1.Introduction and Disclaimer
So I re-read the whole series for the first time, and just finished volume 37 in time for 334. Definitely going to re-read it again. Cause I discovered so many new things, learned to appreciate the series even more and just ended up being an even bigger fan of Miura and Berserk. What I'm going to present in this thread is sort of a "conspiracy theory" regarding the beast that I felt was obvious in some parts of the manga, but looking back at it, I'm questioning myself. I agree with those who think this theory is bullshit, and I also agree with those who think it has some kind of merit. I'm not married to the idea, and I guess that's why it fits here in speculation nation. Maybe you guys have more insight than me and can fill up some of the gaps when it comes to my knowledge of the series. To unveil the topic from mystery, the basic assumption is that the Beast is wholly or at least partly caused by the Godhand/IoE, and it is their intention to make it grow stronger in power.
2.The General View
The consensus on the beast, and probably the most logical explanation is that it's born from Guts' hatred, rage, wrath and need for revenge. It takes over when he loses control, and we see glimpses of it even before it truly emerges as an entity, for example during the Lost Children chapter when he goes nuts. Even after he kills the Snake Baron in Volume 1, there's a shot of Guts' with his one eye "shining", although not with the same design as in the Lost Children chapter, I think it can be assumed that it's part of the beast, or at least laying a foundation for it. He also goes nuts and tortures the Baron, but not the "Whore Apostle" or "Slan's Little Sister" (Corkus' Bane, seen in the first pages of Vol.1) who actually doesn't hurt him or put up a real fight. So it's safe to assume that more long-winded challenging apostle fights really bring out the sadist in him as the Black Swordsman.
One difference we can note when comparing the "old" Black Swordsman (Vol.1-3) and the "new" Black Swordsman (Lost Children Chapter) is that the "old" one trashtalks (or dirtytalks, haha) alot when he's in his "beastmode", which I really really liked, and that's kind of removed later on in the Lost Children chapter. When he goes "Berserk" or into "Beastmode" here, he doesn't say anything, he just becomes a killing machine. I actually like this contrast, as it portrays the early Black Swordsman as a frustrated disrespectful almost insane individual, which Guts was at the point, but at the same time shows that the beast perhaps has taken over him even more when fighting Rosine as he doesn't say a word when his eye is "shining".
Anyways, it can be said that the beast is not easily provoked unless Guts is physically threatened, or like later on in the series, unless the "beast" part of Guts' ambitions are threatened (for example by Casca). To sum up this part; the beast is the "dark part" of Guts, wants revenge and doesn't want anything else compromising it. But can we really be sure that's all there is to it?
3.Noteworthy events for questioning the general view
Below is a compilation of several events that could provoke questions regarding the nature of the beast.
3.1 The Beast intensifying over time as a result of supernatural/astral interaction
As far as I've noticed, the beast didn't really manifest visibly until after the eclipse, a supernatural/astral occurence. Even then (vol.1-3) is was fairly subtle, as Miura probably hadn't made up his mind on what he would do with it. It gets worse during the Lost Children chapter as Guts is no longer in a state to even do his "dirtytalking" (or maybe it's just maturation on his part, or character development? But it surely seems like the beasts control over him is more intense. Maybe it intensified even more as a result of interaction with apostles, just like the Dragonslayer got "astral" properties from killing otherworldly creatures). And later on the beast himself manifests, so it all becomes clear. Finally, the berserker armor is a supernatural/astral trigger aswell. The question this provokes is the following: is the beast merely a result of Guts' emotions, or has the interaction with the supernatural/astral also triggered/empowered it? In the case of the berserker armor, this is obvious. Taking it even further: Is it partly a result of him being branded?
