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{{trope}}
[[File:
{{quote|''"He cleared the ship, helmless and shieldless and hewing about him with both hands..."''
|''[[The Long Ships]]'' by '''Frans G Bengtsson'''}}
{{quote|''"'''BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD! SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE!'''"''
▲{{quote|''"He cleared the ship, helmless and shieldless and hewing about him with both hands..."''|''[[The Long Ships]]'' by '''Frans G Bengtsson'''}}
|'''Khorne Berserker''' warcry, ''[[Warhammer 40,000]]''}}
[[The Berserker]] is a character who throws himself into a fight with such reckless abandon, it seems like he WANTS to die. It could be [[Hot-Blooded|over-enthusiasm]], overconfidence, [[Unstoppable Rage]], or a real [[Death Seeker|lack of will to live]]. Whatever the cause, it's usually accompanied by a [[Screaming Warrior|bellowing warcry]]. Sometimes with total obliviousness to [[Friend or Foe|whether he's actually fighting the enemy]]. And he [[Attack! Attack! Attack!|never, ever retreats]].▼
▲{{quote|''"'''BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD! SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE!'''"''|'''Khorne Berserker''' warcry, ''[[Warhammer 40000]]''}}
Berserkers are equally capable of being good or evil. If they're good, then out of battle, most will brood about whatever it is that causes their berserk fits, or show remorse about losing control of themselves. Most end up one of two ways: being taught by their teammates to control themselves after a particularly close call, or dying in a dramatic fashion while lamenting that they died without completing their mission. Good Berserkers are also very prone to [[Heroic Sacrifice
▲The Berserker is a character who throws himself into a fight with such reckless abandon, it seems like he WANTS to die. It could be [[Hot-Blooded|over-enthusiasm]], overconfidence, [[Unstoppable Rage]], or a real [[Death Seeker|lack of will to live]]. Whatever the cause, it's usually accompanied by a [[Screaming Warrior|bellowing warcry]]. Sometimes with total obliviousness to [[Friend or Foe|whether he's actually fighting the enemy]]. And he [[Attack! Attack! Attack!|never, ever retreats]].
The trope's title refers to [[Truth in Television|the]] ''[[Truth in Television|berserkr]]'' [[Truth in Television|of Viking-age Scandinavia]]: Warriors who are said to have thrown themselves into battle wearing only animal hides for armour and with no regard for their own safety. Their 'battle-madness', whose exact nature is presently unknown (some say it came from eating poisonous mushrooms before a battle) is said to have been a gift from Odin. The word "berserkr" means "Bear-shirt" in Old Norse, referring to either going into battle [[Full-Frontal Assault|"bare-shirted"]] or for wearing [[Everything's Worse with Bears|bear]] [[Impossibly Cool Clothes|pelts]] into battle. Their effectiveness in battle is up for debate, but they were an imposing and terrifying nightmare to the continental
▲Berserkers are equally capable of being good or evil. If they're good, then out of battle, most will brood about whatever it is that causes their berserk fits, or show remorse about losing control of themselves. Most end up one of two ways: being taught by their teammates to control themselves after a particularly close call, or dying in a dramatic fashion while lamenting that they died without completing their mission. Good Berserkers are also very prone to [[Heroic Sacrifice|Heroic Sacrifices]], for very obvious reasons. An evil Berserker, on the other hand, is generally just unrepentantly [[Ax Crazy]] and very often [[Chaotic Evil]].
Berserkers that truly do wish to die in battle are better known as [[Death Seeker
▲The trope's title refers to [[Truth in Television|the]] ''[[Truth in Television|berserkr]]'' [[Truth in Television|of Viking-age Scandinavia]]: Warriors who are said to have thrown themselves into battle wearing only animal hides for armour and with no regard for their own safety. Their 'battle-madness', whose exact nature is presently unknown (some say it came from eating poisonous mushrooms before a battle) is said to have been a gift from Odin. The word "berserkr" means "Bear-shirt" in Old Norse, referring to either going into battle [[Full-Frontal Assault|"bare-shirted"]] or for wearing [[Everything's Worse with Bears|bear]] [[Impossibly Cool Clothes|pelts]] into battle. Their effectiveness in battle is up for debate, but they were an imposing and terrifying nightmare to the continental Europeans -- and, if [[The Icelandic Sagas]] are to be trusted, to their own civilization.
▲Berserkers that truly do wish to die in battle are better known as [[Death Seeker|Death Seekers]] -- those who don't often overlap with the [[Blood Knight]] or [[Barbarian Hero]] instead. When foolishly done without any regard to strategy or planning, the Berserker becomes a [[Leeroy Jenkins]].
{{examples}}
▲== Anime & Manga ==
* In ''[[Berserk]]'', both the manga and anime (but especially the manga), Guts takes on this role, acknowledging in the manga that he realizes that his battle-crazed moments make people close to him fear him. He is driven, but definitely is not a [[Death Seeker]], despite his tendency to take on 100 men (or even worse things later on) at once.
