What is Griffith's back story?

[Ninja]

Hello guys! I am a new member and a two-year old Berserk fan. This is my first post here.

After finishing the last volume by Miura, I couldn't help but wonder why he didn't address Griffith's past? Do you think Miura intended to dig into this? I am asking this question because in his last interview, he said that Berserk is almost 80% finished and it is concluding. And considering that there are many unsolved mysteries, like Skull Knight past to name a few, there doesn't seem to be much space left to address this subject.

Thoughts?

 

[Aazealh]

Hey there, welcome!

After finishing the last volume by Miura, I couldn't help but wonder why he didn't address Griffith's past? Do you think Miura intended to dig into this?

I don't think Miura planned to show us more of Griffith's childhood. It was sufficiently addressed during the Golden Age. The rest can be left up to the reader's imagination.

I am asking this question because in his last interview, he said that Berserk is almost 80% finished and it is concluding.

To be precise, he said it was 3/5th to 4/5th done. It wasn't meant to be a definitive estimate. And it's worth noting that in 2009, in response to a letter we sent him, he was estimating that it was 60-70% done.

 

[Ninja]

Hey there, welcome!



I don't think Miura planned to show us more of Griffith's childhood. It was sufficiently addressed during the Golden Age. The rest can be left up to the reader's imagination.



To be precise, he said it was 3/5th to 4/5th done. It wasn't meant to be a definitive estimate. And it's worth noting that in 2009, in response to a letter we sent him, he was estimating that it was 60-70% done.

Thank you for your response!

I've been listening to your podcasts for a while now. I like listening to your thoughts and theories. Thx again!

 

[ROB BOB]

Hey Ninja! I'm also a newcomer here (I got into and read all of Berserk in 2023), and this is my first reply!

I agree with Aaz, I think it's unlikely we'll see more of Griffith's past because I doubt that it'd have any bearing on his character motivations or actions going forward. Ever since was transformed into Femto, he's left his humanity behind, his personality has been irreversibly changed, and he's taken actions he never could've comprehended as a human. So new facts about his human past probably wouldn't affect how he acts now. I don't think that new backstory info would change the reader's fundamental view on Griffith either, cause we've already seen enough of that bastard to form a strong opinion. I think if the story were to try to change our view of Griffith in the 10th or 11th hour though, it would be through something he does in the present, not through info about his human childhood. Also I think more info about the Moonlight Boy/how his dynamic with Griffith works is what the story would focus on first before any backstory.

 

[Ninja]

Hey Ninja! I'm also a newcomer here (I got into and read all of Berserk in 2023), and this is my first reply!

I agree with Aaz, I think it's unlikely we'll see more of Griffith's past because I doubt that it'd have any bearing on his character motivations or actions going forward. Ever since was transformed into Femto, he's left his humanity behind, his personality has been irreversibly changed, and he's taken actions he never could've comprehended as a human. So new facts about his human past probably wouldn't affect how he acts now. I don't think that new backstory info would change the reader's fundamental view on Griffith either, cause we've already seen enough of that bastard to form a strong opinion. I think if the story were to try to change our view of Griffith in the 10th or 11th hour though, it would be through something he does in the present, not through info about his human childhood. Also I think more info about the Moonlight Boy/how his dynamic with Griffith works is what the story would focus on first before any backstory.

I see your point. But I always wondered why he wanted to have a kingdom so bad. You're right about his personality being irreversibly changed after the transformation, but only two things did not change: his dream about owning his kingdom, and his feelings for Guts (could Guts be secretly his brother? lol). When I started reading the manga, I thought we would have known the reason for this by the end of the last volume. I thought that he might be secretly a descendant of nobles or royalty like Serpico... But I guess we will never know. What a painful cliffhanger.

 

[Aazealh]

But I always wondered why he wanted to have a kingdom so bad.

