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* RRatedOpening: The first scene of the series is Gutz banging a demon before blowing its head off with a cannon.
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* RRatedOpening: The first scene of the series is Gutz banging a demon before blowing its head off with a cannon.
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* RRatedOpening: The first scene of the series is Gutz banging a demon before blowing its head off with a cannon.
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* TragicBromance: Guts and Griffith to a T, much in the same vain as [[StarWars Obi-Wan and Anakin]] or [[XMen Professor X and Magneto.]]
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** The spell of warding Farnese casts over the ship during the Sea God arc is cast in a manner almost identical to some of those cast by dweomer masters such as Nevyn and Jill in the ''Literature/{{Deverry}}'' books- turning to the four cardinal points and appealing to the four elemental kings for protection.
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* ShoutOut: Miura seems to be an ''Series/UltraSeven'' fan. In this panel, pay very close attention to [[http://img697.imageshack.us/img697/2491/ultraseven.jpg the swordsman]]. Part of that helmet look familiar?
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* ShoutOut: ShoutOut:
** The names of the God Hand demons are all references to classic science-fiction books. These books are ''Destination: Void'' by Creator/FrankHerbert, ''Literature/{{Slan}}'' by Creator/AEVanVogt, ''And Call Me Conrad'' by Creator/RogerZelazny, and ''Literature/{{Ubik}}'' by Creator/PhilipKDick.
** Miura seems to be an ''Series/UltraSeven'' fan. In this panel, pay very close attention to [[http://img697.imageshack.us/img697/2491/ultraseven.jpg the swordsman]]. Part of that helmet look familiar?
** The names of the God Hand demons are all references to classic science-fiction books. These books are ''Destination: Void'' by Creator/FrankHerbert, ''Literature/{{Slan}}'' by Creator/AEVanVogt, ''And Call Me Conrad'' by Creator/RogerZelazny, and ''Literature/{{Ubik}}'' by Creator/PhilipKDick.
** Miura seems to be an ''Series/UltraSeven'' fan. In this panel, pay very close attention to [[http://img697.imageshack.us/img697/2491/ultraseven.jpg the swordsman]]. Part of that helmet look familiar?
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* Guts having sex with a woman, that woman turning out to be an Apostle, and Guts killing the Apostle in short order within the first chapter is possibly a reference to Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian. In the pulp adventures, Conan would often be put in similar situations.
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* TitleDrop: After acquiring the Berserker armor (plus the armor itself), Schierke has referred to Guts losing himself to the Beast as "going berserk".
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** This may very well be unintentional, but Griffith's helm, especially [[spoiler:as Femto]], bears an uncanny resemblance to Winslow's Owl Mask from PhantomOfTheParadise.
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** This may very well be unintentional, but Griffith's helm, especially [[spoiler:as Femto]], bears an uncanny resemblance to Winslow's Owl Mask from PhantomOfTheParadise.Film/PhantomOfTheParadise.
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* Guts having sex with a woman, that woman turning out to be an Apostle, and Guts killing the Apostle in short order within the first chapter is possibly a reference to Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian. In the pulp adventures, Conan would often be put in similar situations.
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* TheQuest: Get to Elfhelm and FindTheCure for Casca's insanity. But first we got to [[ArcFatigue get to Elfhelm!]]
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* TheQuest: Get to Elfhelm and FindTheCure for Casca's insanity. But first we we've got to [[ArcFatigue get to Elfhelm!]]
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** The ''Seahorse'' chapters imply that Miura has done some research on ship-to-ship combat in the GoldenAgeOfPiracy and WoodenShipsAndIronMen, as Roderick uses a detailed strategy involving placing himself downwind to confound Captain Sharkrider's pirate fleet.
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** The ''Seahorse'' chapters imply that Miura has done some research on ship-to-ship combat in the GoldenAgeOfPiracy UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfPiracy and WoodenShipsAndIronMen, as Roderick uses a detailed strategy involving placing himself downwind to confound Captain Sharkrider's pirate fleet.
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*** You don't believe Guts is being sexually assaulted? Why, he's only being restrained by demons, having his clothes ripped off, and is being molested and forced to have simulated sex with an archdemon during a demonic hellbat - [[HarsherInHindsight oh.]]
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* {{Trigger}}: Given their experiences with sexual violence and abuse, both Guts and Casca have shown signs of this throughout the series. In general, both have had a strong aversion to being touched (definitely Casca when she's touched by members of the opposite sex). Guts in particular was triggered by memories of his [[spoiler: anal rape as a child when he tried to make love to Casca from behind]] and promptly almost [[spoiler: choked Casca in a post-traumatic fit of fear.]] Later, the memories of [[spoiler: having to watch Casca be raped to insanity]] doubles as Guts' BerserkButton, so whenever he sees a young woman in danger of being raped, he promptly becomes TheBerserker that he is and kills nearly everything in sight. Casca's trigger moments are much more conflicting and appalling, since after her horrific ordeal, Casca is totally amnesiac and can't remember her former life, but it's only when she's being assaulted that she is shown to have ''any'' memories - and they're of the worst moments of her life.
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* ReforgedBlade: This trope was used literally but also figuratively in a very clever way. After returning to Godo's cabin only to find Casca gone, Guts confronts Godo, who is dying. He inspects Guts' sword, noting all of the knicks that it has accumulated and tells him that it is in need of repair... but what ''really'' needs to be repaired is Guts' heart, which has been knicked, stratched, and broken after years of hiding away from his sadness in hate instead of being with the only person he's loved: [[HeWhoFightsMonsters he was a sword,]] [[MoralityChain but without its sheath.]] That night, [[MyGreatestFailure Guts finally realizes his mistakes]] [[MyGreatestSecondChance and vows to never make the same one again.]] Meanwhile, Godo uses the last of his strength to reforge the Dragonslayer, and in the morning light, Guts is given his reward, both of which are reforged for his mission. [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome Mag-nificent.]]
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* ReforgedBlade: This trope was used literally but also figuratively in a very clever way. After returning to Godo's cabin only to find Casca gone, Guts confronts Godo, who is dying. He inspects Guts' sword, noting all of the knicks that it has accumulated and tells him that it is in need of repair... but what ''really'' needs to be repaired is Guts' heart, which has been knicked, stratched, and broken after years of hiding away from his sadness in hate instead of being with the only person he's loved: [[HeWhoFightsMonsters he was a sword,]] [[MoralityChain but without its sheath.]] That night, [[MyGreatestFailure Guts finally realizes his mistakes]] [[MyGreatestSecondChance and vows to never make the same one again.]] Meanwhile, Godo uses the last of his strength to reforge the Dragonslayer, and in the morning light, Guts is given his reward, both of which are reforged for his mission. [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome Mag-nificent.]]
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* SmallRoleBigImpact: Charlotte and Griffith´s affair is not discovered by the king, or any relevant character, just by a nameless, generic castle maid who spies them through the keyhole. Later, the maid starts to spread the word until the king becomes aware of the it, and things start to go to hell. Said maid only appear in a single page and it completely dissapears from the plot after. Indirectly, the irrelevant maid became the first UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom! that kickstarted things like the Eclipse.
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* SmallRoleBigImpact: Charlotte and Griffith´s affair is not discovered by the king, or any relevant character, just by a nameless, generic castle maid who spies them through the keyhole. Later, the maid starts to spread the word until the king becomes aware of the it, and things start to go to hell. Said maid only appear in a single page and it completely dissapears from the plot after. Indirectly, the irrelevant maid became the first UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom! UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom that kickstarted things like the Eclipse.Eclipse!
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* SmallRoleBigImpact: Charlotte and Griffith´s affair is not discovered by the king, or any relevant character, just by a nameless, generic castle maid who spies them through the keyhole. Later, the maid starts to spread the word until the king becomes aware of the it, and things start to go to hell. Said maid only appear in a single page and it completely dissapears from the plot after. Indirectly, the irrelevant maid became the first UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom! that kickstarted things like the Eclipse.
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* ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'', despite being a fantasy manga, is packed to the gills with research and real-life inspiration, which has only increased over the series' run:
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* ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'', despite ShownTheirWork: Despite this being a fantasy manga, ''Berserk'' is packed to the gills with research and real-life inspiration, which has only increased over the series' run:
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* ShowerOfAngst: Griffith bathing in a river after selling his body to Lord Gennon and telling Casca of the guilt he feels for all the followers he's sacrificed for his dream.
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* ShowerOfAngst: ShowerOfAngst:
** Griffith bathing in a river after selling his body to Lord Gennon and telling Casca of the guilt he feels for all the followers he's sacrificed for his dream.
** Griffith bathing in a river after selling his body to Lord Gennon and telling Casca of the guilt he feels for all the followers he's sacrificed for his dream.
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* ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'', despite being a fantasy manga, is packed to the gills with research and real-life inspiration, which has only increased over the series' run:
** Arms and Armor: Miura makes great effort to understand how European weapons and armor were constructed, decorated, and used. By the later volumes he has some characters wearing armor that is obviously based on actual examples in museums almost down to the placement of each articulation and rivet, including types of armor and helmets that are mostly unknown to non-specialists. This extends to the Kushan Empire's Indian-influenced equipment which includes suits of plate and mail, armor for Elephants, and real-life exotic weapons such as the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katar_(dagger) Katar]], [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chakram Chakra]], [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urumi Urumi]], and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maduvu Maduvu]].
** Swordsmandship and martial arts: Miura uses his knowledge of UsefulNotes/{{Kenjutsu}} to give Guts, Casca, and other characters distinct fighting styles. In chapter 331 Guts even pulls off something close to a real move from the German school of ''[[UsefulNotes/EuropeanSwordsmanship harnischfechten]]'' to take down a man in armor [[http://mangasee.co/manga/?series=Berserk&chapter=331&index=2&page=13 using his sword as a lever]].
** Architecture: Miura lovingly references numerous European architectural styles from the Romanesque to Rococo, drawing numerous extremely detailed churches, castles, and cities. In the port city of Vritannis he bases the Vandimion mansion on the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villa_La_Rotonda Villa La Rotonda]] outside Vicenza, and includes stand-ins for the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palazzo_Vecchio Palazzo Vecchio]] in Florence and the pillared halls of the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosque-Cathedral_of_Cordoba Great Mosque of Córdoba]]. The dimension in which the God Hand appears in volume 3 is a tribute to the architectural fantasies of Creator/MCEscher. His overview of the city of [[spoiler:Falconia]] is such an amazing vision of a living, breathing city that it must be seen to be believed.
** Fashion and Clothing: Various clothing fashions for both men and women from the 14th to 18th centuries are faithfully reproduced, such as the puffed-and-slashed doublets of German [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landsknecht Landsknechte]] mercenaries and the lace collars and large trousers of TheCavalierYears.
** Politics and Government: The Golden Age Arc very accurately simulates how mercenaries were often used by monarchs to reduce their dependence on the nobility for military support, and how this often created opportunities for mercenaries to climb the social ladder or seize political power. There is also a lot of attention paid to the nature of royal succession and marriage, and with the Holy Alliance in Vritannis we see the complex role of religious politics and military alliances in international relations.
** Religion, Folklore, and Mythology: A large number of fantastic beasts from various cultures such as unicorns, hydra, mermaids, and kelpies appear in the story. There are also many references to Hindu mythology and religion related to the Kushan, such as when Daiba refers to Guts and Serpico as warriors of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durga Durga]] and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vayu Vayu]], respectively, and the Kushan also use many terms in Sanskrit to describe supernatural phenomena.
** The ''Seahorse'' chapters imply that Miura has done some research on ship-to-ship combat in the GoldenAgeOfPiracy and WoodenShipsAndIronMen, as Roderick uses a detailed strategy involving placing himself downwind to confound Captain Sharkrider's pirate fleet.
** Arms and Armor: Miura makes great effort to understand how European weapons and armor were constructed, decorated, and used. By the later volumes he has some characters wearing armor that is obviously based on actual examples in museums almost down to the placement of each articulation and rivet, including types of armor and helmets that are mostly unknown to non-specialists. This extends to the Kushan Empire's Indian-influenced equipment which includes suits of plate and mail, armor for Elephants, and real-life exotic weapons such as the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katar_(dagger) Katar]], [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chakram Chakra]], [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urumi Urumi]], and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maduvu Maduvu]].
** Swordsmandship and martial arts: Miura uses his knowledge of UsefulNotes/{{Kenjutsu}} to give Guts, Casca, and other characters distinct fighting styles. In chapter 331 Guts even pulls off something close to a real move from the German school of ''[[UsefulNotes/EuropeanSwordsmanship harnischfechten]]'' to take down a man in armor [[http://mangasee.co/manga/?series=Berserk&chapter=331&index=2&page=13 using his sword as a lever]].
** Architecture: Miura lovingly references numerous European architectural styles from the Romanesque to Rococo, drawing numerous extremely detailed churches, castles, and cities. In the port city of Vritannis he bases the Vandimion mansion on the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villa_La_Rotonda Villa La Rotonda]] outside Vicenza, and includes stand-ins for the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palazzo_Vecchio Palazzo Vecchio]] in Florence and the pillared halls of the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosque-Cathedral_of_Cordoba Great Mosque of Córdoba]]. The dimension in which the God Hand appears in volume 3 is a tribute to the architectural fantasies of Creator/MCEscher. His overview of the city of [[spoiler:Falconia]] is such an amazing vision of a living, breathing city that it must be seen to be believed.
** Fashion and Clothing: Various clothing fashions for both men and women from the 14th to 18th centuries are faithfully reproduced, such as the puffed-and-slashed doublets of German [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landsknecht Landsknechte]] mercenaries and the lace collars and large trousers of TheCavalierYears.
** Politics and Government: The Golden Age Arc very accurately simulates how mercenaries were often used by monarchs to reduce their dependence on the nobility for military support, and how this often created opportunities for mercenaries to climb the social ladder or seize political power. There is also a lot of attention paid to the nature of royal succession and marriage, and with the Holy Alliance in Vritannis we see the complex role of religious politics and military alliances in international relations.
** Religion, Folklore, and Mythology: A large number of fantastic beasts from various cultures such as unicorns, hydra, mermaids, and kelpies appear in the story. There are also many references to Hindu mythology and religion related to the Kushan, such as when Daiba refers to Guts and Serpico as warriors of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durga Durga]] and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vayu Vayu]], respectively, and the Kushan also use many terms in Sanskrit to describe supernatural phenomena.
** The ''Seahorse'' chapters imply that Miura has done some research on ship-to-ship combat in the GoldenAgeOfPiracy and WoodenShipsAndIronMen, as Roderick uses a detailed strategy involving placing himself downwind to confound Captain Sharkrider's pirate fleet.
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** ChildOfRape: [[spoiler: Rosine.]] Also the Child, whose story was mixed with TouchedByVorlons.
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** ChildOfRape: [[spoiler: Rosine.]] Also the [[spoiler:Rosine]]'s mother was raped by soldiers when their village was attacked, and her father believed she was not his child. Downplayed with The Child, whose story father according to the Skull Knight was mixed with TouchedByVorlons.[[actually Guts]], but who was TouchedByVorlons due to its mother being raped while pregnant. In addition, many of the monsters throughout the series such as the Dakka and the Trolls reproduce through the rape of human women.
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* RecruitingTheCriminal: The Black Dog Knights is made up of the worst murderers, rapists and all around scum that Midland has to offer.
* RedBaron: The Band of the Hawk was known as the "grim reapers of the battlefield." ''Badass''.
* RedBaron: The Band of the Hawk was known as the "grim reapers of the battlefield." ''Badass''.
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* RecruitingTheCriminal: The Black Dog Knights is are made up of the worst murderers, rapists and all around scum that Midland has to offer.
*RedBaron: The RedBaron:
**The Band of the Hawk was known as the "grim reapers of the battlefield." ''Badass''.
*
**The Band of the Hawk was known as the "grim reapers of the battlefield." ''Badass''.
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** During his two years of hunting Apostles Guts comes to be called "TheBlackSwordsman", recognized by his black clothing, giant sword, and false arm.
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* ReforgedBlade: This trope was used literally but also figuratively in a very clever way. After returning to Godo's cabin only to find Casca gone, Guts confronts Godo, who is dying. He inspects Guts' sword, noting all of the knicks that it has accumulated and tells him that it is in need of repair... but what ''really'' needs to be repaired is Guts' heart, which has been knicked, stratched, and broken after years of hiding away from his sadness in hate instead of being with the only person he's loved: [[HeWhoFightsMonsters he was sword,]] [[MoralityChain but without its sheath.]] That night, [[MyGreatestFailure Guts finally realizes his mistakes]] [[MyGreatestSecondChance and vows to never make the same one again.]] Meanwhile, Godo uses the last of his strength to reforge the Dragonslayer, and in the morning light, Guts is given his reward, both of which are reforged for his mission. [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome Mag-nificent.]]
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* ReforgedBlade: This trope was used literally but also figuratively in a very clever way. After returning to Godo's cabin only to find Casca gone, Guts confronts Godo, who is dying. He inspects Guts' sword, noting all of the knicks that it has accumulated and tells him that it is in need of repair... but what ''really'' needs to be repaired is Guts' heart, which has been knicked, stratched, and broken after years of hiding away from his sadness in hate instead of being with the only person he's loved: [[HeWhoFightsMonsters he was a sword,]] [[MoralityChain but without its sheath.]] That night, [[MyGreatestFailure Guts finally realizes his mistakes]] [[MyGreatestSecondChance and vows to never make the same one again.]] Meanwhile, Godo uses the last of his strength to reforge the Dragonslayer, and in the morning light, Guts is given his reward, both of which are reforged for his mission. [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome Mag-nificent.]]
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* [[SexualHarassmentAndRapeTropes Rape]]: Oh God, OH GOD with the rape! If there's one thing that Miura has drilled in our head for damn sure, it's that '''nobody is safe from rape in this series'''. In fact, rape is so prevalent in the series that you can even consider it a theme. Here's how:
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* [[SexualHarassmentAndRapeTropes Rape]]: Oh God, OH GOD with the rape! If there's one thing that Miura has drilled in our head for damn sure, it's that '''nobody is safe from rape in this series'''. [[spoiler: Even the PROTAGONIST (as a child, but still!).]] In fact, rape is so prevalent in the series that you can even consider it a theme. Here's how:
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** Villain example: Rosine, the BigBad of ''{{Berserk}}'''s Lost Children arc, uses this line on Guts after he [[spoiler:destroys the tree that she has been using to make her creepy little pseudo-elves out of the children she's kidnapped]], which has the effect of ''supremely'' pissing Rosine off -- badly enough in fact, that she decides to [[spoiler:[[OneWingedAngel transform into her]] ''[[OneWingedAngel true]]'' [[OneWingedAngel Apostle form, a really creepy insect-like monster]]]].
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** Villain example: Rosine, the BigBad of ''{{Berserk}}'''s ''{{Manga/Berserk}}'''s Lost Children arc, uses this line on Guts after he [[spoiler:destroys the tree that she has been using to make her creepy little pseudo-elves out of the children she's kidnapped]], which has the effect of ''supremely'' pissing Rosine off -- badly enough in fact, that she decides to [[spoiler:[[OneWingedAngel transform into her]] ''[[OneWingedAngel true]]'' [[OneWingedAngel Apostle form, a really creepy insect-like monster]]]].
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* SoulCuttingBlade: Guts' Dragonslayer. Due to being constantly used against Apostles and other evil spirits, it exists simultaneously in the Astral and physical realms and can damage astral beings.
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* {{Retcon}}: The Count arc shows Griffith finding a young Guts as the sole survivor of a battle. The very next volume has them meeting differently.
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* SecondActBreakup: By the end of the Golden Age arc, Guts leaves insane Casca to hunt Griffith and the God Hand, and, at least in the Dark Horse Comics translations, she is referred to as his ex-lover. However, her status is primarily due to the unfortunate and tragic circumstances of her insanity where she and Guts can't physically love each other; the two were very much in love with each other before the Eclipse and Guts remains in love with Casca despite her condition.
