List of characters in Berserk
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a listing of characters in the Berserk universe.
All subsequent names are from the English translation and Miura's statements about the official transliterations of the characters' names starting from Volume 27.
Contents |
[edit] The Hawks (Original)
[edit] Guts
Voiced by: Nobutoshi Hayashi (Japanese), Marc Diraison (English), Sword of the Berserk: Michael Bell (English)
Guts (ガッツ Gattsu?) is the primary protagonist of the story. He is a tall, muscular man who wields the Dragon Slayer, a zweihänder or 2 handed sword about 7' long and 12" wide at its base. Described in the manga as more of a table-sized slab of iron than a blade, the Dragon Slayer's massive size makes it the ideal weapon for slaying apostles of the God Hand. Guts' left hand is prosthetic, a replacement for the one he lost when Griffith attempted to sacrifice him to the forces of hell; it folds back to expose a hidden cannon within the wrist. Guts also carries throwing knives, miniature bombs, a dagger, and even a repeating crossbow that can be mounted onto his prosthetic arm. While not innately magical, Guts's sword, the Dragon Slayer, was recently shown to have become a cursed blade after killing so many Apostles; enabling it to kill creatures of a non-corporeal nature and even the members of the God Hand.
Guts is a Byronic hero; he is born as one who may be able to struggle against causality but who is unable to maintain it indefinitely. The second story arc of the series revolves around his childhood and adolescence in a mercenary band after being adopted by 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. He currently possesses the Berserker's Armor, an ancient, cursed suit of armor that allows the wearer to overcome his physical and mental limitations in combat but at the cost of damaging his already-weakened body and allowing his inner Beast, a feral dog-like creature, to take over and endanger everyone in the vicinity, friend or foe (hence, berserk).
[edit] Griffith
Voiced by: Toshiyuki Morikawa (Japanese), Kevin T. Collins (English)
Griffith (グリフィス Gurifisu?) is the founder and leader of the mercenary unit known as the Band of the Hawk. Extraordinarily charismatic, intelligent, and handsome, his skill with his rapier sword and tactics gives him and his band the reputation of invincibility, making him the favored choice of the Midland King, who was locked in a century long war with the Empire of Tudor. Griffith is willing to sacrifice everything for his dream of his own kingdom and believes that he is destined for things greater than the average man. He is considered the antagonist of the series.
After he won the war for Midland, he discovered Guts' intention to leave the Band of the Hawk. Intending to stop him from leaving or kill him altogether, Griffith decides to battle Guts a second time. However, he was instantly defeated when Guts broke his rapier, leaving him in disbelief and in turn crushing Griffith's morale. Later that night, Griffith went to Princess Charlotte's room and slept with her. The affair was discovered by a maid and later the Midland King, after which Griffith, unable to defend himself without his sword, was captured by the king's guard. The king ordered that Griffith be imprisoned and tortured but kept alive. A year later, Griffith was rescued by Casca, Guts, Judeau, and Pippin, but he had already been physically crippled and mentally broken. After Wyald's attack and the further realization of his current state, Griffith attempts to flee the Hawks' camp, crashing his carriage into a lake. Guts comes to his aid, despite Griffith's unheard plea for him to stay away. The crimson Behelit is triggered, and the Eclipse begins.
Griffith and the pursuing Hawks are drawn into another dimension, where the four members of the God Hand appear. They declare that Griffith has the opportunity to become one of them, if only he sacrifices the Hawks who followed him to the lake. Griffith decides that because Guts caused him to forget his dream, the sacrifice is justified, and he agrees to the God Hand's terms. He is given a new body with raven black wings and is renamed Femto. His first action is to viciously rape Casca in front of Guts. Guts and Casca are rescued by the Skull Knight before they can be killed.
Two years later, the Incarnation Ceremony occurs at Albion, an event that happens once every thousand years, allowing a being from another dimension to transfer into a fleshly body, which is Casca and Gut's son's body. At the end of the ceremony, Griffith is reborn in a form similar to his original appearance. He now leads a newly formed Band of the Hawk and is still in pursuit of his dream to obtain a kingdom. This band's strongest members are a group of Apostles, but it also consists of humans, drawn to him as the original Hawks were.
Griffith recently fended off an attack by invading Kushans at the city of Vritannis. Afterwards, Charlotte, elevated to the status of queen by the death of her father, acknowledged the Band of the Hawk as the official army of Midland.
[edit] Casca
Voiced by: Yuko Miyamura (Japanese), Carolyn Keranen (English), Sword of the Berserk: B. J. Ward (English)
Casca (キャスカ Kyasuka?) was the only female soldier in the original Band of the Hawk and is behind only Griffith and Guts in swordsmanship. Her ambivalent relationship to both of them makes her moody and capricious. Casca joins the Band of the Hawk after Griffith empowers her to save herself from a sexual assault by a nobleman.
After Griffith is imprisoned, she becomes the leader of the Band of the Hawk, proving useful in fending off the constant assaults issued by the Midland King. After Guts return and the strengthening of both of their relationship, they embark on a rescue mission to recover Griffith. However, after the trauma of the Eclipse, especially her rape at Femto's hands, Casca has seemingly lost her memory and speaking abilities. In addition to being Guts's lover, she also gave birth to their child, which had become tainted during Femto's rape.
During her travel with Guts, the strain of watching over her in her state and fighting against malicious spirits for nights on end drove Guts to succumb to his inner beast and nearly rape her. Consequently, she now detests Guts and has found comfort in the only adult female traveling with them: Farnese. As Casca travels completely oblivious to her surroundings, Guts and company keep a close watch over her.
Casca's well being is the driving force for Guts to keep himself from reverting back to a revenge-obsessed wanderer. While outside Vritanis, the Skull Knight revealed that her mental state may be cured at their final destination, Elfhelm, by the King of the Flower Storm.
It should be noted during the ending events of the Dreamcast game, Casca briefly regained her sanity due to her ordeal with the mandragora. She remembers Guts and the love they had prior to the Eclipse.
