Berserk/Characters/Other

This page is for recurring and minor characters who don't fit into the other pages.

For the main characters, go to Berserk For The Band of the Hawk, check out Berserk For Apostles, The Godhand and other antagonists in this series, check out Berserk

Recurring Characters
The following characters show up regularly along the story or are Commuting on a Bus.

Voiced by: Tsutomu Isobe


""What you wish for might not be what she wishes for.""

Guts and Casca's Mysterious Protector is a badass, philosophical, undead warrior that also opposes the Godhand. It is not known if he is aware of 's existence. He often scares the Apostles into submission and his mere presence was sufficient to make Rosine and The Count flee. He seems to have some unfinished business with Void and often opposes Zodd himself, though none ever had the better of the other. He collects the Behelits from slain Apostles and can cut through reality to teleport to another place with a sword made from said Behelits.

He rides a spectral horse and appears as nothing more than a skeleton in a massive armor.


 * Aloof Ally
 * Animated Armor:.
 * Anti-Hero: Type III
 * Badass: When you have centuries of Apostle asskicking under your belt, AND can stand up to the Godhand, you deserve the title.
 * Big Good: The closest that Berserk has, being the biggest opposition to the Godhand, and he also provides help to Guts and his companions a few times.
 * Big Damn Heroes: Does this twice. One time upon the Eclipse when he The second time was in the Qliphoth where he
 * Black Knight: A rather straight example except he doesn't wear black.
 * Cool Horse: Guess its name is "Skull Steed" or something.
 * Cool Sword: In addition to his regular dentate sword, he owns the Sword or Resonance, which is a sword made of Behelits which makes it a...
 * Evil Weapon: Since Behelits are evil entities owned by Apostles to summon the Godhand...
 * Situational Sword: Thus it is to be used only in dire situations as it can cut through reality itself.
 * Cynical Mentor: Despite giving precious guidance to Guts in his quest, he always points out that there are high possibilities for him to fail epically in the end, which simply motivate Guts even more.
 * Dark Is Not Evil
 * Fan Nickname: Skully is a very popular nickname among fans.
 * Glowing Eyelights of Un-Death: Well, he is a undead skeleton knight after all.
 * He Who Fights Monsters: He preceded Guts in this game.
 * Horrifying Hero: Wouldn't be too surprising if the people he's saved thought he was the Grim Reaper taking them over to the other side.
 * Knight in Shining Armor: The Skull Knight is about the closest thing to one of these that Berserk has to offer, at least until Azan showed up. Locus is more of a subversion.
 * Like a Badass Out of Hell:.
 * Mister Exposition: Often clarifies situations in detail.
 * Monster Knight: And a good one at that.
 * Mysterious Protector: A non-romantic, non-Shojo one. He always shows up to help when Guts fights a number too big even for him such as Grunbeld, Slan, or the Kushans' demonic crocodiles.
 * Reality Warper: Thanks to the Sword of Resonance, which main ability is this. See above.
 * The Stoic: What with his face being a skull. Despite that, when angles are played with, he can look angry or sympathetic.
 * The Undead: Despite his massive appearance, it seems like he is nothing but a talking skeleton...
 * Weapon of Choice: The almighty - SWORD OF RESONANCE.
 * The Undead: Despite his massive appearance, it seems like he is nothing but a talking skeleton...
 * Weapon of Choice: The almighty - SWORD OF RESONANCE.

Voiced by: Yuri Shiratori


"(To Griffith) "Together..Forever!""

The heiress to the throne of Midland is a Princess Classic example. Not a fighter at all, meek, cute and rather capricious, she immediately falls in love with Griffith upon meeting him. She is the one who helped the Hawks enter Midland's castle so they could free Griffith. She got captured and almost raped by Ganishka not long after her father's demise.

Upon his reincarnation, freeing her from Ganishka's grasp was one of Griffith's priorities, and during her captivity she would make embroideries of Griffith. Since she is the last pure royal of Midland, Griffith's plan is to marry her so he can access the throne legally.


 * Abusive Parents / Parental Neglect: Not only, her stepmother the Queen completely ignores her.
 * Action Dress Rip: A variation. As it says above, she's no Action Girl. But when she tagged along Guts and Co in the Griffith retrieval arc, she did rip off her dress so as to run and move more easily.
 * All Girls Want Bad Boys
 * Attempted Rape: Between and Ganishka... ouch. That said...
 * Beware the Nice Ones: You know, for as much as some people complain she's a doormat, it's worth pointing out that she's one of the very few female characters who've unequivocally fought off someone who tried to attack them sexually, to the point where
 * Dark Mistress: Rather than a Lady Macbeth, mostly because she has no clue about Griffith's real nature and is a rather sweet girl otherwise.
 * Everything's Better with Princesses: Somewhat subverted. Due to her role as Griffith's Love Interest / Meal Ticket, it is unlikely that she will have a positive impact on the story.
 * Friendless Background/ Lonely Rich Kid: With the exception of Anna, it's implied that Charlotte never really had any friends.
 * Girl in the Tower: Where Ganishka held Charlotte captive after he took over Wyndam.
 * The High Queen: Becomes this eventually, now that she's sole heir to the Midland throne.
 * Horrible Judge of Character: Oh, if only she knew...
 * Jail Bait: Most literal example ever?
 * The Lady's Favour: She gives Griffith a magnetic doll that belongs in a set with a lady and a knight that once belonged to her mother, hoping that Griffith would take it with him into battle. Griffith said that he couldn't take such a valuable item... so he swears to return it to her.
 * Last Of Her Kind
 * Love At First Sight: She immediately fell for Griffith upon seeing him.
 * Meal Ticket: As far as the story would go, Griffith isn't interested in her for something else than her birthright.
 * Naive Everygirl: She pretty much thinks about nothing else than Griffith and how happy she is when she is around him...
 * Never a Self-Made Woman: Take away her birthright and Griffith and she's nothing.
 * The King's Daughter: A consequence of this.
 * Overly Long Name: Charlotte Beatrix Marie Rhody Wyndham. Yeahhhhh. We're going to just keep calling her "Princess Charlotte".
 * Princess Classic: REALLY classical example.
 * Consequently her outfits qualify for the following tropes: Ermine Cape Effect, Princesses Prefer Pink, Pretty in Mink and Pimped-Out Dress.
 * Putting A Hand Over Her Mouth: Played for laughs during her uncharacteristic temper tantrum during the Griffith rescue. Everyone present excluding Pippin partake in this. Guts suggested that they gag her.
 * Shallow Love Interest
 * Shrinking Violet: We were first introduced to Charlotte when - hey, where is she? Oh, there she is: hiding behind that pillar. Anyway, this princess might have all of the riches in the world, but one thing that she doesn't appear to have is a lot of social experience.  justified in that her father kept her close to home, commenting that big men and soldiers frighten her and even she said that she didn't like going to balls and other aristocratic gatherings much. Charlotte did seem to be coming out of her shell when she started interacting with Griffith, however.
 * Smitten Teenage Girl
 * Spoiled Sweet: Being the princess and sole heir of an entire kingdom, Charlotte has the finer luxuries in life. Though she might be naive about the world due to her sheltered life of royalty, she is one of the few genuinely nice aristocrats presented in the series and has a sweet and kind personality. Casca even admitted to herself that she felt bad for getting jealous over Charlotte because of her relationship with Griffith since Charlotte treated her with kindness despite her being a commoner AND a warrioress.
 * Taking the Bullet: During Griffith's rescue, one of the Bakiraka shot a poisoned dart aimed at Griffith, but Charlotte takes the dart. Luckily, since she was the princess (and they were sent by the King to kill Griffith), the Bakiraka allowed her to go in order to get treated.
 * Taking the Bullet: During Griffith's rescue, one of the Bakiraka shot a poisoned dart aimed at Griffith, but Charlotte takes the dart. Luckily, since she was the princess (and they were sent by the King to kill Griffith), the Bakiraka allowed her to go in order to get treated.