** This state is now "magically" enhanced by the use of his Berserker Armor that facilitates such fighting mode, for example by numbing any wounds received to keep fighting at his maximal potential. However it does come as a price (aside from not being aware that lethal wounds might have been received) in that his [[Super-Powered Evil Side]] always threatens to take over which would cause him to start attacking friends or foes regardless until dead or the last standing on the battlefield.
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**** That self-same Dummy Plug (which is also the only one seen in active combat) is also noted to exhibit anomalous "readings" right after it is activated; Maya Ibuki even questions Gendou's decision to use it in the first place, explicitly stating that the entire Dummy Plug project is still in the experimental stage. {{spoiler|And her wish to die, though may qualify her as a [[Death Seeker]], would remain inconsequential as long as her clones existed, making a [[Death Seeker|self-endangering]] combat style meaningless and even detrimental to [[Big Bad|Gendou]]'s plans; I don't rule out [[More Than Mind Control|practical brainwashing]] on his part, too.}}
** Mari, from ''[[Rebuild of Evangelion]]'', takes elements of a [[Blood Knight]] and takes this to new heights, being the only pilot to {{spoiler|initiate a variant of [[Berserk Mode]] conciously and of her own volition}}. She goes [[Foe-Tossing Charge|really]], [[Nightmare Fuel|really]] crazy with it.
* ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh!]]'':
** ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! GX (anime)|Yu-Gi-Oh GX]]'': Kaiser, once he realizes he [[Secretly Dying|doesn't have much time left anyway]], and Judai, when the desire to find Johan completely overrides his reason.
**
** An odd example of this is Romin Kirishima (Romin Kassidy in the dub) from ''[[Yu-GiOh! SEVENS]]''. She has a disorder (for lack of a better term) that causes her to go into a duelist version of berserk whenever she is very hungry, showing no quarter to her opponent and not recognizing them, no matter who it is. If allowed to eat she recovers and has only vague memory of what happened. Her cousin Roa is not above weaponizing her "talent". Later it is revealed she can go berserk on her own ''without'' being hungry.
* Myojin Yahiko in ''[[Rurouni Kenshin]]''.
* ''[[One Piece]]'': Luffy during the Marineford Arc. His rage {{spoiler|was a result of Ace's death}}, and since then, the Straw Hats and their allies have abandoned their [[Thou Shalt Not Kill]] policy, showing little quarter to enemies and making the series [[Darker and Edgier]] as a whole.
* Virtually the entire main male cast of ''[[Samurai Deeper Kyo]]''.
* Gauron from ''[[Full Metal Panic!]]'', who takes his constant personal antagonizing of Mithril and ([[Stalker with a Crush|especially]]) Sousuke to a suicidal degree. He seems to care little whether he lives or dies, or who he harms, as long as he is able to [[Break the Cutie|mess up the heroes as much as humanly possible]]
* Kamina from ''[[Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann]]''. [[Determinator|'Give up' is not a word in his vocabulary]], nor is [[Idiot Hero|'tactics', 'sound judgment', or 'subtlety']].
** To a lesser extent, everyone else, ''even the bad guys!''
* Bjorn in ''[[Vinland Saga]]'', apart from being a Berserker, is also a real ''berserkr''. After eating a special mushroom he flies into an uncontrollable fury, and is able to rip apart multiple enemies with his bare hands. Problem is he has a habit of killing his own men at the same time, just as any true berserker would. His name even means bear in Nordic languages.
* Vita from ''[[Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha]]'' fits this trope nicely. She's a badass [[Determinator]] with a giant hammer and even says herself that destroying is the best thing she can do. For example, in the fight with Nanoha, after her [[Berserk Button|hat gets damaged]], her [[Hellish Pupils|pupils were narrowing in shock]], just before she [[Unstoppable Rage|goes ballistic and beats Nanoha like a screaming warrior]].
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* ''[[Bleach]]'': Kenpachi Zaraki. His berserker nature makes him happy in battle, to the point where getting cut makes him laugh and the more he gets cut, the more he laughs. He's an example of someone who is technically on the good guys side who is unrepentant about his nature. He ''likes''' being that way. Allies and opponents alike find him extremely unnerving to be around on the battlefield.
* Dawn's Mamoswine in ''[[Pokémon (anime)|Pokémon]]'', arguably even worse than Ash's Charizard in its inability to follow orders.
* Shizuo Heiwajima from ''[[Durarara!!]]''. It's bad enough that he's [[Super Strength|inhumanly strong]] and [[Unstoppable Rage|uncontrollably violent]] when angry (read: ''[[Hair-Trigger Temper|all the time]]''), he also happens to have such an insanely high pain threshold that even multiple gunshot wounds barely
* ''[[Ranma
* Koululu from ''[[Zatch Bell]]'' becomes a berserker in the truest sense of the word when her spells are activated.