[edit] Judeau
Voiced by: Akira Ishida (Japanese), Christopher Kromer (English)
Judeau (ジュドー Jyudō?) (Judo) was part of the original Band of the Hawk and was a former circus performer, which was the background for his prowess in knife-throwing. He was one of Griffith's most valued fighters, but his greatest strength came from his ability to read the emotions of other people, as shown by him being the first to notice the growing bond between Guts and Casca, even before the two themselves. Quiet, calm, and practical, Judeau was often the voice of reason when handling the more volatile Hawks like Corkus. Noble and generous, Judeau usually put his companions in the band above him, showing himself to be at ease with understanding matters of the heart and inquiring the true intentions of those who surround him. Judeau himself admitted that he was pretty good at a lot of things but was not a stand-out in any of them. His honesty and down-to-earth personality made him a kind of "average joe" character that people could easily identify with. Throughout his tenure with the Band of the Hawk, he was secretly in love with Casca, but he never acted on it out of respect for Guts and Casca's feelings for each other. He died during the Eclipse, sacrificing himself for Casca in order to keep her, the leader of the Hawks, alive. In his final moments, Judeau questions what his last words should be, and settles with telling Casca she cried a lot. As he falls down he mourns over the fact that Casca never saw him as anything other than useful.
[edit] Pippin
Voiced by: Masuo Amada (Japanese), Jeff Ward (English)
Pippin (ピピン Pipin?) is a massive dark-skinned man who wields an equally massive mace. A former miner who lent his strength to the old Band of the Hawk, his fast reactions and raw strength save the skin of the Hawks on many occasions. Despite his massive physical stature, Pippin proves to be a kind and patient individual, as shown when he dragged Guts to the festivities, keeping his cool even when Guts hit him and made him bleed. A man of few words, which, along with his appearance, might have others wrongly doubt his intelligence. He was often associated with Rickert, who he seemed to share a big-brother relationship with. During the Eclipse, he held off an Apostle while Casca and Judeau tried to escape. Pippin was seen by Guts one last time before the Count ripped him to shreds.
[edit] Corkus
Voiced by: Tomohiro Nishimura (Japanese), Marc Sebastian (English)
A loud-mouthed ex-thief, Corkus (コルカス Korukasu?) was fond of delusions of grandeur and was constantly at odds with Guts. He was the leader of his own band of thieves before he joined the old Band of the Hawk, being one of the longest running members. He was the one who first tried to assault Guts in order to rob him of the money earned defeating Bazuso, but failed miserably, making Casca, followed by Griffith, step in. Because of that, he always held a grudge against Guts and never fully accepted him as a Hawk. Surprisingly, when Caska and Rickert blamed Guts for Griffith's capture, Corkus refused to agree with them due to his belief that they overestimated Guts' importance to the Band. Despite his unappealing nature, he was one of the most loyal members of the Band of the Hawk, staying with them until his death during the Eclipse, where he convinces himself that everything had been a dream, since it had been just too good to be true.
[edit] Rickert
Voiced by: Akiko Yajima (Japanese), Michelle Newman (English)
Rickert (リッケルト Rikkeruto?) was the youngest in the old Band of the Hawk; he was just a child. He is one of the few surviving members of the original Band of the Hawk. After the Eclipse, which he wasn't present at, he lived with Godo, the smith who created Guts' Dragon Slayer, and became his smith apprentice. For the next two years, Rickert's talents as a smith grew. He tweaked Guts's armor and replaced his old crossbow with a repeating crossbow. During his stay with Godo, Rickert had remained completely unaware of what transpired at the Eclipse. He was thus able to put the past behind him. It wasn't until after Guts, Griffith and Casca were reunited at the Hill of Swords that he learned of the original Band of the Hawk's fate. Even still, Griffith offered Rickert a position in the new Band of the Hawk. After the death of Godo and the destruction of his mine by Zodd, Rickert travels with Godo's adopted granddaughter, Erica. In the anime, possibly due to English errors, Rickert's name is given as "Ricket", lacking the "R", and is addressed as such in the show.
[edit] Guts' Party
[edit] Puck
Voiced by: Yuriko Fuchizaki (Japanese), Sword of the Berserk: Cam Clarke (English)
Puck (パック Pakku?) is a Wind spirit from Elfhelm, a utopia on the island Skellig in the Western Sea. Elves in Berserk can only be seen by the open-minded; the devoutly religious cannot see Puck at all, though he can play with their face unbeknownst to them. Puck can secrete a powder from his wings to quickly heal wounds and can emit a bright flash to blind enemies. Puck was the first to join Guts's journey.
Puck often serves as comic relief along with Isidro. The two are frequently drawn in an exaggerated manner.
[edit] Farnese
Voiced by: Yūko Gotō (Japanese)
Farnese (ファルネーゼ Farunēze?) is a noblewoman who led the Holy See's ceremonial guard, the Holy Iron Chain Knights. Since this position has been traditionally held by a woman, Farnese was appointed during her stay at the convent she was sent to by her father, Federico Vandimion. A bit of a pyromaniac (and possibly a pyrophiliac), Farnese's habit of maniacally burning things she didn't like, along with her lack of empathy due to her poor upbringing provoked her to hunt down and burn supposed witches and pagans at the stake. This fueled a secret sadistic pleasure that she constantly tried to deny. She and Serpico left their Holy See positions after her faith was shattered during the devastation of Albion and the events surrounding Griffith's reincarnation. She then chose to follow Guts in hopes of learning more about the world and has changed into a more sympathetic human being. Since then, Farnese has begun to study witchcraft under Schierke's tutelage. Farnese also seems to have developed a crush on Guts which becomes evident in chapter 287 and 288 of the manga. Farnese is primarily Casca's care taker.
