Monev the Gale is the first of the Gung-Ho-Guns to actually take on Vash. Millions Knives kept him locked away for twenty years, forcing him to train relentlessly until he had the skill and power needed to fight Vash one-on-one.
He's equipped with a powered battle suit and dual chain guns mounted on his arms—these things fire at insane speeds thanks to pressure chambers on his back and hit hard enough to level entire buildings. Beyond that, he carries a massive arsenal in a cloth rucksack, including a minigun capable of punching through bank vault doors.
Legato sends Monev after Vash, and the resulting fight tears through a city and leaves tons of casualties. Monev even blasts off Vash's cybernetic arm. He gets beaten by Vash, who nearly breaks his own code against killing—pure rage over all the deaths. But Vash pulls back, spares him, and Monev surrenders and leaves. Things don't end well for him though; the next Gung-Ho-Gun member, E.G. Mine, murders and crucifies him as punishment for his failure, then uses his corpse as a message when challenging Vash.
The anime handles it slightly differently—Monev survives his fight with Vash, but Mine and Dominique the Cyclops kill him later anyway for screwing up.
Fans often note that Monev's design, especially in the manga, bears a striking resemblance to Venom from Spider-Man—a contrast that really plays up against Vash's iconic red coat. Series creator Yasuhiro Nightow is openly a fan of Spider-Man and Todd McFarlane's work.
Content compiled by AnimeList.moe from publicly available sources.
