Guts' biological father

[GhizmoTheKeeper]

Many protagonists in manga have meaningful parents in one or another way. Berserk is not a shonen, fair enough. I was still wondering wether Miura ever intended giving us additional information about Guts' genetic heritage. What we know for sure is that his mother was dead while giving birth at that hanged mans tree. Who she was? No information. She could have been an enthralled peasant as well as a noble woman. Yet we know absolutely nothing about his father except that he has one. Or does he? ;)
It's not like Miura did not have the opportunity to tell us from the off that Gut's parents were just some lowlife family from the gutter nobody cared about or that his mother was raped in war just to emphasize the grim environment the boy grew up in. Instead, we got nothing. But this nothing leaves room for something meaningful for the story.
Heck, there could even be some spacetime manipulation that transported the baby boy to that tree to make it look like he was born from a corpse.
Just think about Gaiseric and his loved one. "Save da baby! Send him to teh future!" (I don't really think this could nor should be real, just throwing in ideas)
In my opinion Guts does not need any special father figure that suddenly appears and is a powerful mage from somewhere or anything like that.

I am just curious about what information/story element you think Miura would possibly have inserted within this "who is the father" issue? Would he even have adressed it at all? Do you think Mori and his team would tackle this issue, depending on details they may or may not have gotten from Miura personally?

What are your thoughts or imagination about this?

 

[Draculoid]

*Insert Zodd joke here*

This type of discussion/speculation has been done to death, but it's always been more interesting to me that he doesn't have a special lineage. You mentioned that the opportunity was there to mention they were peasant nobodies. While that could be interesting thematically, as far as a man that came from nothing becoming so integral the worlds biggest events, I think that leaving his parents as a complete unknown serves a similar purpose but is much more powerful.

It's important to his character not just that he was born from unknowns too, he was born from a corpse, literally the absolute closest to nothing someone could feasibly be born. He was never supposed to live but somehow survived through his sheer force of spirit and will-power. It's all him and his parents are inconsequential. His drive to survive on his own terms and for himself is a huge part of the story, not that he does it because he's the chosen one, that he has some time travel magic parents or some royalty that could pay off in the future. It would totally undercut him as a character and what he represent to the story, which is the story itself.

Besides that, Gambino and Shisu are his parents. Regardless of genetics, Guts saw Gambino as his father and his coming from nothing and being taken in by them is a very important part of his character.

In the end, like I said before, I just feel like these sorts of "parent revelations" can work in a different story, but not in Berserk. No matter how it would be done I feel like it would undercut his backstory and even themes of the manga as a whole.

 

[Aazealh]

I was still wondering wether Miura ever intended giving us additional information about Guts' genetic heritage.

That's easy enough to answer: no. We are shown what's relevant about Guts' birth and childhood in volumes 3 and 4. Having a bubble with the narrator saying "his parents were nobodies" would not have enhanced it. It's best left to the reader's imagination (as is often the case).

Beyond that, Berserk in general is not a story where lineage matters. Guts, Griffith and Casca were all born in poverty from unimportant people. Even Farnese, who hails from a prestigious family, doesn't derive any of her skills or personal attributes from her parents.

 

[GhizmoTheKeeper]

That's easy enough to answer: no. We are shown what's relevant about Guts' birth and childhood in volumes 3 and 4. Having a bubble with the narrator saying "his parents were nobodies" would not have enhanced it. It's best left to the reader's imagination (as is often the case).

Beyond that, Berserk in general is not a story where lineage matters. Guts, Griffith and Casca were all born in poverty from unimportant people. Even Farnese, who hails from a prestigious family, doesn't derive any of her skills or personal attributes from her parents.

While I completely agree I still could see some options that would make sense. Maybe not in the "you are a prodigy because your dad was a demigod" way but more in the "your father killed his father and hence was cursed" or something like that. Something playing around with the idea of causality over time.

 

[Aazealh]

While I completely agree I still could see some options that would make sense. Maybe not in the "you are a prodigy because your dad was a demigod" way but more in the "your father killed his father and hence was cursed" or something like that. Something playing around with the idea of causality over time.

Guts himself is already cursed, though (by the Brand of Sacrifice). I don't think adding more on top would make things more interesting. Even something more subtle, like learning he's a distant descendant of Gaizeric (which is unlikely), wouldn't bring anything to the table. They're already connected much more meaningfully by the dreadful events they each endured. That's causality.