He wants to see how far he can go in this world. How big he can become. How high he can climb. It's as simple as that. There's no secret reason or motive, it's just ambition. You should re-read what he says about it during the Golden Age, because I don't think it's all that mysterious.

only two things did not change: his dream about owning his kingdom, and his feelings for Guts (could Guts be secretly his brother? lol).

That's not true. Femto's ambitions go beyond what they used to be. Before Miura passed away, we saw Griffith lay out plans for creating a giant empire that would rival Gaizeric's. But even that would likely not have been the end for him, which is what Guts alludes to when the Great Gurus ask him to shed light on Griffith's motivations (volume 39).

And it's even less true regarding his feelings for Guts. Femto does not feel any friendship or sympathy towards Guts. Nor towards anyone else. Which is why his incarnation in the body of Guts' son poses such a big problem. The boy loves his mom and dad, and is generally a good kid, so his existence (and ability to take control of their shared body) is a major liability.

 

[Ninja]

Femto does not feel any friendship or sympathy towards Guts. Nor towards anyone else. Which is why his incarnation in the body of Guts' son poses such a big problem. The boy loves his mom and dad, and is generally a good kid, so his existence (and ability to take control of their shared body) is a major liability.

I used to think this too until I reread the Eclipse. We see him reluctant to destroy SkullKnight at the eclipse after seeing the injured Guts and then we see him looking at his hand wondering why he was unable to do that. That happened right after the R incident.
His feelings don't have a lot to do with the Moon Boy and I think the last tears he shed in the last panel were his because he said that he felt a "nostalgic warmth" and "lonely" after "waking up" from the Moon Boy's "dream". This doesn't imply he has paternal feeling towards them.

 

[Aazealh]

I used to think this too until I reread the Eclipse. We see him reluctant to destroy SkullKnight at the eclipse after seeing the injured Guts and then we see him looking at his hand wondering why he was unable to do that. That happened right after the R incident.

This is just your interpretation of that scene. What we see is that he points his hand, looks at Guts, then the Skull Knight gets away. It doesn't specifically imply he was reluctant to act versus simply unable to because the target was too far or got away too quickly. It all happens quite fast.

Now you could say we can't know for sure, but if you think for a second about what we know of Femto's character, there's really not much doubt.

His feelings don't have a lot to do with the Moon Boy and I think the last tears he shed in the last panel were his because he said that he felt a "nostalgic warmth" and "lonely" after "waking up" from the Moon Boy's "dream". This doesn't imply he has paternal feeling towards them.

If you think that then it means you didn't understand the scene. Also, it's "Boy in the Moonlight", not "Moon Boy". He doesn't come from the moon.

 

[Ninja]

It doesn't specifically imply he was reluctant to act versus simply unable to because the target was too far or got away too quickly. It all happens quite fast.

But why only after looking at Guts he stopped?

Now you could say we can't know for sure, but if you think for a second about what we know of Femto's character, there's really not much doubt.

I see your point. And I agree with you. But I don't think we got the chance to know how much of a human is left within him since we only saw him once after the eclipse.

If you think that then it means you didn't understand the scene.

You're right. I'm just desperately trying to dig between the lines on hope of finding new information since this is the best thing I can do now that we might never know how the story would end.

 

[Aazealh]

But why only after looking at Guts he stopped?

Like I said, it's not clear whether he could have done it in the first place. It was over quickly, and he missed the Skull Knight the first time. The scene shows him noticing Guts, but doesn't tell us what he was thinking.

More generally, Femto's position has been that it doesn't matter whether Guts lives or die. And if anything he seems to enjoy taunting him, so it's not like sparring him would even necessarily be an act of mercy. At the end of the day, you should trust his own words: when he comes to see him in volume 22, he says he still feels nothing.

I see your point. And I agree with you. But I don't think we got the chance to know how much of a human is left within him since we only saw him once after the eclipse.

We're told about the process more than enough to understand he's a cold, uncaring monster. Which his actions demonstrate as well. Not sure what you would expect... for him to feel bad about what he did? That's not going to happen.

