Silat (シラット Shiratto?) is a highly skilled and agile Kushan fighter first encountered by Guts during a tournament.[5] He is the son of the Bakiraka clan leader.[6] He worked for Emperor Ganishka during a bid to capture "the falcon of oracle" in order to gain the clan's restoration.[7] For the duration of his scouting missions, he was protected by a tapasa group.[1] Silat claimed that relying on their bodies and skills alone was done so that their clan could survive and claim a land in which to live peacefully. Though he says that his clan abandoned pride when they chose to be assassins,[8] he is shown to be proud of his abilities and also of his clan.
Appearance[]
Silat bears the appearance of a typical Kushan with dark skin, long dark hair and wears a mouth cover most of the time. He has thin face lines and angular eyes and a somewhat pointed nose and chin. He has lanky limbs and a longilineal body.[5]
Personality[]
During his first appearance, Silat appears to be very arrogant and looks down on fighters from Midland as he thought that they were poorly trained compared to him.[5] He holds this attitude until being defeated by Guts twice, which makes him become more cautious and observant, which manifests years later when he tells his soldiers not to pursue Guts as Guts had just killed five Kushan scouts in one swing.[1] Silat wishes to bring his clan back its honor and glory that it once had.[9][7][8]
He loathes Rakshas -who was formerly a Bākiraka clansman- because of his hedonistic attitude toward killing.[6] According to Silat, the Bākiraka have caught glimpses of an "inescrutable current", leading him to wonder whether it was right to yield themselves to something inescrutable.[8]
Abilities[]
Guts has referred to him as a circus performer due to Silat's exotic appearance, acrobatics and his almost theatrical tendency to call out his attacks. His weapons of choice are the katars,[5][10] chakrams and urumi.[11]
Despite Guts' mockery, Silat is one of the strongest human warriors in Midland and Kushan, as he defeated many knights in the tournament[5] and overpowered Casca later as well as killing a few trained Band of the Falcon members.[10] Silat's skill only fell short when facing Guts.[5][11] Silat was also able to fight off Rakshas twice,[2][6] though it was Rickert who seemingly finished him off with a forged bazooka.[4]
Story[]
Golden Age Arc[]
Silat is first shown as a showy, but competent fighter in a tournament. Having easily defeated every opponent so far up until Guts, he has come to view warriors from the land that is not the one he hails from as poorly trained and mocked them.[5] He later attacks the Band of the Falcon under cover of night, killing the guards silently and effectively. He assaults Casca, keeping her on the defensive and informing her that he will not hold back simply because she is a woman. Casca appears to have lost when Guts interrupts their fight and challenges Silat a second time.[10] Silat is alarmed by the extent of Guts' abilities, watching him casually catch chakrams and use air physics to counter the ten ribbon-like urumi blades he used. Guts gets underneath his urumi and nearly lands a killing blow, but Silat switches to his katar blades and blocks Guts' sword and, in less than a second, realizes they are going to break and dodges. He concedes and flees, but swears he'll remember Guts' name.[11]
Conviction Arc[]
Silat is seen again as he is accompanied by tapasa in order to look for the "land of oracle". Having been humbled since his defeat by Guts, he does not intervene when he witnesses the man fighting (this time against Kushan scouts), telling a tapasa member that they might be able to beat him, but not without suffering loses.[1] After the incarnation ceremony at the Tower of Conviction, the Bākiraka arrive and surround Guts and the others, noticing that, just as the oracle proclaimed, something happened in what they perceive as a "pagan land". Silat then orders a group of Kushan scouts to seize the survivors.[12] Silat sees Griffith and orders his men to capture him, but they're all repelled by Nosferatu Zodd and Griffith escapes.[9]
Millennium Falcon Arc[]
