Berserk/Tropes A-D: Difference between revisions
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== A ==
* [[The Abridged Series]]: ''[[Berserk Abridged]]''.
* [[Absurdly Sharp Blade]]: The sword Godo offers to Guts after the Eclipse, capable of cleanly cutting through the blade of another sword and the tip of an anvil in a single swing. A merely ordinary sized sword of exceptional sharpness doesn't suit Guts' style though. [[Wrecked Weapon|It doesn't last a single fight]].
* [[Abusive Parents]]: Gambino goes above and beyond with this. {{spoiler|It even gets him killed.}}
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* [[Accidental Murder]]: And, Guts defended himself from said [[Abusive Parents|abusive parent]] by taking up his sword... {{spoiler|and ramming it through Gambino's throat by mistake.}}
* [[Achey Scars]]: Coinciding with [[Allergic to Evil]], the closer Guts and Casca come into proximity with a powerful apostle, the more their brands hurt.
* [[Action Film, Quiet Drama Scene]]: The scene where the Hawks are on the border of Midland after the Griffith rescue operation. It is actually their [[Darkest Hour]] moment and the scene is very much dramatic because of this since it's building up to the much more dramatic ending {{spoiler|[[Foreshadowing|such as when Griffith desperately threw himself upon Casca,]] [[Bros Before Hoes|and Casca resolving that she couldn't leave with Guts]]}}. However, there are [[Crowning Moment of Heartwarming|still softer moments]], such as Guts and Casca reassuring each other that they want to be there for each other as friends and as lovers, when the Raiders tell Guts that they are willing to follow him wherever he goes, and Judeau telling Guts to be with Casca no matter what. These moments reinforce the theme of friendship and the bond that the Hawks have with each other; thus, reassuring that [[Tear Jerker|our eyes weren't going to dry anytime soon]] after watching the [[Downer Ending|final three episodes.]]
* [[Action Girl]]: Casca, before... ''stuff'' happened. Subverted by Farnese, who is initially presented as a [[Knight Templar]] warrior, but is just a figurehead for the Holy Iron Chain Knights.
* [[Action Prologue]]: Roughly the first three volumes act as this, depicting Guts ruthlessly hunting and killing Apostles. It introduces story concepts such as the [[Doom Magnet|Brand]] and its effects, [[Our Demons Are Different|Apostles]], [[Artifact of Doom|Behelits]], the Godhand, and [[Our Fairies Are Different|Elves]]. The next twelve volumes of the manga go through an extended flashback explaining how Guts got involved in all of this.
* [[Action Survivor]]:
* [[Adaptive Armor]]: The Berserker Armor.
* [[Adaptation Distillation]] / [[Compressed Adaptation]]: Given the fact that a twelve volume arc is being adapted into three one-or-so-hour long movies, the new trilogy focusing on the Golden Age arc falls into these. With [[The Law of Conservation of Detail]] in affect to save time, a lot of scenes {{spoiler|(mainly battle sequences) were cut out in favor of the more important ones,}} and some scenes were {{spoiler|meshed together with other scenes}} in the first film; hence, it will probably be expected in the upcoming films as well.
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* [[Adaptation-Induced Plothole]]: Without the Skull Knight the anime is left with a few plot holes.
** Not to mention: It looked like Guts simply FORGOT to bring his sword {{spoiler|for the eclypse. In the manga it was left stuck in Wyald's neck.}}
* [[Adult Fear]]: No one is going to sacrifice their loved ones and turn into a demon in [[Real Life]], but this series gives you the unpleasant feeling that even your best friends and family members are just [[Despair Event Horizon|one bad day]] away from [[Humans Are
** The whole series in general runs on this stuff. [[Child Soldier|Children being forced to become soldiers]], [[Abusive Parents|abusive and]] [[Parental Neglect|negligent parents]], childhood sexual abuse, [[Domestic Abuse|general domestic and spousal abuse]], [[Body Horror|realistic body horror]], [[Sex Slave|sexual slavery]], [[Religion of Evil|religion that has too much power over the people]], [[The Plague|disease and pestilence]], [[Rape, Pillage and Burn|horrible war and war crimes]], [[Attempted Rape|rape]], [[Near-Rape Experience|rape]], [[Rape as Drama|more rape]] (most of it [[Horny Devils|isn't done]] [[Face Full of Alien Wingwong|by monsters either]]), [[Break the Cutie|and its]] [[Broken Bird|after effects]].... Geez.