[edit] Serpico
Voiced by: Takahiro Mizushima (Japanese)
Serpico (セルピコ Serupiko?) is Farnese's companion and unbeknowst to her, her half-brother. (They share the same father.) During his time with the Holy See, Serpico was Herald for the Holy Iron Chain Knights. When aggressive, Serpico belies his meek appearance and is comparable to a fox due to his shrewd observation and speed with a rapier. Despite Farnese's childhood abuse and her forcing him to burn his own mother at the stake, he cares deeply for his half-sister. Serpico was her servant since she found him beaten on a snowy street over a decade ago. Serpico's relationship with Guts has forever been plagued with animosity, due in large part to the dangers that inevitably surround Guts and anyone he takes into his Band. After a duel with Guts in the underground pillars of Vritannis, Guts spared his life. Their bond rekindled, and Serpico has since learned to trust Guts to protect her when he couldn't. Serpico uses a sword and cloak blessed by the wind spirit Sylph that allows him to battle with tolerance alongside Guts.
[edit] Isidro
Voiced by: Hiroyuki Yoshino (Japanese)
A young runaway and petty thief, Isidro left home and family behind in order to become a swordsman. After Guts saves him from an attack of Kushan Bakirakas, he follows him around "to spy out his technique". Although Isidro greatly lacks in swordsman skills, he is an exceptional thrower, managing to kill two pidgeons with a double-handed throw at great distance. He obtains the Salamander dagger (a weapon blessed by the spirits of fire) from Flora, and also receives an inherited cutlass from an old villager as a gift.
Like Puck, Isidro serves mostly as a comic relief character.
[edit] Schierke
Voiced by: Yukana (Japanese)
Schierke (シールケ Shīruke?) is a young witch-in-training, a disciple of the witch Flora. She is accompanied by an elf, Evarella. She aided Guts's group with a troll infestation in the nearby village Enoch, where she showed how powerful magic can be in Berserk. After a series of events, Schierke was forced to leave her home and Flora behind forever when they faced an attack Griffith ordered. Schierke, having lived a sheltered life, doesn't like the Human world or the Holy See's religion, but she finds life outside bearable due to her companions. Her magic skills and knowledge of the world are impressive for a child her age. One of her most used and handiest spells is the ability to hypnotize or temporarily desensitize others. But due to her youth, she tends to exhibit dangerous overzealousness. Her ability to sense "Od" (life force or spirit energy) means she can sense the power, intent, and alignment of all creatures and artifacts.
As she sees Isidro as an incompetent monkey, there is some friction between the two, which frequently lends itself to comic situations. Though she initially couldn't stand Guts, Schierke has developed an infatuation with him. When Sonia gave her an offer to join the Band of the Hawk, Schierke thought of Guts before declining. Their journey together constantly brings them into ever deeper understanding.
Before Volume 27, her name was often translated as Silke.
[edit] Ivarella
Voiced by: Yukari Tamura (Japanese)
Ivarella is an elf who was tasked by Flora to oversee Schierke during her time as an apprentice. She has remained with Schierke since Flora's demise. She often provides information about Schierke's state to the other members of Guts' party while Schierke is in a spell trance.
[edit] The Hawks (New)
[edit] Zodd
Voiced by: Kenji Utsumi (Japanese), J. David Brimmer (English) Sword of the Berserk: Peter Lurie (English)
Zodd (ゾッド Zoddo?), also known as Nosferatu Zodd, or Zodd the Immortal, an apostle who has lived for three centuries fighting countless battles in search of worthy opponents. Zodd has the ability to transform from his human-like form into a more menacing creature, resembling that of a minotaur with the face and tail of a tiger along with a pair of bat-like wings that he can retract and grow at will. Zodd first encountered and defeated Guts and Griffith during a castle raid, ultimately deciding to spare them upon realizing Griffith's crimson behelit and Guts' inevitable fate. Zodd has had a long standing rivalry with Skull Knight, along with Guts increasingly becoming a more capable opponent. Zodd eventually found the "Ultimate Strong One" in Griffith, instantly being defeated by the Hawk of Light within a dream and costing him his left horn. Afterwards, his search for his ultimate opponent is over, he swore his servitude to Griffith in the new Band of the Hawk.
[edit] Grunbeld
Voiced by: Tesshô Genda (Japanese)
Grunbeld (グルンベルド Gurunberudo?) is a member of the reformed Band of the Hawk, and an exceedingly strong apostle. He is a giant, red-haired man in scale plate armour that resembles a dragon. Armed with a warhammer and a cannon hidden in his shield, he is renowned as a famous war veteran in the northern part of the continent. He had apparently held ground against a superior, overwhelming force of three thousand from Tudor, lasting for months on end. He fought Guts at Flora's manor; easily defeating his already weakened body. Later, after Guts' acquisition of the Berserker Armor, he was forced to reveal his true Apostle form. In this form, Grunbeld is a quadruped dragon whose outer shell is composed of stylized corundum crystal formations harder than steel and is able to exhale flames from his mouth.
[edit] Locus
Locus (ロクス Rokusu?), known as the Moonlight Knight, is another of Griffith's new generals in the Hawks. He is undefeated in jousting and was too proud to serve anyone until he swore loyalty to Griffith, who was the object of a vision he experienced. In addition to being an apostle, he also leads the Band of the Hawk's demon lancer division. He seems, however, to retain the most humanity among the Apostle Army. His Apostle form merges him with his horse to form a metallic centaur, and his lance is transformed into a very long double-ended spear.
[edit] Irvine
Irvine (アーヴァン Āvain?) is a prominent archer in the new Band of the Hawks. He has never spoken to anyone on page but Sonia. His eyes have neither pupils nor irises. (His monstrously shaped bow has a demonic eye in the middle of its handguard.) A self-described hunter and loner, he prefers to camp out in the woods whilst indulging in his only known pleasure: playing the lute by the campfire. Irvine's precision with the bow is peerless. He is able to fire off several arrows simultaneously with unerring accuracy. The bow itself seems to funnel quite a bit of power into its arrows; foes hit at the neck find themselves headless.
