I my honest opinion, Berserk is the best allegory that can be used to describe the abstract reality of what it means to be human living in the reality that humanity has created for itself. I think it perfectly captures how humanity almost creates its own suffering to create its own salvation, which becomes someone else’s suffering who must find their own salvation, in a strange ouroboros-esque cycle
WOW. Not gonna lie. That is so true on so many level i am not sure all of us you and me including understand on a deep level how we ourself cause more sufferings than needed.. There is always suffering in existence. We cant run from that. But to look for that path to alleviate suffering is such a hard thing to do. And so many failed to do so. We are born to an imperfect time space but yet we are cursed with intutiveness and perception of reality. So many went mad at that realization did shit and then try their best to fix that shit. That ourobourous allegory? I think it is perfect.
I started tearing up toward the end. I used to kinda laugh when people talked about a story that "changed their life" and "touched them". Until I read Berserk. And with Miura's passing it solidifies it even more for me. Anyway, the scariest panel in Berserk is no doubt when Roderick opens the door in the fishing village and they're all just standing there. Staring at him.
The scariest part of Berserk is the fact that nothing is in our control. The band of the hawk was literally marked for death the moment they were all born, destined to be sacrificed in Griffith's Eclipse - and there's nothing they could do about it.
@SCABrianzMe I think it is fair to say it's Griffith's eclipse because the idea of evil said to Griffith that everything was planned just for him, since the last eclipse anyways
@@myamdane6895 makes me think, the idea of evil is Canon after all? iirc miura backed down a bit since he didn't want a godlike creature (I mean above the godhand) that early in the series but sadly he couldn't expand later
@@alihorda I believe it is Canon since nothing really contradicts its existence. As you said, I think Miura didn't want to reveal it too early so he pulled the chapter
I like that aspect of berserk. Guts is so small in the grand scheme. What positive overall change has guts done in the world except help end the 100 year war? What has he really done? He is just some guy we follow and i love that. Guts is a great protagonist in regards to how he reacts to the world he is in and i love how small he is. He has done a lot as a character of course but Guts is so mundane and normal in a way.
@@josesosa3337 every Apostle or evil piece of shit he removes will always be a positive. Think of all the people that Wyald will not meet or children kidnapped by Rosine.
“Do you intend to defy things such as angels and demons that can even govern fate?” “... You got it." "One day... I’ll have to hit ‘em where it hurts.” Chapter 202
The Eclipse was very creepy for me. Not the events during the eclipse but the eclipse itself before the Crimson Behelit screamed. The sun slowly disappearing and ugly freaky naked people coming from the shadows... I'm talking about the 1997 anime scene. I watched a lot of horror movies but the atmosphere here in the last 3 episodes is top tier.
The relatability of the horror in Berserk is what got to me. We've all had trauma. We've all been injured. What if those things we hated and feared became real BECAUSE of us?
The scariest aspect of Berserk was seeing myself in characters like Nina. So filled with fear and slimy cowardice. I’d have kicked Nina’s butt out of that barrel to hide in it myself. But then I saw Farnese’s scared little self hiding under a blanket, and Caska’s dear little scared soul sitting in Farnese’s palm. I saw how hard they fought to put themselves back together. Now I think it isn’t so bad to be scared, and working to overcome fear is the bravest thing you can do. Happy Halloween 🎃!
Two words: Personal Horror. ----- 1. SlugCount: I want to protect my family from the evil corrupt heathen world. 2. Wyald: I want more out of life, more Enjoyment and Excitment. 3. Rosine: I want to be an Elf and live free in Elfvalley. 4. Ganishka: I want to be feared because I’m so terrified of everybody, they’re all out to get me! Nobody will dare to challenge me! 5. Griffith: I want Wings. 6. Egg of the perfect world: Let this Old rotten world go away and a New better ”Perfect” world to emerge. 0. Idea of Evil: MY COMMAND. DO AS THOU WILL. The Apostles’ own humanity is what makes them monsters and eventually in death… Damns their souls to Eternal damnation.
Not the scariest scene but the scariest imagery would probably be when the horse got possessed by the demon and tried to y'know hurt Farnese. That was one of the few times I genuinely felt fear for a character's safety and didn't know what terror Miura was going have waiting for me on the next page.
Miura's depiction of rape as an absolute evil and never as anything more than that is my favorite aspect of the horror element of berserk. As a survivor of sexual harassment as a child and rape as an adult, I praise Miura's very black and white depiction of this most horrific of crimes.