* In ''[[Naruto]]'', the [[Jekyll and Hyde|Curse Seal]] personality of Jūgo behaves like this, willing to attack anyone it encounters.
== [[Comic Books]] ==
== Comics ==▼
* [[Wolverine]] of ''[[X-Men (Comic Book)|X-Men]]''. Though with his [[Power Creep, Power Seep|increasingly effective]] healing factor, he's really got nothing to worry about. Of course, this leads to [[Good Thing You Can Heal|unfortunate]] [[The Worf Effect|consequences.]]
* Edward Hyde, as portrayed in ''[[The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen]]'' is a Berserker. Initially he is just so powerful that he doesn't need to worry about taking risks in battle, but this shifts in the second volume {{spoiler|when he takes perverse pleasure in sacrificing himself for the sake of killing some H.G. Wells Martians}}.
** Marvel Comics has its own version of Mr. Hyde (criminal scientist Calvin Zabo), usually an enemy of [[The Mighty Thor|Thor]], who fits. In his alternate, super-strong form, Zabo is a practical embodiment of rage.
* In ''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Mirage]]'', both Raphael and Casey Jones begin like this until they meet each other, which allows them both to gain some perspective; although they eventually cool down considerably, they are both keenly aware of their tendency to fly off the handle when provoked and try to avoid it.
* Hooded Justice, the first ever superhero in the ''[[Watchmen (comics)|Watchmen]]'' universe, was one of these. In his first ever case as a vigilante, HJ beat up a street thug so bad he lost the use of his legs for the rest of his life.
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* Good luck if you manage to piss off [[Superman]]. [[Beware the Nice Ones|It doesn't happen often but when it does...]]
▲== Fan Fiction ==
* Shinji Ikari in ''[[Points of Familiarity]]''.
* The Master Chief in ''[[Halo Combat Deformed]]''.
== [[Film]] ==
* The aptly-named Sven the Berserk in ''[[Erik the Viking]]'' is one comedic example.
** His father, the also aptly-named [[Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep"|Sven's Dad]], is also a berserker, though a "retired" one. At one point, Sven's Dad explains the philosophy of the Berserk, and does so in a funny voice, too!
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** It helps that he has a [[Barrier Warrior|really big shield]].
* Hilariously subverted by [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|Mr. Furious]] in ''[[Mystery Men]]''. He gets angry. He gets ''real'' angry. And that's it. No super-strength, no supernatural resistance to pain or injury, and he doesn't [[Hulking Out|change into a monster]]. He's just a raging [[Ben Stiller]] with all the fighting ability of a loaf of bread.
** Until he finally [[Berserk Button|finds something]] to get ''righteously'' furious about, and suddenly [[Unstoppable Rage|becomes as
*** Which can be easily explained - he ''does'' gain power when he's furious. However, all the other times when he was ''trying'' to be furious were just moments of frustration at best. Not the same thing.
* Dying in battle was a family tradition for Lieutenant Dan Taylor in ''[[Forrest Gump]]'' and he is furious when Forrest saves him (especially since he was crippled by his injury).
* [[The Joker]] as portrayed by [[Heath Ledger]] in 2008's ''[[The Dark Knight Saga]]'' is concerned only with sowing chaos and panic, even if it means sacrificing himself in the process. Although he typically leaves himself a prearranged "back door" of sorts, a sort of [[Locking MacGyver in the Store Cupboard]] scenario in which all of the materiel required for a quick escape is secreted away, if not on his person, somewhere remote from the Joker himself (but close enough at hand to pull his fat out of the fire), these "escape clauses" sometimes seem as potentially fatal to the Joker as his enemies.
* Benjamin Martin in ''[[The Patriot]]'' exhibits berserker-like qualities in battle. Especially his first and last fight scenes.
* In old flicks with [[The Three Stooges]], Curly can become an unstoppable powerhouse who can flatten men twice his size if he hears the tune "Pop Goes the Weasel".
== [[Literature]] ==▼
* Wulfgar, the barbarian from the popular ''Drizzt'' novels (based on the [[
▲== Literature ==
▲* Wulfgar, the barbarian from the popular ''Drizzt'' novels (based on the [[Dungeons and Dragons|Dungeons & Dragons]] ''[[Forgotten Realms]]'' setting), seems to fit into this type in almost every fight he's in after being resurrected after a decade of torment by Errtu. Unable to cope with the hopelessness and torture he endured, and fearing that his escape is all [[Lotus Eater Machine|some dream]], he fights recklessly. Several times, Drizzt and others have had to divert their tactics to save him from himself.
** For that matter, Drizzt himself also shows aspects of the trope. In a mild form, he's often surprised other characters at how enthusiastically he joins battle against evil foes (especially giantkin). In a played-straight form, he has his [[Unstoppable Rage|Hunter persona]], when he lets his survival instinct take complete control. True to form, he does sometimes suffer a [[Heroic BSOD]] after these instances.