Guts and Casca's Child


"(To Guts) "You know... this one. Not to be lost. Not to be destroyed.""



Right before the Eclipse, Guts and Casca got into Intimate Healing and Guts impregnated Casca. However,  But losing her mind is not the only consequence for Casca: her unborn child got tainted by the experience, causing her to miscarry and deliver her baby prematurely.

The child is apparently nothing but a hideously deformed and apparently mindless Fetus Terrible that is still irresistibly drawn to its parents, like all children. It generally shows up to protect its mother and tries to contact its father many times but Guts is less than enthusiastic about his tarnished spawn and generally lashes out angrily at it whenever it appears. Still, this evil fetus is the one to warn him from the impending danger menacing Casca at the Tower of Conviction and it also. Drained out of all its energy

Later, right after conversing with the Skull Knight about the possible cure for Casca's state, Casca is found on the beach with a strange little boy in her arms. The child, who looked very much like a cross between Guts and Casca, somehow helped in repelling the attack of the Kushan crocodiles and is implied at the end of the fight. It disappeared mysteriously afterwards.

The kid's made yet another appearance on the island Guts and Co. stopped at while fighting the pirates. It's strongly implied that the fetus and the strange boy are one and the same.


 * Babies Make Everything Better: He probably would have if everything had not gone to crap after the Eclipse.
 * Badass Adorable: Post mock-Eclipse. Yeah, he might not have had enough screen time to make it absolute, but every time we've seen him he's warding off a big, scary, Hellhound spirit that constantly tries to goad his father into killing his mother - and he succeeds each time!
 * Bad Powers, Good People: Understandably got relatively evil powers from being corrupted by evil, but he uses his powers to help his parents.
 * Berserk Button: For a being that supposedly has no real thought or emotions, he looks genuinely pissed right here. So it goes without saying: don't try to rape his mother. Ever.
 * : Subverted. It isn't born from, but the experience is what made it what it is now, even though it is technically Guts's child.
 * Creepy Child: The boy on the beach.
 * Dark Is Not Evil: Technically it is but Love Redeems.
 * Eldritch Abomination
 * Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: Even hideous, corrupted demon-babies love their mamas.
 * Fetus Terrible: Subverted. It looks like one but it never acts as one.
 * Fire of Comfort:.
 * Fan Nickname: Moonchild, Guska... The boy has many nicknames but has no official name at the moment.
 * The Grotesque: You just can't help but feel sorry for the little guy. Had none of this shit surrounding Guts, Griffith, and Casca happened, he would have been a normal little boy in a (hopefully) loving - if not dysfunctional - family surrounding. He was a victim in this all in the end.
 * Hot Dad / Hot Mom: Both of the Child's parents are this fo' damn sho'.
 * Infant Immortality: Horribly averted and perhaps the most disturbing case in the entire series, since his existence was tainted even before he was born
 * Love Redeems: Although he accepted a nature of evil in the womb, the child loves his parents too much to actually be evil.
 * Naked on Arrival: We first see the Child in human form as a naked little boy on the beach.
 * Parents in Distress: Always comes to his parents' aide in times of needs.
 * Strong Family Resemblance: He looks like a perfect blend of Guts (skin-tone) and Casca (hair), though his true origins are still enigmatic...
 * That Thing Is Not My Child: Sorry Guts, this horribly marred fetus IS your child.
 * The Voiceless: Like his mother, though it's implied that he talks when he is his form of light.
 * Touched by Vorlons: He was developing as a normal baby inside of Casca's womb, until ... The terrible circumstances of how he became supernatural aside, the Child's main power is that of control over demons and evil spirits. His powers also seem to override his father's Enemy Within, allowing him to bring him back to the light by reminding Guts about his love for his mother, Casca.
 * What Do You Mean Its Not Symbolic: During his brief time with Guts' party, the boy fell from Guts' arms and both him and Casca rush to catch it. Isidro lampshades just how much the three of them look like a family.
 * What Do You Mean Its Not Symbolic: During his brief time with Guts' party, the boy fell from Guts' arms and both him and Casca rush to catch it. Isidro lampshades just how much the three of them look like a family.

Azan


""Don't give up, knights are here to protect those in need! A knight's duty is to protect the weak!""

Azan is the second in command of the Holy Iron Chains Knights. An old-fashioned knight who has turned to the cloth, he always speaks of honor and loyalty. When the Holy Iron Chains Knights catch up to Guts, he challenges Guts to a duel, matching the injured Guts in combat. Azan manages to survive the events of the Tower of Conviction and decides to report the events to the Holy See, while Farnese and Serpico follow Guts.

He later reappears in Vritannis, living on the streets after having been kicked out of the Holy See and sleeping on boats. The pirate captain fighting Isidro steps on him, which prompts Azan to throw him into the water and beat up the rest of the pirates. Guts and his companions later end up sailing off with the boat he is sleeping on to Roderick's ship. As such, he is currently accompanying Guts towards Elfhelm.


 * Acrofatic: Though he's certainly more stout and muscular than actually fat, he still fits.
 * A Father to His Men: Very much acts like a father to the young men who makes up the Holy Iron Chains Knights.
 * Authority Equals Asskicking
 * Badass Grandpa: Well out of his prime, Azan is still quite capable of kicking ass and managed to be a match for an injured Guts.
 * Badass Cape
 * Badass Mustache: His helmet has one too!
 * Bald of Awesome
 * Big Damn Heroes: Twice. First he pops out of nowhere at the end of the Retribution arc and saves the women from the Bakirakas, then in Vritannis he saves Isidro and a group of kushan children from pirates.
 * Big Ol' Eyebrows
 * Calling Your Attacks: One of the few characters to do this.
 * Carry a Big Stick: Wields a metal quarterstaff in combat, with spikes at each end.
 * Church Militant
 * The Comically Serious
 * Cool Old Guy
 * Enemy Mine: Allies with Guts at the end of the Retribution arc, helping him fight the Bakirakas.
 * The Faceless: Ever since his reintroduction, not taking his helmet off even when he's shirtless!
 * Grumpy Old Man
 * Heavy Sleeper: Somehow managed to sleep through a raging battle throughtout a city, magical lightning and people sailing off with the boat he's sleeping on. He manages to sleep through all of this while wearing full heavy armor.
 * Hero Antagonist: He's definitely one of the very few good and heroic people in Midland at the time, he just happens to be opposing Guts until the end of the Retribution arc.
 * Knight Errant: What he became after being kicked out the Holy See.
 * Knight in Shining Armor: A straight example, even when he was second in command of the Holy Iron Chains Knights.
 * Large Ham: Has a tendency to yell heroic speeches dramatically. Puck calls his entrance in combat cheesy and compares it to a period drama.
 * Lightning Bruiser: Packs quite a punch with his iron staff and Guts notes that the rumours of his speed were understated.
 * Number Two: To Farnese...
 * Hypercompetent Sidekick: ...and a lot more competent than she is.
 * Old Soldier
 * One-Man Army: Azan once protected an old man, who was guarding a bridge by himself, against 100 men.
 * The Paladin: Very much so, despite the lack of any holy magic.
 * Red Baron: The Bridge Knight, for his One-Man Army feat.
 * Stout Strength
 * Straight Man: To Serpico in the Holy Iron Chains Knights.
 * Weapon of Choice: He wields a club-like weapon to bludgeon people with.
 * Weapon of Choice: He wields a club-like weapon to bludgeon people with.

