Skullknight.NET Podcast: Episode 4

[Walter]

Episode 4: http://skullknight.net/podcast/Podcast4.mp3

With no major Berserk news in the past week, we've adapted the show's format to allow us to talk about a single, massive topic: The Skull Knight. Aaz, Griff and I had an in-depth discussion of one of the most enigmatic characters in Berserk. We started with our general thoughts on him, and move into analyzing every appearance he's made throughout the series. As always, we all came away learning something new about the character, even though we thought we'd had it all figured out. Hope you guys enjoy it, because we'll be back next week with more Skull Knight discussion.

Be sure to let us know what you thought of the show and what you'd like to hear us talk about in the future.


The SkullKast is now available on iTunes or any other Podcast program. You can either search for it on the iTunes music store, or add it manually by subscribing to: http://skullknight.net/podcast/rss.xml

Here are some visual instructions on how to do it in iTunes manually: CLICK

========================
Episode 4 Notes:

Berserk Talk

• THE SKULL KNIGHT (Part 1)

========================
Next episode: March 4
Subject: THE SKULL KNIGHT (Part 2)

 

[Lord Leith]

Great! I always get excited to hear a new podcast, you guys do an excellent job, a little busy right now, but got it all downloaded on my iTunes so I'll listen and post my thoughts sooner or later.

 

[Th3Branded0ne]

This sure was very specfiic Skullcast. I also had a theory about the berserker armor. Since it has the shape of a skull when we first see it, could it be the manifestation of the wearer. Just like the beast of darkness has made it's shape in the armor. Many mysteries sorround Skullknight, hopefully we get to learn more about this character, important to the world of Berserk.

 

[Vampire_Hunter_Bob]

Great discussion, gave me something to listen to while editing papers. I really liked this analysis, and I hope to see more about both Skull Knight and the different characters in the series. I think my favorite part was around the 25 minute mark, where you guys talked about why Skull Knight didn't save anyone besides Rickert. I had a mental image of Skull Knight sitting there, like a voyeur, watching everyone getting eaten.

 

[nomad]

I had a mental image of Skull Knight sitting there, like a voyeur, watching everyone getting eaten.

Same here. Overall, I really liked a lot of the speculation you guys came up with. Aaz's sudden comment about a possible or light connection between Flora and Skully's rose raised an eyebrow. This episode cleared a lot of questions I had truly is a reminder of just how complex and deep this story goes. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, and off course... Looking forward to the next episode.

PS. I admit that the moment the Eclipse and Skully's entrance was discussed... I kept remembering Skullknight with the tri-cycle "apparatus" that Grail doodled.

 

[Walter]

This sure was very specfiic Skullcast. I also had a theory about the berserker armor. Since it has the shape of a skull when we first see it, could it be the manifestation of the wearer. Just like the beast of darkness has made it's shape in the armor.

Yeah, that notion has been around since the Berserk Armor was first introduced back in 2003. But I'm sure we'll bat it around during Part 2 of the podcast.

I think my favorite part was around the 25 minute mark, where you guys talked about why Skull Knight didn't save anyone besides Rickert. I had a mental image of Skull Knight sitting there, like a voyeur, watching everyone getting eaten.

Hahaha, really? Well I don't think any of us were seriously considering that as a possibility though. I thought we had some funnier moments than that myself. Like me burping in Griff's face

 

[Vampire_Hunter_Bob]

Like me burping in Griff's face

I forgot that even happened.

 

[Th3Branded0ne]

I also at first thought Skullknight was evil, and even an apostle. After the eclipse it all changed.

 

[Handmade_lion]

I really enjoyed this podcast. It is a very complex and intricate analysis on the Berserk story, and it is something I love to listen to by three authorities I would like to say, on the subject. This is a great thing. I think it is important to say that I am a listener as well and add my voice to the swarm, because I think this should continue for as long as it can.

There are a couple of notes that I took during listening to this, and I love that it got my mind thinking in a way or from an angle or perspective that I might not have otherwise.


The first thing that I would like to say is what I began to think about when you were all talking about the tower Charlotte was walking Casca and Guts and the other Falcons down to save Griffith, and it was said that deep down the tower was built on a large crevice and that the remnants of Gaiseric's empire capitol were underneath where it was allegedly discreated? And then you later speculated that it might have been wiped out by everyone getting branded. I would like to theorize an additional "clue" if you will, and that may be that cylindricality or circularity of both the tower and the vortex in that same place or in-fact the vortex making that crevice?
I do not know that there is any proof that when a ceremony is completed that summons the God Hand that the vortex outside could be damaging to the outside world directly outside or the space within it, but I thought it was an idea.

