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Berserk (anime)

Berserk is a heroic fantasy manga and anime by Kentaro Miura.

The main character is an almost unbeatable mercenary named Guts. Almost his equal in the battlefield is his love interest, Caska. She is the only female member of the White Hawks, a mercenary band led by the mysterious Griffith.

The first episode of the manga was released in 1989. A new episode is released every other week in Young Animal. It is still running, and the end of the beginning is approaching. The anime series covers only a small portion of the manga.

Story

The series opens with an epilogue. In a dark time, a pack of the king's guards are harassing a young lady in distress when all of a sudden, they are attacked and slaughtered. The Black Swordsman has returned. He swings a humongous sword as large enough to cut people and horses in two.

The remainder of the series is a flash back, where the Black Swordsman, (later introduced as Guts), looks back into his past. He sees years of trials and tribulations in the Band of the Hawk, a successful band of mercenaries under the charismatic leadership of Griffith, a man driven by the ambition to become king. The series continues through all these years and shows the rise in fall of the hawks through Guts' eyes. Their impressive rise to power and fame is soon challenged by a terror that leads them to the very depths of evil; the horrifying evil that resides in all men, and the desire for power that is able to possess a man entirely.

There are numerous plot twists and superb character development that keep the series fresh and exciting for the viewer, but there is a some nudity and a lot of blood that would make this series inappropriate for younger viewers.

Characters

;Guts:Guts has always had a hard life. He was born from the corpse of his hanging dead mother. After that, he was taking in and trained to kill by a mercenary leader. Basically, since he was born, he has had to fight for everything. It is all he ever learned. Quickly becoming one of the best at killing, Guts is forced into joining a rising band of mercenaries after losing a duel to their leader, the charismatic Griffith. He becomes great friends with the young leader, and serves under his leadership as the commander of the Hawks Raiders.

;Griffith:

;Caska:

Episode titles

  1. The Black Swordsman
  2. Band Of The Hawk
  3. Baptism of Fire
  4. Hand Of God
  5. Sword of Wind
  6. Zodd the Immortal
  7. The Sword Master
  8. Conspiracy
  9. Assassination
  10. Nobleman
  11. Battle Engagemen
  12. Two People
  13. Suicidal Act
  14. Campfire of Dreams
  15. The Decisive Battle
  16. The Conqueror
  17. Moment of Glory
  18. Tombstone of Flames
  19. Parting
  20. The Spark
  21. Confession
  22. The Infiltration
  23. Eve of the Feast
  24. Eclipse
  25. Perpetual Time