What kind of ENDING you hope you will NOT see?

[Enturax]

I hope I won't see:
- a cliche'd happy ending where each character survives and gets back to their old, improved, but still old - lives (just kill Isidro already, pls!);

-the "God Hand" getting stopped in a short fight that won't conclude anything regarding them besides making them disapear for a few years that the Manga won't cover anymore, anyway;

-the skull knight sacrificing himself (that'd be too obvious) and not even revealing his face;

-generic revenge on Griffith; it'd be very lame not to see a complex conversation between him and Guts beforehand which'd show new cards to the table, it'd completely ruin all the expanded personalities of the characters that were developed through the 1st volumes (in fact: I'd not be mad if Griffith'd survive after all -  - maybe he isn't a good guy, but he isn't evil either, just lost as a human being which resulted in being selfish - that's how I see it);

-too much slapstick humor: one of the reasons why I loved Berserk was because it always tried to give a serious feeling and vibes of the western works (which Miura admitted himself, he tried to copy), not the typical Anime comedy crap that is in the current arc and has been growing since the introduction of Isidro... (Puck always felt more subtle/natural to me... and actually funny, not cringe-worthy and forced like Isidro);

-not freeing Guts from Hell that he's supposed to enter when he dies (mentioned in 3rd or 4th volume), or, more like: mentioning it at all cuz I feel like everyone forgot about it, Miura including... (or maybe I don't remember something?  )


Do you agree with me? And even if so, please, try to think of something for yourself and type it down



I really hope Miura won't listen to the editors because they'd probably suggest him to end it the way majority of the fans would like to (which means: boring, cliche'd and too positively).

[Walter]

I hope I won't see:
- a cliche'd happy ending where each character survives and gets back to their old, improved, but still old - lives (just kill Isidro already, pls!);

Little chance of that. But I also don't expect Miura to just throw characters in the fire arbitrarily to meet some death-quota some fans seem to have.

-the "God Hand" getting stopped in a short fight that won't conclude anything regarding them besides making them disapear for a few years that the Manga won't cover anymore, anyway;

What...?

-the skull knight sacrificing himself (that'd be too obvious) and not even revealing his face;

My man, Skull Knight is a hollow set of armor. He does not have a "face."

-generic revenge on Griffith; it'd be very lame not to see a complex conversation between him and Guts beforehand which'd show new cards to the table, it'd completely ruin all the expanded personalities of the characters that were developed through the 1st volumes

A complex conversation, like a BioWare game? Branching dialogue options?

  : "Alright Griffy, it's showtime. But before that, I've got just 15 questions!"
  "Do as you will!"

I'd not be mad if Griffith'd survive after all -  - maybe he isn't a good guy, but he isn't evil either, just lost as a human being which resulted in being selfish - that's how I see it);

Griffith is evil. He "embraced evil" to become a member of the God Hand, beings powered by "evil power" who serve "The Idea of Evil" and rule over apostles by imbuing them with "evil power." Not even mentioning his rape of Casca, I'm not sure how you can circumnavigate all of that and conclude that he's not evil. Was it his love of cake and tea that convinced you otherwise?

-too much slapstick humor: one of the reasons why I loved Berserk was because it always tried to give a serious feeling and vibes of the western works (which Miura admitted himself, he tried to copy), not the typical Anime comedy crap that is in the current arc and has been growing since the introduction of Isidro... (Puck always felt more subtle/natural to me... and actually funny, not cringe-worthy and forced like Isidro);

Comedy has been a part of the series since its very first release. And you can fuck right off for calling the current portion of the story "typical anime comedy crap."

-not freeing Guts from Hell that he's supposed to enter when he dies (mentioned in 3rd or 4th volume), or, more like: mentioning it at all cuz I feel like everyone forgot about it, Miura including... (or maybe I don't remember something?  )

Why would anyone forget that?