The Beast of Darkness a.k.a Hell Hound


""Keep killing...eternally...""

A Hell Hound-like abomination with a pointy snout and lightning for eyes, the Beast is the personification of Guts' hate and blood lust. It used to live in harmony with him along the two years during which Guts would seek revenge on the Apostles only to then start acting against him when Guts realizes that there are more important things than revenge to his life.

Pretty much Guts' worst enemy after Griffith/Femto, the Beast is also one of the most malevolent beings in the Berserk universe who seems to have no purpose other than burning Guts in his own hatred and using him as a medium to operate in the physical world. Recognizing Casca as the only thing keeping Guts from succumbing to its influence, it constantly tries to goad Guts into killing her so it could take over his body and quench its desire for blood and revenge, claiming that this what Guts truly wants.

The Beast has faded into the background lately but promised it to be temporary.


 * Battle in the Center of the Mind
 * Chained by Fashion: Has accepted to wear symbolic shackles and to go hiding but promised to come back even stronger than ever.
 * The Corrupter
 * Dark Is Evil: Embodies this to a "T".
 * Enemy Within
 * The Heartless
 * Hell Hound: Of the portent type.
 * More Teeth Than the Osmond Family
 * Murder the Hypotenuse: A non-Love Triangle example. The Beast especially wants to get Casca out of the picture, since she's the only person who is stopping Guts from turning to darkness. The Beast hopes to achieve this by getting Guts to kill her for it.
 * The Power of Hate: A personification of it.
 * Super-Powered Evil Side
 * Your Mind Makes It Real: Its primary goal is for Guts to kill Casca during one of his dreams where both converse or during a fit of anger since these are the times where it is the more powerful.
 * We Will Meet Again: Always reminds Guts that it will NOT be out of the picture anytime soon.
 * Wingding Eyes: Lightnings.

Minister Foss
A conniving Midland noble, he opposes Griffith despite the advances he makes in the country’s war effort. Foss plots and schemes to have Griffith killed, but it always seems like one thing or another foils them.


 * Affably Evil: Well, evil may be too strong a word, but he is a scheming politician willing to murder or make others do his bidding to get what he wants. And he’s very polite and civil in all of his dealings.
 * Aristocrats Are Evil
 * Bald of Evil
 * Defeat Equals Friendship: Griffith invokes this after outgambitting him.
 * Heel Face Turn: Kind of. Since getting beaten at his own game by Griffith, Foss more or less retired from politics.
 * Manipulative Bastard: He manipulates Julius into assassinating Griffith to ensure no evidence can be pinned on him.
 * Morality Pet: His daughter.
 * Out-Gambitted: Griffith suspected Foss was plotting against him, and pulled off his own Xanatos Gambit to get him under control.
 * Smug Snake: Tried killing Griffith twice. Not only do both attempts fail, but the aftermath of both worked in Griffith’s favor.
 * Villainous Breakdown: When he finds out Griffith kidnapped his daughter, Foss loses his cool completely.
 * Villainous Breakdown: When he finds out Griffith kidnapped his daughter, Foss loses his cool completely.

Laban and Owen
Two Midland nobles. They are notable as staunch supporters of Griffith and for being among the more humanitarian members of the court.


 * Big Damn Heroes:
 * Greek Chorus
 * Heterosexual Life Partners
 * Reasonable Authority Figure: Like the king, they wholeheartedly support Griffith, regardless of his common status.
 * Royals Who Actually Do Something
 * Those Two Guys
 * Token Good Teammates: Pretty much the only members of Midland’s aristocracy who aren’t corrupt backstabbers, and whom clearly care about their people.

Minor Characters
The following characters only appeared in their own Arc and haven't been seen or mentioned since.

Voiced by: Norio Wakamoto (Gambino)


""You killed me. Don't you remember? It hurt so much...""

Guts's adoptive parents. Both were heading the mercenary band Guts grew up in before joining the original Band of the Hawks. Before finding Guts, Sys miscarried and Gambino agreed to take Guts along since it seemed to be the only thing that prevented her from going mad with grief. Guts lost his adoptive mother a few years later when Sys died from tuberculosis right before his eyes.

Gambino then trained Guts and taught him swordsmanship. But while he was good at his job of teaching the boy how to fight, he had no love for Guts as a father, and hated him enough to. He would only get worse after losing his leg to a cannonball during a battle, ending his career on the battlefield, and causing him to take to drinking and to put the blame of everything on Guts. One night when massively drunk, Gambino came into Guts's tent one night and tried to murder him, telling him that Sys should never have picked up Guts from his dead mother. He admitted to having, and when asked why, he called Guts disgusting, blaming him for Sys's death and telling him that the one who killed her could not be raised to be loyal like a dog. Guts killed Gambino in self-defense and fled the mercenary camp to escape the wrath of the other mercenaries.

The traumatic childhood Guts experienced scarred him for life and for that reason, Guts Hates Being Touched and is generally mistrustful of strangers.