You're right. I'm just desperately trying to dig between the lines on hope of finding new information since this is the best thing I can do now that we might never know how the story would end.

Well at least it's clear to me that the boy was the key to defeating Griffith, which is why I think it's important to understand the dynamic between them.

 

[Ninja]

At the end of the day, you should trust his own words: when he comes to see him in volume 22, he says he still feels nothing.

He was lying. After few panels, he saved Casca. These were the boy's feelings, but still he felt something.

We're told about the process more than enough to understand he's a cold, uncaring monster. Which his actions demonstrate as well. Not sure what you would expect... for him to feel bad about what he did? That's not going to happen.

No, he didn't seem like he felt bad or guilty about it. And I don't expect him to. He himself understands very well that he's a cold, uncaring monster. He know it, Guts knows it, and we do too. But he just seemed to me like he himself didn't understand why he couldn't kill Guts. But he didn't give it much thought and went on with his day. That's how I saw it.

Well at least it's clear to me that the boy was the key to defeating Griffith, which is why I think it's important to understand the dynamic between them.

Interesting take. I didn't think about it like that. I always thought that the story wasn't revolving around revenge and that won't end with a fight or a defeat. At least that's what the hints in the story led me to. There was this idea or "moral of the story" that says "revenge is not the right way and pursuing it will blind you from seeing the things that you treasure the most and cause you to lose them" which Guts has learned after losing Casca for the second time in his pursuit of revenge. And there's also that recurring theme where the main characters tend to "leave something more important behind in pursuit of something worthless only to realize that after they lose it " which, again, happened with Guts twice. This is what led me to say that Griffith's tears in the last panel were his own and the words he said were his. And I thought about the boy as a way to restore Griffith humanity or part of it?

This is how I see the boy:

I think that the boy is a way to restore Griffith's humanity. At the beginning when he saved Casca, Griffith and the boy were separated entities and their feelings were separated as a result. But by the time, they seemed to be "melting" together and Griffith humanity starts to resurface thorough and gradually get more prominent. It's true that the boy is the only human part of Griffith, but this human part (the boy) starts to affect Griffith (the soul), and Griffith's original feelings and personality starts to poke through as a result of this impact. The boy is his body, but Griffith is the soul of this body. The soul needs a human body to be human, an animal body to be animal, a demon vessel to be demon, and that what seemed to happen with Griffith to me. That's why I don't think it right to entirely separate Griffith from the boy.

And a quick note: in the last panel of Vol 41, when Guts saw Griffith outside the house, he didn't seem angry or mad, but more like surprised.

I know that it looks like I'm over analyzing it but trust me I'm not. That's what it looked like to me from the first read. And I was flipping the pages quickly and didn't give it much thought the first time. It's just that I use lots of words and very long sentences to communicate my thoughts.

 

[Aazealh]

He was lying. After few panels, he saved Casca. These were the boy's feelings, but still he felt something.

He felt the boy's feelings. Not his own. That's the whole point. So no, he was not lying. And his body moved on its own (the boy's influence), which is why he suddenly left. You really should re-examine your comprehension of the story if this isn't clear to you.

No, he didn't seem like he felt bad or guilty about it. And I don't expect him to. He himself understands very well that he's a cold, uncaring monster. He know it, Guts knows it, and we do too. But he just seemed to me like he himself didn't understand why he couldn't kill Guts. But he didn't give it much thought and went on with his day. That's how I saw it.

Well like I explained above, and like you just wrote yourself, that's not supported by what we know of Femto's character.

Interesting take. I didn't think about it like that. I always thought that the story wasn't revolving around revenge and that won't end with a fight or a defeat. At least that's what the hints in the story led me to. There was this idea or "moral of the story" that says "revenge is not the right way and pursuing it will blind you from seeing the things that you treasure the most and cause you to lose them" which Guts has learned after losing Casca for the second time in his pursuit of revenge.

