Nicholas D. Wolfwood

Nicholas D. Wolfwood
Trigun character
First appearanceChapter 18: "Demon Squad" (November 30, 1996)
Created byYasuhiro Nightow
Voiced byJapanese
Shō Hayami
Yoshimasa Hosoya (Trigun Stampede)
English
Jeff Nimoy
Brad Hawkins (Trigun: Badlands Rumble)
David Matranga (Trigun Stampede)

Nicholas D. Wolfwood (Japanese: ニコラス・D・ウルフウッド, Hepburn: Nikorasu Dī Urufūddo), also known as Nicholas the Punisher, is a major character in the Trigun manga series created by Yasuhiro Nightow, as well as its anime adaptation. He is a priest who wields a large cross-shaped gun named the Punisher, which he and his former colleagues use either in saving people or for complete destruction. After showing potential in the orphanage in which he was raised, Chapel trained and modified him, giving him enhanced abilities and the ability to regenerate from heavy injuries using special vials. He was given a special large cross-shaped gun called the Punisher, which contains two machine guns and a rocket launcher. Wolfwood is found nearly dead in the desert by protagonist Vash the Stampede. They become recurring allies despite acting on different morals when fighting.

Wolfwood was created by Nightow using as a major model the singer Tortoise Matsumoto from the band Ulfuls. The character has been voiced by several actors in both Japanese and English.

Wolfwood's characterization was praised for his portrayal that acts as a foil to the protagonist's morals and backstory related with the villains.