 * Abusive Parents: Gambino. One really nasty example.
 * Blond Guys Are Evil: Or they're just really, really, really, really awful individuals. At least as far as father-figures go. Sys seemed cool enough for as little panel time that she had.
 * Bury Your Disabled: Gambino was handicapped during a battle when his leg was blown off by a canon. He wasn't killed off because he was disabled, but his disability probably did play a role in Guts being able to overpower him.
 * Cynical Mentor: Gambino was this to Guts.
 * Dark-Skinned Blond: Gambino was depicted as this in the anime.
 * Disposable Woman: Sys is presented only to show how she picked up baby Guts to raise as her own despite Gambino's initial disagreements. She dies from the plague a couple panels later, and is only mentioned thereafter by Gambino to show how much he despised Guts for allegedly being the cause of her death.
 * Door Step Baby
 * Drowning My Sorrows: Gambino tried to get away from his derisory condition through alcohol.
 * Gone Horribly Right: Gambino put Guts trough relentless combat training practically from the moment he could walk so he would be profitable to him as a mercenary. When he eventually tries to kill Guts, it all explodes in his face since the twelve year old boy is allready a far better fighter then he ever was and Guts kills him in a reflex action.
 * Hypocrite: While training Guts, Gambino has absolutely no qualms against hitting and slicing the kid. When Guts actually succeeds in cutting him, however, he reacts angrily with a nasty slash across the nose.
 * Kick the Dog / Pet the Dog: Gambino, guys: the only guy who managed to kick the dog while petting the damn dog! On a more sympathetic example, despite Gambino's gruff attitude and abusive behavior, it should be noted that he genuinely loved Sys. Of course, it doesn't excuse said behavior, but even douchebags have loved ones!
 * Also, there was one time that Gambino gave some ointment to Guts after he slashed him across the nose... Those moments were VERY far and in between.
 * Jerkass: Gambino.
 * Missing Mom: Sys. Guts missed having a gentle mother to compensate for his abusive father. Badly.
 * Offing the Offspring: Gambino tried this on Guts and failed.
 * Spell My Name with an "S": Most readers don't realize that Sys's most common alternative name, Shisu, is the romanization of the Japanese pronunciation thereof.
 * Ungrateful Bastard: After he was crippled, Gambino was largely fed and cared for by Guts since he could no longer fight. Guts in turn did it with more eagerness for Gambino than Gambino ever did for Guts. He didn't care. He was still abusive and eventually attempted to kill Guts, blaming him for everything.
 * We Have Reserves: A favorite tactic of his on the battlefield was to send the rookies and fresh recruits in first to trigger the enemy archers. Including his adopted son.
 * "What the Hell?" Dad: Fully expected a four year old to hold his own on a battlefield - when he didn't even start training. Nice parenting there, pop!
 * You Should Have Died Instead: Gambino says this to Guts as he tries to murder him.

Luca


""People are shallow things. If anyone has a bit more than they do, they're jealous, and if one has less, they look down on them.""

The comely, brown-haired leader of the prostitutes that took Casca in with her girls and looked after her shortly after she escaped the cave she was confined in during the Convictions Arc. She named her Helen and, after guessing out her condition, masqueraded her as a syphilitic, disfigured hooker so she wouldn't have to suffer any of the lewd intentions of the refugees with whom she was sharing a camp. She is also the only one to know about the true purpose of the Nameless Apostle who picked her up in order to leave someone with the knowledge of his story and goals.

Despite her minor role, Luca is still notable for being one of the very few genuinely good characters in Berserk's World Half Empty (points for not being maimed, raped, or killed for being so) and for being one of the most capable female characters introduced post-Eclipse. Deep in thought, Genre Savvy, fair and not afraid to go in the midst of battle despite her obvious weakness, she is smart enough to deal with any given situation and come out on top. Hence, all of the other prostitutes, even the envious and chicken-hearted Nina (pictured with her), look up to her as a mother figure and deeply respect her. Due to all of the above, she is one of the most beloved minor characters of the series.


 * Action Survivor: Very effective at coming up with quick solutions to handle life-threatening situations.
 * Breaking the Fourth Wall: She at one points huffs at the fact that she's not a main character.
 * Cry for the Devil: Effectively does this for the Nameless Apostle, paying him some tribute after his death, as the only person who knew of his lonely existence.
 * Don't Make Me Take My Belt Off: Does that to Nina. Actually definitely not a Spank the Cutie moment, but a good, motherly beating out stupid ideas through the Spoiled Brat's ass.
 * Genre Savvy: Knows her position as a minor character and say that she shouldn't be asking questions that are too meaningful.
 * She also realize that, saving things obtained as hookers could incite jealousy from people, so the best thing to do is share everything.
 * Hooker with a Heart of Gold: A very good example.
 * Mama Bear / Team Mom: Combines the two tropes when it comes to her "sisters-in-arms".
 * No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Miraculously averts this, thank god.
 * Plucky Girl
 * Single Woman Seeks Good Man: Ultimately with Jerome. Seems to milking out all of the good tropes of the Hooker with a Heart of Gold archetype.
 * The Smart Girl
 * Three Faces of Eve: Temporarily with Nina and the retarded Casca.
 * Weak but Skilled: A mere human who is just practical and smart enough to handle herself and her protégées efficiently without wangsting it up or complaining. In a Crapsack World like that of Berserk, that's really an achievement.

Nina
""I'm no good. I really am a no-good person.""

A member of Luca’s group of prostitutes. She is the opposite of everything Luca stands for, being weak-willed, envious, and most of all, afraid. This leads her to do, or consider to do, a number of morally questionable deeds.


 * A Party - Also Known as an Orgy: She was secretly a member of a pagan cult, and regularly takes part in these.
 * Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: Her ever-present fear leads her to betray everyone around her. Or seriously think about it.
 * Dirty Coward: Somewhat sympathetic, because her inner monologues show that she does want to be brave but panics and can't bring herself to actually follow through with it. Also, the reason for her getting cold feet is often perfectly understandable, best illustrated by the  Read it here
 * Foil: To Luca.
 * Hair of Gold: Subverted. She has the classic blond curls, but anything but pure and innocent.
 * Heel Realization: She ultimately knows what a sorry person she is, and resents herself for it.
 * Ill Girl: Though still able-bodied, she's afflicted with some unidentified disease.
 * Laser-Guided Karma: Every time she attempts or even considers throwing someone under a carriage to save her skin, she always suffers even more.
 * Morality Pet: Joachim, a young man with a personal interest in her. Casca also ends up as this for her.
 * Kick the Morality Pet: She has Joachim take part in a pagan orgy which involves cannibalism. When he understandably flees, she calls for him to be killed...
 * My God, What Have I Done?: And immediately regrets it when he falls off a cliff.
 * The Resenter: Towards Luca. Though Nina respects her, she hates feeling the need to be so dependant on her.
 * The Three Faces of Eve: She's a child, pure and simple (and a rather bratty and petulant one). She tries to be a mother toward Casca, she tries to be a temptress to Joachim, but is too insecure and immature to pull either off.
 * Tsundere: A dark example, as she often shifts between being caring and spiteful to those she’s close to, due to her cowardice.
 * Your Days Are Numbered: She’s afflicted with a disease which she feels will kill her in time, and hasn’t quite yet come to terms with that. She is also well aware if she's dying anyway, she would be morally and logically a good choice for a Heroic Sacrifice, but gets cold feet when she sees what it would involve.

Jill


""I don't have wings, so I guess I'll look up at this sky and crawl along the earth.""

Jill is a quiet, sensitive girl who lives in a village (which at the time that Guts and Puck arrive) is being plagued by violent attacks from fairies. Her father, Mr. Zepek, is a reminiscent drunk, who basks in the memory of his former days in the military and pays little attention to Jill, while her mother is a more caring and compassionate woman who as well suffers a bit of neglect from her husband. She sets out with Guts and Puck to find her lost best friend Rosine in the forest, despite the many dangers and trials that await them...


