Berserk (manga)

|} Berserk (ベルセルク, Beruseruku) is a long-running dark fantasymanga by mangakaKentarō Miura. Berserk's setting is inspired by medievalEurope. It centers around the life of Guts, an orphaned mercenary warrior, and Griffith, the leader of a mercenary band called the Band of the Hawk (鷹の団, Taka no Dan). As he ages, Guts changes from a solitary boy into a man who realizes the value of camaraderie. The story contains elements of both fantasy and horror, as it explores both the best and worst of human nature. Both the manga and anime are noted for their heavy violence.

Plot

Berserk
File:Berserk1.jpg Cover of Berserk, Volume 1
ベルセルク (Beruseruku)
Genre	Action, Horror, Dark Fantasy
Manga
Written by	Kentarō Miura
Published by	Hakusensha
English publisher	Dark Horse Comics
Magazine	Young Animal
Demographic	Seinen
Original run	1989 – ongoing
Volumes	33
Anime
Berserk: Kenpū Denki
Directed by	Naohito Takahashi
Studio	OLM
Released	October 7, 1997 – March 31, 1998
Video games
Berserk: Millennium Falcon I Berserk: Millennium Falcon II
Collectible card game
Berserk Trading Card Game

Golden Age Arc

Guts was born from a corpse hanging from a tree. He was saved from starvation by Shizu, a female who accompanied a mercenary leader named Gambino. When Guts was age 3, Shizu died from the plague, leaving Gambino to care for Guts. As Guts aged, Gambino taught Guts swordplay. He began to earn his keep by fighting alongside Gambino, although Gambino kept most of Guts' pay. Gambino allowed another mercenary to rape Guts for money. Guts later killed that mercenary during a skirmish, but he forgave Gambino for his part in what had happened, believing him innocent. When Gambino was crippled during a skirmish, Guts became the family's sole provider. However, one night when Gambino was drunk, he attacked Guts due to his belief that Guts should have died instead of Shizu, and he revealed that he did indeed sell out Guts to the mercenary. Guts was able to fend Gambino off, and he accidentally killed Gambino by slashing him across the throat. Other mercenaries overheard them and not understanding what happened, they chased Guts from the camp. Guts was shot by an arrow and fell down a ravine, and the others gave him up for dead. When Guts awoke, he was attacked by wolves, but he was able to defend himself with his sword.

For the next few years, Guts wandered from mercenary band to mercenary band, earning his keep. When a call was made for soldiers to fight a fearsome mercenary named Bazuso with a reputation for killing thirty men, only the young Guts answered the challenge. Guts cracked Bazuso's axe with his sword, and when each went for a killing blow, Bazuso's axe shattered. Bazuso cried for mercy, but Guts gave none. Guts was offered a position by the noble that gave him his reward, but he refused the offer. Looking on was the leader of the Band of the Hawk, Griffith.

As Guts left the scene of the fight, he was attacked by the men of a greedy commander named Corkus, who was an associate of Griffith. He killed one man and wounded a second, and Griffith responded by ordering Caska, his top commander, to fight Guts. Guts had the female warrior on the brink of defeat, when Griffith himself intervened. Unlike the others, Griffith defeated Guts with the swiftness of his blade. Guts fell unconscious for a few days, and when he awoke, Griffith challenged him to a fight. Griffith insisted that if he won, Guts would have to join the Band of the Hawk and serve under his command. The Hawks' leader won the fight by putting Guts in a submission hold. He threatened to dislocate his shoulder, should Guts not join his army and as Guts refused, he did so.

Guts served the next few years under Griffith as the commander of the raider unit of the Hawks. Griffith's exploits helped the king of Midland gain territory from the kingdom of Chudor. In one battle, Guts found himself face to face with a demon (an Apostle) named Nosferatu Zodd, who previously had slaughtered dozens of Guts' men. Zodd proved to be too much for Guts, and Griffith came to his rescue. Zodd managed to defeat both of them, but stopped when he saw that Griffith wore the Crimson Behelit, the Egg of the Emperor. He declaimed that he understood the situation, and laughed. He prophesied that when Griffith's ambition crumbled, Guts would meet a death that he would not be able to escape.

Griffith was awarded with knighthood by the king. Jealousy arose among others in the court, and the king's brother Julius sought to kill Griffith. A minister named Foss conceived of a plot to kill Griffith during a hunt, by launching a "stray" arrow at him. Griffith had taken an interest in the king's daughter Princess Charlotte, and her horse took fright and charged off. Griffith chased after her and calmed her horse down. Julius' archer took advantage of the situation to launch a poison arrow at Griffith. Griffith was saved from certain death because the arrow hit the behelit instead of his heart. Griffith spotted Julius in the woods, and deduced after an investigation that Julius was behind the plot. He sent Guts to assassinate Julius. Guts accomplished the deed, but was forced to kill Julius' young son Adonis as well to prevent the discovery of who was behind the murder. Guts managed to escape into a drain.