[edit] Rakshas
Rakshas (ラクシャス Rakushasu?) is a leader within the new Band of the Hawk, with a history as an exiled member of the Kushan Empire's Bākiraka Clan. He covers his entire body with a black cloak and his face with a white mask with three holes for eye sockets. It was he who exposed Silat and his two bodyguards to Emperor Ganishka's horrific process for the creation of his demon soldiers, the Dāka, and informed them their emperor isn't even human. His motives for doing this are unclear; he himself has admitted that he only joined Griffith's cause as to make sure no one would kill Griffith but him.
[edit] Sonia
Sonia (ソーニャ Sōnya?) is part of Griffith's reformed Band of the Hawk and is extremely devout in her admiration of him. Her parents were killed when Kushans came to her village. She was held prisoner by them until Griffith, with his apostles, rescued her and others in an assault against the invading Kushans forces. Sonia, despite being surrounded in a surreal and sometimes horrific world, remains abnormally calm and shows no sign of fear for her life. On the contrary, she is amazed and cheerful about her position in the Hawks. She is gifted with the power of clairvoyance, which is amplified when she is near Griffith, with whom she has a childish infatuation. Sonia uses her ability to sense people's emotions and see visions of the future to aid in the new Band of the Hawk's campaigns. She befriended Schierke when they met in Vritanis and foresees they'll meet again: referring to Schierke as an owl and herself a kite playing in a moonlight forest.
[edit] Mule
A adolescent Midland noble, Mule ran into Sonia after his group of soldiers was saved by Irvine and the new Band of the Hawk from Kushans. Sonia brought him to meet Griffith; like most people who do so, he was amazed and immediately attracted to Griffith. Ever since that day, he has been Sonia's guardian to which he finds much frustration. Sonia referred to him as the "duck knight" and offered to promote him to "wild drake" class if he bested a pirate captain.
[edit] Other Apostles
[edit] Wyald
Wyald was the leader of the Black Dog Knights, the most brutal and savage battalion in Midland composed of criminals. His apostle form was a massive cyclops-like creature. Wyald was charged by the King of Midland to hunt down Griffith and his rescuers, the Band of the Hawk. Badly injured by Guts, he believed that his death could be averted if Griffith could be persuaded to use the crimson behelit to summon the God Hand; however, the king's torturer had taken it and thrown it away. Soon after, Wyald is killed by Zodd, and it is subsequently revealed he was a frail old man before he became an apostle. In the anime, some of his lines are given to a human character who leads an attack on Griffith's rescue team and Corkus' relief corps.
[edit] The Baron
Voiced by: Kan Tokumaru (Japanese), Lex Wutas (English)
The Baron was an apostle who lived in Koka Castle. As an apostle, he had the form of an anthropomorphic snake with his human face set inside the snake's lower jaw. He convinced the mayor of the nearby town to provide him with shipments of people for his consumption. In the manga, Guts indifferently rescued Puck from some of the Baron's men. In the anime, he rescued the girl Collette instead. Guts used one of these men to send the message, "The Black Swordsman has come," which appears to contain Guts's first use of his title. Guts is imprisoned and flogged by the mayor's men, but he escaped after Puck provides him with the keys to his cell. He then confronted the Baron, crippled him, and demanded to know the location of the God Hand. When the Baron could not provide an answer, Guts left the Baron to die in a rapidly spreading fire. He appears only in the first manga chapter and the first episode of the anime.
[edit] The Count
The Count appeared as an extremely obese man in his human form who had an obsession with hunting down heretics. He became an apostle after he found his wife participating in a pagan orgy. He invoked his behelit in order to escape the pain of her betrayal, gaining a giant slug-like form. Guts obtained the Count's behelit, which he intended to use as a tool to find Femto, from an enemy of the Count's named Vargas. Vargas was soon after caught and beheaded on the Count's orders. After a series of battles, Guts mortally injured the Count. The Count's blood flowed onto the behelit, and in answer to his desire to avoid death, the God Hand was summoned. The Count attempted to offer Guts as a sacrifice, but his suggestion was rejected due to the fact that Guts was already a sacrifice prior to the summoning, and because a sacrifice must be a friend or loved one. The God Hand demanded instead that he sacrifice his daughter, Theresia. He refused and his soul was dragged to hell by a group of condemned souls that included Vargas.
[edit] Rosine
Rosine is a female apostle who sacrificed her parents to obtain the form of a winged elf. Her motivation for doing so was the legend of a child named Peekaf who believed himself an Elf and in doing so lost his human parents. She refers to herself as the Queen of the Elves and her true form is a monstrous female Luna Moth. Dwelling in the Misty Valley, she terrorized a nearby village, sending an army of elf demons to eat the town's livestock and people, as well as capturing children that she transformed into more elf demons via cocoons. Guts, Puck, and Rosine's former friend Jill travelled to the Misty Valley to confront Rosine, who offered to make Jill an elf apostle. Jill was tempted by the promise of flight, but was uneasy with the warlike ways of the demon elves. Guts found and destroyed the elf demon cocoons, and an enraged Rosine battled Guts until she was so badly injured that she could no longer fight. As Guts was about to deliver a killing blow, Jill shielded Rosine with her body. It did nothing to stop Guts, but before he could act, Jill's father arrived and shot him with an arrow. Guts was then attacked by the Holy Iron Chain Knights, led by Farnese. Mortally wounded, Rosine finally understood the moral of Peekaf's fable and in her delirium attempted to return home to her parents but ultimately succumbed to her injuries and fell from the sky to her death. In some translations, she is referred to as Roshinu.
[edit] The Nameless
An outcast who survived by scavenging the refuse at the base of the Tower of Convictions. Shunned by others for his appearance, the Nameless dug a deep pit into the earth to hide himself from the world which the tower refugees used as a dumping hole for those who had died in the camp. As he was being crushed beneath the bodies, the behelit found by the Nameless summoned the God Hand who showed him how the outside world clung to the falsity of religion whereupon he offered his own existence in exchange for the chance to give birth to a new world. The Nameless was then transformed into a head-sized living Behelit which moved about on a pair of insect-like legs while his tongue was branded with the mark of sacrifice. During the conviction arc, the Nameless used his powers to turn several people around the tower into pseudo-apostles (including Father Mozgus and his torturers) before revealing himself to one of the camp prostitutes so that at least one person would know that he existed. As the time for Griffith's Resurrection neared, the Nameless found Casca's tainted child lying near death at the tower's top and in a moment of pity took it inside himself so that it could die in peace. Reunited with the deformed child, he could accomplish what he wished for, bringing forth a new world by spawning a flesh and blood human-like Griffith.