Next, The idea that Zodd might have been a student of Skull Knight's once really stuck with me, like they may have once had a Master and Apprentice relationship. Usually the master of a master and apprentice situation retains a certain higher level of ability (unless we are talking about Star Wars or something), and it is typically age that is the master's undoing, and that would not be an issue with Skull Knight. This explains to me why when they fight, Zodd and Skull Knight, why Skull Knight always seems to me to be in a superior position, like when he cut Zodd's arm off outside of the Eclipse and defeated him soundly enough at the time to go off to bust into the Eclipse. It will definitely be very interesting to see his relationships with the God Hand if we do, and his relationship with Zodd if that is ever touched upon in more detail.

And lastly was the talk of Skull Knight being a villain, which I thought was particularly interesting. I will always be apart of the group that thinks he is very cool and badass, but I respectfully disagree I think, that he is not a villain. I think he may only be an ally in the moment. I will not say Skull Knight is evil and out to destroy the world or anything, but I believe he may be pitted against Guts at some point, and this could be as simple as causal lines, and Guts maybe not being able to let do something after he does what Skull Knight thinks he should.
There are a lot of choices and decisions as we have learned in the world of Berserk that influence a great many things, some of them after some great time after they've been made. And I think Guts is dangerous in this aspect because he perhaps is very in the moment and not thinking ahead.

So basically what I am saying is that the causal lines Skull Knight enforces might lead him to face off against Guts if he is going to do something perhaps he is not meant to do. I think this would be cool, though. Skull Knight would make a very cool opponent. Am I expecting this? No. But I guess I want to be on the side that saw this coming if it should happen. I do not think Guts himself particularly trusts him fully yet, as evidence by volume 28 I believe when they speak on the beach. To me I think Guts still keeps a suspicious eye on Skull Knight, just in case, you know. Because he is so old and so knowledgeable and we can't be precisely sure what ending Skull Knight's gaze reaches, and what he is planning for, or venturing to.

I really enjoyed hearing Walter referencing the dreamcast game like he was. I know a lot of people discredit it, or do not like it, and do not like to refer to it as canon (which I can understand). But I personally really enjoyed it and loved the story, and thought it was very complete and worth those aggravating combat sequences to reach the cutscenes. And of course the ending that

Spoiler

gives Casca back her mind temporarily, it made me very emotional, and a scene like it has not quite happened in the manga yet, which sets it apart still I think.

And bless your heart, Walter, I will also say. It takes a man to admit he has written fanfiction, and I really mean that.

I will say this as well, but this is a little silly, I admit. But I think it is cool, that is in the game Bomberman 64 you can almost give it a synonymous treatment to this theory of Berserk panning out with a Skull Knight face-off. That is, in the game you progress to fight and defeat these powerful foes and you have a very mysterious and cool character as your guide (a la Skull Knight) and, of course, at the end once you've accomplished the impossible, the character makes his big move, having posed as your ally impressively for the entire story, and you must then have a face-off against him. He is even kind of like Skull Knight, I think -- as far as Bomberman-animation/Character models go, and he is by far the coolest.

It is silly, I admit. But I think it is funny. It was very cool to me in the game, and should not be taken seriously, I do not think. But if you were, let's say, having a hard time seeing how a cool character who has been your ally for most of the story might turn suddenly, and it be cool, I think it is a neat example.

Great podcast, you guys, and I look forward to the next one!

 

[Aazealh]

I would like to theorize an additional "clue" if you will, and that may be that cylindricality or circularity of both the tower and the vortex in that same place or in-fact the vortex making that crevice?
I do not know that there is any proof that when a ceremony is completed that summons the God Hand that the vortex outside could be damaging to the outside world directly outside or the space within it, but I thought it was an idea.

You mean the tornado (when we talk about a vortex we usually refer to the Vortex of Souls) that's seen outside of the Occultation ceremony, or when the Slug Count summons the God Hand? Well from what we see after both events, no trace is left from it. Specifically, the lake was intact in the aftermath of the Eclipse, although it was tainted with the remains of the Band of the Falcon's members. Furthermore, Gaiseric's capital city couldn't have all fit into that tiny hole under the tower. It's likely just a peephole into what laid deep under Wyndham for a thousand years.

Next, The idea that Zodd might have been a student of Skull Knight's once really stuck with me, like they may have once had a Master and Apprentice relationship.

That's not really the idea. More that SK might have tried to groom Zodd to become an ally of his, much like what he did with Guts. Like I mentioned on the podcast though, this is a really old theory that doesn't take into account some of the more recent developments.

And lastly was the talk of Skull Knight being a villain, which I thought was particularly interesting. I will always be apart of the group that thinks he is very cool and badass, but I respectfully disagree I think, that he is not a villain. I think he may only be an ally in the moment. I will not say Skull Knight is evil and out to destroy the world or anything, but I believe he may be pitted against Guts at some point, and this could be as simple as causal lines, and Guts maybe not being able to let do something after he does what Skull Knight thinks he should.

Hahaha, really? Well, we'll see about that.

So basically what I am saying is that the causal lines Skull Knight enforces might lead him to face off against Guts if he is going to do something perhaps he is not meant to do.

