Such beauty... It touches me. Love, hatred, pain, pleasure, life, death. All are there... This is to be human. This is to be evil.
– An elated Slan remarking on Femto's rape of Casca[4]
Slan is a member of the God Hand, and in particular the only female member of the group at present.
Personality[]
Slan has influenced the foundation of a pagan cult who know her as the "Goddess of Flame". This "Goddess" can be seen through cannibalistic orgies and drugs that open a person's mind to visions of the future.[1] She imparted a "revelation" to the prophet of the cult about how "the falcon" would "repel the barbarians" and lead the people "to be one nation".[5] She describes Femto's rape of Casca as a thing of beauty.[4] Even being ran through the abdomen with and destabilized by the Dragon Slayer while in one of her manifested forms merely arouses her.[6]
Slan harbors a lustful fascination with Guts directly contrary to Femto's claim[7] of Guts' existence being beneath the God Hand's notice. Specifically, she has admitted to having deeply observed Guts over the course of his post-Eclipse struggles and having desired to meet with him one-on-one in the Qliphoth.[8] She expresses interest in Guts' resilience and fortitude while finding his rage and anguish to be exciting. She notably wants Guts to reincarnate as a demon by way of sacrifice[7] and has directly attempted to provoke him into doing so.[9]
Background[]
Much like her fellow God Hand members, Slan's past life as a human is unknown. However, Slan has actively influenced humanity through the cult of the Goddess of Flame, who have held cannibalistic pagan orgies in her honor without knowing of her role or status as a God Hand member.[1]
Story[]
Golden Age Arc[]
Such beautiful friendship... I am sure you will make for an excellent sacrifice... Yes. A precious sacrifice, so that he may become a demon.
– Slan to Guts[10]
Slan manifests within the Eclipse.
Slan and the other members of the God Hand first make themselves known to Griffith during his imprisonment in the Tower of Rebirth, greeting him as their kinsman and foretelling his forthcoming audience with them.[11] Once the guest of honor and his sacrifices appear before them during the Eclipse, Slan is the first of the God Hand to materialize. Using an area of land in the Interstice as a temporary vessel, she manifests a gigantic form of herself.[10] After Griffith reaffirms his ambition and sacrifices the Band of the Falcon, Slan expresses an interest in Guts' vain attempt to save Griffith, and later sheds a tear while watching her newly reborn kinsman Femto sexually violate Casca, describing it and Guts' violent reaction as a thing of beauty.[4] When the Skull Knight intervenes and spirits Guts and Casca back to Physical World, Slan is left surprised and admits that the God Hand cannot foresee every possibility. Despite the turn of events, she and her kinsman are left unfazed and welcome the coming of the Age of Darkness following the birth of the fifth.[12]
Black Swordsman Arc[]
The God Hand are summoned.
Two years after the Eclipse, Slan and the rest of the God Hand are summoned by the Count, who having been fatally wounded by Guts, requests new life. While standing by, she watches in awe as Guts fights through his multiple injuries toward Femto, expressing her excitement at the idea of him joining her ranks.[7] When the Count offers the swordsman as a sacrifice, Slan explains to him that only something precious to him will suffice.[7]
Conviction Arc[]
Slan appears in her followers' stupor.
As part of preparations for the Incarnation Ceremony at Albion, Slan influences a cult among the refugees, making converts out of the disillusioned.[5] Her followers worship her as the "Goddess of Flame" and act in her name when holding cannibalistic orgies outside the city.[1] She later makes her presence known to Guts during the Incarnation Ceremony, when she and the rest of the senior God Hand members manifest rudimentary forms from the restless spirits running amok throughout Albion.[13]
Millennium Falcon Arc[]
Slan overpowers Guts.
