Episode 362

Oburi

All praise Grail
Maximum chills reading this. Truly epic.

What we're shown is clearly an Occultation ceremony, however... there's one important thing to notice. There is no Black Sun. Rather, what looms over the background is the Vortex of Souls. Visually strikingly similar. Makes me wonder if Eclipse ceremonies like the one we saw for Griffith are "mirrors" of that original one... Not unlike how his Incarnation ceremony was a mirror of the Eclipse.

That was my first thought. Just as the Incarnation mirrored the Eclipse, the Eclipse seems to be mirroring this event. Both visions must be entirely separate events, as Griffith pointed out. We don't see Skully in the foreground of the first vision with the God Hand and the women with the shoulder brand being held by a berserker armored Gaiseric is a curveball. Who is she? Definitely a connection to magic users and elves. Even the symbols on her clothes are things we've seen before at Floras.

Anyway what amazing episode. One of the more monumental ones that, like Fantasia and Casca's awakening, will go down as a milestone for those of us reading along currently. Another homerun for Miura.
 
Well, just wait a minute here. I don't see no hand anywhere. Who's saying they didn't go by another name? :carcus: :iva:

I second Gobs with 'The Gosh Hand.'

Don't forget the Vortex of Souls as the backdrop. That's next level.

Welcome back, Hell!

Yeah I mentioned that earlier, but I think another interesting possibility might be that Gaiseric's lover was herself the daughter of Danan. (with a single 'n' in the middle!)
There's a bunch of reasons for it, one being that Danan is tied to her giant cherry tree as far as we know (not unlike how Chich was tied to her plant). But... a tree of that size would presumably take thousands of years to grow to that extent... And it stands on an island where time flows differently (more slowly) than in the outside world.

Interesting! Either way it makes Danan (sorry 'bout that) much more tied into the core story.

Last thing: The Skull Knight famously told Guts that he would have to choose between pursuing his revenge or protecting the woman he loves, that he couldn't do both. Maybe he knew from personal experience.

Interesting that he told Guts that during an incarnation event. And both this and that had a city-wide brand... It couldn't be the same type of incarnation since the worlds were already merged. Maybe, as you say, it was a massive sacrifice to bring all five in at once, though I have some doubts...
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Since we're on a new page I think we can drop the spoiler tags.

We don't see Skully in the foreground of the first vision with the God Hand and the women with the shoulder brand being held by a berserker armored Gaiseric is a curveball.

Everything is shown from the first person perspective of Gaiseric wearing the Berserk's armor. It's all his memories, viewed through his own eyes. Meaning he got pretty close to those five bastards before getting beat down. :badbone:

Interesting that he told Guts that during an incarnation event. And both this and that had a city-wide brand... It couldn't be the same type of incarnation since the worlds were already merged. Maybe, as you say, it was a massive sacrifice to bring all five in at once, though I have some doubts...

Yeah I think there's a very clear thematic connection between the fact his own lover died during that city's destruction and he warned Guts a thousand years later. It's just not a coincidence.

As for how the destruction of the city fits with the rest, I think it might still be too early to truly tell, but I'll say that getting two scenes of two very distinct events (as in, at least days apart) just doesn't work with the idea of "showing you how the previous owner died". He only died once, and so while I think those two glimpses are a little trick by Miura to show us two different moments, I do believe they occurred within the same night.
 
This is an incredible episode. The tentacle world design is very interesting. Some of the tentacles that are at the top of the page, closer to the sky, are reminiscent of the World Spiral Tree branches. Maybe instead these are some of its roots (cue IOE at the bottom of the WST). It's cool to see this moment through Gaiseric's eyes, I really like the part when the Apostles (or whatever they were called at the time) are getting slashed.

The female God Hand (using this term because I don't know what else to call them at the moment) on the far right has the Maleficent-like head and face and is covered in boobies! What a design! The God Hand on the far left reminds me of Grunbeld's Apostle form and also Zeus or Poseidon. The God Hand second from the left looks like it has a Ruff on and has a face like a traditional comedy/drama mask. The remaining God Hand...... now that's the stuff of nightmares.
 