 * Abusive Parents: Her mom is okay, but her dad keeps drinking his sorrows away.
 * Action Survivor: She could easily have died during Guts' showdown with Rosine. But she didn't.
 * Attempted Rape: Both a bandit and one of her father’s drunken friends try to have their way with her. Thankfully, neither get very far.
 * Break the Cutie: A pure-hearted girl in a Crapsack World? Of course this will happen...
 * Dad the Veteran / Phony Veteran: Jill's dad claims that he played a big role of defending his village during wartime... but coming from a crippled drunkard, this might not be true.
 * Girlish Pigtails
 * Go Through Me: To stop Rosine from killing a weakened Guts, she pulls this. Amazingly, it works.
 * Laughing Mad: Briefly does this after being covered in blood and gore during Guts' fight with Rosine. She later remarks that that moment "washed away [her] childhood".
 * Morality Pet: To Rosine and Guts at a few points.
 * Naive Everygirl
 * Plucky Girl:
 * Precocious Crush: On Guts.
 * Security Blanket: Guts lends her his cape at one point, and she uses it as one in the brief time she has it.
 * Sleep Cute: Twice with Guts. First, she curls up next to him while he’s sleeping and falls asleep in his lap. And again after the two fall off a cliff while he was protecting her from ghosts, where she ends up asleep while lying on top of him.
 * Tomboy and Girly Girl: She had these dynamics with Rosine.
 * Ugly Guys Hot Daughter: How can someone with such a disproportionate head produce an attractive offspring?
 * Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: Jill's mom is reasonably attractive for a woman her age, headscarf and all. Jill's dad on the other hand.... His head looks really disproportionate to say the most among other attributes.
 * The World Is Just Awesome: Jill has one of these moments when she's flying with Rosine over the Misty Valley. It gives the reader a glimpse that though the Berserk-verse is fucked up, it really is a beautiful place.
 * The World Is Just Awesome: Jill has one of these moments when she's flying with Rosine over the Misty Valley. It gives the reader a glimpse that though the Berserk-verse is fucked up, it really is a beautiful place.

The King of Midland
""Charlotte...""

The king of Midland and Charlotte's father.


 * Beware the Nice Ones
 * Berserk Button: You remember this series' title. The king may not be the biggest baddass here, but don't touch his little girl. No, seriously. He'll go apeshit on you.
 * Et Tu, Brute?: Calls out Griffith for "betraying" him despite the king's always good treatment of the Band of the Hawk.
 * Go Mad From the Revelation: Of Grittith and Charlotte's affair. While Griffith had to tell the king, the moment the old man realized that's true, hell went loose.
 * How the Mighty Have Fallen: He shoves this into Griffith's face at the beginning of his imprisonment.... and then the same begins to happen to him at the same instance, thanks to Griffith.
 * : As he, the rest of the Midland court was in turmoil about how Charlotte could handle her succession - and the matter of an invasion looming due to Midland's collapsed state.
 * Knight Templar Parent / Overprotective Dad: Pretty much threw the efforts of a century long war away and ruined his own kingdom just to get back at Griffith for
 * Lonely At the Top: Described how being the king of a nation was a lonely existence.
 * Papa Wolf: Likes to think of himself as this, but the true reason for his violent protectiveness is much squickier.
 * The Promise: To Charlotte, of not chasing Griffith anymore. He didn't keep it.
 * Reasonable Authority Figure: Able to acknowledge Griffith and the Band Of The Hawk's achievements for his country and willing to grant them titles for it despite the corrupt aristocracy not making it easier.
 * Roaring Rampage of Revenge: What that relationship changed into when Griffith went too far.
 * Sanity Slippage
 * Security Blanket: Charlotte was that to him.
 * : He remarked about how much Charlotte began looking like his beloved deceased wife, and then Griffith clued in that he probably kept Charlotte at home and didn't arrange her to be married to a principality of the Tudor Empire for a reason...
 * Yandere: For . Oh God. Beats even Griffith effortlessly.
 * You Have Failed Me: To the Baakiraka woman, after the squad didn't capture Griffith.
 * Although it may be that the main reason he killed her was because she almost killed Charlotte by accident.
 * You Have Failed Me: To the Baakiraka woman, after the squad didn't capture Griffith.
 * Although it may be that the main reason he killed her was because she almost killed Charlotte by accident.

Queen of Midland
The queen of Midland and Charlotte's stepmother, she disapproved of Charlotte's interest in Griffith and plotted against him.

She plots against Griffith to have him poisoned during his own triumph party but her victory is short-lived.


 * Avenging the Villain: She wanted to avenge Julius, her lover and Griffith main contender for the crown, who was assassinated on Griffith's orders.
 * God Save Us From the Queen: Except she could only hope to succeed.
 * Mauve Shirt
 * Paper-Thin Disguise: Lady, a black veil really isn't enough to hide that enormous headdress...
 * Rich Bitch
 * Wicked Stepmother
 * Rich Bitch
 * Wicked Stepmother

Count Julius
Brother of the king of Midland, and general of its most prominent army, the White Dragons. Unlike the king, he is against Griffith’s rising prominence, and attempts to subvert it under everyone’s nose.


 * Abusive Parent: He’s this towards his son, Adonis. Surprisingly given how little screen-time this incident gets, he is actually shown to be somewhat three-dimensional in his feelings towards his son.
 * Adaptation Dye Job: Has reddish-brown hair in the anime and manga supposedly, but has blonde hair in the movie; therefore, this makes him...
 * Blonde Guys Are Evil: Though he's not quite evil. Just a bit short of the jerkass that his predecessor Gambino was.
 * Aristocrats Are Evil
 * Jerkass
 * Mauve Shirt
 * Spell My Name with an "S": The anime had his name be "Yurius."
 * Also, is he a duke, an earl, a count, or a lord? Nobody seems to be able to decide.
 * Unwitting Pawn: To Minister Foss, who goads Julius into trying to kill Griffith by staging a hunting accident. All to ensure there will be no evidence on himself.

Federico de Vandimion
Head of the esteemed Vandimion family, and father of Farnese, Magnifico,. He’s a cold man who is more concerned about increasing his personal fortune than of considering the well-being of others, particularly his family. He was a major financial backer of the Vritannis Alliance, a gathering of armies put together to combat the Kushan threat.


 * Lack of Empathy: The feelings of others mean little to him.
 * Manipulative Bastard: People, including his children, are by and large only useful to him as pawns to preserve his family’s status, influence, and wealth.
 * Parental Neglect: Puts all of his attention into his financial empire, and ignores his children insofar as they don’t bring him shame.
 * Pet the Dog: For all of his flaws, he did grant Serpico a title of nobility
 * Reasonable Authority Figure: Surprisingly, yes! After Guts and company saved his and many other nobles' lives from a Kushan attack, he jumped to their defense as the aristocrats started to grow suspicious of them and the "heretical" magic they seemed to wield.

Lady Vandimion
Farnese and Magnifico's mother. She is extremely perceptive and a well-known Socialite who used to be more concerned with attending various parties and spreading her husband's influence rather than minding her kids who she never really took care of. Still, she is very supportive of Farnese and is also aware of Magnifico's incompetence and warned him about trying to manipulate his sister.


 * Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": Only known by her last name.
 * Hands-Off Parenting: As was usually the case in noble families back in the Medieval Era, she only gave birth to her babies but let them in the care of nannies and servants in the Vandimion estate.
 * Pimped-Out Dress: Always wears the finest garments.
 * Satellite Character
 * The Smart Guy
 * Socialite
 * Women Are Wiser: Despite not acting against her husband, she's indeed much less of an asshole than he is.
 * : Completely averted with, despite the fact that she clearly know that he's.

Bazuso
Bazuso is one of the earliest named adversaries faced by a young Guts at the beginnings of the Golden Age story arc. He's a rotund knight with an equally round helmet, which makes Guts call him a "teapot".

He is supposedly invincible but Guts makes a quick business of him. Watching him getting defeated by Guts is what made Griffith want Guts to join the band of the Hawks.


 * Defeating the Undefeatable: What Guts does by going against him.
 * Giant Mook
 * Red Baron: He was known as the "Grey Knight." "The Bear Slaughterer." The monstrous "Thirty-man Slayer".... "Totally Dead" thirteen pages later.
 * Red Shirt
 * Starter Villain

Vargas
""I beg of you, black swordsman, Deliver us from this demon!""

Once the Count's doctor, Vargas was one of the first to see his true, demonic form. His family was captured, tortured and devoured in front of him when they tried to flee the castle. Vargas was tortured by the Count but survived, leaving him horribly disfigured and mutilated.

Escaping the Count's castle, he managed to steal the Count's Behelit. He later encounters Guts and Puck and offers his help to defeat the Count, giving them the Count's Behelit, to which. He is eventually captured and publicly executed by the Count in an attempt to lure Guts out of hiding, and shows up again.


 * Action Survivor: Survived a gruesome torture session at the Count's hands but didn't escape unscathed.
 * Bandaged Face
 * Body Horror
 * Collector of the Strange: He has a number of rather...unique objects in his home. Including a Behelit. And a pickled Elf.
 * Dark Is Not Evil: The guy is deformed and driven by revenge but he's actually pretty gentle and saves Puck.
 * Deliver Us From Evil: A Rare Male Example.
 * Foil / Not So Different: Guts noticed that Vargas has similar wounds to himself (missing the same eye, limbs, family, etc). Guts saw far more of himself in him than he cared to admit.
 * The Grotesque: Horribly disfigured and mutilated after having been half-eaten by the Count.
 * He Knows Too Much: The reason why the Count tortured him so horrifically.
 * Mauve Shirt
 * Non-Action Guy: Meaner than the usual standard but his condition doesn't allow him to fight.
 * Roaring Rampage of Revenge: He's not fit for going on one himself, but more than anything, he wants the Count to pay for what he's done, and does what he can to make that happen.

Theresia
""Send me back to my room.""

The Count's daughter who has passed most of her life imprisioned in her bedroom in the Count's palace.


 * Big No
 * Break the Cutie: Guts finished off what her disfunctioned family started.
 * Creepy Child: Before Puck warms her up and gives her hope
 * Death Glare: here
 * Driven to Suicide: Last second aversion.
 * Girl in the Tower
 * I'll Kill You!: What she says to Guts after he leaves her to deal with her loss.
 * Ineffectual Death Threats: At the time she says it, she's in no position to follow through with it. Whether or not she will come back to get even is still unknown.
 * Lonely Rich Kid: Very similar to Charlotte's background.
 * Madness Mantra: See above.
 * Morality Pet: To the Count.
 * Roaring Rampage of Revenge:
 * Ugly Guys Hot Daughter
 * Ugly Guys Hot Daughter

Lord Gennon
Lord Gennon is a high-ranking noble of the Tudor kingdom. During the early days of the Band of the Hawk, he hired them for a number of jobs.

A homosexual and notorious paedophile, he developed an attraction for Griffith, which culminated when. He is often seen to be attended by many very young male servants, no older than being in their teens.

He is dispatched upon the taking of his fortress.


 * All Gays Are Pedophiles
 * Beard of Evil
 * Bury Your Gays
 * Depraved Homosexual: To Griffith.
 * : Griffith disposes of him by
 * Old Shame:
 * Paedo Hunt: Except everybody knows what he does to his servants but no one seems to really care.
 * Screw the Rules, I Have Money: Promoted himself to the status of Supreme Commander of the front lines of Tudor through his financial assets - not that that means he actually knows what he's doing.
 * Unwitting Pawn: Doldrey was captured only because this moron honestly saw Griffith as the love of his life and he tought the feeling was mutual. Something Griffith was completely aware off and didn't hesitate to take advantage off. When you think of it, that does come off as a little sad. (but not too much)

Donovan
Donovan was a mercenary in Gambino's band to whom Gambino sold Guts as a child prostitute for one night for three silver coins.


 * Bald of Evil
 * Et Tu, Brute?: He seemed honestly shocked when . Believe it or not, this is not unlike many real life pedophiles who never even comprehend how much misery their "games" cause.
 * Paedo Hunt
 * Rape and Revenge: Was the eventual recipient of this.
 * Scary Black Man
 * Shotacon

Godo
Godo is the master blacksmith that Guts stays with for a year in order to train. He made most of Guts's armor and equipment, and also gave him some valuable advice. He has a young adopted daughter named Erica and began to teach Rickert the way of the blacksmith after the Eclipse.


 * The Blacksmith (Duh.)
 * Cool Old Guy
 * And he is completely right since that means
 * Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He's pretty gruff and rude in general, but he lent Guts a hand (and equipment) many times at no extra charge, allowed a safe sanctuary for Casca, apprenticed Rickert, and even adopted an orphaned girl.
 * No Badass to His Valet: Yeah. Yelling and death glaring might work to intimidate the other people present, Guts, but that ain't gonna work on this old man. Now sit down, shut up, and receive your What the Hell, Hero? lecture like a man.
 * The Obi-Wan: Gives Guts equipment and advice, is the only one who can make Guts shut up and think about his action, and to top it off, . May the force be with you, old dude.
 * Refuge in Audacity: In-universe reason for why he made the Dragon Slayer what it is. He was commissioned to forge a sword that could slay a dragon. Since he didn't really believe in dragons, or that they could really be killed, he made a sword no one could possibly wield that could kill things that didn't exist. And almost got hanged for it.
 * What the Hell, Hero?: Drops a big one on Guts, calling him out on abandoning Casca to blindly pursue vengeance. His words are what ultimately make Guts change his priorities.
 * What the Hell, Hero?: Drops a big one on Guts, calling him out on abandoning Casca to blindly pursue vengeance. His words are what ultimately make Guts change his priorities.

Flora
""The world does not exist merely in two dimensions. There exists profound depth within itself. This world could never be summarized by materialism or any single doctrine. Accept the great mysteries, and explore the universe from within your world. That is the way of magic.""

A witch living in solitude in the forest around Enoch. She served as Schierke’s mentor, and provided Guts and company with knowledge about the spiritual world as well as magical artifacts to assist them, including the Berserker Armor. She was also a friend of the Skull Knight.