The causal lines the Skull Knight enforces? What? SK isn't an enforcer of the rules of the universe or anything. Not sure what you're talking about here.

I do not think Guts himself particularly trusts him fully yet, as evidence by volume 28 I believe when they speak on the beach.

What in that scene shows that Guts doesn't trust him? The part where he thanks him for saving him yet again? The part where he instantly believes him when he tells him about the King of the Flower Storm being able to cure Casca? Or when he warns him about Griffith?

I really enjoyed hearing Walter referencing the dreamcast game like he was. I know a lot of people discredit it, or do not like it, and do not like to refer to it as canon (which I can understand).

Really? I'm not aware of "a lot of people" hating on that game. It's true it's not really canon, though. I like to consider it "semi-canon" myself.

 

[Proj2501]

New Podcast?! Downloading!

 

[ApostleBob]

Great analysis guys. I really enjoyed the discussion of Zodd and Skull Knight as well as the speculation on how SK is able to know about important events, especially temporal junction points. Pretty funny imagery of Skull Knight hiding in the bushes as well.

You do bring up an obvious, but overlooked point: SK can obviously be of great aid to Guts at many points, so why does he rarely intervene? We've only seen him step in with the Eclipse, Qliphoth, Flora's mansion, and Ganishka's death. Which, as I type it, sounds like a lot.

A tangent: what do you guys speculate happened at the tower of conviction after he dropped Luca off. We see Zodd approach him, and then we don't see either until after the tower falls. Did they fight without a significant outcome? Did they talk? Could this be a moment that is referenced or flash backed to once we learn more about the two of them? It seems strange to show what looks like the beginning of an encounter and and skip over the event.

 

[SrCraneo]

Great podcast! I just wanted to mention, I looked at volume 10 and noticed that Gaiseric is drawn riding a horse on one of the flashback panels. I personally think that is a significant detail to take into account about where SK's horse came from. So yeah, I think it can be an indicator that they've been together for a long while now and even underwent similar transformations almost or simultaneously.

 

[Walter]

Great podcast! I just wanted to mention, I looked at volume 10 and noticed that Gaiseric is drawn riding a horse on one of the flashback panels. I personally think that is a significant detail to take into account about where SK's horse came from. So yeah, I think it can be an indicator that they've been together for a long while now and even underwent similar transformations almost or simultaneously.

Well, I mean he's riding a horse there. But that doesn't mean it's the horse. Everyone else in that panel is riding a horse too.

 

[Aazealh]

You do bring up an obvious, but overlooked point: SK can obviously be of great aid to Guts at many points, so why does he rarely intervene? We've only seen him step in with the Eclipse, Qliphoth, Flora's mansion, and Ganishka's death. Which, as I type it, sounds like a lot.

The Incarnation ceremony as well. And after the Occultation ceremony, when Guts is attacked by spectres after having ran away from Godot's cave.

A tangent: what do you guys speculate happened at the tower of conviction after he dropped Luca off. We see Zodd approach him, and then we don't see either until after the tower falls.

What happened at the time was mirroring what happened during the Occultation ceremony. So yeah, they most likely fought, and most likely talked a bit as well.

 

[voodoo_sh]

2:58 what the fuck was that

 

[Walter]

2:58 what the fuck was that

I was just SO offended at Griff diminishing SK's role that I had to express myself with gas

Keep the questions coming guys. I think we only have like, 3 leftover.

 

[SlimeBeherit]

Great podcast once again. I eagerly await the next one.

I don't actually think SK has any special foresight ability. I always took the line of fighting with a broken sword as reference to those who continue to struggle against all odds, maybe he knew Guts well enough to know that he would do just that. I do think that SK has been following Guts for a long time. Maybe even when he was born. I've always wondered wether Guts' place of birth was just typical raid cruelty, or if perhaps it was related to an occultation ceremony. I'm well aware that SK isn't gonna bother to visit every apostle being born, but I do wonder about that tree. It was a was very ominous.

Actually is the term occultation only reserved for the birth of a God Hand member?

 

[Rhombaad]

I really enjoyed your discussion. I love how I learn something new every time I listen to the podcast. Bring on part 2!

 

[Joe Chip]

Just finished listening to the new Podcast. The SkullKasts are officially now one of my favorite Berserk related things.

 

[Bramwell]

I look foreward to this every week now! I sit and sketch ravens whilst listening. keep it up fellas!

 

[Aazealh]

Actually is the term occultation only reserved for the birth of a God Hand member?

Yes. "Occultation" as in occulting the sun.

 

[Lord Leith]

Listened to it last night, great as always, I especially loved the talk over the design of SK.

Best part was when you guys started talking about Skull Knight.

 

[Walter]

The next podcast is going to sound a whole lot better ... at least, from me

 

[Th3Branded0ne]

Nice! Next update is to have it streaming live hahaha