The king ordered Griffith to take the castle of Doldrey. Caska fought with an arrogant commander named Adon but was hampered by a fever. Guts had to come to her rescue, and he defeated Adon. Caska began to fall over the cliff, but Guts caught her. Adon took advantage of the moment to pull out a crossbow and shoot Guts, causing both Caska and Guts to fall over the cliff and into the river. Guts dragged Caska into a cave to give her time to recover. After she woke up, she told Guts the story of how she and Griffith met, that Griffith gave her a sword so that she could fight off the advances of a noble. After Guts and Caska left the cave, a search party of a hundred men led by Adon found them. Guts and Caska began to fight them, but he convinced Caska to leave in search of Griffith. Caska was followed by several men herself and was almost overcome before being saved by a search party of Griffith's led by the knife throwing commander Judeau. Caska and Judeau hurried back to rescue Guts, only to find that he had killed all one hundred men. Adon, however, had escaped in the confusion.

Griffith, reunited with his commanders, plotted to capture the fortress. He sent half of his soldiers to fight the numerous forces of General Boscogn, and the other half, with Caska in charge, to take the castle. Guts dueled with Boscogn and was nearly killed when his sword broke. However, Zodd was nearby watching the battle and threw his sword down to Guts. With Zodd's sword, Guts defeated the general. Caska had hoped to have an easy conquest with Boscogn's forces otherwise engaged, but Adon had been sent to the castle for the shame of his earlier defeat, and his forces stood in opposition to Caska's. Caska defeated Adon in a duel, and she managed to achieve her mission. With the fortress in hand, Griffith loudly announced victory. With their general killed, Boscogn's forces dispersed in confusion. Griffith then dispatched the army's financier Governor Gennon.

The king awarded Griffith the position of general. The queen had become angry at Griffith because of his conspiracy against her secret lover Julius and his advances toward her stepdaughter Charlotte. Thus, she too plotted with Foss to kill Griffith. However, Griffith had become suspicious of Foss and had the minister's daughter kidnapped. He used his leverage to force Foss to help Griffith turn the tables on the queen. When the queen plotted to poison Griffith's wine, Griffith replaced the poison with a substitute that made him only appear dead. When she assumed that Griffith was safely dispatched, she became overconfident and met with her advisers in a room well above the ground. Foss made an excuse to leave and bolted the door behind him. Only after did the queen realize that the building was on fire. After the queen's death, Griffith had Foss' daughter returned and declared that there would be no more enmity between them.

Guts had grown tired of fighting for Griffith and decided to set out on his own. Griffith declared that Guts could only leave if he defeated the Hawks' leader in a duel. Griffith resolved to take out Guts with one strike, but Guts shattered Griffith's sword. Guts spent most of the next year with the blacksmith Godo and his granddaughter Erica. He entered a tournament and fought against a strange Bakiraka warrior named Silat. He defeated Silat, only to discover that the prize was to lead an attack on a renegade band led by none other than Caska.

Meanwhile, Griffith became distraught after losing to Guts and sought an encounter with Charlotte. He broke into Charlotte's room and had sex with her. A maid spotted them and reported the act to the king (who was in love with his daughter). When the king's forces came to arrest Griffith, he could not fight his way free because he no longer possessed his sword, since it had been broken by Guts. The king had Griffith taken to his dungeon and had him tortured. He ordered a surprise attack on the Band of the Hawk, which was saved in part only by the resourcefulness of Caska. A year later, as Caska plotted Griffith's rescue, the remaining Band came under attack by a force led by Silat. Silat dueled with Caska, and as she was about to be killed, Guts reappeared. Guts defeated Silat, and the Band was once again victorious. Caska asked Guts to take control of the Band, and tried to throw herself over a cliff, but Guts saved her. They declared their love for each other, and made love.

Caska, Guts, Judeau, and strongman Pippin formed a team that went on a mission to rescue Griffith. They were joined by Charlotte, who had information about Griffith's location. When they found Griffith, they discovered that his body had been broken beyond any hope of healing. The torturer locked them in Griffith's cell, but Guts smashed the door with his sword and killed the torturer. They fought their way free, but were pursued by a group of Bakiraka the king sent after them. One of them aimed a poison dart at Griffith, but Charlotte blocked it with her body and was poisoned in his place. The last remaining Bakiraka assassin took the unconscious girl back to the king, who promptly put the female assassin to death due to her group's failure to complete its mission to kill Griffith and to rescue Charlotte unharmed.

The king sent a band led by a soldier named Wyald after the escaping Griffith next. Unknown to the king was the fact that Wyald, like Zodd, was an Apostle. Guts dueled with Wyald, and wounded him. Wyald grabbed Griffith and questioned why they would fight so hard to save a broken man. Zodd appeared and declared that he would not allow Wyald to kill Griffith. Wyald asked Zodd why he would want to stop him, since the only command to the Apostles was "Do as you will." Zodd pointed out that the command applied to both of them, and then he killed Wyald and left.

