Trench

Lore & Background

Trench is the continent that surrounds the city of Dema. It is home to the Banditos, rebels who wear yellow and aim to liberate the people of Dema. The realm is a testing ground where characters confront their fears, memories, and the oppressive doctrines of the bishops who rule Dema. Trench is also connected to the larger narrative through the character of Clancy, whose letters and journeys reveal the land's secrets.

The Torchbearer, played by Josh Dun in the music videos, is the story's other central character. The significance of Trench lies in its duality: it is both a physical place and a metaphor for the struggle with mental health, societal pressure, and personal liberation. The music videos for "Jumpsuit", "Nico and the Niners" and "Levitate" are set in this world: Tyler Joseph's character joins the Banditos and is seized by a bishop. Trench is the crucible where the narrative's themes of rebellion, identity, and redemption are forged—a place where the mud on your boots is as real as the fear in your chest.

Reader's Guide

Trench is the primary world of the Twenty One Pilots narrative, introduced as the setting for the 2018 album of the same name and its accompanying music videos. It functions as a purgatorial realm between the oppressive city of Dema and the unknown beyond, where the protagonist Clancy and the Banditos resist the control of the nine bishops. To navigate Trench is to accept that every shadow might hide a bishop's gaze—and every yellow flower, a reason to keep running.