BERSERK And The Band Of The Hawk ((TOP))
Berserk and the band of the hawk is based on the world-renowned series berserk by Kentarou Miura, and blends the signature 'one versus thousands' style action of the long-running warriors franchise with the grim and gruesome atmosphere of berserk. Players will follow the daring and heroic journey of guts, Griffith, Casca and the band of the hawk as they slash and smash their way through a sinister realm of magical and demonic fiends.
BERSERK And The Band of The Hawk
The Band of the Hawk (鷹の団 Taka no Dan) is the legendary mercenary company that Griffith started as a young man to pursue the goal of winning his own kingdom. At first little more than a group of bandits, in which Judeau, Corkus, Pippin, and Casca were early members, their numbers and reputation grow quickly, especially once they add Guts as the captain of the raiders.
Ambiguously Brown: His ethnicity is never mentioned, so fans speculate that he might be a mulatto or part-Native American. Which is funny, because Miura told Yukari Fujimoto that he based Pippin's appearance on himself, which would make him the only Japanese character in Berserk.
The Big Guy: Taller, bigger and more massively built than Guts himself!
Big Guy Fatality Syndrome: He was the tallest, biggest and strongest member of the original Hawks, perhaps even stronger than Guts himself. He was also the first named Hawk seen dying.
Big Guy, Little Guy: He's the biggest member of the band of the Hawk, and frequently hangs around Rickert, who's the smallest.
Big Ol' Eyebrows: Although a Gentle Giant, he's plenty macho and serious, and has great big eyebrows to show it.
Black Dude Dies First: He's the first named character to die during the Eclipse.
Brutish Character, Brutish Weapon: Hard-hitting weapons such as the battleaxe, mace, or war pick that let him take advantage of his strength.
Died Standing Up: He appears to have possibly died standing, it is somewhat unclear whether the Count just stood his body up to lure in the delirious Guts.
Eyes Always Shut: Having his eyes closed all the time reflects his generally mild-mannered demeanor, which doesn't change even in battle. If he opens them it means something serious is going on.
Friend to All Children: Implied when a bunch of Midland kids almost swarm his path during the Band's return after the Battle of Doldery.
Genius Bruiser: Despite being a giant strongman he is very perceptive and observant. Downplayed in that he isn't necessarily educated, but the information he knows is often valuable and on one occasion he saves the party from being incinerated in a tunnel using his experience of how fire behaves underground.
Gentle Giant: He only uses violence on the battlefield, and is pretty soft-spoken and patient otherwise.
Half the Man He Used to Be: After getting his entrails sucked out by the various apostles who overwhelmed him, he was torn in half and eaten by the Count.
Hunk: There are some ladies who are into huge, muscular guys, and even if he isn't as handsome as Guts he's good-looking enough to be at least a downplayed example. Several admiring noblewomen at the victory ball swarm around him and playfully try to feel his muscles; Pippin looks rather uncomfortable about all the attention.
Hyper-Awareness: Pippin has the most acute senses of the band and never fails a spot check. When the Hawks are lured into a trap by the Midland army he hears the arrows coming over the horizon, and during the rescue of Griffith he spots a tiny hole in the tunnel ceiling pointed out by Griffith that ends up saving their lives from the Bakiraka woman's firestorm.
Mighty Glacier: Not fast or agile, but because of his brawn hardly anything can stand in his way.
Pyrrhic Victory: See Senseless Sacrifice below.
The Quiet One: Never a man of many words, Pippin speaks only when necessary and keeps it laconic when he does.
Senseless Sacrifice: In a Pyrrhic Victory sort of sense. Yes, in the end, his and Judeau's sacrifices to save Casca did indeed save her life... but she ended up suffering an equally horrific ordeal at the hands of the demons which ultimately ended with her losing her mind and with a kid horribly tainted by the evil seed of Femto.
The Stoic: He is hardly ever shown smiling or mad, which makes the few occasions where he's Not So Stoic stand out more.
Stout Strength: Subverted. He may look fat but he's just solid.
Younger Than They Look: His official guidebook age is only 19, but his macho appearance could easily let him pass for a man in his mid-30s.
You Shall Not Pass!: Dies holding the line against the Count and other Apostles in order to cover Casca's escape.
A Jerkass with an inflated opinion of himself, Corkus was the leader of a band of thieves before joining the Band of the Hawk. He and his friends attacked Guts in order to rob him of the reward for defeating Bazuso, but Guts made short work of them and Corkus would have died if not for Casca and Griffith's intervention. Afterward, Casca prevents him and his accomplices from trying to kill Guts out of revenge while Guts was recovering from his wounds, but Corkus keeps his hatred of Guts and never accepts him as a real member of the Band of the Hawk. He often provides a counterpoint to Rickert's innocence with his cynical comments. Despite his abrasive personality, he is one of the Hawks' commanders.