* [[Adults Are Useless]]: A plot necessity in the Lost Children Arc, for obvious reason... Sans Guts, who's only [[Younger Than They Look|about 20-something]] himself, the adults present are totally abusive, complete morons, or massive cowards. The kids, whether they're apostles or not, are shown to be more ballsy than the adults around them.
* [[Aerith and Bob]]: The Godhand is made up of the demons Femto, Void, Slan, Ubik... and ''Conrad''.
** Most of the names are from science-fiction novels. Void is likely from Frank Herbert's Destination: Void; Ubik is a book by Philip K. Dick; Slan is by A.E. Van Vogt and Conrad comes from Roger Zelazny's '...And call me Conrad'. Femto is either a prefix in the metric system for extremely small lengths (multiplied by 0.000000000000001, as a matter of fact) or [[wikipedia:PHEMT|a technical principle]] (in which case it is spelled ''PHEMT'').
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* [[Alien Geometries]]: Whenever the Godhand make their appearance when it's not in the [[Eldritch Location|typical landscape]], it's usually in some weirdass [[Shout-Out|Escher drawing]] scape.
* [[Alike and Antithetical Adversaries]]: Started out as the Heterogeneous Heroes vs. the Homogeneous Villains variety, with the good guys, the original Band of the Hawk, having light-skinned people and [[Ambiguously Brown|dark-skinned people]], men [[The Smurfette Principle|and woman]], [[Competence Zone|and with older and younger supporters]], and the bad guys, the Tudor Empire, being composed of older white men. Later, as more plot schemes and arcs develop and characters undergo more development, it turns into a Heterogeneous Heroes vs. Heterogeneous Villains scenario.
* [[All Girls Want Bad Boys]]: Played straight with Sonia, the [[Dark Chick]] in Griffith's new Band of the Hawk. She has a thing for morally dubious guys, be it Griffith or Irvine.
** [[Single Woman Seeks Good Man|Subverted]] with Casca. Guts was never a "bad guy", he just looks like one.
* [[Always Save the Girl]]: Guts pretty much said that so long as he and Casca survive, he doesn't give two shits about anything else. Most exemplified during the Conviction Arc, where Guts would rather an entire hoard of evil spirits infest St. Albion, killing hundreds of refugees in the process, and a whole mock Eclipse go down than let Mozgus and the citizens [[Burn the Witch|burn Casca at the stake as a witch]].
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** The trope is most apparent during the numerous orgies and attempted/succeeded rape.
* [[All Myths Are True]]: Thanks in part to an extended and ''en masse'' case of [[Clap Your Hands If You Believe|clapping your hands to believe.]] Serpico even remarked in volume 24 that ghosts and monsters were one thing, but witches and trolls were a bit too "fairy tale-ish" to believe. {{spoiler|And since the [[Layered World]] was merged, they've become a lot more true.}}
* [[All Trolls Are Different]]: They're '''vicious''' little beasts that look like a [[Biological Mashup]] between a bipedal rat and a pig, with a dose of [[wikipedia:File:Condylura.jpg|star-nosed mole]]. [http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20080612124723/berserk/images/2/23/Troll.jpg See for your self]{{Dead link}}.
* [[Allergic to Evil]]: The Brand of Sacrifice on Guts and Casca will start bleeding or hurting if demons are near.
* [[Ambiguously Brown]]: In the world of ''Berserk'' there seems to be two "races" under this category: individuals such as Pippin and Donovan have more [[Darkest Africa|African features
* [[Ambition Is Evil]]: Griffith. Enough said.
* [[Angels, Devils, and Squid]]: Being a [[Fantasy Kitchen Sink]] has allowed all three types of entities to exist in the world of ''Berserk'' in some form or another. There is a ''lot'' of overlap between them, but the Four Elemental Kings are the closest you can get to straight angels, the Apostles and Godhand are the devils, and the more malevolent spiritual entities (such as, fittingly, the Sea God) are the squid.
** The Battle for Windham ends up as a somewhat muddled case of this. Griffith, who takes on an angelic appearance, leads his army of humans and [[Our Demons Are Different|Apostles]] against the now [[Attack of the 50
* [[Anger Born of Worry]]: Both Guts and Casca do this to each other ''right'' before their [[Relationship Upgrade]], Guts being more irate and Casca being a lot more tearful. But hey - [[They Do]]!