 * Beware the Nice Ones: Flora is a kindly and generous old lady...and one of the most powerful individuals in the world of Berserk.
 * Big Good: For the Enoch chapter.
 * Cool Old Lady
 * You Shall Not Pass: Pulls a successful one on the Apostles by conjuring a wall of fire, blocking them off from pursuing Guts and his companions.
 * I Was Quite a Looker: When she conjures a wall of flame, she reverts to her more youthful appearance.
 * Kill It with Fire: How she deals with the army of Apostles attacking her demesne.
 * Mrs. Exposition: She provides information on how magic works in Berserk, and the the various layers in the world.
 * The Obi-Wan: For Schierke.
 * Older Than They Look: She looks like she’s aged gracefully into her late 50s to early 60s, but it’s implied she’s several centuries old.
 * Proper Lady
 * Lady Of White Magic
 * Your Days Are Numbered: By the time we see her, it's strongly implied that she doesn’t have much time left.
 * Your Days Are Numbered: By the time we see her, it's strongly implied that she doesn’t have much time left.

Jerome


A soldier enlisted in the Holy Iron Chain Knights, Jerome is the Love Interest of Luca.


 * Big Ol' Eyebrows
 * Nice Guy: He has shades of a Jerk with a Heart of Gold when it comes to Isidro, but he's a genuinely good guy. He doesn't agree with how the HolySee acts (and thinks that Farnese is positively nuts), and wants to give Luca a better life by at least making her his mistress when he becomes head of his household (and even offers to get Casca a good doctor, when Luca was passing her off as her syphilis-stricken sister). He also helps Luca and her friends get out of trouble.
 * Non-Action Guy: Averted. Though most of the other sons of nobles only enlist in the Holy Iron Chain Knights to get some military notability (and otherwise have little to no knowledge on combat), Jerome is a competent fighter and lends Guts a hand during the mock eclipse.
 * Heroic Build: Gotta give the dude credit - he does have a nice bod.
 * Maybe Ever After: Shares this with Luca after the aftermath at the Tower of Conviction, though it's implied that they get a good end, seeing that they survived being good people.
 * Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right: Though he's enlisted in a troop of soldiers who hunt witches, as well as being under the constant threat of punishment from Farnese (or worse, Mozgus), Jerome went out of his way to help Luca and her company when they where in the Tower of Conviction.

Isma
A teenage girl living a solitary existence on an island. She's a pariah among the supersticious inhabitants, due to her rather interesting family history. Namely, in that her mother was a merrow, and that she is believed to be one too.


 * All the Other Reindeer: Was a victim of this, due to the islanders believing her to be a merrow.
 * Genki Girl
 * Half-Human Hybrid: She claims that her father was human, and her mother was a merrow, but otherwise looks human (barring the aqua-colored hair) and has no special powers.
 * Human Dad, Non-human Mom
 * I Know Your True Name:
 * Innocent Fanservice Girl: She has absolutely zero qualms about being in the nude in front of others. Much to Isidro’s delight.
 * No Social Skills
 * Parental Abandonment: Her father died years ago, and mother disappeared mysteriously.
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair:
 * Weapon of Choice: She doesn't actually use them as a weapon, but she uses spears during her daily fishing routine.
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair:
 * Weapon of Choice: She doesn't actually use them as a weapon, but she uses spears during her daily fishing routine.

General Adon Corbowitz
The leader of Tudor's Blue Whale Knights. Though a fairly competent warrior, he's an inept general. Mostly all talk, he constantly brags about the secret tactics and techniques passed over through his family over the generations.


 * Ascended Extra: He got a couple of extra appearances as a recurring minor antagonist in the 1997 anime.
 * Calling Your Attacks: He feels the need to do this when facing off against Guts. It...doesn't work too well.
 * Clingy Comedy Villain: Especially in the 1997 anime.
 * Combat Pragmatist: A cowardly villainous example.
 * Dirty Coward
 * Everything's Even Worse with Sharks: When Casca's team secretly invades Doldrey under the main army's nose, he and his men ambush her, with him clad in shark-based armor.
 * Large Ham
 * Little Big Brother: Adon is the little big brother of Samson.
 * The Matchmaker / Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: As crazy as it sounds, had Adon never pulled that dirty stunt on the cliff, and later brought 100 men to track and kill them, Guts and Casca might not have ever have reconciled with each other.
 * Miles Gloriosus
 * Prongs of Poseidon: The trident is his weapon of choice.
 * Reassigned to Antarctica: He was told to stay in the fort during the Battle of Doldrey so he wouldn't screw anything up anymore than he already did.
 * Running Gag: His various battle techniques that have been passed through the Corbowitz family in greater increments of years. And how none of them actually do him any favors.
 * Straw Misogynist
 * Stay in the Kitchen: Constantly pulls this on Casca.
 * Villain Exit Stage Left: Had successfully evaded death in situations that he blatantly put he and his men in, usually by playing dead.
 * Weapon of Choice: As stated above, a trident... when he actually has the wits to do battle himself. His younger brother, Samson, uses a flail... when it's not broken in half by a BFS.
 * We Have Reserves: Sends wave after after wave of mercenaries (numbering about a hundred in total) on Guts.
 * We Have Reserves: Sends wave after after wave of mercenaries (numbering about a hundred in total) on Guts.

General Boscone
The highest ranking general in Tudor, and commander of the empire’s most powerful army, the Purple Rhinos. He leads the defense force at Doldrey, and is one of several reasons why the fortress remains impregnable


 * Authority Equals Asskicking: He’s the most skilled and esteemed general in Tudor, and is easily a match for Guts!
 * Bald Of Antagonistic
 * Da Chief: To Adon.
 * The Dragon: To Gennon.
 * Dragon-in-Chief: Zigzagged. On one hand, everyone knows he’s the most dangerous thing at Doldrey, not Gennon. On the other hand, when Gennon assumes command, Boscone has no choice but to acquiesce to him. But then, when Boscone goes down, the entire garrison's morale plummets and the battle of Doldrey ends.
 * Four-Star Badass
 * Off with His Head:
 * Punch Clock Villain: He doesn’t display any of negative traits, and is simply fighting for his nation’s interests.
 * Purple Is Powerful: Both he and his Purple Rhino Knights are Tudor's most powerful warriors.
 * Rhino Rampage: The theme of his armor and army.
 * Spikes of Villainy

Erika
The adoptive daughter of the blacksmith Godo, she gives Guts moral support during his training and was Casca's primary caretaker after the Eclipse and Guts sets out seeking Griffith. After  she is left in the care of Rickert.


 * Adaptation Dye Job (It was suggested that she had light/blonde hair in the manga, but in the anime, she has brown hair.)
 * Baka:  It actually leaves Guts speachless because she's right.
 * Cuddle Bug: Puck practically got all the juice squeezed out of him when Erica got a hold of him.
 * Genki Girl (Erika is one of the most upbeat kids in this shitty world, so much so that she carelessly waves a mallet around in joy!)
 * Happily Adopted (She was orphaned when her village was attacked and burned, but then Godo (who was on the run) comes across her and adopts Erika as his own.)
 * Mood Whiplash The first thing Guts sees after  is Erica comically falling on her butt. Guess Miura really needed a lighter moment after all that insanity.
 * Put on a Bus (Along with Rickert after Guts and Casca depart for Elfheim.)