3.2 The Beast being triggered by the ghosts that haunt Guts
This ties in with the preceding question, but is worth mentioning separately. We can notice that the ghosts can trigger the beast in Guts. For example in volume 23, when he's protecting Casca and some of the ghosts manage to possess him. The beast takes over and wants to hurt Casca. Later on we see what happens to Farnese when she gets possessed, and what we can conclude from that generally is that the possession awakens deeply disturbing and dark parts of any human being that is affected by it. In Guts' case it's the beast, in Farneses case it's her suppressed sexual and sadistic desires. But do these feelings actually exist within these individuals? Yes, but they are VERY LIMITED in strength, and the possession intensifies them disproportionately. Sure Farnese has some sexual and sadistic thoughts, but she would never want to be cleaved in half from her vagina and up if she was in her right "sadistic mind". Or maybe she didn't have those thoughts, and the possession tricked her to interpret her vague behaviour in a destructive manner? If we do the same with Guts, we can see that the Beast/possession is something that intensifies emotions to a degree of ridiculousness. As this can be triggered by the haunting astral creatures, can this be seen as a part of the Godhands/IoE will? It seems logical in a way that they would want Farnese to kill herself, as ambassadors of evil, but for Guts to get angry, stronger and wanting to kill Griffith? Is there something here we haven't noticed? Could it be that the Godhand/IoE has a plan for Guts to get stronger by ways of the Beast? Could you also takes it as far as the IoE/Godhand knowing that Farnese might turn into a powerful magic user in the future, trying to kill her off in advance?
3.3 The Beast being triggered by The Branded Casca's Blood
Another instance when the beast gets triggered is when Casca escapes from Guts, is almost raped by bandits and seconds later is almost raped and killed by "the Beast". This is a very powerful emotional part in the series, where Guts in desperation of the whole situation kisses her against her will.. fucking sad, I was almost brought to tears.. but then he somehow manages to taste her blood as she's wounded, and suddenly we're in beastmode.
The question here is: did the beast awaken beacuse of:
a) Blood?
b) Blood of a Branded One?
c) Blood of someone who compromises the Beasts interests?
This is probably hard to answer, unless there are other instances of the beast being awakened by blood, please do notify me if there are. But it's interesting as a part of the theory.
To take it even further: if the answer is b), is the beast working as and agent for the Godhand, wanting to kill off a branded one? And pushing Guts to fight Griffith as soon as possible so he'll also be killed as he is a branded one?
3.4 The Godhand supporting the Beast?
What's the deal with Griffith just not letting the apostles kill Guts and Casca during the ceremony? He could have seen to it so easily. Later on, when the Count is dying and the Godhand is summoned, they could EASILY have killed Guts. And didn't it say somewhere that a sacrifice isn't complete without all the branded ones dying? So it would be of benefit to Griffith.. to kill Guts?
Or would it be to their benefit to make him even more angry, feeding the beast? As long as he survives, the beast is fed..
Maybe it's part of causality for the Godhand, to help cultivate the Beast in Guts for some purpose later on.... but this might also lead to the Beast becoming a wild card during the "temporal junctions".
Later on in the Qliphoth it feels like Slan appreciates Guts' rage and encourages it. "You're the best". Yeah, it's her personality, she's a crazy bitch, but still. She loves seing him grow more powerful, hateful, angry and dangerous. As long as he's strong enough to survive her challenge and the beast is fed. Quoting Slan from the Qliphoth in volume 26:
"I've missed you boy. It's been so long. No.. I felt you at all times. In the cave, at the tower, throughout countless nights..
I felt all your passions. And as the path unfolded, I knew you'd come to my domain, Qliphoth. Now, let me feel it more. Your rage. Your anguish. Let it.. all loose."
4. Final Thoughts
So when I read through this I know I can't really believe in this theory 100%, but I think it's interesting and maybe worthwhile as a point of discussion. If you can "debunk" it in any way, please be my guest as I'd love to learn more about the Berserk universe. I hope you enjoyed this, as I wrote it all in a caffeinated frenzy just as I am about to go through a heavy lifting session. Looking forward to getting new perspectives on this, until then, have an awesome day and praise Miura.