Some time later, the Midland city of Shet is under siege by the Kushan. The general responsible for the invasion chastises the Bākiraka for being unable to capture Griffith. Silat has explained that Griffith flew off on the back of an evil beast, but the general is disbelieving. Silat tries to contextualize the situation, but the general interrupts by forcing his foot down on the unflinching Silat's forehead. Suddenly, Silat catches an arrow meant to strike the general's face. Silat excuses himself and his guards from the amazed general's presence, saying that they will continue the search for Griffith. A moment later, this becomes unnecessary: Griffith has entered Shet on horse.[13] Silat is so stunned at seeing Griffith that he barely notices the Falcon of Light move past him and right up to the Kushan general, killing him.[14] As more apostles show up, Silat tells the tapasa they should take advantage of the chaos to capture the Falcon, but their efforts are thwarted by Rakshas, a Kushan exile.[14]. Silat is later seen alongside two tapasa in the castle of a decrepit Wyndham, being chastised by Emperor Ganishka, who relegates the Bākiraka to only scouting for Griffith and leaving his capture to his army. Silat isn't disheartened by the demotion since he doesn't want to squander his clan's chance of finally being able to return to their homeland, but he has his reservations about the Emperor from seeing his needless displays of cruelty everywhere.[7] Whilst leaving, Rakshas appears before the three men, dodging their attacks. As Griffith's plan to rescue Charlotte under the guise of an all-out attack on Wyndham begins,[15] Rakshas lures the clansmen to where the daka were being created. Once Silat witnesses the birth of a daka, Rakshas reveals that Ganishka is not human.[16] Taking their leave, Silat ponders on what the Emperor has done. As the fight between War Demons and daka goes on, Silat is shocked to see the Emperor's apostle form, likening him to a demon god.[17]
Silat and four tapasa accompany the Kushan Empire army as it arrives in Vritannis. As the tapasa discuss whether or not to inform Ganishka of the movements made by the Band of the Falcon, Silat just stares off into the distance.[18] The group then witnesses the arrival of the Band of the Falcon, turning the tide of the fight against the Holy See alliance armies.[19][20] Silat and the tapasa stealthily infiltrate Ganishka's mobile palace and watch the confrontation between Griffith and Ganishka from a window.[21] Griffith taunts Ganishka, who angrily causes a burst of energy which knocks away the pillars holding up the ceiling. Before the structure can collapse on Griffith and Zodd, Grunbeld and his units catch the ceiling, acting as new supports. This throws the ceiling clear off the palace, forcing the Bākiraka to find new perches. From there, Silat observes the stalemate between the two leaders. When the Kushan army clears away from Vritannis. Silat goes with them, but turns to watch as the Band of the Falcon surrounds and cheer for Griffith's victory.[22]
Silat, the tapasa and a retinue of Kushan scouts intervene when Laban and his Arklow Knights lead a massive rescue effort of all the captured female prisoners of Ganishka out of Midland's capital as well as the rest of city inhabitants. Silat reveals that he is aware that Laban and the Kushan regiment behind him are really disguised Midlanders, and he derides Jarif (a Kushan Band of the Falcon's espionage division who had helped the exodus pass through a garrison) for turning traitor. Aware of the clan history, Jarif extends an offer to the Bākiraka clansmen to serve the Falcon. Jarif adds that there's some inescrutable, tremendous current, with the Falcon guiding them to a new world and the war being a single event within that current. Though intrigued, Silat ultimately dismisses it and decides to leave. The tapasa object, but Silat points out the simple fact that they can't capture so many people on their own. Though aknowledging he might have caught glimpses of it and the Bākiraka have been at the mercy of an undeniable fate, Silat explains that the Bākiraka have come to ponder whether it is right to yield oneself to something inescrutable, so Silat will instead watch events unfold and see whether this "new world" comes calling or not. With that, the Bākiraka take their leave.[8]
Shortly afterwards, Silat, the tapasa and some scouts observe the final battle against a twice-transmigrated Ganishka and Griffith's forces.[23][24][25] They liken Ganishka to Shiva, the God of Destruction, and Silat wonders whether Griffith intends to challenge the "demon god".[23] The Bākiraka also bear witness to the Great Roar of the Astral World.[26][27]
Fantasia Arc[]