Looking at the scene where the furry apostles come out of the tentacles, it kind of reminds me of Rosine's cocoons. Perhaps the 1000 year ceremony Sk took part in was to incarnate these "apostles" into being using the souls of Gaiseric's empire. Maybe these are the like the "daemons" used to make psuedo-apostles, but instead these are the original demonic form that actual apostles would use after their ceremony. It would be kind of like DevilMan. Idk, that wouldnt make sense since if that was Void's "eclipse", not the ceremony and are just two seperate events. I have no clue, anything is possible.
 
Man, just about every episode since the beginning of the Corridor of Dreams has blown me away.

Those previous God Hand designs and the tentical-scape are super freaky, I love it. Immediately saw Artemis of Ephesus in the one GH to the right. I was looking too hard at those low res spoilers this morning trying to figure out if that one next to her had a big Sauron eyeball or a vagina face... it’s a mouth.:ganishka:
 
From reading everyone else's comments, did anyone think that Gaiseric was also branded? Because that for me is the only explanation as to how he can be in the ceremony and witness these events before dying. We'd have to wait for more confirmation though.

Also, I love the former God Hand (if you can call them that). I might even prefer them over the originals on design alone. Well, at least we know there is a way to kill the God Hand (probably a Junction of Times that offered a chance to do it). And maybe Void was able to survive due to the IoE's meddling in the ceremony.
 

Oburi

All praise Grail
My guess is that at that point, they faced off with the good guys and those two forces mutually annihilated themselves. Four of the bad guys were wiped out, but Void survived. To seal him away, the surviving magicians then set out to split the corporeal world from the astral world. And so Void has been patiently rebuilding a team for all these years, and preparing the way for another attempt.

Seeing this possibility written out just blows my mind. I didn't think Void could be any more badass than he already was. Even as the ancient and cryptic leader of the current God Hand he was still just a tool, an instrument ... a hand of God. And while that truth may remain, this perspective gives him a terrifyingly new air of villainy .
 
Fucking hell, what an episode. The strong visual storytelling, rich iconography, subtlety, it's pure Berserk. No amount of effort was spared in the making of these reveals.

Whoever that woman was to Gaiseric, her connection to the elves and possibly Elfhelm is pretty obvious. Aazealh's recent post about causality and its countercurrent seems to be further reinforced. I keep being reminded how Miura's way of leading Guts and the readers alike in uncovering each piece of the underlying history of the world, from Puck's very introduction in volume 1 is nothing short of brilliant.

The old God Hand members... that reveal was truly insane. Miura did a great job of making these characters feel similar to their newer counterparts, without taking away from their individual designs. The one on the left with the beard looks especially unique to me. Not very Cenobite-y, is he?
They slightly remind me of Gigantomakhia, especially the two on the left. The ceremony as a whole has a visual layer to it that inspires something primitive and burried by time.

The Proto-Apostles do seem to be apostles. The eyes, the uniqueness of each, especially in the close-ups. But they all have long shaggy hair. Could they be a different type of apostle, something more ancient like from neanderthals?
That's what I thought as well. Something cool but likely unrelated is the one on the far right, which looks a bit like the Beast of Darkness. They are clearly more than just small fries.

Of note is that the second one from the right also seems to be a woman (yay gender parity!), although it's hard to tell given that.. very... unique design. Not someone I'd like to be in a room with.

Those luscious lips oriented for "double functionality" and that hourgalss figure, are you kidding? :carcus:
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Some of the tentacles that are at the top of the page, closer to the sky, are reminiscent of the World Spiral Tree branches. Maybe instead these are some of its roots (cue IOE at the bottom of the WST).

Hmm, I don't think so, I mean the Idea of Evil is down in the Abyss and those tentacles seem to mostly be forming a room of sorts for the ceremony to take place in.

Looking at the scene where the furry apostles come out of the tentacles, it kind of reminds me of Rosine's cocoons. Perhaps the 1000 year ceremony Sk took part in was to incarnate these "apostles" into being using the souls of Gaiseric's empire.

