Berserk: The Kushan, Explained

Key Takeaways

• The Kushan Empire possesses a large, organized military with powerful magic users and supernatural creatures.
• The Bakiraka Clan, former elite bodyguards of Midland, sided with Emperor Ganishka to return to their lost homeland.
• The Kushan employ horrifying tactics like mass slaughter and enslavement, utilizing supernatural creatures and war machines in battle.

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

However, despite bringing death and ruin 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 within the world of Berserk since fairly early on, but now, they claim to be enemies to Griffith and his kingdom. So, let’s go over who the Kushan are and their importance to the overall story.

Who Are The Kushan?

Why Are They So Important?

The Kushan Empire is a massive one that is very far away from the country of Midland and is far east of all the nations included under the banner of the Holy See. Due to the rapid expansion that Falconia was undertaking across much of the world, the Kushan Empire feared that they may be next, which prompted them to go to war against Griffith and all of his forces.

The Kushan Empire was first shown in the series during the rule of Emperor Ganishka who was also an Apostle, though unlike others like him, was in conflict with the Godhand, particularly Griffith, and sought to defeat him in order to exert his control over every corner of the world. However, the ruling class of this Empire comprises of many clans that all fight against each other for absolute power, the most notable of which are the Bakiraka. These powerful clans come together in a meeting called the Kurultai where they discuss the country and its future.

The main reason why 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 creatures. Their strength was so great that they waged war against the Holy See, leading to them invading and currently occupying much of Midland.

Moreover, they are extremely crafty and resourceful in the way they approach warfare. By taking over much of the land, they have created great war machines and siege engines to be used against their enemies, as well as having a vast array of slaves taken from the many lands they’ve conquered in order to have cheap and bountiful labor as well as a way of continuously swelling up their own ranks of soldiers.

I control the vastest territory in the world. I will not relinquish it. Even if it is smeared with blood and defiled, this world belongs to me.

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

The basic gist of the Kushan Empire’s entire structure is that it is ruled by fear, which is reinforced by the horrible tactics that they employed once they invaded Midland. They would often slaughter entire cities and keep the survivors as slaves or even cattle. However, they suffered a great loss against Griffith and his forces, leading to the collapse of most of the Empire’s presence within Midland.

The 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, which led to their presence within Midland. Due to this, they took a massive blow to their pride as they became known across the continent as nothing more than a clan of assassins-for-hire due to their otherworldly combat prowess. The clan always allied with whoever they deemed to be the strongest, which is why they were elite bodyguards of the Royal Family of Midland.

To restore the clan to the days of their former glory, they sided with Emperor Ganishka in his war against Griffith because they saw that this was a way for them to return to their homeland. This clan, particularly Silat, has had one of the most important roles of any major faction in the entire story, and currently, they are playing a huge part in whatever the future may hold for Guts and his companions.

Berserk can be streamed on Crunchyroll and Amazon Prime.