On May 6, 2022, the first anniversary of Kentaro Miura’s death, one of the mangaka’s biggest fans – rapper Robb Banks – released his Berserk concept album on YouTube in honor of the epic dark fantasy manga. The album is called Falconia and is inspired by the adventures of Guts, Griffith, and Casca.
Last year Kentaro Miura’s untimely death devastated fans and left the future of the Berserk manga in uncertainty. Fans were left wondering if the official manga would continue? You can read more about that in my article:
Kentaro Miura’s death was 1 year ago: Berserk ending released by manga fans in lieu of Young Animal’s silence.
Fans found countless ways to honor Berserk’s legacy in the wake of Miura’s passing, such as expressing themselves through art, animation, and cosplay (there are a lot of amazing male cosplayers who dressed up as Guts). Berserk has been gaining more fans than ever, even though the series has ended, due to its passionate fanbase. This passion is now extending into the world of rap thanks to rapper Robb Banks.
Robb Banks has been a fan of Berserk for years. In 2017, he released the controversial song entitled Griffith Did Nothing Wrong. Rapper Robb has several Berserk tattoos and goes by “femto” on Twitter. Robb Banks releasing an entire album that was Berserk-inspired was only an inevitability.
Banks announced the release of Falconia in a Tweet:
#FALCONIA
….out now..
Bye pic.twitter.com/NTA3shtcHZ
The album contains 18 tracks inspired by the events that occur in the manga Berserk and features an album cover that captures one of Casca’s famous moments. Though there aren’t many blatant references to Berserk, like Griffith Did Nothing Wrong, there is a track titled CHARLOTTES INTERLUDE.
It makes sense that a manga series like Berserk would appeal to a musical artist. Griffith’s story of starting out on the bottom of society and crawling his way to the top, and gaining power through sacrificing those dear to him, parallels the sacrifices many artists have to make for fame. Guts’ hero journey of trying to find the meaning of his existence while combating the bitter sting of betrayal is also relatable to artists.
Banks also tweeted a picture of a gold behelit encrusted with diamonds for those who want to get their bling-bling on.
See y’all tmrw 💋 🩸 #FALCONIA pic.twitter.com/fs8OqWzsPb
The entire album can now be listened to on YouTube, or you can listen to it where it was first released on Spotify and Apple Music.
Robb Banks is not the only musical artist to sneak references to their favorite anime or manga into their songs. Megan Thee Stallion (a rapper known for her “hot girl summer” meme about feeling confident in yourself and having fun, which inspired women to post selfies with the caption “I heard it’s hot girl summer”) is known for being a fan of the anime Black Clover.
When Megan Thee Stallion made a certain tweet she immediately grabbed the attention of Black Clover fans:
So nobody was gonna tell me black clover was this fire ?
Megan’s fans were quick to second her opinion of the anime while a few others recommended some other anime titles she might enjoy.
Berserk music enters the world of rap thanks to Robb Banks
Rappers are shouting out to their favorite animes in their songs
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