A group of wounded Hawks including the boy engineer Rickert was waiting separately for the healthier Hawks to bring back Griffith. When Rickert was sent to get water, he spotted an elven shape in the sky. He returned to the camp to find it under attack by Apostles, including the humongous Count and the elven Apostle Rosine. Rickert ran for his life, and he was saved by a fortuitous encounter with a strange figure known as the Skull Knight, who prevented the Count and Rosine from killing Rickert. Afterwards, Rickert met up with a group of nomads. The elf Puck was also there, and he gave Rickert a bag of medicine.

Griffith oversaw an intimate moment between Guts and Caska, and became jealous. He was confronted by an image of a healthy Griffith, who informed him that the path to power was still open, and that he could still reach the figurative castle. Griffith commandeered the reins of a carriage, and proceeded down a hill. Guts, Caska, and a group of Hawks gave chase. When Griffith reached the bottom, he laughed maniacally, and then impaled his neck upon a pointed rock. His blood touched the behelit, and it began to rearrange into a face. Guts ran down the hill to Griffith, who mentally urged Guts not to touch him. When Guts laid his hand on Griffith's shoulder, the behelit began to scream, and the world changed around them.

Apostles began to appear all around them, and the four faces of the God Hand appeared: Slan, Conrad, Ubik, and Void. Conrad raised an earthy altar high into the air, which carried Griffith to the top and Guts part of the way up. Once there the Hand of God informed Griffith of the meaning of their presence, they told him in order to become a God he should sacrifice all of his men. Griffith was at first reluctant to do it but he was manipulated by visions created by Ubik about all the people who have died because of his dream and how the only way to honor them was to continue trying to fulfill his dream. After that Void urged Griffith to agree to sacrifice his comrades to get his wish, to become emperor of the world. At that moment, Guts reached the top of the altar. Griffith cursed Guts, and declared the swordsman to blame for derailing his dream. He then agreed to Void's demand.

All of the present Hawks were then marked with the Brand of Sacrifice. The Apostles swarmed all around them, and killed them all but Guts and Caska. Griffith was cocooned and he learned that a very powerful entity created of the collective feelings of the humans has been manipulating the fate of mankind and that this entity created Griffith himself through the manipulation of fate during many generations. Griffith then was told by this entity that he is free to choose what to do and what to become; after hearing this Griffith replied "I Want Wings" and he was granted a new body with raven black wings, Godlike powers, and immortality, and he was given a new name, Femto. Caska was brought to Femto for his pleasure, while Guts was pinned down and forced to watch. While Femto raped Caska, her mind was broken and she was left in a vegetative state, no longer able to speak. Guts lost an eye and cut off his own arm trying to reach her, but to no avail. Slan reveled at the maelstrom of evil.

Zodd had been left to guard the gateway to hell. The Skull Knight cast him aside, and the Knight forced open the gateway. He attacked Void, rescued Guts and Caska, took them on his horse, and escaped through the gateway. He brought them to Rickert, who had medicine from the elf Puck, and he commanded the boy to heal them. Rickert brought Guts and Caska to Godo's cave.

When Guts awoke, he found that Casca's mind had been destroyed. Her ordeal caused her child to be born with deformity merely four days after the incident as Guts had been unconscious. After killing an apostle who'd followed the scent of the brand to their mine, Guts became enraged at what the Apostles had done to his companions, and he sought to kill all of the demons. He particularly wanted revenge on the newest member of the God Hand, Femto. He left Caska with Godo, Erica, and Rickert, and set out to search for the Apostles.

Black Swordsman/Conviction Arcs

Guts hunted down a number of Apostles including the Baron, the Count, and Rosine. He acquired the elf Puck as a companion while inquiring about the Baron, eventually letting him use his satchel as a "nest." When the Count used his Behelit to summon the God Hand, Guts shot Femto with his cannon, but Griffith's godlike form seemed unharmed.

Meanwhile, a group called the Holy Iron Chain Knights set out on a mission from the Holy See to solve the mystery of what had happened that had caused all the problems in the world. They followed a trail of blood that appeared to point to a man known as "The Black Swordsman". They caught up to Guts during his fight with Rosine. Guts initially escaped after the father of Rosine's friend Jill father shot Guts in the torso with a bowgun, but they found him once again. Guts was captured when their leader Farnese wildly stabbed Guts with her sword as a piece of wood struck the arrow embedded onto his leg, effectively knocking the injured Guts out from his battle with Rosine, resulting in a heavy wound to the arm that later opened even after Puck's treatment. Farnese had him brought to her tent where she interrogated him. Guts told her a little of the truth, doubting that she would believe it, and she did not, whipping him madly. She stopped only when Farnese's second-in-command Azan discovered what was happening and expressed his outrage. She then ordered Guts to be locked in a cage outside.

