Berserk's Unresolved Plot Threads

*SPOILERS*

Hello everyone,

In light of Berserk's conclusion, I've been thinking about story beats/character arcs that were (sadly) left unresolved. Since Berserk is such a lengthy and complex epic, I couldn't possibly recall all of them--it's been awhile since I've re-evaluated older arcs. This is what I've garnered so far:

-Obviously, Guts hasn't avenged the Hawks.
-Casca still can't look at Guts.
-Falconia stands.
-The Neo Band of the Hawk are still intact and a force for evil.
-Guts possesses a Behelit.
-Whatever happened with Rickert?
-Skull Knight's backstory?

What am I missing? Also, which unresolved plot thread is most intriguing to you? What are your theories/predictions for what could've happened?

Thanks for reading.
 

Beelzebud

[...] Into the abyss will I run [...]
I agree with Aaz that now is not the time for this. I have my thoughts too, the scene that I most wanted too see was Casca cured(so I'm very grateful for the last episodes), and Rickert evolution (and I have no idea how that would be).

At least for the next two years we will have a lot of points to talk about here on the forum.
 
Theresia. One of the oldest loose threads.
I honestly have never understood this desire to see Theresia return. I think her role in the story was wrapped up nicely and there's nothing more for her to add. She served to show that the uncaring, ruthless facade that Guts put on when he was the black swordsman was just that, a facade.

Aside from the obvious big ones, I wish we could have seen Azan finally abandon his charade and interact with the others as a true member of the party.
 
The biggest loose thread to me will be the godhand just floating around plotting stuff. I really wanted to know what they were after.

I imagine guts would eventually defeat Griffith, just was curious as to how the others would be dealt with.

As for the other loose threads, atleast we have some idea on skull knights past now. I'm sure casca would eventually have been able to face guts and I think falconia would have crumbled with the defeat of Griffith.
 
- Guts original parents (the mother was probably accused of witchcraft and the father must been an extraordinary person to give such strong genes to Guts). Would be interesting a small backstory of both. But I don't hold my breath on that one
- The Idea of Evil and Godhand ultimate scheme and plans for the world.
-. The taboo that banished Flora from Elfhelm
- The human origin of the other 4 members of the Godhand and what happened 1000 years ago exactly.
- The role and identity of the apparently 4 other other Godhand members at Gaiserick times.
- The identity of Gaiserick wife and his true relationship with Dannan.
- if the demonchild and moonchild are part of causality and within the Idea of Evil plans or against
- same for the surviving of Guts and Caska from the eclipse
- if the Idea of Evil influence is actually beatable or there is no real free will in Berserk
- the origins and backstory of the major apostles currently known (Zodd, Gurnbeld, Locus, Arwain, Rakshas)
- if Rickert Silat and Daiba would later play a relevant part for the plot or not.
- who will use the Behelit Guts take with him
- the whole "daimon" plot with Schierke
- of what prophecy finally fulfilling volvapa and the old wizards are talking about
- if moonlight boy/Griffith will ever separate or will live/die together forever.

Those are my personal doubts. There's a lot to unpack, and I believe that for some of them Miura itself would probably never give an answer but just leave in the mistery.
 
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Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
I want to unpack all this in a bigger analysis post on the subject when I have the time, but instead of focusing on what will never be, I'm amazed that, while it wasn't a designed ending, Berserk's final 20 or so episodes happened to check an incredible number of boxes necessary for a satisfactory resolution to the series 41 volumes:

- They reached the Island!
- Guts revealed his association with Griffith!
- The Flowerstorm Monarch was revealed!
- Schierke and Farnese go on an incredible exploration of Casca's and series' past, including re-processing its most significant fulcrum; The Eclipse.
- We bear witness to a fantastic climatic confrontation pitting them, their friends, and a berserk Guts against the Falcon of Darkness itself.
- The Good Guys Won!
- We fuckin' got Casca back!!
- Griffith lays out his purported vision (for world domination =)
- Skull Knight's past, including other God Hand and a lover connected to Danan, as well as his death are revealed!
- Isidro trains with Casca and embraces his spirit animal
- Schierke makes a friend and finds a place in the world she belongs
- Everyone, including Guts, kind of find peace with themselves on the Island; and, in the final episode alone:
- The Moonlight Boy reunites with Guts and Casca
- We see him act like a boy and them live like a family!
- He plays swords with Guts
- Casca realizes he's their son
- It's confirmed he's sharing a body with Griffith
- He/Griffith (maximum efficiency =) express longing for Guts and Casca through tears on the last fucking page!!!
One could even argue this might even be the moment that will reconcile Guts and Casca as he'll no longer be the person she most associates with the Eclipse and therefore her trauma.

What's most remarkable about us getting all these revelations and resolutions in the last 22 episodes is we didn't get them in the first 340+ to come before, and there was no reason we had to now (Miura could have easily kept stringing them along in the background). So, while bigger and better things surely laid ahead, and this was certainly not how Miura would have shaped and ordered an ultimate finale and epilogue, we're lucky that by the residue of his exquisite design so many of the most pressing plot threads and themes within these 41 volumes, which we'd want to see addressed in such a conclusion, happened to resolve themselves to such a satisfying degree here. Miura didn't get to finish what was ahead, but he ensured all the pieces were there and fit; so, albeit an unfinished story, it's all the more clearly a complete masterpiece.
 
