Episode 338

Aazealh

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Death May Die said:
I didn't catch it on here if someone already answered, but what did Daiba say to Rickert to make him go off scouting the harbor?

Rickert was already going there regardless of Daiba. The old man just said that it's good to be young. I said as much on page 4 of the thread.
 
So I've managed to read the episode and I'm pretty excited to give my opinions on the episode (first time commenting an episode).

Miura has done a very good job not only on storytelling but on "image telling" if we can call it that.
We only get a shot of Griffith's eyes when Charlotte and the others approach, so we don't know, in a precise way, how his expression was before they arrived.

In a narrative sense, it's very cool to see the ripples that the slapping of Griffith caused and it's also very interesting to know that several parties were there to witness the event (Locus, presumably Rakshas, Silat and the Tapasa).
I'm going to assume that Femto doesn't know about Rakshas' actions mainly because if he considered Rickert a threat, he would've acted differently (I may be wrong of course). My assumptions are that either Locus is involved or Rakshas is just acting on his own. In the grand scheme of things, Rickert is just a voice agaisnt many. If we really think about it, would anyone in Falconia really believe Rickert's story?

Of course that doesn't apply to anyone who has had encounters with the supernatural and mainly the God Hand, like Silat and his gang. Any information they may have about Femto may be crucial and very valuable for them.

About the statue, I have several suspicions about it, but given what we know and/or theories that have been formed, I don't think that statue is a statue of Gaiseric. If we think on a historical context and because Walter mentioned the Grecians, they were usually known for building statues to its prophets. If the theory that Void and Skullknight are linked is correct I'm more inclined to believe that that statue may actually represent Void in his pre-God Hand form. But that's just my theory anyway.

I'm very interested in seeing this confrontation between Rakshas and Silat's group and I've been very intrigued by Rickert's development. I believe that Miura doesn't do anything at random, every story is very thoughtful which leads me to believe that Rickert's part is gonna be an important one more down the line.

I'm also content on staying in Falconia for now. Maybe when the ripples have subsided we will see Guts' company and the development of that story arc.

:ubik: Great Episode!
 

Aazealh

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Drakonite23 said:
If we really think about it, would anyone in Falconia really believe Rickert's story?

Luca's group did. :slan:

Drakonite23 said:
Of course that doesn't apply to anyone who has had encounters with the supernatural and mainly the God Hand, like Silat and his gang.

Who hasn't had an encounter with the supernatural as things currently stand though? They're surrounded by it.

Drakonite23 said:
If we think on a historical context and because Walter mentioned the Grecians, they were usually known for building statues to its prophets.

I think if anything this statue is inspired by the one of Zeus at Olympia, which was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. But like I said before, it's hard to guess who it actually depicts here, save for the fact it's a man.

Drakonite23 said:
I believe that Miura doesn't do anything at random, every story is very thoughtful which leads me to believe that Rickert's part is gonna be an important one more down the line.

I'd say Rickert's already playing a pretty important part right now.
 
To comment on your post Aaz, maybe I should've expanded a bit more on some stuff.

Yes Luca's group did believe Rickert, but they have the information that Rickert was an ex-member of the Band of the Falcon.
Could we believe that Griffith's fanatics and followers, such as those who have seen him perform the miracles of talking to the dead and saving them from the Ganishka's monstrosities, believe that their savior would sacrifice his closest friends? If we hypothesize that Rickert was put on trial for the defamation of Griffith, would he not be considered guilty?

On another point, yes the worlds are connected and their are surrounded by the fantastical creatures, but there are only a handful of people who have seen some of these characters for what they really are (Guts was present at the Eclipse, Luca's group was also present in the conviction arc and witnessed very harsh things...). What I mean is, that even among the fantastic that surrounds Falconia, things are still being hidden, such as the true nature of the apostles, as Locus showed Rickert.

Yes you're correct its hard to guess who is depicted. I was just letting my theory leak out :iva:

On the last point: yes Rickert is playing an important part right now, I agree. Still, looking back, if we think about the information that's been given: he's very crafty, he knows the true nature of Femto/Griffith and that's a very valuable knowledge which is validated by Silat's and Rakshas actions. Do you not feel that he's still got a more important role further down the line?
 

Aazealh

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Drakonite23 said:
Yes Luca's group did believe Rickert, but they have the information that Rickert was an ex-member of the Band of the Falcon.
Could we believe that Griffith's fanatics and followers, such as those who have seen him perform the miracles of talking to the dead and saving them from the Ganishka's monstrosities, believe that their savior would sacrifice his closest friends?