To end with a little synchronicity,
quoted from Iron Maiden - Number of the Beast:
"I'm coming back
I will return
And I'll possess your body
and I'll make you burn
I have the fire
I have the force
I have the power
to make my evil take its course"
So I re-read the whole series for the first time, and just finished volume 37 in time for 334. Definitely going to re-read it again. Cause I discovered so many new things, learned to appreciate the series even more and just ended up being an even bigger fan of Miura and Berserk. What I'm going to present in this thread is sort of a "conspiracy theory" regarding the beast that I felt was obvious in some parts of the manga, but looking back at it, I'm questioning myself. I agree with those who think this theory is bullshit, and I also agree with those who think it has some kind of merit. I'm not married to the idea, and I guess that's why it fits here in speculation nation. Maybe you guys have more insight than me and can fill up some of the gaps when it comes to my knowledge of the series. To unveil the topic from mystery, the basic assumption is that the Beast is wholly or at least partly caused by the Godhand/IoE, and it is their intention to make it grow stronger in power.
2.The General View
The consensus on the beast, and probably the most logical explanation is that it's born from Guts' hatred, rage, wrath and need for revenge. It takes over when he loses control, and we see glimpses of it even before it truly emerges as an entity, for example during the Lost Children chapter when he goes nuts. Even after he kills the Snake Baron in Volume 1, there's a shot of Guts' with his one eye "shining", although not with the same design as in the Lost Children chapter, I think it can be assumed that it's part of the beast, or at least laying a foundation for it. He also goes nuts and tortures the Baron, but not the "Whore Apostle" or "Slan's Little Sister" (Corkus' Bane, seen in the first pages of Vol.1) who actually doesn't hurt him or put up a real fight. So it's safe to assume that more long-winded challenging apostle fights really bring out the sadist in him as the Black Swordsman.
One difference we can note when comparing the "old" Black Swordsman (Vol.1-3) and the "new" Black Swordsman (Lost Children Chapter) is that the "old" one trashtalks (or dirtytalks, haha) alot when he's in his "beastmode", which I really really liked, and that's kind of removed later on in the Lost Children chapter. When he goes "Berserk" or into "Beastmode" here, he doesn't say anything, he just becomes a killing machine. I actually like this contrast, as it portrays the early Black Swordsman as a frustrated disrespectful almost insane individual, which Guts was at the point, but at the same time shows that the beast perhaps has taken over him even more when fighting Rosine as he doesn't say a word when his eye is "shining".
Anyways, it can be said that the beast is not easily provoked unless Guts is physically threatened, or like later on in the series, unless the "beast" part of Guts' ambitions are threatened (for example by Casca). To sum up this part; the beast is the "dark part" of Guts, wants revenge and doesn't want anything else compromising it. But can we really be sure that's all there is to it?
3.Noteworthy events for questioning the general view
Below is a compilation of several events that could provoke questions regarding the nature of the beast.
3.1 The Beast intensifying over time as a result of supernatural/astral interaction
As far as I've noticed, the beast didn't really manifest visibly until after the eclipse, a supernatural/astral occurence. Even then (vol.1-3) is was fairly subtle, as Miura probably hadn't made up his mind on what he would do with it. It gets worse during the Lost Children chapter as Guts is no longer in a state to even do his "dirtytalking" (or maybe it's just maturation on his part, or character development? But it surely seems like the beasts control over him is more intense. Maybe it intensified even more as a result of interaction with apostles, just like the Dragonslayer got "astral" properties from killing otherworldly creatures). And later on the beast himself manifests, so it all becomes clear. Finally, the berserker armor is a supernatural/astral trigger aswell. The question this provokes is the following: is the beast merely a result of Guts' emotions, or has the interaction with the supernatural/astral also triggered/empowered it? In the case of the berserker armor, this is obvious. Taking it even further: Is it partly a result of him being branded?