Video Game Only Characters
These characters only appear in the non-canonical Sword of the Berserk: Guts' Rage video game for the Sega Dreamcast. In this storyline, which takes place roughly between Guts and Casca's departure from Godo's cabin and the formation of Guts' new True Companions, Guts, Casca, and Puck come across a performer by the name of Rita. After stopping in a nearby castle town to rest, they discover that the town is afflicted with a strange disease that turns the victims into "Mandragorans". The ruler of the city, Balzac, tells Guts about the disease and how he has possibly developed a cure for it, which may also cure Casca of her insanity. Taking the chance that his beloved might be well again, Guts takes Balzac's offer and goes with him to his castle. True to Berserk's nature, there is something much more sinister at work...

Rita
A young street performer who meets Guts after he (indirectly) saves her and her troop from some bandits who were also trying to mess with Casca. Afterward, they meet Rita in the nearby castletown where one of her companions, who was infected by the Mandragora, turns into a monster and Guts kills it. When Balzac comes and greets Guts with a possible cure for Casca's insanity, Rita is taken to his castle as well - as a hostage.


 * Canine Companion (She has a little dog that follows her around and performs tricks in her act. It also helps Guts find Casca later in the game.)
 * Circus Brat
 * Girlish Pigtails
 * Knife Nut (Her specialty is throwing knives.)
 * Little Miss Badass (She actually gave Guts a What the Hell, Hero? lecture and slapped him across the face? Damn.)
 * Nice Job Breaking It, Hero
 * Plucky Girl
 * What the Hell, Hero? (Yes. Rita gives Guts her own variant in the game. You see, Guts got on Rita's bad side when he killed a Mandragoran who was also her traveling companion and friend and showed no sympathy for the act, which made Rita regard Guts as nothing more than a sword-swinging brute who acts tough but can't even defend one woman who is suppose to be the most important person to him.)

Balzac
Ruler of a city that's come under the siege of Mandragoran creatures in recent years, Baron Balzac claims he is trying to fight and understand them. A cruel tyrant, however, he also has to contend with rebels. Taking notice of Guts' prowess in battle, he makes an offer to cure Casca's madness if Guts retrieves the heart of the Mandragora.


 * Aristocrats Are Evil:
 * Beard of Evil
 * Dual-Wielding:
 * Evil Old Folks
 * Evil Redhead
 * It's All About Me: Ultimately he cares more for himself than for anyone else
 * Mad Scientist: He's been conduction a lot of questionable research on Mandragora, finding that it can cure all physical and possible mental ills.
 * Not So Different: Toward the end of the game and near the final confrontation, Balzac tells Guts why he became the person he is today, and it's revealed that  Rita and Puck immediately relate Balzac's story to Guts' broken relationship with Casca.
 * Unfortunate Names
 * Unfortunate Names
 * Unfortunate Names
 * Unfortunate Names

Eriza
A nun living within a village inhabited entirely by Mandragora, and who seems to be the most knowledgeable about them.


 * Blue and Orange Morality: She claims this when arguing in the Mandragora's favor.
 * I Will Protect Him: She vows to safeguard the Heart of the Mandragora Tree at all costs.
 * Nuns Are Spooky: She's the only human in a village of Mandragoran-possessed people and is a little too easy being in their presence.
 * What the Hell, Hero?: She tries to call Guts out on brutally slaughtering the Mandragora, who only turn violent when provoked. It doesn't work.
 * What the Hell, Hero?: She tries to call Guts out on brutally slaughtering the Mandragora, who only turn violent when provoked. It doesn't work.
 * What the Hell, Hero?: She tries to call Guts out on brutally slaughtering the Mandragora, who only turn violent when provoked. It doesn't work.

Nico
A simple-minded little boy from a remote village. The other villagers never seemed to like him, often resorting to beating him with sticks and stones.


 * All the Other Reindeer: He was a pariah at the village, with only Eriza seeming to care for him.
 * Canine Companion: He's shown having had a puppy once.
 * Cheerful Child
 * Children Are Innocent:
 * One Steve Limit: Averted. The manga also has a minor character featured briefly named Nico.
 * One Steve Limit: Averted. The manga also has a minor character featured briefly named Nico.
 * One Steve Limit: Averted. The manga also has a minor character featured briefly named Nico.
 * One Steve Limit: Averted. The manga also has a minor character featured briefly named Nico.

Berserk the Prototype Only Characters
These characters only appear in Berserk: The Prototype. This story, which was included in volume fourteen of the Dark Horse translations, is part of Berserk's Early Installment Weirdness continuum (and when we say "weird", it's almost on the boundary of extreme surrealism), created in 1988 when Kentaro Miura was still in college. The installment is non-canonical, but would have taken place during the Black Swordsman Arc.

Some general differences between Berserk: The Prototype and the official story run:
 * Several differences in Guts' appearance and characterization, including a more cocky but also humorous (and dare we say, UPBEAT) attitude, a badass eye patch over his right eye, and his artificial arm does not have the repeating crossbow attached.
 * Guts and Puck travel together from the start of the story.
 * Guts' main motivation for hunting apostles is to avenge the death of his mother, since neither Casca nor the Band of the Hawk as a whole are present.
 * The Brand of the Sacrifice has an alternative design, being more rounded at the bottom.
 * Guts' brand is located on his chest instead of his neck and is much more obvious.
 * The apostles seem to worship a deity named Varna (or Vana), a god of darkness.

Don't worry. All of the blood and gore and insinuated rape threats is still present.

Fricka
A young girl that Guts saves from some bandits at the beginning of the arc. She was actually taken captive and was going to be given as a sacrifice to the Duke who ruled over the fiefdom that she lives in had Guts not interfered (supposedly in search of food). She ends up being kidnapped again, but Guts comes just in time to save her and to kill the Duke.


 * Attempted Rape: But of course.
 * Expy / Distaff Counterpart: She looks like a young female version of Griffith (if that makes sense).
 * Memento MacGuffin: She asks for something belonging to Guts as a keepsake, so he gives her his eye patch.
 * Precocious Crush: On Guts of course.
 * Spell My Name with an "S": Fricka or Flicka (or Frikka)?
 * Virgin Sacrifice
 * White-Haired Pretty Girl: Certainly implied since she's an expy of Griffith.

Vlad Tepes
The Big Bad of this story, he shares many similarities with the Snake Baron and the Count from the Black Swordsman Arc. Caring nothing for human life, Vlad began terrorizing the village ten years ago when he collected 500 villagers and impaled them on stakes to warn other countries from trying to interfere. Recently, he has taken up killing young maidens from the village, Fricka one of them. At first Guts refuses to aid the villagers after he saved Fricka from her first abduction, but later changes his mind and confronts Vlad Tepes in order to slay him.


 * Aristocrats Are Evil
 * Bald of Evil
 * Fat Bastard: Not to the degree of the Count, we'll give him credit for that.
 * Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Implied by his obvious namesake, he would execute prisons by impaling them on stakes.
 * Named After Somebody Famous: Gee, I wonder who.
 * One-Winged Angel: His apostle form has the grotesque features of a bat, a bull, and a goat (not unlike Nosferatu Zodd's form, only more ugly and less awesome).