* Fitz, protagonist of [[Robin Hobb]]'s ''Farseer'' and ''Tawny Man'' trilogies, tends to go into a "battle haze" whenever he fights, disregarding his own safety to [[An Axe to Grind|savagely lay about himself]]. This makes him very effective during battle, but then he's left standing around delirious for a few minutes until the berserker-mode wears off.
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* Touchstone, from Garth Nix's ''[[Old Kingdom|Sabriel]]'' goes into rages that give him frightening power and disregard for things such as physical impossibilities (i.e. trying to hoist up a throne affixed to the floor so he can throw it at someone.) He regrets these bitterly, and they are said to be the result of his mother's affair with a warrior from the North. It is revealed towards the end of ''Sabriel'' that this is why he was [[Human Popsicle|frozen as a figurehead of a ship for 200 years.]]
** His son, Sam, inherits this trait to a degree. Perhaps due to his more cautious disposition, he never loses himself to the extent that Touchstone does.
* The Badger Lords, and anyone else unfortunate enough to have the bloodwrath, from Brian Jacque's ''[[Redwall]]'' series. When the bloodwrath takes over, the warrior will throw themselves into battle, seeking to reach and kill their mortal enemy. They are completely heedless of their own safety, and will kill
*
** Eomer when he finds his sister after she kills the Witch King.
** Hell, the ''entire army of Rohan'' went on a [[Roaring Rampage of Revenge]] at this point. If charging at the enemy screaming "Death" doesn't fit this trope I don't know what does.
** A few characters from ''[[The Silmarillion]]'' also qualify. For instance:
{{quote|''"Maedhros did deeds of surpassing valour, and the Orcs fled before his face; for since his torment upon Thangorodrim his spirit burned like a white fire within."''}}
** Beorn, in ''[[The Hobbit]]''. His role in the Battle of Five Armies occurs offscreen, but given how Gandalf describes it, he clearly qualifies.
* In [[James Swallow]]'s ''[[Warhammer
* [[David Weber]]'s ''[[The War Gods|War God's Oath]]'' series features an entire species of these. It's somewhat involuntary, and they're not happy about that.
* Erik Hakkonsen from the ''[[Heirs of Alexandria|Shadow of the Lion]]'' series is capable of this, but since he doesn't know friend from foe once he enters a rage, he refuses to do it when the prince he's guarding is nearby.
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* [[Evil Overlord|Galbatorix]] creates groups of magically modified soldiers who cannot feel pain in the third book of the ''[[Inheritance Cycle]]''. They disregard their safety because they can take crippling injuries and continue on, making them a whole ''army'' of berserkers.
* Jarek of ''[[The Seventh Tower]]''.
* In the ''[[Forgotten Realms|Starlight and Shadows]]'' trilogy by Elaine Cunningham one of protagonists is a berserker. Since they abilities are considered partially magical, when Toril's magic was messed up, he became a little closer to the
* Boïndil from ''[[Dwarves]]'', {{spoiler|to the point that he mistook his wife for an orc and killed her while raging. And he's a good guy.}}
* In [[Robert E. Howard|Robert E Howard]]'s [[Conan the Barbarian]] story "[[Rogues in the House]]", "The dust of the gray lotus, from the Swamps of the Dead, beyond the land of Khitai" turns some trapped intruders into this. They have no one to turn on but each other.
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* The protagonist of ''[[The Underland Chronicles]]'' has a natural capacity to go into this state when his life is in danger. It's not always voluntary, which is ''really'' bad for a character who normally hates to kill.
* Hurt her husband or her son and [[Amelia Peabody]] becomes something far more elemental than an English lady. Watch out for the parasol.
* Although berserkers (''berserkir'') frequently appear in [[The Icelandic Sagas]], they often do not actually fit this trope: More often than not, they are merely villains and troublemakers who live by robbing and blackmailing people and who never actually prove the supernatural ferocity that they claim to possess; the implication is that they just want to scare people into submission with their bogus "berserk powers". However, one
* Valgard of ''[[The Broken Sword]]'':
{{quote|But after a while the berserkergang began to come on Valgard, he trembled and frothed and gnawed the rim of his shield, he rushed forward howling and slaying.}}
* [[Harry Harrison]] and Tom Shippey's "The Hammer and the Cross" trilogy features a realistic Nordic berserkr as a major supporting character. When not fighting, he's brooding and melancholy, prone to fits of heavy drinking. When fighting, he's a [[Death Seeker]]. One of the main characters notes that all "true" berserkrs are inherently [[Death Seeker
* Taur Urgas of ''[[Belgariad]]''. He's the [[Ax Crazy]] King of Cthol Murgos, and [[The Brute]] of the series' [[Five-Bad Band]]. He's a total mental case who sleeps in his armour, is prone to fits of madness during which he does everything from commit murder to chewing the furniture, and completely gives into his rage in battle, actually frothing at the mouth as he leads his troops into battle. His madness gives his men a peculiar sense of invincibility, and when he dies (while [[Blood Knight|demanding his enemy come back and fight]]) their spirits are completely broken.
