Nicholas D. Wolfwood

In the first Trigun animated adaptation, Wolfwood was voiced by Shō Hayami. In retrospect, he cherishes his early work, claiming he felt loved, especially when interacting with Vash's actor.[3] For Stampede he was replaced by Yoshimasa Hosoya who talked about the various layers of Wolfwood's appeal, such as the shady Kansai dialect, his tingling danger, and the various sides of emotions he expresses between dangerous or caring.[4]

Jeff Nimoy voiced Wolfwood in the original Trigun anime though he was first cast for Vash. After failing to dub one of Vash's lines, a Japanese man asked him if he smoked cigarettes but still fit for the Wolfwood as his character smokes. This led to Nimoy being instead cast for Wolfwood. After recording for Digimon, Nimoy met director Joe Romersa for the cast of Trigun. In eleven hours, Nimoy did the recording of all of Wolfwood's lines including his death which left him tired. Nimoy was surprised by how famous he became in the next years as people were shocked to hear his voice in and feel Wolfwood's voice. As time went on, Nimoy took a liking to his work as Wolfwood and befriended Vash's actor.[5]

For the film, Wolfwood was voiced by Brad Hawkins.[6] He was replaced by David Matranga for the Stampede anime.[7]

He is a priest; however, he spent the greater part of his life training to be an assassin under a priest he looked up to. He hardly ever feels any remorse for killing, especially when it's to protect the innocent. He and Vash have some minor disagreements on this matter, which is somewhat ironic due to their occupations as gunfighters. He frequently shows his frustration at an inability to live up to Vash's non-killing lifestyle, demonstrating the guilt he has for taking others’ lives, even while doing it for good purposes. He particularly looks out for kids, making sure that none ever suffer like he did, and his primary objective has always been to make money for his orphanage.

After Wolfwood showed potential in the orphanage in which he was raised, Chapel (also known as Master C) took him into the Eye of Michael, an organization of assassins founded by a plant worshipper, and trained and modified Wolfwood to be a killer. The modifications gave him enhanced abilities and the ability to regenerate from heavy injuries using special vials, but as a result caused his body to age at an accelerated rate, giving him the appearance of being middle-aged though he is a young adult by the start of the series.

His potential was recognized as exceptional, and so he was given the tenth incarnation of the organization's most powerful weapon, a special large cross-shaped gun called the Punisher, which becomes his official title within the Eye of Michael. Wolfwood later betrayed and shot Chapel, impersonating Chapel to gain entry into the Gung-Ho-Guns in an attempt to kill Millions Knives. He failed, and was instead sent by Knives to guide and protect Vash on the latter's travels to Knives's base, thus killing fellow Guns Rai-Dei the Blade and Gray the Ninelives. After Vash is taken prisoner in the Ark, Wolfwood rescues him and later departs to December to protect the orphanage from the retaliation. He battles his childhood friend, Livio the Double Fang, and his crippled master in a confrontation that spans two volumes. He manages to mortally wound Chapel and defeat both Livio and Razlo the Tri-Punisher of Death, Livio's alternate personality, but must take a fatal overdose of his regenerative vials in order to do so. Soon after the battle is over, he dies while having a last drink with Vash.

In the anime, Wolfwood is raised by an abusive guardian, whom he later shoots and kills at the age of seven. He is taken in by Chapel the Evergreen, who trains him to become his eventual successor in the Gung-Ho Guns. He meets Vash while he is stranded in the desert, and the two join forces. During the course of the series, Wolfwood develops a relationship with Milly Thompson that crosses from close friendship into romance. Wolfwood's purpose is to raise money for the children in the orphanage he runs, trying to keep other children from suffering as he did in his own childhood. He initially holds the ideals that he must kill, though he eventually comes to accept Vash's ideals. He eventually fights his master, but spares him after defeating him. Legato Bluesummers controls Chapel and forces him to shoot Wolfwood, who stumbles into a church. He spends his last moments reflecting on his life and making a final confession, then shouts, "I did not want to die this way!" Wolfwood smiles faintly as he dies leaning against his Punisher, his pose similar to the one in which Vash first found him. Vash later carries the Punisher as a way of honoring Wolfwood's memory, and uses it against Knives after hearing the priest's voice urging him to do so during the brothers' battle.

Wolfwood continually insinuates confession is part of his purpose, Wolfwood's primary occupation is being a Christian priest, and his clothes and main weapon is of Christian themes. Nightow is generally known as one of the few successful Christian manga artists. Most of the Japanese population is not Christian, but Trigun itself is full of themes and ideas that have connections to Christianity.[20] Nightow grew up as a Buddhist, but studied Catholicism and converted to it, while retaining Buddhist principles.[21]

These elements of Western Christianity and Catholicism are found throughout the manga and anime. Wolfwood takes his faith greatly in mind, despite being a gunman, but unlike Vash who is much of pacifist, Wolfwood believes himself to be a realist and that violence and killing is a part of life. When questioned about these conflicting ideals by Vash, Wolfwood laments and confesses at the church altar before his death stating, "I've always chosen the right path, haven't I?" Wolfwood actions can be seen with other of his Biblical predecessors. There is John the Baptist, a non-conforming ambassador for Christ, who walked around in the wilderness, much like Wolfwood hiked through the desert. St. Peter used gratuitous violence to save Jesus, rather like Wolfwood perhaps unnecessarily shooting down Zazie the Beast to save Vash. Jesus rebuked Peter by saying, "He who lives by the sword dies by the sword". In the manga and anime that is also how Wolfwood was killed, dying beside his weapon. Samson from the Old Testament lived life wildly and violently, killing because of grudges, and carrying on outside of marriage with the two-faced Delilah. Yet God used him as a Judge for His people. Wolfwood also lives wildly and violently, yet is able to be used for good. The Book of Judges remarks about Samson's time that "in those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes." Sometimes seen as Wolfwood is taking that verse to heart in a lawless land. He can also be referenced to St. Paul, who traveled through unknown land to spread Christianity, just like Wolfwood travelling through a harsh planet to save his orphanage and people he came across.[20]