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* SecondActBreakup: By After the end of Hawks discover that Griffith will never recover from his torture, Casca sorrowfully tells Guts they have to separate so that she can stay to care for Griffith and so he can go pursue his own dream. However, this break up discussion is put on hold by Griffith's suicide attempt and the Golden Age arc, Eclipse that cost Casca her sanity. Aftwerards Guts leaves insane Casca her to hunt Griffith and the God Hand, and, at least and in the Dark Horse Comics translations, manga summaries she is referred to as his ex-lover. However, Since they were reunited in the Conviction Arc her status is primarily due to insanity--as well as her distrust of him since the unfortunate Beast of Darkness possessed him and tragic circumstances of her insanity where she and tried to rape her--has prevented them from reestablishing their relationship, which is why Guts can't physically love each other; the two were very much in love with each other before the Eclipse and Guts remains in love with Casca despite hopes that she can be restored to her condition.old self in Elfhelm.
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** Jill uses Gut's borrowed cape as one to comfort herself after a scary near-miss with her dad's lecherous drinking buddy.
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* ShipTease: Normally ''avoided'', as most ships tend to "sail" relatively quickly. There's still been ''oodles'' of teasing between [[FoeYay Guts and Griffith]], though. And the relationship between Isidro and Schierke has a lot of elements of SlapSlapKiss PuppyLove; they just haven't ''quite'' gotten to the "Kiss" portion yet. 'Course, they're still just kids, so that one may take a while.
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* ShipTease: Normally ''avoided'', as most ships tend to "sail" relatively quickly. There's still been ''oodles'' of teasing between [[FoeYay Guts and Griffith]], though. And the The relationship between Isidro and Schierke has a lot of might have elements of SlapSlapKiss PuppyLove; they just haven't ''quite'' gotten to PuppyLove, although lately the "Kiss" portion yet. 'Course, they're still just kids, so that one may take a while.strongest teasing has been for Isidro and Isma.
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* ShowerOfAngst: After [[spoiler:being raped by Griffith]], we first see Casca under a waterfall.
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* ShowerOfAngst: Griffith bathing in a river after selling his body to Lord Gennon and telling Casca of the guilt he feels for all the followers he's sacrificed for his dream.
** After [[spoiler:being raped by Griffith]], we first see Casca under a waterfall.
** After [[spoiler:being raped by Griffith]], we first see Casca under a waterfall.
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** Guts' new Berserker armor makes him look like an armored Franchise/{{Batman}} [[spoiler: if he's in control]].
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** Guts' new Berserker armor makes him look like an armored Franchise/{{Batman}} [[spoiler: if he's in control]].
** In volume 25 Isidro refers to Trolls as "rotten [[TheMoomins Moomins]]".
** In volume 25 Isidro refers to Trolls as "rotten [[TheMoomins Moomins]]".
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*** The Godhand seem very much like his take on the Cenobites from ''{{Franchise/Hellraiser}}'' especially Void's face resembling Chatter's. Also Guts calls his iron arm [[Franchise/EvilDead 'groovy']] in volume 14 though that could have been the translator's doing.
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*** The Godhand seem very much like his take on the Cenobites from ''{{Franchise/Hellraiser}}'' especially Void's face resembling Chatter's. Also Guts calls his iron arm [[Franchise/EvilDead [[Film/ArmyOfDarkness 'groovy']] in volume 14 though that could have been the translator's doing.
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** The scene where Guts meets Femto on the top of the steps in the Escheresque realm in the Guardians of Desire arc bears a very strong resemblance to Kenshiro's confrontation with Shin in Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar. Complete with his companion wondering what the hell happened between these two.
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** The second page of a Berserk comic tends to include the [[TestosteronePoisoning rather hilarious]] "Strongest Fantasy Comic" or "Toughest Fantasy Comic" subtitles. We are not in disagreement.
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*** And then, [[spoiler: Femto basically mind rapes Guts by physically raping Casca in front of him and barring any efforts of saving her, leaving him utterly helpless. [[MoralEventHorizon He's virtually raping two people at once.]]]]
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*** And then, [[spoiler: Femto basically mind rapes Guts by physically raping Casca in front of him and barring any efforts of saving her, leaving him utterly helpless. [[MoralEventHorizon He's virtually raping two people at once.]]]]]] This is driven home in the third movie of the ''Golden Age Arc'' movies: all while he is raping Casca, he's staring Guts dead in the eyes.]]
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*** Brutally averted in the third film of the ''Golden Age Arc'' series. Nothing is left to the imagination [[spoiler:which makes Femto's rape of Casca [[NightmareFuel all the more harrowing]].]]
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* TheQuest: Get to Elfhelm and FindTheCure for Casca's insanity. But first we got to [[ArcFatigue get to Elfhelm!]]
* TheQuietOne: Pippin
* QuirkyMinibossSquad: The Baki-Raka and Mozgus' Inquisitors.
* QuiveringEyes: In the anime, Griffith gets these whenever he gives someone the DeathGlare. Casca gets these whenever she gets emotional. [[SugarAndIcePersonality Which is a lot.]]
* RagtagBunchOfMisfits: The Band of the Hawk more or less. Before being recruited and rehabilitated by Griffith, most of the members were social outcasts and criminals.
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* RainOfArrows: How the Midland army ambushed the Band of the Hawk after Griffith's treason. They managed to get Casca with ''[[HumanPincushion five arrows]]''... [[{{Badass}} but that wasn't enough to stop her.]]
* [[SexualHarassmentAndRapeTropes Rape]]: Oh God, OH GOD with the rape! If there's one thing that Miura has drilled in our head for damn sure, it's that '''nobody is safe from rape in this series'''. In fact, rape is so prevalent in the series that you can even consider it a theme. Here's how:
** AllMenAreRapists: Outside of the Hawks, three out of five guys try to rape Casca. Seriously. [[SoBeautifulItsACurse She's like rape bait.]]
** AndNowYouMustMarryMe: Emperor Ganishka [[IHaveYouNowMyPretty holds Princess Charlotte captive after invading Wyndam]], and "tells" her that she [[spoiler: [[MaritalRapeLicense must bear his son]] even though they weren't official married.]][[LieBackAndThinkOfEngland For the empire]], [[SarcasmMode of course]].
*** The same also goes to The Great Goat Head who wants to "marry" Casca into the cult after she got captured.
** AttemptedRape: Casca has to fight off two rape attempts, and Princess Charlotte has to fight off her father at one point).
*** Oh, it's been more than two. Also, almost every female in the series has had a near miss, if they weren't actually raped.
**** And a few males too... [[spoiler: including Guts.]]
*** Luckily (or unlucky for the rapist) Guts is normally there with a sword to... um...dis-arm said rapist.
** ChildOfRape: [[spoiler: Rosine.]] Also the Child, whose story was mixed with TouchedByVorlons.
** DoubleStandardRapeDivineOnMortal: A.VERT.ED. Especially since, [[spoiler: [[SatanicArchetype Femto is FAR from a benevolent being.]]]]
** DoubleStandardRapeMaleOnMale: [[AvertedTrope NOPE.]] Some fans actually try to use this double standard to discredit [[spoiler: Casca's]] ordeal, saying that she should have "gotten over it," using [[spoiler: Guts' rape ordeal at the hands of Donovan]] as an example, saying that he got over it. Heh heh... er, no. [[HatesBeingTouched No he didn't.]] Male-on-male rape is just as impactful as male-on-female rape in ''Berserk.''
** DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale: [[AvertedTrope No once more]]. Females who wish to have their way with hot guys, no matter what they think of it (hello [[HornyDevils Slan]]), are presented as being just as disgusting as male rapists.
** DudeShesLikeInAComa: A [[{{Squick}} squicky]] version as the King of Midland is molesting his own daughter as she sleeps.
** GratuitousRape: Rape happens a ''lot'' in this series, to the point that feminists accuse the series of this.
** IHaveYouNowMyPretty: When [[spoiler: Femto]] has [[spoiler: Casca]] in his grasp, [[spoiler: [[ForcedToWatch Guts can only watch helplessly]] his beloved getting molested.]]
*** Was also [[GenderFlip gender flipped]] when Slan had Guts in her clutches when she manifested in Qliphoth, in which she clawed off his armor and began to act as if they're having sex.
** MaritalRapeLicense: Mixed in with Charlotte's AndNowYouMustMarryMe predicament above.
** MindRape: What Ubik does to Griffith, [[spoiler:which results in him carrying out the sacrifices for the Eclipse and turning into the demonic Femto]]
*** And then, [[spoiler: Femto basically mind rapes Guts by physically raping Casca in front of him and barring any efforts of saving her, leaving him utterly helpless. [[MoralEventHorizon He's virtually raping two people at once.]]]]
** MurderersAreRapists: The Tudor soldiers who corner off Casca weren't merely going to kill her and be done with it - they were going to rape her first.
** NearRapeExperience: Guts almost rapes Casca in the manga after succumbing to The Beast. [[spoiler: [[RapeAsDrama Not that this is the first time.]]]]
** RapeAndRevenge: The three main characters have all been sexually abused or assualted at one point in their lives, and they all exacted revenge/justice on their assailant later.
*** Also, Guts' RoaringRampageOfRevenge had undertones of this, since [[spoiler: Griffith raping Casca and driving her insane was what drove Guts to revenge the most.]]
** RapeAsBackstory: As mentioned above and below, all the main characters have some sort of sexual abuse involved in their backstory.
** RapeAsDrama: Multiple occurrences throughout the series [[spoiler: including child Guts being raped by a mercenary, scarring him for life]], the most heinous example happening to [[spoiler:Casca]].
** RapeDiscretionShot: In the anime. We see [[spoiler: Femto positioning himself over Casca, but his CapeWings cover Casca's lower body so we can't actually see the physical rape going on. This is in part with the LighterAndSofter aspect of the anime, since the way that Casca's rape was animated was ''far more lenient'' for the viewer than how the manga depicted it.]]
*** Another subtle version is [[http://www.mangareader.net/96-1146-63/berserk/chapter-26.html this scene]]. Yes, [[GorgeousGorgon Slan]] ''is'' forcing herself on Guts here, more precisely she's forcing him to [[spoiler: give her oral sex]].
** RapeLeadsToInsanity: ... [[spoiler: [[TheWoobie Poor,]] [[BreakTheCutie poor]] [[GoMadFromTheRevelation Casca]]]]...
** RapePillageAndBurn: This happens a lot in the series. Wyald especially enjoys carrying out this trope, ''especially'' especially the raping part.
** ScarpiaUltimatum: At the Battle of Doldrey, General Adon [[TryingToCatchMeFightingDirty shoots Casca with a poison dart]], which hinders her speed during battle. He literally has Casca up against the wall, but says that he would let her go if she becomes his "captive." Since it was implied that he was bargaining for her life and not the lives of her entire company for sex, it's averted.
** SexSlave: What the noble who visited Casca's village ''really'' wanted her for. Also, Guts was sold as one for a night.
** [[YouWouldMakeAGreatModel You Would Make A Great Maid Girl]]: The noble who approached Casca's family gave them the pretense that he wanted her as a servant for his castle. This was not the case at all.
* RageAgainstTheHeavens: Guts, and ''how''.
* RatedMForManly: Especially Guts.
* ARealManIsAKiller: [[DiscussedTrope Discussed]] in volume 18, when Isidro starts following Guts around in an attempt to become [[ToBeAMaster the world's greatest swordsman by stealing his techniques.]] Guts then asks Isidro if he had ever killed anybody, to which [[BlatantLies Isidro claims he has.]] Obviously Guts was trying to dissuade the young man from following him further.
* ReallyDeadMontage: Guts gets ones of these during his FreakOut after the eclipse. Again, [[TearJerker big *sigh*.]]
* RearingHorse: Happens a few times, mostly with Griffith.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Believe it or not, they exist. Farnese's father, when confronted with a bastard son ([[spoiler:namely a young Serpico]]), rather than having the boy disposed of, ''calmly explains'' why he can't legitimize the boy (he has three legitimate male heirs already, a fourth would just make things worse for everyone) and then arranges for the kid to gain a title and position in his household.
* RebelRelaxation: Guts and Casca do a lot of the folding their arms and leaning against a wall/pole/tree position. They're not always trying to be rebellious, but trying to retain their [[TheStoic cool]] and [[TheWomanWearingTheQueenlyMask collected]] personas instead.
* RebelliousPrincess: Deconstructed with Farnese, who becomes one because of her parenting (or lack thereof), and this earns her the social isolation it would earn her in real life medieval Europe.
* RecruitingTheCriminal: The Black Dog Knights is made up of the worst murderers, rapists and all around scum that Midland has to offer.
* RedBaron: The Band of the Hawk was known as the "grim reapers of the battlefield." ''Badass''.
** Guts gets the moniker "100 man slayer" while he was in the Band and The Black Swordsman after he went on his RoaringRampageOfRevenge.
* RedOniBlueOni: Guts is the Red Oni, while Griffith is the Blue Oni. Also, Guts and Serpico.
** Guts and Griffith's differences are also highlighted by almost every aspect of their appearences and personalities. Guts is a [[TallDarkAndHandsome tall]], [[RatedMForManly masculine]], [[HeroicBuild heavily muscled]], crew-cut, black-haired, [[BrownEyes brown-eyed]] [[TheBigGuy giant of a man]] who's preferred weapon is a {{BFS}}, whilst Griffith is a [[{{Bishonen}} small, thin]], [[DudeLooksLikeALady effeminate]], blue-eyed, PrettyBoy who uses a rapier-like saber like a scalpel. Even their personalities are different, with Guts being straightforward, ernest, crude, somewhat thick about non-combat matters, who doesn't think too hard about why he acts, while Griffith is mysterious, charismatic, intelligent, well-read, and introspective. Their only truely shared trait is their incredible mental drive to accomplish their goals; even then, Guts really doesn't want to hurt innocent people at the expense of his goals, but Griffith doesn't mind manipulating people in order to accomplish his.
*** The 2012 anime is even [[ColorCodedForYourConvenience color-coding]] them appropriately, outfitting Guts with a red cape and Griffith with one that's blue on the inside.
** Schierke and Isidro are also this. [[FieryRedhead Their]] [[ShyBlueHairedGirl hair]] [[ColorCodedForYourConvenience even contrasts!]]
* RedRightHand: Nearly all demons are obviously not entirely normal even before they go OneWingedAngel. On occasion this is how Guts gets pointed to one.
** Some have pointed out that Guts having slightly pointier ears and teeth than other humans ([[BadassNormal not to mention his phenomenal physical strength and endurance,]] even before magic got involved,) might be evidence of him not being entirely human. Since he was born from a hanged woman and nobody has the faintest idea who his father might have been, it is a distinct possibility.
* RedSkyTakeWarning: Happens during Griffith's DespairEventHorizon, in which his crimson behelit is activated, [[TotalEclipseOfThePlot cuing in the Eclipse.]] I don't like where this is going - [[http://www.mrsmanga.com/Berserk/073/13 even Guts says it.]]
* RedemptionInTheRain: While not redeeming himself per se, Guts has a life-changing epiphany in the rain after the Eclipse, when he gives his famous {{screw destiny}} speech and swears to hunt down all of the apostles and kill them.
* RedshirtArmy: Absolutely every soldier who appears.
* ReforgedBlade: This trope was used literally but also figuratively in a very clever way. After returning to Godo's cabin only to find Casca gone, Guts confronts Godo, who is dying. He inspects Guts' sword, noting all of the knicks that it has accumulated and tells him that it is in need of repair... but what ''really'' needs to be repaired is Guts' heart, which has been knicked, stratched, and broken after years of hiding away from his sadness in hate instead of being with the only person he's loved: [[HeWhoFightsMonsters he was sword,]] [[MoralityChain but without its sheath.]] That night, [[MyGreatestFailure Guts finally realizes his mistakes]] [[MyGreatestSecondChance and vows to never make the same one again.]] Meanwhile, Godo uses the last of his strength to reforge the Dragonslayer, and in the morning light, Guts is given his reward, both of which are reforged for his mission. [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome Mag-nificent.]]
* RelationshipVoiceActor: This was the beginning for both Creator/NobutoshiCanna (Guts) and Creator/ToshiyukiMorikawa (Griffith)...
* TheResenter: Two notable cases that also overlap with GreenEyedMonster.
** First there's the resentment that Farnese feels toward Casca. Even though Casca's state has made Guts' job difficult (in one chapter, Guts nearly drowns when he saves Casca after she fell overboard trying to get away from him), not a day goes by that Guts doesn't think about Casca and [[StarCrossedLovers their brief time together years before]]. Guts is still completely devoted to [[FindTheCure Casca's cause]], and most of his major decisions weigh in the well-being of Casca. In fact, this was a major reason why Guts agreed to go and convince Farnese and Serpico to come back with the group, as Farnese is Casca's caretaker and Casca is only really cooperative with her. However, not only does [[PrecociousCrush Farnese harbor feelings for Guts]], but she feels like a huge liability to the group and strives to master witchcraft in order to be of more use to Guts and earn more of his merit (and perhaps even his romantic recognition). But beyond being Casca's caretaker, Guts doesn't give too much thought to Farnese (not that he hates having her around). For that, Casca has earned a bit of resentment from Farnese.
** Then there's the resentment Sonia has toward Princess Charlotte. As we all know, Charlotte is Griffith's MealTicket to the throne (yes, even after he became a NighInvulnerable GodOfEvil, [[VillainWithGoodPublicity but it's for show]]) and is now her fiance. Aside from her birthright, there is not much use for Charlotte... and little Sonia agrees with this so much that she even made a sonnet of sorts, describing Princess Charlotte as a useless [[AnimalMotifs duck]] and herself as a [[AnimalMotifs kite]], a bird that is in much better ranks with a hawk (who is Griffith), since Sonia, who has clairvoyance - and is therefore more in-tuned to the supernatural world that Griffith is a part of - feels much more worthy of Griffith than Charlotte ever can.
* RescueArc: The latter half of the Conviction/Retribution arc focuses on Guts's quest to rescue and reunite with Casca after [[spoiler: she wanders away from the safety of the cave and is captured first by pagans who wanted to initiated her into their cult and then by Holy Iron Chain Knights who want to [[BurnTheWitch burn her at the stake as a witch]].]]
** Also, the Griffith rescue operation that occurred between volumes 10 and 11.
* RescueIntroduction: How Guts and Puck met in the first chapter.
* RescueRomance: Subverted with Casca's PrecociousCrush on Griffith, later turned HeroWorshipper, which started when he saved her from a sexual assault. Played straight with she and Guts, after he aided her during the Blue Whale Knights battle and their relationship grew from there.
* RescueSex: Guts prevents Casca from committing suicide by falling off a cliff. Moments later, love-making ensues.
** Their moment could also constitute as GladToBeAliveSex, since the two had just won a victory over a group of soldiers who tried to thwart the Band of the Hawk (not to mention Casca wasn't thinking of suicide anytime afterward).
* {{Revenge}}: Oh boy...
* RevengeBeforeReason: This was Guts's [[MyGreatestFailure big mistake]] when he set off on his RoaringRampageOfRevenge only a few weeks after the Eclipse, leaving a psychologically traumatized Casca behind with Rickert, Erica, and Godo, despite Rickert's protests that it was more important for Guts to be with Casca and not [[WalkingTheEarth wandering the world]] fighting monsters.
* ReverseCerebusSyndrome: After the infamous ending of the anime and the turning point of the manga, less serious elements were introduced, ranging from a parody of KidHero and samurai tropes, to mermaids fighting pirates. There are rumors that this was due to ExecutiveMeddling.
* RidingIntoTheSunset: How Guts and Casca (and Puck) exit the Retribution arc at the end of volume 21. After the collapse of the Tower of Conviction, they get separated from the surviving party when the Kushan army makes its appearance. The rest of the group believe [[NoOneCouldSurviveThat that they're as good as dead...]] but then see that Guts managed to mount one of their horses and slaughtered his way through the masses in order to get he and Casca to safety, riding off into the distance after.