* [[Animated Armor]]: The
* [[Animalistic Abomination]]: The Beast of Darkness, a monstrous wolf that is [[The Heartless|Guts's bloodlust and hatred of Griffith given form]]. It's one of the swordsman's greatest enemies, and wants nothing more than to make him submit to his darkest desires so it can permanently steal control of his body and freely indulge in its psychopathic bloodlust.
* [[Annoying Arrows]]: Played straight and subverted at the same time: the crossbows frequently used by various soldiers generally instantly pierce the armor of and kill other human beings, and while Guts himself rarely gets hit by them, a single bolt to his hand renders him unable to wield his sword two-handed, giving him a significant disadvantage in that fight. On the other hand, the Apostles are simply so large that the crossbows are simply too small to hit their internal organs, though Guts often shoots out their eyes to great effect.
* [[The Antichrist]]: Thanks to the prophecy about the white and black hawks and the fact he wants to kill the person the freakin pope declared as [[The Messiah]], this is ''technically'' Guts. Due to the violence [[Inherent in the System]], this may or may not be a good thing. Or another way to look at it is that {{spoiler|Griffith}} is the anti-christ since, you know, no one is supposed to know that the anti-christ is the anti-christ. Schierke refers to him as the Hawk of Darkness, and she'd know better than most people.
* [[Anti-Hero]]: Guts, and ''maybe'' the Skull Knight.
* [[Anti-Villain]]: Rosine.
* [[Anyone Can Die]]: And boy howdy, do we mean ''ANYONE.'' [[Men Are the Expendable Gender|Men,]] [[No Woman's Land|women,]] [[Infant Immortality|children and babies,]] [[Invulnerable Horses|horses and other animals,]] [[Sacrificial Lion|secondary characters]] - NOBODY is immune to dying a horrible and grizzly death in ''Berserk.'' While we're at it, we mind as well add that being a main character does ''not'' exempt you from any degree of suffering, only getting by with a set of [[Plot Armor]] that mind as well be made out of glass.
* [[Aristocrats Are Evil]]: Especially when they turn into Apostles.
* [[Arm Cannon]]: There's one in Guts's left hand, and he can also rig it with a crossbow.
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** Not necessarily - when fighting the apostle Grunbeld without armor, Guts says something to the effect of absolutely needing armor to survive against an enemy of his power. He also credits it with protecting him against the goat-cult leader.
** Not to mention Guts gets some extremely useful armor. Extremely useful in the sense that it makes him stronger. As far as protection is concerned, it does the opposite.
*** The armor is also extremely useful because
*** Technically it doesn't make him stronger only removes the subconscious limit the minds placed on the body allowing him to push himself way, way beyond his limits. Although for all intents and purposes it makes him stronger.
* [[Army of Thieves and Whores]]: The Black Dog Knights were a branch of Midland's military consisting of the kingdom's criminals. They were [[Rape, Pillage and Burn|incredibly ruthless]], and their leader, Wyald, was a [[Complete Monster|real piece of work.]]
* [[Arrow Catch]]: In volume 22 by one of the Kushan army.
* [[Art Evolution]]: The artwork in the manga was merely average in the beginning, with some characters looking [[Uncanny Valley|rather odd]], and now arguably has the best artwork of any manga. [https://web.archive.org/web/20101220160419/http://www.berserkchronicles.com/englishpage.php?link=style.htm This gives a good example of how the art changes from volume to volume.] With regards to Guts, the guy we see the most, he's been getting more square-jawed and square...faced as the series go on. [https://web.archive.org/web/20121018043525/http://karaii.tumblr.com/post/8495573908/the-evolution-of-guts-from-the-manga-berserk-as More illustrated references for your convenience.]
* [[Artifact of Doom]]: Behelits, egg-like items that are direct conduits to the Godhand and allow their possessors the opportunity to become demons... for a hefty price. Griffith's Crimson Behelit, the 'Egg of the Conqueror', is the worst of all.
** The Berserker Armor as well.
▲** Subverted in that while its usefulness in combat is [[Hand Wave|handwaved]] by a magnet in it that lets it help hold a sword his fake arm is actually just a hunk of metal with some weapons inside it -- it's not functional as a limb, and he can't control it or grab things with it. Although it's a looong time between when he gets it and when this is explained...
* [[Art Shift]]: Puck and Isidro.
