Berserk: 10 Times The Manga Went Too Far

Berserk is one of the most difficult manga to read, not because it’s difficult to understand, but because it may be terrifying.

Berserk is without a doubt one of the darkest fantasy stories ever created. The long-running magnum opus of mangaka Kentaro Miura strikes a fine balance between genuine human moments and the absolute worst that people can do to one another – the latter is certain to give anyone nightmares.

Berserk features some of the bloodiest and most bizarre occurrences imaginable, leading one to question what is going on in Miura’s head. While some may argue that Berserk went too far in some areas, others argue that these are the moments that define the manga. In any event, the story’s violent aesthetic may not be for everyone.

1. Mozgus’ Inquisition Chamber Is Filled With Horrors

Bishop Mozgus is a zealous priest who believes that torturing “heretics” will force them to see the light, and he built a dungeon dedicated to this purpose. Mozgus and his pet torturers run an inquisition chamber in the heart of Albion’s castle, where they perform all kinds of atrocities on the human body. Those who live are blessed, while those who do not are cursed.

The most terrifying aspect about Mozgus is that he is the figure in Berserk who is closest to reality. Mozgus’ torture instruments, such as the rack and the iron maiden, are based on medieval torture techniques, and his fervent fanaticism is reminiscent of the Spanish Inquisition, one of many overzealous religious institutions.In typical Berserk fashion, each torture is drawn in fully graphic detail and yet, this is somehow the tamest example on this list.

2. Anything That Happened In The Troll Cave

Guts’ sidequest in the troll cave, according to the Berserk fanbase, is impeded the otherwise strong Millennium Falcon arc. This was not only because it dragged down a resurrected Griffith’s battle with Ganishka, but also because the trolls were despicable in every aspect.

Trolls raid communities and steal women, just like they do in fairy tales. Berserk, on the other hand, goes a step further by explaining that the trolls do this in order to reproduce in their cave, where baby trolls violently blast out of their mothers’ bellies. Guts massacres the trolls while his companions rescues the ladies. But then Slan emerges from the trolls’ gore, tying and assaulting Guts before he stabs her – an act that apparently pleasures her.

3. Gambino Sells Guts For Three Silver Coins

Guts has had a difficult existence, but his genesis tale is far more difficult than anyone could have imagined. Guts is adopted by Gambino, a mercenary commander who treats him tough at first but soon becomes a father figure. Gambino’s parenthood phase, on the other hand, is short-lived, and all it takes is three silver coins to put an end to it.

Gambino is contacted by Donovan, a fellow mercenary, who offers to buy the 9-year-old child for the night after a conflict. When Guts confronts Gambino, he accepts, but later denies it. Guts murders Donovan and Gambino shortly after, but this one night has forever changed him.Minus a few hints, this part of his backstory is almost always left out of Berserk’s animations for a reason.

4. Griffith Sacrifices The Band Of The Hawk

Nothing in all of Berserk and comics is as terrifying as the Eclipse. Readers/viewers are subjected to the horrific deaths of cherished characters such as Corkus, Pippin, Judeau, and their companions in Berserk. Worse, they are all sacrificed by their commander Griffith, who thanks them for their service by sacrificing them for his power fantasies.

Berserk has already endeared the mercenaries to both Guts and the readers at this point, which makes this all the more terrible. It’s easy to understand Guts’ unfathomable loathing for Griffith after watching the Band of the Hawk fed to creatures who take sadistic pleasure in devouring human flesh. Nonetheless, this is far from the Eclipse’s worst feature.

5. Revisiting The Eclipse & Casca’s Nightmares

The only thing scarier than the Eclipse is having to go through it again, as Schierke and Lady Farnese discovered in the elf kingdom of Elfhelm. The two witches enter Casca’s mindscape and go through her dreams, which have transformed into a horrible nightmare since the Eclipse.

Casca’s nightmares are an abstraction of her trauma, in which she sees herself as a small helpless doll and Guts as a severely damaged black dog. Griffith’s assault and treachery are represented by frighteningly Freudian monstrosities in her dreams. It’s one thing to see the Band of the Hawk sentenced to eternal damnation, but it’s another to see it reimagined from the perspective of the one who had suffered the most.

6. The Slan Cult’s Orgy Is Painful To Watch

A hedonistic orgy conducted by a cult dedicated to Slan is rather tame by Berserk’s standards. This one, which takes place in the middle of the Conviction arc, isn’t the first of its kind in the manga, but what makes it unique is what happens halfway through. Lost souls attack the cultists and take over their bodies in the midst of the revelry.

The cult’s figurehead – a man with a goat’s head – gets possessed and transformed into an actual Baphomet in the midst of it all. The Great Goat then continues to attack Casca, revealing its nether regions, which turn out to be a snake. Guts, thankfully, intervenes and kills the Great Goat before things can get much worse.

7. The King Of Midland Assaults His Daughter

While this incident may seem insignificant in compared to Eldritch horrors and humanity’s capacity for evil, its apparent normalcy adds to its terror. In one of Berserk’s worse moments, the King of Midland acts on his fantasies for his teenage daughter, Charlotte.

The King imprisons and tortures Griffith for sleeping with Charlotte, but Charlotte quickly realizes that the king is behaving out of jealousy rather than paternal instinct. The king assaults Charlotte, enraged because Griffith sees right through him and envious of his bond with his daughter, though she manages to kick him off her.

8. Lady Farnese’s Terrible Night

Lady Farnese, to put it mildly, has a lot of unresolved issues. For example, she is roused by the sight of heretics being burned at the stake, and she flagellates herself in prayer. Soon after she and the Holy Iron Chain Knights capture a weakened Guts, these tendencies come to a head. Guts’ presence as a sacrifice attracts the spirits of the damned, which they are unaware of.

The spirits chase Guts and Farnese after they kidnap Farnese to escape out of the camp. Some stray animals are possessed by the souls, notably the iconic horse that attacks a half-naked Farnese. Things only become worse when Farnese is possessed: under the power of the spirit, she assaults Guts and attempts a murder-suicide, only for the spirit to be thrown out at Dawn.

9. Guts Almost Kills His Child

Casca is discovered to be pregnant with Guts’ child shortly after the Eclipse. The issue is that being in close proximity to the damned, Apostles, God Hand, and, in particular, Femto, curses the child. Casca not only gives birth prematurely, but the infant is also possessed (and is probably half-demon.)

Guts is naturally alarmed by his child’s looks, and in a fit of wrath, he nearly murders it. The child vanishes at the first crack of sunshine, which is why Guts’ attempted baby murder isn’t higher up on our list. Before dying to become the vehicle for a reborn Griffith, the Demon Child lives long enough to occasionally shield Casca from restless souls.

10. Casca’s Fate At The Hands Of Griffith & His Apostles

Casca’s destiny during the Eclipse is Berserk at its most horrific and heart-wrenching. Rather than swallowing Casca, the Apostles mercilessly assault her before passing her over to Femto (a.k.a. a reborn Griffith), who then repeats the process, albeit in a far harsher way. Guts is compelled to observe as this occurs.

Casca and Guts only live because to the Skull Knight’s intervention, but Casca’s mind takes a long time to heal. Casca regresses to an infantile state throughout the most of the manga after the Eclipse, and has just lately reverted to her previous personality. Regardless, her and the readers are both terrified by the Eclipse’s recollections.