It feels to me like it'd be a waste to use a once-in-a-millennium event merely to create apostles or the equivalent, especially since Gaiseric mowed those down on his way to the real opponents.

Maybe these are the like the "daemons" used to make psuedo-apostles, but instead these are the original demonic form that actual apostles would use after their ceremony.

Ah, I see you're referring to Dark Horse's translation of what the Count says in volume 2. Unfortunately they made that one up, the word the Count used simply translates to "offspring". Some apostles can create pseudo-apostles but there isn't some common specific thing at work, it's really on a per apostle basis. For example the Beherit Apostle used his tentacles to do it, Rochine used cocoons, Niko (from the Dreamcast game) used parasitic plants, etc.

I was looking too hard at those low res spoilers this morning trying to figure out if that one next to her had a big Sauron eyeball or a vagina face... it’s a mouth.:ganishka:

Well you weren't completely wrong, I think it's meant to evoke both a vagina and a mouth.

did anyone think that Gaiseric was also branded?

Yeah I do think so. I mean that's kind of been implied in the past anyway, so it's not a big surprise. I would honestly be very surprised if his empire capital city and everyone in it had been branded except him. That would almost be more of an affront.

Seeing this possibility written out just blows my mind. I didn't think Void could be any more badass than he already was. Even as the ancient and cryptic leader of the current God Hand he was still just a tool, an instrument ... a hand of God. And while that truth may remain, this perspective gives him a terrifyingly new air of villainy .

Yeah I was telling Walter a few days ago that I'm honestly looking forward to Void's backstory more than to Gaiseric's, and I'm a pretty huge Skull Knight fan. There's just this aura of mystery about him, plus the way he consistently seems to know more than everyone else about everything (including the other members of the God Hand). I fully expect his betrayal of Gaiseric to have been absolutely odious.
 
This episode was phenomenal, but there's one question that has been especially on my mind since I've read the episode and I don't think I've seen anyone talk about it yet, hopefully it's not a stupid thing to ask. So could it be that Miura is not only giving us backstory, but also foreshadowing? I've been thinking about what comes next for Griffith and Falconia, and while it certainly is interesting to see Griffith become a character who, despite being a villain, becomes the saviour of people, it's hard for me to believe that things will stay this way. So in this episode it is pretty much confirmed that hat we saw in these visions was the downfall of Gaiseric's, aka Skull Knight's kingdom. The "old God Hand" most likely died by the hands of Skull Knight after this, and so came the new God Hand. What if Falconia will end the same way as Gaiseric's kingdom? What if by showing us the previous God Hand, Miura is saying that yet another God Hand will emerge with Griffith leading them? Though it's not confirmed yet, but Void might've been the fifth member at the time, and then became the leader after everyone else died, which would parallel Griffith by being the fifth. Maybe the now existing God Hand will die, it could be that the Skull Knight manages to kill Void, but not Griffith, who would then lead his own generation of the God Hand. On one hand I'm pretty sure I'm wrong about this, because I'm sure Miura is planning something way more complicated and way more surprising, but I do think that Falconia's future is not all bright. The downfall of Falconia could caused by none other than Griffith, who, after ascending to a godlike status, might not care about creating a human kingdom anymore, but a kingdom for the God Hand. Maybe Guts will kill Griffith as he's trying to create a new God Hand? Since dealing with an entire new set of these guys would probably stretch out Berserk's story more than it should.

At the end here I just wanna say I'm sorry if this seems like I'm just rambling, I just joined and there's so many things to talk about. :farnese:
 
Ah, I see you're referring to Dark Horse's translation of what the Count says in volume 2. Unfortunately they made that one up, the word the Count used simply translates to "offspring". Some apostles can create pseudo-apostles but there isn't some common specific thing at work, it's really on a per apostle basis. For example the Beherit Apostle used his tentacles to do it, Rochine used cocoons, Niko (from the Dreamcast game) used parasitic plants, etc.

