TV-Series
Description
Conrad is a member of the God Hand, a group of five angelic beings who oversee the flow of causality and human sacrifice in the world of Berserk. As one of these deities, he is a major antagonistic force, though his individual personality is among the least developed of the group, making him an enigmatic presence.
Physically, Conrad appears as a grotesque fusion of a puckered, almost infant-like human face with the body of a massive wood louse or isopod. His expression is typically stoic and unchanging, with his eyes almost never open and his mouth remaining still. He is often seen with his hands clasped together. This design is heavily inspired by the work of surrealist artist H.R. Giger, specifically the painting Landscape XVIII.
In terms of personality, Conrad is the most silent and impassive member of the God Hand. He rarely speaks, preferring to let his cohorts, particularly the talkative Ubik, handle verbal persuasion and mockery during rituals and manifestations. When he does speak, he focuses on grim pronouncements of inevitability and doom. His primary desire and motivation appear to be the spreading of pestilence and plague throughout the mortal world. He achieves this through vermin, especially diseased rodents, which serve as his medium for corrupting the physical realm.
Conrad's role in the story is largely supportive of the God Hand's collective will, which is to enforce the laws of causality and offer humanity reasons for suffering to guide them toward despair and sacrifice. During the Eclipse, the apocalyptic festival where the Band of the Hawk was sacrificed, Conrad played a key ceremonial role. He created a massive mound of flesh and earth that lifted the crippled Griffith into the air, then transmuted this mound into the shape of a giant hand. This hand served as the rebirth chamber from which Griffith emerged as the fifth angel, Femto. He also assists Ubik in showing Griffith visions to manipulate him into making the sacrifice.
Conrad's most significant individual action occurs during the Conviction Arc. To orchestrate the Incarnation Ceremony, he manifests his head from swarms of plague-carrying rats, unleashing a devastating epidemic across Midland. This pestilence drives countless refugees to the tower of Albion, creating the necessary conditions of concentrated suffering and death for Femto's rebirth into the physical world. He briefly manifests again at the climax of the Incarnation Ceremony, taking a rudimentary form using the corpses of evil spirits.
Conrad holds no genuine relationships or affections for other beings. He is a colleague of the other God Hand members: Void, Slan, Ubik, and Femto. He seems to respond most consistently to Ubik, sometimes speaking in turn after him. He views humans, apostles, and even powerful figures like Guts as mere components of the greater flow of causality, showing no fear or concern when Guts kills apostles. His origin as a human before becoming a member of the God Hand is never revealed, and he undergoes no character development, remaining a static force of nature. His notable abilities include the manipulation of causality and fate, transmutation of matter, corporealization through vermin, and the spread of disease.
Physically, Conrad appears as a grotesque fusion of a puckered, almost infant-like human face with the body of a massive wood louse or isopod. His expression is typically stoic and unchanging, with his eyes almost never open and his mouth remaining still. He is often seen with his hands clasped together. This design is heavily inspired by the work of surrealist artist H.R. Giger, specifically the painting Landscape XVIII.
In terms of personality, Conrad is the most silent and impassive member of the God Hand. He rarely speaks, preferring to let his cohorts, particularly the talkative Ubik, handle verbal persuasion and mockery during rituals and manifestations. When he does speak, he focuses on grim pronouncements of inevitability and doom. His primary desire and motivation appear to be the spreading of pestilence and plague throughout the mortal world. He achieves this through vermin, especially diseased rodents, which serve as his medium for corrupting the physical realm.
Conrad's role in the story is largely supportive of the God Hand's collective will, which is to enforce the laws of causality and offer humanity reasons for suffering to guide them toward despair and sacrifice. During the Eclipse, the apocalyptic festival where the Band of the Hawk was sacrificed, Conrad played a key ceremonial role. He created a massive mound of flesh and earth that lifted the crippled Griffith into the air, then transmuted this mound into the shape of a giant hand. This hand served as the rebirth chamber from which Griffith emerged as the fifth angel, Femto. He also assists Ubik in showing Griffith visions to manipulate him into making the sacrifice.
Conrad's most significant individual action occurs during the Conviction Arc. To orchestrate the Incarnation Ceremony, he manifests his head from swarms of plague-carrying rats, unleashing a devastating epidemic across Midland. This pestilence drives countless refugees to the tower of Albion, creating the necessary conditions of concentrated suffering and death for Femto's rebirth into the physical world. He briefly manifests again at the climax of the Incarnation Ceremony, taking a rudimentary form using the corpses of evil spirits.
Conrad holds no genuine relationships or affections for other beings. He is a colleague of the other God Hand members: Void, Slan, Ubik, and Femto. He seems to respond most consistently to Ubik, sometimes speaking in turn after him. He views humans, apostles, and even powerful figures like Guts as mere components of the greater flow of causality, showing no fear or concern when Guts kills apostles. His origin as a human before becoming a member of the God Hand is never revealed, and he undergoes no character development, remaining a static force of nature. His notable abilities include the manipulation of causality and fate, transmutation of matter, corporealization through vermin, and the spread of disease.