SkullKast 162: Pandemonium (Vol 38-1)

Walter

Walter

Administrator
Staff member

Podcast #162: Pandemonium (Vol 38-1) (1h40m)
We finally see Griffith's promised city. What kind of city would he make? As Rickert walks through Falconia's gates, he is wary of meeting up with his former leader, now the Falcon of Light. What will he choose when they're finally face to face...?

Like the show and want to support our translation efforts? Starting at $5 a month, you can listen to 4 years worth of mini-podcasts—with new releases each month. Visit our Patreon for more.

Latest Minipod—#46: Understanding Griffith
Walter and Aazealh review common misconceptions about Femto after his incarnation—from the belief (or hope) that he's really a nice person or is going to "regain his emotions" all the way to thinking he's masterminding everything and anything, will destroy the rest of the God Hand, and so on.

Use a podcast app on your phone? You can search for us there or simply copy+paste the link in the image below!

 
Catching up on these after being away from Berserk for a while.

Since Walter mentioned "the other shoe dropping" in regards to Griffith's light show with the souls, it reminded me of this scene I always imagined happening down the line:

Something mentioned during these episodes is how Griffith still isn't officially king, and how the Pontiff is basically being kept alive by his desire to officiate that. I'd pictured this scene shortly after that actually happened in the story where he peacefully passes in his sleep, and there's this great big mourning ceremony in Falconia for him where Griffith—now king—summons his soul to say goodbye to the people before being sent off. We'd actually follow the Pontiff's soul as he believes he is being sent to heaven, only to watch him be overcome with horror as he instead sees the vortex of souls, before getting dragged down into it. I thought something like would make a great wham moment to remind the audience what's really at stake ahead of the finale; that Griffith is just using everyone to fulfill his ambitions and will discard them to hell the second they stop being useful.
 
Odysseus said:
Something mentioned during these episodes is how Griffith still isn't officially king, and how the Pontiff is basically being kept alive by his desire to officiate that. I'd pictured this scene shortly after that actually happened in the story where he peacefully passes in his sleep, and there's this great big mourning ceremony in Falconia for him where Griffith—now king—summons his soul to say goodbye to the people before being sent off. We'd actually follow the Pontiff's soul as he believes he is being sent to heaven, only to watch him be overcome with horror as he instead sees the vortex of souls, before getting dragged down into it.
Click to expand...

That's a great idea, but I'm not sure the Pontiff would actually join the Vortex. He doesn't seem like he's had such a bad life. This does underline the fact we don't have a lot of details about how it all works, aside from the fact it depends on one's karma. Would things change with the God Hand having a firmer grasp on the world? Hard to say.
 
  • Like
Reactions: koL
I had just assumed his close association with Griffith would be enough to doom him. That, or Griffith does it himself after sending the souls off. Saying they go to a place "where they can become one" the first time we see him do this always felt to me like an ominous little allusion to the vortex that would go over Mule's head, anyway.
 
Odysseus said:
I had just assumed his close association with Griffith would be enough to doom him.
Click to expand...

It's an interesting topic because I think it's unclear whether helping the bad guys unwittingly is enough to seal your fate thus. I feel like it should depend more on one's own actions and mindset, but there's certainly space for the God Hand to warp such rules.

Odysseus said:
Saying they go to a place "where they can become one" the first time we see him do this always felt to me like an ominous little allusion to the vortex that would go over Mule's head, anyway.
Click to expand...

That's the implication, yes. But technically there should be other areas in the big "ocean of souls" that aren't hell. Flora mentions it in passing in volume 24. But we don't have a lot of insights about what it looks like and how it actually works.
 
I've always thought Femto's remark to Mule about how they're all going to become "one" was pretty explicit about where they're going.

I've always seen it as a big deal for the Godhand's plan that they keep feeding it, previously via the misery incited by strongmen like the Apostles, the occasional Eclipse, and now by gathering what's left of humanity under this false haven. They're redirecting it all now.

I believe the former natural way of things was entirely based on karma, and that Miura would've shown us the other areas (Elysium, where great heroes now reside).
 
mathstruggler said:
I've always seen it as a big deal for the Godhand's plan that they keep feeding it, previously via the misery incited by strongmen like the Apostles, the occasional Eclipse, and now by gathering what's left of humanity under this false haven. They're redirecting it all now.
Click to expand...

That's a possibility, but the issue is how that would be achieved. It's clearly stated by Flora that karma determines where people end up, and it feels like a principle of the world that wouldn't be easy to bypass or overrule. On its face, Falconia doesn't seem like it's engineered to produce that result, so I think it would require a specific contrivance on top of the rest, and we didn't see a hint of it. Doesn't mean it couldn't happen, but we're definitely missing key pieces of the puzzle.

mathstruggler said:
Miura would've shown us the other areas (Elysium, where great heroes now reside).
Click to expand...

Just to be clear, a place such as "Elysium", the existence of which I posited after the concept of Daimons was introduced, would be an exception to the general rule since those beings aren't fused as one. But within the ocean of souls where the Vortex is, there would also necessarily be calmer areas where the souls of people with average to good karma would end up.
 
Aazealh said:
It's clearly stated by Flora that karma determines where people end up, and it feels like a principle of the world that wouldn't be easy to bypass or overrule.
Click to expand...
Don't the branded and people like Vargas already undermine that somewhat? Their destinies seem to be mostly the result of being wrapped up with demons.
 
Ithier said:
Don't the branded and people like Vargas already undermine that somewhat? Their destinies seem to be mostly the result of being wrapped up with demons.
Click to expand...

The branded are cursed, so that's obviously a special case. But Vargas was consumed by his desire for revenge against the Count, which is why he ended up like he did. His karma led him there. His character presents a mirror to Guts in more ways than one. Most people underestimate the depth of the Black Swordsman arc.
 
Ithier said:
Well my point is that the natural order of things is already capable of being subverted by the godhand/idea so there's precedent at least.
Click to expand...

Sure but that only happens in very specific circumstances. To do it at scale for every human would be another matter entirely.
 
Aazealh said:
Sure but that only happens in very specific circumstances. To do it at scale for every human would be another matter entirely.
Click to expand...
Perhaps the merging of worlds helps? :void: Either way, I don't believe it applies to every person in Falconia just yet, at least not automatically, only to those whose families submit to the ceremony or enlist to fight for the Falcon (They were on the cusp of massacring a lot of magical beings).
 
mathstruggler said:
Perhaps the merging of worlds helps? :void: Either way, I don't believe it applies to every person in Falconia just yet, at least not automatically, only to those whose families submit to the ceremony or enlist to fight for the Falcon (They were on the cusp of massacring a lot of magical beings).
Click to expand...

I don't know about that. I don't think killing trolls or other monsters would necessarily be cause to be sent to the Vortex of Souls. And more generally, I believe that for massive amounts of human souls to be bound to hell would require a specific undertaking from the God Hand. Something that, if it was meant to happen, we hadn't seen yet.

In theory it could just be a matter of Griffith willing it on those dead souls he calls forth for the light show and then sends off, but I feel like that might be giving him too much power. In a way it would devalue the Brand if members of the God Hand could just send anyone to hell provided they're in the vicinity.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top