That night, Guts escaped from his confinement after Puck acquired the key and released him. He knocked Farnese unconscious and kidnapped and used her as leverage to escape. During his flight, Guts was attacked by some of the creatures that continually plagued him since he got the Brand. Farnese got an inkling that Guts may have been telling the truth, but her faith made it impossible for her to really believe, effectively rendering her unable to detect Puck's presence. Farnese's half-brother Serpico arrived on the scene to rescue her after she'd been possessed by one of the spirits who were left from Guts' massacre after one of them took control of a horse and attempted to rape Farnese, and Guts gave her up to Serpico after he slightly wounded Guts' cheek as payment for the kidnapping and to appease Farnese's bloodlust.

Puck led Guts to an area blessed by elves, and as Guts slept, Caska's child gave him visions warning him of danger to her. He rushed back to Godo's cave in a panic, only to discover that she had wandered off while she was with Erica a month ago. Guts described some of his visions, and they decided that she was probably at Albion. Guts, after having his dragonslayer renewed and his armor changed to a set that Godo had for when he came back, left with Puck for Albion determined to find Caska with a new bowgun and set of miniature bombs that would prove to be useful.

Midland was in turmoil due to a plague unleashed by Conrad. The king died, and Charlotte became queen.

Caska was taken in at Albion by a group of prostitutes led by a woman named Luca. When Guts and Puck arrived, they met a boy thief named Isidro who was determined to help Guts so that the swordsman would teach Isidro "secret techniques." When a prostitute named Nina took her boyfriend Joachim to a goat-worshiping cult, she was followed by Luca and Caska. Joachim had second thoughts about the cult and ran. When Caska was spotted by a cult member who attempted to rape her, her child briefly appeared to save her. This event convinced the cult that Caska had magical powers, and they began to worship her. Luca took advantage of the situation to lead Caska and Nina away.

Another of Luca's prostitutes, Pepe, was accused of heresy. When the man who was apprehending Pepe pointed out that no one was challenging her arrest, Luca came to her defense. Before he could act against Luca, Guts intervened with his sword. Guts demanded to know what had become of Caska, and Luca, noticing that he had the same brand as Caska, agreed to take him to her. However, Luca's actions had panicked Nina, and as a result the cowardly prostitute took Caska back to the cult. Isidro spotted them as they were leaving, and he and Puck followed.

The cult's goat-head leader decided to mate with Caska and sacrifice Nina. Isidro threw rocks at the cult members from above while Puck dashed off to get Guts. Joachim helped Farnese to find the cult, and she ordered the arrest of all the cult members. Guts arrived to stop the Goat-leader from raping Caska after the leader was possessed and altered to a pseudo-apostle, and Guts ordered Isidro to lead Caska away while he fought the goat leader and killed him with the help of the bombs Rickert gave him prior to setting out. When Guts tried to catch up with Isidro, he was delayed by an ambush by Serpico. Isidro was forced to lower Caska and Nina down a ravine with ropes, and before he could follow them down, Farnese's forces arrested both Caska and Nina.

Farnese took the two women to the leader of Albion, the priest Mozgus, and she told him that the Black Swordsman had tried to rescue Caska. Mozgus placed Caska in an iron maiden, and when it touched her skin, monsters were summoned, killing all who did not or could not flee. Guts, Puck, Isidro, and Luca went to the tower to find Caska. Luca attempted to buy their way in, but Guts impatiently rushed ahead. While Luca rescued Nina, Guts located Farnese and demanded that she tell him what had happened. Farnese, still in disbelief, told him what she knew, and she followed him after he rushed off. Puck located Caska, but he could not stop the monsters from carrying her away. He went to Guts and reported that despite the carnage, Caska was unharmed.

The monsters delivered Caska into the waiting arms of Mozgus, who resolved to burn the "witch" Caska at the stake. Guts fought Mozgus and his torturers, while Isidro used a rope to rescue Caska. Luca fell down a ravine and met a strange hermit in the shape of a behelit, who had been promised that he would be the vessel of a new world. The hermit appeared to have been behind much of what had happened, helping the goat leader and Mozgus with his powers, altering them into pseudo-apostles to combat Guts. The hermit took Caska's child and disappeared. The frenzy of desire for Caska's death summoned a plague of evil monsters, and most of the denizens of Albion were killed. The ceremony enabled Griffith to be reincarnated with a new body in his old form, that of a white haired man with elven features and an aura that bedazzled those all around, and he was flown away from Albion by Zodd.

Hawk of the Millennium Empire Arc

Guts, Puck, and Caska returned to Godo's cave. Godo had died in the interim, and Rickert, Godo's apprentice, had taken over as blacksmith. Griffith found them, and offered Guts and Rickert a position in a new Band of the Hawk. Guts angrily rejected the offer and attacked Griffith, but Zodd now served as Griffith's protector, and he fought with Guts until Griffith decided to leave. In the ensuing fight, Godo's cave was destroyed. Rickert in anger asked Guts what really happened to the Hawks. Guts told him the full story. Rickert wanted to join, but Guts declined, telling Rickert not to follow in his path and to protect Erica. Rickert and Erica both left to live their lives together.