Revenge is absolutely central to the story, it's one of its main themes. And the story will definitely end with a battle between Guts and Griffith. I do think Guts would have risen above mere revenge in the end, in the sense that his main goal would have become to save his son (and the world while he's at it). But you can't say the story isn't about revenge.

And there's also that recurring theme where the main characters tend to "leave something more important behind in pursuit of something worthless only to realize that after they lose it "

This is poorly worded. Guts just says that he always realizes he had something precious after he's lost it.

This is what led me to say that Griffith's tears in the last panel were his own and the words he said were his. And I thought about the boy as a way to restore Griffith humanity or part of it?

The tear is the boy's, and Griffith's words refer to the boy's feelings. What he says is absolutely not heartwarming. In fact it's quite cruel. He briefly feels the boy's misery upon waking, as control of the body returns to him. Then he feels nothing, because he is Femto. It basically just describes what he experiences when the boy takes over.

I think that the boy is a way to restore Griffith's humanity.

"Griffith" doesn't exist anymore. He has become Femto, a new being with a new name. Femto obtained a new corporeal body that looks like Griffith, but it's not like he's turning back into his former self. All of this to say that "restoring Griffith's humanity" isn't possible and doesn't even make sense.

At the beginning when he saved Casca, Griffith and the boy were separated entities and their feelings were separated as a result. But by the time, they seemed to be "melting" together and Griffith humanity starts to resurface thorough and gradually get more prominent. It's true that the boy is the only human part of Griffith, but this human part (the boy) starts to affect Griffith (the soul), and Griffith's original feelings and personality starts to poke through as a result of this impact. The boy is his body, but Griffith is the soul of this body. The soul needs a human body to be human, an animal body to be animal, a demon vessel to be demon, and that what seemed to happen with Griffith to me. That's why I don't think it right to entirely separate Griffith from the boy.

This is gobbledygook, and it betrays some deep misconceptions of the matter at hand. Your talk of "body" and "soul" goes directly against what's established in the story, for example that the boy has a gentle Od that doesn't make the Brand react or that the elves naturally go along with him. This simply wouldn't be possible with what you're saying. Besides, spiritually there is no Griffith, only Femto.

And you're completely wrong when you say a soul needs a demon vessel to be a demon. That is the exact opposite of how it works. Rather, the God Hand creates apostles by infusing a human soul with evil power, which then twists their corporeal body into a monstrous form. That's why their body reverts after they die, once their soul has been taken away.

You really should try to focus on what the story actually shows and tells us, because otherwise you'll just stay confused.

I know that it looks like I'm over analyzing it but trust me I'm not.

No offense, but no, it just sounds like you misunderstand parts of the story.

 

[Ithier]

Revenge is absolutely central to the story, it's one of its main themes. And the story will definitely end with a battle between Guts and Griffith. I do think Guts would have risen above mere revenge in the end, in the sense that his main goal would have become to save his son (and the world while he's at it). But you can't say the story isn't about revenge.

Unfortunately there's this nonsensical interpretation of the story that takes Guts' blind, self destructive rage as the black swordsman as suggesting that opposing Griffith is the wrong road to go down entirely. The fact that Griffith committed an unforgivable betrayal against Guts and Casca personally and condemned them to hell is sort of waved away. The guy who annihilated thousands of people at Albion and unleashed monsters upon the world gets to usurp the goodness of the child whose body he's currently parasitizing despite how silly that premise is. The eclipse is just Sophie's Choice if you think about it

There was this idea or "moral of the story" that says "revenge is not the right way and pursuing it will blind you from seeing the things that you treasure the most and cause you to lose them" which Guts has learned after losing Casca for the second time in his pursuit of revenge.

If you believe that Guts lost Casca for a second time because he was blinded by revenge I don't know what to tell you. Guts lost Casca for a second time because Griffith stole her, and he did everything he could to stop this.

