| Guts | |
|---|---|
| Berserk character | |
 | |
| First Episode Appearance | Vol. 1 Chapter 1: "The Black Swordsman" |
| Created by | Kentaro Miura |
| In-universe information | |
| Alias | Hundred Man Slayer Branded Swordsman Black Swordsman Heartless Swordsman Struggler |
| Relatives | Sys (adoptive mother, deceased) Gambino (adoptive father, deceased) Casca (former lover) |
Guts (ガッツ, Gattsu, sometimes romanized as Güts) is the main protagonist of the anime and manga series [[Berserk (manga)}Berserk]]. In the series, Guts is a mercenary who travels from company to company so he is always fighting. After meeting Griffith, Guts is defeated in battle by Griffith and is forced to join the Band of the Hawk. Guts has also appeared in every Berserk video game. Guts is a Byronic hero who is born as one who may be able to struggle against causality, but who is unable to maintain it indefinitely. His childhood and adolescence is defined by his growing up in a mercenary band after being adopted by a motherly prostitute named Sys and later the band's leader Gambino, and his later joining of, and departure from, the Band of the Hawk.
The dynamic and turbulent relationship between Guts and Griffith, the leader of the Band of the Hawk, forms the primary focus of the manga for the first thirteen volumes. After the events of the Eclipse, during which he loses his left forearm and right eye, Guts seeks revenge on Griffith, who is now Femto. In the process, he is reunited with Casca after a separation of two years.
Following the Incarnation Ceremony at Albion, Guts travels with a new group of companions.
Guts can be seen as the exact opposite of Griffith in just about every way. In appearance, he is a tall, muscular warrior with short black hair, a body full of scars and wields a monstrous weapon while dressed in cursed armor, whereas the latter is of average height, thin, has long white hair, no physical scars and wields a delicate sabre. Guts wears tattered black clothing and, though incredibly skilled, fights like a barbarian; winning by any means necessary. Griffith wears white armor and has a much more refined style resembling fencing. In addition they usually have the exact opposite effect on everyone they meet. Most people are naturally drawn to Griffith upon first meeting him and would die for him without hesitation whereas Guts is usually feared and detested by just about everyone he comes across until they get to know him, after which he will usually end up being revered as a hero by those same people. This extends to their morals and actions as well. Guts maintains the image of a callous warrior who manages to protect the people around him while Griffith puts up a somewhat idealistic facade but is also willing to sacrifice anybody without exception to further his ultimate goal. And while Guts unhesitatingly chooses to battle his way through enemies, Griffith refrains from excessive participation in combat, preferring to manipulate anyone in his way.
Characteristics[]
Guts is depicted as a tall, muscular man, standing at 6'8" (203.2 cm)[1] with short, spiked, black hair in a crew cut. He is missing his left forearm and right eye due to an encounter with the God Hand and is covered head-to-toe in scars, with the most notable being a lacerated scar on his nose. Also notable is a large, horizontal scar on his chest which he received during his encounter with Slan in Qliphoth.[2] After receiving the Berserker Armor, a part of Guts' fringe turns white, an after-effect from wielding the cursed Berserker armor for the first time. Guts' tendency to wear black clothing and armor while hunting the Apostles gained him the nickname 'The Black Swordsman.' Aside of all this, Guts has a brand on the back right side of his neck that attracts demons and evil spirits to him at night, as a result of the Eclipse.
Guts' original design, featured in the Berserk Prototype, had him wearing an eye patch.
Because he is just a normal human, the strength to carry, much less wield a sword of such magnitude with finesse and dexterity shows Guts to be a master swordsman of extraordinary skill, as shown in every battle or duel in which he fights, especially when he is engaged with demonic beings. He is also adept at using many kinds of bladed weapons, has knowledge of the mechanisms of firearms, and is also an excellent equestrian. Despite his large frame he is very fast, dexterous and agile for a human of his size and stature which can be seen when he is engaged in combat with multiple enemies.
