Template:Character Infobox The Snake Lord[1] is the apostle ruler of Koka, residing in the town castle. He demands provisions of gold and human cattle for food from the town mayor, in exchange for not turning his malice towards the entirety of the town's residents. He is eventually hunted down, defeated and left for dead by Guts.[2]
Personality
As the oppressive ruler of Koka, the Snake Lord possesses a demeanor of calmness and dominance, and is unapologetically sadistic in nature. He revels and takes pride in the fear he induces in the hearts of men, and bears a strong disdain for humanity, believing humans are nothing more than morsels for apostlekind and longing to see them die in a fiery chaos.[2]
When in battle, he glorifies himself as an all-powerful being due to his status as an apostle. He is very confident in his abilities, tending to underestimate his opponents, as shown when Guts quickly unhorses him and sends his humanesque form flying through a building. After assuming his true form, his confidence increases significantly and his contempt for humanity becomes even more expressive. However, when the Snake Lord is incapacitated and defeated by Guts, his demeanor warps to that of a pitiable beggar as he pleads for his life and is left to burn to ashes.[2]
Story
Golden Age Arc
The Snake Lord is one of numerous apostles who embark on a pilgrimage to take part in the fifth Eclipse.[3]
Black Swordsman Arc
The Snake Lord turns his rancor towards the town.
While having a meal of human flesh, the Snake Lord is informed of the Black Swordsman's arrival in Koka and attack on his henchmen in a town tavern, leaving him to ponder who the aggressor is. The mayor of Koka then arrives, having placed the swordsman in jail and offering more gold and human cattle for forgiveness. The Snake Lord, however, accuses the mayor of fearing for his own life more than those of the townspeople. Afterwards, he reveals that he does not truly care for gold or prisoners, and would prefer to see humans in a fiery apocalypse and listen to the snapping of their bones under the hooves of horses. As his henchmen take the mayor away, the Snake Lord dons his battle armor, having resolved to lay waste to Koka.[2]
The Snake Lord is defeated by the Black Swordsman.
Soon after, the Snake Lord and his henchmen begin killing all townspeople in their path and setting Koka ablaze. Having escaped confinement prior to the onslaught, the Black Swordsman halts their slaughter and dispatches several of the Snake Lord's henchmen before facing the apostle himself. Confident in his own abilities, the Snake Lord accepts Guts' challenge, attempting to ram the swordsman through with his halberd before being shot off his steed and then into a nearby building. In retaliation, he assumes his true form and begins voicing his intent to eat Guts alive. The Snake Lord proceeds to overpower the swordsman before picking him up by his right arm to further degrade him and humanity as weaklings. Guts uses the moment to fire his cannon arm and blow off half of the Snake Lord's face, creating an opening to bisect the apostle with the Dragon Slayer. Reduced to a torso, the Snake Lord is unable to defend himself from being shot and tortured by Guts. While pleading for his life, he recognizes Guts as a survivor of the Eclipse upon noticing the swordsman's Brand of Sacrifice. When questioned about the God Hand's whereabouts, he reveals he has no idea where they are, before he is left to die, buried alive beneath the burning debris of Koka.[2]
Notes
- Kentarou Miura dubs the Snake Lord in an interview for the Berserk Official Guidebook, referring to him as [ヘビ首領] – ヘビ meaning "snake" and 首領 being a generic term for "leader", "chief", etc.
- In the 1997 anime series adaption, the Snake Lord assumes the Slug Baron's role of the apostle whose beherit is taken by Guts upon being defeated.
- The Snake Lord does not make an appearance in the 2016 anime adaptation.
- In the video game Berserk Musou, the Snake Lord is named the "Lord of Thieves".
References
- ^ Berserk Official Guidebook
- ^ a b c d e Lua error in Module:Qref at line 19: attempt to index local 'episode' (a nil value). Cite error: Invalid
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Appendices
Template:Supernatural Beings