 

[ROB BOB]

Yeah I agree, I don't think Guts, whose soul is literally condemned to hell as y'all have mentioned, would ever just leave Griffith alone in the end of the story. Like I it's literally impossible for he and Casca to live happily ever after when they're both branded. Not even Elfhelm was a safe place for them very long. The Struggler can't just give up his struggle in the end and call it a victory. Plus, as Aaz allued to, Guts kind of owes it to the world to stop the Godhand, so just giving that up for "personal growth reasons" would be a pretty selfish decision overall. Which I think Guts would eventually realize, even if he doesn't think about it that way now.

There was this idea or "moral of the story" that says "revenge is not the right way and pursuing it will blind you from seeing the things that you treasure the most and cause you to lose them" which Guts has learned after losing Casca for the second time in his pursuit of revenge.

I also don't think that the story would end on a lesson that Guts reoriented towards in Episode 129-130. You could argue that he never perfectly internalized that lesson all the way up to the present episodes, but he basically learned that lesson back then, like a third of the way through the story, so I'd be surprised if Miura's intent was to have that be the moral of the entire story. It would be strange to drop the be all end all lesson that early and never develop it for the rest of the story. Not that Berserk is a story, imo, that seems necessarily designed to have a singular moral of the story anyways. And that lesson was more about not letting revenge blind you and not using it to shirk uncomfortable situations or responsibilities, not that revenge is untenable or that Guts should stop pursuing Griffith.

I'm almost 100% confident that the story will end with some kind of confrontation between Guts and Griffith, instead of Guts giving up revenge.

 

[Ninja]

If you believe that Guts lost Casca for a second time because he was blinded by revenge I don't know what to tell you. Guts lost Casca for a second time because Griffith stole her, and he did everything he could to stop this.

I didn't say that nor implied it. I just repeated what Godot told him when he was dying. And it's the same thing Erica told him after he came back from his 2-year long journey. She was crying and blaming him for her disappearance. And, IIRC, Flora told him something similar which emphasized this idea. And Guts himself said that when he was fighting the apostles at the Tower of Conviction and instead of focusing on saving Casca, he started to look for Griffith in the midst of the fight. And he blamed himself for this. Not only that but when someone (I don’t remember who it was) asked him what he knew about Griffith, Guts looked up at the sky and thought to himself that he didn’t hate him anymore. He then answered the question, saying, "He wants to have his own kingdom. That's all I know."
I didn't think he was some crazy, raged man or even wrong for seeking revenge. I just concluded that this is a common idea in the story. I don't know how you can't see that since it recurred many times.

Revenge is absolutely central to the story, it's one of its main themes. And the story will definitely end with a battle between Guts and Griffith. I do think Guts would have risen above mere revenge in the end, in the sense that his main goal would have become to save his son (and the world while he's at it). But you can't say the story isn't about revenge.

But how? I don't see how this would be possible with the current power disproportion between them. Griffith is literally untouchable. Even after everything he achieved, he still can't touch him. And the story is 4/5 finished, so we didn't have much time to make Guts stronger.

But if this was indeed Miura's plan, then poor Mori, it would be too difficult for him to achieve haha.

The tear is the boy's, and Griffith's words refer to the boy's feelings. What he says is absolutely not heartwarming. In fact it's quite cruel. He briefly feels the boy's misery upon waking, as control of the body returns to him. Then he feels nothing, because he is Femto. It basically just describes what he experiences when the boy takes over.

Yes, but Griffith seemed like he was able to distinguish his feelings from the boy's. For example, at the Hill of Swords, he placed his hand on his chest and said to himself that those were the boy's feelings that he felt. But on the island, he referred to those feelings as his own.

 

[Aazealh]

Guys, I'm going to have to ask you to please not bring up the Continuation here. It takes too many liberties with the story and therefore discussions pertaining to it or incorporating its developments should remain in the appropriate forum subsection. Thank you for your understanding.

Plus, as Aaz allued to, Guts kind of owes it to the world to stop the Godhand, so just giving that up for "personal growth reasons" would be a pretty selfish decision overall. Which I think Guts would eventually realize, even if he doesn't think about it that way now.

