of them. Why not?

If you miss Angry Blueberry Plushie (Legato) then you have to know he already has the loving caretaker and probably spents beautiful days at 100 Spoons Plushie's side. Best greetings to the owner!