Oh that's what you meant, I thought you were just talking about the fact he slapped Griffith. Really, I don't think Rickert would go telling everyone about what he knows of Griffith's past. He could tell Luca and the others (could be what's going on in that leaked picture), but random people in the street? That's not happening.

Drakonite23 said:
What I mean is, that even among the fantastic that surrounds Falconia, things are still being hidden, such as the true nature of the apostles, as Locus showed Rickert.

The apostles are segregated, however they're not as hidden as you imply I think. For example, Irvine had no problem transforming in front of Rickert's group, and all the soldiers present during the final battle against Ganishka fought side by side with apostles. So while I'm sure everyone is rationalizing it and the Average Joe probably doesn't see apostles on a daily basis, the information is out there if someone seeks it.

Drakonite23 said:
On the last point: yes Rickert is playing an important part right now, I agree. [...] Do you not feel that he's still got a more important role further down the line?

I'm not saying he doesn't have more things coming in the future (I was already saying Rickert would play a significant role 10 years ago), just that his role at present is already pretty damn crucial IMO and I'm not sure it can get much more important than that.
 
Aazealh said:
He could tell Luca and the others (could be what's going on in that leaked picture), but random people in the street? That's not happening.

That's a very interesting point! Don't know the circumstances that would lead that to happen though. I also think that he wouldn't tell that to random people in the street. I was just picturing a "what if" scenario

Aazealh said:
The apostles are segregated, however they're not as hidden as you imply I think. [...] the information is out there if someone seeks it.

Is it? I'm lead to assume that Locus or other apostles would not want some information to be known and I also think that the majority of humans would "fear" but respect some of the characters closest to Griffith. After all, I doubt even Charlotte knows much. Still I don't think we've seen the dynamic of Falconia and its high society as much as we saw of Midland when we were in the Golden Age arc.

Aazealh said:
I'm not saying he doesn't have more things coming in the future (I was already saying Rickert would play a significant role 10 years ago), just that his role at present is already pretty damn crucial IMO and I'm not sure it can get much more important than that.

Wow 10 years ago?
Yeah Rickert's future seems to be a very blurry one, I think that the determining factor resides on the fact that whether Guts goes to Falconia or not. Would be interesting to see a reunion of the two. Especially after everything that's happened. But that's WAY down the road.
 

Aazealh

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Drakonite23 said:
Is it? I'm lead to assume that Locus or other apostles would not want some information to be known and I also think that the majority of humans would "fear" but respect some of the characters closest to Griffith.

I don't think Locus goes around in taverns threatening people not to talk about the fact he and others are monsters. As a matter of fact I doubt most people have met him personally. Meanwhile, we know that a good portion of Falconia's citizens were exposed to apostles. And people are gonna talk, especially if they're disturbed. It's the way of things.

Drakonite23 said:
Wow 10 years ago?

Hahaha, I'm probably exaggerating (his part certainly got real big real fast in these last few episodes), but as you know this site has been around for a good while and we certainly have speculated about Rickert's potential future role over the years.

Drakonite23 said:
Yeah Rickert's future seems to be a very blurry one, I think that the determining factor resides on the fact that whether Guts goes to Falconia or not. Would be interesting to see a reunion of the two. Especially after everything that's happened. But that's WAY down the road.

I think it's a given that Guts and Rickert will meet again eventually, and I also don't doubt that Guts will come to Falconia down the road. I mean he could face Griffith elsewhere, but it'd be a waste to not have that dramatic setting as a background for it.
 
Aazealh said:
Also, I found it interesting to see the parallel between Rickert and Guts' paths in this episode, specifically regarding their reevaluation of their life, and their realization that while they've lost a family (the Band of the Falcon), they have found another. Guts went through this after the Qliphoth in volume 26 and it's developed since then, and the scene is really similar here. Only Rickert has more of a dilemma, because he has to balance his revulsion at what Falconia stands for with his desire to protect Erica. I'm interested to see how that will develop.
It is interesting to see how the lives of these two characters, who basically lost everything they knew and loved in the eclipse, take shape and start to gain new meaning. I remember feeling so happy for Guts in that part you mentioned after Qliphoth when he realizes he's found new companions. :guts:
As far as Rickert's dilemma, he was struggling with whether to remain in Falconia for Erica's sake, but the attempt on his life may have just made that decision for him. Now, the option to begin a life as a Falconian seems like it would be off the table. I would think he would either need to go into hiding within Falconia (at the Bakiraka safe house?) or he'll have to escape the city all together. Either way it would probably be better to take Erica with him since it seems like she could easily be captured and used as a hostage to lure him out. Looking forward to seeing how things will go, too!