PS: I heard that there's an interview with Miura where he states that the ending will not be negative; is it true? Can you link it to me?

https://mangabrog.wordpress.com/2015/12/14/berserk-artist-kentaro-miura-interview-i-actually-dont-think-i-could-let-such-a-long-grim-story-end-with-a-grim-ending/

[Enturax]

What...?

I meant a typical situation where a too OP being(s) get shoo'd away rather than actually get destroyed because they're either way too OP or too important for the plot/Manga's world which needs them to exist.

My man, Skull Knight is a hollow set of armor. He does not have a "face."

We'll see (unless I don't remember something, which is possible :v)

A complex conversation, like a BioWare game? Branching dialogue options?

  : "Alright Griffy, it's showtime. But before that, I've got just 15 questions!"
  "Do as you will!"

Ok, don't tell me you don't wanna know what's been in Guts and, especially, Griffith's mind during this whole time?

Griffith is evil. He "embraced evil" to become a member of the God Hand, beings powered by "evil power" who serve "The Idea of Evil" and rule over apostles by imbuing them with "evil power." Not even mentioning his rape of Casca, I'm not sure how you can circumnavigate all of that and conclude that he's not evil. Was it his love of cake and tea that convinced you otherwise?

What you're talking about is his "Femto" form, which, indeed, was evil as, just like you said it, was meant to be evil because he has become a freaking demon.
When it comes to the "normal" Griffith; many people, and possibly even you, seem to not realize how much Griffith's mind has been f'd up (he literally wanted to kill himeslf) due to tortures and the fact he has lost so much in such a short time. He was always a winner, y'know, so when he finally lost (BIG TIME), he naturally broke down. The worst 2 things that completely broken him, were:

-seeing Guts as the clear "winner" here (he said his friend is his rival and they compete against each other by getting closer to their dreams, and Guts was definitely closer to his own dream than Griffith to his, at the moment)

-being crippled and humiliated by the king himself; he could NEVER again go and try to achieve his dream with that body and reputation

Also, the current, resurrected Griffith said that he doesn't even feel anything anymore, even next to Guts. That's what he said, at least.

Comedy has been a part of the series since its very first release. And you can fuck right off for calling the current portion of the story "typical anime comedy crap."

Get out if you believe half of the main characters who constantly joke around and make "funny faces" was what Berserk was from the beginning. Berserk has become a cliche'd shonen when we look at it from that perspective, yes.

Why would anyone forget that?

Why wouldn't they? It has happened so much long time ago!

https://mangabrog.wordpress.com/2015/12/14/berserk-artist-kentaro-miura-interview-i-actually-dont-think-i-could-let-such-a-long-grim-story-end-with-a-grim-ending/

Thanks, but I've found the exact same link before you've replied ;P

[jackson_hurley]

resurrected Griffith

Though the Griffith we have now in the story is not a resurrected Griffith, it's Femto (a spiritual body) incarnated in a body of flesh. Which makes him still evil as fuck as when he did not have a physical body. Nothing changed about that. He's just playing a nice role of "I'm being nice event though I've anticipated/pre-planned it all and nobody knows..."

[Walter]

I meant a typical situation where a too OP being(s) get shoo'd away rather than actually get destroyed because they're either way too OP or too important for the plot/Manga's world which needs them to exist.

That already happened with Slan in the Qliphoth. Or do you mean the hypothetical FINAL BATTLE with the God Hand? Because if it's the latter, well, I guess we can chalk this one up to "things that were never going to happen but you are dreading anyway."

We'll see (unless I don't remember something, which is possible :v)

What you're forgetting, or didn't realize, is that when SK swallowed the beherit in v16, it made a "ka-rang" sound effect, which is a Japanese onomatopeia denoting a hollow, metallic sound.

Ok, don't tell me you don't wanna know what's been in Guts and, especially, Griffith's mind during this whole time?