Puck proposed that Guts take Caska to Puck's kingdom, Elfhelm, in the hope that the king would be able to heal Caska's mind. After they left, Puck encountered Isidro, who had agreed to tote Farnese and Serpico's baggage but had stolen it instead. When Farnese saw Guts, with her faith shattered by the events at Albion, she swore to follow him, in order to learn what Guts understood about the world that she did not.

The newly formed party entered a strange wood. With Guts and Serpico elsewhere, Isidro was attacked by a group of trolls. Unable to fend them off by himself, he was rescued by a mysterious young witch named Schierke, who was accompanied by the elf Evarella.

Traveling further into the forest the party was attacked by a group of golems. While the golems were seemingly invincible at first, the party began to destroy them once a flaw was found in their design. Schierke's mistress Flora ordered the attack stopped, and Guts and his party were invited into her home. An old man also arrived and asked Flora for help saving his village from a plague of trolls. Flora made a deal with Guts that if his party helped the town, she would provide a means to nullify the power of Guts and Caska's Brands. She ordered Schierke to accompany Guts on this mission. She gave artifacts of power to each member of the party, but Guts refused to take the axe she gave him, saying that he needed to stick with the sword Godo made for him.

When the party arrived, they gathered the townspeople into a church. Guts and Serpico fought off the monsters while Schierke erected a magical barrier from the top of the church. This task completed, she then called upon a water spirit to wash away the monsters. Farnese was so impressed with Schierke's display that she asked and received permission from Schierke to become her student in witchcraft. Caska fell off the church, and when Farnese attempted to catch her, she too was pulled into the water.

With Serpico injured, Guts, Isidro, Schierke, and the elves went to find Caska and Farnese. They tracked them to a cave that seemed to be a base for the trolls. While Schierke and Isidro fought with the trolls to save Caska and Farnese, Guts went further into the base and found that Slan was there. Slan destroyed Guts' armor, and he was unable to escape her tentacles until the Skull Knight arrived to help. The cave was collapsing, but the Knight opened a portal with his behelit-sword, allowing them to escape.

The town saved, the party returned to Flora's wood. Only, when they arrived, Flora was under attack by Griffith's Apostle minions, including Zodd. The Skull Knight held off Zodd while Guts' party took on the rest of the Apostles. Guts was in trouble without his armor, and Flora commanded Schierke to take him into her home and give him the Berserker's Armor. This armor greatly aided Guts, and they were able to fend off Griffith's minions, but Flora was killed. Schierke decided to leave her home and accompany Guts on his quest.

Griffith began making plans to defeat the Kushan Empire, led by the Apostle Ganishka, who refused to follow Griffith. Ganishka had kidnapped Charlotte, and Griffith mounted an all out attack with the sole purpose of rescuing her. Griffith and Zodd broke into Charlotte's bedchamber, and Zodd flew them all away. With Griffith's objective achieved, he ordered a retreat. Charlotte made Griffith Midland's top general, and placed him in charge of all of Midland's forces.

Guts and his party arrived at the city of Vritannis. Farnese believed that she could procure a ship for Guts, and she went to her family for help. Her brother Manifico arranged for her to marry a man named Roderick who could provide them a ship. The deal was struck, but Guts became concerned when Farnese did not return to his group. He sent Puck and Evarella to investigate. They discovered that Farnese had become trapped in an arranged marriage, and Guts decided to go to try to talk her out of it. However, Serpico challenged Guts to a sword fight because he wanted Guts to stop interfering in Farnese's affairs. Guts defeated Serpico but spared his life. Roderick agreed to captain a ship for Guts, and he and Manifico agreed to accompany the party on the voyage to Elfhelm.

An attack by Ganishka's forces provided a complication, and Guts and his group had to fight their way through monsters to get to the ship. Ganishka himself appeared in the sky, and Guts and Zodd had to work together to drive him away.

With Guts safely on his way to Elfhelm, Griffith launched his final attack against Ganishka. Ganishka has taken increasingly risky steps to get the power he hopes will defeat Griffith, including sacrificing most of his men to power an "artificial behelit" and become an enormous creature. The outcome of the battle is currently unknown.

Characters

Further information: Characters of Berserk

All subsequent names should be taken from the Dark Horse Comics translation when the relevant volumes are available.

• Guts (ガッツ, Gattsu)
  Guts is the protagonist of the story: a tall, muscular man with a huge sword called the Dragon Slayer and a prosthetic left forearm that has a magnetic grip and conceals a cannon and repeater crossbow. Guts is a Byronic hero who is able to struggle against causality, but seemingly unable to overcome it.

