History Main / TheBerserker

** You'd best be talking about TheFilmOfTheBook, because Ajax is described as a defensive fighter in the poem. Diomedes is a much better fit.

-->AND [[InItsHourOfNeed IN THEIR HOUR OF NEED]] HE SENT FORTH UNTO THEM... '''[[UnstoppableRage THE BERSERKER RAGE!]]'''
-->''NOW GODS AND MEN THEY ROSE UP FROM THE GROUND SCREAMING LIKE WILD ANIMALS,''
-->''[[DrunkOnTheDarkSide SUCH IS THE GIFT OF ABSOLUTE POWER!]]''
-->''[[TheJuggernaut NO BLADE OR WEAPON COULD HARM THEM;]]''
-->'''[[NotTheLivestock THEY KILLED MEN AND HORSES ALIKE,]]'''
-->'''[[LastStand AND ALL WHO STOOD BEFORE THEM]]'''
-->'''[[KillEmAll DIED THAT DAY!]]''' '''''[[NoIndoorVoice HAIL GODS OF WAR!]]'''''

* The Joker as portrayed by Heath Ledger in 2008's [[DarkKnightTrilogy ''The Dark Knight'']] is concerned only with sowing chaos and panic, even if it means sacrificing himself in the process. Although he typically leaves himself a prearranged "back door" of sorts, a sort of {{Locking MacGyver in the Store Cupboard}} scenario in which all of the materiel required for a quick escape is secreted away, if not on his person, somewhere remote from the Joker himself (but close enough at hand to pull his fat out of the fire), these "escape clauses" sometimes seem as potentially fatal to the Joker as his enemies.

* [[http://www.kazenoshiro.com/kazenoshiro/3/baddeath.htm Hida Amoro]], one of the Crab Clan's best warriors from ''Legend of the Five Rings'', is a Berserker. In a standard deviation he is cool-headed and rational (unlike most crabs) outside of combat. As he fights his vision slowly becomes red-tinted until he has no control left. It is said that this is the only reason he isn't a higher rank- he has no control over friend or foe until he ''Passes out from Exhaustion''. All is comrades are aware of this and stand far away from him on the Shadowlands wall. And quote from memory "The other crab soldiers almost felt sad for the poor goblins that died by impaling themselves on the spears of those behind them while fleeing, so great was their fear of X". This editor does not do his badassitutde Justice. For bonus points he wields a ''[[BigFancySword daito]]''.

* Sork from ''Treasure of the Rudras'' is always itching for a fight.

* The Black Whirlwind from ''Jade Empire'' fits this trope perfectly. The character he was based on, from the Water Margin, was exactly the same.

* Saix from ''KingdomHearts II'', while normally seemings to be cold and composed, becomes this in battle when the moon shines upon him.
** [[BeautyAndTheBeast Beast]] probably counts too. He always charge against [[TheHeartless the Heartless]] head-on with horns, teeth, claws and a [[WarCry roar]], hell just the roar can kill the weaker ones, and [[{{Hercules}} Hades]] is '''THE''' Disney villain version of this. The bigger Heartless attacks more ruthlessly if they're soon out of life and one Nobody race is even called "Berserker" and they're commanded by Saix. One ability is called "Berserk", which help the party member who has it to become stronger if he has lesser life and the first one to get it was Donald.
* Hardfangs in Resistance: Fall of Man are said to have all instincts of self-preservation removed in place of aggressiveness for superior combat performance. True to form, they only have one eye.

* The various ''{{Final Fantasy}}'' games have had several different types of Berserkers. The most common version is the Berserk spell, which does [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin exactly what it sounds like]] when you cast it on someone. ''Final Fantasy VI'' has the yeti Umaro as a playable character who could not be controlled by the player and otherwise attacked the enemies whenever his turn came up in battle, and ''Final Fantasy III, Final Fantasy V'' and ''Final Fantasy X-2'' all had the Berserker available in their Job systems, though ''X-2'''s is the only one where you retained control.

** Final Fantasy XI also has Berserk as a Warrior Job Ability. Upon use, the player retains full control of the player and receives a 25% increase to the Attack stat, but at the cost of a 25% penalty to defense.