Sure, but I won't feel robbed if those two don't have a "complex conversation" right before their final duel. I have full confidence Miura can satiate those feelings from fans in a few lines. For example, when Griffith appeared before Guts on the Hill of Swords, his opening line delivered so much information, implicitly.

And for someone who has been complaining loudly about shitty anime tropes, don't you think two rivals having a "complex conversation" before fighting is one of them...?

What you're talking about is his "Femto" form, which, indeed, was evil as, just like you said it, was meant to be evil because he has become a freaking demon.

Griffith is Femto in a flesh suit. This is not a theory. It is what the "incarnation" part of "incarnation ceremony" refers to.  Furthermore, he literally transforms from one form to the next in Vol 34.

Also, the current, resurrected Griffith said that he doesn't even feel anything anymore, even next to Guts. That's what he said, at least.

Sounds like you misunderstood that line. He was specifically referring to whether being near Guts would awaken any feeling in him -- a feeling that he regarded as a weakness.

Berserk has become a cliche'd shonen when we look at it from that perspective, yes.

If you feel that way, then you're in the wrong place. You may also want to consider stopping reading, because it sounds like this series isn't for you.

Why wouldn't they? It has happened so much long time ago!

Because it's a critical part of the story. Why is this even worth asking? Has Miura has failed in making call backs for other parts of the story? No. Why would this aspect be forgotten? It wouldn't. You're just fabricating a non-existent problem.

Thanks, but I've found the exact same link before you've replied ;P

You asked for the link, I posted the link.

[Enturax]

Seriously, ppl, this topic is not about reviewing what I said...

[buttonmasher]

I'd recommend checking out the Berserk Myth Busters episode of the podcast from this site.  Your misunderstandings derailed your thread before it ever had a chance. 

The amount of comedy varies per episode and is dictated by the content of the episode.  Nobody is cracking jokes in Casca's dream but there is still some situational humor. 

[RaffoBaffo]

Berserk has become a cliche'd shonen when we look at it from that perspective, yes.

You don't seem to know how to use that term.

A Manga is a Shounen only because is published on a Shounen Magazine.

For example, that's why Jojo [or Captain Tsubasa, or Kinnikuman, ecc, ecc.] was a Shounen, and now is a Seinen.


Also, Walter is right.

[MrFlibble]

I'll probably get shit for this, but I don't want Guts to kill Griffith in a final rage induced fight to the death, having Guts learn throughout the story that revenge is bad, and learn to let go of his bloodlust to protect those he cares about, only to grant him revenge would contradict everything he went through, and it would mean a certain evil beast  would be proven right.

I also hope the world doesn't snap back to normal in the end, there may even be worse things to come, but I would hope that the howl of the astral world does lasting damage to civilisation.

My last hope isn't really to do with the ending, but I hope to see a lot more of the God Hand in the future, the root cause behind all of the supernatural events up until this point deserve more than simply being relegated to members of Griffiths team of baddies.

[MrFlibble]

I hope I won't see:

-the "God Hand" getting stopped in a short fight that won't conclude anything regarding them besides making them disapear for a few years that the Manga won't cover anymore, anyway;

Me too, I'd hate if all four of them got one shotted. However I think you misunderstand how the God Hand work, Slan's body in Qliphoth was an avatar rather than a physical manifestation of her full form. That's like saying Conrad died when he was in his rat mass form.

-the skull knight sacrificing himself (that'd be too obvious) and not even revealing his face;

I disagree, the Skull Knight has a massive death wish, there's nothing left of him, he only exists to defeat the God Hand, it would be cruel not to let him rest in peace, and tbh I don't mind if we never see his face, there are plenty of characters in Berserk whose true appearances remain a mystery.

