God Hand Wiki | XLA Multiverse

General Info

Faction Name	God Hand

The God Hand faction in the BERSERK universe is a formidable set of five apostles. They operate under a sinister hierarchy and serve as an archduke in the demon realm. Together, they form the vanguard of evil and drive the saga of humanity to despair. They succeeded in transcending mortality through self-sacrifice and achieving existence in both the mortal realm and the astral plane. Each member has their own power and form, ranging from manipulative illusion to shapeshifting. Their intelligence and cunning is surpassed only by their unparalleled strength. Their aura inspires both fear and awe, and evil intentions are hidden behind the seductive facade of divine prophecy. Despite their brutality and the destruction they cause, their role remains decisive in determining the fate of the BERSERK universe. Their ruthless orders and plans stem from an unyielding belief in causality, which makes them their arch-enemies.

Overview

The Divine Hand is an iconic and powerful creature in the BERSERK universe. The Hand of God is a quintet made up of five ethereal beings and serves as the main antagonistic force of the series. They embody chaos and destruction, directing the fate of the world and individuals primarily through events marked as an eclipse, an occasion shrouded in darkness and despair that occurs once every 216 years.
Each of the members—Void, Slan, Ubik, Conrad, and Griffith (who later became Femto)—were once humans who were transformed into these all-powerful creatures by sacrificing those they cared about. Their power is immense, capable of altering reality, instilling fear and driving people insane. They are described as "almost divine beings" who dictate the flow of causality in the world according to their will.
Obeying the idea of evil, their main goal is to promote negative emotions in people around the world to secure their leadership. Although their appearance varies, they usually appear as monstrous and grotesque parodies of the human form. The members of the Hand of God remain shrouded in mystery, their motives and full powers unknown. They undoubtedly play a key role in fueling the darkness, chaos and tragedy that characterizes the BERSERK universe.

History

The Divine Hand, the supreme power of the Apostles in the Berserk universe, is the quinque people hailed as the supreme reality of the astral world. Their existence is shrouded in mystery, but they are believed to reach their height, unmatched by any apostle, during a once-every-216-year ceremony called an eclipse. It includes what is dearest to the elect, marking them with the Behelit, the insignia of the Divine Hand.
The journey of this massive faction began with the Void, believed to be the first hand of God. The induction of this mysterious figure was similar to others in which the victim and Behelit played a central role. His skinless gaze, exposed to the brain, gave an immediate impression of fear.
Konrad, Ubik, and Slan joined the Void over time. Slan's origins are particularly compelling as she is said to have been burned at the stake for witchcraft, only to be resurrected as one of the Divine Hands. Konrad and Ubik, though less known about them, also have unique stories about their existence, involving fear, desperation, and the allure of power that is the common factor that binds the Hand of God.
The biggest addition to the Hand of God would be Femto, an enhanced form of Griffith. During a terrible eclipse ceremony in which he sacrificed the Hawk Band, his loyal and beloved companions, Griffith became a shadow into Femto. His inclusion in the Divine Hand planted the seeds for the faction's influence to eventually materialize in the physical world.
The God Hand faction is respected, feared, and considered the epitome of power in the Berserk universe. Their past is woven into every fabric of this realm's horror stories, their story entwined with concepts of power, sacrifice, and survival in the gap between the mortal and astral worlds. In addition to controlling the Apostles and humanity, they are also the organizers of their destinies, supposedly dictating causality, the in-universe equivalent of Berserk's fate.

Notable Members

Member #

Void

Ubik

Slan

Conrad

Femto/Griffith

Geography

The Hand of God faction lives in a separate realm called the Astral Dimension, far from the tangible world, characterized by dark landscapes and nightmarish architectural contraptions that bend and defy the laws of physics. Dark hawks soar above the ubiquitous ebony chasm, blending in and seeing no clear distinction between the ethereal sky and the spectral chasm below.
In this region, dominated by five gigantic hand-shaped structures that reach towards the sky in a palpable gesture, the organized chaos exudes an ominous calm and silent horror. Each finger represents a member of the Divine Hand, symbolizing their authority and influence beyond worldly boundaries. Their surreal fortress, a giant face sunk into the ground with multiple arms protruding from its mouth, exudes an eerie omnipresence. Floating chunks of land without bodies punctuate the terrain, reminiscent of a disconnected dream in which gravity loses its essence. These isolated islands are platforms for supernatural rituals of the Divine Hand, including the infamous Eclipse Ceremonies. The geography of the Hand of God realm is a physical representation of their dominion over chaos, a ghostly embodiment of their immeasurable omnipotence.
Although its geography may seem unfamiliar and even frightening to those from the mortal plane of BERSERK, this dimension serves its purpose as a short-lived battleground for the Hand of God and a terrifying seat of power. It shows their essence and presence, irrefutable proof of their nightmarish reality.

Legacy and Impact

The legacy of God's hand in the Berserk universe is deep and wide. As orchestrators of temporal junctures, their influence shapes both individual destinies and the collective history of the world. The enigmatic quartet of the Void, Slan, Ubik, and Konrad are formidable entities who wield a combination of immense power and cunning manipulation, orchestrating a web of events to bring about the arrival of the Fifth Angel.
Their influence is perhaps most evident in the transformation of Griffith into Femto. The event ends not only with a horrific eclipse, but also with the manifestation of Falconia, radically changing the political and physical landscape. Likewise, Guts, the character of the series, is heavily influenced by the machinations of God's hand. Her existence, which is characterized by a constant battle with predetermined fear, is a direct result of their influence.
However, they carry with them a dark legacy that is weighed down by a disturbing dichotomy between their apocalyptic vision and its implementation. This rift widens with the apparent discord between Griffith's pursuit of his kingdom and the greater plan of God's Hand, casting a shadow of tension across their united front.
The enigmatic nature of the God Hand faction ensures that their legacy and impact is a dynamic and surprising influence, constantly challenging the characters and the plot of the universe, especially the hair-raising Berserk.