Did Vash Kill Knives? Here Is What Happened

Trigun fans have seen the relationship between Vash and Knives takes tons of twists and turns, although there’s certainly been far more conflict compared to most sibling rivalries. The conclusion of series featured a final showdown between the brothers, with Knives being the ultimate loser, but Trigun fans still wonder if Vash really killed Knives.
Vash finally decides to shoot Knives towards the end of the Trigun storyline, after which Knives falls to the ground. However, Knives is only seen bleeding from gunshots to his limbs, and he is still breathing after the encounter. Knives is also seen with bandages after their final battle, indicating that Knives will recover with time.
Although it could be easy to believe that Vash killed Knives, this antagonistic brother could still be alive upon closer inspection. Stick around to find out everything there is to know about the final battle between Vash and Knives, why fans believe Vash didn’t actually kill Knives, and what really happened.
Vash and Knives: Origins & Relationship
Knives Millions is the primary villain throughout the Trigun storyline, as well as the older twin brother of Vash the Stampede. Like Vash, Knives is a plant and he was artificially created and raised on a ship of settlers.
While Knives is seen as a major bad guy throughout the story’s progression, he was kind and caring as a child and his motives appear to stem from his survivalist instincts. He only began hating humans after being abused by a crewmember, which was further worsened after discovering the abused remains of Tesla – an independent plant born before himself and Vash.
Knives began his descent into darkness and madness from this point, going as far as to hurt himself when he was alone. He initially tried to destroy the ship fleet so that the humans could not colonize the new home planet, but he was never successful in getting Vash to join his side.
Vash has always been on the side of humans, believing that not all humans are bad and attempting to form positive bonds with them. The two brothers have been attempting to convince each other for around a century, with neither of the brothers being swayed by the other.
This clash of world views had the brothers in various battles and intense conflict situations, with neither of the brothers being keen on harming the other deep down. However, things came to a head towards the end of the Trigun storyline, with these veteran gunslingers finally facing each other head-on.
What Happened to Knives?
Vash and Knives reunite after Vash spends some time with humans, and they begin fighting shortly after. The two brothers begin gunslinging in classic style, as they unload bullets of fury against each other – although, the two seem to be neck and neck throughout the encounter, as seen below thanks to Deago GL.
The two brothers speak to each other briefly, potentially a last chance at convincing each other. Knives eventually has Vash at his mercy, appearing to be getting ready for the final blow.
However, Vash whips out a mega weapon and disables Kines in return, before unleashing a series of bullets – much to Knives’ surprise. This is followed by some flashbacks of their childhood, a primary reason why many fans interpreted this moment as the final blow to Knives.
Did Vash Kill Knives?
Many fans began questioning if Vash actually killed Knives at this moment, as it would go against Vash’s philosophy and promise to never kill anyone. It’s also quite clear that Vash still loves his brother deep down, especially being aware of the events that caused Knives to become the person that he was.
While Knives did drop to the ground, there’s plenty of evidence to show that Vash didn’t actually kill his brother – it seems that Vash only did the damage necessary to make Knives stop. Knives is definitely bleeding quite a lot, but it’s shown that Knives was only shot in areas that would not kill him, specifically in his legs, arms, and shoulder.
He is still breathing heavily by the end of the final battle, and Vash carries his body away. Most Trigun fans have assumed that Vash has actually disabled Knives and taken Knives away in order to prevent him from pursuing his villainous goals, rather than choosing to kill him.
Knives’ fate is technically unknown, but there’s more than enough evidence to show that Vash did not actually kill him during their final battle. To top it off, Knives was shown to have been bandaged from his final fight against Vash, which indicates that he will likely heal from the encounter – and, hopefully, heal his internal, emotional, and psychological wounds in the process.
Although Vash may not have killed Knives, it seems that choosing to disable him may have done the job. Most Trigun fans have assumed that Vash simply carried Knives away after temporarily taking out his limbs, choosing to take care of him and keep him under his care in order to prevent Knives from harming anyone further.