One of the things that makes the Trigun franchise memorable and recognizable to fans of anime and manga (particularly the older ones) is the iconic red long coat worn by the protagonist, Vash The Stampede. Coupled together with his orange-yellow tinted sunglasses, Vash's aesthetic is one of anime's best looks despite its relative simplicity. In the reboot anime, TRIGUN STAMPEDE, Vash's iconic coat has a vastly different design but maintains the same deep red.
Red is most commonly associated with passion and heat; however, in the case of this particular choice in apparel, the red colour does not carry the usual connotations. While one might not think too deeply of the outlaw's wardrobe choice; however, it is deeply connected to his characterization and the core parts of his personality. Here's why Vash The Stampede wears his iconic red coat.
Multiple Threads
One of the first things a fan of the 1998 Trigun would notice about TRIGUN STAMPEDE is the fact that the character designs and visuals are vastly different, with Vash sporting some of the biggest changes from his original depiction. His red coat has been altered heavily and now resembles a bomber jacket-hoodie decorated with insignia and logos that trace it back to Project SEEDS, rather than a classic red trench coat with no markings. Vash's prosthetic arm is also always visible in this new interpretation of his attire. Interestingly, the 1998 design is something somewhat mimicked by Hellsing main character Alucard, who also wears a deep red trench coat and orange-tinted glasses. Anyway, in both the 1998 Trigun and STAMPEDE, Vash receives the coat from the descendants of some of the cryogenically frozen subjects of Project SEEDS; which would inextricably link Vash's eventual reception of his notable coat/jacket to the ultimate sacrifice of his adoptive mother, Rem Saverem.
In the 1998 Trigun, Knives's decimation of Project SEEDS ship Number Five was followed by his and Vash's exploration of the planet for 10 years, with the goal of eliminating the survivors and taking the planet for themselves. However, Vash and Knives are separated in a major disagreement after Knives murders an entire village to save Vash. They are then reunited in July City, an incident that results in Vash losing his left arm, as well as having his immense abilities as a Plant exploited by his brother. One of their abilities uses Vash's iconic revolver (designed in a pair, one for Vash, one for Knives) acts as a catalyst revealing an otherworldly armament in a series of events that lead to the fateful destruction of July City – the event that introduced the world to "The Humanoid Typhoon".
In the years that pass since their falling out, humanity thrives on Gunsmoke using the Plants that Knives intended to liberate, and Vash is discovered by the crew of SEEDS vessel Number Three. They are wary of him at first but come to mildly accept him once they ascertain that he is in fact a Project SEEDS crewmate. This ship remains airborne in the 1998 anime, and the inhabitants live a life sheltered from the inhospitable planet below for several generations. While TRIGUN STAMPEDE reintroduces the crew of Ship Three, it alters the chronology slightly; however, it remains the site where he receives the red coat for the first time.
Color Me Determined
While it is yet to be explored in TRIGUN STAMPEDE, the 1998 anime had more space to flesh out the relationship between Rem and Vash, and gave more weight to Rem as a character through its exploration of her compassion and pacifist outlook which was passed onto Vash. Rem is a woman who experienced immense grief after losing her lover, a person named Alex, and this loss is what was largely behind Rem's determination to make Project SEEDS – humanity's space colonisation project – a success. She believed that people could be forgiven for their mistakes, that amends could be made if one desired. Rem firmly believed in being able to start over, and imparted this to Vash, while Knives ended up corrupted by the trauma of learning about humanity and its heinous association with his fellow Plants.
Anyway, in Trigun 1998, we learn that Rem loves nature, especially flowers, with her favourite being the red geranium. She explains to young Vash that the red geranium is symbolic of "determination" in the language of flowers. If one does their own research on this aspect, Rem's interpretation is not the most popular as the flower is more readily associated with other positives like love and peace (get it?); spirituality; goodwill; and perhaps one of the most important characteristics of Vash The Stampede as a character – silliness. Rem is Vash's biggest influence and her teachings remain ingrained in him for well over a century after her death. Her last words bother Vash throughout the narrative of the 1998 anime, as Vash tries to remember what she said. In both narratives; however, the red coat/jacket also acts like a shroud that prevents the average person from seeing Vash's heavily scarred body – the price he pays for his pacifism.
Symbolism
It takes Vash getting to the lowest point in his life since "The Great Fall" for him to remember that Rem entrusted care of Knives to him. The red colour of the coat is a visual reminder of Rem's determination to save everyone, every time, and is symbolic of the ghost of Rem's teachings – teachings that remain ingrained in his interactions with humanity to this very day. In TRIGUN STAMPEDE, Vash's red coat is a gift he receives from Brad and Luida after living with them on SEEDS Ship Number Three for a number of years, so while Rem's geranium isn't referenced in the reboot, it remains inherent to the symbolism of the jacket. Vash's reception of the jacket from Luida, someone who was a Rem-like presence in his life also serves as a device that further separates the white-clad Millions Knives from the far more human Vash The Stampede.