Ah, sorry, i should have been more clear. What I meant to say was that these demonic beings that emerge from the tentacles could be what gives apostles their demonic form. So kind of like making pseudo-apostles out of humans by giving them some sort of "offspring" (thanks for the correction, translations are wack) however, instead these are actual demons that the godhand give apostles during their ceremony, and may take any shape in their new host. Kind of like in Devilman Crybaby where if you ingest that drug or whatever, you get "possessed" by a demon that you can control. The process to make these beings would be similar to Rosine's cocoons, but these cocoons are made out of tentacles and require souls. These demonic forms would be then be used to create apostles, which in turn would serve the godhand. I'm definitely talking out of my ass here, and you maybe right that it would be a big waste of 1000 years of waiting just to create these things though, lol, and probably are a bit nonsensical.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
The "old God Hand" most likely died by the hands of Skull Knight after this, and so came the new God Hand.

I wonder whether SK led the charge against them, actually. It really all depends on what happened between the two glimpses of his death we saw... Damn it, we need more information! Hanarr, plug Guts back in!! :azan:
I'm going to have to stop posting for the day, but I'll try and write more of my thoughts about those guys tomorrow because I find them very interesting.

What if Falconia will end the same way as Gaiseric's kingdom?

I don't think that will happen. Gaiseric's capital city was destroyed by the God Hand, and he himself died at their hand, while fighting them. Falconia is a replica of it controlled by the God Hand. It's a perversion of what it once was, a twisted image used for some nefarious purpose. Almost like a last insult to him on top of everything else. But I don't think its purpose is merely to be destroyed as a sacrificial offering. What would be the purpose? And why wouldn't it be done already? I believe the God Hand has a more ambitious objective than that.

What if by showing us the previous God Hand, Miura is saying that yet another God Hand will emerge with Griffith leading them? Though it's not confirmed yet, but Void might've been the fifth member at the time, and then became the leader after everyone else died, which would parallel Griffith by being the fifth.

This is indeed a possibility. There's always been two main theories: the God Hand started with Void, or there's been a cycle going on for millennia with a multitude of successive God Hands. This episode revealed to us that there once were other members to that group, members who have presumably died. We also know that they don't just die when another one is reborn, because we know there were only four members of the God Hand before Griffith became Femto. That seems to imply those previous guys were killed.

Now what we don't know is whether Void was reborn alone as the newest member of an existing group, if they were all reborn at once. I speculated about that second possibility earlier in the thread. My reason for considering it is that I think that makes Void more significant as a character than if he's just the guy who happens to be the leader at the moment. I like the idea of him being the originator of the God Hand, and not just another guy chosen by causality. I prefer to think of him as someone who forced the world to fit his view and not just a victim of his circumstances who chose to sacrifice to transcend his sorry fate. But at the moment there is no certainty. Tomorrow I'll explore possible scenarios for a preexisting God Hand and what that could mean for the bigger picture.

I do think that Falconia's future is not all bright.

Oh, Falconia is absolutely a giant con. It's an illusion recreated from Gaiseric's old capital city, a city the God Hand's predecessors destroyed... It was always clear from the beginning that there was something deeply rotten about the whole affair. The real question is what is the God Hand's end goal? What are they after? Everything they've done so far feels way too complex for the answer to be "just another massacre". There's got to be some bigger scheme behind all of this, but we've yet to figure out exactly what it is.

At the end here I just wanna say I'm sorry if this seems like I'm just rambling, I just joined and there's so many things to talk about. :farnese:

Don't be sorry, it's normal to be excited at a time like this!

Ah, sorry, i should have been more clear. What I meant to say was that these demonic beings that emerge from the tentacles could be what gives apostles their demonic form. So kind of like making pseudo-apostles out of humans by giving them some sort of "offspring" (thanks for the correction, translations are wack) however, instead these are actual demons that the godhand give apostles during their ceremony, and may take any shape in their new host.

Ah, I see what you mean. Well that's not how it's described to us in the series. It's the Vortex of Souls that serves as a source of evil power. The apostles receive a modicum of that power and their soul is corrupted in the process. In turn, that corruption twists their corporeal bodies, giving them supernatural abilities. That's why when they die their body returns to its human form, because their soul is taken away by the Vortex (like we see with the Count in volume 3).