** Also, compare [https://web.archive.org/web/20110806045626/http://manga.animea.net/berserk-chapter-312-page-19.html this scene] with a [https://web.archive.org/web/20100213034417/http://manga.animea.net/berserk-chapter-1-page-9.html typical Berserk scene].
* [[Asleep for Days]]: After being rescued from the Eclipse, Guts and Casca were out of it for at least
* [[Assassin Outclassin']]: It's pretty much been proven that attempting to assassinate Griffith will ultimately lead to the [[Karmic Death|conspirator's own assassination.]]
* [[Attack! Attack! Attack!]]: Guts' main combat strategy.
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** {{spoiler|Perhaps chapter 307 is more appropriate when Griffith summons his own PALACE}}
* [[Awkwardly-Placed Bathtub]]: During their stay in Vritannis, Casca is given a bath by Schierke - in the cramped room that they paid for at an inn with Guts and Isidro still present in the room, veiled by only curtain and Schierke's attempt at tying Isidro to a chair so that he won't peek. Much [[Hilarity Ensues]].
== B ==
* [[BFS]]: The Dragon Slayer; originally done as a marketing gimmick, it's actually justified later in the series - it doesn't really have much of an edge, and other characters [[Lampshade Hanging|mock]] it as being "more a slab of iron than a sword", but Guts swings it fast enough to tear people in half with brute force.
** The ginormous sword comes with an additional advantage: Durability. All the swords Guts used in the Golden Age arc broke at some point. Usually in the middle of a battle. His last "normal" sword didn't even last thirty seconds because Guts [[Unstoppable Rage|abused it so badly]] it snapped like a twig.
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***** I wouldn't be so quick to say that. That would include Farnese, Puck, Isidro, Corkus, the King, Charlotte...the list goes on. Berserk pretty much demonstrates how it's better to be lucky than skillful (or even useful on a regular basis).
***** Needless to say, Berserk is just LOADED with badass. The examples listed on this page are just the ''tip'' of the iceberg. If this wasn't such a shitty place to live with all of its flaws, the Berserkerverse would just be a [[World of Badass]]. Aw, hell - it IS. See below.
* [[Badass Bandolier]]: Guts and Judeau have them for their throwing knives (though Judeau had them [[His Quirk Lives On|before Guts started carrying knives]]). Just in general, there are [https://web.archive.org/web/20190710230001/http://gallery.fanserviceftw.com/_images/61b4ecca3b9e3ded52bcbb04042a3bee/3684%20-%20bag%20berserk%20guts.jpg bags and pouches ''everywhere'' in Berserk] (we weren't kidding about Miura being [[Costume Porn|ultra detailed with the costumes]]). They're so prominent that they have become a [[Memetic Mutation]] within the fandom. [https://web.archive.org/web/20190710230000/http://gallery.fanserviceftw.com/_images/72251cc5b64e934967e6f4538bfbb352/3682%20-%20bag%20berserk%20casca%20guts.jpg Here] [https://web.archive.org/web/20190710230001/http://gallery.fanserviceftw.com/_images/fcc2c8d778fca7b8c3212ea856c8b502/3405%20-%20bag%20berserk%20guts%20puck.jpg are some] [https://web.archive.org/web/20190710230001/http://gallery.fanserviceftw.com/_images/16a50e8e1a9e9dc2236b98d866e694d7/3683%20-%20bag%20berserk%20guts.jpg examples].
* [[Badass Cape]]: Oh yeah, Guts has one all right, huge, sweeping, black, tattered, and always billowing at just the right times for maximum effect.
** Griffith as well, with a neat, well-kept white cape in contrast.
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* [[Badass Transplant]]: As though Guts needed to be any more badass.
* [[Band of Brothels]]: Luca and her girls.
* [[Barbie Doll Anatomy]]: Played straight
** Not to mention Puck, who literally shows this trope off every time he appears.
** Oddly enough, men have genitalia but no nipples.
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* [[Be a Whore to Get Your Man]]: Discussed by [[Straw Misogynist|General Adon]] during his first encounter with Casca, where he incorrectly assumed that she only became a general in the Band of the Hawk because she slept with Griffith. Really more of a "Be A Whore To Get Your Promotion" [[Zig Zagged Trope|scenario.]]
* [[Beach Episode]]: Hey, even Guts and his [[True Companions]] need a break at the ocean, what with all of the weird shit they go through day after day.
