Pippin (ピピン Pipin?) is a member of the original Band of the Falcon. His weapon of choice is a spiked mace,[3][5][6][7] but is also seen using a pickaxe.[8][9][10] When aiding Guts in the Band of the Falcon's escape from the Black Dog Knights, Guts refers to the pair as the "Band of the Falcon power tag".[9]
Quick Answers
What is Pippin's weapon of choice in the Band of the Falcon?
How does Pippin assist Guts in the Band of the Falcon's escape from the Black Dog Knights?
Why is Pippin referred to as part of the 'Band of the Falcon power tag'?
What is Pippin's role in the original Band of the Falcon?
How does Pippin's quiet nature contribute to his character?
Personality[]
Pippin is quiet and very rarely speaks. When he does, it is often to make an important observation or to warn his companions,[2][10] such as ordering his fellow mercenaries to duck against the arrows shot by Midland's soldiers[11] or holding a cup to Guts and telling him to drink.[12] He is caring and loyal, and is often seen accompanied by Rickert,[13][14][15][16] whom he makes sure to protect in battle.[7] He does not seem to get angry easily, retaining his calm expression even after being elbowed by an unappreciative Guts.[12]
Story[]
At some point prior to joining the by-then budding Band of the Falcon, Pippin worked at a mine where fire accidents would occur.[2] Some point after, Pippin and the band came across a young girl named Casca who accepted her as one of them.[17] After a while, following a battle, he, Griffith and Casca discovered the body of a young boy who had recently joined the band, and handed Griffith his belongings.[18]
Golden Age Arc[]
Pippin is first seen at the Band of the Falcon's camp after Guts' defeat against Griffith, having been addressed by Corkus. He is the second band member after Casca who finds out about the second fight between their leader and the mercenary.[4] Pippin is one of the members who are present during the first fight of Guts in the Band,[3] being one of the members who come to Guts' aid. Later in the night, they celebrate their victory. After seeing the newcomer's sullenness, Pippin forcibly drags Guts to drink with them, introducing himself to the newcomer and keeping his cool in spite of the man's angry remarks.[12] The morning after, Pippin accidentally makes Rickert and Guts fall to the water by the fort the Band of the Falcon was defending.[13]
Three years later, the Band of the Falcon is enlisted by Midland in its century-spanning war against Tudor. Pippin is present when Griffith -as the band's leader- is awarded a knighthood and the title of viscount. During the battle in which the legendary Zodd is said to be in the enemy's forces, Pippin does not react to the information, and Rickert tells him the tale of the fearsome warrior.[19] He is one of the band members who accompany a retinue of the band to support Guts against the apostle, remaining calm.[5] After the battle he, alongside other band members, wait to see an injured Griffith.[20] Sometime later, Pippin is one of the Band of the Falcon members who protect nobility during the Autumn Hunt.[21] He is present during the assassination attempt of Griffith, and helps Princess Charlotte dismount.[22] As Griffith attends Princess Charlotte's dinner party at Promrose Hall, he and the band have dinner in a tavern, unaware that Griffith sent him on an assassination mission.[14]
Pippin is seen during the confrontation between the Band of the Falcon and the Blue Whale Knights,[6] also being seen afterwards at the band's camp when a wounded Guts is rushed to the medic. Pippin checks in with his comrade, and tells Judeau about their leader having left for a war council until the following day.[15] He is also accompanied with Judeau when the duo rush to tell Guts and Casca about Griffith advancing his schedule a day.[23] Pippin is present during the battle to capture Doldrey,[24] and saves Rickert is saved from death.[7] Pippin is part of the parade across Wyndham after the battle, where he is cheered on by children.[25] That night, he, along with other members of the band, attend a formal party, and women fawn over his muscles. Shortly afterward, he -along the other unit commanders- is ascended to knighthood.[26] During the ball, he is alarmed by the apparent death of Griffith.[27]
One month later, before Guts can leave the Band of the Falcon, however, he is faced with Casca, Corkus, Rickert, Pippin and Griffith.[28] He stops Casca when she attempts to stop the duel that will decide Guts' fate.[29] When Guts defeats Griffith, Pippin, along with the band members, watches as Guts leaves the band.[30] That night, he is seen drinking with some of the band's members.[31] The morning after, after Griffith beds Princess Charlotte, the Band of the Falcon is fooled into thinking that they have been ordered to wait in a field by Griffith. The distant sound of hoofbeats makes itself heard, and Pippin, the first to realize what is happening, yells for everyone to take cover.[11]
