Things have always been bad for Guts of Berserk fame, even when things weren’t that bad. Before Griffith took his place amongst the Godhand to become the ruler of the world, the Band of the Hawk found themselves encountering bloody battle after bloody battle. Following the tragic passing of creator Kentaro Miura, writer Kouj Mori, and the artists of Studio Gaga, made the decision to continue Berserk’s manga. In doing so, they have given us chapters worthy of the deceased mangaka with the latest installment, Chapter 378, being one of the most terrifying examples in recent memory.
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Warning. If you have yet to read the latest chapter of Berserk, Chapter 378, be forewarned that we’ll be diving into serious spoiler territory. When last we left Guts and his companions, they were learning more about the Kushan Empire and the inner workings of the nation that was once ruled by an iron fist by the nefarious Emperor Kaniska. As the Eastern Empire worked toward forming a plan of attack to strike at the heart of Griffith but found themself with a very real problem on their hands. The assassin Rakshas has returned and is set to do some damage to those in the Empire.
Rakshas And Trolls, Oh My
In a shocking turn of events, Rakshas reveals that it is not even sure what it is doing in Kushan. Remembering that it originally was killed by Rickert, the Band of the Hawk assassin begins to lash out at Kushan’s leaders and their servants. While still struggling with an identity crisis, Rakshas is still quite the danger for those Kushan soldiers around it and things are about to get far worse.
As one of Kushan’s elders points out, the “astral gates” have seemingly been opened, pouring out a steady stream on monstrous trolls that are tearing their way through the citizens of Kushan. Studio Gaga might have some big shoes to fill in terms of hitting the same heights as Kentaro Miura, but they do amazingly well here in depicting the absolute terror of this city-wide assault. As Farnese points out, the “Qliphoth Domain” has manifested once again and this means that it’s very likely that the current threats facing Guts and Kushan are far from the scariest thing coming their way.
A Godhand Member Returning
The Godhand, the demonic leaders that look like they were ripped straight from Clive Barker’s Hellraiser, consist of Void, Ubik, Conrad, Femto (aka Griffith), and Slan. The last time that Berserk readers saw Qliphoth make an appearance was during the “Millennium Falcon Arc” in which the female member of the Apostles’ leaders set foot on the mortal plane. Since she has been the only one to do this in Berserk so far, it leaves readers to believe that Guts is about to have an unfortunate reunion with Slan.
One of the biggest questions that has always been a part of Berserk is how on Earth does Guts have a chance of defeating the Godhand? In chapters that were forged following the passing of Kentaro Miura, readers witnessed Guts striking a small but not-insignificant blow to Griffith, showing that the combination of the Dragon Slayer and the Berserker armor might give the Black Swordsman the one-two punch needed to finally defeat the Godhand. Unfortunately, this task is far easier said than done since no member of the Godhand has come closer so far to being defeated, or even wounded.
Want to see how Berserk eventually comes to a close? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on the Band of the Hawk and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.