The people who've come to Falconia were probably forced out of their homes by various monster threats and I would think it would be likely that they were pursued on the road, just like Rickert and Erica's party. I think most people are now more familiar with the supernatural than they ever wanted to be. This would just add to their relief at making it to the seemingly safe haven of Falconia and I'm sure they probably like the thought of having powerful monsters who protect them from the outside threats, like having big bad guard dogs on their side. All this keeps the people flocking to Falconia and loyal to Griffith and the apostles.
 

Wesker90

Berserk devoted
Griffith said:
Simply put, because Rickert has inside information about Griffith, and Silat wants it. To what end, we're not sure, and perhaps Silat doesn't either, but it certainly seems he has no interest in serving another Emperor, as he was already given an invitation (and as far as we know, all are welcome).

Rickert doesn't know anything of the new Griffith, he didn't participating the eclipse and he don't know the power and the secrets of the Falcon.

And we don't know if Silat is serving or not the Falcon now, but I think we'll know it very soon :)
 
Wesker90 said:
Rickert doesn't know anything of the new Griffith, he didn't participating the eclipse and he don't know the power and the secrets of the Falcon.

But he knows what he did. Additionally in episode 336, he even got a better insight in how much his former Commander has changed.
 

Wesker90

Berserk devoted
Mangetsu said:
But he knows what he did. Additionally in episode 336, he even got a better insight in how much his former Commander has changed.

I think that are irrelevant things to know to be useful.
 
Wesker90 said:
I think that are irrelevant things to know to be useful.

How is knowing that your companions got sacrificed by your former Commander irrelevant ?
Hence it is so important to him that he even wants to leave an utopia like Falconia, because this city got built on the corpses of his comrades.

Visiting the dome and seeing the apostles also played a major role in coming with the decision to slap Griffith.
 

Aazealh

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JMP said:
As far as Rickert's dilemma, he was struggling with whether to remain in Falconia for Erica's sake, but the attempt on his life may have just made that decision for him. Now, the option to begin a life as a Falconian seems like it would be off the table. I would think he would either need to go into hiding within Falconia (at the Bakiraka safe house?) or he'll have to escape the city all together.

Agreed, unless Rakshas were to be stopped by a figure of authority (who could only possibly be Zodd in my mind), which isn't the most likely scenario.

JMP said:
Either way it would probably be better to take Erica with him since it seems like she could easily be captured and used as a hostage to lure him out.

That's yet another dilemma though. She could be safe in the city, as their connexion isn't very high profile, while on the other hand she would be in danger if they were on the run.

JMP said:
I'm sure they probably like the thought of having powerful monsters who protect them from the outside threats, like having big bad guard dogs on their side. All this keeps the people flocking to Falconia and loyal to Griffith and the apostles.

I'm not so sure about that. People usually don't feel comfortable in the presence of apostles, and I don't think that has changed. There's a reason the human guards don't come near the Pandemonium.

Wesker90 said:
Rickert doesn't know anything of the new Griffith, he didn't participating the eclipse and he don't know the power and the secrets of the Falcon.

Rickert was told what occurred during the Occultation ceremony, and he knows all about Griffith's past and how he got to this point. He also knows what apostles are... He knows many things that could help Silat connect the dots based on what he's already gathered himself.

Wesker90 said:
And we don't know if Silat is serving or not the Falcon now, but I think we'll know it very soon :)

Uhhh, we do know that Silat is definitely not serving Griffith... He told Jarif as much in episode 294, and beyond that he just infiltrated his palace and is now attacking one of his lieutenants.
 
Great episode, and even greater to finally have Berserk back! Thank you guys for comments and clarifications.

I may have missed this, but when some of you suggest that Locus if behind the plan to assassinate Rickert, do you imply that Locus can actually give orders to Rakshas? What exactly is the hierarchy in Griffith's retinue?
 

Aazealh

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Iria said:
Great episode, and even greater to finally have Berserk back! Thank you guys for comments and clarifications.

I may have missed this, but when some of you suggest that Locus if behind the plan to assassinate Rickert, do you imply that Locus can actually give orders to Rakshas? What exactly is the hierarchy in Griffith's retinue?

Hello Iria and welcome. We have commented on it several times in the thread, because of what Silat himself says (wondering if Rakshas is acting on Griffith's orders, or if Locus is behind it). I had this to say about it:

Aazealh said:
I don't believe Locus holds any authority over Rakshas. They're equals. He could no doubt ask him to do something, but not order him to. [...] Rakshas is an apostle and killing doesn't require too much incentive for him. Furthermore, Rickert tarnished Griffith's pristine, untouched-till-now face. The same face Rakshas once said he coveted. That in itself could be his reason. Sacrilege towards something he'd sworn to protect. Which in the end isn't too different from Locus' own reasons to be angry.
Aazealh said:
I've been quite interested to see how the Falconian society has all been set up so far, even simple things like the relationship between Owen and Locus. I'm looking forward to see how it all develops.