A year following, Pippin is one of the few remaining Band of the Falcon members. He rushes to save Casca from certain death at the hands of Silat,[16] and is happy when she is saved by a newly-returned Guts,[32]learning of the plans to rescue Griffith.[33] At their campsite, Casca splits the Band of the Falcon for their rescue of Griffith. A rescue squad is comprised of herself, Guts, Pippin and Judeau. They all ride together for Wyndham. Three days later, the Griffith rescue squad arrive in Wyndham. As they wander through a graveyard, Pippin removes the cover from the pre-dug escape tunnel. Alongside Judeau, he is surprised by Casca's new flirtatious attitude towards Guts.[34] When they finally reach a heavily tortured Griffith, Pippin stops Princess Charlotte (who had offered herserlf as hostage after revealing herself as the person who relayed information to the Band of the Falcon about Griffith's whereabouts) when she attempts to get closer to him.[35] During their escape, Casca orders Griffith to carry Griffith up the stairs and out of the prison.[36] When the Bakiraka hired by the King of Midland attack the squad, Pippin notices one of the assassins emerging from the water, and blocks a blow intended for Griffith. Later on, and as a part of a plan, Judeau signals Pippin, who smashes the wall as hard as he can with his hammer. The result is a quick emission of light caused by the sparks which allows the group to see and kill some of the Bakiraka.[37] When the female Bakiraka causes an explosion in the tunnel, Pippin warns his colleagues about the impending danger and uses his hammer to smash a large hole into the ceiling, which leads outside. He then explains that Griffith showed him a tiny space coming from the ceiling which let some moonight pass.[2]
The next morning, Pippin teams up with Guts to buy some time for the rest of the team to set a trap. Together, Guts and Pippin easily kill many Black Dog Knights. When Wyald steps in close to Guts, Pippin swings his hammer at Wyald, who is forced to release Guts' hand to avoid harm. The two mercenaries leave on Casca's cue.[9] Once Griffith is safe, and having met the other Band of the Falcon squad, Casca, Judeau and Pippin re-join the fight against the Knights.[38] When Wyald releases his apostle form, Pippin mentally refutes Corkus' words, having mistaken him for Zodd.[39] Then, he is startled by the savagery of the demonic creature,[40] and observes the fight between Wyald and Guts.[41] Later on, he is shocked by the revelation of Griffith's sorry state by Wyald[42] and the sudden appearance of Zodd.[43]
Now near Midland's border region, Pippin and the rest of the band hear Judeau confirm the extent of Griffith's injuries. Tearing up, he along with every other person present, silently comes to terms with the fact that things were over for them.[44] During the Eclipse, Pippin is branded on his right arm.[45] He gives up his life to buy Casca and Judeau time to escape. Though Pippin fights valiantly, he is slowly overwhelmed by the many apostles acting to kill him.[10] His corpse is later seen hollowed out, used by the Count to catch Guts off guard,[46] before being ripped in half and eaten.[1]
Abilities[]
Physical strength: Pippin is able to hoist Guts over his shoulder and carry him away.[12] With one swing of his mace, he can shatter the armored skull of any enemy.[7][16][10] Pippin's raw strength is rivaled only by Guts during the Golden Age Arc. Guts even dubs himself and Pippin the "Band of the Falcon power tag",[9] since Pippin -just like Guts- can cleave most enemies apart with ease.[16] A single punch from him is seen on one occasion to knock an eyeball out of the head of a helmeted Black Dog Knights mercenary, as well as completely caving in his face.[9] During the Eclipse, he demonstrates to be capable of facing released apostles, as seen when he stopped a particularly enormous one from eating Casca.[10]
Mining expertise: as shown during the rescue of Griffith, Pippin has expansive knowledge of mines and gas flow thanks to his former career as a miner. When one of the Bakiraka assassins sets off a gas explosion in the sewer tunnel, Pippin kept calm and smashed a hole though the sewer's roof (with some help from Griffith) so that the fire would travel out the hole and miss him and his companions.[2]
Portrayal[]
Japanese Voice Actor(s)[]
- Masuo Amada: Berserk (1997 Anime)/Berserk: Millennium Falcon Hen Seima Senki no Shō
- Takahiro Fujiwara: Berserk: The Golden Age Arc/Berserk Musou
English Voice Actor(s)[]
Notes[]
- The Berserk Official Guidebook states that Pippin is 19 years old, 190 cm, and 133 kg. (NOTE: The Berserk Official Guidebook is highly questionable in its veracity.)