* [[Beauty, Brains, and Brawn]]: Subverted in Guts' new group with the three ladies (excluding Evarella). Schierke is [[The Smart Guy]], always formulating the plans but doesn't use physical action. Farnese would be the brawn, though she isn't an experienced fighter, but she's the most willing to put up a fight when necessary. And Casca is the beauty, as she is the most beautiful in the group, [[
* [[Beauty to Beast]]: {{spoiler|Griffith}}, he got better though... which, considering it came at the cost of his immortal soul ''and'' his sacrificing the lives of those loyal to him, it was hardly typical.
* [[Because You Were Nice to Me]]: The reason why grumpy ol' exiled Godo adopted little orphaned Erica. [[Happily Adopted|Yay!]]
* [[The Bechdel Test]]: Can you believe it? In such a dark setting, with such manly values and violent surroundings, there ARE indeed times when two named women talk to each other about something
** It's funny that Casca, the series' only genuine [[Action Girl]], only talks to a woman once - and it's about a guy. In fact, Casca talks a lot about the guys in her life (but being a [[Tomboy|chick]] who is practically [[One of the Boys]], it's somewhat understandable).
* [[Being Tortured Makes You Evil]]: Arguably justified with {{spoiler|Griffith}}, though it's not quite the torture that sends him over the edge, but more the consequences that followed afterwards.
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** In general the Skull Knight has turned this skill into an art, for whenever he appears he only ever does two things: either mutter something mysterious and prophetic and vanish, or to rescue someone with a great deal of flair.
** Averted ''twice'' with Vardas' public execution by the evil Count. Puck tries to talk Guts into doing one of those but he refuses and leaves. Puck then tries to pull it off ''himself'' and fails miserably. Justified for Guts who knows well this is clearly a trap meant to pull him into a stupid heroic rescue where he would be overwhelmed by sheer numbers.
* [[The Big Damn Kiss]]: What? What the hell do you mean [http://www.mrsmanga.com/Berserk/037.047/192 this isn't the epitome of romance in the series?] There's gorgeous [[Scenery Porn]] '''and''' Guts's [[Badass Cape]] is blowing in a caressing manner around the two. It's even more glorious in [https://web.archive.org/web/20120407205538/http://www.mattbrowning.com/berserk/colors/guts_casca_kiss_final.jpg amazing technicolor.]
* [[Big Ol' Eyebrows]]: Definitely Guts.
** And even more definitely Azan.
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* [[Blind Idiot Translation]]: Hawks' scanlation.
* [[Blonde, Brunette, Redhead]]: Luca is the redhead, Nina is the blonde, and Casca is the brunette during their time together.
* [[Blood From the Mouth]]: Like waterfalls.
* [[Blood Knight]]: Nosferatu Zodd.
** Also Guts. He thoroughly enjoys violence, and although he always fights with a purpose, he does enjoy it very much.
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* [[Bodyguard Crush]]: Serpico, for Farnese. Also, every female ever who gets protected by Guts, even if it's just for a little bit. Even if they're, like, eight. Except for Casca.
** Also true for Caska aswell, {{spoiler|before she went crazy of course}}. Although its debatable if Caska didn't already have feelings for Guts {{spoiler|before he single handedly killed 100 mercenaries}} to protect her.
* [[Boob Bite]]: Played for [[Fan Disservice]] in volume 23 when {{spoiler|Guts, being influenced by the beast to rape Casca, bites her over her nipple. It's only when she yells out in pain [[Near-Rape Experience|that he stops]] and is [[My God, What Have I Done?|absolutely horrified at what he has done to her.]]}}
* [[Boobs of Steel]]: Though female anatomy is drawn on a realistic level (but it still doesn't protect them from having the most [[Clothing Damage]] done to them), Slan presentably has [[Evil Is Sexy|the largest pair of breasts]], being the most powerful female character in Berserk. A close second would be Casca, who is the series' only genuine [[Action Girl]].
* [[Bow and Sword
* [[Boy Meets Girl]]: [[Love At First Punch|Guts meets Casca.]] [[The Lost Lenore|Guts loses Casca]] during Eclipse and [[Revenge Before Reason|abandons her after.]] [[My Greatest Second Chance|Guts finds Casca again]] by saving her at the Tower of Conviction. Now, [[Find the Cure|boy just needs to cure girl]] of her insanity in order to actually "be" with her again.