* RightBehindMe: Played for laughs when the pirates encountered their monstrous attackers. Also overlaps with TemptingFate.
* RoaringRampageOfRescue: Guts' first phase of [[MyGreatestSecondChance his greatest second chance]] consisted of this when he forfeited his RoaringRampageOfRevenge, with him plowing nonstop from Godo's hut in the snowy mountains to the barren wastelands of St. Albion in order to look for and save a missing Casca. Nothing, not apostles nor the Kushan or the conflict between the Holy See and the Pagans, was going to keep Guts from reaching Casca.
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Anyone who says that Guts isn't this personified is either a liar or has never read the series.
** The Black Dog, the manifestation of Guts' anger and hatred, gets pretty pissed when Guts tries to stop being, well, a Berserker, and tries to tempt him back into this, saying that if Guts were to just rape and kill Casca (and not necessarily in that order) they could go back to brutally murdering every apostle they come across and anyone who tries to stop them.
* RobeAndWizardHat: Schierke, of course.
* RobbingTheDead: Defied: Guts has just killed a bunch of thieves just paid off by Griffith (so they can't bear witness) and is about to take back the gold when Griffith stops him.
* RoleReprisal: While the voice cast for the Japanese anime was [[TheOtherDarrin Darrin'd]] out, the main cast of the English dub returned. VocalEvolution ensues as MarcDiraison, Kevin T. Collins, and CarrieKeranen, the respective voice actors of Guts, Griffith, and Casca, have gotten at least a decades worth of additional voice acting experience under their belt.
* RousseauWasRight: Arguable. When you really look at it, none of the characters, [[HumansAreFlawed who all have their share of flaws]], start out [[CardCarryingVillain downright evil]], despicable, or [[BreakTheCutie messed up.]] You have kids like Guts and Rosine [[UsedToBeASweetKid who were sweet-natured]] and just turned sour [[DarkAndTroubledPast after years of abuse from their parents]], girls like Casca who eventually [[ApatheticCitizens turned apathetic]] after repeatedly seeing their homes taken advantage of, girls like Farnese [[LonelyRichKid who suffered backlash]] from ParentalNeglect, and we only saw hate in Teresia's eyes after she saw all that she knew and loved destroyed. Hell, even Emperor Ganishka had [[FreudianExcuse a sappy childhood that set him on his road to totalitarian paranoia!]] As stated elsewhere, the [[DespairEventHorizon despair event]] and [[MoralEventHorizon moral event horizons]] are enforced in this universe, since in order to have obtained a behelit in the first place, you had to have been a halfway decent person who had loved ones from the start.
* RunningGag: Several characters throughout the series have made basically the same comment on how Guts's {{BFS}}s, primarily the Dragon Slayer, aren't really swords, but more like big slabs of iron.
** Casca is repeatedly shown trying to eat Puck's head, which has the shape of a chestnut when he's in his [[FunSize SD]] form.
** Any time Evarella starts [[ShipperOnDeck encouraging Schierke to put moves on Guts]] Schierke always blushes, stuffs Evarella into her hat and crams in on her head to shut her up.
** The pirate captain biting his subordinate when things go wrong.
* SacrificedBasicSkillForAwesomeTraining: The typical scenario can be explained via this equation: [[TrainingFromHell Dedication to area of expertise]] * Amount of years away from normal social situations + [[DarkAndTroubledPast Possible crappy childhood]] ^ 2 = [[NoSocialSkills Crappy social skills]] and [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower rampant badassery]].
* SatanicArchetype: The five members of the Godhand are very much Satanic Archetypes. Not only do they rule over all demonkind, but they also make [[DealWithTheDevil deals]] with mortals to become demons themselves by sacrificing those closest to them. Void, the ''de facto'' leader of the Godhand who marks people for sacrifice; and Femto, the newest member who has committed some of the nastiest evil acts we've seen out of the five so far and is even blood-red in the first anime, particularly stand out.
* SaveThePrincess: While Guts' mission is to FindTheCure for his lover, one of Griffith's missions upon being [[spoiler: reincarnated in the physical plane]] was to save Princess Charlotte from Ganishka.
* SayMyName: '''"GRIFFITH!!!"'''
** Guts also does this with Casca a lot during the Retribution Arc and henceforth. '''"CASCA!!!"'''
** And Casca did this a fair amount of times for Guts back when she could speak. '''"GUTS!!!"'''
* ScarSurvey: Rare gender-flipped example with Guts inspecting Casca's scars [[spoiler: when they are about to make love.]]
* SceneryCensor: The author [[FanService doesn't]] [[MaleFrontalNudity exactly]] [[InnocentFanserviceGirl hide things]], but sometimes, he likes to play with this.
** In the edited version of ''Descent'', some ferns are used to obscure Guts' and Casca's nether regions when they prepare to have intercourse. The unedited version doesn't reveal that much more... [[spoiler: but it's pretty obvious what Guts is doing with his hand down there.]]
* SceneryGorn: Miura loves to draw frightening places strewn with mangled and decayed corpses and indescribable horrors in intricate detail...
* SceneryPorn: ...And the same can be said for many pleasant-looking and beautiful locations
* SchizoTech: Played with regarding Guts' prosthetic arm, which can equip a high-volume repeating crossbow and hides a man-portable gunpowder cannon. However, seeing as both these things [[DidDoTheResearch actually existed in medieval Europe]], the only thing schizo about the arm is the fact that Guts' fake hand is shown gripping his sword - and that's finally been HandWaved as a magnet.
* {{Shotacon}}: Donovan, the soldier who Gambino sold Guts to for one night, liked little boys a little too much.
** Governor Gennon of Doldrey, whom Griffith had to sleep with in order to get the funds for his growing mercenary band, and who had many young boys attending him.
* ScheduleSlip: Kentaro Miura's irregular scheduling is legendary.
* ScrewDestiny: "''THIS IS'' '''MY DECLARATION OF WAR!!!'''"
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: The mercenaries that General Adon hired to track and kill Guts and Casca showed no hesitation to leaving at that very moment instead of throwing their lives away for Adon's petty task - [[SubvertedTrope until he increased their wages.]] [[MookHorrorShow It wasn't worth it,]] especially since [[VillainExitStageLeft Adon was the one who got away.]]
* ScrewYouElves / ShutUpHannibal: The God Hand and their Apostles like to try to invoke OmniscientMoralityLicense to justify their right to commit atrocities or just explain why their victory is inevitable, but Guts doesn't care. He'll tell you exactly where to shove [[FreudWasRight your peculiar extremities.]] In fact, [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu he'll do it for you.]]
* SecondActBreakup: By the end of the Golden Age arc, Guts leaves insane Casca to hunt Griffith and the God Hand, and, at least in the Dark Horse Comics translations, she is referred to as his ex-lover. However, her status is primarily due to the unfortunate and tragic circumstances of her insanity where she and Guts can't physically love each other; the two were very much in love with each other before the Eclipse and Guts remains in love with Casca despite her condition.
* SecretUndergroundPassage: How the Griffith rescue team infiltrated Wyndam after their exile. They used an old passage way in a graveyard that was once used by the royal family in order to gain passage to a mausoleum inside the city. '''HUU-ROAR!'''
* SecurityBlanket: Ever since Guts was a small child training as a mercenary, he was often seen sleeping with his {{BFS}}. He kept on this tradition into his adult years, saying that he gets restless if he sleeps without it.
* SecurityCling: Happens twice during the Griffith rescue. First, [[CaughtTheHeartOnHisSleeve Casca clings onto Guts' cape]] when she gets anxious during the operation, and later, Charlotte does this to crippled Griffith when she gets frightened during Guts' ExtremeMeleeRevenge rampage. This trope is most commonly scene post-Eclipse from Casca, who clings to Farnese whenever she is fearful of something.
* SelfDestructiveCharge: Guts tries this twice with Femto and fails both times as expected.
* SenselessSacrifice: Despite the [[HeroicSacrifice heroic efforts]] of [[SacrificialLion Judeau]] and [[SacrificialLion Pippin]] in order to save Casca, it was all horribly [[{{Deconstruction}} deconstructed]] in the end. We don't think we need to tell you how.
** Why not go further with adding insult to injury by mentioning how [[spoiler: Guts sacrificing his arm to save Casca didn't do shit in the end? Ouch.]]
** However, [[spoiler: the {{ArmCannon}} has been a crucial tool for Guts ever since, so hacking off his arm may have had it's purpose after all even tough it was definitely not what Guts had planned.]]
* SerratedBladeOfPain: Inquisitor Mozgus' QuirkyMinibossSquad all fight with torture tools, including serrated blades.
* SexEqualsLove: Can be applied to a minimal degree with Guts and Casca after they are reunited after a year and consummate their relationship no more than 24-hours after Guts' return, thus becoming [[OfficialCouple official]]. They were falling for each other prior to their separation though, [[ObliviousToLove but neither of them acted on it]] until it was too late. When they do get together, it's very realistic, since they aren't spouting love sonnets to one another, but the love and affection is there.
** Also, given that both of them have had some very bad experiences regarding sex, [[JustifiedTrope it makes perfect sense that they would treat it very seriously, and only do it with someone they truly loved.]]
* SexIsEvil: In ''Berserk'' having sex can literally give birth to evil, [[spoiler: mainly due to demonic entities raping and impregnating human women with their spawn.]] Heavily related to damn near every rape example in the series, but even when its not rape, [[APartyAlsoKnownAsAnOrgy sex is used to show how depraved and twisted humans can be]] and makes us want to [[FanDisservice barf more than get it on.]]
** SexIsGood: However, Miura has depicted that sex can be a good thing. Being neither [[AllWomenArePrudes a prude]] nor [[AllWomenAreLustful entirely lustful,]] Casca was thoroughly satisfied with losing her virginity to Guts (to the point that she kept talking about it the next morning) and [[AManIsAlwaysEager Guts was just as happy]], and it was seen that making love [[SexEqualsLove strengthen their relationship]] [[IntimatePsychotherapy and healed old wounds.]] So for once, [[GoodPeopleHaveGoodSex two people have sex and and are happy both physically and emotionally]] at the end with no negative outcomes [[spoiler: except that Casca became pregnant, but even then it only turned bad when Femto did things to her, and was subtly implied that had nothing bad happened, [[BabiesMakeEverythingBetter it would have all ended well for once.]]]]
* SexyDiscretionShot: Happens in the anime when Guts and Casca make love. [[TheBigDamnKiss They kiss,]] Casca has an inner monologue about her LoveEpiphany, then a white-out showing Casca being lowered to the ground with no visible top on, and then a PastelChalkedFreezeFrame of Guts and Casca kissing and embracing each other, which was actually taken from a scene in the manga - though a lot more censored. After another white-out, it just shows Guts and Casca the morning after.
* ShamefulStrip: Played for horror during the Eclipse with - you guessed it - Casca. Her humiliation only got worse.
* ShamingTheMob: Guts gave quite the uncharacteristic one during his Black Swordsman days in the Lost Children Arc, where he chastises the town for abandoning a little boy right after his parents were killed by Rosine's minions. Of course, Guts ''did'' [[WouldHurtAChild use the kid as bait for his own plans...]] but he ''also'' [[WouldntHurtAChild made sure that the kid was okay]] afterward and gave him his own form of comfort (by basically telling the kid that [[FamilyUnfriendlyAesop revenge felt good]]).
* ShiningCity: [[spoiler: Falconia.]]
* ShipTease: Normally ''avoided'', as most ships tend to "sail" relatively quickly. There's still been ''oodles'' of teasing between [[FoeYay Guts and Griffith]], though. And the relationship between Isidro and Schierke has a lot of elements of SlapSlapKiss PuppyLove; they just haven't ''quite'' gotten to the "Kiss" portion yet. 'Course, they're still just kids, so that one may take a while.
* ShipperOnDeck: Evarella for Guts x Schierke.
* ShirtlessCaptives: Happens to Griffith when he is captured by the Midland army for his [[spoilers: tryst with Princess Charlotte]]. Amped up in the movie where he's not only stripped shirtless, but completely naked [[MaleFrontalNudity with a full frontal view.]] Happens to Guts on more than one occasion [[spoiler: and one can only wonder if Farnese is going to do the same to Guts as was already done to Griffith in any future movie.]]
* ShoutOut: Miura seems to be an ''Series/UltraSeven'' fan. In this panel, pay very close attention to [[http://img697.imageshack.us/img697/2491/ultraseven.jpg the swordsman]]. Part of that helmet look familiar?
** Apparently, Miura is also a [[http://view.thespectrum.net/series/berserk-volume-20.html?ch=Volume+08&page=59 Puro Resu fan.]]
*** The Godhand seem very much like his take on the Cenobites from ''{{Franchise/Hellraiser}}'' especially Void's face resembling Chatter's. Also Guts calls his iron arm [[Franchise/EvilDead 'groovy']] in volume 14 though that could have been the translator's doing.
** This may very well be unintentional, but Griffith's helm, especially [[spoiler:as Femto]], bears an uncanny resemblance to Winslow's Owl Mask from PhantomOfTheParadise.
*** Then again the two share more than headgear. Winslow is [[spoiler:[[HellHolePrison imprisoned for life]], becomes a disfigured mute, and is driven by obsession into a [[DealWithTheDevil Faustian contract]].]] Not to mention his full costume includes the helmet, black lipstick, cape, and a black body suit.
** In vol 34, [[http://view.thespectrum.net/series/berserk-volume-20.html?ch=Volume+34&page=167 one panel is very obviously]] a ShoutOut to Creator/HieronymusBosch (the same painting as on that page).
** Puck frequently makes puns and meta-references to pop culture. Example: [[http://manga.animea.net/berserk-chapter-28-page-69.html this page]] where he's drawn like Yoda on one panel.
*** In volume 21, he makes a reference to [[SaintSeiya burning his cosmo]] while trying to distract two of [[KnightTemplar Father Mozgus']] henchmen.
** Guts' new Berserker armor makes him look like an armored Franchise/{{Batman}} [[spoiler: if he's in control]].
* ShowDontTell: Miura is extrememly talented when it comes to communicating without text via the subtle expressions of his characters. You could say this series has exellent actors, even tough they are ink on paper...
* ShowerOfAngst: After [[spoiler:being raped by Griffith]], we first see Casca under a waterfall.
* SickAndWrong: When Guts was fighting the swine apostle, Godo commented that it was sickening to him to think of how many people that monster must have killed.
* SilverHasMysticPowers: Silver is effective at both harming and protecting against spiritual entities like trolls.
* SingleStrokeBattle: Zodd vs [[spoiler: Griffith's Falcon Spirit. in volume 17.]] Also how Guts defeated Griffith in their final rematch as he left the Band of Hawks.
* SinisterMinister: Bishop and High Inquisitor Mozgus.
* SinisterScimitar: [[PantheraAwesome Nosferatu Zodd]] uses one.
* SirensAreMermaids: Was revealed in chapter 325 that [[spoiler: the merrow can use singing as their weapon.]]
* SittingOnTheRoof: Guts does this to think about dreams and ambition and all of that good stuff... [[BreadEggsMilkSquick Also to stalk his assassination targets]].
* SkunkStripe: Guts gets one on using the Berserker Armor for the first time.
* SkywardScream: *ahem* '''[[http://www.mrsmanga.com/Berserk/166.176/149 "GRIFFITH!!!"]]''' Yes - two on one page.
* SlapSlapKiss: Guts and Casca share their own variant when they're acting LikeAnOldMarriedCouple during the Griffith rescue operation, mainly on [[{{Tsundere}} Casca's]] part.
* SlasherSmile: The only kind Guts ever seems to have, with few exceptions during the Golden Age Arc.
** For those who want an example, [[http://www.mangareader.net/96-1140-184/berserk/chapter-20.html here.]]
** [[http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Guts_slasher_smile_7502.jpg Another example.]]
* SlidingScaleOfAdaptationModification: For this, let's focus on the Golden Age Arc, since it's the only arc of the story to receive animated adaptations thus far: the 1997 animated TV series and the 2012-13 movie trilogy. To start, both adaptations can be considered [[PragmaticAdaptation pragmatic]], since both aren't 100% accurate to the source material but remain accurate and recognizable enough. The difference lies in how each medium arranges events, themes, and characterization.
** The TV series focused a lot more on the characterization between the main characters themselves AND between minor characters and was more linearly true to the manga timeline (up to and including the fact that the story starts InMediasRes). The theme of camaraderie is much more pronounced since the TV series spanned 25 episodes, thus giving it much more time to expand on these elements. Though there were a lot more battle sequences in the TV adaptation than there were in the manga, it's still not action dominate as these scenes were used to, again, expand on the theme of [[ThePowerOfFriendship friendship]] and [[ThePowerOfTrust teamwork]]. The supernatural elements, however, were downplayed, examples being how many supernatural characters were not introduced until the last few episode during the prelude of the Eclipse (many of the apostles) or were not featured at all (Puck, Skull Knight, Wyald). Also, [[{{Bowdlerise}} gore and sexual violence was downplayed a substantial degree]], possibly since it was aired on TV [[spoiler: though [[NippleAndDimed female nudity]] and [[RapeDiscretionShot rape]] was still present]].
** The movie trilogy is also pragmatic, but acts much like a non-comical abridged version of the source material. [[CompressedAdaptation Since there are only three movies that are only about an hour or so long]] (the third film is a bit longer) [[AdaptationDistillation a lot more had to be cut or re-arranged]] and characterization is largely limited to that of the three main characters; some newcomers to the series might be unaware of some concepts and themes without being referred to the source material. Though some important scenes were cut or downplayed [[spoiler: naked water fight, Griffith's history with Gennon, and the campfire of dreams scene to name a few]] the creators did add other tidbits [[spoiler: Puck and Skull Knight not only made their animated debut finally, but Farnese and Serpico are seen at the ball scene!]] and made other scenes a lot more emotional [[spoiler: having Guts and Casca dance together at the ball; Griffith's sex scene with Charlotte]] making these changes and additions all over worthwhile. Since these are theatrical releases, gore is played exactly how it was in the original manga (bloody battle sequences are featured primarily because [[BloodierAndGorier newer animation techniques allowed for more graphic detail]]), and more disturbingly, sexual violence is ''played up'' in the movies. Some fans even go as far as saying that the third movie, which covers the infamous Eclipse event, is actually '''worse''' than the manga depiction.
* SlidingScaleOfBeauty: Griffith was a [[StupidSexyFlanders World Class Beauty]] before the eclipse, and definitely becomes [[LikeAGodToMe Divine Level Beauty]] after his [[spoiler: reincarnation]]. Oddly enough, the guy is so damn beautiful in his divine form that he even straddles UncannyValley. Casca seems to toggle anywhere between [[WhatBeautifulEyes Cool]]/[[SheCleansUpNicely Special Average]], [[BeautifulAllAlong Common Beauty]], and unfortunately for her, sometimes [[SoBeautifulItsACurse World Class Beauty.]]
* SlidingScaleOfComedyAndHorror: Definitely horror dominant. Most often, whenever comedy is presented during a suspenseful moment, it does not take away from the mood. Some examples take place immediately after the Eclipse, such as when [[spoiler: Rickert, upon receiving the unconscious, mutilated, and violated bodies of Guts and Casca from the Skull Knight, makes a brief SD face at the sight of Nosferatu Zodd,]] or when [[spoiler: Erika trips down the stairs in the elf cave where Guts and Casca are recuperating after the Eclipse,]] causing quite a moment of MoodWhiplash, but the drama returns moments later when [[spoiler: Guts sees Casca's post-Eclipse state and has a FreakOut as a result]]. It's otherwise interesting to point out that ''Berserk'' does not rely on BlackComedy for its humor, rather opting for [[WorldOfSnark sarcastic comedy.]] That said...
** SlidingScaleOfSillinessVersusSeriousness: The series, overall, takes itself pretty damn seriously, except when [[PluckyComicRelief Puck or Isidro]] are involved.