[edit] Emperor Ganishka
The Grand Emperor of the Kushans, Emperor Ganishka (ガニシュカ 大帝 Ganishuka taitei?) is an apostle who goes against Griffith's will. He has taken over Midland using his familiars and demon soldiers and aims to conquer the entire continent. He employs his dark magic via his mist, which he can transform into. In this form, he shows no visible weaknesses and is able to hurl lightning at his enemies. However, Schierke figured out a weak spot in Ganishka's mist form (right between the eyes), where the astral core body is that is vulnerable to weapons with strong spiritual presence, such as Guts' Dragonslayer (due to countless ghost slaughterings during Guts' last two years journey). Griffith exploited another weakness he had in his mist-like form, that of how his body can simply be scattered by the wind. He has turned Wyndham into his demonic capital base and aimed to take down the Holy See stronghold of Vritanis to the west, before agreeing to a draw with Griffith for a final battle in Wyndham. A glutton with no regard for anything but his position, he opposes Griffith's will with the intention of being a servant to no one. After being defeated by Griffith, he returns to his capital to preform a ritual involving absorbing the strength and lives of everyone nearby in order to "Transcend the Apostles." He believes this is necessary to beat Griffith, and the process is described as "An artificial Behilt", meaning it can be used to reincarnate as a being superior to what it formerly was. Sonia called him the "King of the Crows".
[edit] The God Hand
Powerful entities who manipulate the world of Berserk, messengers of the Idea of Evil (the God created by Man). The God Hand themselves were once humans who were chosen by the Idea of Evil to serve its purpose of giving reason for humanity's suffering. Note the God Hand can't take corporeal form in the mortal plane; if they do appear there, it is a construct, formed by whatever is at hand. Most of the God Hand's names are inspired by Science-Fiction novels. It is also worth noting that the design of the God Hand characters show similarity to Cenobites from Hellraiser movie series, based on Clive Barker novella, of which Miura is believed to be a fan.
[edit] Femto
Femto (フェムト Femuto?) is the incarnation of Griffith as a member of the God Hand. During the Incarnation Ceremony, he is reincarnated with a human body but given the gift of supernatural charisma and yet other unknown powers, continuing to chase his dream of a kingdom backed up by his new band of the hawk. Femto's body appears as dark armor with cape-like wings on the back, with a demonic version of Griffith's familiar hawk-beak helmet. His name is possibly inspired by the mathematical prefix femto.
His currently displayed powers are flight via his dark, cape-like wings, a spherical energy shield that protects his body from attacks such as Gatts' arm-cannon, and a powerful blast of dark energy that can rip apart even an Apostle in one hit.
[edit] Void
Voiced by: Unshou Ishizuka (Japanese), Jon Avner (English)
Void (ボイド Boido?) is a member of the God Hand with a large, exposed brain, eyes stitched shut and lips peeled back. He is the most philosophical God Hand member and is primarily concerned with analyzing and controlling the course of destiny. Void is the one who brands the sacrifices made by tortured souls in order for them to become apostles and achieve their dream. His cloak and body seem to be distorted and he has the power to open up a sort of interdimensional mirror portal at his own will. Also notable, he has six fingers on each hand. Apparently the nemesis of the Skull Knight, who he may have sacrificed himself in a long passed story similar to Gutt's, he seems to be the leader of the group. In the anime, Void also has the role of narrator, introducing each episode and previewing the next. His name could be inspired by John Boyd, a Science-Fiction author, or Destination: Void, a sci-fi novel by Frank Herbert.
[edit] Slan
Voiced by: Atsuko Tanaka (Japanese), C.L. Jones (English)
The female member of the God Hand, Slan (スラン Suran?) takes on the form of a naked woman with black leathery wings and vine-like hair. She is a sadomasochist who thrives on cruelty and the effect it has on those who observe it. She appears to have a fascination with Guts when she manifests in the Qlippoth to confront him, having as well shown an interest in his incredible strength and survivability when the Count summoned the God Hand. Her name is borrowed from A. E. van Vogt's Slan.
[edit] Ubik
Voiced by: Chafurin (Japanese), Christian Collingwood (English)
The God Hand Ubik (ユービック Yūbikku?) has the form of a small floating demon wearing glasses and having tentacle-like legs. Ubik appears to be a deceiver; he is able to conjure up images from the past to persuade potential Apostles to fulfill the ritual of sacrifice. It is he who convinced Griffith to continue walking towards his dream as a demon. His name is borrowed from Philip K. Dick's Ubik.
[edit] Conrad
Voiced by: Toku Nishio (Japanese), Sean Schemmel (English)
Conrad (コンラッド Konraddo?) is concerned with inevitability and doom and appears as a puckered human face with the body of a massive wood louse. He summoned the mound that lifted Griffith skyward, above the rest of the Hawks. In a town in Western Midland he is shown as having destroyed the populace with the Black Plague, his head materializing from the plague-carrying rats that infested the town. His name is borrowed from Roger Zelazny's ...And Call Me Conrad.