They obviously each play certain roles, but I don't think there's a specific hierarchy, other than Zodd being the de facto alpha male.
 
Aazealh said:
That's yet another dilemma though. She could be safe in the city, as their connexion isn't very high profile, while on the other hand she would be in danger if they were on the run.
True.

Aazealh said:
I'm not so sure about that. People usually don't feel comfortable in the presence of apostles, and I don't think that has changed. There's a reason the human guards don't come near the Pandemonium.
I don't think the humans are entirely comfortable with apostles either, but I think they have accepted them as allies after everything that's happened. Most people probably think they're good for protection, but terrifying and don't want to be around them any more than they have to be. People's fear of apostles works to Griffith's advantage, too, because people aren't likely to try going near enough to risk them seeing more of the apostles than he would want them to see. :griffnotevil:
 

Gurifisu

Sweet dreams, dear child of god.
So is this the first time Rak has fought? If he's anything like the other Neo-Hawk commanders then I don't really see those guys having a prayer of making it out alive. That is unless they've made absolutely supernatural gains in their skill over the years.
 

Aazealh

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Gurifisu said:
So is this the first time Rak has fought?

It's not the first time he's fought, no, but we haven't seen him "get serious" in battle yet.

Gurifisu said:
If he's anything like the other Neo-Hawk commanders then I don't really see those guys having a prayer of making it out alive. That is unless they've made absolutely supernatural gains in their skill over the years.

...Both Silat and the Tapasa are extremely skilled fighters, easily among the best in the series.
 
Aazealh said:
I also wonder what's up with that cloaked figure. Seems like it could only be Rakshas, and the length of the cloak (which covers a good part of the statue) could back the idea that his garment itself is part of his abilities, something we speculated about earlier in this thread.

In the middle of a volume 31 re-read. In episode 269 we see a panel of Guts sitting on Daiba's ships bowsprit. What's interesting is the length and alive like shape of the cape when the armor's activated. No connection, it's just something that reminded me of how long Rakshas' (much longer) cloak is in that preview shot.
 
Aazealh said:
...Both Silat and the Tapasa are extremely skilled fighters, easily among the best in the series.

Definitely. Silat even stated earlier that he and the Tapasa could have killed Guts but that they all wouldn't live through the experience. He wasn't being cocky about it, just said it as a matter of fact. Granted this was before the Berserker armor and Guts having his new crew but I would say that Silat and his boys would have things fairly under control against Rakshas, especially since they know him and who he is better than we do at this point.

Also, if things got too hairy Silat is the kind of leader who would prioritize an escape and survival strategy rather than keep fighting in order to win at any cost. I think they'll snatch up Rickert and bail, they've seen enough of Falconia to know what's up and Rickert has all the details to fill them in on what they don't know. After their experiences with Ganishka they're just a Rickert away from putting together the big picture.
 

Aazealh

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IncantatioN said:
In the middle of a volume 31 re-read. In episode 269 we see a panel of Guts sitting on Daiba's ships bowsprit. What's interesting is the length and alive like shape of the cape when the armor's activated.

His cloak has no specific properties when the Berserk's armor takes over. It isn't a part of the armor and has no special attributes. Guts is crouching in the panel you refer to, so the cape seems comparatively longer, but that's all. It is definitely a nice scene though, and I like the way the cloak drapes around him in it.

Cuthbert19 said:
Definitely. Silat even stated earlier that he and the Tapasa could have killed Guts but that they all wouldn't live through the experience. He wasn't being cocky about it, just said it as a matter of fact.

To be fair, I think Silat's assessment of that situation should be taken with a grain of salt. The five of them would have been tough to handle for sure, but Guts has come out of many, many tough fights as the victor.

Cuthbert19 said:
I would say that Silat and his boys would have things fairly under control against Rakshas, especially since they know him and who he is better than we do at this point.

I think they can handle it to a certain point, but he remains an apostle and a formidable one at that, and I don't expect them to be able to keep anything under control if he transforms.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
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Crocodile said:
Do we know what Miura's author comment is this episode?

We haven't seen the page for now. We'll know in a few days, unless someone who's already got their YA posts it here first.
 

Crocodile

Desert Croc
Aazealh said:
We haven't seen the page for now. We'll know in a few days, unless someone who's already got their YA posts it here first.

Thanks, I've been really enjoying Puella's translations of older comments, I'm really interested in what he has to say.
 
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