Content warning: This article contains references to violence and torture. Viewer discretion is advised.
Though series like Berserk, with brutality. This manga is not known for having many happy moments, but where it lacks happiness it has an overabundance of brutal battles.
Now, as the time clock ticks away towards the release of Volume 41 this fall, it's a good time to look back at the good yet horrifying manga's memories, including the brutal battles Guts and his companions fought.
Child Shaped By War
It's no surprise that this brutal and still very popular manga gave its main character a twisted start by being born underneath the hanging corpse of his mother and losing his adoptive mother to the plague at the age of three. Also, in the violent world of Berserk, it should be no surprise that Guts was introduced to war at the age of six.
After handing a spear off to Gambino, he stabs the spear up and into the abdomen of an enemy; the enemy then falls off his horse and lands on top of young Guts. It was the first of many gruesome battles the Black Swordsman would encounter and was one of the many things that shaped Guts into who he later became.
Battle With Bazuso
Before meeting Griffith, Guts faced off with Bazuso, otherwise known as the "Grey Knight." Bazuso was feared by many and was very arrogant, and this arrogance would later be his downfall. After being promised money, Guts went in to face his opponent.
When there was an opening, Guts swung his sword and sliced open the side of Bazuso before bringing down his sword upon the man's head, breaking through the helmet and slicing through the center of his skull. This caught the attention of Griffith, the leader of the Band of the Hawk, who would later approach Guts, solidifying Guts' future position in the Hawks. Exciting fights like these have kept Berserk popular for servers years.
The Hundred Men Battle
One of the many opponents of the Hawks was known as the "Blue Whale Ultra Heavy Armored Fierce Assault Annihilation Knight Corp," or Blue Whale Knights for short. And in this, the yet-to-be official battle couple Guts and Casca ended up being separated from the Hawks and hunted by the Blue Whale Knights, marking the knights as deen.
During the ambush, Guts makes Casca leave for help and take on the men on his own slicing through enemies, egging them on, and completely demolishing the group that had tried to capture both him and Casca. It showed only a small portion of Guts' fighting abilities against the horde of men, and despite there being so much confidence within the group, Guts destroyed the Blue Whale Ultra Heavy Armored Fierce Assault Annihilation Knight Corp.
The First Battle With Zodd
The hundreds-of-years-old Apostle named Nosferatu Zodd is one that makes a few appearances within the Berserk story. He has an affinity for battle and desires to fight the strongest of opponents. Though many others had tried, Guts and Griffith answered the calling.
A group of the Hawks went in, but only one returned, hanging onto life despite having his arm ripped off, his side cut open, and his organs exposed. This prompted Guts to go it alone. Guts and Griffith did not win the fight that day, but Zodd found them to be good opponents after initially being disappointed when Guts was down. The battle left a lasting impression on the Apostle, who would see them again in the future under different circumstances.
Freeing Griffith
The creepy, evil torturer who itted to his crimes of unmerciful acts upon Griffith, Guts snapped and killed the man who had so enjoyed discussing his disgusting acts, but there is much more to this battle. This part of the story is about the slaughtering of knights that tried to stop the Hawks from freeing Griffith, keeping up with Berserk's theme of brutal violence.
Guts unleashed a wild rage upon the soldiers who stood in the way of the Hawks escaping the tower. It wasn't just slicing and dicing one, two, or three men at once; he attacked with his massive sword causing what Judeau described as "bloody rain" to fall upon from the upper level where Guts sliced through the men who stood in his way, all to save the man he considered to be his friend.
Fight With Wyald
Wyald, the horrific-looking, charismatic, carefree Apostle with insatiable blood lust is one of several memorable villains throughout Berserk. While considered sloppy in his combat technique, he was a formidable opponent that was killed off in a befittingly brutal way.
Due to the Apostle's size and strength, Guts' struggled to kill Wyald, and even after Guts thought he had killed him, Wyald came back. However, Zodd had other plans and impaled the other Apostle with his horns. Once dead, his spiritual essence is dragged into the Abyss, leaving behind the frail old man that Wyald once was. He is only one of several Apostles that would later meet their demise.
The Eclipse
Tempted by power, the broken Griffith was the invoker of the Eclipse using the Crimson Beherit. This is considered one of the most, if not the most, brutal scenes in Berserk. The Eclipse is a bloody massacre where Griffith becomes the final God Hand known as Femto. Demons are released, killing and devouring the Hawks.
Guts and Casca make it out, but not without the brand and the trauma that would follow. It's a gruesome event that is not for the faint of heart and changes Guts and Casca's lives, leaving Guts with only one arm, one eye, and a thirst for revenge, while Casca's mind is left in ruins. Luckily, the pair goes through some happier times later on in the manga.
Fight With Rosine
The Apostle Elf Rosine was an interesting opponent for Guts. Her history may be tragic, but the battle between her and Guts showed the true horror behind what Rosine was doing with the children from the village.
During the fight, a fire is lit, and as Rosine's friend Jill sits in the fire. Rosine flies to comfort her, allowing Guts to slice into her while piercing one of the cocoons in the process and dumping a half-developed elf covered in blood and fluids that lands on Jill. Rosine did not go out without a fight and flies away but would later succumb to her injuries, leaving behind her beloved childhood friend that she desperately tried to turn into an elf so they could be together forever.
Fight With The Count
Turned into an Apostle after sacrificing his wife upon discovering her in unsavory cult activities, the slug Apostle was known for torturing, experimenting on, and devouring humans. Despite believing he was above humans and invincible, Guts proved him wrong.
Before entering the castle, Guts fought with The Count, who foolishly announced that he could only die if his head was cut off. In the end, The Count clung to life and he was able to summon the five God Hands. Unable to sacrifice his daughter, was dragged into the Abyss by a chain of souls, a fitting end to someone who beheaded heretics. While it ended with The Count dying, this fight gave Guts a new enemy in the form of The Count's daughter who swore to Guts that she would kill him.
Fight With Mozgus
Like The Count, the wicked cult leader Father Mozgus sought to punish heretics with his group of torturers by his side. Despite their conviction, their devotion would not save them from death.
In this fight, the souls of the dead are freed and run a tirade through the tower, killing civilians living in the area. Father Mozgus and his disciples fight against Guts and his companions, using their torturing devices as weapons. While Father Mozgus' scripture saved him once, it does not save him a second time, leaving Guts with an opening in the man's neck to send the Apostle off early to meet God.