[edit] The Royal Court of Midland
[edit] The King of Midland
Voiced by: Tamio Ōki (Japanese), Jeff Swarthout (English)
The elderly ruler of Midland who had been fighting a century long war with the neighbouring kingdom of Chudor. Burdened by the demands and responsibilities of his throne, the King's only comfort was his daughter Charlotte whom to him was the sole source of warmth in his existence. Due to the Band of the White Hawk's victories on the battlefield, the King supported Griffith despite his common heritage and the disapproval of the nobility and eventually bestowed upon him command over all of Midland's armies. However, after Griffith slept with Charlotte, the king became enraged and ordered that Griffith be imprisoned and tortured. He also ordered an attack on the leaderless Band of the Hawk, resulting in the Band's numbers being drastically reduced over the following two years. Driven to the brink of insanity by the fear of losing his only comfort, the king then proceeded to attempt to rape Charlotte who barely managed to fight him off. Afterwards, the guilt over what he had nearly done caused the King's health to slowly degrade to the point that his hair turned white and his body wasted away to skin and bones. When Griffith was rescued a year later by Guts and the surviving members of the Hawks; the king sent first a group of five Bakiraka, and then the Black Dog Knights led by Wyald to kill Griffith. Shortly before Griffith was reincarnated on Earth, the King's health had further faded to the point that he was unable to leave his bed anymore. In his final moments, he demanded to see his daughter, but Charlotte no longer recognized him as her father and refused to see him. Before he died, the King had a final vision of Griffith being reunited with Charlotte whereupon he realized the real reason he had supported Griffith was his hope that Griffith would take his place and free him from the cold loneliness of the throne.
[edit] Charlotte
Voiced by: Yuri Shiratori (Japanese), Rachael Lillis (English)
Formerly the princess of Midland, Charlotte fell in love with Griffith almost at first sight. After Guts defeated Griffith in their duel, Griffith slept with Charlotte and was imprisoned and tortured for a year as a result. During that time, Charlotte continued to pine over Griffith and eventually was the one who provided the route for the Hawks to rescue him from prison. In the manga, she accompanied the rescue party with her maid Anna, but was poisoned by a dart from one of the Bakiraka and was brought back to the king. In the anime, however, Charlotte stayed behind. Two years after the Eclipse, Midland was conquered by the Kushans and she was taken prisoner by Ganishka with the view of becoming his wife. Even in captivity, she spent all of her time making embroidery portraits of Griffith, dreaming of his return. Soon after the events at Albion, Griffith did return for her and used Zodd to fly her and Anna out of captivity. She is currently traveling with the new Band of the Hawk alongside Griffith. She recently declared The Band of the Hawk to be Midland's Regular Army after their resounding victory against the Kushans in Vritannis. Sonia referred to her as the "Queen of the Ducks".
[edit] Julius
Voiced by: Ryûji Mizuno (Japanese), Dick Bunting (English)
Julius was the brother of the king and the leader of the White Dragon Knights. He resented the rise of Griffith and the Band of the Hawk in the favor of the king, especially given Griffith's common heritage. As a result, he plotted with Minister Foss to kill Griffith by arranging for a stray arrow to be fired during a hunt. The plan went awry when the arrow struck Griffith's crimson behelit and the king concluded that the attack was meant for Princess Charlotte, who was accompanying Griffith. In retaliation, Griffith sent Guts to assassinate Julius. Guts managed the deed, but as he was escaping, Julius' son Adonis discovered him. Guts regretfully killed the boy before fleeing into the sewers.
[edit] The Queen of Midland
Voiced by: Toshiko Sawada (Japanese), Suzanne Gilad (English)
The queen was Charlotte's step mother. She disapproved of Charlotte's interest in Griffith and became angry at Griffith for plotting the death of her secret lover Julius. She agreed to a plan conceived by Minister Foss to poison Griffith's wine at a royal party. However, the minister betrayed her and used a nonlethal drug to make Griffith appear dead. As the queen and a group of co-conspirators celebrated Griffith's death at the top of a tower, Foss suddenly left and silently secured the door. The queen and the others began to panic as they realized that the tower was on fire. Glancing out a window, she saw Griffith, alive and well. The queen protested that Griffith, a commoner, could not be allowed to kill royalty. Griffith replied that on the battlefield, heritage does not matter, but only who is defeated.
[edit] Minister Foss
Voiced by: Masato Tsujimura (Japanese), Greg Miller (English)
Minister Foss is a master of court intrigue. He conceived of plots with both Julius and the queen to kill Griffith. However, after the death of Julius, Griffith discovered Foss' involvement with the queen because he detected a hint of fear in the look of the minister's eyes. Griffith kidnapped Foss' daughter Elise in order to insure the minister's cooperation. After Foss helped Griffith end the queen's life, Griffith returned the minister's daughter to him, declaring that there should be no more enmity between them. After the Eclipse, Foss predicted that the visions of the White Hawk signify that Griffith will return. More recently, he has been seen in the company of Laban, discussing Griffith's return and upcoming confrontation with Ganishka.
[edit] Sir Laban
Voiced by: Tōru Ōkawa (Japanese), Sean Elias-Reyes (English)
Sir Laban was an early supporter of Griffith. He agreed with the king that Griffith should be judged on battlefield merit. After the Eclipse, he traveled about assisting victims of the plague. He is now assisting Griffith in his battle against Ganishka. Most recently, he led a rescue of a group of women who had been held prisoner by the emperor. His name is sometimes translated as Raban.
[edit] Sir Owen
Voiced by: Naoki Bando (Japanese), Jason O'Connell (English)
Sir Owen believed that he could advance in the court by aligning himself with Griffith. On the eve of the king's death, Owen showed great concern about Charlotte's well-being, but he was denied permission to see her. At Vritanis, only Owen recognized Guts as the leader of the Hawk's Raiders. When Charlotte declared that the new Band of the Hawk was to be Midland's regular army, and Griffith Midland's general, Owen supported her, declaring to the other nobles that Griffith had a right to the position as Midland's former hero during the war with Chudor, and that Charlotte was well informed about Griffith's tactical ability.
[edit] Other characters
[edit] Gambino
Voiced by: Norio Wakamoto (Japanese), Robert Krakovski (English)
Guts' adoptive father, and leader of a mercenary band, Gambino (ガンビーノ Ganbīno?) trained Guts to be a mercenary like himself and even gave Guts his first scar (across his nose) during a practice fight. Gambino sold Guts as a sex slave one night to Donovan, a pederast soldier, who anally raped young Guts and whom Guts brutally murders afterwards. Gambino was later hit by a cannon blast in battle and lost his leg and the ability to fight. This incensed his anger towards Guts even further, as he also blamed the death of his lover, Shizu, on Guts when she adopted him. Gambino became drunk one night and tried to kill Guts in a fit of rage. He admits he sold Guts to Donovan for three silver coins right before Guts killed him in self-defense.