** Trolls have had Berserkers since their first appearance in Warcraft II. Unlike most depictions of Berserkers, they're ranged attackers that throw spears or axes at their opponents. They have an improved [[HealingFactor regeneration]] and have an ability that makes them attack faster but take more damage. Troll Berserkers are incredibly buff and even larger then Orc Grunts! and This state is achieved through goblin or troll {{alchemy}} experimentation and you actually see the trolls [[TheHulk hulk]] out when upgraded to berserkers. An interesting tidbit was that in Warcraft II, troll Berserkers were the only trolls seen with tusks.

* Iori Yagami from ''The King of Fighters'' series. In ''KoF '95'', when he was first introduced, he brutally beat his teammates Eiji Kasaragi and Billy Kane when losing their match prevented him from taking a shot at his nemesis Kyo. (Brutally enough to have them both enjoy a lengthy vacation on a hospital.) And that was before his tainted Orochi blood caused him to fling into the Riot of Blood and tear Vice and Mature to pieces on KoF '96. (And Orochi himself on KoF '97 with Kyo's and Chizuru's help.) Having his purple flames stolen by [[JerkAss Ash Crimson]] didn't calm him down in the slightest - rather than burning opponents down to a violet crisp he claws the living shit out of them.
* ''Resident Evil 4'''s monster cast is rife with these. A blind zombie with ridiculously long steel claws that hunts you down by hearing alone and [[PuppeteerParasite Plagas-infested,]] [[AxCrazy chainsaw-wielding villagers]] are just a few.

* In the ''Fallout'' series, "Beserker" is a perk you acquire after having killed a lot of good karma people.

* Ed from the webcomic ''Megatokyo'' not only seems to relish bloodshed and destruction and to engage in said activities with reckless abandon, he has himself been seriously maimed and/or killed numerous times only to be rebuilt/resurrected by his superiors that he might put himself (willingly) in harm's way again.
* ''DominicDeegan had a one-shot character named Brok that was hired by the Infernomancer during his first appearance, who goes into an UnstoppableRage after Bumper tries (and fails) to knock him out by smashing a staff on the back of his head. He was at first meant to have a much longer run, but writer/artist Mookie stated that he just didn't feel right throwing in a Berserker-type character in a magic-based world, so a raging Brok chases Stunt and Bumper into the sunset and is never seen again.

* Sláine, main character of the British comic of the same name, is in part based on Cuchulainn. An almost ridiculously powerful Celtic warrior, even by the standards of ''Heavy Metal''-style comic magazines (imagine Conan the Barbarian on steroids), Sláine's favored weapon is a huge battle axe named "Brainbiter" with which he inflicts much carnage, and he embodies the power of the ''ríastrad'', or "Warp Spasm", which is capable of transforming him into a huge, monstrous mass of muscle and sinew which is incapable of distinguishing friend from foe, but is quite efficient when it comes to dispatching either. He is also, arguably, the [[TheHero Hero]] and the [[TheBigGuy Big Guy]] of the series.

* An unlockable melee weapon for The Soldier in ''TeamFortress2'' called "The Equalizer" is designed to be used in this fashion. It's a pickax that buffs the players speed and damage output inversely proportional to their amount of remaining HP but also prevents them from being healed while they have it out. It can be very useful in offensive pushes where combat is confined to close quarters. However, a common tactic is for the player to rocket jump a couple times to the enemy position which both takes out a considerable chunk of health and can take them by surprise if done right. Once landed, they can immediately start slaughtering with the now powered up pickax. Valve actually had to nerf the weapon due to "entire teams" being ripped apart by Equalized Soldiers just as the round had barely started.

-->AND [[InItsHourOfNeed IN THEIR HOUR OF NEED]] HE SENT FORTH UNTO THEM... [+ '''[[UnstoppableRage THE BERSERKER RAGE!]]'''+ ]

-->[[DrunkOnTheDarkSide SUCH IS THE GIFT OF ABSOLUTE POWER!]]
-->[[TheJuggernaut NO BLADE OR WEAPON COULD HARM THEM;]]
-->[+ [[NotTheLivestock THEY KILLED MEN AND HORSES ALIKE,]]+ ]
-->[+ [[LastStand AND ALL WHO STOOD BEFORE THEM]]+ ]
-->[+ [[KillEmAll DIED THAT DAY!]] [[NoIndoorVoice HAIL GODS OF WAR!]]+ ]

