Will Guts ever be rid of the Beast?

And if so, how will he do it? Is the trip to Elfhelm going to rid him of the Beast permanently, or simply suppress it? Or shall Guts suffer forever onward to the final battle? What then? Will it attempt to take over Guts (judging that that he survives the final battle) and kill his friends? How exactly will the Beast be stopped when it has nothing else to quench its thirst for blood, and most of all, how will poor Guts be able to rid himself of it for good? Thoughts?
 

Aazealh

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If he ever does, which isn't something I'd bet on, then I can only see it happening near the end of the story.

Henry Spencer said:
Will it attempt to take over Guts (judging that that he survives the final battle) and kill his friends?

That'd be pointless. The Beast of Darkness doesn't want Guts' friends to die just for the sake of it. It wants it to happen so that nothing will stand between him and his hatred for Griffith. If Griffith dies, one could assume that the Beast would finally be appeased. Whether it'd be permanent or not remains to be seen though, but so far it's been its ultimate goal.

As far as how he could "get rid" of it, one possibility among others is that at some point in the future, with the help of Casca and his friends, he might manage to get over his current desire for revenge. To transcend it, and instead fight Griffith for a better (and maybe even selfless) reason (saving the world! :ganishka:). Becoming his own man at last instead of merely positioning himself in the world through his relationship with Griffith. That sounds a bit cheesy, but hey, who knows? It could also be something a little less extreme. Guts overcoming whatever deep trauma led him to create this Beast of Darkness, being able to canalize his rage in a more efficient manner, and fighting alongside his comrades to put an end to the reign of evil!

In the end, there's a lot we've yet to learn about the Beast of Darkness and how it relates to Guts' psychology in general. Part of the answer may lie in the details of his desire for revenge. For example, who he's doing it for (a topic brought up in the PS2 game). His dead friends, his broken girlfriend, or himself? Is it a honest pursuance, or an excuse to give his life a purpose? And so forth. Facing these problems might be the key for him. In a way, it's possible that he was traumatized by the Occultation just like Casca was, and that the Beast of Darkness is the ultimate manifestation of that trauma.
 
Yes, I do feel the Beast was Guts way of suffering from the Eclipse too. I just want to see Guts happy at the end of the storyline, and be able to be rid of the Beast within himself, he deserves that much at least, the poor man. :sad:
 

Walter

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Henry Spencer said:
Yes, I do feel the Beast was Guts way of suffering from the Eclipse too.
Actually, I think that's an oversimplification. I don't think you can piecemeal the Beast's origins together event by event like that. It's not _just_ the Eclipse that gave birth to the Beast, nor is it _just_ Guts' suffering from it.

Thinking of it in these terms is also in a way, an overcomplication of the issue. Quite simply, to go against the natural order, and to do battle with monsters, Guts psychologically began to take on an aspect of them. I think that's the point Miura is driving at, more often than not with the Beast.

Guts' teeny little humanity can't hope to compete against such overwhelming opponents as apostles. And so, he had to tap into something more primal. Consequently, it's something that's incongruent with his humanity.

Henry Spencer said:
I just want to see Guts happy at the end of the storyline, and be able to be rid of the Beast within himself, he deserves that much at least, the poor man. :sad:
I think he will. It's a matter of finding balance in his life -- something he's rarely (never?)had.
 
Hey Guys, First Post!

What I get from reading episode 290 is that the beast will lay dormant in Guts until the final battle with Griffith, where he will take control, or at least try. Which looks like its gonna be Guts unleashed, lol, sounds like fun. But the beast could take over before hand. I honestly do not think Guts will get rid of the beast before the final battle and I sure hope not, because I'm looking forward to seeing the Hellhound finally attacking the Hawk.
 

Aazealh

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Anrioch said:
Hey Guys, First Post!

Hi, welcome to SK.net!

Anrioch said:
What I get from reading episode 290 is that the beast will lay dormant in Guts until the final battle with Griffith, where he will take control, or at least try. Which looks like its gonna be Guts unleashed, lol, sounds like fun. But the beast could take over before hand.

I think it's hard to predict what's going to happen from what the Beast of Darkness says, which I'm posting below for the sake of clarity:

puella said:
Page 04

The Beast of Darkness: Don't think you can tie me with that yoke.
The Beast of Darkness: At the moment you got that husk, I was already unleashed.
The Beast of Darkness: That impudent little witch thinks as if she has tamed me but it was just one moment.
The Beast of Darkness: Your new companions
The Beast of Darkness: The ones who you should protect.
The Beast of Darkness: A warm light.
The Beast of Darkness: Maybe it isn't bad that you depend on such a thin chain for now.