After Griffith establishes Falconia, Silat is next seen spying on the meeting between Rickert and Griffith. Silat and two tapasa save Rickert from Rakshas' assassination attempt, announcing that the boy must remain alive because he holds valuable information about Griffith.[28]. They fight the assassin evenly until Silat cuts his mask in half which demoralizes Rakshas and causes him to retreat, claiming that he will return with a new mask once the moon is risen.[2]
Silat again begins to speak to Rickert, who panics after recognizing him from the night the latter led a host of mercenaries against the Band of the Falcon. Silat threatens to torture Rickert for information should he not divulge what knowledge he has of Griffith, but Rickert sobers up and strikes a deal with the Bākiraka. Rickert returns to Luca's inn with the cloaked Silat and tapasa in tow. Silat commands the tapasa to hide in the stables lest their builds garner unwanted attention. Rickert then explains to Luca, Erica, Pepe, Fouquet and Lucie that an assassin had just attacked him and that he means to leave Falconia that night. Luca asks where Rickert means to go once he leaves. Silat reveals that the Bākiraka clan built a hidden village whose inhabitants are trained warriors. Once forbidden for people outside the clan, it is so secure that even spirits cannot approach it. He then admits that after Ganishka had been killed, he'd considered swearing fealty to Griffith, but ultimately decided against allying himself with another inhuman being.[2]
True to his word, Rakshas resumes his hunt with a new mask, but falls into a trap set by Rickert and Silat. Although he manages to fight off Rickert and Silat, Rakshas is doused in flame by the tapasa using Rickert's modified water-spraying machine. This forces Rakshas to assume his true form, taking to the air while using the blood of a horse he killed to put out the fire and then capture Erica.[6] Erica is rescued by Daiba, who manages to distract Rakshas. He then proposes the Bākiraka to accompany them. Rakshas tries to fly after Rickert and the others as they escape using Daiba's garudas. However, Rickert fires a rocket at Rakshas from point-blank range when he pursued, allowing them to escape.[4]
Silat is accompanied by four tapasa as Kushan galleases surround the Seahorse.[29] He has a mental conversation with Daiba, who had anticipated the sudden arrival of the ship and acted accordingly to take precautions against Guts. Once Daiba returns to the capital, the warrior ponders about the wizard being more than meets the eye and Guts' situation.[30]
Gallery[]
Notes[]
- The word silat is a collective word for indigenous martial arts throughout Malaysia and Indonesia, countries from Southeast Asia.
- His combat style is similar to Kalarippayattu (a martial arts form existing in South India) and uses many Indian weapons used by Rajput warriors, such as the chakram, the urumi and the katar.
References[]
- ^ a b c d e Berserk :: Volume 18, "Kushan Scouts (2)"
- ^ a b c d Berserk :: Volume 38, "Capital City in the Moonlight"
- ^ a b c Shikaisha., Nakajima, R., Shimizu, Y., Mochizuki, M., Okada, M., Suzuki, M. (2016). "Berserk Official Guide Book". Tokyo: Young Animal Comics.
- ^ a b c Berserk :: Volume 38, "Soaring Escape"
- ^ a b c d e f g Berserk :: Volume 9, "Tournament"
- ^ a b c d Berserk :: Volume 38, "Night Battle"
- ^ a b c Berserk :: Volume 27, "Dread Emperor"
- ^ a b c d Berserk :: Volume 33, "Exodus"
- ^ a b Berserk :: Volume 21, "Arrival"
- ^ a b c Berserk :: Volume 9, "Fugitives"
- ^ a b c Berserk :: Volume 9, "Fighter"
- ^ Berserk :: Volume 21, "Dawn"
- ^ Berserk :: Volume 22, "War Cry of the Wind (1)"
- ^ a b Berserk :: Volume 22, "War Cry of the Wind (2)"
- ^ Berserk :: Volume 27, "Daka"
- ^ Berserk :: Volume 27, "Demon Knight"
- ^ Berserk :: Volume 27, "Demon God"
- ^ Berserk :: Volume 32, "Great Invasion (1)"
- ^ Berserk :: Volume 32, "Great Invasion (2)"
- ^ Berserk :: Volume 32, "Advance by Flight"
- ^ Berserk :: Volume 32, "Torn Battlefield"
- ^ Berserk :: Volume 32, "Gust of Wind"
- ^ a b Berserk :: Volume 33, "End God"
- ^ Berserk :: Volume 34, "Inhuman Battlefield"
- ^ Berserk :: Volume 34, "Soaring"
- ^ Berserk :: Volume 34, "Fissure"
- ^ Berserk :: Volume 35, "Falconia"
- ^ Berserk :: Volume 38, "Twilight Assassin"
- ^ Berserk :: Volume TBA, "Is the Sleeping Dark Beast Just Standing Quietly?"
- ^ Berserk :: Volume TBA, "The Morning After a Steady Foggy Night"