History Fridge / Berserk

* So, after [[ScheduleSlip eight years]], they finally made it off the boat. Sounds like a reason to celebrate, right? Well, think again! They can't just stay on the island forever! Eventually, they'll have to get [[ArcFatigue right back on the boat]]!

* The village of Enoch was saved from swarms of trolls by the combined efforts of Guts' group, the Qliphoth was sealed meaning the trolls wouldn't return, and considering that this is ''Berserk'', everyone got a happy ending there, right? Well, what about [[InferredHolocaust after Femto fuses all the realms?]]

*** Actually, the afterlife shown in Berserk isnt Hell per se, its more similar to The Land Of the Dead seen in, say, Greek Mythology, or Norse Mythology. Its not Heaven, but it isnt FireAndBrimstoneHell either. Its a land of shadows, no more, no less.

* Do you think that if Guts never left the Hawks so Griffith wouldn't have slept with Charlotte, the Hawks wouldn't be outlawed and there wouldn't be any horrible things like Griffit's torture or Eclipse? Right? Wrong. Ganishka was prepearing the invasion to Berserkverse's equivalent of Europe al the time! What did the Midlanders have agains his army? Pretty standart knights and infantry. The Kushans, on the other hand had loads of sorcerers, magically enhanced SuperSoldiers and beasts. It would be eventually a CurbStompBattle for the "Europeans" if the reborn Griffith hadn't united them and hadn't made a pact with Apostles. And he couls do it only after his transformation into Femto. So basically, everyone would have died horribly and all Midland, Tudor, etc. would have been enslaved by Kushans if Griffith hadn't crossed the MoralEventHorizon. Brr...

* Imagine what it looks like under Guts [[EyeScream post-Eclipse right eyelid]].
** Imagine the fate of Guts severed arm after he cut it off to escape some demon who had grabbed him in its mouth refusing to let go.
** The fate of Casca and Guts had the Skull Knight not arrived to rescue them.

** Casca's brand on the chest might represent her womanhood, and all of the persecution it entails.

* Just about everything about [[ArtifactOfDoom the Behelits]] once you read upon them. These things can, by their description, [[WindsOfDestinyChange manipulate destiny and causality itself]] to drive their selected owners into DespairEventHorizon. [[ParanoiaFuel Think about that for a second: ''Just how much of Griffith's behavior pre-Eclipse was his own free-will or the Behelit doing its thing?'' Or the people around him?]] From its description and effects on the plot, Behelits are basically [[LordOfTheRings the One Ring]] or [[AssassinsCreed the Pieces of Eden]] of Berserk-verse; at first, they seem benign, but subtly, unconsciously control people around it to make certain choices, [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness sometimes somewhat out of character]], all in order to ruin their lives. A few examples:

* Apparently, having sex with Casca [[SexualHealing completely heals]] the massive, gaping shoulder wound that she had given Guts just moments earlier.

* Let us look at two of our main characters from a psychological perspective for a bit. I've been learning a lot about antisocial behavior from both my mother and MorganFreeman (''Through the Wormhole''), and it's pretty obvious that [[NotSoDifferent both Guts and Griffith suffer from antisocial personality disorder.]] [[RedOniBlueOni But there is a difference.]] How? Well, Guts has the signs of being a psychopath, in that he has erratic violent behavior and has trouble maintaining normal relationships. Griffith, on the other hand, also shows violent tendencies... though they're far more reserved and planned, and he looks perfectly normal in the face of the public. So technically, Griffith would have been considered a SociopathicHero back in his glory days as well, and Guts would be best described as a ''psychopathic hero''. Now, it's important to acknowledge that, as scary as it sounds, 3-4% of the population are sociopathic or psychopathic; however, not every person with this antisocial behavior is a sadistic serial killer. So where are they? Well, psychopaths have it rougher in life, since they can't hold steady jobs because they can't hold steady relationships, but sociopaths are often very successful, since they're manipulative and get people to trust them, but lack the empathy in tough decision making (so, [[FridgeHorror you can guess why some CEOs are so damn powerful]]). But one, very important factor comes into play, regarding if these individuals will take their disorder to the next level: [[ThePowerOfLove Love]] and [[ThePowerOfFriendship family.]] That's right, you can still have the mind of a killer without actually being a killer - [[NatureVersusNurture if you grow up in the right environment.]] Studies have shown that growing up with loving and supportive friends and family can halt more violent tendencies, so at the very least, sociopaths and psychopaths will be [[{{Jerkass}} giant douchebags,]] but not murderers. Looking back at Guts and Griffith, Guts had a really, ''really'' [[DarkAndTroubledPast rough backstory]] which included physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. He is signed into a profession that just breeds this type of behavior, but it's a big outlet for him and it satisfies his psychopathic tendencies, so he enjoys it on some level. [[MoralityChain But Guts' only saving grace]] is that he truly cares about the friends he managed to make and the love that he has for Casca, so he is still able to retain some level of empathy and is the reason why he doesn't go around killing anything that moves. But as we saw, when the eclipse happened, and all of those who Guts cared for were either killed or violated - well, it's understandable why he almost became a VillainProtagonist. Our man Griffith has a similar predicament: [[{{Pride}} his self-assured]], [[TheChessmaster organized]], and morally gray behavior clearly puts him in sociopathic territory, but [[MoralityPet he still cares about his comrades enough]] to not be too crazy. And tragically, as with Guts, [[DespairEventHorizon a life event]] [[FaceHeelTurn just made him snap]] [[LackOfEmpathy and lose what empathy he had.]] For more info, [[http://videos.wisegeek.com/videos/397035655.htm take a look at this vid.]]

* OK so we all know the Skull Knight is a badass who survived his eclipse just like Guts. But exactly how badass is he? Think about how Guts got out of his: The Skull Knight shattered the eclipse and rode in from a different dimention to snatch up Guts and Casca in the nick of time before flying back out the gaping hole he tore in un-reality.
** AND HE GOT OUT OF HIS BY HIMSELF

* The sheer thought of the Eclipse and what had happened during the event is horrible enough, but we at least think that the suffering of those who eventually succumbed to the sacrifice (usually by being eaten alive) has ended. '''WRONG.''' Di you forget that once a Behelit user sells their soul to Hell in order to gain the right to sacrifice those closest to them - that will in turn give them unholy powers - ''the sacrifices are condemned to Hell as well?'' Meaning that all of the characters that we loved and/or appreciated in the course of the Golden Age arc, Pippin, Corkus, Gaston, '''Judeau''', '''ARE ALL IN HELL'''. And unless Guts and pals do some major mojo that will [[CosmicHorrorStory undo causality itself]] ([[OnlyTheAuthorCanSaveThemNow or unless Miura decides to give them a bone]] so at least ''one'' of these poor bastards will have a BittersweetEnding in the VERY least), he and Casca are going to share the same fate eventually. Dear Lord, this series...

** Guts' brand on the back of his neck might be a reference to where he stabbed his adoptive father Gambino in self-defense as a child.