* [[The Brute|Adus]] of ''[[The Elenium]]'' becomes this towards the end. Already an [[Ax Crazy]] mentally-handicapped [[Psycho for Hire]], he loses his mind during the climax, to the point where he cuts his way through his own troops to get at [[The Lancer|Kalten]].
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* [[Tom Holt|''Who's Afraid of Beowulf?'']] features Starkad the Berserker, the sweetest, kindest if rather dim hero you'd ever want to meet - outside of battle that is.
* The [[Our Orcs Are Different|Koloss]] from ''[[Mistborn]]'' are an entire ''race'' of berserkers. They're used as shock troops by [[The Empire]] {{spoiler|and were in fact originally created for this purpose}}, but in the first book the protagonists don't have to worry about them since they're operating [[La Résistance]] in [[The Empire]]'s capital, and the koloss's blood rage means they can't ''ever'' be allowed near major population centers you want to leave standing. {{spoiler|In the second and third books after the Lord Ruler, who was essentially restraining them telepathically, dies, the koloss start wandering around in hordes and killing anyone they can get their hands on. Eventually the new [[Big Bad]], Ruin, takes command of them}}.
* ''[[Discworld
▲== Live Action TV ==
* Numerous alien species from the various ''[[Star Trek]]'' franchises, including the Klingons and Jem'Hadar (the latter first appearing in ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine|Deep Space Nine]]'' continuity), are brutally fierce warrior races which not only show no fear of death but in some instances actually seem to relish the prospect of death in battle (although the ''[[Star Trek: Enterprise|Enterprise]]'' franchise plays down this aspect of Klingon culture somewhat).
* Gem and Gemma of ''[[Power Rangers RPM]]''. A pair of [[Psychopathic Manchild]] [[Adult Child
* [[Kamen Rider Double]]'s [[Mid-Season Upgrade]], FangJoker, first started out as this, due to Philip's difficulty in controlling it.
** The next Rider, [[Kamen Rider OOO|OOO]], had a similar problem, except this time, it was his [[Super Mode]], PuToTyra Combo, that was uncontrollable.
== [[Music]] ==▼
▲== Music ==
* A few characters from [[Food for the Gods]], most notably ''The Black Knight''.
* ''[[Manowar]]''{{'}}s "The Sons of Odin," in a particularly [[Badass]] part of the song:
{{quote|''Onward, into the heart of the battle fought the sons of Odin.''
''Outnumbered many times, still they fought on.''
''[[Overdrawn At the Blood Bank|Blood poured forth]] from their wounds deep into the earth.
''Vultures waited for the broken shells that once were bodies.
''But Odin alone would choose the day they would enter Valhalla
''AND [[In Its Hour of Need|IN THEIR HOUR OF NEED]] HE SENT FORTH UNTO THEM... <big>'''[[Unstoppable Rage|THE BERSERKER RAGE!]]'''</big>
<big>''NOW GODS AND MEN THEY ROSE UP FROM THE GROUND SCREAMING LIKE WILD ANIMALS,''</big
<big>''[[Drunk on the Dark Side|SUCH IS THE GIFT OF ABSOLUTE POWER!]]''</big
<big>''[[The Juggernaut|NO BLADE OR WEAPON COULD HARM THEM;]]''</big
'''<big>
'''<big>
'''<big>
* [[Heather Alexander]]'s "Don't Call My Name In Battle" has a berserker giving some very important advice to his comrades:
{{quote|''Don't call my name in battle -- it's not wise.
''Do not distract me when you see a new soul in these eyes.
''For when the war god fills this flesh I wear,
''I am no more your friend; I am the spirit of the bear.
''Don't call my name in battle -- stand away,
''For I will never hear you, but some other creature may.
''It never sees a friend, but only foes.
''Just count the bodies lying where this taken body goes.
''Don't call my name in battle -- wait the time,
''Until I fall and rise again with eyes you know are mine.
''And then perhaps we'll rest and talk of home.
''But you'll not be surprised to see how much I walk alone. }}
* Brad Neely's ''Role Play Tournament (Be Aggressive)'' chronicles how a tabletop RPG player wins a tournament with his berserker-type character. It even goes as far as revealing his self-examination, in that despite his own admission of his lack of self-control, he just goes on punching holes in ships and ripping other characters asunder.
{{quote|''Mirror, mirror, uh
''Up on the wall, uh
''Who's the baddest motherfucker of them all, uh
''Just like Columbus, uh
''He get the bloodlust, uh
''Just like Columbus he get murderous on purpose }}
* '[http://www.jamendo.com/en/track/475780 Berserker]' by Rubén Álvarez (naturally)<sup><ref>For English lyrics try Google translate -- it works well on this one.</ref></sup>.
== [[Oral Tradition]], [[Folklore]], Myths and Legends ==
* In [[Celtic Mythology|Irish legend]], when the hero Cuchulainn went into "warp-spasm," he was
▲* In [[Celtic Mythology|Irish legend]], when the hero Cuchulainn went into "warp-spasm," he was invincible -- but could not distinguish friend from foe.