* SlidingScaleOfFreeWillVsFate: Since the Berserk-verse is highly dictated by causality, the scale tips between "BecauseDestinySaysSo" and "Fighting Fate Is Hard." Guts, who struggles against causality, is either not able to truly overcome it or just barely gets by, maintaining the struggle indefinitely. The God Hand compare him to a fish which can leap out of the river, but can't change its flow.
* SlidingScaleOfGenderInequality: Slides between Level 4 (Men Are More Equal) and Level 5 (Almost Perfectly Equal), because overall, the women who are most crucial to the plot or arc either contribute something and/or are competent enough to get out of sticky situations on their own, even if they aren't ''bona fide'' [[ActionGirl action girls]]. Heck - even [[PrincessClassic Princess Charlotte]] has her moments! On the other hand, background women are usually [[AllWomenAreLustful complete sluts]] or are completely useless and are only present [[NoWomansLand to be raped and killed off]], which would be at Level 2 (Whores, Whores, Whores...) and 3 (Male Superiority).
* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: Very cynical, but not so much that absolutely no hope remains at all. Still pretty close though.
** The manga has become a fair amount lighter than it was in the past. It was oppressively dark back after the Golden Age arc, but more recently it has felt a fair amount lighter. The addition of multiple kids to the gang probably helped...heck, the fact that Guts is no longer travelling alone is enough to make it easier to take. This is not to say the comic is not dark. It still very much is. But not quite as dark as it was.
* SlidingScaleOfShinyVersusGritty: On the gritty end of the spectrum, ''Berserk'' takes place in a [[DarkerAndEdgier dark and edgy]] CrapsackWorld in the middle of the DungAges. On the shiny end, the Berserk-verse is also a land of [[SceneryPorn phenomenal beauty in certain locations,]] not to mention all of the nobles in GorgeousPeriodDress. Two good examples from each:
** Gritty: The entire St. Albion area is crawling with pestilence, corruption, and dread and is very dry, dark, and gloomy in composition.
** Shiny: Guts and Casca's love scene in the wilderness is beautiful and soft on the eyes, with great detail on natural aspects such as flora, waterscapes, and sunlight.
* SlidingScaleOfUnavoidableVersusUnforgivable: This is hotly debated within the ''Berserk'' fandom, as most of the fandom is split in half over the idea of [[BaseBreaker Griffith's]] FaceHeelTurn. Basically, you're probably on one of two sides:
** You're on the side that believes that though his actions during the Eclipse were heinous, Griffith's choice of becoming a member of the Godhand at the expense of his friends was [[IDidWhatIHadToDo for the greater good of the world]], since the people are in dire need of a [[MessianicArchetype savior]] and that [[spoiler: Griffith's new kingdom of Falconia]] can give the people that solace, since they have to live in such a [[CrapsackWorld cruel, unforgiving world]] and this was, perhaps, [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve what the people wished for the most.]] And even if Griffith [[DealWithTheDevil did sell his soul to evil]], [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans utopia will justify the means in the end!]] TheNeedsOfTheMany (this case, the entire world populace) [[TheNeedsOfTheMany outweighs the needs of the few, or the one]] (which would be Guts and his need for revenge against Griffith for what he did to the Hawks, Casca, and their friendship).
** Or, you're on the side that believes that Griffith made a BIG NO-NO during the Eclipse, [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope and went waaaaaaaaay off the slippery slope]] for his actions to be justified. He has jumped '''WAY''' [[MoralEventHorizon past the zone of forgiveness]], and for crying out loud: he became a GodOfEvil, dictating the way of causality unto others through cruel [[SadisticChoice sadistic choices]]! Plus, his presence in the physical world - which is now really messed up because of him - [[DarkMessiah might do more harm than good]] [[TotalitarianUtilitarian in the long run]], as it has already been shown that he will eliminate anybody [[AmbitionIsEvil whom he sees as a threat to his power]] (example, he [[spoiler: got his Apostle mooks to kill Flora, who was a very powerful good witch]]). And to top it off, his intent wasn't for the sake of the people, [[ItsAllAboutMe but for himself.]] Griffith already has one kingdom: [[TheDarkSide will he want more?]]
*** In the end, '''''you''''' have to decide.
* SlobsVersusSnobs: The clash between the Holy Iron Chain Knights (snobs) and the pagans (slobs) in the Conviction arc.
* SmallAnnoyingCreature: Puck, and everyone treats him like one, to boot. Later on, Evarella also applies.
** Isidro, too. He's small, he's revoltingly annoying, and he tends to act like an animal (especially after pissing off Schierke).
* SmittenTeenageGirl: Princess Charlotte on Griffith and then Sonia, who is even more childish and shallow about it.
* TheSmurfettePrinciple: Interesting case for this series. While there's a healthy cast of female characters, Casca was the only main female characters for the first fifteen or so volumes, and is still considered one of the three main characters of the story. Not only that, but she was the only female member of the original Band of the Hawk, and still remains the series only genuine ActionGirl, albeit [[GoMadFromTheRevelation she's in remission]] [[DistressedDamsel for the time being]].
** While the above is true, there are obvious reasons why women were not so frequent in mercenary camps as fighters, and seeing that main characters tend to be the fighting type, it's mainly justified to have only a few (one) girl.
* SneakyDeparture: Guts tried this... it didn't work on account of Casca spotting him. But they had a SnowMeansLove moment because of it!
* SnowMeansDeath / SnowMeansLove: Combined twice. Once when Casca tries to dissuade Guts from leaving the Hawks, right before the Guts vs Griffith showdown. Also [[spoiler: when she screams Guts' name upon watching him walking away after defeating Griffith]]. The second time [[spoiler:when Guts fights off snow demons in order to protect [[TheOphelia post-eclipse Casca]]]]. Even before that, Guts makes his vow that he would never leave Casca like he did two year prior again as they leave Godo's house for the last time as it begins to snow.
* {{Socialite}}: Lady Vandimion, Farnese's mother.
* SolemnEndingTheme: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MB_9-iFb9B0 "Waiting So Long"]], a song that manages to be both endearingly Engrish-y and genuinely haunting.
** SoundtrackDissonance: I don't know about you, but having to hear that same song right after seeing [[spoiler: Guts in utter physical and emotional agony from having to watch Casca get raped to insanity]] is REALLY unsettling.
* SortingAlgorithmOfEvil: The power of the apostles varies widely. Ranging from "Man eating predator that loves to bite your head off" via "Giant insect that flies with super sonic speed" to "Towering behemoth that makes Godzilla look puny". How strong an apostle can get seems to be related to the severity of the sacrifice that was made. In true Shonen style, the monsters Guts fights of course happen to get more dangerous with every new encounter.
* SortingAlgorithmOfWeaponEffectiveness: Well, Guts always had a {{BFS}} to begin with, but when he started hunting apostles, he had to get an even ''bigger'' {{BFS}} in order to actually do some damage to their bodies (bonus points in that the Dragon Slayer is [[EvolvingWeapon magically upgrading itself]] as the story progresses). Same can be said for the various armors that he wears, each a bit better than the last set, until Guts finally gained the Berserker armor (unfortunately, it is a case of being [[DeadlyUpgrade a doubled-edged sword]]).
** SwordOfPlotAdvancement: Guts wielding the Dragon Slayer for the first time pretty much wrapped up the [[ThreeActStructure second-ish act that was the Golden Age Arc.]]
* SparedByAdaptation: [[KillTheCutie Unlike the manga]], Collette and her father were not killed off, as they replaced Puck in the tavern scene in the first episode of the anime.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Oh, '''''lordy'''''. Given how long the series has been going (all the way back into the early 90s), there's been a ''ton'' of ways of spelling many of the character names over the years. Gatts vs. Guts vs. Gutsu vs. etc.
** Other prominent examples: Farnese/Farneze/Parnesse, Isidro/Ishidoro, Casca/Caska/Kaska/Kjaskar, Puck/Pak, Rosine/Roshinu (this one's still very popular). Schierke in particular caused everyone to facepalm when she debuted because ''nobody'' was sure what that was supposed to be in English; "Silke" was popular for a while until her name was actually printed later on.
*** In universe, we have Isidro giving his name as Ijidodo when he gets so beat up he gets mush-mouthed, which his opponent takes as his name.
** Even more common is Sys/Shisu, with no one ever realizing the latter is simply a romanization of the Japanese pronunciation of her name, much like Rosine/Roshinu.
** Notably, several decades after the manga's debut, there's a lot of suspicion that a once-universally accepted translation was in error; with all the recent talk of "Falconia" and Miura's indication that one arc should be called "Millenium Falcon" (for the [[StarWars obvious reference]] on several levels), many people suspect the proper name of Griffith's mercenary company should be "Band of the ''Falcon''", not "Band of the ''Hawk''". (This was caused by the word for both birds being the same in Japanese.) Two decades of fandom inertia make it basically impossible to correct in the zeitgeist at this point, however, and Band of the Hawk remains as the official translation.
** Another famous one is also the ClingyMacGuffin of the story: Behelit/Beherit/Berith. The actual spelling IS Beherit, which is one of the many variants of the pagan idol of Judeo-Christian demonology known as [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beherit Baal-Berith]].
** Last and not least (at the moment), Femto/Phemt. While the former is widely known as the last Godhand's name, the real spelling is very likely to be [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PHEMT PHEMT]], the technical concept after which he is named, [[MeaningfulName for strangely symbolic reasons once you understand the meaning of the concept]].
* SpitTrailKiss: Mixed with the ForcefulKiss trope on page 2 and played for obvious and ''major'' FanDisservice during the eclipse.
* TheSquadette: Casca, Farnese, and Sonia are in their respective parties, but only one of them was an actual ActionGirl. Guess.
* StandardFemaleGrabArea: Subverted pre-Eclipse, where Guts and Casca get into an argument, escalating when Guts grabs Casca by the arm, stopping her in her tracks, but she eventually snatches her arm away from his grip when Griffith arrives on the scene. Post-Eclipse, this serves as another unfortunate deconstruction of Casca's behavior, since she now [[HatesBeingTouched doesn't like being touched]] - [[DoesNotLikeMen especially by men]] - and is understandably terrified whenever somebody grabs her.
* StandardHeroReward: [[{{Subversion}} Would have happened]] if all had gone according to plan for Griffith the first time.... Later on, [[DoubleSubversion it pretty much happens]] [[spoiler: when Griffith defeats Emperor Ganishka with his Apostle army and his dream kingdom, Falconia, becames real, along with having Princess Charlotte's hand in marriage.]]
* StarCrossedLovers: Guts and Casca ''never'' catch a break.
* SteppingStoneSword: Guts climbs a tower of human heads with daggers.
* SticksToTheBack: Guts's Dragon Slayer
** Justified in that the mechanism is visible (hook on his back, ring on the sword, leather strap with a notch for the end of the blade), and even used for effect (said leather strap looks like a stereotypical pointed devil's tail when the sword is drawn).
* StoryArc: In order:
** The Black Swordsman Arc (Volumes 1-3)
** The Golden Age Arc (Volumes 3-14)
** The Retribution/Conviction Arc (Volumes 14-21) - with three major parts
*** Chapter of the Lost Children (14-16)
*** Chapter of the Binding Chain (16-17)
*** Chapter of the Birth Ceremony (17-21)
** The Millennium Falcon/Hawk of the Millennium Empire Arc (Volumes 22-34) - with two major parts
*** Chapter of the Holy Demon War (22-27)
*** Chapter of Falconia (27-34)
** The Fantasia Arc: The current arc, which has yet to be released in a volume.
*** There is currently a brief intermission with the three-part Boyhood Arc.
* StuffedIntoTheFridge: One of the rare cases where the target ''survives''. [[spoiler: Casca is raped into insanity, and now has the mental abilities and speech of an infant. She requires constant babysitting, whereas before she was once one of the leaders of the Band of the Hawk. [[note]]Doesn't count as {{Chickification}} because we ''saw'' all of this ''brutal'' BreakTheCutie happen '''with all kinds of details''', whereas Chickification is an invisible and unjustified shift in the story.[[/note]] As a result of her insanity and depowered status, Guts uses her fate as [[RapeAndRevenge the greatest justification for his revenge against Griffith and the God Hand]] and her [[TheLostLenore condition continues to anguish and cause great pain for Guts.]] The trope was played straight a few weeks after the Eclipse, as Guts was so consumed in his sadness and anger over the event that he [[ForgottenFallenFriend actually abandoned Casaca and disregarded the trauma that she herself was going through]] and left to pursue his revenge for two years. The trope was later [[DiscussedTrope discussed]] when Godo confronted Guts on the matter, which actually resulted in Guts giving up his revenge on Griffith in order to stay near Casca (though the trope is still occasionally discussed by the Beast who torments Guts). The overall use of the trope in the story has drawn some criticism from fans, [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter since Casca's character arc was greatly diminished when she became insane]] and many events surrounding her status (an example being the demonized child that Casca bore) serve to aid in Guts' and even Griffith's character arcs more than her own.]]
* SunkCostFallacy: The entire reason behind Griffith's dream. So many lives were lost in his pursuit of it, that he feels he cannot abandon it lest he render all of those deaths meaningless. The Godhand use this to their advantage in convincing him to go through with sacrificing his army.
* SurprisePregnancy: Played tragically straight after the Eclipse concerning Guts and Casca's unborn child being miscarried. [[spoiler: However, [[{{WMG}} some fans think]] that [[MySecretPregnancy Casca might not have been so oblivious about her pregnancy...]]]]
** ScreamingBirth: Played for drama. Since the baby is severely under-developed, Casca is seen having minor bouts of pain and "silently" screams when the fetus is pushed out.
* SurrealHorror: This is a given since the Berserk-verse is basically [[Creator/HieronymusBosch Hieronymus]]-[[Creator/MCEscher Escher]] Land. Some things are just so jaw-dropping, batshit weird that it's ''friggin' scary.'' Just take the [[EldritchLocation entire landscape of the Eclipse,]] or some of the apostles themselves. Seriously - '''[[http://www.mrsmanga.com/Berserk/080.091/106 what the holy hell is this thing???]]'''
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: The New Band of the Hawk is strangely similar to the Original Band: Griffith is still the leader but then Sonia is Casca (the only female and infatuated with Griffith except she's not an ActionGirl), Mule is Rickert (a naïve kid), Locus is Judeau (the nicest and most considerate of all), Rakshas is Corkus (not seen acting much and rather [[SmugSnake smug]]) and Grunbeld is Pippin (although he's more talkative but the war hammer is still there).
** Last but not least, Irvine is... Guts. Yes, seriously. Compare their attitudes: Guts was at first aloof, solitary, dismissive and usually avoided his comrades in the Hawks .... just like Irvine is. Irvine has developed a relationship with the band's sole female Sonia which strengthened after he saved her life ... just like Guts and Casca back in the days. Plus his Apostle form is strangely similar to The Beast, Guts' EnemyWithin.
*** Not to mention their inclination to {{Nice Hat}}s. Suspicious... but tasteful!
** I always thought Nosferatu Zodd was Guts; both are Griffith's right hand man, both are phenomenally ferocious {{BloodKnight}}s who love to fight just for the sake of it (at least before Guts' CharacterDevelopment), both are prone to spending long periods sitting and brooding before being approached and called to battle, both are unstoppable {{LightningBruiser}}s, both can be trusted to perform tasks other than straight-up fighting ([[spoiler: assassination]] for Guts and [[spoiler: rescuing Princess Charlotte]] for Zodd), both are fiercely loyal to Griffith beyond the call of duty, and both have a head injury they never recover from (Guts lost an eye, Zodd lost a horn). The connection between Guts and Zodd is also brought out by their relationship with each other, where they constantly clash without decisively beating the other, and where they respect each other as {{Worthy Opponent}}s ([[RevengeBeforeReason as much as Guts is capable of respecting any apostle]]).
** Also, it should be noted that although they are not full-out carbon copies of the original Hawks as Griffith's new crew basically is, some of Guts' companions have shades of the personalities that the deceased Hawks had. For instance, Serpico is a counterpart of Griffith, being Guts' new [[BlueOniRedOni Blue Oni]] and is a rapier-wielding {{Bishonen}} who is also pretty [[WickedCultured well cultured]] from his noble upbringing. Those are where most similarities end, however, seeing that Serpico has more in the sarcasm department and less in the sociopathic one in contrast with Griffith and is much more good of heart. Isidro has the smugness of Corkus but the physical aptitude of Judeau, being a dual wielder of daggers.
* SwipeYourBladeOff: Guts does this in the new movie after killing Bazuso.
* SwordAndSorcerer: Guts and Schierke are a non-BattleCouple example, instead being a BadassAndChildDuo example. However, [[PuppyLove Isidro also has his moments with Schierke]] and it's implicated that [[ShipTease they might]] become [[BattleCouple a straight example]] of this trope in time. Both dynamics are type 1.
* SwordOverHead: Subverted during the final fight scene between Guts and Rosine. After mortally striking Rosine down, Guts closes in to deal the finishing blow - only he is unable too. Not because ''he'' stopped himself, but because the Holy Iron Chain Knights intervened, causing Guts to flee the scene to avoid capture.
* SwordPointing: Oh, HELL YES. And he (at least Guts) gets special points for doing this with one hand while wielding an enormous weapon.
* SympatheticPOV: The second Band of the Hawk get this when seen from the POV of their MoralityPet, Sonia, and compared to the Emperor Ganishka, who is somehow even ''worse'' than they are in his day-to-day life.
* TakeMyHand: Played a lot, especially between Guts and Casca.
* TakeOurWordForIt: We've seen mountains of {{eye scream}}, graphic rape and sexual assaults, horrific torture, {{gorn}}, and a buttload of ass-ugly monsters (and {{mooks}}).... but we're never allowed to see Griffith's post-tortured face. [[NightmareFace We're assuming that it's worse than his torturer's face]] (and {{take our word for it}}: [[NightmareFace he's no spring chicken]]).
* TakeThatKiss: Once again, this was mixed with the ForcefulKiss trope on page 2 and the SpitTrailKiss stated earlier during the eclipse, as [[spoiler: Griffith/Femto kisses Casca twice in front of Guts while raping her just to spite and hurt Guts.]]
* TalkingIsAFreeAction: Usually played straight but once amusingly subverted by Guts when fighting a group of Apostles.
--> Apostle (just before Guts cuts him apart): No.. no fair! Attacking while we're transforming!
* ATasteOfTheLash: Used for reasons other than just general punishment... just ask Farnese.
* TastyGold: Guts does this after killing Bazuso.
* TeamKiller: Both Guts and Griffith are guilty of this. [[SympatheticMurderBackstory Guts' case was more sympathetic,]] in that he [[spoiler: first [[RapeAndRevenge killed the man who raped him]] the previous night, and then later on, [[AccidentalMurder he accidentally killed]] his adoptive father out of self defense.]] Griffith, on the other hand, [[spoiler: sold out all of his comrades during the Eclipse in order to gain nigh invulnerability.]]
** Guts also offed at least two members of the Hawks (ya know -[[ThoseTwoGuys Dante and Errol]]), but that was technically before he became part of the group.
* TearsOfBlood: The most notable being the activation of a Behelit. Its scrambled facial features rearrange into a normal face, its eyes open and blood streams out.
** Guts during the [[spoiler: rape of Casca]], where his undamaged eye cries normal tears and his ruined eye cries tears of blood (although this isn't tears so much as the punctured eyeball pouring out blood). The same during his recovery as he recalls all of the friends he has lost (actual blood tears this time).
** And also Griffith, during his DespairEventHorizon into the start of the Eclipse.
* TearOffYourFace: Another [[{{Squick}} yummy]] way of dying a gruesome and painful death in the Berserk-verse. Especially seen with the cultists during the Conviction Arc, who rip off the faces of several of the Holy Iron Chain Knights when they got possessed by demons. You have to ask though: would being possessed by demons really stop [[ImAHumanitarian these people]] from doing something like this?