He reappears sometime later in Falconia with Erica in tow, not long after Ganishka's defeat, where he gets to see Griffith again. But instead of joining him, he dismisses his offer to remain in Falconia and decides to leave, but not before slapping him in the face and humiliating him in front of his court, which prompts Locus to send Rakshas after him in retaliation. Rickert is rescued in extremis by Silat, whom had recognized him as a former follower of Griffith. In exchange for all the information Rickert knows about Griffith, Silat offers to spirit him and Erica off to his native Hidden Elf Village where they can remain relatively safe from Griffith's cohorts. Rickert devises a plan to Run for the Border and eventually manages to defeat the pursuing Rakshas, as they all fly away to a yet unrevealed fate. Adaptational Badass: In the manga, Rickert is depicted as relatively timid and weak throughout the Golden Age Arc, spending most of his fights fending off the enemy's blows and frequently needing protection from Pippin or Guts. The second film turns him into a fearless little warrior who racks up some respectable kills during the battle of Doldrey and changes the delivery of his "rather die fighting" line from despairing to defiant.
Adaptation Name Change: He's called Ricket in the 1997 anime, lacking the "r" in both pronunciations. This was likely due to the anime staff's lack of grasp of the English language. His proper name has been restored in every voiced adaptation since.
Archer Archetype: Good with crossbows, and especially with the repeating crossbow of his own making that he uses to defend the refugee caravan in episode 332. He's not much of a swordfighter, at least not in the original manga, so he has to compensate.
Badass Bookworm: After taking a level in badass, he's a scrawny Teen Genius who shows surprising courage and usefulness in combat with his inventions.
Big Guy, Little Guy: He was often seen hanging out with Pippin who was easily three times his size.
Bishōnen: By the time Guts comes back with Casca after the Conviction Arc, he's grown into a slim, beautiful teenager who's nonetheless getting stronger and on his way to manhood.
The Blacksmith: A little while after being taken to Godo's place by the Skull Knight with Guts and Casca, he learns blacksmithing from Godo and helps Guts by putting together his new armor and Arm Cannon.
Bolivian Army Ending: Seemingly suffers one in the '97 Anime Adaptation. When the demons slaughter the camp nursing the injured Hawks, Rickert is last seen about to be attacked. He's not shown again after this.
Break the Cutie: His sweet and lovable optimistic attitude is savagely ripped to shreds by having all his companions killed by demons, and seeing Guts and Casca survive with horrible trauma with the implication that Griffith took part in something horrible. The process continues on the hill of swords when Guts tells him exactly how Griffith betrayed every member of the Hawks, and it seems to be completed when Locus shows him the demons in Pandaemonium and Rickert can no longer deny Griffith's demonic nature.
The Bus Came Back: Starting with chapter 332 the focus returns to him and Erica, who flee as refugees and encounter Griffith's new Band of the Hawk.
Cheerful Child: His youth goes hand-in-hand with innocent optimism, at least before getting traumatized by the massacre of his comrades.
Child Soldier: Despite his young age, Rickert rides and fights alongside the other Hawks in combat.
Combat Commentator: He witnesses and provides commentary for a couple of notable fights in the series, including the Skull Knight's confrontation with Zodd at the Eclipse and Guts' rematch with Zodd on the hill of swords.
Coming of Age Story: Though a secondary character, Rickert's story arc is perhaps the most striking coming of age stories in the series, only second to Guts' since we are introduced to him as a young, optimistic if slightly immature kid soldier who grows into a realistic though level-headed and resourceful young man.
Defector from Paradise: As Griffith offers him to join his utopia, Rickert remembers what he did in memory of his former comrades. He dismisses his proposal and walks away with a simple "Farewell", but not before giving Griffith a "The Reason You Suck" Speech.
Did You Just Flip Off Cthulhu?: He has the distinct honor of being the first person to ever strike a physical blow on the reincarnated Griffith and tells him off in the process.
Due to the Dead: We eventually learn that he was the one to build the Hawk's memorial in honor of his former comrades who died in the Eclipse.
Dub Name Change: Known as Riquelt in the Spanish dub of the 1997 anime.
Enemy Mine: Downplayed. By the time they meet again, both him and Silat are foes no more and now share a common enemy in the person of Griffith. Working in conjunction to defeat Rakshas who was sent after them, both maneuver a successful Indy Escape from Falconia, and fly away on Daiba's familiars' back, along with Erica and Silat's Tapesa bodyguards, to Silat's Hidden Elf Village in the mountains.