* Lancelot from [[King Arthur|Arthurian legends]] had many aspects of this trope. When Monty Python did their ''Holy Grail'' movie, Lancelot's character was preserved. He was memorable for scenes where he would kill innocents and be pretty sorry for it later, just like the stories.
* Lu Bu of the ''[[Romance of the Three Kingdoms]]'' mythos only knows of two commands: "kill" and "kill faster". He's one of the most powerful characters you encounter in ''[[Dynasty Warriors]]'', and it will take an extremely high-leveled character to survive a direct assault against him. Yuan Shao said it best in the Battle of Hu Lao Gate in ''DW3'': "[[Memetic Badass|Don't pursue Lu Bu]]".
** ''DW6'' ups the ante by providing a Musou Mode for Lu Bu. During this, you (playing as Lu Bu) jumps headfirst into several historical, large-scale battles, usually accompanied only by one or two squads of retainers, and proceeds to take on BOTH armies. For no other reason than the desire to fight and kill. At the end, you are looking out from above Hu Lao Gate at an army consisting of the joined forces of EVERY hero and warlord of the Three Kingdoms period, including several who've [[Back
** Ironically, the source material subverts this
* Although [[Homer|Ajax]] from ''[[The Iliad]]'' is described as a defensive fighter in the poem, a post-Homeric source makes him into this. At one point, blind with fury over not getting the recently-deceased Achilles' armor, he goes into a [[Unstoppable Rage|berserk rage]] and kills a bunch of sheep, thinking they are the Greek army. When he realizes what he has done, he is [[Driven to Suicide]]. He is depicted the same way in ''[[Troy]]'', although the whole "sheep-killing" thing is skipped over.
** Diomedes also fits, being unwilling to stand down in the face of two deities. He [[Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?|wounds both of them]] and forces them to retreat.
** Achilles himself is also an
* [[Classical Mythology|Heracles]] was also known to fly into mad rages at times. This was never a pleasant thing for anyone he was
** Not to mention the Maenads, Dionysus's female followers. Presumably, before joining Dionysus's cult, they were normal women. But in their ritualistic frenzies, what with their chanting, shrieking, and ''tearing people and animals apart with their bare hands'', they'd be at least as terrifying as the Viking [[Trope Namers]].
== [[Tabletop Games]] ==▼
* Khornate Berserkers in both ''Warhammer'' and ''[[Warhammer
▲== Tabletop Games ==
▲* Khornate Berserkers in both ''Warhammer'' and ''[[Warhammer 40000]]''. The 40k Berserkers actually undergo voluntary lobotomies to increase their psychotic blood lust. The page quote is one of their most infamous warcries.
** Blood Angels Death Company. When they meet the above, things get ''really'' bloody, even by 40K's standards.
** Don't forget both [[Blood Knight|da Orks]] and many [[Boisterous Bruiser|Space Wolves]] of the ranks of Blood Claw or Skyclaw.
** Kharn the Betrayer takes it [[Up to Eleven]] when he attacked his own fellow World Eaters when they wouldn't fight in the cold.
** ''[[Warhammer Fantasy Battle]]'' is no slacker, with Witch Elves, Savage Orcs, Skaven Plague Monks, and anyone else with the Frenzy special rule. One classic Skaven spell, Death Frenzy, would turn any Skaven unit into this... but they'd be so psychotic that they would rip each other to shreds as well.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080615013429/http://www.kazenoshiro.com/kazenoshiro/3/baddeath.htm Hida Amoro], one of the Crab Clan's best warriors from ''[[Legend of the Five Rings]]'', is a Berserker. However, he is cool-headed and rational (unlike most Crab Clan) outside of combat. As he fights his vision slowly becomes red-tinted until he has no control left. It is said that this is the only reason he isn't a higher
{{quote|The other Crab soldiers almost felt sad for the poor goblins that died by impaling themselves on the spears of those behind them while fleeing, so great was their fear of Amoro.}}
* In ''[[
** In many editions of D&D, Barbarians in general qualify as these, though unlike the Frenzied Berserker, they have some control over who they go after when they start laying about with their big melee weapons.
* In the classic Avalon Hill WWII game
* Any vampire can do this in ''[[Vampire: The Requiem]]''
* The tiraks in ''[[Eon]]'', especially the frakk, are quite (in)famous for this ability. Mind you, since tiraks are well above humans in terms of strength and endurance, they can afford to be a bit reckless.
== [[Video Games]] ==▼
▲== Video Games ==
* The Berserker Class from ''[[Adventure Quest Worlds]]'' There are also Berserker Armors like Berserker Champion and Berserker Bunny there is even a test-class called Beta Berserker
* Sork from ''[[Treasure of the Rudra]]'' is always itching for a fight.