* [[TeethClenchedTeamwork Teeth-Clenched Comrades]]: Guts and Casca were notorious in the Hawks for always fighting and arguing, though they would truce it out when it was ''really'' important. The duo was put to the ultimate test when they were faced with Adon's hundred-man army and were able to work as a pretty [[BackToBackBadasses sweet ass team]] for the most part. [[ThePowerOfFriendship As a reward for their teamwork and camaraderie]], they were upgraded to FireForgedFriends.
* TemptingFate: In world that is dictated by causality, characters, good or bad, major or minor, just love to make [[BigBadDuumvirate the Godhand's]] [[CardCarryingVillain job easier and more enjoyable]] by setting themselves up for failure.
** A comedic example with the pirates.
---> '''Pirate Captain''': Ghosts?! Monsters?! Superstitions, mates. Superstitions! Listen up, ye scallywags! Yer all outrageous! Look at me, livin the pirate life for all these 25 years! Lively as can be right before ye all! If all that garbage be true at all, I'd be the first one ter be haunted, wouldn't you say?! *ghosts come up right behind him*
* TenderTears: Subverted in a particularly twisted way. Slan tears up upon [[spoiler: witnessing the brutal rape and torture of Casca at Femto's hands while Guts is watching helplessly, held down by three demons right after hacking off his own arm and righ before [[EyeScream getting his eye clawed off in the process]]]]. [[NightmareFetishist She found the scene to be an epiphany of beauty...]]
* TentacleRope: Played for horror during the Eclipse... Need I really elaborate how?
* ThatThingIsNotMyChild: Guts immediately rejects the deformed fetus as his own (at first thinking that [[spoiler: [[MamasBabyPapasMaybe Casca was impregnated by a demon hellspawn when Femto raped her]]]]) even after he found out that it is his and Casca's child. Although, to be a bit more sympathetic on Guts' part, it could be that he doesn't hate the child in itself, but rather what the child represents: [[ChildOfRape the byproduct]] of a horrible event that [[MyGreatestFailure he failed to prevent from happening to Casca]], an event that pretty much [[StarCrossedLovers quashed any chances that Guts and Casca]] could have had of actually having a real family (since it was implied from [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic their interaction with the mysterious child]] on the beach [[GoodParents that the two would not have made bad parents]], and Guts is later seen having a somber look on his face when remembering he and Casca's child [[spoiler: though it has been suggested that the fetus and the boy on the beach are the same]]).
** Also related to the [[spoiler: ChildOfRape]] trope is the treatment that Rosine received from her father, since it was strongly implied that she was [[spoiler: conceived through her mother's rape]].
* TheirFirstTime: Accentuated a lot more in the third film between Guts and Casca. No speaking involved in this adaptation, but their body language during the scene make the pair look very much like awkward sixteen year olds.
* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverKill: Justified when fighting an Apostle. You literally have to give all that you can in order to kill one of these fuckers, and a simple sword wound [[{{Pun}} won't cut it.]] Use [[KillItWithFire fire]], [[ArmCannon a cannonball]], [[KillItWithWater water]], [[AnnoyingArrows bows and arrows]], AimForTheEye, [[NowThatsUsingYourTeeth use your teeth]], [[HoistByHisOwnPetard use their own horn to kill them]], [[KickThemWhileTheyAreDown kick 'em while they're down]], [[WeNeedADistraction use dead mooks as a decoy]], or [[IHaveYourWife use their loved ones]] [[HumanShield as a shield.]] Just so long as you make them [[LudicrousGibs giblets fly in the end!]]
** In situations where there are no Apostles involved, but normal people want to harm (or have harmed) the ones that Guts cares about - [[UnstoppableRage you're in for it.]] Especially if you're MadeOfPlasticine.
* ThereWasADoor / INeedNoLadders: [[BigDamnHeroes No time!]]
* TheyDo: Guts and Casca [[spoiler: but not for long.]]
* ThirdActMisunderstanding: Subverted. Crap began to build up in volume 8 when Guts hinted to Casca that he was planning on leaving the Hawks and [[TimeSkip a good month]] goes by without ''anybody saying anything to anyone else on the matter.'' When the time comes, [[SneakyDeparture Guts tries to leave the Hawks without telling anyone]], [[NiceJobBreakingItHero Casca finds out and blabs to Griffith]], and Griffith - man, [[ControlFreak he didn't take it too well.]] Perhaps if the three had actually talked to each other about '''practically everything''' that went on in their lives (from Guts telling Griffith that he wanted to be his equal so he could be a true friend to Guts and Casca telling each other that they had feelings for one another), [[PoorCommunicationKills then this whole conflict could have been avoided]]... [[YouCantFightFate or maybe not]] because it's what [[spoiler: the Idea of Evil]] had planned for Griffith anyway, regardless what any of the three had to say about it. Given the strength of Griffith's reaction to Guts' leaving, it's doubtful that any amount of explanation could have convinced him to let him go peacefully, and for Guts' part, he lampshades the inevitability of the falling-out when he asks Casca, "[[ArmorPiercingQuestion What should I have done differently?]]"
* ThisIsSomethingHesGotToDoHimself: Guts a couple times. Casca at least once. Casca's "recruitment" in flashback might count as a nasty version. Griffith was never that nice a guy.
** But then again, this actually proved to be beneficial in Casca's case, as she was an [[ApatheticCitizens apathetic citizen]] like the rest of her village, and before Griffith showed up, she was just going to allow this guy to rape her. Defending herself against a man who wanted to violate her was [[TookALevelInBadass Casca's first step in badass.]]
* ThisIsUnforgivable:
** Villain example: Rosine, the BigBad of ''{{Berserk}}'''s Lost Children arc, uses this line on Guts after he [[spoiler:destroys the tree that she has been using to make her creepy little pseudo-elves out of the children she's kidnapped]], which has the effect of ''supremely'' pissing Rosine off -- badly enough in fact, that she decides to [[spoiler:[[OneWingedAngel transform into her]] ''[[OneWingedAngel true]]'' [[OneWingedAngel Apostle form, a really creepy insect-like monster]]]].
** Another villain example from Berserk: when Nosferatu Zodd's duel with Guts is interrupted, he roars this at the interlopers. This guy takes the WorthyOpponent BloodKnight dynamic ''really'' seriously.
** An actual (anti) heroic example comes from Guts in volume 17, where he says something to the same effect. After getting a WhatTheHellHero lecture handed to him, Guts rethinks how he dealt with avenging the Hawks, and that since he technically played a role in the group's downfall, he didn't have a right to avenge them... however, for what Griffith did to Casca during the Eclipse, Guts said that he would ''never'' forgive Griffith.
* ThisWasHisTrueForm: Apostles and everything that was once human are all into this. Since Apostle-dom is acquired in moments of extreme despair, it is not rare that their original forms are highly weakened/disfigured (e.g. [[spoiler: Wyald, Griffith]]). The trope causes problems for Guts sometimes.
** Notably, when Guts was being chased by the Holy Iron Chain Knights, the trail of human bodies and destruction led them to believe he was a rampaging, psychotic mass murderer. He was, but he only really killed '''monsters''' by this point. The monsters turned back after he got done with them.
* TheThreeFacesOfAdam: Though they don't exactly hang out together, Isidro is the hunter, Guts is the lord, and the Skull Knight is the prophet. If you want to add Serpico to the mix, he's kinda in between the hunter and the lord.
* ThrowTheBookAtThem: Mozgus does this once. Being Berserk, this is a large, metal-bound book that crushes the skull of the victim. [[MemeticMutation HERETIC!]]
** He got off easy, considering how Mozgus had the rest of the men executed.
* ThrownDownAWell: Although the facility is never named, the Black Dogs Knights, for their atrocious war crimes, were banished and imprisoned to the outskirts of the kingdom. At least until the ruler decides that an amoral bunch of raping, slaughtering, homicidal lunatics is exactly what he needs...
* ThwartedCoupDeGrace: Femto tries to do the CoupDeGrace to the unconscious Guts and Casca, but Skull Knight swoops in to save the day.
* TimeSkip: Lots in the Band of the Hawk arc. Since it covers Guts life up to the Eclipse, it comes with the territory.
** For instance, three years between episode 4 and 5.
* TokenReligiousTeammate: Schierke more or less, since she's the only hardcore spiritual member of the team. Farnese subverts this, since she pretty much quit the Holy See upon joining Guts and took up practicing witchcraft to prove her self worth rather than for the spiritual aspect.
* TookALevelInBadass: Guts takes nothing but levels in badass all his life: as a child, he trains with a sword nearly twice his size that he takes into combat. After [[spoiler:Griffith]]'s FaceHeelTurn, he is marked as a target for demons and ends up just taking more levels into the epic class of badass by getting a sword the size of his body that is a slab of iron with sharp edges and a mechanical arm that doubles as a ''cannon''. After he gets his TrueCompanions, he receives the Berserker Armor, [[spoiler: which was once worn by the Skull Knight]], which increases his physical abilities [[spoiler: by making him immune to pain and reinforcing his body when it's wounded. It also makes him attack everything around him, friend or foe.]]
* TooKinkyToTorture: The only thing Guts succeeds in doing when he impales and blows off half of Slan's torso is giving her an orgasm.
* TortureTechnician: The guy responsible for torturing [[spoiler:Griffith]]; also, Mozgus's retinue.
* TotalEclipseOfThePlot: The entire finale of the anime and one of the most climactic moments of the manga uses this.
* {{Tragedy}}: The Golden Age Arc is filled to the brim with this.
* TraumaCongaLine: ''Dear lord''. Sometimes you have to ask yourself: does Miura just ''hate'' seeing Guts, Griffith, and Casca happy for more than five minutes? Good grief. Each have varying results to their trauma:
** Griffith's trauma line resulted in Type B, giving up and becoming a villain.
** Casca's trauma line resulted in Type C, regressing into a child-like state.
** And Guts' trauma line, which is pretty much still on-going, is a mesh of Type A, D, and E, blazing onward through thick and thin and going on bloody rampages of revenge and destruction, but not quite stooping so low as to give up all hope.
* TraumaInducedAmnesia: Thanks to [[spoiler: Griffith and what he has done to her]] Casca was so traumatized by the events that her mind has regressed to the mind of a child, but shows no clear memory of the events that transpired beforehand. The only time that she is shown to remember anything at all is when [[spoiler: she is on the verge of being raped, as she has visions of what had happened to her during the dreadful Eclipse.]] Fortunately, this also brings back memories of her fighting skills, at least temporarily.
** There's also a moment when she falls down a cliff, and displays her former considerable acrobatic talents in landing unharmed.
* TranquilFury: Very unusual and thus rare coming from [[TheBerserker the poster child]] of [[UnstoppableRage batshit insane rage-o-hol]], but there have come times in Guts's career that he was ''so'' pissed off at something that he just had [[http://www.mangareader.net/96-1130-139/berserk/chapter-10.html the calmest expression.]] Be warned: [[http://www.mangareader.net/96-1130-141/berserk/chapter-10.html Guts's tranquil fury facade]] is quite possibly more frightful than his usual UhOhEyes, and should be taken with the utmost seriousness if you want to live.
* TransformationOfThePossessed: Animals possessed by spirits in Berserk get deformed human-like faces
* TreeCover: When Guts and Griffith talk "privately" for the first time, Casca is hiding behind a tree listening to their conversation.
* TroubledFetalPosition: In the beginning stages of her insanity, Casca was very paranoid of her surroundings - being especially distrustful of men - and would often huddle into corners or against women for protection. After the time skip, Casca seems to have entered into a more [[TheOphelia aloof stage of her insanity]], not really aware of the dangers that surrounded her.
* TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior: Guts all the way, since he was not only [[ChildSoldier forced to kill people since the age of five or six]], but [[HarmfulToMinors every event that]] [[DarkAndTroubledPast happened in his childhood]] just [[UsedToBeASweetKid hardened him even more]]. Now in his adult years, killing people is as natural as breathing to this guy.
** Farnese also counts during her childhood. Any servant working in the Vandimion mansion at the time who had ''any'' shred of sanity would have '''left after the first minor incident''' - which could have very well have been being set on fire!
* TrueCompanions: Guts has had two groups: the original Band of the Hawk and his current traveling companions.
* TryNotToDie: First said by Casca to Guts when he makes a path for her to escape from the Tudor ambush army. Later said by Isidro to Guts multiple times.
* TwoGuysAndAGirl: [[TheLancer Guts]], [[TheHero Griffith]], [[ActionGirl Casca]]. The sole purpose of these three's [[TriangRelations relationship]] is to get more complex as the story goes on...
----
* TheQuietOne: Pippin
* QuirkyMinibossSquad: The Baki-Raka and Mozgus' Inquisitors.
* QuiveringEyes: In the anime, Griffith gets these whenever he gives someone the DeathGlare. Casca gets these whenever she gets emotional. [[SugarAndIcePersonality Which is a lot.]]
* RagtagBunchOfMisfits: The Band of the Hawk more or less. Before being recruited and rehabilitated by Griffith, most of the members were social outcasts and criminals.
* RRatedOpening
* RainOfArrows: How the Midland army ambushed the Band of the Hawk after Griffith's treason. They managed to get Casca with ''[[HumanPincushion five arrows]]''... [[{{Badass}} but that wasn't enough to stop her.]]
* [[SexualHarassmentAndRapeTropes Rape]]: Oh God, OH GOD with the rape! If there's one thing that Miura has drilled in our head for damn sure, it's that '''nobody is safe from rape in this series'''. In fact, rape is so prevalent in the series that you can even consider it a theme. Here's how:
** AllMenAreRapists: Outside of the Hawks, three out of five guys try to rape Casca. Seriously. [[SoBeautifulItsACurse She's like rape bait.]]
** AndNowYouMustMarryMe: Emperor Ganishka [[IHaveYouNowMyPretty holds Princess Charlotte captive after invading Wyndam]], and "tells" her that she [[spoiler: [[MaritalRapeLicense must bear his son]] even though they weren't official married.]][[LieBackAndThinkOfEngland For the empire]], [[SarcasmMode of course]].
*** The same also goes to The Great Goat Head who wants to "marry" Casca into the cult after she got captured.
** AttemptedRape: Casca has to fight off two rape attempts, and Princess Charlotte has to fight off her father at one point).
*** Oh, it's been more than two. Also, almost every female in the series has had a near miss, if they weren't actually raped.
**** And a few males too... [[spoiler: including Guts.]]
*** Luckily (or unlucky for the rapist) Guts is normally there with a sword to... um...dis-arm said rapist.
** ChildOfRape: [[spoiler: Rosine.]] Also the Child, whose story was mixed with TouchedByVorlons.
** DoubleStandardRapeDivineOnMortal: A.VERT.ED. Especially since, [[spoiler: [[SatanicArchetype Femto is FAR from a benevolent being.]]]]
** DoubleStandardRapeMaleOnMale: [[AvertedTrope NOPE.]] Some fans actually try to use this double standard to discredit [[spoiler: Casca's]] ordeal, saying that she should have "gotten over it," using [[spoiler: Guts' rape ordeal at the hands of Donovan]] as an example, saying that he got over it. Heh heh... er, no. [[HatesBeingTouched No he didn't.]] Male-on-male rape is just as impactful as male-on-female rape in ''Berserk.''
** DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale: [[AvertedTrope No once more]]. Females who wish to have their way with hot guys, no matter what they think of it (hello [[HornyDevils Slan]]), are presented as being just as disgusting as male rapists.
** DudeShesLikeInAComa: A [[{{Squick}} squicky]] version as the King of Midland is molesting his own daughter as she sleeps.
** GratuitousRape: Rape happens a ''lot'' in this series, to the point that feminists accuse the series of this.
** IHaveYouNowMyPretty: When [[spoiler: Femto]] has [[spoiler: Casca]] in his grasp, [[spoiler: [[ForcedToWatch Guts can only watch helplessly]] his beloved getting molested.]]
*** Was also [[GenderFlip gender flipped]] when Slan had Guts in her clutches when she manifested in Qliphoth, in which she clawed off his armor and began to act as if they're having sex.
** MaritalRapeLicense: Mixed in with Charlotte's AndNowYouMustMarryMe predicament above.
** MindRape: What Ubik does to Griffith, [[spoiler:which results in him carrying out the sacrifices for the Eclipse and turning into the demonic Femto]]
*** And then, [[spoiler: Femto basically mind rapes Guts by physically raping Casca in front of him and barring any efforts of saving her, leaving him utterly helpless. [[MoralEventHorizon He's virtually raping two people at once.]]]]
** MurderersAreRapists: The Tudor soldiers who corner off Casca weren't merely going to kill her and be done with it - they were going to rape her first.
** NearRapeExperience: Guts almost rapes Casca in the manga after succumbing to The Beast. [[spoiler: [[RapeAsDrama Not that this is the first time.]]]]
** RapeAndRevenge: The three main characters have all been sexually abused or assualted at one point in their lives, and they all exacted revenge/justice on their assailant later.
*** Also, Guts' RoaringRampageOfRevenge had undertones of this, since [[spoiler: Griffith raping Casca and driving her insane was what drove Guts to revenge the most.]]
** RapeAsBackstory: As mentioned above and below, all the main characters have some sort of sexual abuse involved in their backstory.
** RapeAsDrama: Multiple occurrences throughout the series [[spoiler: including child Guts being raped by a mercenary, scarring him for life]], the most heinous example happening to [[spoiler:Casca]].
** RapeDiscretionShot: In the anime. We see [[spoiler: Femto positioning himself over Casca, but his CapeWings cover Casca's lower body so we can't actually see the physical rape going on. This is in part with the LighterAndSofter aspect of the anime, since the way that Casca's rape was animated was ''far more lenient'' for the viewer than how the manga depicted it.]]
*** Another subtle version is [[http://www.mangareader.net/96-1146-63/berserk/chapter-26.html this scene]]. Yes, [[GorgeousGorgon Slan]] ''is'' forcing herself on Guts here, more precisely she's forcing him to [[spoiler: give her oral sex]].
** RapeLeadsToInsanity: ... [[spoiler: [[TheWoobie Poor,]] [[BreakTheCutie poor]] [[GoMadFromTheRevelation Casca]]]]...
** RapePillageAndBurn: This happens a lot in the series. Wyald especially enjoys carrying out this trope, ''especially'' especially the raping part.
** ScarpiaUltimatum: At the Battle of Doldrey, General Adon [[TryingToCatchMeFightingDirty shoots Casca with a poison dart]], which hinders her speed during battle. He literally has Casca up against the wall, but says that he would let her go if she becomes his "captive." Since it was implied that he was bargaining for her life and not the lives of her entire company for sex, it's averted.
** SexSlave: What the noble who visited Casca's village ''really'' wanted her for. Also, Guts was sold as one for a night.
** [[YouWouldMakeAGreatModel You Would Make A Great Maid Girl]]: The noble who approached Casca's family gave them the pretense that he wanted her as a servant for his castle. This was not the case at all.
* RageAgainstTheHeavens: Guts, and ''how''.
* RatedMForManly: Especially Guts.
* ARealManIsAKiller: [[DiscussedTrope Discussed]] in volume 18, when Isidro starts following Guts around in an attempt to become [[ToBeAMaster the world's greatest swordsman by stealing his techniques.]] Guts then asks Isidro if he had ever killed anybody, to which [[BlatantLies Isidro claims he has.]] Obviously Guts was trying to dissuade the young man from following him further.
* ReallyDeadMontage: Guts gets ones of these during his FreakOut after the eclipse. Again, [[TearJerker big *sigh*.]]
* RearingHorse: Happens a few times, mostly with Griffith.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Believe it or not, they exist. Farnese's father, when confronted with a bastard son ([[spoiler:namely a young Serpico]]), rather than having the boy disposed of, ''calmly explains'' why he can't legitimize the boy (he has three legitimate male heirs already, a fourth would just make things worse for everyone) and then arranges for the kid to gain a title and position in his household.
* RebelRelaxation: Guts and Casca do a lot of the folding their arms and leaning against a wall/pole/tree position. They're not always trying to be rebellious, but trying to retain their [[TheStoic cool]] and [[TheWomanWearingTheQueenlyMask collected]] personas instead.