[edit] Casca's child
A nameless entity who was born to Caska after the eclipse, the child was born prematurely as a disfigured fetus-like abomination the size of a rat. The identity of the child's father is said to be Guts by the Skull Knight; Caska's rape by Femto resulted in the baby's deformity. Guts intended to kill the child, but Caska protected the odd baby, and it soon disappeared. The creature acts more out of instinct than intelligence and as a result is compellingly drawn to its mother. Guts occasionally dreamed of the child, full of what seemed to Guts to be malice. It also possesses unknown magical powers; once during the Retribution Arc, it appeared to Casca and erected a barrier that repelled whatever demons or undead that were threatening its mother, igniting suspicions that Caska was employing witchcraft. The deed drained it of energy and placed it on the brink of death where it was found by the Nameless apostle who took it inside. The apostle promised the child a nice dream in the new world.
[edit] Adon
Voiced by: Tesshô Genda (Japanese), Mike Pollock (English)
Adon was a principal opponent of the original Band of the Hawk during the war between Midland and Chudor. He commanded the Blue Whale Ultra Heavy Armored Fierce Assault Annihilation Knight Corps. He regularly bragged about special attacks and defenses that he called "Coborlwitz family secrets". After Adon fought Casca and goaded her with sexist comments, she fell off a cliff, dragging along Guts, who was trying to prevent her from falling. Adon and a hundred of his men eventually located Guts and Casca. Guts managed to kill most of them by himself, earning the nickname "The Hundred Man Killer". Adon escaped but was sent away from the main battlefield because of his disgrace. As it turned out, he was well positioned to thwart Griffith's true aim, the capture of the castle of Doldrey. A force under Casca attacked the lightly defended castle. She dueled with Adon, and he succeeded in poisoning her. In desperation, she leaped over him, turned around, and cut him down. Casca's forces captured the castle, allowing Griffith to claim victory. In the anime, Adon has two additional scenes. In the first, he attempted to lure Griffith in range of a hidden explosive cache; however, Guts warned Griffith in time and the plan was foiled. In the second, Griffith sent Guts into a castle occupied by Adon's men, with orders to open the gates from the inside. When Guts succeeded, a force led by Griffith rode through the opened gate and took control of the castle.
[edit] The Skull Knight
Voiced by: Tsutomu Isobe (Japanese)
The Skull Knight (髑髏の騎士 Dokuro no kishi?) is a mysterious figure who appears as a towering warrior in skeletal armor astride a ghostly black horse. Despite his ghoulish appearance, he opposes the God Hand and is able to match (and even overwhelm) Zodd's demon form in single combat. His trump card is sticking his sword down his throat in order to coat it with the Behelits he has collected to form a blade that can cut holes through reality's different planes. Throughout the story, the Skull Knight aids and saves Guts, whom he calls "The Struggler", but his motives are unclear. It is speculated that in life he was Emperor Gaiseric, the first Emperor of Midland from over a millennium ago who united the entire continent and ruled until God sent 4 or 5 "angels" (most likely the Godhand) to punish him for his gluttony and according to Charlotte was known for a helm shaped like a skull. The Skull Knight previously wore the Berserker's armor which he bestowed to Guts following the Resurrection Arc. It seems likely that Flora had the job of calling him back once he lost control.
[edit] Silat
Silat (シラット Shiratto?) is a highly skilled and agile Kushan fighter first encountered by guts in the Golden Age arc. He wields exotic weapons including Chakrams, Katars and Urumis. His combat style is similar to Kalarippayattu, though Guts has referred to him as a circus performer due to Silat's exotic appearance, acrobatics and his almost theatrical tendency to call out his attacks. Silat and Guts first met prior to the Eclipse in a fight tournament at a carnival to (ironically) determine who would lead a band of mercenaries to finish off a very battered and demoralized Band of the Hawk. When a victorious Guts refused to claim the prize, Silat, as runner-up, took on the job...which led to his second defeat. Years later, it is revealed that Silat is the leader of the Bākiraka clan, and that he is working under Emperor Ganishka in order to restore his people to their rightful place. To do this, he has tried to find and capture Griffith, but was unsuccessful in the task. However, after he witnessed how his emperor creates his demon soldiers, the Dāka, and saw Ganishka's frightening sorcery while the emperor himself fought off Griffith's apostle lancers, he may be questioning his sworn allegiance. A Kushan engineer of Griffith's named Jaris offered Silat a position in the Band of the Hawk, but Silat has thus far not accepted, showing an apparent disdain for blind obedience in demi-gods.
[edit] Azan
Azan (アザン Azan?) is a former member of the Holy Iron Chain Knights under Farnese's command. He is a round, bald and bearded middle aged man devoted to chivalry and duty, but he nevertheless questioned the Holy See's methods of dealing with supposed heretics. Effectively wielding a metal quarterstaff, he has shown great skill with it in combat against Guts and various other abnormally skilled or strong fighters. Since Griffith's reincarnation at Albion, he parted ways with Farnese and Serpico, only to re-emerge in Vritanis, still staying true to the noble and proud virtues of a knight: to defend the weak and punish the wicked without question. He was expelled from the Vatican due to the disastrous events that took place at Albion. Presently, He accompanies Guts and company on their sea voyage, earning his spot on board by swabbing the deck, and taking some time off to train young Isidro in the ways of combat.