- Having decided to create "about five characters" for the Golden Age Arc, Pippin is modeled after Kentarou Miura himself in terms of physical appearance. He likened his role to that of Super Sentai's Yellow Ranger. (See "Interview with Yukari Fujimoto" for the source.)
- Pippin is rarely depicted with his eyes widened. He squints when Midland's army is about to attack the Band of the Falcon[11] and right when he notices the scent of the female Bakiraka's flammable dust during Griffith's rescue and his attempts to break free from the fire.[2] Another time this happens is when Casca and Judeau flee during the Eclipse, roaring just before meeting his end by the apostles surrounding him.[10]
- In Griffith's vision of a life as a cripple, a dog named after him is seen.[47]
References[]
- ^ a b c Berserk :: Volume 13, "Quickening"
- ^ a b c d e f Berserk :: Volume 10, "Flower of the Royal Palace of Stone"
- ^ a b c Berserk :: Volume 4, "Golden Age (6)"
- ^ a b Berserk :: Volume 4, "Golden Age (5)"
- ^ a b Berserk :: Volume 5, "Nosferatu Zodd (3)"
- ^ a b Berserk :: Volume 6, "Battle"
- ^ a b c d Berserk :: Volume 7, "Battle to Capture Doldrey (4)"
- ^ Berserk :: Volume 10, "Bakiraka (1)"
- ^ a b c d e Berserk :: Volume 11, "Demon Dog (2)"
- ^ a b c d e f Berserk :: Volume 13, "Storm of Death (1)"
- ^ a b c Berserk :: Volume 9, "Demise of a Dream"
- ^ a b c d Berserk :: Volume 5, "Golden Age (7)"
- ^ a b Berserk :: Volume 5, "Golden Age (8)"
- ^ a b Berserk :: Volume 6, "Assassin (4)"
- ^ a b Berserk :: Volume 7, "Returning Alive"
- ^ a b c d Berserk :: Volume 9, "Fugitives"
- ^ Berserk :: Volume 6, "Casca (2)"
- ^ Berserk :: Volume 7, "Casca (3)"
- ^ Berserk :: Volume 5, "Sword Wind"
- ^ Berserk :: Volume 5, "Sword Master (1)"
- ^ Berserk :: Volume 6, "Assassin (1)"
- ^ Berserk :: Volume 6, "Assassin (2)"
- ^ Berserk :: Volume 7, "Bonfire of Dreams"
- ^ Berserk :: Volume 7, "Battle to Capture Doldrey (3)"
- ^ Berserk :: Volume 8, "Triumphant Return"
- ^ Berserk :: Volume 8, "Moment of Glory"
- ^ Berserk :: Volume 8, "Tombstone of Flames (1)"
- ^ Berserk :: Volume 8, "Morning of Departure (1)"
- ^ Berserk :: Volume 8, "Morning of Departure (2)"
- ^ Berserk :: Volume 8, "Morning of Departure (3)"
- ^ Berserk :: Volume 9, "Beginning of the Endless Night"
- ^ Berserk :: Volume 9, "Fighter"
- ^ Berserk :: Volume 9, "Comrades in Arms"
- ^ Berserk :: Volume 10, "Infiltration of Wyndham (2)"
- ^ Berserk :: Volume 10, "Reunion in the Abyss"
- ^ Berserk :: Volume 10, "A Way Through"
- ^ Berserk :: Volume 10, "Bakiraka (2)"
- ^ Berserk :: Volume 11, "Demon Dog (4)"
- ^ Berserk :: Volume 11, "Roar of the Mad Beast"
- ^ Berserk :: Volume 11, "Forest of Atrocity"
- ^ Berserk :: Volume 11, "Mortal Combat (1)"
- ^ Berserk :: Volume 11, "One Who Comes by Flight..."
- ^ Berserk :: Volume 11, "The Immortal, Again"
- ^ Berserk :: Volume 12, "Requiem of the Wind"
- ^ Berserk :: Volume 12, "Parting"
- ^ Berserk :: Volume 13, "Fresh Blood"
- ^ Berserk :: Volume 12, "Boy in the Back Alley"