* RebelliousPrincess: Deconstructed with Farnese, who becomes one because of her parenting (or lack thereof), and this earns her the social isolation it would earn her in real life medieval Europe.
* RecruitingTheCriminal: The Black Dog Knights is made up of the worst murderers, rapists and all around scum that Midland has to offer.
* RedBaron: The Band of the Hawk was known as the "grim reapers of the battlefield." ''Badass''.
** Guts gets the moniker "100 man slayer" while he was in the Band and The Black Swordsman after he went on his RoaringRampageOfRevenge.
* RedOniBlueOni: Guts is the Red Oni, while Griffith is the Blue Oni. Also, Guts and Serpico.
** Guts and Griffith's differences are also highlighted by almost every aspect of their appearences and personalities. Guts is a [[TallDarkAndHandsome tall]], [[RatedMForManly masculine]], [[HeroicBuild heavily muscled]], crew-cut, black-haired, [[BrownEyes brown-eyed]] [[TheBigGuy giant of a man]] who's preferred weapon is a {{BFS}}, whilst Griffith is a [[{{Bishonen}} small, thin]], [[DudeLooksLikeALady effeminate]], blue-eyed, PrettyBoy who uses a rapier-like saber like a scalpel. Even their personalities are different, with Guts being straightforward, ernest, crude, somewhat thick about non-combat matters, who doesn't think too hard about why he acts, while Griffith is mysterious, charismatic, intelligent, well-read, and introspective. Their only truely shared trait is their incredible mental drive to accomplish their goals; even then, Guts really doesn't want to hurt innocent people at the expense of his goals, but Griffith doesn't mind manipulating people in order to accomplish his.
*** The 2012 anime is even [[ColorCodedForYourConvenience color-coding]] them appropriately, outfitting Guts with a red cape and Griffith with one that's blue on the inside.
** Schierke and Isidro are also this. [[FieryRedhead Their]] [[ShyBlueHairedGirl hair]] [[ColorCodedForYourConvenience even contrasts!]]
* RedRightHand: Nearly all demons are obviously not entirely normal even before they go OneWingedAngel. On occasion this is how Guts gets pointed to one.
** Some have pointed out that Guts having slightly pointier ears and teeth than other humans ([[BadassNormal not to mention his phenomenal physical strength and endurance,]] even before magic got involved,) might be evidence of him not being entirely human. Since he was born from a hanged woman and nobody has the faintest idea who his father might have been, it is a distinct possibility.
* RedSkyTakeWarning: Happens during Griffith's DespairEventHorizon, in which his crimson behelit is activated, [[TotalEclipseOfThePlot cuing in the Eclipse.]] I don't like where this is going - [[http://www.mrsmanga.com/Berserk/073/13 even Guts says it.]]
* RedemptionInTheRain: While not redeeming himself per se, Guts has a life-changing epiphany in the rain after the Eclipse, when he gives his famous {{screw destiny}} speech and swears to hunt down all of the apostles and kill them.
* RedshirtArmy: Absolutely every soldier who appears.
* ReforgedBlade: This trope was used literally but also figuratively in a very clever way. After returning to Godo's cabin only to find Casca gone, Guts confronts Godo, who is dying. He inspects Guts' sword, noting all of the knicks that it has accumulated and tells him that it is in need of repair... but what ''really'' needs to be repaired is Guts' heart, which has been knicked, stratched, and broken after years of hiding away from his sadness in hate instead of being with the only person he's loved: [[HeWhoFightsMonsters he was sword,]] [[MoralityChain but without its sheath.]] That night, [[MyGreatestFailure Guts finally realizes his mistakes]] [[MyGreatestSecondChance and vows to never make the same one again.]] Meanwhile, Godo uses the last of his strength to reforge the Dragonslayer, and in the morning light, Guts is given his reward, both of which are reforged for his mission. [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome Mag-nificent.]]
* RelationshipVoiceActor: This was the beginning for both Creator/NobutoshiCanna (Guts) and Creator/ToshiyukiMorikawa (Griffith)...
* TheResenter: Two notable cases that also overlap with GreenEyedMonster.
** First there's the resentment that Farnese feels toward Casca. Even though Casca's state has made Guts' job difficult (in one chapter, Guts nearly drowns when he saves Casca after she fell overboard trying to get away from him), not a day goes by that Guts doesn't think about Casca and [[StarCrossedLovers their brief time together years before]]. Guts is still completely devoted to [[FindTheCure Casca's cause]], and most of his major decisions weigh in the well-being of Casca. In fact, this was a major reason why Guts agreed to go and convince Farnese and Serpico to come back with the group, as Farnese is Casca's caretaker and Casca is only really cooperative with her. However, not only does [[PrecociousCrush Farnese harbor feelings for Guts]], but she feels like a huge liability to the group and strives to master witchcraft in order to be of more use to Guts and earn more of his merit (and perhaps even his romantic recognition). But beyond being Casca's caretaker, Guts doesn't give too much thought to Farnese (not that he hates having her around). For that, Casca has earned a bit of resentment from Farnese.
** Then there's the resentment Sonia has toward Princess Charlotte. As we all know, Charlotte is Griffith's MealTicket to the throne (yes, even after he became a NighInvulnerable GodOfEvil, [[VillainWithGoodPublicity but it's for show]]) and is now her fiance. Aside from her birthright, there is not much use for Charlotte... and little Sonia agrees with this so much that she even made a sonnet of sorts, describing Princess Charlotte as a useless [[AnimalMotifs duck]] and herself as a [[AnimalMotifs kite]], a bird that is in much better ranks with a hawk (who is Griffith), since Sonia, who has clairvoyance - and is therefore more in-tuned to the supernatural world that Griffith is a part of - feels much more worthy of Griffith than Charlotte ever can.
* RescueArc: The latter half of the Conviction/Retribution arc focuses on Guts's quest to rescue and reunite with Casca after [[spoiler: she wanders away from the safety of the cave and is captured first by pagans who wanted to initiated her into their cult and then by Holy Iron Chain Knights who want to [[BurnTheWitch burn her at the stake as a witch]].]]
** Also, the Griffith rescue operation that occurred between volumes 10 and 11.
* RescueIntroduction: How Guts and Puck met in the first chapter.
* RescueRomance: Subverted with Casca's PrecociousCrush on Griffith, later turned HeroWorshipper, which started when he saved her from a sexual assault. Played straight with she and Guts, after he aided her during the Blue Whale Knights battle and their relationship grew from there.
* RescueSex: Guts prevents Casca from committing suicide by falling off a cliff. Moments later, love-making ensues.
** Their moment could also constitute as GladToBeAliveSex, since the two had just won a victory over a group of soldiers who tried to thwart the Band of the Hawk (not to mention Casca wasn't thinking of suicide anytime afterward).
* {{Revenge}}: Oh boy...
* RevengeBeforeReason: This was Guts's [[MyGreatestFailure big mistake]] when he set off on his RoaringRampageOfRevenge only a few weeks after the Eclipse, leaving a psychologically traumatized Casca behind with Rickert, Erica, and Godo, despite Rickert's protests that it was more important for Guts to be with Casca and not [[WalkingTheEarth wandering the world]] fighting monsters.
* ReverseCerebusSyndrome: After the infamous ending of the anime and the turning point of the manga, less serious elements were introduced, ranging from a parody of KidHero and samurai tropes, to mermaids fighting pirates. There are rumors that this was due to ExecutiveMeddling.
* RidingIntoTheSunset: How Guts and Casca (and Puck) exit the Retribution arc at the end of volume 21. After the collapse of the Tower of Conviction, they get separated from the surviving party when the Kushan army makes its appearance. The rest of the group believe [[NoOneCouldSurviveThat that they're as good as dead...]] but then see that Guts managed to mount one of their horses and slaughtered his way through the masses in order to get he and Casca to safety, riding off into the distance after.
* RightBehindMe: Played for laughs when the pirates encountered their monstrous attackers. Also overlaps with TemptingFate.
* RoaringRampageOfRescue: Guts' first phase of [[MyGreatestSecondChance his greatest second chance]] consisted of this when he forfeited his RoaringRampageOfRevenge, with him plowing nonstop from Godo's hut in the snowy mountains to the barren wastelands of St. Albion in order to look for and save a missing Casca. Nothing, not apostles nor the Kushan or the conflict between the Holy See and the Pagans, was going to keep Guts from reaching Casca.
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Anyone who says that Guts isn't this personified is either a liar or has never read the series.
** The Black Dog, the manifestation of Guts' anger and hatred, gets pretty pissed when Guts tries to stop being, well, a Berserker, and tries to tempt him back into this, saying that if Guts were to just rape and kill Casca (and not necessarily in that order) they could go back to brutally murdering every apostle they come across and anyone who tries to stop them.
* RobeAndWizardHat: Schierke, of course.
* RobbingTheDead: Defied: Guts has just killed a bunch of thieves just paid off by Griffith (so they can't bear witness) and is about to take back the gold when Griffith stops him.
* RoleReprisal: While the voice cast for the Japanese anime was [[TheOtherDarrin Darrin'd]] out, the main cast of the English dub returned. VocalEvolution ensues as MarcDiraison, Kevin T. Collins, and CarrieKeranen, the respective voice actors of Guts, Griffith, and Casca, have gotten at least a decades worth of additional voice acting experience under their belt.
* RousseauWasRight: Arguable. When you really look at it, none of the characters, [[HumansAreFlawed who all have their share of flaws]], start out [[CardCarryingVillain downright evil]], despicable, or [[BreakTheCutie messed up.]] You have kids like Guts and Rosine [[UsedToBeASweetKid who were sweet-natured]] and just turned sour [[DarkAndTroubledPast after years of abuse from their parents]], girls like Casca who eventually [[ApatheticCitizens turned apathetic]] after repeatedly seeing their homes taken advantage of, girls like Farnese [[LonelyRichKid who suffered backlash]] from ParentalNeglect, and we only saw hate in Teresia's eyes after she saw all that she knew and loved destroyed. Hell, even Emperor Ganishka had [[FreudianExcuse a sappy childhood that set him on his road to totalitarian paranoia!]] As stated elsewhere, the [[DespairEventHorizon despair event]] and [[MoralEventHorizon moral event horizons]] are enforced in this universe, since in order to have obtained a behelit in the first place, you had to have been a halfway decent person who had loved ones from the start.
* RunningGag: Several characters throughout the series have made basically the same comment on how Guts's {{BFS}}s, primarily the Dragon Slayer, aren't really swords, but more like big slabs of iron.
** Casca is repeatedly shown trying to eat Puck's head, which has the shape of a chestnut when he's in his [[FunSize SD]] form.
** Any time Evarella starts [[ShipperOnDeck encouraging Schierke to put moves on Guts]] Schierke always blushes, stuffs Evarella into her hat and crams in on her head to shut her up.
** The pirate captain biting his subordinate when things go wrong.
* SacrificedBasicSkillForAwesomeTraining: The typical scenario can be explained via this equation: [[TrainingFromHell Dedication to area of expertise]] * Amount of years away from normal social situations + [[DarkAndTroubledPast Possible crappy childhood]] ^ 2 = [[NoSocialSkills Crappy social skills]] and [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower rampant badassery]].
* SatanicArchetype: The five members of the Godhand are very much Satanic Archetypes. Not only do they rule over all demonkind, but they also make [[DealWithTheDevil deals]] with mortals to become demons themselves by sacrificing those closest to them. Void, the ''de facto'' leader of the Godhand who marks people for sacrifice; and Femto, the newest member who has committed some of the nastiest evil acts we've seen out of the five so far and is even blood-red in the first anime, particularly stand out.
* SaveThePrincess: While Guts' mission is to FindTheCure for his lover, one of Griffith's missions upon being [[spoiler: reincarnated in the physical plane]] was to save Princess Charlotte from Ganishka.
* SayMyName: '''"GRIFFITH!!!"'''
** Guts also does this with Casca a lot during the Retribution Arc and henceforth. '''"CASCA!!!"'''
** And Casca did this a fair amount of times for Guts back when she could speak. '''"GUTS!!!"'''
* ScarSurvey: Rare gender-flipped example with Guts inspecting Casca's scars [[spoiler: when they are about to make love.]]
* SceneryCensor: The author [[FanService doesn't]] [[MaleFrontalNudity exactly]] [[InnocentFanserviceGirl hide things]], but sometimes, he likes to play with this.
** In the edited version of ''Descent'', some ferns are used to obscure Guts' and Casca's nether regions when they prepare to have intercourse. The unedited version doesn't reveal that much more... [[spoiler: but it's pretty obvious what Guts is doing with his hand down there.]]
* SceneryGorn: Miura loves to draw frightening places strewn with mangled and decayed corpses and indescribable horrors in intricate detail...
* SceneryPorn: ...And the same can be said for many pleasant-looking and beautiful locations
* SchizoTech: Played with regarding Guts' prosthetic arm, which can equip a high-volume repeating crossbow and hides a man-portable gunpowder cannon. However, seeing as both these things [[DidDoTheResearch actually existed in medieval Europe]], the only thing schizo about the arm is the fact that Guts' fake hand is shown gripping his sword - and that's finally been HandWaved as a magnet.
* {{Shotacon}}: Donovan, the soldier who Gambino sold Guts to for one night, liked little boys a little too much.
** Governor Gennon of Doldrey, whom Griffith had to sleep with in order to get the funds for his growing mercenary band, and who had many young boys attending him.
* ScheduleSlip: Kentaro Miura's irregular scheduling is legendary.
* ScrewDestiny: "''THIS IS'' '''MY DECLARATION OF WAR!!!'''"
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: The mercenaries that General Adon hired to track and kill Guts and Casca showed no hesitation to leaving at that very moment instead of throwing their lives away for Adon's petty task - [[SubvertedTrope until he increased their wages.]] [[MookHorrorShow It wasn't worth it,]] especially since [[VillainExitStageLeft Adon was the one who got away.]]
* ScrewYouElves / ShutUpHannibal: The God Hand and their Apostles like to try to invoke OmniscientMoralityLicense to justify their right to commit atrocities or just explain why their victory is inevitable, but Guts doesn't care. He'll tell you exactly where to shove [[FreudWasRight your peculiar extremities.]] In fact, [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu he'll do it for you.]]
* SecondActBreakup: By the end of the Golden Age arc, Guts leaves insane Casca to hunt Griffith and the God Hand, and, at least in the Dark Horse Comics translations, she is referred to as his ex-lover. However, her status is primarily due to the unfortunate and tragic circumstances of her insanity where she and Guts can't physically love each other; the two were very much in love with each other before the Eclipse and Guts remains in love with Casca despite her condition.
* SecretUndergroundPassage: How the Griffith rescue team infiltrated Wyndam after their exile. They used an old passage way in a graveyard that was once used by the royal family in order to gain passage to a mausoleum inside the city. '''HUU-ROAR!'''
* SecurityBlanket: Ever since Guts was a small child training as a mercenary, he was often seen sleeping with his {{BFS}}. He kept on this tradition into his adult years, saying that he gets restless if he sleeps without it.
* SecurityCling: Happens twice during the Griffith rescue. First, [[CaughtTheHeartOnHisSleeve Casca clings onto Guts' cape]] when she gets anxious during the operation, and later, Charlotte does this to crippled Griffith when she gets frightened during Guts' ExtremeMeleeRevenge rampage. This trope is most commonly scene post-Eclipse from Casca, who clings to Farnese whenever she is fearful of something.
* SelfDestructiveCharge: Guts tries this twice with Femto and fails both times as expected.
* SenselessSacrifice: Despite the [[HeroicSacrifice heroic efforts]] of [[SacrificialLion Judeau]] and [[SacrificialLion Pippin]] in order to save Casca, it was all horribly [[{{Deconstruction}} deconstructed]] in the end. We don't think we need to tell you how.
** Why not go further with adding insult to injury by mentioning how [[spoiler: Guts sacrificing his arm to save Casca didn't do shit in the end? Ouch.]]
** However, [[spoiler: the {{ArmCannon}} has been a crucial tool for Guts ever since, so hacking off his arm may have had it's purpose after all even tough it was definitely not what Guts had planned.]]
* SerratedBladeOfPain: Inquisitor Mozgus' QuirkyMinibossSquad all fight with torture tools, including serrated blades.
* SexEqualsLove: Can be applied to a minimal degree with Guts and Casca after they are reunited after a year and consummate their relationship no more than 24-hours after Guts' return, thus becoming [[OfficialCouple official]]. They were falling for each other prior to their separation though, [[ObliviousToLove but neither of them acted on it]] until it was too late. When they do get together, it's very realistic, since they aren't spouting love sonnets to one another, but the love and affection is there.
** Also, given that both of them have had some very bad experiences regarding sex, [[JustifiedTrope it makes perfect sense that they would treat it very seriously, and only do it with someone they truly loved.]]
* SexIsEvil: In ''Berserk'' having sex can literally give birth to evil, [[spoiler: mainly due to demonic entities raping and impregnating human women with their spawn.]] Heavily related to damn near every rape example in the series, but even when its not rape, [[APartyAlsoKnownAsAnOrgy sex is used to show how depraved and twisted humans can be]] and makes us want to [[FanDisservice barf more than get it on.]]
** SexIsGood: However, Miura has depicted that sex can be a good thing. Being neither [[AllWomenArePrudes a prude]] nor [[AllWomenAreLustful entirely lustful,]] Casca was thoroughly satisfied with losing her virginity to Guts (to the point that she kept talking about it the next morning) and [[AManIsAlwaysEager Guts was just as happy]], and it was seen that making love [[SexEqualsLove strengthen their relationship]] [[IntimatePsychotherapy and healed old wounds.]] So for once, [[GoodPeopleHaveGoodSex two people have sex and and are happy both physically and emotionally]] at the end with no negative outcomes [[spoiler: except that Casca became pregnant, but even then it only turned bad when Femto did things to her, and was subtly implied that had nothing bad happened, [[BabiesMakeEverythingBetter it would have all ended well for once.]]]]
* SexyDiscretionShot: Happens in the anime when Guts and Casca make love. [[TheBigDamnKiss They kiss,]] Casca has an inner monologue about her LoveEpiphany, then a white-out showing Casca being lowered to the ground with no visible top on, and then a PastelChalkedFreezeFrame of Guts and Casca kissing and embracing each other, which was actually taken from a scene in the manga - though a lot more censored. After another white-out, it just shows Guts and Casca the morning after.
* ShamefulStrip: Played for horror during the Eclipse with - you guessed it - Casca. Her humiliation only got worse.
* ShamingTheMob: Guts gave quite the uncharacteristic one during his Black Swordsman days in the Lost Children Arc, where he chastises the town for abandoning a little boy right after his parents were killed by Rosine's minions. Of course, Guts ''did'' [[WouldHurtAChild use the kid as bait for his own plans...]] but he ''also'' [[WouldntHurtAChild made sure that the kid was okay]] afterward and gave him his own form of comfort (by basically telling the kid that [[FamilyUnfriendlyAesop revenge felt good]]).
* ShiningCity: [[spoiler: Falconia.]]
* ShipTease: Normally ''avoided'', as most ships tend to "sail" relatively quickly. There's still been ''oodles'' of teasing between [[FoeYay Guts and Griffith]], though. And the relationship between Isidro and Schierke has a lot of elements of SlapSlapKiss PuppyLove; they just haven't ''quite'' gotten to the "Kiss" portion yet. 'Course, they're still just kids, so that one may take a while.
* ShipperOnDeck: Evarella for Guts x Schierke.
* ShirtlessCaptives: Happens to Griffith when he is captured by the Midland army for his [[spoilers: tryst with Princess Charlotte]]. Amped up in the movie where he's not only stripped shirtless, but completely naked [[MaleFrontalNudity with a full frontal view.]] Happens to Guts on more than one occasion [[spoiler: and one can only wonder if Farnese is going to do the same to Guts as was already done to Griffith in any future movie.]]
* ShoutOut: Miura seems to be an ''Series/UltraSeven'' fan. In this panel, pay very close attention to [[http://img697.imageshack.us/img697/2491/ultraseven.jpg the swordsman]]. Part of that helmet look familiar?