[edit] Mozgus
Mozgus was a fanatical priest whose symbol was a set of wheels, signifying his preferred method of execution. Mozgus had a smooth, blocky-looking face (which was due to a prayer ritual he performed every day that required him to slam his head upon the ground repeatedly) which became extremely wrinkled when he begins showing strong emotions. Extremely zealous, he captured and tortured large numbers of supposed heretics, forcing them to "confess" before summarily being executed. Mozgus was accompanied by a squad of disfigured or otherwise disabled torturers who double as his bodyguards. The torturers were unquestionably loyal to Mozgus who embraced them as being chosen by God where before they had known nothing more than scorn as social pariahs. During the Resurrection Arc, Farnese and the Holy Iron Chain Knights were assigned the task of guarding him after they allowed Guts to escape but Farnese gradually grew more and more disenchanted with Mozgus's methods. On the day of the Incarnation Ceremony, Mozgus announced his intention to burn Casca as a witch, causing Guts to attack him and his torturers. During their battle, the Behelit Apostle turned him and his torturers into something very much like apostles themselves, though their white, feathered wings gave them and the onlooking crowd the illusion of their having been turned into angels. However, it availed them not, as Guts killed first the torturers and then Mozgus himself.
[edit] Flora
Voiced by: Sumi Shimamoto (Japanese)
Flora (フローラ Furōra?) is Schierke's mistress, who taught her in the arts of magic and Od (spirit energy, life force, etc). In addition to being a powerful witch of indeterminate age, she is an old friend of the Skull Knight, whom she sees as "still having a human heart." This would imply that Flora knew the Skull Knight before he took on his current ghoulish form. Prior to her living in the woods outside Enoch village, she wandered the land, helping people with her magic until the Holy See's influence drove her into reclusion. She dies when Griffith sends apostles to hunt down any witches powerful enough to oppose him, but not before securing an escape route for Schierke and Guts' companions to flee the destruction of her home.
[edit] Federico de Vandimion
Federico de Vandimion (フェデリコ ド ヴァンティミイン Federiko do Vandimion?) is the head of the illustrious Vandimion family, the wealthiest noble clan in Berserk. He is father to Farnese, Manifico, Georgio and Politiano. Apparently a cold uncaring man, he was always working hard to ensure his vast fortune is secure and thus, leaving no time to raise Farnese properly. In truth, he was actually frightened of his ill-tempered daughter, as revealed by his wife to Farnese. His uncaring behavior towards his family is likewise returned to him, with the exception of Farnese, who asked Guts to protect her family when Kushan beasts invaded their noble's ball. Years ago he had an affair, the result of which is none other than Serpico, to whom he granted a noble title in exchange that no one else finds out about their relation.
[edit] Manifico de Vandimion
Manifico de Vandimion is the son of Federico and the brother of Farnese. Federico considers his other sons to be more competent than Manifico, and he has given Manifico the less important family duties as a result. Manifico arranged a marriage between Farnese and his friend Roderick in the hope of improving his standing. When Guts left for Elfhelm, Manifico accompanied him on board Roderick's ship. He has recently revealed to Roderick a plan to enslave the inhabitants of Elfhelm for commercial purposes. Roderick has refused to aid his scheme, but Manifico has persuaded Puck to help by offering to make the elf the king of Elfhelm.
[edit] Roderick of Staufen
Roderick of Staufen (ロデリック オブ シュタウフェン Roderikku obu Shutaufen?) is the third prince of the island nation Eath, and is in a similar situation to his college friend Manifico de Vandimion in the sense that he does not get the respect he feels he deserves from his peers. As a sailor, he sees vast potential in the exploration of the seas, unlike his peers, who focus internally to the point of stagnation. As part of Magnifico's plan to join the Vandimion name with the royal Eath family, Roderick agreed to be Farnese's fiance. His obvious motivations for this arranged marriage are the vast opportunities and support the Vandimion name could bring him, but he seems to take a personal interest in the heiress as well due to her reputation. Roderick, with his long black ponytail and devil-may-care attitude, is an excellent charmer and a decent blade, and demonstrates a willingness to brave demons, even though he is ill equipped to take them on. He is currently ferrying Guts and company aboard his ship, on their way to Skellig.
Roderick and his crew also have a claim to fame on the high seas: His ship, the Sea Horse, downed 5 Tudor vessels on its own, thus earning Roderick the title of "Prince of the Seas".
[edit] Video game characters
The following characters are only in the video games:
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For more details on this topic, see Berserk (video game).
[edit] Rita
Voiced by: Yuri Shiratori (Japanese), Paula Tiso (English)
Rita (リータ Rita?) is a travelling performer skilled in throwing knives and juggling. Her accomplice, Job was infected with Mandragora and her performing days were cut short when Guts killed him. Reluctantly at first, she eventually helps Guts out throughout the Chapter. She appears on the Dreamcast game version of Berserk.
[edit] Balzac
Voiced by: Kenji Utsumi (Japanese), Earl Boen (English)
Balzac (バルザック Baruzakku?) is the baron of a village. He only appears in the Chapter of the Flower of Oblivion 1999 game. Once a benevolent and protective leader to his subjects, he became obsessed with research on Mandragorans in process of finding a cure for his ailing wife. At the climax of the game, he turns into an apostle which is a multiple-headed monster.
[edit] Annette and The Great Tree (Niko)
Voiced by: Paula Tiso (English)
Annette is a mysterious nun working with the Mandragoras. She opens up to Guts (Gatsu) about the story of Niko, a child peasant who visited her cathedral regularly. She reveals that Niko dies on her doorstep, after being attacked badly by the bullies from the village. Annette tells Guts and Rita of her distaste with normal human beings, and tries to reason with Guts, to stop him killing any more of the Mandragora people. Guts however, refuses her plea. She then runs to the Great Tree for help. The Great Tree is hidden in the Cathedral, who is revealed to be Niko. Annette is a Mandragora. A battle ensues in which both Niko and Annette are beaten by Guts. Annette attempts to flee with Niko, only to find the Mandragora village in flames. In desperation, she takes her own life, by running into the fire, with Niko in her arms.
[edit] Charles
Voiced by: Megumi Toyoguchi (Japanese)
Charles (チャールル Chaarulu?) is an obscure noble kid and an apostle original character created for the Chapter of the Record of the Holy Demon War 2004 game.
| Berserk |
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| Characters | Chapters | Episodes | Dreamcast Game | PS2 Game |
| Anime OST | Forces Single | 1st Game OST | 2nd Game OST |