• Griffith (グリフィス, Gurifisu)
  Griffith, the founder and leader of the mercenary army Band of the Hawk, is the antagonist of the story. Extraordinarily charismatic and handsome, his tactical skill give him and his army the reputation of invincibility and make him the favored choice of the Midland King, who was locked in a century-old war with the Empire of Tudor. Griffith is willing to sacrifice everything for the dream of his own kingdom, believing that he is destined for things greater than the average man.

• Casca (キャスカ, Kyasuka)
  Casca was the only female soldier in the original Band of the Hawk and is behind only Guts and Griffith in swordsmanship. Her ambivalent relationships with both Guts and Griffith makes her capricious. Casca joins the Band of the Hawk after Griffith saves her from a sexual assault by a nobleman and, after Griffith is imprisoned, she becomes the leader of the Band of the Hawk and leads the mission to rescue Griffith along with Guts after he returns. The trauma of the Eclipse and the journeys afterward, especially her rape at Femto's hands, cost Casca her memory and her relationship with Guts, though there is hope for a "cure" in Elfhelm.

Behelit

A Behelit is a small, egg-like oval object, with a set of human facial features scattered on its surface--giving the thing a rather disconcerting appearance. In fact, reference is often made in the story to the fact that the Behelit looks to be a living thing, and it emits a certain aura of unspecified dread. On occasion, it seems as though one of the Behelit's eyes opens and stares at the examiner, though this is usually quickly disregarded as merely an illusion.

In the anime series, two types of Behelits are expressly shown, one of which is more significant: It is the crimson Behelit owned by Griffith, leader of the Band of the Hawk. It is also called the Egg of the Conqueror or Egg of the King, and was given to Griffith when he was a child by an old fortune teller. It is believed that any one possessing this Behelit is destined to someday rule the world, and as this is very much in line with Griffith's ambition, he continues to hold on to it. The other type of Behelits is more common, and holds less power. Summoning the power of a Behelit is analogous to making a pact with the devil for immortality and monstrous strength. One offers their own flesh and blood (and/or the flesh and blood of others close to them) for that power. The Crimson Behelit, however, falls upon the one destined to be "King."

The word probably comes from the Syriac word "Beherit", a Great Duke of Hell — the r turning into an l is an often-made mistake in localization.

Purpose

The Behelit is actually a key used by mankind to summon the God Hand, a group of immensely powerful, god-like demons, themselves the servants of a dark God that governs the Berserk universe. A Behelit is not truly found or kept by someone, rather it finds its way to the one fated to possess it through the manipulation of causality, and tempts the person with the opportunity to be free of their pitiful situation and have their innermost desire realized.

The Behelit Griffith found reached him, for it was his fate to become a new member of the God Hand. In this regard, his Behelit was also unique, for it was meant to be used by the one new mortal to transcend and become a member of the God Hand. The other Behelits seen in Berserk are minor compared to Griffith's: meant to transform the one who possessed it at the right time into Apostles. Apostles, which are humans who have offered their most precious possessions in exchange to escape their horrendous fate, can transform into hideous creatures (a bizarre manifestation of their ego) and bow down to the God Hand, though there are a few exceptions in the manga.

The Dream and The Sacrifice

In all cases, the ritual involved with the creation of a new Apostle or a new addition to the God Hand, happen under the same circumstances. The mortal possessing the Behelit must feel an intense desire to be free of their ill-stricken situation prompted by the manipulation of causality that created this scenario. This in turn "awakens" the Behelit (either by being nearby or through blood contact), the human features rearrange themselves into a face: the eyes open and bleed, and the mouth opens to scream. The God Hand hears and comes, opening a rift to their dimension and invites the mortal into their fold; tempting him or her with supernatural power and to be rid of their dire circumstance in return for a sacrifice.

In order to properly complete the ceremony, the mortal must agree to sacrifice something (or someone) infinitely precious to him or her. Only in such a case, the members of God Hand explain, will a high enough price be paid for a mortal to receive the chance to having their dream realized. Generally, the sacrifice will be family, friends, loved ones, or loyal followers. Normally, the one possessing the Behelit wouldn't sacrifice his or her loved ones, but will when the Behelit is in the bearer's hand at the right time. That usually happens when the person is under such emotional distress, he or she will give up anything to escape it. The sacrifice will then be devoured by the denizens of hell while the one who summoned the God Hand is reborn as an Apostle with a monstrous new form and abilities to match. Amazingly enough, some apostles are able to maintain at least one remnant of their former humanity despite their transformation such as the Count who refused to sacrifice his daughter in exchange for the God Hand restoring his former demonic power.

The Brand of Sacrifice

Those marked for sacrifice are branded with the God Hand's Brand of Sacrifice, a laceration marked into their skin, which bleeds and hurts the victim when in the presence of a demon or demigod. As part of the ceremony, the God Hand calls forth innumerable Apostles to feast upon the sacrificial offering. None are meant to survive the ritual, but any that do are forever branded, and wherever they may go, they will never know true peace, as, when night falls, local spirits attempt to overwhelm and reclaim the branded as of their own.

