The character featured in this article is sometimes referred to as "Rakshas".
It's still too early to leave. We haven't yet seen blood.
– Rakshas
Raksas (ラクシャス Rakushyasu?) is a mysterious figure exiled from the Kushan clan of the Bākiraka prior to becoming an Apostle, and presently the commander of the demon search and destroy squad of Griffith's Neo Band of the Hawk.
His powers appear to be amorphous shape shifting, enhanced agility, and exceptional stealth. He possesses notable knowledge of both sides of the war between the Kushans and the Kingdom of Midland, as well as several mysteries in the storyline, though this could be due to his mobility and stealth.
Appearance
Raksas' first mask.
Completely black, resembling an cloak that can alter its shape. Raksas is also faceless with the only features being three eyes and a slight protrusion of his nose. He originally wore a mask with the spikes on the bottom resembling teeth, replacing it with one with feather-like carvings around the eye holes after Silat destroyed it.
In Apostle form, he becomes larger and more monstrous, his tentacles gaining more dexterity, but otherwise looks similar to his 'human' self. When flying, the many amorphous protrusions appear to resemble hundreds of bat wings.
Personality
Raksas' stated motivation for allying with Griffith is so he can ensure that one day he will be the one to cut off his "beautiful head", but appears to be intimidated by Griffith. He has an arrogant and demeaning personality, belittling the Tapasa for their slow reactions to his movement and marking such evidence as indication of the Bākiraka's fall. Raksas' pride appears to be mostly centered on stealth, as he is never shown in battle and seems to avoid battle as much as possible.
Raksas is a hedonistic killer who plays with his victims before the kill; a deed considered heresy within Bakiraka. He is also described by Silat, who knows him well, as relentless when chasing a target.
Raksas has a close attachment to his mask, becoming depressed enough to retreat from battle after it was broken by Silat and lamenting its loss.
Lastly, Raksas seems to be a very quiet person, forming strings of words rather than sentences as he notices things, only taking the time to properly speak when addressing people head-on, but his speech devolving as battles become more chaotic.
Abilities
Raksas is a master of assassination and camouflage, having easily snuck up on and dispatched some Kushan assassins who were attempting to take Griffith's life with Zodd failing to notice them. Due to his Apostle body making him amorphous, using his shape altering abilities in various ways, Raksas can blend into the shadows to benefit his assassination skills, even secretly witnessing the death of Ganishka. He is also very agile and deceptively strong for his stature, able to battle evenly with the likes of Silat and the Tapasas. His amorphous body can form various blade-like appendages used for gripping and slicing. What's more, Raksas is able to move at deceptive speeds, possibly through shadows themselves, as he moved from a statue some fifty meters away to right behind Rickert in mere moments. Raksas is also a highly skilled martial artist, having been trained in the fighting style of the Bakiraka, explaining his familiarity with their weapons.
Raksas also has the ability to move his face to any point on his body, a tactically brilliant move as his only weak point appears to be his head. Silat appeared to have won their first battle by slicing clean through his mask, only to find that Raksas' face and head were not behind it at the time. A thrown piece of stone roughly twenty feet in mass and hundreds of pounds was launched at him, and he came out of the wreckage entirely unharmed.
In Apostle form, Raksas gains the ability to fly and becomes much stronger, capable of smashing through the roof of a house and lifting a horse into the air with a single appendage. In such a state he also turn his cloth into scythe-like tentacles that can slice a horse clean in half.
However, Raksas seems to have an antagonistic relationship with things bright or hot, befitting his nature as an assassin of the night. When set ablaze, he cried that he did not like the light.
History
Falcon of the Millennium Empire Arc
Raksas' first appearance.
Raksas encountered Silat and the Tapasa on various occasions, most notably during his introduction to Griffith. As he takes on the Tapasa, he merely dodges blows without fighting back. During the New Hawks' mission to rescue Charlotte, Raksas lures Silat and the Tapasa to reveal to them that Ganishka is no human and has been using the captive women to Windham to spawn the Daka in secret. While this event leaves Silat disgusted with Ganishka, Raksas' reasons to divulge this revelation are still unknown. Raksas is then seen concealed under one of Zodd's wings as Griffith flies to the top of Ganishka's god-like form, moments before the Skull Knight emerges and attacks Griffith with his Sword of Actuation.
Fantasia Arc
After Griffith establishes Falconia, Raksas continues working under him. After Rickert slapped Griffith after being offered a place in among the new Hawks, Rakshas attempts to assassinate him. But Silat and the Tapasa force Raksas to flee after his mask is broken by Silat, promising to come back after Rickert after nightfall.[1] True to his word, Raksas 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, he is doused in flame by the Tapasa using Rickert's modified water-spraying machine. This forces Raksas 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.[2] Erica is rescued by Daiba who manages to distract Raksas with snakes and rats attacking his cloak. Raksas tries to fly after Rickert and the others as they escape using Daiba's garudas. However, Rickert fired a cannon at Raksas from point-blank range when he pursued.
Gallery
Trivia
- In relation to the naming theme of the Kushan, and his mask's design, Raksas is almost certainly named after a race of Hindu demons known as the Template:W. Fittingly, Raksas seems to be amorphous and stealthy, as Rakshasa in myth were illusionists and shapeshifters.
References
- ^ Berserk manga; Chapter 339
- ^ Berserk manga; Chapter 340
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