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* [[Boisterous Bruiser]] Minsc and [[Sociopathic Hero]] Korgan from the ''[[Baldur's Gate|Baldurs Gate]]'' series are both good examples of this trope. Despite being the good one of the two, Minsc's berserker rage is even more indiscriminate than Korgan's, as he is prone to attacking his allies if no enemies are present.
* Saix from ''[[Kingdom Hearts II]]'', while normally seeming to be cold and composed, becomes this in battle when the moon shines upon him.
** [[Beauty and the Beast|Beast]] probably counts too. He always charge against [[The Heartless]] head-on with horns, teeth, claws, and a [[Battle Cry|roar]], hell just the roar can kill the weaker ones, and [[Hercules (
** The bigger Heartless attack more ruthlessly if they're running low on life.
** One Nobody race is even called "Berserker", and they're commanded by Saix.
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** ''[[Final Fantasy II]]'' had a Berserk spell that didn't make the characters uncontrollable, making it far more useful.
** ''[[Final Fantasy XI]]'' also has Berserk as a Warrior Job Ability. Upon use, the player retains full control of the player and receives a 25% increase to the Attack stat, but at the cost of a 25% penalty to defense.
* In ''[[Battle for Wesnoth]]'' whenever a Dwarvish Ulfserker enters melee combat, the attack cycle will repeat until one of the units dies or ''if'' the battle lasts for thirty rounds (which is ''extremely'' rare). This makes them extremely good at slaughtering [[Squishy Wizard
* Grom Hellscream from ''[[Warcraft]] II'' and ''III''. His rage leads to him actually doing a [[Leeroy Jenkins]] attack in WC3 (several years before the [[Trope Namers]] did his stuff).
** Trolls have had Berserkers since their first appearance in Warcraft II. Unlike most depictions of Berserkers, they're ranged attackers that throw spears or axes at their opponents. They have an improved [[Healing Factor|regeneration]] and have an ability that makes them attack faster but take more damage. Troll Berserkers are incredibly buff and even larger then Orc Grunts! This state is achieved through goblin or troll [[Alchemy]] experimentation and you actually see the trolls [[Hulking Out|hulk out]] when upgraded to berserkers. An interesting tidbit was that in Warcraft II, Troll Berserkers were the only trolls seen with tusks.
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** Rollout would be a prime example. Once commanded, the Pokémon continues attacking for five turns, unless they miss or are KOed. The first hit is pretty weak, but each one after that doubles in power, making the fifth hit almost as powerful as Explosion (BEFORE the nerf to the latter move in ''[[Pokémon Black and White]]''). Use Defense Curl first, which doubles Rollout's power yet again, and Rollout's fifth hit is the most powerful attack in the game.
* In ''[[Sonic Colors]]'', the Wii-exclusive Purple Wisp turns ''Sonic'' into one, able to chomp through anything in his path.
* [[Shadow Era]] seems to portray its Warrior-Class heroes as these. This is furthered by the equitable weapons they can use: both gain damage as deaths occur; one for [[Roaring Rampage of Revenge|your allies]] and one for
* [[The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind|Morrowind's]] Bloodmoon expansion has a group of Nords (who themselves are almost definitely modeled off of nordic cultures) on a frozen island who run about naked (actually in a loincloth, due to the game's lack of real nudity) despite the freezing temperature and who attack anything and everything on sight, regardless of their own wellbeing.
** Also from the Elder Scrolls series, Orcs have the ability to enter a Berserker Rage as a ''racial'' ability, meaning that EVERY SINGLE ORC has the ''potential'' at least to become a frenzied, bloodthirsty warrior.
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** In addition, most games have the Berserk staff. If a character is hit by this, they cannot be controlled, and will automatically attack the nearest unit, be it on their side or not. This is rather irritating. [[Hilarity Ensues|Unless it hits a unit who cannot attack...]]
* Kratos of ''[[God of War (series)|God of War]]'' runs on a rage that has been the ruin of men, monsters, and even gods alike. When he gets going, only a fool stands in his way.
* Asura from ''[[Asura's Wrath]]'' puts every other example in this list to SHAME. He even admits in one scene that getting angry is the only thing he's good at. When he gets angry no one, and we mean [[One-Man Army|NO ONE]], can stop him. {{spoiler|Not even HIS creator.}} And those who try are, to put it simply, [[Curb Stomp Battle|SCREWED.]]
** And then {{spoiler|his [[One-Winged Angel|Berserker form]] and [[Clipped-Wing Angel|Wrath form]] comes along and cranks the concept [[Up to Eleven]].}}
*** How bad is it? Well {{spoiler|his Berserker form keeps going until he ends up destroying his own arms and his Wrath form causes more damage to himself than to the target in his relentless assults.}}
* [[The Alcoholic|Oghren]] from ''[[Dragon Age]]'' is a [[Blood Knight]] [[Our Dwarves Are All the Same|dwarven]] berserker with a [[American Accents|Texas drawl]] and a misguided idea that [[Casanova Wannabe|the ladies love him]]; you can also make other warrior characters berserkers if you get Oghren to teach them or you find the Berserker tome.
