Who is the one that Griffith really once loved

[NeverSoul]

I think Griffith loved Caska deep down but that would be straying off his dream. When the BOTH set him free and he was broken he had a dream where he and Caska had a kid named Guts. It makes me think that Guts was deep enough in his heart to name a child after him but not love him homosexually. When Guts defeated Griffith it was the 1st time Griffith lost and had someone equal or above him. Being taken off your pedistal and your best friend saying that he has better places to be wouldnt be easy on anyone.
in a place hes never been before he made a rash decision, jumped the gun,played his trump card to early, how ever you want to put it but it cost him his dream.

 

[Miyu]

I think Griffith loved Caska deep down but that would be straying off his dream. When the BOTH set him free and he was broken he had a dream where he and Caska had a kid named Guts. It makes me think that Guts was deep enough in his heart to name a child after him but not love him homosexually. When Guts defeated Griffith it was the 1st time Griffith lost and had someone equal or above him. Being taken off your pedistal and your best friend saying that he has better places to be wouldnt be easy on anyone.
in a place hes never been before he made a rash decision, jumped the gun,played his trump card to early, how ever you want to put it but it cost him his dream.

That's an interesting take on Griffith's vision, but I personally thought that the vision was to show what would have happened to Griffith if the Godhand hadn't come along and given him this golden opportunity to fulfil his lifelong dream. The kid in the vision was Guts and Caska's child that she was pregnant with before the BoTH went to rescue Griffith. Caska already tells Guts before the eclipse that she can't leave Griffith the way he is and wants to stay with her leader rather than the man she shares her love with. The fact that the child is named Guts is probably Caska's way of remembering the father of the child.

Though I think your interpretation was quite nice, I don't think it was a projection of Griffith's inner desires or intentions. I think it was mainly the Godhand projecting what would have happened to Griffith to show how boring his life would be and how though it would have been a simple and relaxing life, it wasn't what he fought for and dreamed about as a boy.

 

[darkbane]

I think Griffith loved Caska deep down but that would be straying off his dream. When the BOTH set him free and he was broken he had a dream where he and Caska had a kid named Guts. It makes me think that Guts was deep enough in his heart to name a child after him but not love him homosexually. When Guts defeated Griffith it was the 1st time Griffith lost and had someone equal or above him. Being taken off your pedistal and your best friend saying that he has better places to be wouldnt be easy on anyone.
in a place hes never been before he made a rash decision, jumped the gun,played his trump card to early, how ever you want to put it but it cost him his dream.

When I read that I also thought that Griffith is more attached to Caska than he admits to... Don't think the naming of the kid had any importance in that passage, that dream he had there was more of a resignation on Griffith's part. Right after he says "this might not be so bad after all" he wakes up and tries to commit suicide, that's gotta signify something.

As for the poll, we all know Griffith realliy loved Guts ;D j/k. I don't think the word "love" is in Griffith's dictionary, but certainly Guts was the only person to have an impact on Griffith, as the latter states himself.

 

[Bloody Needle]

This discussion would be easier if English didn't have such a miserably narrow vocabulary for discussing types of affection. In short, let it just be said that love between non-related people can exist in forms that don't lead to sex or even involve thoughts of sex. Honestly, how many iterations of mildly homophobic yadda-yadda do we have to go through? Griffith feels agape for Guts, ok? (people who know Attic Greek and/or Hellenic philosophy correct me if I have the wrong term...it's been a while.)
Most of Griffith's relationships have an implicit hierarchy to them. Pretty much everybody is in awe of Griffith, and view themselves as below him...its hard to feel companionship for someone who's basicly abasing themselves at your feet. Certainly, you can have profound fondness for them, but the awareness of the [sense of] inequality on both sides means there's never really social equity between parties: Griffith cared for his troops because they sacrificed for him [though he had a hard time admitting it even to himself], yet considered none of them his equals.
Griffith tells Minister Foss that everyone that meets him either worships him or deems him an enemy: Guts is one of the few people that didn't neatly fit into either group: sure, he thinks Griffith is pretty neat (once he got past the trying-to-kill-him-phase), but his admiration wasn't worshipful or deferential in the same way that Caska's, or Judeau's, was...Guts is the only character in the Hawks who wanted to be like Griffith rather than with/under Griffith, and that is why Griffith treated him differently.
Of course, Griffith is sufficiently twisted that he expresses affection in terms of control, ergo the whole foul-up at the end of the Chuda campaign, but basically he loved Guts as his sole close friend and confidante.
How he felt about Caska is a little harder to describe: clearly he derived some sort of satisfaction from the kind of unconditional, passsionate love she directed at him. But his affection for her was clearly colored by their subordinate/superordinate dialectic--it has a patronizing component.

