Berserk: The Kushan, explained

Key things

• The Kushan Empire has a large organized army with powerful magic users and supernatural creatures.
• The Bakiraka clan, former elite bodyguards from Midland, sided with Emperor Ganishka to return to their lost homeland.
• The Kushan use horrific tactics such as mass murder and enslavement, using supernatural creatures and war machines in battle.

Crazy 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 were as brutal or infamous as Eclipse, where Griffith shed all of his humanity by sacrificing an entire group of Hawks to become a member of an eldritch Godhand named Femto. From there he would go on to establish his kingdom called Falconia.

However, despite bringing death and destruction to those closest to him to achieve his goals, Griffith did not count on the inclusion of the Kushan. These people had a presence in the world Crazy from quite early on, but now claim to be enemies of Griffith and his kingdom. So let's go over who the Kushans are and their significance to the overall story.

Who are the Kushans?

Why are they so important?

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

The Kushan Empire was first shown in the series during the reign of Emperor Ganishka, who was also an apostle, although unlike others of his ilk, he was in conflict with God, especially Griffith, and sought to defeat him in order to rule all corners of the world. However, the ruling class of this Empire is made up of many clans fighting each other for absolute power, the most notable of which are the Bakiraks. These powerful clans gather in a meeting called the Kurultai to discuss the land and its future.

The main reason the Kushan are so incredibly powerful is their military system, which is incredibly large and well organized, consisting of many powerful magic users and supernatural creatures. Their power was so great that they waged war against the Holy See, which led to their invasion and simultaneous occupation of a large part of Midland.

Additionally, they are extremely cunning and resourceful in the way they approach warfare. By taking over much of the land, they created great war machines and siege machines to use against their enemies, and also had huge numbers of slaves taken from the many countries they conquered to have a cheap and plentiful workforce. as well as a method of constantly expanding one's own ranks of soldiers.

I control the largest territory in the world. I won't give it up. Though bloodstained and defiled, this world is mine.

One of their most effective war strategies is the Pishaca Gana; who are essentially dangerous supernatural creatures controlled by various magicians in the ranks of the Kushan Army led by the infamous Daiba. They work with the military and are often accompanied by creatures called Daka, who themselves are a disgusting hybrid between a human fetus with a lot of evil magic. They create these massive, half-human, half-demonic beings that are very powerful.

The basic essence of the whole structure of the Kushan empire is that it is governed by fear, which is reinforced by the terrible tactics they used once they invaded the Midland. They often slaughtered entire towns and kept the survivors as slaves or even cattle. However, 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 Bakiraks were once one of the most powerful clans in the Kushan Empire, but were driven out of it centuries ago, leading to their presence in Midland. As a result, they suffered a massive blow to their pride as they became known across the continent as nothing more than a clan of assassins due to their otherworldly fighting prowess. The clan always allied themselves with whoever they thought was the strongest, and thus they were the elite bodyguards of the Midland royal family.

In order to restore the clan to its former glory, they sided with Emperor Ganishka in his war against Griffith, seeing this as a way to return to their homeland. This clan, especially Silat, had one of the most important roles of any major faction throughout the story, and currently plays a huge role in whatever the future may hold for Guts and his companions.

Crazy can be streamed on Crunchyroll and Amazon Prime.