** Apparently, Miura is also a [[http://view.thespectrum.net/series/berserk-volume-20.html?ch=Volume+08&page=59 Puro Resu fan.]]
*** The Godhand seem very much like his take on the Cenobites from ''{{Franchise/Hellraiser}}'' especially Void's face resembling Chatter's. Also Guts calls his iron arm [[Franchise/EvilDead 'groovy']] in volume 14 though that could have been the translator's doing.
** This may very well be unintentional, but Griffith's helm, especially [[spoiler:as Femto]], bears an uncanny resemblance to Winslow's Owl Mask from PhantomOfTheParadise.
*** Then again the two share more than headgear. Winslow is [[spoiler:[[HellHolePrison imprisoned for life]], becomes a disfigured mute, and is driven by obsession into a [[DealWithTheDevil Faustian contract]].]] Not to mention his full costume includes the helmet, black lipstick, cape, and a black body suit.
** In vol 34, [[http://view.thespectrum.net/series/berserk-volume-20.html?ch=Volume+34&page=167 one panel is very obviously]] a ShoutOut to Creator/HieronymusBosch (the same painting as on that page).
** Puck frequently makes puns and meta-references to pop culture. Example: [[http://manga.animea.net/berserk-chapter-28-page-69.html this page]] where he's drawn like Yoda on one panel.
*** In volume 21, he makes a reference to [[SaintSeiya burning his cosmo]] while trying to distract two of [[KnightTemplar Father Mozgus']] henchmen.
** Guts' new Berserker armor makes him look like an armored Franchise/{{Batman}} [[spoiler: if he's in control]].
* ShowDontTell: Miura is extrememly talented when it comes to communicating without text via the subtle expressions of his characters. You could say this series has exellent actors, even tough they are ink on paper...
* ShowerOfAngst: After [[spoiler:being raped by Griffith]], we first see Casca under a waterfall.
* SickAndWrong: When Guts was fighting the swine apostle, Godo commented that it was sickening to him to think of how many people that monster must have killed.
* SilverHasMysticPowers: Silver is effective at both harming and protecting against spiritual entities like trolls.
* SingleStrokeBattle: Zodd vs [[spoiler: Griffith's Falcon Spirit. in volume 17.]] Also how Guts defeated Griffith in their final rematch as he left the Band of Hawks.
* SinisterMinister: Bishop and High Inquisitor Mozgus.
* SinisterScimitar: [[PantheraAwesome Nosferatu Zodd]] uses one.
* SirensAreMermaids: Was revealed in chapter 325 that [[spoiler: the merrow can use singing as their weapon.]]
* SittingOnTheRoof: Guts does this to think about dreams and ambition and all of that good stuff... [[BreadEggsMilkSquick Also to stalk his assassination targets]].
* SkunkStripe: Guts gets one on using the Berserker Armor for the first time.
* SkywardScream: *ahem* '''[[http://www.mrsmanga.com/Berserk/166.176/149 "GRIFFITH!!!"]]''' Yes - two on one page.
* SlapSlapKiss: Guts and Casca share their own variant when they're acting LikeAnOldMarriedCouple during the Griffith rescue operation, mainly on [[{{Tsundere}} Casca's]] part.
* SlasherSmile: The only kind Guts ever seems to have, with few exceptions during the Golden Age Arc.
** For those who want an example, [[http://www.mangareader.net/96-1140-184/berserk/chapter-20.html here.]]
** [[http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Guts_slasher_smile_7502.jpg Another example.]]
* SlidingScaleOfAdaptationModification: For this, let's focus on the Golden Age Arc, since it's the only arc of the story to receive animated adaptations thus far: the 1997 animated TV series and the 2012-13 movie trilogy. To start, both adaptations can be considered [[PragmaticAdaptation pragmatic]], since both aren't 100% accurate to the source material but remain accurate and recognizable enough. The difference lies in how each medium arranges events, themes, and characterization.
** The TV series focused a lot more on the characterization between the main characters themselves AND between minor characters and was more linearly true to the manga timeline (up to and including the fact that the story starts InMediasRes). The theme of camaraderie is much more pronounced since the TV series spanned 25 episodes, thus giving it much more time to expand on these elements. Though there were a lot more battle sequences in the TV adaptation than there were in the manga, it's still not action dominate as these scenes were used to, again, expand on the theme of [[ThePowerOfFriendship friendship]] and [[ThePowerOfTrust teamwork]]. The supernatural elements, however, were downplayed, examples being how many supernatural characters were not introduced until the last few episode during the prelude of the Eclipse (many of the apostles) or were not featured at all (Puck, Skull Knight, Wyald). Also, [[{{Bowdlerise}} gore and sexual violence was downplayed a substantial degree]], possibly since it was aired on TV [[spoiler: though [[NippleAndDimed female nudity]] and [[RapeDiscretionShot rape]] was still present]].
** The movie trilogy is also pragmatic, but acts much like a non-comical abridged version of the source material. [[CompressedAdaptation Since there are only three movies that are only about an hour or so long]] (the third film is a bit longer) [[AdaptationDistillation a lot more had to be cut or re-arranged]] and characterization is largely limited to that of the three main characters; some newcomers to the series might be unaware of some concepts and themes without being referred to the source material. Though some important scenes were cut or downplayed [[spoiler: naked water fight, Griffith's history with Gennon, and the campfire of dreams scene to name a few]] the creators did add other tidbits [[spoiler: Puck and Skull Knight not only made their animated debut finally, but Farnese and Serpico are seen at the ball scene!]] and made other scenes a lot more emotional [[spoiler: having Guts and Casca dance together at the ball; Griffith's sex scene with Charlotte]] making these changes and additions all over worthwhile. Since these are theatrical releases, gore is played exactly how it was in the original manga (bloody battle sequences are featured primarily because [[BloodierAndGorier newer animation techniques allowed for more graphic detail]]), and more disturbingly, sexual violence is ''played up'' in the movies. Some fans even go as far as saying that the third movie, which covers the infamous Eclipse event, is actually '''worse''' than the manga depiction.
* SlidingScaleOfBeauty: Griffith was a [[StupidSexyFlanders World Class Beauty]] before the eclipse, and definitely becomes [[LikeAGodToMe Divine Level Beauty]] after his [[spoiler: reincarnation]]. Oddly enough, the guy is so damn beautiful in his divine form that he even straddles UncannyValley. Casca seems to toggle anywhere between [[WhatBeautifulEyes Cool]]/[[SheCleansUpNicely Special Average]], [[BeautifulAllAlong Common Beauty]], and unfortunately for her, sometimes [[SoBeautifulItsACurse World Class Beauty.]]
* SlidingScaleOfComedyAndHorror: Definitely horror dominant. Most often, whenever comedy is presented during a suspenseful moment, it does not take away from the mood. Some examples take place immediately after the Eclipse, such as when [[spoiler: Rickert, upon receiving the unconscious, mutilated, and violated bodies of Guts and Casca from the Skull Knight, makes a brief SD face at the sight of Nosferatu Zodd,]] or when [[spoiler: Erika trips down the stairs in the elf cave where Guts and Casca are recuperating after the Eclipse,]] causing quite a moment of MoodWhiplash, but the drama returns moments later when [[spoiler: Guts sees Casca's post-Eclipse state and has a FreakOut as a result]]. It's otherwise interesting to point out that ''Berserk'' does not rely on BlackComedy for its humor, rather opting for [[WorldOfSnark sarcastic comedy.]] That said...
** SlidingScaleOfSillinessVersusSeriousness: The series, overall, takes itself pretty damn seriously, except when [[PluckyComicRelief Puck or Isidro]] are involved.
* SlidingScaleOfFreeWillVsFate: Since the Berserk-verse is highly dictated by causality, the scale tips between "BecauseDestinySaysSo" and "Fighting Fate Is Hard." Guts, who struggles against causality, is either not able to truly overcome it or just barely gets by, maintaining the struggle indefinitely. The God Hand compare him to a fish which can leap out of the river, but can't change its flow.
* SlidingScaleOfGenderInequality: Slides between Level 4 (Men Are More Equal) and Level 5 (Almost Perfectly Equal), because overall, the women who are most crucial to the plot or arc either contribute something and/or are competent enough to get out of sticky situations on their own, even if they aren't ''bona fide'' [[ActionGirl action girls]]. Heck - even [[PrincessClassic Princess Charlotte]] has her moments! On the other hand, background women are usually [[AllWomenAreLustful complete sluts]] or are completely useless and are only present [[NoWomansLand to be raped and killed off]], which would be at Level 2 (Whores, Whores, Whores...) and 3 (Male Superiority).
* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: Very cynical, but not so much that absolutely no hope remains at all. Still pretty close though.
** The manga has become a fair amount lighter than it was in the past. It was oppressively dark back after the Golden Age arc, but more recently it has felt a fair amount lighter. The addition of multiple kids to the gang probably helped...heck, the fact that Guts is no longer travelling alone is enough to make it easier to take. This is not to say the comic is not dark. It still very much is. But not quite as dark as it was.
* SlidingScaleOfShinyVersusGritty: On the gritty end of the spectrum, ''Berserk'' takes place in a [[DarkerAndEdgier dark and edgy]] CrapsackWorld in the middle of the DungAges. On the shiny end, the Berserk-verse is also a land of [[SceneryPorn phenomenal beauty in certain locations,]] not to mention all of the nobles in GorgeousPeriodDress. Two good examples from each:
** Gritty: The entire St. Albion area is crawling with pestilence, corruption, and dread and is very dry, dark, and gloomy in composition.
** Shiny: Guts and Casca's love scene in the wilderness is beautiful and soft on the eyes, with great detail on natural aspects such as flora, waterscapes, and sunlight.
* SlidingScaleOfUnavoidableVersusUnforgivable: This is hotly debated within the ''Berserk'' fandom, as most of the fandom is split in half over the idea of [[BaseBreaker Griffith's]] FaceHeelTurn. Basically, you're probably on one of two sides:
** You're on the side that believes that though his actions during the Eclipse were heinous, Griffith's choice of becoming a member of the Godhand at the expense of his friends was [[IDidWhatIHadToDo for the greater good of the world]], since the people are in dire need of a [[MessianicArchetype savior]] and that [[spoiler: Griffith's new kingdom of Falconia]] can give the people that solace, since they have to live in such a [[CrapsackWorld cruel, unforgiving world]] and this was, perhaps, [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve what the people wished for the most.]] And even if Griffith [[DealWithTheDevil did sell his soul to evil]], [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans utopia will justify the means in the end!]] TheNeedsOfTheMany (this case, the entire world populace) [[TheNeedsOfTheMany outweighs the needs of the few, or the one]] (which would be Guts and his need for revenge against Griffith for what he did to the Hawks, Casca, and their friendship).
** Or, you're on the side that believes that Griffith made a BIG NO-NO during the Eclipse, [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope and went waaaaaaaaay off the slippery slope]] for his actions to be justified. He has jumped '''WAY''' [[MoralEventHorizon past the zone of forgiveness]], and for crying out loud: he became a GodOfEvil, dictating the way of causality unto others through cruel [[SadisticChoice sadistic choices]]! Plus, his presence in the physical world - which is now really messed up because of him - [[DarkMessiah might do more harm than good]] [[TotalitarianUtilitarian in the long run]], as it has already been shown that he will eliminate anybody [[AmbitionIsEvil whom he sees as a threat to his power]] (example, he [[spoiler: got his Apostle mooks to kill Flora, who was a very powerful good witch]]). And to top it off, his intent wasn't for the sake of the people, [[ItsAllAboutMe but for himself.]] Griffith already has one kingdom: [[TheDarkSide will he want more?]]
*** In the end, '''''you''''' have to decide.
* SlobsVersusSnobs: The clash between the Holy Iron Chain Knights (snobs) and the pagans (slobs) in the Conviction arc.
* SmallAnnoyingCreature: Puck, and everyone treats him like one, to boot. Later on, Evarella also applies.
** Isidro, too. He's small, he's revoltingly annoying, and he tends to act like an animal (especially after pissing off Schierke).
* SmittenTeenageGirl: Princess Charlotte on Griffith and then Sonia, who is even more childish and shallow about it.
* TheSmurfettePrinciple: Interesting case for this series. While there's a healthy cast of female characters, Casca was the only main female characters for the first fifteen or so volumes, and is still considered one of the three main characters of the story. Not only that, but she was the only female member of the original Band of the Hawk, and still remains the series only genuine ActionGirl, albeit [[GoMadFromTheRevelation she's in remission]] [[DistressedDamsel for the time being]].
** While the above is true, there are obvious reasons why women were not so frequent in mercenary camps as fighters, and seeing that main characters tend to be the fighting type, it's mainly justified to have only a few (one) girl.
* SneakyDeparture: Guts tried this... it didn't work on account of Casca spotting him. But they had a SnowMeansLove moment because of it!
* SnowMeansDeath / SnowMeansLove: Combined twice. Once when Casca tries to dissuade Guts from leaving the Hawks, right before the Guts vs Griffith showdown. Also [[spoiler: when she screams Guts' name upon watching him walking away after defeating Griffith]]. The second time [[spoiler:when Guts fights off snow demons in order to protect [[TheOphelia post-eclipse Casca]]]]. Even before that, Guts makes his vow that he would never leave Casca like he did two year prior again as they leave Godo's house for the last time as it begins to snow.
* {{Socialite}}: Lady Vandimion, Farnese's mother.
* SolemnEndingTheme: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MB_9-iFb9B0 "Waiting So Long"]], a song that manages to be both endearingly Engrish-y and genuinely haunting.
** SoundtrackDissonance: I don't know about you, but having to hear that same song right after seeing [[spoiler: Guts in utter physical and emotional agony from having to watch Casca get raped to insanity]] is REALLY unsettling.
* SortingAlgorithmOfEvil: The power of the apostles varies widely. Ranging from "Man eating predator that loves to bite your head off" via "Giant insect that flies with super sonic speed" to "Towering behemoth that makes Godzilla look puny". How strong an apostle can get seems to be related to the severity of the sacrifice that was made. In true Shonen style, the monsters Guts fights of course happen to get more dangerous with every new encounter.
* SortingAlgorithmOfWeaponEffectiveness: Well, Guts always had a {{BFS}} to begin with, but when he started hunting apostles, he had to get an even ''bigger'' {{BFS}} in order to actually do some damage to their bodies (bonus points in that the Dragon Slayer is [[EvolvingWeapon magically upgrading itself]] as the story progresses). Same can be said for the various armors that he wears, each a bit better than the last set, until Guts finally gained the Berserker armor (unfortunately, it is a case of being [[DeadlyUpgrade a doubled-edged sword]]).
** SwordOfPlotAdvancement: Guts wielding the Dragon Slayer for the first time pretty much wrapped up the [[ThreeActStructure second-ish act that was the Golden Age Arc.]]
* SparedByAdaptation: [[KillTheCutie Unlike the manga]], Collette and her father were not killed off, as they replaced Puck in the tavern scene in the first episode of the anime.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Oh, '''''lordy'''''. Given how long the series has been going (all the way back into the early 90s), there's been a ''ton'' of ways of spelling many of the character names over the years. Gatts vs. Guts vs. Gutsu vs. etc.
** Other prominent examples: Farnese/Farneze/Parnesse, Isidro/Ishidoro, Casca/Caska/Kaska/Kjaskar, Puck/Pak, Rosine/Roshinu (this one's still very popular). Schierke in particular caused everyone to facepalm when she debuted because ''nobody'' was sure what that was supposed to be in English; "Silke" was popular for a while until her name was actually printed later on.
*** In universe, we have Isidro giving his name as Ijidodo when he gets so beat up he gets mush-mouthed, which his opponent takes as his name.
** Even more common is Sys/Shisu, with no one ever realizing the latter is simply a romanization of the Japanese pronunciation of her name, much like Rosine/Roshinu.
** Notably, several decades after the manga's debut, there's a lot of suspicion that a once-universally accepted translation was in error; with all the recent talk of "Falconia" and Miura's indication that one arc should be called "Millenium Falcon" (for the [[StarWars obvious reference]] on several levels), many people suspect the proper name of Griffith's mercenary company should be "Band of the ''Falcon''", not "Band of the ''Hawk''". (This was caused by the word for both birds being the same in Japanese.) Two decades of fandom inertia make it basically impossible to correct in the zeitgeist at this point, however, and Band of the Hawk remains as the official translation.
** Another famous one is also the ClingyMacGuffin of the story: Behelit/Beherit/Berith. The actual spelling IS Beherit, which is one of the many variants of the pagan idol of Judeo-Christian demonology known as [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beherit Baal-Berith]].
** Last and not least (at the moment), Femto/Phemt. While the former is widely known as the last Godhand's name, the real spelling is very likely to be [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PHEMT PHEMT]], the technical concept after which he is named, [[MeaningfulName for strangely symbolic reasons once you understand the meaning of the concept]].
* SpitTrailKiss: Mixed with the ForcefulKiss trope on page 2 and played for obvious and ''major'' FanDisservice during the eclipse.
* TheSquadette: Casca, Farnese, and Sonia are in their respective parties, but only one of them was an actual ActionGirl. Guess.
* StandardFemaleGrabArea: Subverted pre-Eclipse, where Guts and Casca get into an argument, escalating when Guts grabs Casca by the arm, stopping her in her tracks, but she eventually snatches her arm away from his grip when Griffith arrives on the scene. Post-Eclipse, this serves as another unfortunate deconstruction of Casca's behavior, since she now [[HatesBeingTouched doesn't like being touched]] - [[DoesNotLikeMen especially by men]] - and is understandably terrified whenever somebody grabs her.
* StandardHeroReward: [[{{Subversion}} Would have happened]] if all had gone according to plan for Griffith the first time.... Later on, [[DoubleSubversion it pretty much happens]] [[spoiler: when Griffith defeats Emperor Ganishka with his Apostle army and his dream kingdom, Falconia, becames real, along with having Princess Charlotte's hand in marriage.]]
* StarCrossedLovers: Guts and Casca ''never'' catch a break.
* SteppingStoneSword: Guts climbs a tower of human heads with daggers.
* SticksToTheBack: Guts's Dragon Slayer
** Justified in that the mechanism is visible (hook on his back, ring on the sword, leather strap with a notch for the end of the blade), and even used for effect (said leather strap looks like a stereotypical pointed devil's tail when the sword is drawn).
* StoryArc: In order:
** The Black Swordsman Arc (Volumes 1-3)
** The Golden Age Arc (Volumes 3-14)
** The Retribution/Conviction Arc (Volumes 14-21) - with three major parts
*** Chapter of the Lost Children (14-16)
*** Chapter of the Binding Chain (16-17)
*** Chapter of the Birth Ceremony (17-21)
** The Millennium Falcon/Hawk of the Millennium Empire Arc (Volumes 22-34) - with two major parts
*** Chapter of the Holy Demon War (22-27)
*** Chapter of Falconia (27-34)
** The Fantasia Arc: The current arc, which has yet to be released in a volume.
*** There is currently a brief intermission with the three-part Boyhood Arc.
* StuffedIntoTheFridge: One of the rare cases where the target ''survives''. [[spoiler: Casca is raped into insanity, and now has the mental abilities and speech of an infant. She requires constant babysitting, whereas before she was once one of the leaders of the Band of the Hawk. [[note]]Doesn't count as {{Chickification}} because we ''saw'' all of this ''brutal'' BreakTheCutie happen '''with all kinds of details''', whereas Chickification is an invisible and unjustified shift in the story.[[/note]] As a result of her insanity and depowered status, Guts uses her fate as [[RapeAndRevenge the greatest justification for his revenge against Griffith and the God Hand]] and her [[TheLostLenore condition continues to anguish and cause great pain for Guts.]] The trope was played straight a few weeks after the Eclipse, as Guts was so consumed in his sadness and anger over the event that he [[ForgottenFallenFriend actually abandoned Casaca and disregarded the trauma that she herself was going through]] and left to pursue his revenge for two years. The trope was later [[DiscussedTrope discussed]] when Godo confronted Guts on the matter, which actually resulted in Guts giving up his revenge on Griffith in order to stay near Casca (though the trope is still occasionally discussed by the Beast who torments Guts). The overall use of the trope in the story has drawn some criticism from fans, [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter since Casca's character arc was greatly diminished when she became insane]] and many events surrounding her status (an example being the demonized child that Casca bore) serve to aid in Guts' and even Griffith's character arcs more than her own.]]
