Meryl Stryfe

Lore & Background

Meryl operates within the rigid framework of the Bernardelli Insurance Society, traveling to Macca City alongside Milly Thompson. The city has become a chaotic hub as rumors circulate that Gasback will attack, fueled by the high value of both a new power plant and a colossal statue built by Mayor Cain using funds from the city's treasury, though the mayor's corruption is implied. This influx attracts numerous bounty hunters intent on claiming a reward for capturing Gasback. Meryl's role is strictly professional: she must keep the city safe to prevent claims against the Society's policy. Unlike the bounty hunters who seek money through violence, Meryl represents institutional order, attempting to manage risk even as the situation spirals out of control when Gasback steals the statue itself.

In Their Own Story

The story follows Meryl and Milly as they arrive in Macca City to evaluate a high-value asset: a huge bronze statue commissioned by Mayor Cain. The city is teetering on the brink of destruction due to rumors that Gasback, the outlaw who betrayed his gang twenty years ago, plans to strike. While Vash the Stampede intervenes to save a young woman named Amelia from thugs and later confronts Gasback, Meryl stays focused on her mission. When Gasback successfully destroys Cain's statue and rolls the city's power plant away, Meryl witnesses the devastation firsthand. Later, she is stunned by news that Vash has fallen into quicksand after being shot, but she and Milly manage to rescue him before he sinks completely from sight.

Reader's Guide

In Trigun: Badlands Rumble, Meryl Stryfe acts as a stabilizing force for the Bernardelli Insurance Society. Her primary objective is to secure an insurance policy for a statue in Macca City, a task complicated by the presence of bounty hunters and the threat of Gasback. She works closely with Milly Thompson, maintaining professional discipline even when Vash the Stampede intervenes in local conflicts. When Vash appears to die after falling into quicksand, Meryl and Milly are shocked but act quickly to rescue him. They later witness his survival, learning that a piece of tough smoked meat in his coat pocket stopped the bullet. Following the resolution where Gasback is arrested and the plant is reinstalled, Meryl and Milly return to Bernardelli headquarters, having completed their assignment despite the near-total destruction of the city's infrastructure.

Did You Know?

• In Trigun: Badlands Rumble, Meryl and Milly traveled to Macca City specifically to secure an insurance policy on the city's new power plant.
• Hiromi Tsuru also voiced Meryl in the 2015 Trigun: Badlands Rumble video game and other media, so this film is not her final performance as the character.

Meryl Stryfe's Final Performance

Trigun: Badlands Rumble marks Hiromi Tsuru's final role as Meryl Stryfe prior to her death in 2017. In this film, Meryl travels to Macca City with Milly Thompson to apply for an insurance policy on a huge bronze statue built by Mayor Cain. The city is crowded with bounty hunters hoping to claim a reward for capturing Gasback. While Vash and Nicholas D. Wolfwood engage in the central conflict involving Gasback's vendetta, Meryl remains dedicated to her professional duties, attempting to keep the city safe despite the chaos caused by Gasback destroying a factory and later separating the power plant from its cradle.

Professional Duties and Agency

Meryl Stryfe is an agent for the Bernardelli Insurance Society. Her specific assignment in Macca City involves applying for a policy on a statue constructed by Mayor Cain using money stolen twenty years ago during a bank robbery. The high value of the statue and the city's power plant attracts bounty hunters who believe Gasback will attack. Meryl must navigate this dangerous environment to protect the Society's interests. When Gasback sets off explosives that separate the plant from its cradle, threatening economic collapse, Meryl witnesses the failure of her mission to keep the asset safe, though she remains active in the aftermath alongside Milly.

Witnessing Vash's Survival

Meryl Stryfe and Milly Thompson are stunned by the news that Vash the Stampede has been shot and fallen into quicksand, sinking from sight during a confrontation with Amelia. This occurs after Gasback activates an electrical weapon intended to kill Vash, which Amelia counters using a glove made for her mother by her father. However, Meryl and Milly rescue Vash from the quicksand. He reappears the next day, having survived because the bullet hit a piece of tough smoked meat in his coat pocket. This survival allows them to witness the final duel where Vash wounds Gasback but ultimately spares him.

Return to Headquarters

After Gasback and all his current and past henchmen are arrested, and the power plant is reinstalled in Macca City, Meryl Stryfe and Milly Thompson return to Bernardelli headquarters. The crisis concludes with Mayor Cain attempting to kill Gasback via missile, a plan thwarted by Nicholas D. Wolfwood. As Vash and Wolfwood set off across the desert, Vash changes direction after reading a newspaper article about a prison escape. Meryl and Milly depart the city, having completed their mission for the Insurance Society despite the destruction of the statue and the temporary loss of the power plant.