3.2 The Beast being triggered by the ghosts that haunt Guts
This ties in with the preceding question, but is worth mentioning separately. We can notice that the ghosts can trigger the beast in Guts. For example in volume 23, when he's protecting Casca and some of the ghosts manage to possess him. The beast takes over and wants to hurt Casca. Later on we see what happens to Farnese when she gets possessed, and what we can conclude from that generally is that the possession awakens deeply disturbing and dark parts of any human being that is affected by it. In Guts' case it's the beast, in Farneses case it's her suppressed sexual and sadistic desires. But do these feelings actually exist within these individuals? Yes, but they are VERY LIMITED in strength, and the possession intensifies them disproportionately. Sure Farnese has some sexual and sadistic thoughts, but she would never want to be cleaved in half from her vagina and up if she was in her right "sadistic mind". Or maybe she didn't have those thoughts, and the possession tricked her to interpret her vague behaviour in a destructive manner? If we do the same with Guts, we can see that the Beast/possession is something that intensifies emotions to a degree of ridiculousness. As this can be triggered by the haunting astral creatures, can this be seen as a part of the Godhands/IoE will? It seems logical in a way that they would want Farnese to kill herself, as ambassadors of evil, but for Guts to get angry, stronger and wanting to kill Griffith? Is there something here we haven't noticed? Could it be that the Godhand/IoE has a plan for Guts to get stronger by ways of the Beast? Could you also takes it as far as the IoE/Godhand knowing that Farnese might turn into a powerful magic user in the future, trying to kill her off in advance?
3.3 The Beast being triggered by The Branded Casca's Blood
Another instance when the beast gets triggered is when Casca escapes from Guts, is almost raped by bandits and seconds later is almost raped and killed by "the Beast". This is a very powerful emotional part in the series, where Guts in desperation of the whole situation kisses her against her will.. fucking sad, I was almost brought to tears.. but then he somehow manages to taste her blood as she's wounded, and suddenly we're in beastmode.
The question here is: did the beast awaken beacuse of:
a) Blood?
b) Blood of a Branded One?
c) Blood of someone who compromises the Beasts interests?
This is probably hard to answer, unless there are other instances of the beast being awakened by blood, please do notify me if there are. But it's interesting as a part of the theory.
To take it even further: if the answer is b), is the beast working as and agent for the Godhand, wanting to kill off a branded one? And pushing Guts to fight Griffith as soon as possible so he'll also be killed as he is a branded one?
3.4 The Godhand supporting the Beast?
What's the deal with Griffith just not letting the apostles kill Guts and Casca during the ceremony? He could have seen to it so easily. Later on, when the Count is dying and the Godhand is summoned, they could EASILY have killed Guts. And didn't it say somewhere that a sacrifice isn't complete without all the branded ones dying? So it would be of benefit to Griffith.. to kill Guts?
Or would it be to their benefit to make him even more angry, feeding the beast? As long as he survives, the beast is fed..
Maybe it's part of causality for the Godhand, to help cultivate the Beast in Guts for some purpose later on.... but this might also lead to the Beast becoming a wild card during the "temporal junctions".
Later on in the Qliphoth it feels like Slan appreciates Guts' rage and encourages it. "You're the best". Yeah, it's her personality, she's a crazy bitch, but still. She loves seing him grow more powerful, hateful, angry and dangerous. As long as he's strong enough to survive her challenge and the beast is fed. Quoting Slan from the Qliphoth in volume 26:
"I've missed you boy. It's been so long. No.. I felt you at all times. In the cave, at the tower, throughout countless nights..
I felt all your passions. And as the path unfolded, I knew you'd come to my domain, Qliphoth. Now, let me feel it more. Your rage. Your anguish. Let it.. all loose."
4. Final Thoughts
So when I read through this I know I can't really believe in this theory 100%, but I think it's interesting and maybe worthwhile as a point of discussion. If you can "debunk" it in any way, please be my guest as I'd love to learn more about the Berserk universe. I hope you enjoyed this, as I wrote it all in a caffeinated frenzy just as I am about to go through a heavy lifting session. Looking forward to getting new perspectives on this, until then, have an awesome day and praise Miura.
To end with a little synchronicity,
quoted from Iron Maiden - Number of the Beast:
"I'm coming back
I will return
And I'll possess your body
and I'll make you burn
I have the fire
I have the force
I have the power
to make my evil take its course"