-generic revenge on Griffith; it'd be very lame not to see a complex conversation between him and Guts beforehand which'd show new cards to the table, it'd completely ruin all the expanded personalities of the characters that were developed through the 1st volumes (in fact: I'd not be mad if Griffith'd survive after all -  - maybe he isn't a good guy, but he isn't evil either, just lost as a human being which resulted in being selfish - that's how I see it);

Me too, I'm not a Griffith fanboy, but I'm not someone who thinks he isn't beyond some kind of redemption, if he dies without any kind of resentment towards how he was manipulated by God it would lower my opinion of the character.

-too much slapstick humor: one of the reasons why I loved Berserk was because it always tried to give a serious feeling and vibes of the western works (which Miura admitted himself, he tried to copy), not the typical Anime comedy crap that is in the current arc and has been growing since the introduction of Isidro... (Puck always felt more subtle/natural to me... and actually funny, not cringe-worthy and forced like Isidro);

Sorry dude, the lame slapstick humour is a staple of Berserk.

-not freeing Guts from Hell that he's supposed to enter when he dies (mentioned in 3rd or 4th volume), or, more like: mentioning it at all cuz I feel like everyone forgot about it, Miura including... (or maybe I don't remember something?  )

I very much doubt Guts or Casca will be branded at the end of the series. I don't see old man Guts defending himself from specter ooze with his Dragonslayer.

[buttonmasher]

Ask yourself what happened 1000 years ago with Gaiseric?  Why does SK relentlessly pursue the God Hand?

Having the God Hand escape would be narratively redundant.  I won't pretend to have any good idea of how the story ends but I'm  confident the God Hand will be destroyed.

[ThePiedPiper]

Seriously, ppl, this topic is not about reviewing what I said...

There's a high attention to detail in discussion threads such as this. And it's generally not a good idea to base your thoughts on information that isn't accurate, especially when you have people like myself that are relatively new to the series still trying to grasp certain concepts

I hope to see a lot more of the God Hand in the future, the puppet masters behind all of the supernatural events up until this point deserve more than simply being relegated to members of Griffiths team of baddies.

Are God Hand members simply "puppet masters" though? It's my understanding their influencing of the world isn't by their personal interests, but in accordance to God's will. The hand can pull strings, but it's God that wills the hand to move, the actual master.

[MrFlibble]

There's a high attention to detail in discussion threads such as this. And it's generally not a good idea to base your thoughts on information that isn't accurate, especially when you have people like myself that are relatively new to the series still trying to grasp certain concepts

Are God Hand members simply "puppet masters" though? It's my understanding their influencing of the world isn't by their personal interests, but in accordance to God's will. The hand can pull strings, but it's God that wills the hand to move, the actual master.

I misspoke, I know the situation is a lot more complicated than, "The God Hand control everything"

[Menosgade]

After all this work, I can't believe Miura would end the story with something lame as

"And then the God Hand were gone... except they weren't..."

What I wouldn't like to see is Casca being deeply harmed, again. This is inevitable one way or another (Guts death is a posbility), but at least I want to see her strong to face it, whatever it might be.

I also wouldn't like to see Elfhelm destroyed. I believe it'll be attacked, from inside and outside. With so many magicians and Guts I count that they'll be able to stand ground.

[Griffith]

Well, this thread is kind of a bummer, but I'll play because I literally made a mock up of what I DON'T want it to be:


Note: This dialogue is adapted from the Sam Neill TV miniseries vehicle Merlin (1998), which delightfully sucked and is probably best represented by this image.

But to the heart of the question at hand, I don't care as long as it's done well, and that includes things that on paper might seem like contrivances or cliches but are tailored in such a specific way as to be perfectly appropriate, fitting, and effectively surprising for the story. Anything can be done well, and doing something that's usually done poorly the right way can make for the best payoffs. Show us how it's done, Miura!

[jackson_hurley]

And in the end, Griffith always show up to illuminate the day. Thank you for that beautifull ending. If only... 

Joke aside, I do agree with you Grif. I don't care how it's play out towards the end, as long as it's well done and so far I can't really find a part in the story where Miura never delivered. That says a lot on how I/we trust him with his story because obviously, he seems to know where he wants to bring his story.