However there is one character whose parentage is unknown and that I'm curious about: Schierke:

 

[GhizmoTheKeeper]

However there is one character whose parentage is unknown and that I'm curious about: Schierke:

True. While it's obvious she is becoming to Guts what Flora was for Skully (spiraling history) where have the foundations for her character been laid? Is my stupid approach of sending a child to the future maybe even an option here? Is she also born from nothing?
Would you say she could be an exception to the lineages being of no importance to the power of characters?

Sometimes I thought: What if Schierke died - but her soul became somewhat detatched from her body before and she decides to merge with Guts' armour to always be at his side or whatever, thus giving a very useful set of buffs to him etc. Some more reason for such an event could be supported by a backstory of Schierke being left in a very sad, sorrowful manner.

 

[Aazealh]

While it's obvious she is becoming to Guts what Flora was for Skully (spiraling history)

I think it's best not to focus too much on the spiral thing. In recent years people have tended to give it too much importance.

Is my stupid approach of sending a child to the future maybe even an option here? Is she also born from nothing?

I really can't imagine time travel coming into play at all. It just wouldn't fit with the story at this point.

As for being born from nothing... I did ponder in the past on whether she could have been born through a special process, like perhaps tied to Flora's tree or something, but that's far-fetched. Like with other characters, it may just be that her parents didn't matter at all, so much so that the topic never even came up.

Would you say she could be an exception to the lineages being of no importance to the power of characters?

Probably not, which is also why I'm not super convinced by the idea I wrote above. I think Schierke's abilities are easily explained by the fact she was raised to be a witch by Flora from a young age. She's a prodigy who learned from a true master. No need for her to have special powers apart from that. This is reinforced in the story by the fact Farnese manages to become a witch herself, even though she starts at a late age.

Guts and Casca's son is the only character who has been shown to have innate powers due to how he was conceived. Danan even comments on it in episode 364. That said, from what we know his powers aren't so much because of his mom and dad as they are because of his tragic birth (corrupted in the womb by Femto) and then his transformation inside the Egg of the Perfect World.

Sometimes I thought: What if Schierke died - but her soul became somewhat detatched from her body before and she decides to merge with Guts' armour to always be at his side or whatever, thus giving a very useful set of buffs to him etc.

I really don't believe Schierke's going to die. Miura would have never done that. Besides she already helps Guts with the armor when she needs to.

 

[GhizmoTheKeeper]

As for being born from nothing... I did ponder in the past on whether she could have been born through a special process, like perhaps tied to Flora's tree or something, but that's far-fetched. Like with other characters, it may just be that her parents didn't matter at all, so much so that the topic never even came up.

Schierke, the golem so perfect, everybody thinks she is a human, even herself ;-)

I really don't believe Schierke's going to die. Miura would have never done that. Besides she already helps Guts with the armor when she needs to.

Well that's what I thought about the core of the Band of the Hawk too before the Eclipse happened...
Imagine all those carefully developed characters in Guts' little group of adventurers just being slaughtered by Femto in the blink of an eye.
Guts being one Griffith-Hair away from snapping into complete mindlessness when Skully slices open the dimension of the last arc.
Well that's so far fetched that I don't even believe it will happen but never the less it doesn't feel completely out of place in this manga.^^

I will not leave any assumptions about Moonlight Boy here because he is a complete wild card for me that could result in any possible action which makes me unable to think of something I find plausible. Yet I second your assumption that we are going to see something special from him because he was born this way.

 

[Aazealh]

Schierke, the golem so perfect, everybody thinks she is a human, even herself ;-)

That's not how golems work in Berserk though...

Well that's what I thought about the core of the Band of the Hawk too before the Eclipse happened...

Were you introduced to Berserk by the anime? Because in the manga it's kind of a given that the flashback explaining how Guts became the Black Swordsman, sworn enemy of Femto, won't end well.

Imagine all those carefully developed characters in Guts' little group of adventurers just being slaughtered by Femto in the blink of an eye.

Sounds like really terrible storytelling.

I will not leave any assumptions about Moonlight Boy here because he is a complete wild card for me that could result in any possible action which makes me unable to think of something I find plausible. Yet I second your assumption that we are going to see something special from him because he was born this way.

I wouldn't describe him as a wild card. He loves his parents and is oppressed by Femto, but also represents a potential fatal weakness for him. No doubt the last part of the story will revolve around him.

 

[GhizmoTheKeeper]

Were you introduced to Berserk by the anime? Because in the manga it's a given that the flashback explaining how Guts became the Black Swordsman, sworn enemy of Femto, won't end well.