* SunkCostFallacy: The entire reason behind Griffith's dream. So many lives were lost in his pursuit of it, that he feels he cannot abandon it lest he render all of those deaths meaningless. The Godhand use this to their advantage in convincing him to go through with sacrificing his army.
* SurprisePregnancy: Played tragically straight after the Eclipse concerning Guts and Casca's unborn child being miscarried. [[spoiler: However, [[{{WMG}} some fans think]] that [[MySecretPregnancy Casca might not have been so oblivious about her pregnancy...]]]]
** ScreamingBirth: Played for drama. Since the baby is severely under-developed, Casca is seen having minor bouts of pain and "silently" screams when the fetus is pushed out.
* SurrealHorror: This is a given since the Berserk-verse is basically [[Creator/HieronymusBosch Hieronymus]]-[[Creator/MCEscher Escher]] Land. Some things are just so jaw-dropping, batshit weird that it's ''friggin' scary.'' Just take the [[EldritchLocation entire landscape of the Eclipse,]] or some of the apostles themselves. Seriously - '''[[http://www.mrsmanga.com/Berserk/080.091/106 what the holy hell is this thing???]]'''
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: The New Band of the Hawk is strangely similar to the Original Band: Griffith is still the leader but then Sonia is Casca (the only female and infatuated with Griffith except she's not an ActionGirl), Mule is Rickert (a naïve kid), Locus is Judeau (the nicest and most considerate of all), Rakshas is Corkus (not seen acting much and rather [[SmugSnake smug]]) and Grunbeld is Pippin (although he's more talkative but the war hammer is still there).
** Last but not least, Irvine is... Guts. Yes, seriously. Compare their attitudes: Guts was at first aloof, solitary, dismissive and usually avoided his comrades in the Hawks .... just like Irvine is. Irvine has developed a relationship with the band's sole female Sonia which strengthened after he saved her life ... just like Guts and Casca back in the days. Plus his Apostle form is strangely similar to The Beast, Guts' EnemyWithin.
*** Not to mention their inclination to {{Nice Hat}}s. Suspicious... but tasteful!
** I always thought Nosferatu Zodd was Guts; both are Griffith's right hand man, both are phenomenally ferocious {{BloodKnight}}s who love to fight just for the sake of it (at least before Guts' CharacterDevelopment), both are prone to spending long periods sitting and brooding before being approached and called to battle, both are unstoppable {{LightningBruiser}}s, both can be trusted to perform tasks other than straight-up fighting ([[spoiler: assassination]] for Guts and [[spoiler: rescuing Princess Charlotte]] for Zodd), both are fiercely loyal to Griffith beyond the call of duty, and both have a head injury they never recover from (Guts lost an eye, Zodd lost a horn). The connection between Guts and Zodd is also brought out by their relationship with each other, where they constantly clash without decisively beating the other, and where they respect each other as {{Worthy Opponent}}s ([[RevengeBeforeReason as much as Guts is capable of respecting any apostle]]).
** Also, it should be noted that although they are not full-out carbon copies of the original Hawks as Griffith's new crew basically is, some of Guts' companions have shades of the personalities that the deceased Hawks had. For instance, Serpico is a counterpart of Griffith, being Guts' new [[BlueOniRedOni Blue Oni]] and is a rapier-wielding {{Bishonen}} who is also pretty [[WickedCultured well cultured]] from his noble upbringing. Those are where most similarities end, however, seeing that Serpico has more in the sarcasm department and less in the sociopathic one in contrast with Griffith and is much more good of heart. Isidro has the smugness of Corkus but the physical aptitude of Judeau, being a dual wielder of daggers.
* SwipeYourBladeOff: Guts does this in the new movie after killing Bazuso.
* SwordAndSorcerer: Guts and Schierke are a non-BattleCouple example, instead being a BadassAndChildDuo example. However, [[PuppyLove Isidro also has his moments with Schierke]] and it's implicated that [[ShipTease they might]] become [[BattleCouple a straight example]] of this trope in time. Both dynamics are type 1.
* SwordOverHead: Subverted during the final fight scene between Guts and Rosine. After mortally striking Rosine down, Guts closes in to deal the finishing blow - only he is unable too. Not because ''he'' stopped himself, but because the Holy Iron Chain Knights intervened, causing Guts to flee the scene to avoid capture.
* SwordPointing: Oh, HELL YES. And he (at least Guts) gets special points for doing this with one hand while wielding an enormous weapon.
* SympatheticPOV: The second Band of the Hawk get this when seen from the POV of their MoralityPet, Sonia, and compared to the Emperor Ganishka, who is somehow even ''worse'' than they are in his day-to-day life.
* TakeMyHand: Played a lot, especially between Guts and Casca.
* TakeOurWordForIt: We've seen mountains of {{eye scream}}, graphic rape and sexual assaults, horrific torture, {{gorn}}, and a buttload of ass-ugly monsters (and {{mooks}}).... but we're never allowed to see Griffith's post-tortured face. [[NightmareFace We're assuming that it's worse than his torturer's face]] (and {{take our word for it}}: [[NightmareFace he's no spring chicken]]).
* TakeThatKiss: Once again, this was mixed with the ForcefulKiss trope on page 2 and the SpitTrailKiss stated earlier during the eclipse, as [[spoiler: Griffith/Femto kisses Casca twice in front of Guts while raping her just to spite and hurt Guts.]]
* TalkingIsAFreeAction: Usually played straight but once amusingly subverted by Guts when fighting a group of Apostles.
--> Apostle (just before Guts cuts him apart): No.. no fair! Attacking while we're transforming!
* ATasteOfTheLash: Used for reasons other than just general punishment... just ask Farnese.
* TastyGold: Guts does this after killing Bazuso.
* TeamKiller: Both Guts and Griffith are guilty of this. [[SympatheticMurderBackstory Guts' case was more sympathetic,]] in that he [[spoiler: first [[RapeAndRevenge killed the man who raped him]] the previous night, and then later on, [[AccidentalMurder he accidentally killed]] his adoptive father out of self defense.]] Griffith, on the other hand, [[spoiler: sold out all of his comrades during the Eclipse in order to gain nigh invulnerability.]]
** Guts also offed at least two members of the Hawks (ya know -[[ThoseTwoGuys Dante and Errol]]), but that was technically before he became part of the group.
* TearsOfBlood: The most notable being the activation of a Behelit. Its scrambled facial features rearrange into a normal face, its eyes open and blood streams out.
** Guts during the [[spoiler: rape of Casca]], where his undamaged eye cries normal tears and his ruined eye cries tears of blood (although this isn't tears so much as the punctured eyeball pouring out blood). The same during his recovery as he recalls all of the friends he has lost (actual blood tears this time).
** And also Griffith, during his DespairEventHorizon into the start of the Eclipse.
* TearOffYourFace: Another [[{{Squick}} yummy]] way of dying a gruesome and painful death in the Berserk-verse. Especially seen with the cultists during the Conviction Arc, who rip off the faces of several of the Holy Iron Chain Knights when they got possessed by demons. You have to ask though: would being possessed by demons really stop [[ImAHumanitarian these people]] from doing something like this?
* [[TeethClenchedTeamwork Teeth-Clenched Comrades]]: Guts and Casca were notorious in the Hawks for always fighting and arguing, though they would truce it out when it was ''really'' important. The duo was put to the ultimate test when they were faced with Adon's hundred-man army and were able to work as a pretty [[BackToBackBadasses sweet ass team]] for the most part. [[ThePowerOfFriendship As a reward for their teamwork and camaraderie]], they were upgraded to FireForgedFriends.
* TemptingFate: In world that is dictated by causality, characters, good or bad, major or minor, just love to make [[BigBadDuumvirate the Godhand's]] [[CardCarryingVillain job easier and more enjoyable]] by setting themselves up for failure.
** A comedic example with the pirates.
---> '''Pirate Captain''': Ghosts?! Monsters?! Superstitions, mates. Superstitions! Listen up, ye scallywags! Yer all outrageous! Look at me, livin the pirate life for all these 25 years! Lively as can be right before ye all! If all that garbage be true at all, I'd be the first one ter be haunted, wouldn't you say?! *ghosts come up right behind him*
* TenderTears: Subverted in a particularly twisted way. Slan tears up upon [[spoiler: witnessing the brutal rape and torture of Casca at Femto's hands while Guts is watching helplessly, held down by three demons right after hacking off his own arm and righ before [[EyeScream getting his eye clawed off in the process]]]]. [[NightmareFetishist She found the scene to be an epiphany of beauty...]]
* TentacleRope: Played for horror during the Eclipse... Need I really elaborate how?
* ThatThingIsNotMyChild: Guts immediately rejects the deformed fetus as his own (at first thinking that [[spoiler: [[MamasBabyPapasMaybe Casca was impregnated by a demon hellspawn when Femto raped her]]]]) even after he found out that it is his and Casca's child. Although, to be a bit more sympathetic on Guts' part, it could be that he doesn't hate the child in itself, but rather what the child represents: [[ChildOfRape the byproduct]] of a horrible event that [[MyGreatestFailure he failed to prevent from happening to Casca]], an event that pretty much [[StarCrossedLovers quashed any chances that Guts and Casca]] could have had of actually having a real family (since it was implied from [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic their interaction with the mysterious child]] on the beach [[GoodParents that the two would not have made bad parents]], and Guts is later seen having a somber look on his face when remembering he and Casca's child [[spoiler: though it has been suggested that the fetus and the boy on the beach are the same]]).
** Also related to the [[spoiler: ChildOfRape]] trope is the treatment that Rosine received from her father, since it was strongly implied that she was [[spoiler: conceived through her mother's rape]].
* TheirFirstTime: Accentuated a lot more in the third film between Guts and Casca. No speaking involved in this adaptation, but their body language during the scene make the pair look very much like awkward sixteen year olds.
* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverKill: Justified when fighting an Apostle. You literally have to give all that you can in order to kill one of these fuckers, and a simple sword wound [[{{Pun}} won't cut it.]] Use [[KillItWithFire fire]], [[ArmCannon a cannonball]], [[KillItWithWater water]], [[AnnoyingArrows bows and arrows]], AimForTheEye, [[NowThatsUsingYourTeeth use your teeth]], [[HoistByHisOwnPetard use their own horn to kill them]], [[KickThemWhileTheyAreDown kick 'em while they're down]], [[WeNeedADistraction use dead mooks as a decoy]], or [[IHaveYourWife use their loved ones]] [[HumanShield as a shield.]] Just so long as you make them [[LudicrousGibs giblets fly in the end!]]
** In situations where there are no Apostles involved, but normal people want to harm (or have harmed) the ones that Guts cares about - [[UnstoppableRage you're in for it.]] Especially if you're MadeOfPlasticine.
* ThereWasADoor / INeedNoLadders: [[BigDamnHeroes No time!]]
* TheyDo: Guts and Casca [[spoiler: but not for long.]]
* ThirdActMisunderstanding: Subverted. Crap began to build up in volume 8 when Guts hinted to Casca that he was planning on leaving the Hawks and [[TimeSkip a good month]] goes by without ''anybody saying anything to anyone else on the matter.'' When the time comes, [[SneakyDeparture Guts tries to leave the Hawks without telling anyone]], [[NiceJobBreakingItHero Casca finds out and blabs to Griffith]], and Griffith - man, [[ControlFreak he didn't take it too well.]] Perhaps if the three had actually talked to each other about '''practically everything''' that went on in their lives (from Guts telling Griffith that he wanted to be his equal so he could be a true friend to Guts and Casca telling each other that they had feelings for one another), [[PoorCommunicationKills then this whole conflict could have been avoided]]... [[YouCantFightFate or maybe not]] because it's what [[spoiler: the Idea of Evil]] had planned for Griffith anyway, regardless what any of the three had to say about it. Given the strength of Griffith's reaction to Guts' leaving, it's doubtful that any amount of explanation could have convinced him to let him go peacefully, and for Guts' part, he lampshades the inevitability of the falling-out when he asks Casca, "[[ArmorPiercingQuestion What should I have done differently?]]"
* ThisIsSomethingHesGotToDoHimself: Guts a couple times. Casca at least once. Casca's "recruitment" in flashback might count as a nasty version. Griffith was never that nice a guy.
** But then again, this actually proved to be beneficial in Casca's case, as she was an [[ApatheticCitizens apathetic citizen]] like the rest of her village, and before Griffith showed up, she was just going to allow this guy to rape her. Defending herself against a man who wanted to violate her was [[TookALevelInBadass Casca's first step in badass.]]
* ThisIsUnforgivable:
** Villain example: Rosine, the BigBad of ''{{Berserk}}'''s Lost Children arc, uses this line on Guts after he [[spoiler:destroys the tree that she has been using to make her creepy little pseudo-elves out of the children she's kidnapped]], which has the effect of ''supremely'' pissing Rosine off -- badly enough in fact, that she decides to [[spoiler:[[OneWingedAngel transform into her]] ''[[OneWingedAngel true]]'' [[OneWingedAngel Apostle form, a really creepy insect-like monster]]]].
** Another villain example from Berserk: when Nosferatu Zodd's duel with Guts is interrupted, he roars this at the interlopers. This guy takes the WorthyOpponent BloodKnight dynamic ''really'' seriously.
** An actual (anti) heroic example comes from Guts in volume 17, where he says something to the same effect. After getting a WhatTheHellHero lecture handed to him, Guts rethinks how he dealt with avenging the Hawks, and that since he technically played a role in the group's downfall, he didn't have a right to avenge them... however, for what Griffith did to Casca during the Eclipse, Guts said that he would ''never'' forgive Griffith.
* ThisWasHisTrueForm: Apostles and everything that was once human are all into this. Since Apostle-dom is acquired in moments of extreme despair, it is not rare that their original forms are highly weakened/disfigured (e.g. [[spoiler: Wyald, Griffith]]). The trope causes problems for Guts sometimes.
** Notably, when Guts was being chased by the Holy Iron Chain Knights, the trail of human bodies and destruction led them to believe he was a rampaging, psychotic mass murderer. He was, but he only really killed '''monsters''' by this point. The monsters turned back after he got done with them.
* TheThreeFacesOfAdam: Though they don't exactly hang out together, Isidro is the hunter, Guts is the lord, and the Skull Knight is the prophet. If you want to add Serpico to the mix, he's kinda in between the hunter and the lord.
* ThrowTheBookAtThem: Mozgus does this once. Being Berserk, this is a large, metal-bound book that crushes the skull of the victim. [[MemeticMutation HERETIC!]]
** He got off easy, considering how Mozgus had the rest of the men executed.
* ThrownDownAWell: Although the facility is never named, the Black Dogs Knights, for their atrocious war crimes, were banished and imprisoned to the outskirts of the kingdom. At least until the ruler decides that an amoral bunch of raping, slaughtering, homicidal lunatics is exactly what he needs...
* ThwartedCoupDeGrace: Femto tries to do the CoupDeGrace to the unconscious Guts and Casca, but Skull Knight swoops in to save the day.
* TimeSkip: Lots in the Band of the Hawk arc. Since it covers Guts life up to the Eclipse, it comes with the territory.
** For instance, three years between episode 4 and 5.
* TokenReligiousTeammate: Schierke more or less, since she's the only hardcore spiritual member of the team. Farnese subverts this, since she pretty much quit the Holy See upon joining Guts and took up practicing witchcraft to prove her self worth rather than for the spiritual aspect.
* TookALevelInBadass: Guts takes nothing but levels in badass all his life: as a child, he trains with a sword nearly twice his size that he takes into combat. After [[spoiler:Griffith]]'s FaceHeelTurn, he is marked as a target for demons and ends up just taking more levels into the epic class of badass by getting a sword the size of his body that is a slab of iron with sharp edges and a mechanical arm that doubles as a ''cannon''. After he gets his TrueCompanions, he receives the Berserker Armor, [[spoiler: which was once worn by the Skull Knight]], which increases his physical abilities [[spoiler: by making him immune to pain and reinforcing his body when it's wounded. It also makes him attack everything around him, friend or foe.]]
* TooKinkyToTorture: The only thing Guts succeeds in doing when he impales and blows off half of Slan's torso is giving her an orgasm.
* TortureTechnician: The guy responsible for torturing [[spoiler:Griffith]]; also, Mozgus's retinue.
* TotalEclipseOfThePlot: The entire finale of the anime and one of the most climactic moments of the manga uses this.
* {{Tragedy}}: The Golden Age Arc is filled to the brim with this.
* TraumaCongaLine: ''Dear lord''. Sometimes you have to ask yourself: does Miura just ''hate'' seeing Guts, Griffith, and Casca happy for more than five minutes? Good grief. Each have varying results to their trauma:
** Griffith's trauma line resulted in Type B, giving up and becoming a villain.
** Casca's trauma line resulted in Type C, regressing into a child-like state.
** And Guts' trauma line, which is pretty much still on-going, is a mesh of Type A, D, and E, blazing onward through thick and thin and going on bloody rampages of revenge and destruction, but not quite stooping so low as to give up all hope.
* TraumaInducedAmnesia: Thanks to [[spoiler: Griffith and what he has done to her]] Casca was so traumatized by the events that her mind has regressed to the mind of a child, but shows no clear memory of the events that transpired beforehand. The only time that she is shown to remember anything at all is when [[spoiler: she is on the verge of being raped, as she has visions of what had happened to her during the dreadful Eclipse.]] Fortunately, this also brings back memories of her fighting skills, at least temporarily.
** There's also a moment when she falls down a cliff, and displays her former considerable acrobatic talents in landing unharmed.
* TranquilFury: Very unusual and thus rare coming from [[TheBerserker the poster child]] of [[UnstoppableRage batshit insane rage-o-hol]], but there have come times in Guts's career that he was ''so'' pissed off at something that he just had [[http://www.mangareader.net/96-1130-139/berserk/chapter-10.html the calmest expression.]] Be warned: [[http://www.mangareader.net/96-1130-141/berserk/chapter-10.html Guts's tranquil fury facade]] is quite possibly more frightful than his usual UhOhEyes, and should be taken with the utmost seriousness if you want to live.
* TransformationOfThePossessed: Animals possessed by spirits in Berserk get deformed human-like faces
* TreeCover: When Guts and Griffith talk "privately" for the first time, Casca is hiding behind a tree listening to their conversation.
* TroubledFetalPosition: In the beginning stages of her insanity, Casca was very paranoid of her surroundings - being especially distrustful of men - and would often huddle into corners or against women for protection. After the time skip, Casca seems to have entered into a more [[TheOphelia aloof stage of her insanity]], not really aware of the dangers that surrounded her.
* TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior: Guts all the way, since he was not only [[ChildSoldier forced to kill people since the age of five or six]], but [[HarmfulToMinors every event that]] [[DarkAndTroubledPast happened in his childhood]] just [[UsedToBeASweetKid hardened him even more]]. Now in his adult years, killing people is as natural as breathing to this guy.
** Farnese also counts during her childhood. Any servant working in the Vandimion mansion at the time who had ''any'' shred of sanity would have '''left after the first minor incident''' - which could have very well have been being set on fire!
* TrueCompanions: Guts has had two groups: the original Band of the Hawk and his current traveling companions.
* TryNotToDie: First said by Casca to Guts when he makes a path for her to escape from the Tudor ambush army. Later said by Isidro to Guts multiple times.
* TwoGuysAndAGirl: [[TheLancer Guts]], [[TheHero Griffith]], [[ActionGirl Casca]]. The sole purpose of these three's [[TriangRelations relationship]] is to get more complex as the story goes on...
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