| “ | Shout! It is the anguish of enemies! Rejoice! Long live the god of war, Ares! Long live the army of flames, Ephodos!, Kill Athena and the Sanctuary! Kill Kill! Kill! Kill, Hema! Kill Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! | „ |
| ~ Berserkers' frenzied war cry |
The Bersekers (in Japanese: 狂闘士) of Ares were a powerful army in the story of the Saint Seiya series, but, never were shown in an anime. They had reputation to be destructive and bloodthirsty.
Past
Holy war
Among the many wars that Athena and her saints have ever fought, the most severe was the one against Ares and his army. Among the gods, Ares had notoriety of being the most brutal, and he planted seeds of discord all over the world, instigating multiple wars between humans. According to myth, Ares was cruel and understood by very few, and one of those who knew his mind was the god of the underworld, Hades. Additionally, it seems possible that Hades was the one pulling the strings behind the scenes of this particular holy war, and during its extension, many souls were added to Hades' world. Ares, being a war-crazed maniac, did not mind. The fight between saints and berserkers extended for a long period of time, and seemed endless. At the time, the number of saints recorded was at small 58 (with lacking numbers among bronze, silver and gold ranks), apparently too small to change the tide of war, and Athena's army was vastly outnumbered. The saints were, one after another, defeated by the vicious warriors of Ares, and it seemed as if the berserkers had the war.
In the past, the Libra Cloth had been made by the alchemist clan of Mu to disassemble into 12 different weapons, but the saints, warriors back then fought only with their bodies and their humanly skills, were not allowed to use weapons. When the Libra saint and Athena both recognize that the use of weapons is justified, parts of the Libra cloth can be used as weapons by some saints. The first (and only, before the start of Saint Seiya) instance in which the use of the Libra weapons was allowed was when the berserkers were on the verge of winning the war. Athena gave permission for saints to use Libra armors and supplied weapons to the saints, and they were able to rout the army of Ares in an instant, effectively turning the war around. With his army destroyed, Ares fled into the underworld for safety.
Post-War
The holy war is briefly mentioned to a Sanctuary guard by Wolf Junkers in the The Lost Canvas Gaiden episode 11. The Flame Battalion (Ephodos Army) was described as a force that was captured during the war. They were all executed by beheading in the Phantom Arena, an area of Athena's Sanctuary, in Greece. Athena then sealed the arena, with the still-moving beheaded berserkers.
The 4 Commanders
Probably, each one of they leads his own battalion.
- Enyo
- Deimos
- Phobos
- Anteros
Battalions
There is 4 Battalions in this army and each one has a leader and a kind of power:
- Flame: Has fire powers.
- Fire: Unknown dates.
- Terror": Unkown dates.
- Calamity: Unknown dates.
Lost Canvas
Jamadhar Hema and Buhj Kokalo appears in the gaiden of Aspros. They were of the flame battalion. But they were still full of bloodlust and madness, ready to resume their habit of destruction upon revival.
During Aquarius Dégel's investigation of the death of the Pythiae of Delphi, the seal of the Phantom Arena was removed by Gemini Aspros, leading to the resumed conflict between the still living members of Ephodos Army, Gemini Defteros, and Aquarius Dégel. By the end of the fight, all of the remaining members of Ephodos ended up dead, this time for good, and the commanders Bhuj Kókalo and Jamadhar Hema had their bodies obliterated (except for their skulls).
Gallery
