Meryl Stryfe

"It's up to us to end the cycle of hatred. If we don't work to end the sorrow this time, then the cycle of pain will just continue on."

- Meryl

Meryl Stryfe (メリル・ストライフ|Meriru Sutoraifu) and her junior coworker, Milly Thompson, are agents of the Bernardelli Insurance Society sent to evaluate claims regarding Vash The Stampede.

Biography
Meryl is a very independent, savvy, short-tempered and yet compassionate woman. A lthough she doesn't often fight alongside Vash, she hides many derringer -style "throwaway" pistols under her coat which she uses with extremely precise aim.

Manga
Meryl and her partner track Vash the Stampede to Inepril city, where the whole town is after the bounty on his head. After finally getting the attention of the town's people, she was able to announce the bounty on his head invalid as he is deemed a Human Disaster, comparing him to a natural typhoon or a hurricane.

Meryl and Vash (anime)
Initially, she finds Vash to be a nuisance and dismisses the idea that he is the legendary Humanoid Typhoon. As time passes, she realizes that Vash isn't the villain that he is made out to be nor the buffoon that he presents himself to be.

Gradually, as the anime series progresses and she sees Vash get out of a variety of situations while displaying both a high level of skill and compassion, she comes to respect Vash. While at first chasing Vash is just her job, Meryl soon falls in love with him - although she has a hard time admitting it to anyone until the end of the series, least of all herself. Milly often encourages her to go after Vash, telling her that what she is doing is right, and advises her "not to hold back in matters of the heart."

Towards the later half the series, Meryl follows Vash out of her feelings for him more than her job. No matter how dangerous the situation, no matter how many times Vash tells them to stay away Meryl tries to follow Vash and Milly supports her- at least up until the point her life is seriously endangered, such as in Fifth Moon. Meryl also states once that she would not run away from Vash because of his scars and does not seem to be bothered by them.

Meryl constantly wonders why Vash gets into trouble when he does nothing wrong and worries about him as a result. One day, she is shocked to hear the truth and seems to understand this is something he has to solve alone.

Later in a turning point for the two in Live Through when the girls are taking care of him, Meryl expresses regret at following Vash, believing that he had to endure such emotional suffering (killing Legato to save their lives) because of them. For a time after Legato's death, Meryl takes care of a broken Vash by cooking, changing his bandages and sewing up his tattered red duster. One night while watching the stars together, Meryl tells him that he can stay there with them as long as he likes, and Vash agrees it may not be such a bad idea, which in turn makes Meryl happy.

The next day it is Meryl who protects Vash from angry villagers who find out that he is Vash the Stampede. He sees Rem in her words, and her physical appearance. He then realizes what he needs to do to Knives and hugs Meryl, off putting her with his first display of affection toward her. While she enjoys it at first, eventually Meryl asks how long this is going to last, to which Vash responds by screaming "Oh, this is a great day!" He then proceeds to swing her around and rub faces with her while laughing, scaring and annoying her until - in true Meryl fashion - she finally punches him and leaves him in the dust.

The next day as Vash leaves to fight Knives, Meryl is waiting for him outside. He thanks her sincerely for everything and she seems as if she is about to say something when Milly interrupts with Wolfwood's Punisher. After Vash leaves, Meryl begins crying, stating that she could not say anything to him. Milly responds that she can do so when he gets back.

Soon after, when the small town they are staying at hits water, Milly asks Meryl if she believes Vash is coming back, to which Meryl responds "He wouldn't keep a good woman like me waiting", indicating that she has accepted her feelings and is looking forward to his return.

Fate
In the credits of the last episode in the anime shows Vash coming back to them (her and Milly) after his battle with Millions Knives, while carrying an injured Knives.

At the end of the manga, Meryl and Milly host a TV show about the exploits of Vash.

Voice Actors

 * Japanese voice: Hiromi Tsuru
 * English voice: Dorothy Elias-Fahn (TV Anime) Luci Christian (Badlands Rumble)

Trivia

 * In the second episode, Truth of Mistake, Vash says to Marianne: "I don't let anyone in my sights get away. And I'm known for my bullets never missing their mark, especially if it's the heart of a beautiful lady. BANG!" During this speech Vash aims his finger like a pretend gun in Meryl's direction. Strangely, Meryl begins to panic and acts as if she has been shot and falls over, while Milly asks if she's alright and Vash looks down at his finger in confusion. This could be comically thought of as the point where Meryl begins to fall for Vash, quite literally.
 * In the anime Vash only calls Meryl by name once, at the beginning of Alternative. (English version only)
 * Meryl shows some physical similarity to Rem while she is making her speech in Live Through. There is an unsupported theory that Rem survived the crash and is the grandmother Meryl talks about who holds similar ideals to Rem.