Members of the God Hand receive a much larger amount of evil power, so much so that their corporeal body is destroyed in the process. That's why the incarnation of Femto (the act of acquiring a body of flesh) in volume 21 is such a big deal.
 
Ok. I was expecting something good, but this, by the looks of it, exceeded everyone's expectations! A tremendous addition to Berserk's lore. Imagination running on overdrive right now.

The woman in Gaiseric's arms look strikingly similar to Danan and I cannot accept Miura would draw them to look that much alike without some serious connection/implication. The shape of the eyes, her hair, the forehead pendent, her necklace. Eagerly awaiting and hoping for an interaction between the two.

The four new former members of the Godhand. What else can I say? Completely blindsided me and took my breath away. As amazing as it was to get this expansion to the lore, a part of me hopes it's the first and last time we see them. There's something to be said about keeping an air of mystery around them now...

Masterful, totally masterful.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
I do think they're two different moments, but I figure they're in close succession. From the way they're structured, it's not clear that anyone but him faces the proto-God Hand in the tentacle dimension. But then when he comes back, he finds her dying along with the rest of his capital city.

Right, so she is presumably like the rest of the branded, mummified corpses we see later, meaning she in particular wasn't necessarily sacrificed, but was en masse along with the rest of capital.

I think that supports your mass sacrifice/five-at-once God Hand ritual idea, though I kind of like the idea of those others already existing and Void essentially being the Femto of his time, basically like the promised/chosen one that's going to lead them to glory. I like it better than the previous four God Hand essentially getting strangled in their crib. Man, FOUR new God Hand in this ep, NINE we now know of! This is the Berserk equivalent of court packing. Kind of makes you wonder, for the sake of symmetry, if there was a previous fifth that was incarnated or something? :carcus:

My guess is that at that point, they faced off with the good guys and those two forces mutually annihilated themselves. Four of the bad guys were wiped out, but Void survived. To seal him away, the surviving magicians then set out to split the corporeal world from the astral world. And so Void has been patiently rebuilding a team for all these years, and preparing the way for another attempt. And it's what's going on now. The worlds are merged again, we saw the God Hand "coming in" during the Blast of the Astral World, and Griffith is paving the way for god knows what.[/ISPOILER]

This is a thoroughly good guess, but of course we're hampered by what we don't know. Like, what was Gaiseric's relation to Void or the God Hand, if any, before this? Was he somehow, even unwittingly, in league with them, and thus foolish, or was he foolish for taking them lightly until it was too late? Did he make some kind of faustian bargain, even if it wasn't an intentional sacrifice? We know he committed some sort of sin here, he's not just a bystander, but the nature of it interests me because it could be as simple as he was a foolish emperor that didn't see this coming, that he was greedy for power and let the God Hand in, or the extreme possibility he was, or was meant to be, among them and it went real bad. I don't think the latter is the most likely outcome, but there's a possibility he paralleled Griffith even more than we thought, but something changed.

The timing is most confusing since we don't know how long he opposed them when the armor came into play, or if he did before the events we're seeing (presumably if he got the armor after some initial confrontation, but that's not necessarily so).


Ugh, there's enough possibilities and variations to write half a dozen fanfics... I'm trying to think of like a choice tree to make sense of it all, like:

God Hand:
Doesn't exist yet.
Exists with Void leading them.
Exists with Void as a member.
Exists without Void yet.
Exists with Void being the newest member.
Exists with Gaiseric as a member.

Gaiseric:
Is a great warrior that becomes Emperor.
Is a great warrior that becomes Emperor with the Berserk's Armor.
Is a God Hand that's incarnated that becomes Emperor.

The Woman in Gaiseric's Arms (multiple selections simultaneously possible):
Is Danan's mother.
Is Danan's daughter.
Is Gaiseric's lover.
Is Gaiseric's daughter.
The head of another nation.
None of the above.