Page 05

Translator's note: When the Beast of Darkness speaks to Guts, the words "I" and "you" are one and the same. It shows that it recognizes itself as Guts. I've only indicated it in one line for clarity's sake, but it's the same for all of them.

The Beast of Darkness: But since they are with you, the more they are related to me, the more these idiots get to expose themselves to the jaws of death.
The Beast of Darkness: And they will be crushed, torn and ripped apart soon
The Beast of Darkness: ...Just like that time (the Occultation)
The Beast of Darkness: Cherish them
The Beast of Darkness: Only to lose more

Pages 06-07

The Beast of Darkness: At that time, nobody will be able to stop me/you
The Beast of Darkness: I will swallow you entirely
The Beast of Darkness: I will rush with hatred and rapture
The Beast of Darkness: To chew and grind the true light that burns you with my fangs

Page 08

The Beast of Darkness: For now it's OK, I'll follow you
The Beast of Darkness: I'll gather my breath at the bottom of my deep darkness
The Beast of Darkness: I'll save my power as much as I'm tied and suppressed
The Beast of Darkness: And then... in the end...

Basically it predicts that Guts' friends will die, not unlike what happened during the Occultation, and that then it'll come forward and completely overcome Guts. One thing I noticed people don't seem to be doing is to question whether that will actually happen or not. Are Guts' companions really going to die? Personally I hope not. And I don't think their deaths would help Guts in a fight against Griffith, quite the contrary actually. In short, what I'm saying is that we should take what the Beast of Darkness says with a grain of salt.
 
Aazealh said:
One thing I noticed people don't seem to be doing is to question whether that will actually happen or not. Are Guts' companions really going to die? Personally I hope not. And I don't think their deaths would help Guts in a fight against Griffith, quite the contrary actually.

Hopefully they don't die as their characters have been way more developed than The Hawks, which is mainly why I do not see them getting slaughtered and remain optimistic. It's possible that Guts is aware that the beast will do something like this in the future and attempt to keep them all safe in Elfheim, or something along those lines in the future.
 
Well, Concerning the beast I would think that as soon as the series draws to a close I would think (I don't know how this would be possible) but Guts would have to Confront the beast or something and kill what has been enraging him all this time. Or if Guts dies then the beast will die along with him, depressing yes but thats the second possibility concerning the beast.
 

skullnights_pants

I'm a llama!
^ sounds cheesy but is quite possible.

I am sure there will reach a point where the beast takes control and guts almost kills his friends, this story is just begging to happe in the future.

As for getitng rid of the beast? The beast is a part of him, it won't go away
 

Oburi

All praise Grail
skullnights_pants said:
^ sounds cheesy but is quite possible.

I am sure there will reach a point where the beast takes control and guts almost kills his friends, this story is just begging to happe in the future.

That did happen already in volume 29.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
skullnights_pants said:
Yes I know, but it will happen again, but worse. There might be a little episode where he kills some innocent humans or something

Hahaha, you make it sound so trivial.
 

skullnights_pants

I'm a llama!
Well why not, or maybe Miura could top the sacrfice section by having guts go crazy on his team and killing.severely wounding one of them, it would be an epic fight watching guts take on his comrades, though guts would slaughter them tbh. I see it as possible you know

that would be awesomely shocking, we are due a death or two methinks
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
skullnights_pants said:
Well why not, or maybe he could top the sacrfice section by having guts go crazy on his team and killing one of them, it would be an epic fight watching guts take on his comrades, though guts would slaughter them tbh

It wouldn't be like Guts at all to let something like this happen, and it would be everything but epic.
 
Aazealh said:
It wouldn't be like Guts at all to let something like this happen, and it would be everything but epic.

Epic fail for Guts.

I guess that the Beast said that to Guts because he became the type of person that "has to suffer" to keep going. He's accustomed to grief and the need for revenge is what kept him going in impossible situations, but now that feeling has been fading and he just doesn't know how to live without that pain and that might make him consider going after Griffith. Of course the Beast disagrees.
 

Oburi

All praise Grail
yota821 said:
^^ Huh? Why would the beast disagree with going after Griffith? :???:

I think fuxberg may have meant that Guts might reconsider going after Griffith and that the Beast disagrees with Guts' wavering sense of bloody revenge. Not sure though
 

Aazealh

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Staff member
fuxberg said:
I guess that the Beast said that to Guts because he became the type of person that "has to suffer" to keep going.

