The Berserker: Difference between revisions

[[File:berserk202ks5 5762.jpg|link=Berserk|thumb|300px|Yet another futile attempt by Guts to engage in a civil conversation.]]

 

 

 

[[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]].

 

{{examples}}

* 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.

**** 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.

* Myojin Yahiko in ''[[Rurouni Kenshin]]''.

* 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]]—and with as much panache as he can wring out of it -- [[Taking You with Me|in the process]]. In the light novels, it is revealed that his destructive attitude stems from a lethal cancer that would kill him sooner or later anyway.

* 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]].

* 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 register—And, even then, only when he looks down and realizes that he's bleeding all over himself.

* 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.

 

* [[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}}.

* 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.

* Good luck if you manage to piss off [[Superman]]. [[Beware the Nice Ones|It doesn't happen often but when it does...]]

 

* Shinji Ikari in ''[[Points of Familiarity]]''.

* The Master Chief in ''[[Halo Combat Deformed]]''.

 

* 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!

** 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.

*** 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.

 

* Wulfgar, the barbarian from the popular ''Drizzt'' novels (based on the [[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.

** 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 anyone—friend or foe—who tries to get in their way or otherwise stop them. They usually end up killing scores of foes, their mortal enemy, and themselves.

** 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."''}}

* In [[James Swallow]]'s ''[[Warhammer 40,000]]'' novels ''[[Blood Angels|Deus Encarmine'' and ''Deus Sanguinius]]'', the Blood Angels are perpetually tempted by their "flaw", the "red thirst", which transforms them into this when they succumb. Stele unleashes it in opponents to be rid of them. {{spoiler|At the climax, Rafen succumbs to this; on the other hand, it does [[Situational Sword|unlock the powers]] of the [[Blade on a Stick|Spear of Telesto]] for him, and the daemon he fights is shocked to see that the many futures in which Rafen failed instantly vanish. Then the spear protects him. When the dying daemon unleashes it in the other Blood Angels, they terrify their enemies, who retreat although [[Attack! Attack! Attack!|they never retreat]], and the spear even, astoundingly enough, lets Rafen bring back his battle brothers who had succumbed.}}

* [[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.

* [[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}}.

 

* 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]]ren who have a five year old's facination for guns and explosions (or rather, "boom time") and a [[Henshin Hero]]'s armory. They have to be reminded rather frequently to, for example, not blow up the enemy factory until prisoners have been removed.

** The next Rider, [[Kamen Rider OOO|OOO]], had a similar problem, except this time, it was his [[Super Mode]], PuToTyra Combo, that was uncontrollable.

 

* A few characters from [[Food for the Gods]], most notably ''The Black Knight''.

<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>

* 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.

* '[http://www.jamendo.com/en/track/475780 Berserker]' by Rubén Álvarez (naturally)^{<ref>For English lyrics try Google translate -- it works well on this one.</ref>}.

 

* 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.

** 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]].

 

* Khornate Berserkers in both ''Warhammer'' and ''[[Warhammer 40,000]]''. 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.

* In ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'', the frenzied berserker class can enter frenzies for bonuses. If it kills all the enemies in sight? They start killing allies.

** 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.

* 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.

 

* 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.

** 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.

** 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.

 

* 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.

* 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.

* 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.

 

* 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.}}

* 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.

 

* [[Horny Vikings|The Vikings]] are both the [[Trope Namer]]s 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.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Stock Characters]]

[[Category:Character Flaw Index]]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Berserker, The}}