You get the idea, and these aren't even that thorough and I already got tired before I could get to what led to the tentacle ceremony, what happened there, what was happening when Gaiseric died, etc. Too many possibilities!
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
So, as usual Miura's comment isn't very readable in the digital edition, but he talks about one of his mangaka friends of 10 years who died, and how he can't go to his funeral because of the coronavirus... Pretty sad. :sad:

Kind of makes you wonder, for the sake of symmetry, if there was a previous fifth that was incarnated or something? :carcus:

I mean, the possibility can't be discounted, but we know it wasn't Void, and it's not clear what being incarnated would have achieved if the worlds were still merged as one.

Like, what was Gaiseric's relation to Void or the God Hand, if any, before this? Was he somehow, even unwittingly, in league with them, and thus foolish, or was he foolish for taking them lightly until it was too late?

The nuance of the word in Japanese is that he realized at the very end that he had been foolish. As usual with Miura it's very carefully worded and can't be perfectly conveyed in English. Anyway, I still think he was close to Void, and possibly the others if we assume they were all in league together and were reborn at the same time.

Gaiseric: Is a God Hand that's incarnated that becomes Emperor.

That one I don't buy at all. A member of the God Hand turning into a good guy, opposing the others, and having his city, lover and possibly himself branded? Plus where would his power have gone? I prefer the idea that Griffith is a twisted reflection of what Gaiseric once was, both a ripoff and a living insult to his legacy. The only thing missing is for him to be his direct descendant... or is that Charlotte and he's screwing her? :void: Either way, rather unpleasant.

Too many possibilities!

Indeed. =)
 
So, as usual Miura's comment isn't very readable in the digital edition, but he talks about one of his mangaka friends of 10 years who died, and how he can't go to his funeral because of the coronavirus... Pretty sad. :sad:
Apparently Takayama wrote some last words/farewell letter back in September (it seems he was suffering from liver cancer since 2015). Looks like he wrote a couple books about figure skating and other stuff.
 
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Holy crap am I glad I waited for the full thing, maybe the best morning I've ever had! haha

Coming a little late to the discussion now (by SK.net standards)...it's always fascinating to see how fast you can all pick apart every little piece of an episode so quickly. Brings a tear to my eye! I kept thinking I had a few things to add to the conversation but as I read through the thread it seemed each interesting thing I noticed was getting pointed out one after the other :guts:

This new area/dimension, the new beings emerging there (are we going to agree on something to refer to them as?)... An obviously newly introduced furry entity, yet the fact they are/were/related to apostles is so well done. The first two images of them being roused by the events transpiring and being "called", then the close up of their faces shares striking similarities to the facial features and shots we get of apostles. Finally when they are attacked we see things like a sort of lobster claw like appendage we didn't quite get the detail on in the pervious images, showing they can have a sort of amalgamation of various body parts and types (just like apostles). Such a masterful page!

Obviously, holy shit...a new (old) God Hand. Just fucking awesome. On the previous page you see them small and in the distance, I'm thinking "oh hell yah, a new badass God Hand shot, haven't seen them in so long!" then we're given the following panel. I honestly lost my shit! Looking back, the little silhouettes are obviously different than our usual God Hand, but I was just so used to the imagery I didn't even notice my first read through .

The way this is all portrayed is just so damn awesome. So perfectly executed as a flash of a memory as to give us a TON of new information yet leaving so much to speculate about. I really wonder how much of it will be straight up explained to us in the next few episodes and how much will be left as a mystery.
 
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I prefer the idea that Griffith is a twisted reflection of what Gaiseric once was, both a ripoff and a living insult to his legacy. The only thing missing is for him to be his direct descendant... or is that Charlotte and he's screwing her? :void: Either way, rather unpleasant.

I forgot about this. I recall Charlotte being descended from Gaiseric's line, per the story in the Tower of Rebirth. If so it would be easy for some human descendent to be out of town. Could even be a cousin or brother.

But if it was human offspring... It could throw water on the theory that the Danan-like woman is Gaiseric's lover. Unless he sired bastards with Elves. But that doesn't feel very likely.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
I've been looking forward to this episode for as long as I can remember reading Berserk. The mystery around Skull Knight and how he became who he is was one of the core motivating factors for me learning more about Berserk, and of course, led to me naming this site after him. So this episode is pretty special to me, as I'm sure it is for many others.