* [[Brain Bleach]]: Do yourself a favor: get a membership to Costco or some other warehouse club, because you will need to replenish your supply ''a lot'' during the course of this series. You'll need over 5 gallons of the stuff just to get through the Golden Age Arc with your sanity ''slightly'' intact - AND IT JUST GETS ''WORSE.''
* [[Break the Cutie]]: Poor {{spoiler|Casca}}.
* [[Breast Plate]]:
* [[Breather Episode]]: Their beach chapter doubles as this as the true companions have a rare chance at self-reflection and sharing their feelings as well as eating delicious and improvised seaside cuisine. This lasts for a good few hours [[Good News, Bad News|before some more monsters come to attack them!]]
* [[Bridal Carry]]: Caska gets this treatment from Guts after her fight with Adon.
* [[Bring My Brown Pants]]: ... And you wouldn't after seeing an Apostle for the first time?
** The little boy Guts uses as a decoy plays it straight. And [[Gosh Hornet|with good reason!]] Though he ends up [[Took a Level
* [[Broken Ace]]: {{spoiler|Griffith.}}
* [[Bros Before Hoes]]: Casca played the bro when she initially chose Griffith over Guts after saving him from torture. [[Mind Rape|It didn't end well]].
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** With the help of the merrows, {{spoiler|Guts was able to pierce the Sea God's heart and kill it. But being stuck inside the monstrosity with many grievous injuries left him in little position to be able to escape it on his own as it began to "collapse" all around him.}}
* [[Brother-Sister Incest]]: {{spoiler|Serpico is Farnese's half-brother. She isn't aware of this, and she developed feelings for him in their teenage years and even made a very emotionally charged advance on him. Serpico being in the know, he resisted.}}
* [[Bug War]]: Guts' entire battle against Rosine and her minions was basically this. Remember that Rosine didn't just transform children into insectoids, but also adults.
* [[Bullying a Dragon]]: The holy iron chain knights try to capture a severely wounded Guts alive. He tries to play nice for a wile since he knows his opponents aren't really his enemies. But when they poke him too much... [[Gorn|EEEK!!]]
** An instance came up during the Golden Age Arc after the Hawks' first encounter with Nosferatu Zodd, where some nobles caught wind of the supposed supernatural account and decided to snark Guts off (who was walking with crutches at the time). Guts promptly smashes one of the noble's feet with the end of his crutch, and he actually had the balls to try and challenge Guts to a duel... a good stern and scary [[Death Glare]] set him straight.
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* [[But Now I Must Go]]: [[It Got Worse|And everything goes horribly wrong]] in T-minus 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 - Hey! Princess Charlotte! [[Sex for Solace|Free tonight?]]
* [[Butt Monkey]]: The pirates just can't catch a break. {{spoiler|Even after they're all transformed into hideous monsters}}.
== C ==
* [[CPR: Clean, Pretty, Reliable]]: It's actually done realistically by Guts on an unconscious Casca. She gurgles up the water and everything.
** The presence of CPR in a [[Medieval European Fantasy|medieval-inspired]] world does bring on some [[Fridge Logic]] though...
* [[Call Back]]: Oh, a lot. Especially with Apostles. During the Eclipse, we see three Apostles from the first three chapters of Berserk - the nameless female demon that has sex with Guts (in disguise, of course), Baron Koka and The Count. Furthermore, the Lost Children arc is focused around Rosine and (to a lesser extent) her two [[Elite Mook|semi-Apostle insect henchmen]], who attacked Rickert's camp with the Count just before the Eclipse. And during the sequence where Griffith rescues Charlotte from Ganeshka, we see Borkoff, the Apostle who took Guts's arm.
* [[Canon
* [[Cannot Spit It Out]]: {{spoiler|During the Eclipse Judeau attempts to confess his love for Casca but is only able to say "I'm glad to see you cry," before dying in her arms, lamenting that she never thought of him as more than a valuable ally.}}
* [[Card-Carrying Villain]]: The Godhands have one goal in their eternal lives: making humanity as miserable as possible. They take their job [[Deconstruction|VERY seriously]] and gleefully go to unimaginable extremes to turn the world of Midland into a living hell.
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* [[Character Development]]: Farnese goes from being a clearly unbalanced [[Knight Templar]] / [[Stepford Smiler]] to a quasi [[Team Mom]] while learning magic from Schierke. Also, Schierke herself, after a few adventures, starts seeing just ''why'' maybe humanity ''might'' be worth saving, after all.