Historical references

The iron prosthetic hand worn by Götz von Berlichingen.

Guts (1480–1562) Götz von Berlichingen, a German knight, was the leader of a band of mercenary soldiers and had a reputation as a Robin Hood figure. In 1504, his right arm was struck by an enemy cannon fire and a prosthetic iron arm was developed to replace it. Guts' iron arm, in his original character concept, is very similar to Götz's iron arm kept in the Nürnberg Museum.

Miura stated in an interview that he created Guts independently and that he did not find out about von Berlichingen until after several volumes of the manga had been published.

Emperor Gaiseric The Emperor Gaiseric alluded to in volume 10 was based on the actual King Gaiseric who ruled the Vandals' kingdom in Europe in the 5th century. He was famed as a brilliant general who was seen as a threat even to the Roman Empire. In the manga, Gaiseric is said to have created a vast empire, similar to the Romans, that was destroyed by God's wrath. He banded together his small tribe and brought them great fame as a kingdom that exercised its authority in the Mediterranean region.

It is hinted that Emperor Gaiseric survived his fallen empire in the form of The Skull Knight, a recurring character who aids Guts and stands in opposition to the God Hand.

Emperor Ganishka The Emperor Ganishka, working as Griffith's enemy in Berserk, was based on King Kanishka, who ruled over the actual Kushan Empire, a vast empire in India and Central Asia during the 2nd century. He was also a profound Buddhist and adorned his empire with its respective figures and promoted it vigorously. Like his real-life counterpart, Ganishka also decorates his palace with famous Buddhist and Hindu figures, but has demonized them to suit his nature.

Media

Manga

Further information: List of Berserk chapters and the structure of the series

Miura first premiered Berserk in 1988 with a 48-page prototype, which won a prize at the Comi Manga School he was enrolled in at the time. On November 26, 1990, the first volume of the manga was published by Hakusensha in its Jets Comics collection. Three more volumes appeared until Berserk was serialized by Young Animal (Hakusensha) in 1992 and new episodes are still being released in the biweekly magazine (every second and fourth Friday of the month). Volumes consisting of between 8–11 episodes are still published biannually in Japan by Hakusensha (Jets Comics collection). As of October 2008, 33 tankōbon of the manga have been published in Japan.

In America, the manga is translated and published by Dark Horse Comics, which has released 26 volumes so far, the first in October 22, 2003. As with other Dark Horse manga releases like Hellsing or Trigun Maximum, the Japanese reading format, from right to left, is preserved in the English release (sound effects are untranslated in earlier releases, though this started with volume 12).

In Europe, the manga was introduced back in 1996, first in France (by Samourai Editions) and then in Italy a few months later (by Panini Comics, first under the imprints Marvel Manga and then Planet Manga). After Samourai Editions' bankruptcy, the comic series has been published in France by both Dynamic Visions (since 2002) and Glénat (since 2004), the latter edition being a larger format. Since 2001, the manga has also been translated and released in Germany (Panini Comics/Planet Manga) and Spain (MangaLine Ediciones). In the Netherlands, Glénat has been translating and publishing the manga since 2008.

Among the other markets that Berserk has been published in include South Korea, where it has been published by Dai Won since 1999, and Brazil, where Panini Comics has published the series in a demi-sized (120 pages) edition since 2005.

Anime

Further information: List of Berserk episodes and the anime adaptation

Produced by OLM, the 25-episode anime adaptation Kenpū Denki Berserk (ベルセルク剣風伝奇, Beruseruku Kenpū Denki) first aired in a post-midnight slot from October 7, 1997 to April, 1998.

The first thirteen volumes of the manga are covered, including the first two arcs (Black Swordsman & Golden Age). Though the manga storyline remains largely intact, many changes were made concerning the modification or elimination of characters, some of the series' most violent and brutal scenes, and material that would have extended the storyline beyond the planned run of the anime series. Themes of friendship and ambition are more developed and emphasized than those of causality and the supernatural in part because of these changes, all of which were made with the approval of the series creator, Kentarō Miura.

Release

In America, the anime series has been published by Media Blasters since 2002. Though the option of both dubbed and subtitled versions as available for only the first three VHS volumes, both English and Japanese soundtracks were included in the DVD release, as six separate volumes and a "TV Series Season One Complete Collection" standard (slim) box set. In 2003, the "Box of War" containing all volumes was released as a collector box set. Despite suggestions that Cartoon Network air the series, one of a series of Adult Swim "bumps" claimed that censorship requirements would butcher it.

In Europe, the series has been published as seven subtitled single DVDs in France (Manga Distribution), six single discs in Germany (Panini Video), 13 dubbed VHS volumes and 5 DVD volumes in Italy (Yamato Video in 2002), and six DVDs in Spain (Jono Media, though it is the only European distributor not to release a subtitled version) between 2003 to 2004. Italy is the only country to have broadcasted the TV series uncensored in 2001 (via Italia Uno public channel) at night, with the 24th episode The Sacrifice (aka The Great Eclipse) aired at a later hour as per the Italia 1 management policy for late night programming.