Over the years, I've grown pretty comfortable with not trying to solve the riddle of "what happened 1,000 years ago?" every time it came up in speculation threads. God knows I've spent hours of my life in the past trying to do so... Today a few of the actual pieces to this puzzle slid into view, and the answer to this long-awaited reveal feels tantalizingly close. But in truth as we've gotten closer to the answer, more questions have been introduced in the form of specifics, and I'm coming up short on how to answer the big ones. So basically... Miura's done it again! :ubik:

I expect Skull Knight to finally put some words to these visuals in the next episode(s), though some answers might also come from others in Elfhelm (Danan, Ged, Archmages, etc.). But to be honest, even more than learning who these new God Hand members are and what happened to them, at this moment I'm most eager to learn about the branded woman who resembles Danan, and the story of her travels with Gaiseric. Her death had the gravity of a main character we didn't even know existed until she was gone. And I also can't help but feel Miura has delayed the twisting of the knife for the future—is Gaiseric responsible for her death?

In any case... there's a few days for more ideas to germinate before we record the podcast. It'll be a good one.
 

DANGERDOOOOM

Rest In Peace, Kentaro Miura. We will miss you.
Incoming a book from another author about Gaiseric and the tragic loss of his lover:magni:.
But in all seriousness, I never expected this much from an episode. I was literally getting goosebumps when reading this episode. Hasn’t happened in a long time with Berserk. Thank you Miura! :SK:
 
My first hot take knee jerk reaction upon seeing the woman was “slan???” But after reading what others had to say I quickly did a double take and noticed the elf imagery. It’d also not make sense for SK to seemingly care about Slan based on their previous conversation. So scratch that one off for probably just me.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
I mean, the possibility can't be discounted, but we know it wasn't Void, and it's not clear what being incarnated would have achieved if the worlds were still merged as one.

Incarnated to be... reborn again; the ultimate God Hand! :troll:

The nuance of the word in Japanese is that he realized at the very end that he had been foolish. As usual with Miura it's very carefully worded and can't be perfectly conveyed in English. Anyway, I still think he was close to Void, and possibly the others if we assume they were all in league together and were reborn at the same time.

The potential here is incredible whatever the specifics end up being. Personally, as I've said I hope they were around before so they weren't like, fly by night, one hit wonder God Hands (but maybe the point will be only one was fit to survive =). Speaking of which, this could just be coincidence or bias, because these new, old God Hand look pretty weird themselves, but don't you think the current ones seem more stylistically... like Void (like they're almost wearing uniforms designed by him =)? It supports the idea he may have had more of a hand, pun intended, in these ones. Plus, if he was a sorcerer in life before being reincarnated, and this was unusual or a first even, it might have created an imbalance of in power in his favor.

That one I don't buy at all. A member of the God Hand turning into a good guy, opposing the others, and having his city, lover and possibly himself branded? Plus where would his power have gone? I prefer the idea that Griffith is a twisted reflection of what Gaiseric once was, both a ripoff and a living insult to his legacy. The only thing missing is for him to be his direct descendant... or is that Charlotte and he's screwing her? :void: Either way, rather unpleasant.

Well, I agree it's not the most likely scenario, would require a lot more storytelling heft to come, and would kind of muddle Skully's character (though nothing that couldn't be massaged, which could of course add some extra depth). BUT, on the note of reflecting history, let me give you a plausible, if not more likely, scenario: Perhaps Gaiseric was actually their first run at this. They're the ones doing the same thing now after all, and they've recreated the same circumstances, one world, one empire. But maybe one fit to be the ultimate conqueror isn't fit for what's to come after, whatever that mysterious final aim is, particularly if it means giving up their kingdom regardless. Or, they simply came to an untenable disagreement and turning point. If Gaiseric was working with Void somehow, and/or some earlier incarnation of the God Hand, they might have all been very different, they're aims might have even began nobly. Transcending the limits of humanity through magic, etc. This would rather organically set up the rise, perhaps betrayal, and fall of Gaiseric in one smooth arc. Again, the simplest answer, he was "merely" Emperor Gaiseric and ran afoul of the God Hand somehow and became what he's become, is still more likely, but it leaves us with just as many questions if not more. Another fun implication of this idea is the possible foreshadowing for Griffith's future. Right now it seems like he's omniscient and omnipotent (with one major, exploitable flaw, hmmmm), but to paraphrase Skully, what if what he wants, and thinks is happening, isn't what Void ultimately wants? We now know the big brain has re-staffed before! Plus, it's just fun to think of Griffith going from the ultimate being to being the ultimate sucker, however unlikely that is to play out. =)

