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!
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?

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!?"

"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!"
This is so much fun.
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!
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?"
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.
