Highlights
- The three main characters; Guts, Casca, and Griffith also suffer from some form of trauma, shaping up who they are in their later walks of life.
- Though the trauma they face is comparable in nature, their reaction and motivations that follow drastically differ from one another, painting a complex reality they face head on.
- Throughout the story of Berserk, Guts, Casca, and Griffith face many highs and lows, from their journeys with the Band of the Falcon to The Eclipse, each character reacts to changes in momentum differently, but all triggered by their past trauma.
WARNING: The following topic may contain triggering and/or sensitive material. Berserk features instances of sexual violence, sexual assault, and abuse, and may be traumatizing for some audiences.
Through its 34-year (and counting) span as a manga and several anime adaptations, Berserk has earned its place as one of the best stories in Japan. From its intense violence and bloodshed to a fully immersed world of despair and overcoming tragedy, Kentaro Miura's third attempt at a one-shot publication at 22 became his greatest masterpiece. While he sadly passed away on May 6, 2021, his legacy in the Berserk story lives on through his successor, Kouji Mori, and the many readers anxiously awaiting future chapters to hit the market.
Berserk categorizes itself as an epic and dark fantasy but stands head and shoulders above the rest of its genre. Following the story of its three main leads, Guts, Casca, and Griffith, readers, and viewers learn the story of the Band of the Falcon, the aspirations of a natural-born leader, the internal battle of an outsider, and a soul that finds itself depending on another to feel fulfilled. Berserk has many accounts of tragic outcomes, chaotic battles, and, above all else, traumatic struggles. Guts, Casca, and Griffith all come from different walks of life with similar events, helping shape their traumas and telling the audience how they manage them. Miura's best work comes in moments when each character faces a hurdle that challenges them and shakes them down to their foundation.
Guts, The Struggler
Born to a corpse hanging from a tree, Guts earns his name from that moment. Referred to as a pile of guts, he is salvaged and fostered into a band of mercenaries. His abusive adoptive father, Gambino, and his adoptive mother, Shisu, take on the role of his caretaker until Shisu's untimely death. From there, Guts learns the harsh reality of living with mercenaries, forced to train alongside them and either learn to be like them or left by the wayside. At the age of six, Guts began training and wielding a sword much larger than his strength allowed, and three years later, he officially joined the crew at the age of nine.
Where Guts' trauma truly begins is during a night in his tent, when Guts is ambushed and sexually assaulted by a man named Donovan, who later reveals that he purchased a night with Guts from Gambino. Refusing to believe this revelation, Guts slays Donovan but later learns from Gambino that the statement is true. In self-defense, he killed Gambino, the only father figure he ever had in his life, before becoming estranged from the group of mercenaries for his actions. Branded a "father killer," Guts flees and becomes a lone wolf, where he later joins another pack of soldiers and accepts various labor missions for monetary compensation.
The trauma he lives with as he moves forward continues to affect him, as the idea of becoming closer to others around him invokes a feeling of revolt. Fighting alongside comrades is one thing and a necessary one to survive, but to build a bond and lasting friendship is truly difficult for him. When he meets Casca and the Band of the Falcon, the armor slowly drops, and the audience learns of the vulnerable inside, one that struggles with the thought of being touched by another or cared for. As the story progresses past the Golden Age Arc and into the Black Swordsman Arc, Guts embodies the role of the struggler, one destined to roam the earth in constant fight-or-flight mode.
Casca, The Dependent
Casca represents Berserk's story as the main female protagonist, introduced as a strong unit commander with a harsh exterior. While she doesn't give off the stereotypical traits of a woman, something Judeau points out when he suggests she gave up womanhood to become a mercenary, she strives for acceptance as both a soldier and a woman. In debt to Griffith, she serves with the Band of the Falcon under his power and strives to impress him on the battlefield to earn his respect and attention. This stems from the introduction between the two characters, building up the importance Casca places on Griffith.
Casca grew up as a peasant living in a remote mountain village and is the victim of an attack while working as a castle maid. A noble pinned her down and revealed his intention of sexually assaulting her, only to be stopped by Griffith. Despite her horror of nearly being taken advantage of, she managed to pick up the sword passed off by Griffith and pierce the chest of the attacker, killing him on the spot. Casca learns a devastating reality that to survive in this world, one must fight to stay alive. Griffith didn't just protect her from an attempted attack but gave her meaning and a will to keep going. In this trauma, she leans heavily onto him as a savior and someone to abide by.
Unfortunately for Casca, her numerous attempts to gain affection come second to his thirst for domination and superiority. During the Eclipse, she again finds herself in a position of powerlessness, this time at the hands of the one who saved her so long ago. Griffith, who has since become Femtos, is successful in sexually assaulting her and, as a result, creates a secondary trauma. One that sends her through a period where her mind becomes fragmented. Though Guts can bring her back to form, the sight of him brings back the trauma she faced during the Eclipse.
Griffith, The Ambituous
With his long white hair blowing in the wind, his confident stride, and his masterful abilities with the sword, it's no wonder why Griffith became the leader many followed behind. As the head of the Band of the Falcon, Griffith not only led his troops on the battlefield but charged at the front of the line and led by example. His vibrant nature, calm demeanor, and certainty for success put his crew at ease but also helped earn numerous followers. His ambition was always clear — as a young, carefree child who aspired to the life of a kingdom, to the young intellectual who was both humble yet sure of his abilities.
At an early age, as the leader of the Band of the Falcon, Griffith sold his body to an older man to obtain monetary compensation for his group. While many battles could have equated to the same amount he received for his services, he was not willing to sacrifice any of the lives of his comrades. Instead, he hung his pride on the door and chose to use his appealing looks for the betterment of his people. Though Griffith later kills Gennon, the memory of his sins is a lasting impression on Griffith's ambition to do whatever it takes to achieve his goal.
Following Guts' will to leave the Band of the Falcon and make his path, the decision weighs heavily on Griffith, resulting in him making astronomically poor decisions that lead to his capture and torture. Once he begins the Eclipse, it's clear that those who stray from his ambition and refuse to help him achieve it end up tormenting his mind. In the final moments of the Golden Age Arc, Griffith's violation of Casca is a message to Guts as much as it is to the victim. Nothing and nobody will stop him from obtaining absolution, continuing the story of the trauma of the three main characters of Berserk.
Berserk is available to stream on Crunchyroll.