Will Rickert survive Berserk?

Miura was merciful enough to spare Rickert from the Eclipse and at one stage it looked like he might have gone on to live a fairly normal existence until the world was eventually turned upside down. With the land now swarming with mystical monsters, Rickert & Erica have taken refuge at Falconia and he will no doubt be our man on the ground there. There's every possibility that he'll stumble upon the hidden underbelly of Griffith's utopia and discover all is not what it seems. Will he live to tell the tale? How do you rate his chances of making it to the end?

On a side-note: Why did Griffith try to recruit Rickert at the Hill of Swords? I don't see what use little Rickert would have in Griffith's master plan now that the guy has an army of monsters at his disposal. And I think we can rule out 'for old time's sake'.
 
His chances of making it to the end are as good as Guts' or the good guy's chances are, there's no way of telling for sure. For a more elaborate discussion - http://www.skullknight.net/forum/index.php?topic=12921.msg203088#msg203088
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Doc said:
Miura was merciful enough to spare Rickert from the Eclipse and at one stage it looked like he might have gone on to live a fairly normal existence until the world was eventually turned upside down. With the land now swarming with mystical monsters, Rickert & Erica have taken refuge at Falconia and he will no doubt be our man on the ground there. There's every possibility that he'll stumble upon the hidden underbelly of Griffith's utopia and discover all is not what it seems. Will he live to tell the tale? How do you rate his chances of making it to the end?

Based solely on my gut-feeling I'd say his chances are pretty good. He and Erica strike me as the kind of characters who end up watching over the rubble as the dust settles at the very end of a story, sharing a few deep thoughts and then going on to create a new future.

Doc said:
On a side-note: Why did Griffith try to recruit Rickert at the Hill of Swords? I don't see what use little Rickert would have in Griffith's master plan now that the guy has an army of monsters at his disposal. And I think we can rule out 'for old time's sake'.

Now that's an interesting question. I do think "for old time's sake" actually counts here. And of course it must have been a way to get to Guts as well.

IncantatioN said:
His chances of making it to the end are as good as Guts' or the good guy's chances are, there's no way of telling for sure.

Great answer there, well worth posting.

IncantatioN said:
For a more elaborate discussion - http://www.skullknight.net/forum/index.php?topic=12921.msg203088#msg203088

That thread was more focused on Rickert's immediate future in Fantasia, not on whether he'd survive to the very end.
 

jackson_hurley

even the horses are cut in half!
Aazealh said:
Based solely on my gut-feeling I'd say his chances are pretty good. He and Erica strike me as the kind of characters who end up watching over the rubble as the dust settles at the very end of a story, sharing a few deep thoughts and then going on to create a new future.

That's pretty much what I had in mind! I mean he was lucky enough to not get eaten by the apostles on their way to the eclipse (thx Skully) then got to save Guts and Casca (well heal them in any case, thx Skully and the performer's troupe aka puck) then he got to live in peace near the cave and so on... I've always thought of him as the lucky/carefull character that'll get to the end. he makes me think a bit of Lucas how a lucky character she was to survive (thx Skully again)

Doc said:
On a side-note: Why did Griffith try to recruit Rickert at the Hill of Swords? I don't see what use little Rickert would have in Griffith's master plan now that the guy has an army of monsters at his disposal. And I think we can rule out 'for old time's sake'.

Well he was a member in the first place so I guess it's fair enough he asked him (without having any purpose for him, after all I'm sure there are a bunch in Griffith's army that are not part of his plan. One more or one less it doesn't make any difference.
 
Aazealh said:
Now that's an interesting question. I do think "for old time's sake" actually counts here. And of course it must have been a way to get to Guts as well.

Have to disagree here, Aaz. I doubt that Griffith offered Rickert a spot in the new Hawks simply because he's the original Hawks' surviving alumnus. Griffith as we all very well know, is a very stoic, cool headed man, not at all moved by that which is sentimental or emotional. As you and the other admins discussed it on podcast, Griffith is basically a sociopath with little to no empathy towards others, and he lacks ability to feel genuine love, care or any interpersonal connection for somebody. For Griffith, it's not what emotionally stirs his heart and makes him feel nostalgic warmth that counts. It's only whoever (or whatever) that can help advance his goals and get the results is all what matters to him. A person's usefulness or desirability for Griffith is measured solely by what he or she can offer him in getting his final goals accomplished, which is also why he's also an equal opportunity employer, recruiting the new Hawks members regardless of their nationality, race or species. the If anything, it was more for practical reasons Griffith wanted him back - Rickert's remarkable talent as weapon smith, acquired after years of hard work under Godo's apprenticeship. If I remember it right, on the Hill of the Swords, Griffith notes the fine craftsmanship of Rickert's blades. And no doubt, he also paid attention to the variety of ingenious weapons that Guts uses in his fight against Zodd (repeating crossbow, prosthetic arm cannon, the mini bombs) and which were all built by Rickert as well. Wouldn't Griffith want Rickert designing and building the armor and weapons for his new Hawks? And if had Rickert agreed to rejoin him, wouldn't Rickert's skills as a weaponeer matter to Griffith above all else, even their previous association in the original Band of the Hawk? As I said, for Griffith, it's all about achieving the results. Satisfying a sentimental urge is just not in him. Not even a chance to mess with Guts' emotions would have been enough to warrant him diverting his attention from his dreams of ruling the world. Because as malicious as it may be, getting this kind emotional satisfaction from mentally screwing with Guts nevertheless would require making some genuine emotional investment - which Griffith is undoubtedly loath to do. He can neither love or hate anybody, as he himself has repeatedly stated in the manga.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
jackson_hurley said:
Well he was a member in the first place so I guess it's fair enough he asked
Pretty much how I feel about it. Griffith was there for Guts. Rickert was a sideshow. So when he saw him asked him if he wanted to continue down the path they'd set out on. One more supporter, this one with a history. Simple.
 
Aazealh said:
Based solely on my gut-feeling I'd say his chances are pretty good. He and Erica strike me as the kind of characters who end up watching over the rubble as the dust settles at the very end of a story, sharing a few deep thoughts and then going on to create a new future.

They do remind me of Rin and Bat from Hokuto no Ken.
 
Top Bottom