I mean, more generally and more simply, Guts will not let it go. The manga is called "Berserk" for a reason. And beyond any of that, the idea that Griffith could be redeemed in the end is plain boneheaded. That was never a possibility, not even in volume 3.

I didn't say that nor implied it. I just repeated what Godot told him when he was dying. And it's the same thing Erica told him after he came back from his 2-year long journey. She was crying and blaming him for her disappearance. And, IIRC, Flora told him something similar which emphasized this idea.

I think you guys are talking about two different things here. But ignoring that, you're also not recalling things properly here Ninja. These scenes aren't meant to impart a moral like a children's fable. The story really isn't quite as simplistic as you're making it out to be.

Guts looked up at the sky and thought to himself that he didn’t hate him anymore.

Uhhh, what the hell are you talking about. You're thinking of volume 39, episode 345, and Guts absolutely does NOT think that. His dialogue is "How could I expect to be asked about him in the very place I've arrived...". It's a commentary on how he turned away from his desire for revenge for Casca's sake, only for Griffith to be the first thing he's asked about.

I don't know if you've just got a bad memory or are unfamiliar with the material, or if you've been reading terrible translations, but if you're boldly proclaiming information this inaccurate, I don't know that there's a point in keeping this discussion going. Please buy the manga if you haven't done so already and re-read it very carefully. If necessary we have proper, accurate translations of this volume in the dedicated section of the forum.

But how? I don't see how this would be possible with the current power disproportion between them. Griffith is literally untouchable. Even after everything he achieved, he still can't touch him. And the story is 4/5 finished, so we didn't have much time to make Guts stronger.

Didn't I tell you just the other day that Miura said it was "3/5th to 4/5th done", and that it wasn't meant to be a definitive estimate? Please don't ignore my answers. That aside, Guts was never going to become as powerful as a member of the God Hand. That's not how it works. He regularly defeats monsters that are stronger than him, beating the odds. That's what makes Berserk a cool story.

As I mentioned, the key to defeating Griffith would likely have been his son, who represents a unique and rather critical vulnerability. That and the help of his friends, and a crazy set of circumstances that would have made for an awesome spectacle. It's not all that hard to envision if you use a little imagination.

But if this was Miura's plan, then poor Mori, it's a hard ending to achieve haha.

Sorry to tell you, but it's quite clear at this point that the Continuation will not do justice to whatever ending Miura had in mind. Now let's please not talk about it anymore.

Yes, but Griffith seemed like he was able to distinguish his feelings from the boy's. For example, at the Hill of Swords, he placed his hand on his chest and said to himself that those were the boy's feelings that he felt. But on the island, he referred to those feelings as his own.

He starts by saying he had a dream, which is your clue to understand that he's talking about experiencing things from the boy's point of view. He talks about what happened "in the dream", because he was "asleep" and the boy was in control. So when he talks about "the warmth that I had missed", he means the warmth of his mom and dad. This isn't complicated to understand, nor is it even open to interpretation to be honest.

 

[Ninja]

I don't know if you're just got a bad memory or are unfamiliar with the material, or if you've been reading terrible translations, but if you're boldly proclaiming information this inaccurate, I don't know that there's a point in keeping this discussion going. Please buy the manga if you haven't done so already and re-read it very carefully. If necessary we have proper, accurate translations of this volume in the dedicated section of the forum.

I did buy it, I swear! I bought it from Amazon Kindle (before the boycott campaign). We don't have it in paper in my country, so I changed my location to the US and bought it. But the last time I read it was two years ago. Sorry.

 

[Aazealh]

I did buy it, I swear! I bought it from Amazon Kindle (before the boycott campaign). We don't have it in paper in my country, so I changed my location to the US and bought it. But the last time I read it was two years ago. Sorry.

Haha, well your memory is very foggy! You ought to re-read it carefully.