▲== [[Web Comics]] ==
== Web Comics ==▼
* Ed from ''[[Megatokyo]]'' not only seems to relish bloodshed and destruction and to engage in said activities with reckless abandon, he has himself been seriously maimed and/or killed numerous times only to be rebuilt/resurrected by his superiors that he might put himself (willingly) in harm's way again.
* ''[[Dominic Deegan]]'' had a one-shot character named Brok that was hired by the Infernomancer during his first appearance, who goes into an [[Unstoppable Rage]] after Bumper tries (and fails) to knock him out by smashing a staff on the back of his head. He was at first meant to have a much longer run, but writer/artist Mookie stated that he just didn't feel right throwing in a Berserker-type character in a magic-based world, so a raging Brok chases Stunt and Bumper into the sunset and is never seen again.
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* In ''[[Thistil Mistil Kistil]]'', [http://tmkcomic.depleti.com/comic/ch03-pg16/ Coal's father, apparently.]
* In ''[[The Gamers Alliance]]'', Razoul and the warriors of Vanna's Black Guard in general. They tend to devour Drakeroot before battle in order to become more ferocious and powerful, but the root also has the side effect of turning them into nearly mindless brutes as a result.
* Regan Bard in ''[[Void Dogs]]'' uses this, referred to in text as the "warp spasm" of Irish myth.
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* Darth Apparatus in ''[[The Gungan Council]]''. He may seem reserved when not in battle. Yet when the lightsabers light up, he rips apart enemies in a fit of pure rage. He even used [[Dragon Age|Oghren's]] quotes on berserkers while describing how he fights.
== [[Western Animation]] ==▼
▲== Western Animation ==
* Zuko of ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]'' is prone to such moments (running Zhao's Fire Navy fleet, seeking out fights with his more powerful sister) because [[Determinator|he truly cannot fathom walking away from a fight]].
* Dinobot of ''[[Transformers]]: [[Beast Wars]]'', is the very ''definition'' of this one. He didn't ''want'' to die, but wasn't ''afraid'' of it, either... Seeing a battle through to the end was a pretty significant part of his code of honor. {{spoiler|True to form, he went out in a blaze of glory.}}
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* Lemongrab of ''[[Adventure Time]]''. It's easier to think of something that DOESN'T make him angry than the other way around. Being a failed experiment with some kind of ambiguous mental disorder, this guy also has serious anger issues, which leads to him literally always screaming and sending innocent people to the dungeon for a million years. So much as one benign word to this man, and he will make your ears bleed, then throw your ass in prison for the rest of your life, and longer.
* The minor character Shoza in ''Shogun's Samurai''. When Tadanaga chooses to surrender to avoid the massacre of his troops, his retainer rebukes his decision. The samurai boldly announces his independence before his former master and the enemy and proceeds to set off on a lone charge, determined to defeat every last soldier and retrieve the rival prince's head. Even the enemy commander sincerely declares that Tadanaga has one hell of a retainer on his hands before ordering his troops to gun him down.
* [[Captain Obvious|The Berserkers]], a group of pirates from ''[[ThunderCats (1985 series)|ThunderCats]]''. Later returned [[Ninja Zombie Pirate Robot| as cybernetic pirates.]]
* The Scotsman's wife in ''[[Samurai Jack]]''. When the [[Physical God|Master of the Hunt]] makes the mistake of [[You Are Fat|calling her "fat"]] she flies into a rage where [[Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?| she takes ''him'' down]] and then [[One Woman Army|rips his ''entire army'' apart]]! Oh, and she is the ''only'' warrior in the ''entire franchise'' whom Jack actually fled from!
* In ''[[Helluva Boss]]'', both [[Beastess|Loona]] and Millie show this trait; in regards to the latter, Blitzo claims it would take a "roided up hippo" to stop her when she is angry, and he isn't lying.
== [[Real Life]] ==▼
* [[Horny Vikings|The Vikings]] are both the [[Trope Namer
▲== Real Life ==
▲* [[Horny Vikings|The Vikings]] are both the [[Trope Namer|Trope Namers]] and the best examples; among their soldiers there were the fabled Berserkers, warriors who, in a [[Unstoppable Rage|drug-induced fit of rage]], would plunge themselves into battle wearing little to no armor and slash their way through countless amounts of enemies, and earned themselves the mythic reputation they have today.
* The Viking at Stamford Bridge [[You Shall Not Pass|volunteered to stay behind alone and hold back the Saxons while they waited for their reinforcements to arrive.]] For an hour, he stood alone on the bridge, killing over 40 men and wounding dozens more. He was only stopped when one soldier got the smart idea of floating in a barrel underneath the bridge, and jammed a spear up through the bridge [[Groin Attack|right between the Viking's legs]], if you know what I mean.
* As mentioned above, Audie Murphy had two berserker moments during the course of [[World War II]].
* The
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