In the Qliphoth, Slan manifests through the intestines of slain trolls to personally reunite with the Black Swordsman.[9] During their confrontation, she restrains Guts and slashes open a gash across his chest, both physically and ethereally wounding the swordsman. She then proceeds to tempt him into activating the beherit in his possession and becoming an apostle. The Skull Knight intervenes, and as a result, Guts is able to free himself from her hold with his cannon arm and pierce the angel with his malice-tempered Dragon Slayer. Slan responds by kissing Guts – an act of joy and self-contentment – before dematerializing.[2]
Fantasia Arc[]
Following the Great Roar of the Astral World, Slan is within her own unique domain during the advent of Fantasia.[14]
Abilities[]
Like the other God Hand members, Slan can see the design of causality, but only to an extent that borders omniscience.[12]
She and the rest of the senior God Hand manifest rudimentary bodies from the surrounding environment; she manifests from the ground during Griffith's Eclipse,[10] and uses restless spirits to materialize in Albion.[13] She is last seen displaying this ability when confronting Guts in the Qliphoth, where she uses troll intestines to create a rudimentary vessel to act through.[9] Even in this incomplete form, she is significantly stronger than humans and apostles alike, able to shred Guts' armor off of his body with one swipe while overpowering him physically.
Portrayal[]
Japanese Voice Actor(s)[]
- Atsuko Tanaka: Berserk (1997 Anime)/Berserk: Millennium Falcon Hen Seima Senki no ShÅ
- Miyuki Sawashiro: Berserk: The Golden Age Arc/Berserk (2016 Anime)/Berserk Musou
English Voice Actor(s)[]
- C.L. Jones: Berserk (1997 Anime)
- Cindy Robinson: Berserk: The Golden Age Arc
- Allegra Clark: Berserk (2016 Anime)
Notes[]
- Her name is possibly a reference to A. E. van Vogt's Slan.[citation needed]
- In the PlayStation 2 game Berserk Millennium Falcon Arc: Chapter of the Holy Demon War, Slan's nudity is slightly censored. In Berserk Musou, she is heavily censored; Slan is not shown ripping off Guts' breastplate and her body is entirely covered in tentacles. In the P Berserk Musou pachislot, she is covered by metal undergarments.
- Aside from Femto, Slan is currently the only God Hand member to come into contact with Guts following the events of the Conviction Arc.
References[]
- ^ a b c d Berserk :: Volume 18, "Bowels of the Holy Ground"
- ^ a b Berserk :: Volume 26, "Whore Princess of the Uterine Sea"
- ^ Berserk :: Volume 12, "Promised Time"
- ^ a b c Berserk :: Volume 13, "Afterglow of the Right Eye"
- ^ a b Berserk :: Volume 18, "Tower of Shadows (2)"
- ^ Berserk :: Volume 26, "Companions"
- ^ a b c d Berserk :: Volume 3, "Guardian Angels of Desire (5)"
- ^ Berserk :: Volume 36, "Sea God (1)"
- ^ a b c Berserk :: Volume 26, "Vicinity of Hell"
- ^ a b c Berserk :: Volume 12, "Advent"
- ^ Berserk :: Volume 10, "Infiltration of Wyndham (1)"
- ^ a b Berserk :: Volume 13, "Escape"
- ^ a b Berserk :: Volume 20, "Shadow of Idea (2)"
- ^ Berserk :: Volume 34, "Fantasia"
Appendices[]
| God Hand
Void · Slan · Ubik · Conrad · Femto · Idea of Evil |
| Apostles
Zodd · Wyald · Unidentified Roaming Apostle · The Count · Borkoff · Rosine · Unidentified Female Apostle · Snake Lord · Egg of the Perfect World · Rakshas · Locus · Grunbeld · Irvine · Ganishka |
| Pseudo-Apostles
Zondark · Elves of Misty Valley · Great Goat · Mozgus · Mozgus' Disciples · Ganishka's Spawn |
| Phenomena
Abyss · Brand of Sacrifice · Sacrificial Ceremony (Eclipse · Incarnation Ceremony) |
| Others
Beherit · Man-Made Beherit · Sea God · Daka · Dead Spirit · Demon Child (in essence) |