Hoppered the Gauntlet

Hoppered is consumed by anger and approaches his battle with Vash as a personal act of punishment rather than merely an assignment. He wants Vash to suffer and is prepared to attack people around him to force a confrontation.

The manga gives that hatred a tragic foundation. Before becoming one of the Gung-Ho Guns, Hoppered was capable of tenderness and cared for a blind, nonverbal woman who had become detached from the world around her.

His fixation on revenge makes him unwilling to consider whether the person he blames actually intended the catastrophe that destroyed his earlier life.

Hoppered has severely underdeveloped legs and relies primarily on his exceptionally powerful upper body for movement. His armored shell protects most of his body and is durable enough to withstand gunfire and violent impacts.

His shield and armor allow him to launch himself at extraordinary speed, effectively turning his entire body into a projectile. The resulting charges combine his mass, armor and momentum into attacks capable of smashing through obstacles.

The armor's shape also permits rapid spinning and directional changes. His fighting style is therefore based less on conventional gunplay than on using himself as a heavily protected kinetic weapon.

Hoppered serves among the Gung-Ho Guns hunting Vash. In the 1998 anime, he participates in the assault on the floating SEEDS ship while Gray the Ninelives and Leonof the Puppet-Master attack other parts of the community.

The manga gives his vendetta considerably more context. Hoppered cared for a blind and nonverbal woman who was caught in the destruction of July. Believing Vash responsible for her death, he joins the campaign against him specifically to take revenge.

During his later confrontation with Vash, Hoppered experiences Vash's memories of July and realizes that the catastrophe was not the deliberate massacre he had imagined. His understanding of Vash changes only after his revenge has already driven him deep into the Gung-Ho Guns' conflict.

Vash the Stampede is the focus of Hoppered's hatred. In the manga, Hoppered blames Vash for the death of the woman he cared for during July until experiencing Vash's memories of the disaster.

Legato Bluesummers directs the Gung-Ho Guns and exploits Hoppered's desire to make Vash suffer.

Gray the Ninelives attacks the floating SEEDS ship during the same operation as Hoppered in the 1998 anime.

Leonof the Puppet-Master likewise participates in the coordinated assault on Vash and the floating community.

Midvalley the Hornfreak becomes involved with Hoppered during the manga's later Gung-Ho Guns conflict. Legato's manipulation of Midvalley turns the aftermath of Midvalley's rebellion into another weapon during Hoppered's battle.