* ->Onward, into the heart of the battle fought the sons
->of Odin. Outnumbered many times, still they fought on.
->[[OverdrawnAtTheBloodBank Blood poured forth]] from their wounds deep into the earth,
->Vultures waited for the broken shells that once were bodies.
->But Odin alone would choose the day they would enter Valhalla
->AND [[InItsHourOfNeed IN THEIR HOUR OF NEED]] HE SENT FORTH UNTO THEM... [+'''[[UnstoppableRage THE BERSERKER RAGE!]]'''+]
->''NOW GODS AND MEN THEY ROSE UP FROM THE GROUND SCREAMING LIKE WILD ANIMALS,''
->[[DrunkOnTheDarkSide SUCH IS THE GIFT OF ABSOLUTE POWER!]]
->[[TheJuggernaut NO BLADE OR WEAPON COULD HARM THEM;]]
->[+[[NotTheLivestock THEY KILLED MEN AND HORSES ALIKE,]]+]
->[+[[LastStand AND ALL WHO STOOD BEFORE THEM]]+]
->[+[[KillEmAll DIED THAT DAY!]] [[NoIndoorVoice HAIL GODS OF WAR!]]+]
-->--''The Sons of Odin'' by {{Manowar}}

->Don't call my name in battle -- it's not wise.
->Do not distract me when you see a new soul in these eyes.
->For when the war god fills this flesh I wear,
->I am no more your friend; I am the spirit of the bear.
->Don't call my name in battle -- stand away,
->For I will never hear you, but some other creature may.
->It never sees a friend, but only foes.
->Just count the bodies lying where this taken body goes.
->Don't call my name in battle -- wait the time,
->Until I fall and rise again with eyes you know are mine.
->And then perhaps we'll rest and talk of home.
->But you'll not be surprised to see how much I walk alone.

-->Onward, into the heart of the battle fought the sons
-->of Odin. Outnumbered many times, still they fought on.
-->[[OverdrawnAtTheBloodBank Blood poured forth]] from their wounds deep into the earth,
-->Vultures waited for the broken shells that once were bodies.
-->But Odin alone would choose the day they would enter Valhalla
-->AND [[InItsHourOfNeed IN THEIR HOUR OF NEED]] HE SENT FORTH UNTO THEM... [+'''[[UnstoppableRage THE BERSERKER RAGE!]]'''+]
-->''NOW GODS AND MEN THEY ROSE UP FROM THE GROUND SCREAMING LIKE WILD ANIMALS,''
-->[[DrunkOnTheDarkSide SUCH IS THE GIFT OF ABSOLUTE POWER!]]
-->[[TheJuggernaut NO BLADE OR WEAPON COULD HARM THEM;]]
-->[+[[NotTheLivestock THEY KILLED MEN AND HORSES ALIKE,]]+]
-->[+[[LastStand AND ALL WHO STOOD BEFORE THEM]]+]
-->[+[[KillEmAll DIED THAT DAY!]] [[NoIndoorVoice HAIL GODS OF WAR!]]+]
--->--''The Sons of Odin'' by {{Manowar}}

Berserkers are equally capable of being good or evil. If they're good, then out of battle, most will brood about whatever it is that causes their berserk fits, or show remorse about losing control of themselves. Most end up one of two ways: being taught by their teammates to control themselves after a particularly close call, or dying in a dramatic fashion while lamenting that they died without completing their mission. Good Berserkers are also very prone to [[HeroicSacrifice Heroic Sacrifices]], for very obvious reasons. An evil Berserker, on the other hand, is generally just unrepentantly AxCrazy.

--> -- '''Khorne Berserker warcry''', ''{{Warhammer 40000))''

->''He cleared the ship, helmless and shieldless and hewing about him with both hands..."

->'''BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD! SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE!'''

* Khornate Berserkers in both ''Warhammer'' and ''{{Warhammer 40000}}''. The 40k Berserkers actually undergo voluntary lobotomies to increase their psychotic blood lust ('''BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD! SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE!''').

* Khornate Berserkers in both ''Warhammer'' and ''{{Warhammer 40000}}''. The 40k Berserkers actually undergo voluntary lobotomies to increase their psychotic blood lust.

[[caption-width:360:[[{{Warhammer 40000}} BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD]]]]

* [[HornyVikings The Vikings]] are both the [[TropeNamer Trope Namers]] and the [[MostTriumphantExample Most Triumphant Example]], among their soldiers there were the fabled Berserkers, warriors who, in a [[UnstoppableRage drug-induced fit of rage]], would plunge themselves into battle wearing little to no armor and slash their way through countless amounts of enemies, and earned themselves the mythic reputation they have today.