In Asia, Vap Video has released thirteen VHS and twelve VCD including two episodes each (a single one in the last VHS and three in the last VCD) from 1998 to 1999 in Japan. The seven discs "DVD-BOX", using Audio-CD cases, was released in Japan in 2001, with the seven volumes being re-released later in individual DVD regular cases in 2003.

Abroad, the anime series has been subtitled and published as a 6-DVD box set standard edition and a 7-DVD collector box set in South Korea by Mania Entertainment in 2004. In Thailand, thirteen dubbed VCD volumes (with two episodes per disc) and later in three VCD boxsets ("Prosperity:I", "Declination:II", and "Disaster:III") were released in 2004 and a complete dubbed/subtitled "War Box" 8 DVD box set (along with a collector's Beherit necklace) in 2005, both by Tiga. A Traditional Chinese with forced subtitles 4-DVD box set was released in Taiwan in 2005 by Catalyst Logic.

In Oceania, the American dubbed/subtitled DVD version was converted to PAL standard and released in 2003 as six single volumes and, in 2004, as a 6-disc collector "Box of War" in both Australia and New Zealand by Madman Entertainment. The same year, the "Box of War" case, which is graphically different than the American version, was also sold separately in these countries.

Music

Susumu Hirasawa composed the anime's soundtrack, with all tracks being instrumental except for the last three. The music genre is rather eclectic, with various instruments such as piano, violin, harp, flute, classic guitar, electric guitar, drums, harpsichord or synthesizer.

Theme songs

Opening theme

• "Tell Me Why", by Penpals

Ending theme

• "Waiting So Long", by Silver Fins

Reception

Source	Reviewer	Grade / Score	Notes
Anime News Network	Zac Bertschy	Overall (dub): A Overall (sub): A+ Story: A+ Animation: A- Art: A Music:A+	DVD/Anime Review of Berserk: DVD 5: Requited Desires
AnimeOnDVD	Chris Beveridge	Content: A Audio: A+ Video: A Packaging: A+ Menus: A- Extras: B+	DVD/Anime Review of Berserk Boxed Set: Disc 1
Anime Academy	Gatts, Mugs, Kain, Keitaro	92.8%	Anime Review
THEM Anime Reviews	Carlos Ross	4 out of 5	Anime Review of

Video Games

Further information: Sword of the Berserk: Guts' Rage

Further information: Berserk: Millennium Falcon Hen Seima Senki no Shō

The Berserk games are not explicitly linked with each other, but are both set within the continuity of the manga series, more specifically its Millennium Falcon arc, which begins in volume 22.

Despite taking place during the Millennium Falcon arc, the first game was actually released during the publishing of the previous arc, giving Japanese players a taste of the things to come. In America, it was released two years before the TV series DVD (2002), and even before the comic book series' own introduction (2003). As a consequence, its original title was altered overseas.

The second game is roughly based on volumes 22 up to 27. It was released a few weeks before the publishing of the fifth American volume (Golden Age Arc). Set a while later within the manga's storyline and introducing new characters and intrigues not even mentioned in the TV series, the game was not released in America.

Game soundtrack CDs composed by the TV series' very same Susumu Hirasawa were sold in the Japanese market, and a Berserk: Millennium Falcon Hen Wasurebana no Shō Visual & Story File game artbook was published by Hakusensha under the supervision of Kentarō Miura.

• 1999-12-16: Berserk: Millennium Falcon Hen Wasurebana no Shō
  • ASCII (Dreamcast NTSC/J) Japan
• 2000-03-15: Sword of the Berserk: Guts' Rage
  • ASCII/Eidos (Dreamcast NTSC U/C) United States
• 2001-05-19: Sword of the Berserk: Guts' Rage
  • ASCII/Eidos (Dreamcast PAL E) Europe
• 2004-10-07: Berserk: Millennium Falcon Hen Seima Senki no Shō
  • Sammy (PlayStation2 NTSC/J) Japan

Merchandise

In addition to video games and game guidebooks, Berserk has spurred on a range of different merchandise from lighters to keyrings to kubrick sets (6 cm Lego alike). Statues and action figures are produced by Art of War. The original soundtrack of the anime series and video games by Susumu Hirasawa are available on CD. A Berserk trading card game released by Konami is available in Japan.

External links

• Official Merchandiser of Berserk related products. (Art of War)
• Berserk's Official Website (Young Animal)
• BerserkChronicles.com Very detailed site full of information and essays. Languages: English and Italian
• Berserk Realm Language: English and Italian.
• Berserk at IMDb
• SkullKnight.NET Berserk Encyclopedia
• The BlackSwordsman Berserk Fansite Community
• The Berserk Wikia page Site containing a more detailed plot summary.