No, the Beast of Darkness said so because Guts' friends are distracting him from his revenge. It's not as if Guts doesn't hate Griffith anymore or anything like that, the Beast itself is proof of that. His desire for revenge is as strong as ever and that's embodied by the Beast's persistency. But he's putting his friends (mainly Casca) before it. And that doesn't sit well with the part of him that only wants to lose itself in a bloody crusade against his sworn enemy. Since he's now sailing away from Griffith, the Beast is biding its time, but the warning it gave him made one thing very clear: it's not out of the game. And when Guts' friends will be out of the picture (wishful thinking on the Beast's part), nothing will hold him back anymore.
 
Aazealh said:
No, the Beast of Darkness said so because Guts' friends are distracting him from his revenge. It's not as if Guts doesn't hate Griffith anymore or anything like that, the Beast itself is proof of that. His desire for revenge is as strong as ever and that's embodied by the Beast's persistency. But he's putting his friends (mainly Casca) before it.

I think we're having the same line of thought, Guts' friends are making him forget his goal, but that feeling is still there, otherwise there wouldn't be any Beast. :chomp:

Aazealh said:
And when Guts' friends will be out of the picture (wishful thinking on the Beast's part), nothing will hold him back anymore.

That's what I meant when I said that he has to suffer to keep going, the loss of the Hawks is a memory often recollected by Guts when in difficult situations to give him that extra "will power?"/"Berserker rage". :beast:

(and I meant to say reconsider on my previous post, thanks Oburi)
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
fuxberg said:
I think we're having the same line of thought, Guts' friends are making him forget his goal, but that feeling is still there, otherwise there wouldn't be any Beast. :chomp:

They're not making him forget his goal, it's just that he has several goals and killing Griffith isn't his top priority right now. There's a difference, albeit subtle.

fuxberg said:
That's what I meant when I said that he has to suffer to keep going, the loss of the Hawks is a memory often recollected by Guts when in difficult situations to give him that extra "will power?"/"Berserker rage". :beast:

I think you're putting this the wrong way. His friends have to die so there won't be anything holding him back from losing himself in his hatred. It's not a matter of fueling his hatred with grief. Do you really think his grief would fuel his desire for revenge against Griffith if he killed his friends himself? It wouldn't make any sense.
 
Aazealh said:
I think you're putting this the wrong way. His friends have to die so there won't be anything holding him back from losing himself in his hatred. It's not a matter of fueling his hatred with grief. Do you really think his grief would fuel his desire for revenge against Griffith if he killed his friends himself? It wouldn't make any sense.

Sure, but I see Guts and the Beast as two different characters even knowing that they're the same person, but if the Beast said that his friends will die it must mean that Guts is aware of this possibility, since the Beast is his subconscious. I'm not disagreeing with you but the final part of your post makes sense, through the Beast's eyes.
So to answer the the thread' question: I don't think so. :troll:
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
fuxberg said:
Sure, but I see Guts and the Beast as two different characters even knowing that they're the same person

The Beast of Darkness is a personification of Guts' dark side.

fuxberg said:
if the Beast said that his friends will die it must mean that Guts is aware of this possibility, since the Beast is his subconscious.

It's more than that, it means that a part of Guts wishes for it to happen.

fuxberg said:
the final part of your post makes sense, through the Beast's eyes.

I don't think so. If you look at episode 290, for example, the Beast of Darkness says of Guts' friends that they are "a thin chain", a "yoke" with which it is tied down. A "warm light" that prevents it from swallowing Guts entirely. Their loss would crush him mentally, and that is what the Beast of Darkness is counting on. For Guts to give up the fight to stay sane. It essentially pictures them as the only thing keeping him from becoming a mindless killing machine. I understand your perspective, but it's not just a matter of simply fueling his hatred anymore.
 

Daijyashin

Berserk is Divine and Human
Aazealh said:
The Beast of Darkness is a personification of Guts' dark side.

It's more than that, it means that a part of Guts wishes for it to happen.

I agree with you, and I'm asking if, we may think that the Guts' dark side, and thus his dark desires are his true will, and their good intention to be still human(and to have a party) is just a fake purpose.

So I'm asking if the inner dark desires(like those that gave birth to God) are the true engine of Guts in this case.
His love for Casca is just an illusion to him?
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Marik said:
I agree with you, and I'm asking if, we may think that the Guts' dark side, and thus his dark desires are his true will, and their good intention to be still human(and to have a party) is just a fake purpose.

So I'm asking if the inner dark desires(like those that gave birth to God) are the true engine of Guts in this case.
His love for Casca is just an illusion to him?

Why would his other feelings be "fake" or illusionary? People aren't just all black or all white. When Guts feels a sense of belonging with his friends, there's no reason to doubt its truthfulness. It's not something you can force into existence. And so far, what little positive things Guts has in his life have sufficed to keep the Beast of Darkness at bay, even if barely. It recognized it and (for now) submitted itself. So no, I wouldn't say so.
 
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