Cracks in the Blade/Guts' Choices

So I just re-read Cracks in the Blade during my current re-read, and I wanted to share my thoughts and see what the rest of you guys think. So in regards to Godo's reproach of Guts for leaving, a lot of people seem to think he was right on all accounts, but I dont think he was right about everything. Guts could've made better choices in regards to making sure the Casca, Rickert and even Erica and Godo were safe/taken care of etc. But I also think he couldn't just allow Griffith, the Apostles and even the God Hand to do what they did to his friends and the woman he loved and just go unpunished and free in the world. There isn't exactly a law enforcement system that at least theoretically will pursue justice on your behalf. He (and Casca) were the only survivors and how could you live with yourself knowing that Griffith et. all are going free and unpunished in the world and at the end of it all, when you die your soul is dragged down into the Vortex for all eternity.

Guts definitely could've made better more responsible choices in regards to taking care of Casca and Rickert, but like I said he is pretty much the only one who can possibly do some justice for the horrific things inflicted on him, the woman he loves and the friends he loves.

I cant remember what the guys on the podcast said in regards to accepting Godo's reproach of Guts, but I dont think Guts made the wrong choice in avenging his friends and Casca. In a world where no one else will seek justice for you, I could never just sit back and accept what happened. Those responsible would have to pay.
 

Aazealh

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Guts definitely could've made better more responsible choices in regards to taking care of Casca and Rickert, but like I said he is pretty much the only one who can possibly do some justice for the horrific things inflicted on him, the woman he loves and the friends he loves.

Seems like you're misunderstanding the problem. Guts abandoned the woman he loves in order to pursue a selfish quest for revenge. I don't know what you mean by "more responsible choices", because there isn't really an in-between here. He could have stayed with her, which means he would have had to deal with her condition. Instead he chose to leave her. She was at her most vulnerable and instead of being there for her, he left her in a cave with little companionship. That's not how you take care of the woman you love. There really isn't a way around this fact, and Guts himself recognized it and blamed himself for it.

As for the revenge itself, it's also important to note that Guts didn't really achieve anything exceptional during his Black Swordsman period. He killed somes apostles, but that had absolutely no impact on the God Hand. It was a way for him to deal with his personal pain, as it did nothing to help either Casca or his dead comrades. And it was also a path towards perdition. Which is why his chance encounter with Puck in volume one is so important, as it steered him ever so slightly off of that self-destructive path. Sufficiently so that he lived long enough to care again about the love of his life.
 
Seems like you're misunderstanding the problem. Guts abandoned the woman he loves in order to pursue a selfish quest for revenge. I don't know what you mean by "more responsible choices", because there isn't really an in-between here.

By a more responsible choice, I think Guts could have returned to the Godo's home on a regular basis to see how Casca was doing, and spend a decent amount of time there "in between missions" so to speak.

I also dont view Guts' crusade as purely selfish. I think he felt a responsibility to somehow honor his friends... he definitely wanted revenge, but he also wanted to avenge the fallen and Casca.

He made a huge mistake in not returning to the cave, and helping to take care of Casca, I just dont see it as purely selfish. I also think to just allow Griffith and the Apostles to just to remain free in the world would be a mistake. Guts definitley didn't accomplish much during that time, but I think there was honorable and responsible intent in his choices, mixed up with all the darkness, malice and despair and frankly irresponsibility in not at least from time to time seeing how Caca and Rickert were coping.
 

Walter

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Guts wasn’t doing it for justice in the sense that you are talking about. He did it because he was filled with thoughts of revenge. He says so himself.
 

Aazealh

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Staff member
Like Walter said, you should probably carefully re-read what Guts himself has to say about this as he processes his feelings. There's a reason he didn't just go out to hunt apostles from time to time while mostly staying with Casca, and it's not that justice demanded it. I get that you don't want to paint Guts' quest for revenge as a purely bad thing, and it's certainly not a coincidence if the story was written that way. The reader is meant to empathize with Guts' pain and his desire for vengeance. But what Godot tells him is true, and Guts comes to realize it in those episodes.
 
Whether justice can be a circumstance of revenge or not is debatable, but that certainly wasn't the point being made in the episode. As has already been explained, Guts prioritized his personal needs and feelings above everything else, without realizing the error in his way of handling things at the time. What Godot did was open his eyes to an aspect of the truth which he had closed himself off from, and as far as that is concerned Godot was right. Now, the fact that Guts had gone on this mostly futile quest for revenge at the very least made it so that the realization struck him more profoundly. He also met Puck during this time, which as Aazealh said, is an important reason why he is where he is now, and might even have given him a chance to deliver actually meaningful and deliberate justice depending on how the story will progress.
 
Hey guys thanks for the thoughtful replies

I totally acknowledge that revenge is Guts motivation, but the reason I dont see it as a selfish act was that he wanted revenge for the people he loved, not for himself. But that could be perceived as one and the same I suppose. And to be clear, not taking care of Casca is a horrendous mistake which Godo is 100% right about. Hopefully you guys can where I'm separating the issues even if you dont agree, or think I'm wrong.

But when Aaz drops "read carefully" you know there are some details I probably breezed by in Berserk fugue/rapture. This is my 3rd re-read and I cant believe how different my reading is this time. I remember just reveling in the Black Swordsman my last time, now its just shocking and sad to see how much Guts changes after the Golden Age. Cant believe how much of an emotional read it is, even the 3rd time around!
 
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