Absolute evil? I disagree. Berserk doesn't define "good" or "evil" in most any traditional way. It does, however, define raw animal selfishness (which includes sexual harrassment) as negative and obsessive. Unhealthy and destructive. But evil? No, the term doesn't really exist. The Lost Children arc explores the blur between good and evil and their issues, for example.
@@br9760, how is rape anything but evil? It is an act of unnecessary and unwarranted cruelty that is entirely selfish, parasitic, and predatory. How can such an action be anything other than evil?
@@ericschuller908 animals rape each other in nature all the time, we don’t call it evil when they do it. In fact, it’s in our nature as well. Something we’ve all agreed is wrong and that we shouldn’t do it. Evil is such a black and white term used to describe complicated actions. Even the most horrific of crimes against children that we call evil, usually have more to them then any of us like to admit. It’s easier to call a child rapist evil than to admit that this kind of “evil” lives within all of us and that if we were brought up in different circumstances that we would in fact be capable of such things. Don’t get me wrong I think it’s horrible, but not as simple as just calling it “evil”
The entire scene where "Nosferatu Zodd" transforms into a large horned beast after slaughtering Griffith's soldiers is terrifying. The way his voice changes as he's praising Guts as the only human to ever gorge him in such a way is really unnerving. I love it!!!
"For a tree to reach Heaven, it's roots must first touch Hell." A quote from Jung that I think Miura has taken to heart making Berserk. He understands that there can be no good without evil and vice versa.
@@QWERTY-gp8fd No that would be paradox because if there's no evil and everything's good, then it's become the norm and vice versa... How do you perceive / value something based off of how good or bad something is when you live in a one dimensional world from when you can't even able to tell what's good or evil is?
The scariest thing for me is the beast of darkness... The way it's drawn laying around guts almost in a comforting way is the hest visualization for depression ive ever seen... Also the asthetics are 100% inspired by venom
@@ivankrylov6270 I’ve always thought that. Both are dark black and the eye shapes are nearly identical. The beast of darkness talks to to guts in a similar fashion to how venom would talk to its host. Now in terms of the berserker armor, it forces guts’ body parts back in to place just like venom would (only difference is venom actually heals its host whilst doing this) and when the armor is activated in a way it takes control (just like venom). Either Muira 100% took inspiration from Venom or this is the biggest coincidence ever.
Berserk tells so many great stories in so many ways, it truly is a masterpiece of fiction. It really is a shame then that alot of people unfamiliar with it are put off reading it, assuming it to be some mindless violent tale of a strong man killing demons because 'demons bad,' because truly *Berserk is so much more than it appears to be.*
To me, the scariest thing about Berserk is the reality that the cruelties enacted by people in their world are reflective of the reality of our world. Like giant cocktail shaped snails may not be realistic, but torture sure is
The thing that scares me most about Berserk is that unless the entire astral world changes, Guts cannot have a truly happy ending. He will end up in that swirling hell when he eventually bites the dust, although, it may be better than his current life. Maybe it'll feel relaxing after what he's been through lmao
What horrified me the most was when Farnese cut her hair because of how horrible her new hairstyle is. I'm not entirely kidding, but on a more serious note, Wylad murdering and raping the family that aided the Band of the Hawk is what disturbed me the most, followed by what the trolls do to the women they kidnap, which in turn is followed by the creation process of the Daka. I cannot even begin to imagine being able to conceive something so horrifying, especially that haircut.
I was “somewhat” spoiled with how the eclipse goes down but the two things that made my stomach sink was Pippen’s hollowed corpse used as a puppet And everything about the Conviction Tower’s Torture Chamber I hated it
I mean the knowledge of griffith turning evil is told to you before the arc even begins, but what really gets people is the emotions you've built up for the team. You can know they all die, but when you read it after all that time with them it's heartbreaking. Even if you're told in advance, it hurts because he did it. After all those chapters, after everything they did to save him...
Since I lost my grandma due to covid I was lost inside myself succumbing to darkness, not a hellish fire like Guts, but a torch that consumed me slowly day after day, reading Berserk again helped me a lot to deal with all of this negativity and to find myself as a human, with light and darkness, I am really thankful for this masterpiece Kentaro Miura gave to us.
They way you explained guts character was fucking beautifully said. I feel the reason why the readers are so attached to the manga is always a large portion if not all because of his character and development. His struggle to happiness to struggle again. It’s an incredible tale of someone who is trying to find their way. I just finished it not too long ago and at the point in my life I am, I couldn’t relate more to anything else. A beautiful character to an insanely tragic but wholesome blend of story telling. Bliss.
