Berserk: The Kushan, Explained

Important takeaways

• The Kushan Empire has a large, organized military with powerful magic users and supernatural beings.
• The Bakiraka clan, formerly elite bodyguards of the Midland, sided with Emperor Ganishka to return to their lost homeland.
• The Kushan use terrifying tactics such as mass slaughter and enslavement, and use supernatural creatures and war machines in battle.

Berserk is an extremely dark and graphic Seinen manga series that has had many emotional highs and lows over the years. However, none of the valleys have been as brutal or infamous as Eclipse, where Griffith shed all of his humanity by sacrificing the entire Band of the Hawk to become a young member of the Godhand named Femto. From there he would go on to establish his kingdom named Falconia.

However, despite bringing death and destruction to those closest to him to achieve his goals, Griffith did not account for the inclusion of the Kushan. These people have had a presence in the world of Berserk since quite early, but now they claim to be enemies of Griffith and his kingdom. So let's go over who the Kushan are and their importance to the overall story.

Who are the Kushans?

Why are they so important?

The Kushan Empire is a vast empire that is very far away from the land of Midland and lies far to the east of all the nations included under the banner of the Holy See. Due to the rapid expansion Falconia carried out across much of the world, the Kushan Empire feared they might be next, prompting them to go to war against Griffith and all his forces.

The Kushan Empire was first shown in the series under the rule of Emperor Ganishka, who was also an apostle, but unlike others like him, he was in conflict with the Godhand, especially Griffith, and tried to defeat him in order to exert his control over every corner of the world. But the ruling class of this empire consists of many clans all fighting each other for absolute power, the most notable being the Bakiraka. These powerful clans gather in a meeting called the Kurultai where they discuss the country and its future.

The main reason the Kushan are so incredibly powerful is due to their military system, which is incredibly large and well organized, consisting of many potent magic users and supernatural beings. Their strength was so great that they waged war against the Holy See, leading them to invade and currently occupy large parts of the Midlands.

Additionally, they are extremely cunning and resourceful in the way they approach warfare. By taking over a large part of the country they have created amazing war machines and siege engines to use against their enemies, as well as having a large amount of slaves taken from the many lands they have conquered to obtain cheap and abundant labor as well as a means of continuous swell their own soldiers.

I control the largest territory in the world. I will not give it up. Although it is smeared with blood and defiled, this world belongs to me.

One of their most effective war strategies is the Pishaca Gana; which are basically dangerous supernatural beings controlled by the various sorcerers within the ranks of the Kushan army, led by the infamous Daiba. They work with the military and are often accompanied by creatures called Daka, themselves a disgusting cross between a human fetus with lots of nasty sorcery. These create these huge, half-human-half-demon creatures that are very powerful.

The basic core of the whole structure of the Kushan Empire is that it is ruled by fear, which is reinforced by the terrible tactics they used when they invaded the Midlands. They often slaughtered entire towns and kept the survivors as slaves or even livestock. But they suffered a heavy loss against Griffith and his forces, leading to the collapse of most of the Empire's presence in the Midlands.

Bakiraka clan

A strong force of Kushan warriors

The Bakiraka were once one of the most powerful clans within the Kushan Empire but were driven out of it centuries ago, leading to their presence in Midland. Because of this, they took a huge blow to their pride when they became known across the continent as nothing more than a clan of assassins due to their otherworldly fighting prowess. The clan always allied with whoever they considered the strongest, which is why they were elite bodyguards of the Midland royal family.

To restore the clan to its former glory days, they sided with Emperor Ganishka in his war against Griffith as they saw this as a way for them to return to their homeland. This clan, especially Silat, has had one of the most important roles of any major faction in all of history, and currently they play a large role in whatever the future may hold for Guts and his companions.

Berserk can be streamed on Crunchyroll and Amazon Prime.