Freak Out: In chapter 52 when the Hawks' wounded are devoured by Apostles including Rosine and the Count, Rickert has a sobbing breakdown. This trauma is the first of several steps that break his optimism and cheerfulness.
Gadgeteer Genius: About as much as one can get in a Medieval setting. He was able to fashion a prosthetic arm for Guts using spare parts he found around Godo's workshop. An arm that also doubled as an Arm Cannon and which could be used to mount a Repeating Crossbow. He later fashioned a larger version of the crossbow that could be mounted on the back of a horse-drawn cart. This, in a world where the only other crossbows are large unwieldy crank-powered ones and small, underpowered hand crossbows that take too long to reload to be good for more than one shot...
Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: A cute, blond-haired boy who is really kind and idealistic.
Innocent Blue Eyes: Has blue eyes and is the most innocent character in the original band.
Locked Out of the Loop: Since he wasn't involved in the Eclipse and Guts never spoke of it, he didn't know about Griffith ascending to Femto or the details of how the Hawks died. It isn't until he reunites with Griffith at the Hill of Swords that Guts tells him the full details.
Long-Haired Pretty Boy: Let's be honest, he's really pretty. And his long hair emphasizes this.
Promotion to Parent: Since Godo fell ill and eventually died, he's taken it upon himself to raise Erica.
Put on a Bus: He stays at the workshop to take care of Erica while Guts and Casca depart on their journey to find somewhere they can be safe.
Refusing Paradise: Rickert could have lived a comfortable life in Falconia. He could have had a high-ranking position in the safest and most luxurious place in the world. But he didn't. He turned it down, slapped Griffith in the face, and prepared to leave the city, even if it meant braving the Death World outside.
Run for the Border: Because he dishonored Griffith in public, Rickert soon found out he wasn't safe anymore in Falconia. Therefore, he allies himself to Kushan prince Silat and both successfully get away to Silat's native abode in the mountains, along with Erica and Silat's bodyguards, so as to elude further persecutions.
Screw This, I'm Outta Here: The rare noble version. When he gets to meet Griffith for the first time after the instatement of Falconia, Griffith offers him to join again. And even though Rickert recognizes the tremendous powers of Neo-Griffith, he remembers that he was the one to forge the countless swords of the Hawks' memorial and that, even though he's nowhere near as badass as Guts, he just won't kneel in front of the man who betrayed and murdered the former Band of the Hawk. In answer, Rickert bitchslaps Griffith across the face in front of everyone present and shows him that his former insignia isn't the same as that of Neo-Griffith, thus Neo-Griffith isn't his commander. Rickert then walks away calmly, dismissing Griffith altogether.
Serendipitous Survival: Rickert would have been eaten along with the other wounded if he hadn't gone to fetch water just when he did, and also returned to the scene late enough that the Skull Knight was there to scare them away.
Sole Survivor: Due to not being involved in the Eclipse but also thanks to the Skull Knight's intervention at the wounded Hawks' camp who prevented the Count and Rosine from killing him along with his buddies.
Teen Genius: Becoming a teenager and apprenticing with Godo reveals his prodigious mechanical talent, such that he single-handedly creates practical inventions, prosthetics, and weaponry more advanced than anything of his own time.
Took a Level in Badass: Beginning with volume 37, Rickert's transformation from a gentle and timid Child Soldier to a Badass Bookworm becomes apparent. He uses his crossbow turret to defend a whole refugee caravan from monsters long enough for help to arrive, slaps the face of the most powerful man in the world, hatches a daring escape plan with a clan of feared assassins, and to top it off while escaping on the back of one of Daiba's pterasaurs he shoots down the pursuing Apostle Rakshas with a freaking rocket launcher. Someone, give this kid a MacArthur Grant and a medal for badassery!
What Happened to the Mouse?: The 1997 anime shows him in the Hawk's wounded camp when it gets attacked by Apostles, and then just leaves him hanging there without showing what happens to him afterward. Without the Skull Knight, the strong implication is that he shared the other injured's fates.
Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Since his encounter with Rosine, Rickert developed a bit of a phobia towards Elves. Puck, of all things, can make him uneasy.
Wide-Eyed Idealist: The most optimistic of the Hawks, almost taken to an annoying level since he sees the Hawks as more of a family unit than a company of Hired Guns. Even after seeing half of his comrades get eaten, being told that the rest had died, seeing Casca insane, and seeing Guts take a dark shift in character, he still remained hopeful that Griffith would return and didn't really think to pressure Guts for the truth of what really happened for everything to come to that because he was too scared to ask. A big part of his growing up has been losing his illusions and wanting to find out the truth.
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