More like be glad that you will probably never experience anything of what Guts experienced. Real life isn't relatable at all to this horrific tale. People feel better when they see just how things can be way worse than they are and that's pretty much what Berserk is and why people wanna see more of it. How bad can this get and how the hell is Guts gonna defeat the Godhand.
@@silverwolf2643 I meant relatable in the struggle that he deals within himself. Everyone has inner demons and fight off impulsive or intrusive thoughts on the daily. I'm not saying I related because of the struggles he specifically has encountered, but instead the mental struggle he tries to push through on the daily. Yes, I may not be living the same life as him, but I can absolutely relate to holding the weight of everyday on my shoulders and trying to move forward to the best of my abilities. I think that's what Miura was trying to encapsulate in his character, as mentioned in this video and he did a great job.
@@jonathan-d4d yup seems to line up. Hellraiser is 87 and the Black Swordsman vol 1 was in 90. I guess Berserk did take from Hellraiser. The movie is pretty great. Disgusting special effects, in a good way.
The most terrifying thing I've seen in this manga was Wyald's gang killing an entire family and gangraping the women. Not enough, they kill the women too and impale their severed limbs on spears. And there's also the goblins' den and that giant apostle thing where they throw pregnant women inside (I'm sure they were raped by Kushan soldiers before that) and a demon baby bursts out of their womb.
Things get cancelled all the time. I've been alive for 37 years and Iv'e seen some of my favorite things not have a real ending. However, with this I was actually somewhat sad and angry with knowing that this will never get a proper ending.
Was just rewatching the first episode of 97’ anime, will gladly watch this instead. Btw, you should totally do an analysis of every episode of the anime like u did with the manga.
The most horrifying aspect is the length Guts and Griffith will go to accomplish their goals, the latter sacrificing anything and anyone, the former sacrificing himself, his body and mind...
This is so beautiful. I feel tears inside my soul. I really miss Miura every time I get onto Berserk content. It’s great to appreciate but it shows how much more valuable he was to exist and showcase such fantastic art and storytelling that he really did feel like an otherworldly being. RIP Miura and thank you. Thanks for making this video too Ryan
Fantastic vid my guy, the scariest part of Berserk for me is the fact that people do give in to their darkness and it's because of this that the world is plunged into further darkness snowballing into a deeper pit of despair. We brought this upon ourselves an the only way to fix this is if we were able to look within ourselves and conquer that darkness, resist it and try and be better as people. Any way love your vids keep up the great work.
Maybe its cause everything was so good that once Griffith who I grew to respect but still knowing what will happen after find out how long he had to be in that torture chamber as the torturer explained in great detail what he did to him. Vargas you could say suffered worse but it was never in such detail, only about how he he escaped after seeing his family be eaten by the Count and parts of his body eaten which is still horrifying but the image of someone cutting my tendons while conscious is such a painful and horrific thing to imagine because not only is that for me a very sensitive area but its also essential for any meaningful movement and having that taken away is the worst part.
Reading the comments and seeing the bad things that happen to others and the way you describe Guts and Berserk story really helps me in many way. While i never suffer as bad as a sexual assualy victim or victim of a violent crime . My ex fiancee cheated on me and that had done a terrible deal to my mental health. That effectively dehumanize me and destroyed all sense of my self worth. I was so angry and dark and to this day there are bouts of darkness that sweep over me for this trauma. So when you said Guts represent the struggle to not go into darkness. That resonated so hard with me. I too do not want to give in to the darkness. So thank you. There is darkness in the world but i will stand up and fight every day too.
Something else that's messed up to think about is how even those that were victims of apostles are also sent to hell like vargas. It's implied that right now all the band of the hawk are suffering in hell.
I guess for the the scariest parts of Berserk is whenever Zodd is on a page. I’ve noticed that pretty important things happen whenever he appears, and as well as that, he’s also like Griffiths body guard so if you see Zodd, then you know Griffith is at least somewhere nearby. Also Zodd’s character design is my favorite out of anything from the story
This may be uncommon but I actually like Berserk less because of the horrific and traumatizing scenes/themes. I love the characters but the severely dark aspects are too much for me
That is a fair concern but great that you can admit the art that exists within the more objectionable events. Always good to see fanbases have critical and constructive comments rather than flame wars. Keep your nuance up comment pro!
I’m only in about chapter 150, and I just cannot fathom how powerful the Godhand really is. Femto had Kamui and Almighty Push in the first 10 minutes of becoming a demon. I think it said every 214 years a new Godhand can be born? Void must be the first and the most powerful? And even an Apostle can be super powerful
Farnese as a child was disturbingly horrific. She would have made a sick apostle. Something like Rosine if she were a child and maybe more like Slan as an adult.
