Awesome Music / Berserk

Berserk (1997)

• "Forces" is probably the best place to start listening to Susumu Hirasawa's emotional and atmospheric soundtrack which helped make the '97 anime a classic. It plays during Guts's first raid with the Band of the Hawk, as well as over each On the Next preview, and it makes you feel like you're riding into battle on horseback with the Hawks themselves.
  • Pretty much any variation of "Forces".
  • Fun fact: "Forces" is actually a reworking of another song by Hirasawa called "Kajiwotore" (Take the Wheel).
  • If you thought Forces and Kajiwotore were badass enough, you should hear it when they're smashed together.
• "Guts" from the series is nothing short of beautiful, and perfectly captures the manga's entire spirit. In fact, it has become a popular meme.
• "Behelit" is an eerie track that captures Griffith's road to darkness.
• "Earth" is another beautiful theme. It sounds like a perfect theme for the witches and their natural powers, but they are introduced in the manga long after the anime's ending point so it's a very nice coincidence.
• Berserk is not without its creepy moments as well, as "Monster" and "Fear" show.
• And then there's "Murder", which plays as it's all going to hell for the Hawks. Made even more eerie with that Ominous Latin Chanting going on.
• Need we be reminded of the non-Susumu awesomeness that is "Tell Me Why" by The Penpals and "Waiting So Long" by Silver Fins?
  • "Tell Me Why" is super catchy with its Engrish-ness. You may think it's weird as hell at first and you ask yourself, "why the hell is this song in this series?" but then you get to this point that it's so cheesy, that it's good.
  • "Waiting So Long" has the same effect, only it's slower and more peaceful as the series' Solemn Ending Theme... But it's kind of ruined when you have to hear it in the last episode, right after you see Guts screaming in pain and rage at the sight of Casca's rape by Griffith/Femto. Yeahhhh...
• In Anno Domini, one of the few tracks not composed by Hirasawa, is used as Casca's theme, or at least, in her flashback sequence. It's a solemn and haunting piece that captures Casca's sadness of being born in a poor raided village constantly attacked by robbers.
• Madre Assente, another non-Hirasawa track, used during the Queen of Midland's funeral and as we see the snow-filled scenery just before Guts leaves the Band of the Hawk.

Sword of the Berserk: Guts' Rage

• A Sister's Story, the song that plays when Eriza tells the story of Nico, sounds mesmerizing and tragic.
• Niko: perfect music for a boss fight; rhythmic and creepy, especially with that distorted scream.
• Zodd II, which plays during the second fight with Zodd, is very intense and intimidating.
• Indra is a hauntingly melancholic song that plays during the credits, perfectly summing up this side story's bittersweet conclusion.

Berserk Millennium Falcon Hen Seima Senki no Sho

• "Sign" is the dark and foreboding opening theme, which many fans name as their favorite Hirasawa track. A slower, more triumphant version plays near the end and is just as awesome. The awesomeness doesn't stop here, for there is a third version of the song too!

Berserk: The Golden Age Arc

• Hirasawa works his magic again with the opening song "Aria". The foreboding and mysterious verses set your expectations on the adventure, romance, and horror that are about to unfold, and the soaring chorus, which so regrettably isn't reached in the opening credits, is perfect for imagining Guts galloping towards the enemy, ready to swing his sword.
• Shiro Sagisu's score for these movies is nothing short of breath-taking in richness, and fits the dark fantasy setting of Berserk while expanding it to epic dimensions.
  • "Des Liens Solides (Strong Bonds)" is a gorgeous, romantic orchestral track that plays when Griffith takes Guts to the top of a grassy hill and asks him to join him. You can just feel Griffith's bewitching charisma and how it draws in Guts who stands in front of him, and Casca who watches from behind a tree. The music helps the scene from the manga come to life.
  • "Blood and Guts" is a beautiful piece that perfectly captures the tragic essence of Guts' character (amusingly, the chorus of "Blood and Guts" sounds like "GOD HAND GUTS" to a lot of listeners, though that was probably not intentional). Interestingly, if you read the lyrics, they're telling you about his birth and subsequent rotten childhood. The variant "Blood and Guts: Passionate" plays during Guts' major Moment of Awesome...when he single-handedly slaughters 100 men, earning him the title of 'The Hundred-Man Slayer'.
  • From the second film, the thunderous "My Brother", a truly awesome example of Ominous English Chanting. You feel like you're in the front lines with Guts and Griffith in the shadow of Doldrey, about to encounter either death or glory. A real Bash Brothers anthem!
  • "Hundred Years War", playing during Midland's victory at the walls of Doldrey. The intensity of track perfectly punctuates the feeling that the war that last for a hundred years is finally over.
  • From the third film, "Trio F-Dur II", the music played during Guts and Casca's love scene, is in the running for the most beautiful tune in the whole movie trilogy, matching the atmosphere of this interpretation of their scene perfectly. It's actually quite tear jerk worthy.
  • 'Sonate pour piano nº 23', the music that plays in Advent during the Eclipse when Femto rapes Casca, is fitting for such a tragic, grotesque, and horrifying moment. It's the third movement from Beethoven's Piano Sonata No.23 in F minor, Opus 57, with the addition of a dissonant and frightening orchestral "scream".
• From the first movie is "Utsukushiki Mono" by Ai. It's the ending theme and is breathtaking. It sings like an inspirational gospel song, but it sounds so uplifting that it'll just raise your spirits. The title translates to "something beautiful" and the song truly is.

Berserk (2016)

• "Inferno" is the opening of the 2016 anime adaptation, and it is glorious. The lyrics perfectly encapsulate the struggle of Guts and his eternal desire for revenge, and they're set to a frenzied beat. A perfect way to introduce the series to a newer, younger generation. Check out the 8bit remix by NutBonkers here.
• "Hai Yo (Oh Ashes)" serves as Guts' Theme Music Power-Up for the 2016 anime, again thanks to the genius of Hirasawa. Try not to re-create the battle scenes in your mind with this adrenaline-pumping track. You'll fail.
• "Ash Crow", yet again from Hirasawa. It's not used much throughout the two seasons, but when Guts receives the Berserker Armor...
• A hard-rocking remix of "Blood and Guts" from the movie trilogy is used as Guts's primary Leitmotif.
• "My Brother" also gets a hard-rock remix, "Dragon Slayer", which is also used during intense battle scenes.

Berserk and the Band of the Hawk

• The ending theme, with its epic orchestral arrangement accompanied by the grandiose singing of an all-male choir, provides a very fitting send-off to Guts as another chapter in his legendary saga draws to a close, and heralds the journeys to come ahead.

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