No no, I just read it all after being pushed to finally do so by many friends. To be more precise with my statement: As Griffith was in prison, apostles starting to show and all, having his red Behelit in mind I was starting to think "oh well we are gonna have to say goodbye to a bunch of people". But before that I honestly didn't expect it to go that dark. I had thought at least people like Judeau survive through being intelligent etc.
If I had started with the 'recent' anime from 2016 I propably just would have opted out thinking it won't be worth my time and just start reading Vagabond xD

That's not how golems work in Berserk though...

And I was just kidding^^ - though I could imagine some kind of artificial human of some sort...

I wouldn't describe him as a wild card. He loves his parents and is oppressed by Femto, but also represents a potential fatal weakness for him. No doubt the last part of the story will revolve around him.

That whole thing reminds me of a very old german epic, even too old to be called a fairytale. Here, without going into too much detail, the hero slays a mighty dragon which nobody thought anyone could do. He then bathes in the dragons blood through which he gains invincibility against all and everything. YET from a linden tree fell a leaf (they are somewhat heart shaped) that landed directly between the hero's scapulae. Because of that, one small heart shaped part of his body remains vulnerable. Of course this later leads to the heros death because he couldn't keep his mouth shut.
That whole leaf-thing is just an analogy for love being the downfall of the invincible warrior (his wife gives information on how to kill him).

You could say that the moonlight boys' love for his parents will be the linden leaf of Femto on the long run.

 

[Aazealh]

That whole thing reminds me of a very old german epic, even too old to be called a fairytale. Here, without going into too much detail, the hero slays a mighty dragon which nobody thought anyone could do. He then bathes in the dragons blood through which he gains invincibility against all and everything. YET from a linden tree fell a leaf (they are somewhat heart shaped) that landed directly between the hero's scapulae. Because of that, one small heart shaped part of his body remains vulnerable. Of course this later leads to the heros death because he couldn't keep his mouth shut.

I am familiar with the Nibelungenlied.

You could say that the moonlight boys' love for his parents will be the linden leaf of Femto on the long run.

Ehhhh that's a mighty stretch. I don't think it's comparable. That specific legend did get incorporated into Saint Seiya however, if you're interested.

 

[GhizmoTheKeeper]

I am familiar with the Nibelungenlied.

When I first read it, I was too young for such a lengthy story of absurd family feuds and internal wars and didn't touch it for years xD

Ehhhh that's a mighty stretch. I don't think it's comparable. That specific legend did get incorporated into Saint Seiya however, if you're interested.

Yea to think this would somewhat literally be what happens in Berserk is absurd of course. What I meant was more of an analogy. Perhaps Femto absorbs the boy to eradicate the possibility of him being a nuisance or worse. Later on then what remains of the boy will be Femtos', maybe all of the God Hands downfall. I really hope that the specifics of the end were amongst the conversations betwen Miura and Mori and let some genious moments shine through.

 

[Aazealh]

Perhaps Femto absorbs the boy to eradicate the possibility of him being a nuisance or worse.

I mean... He's pretty much done that already. The fact they shared a body is the source of his current problems.

 

[Griffith]

I really can't imagine time travel coming into play at all. It just wouldn't fit with the story at this point.

♪ I'm my own grandpa! ♪

And sure, "at this point," but that's just because time travel hasn't been invented in the story yet! Actually, it has, maaaaan, the island is time traveling, just like on LOS-

This might be my favorite out-of-context, polite Aaz denial in a thread that already has some great ones. I just imagine him running through these consecutively in a monotone voice, "I can't imagine time travel being a factor... The spiral was just a figure of speech... That's not how golems work... Puella, do we have any wine left?"

 

[Vampire_Hunter_Bob]

*Insert Zodd joke here*

This thread brings up memories of 14 year old me convinced that the secret to Guts' parentage is in his pointy ears!

 

[GhizmoTheKeeper]

This might be my favorite out-of-context, polite Aaz denial in a thread that already has some great ones. I just imagine him running through these consecutively in a monotone voice, "I can't imagine time travel being a factor... The spiral was just a figure of speech... That's not how golems work... Puella, do we have any wine left?"

He's like Levi Ackerman from SnK and those like me just spilling out ideas are the titans. "Too bored. Just cutting them down. What's the big deal?"

Though I will never be afraid to post when I have some strange idea or question because I mean that's what I signed up for: other humans honestly commenting what they think.