I feel like the greatest horror would be the realisation that even if you give your everything to be a good person, the evil thoughts and actions of others can completely destroy your life. This is also how you can look at most wars which always hit the civilian population hardest
Ryan bro I remember I watched all your berserk videos before I even read the story. You one of the guys inspired me to get into the game. Great content great commentary bro fw you heavy !!
I think this coulda crossed Ryans mind as he likes Record of Rag..Herc gave up his life to one of the worst serial killers in history because he knew if he won all humanity would die..There was no virtue in Jack...I really think Herc coulda have killed Jack first..Jack was the worst of Human kind and Herc kinda threw the match because he loved humanity...not jack.
I love the eldritch horror in berserk , the sense of hopelessness and the sheer smallness of human existence against the forces of causality and the godhand are so masterfully implemented in the manga
The molester trolls always really disturbed me. What those women had to go through.. just awful. Makes me wonder what, if any, trauma Miura went through in his younger years. But for sure he never depicted horrific travesties just to be edgy, he would show the worst of the world to contrast it to guts and other good people, striving forward in the world of pain
I mean the golden age arc is about how damaging Gut's rape was to him and it has an effect on him for the entire series, same with casca too, which is much more than a lot of other series with rape scenes does.
@@justacrittic1578 thats what i hate about the series. guts have no problem with killing but rape is somehow worst thing for him. he dont understand there is no coming back from death. it implies rape is worse than murder which means that rape survivors would be better off dead. rape means u have 2nd chance. dead man dont have such things.
@@QWERTY-gp8fd I think you're gravely misunderstanding Guts then. Killing is a necessity of survival in this world, you'll die or worse, go through some horrific shit then you die, if you don't fight. Meanwhile rape is purely done to satisfy oneself, Gambino/Donovan, Griffith, the king, all of em. The characters live in a different situation/world from us, don't judge em based off our privilege. On the rape survivors thing, that's just completely wrong. The whole series bases itself around taking that second chance, Guts' philosophy of never stop fighting is incredibly inspirational. At the end of the lost children chapters he even tells Jill that she can't run from her trauma, but must instead face it and overcome it. That is a good message for anyone who is struggling. Sorry for unloading on you, but your reading of the series is just plain wrong compared to what the series actually shows.
@@justacrittic1578 there is difference between having no problem with killing and killing for survival. but for guts there is no difference. as long as its not rape then its ok. u may say guts became not normal cuz of the shit he experienced. but i also have ptsd from donbass yet i still didnt become psycho unlike him. infact donbass made me more pacifist albeit a technical one.
@@QWERTY-gp8fd I mean Guts enjoys killing cus that's both how he survives and how he express himself. It's comparable to someone combating trauma through their work, he has to kill to survive so he might as well be proud of how good he is at it. He's a mercenary, a shitty ocupation, and turns it into something he is proud of, that is better than raping someone just cus you can or want to. He ain't a perfect character either, he sometimes go too far and that too is criticised with the beast of darkness. Guts is on the brink of being evil, yet he refuse the final depravity and keeps on struggling to be better.
The Horrors of Berserk = the worst can possibly happen, has happened and is inevitable unless you can get away or fight back. However, there's little to no hope against such hideous odds in this world
I think the lack of free will and the whole circle of Causality and Fate that hovers above the Berserk universe is one of the most frightening things the Manga offers
To me the sexual assault parts aren’t shock value, it’s a real experience people have to live with forever. It’s understandable that it’s hard to look at, it’s even harder to live with.
To me wilde is the most brutal apostle in the series because of the fact of the one instance we saw with the family trying to help the hawks escape the images to me were the sickest In the manga, and that's only one instance imagine how many other times Wilde and his group did the exact same thing around the kingdom.
Kentaro Miura definitely did use his creativity on all the monsters by his design; however I would say that Hiroya Oku took it a step further...at least in that specific department.
The most horrific part of Berserk is the true despair. I don't think any of the characters (except Griffith) ever caught a break. "It's not about winning the fight, it's about the fight." Is a pretty epic quote btw
The scariest part of berserk for me was when skull knight attacked Griffith with the behlit blade. Skull knight is order of magnitudes more smarter and powerful than Gutts yet he can't even touch Femto he actually just furthered femtos plan. That's the moment I realized that gutts won't ever be able to defeat griffith. It's like everything Gutts and Skull knight does is just part of the God Hands plan.
