Kentaro Miura created the Band of the Falcon in Berserk, which was a mercenary group founded by Griffith. The troops played a crucial role in several battles and also ended a century-long conflict by retaining Doldrey. Yet, the band had to be sacrificed at the very hands of their leader.
After the Band of the Falcon met its end and every member was sacrificed by Griffith, fans were incredibly shocked by the outcome. Never could they have thought that in his madness and grief, Griffith would kill his own soldiers. Even when the popularity of the manga dropped due to this decision, Kentaro Miura decided to stick to his story.
Kentaro Miura Only Trusts One Persson Enough to Change a Crucial Berserk Decision
The Band of Falcon’ victory over Doldrey | Berserk | Credits: Hakusensha
In an interview, Kentaro Miura was asked if he would ever bring back the Band of the Falcon in Berserk. The author seemed convinced that he would never do such a thing because the move of finishing the band was a crucial one despite its effects on the series’ sales.
I think I would have accepted if this request had come from Mr. Shimada. Because I trusted him. In fact, it was in his nature to give me the green light to kill the Falcon’s troop.
Shimada was the editor of Berserk from volumes 4 to 38 of the manga, and Kentaro Miura was under his supervision for a while. The author and his mentor were extremely close due to their involvement with Berserk. Surprisingly, it was revealed that Shimada was the one who green-lighted killing the Band of Falcon.
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It seems Kentaro Miura held a deep respect for his former editor and blindly trusted all decisions made by him. However, not all the decisions paid off, as readers began to lose interest in Berserk soon after the horrible tragedy with the Band of the Falcon.
Berserk Declined in Popularity After Kentaro Miura Finished the Band of Falcon
The Band of Falcons being devoured | Berserk | Credits: Hakusensha
Kentaro Miura admitted that one of the reasons Berserk dipped in popularity was because the Band of Falcon ceased to exist. Beloved characters like Corkus, Judeau, and Pippin, as well as the rest of the members, were not only brutally killed but also tortured till the light exited their eyes. Both Guts and the readers had become attached to the troops and the tragedy was too much to bear for everyone. But the author frankly admitted that had he decided to resurrect them; it would have required high levels of scriptwriting techniques.
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Miura fundamentally disagreed with resurrecting characters who have already been killed. After all, Berserk is not a feel-good manga. It shows the worst of humanity and revels in the graphic portrayal of brutality. In fact, it was the end of the troops that led to several other developments in Berserk. Griffith became a new member of the God Hand by holding the sacrificial ceremony of Eclipse. From this moment forth, Griffith’s true villainous intensity was discovered.
Griffith in Berserk | Credit: Hakusensha
If Miura had indeed brought the Band of the Falcon back, he was afraid it would make a joke out of Berserk. The only way to do it would be a typical Shonen twist.
To explain, the author mentioned Sakigake! Otokojuku, a 1985 manga in which characters who were supposed to be dead kept coming back alive. Miura did not want Berserk to follow in the footsteps of Sakigake! Otokojuku.
You can watch Berserk anime on Crunchyroll.
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