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guuuuuuuuts

Excited for the next chapter!
Questions in my mind:

- Does Guts know the moonlight boy is his child? (probably, but not resolved)
- Can the moonlight boy be saved if Griffith is defeated?
- Can the Beast of Darkness be defeated?
- Can the brand be resolved for Guts and Casks?
- Will Caska ever embrace Guts again?
- Can Zodd be killed?
- Will all of Gut's comrades survive?

So glad we got this last chapter. It really was amazing. :mushismile:
 
One thing I always kind of jokingly held out hope for was Theresia from the black swordsman arc coming back and trying to get revenge on Guts after all this time. I had this whole elaborate shit-post theory about her coming back as like, an adopted Kushan warrior whenever Guts and Co. reunited with Rickert. This is not something I ever thought would actually happen, mind you, I just thought it might be funny.

The true owner and use of Guts' Beherit is probably gonna be the one that haunts me the most, that was the series spanning Chekhov's gun that never fired.
 
The true owner and use of Guts' Beherit is probably gonna be the one that haunts me the most, that was the series spanning Chekhov's gun that never fired.

My take on Guts' beherit is the exact opposite to this. Its purpose is to be failed to be used by the one that was "destined" to by the Godhand. Let me elaborate.

Twice in the story the same rhetorical question was asked (first by Flora, then by Ged): whatever or not the beherit belongs to Guts or is it being merely carried by him. In both instances Puck snatched Betchi from Guts' hand and said that it's his. Now, you would not be at fault to believe that this is just a simple gag of Puck being Puck. And, in a sense, it is. But, I believe, including the fact that the same exact thing happened twice, it was included to show how Puck has been influencing causality (in a minute and almost insignificant way) outside of Godhand's control and knowledge. What this shows is that the Godhand's power isn't absolute, they are not omniscient, their influence and control isn't perfect, their plans aren't infallible, and they could be defeated.

I know that using two relatively minor and innocent gags in the manga to conclude such a major point about the whole story and the Godhand seems silly, but these two instances aren't the only cases in the story following this logic and supporting this conclusion.

Also, @Aazealh wrote an extensive post exploring this idea in a much greater detail here: Causality's countercurrent.

So, in short, no one will use it to demonstrate that through events unforeseen by the Godhand, a small deviation was introduced into their plans, which would ultimately result in their defeat.
 
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-More information about Griffith’s background: his childhood, his ancestry, etc.
-More information about Void: his role in the Godhand and his history in relation to Gaeseric.
-More information about Femto‘s plans for the world, including his plans for astral entities.
-Some seem to presume that Guts and co. aren’t far-off from being able to confront Femto, which I find highly implausible.
-As others have already mentioned, the specifics of the moonlight child’s effect on Femto i.e. since Godhand members have had their compassion and empathy removed (their “hearts froze”) it will be interesting to see how Femto reacts, to being able to feel something positive again (via the moonlight child’s emotions).
 
-More information about Griffith’s background: his childhood, his ancestry, etc.
Eh, I dunno. I feel like we know as much about Griffith's past as we really need to. Getting more specific would only demythologize him. I always imagined that he was the son of a back alley prostitute or something, nothing spectacular.
 
Odysseus: “Getting more specific would only demythologize him. I always imagined that he was the son of a back alley prostitute or something.”
Yes, I also imagined him as the son of prostitute. I liked to think that his mother was beautiful and highly intelligent, but just so happened to be at the very bottom of society. I imagined Griffith’s mother looking similar to the girl in Angel’s Egg when she matures in the water.
Whilst I agree that we shouldn’t demythologise Griffith (as this fantasy aspect, is an essential part of his character), I do think that more could be revealed about his background without doing violence to his mythological status; this would enrich the depth of his character and provided a better understanding of the type of intellectual positions he and his ancestors shared.
 
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Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Wanting more is understandable—who wouldn't? But there's nothing "unresolved" (this thread's purpose) about Griffith's past. His backalley story doesn't set a precedent for us needing to learn more. Between that and the story of the boy that he shared with Casca, Miura already gave us the pieces that unlock our understanding of Griffith's ambition.
 
Wanting more is understandable—who wouldn't? But there's nothing "unresolved" (this thread's purpose) about Griffith's past. His backalley story doesn't set a precedent for us needing to learn more. Between that and the story of the boy that he shared with Casca, Miura already gave us the pieces that unlock our understanding of Griffith's ambition.

One could argue that a more in-depth insight on Femto and his objectives, if they are any different from those of the Godhand, could be more interesting story wise. You could certainly let some drops of the old Griffith flow by, but only to add up to Femto and his current goals, as Walter said we already understand Griffith's "raison d'être" pretty conclusively.

Also, as this is my first post, let me take this opportunity to salute you all. It feels good to finally say something after some years of lurking on the forums :serpico:.

I sincerely and humbly hope that I can add something of value to the forum's threads and discussions!
 
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