Guts fighting is characterized by controlled rage, enabling him to overcome difficult odds. Guts' ferocity and strength do much to conceal the cunning person within him, and he is shown to be very perceptive, quick-witted, and clever. He is also a skilled strategist, which further enhances his already immense fighting ability. These attributes have all contributed to his survival in the countless battles he has fought. A good example of his tactical prowess is his fight with the apostle Rosine. During the fight, Guts was greatly outnumbered by Rosine's demon elves but managed to kill them by lighting himself on fire when they got too close then quickly dousing himself by slicing open the cocoons that were in the process of turning more children into elves. Although not much of a talker, Guts is also shown to possess astute logical reasoning which can be seen in some of his conversations within the manga.
Equipment[]
As a youth, Guts lived in a mercenary camp where he was forced to learn to use full sized weapons. This and his natural physical size and strength enabled him to wield larger weapons than most. Throughout the Golden Age arc, he primarily uses a variety of large swords, along with various other weapons when necessary.
In the (chronologically) later arcs, Guts wields the Dragonslayer, a zweihänder or two-handed sword about 6'6" long and 12" wide at its base. It is more than an inch thick at the middle of the blade, giving it incredible weight and power. Described in the manga as more of a table-sized slab of iron than a blade, the Dragonslayer's massive size makes it the ideal weapon for slaying apostles of the God Hand. The blade itself was forged by the master blacksmith Godo who, tired of making ornate ceremonial weapons for nobles, decided to take a nobleman's request for a sword capable of slaying a dragon literally out of spite. After killing many apostles, the sword retains properties of the apostles' blood, making it more effective against them. In addition to his blade, Guts' left forearm is prosthetic with a magnet to help grip weapons, a replacement for the one he lost when Griffith attempted to sacrifice him to the denizens of hell; it folds back to expose a hidden cannon within. Guts also carries throwing knives, miniature bombs, a dagger, and even a repeating crossbow that can be mounted onto his prosthetic arm. While it was not innately magical, Guts' sword, the Dragonslayer, was recently shown to have become a cursed blade after bathed in the blood of so many apostles, even a member of the God Hand; which made it more efficient against creatures of a non-corporeal or astral nature and even possibly kill, or at least, seriously injure members of the God Hand.
One of Guts' most powerful assets is the Berserker Armor, an ancient, cursed suit of armor forged by dwarves that allows the wearer to overcome their physical and mental limitations in combat but at the risk of damaging their already-weakened body and allowing his inner Beast, in Guts' case a feral dog-like creature, to take over and endanger everyone in the vicinity, friend or foe (hence, berserk). The Armor has deadly effects on its user. After using the armor once, Guts lost some of his sense of taste, became slightly color-blind, and the stress of using it caused a patch of his hair to turn white, among other things. The armor can pierce his flesh from within (similar to an Iron Maiden) to reinforce broken bones, enabling him to continue fighting long after his body is broken to the point of exsanguination. When the armor is deactivated, all of the damage done to his body is felt, and the pain caused by it becomes apparent.
Abilities[]
Guts has incredible strength and physical resilience, even though he is a mortal human with no supernatural powers. Due to his extensive training since a very young age, his strength and endurance is practically superhuman. He is able to swing his massive Dragonslayer sword with incredible speed, even with just one hand. He has also survived numerous impacts that would kill a regular man, even without the protection of armour. This might be due to The Brand, which, according to the Skull Knight, places Guts a half step outside of reality, where it is easier for will to affect reality. It is also noted that the Hellhound, Guts' inner beast, devours the souls of the apostles and other malignant spirits that assault him daily from the Interstice (a realm existing between the astral plane and physical reality), increasing its power along with Guts'. Guts' most powerful ability, however, is his mysterious immunity to the concept of fate, allowing him to do impossible things through sheer willpower.
It could be said that he has incredibly high pain tolerance, but it is more likely the case that his overwhelming will and rage drives him to continue fighting at an exceptional level in spite of pain.
He is able to come up with strategies very quickly and, thanks to his experience in battle, can quickly adapt and improvise to various situations, such as when he used a sword with his feet to impale Zodd.
Template:Berserk
- ↑ 2016 Berserk Official Guidebook
- ↑ Miura, Kentaro; Berserk vol. 26, p 65. Digital Manga Publishing, 2008. ISBN 978-1-59307-922-2