[[caption-width:360:[[CrushKillDestroy CRUSH! KILL! MAIM!]]]]

-->ONWARD, INTO THE HEART OF THE BATTLE FOUGHT THE SONS
-->OF ODIN. OUTNUMBERED MANY TIMES, STILL THEY FOUGHT ON.
-->[[OverdrawnAtTheBloodBank BLOOD POURED FORTH]] FROM THEIR WOUNDS DEEP INTO THE EARTH,
-->VULTURES WAITED FOR THE BROKEN SHELLS THAT ONCE WERE BODIES.
-->BUT ODIN ALONE WOULD CHOOSE THE DAY THEY WOULD ENTER VALHALLA,
-->AND [[InItsHourOfNeed IN THEIR HOUR OF NEED]] HE SENT FORTH UNTO THEM...[+'''[[UnstoppableRage THE BERSERKER RAGE!]]'''+]

-->''NOW GODS AND MEN THEY ROSE UP FROM THE GROUND '''SCREAMING LIKE WILD ANIMALS,'''''

** His father, the also aptly-named [[EverybodyCallsHimBarkeep Sven's Dad]], is also a berkerser, though a "retired" one. At one point, Sven's Dad explains the philosophy of the Berserk, and does so in a funny voice, too!
* In the film ''The 13th Warrior'', the hero Ahmad ibn Fadlan goes battle-mad during one attack, but seeing as he's hanging around Vikings and taking on more and more of their culture, it's not surprising.
** Arguably [[strike:Beowulf]] [[CaptainErsatz Buliwyf]] counts, since he goes back into battle after being poisoned.

* Hilariously averted by Mr. Furious in ''MysteryMen''. He pretends to get angry. He pretends to get ''really'' angry. And that's it. No super-strength, no supernatural resistance to pain or injury, and he doesn't [[TheHulk change into a monster]]. He's just a raging Ben Stiller with all the fighting ability of a loaf of bread.
** Until he finally [[BerserkButton finds something]] to get righteously furious about, and suddenly [[UnstoppableRage becomes as superstrong]] as he's supposed to be...
* Dying in battle was a family tradition for Lt. Dan in ''ForrestGump'' and he is furious when Forrest saves him (especially since he was crippled by his injury).

-->''ONWARD INTO THE HEART OF THE BATTLE FOUGHT [[TitleDrop The Sons of Odin]]''.
-->''OUTNUMBERED MANY TIMES, STILL THEY FOUGHT ON.''
-->''[[OverdrawnAtTheBloodBank BLOOD POURED FORTH]] FROM THEIR WOUNDS DEEP INTO THE EARTH,''
-->''VULTURES WAITED FOR THE BROKEN SHELLS THAT ONCE WERE BODIES.''
-->''But Odin alone would choose the day they would enter Valhalla,''
-->[[InItsHourOfNeed AND IN THEIR HOUR OF NEED]] HE SENT FORTH UNTO THEM...[+'''[[UnstoppableRage THE BERSERKER RAGE!]]'''+]
-->''NOW GODS AND MEN THEY ROSE UP FROM THE GROUND SCREAMING LIKE WILD ANIMALS,''

* Ajax from ''The Iliad'' is a very early example of this trope.
** You'd best be kidding or talking about TheFilmOfTheBook, because Ajax is described as a defensive fighter in the poem. Diomedes is a much better fit.

-->ONWARD INTO THE HEART OF THE BATTLE FOUGHT [[TitleDrop THE SONS OF ODIN]].
-->Outnumbered many times, still they fought on.
-->[[OverdrawnAtTheBloodBank Blood poured forth]] from their wounds deep into the earth,
-->Vultures waited for the broken shells that once were bodies.
-->BUT ODIN ALONE would choose the day they would enter Valhalla,
-->[[InItsHourOfNeed AND IN THEIR HOUR OF NEED]] HE SENT FORTH UNTO THEM... '''[[UnstoppableRage THE BERSERKER RAGE!]]'''

-->[[TheJuggernaut NO BLADE OR WEAPON COULD HARM THEM;]]

-->[+[[LastStand AND ALL WHO STOOD BEFORE THEM DIED THAT DAY!]]+]
-->[+[[NoIndoorVoice HAIL GODS OF WAR!]]+]

* The aptly-named Sven the Berserk in ''ErikTtheViking'' is one comedic example.