** This applies to many characters. Guts has changed throughout throughout the story, from the vicious and cruel [[Blood Knight]] that we was in the early portions of the manga, to the more calm, composed, and melancholy warrior (with a [[Super-Powered Evil Side]] that threatens to surface at times) that he is now. Even some minor characters, such the young girl Jill and the insecure prostitute Nina, develop in their own subplots.
* [[Chekhov's Armoury]]: A literal one. Toward the end of the Golden Age Arc, while Guts and Casca are (badly) recuperating after the events of the Eclipse, Ericka shows Rickert Godo's storage shed, which contains a lot of nifty weaponry and accessories - among them being several prototype prosthetic limbs and the Dragonslayer itself.
* [[Chekhov's Gun]]: We already know how important the Behelit is in the manga, but in the anime it is treated in this fashion.
* [[Chest Burster]]: Nastier monsters such as the trolls of Qliphoth and Ganishka's demonic soldiers are born this way.
* [[Child Soldiers]]: Guts as a kid and Rickert.
* [[Children Forced to Kill]]: Guts and Casca were both forced to kill somebody out of self-defense when they were kids.
* [[The Clan]]: The Bakiraka.
* [[Clap Your Hands If You Believe]]: The whole reason why {{spoiler|The Idea of Evil}} exists. Also implied in the manga as the reason elves exist, prompting Puck to whip out a banner saying "Cogito Ergo Sum" whenever someone says that they think he's not real.
** Arguably EVERY SINGLE supernatural thing on the series is more or less the result of this, as Qliphoth is implied to be formed from human nightmares and {{spoiler|the demons are all people transformed of God Hand, which in turn come from The Idea Of Evil}}. This is what makes the monsters so terrifying; no matter how many you kill, there will always be monsters around thanks to mankind.
** Also discussed in volume 24 during the groups' time at the mansion of the spirit tree, where Isidro suggested that if supernatural entities appeared because people believed in them, then all they'd have to do is [[Futurama|stop believing and they wouldn't get hurt!]] Schierke added that it wasn't that simple.
* [[Clasp Your Hands If You Deceive]]: The jerkwad aristocrats who hate Griffith's peasant guts love doing this in their [[Evil Is Not Well Lit|dark, shady headquarters]] of cunning-ness. Yes, [[Sarcasm Mode|clasping your hands at your eventual downfall always assures your victory.]]
* [[Cliff Hanger]]: The anime ends on a [[Gainax Ending|weird]] but nonetheless [[Left Hanging|climatic]] cliffhanger.
* [[Clingy Comedy Villain]]: Adon.
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* [[Coitus Uninterruptus]]: An important message from the King of Midland asking him to kill the shit out of some people ain't going to stop Wyald from banging one of dozens of women in his room.
* [[Cold-Blooded Torture]]: This happens ''a lot''. [[Kick the Son of a Bitch|Guts to the Apostles]], the Apostles to humans, Mozgus to everyone he encounters (because maybe they might have been having some heretical thoughts at some point in their lives), {{spoiler|the King of Midland to Griffith}}, so on and so forth.
** The most vile example is what Casca and Guts went through {{spoiler|when Griffith horrifically raped Casca during the Eclipse. Not only is she being horribly violated, but the brand on her chest is causing her ''excruciating pain'' during every waking moment, since Casca is most likely the closest ''any'' human has ever been to a Godhand. This is also a very cruel form of torture for Guts, since he's being [[Forced to Watch]] all this happen to the love of his life by his best friend and he can't do a damn thing about it, even after chopping off his arm [[Hope Spot|to try and save her]]. And it's made even worse since Griffith is ''[[Kubrick Stare|smiling at him]]'' while he's doing this.}} It's no wonder that Casca's [[Go Mad
* [[Combat Pragmatist]]: Take a shot every time Guts uses a child as a hostage or for bait. Better yet, don't--it's dangerous.
* [[Combat Sadomasochist]]
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* [[Crystal Dragon Jesus]]: The Holy See.
* [[Cue the Sun]]: Normally represents how Guts (and companions) has survived another harrowing night of fighting ghosts and hellspawn.
* [[Curse]]: Though they survived the Eclipse, by bearing the Brand of the Sacrifice Guts and Casca are doomed to be followed by evil spirits and demons until their dying breath, where they will then have to serve an eternity in hell.
* [[Cursed with Awesome]]: Guts is granted the Berserker Armor, which gives him incredible strength and speed, but it deadens the nerves so that the one who wore the armor would just fight and not feel anything. Guts has to wear this, or else he'll die due to the injuries he sustained in a fight with Slan.