I don't think I'll ever be scared of how it's gonna end.

[Sareth]

Well, this thread is kind of a bummer, but I'll play because I literally made a mock up of what I DON'T want it to be:

It's only a matter of time before some noob posts your mock up on Reddit or Tumblr believing it's legit.

[Walter]

It's only a matter of time before some noob posts your mock up on Reddit or Tumblr believing it's legit.

This actually happens all the time (and across the world) with Griff's "20 years later" joke image. 

[jackson_hurley]

This actually happens all the time (and across the world) with Griff's "20 years later" joke image. 

Darn! I near;y forgot about that one! I got fooled too when it came out. 

[Sareth]

This actually happens all the time (and across the world) with Griff's "20 years later" joke image. 

That's exactly what I was referring to. People are gullible.

[Fancypantaloons]

I would not like an ending with everyone happy, everything ok.
I would not like an ending with everyone dead, everything not ok.
I would not like an ending with Guts just dying (but I would not mind if he follows SK's path, only if it makes sense if that happens)


I trust Miura. I'm not saying that Berserk or Miura is perfect. He will end the story the way it's supposed to end. Maybe some of us will not like how it ends, but that doesn't mean it will end wrong or without any sense. Berserk has come a long way (and a long way ahead!) and it is made from dedication, detail and love of it's creator. Whatever path Miura chooses to follow with Berserk, it will be the right one, that is if he continues with his dedication, detail and love, something we just know he will. It can't go wrong. Imagine you started reading Berserk when it just came out. When the eclipse came, of course you didn't want Casca to get raped (I guess. I wouldn't), or all of the hawks killed. But if you look back from today, you can see everything that happened makes Berserk what it is. There are no plotholes, nothing pulled out of Miura's ass. So I think that even if something happens and I don't like it, or if Berserk ends in a way I don't like, it will still be the correct way, Berserk way, Miura's way.

I'm not saying this because you said otherwise or nothing like that. I just wanted to say this and I thought this was the right place.

Nice thread! Sorry my bad english.
Hugs!

[Masacrator SR]

i would not like an ending with major questions unanswered (skully story. purpose of the astral shriek, etc), but im ok with some left to interpretation / speculation (no more 3rd party light novels plz....)

"Trust in da Miura" 

[ThePiedPiper]

i would not like an ending with major questions unanswered

Yeah, this would be the only answer I'd have for the topic's question. Assuming the series runs its full course, I'm certain nothing will be abandoned. There may be minor things about characters we'll have to connect the dots to on our own, as everything isn't just spelled out for us like an Encyclopedia entry but I'm not worried.

I don't find the topic of "The End" that interesting, because as soon as you formulate an 'ending', you'd have to justify it with the paths that get you to that point. What good is seeing the final scenes inside a crystal ball without knowing why and how those events are occurring? Besides, trying to predict Miura's plot points is futile, so we'll most likely be wrong. There are innumerable variables in the form of characters and individual action that could radically change the future, not to mention the potential for additional variables to be introduced. This 'formula' could be made invalid in the next episode for all we know.

I predict the final victor in this conflict to be... causality!

[Crimson]

I trust Miura enough to come up with a satisfying ending.

My biggest concern is actually the opposite: I don't want it to NOT have an ending. That's what makes any story bad and what is wrong with anime as a whole, and it's steadily becoming a problem with other forms. Never-ending fatigue.

I feel people are just so afraid of having their favorite things end or not get a sequel is what kills any chance for good stories.

My least favorite examples of writing are all that same never-ending formula. That's the one thing I DEFINITELY do not ever want to see in Berserk. It becoming one of those.

But Miura has put too much detail into everything for that, so I know it won't happen, just saying. That's *my* biggest concern, possible or not. Even some hack trying to continue it years later after it already ended.
I loathe shit like that.