 

[Sparnage]

    Of course, Griffith is sufficiently twisted that he expresses affection in terms of control, ergo the whole foul-up at the end of the Chuda campaign, but basically he loved Guts as his sole close friend and confidante.

Good point.
On that I personally believe up until the point that he leaves, Griffith always considered Guts still less than him, and his "what makes a friend to me" talk to Charlotte proves that. Guts lived without a dream, he lived life for another day, he was still a worker under Griffith and under his control.

Needless to say there was no doubt that he was still the closest thing he had to a friend, but not quite. People could argue that Griffith seemed to miss Guts so much after he left because he didn't know how important he was to him until he left, thats probably true but I also think it's because Guts went to find his own meaning and proved himself to be an equal to Griffith. 

  How he felt about Caska is a little harder to describe: clearly he derived some sort of satisfaction from the kind of unconditional, passsionate love she directed at him. But his affection for her was clearly colored by their subordinate/superordinate dialectic--it has a patronizing component.

I think she was more or less Griffiths pet, in his way he was fond of her and treated her well but took advantage of her complete devotion like anything or anyone else he used.

 

[DarkDragoon]

Seems to me that Griffith's speech to Charolette was just a bunch of BS to sound deep and passionate so he could get in her pants.. er.. dress. Either that of Griffith didnt realize that he wouldnt be able to handle having a true "friend."

 

[CygnusX]

Guts.

Simply Guts.

Well you can discuss if it is in a friendly or more passionated way but it makes no doubt ;)

 

[paradise_lost]

I believe his love thing was Guts...but nothing sexual necesarily...just the person that was his point of reference

I totally agree with u ... it's a kind of brotherhood-friendship-fighting against-love in ...

It's not soo easy to explain ... but that's my point of view ...

 

[Khorne]

This discussion would be easier if English didn't have such a miserably narrow vocabulary for discussing types of affection.

If you think english can not express feelings, check out swedish...

EDIT from Aazealh: Thanks not to make huge quotes to reply a single line.

 

[Sparnage]

Seems to me that Griffith's speech to Charolette was just a bunch of BS to sound deep and passionate so he could get in her pants.. er.. dress. Either that of Griffith didnt realize that he wouldnt be able to handle having a true "friend."

I don't think so in the slightest, he had no reason to use those particular words to sound better to Charlotte. If he wanted to sound great in front of Charlotte he could have easily done so by agreeing that they were his friends as well his comrades.

Anyway Griffith is very honest and direct with his words and says what he does for a reason, besides that particular speech was a fundamental concept that ties into the story in many ways.

 

[Gaiseric The Great]

It seems quite obvious to me that Griffith loved Guts as a friend.

As far as Charolette, he went to her for comfort when he was depressed, yes. But sex is really the best comfort in times of depression and sorrow.. so it may just have been for the comfort of sex with no feelings involved. However, he knew there were risks involved.. and he really could've banged any chick he wanted to.. but he chose Charolette, despite the risks. That could either mean that it's because he cares about her, or because he was too lazy to go find another chick so he went to the one who he knew wanted him. Id say it means he cared about her.. because I think it'd be easier to go find another random chick to bang instead of risking his ass breaking into a palace to bang one specific one.

I always saw it as Griffith was so shocked by what happened to him that he needed to reassert himself in his mind that he can still get (take) what he want. I don't think he went there to seek comfort from her. After they finished Griffith was alone, still having self-doubt (more or less holding himself the same way when he talked to Caska after the Gannon ordeal, which was another moment of self-doubt) while Charlotte wasn't even on his mind.

As for whom he loved I think the answer is Guts. They have a connection, which goes beyond the physical (or romantic) form of love, as in example look at Sam and Frodo from LOTR. You can tell there was obvious love there between two kindred spirits, which shared a lot of adventures together. That’s how I see it.

 

[DarkDragoon]

A wee bit more complex then Sam and Frodo though.

That reassuring himself that he can still take what he wants idea makes sense.

 

[Devil666Reaper]

it is sure-ly clear that Griffith loved only one thing wich was his DREAM SO THE ANSWER TO THAT Q is none (His dream) , It may seem that in the anime that Caska Had feel-ings for Griffith and Griffith Knew That! So he (in my opinion ) used that to for fill his dream. the princess we all know that Griffith did not love her but clearly wanted her to reach or acomplish his dream! ahh Finaly Gutsu Griffith (in my opinion) addmiered Gutsu for his STRENGTH!! he saw (in my opinion) that to acomplish what he wants he needs POWER!! (Gutsu = POWER ) but he never knew that the power wich he has (Gutsu) will turn against him (leave the band of hawks) . Also wich Griffith doesn't know (in my opinion) that Gutsu left The Band Of Hawks for one reason wich is to be Griffith's freind!!