* [[Cute Mute]]: Casca, after what happens to her. Poor, ''poor'' Casca.
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** Although seeing as how it ended with Guts {{spoiler|cutting off his own arm}} and Casca {{spoiler|being raped}} while Guts {{spoiler|is forced to watch as the cost of his eye}}, its questionable how much worse it could get.
*** ...This is Berserk. It can ''always'' get worse.
== D ==
* [[Dances and Balls]]: Lots of dancing balls are hosted by aristocrats. Most of them end in incredibly violent ways.
* [[Darker and Edgier]]: After reading this page, it should be obvious that ''Berserk'' is arguably the best example of the trope in manga.
** It's even [[Lampshaded]] in the American volumes, which bear this text on the back cover:
{{quote|
* [[Dark Fantasy]]: In spades.
* [[Dark Is Evil]]: Just about all [[Our Demons Are Different|Apostles]] are evil by nature, and [[Obviously Evil|obviously so]]...
** [[Dark Is Not Evil]]: ...But it's not always the case. Some spiritual beings look creepy but are otherwise fairly benign, the [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|aptly named]] Skull Knight largely devotes his time to fighting the forces of evil, and the Black Swordsman himself, [[Super-Powered Evil Side]] aside, is the hero of the story.
* [[Dark Messiah]]: {{spoiler|Griffith after he uses the Crimson Behelit to become the fifth member of the Godhand.}} However to the people of Midland it is {{spoiler|Guts.}} This is not going to end well.
* [[Darkest Hour]]: Once the Hawks make it to the border of Midland, they must come to terms with their predicament: they've been outcasted from the kingdom and Griffith is mutilated beyond repair. The dream is over.
* [[Deadpan Snarker]]: Everyone seems to have their moments in this doom and gloom world, but Serpico takes the cake.
* [[Deal with the Devil]]: What essentially happens when a Behelit is activated and the Godhand is summoned.
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** Also Guts didn't always have the Dragonslayer.
* [[Death by Childbirth]]: ''Berserk'' loves to play this trope for the [[Squick]]. The most "normal" case happened to Guts, whose mother bore him either post-mortem or while she was being hanged. Other cases include women whose children were demonized ([[Face Full of Alien Wingwong|or were impregnated by demons]]) being gruesomely killed when the demonic spawn [[Chest Burster|claw out of their mothers' wombs.]]
* [[Death
* [[Death Wail]] / [[The Scream]]: Played for tragedy during the Eclipse. First, {{spoiler|Guts screams in rage, anger, and sadness after seeing the slaughtered remains of his friends and comrades in a lake of blood. Then, after going through the immense horror of being forced to watch Casca get raped by Femto, Guts howls a scream that we can only describe as ''sheer pain'' when he watches her fall limp and broken after Femto is done with her.}}
* [[Death World]]: The world of ''Berserk'' has never been a pleasant place, but ever since [[The Magic Comes Back|the magic came back]], [[It Got Worse|it's gotten even]] ''[[It Got Worse|worse]]''! Various spiritual creatures, including dragons, hydras, trolls, and sea monsters have appeared and have since been wreaking havoc on the unprepared populace.
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* [[Don't Look At Me]]: These are pretty much Casca's last words as a sane person {{spoiler|while she is being horrifically raped in front of Guts who is being [[Forced to Watch]] anyway.}} After that, she's [[Cute Mute|a mute]].
* [[Downer Ending]]: The anime. And how!
* [[Draconic Demon]]: The Apostle Grunbeld wears armor that invokes the image of a snarling dragon, but his true form reveals that he hasn't merely adopted the aesthetics of one: he ''is'' a dragon, and a gigantic one with tons of crystal growths all over his body. He's one of [[Noble Demon|the more noble Apostles]], but is still a major threat.
* [[Dress Hits Floor]]: "Cape Hits Floor" in the slightly more censored anime, where after their second [[Intimate Healing]] encounter, Casca starts fighting with Guts after he [[Stay in the Kitchen|insulted her]]... in nothing but his cape... This can count as [[Crowning Moment of Funny|a funny moment]] [[Rule of Funny|depending on]] [[Naked People Are Funny|how you look at it.]]
* [[Dressing as the Enemy]]: Laban is able to save an entire ''castle'' full of prisoners by dressing them up in Kushan armor.
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