Guts
From Berserk
Guts is the main character of Berserk, the mercenary at the centre of the Golden Age tragedy and, later, the wandering Black Swordsman. In the 1997 anime he is voiced by Nobutoshi Canna in Japanese and Marc Diraison in English. From the Golden Age Arc films onward Hiroaki Iwanaga voices him in Japanese, with Marc Diraison returning in English for the films and Memorial Edition and Kaiji Tang voicing him in the 2016 series dub.
About Guts
Guts is the lead character of Berserk, a mercenary who survives by the sword long before he has anything worth fighting for. Recruited into Griffith's Band of the Hawk, he finds comrades, love and purpose, then loses almost all of it at the Eclipse. Afterwards, branded and hunted by demons every night, he travels as the Black Swordsman, torn between revenge on Griffith and protecting the people still with him, above all Casca.
Appearance
In the 1997 series Guts is a heavily muscled young man with short, spiky black hair, a scar across his nose and a body covered in older scars. He wears battered armour over a dark shirt, a ragged cape, and carries the huge two handed sword that becomes his trademark. Later designs, after the Eclipse, add a black cloak, a prosthetic left arm with a built in cannon and crossbow, and a brand scar on his neck. The change in silhouette tells his story on its own: the later Guts is dressed for hunting, not for war beside friends.
Personality
Guts is blunt, suspicious and terrible at asking for help. Years of betrayal taught him to rely on his sword and his body, and he treats kindness as a trick until it is proved otherwise. Underneath that armour he is loyal to a fault and quietly kind to children, strays and anyone weaker than him. He jokes in battle, broods alone, and keeps moving because stopping means thinking. His great struggle is not strength. It is whether revenge or the people beside him get to decide what he does next.
Background & Story
Guts was found as a baby under his mother's hanged body and raised in a mercenary camp by Shisu, who died of plague, and by Gambino, who sold him, abused him and finally tried to kill him. Guts killed Gambino in self defence and fled, drifting between battlefields as a fighter for hire. After losing a duel to Griffith he was claimed into the Band of the Hawk, where years of shared danger gave him comrades for the first time, and a bond with Griffith and Casca that the Eclipse destroyed. Marked with a brand that draws demons to him every night, he takes up the name Black Swordsman and hunts the God Hand and their apostles, travelling later with Casca, Puck, Farnese, Serpico, Isidro and Schierke toward Elfhelm.
Powers & Abilities
- The Dragonslayer: A massive iron greatsword, too heavy for any ordinary soldier, which Guts swings one or two handed with terrifying speed. Because it has killed so many spirits and apostles, it can wound beings that normal steel passes through.
- Berserker Armour: A cursed suit of armour from Schierke's world of magic that removes the body's natural limits and reshapes broken bones with spikes. It makes Guts nearly unstoppable, at the cost of his senses, his health and possibly his mind.
- Cannon Arm: His prosthetic left arm hides a working cannon, loaded by hand and fired at point blank range, usually as a last surprise in close combat.
- Repeater Crossbow: Mounted on the same prosthetic arm, a repeating crossbow lets Guts shoot down fast or flying enemies while his sword hand stays free.
- Survival Instinct: No magic, just experience. Guts reads fights instantly, fights wounded, poisoned and outnumbered, and simply refuses to stay down, which frightens humans and monsters alike.
Key Relationships
- Griffith: The man who claimed him, raised him up and gave him a place to belong, then sacrificed the Hawks at the Eclipse. Guts's love, debt and hatred toward Griffith drive the whole series.
- Casca: The Hawk commander who first resented him and later became the person he loves most. After the Eclipse he travels to find a way to restore her mind, and protecting her competes with his revenge.
- Puck (Berserk): The elf who patches his wounds with dust and talks through the silences. Puck is comic relief, conscience and healer in one small package.
- Schierke: The young witch whose magic keeps the Berserker Armour from consuming him. Their bond, part student and teacher, part lifeline, becomes central in the later story.
- Isidro: A runaway boy who idolises the Black Swordsman and begs to be his apprentice. Guts pretends to be annoyed and teaches him anyway.
Quick Answers
Who voices Guts?
In the 1997 series, Nobutoshi Canna voices Guts in Japanese and Marc Diraison in English. Hiroaki Iwanaga took over in Japanese from the Golden Age Arc films onward. In English, Diraison returned for the films and Memorial Edition, and Kaiji Tang voices Guts in the 2016 series.
What is Guts's sword called?
Guts's sword in his Black Swordsman years is the Dragonslayer, a crude slab of iron over two metres long that was forged for killing dragons and sat unused in the smith Godot's storehouse. It is less a sword than a heap of raw iron, and only Guts can swing it.
What is the mark on Guts's neck?
The Brand of Sacrifice is the mark burned into Guts's neck at the Eclipse. It marks him as belonging to the God Hand, bleeds when evil is near, and draws spirits and demons to him every night, which is why he barely sleeps.
How did Guts lose his arm?
Guts loses his left forearm at the Eclipse and replaces it with an iron prosthetic built by the smith Rickert's master Godot's circle. It hides a cannon and a repeating crossbow, and a magnet in the palm lets him grip his sword.