"But I thought this was all so I could have the biggest castle ever!?" :griffnotevil:
"Sorry you platinum blonde bimbo, but like your skin it turns out your ambition pales; I'm going to rule the cosmos right down to the space between dimensions!" :void:

This is so much fun. :guts:

Over the years, I've grown pretty comfortable with not trying to solve the riddle of "what happened 1,000 years ago?" every time it came up in speculation threads. God knows I've spent hours of my life in the past trying to do so... Today a few of the actual pieces to this puzzle slid into view, and the answer to this long-awaited reveal feels tantalizingly close. But in truth as we've gotten closer to the answer, more questions have been introduced in the form of specifics, and I'm coming up short on how to answer the big ones. So basically... Miura's done it again! :ubik:

What's kind of funny is despite seeing all this, and the revelation of different God Hand (not even more technically, though the important number is if it was four or five to start =), the only new specific we know is the existence of this woman and her potential meaning to Skully and Danan. Everything else, a cataclysmic ceremony, five angels, the destruction of the capital and fall of Gaiseric was already known.

I expect Skull Knight to finally put some words to these visuals in the next episode(s)

I'll believe it when I read it. "Kept you waiting, huh?" :badbone:

though some answers might also come from others in Elfhelm (Danan, Ged, Archmages, etc.). But to be honest, even more than learning who these new God Hand members are and what happened to them, at this moment I'm most eager to learn about the branded woman who resembles Danan, and the story of her travels with Gaiseric. Her death had the gravity of a main character we didn't even know existed until she was gone. And I also can't help but feel Miura has delayed the twisting of the knife for the future—is Gaiseric responsible for her death?

DUN DUN DUN! I think he's definitely going to hold himself responsible, whether he's directly culpable somehow or not. I mean, the specifics of what went down could be pretty wild, especially since some of the imagery in this episode, specifically their death, doesn't necessarily follow yet with the ceremony, the destruction of the capital, and the demise of the former God Hand. Was he even in the armor in that first scene, or was that his equivalent to Guts' Eclipse experience and the memory was absorbed later? But then who sacrificed/destroyed the capital? Was that brand of fire an indicator of an Incarnation like in Albion, and did they somehow prevent the God Hand's plan at that time? My head hurts... see you Sunday

In any case... there's a few days for more ideas to germinate before we record the podcast. It'll be a good one.

It couldn't be more fitting too. :SK:
 
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Rhombaad

Video Game Time Traveler
I haven’t been this excited to read an episode since the gang landed on Skellig. I can’t wait for an explanation from SK, Danan or anyone else who knows what happened. A couple of thoughts:

1. I don’t think we’re seeing a previous version of the God Hand. They look like something else to me (apostles maybe?) Possibly foreshadowing Griffith’s chief apostles? The absence of the hand motif and the significance of Griffith becoming the fifth and final member of the God Hand leads me to believe we’re seeing something else. Maybe the four creatures were four close companions of Gaiseric’s? Maybe advisors of his?

2. I think SK warned Guts about choosing revenge against Griffith over protecting Casca because he did the opposite. Maybe he left his empire to obtain a tool to fight Void? A tool that killed him and a choice that led to the death of his lover? Hard to say with such limited information, but I’ve been busy speculating with my wife all night. :guts:

I’ve said it before and I guarantee I’ll say it again: what a great time to be a Berserk fan!
 
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