 

[ROB BOB]

Guys, I'm going to have to ask you to please not bring up the Continuation here. It takes too many liberties with the story and therefore discussions pertaining to it or incorporating its developments should remain in the appropriate forum subsection. Thank you for your understanding

My bad, I didn't realize it was only meant to be talked about in that subsection of the website. I thought that was just the subsection for it, but that it could still be brought up elsewhere. That's my misunderstanding, thanks for clearing that up!

 

[Ithier]

He starts by saying he had a dream, which is your clue to understand that he's talking about experiencing things from the boy's point of view. He talks about what happened "in the dream", because he was "asleep" and the boy was in control. So when he talks about "the warmth that I had missed", he means the warmth of his mom and dad. This isn't complicated to understand, nor is it even open to interpretation to be honest.

I actually halfway agree with Ninja here that this is Griffith speaking to his own feelings as well as the boy's. I think when the boy's in the driver's seat Griffith is truly piggybacking off of his feelings and momentarily experiences what it was like to be a man again before being restored to his demonic apathy.

 

[Aazealh]

I actually halfway agree with Ninja here that this is Griffith speaking to his own feelings as well as the boy's. I think when the boy's in the driver's seat Griffith is truly piggybacking off of his feelings and momentarily experiences what it was like to be a man again before being restored to his demonic apathy.

Please re-read what I said that you're quoting. Do you disagree with it? If so, you're wrong. If not, then you didn't need to reply. It's as simple as that.

 

[Ithier]

Please re-read what I said that you're quoting. Do you disagree with it? If so, you're wrong. If not, then you didn't need to reply. It's as simple as that.

Apologies, I wasn't denying that the boy's feelings were spurring this on I just think that there's an irony in Griffith being brought back down to humanity momentarily and feeling nostalgic himself (I assumed you were denying that entirely). I'm not married to the idea though.

 

[Aazealh]

Apologies, I wasn't denying that the boy's feelings were spurring this on I just think that there's an irony in Griffith being brought back down to humanity momentarily and feeling nostalgic himself (I assumed you were denying that entirely). I'm not married to the idea though.

No problem, and well... I think it's going too far to say it gives him his humanity back. And I am indeed denying that it spurred feelings of his own, so you were right. I really don't think that's what the scene implies. He does experience the boy's feelings, no doubt about that, but that's it. It doesn't make him wistful about the good old days. I'm really dead certain about this for a number of reasons, ranging from what he actually says and how he says it all the way to the larger context of the scene, its role in the story and what we know and should expect of Femto's character.

 

[Ithier]

No problem, and well... I think it's going too far to say it gives him his humanity back. And I am indeed denying that it spurred feelings of his own, so you were right. I really don't think that's what the scene implies. He does experience the boy's feelings, no doubt about that, but that's it. It doesn't make him wistful about the good old days. I'm really dead certain about this for a number of reasons, ranging from what he actually says and how he says it all the way to the larger context of the scene, its role in the story and what we know and should expect of Femto's character.

Yeah there's really no great rationale behind my belief other than the use of words like nostalgic and loneliness, it's more that I think it's the farthest Miura could have gone in exploring Femto's psychology without any laughable ideas about redemption or restoring his humanity. Artificially feeling the thing he tried to strip himself of because of his greatest act of inhuman cruelty is poetic to me even if it's maybe not borne out by the story. The corruption of his soul in becoming a Godhand member does make this less likely though.

 

[Aazealh]

Yeah there's really no great rationale behind my belief other than the use of words like nostalgic and loneliness

Hmm, well I don't know what translation you're using but I would recommend that you check ours.

The corruption of his soul in becoming a Godhand member does make this less likely though.

Yeah I mean the thing is that "corruption" is an understatement, he was basically stripped to his core and rebuilt using evil power. That's why we never get any internal monologue from Griffith except about the boy. Because if Miura had showed us his actual thoughts, his segments of the story would have had a very, VERY different vibe.

It's also why merging him with the boy was such a genius move. It provides a huge amount of emotional tension, even though Femto is utterly unrepentant in addition to being completely unredeemable.