SUMMARY
Void’s question to Griffith during the Eclipse highlights the imposing presence of the God Hand.
Griffith’s speech to Princess Charlotte delves into the all-consuming nature of dreams in Berserk.
Guts’ quote to the Snake Lord emphasizes his relentless determination to survive and deliver pain to his enemies.
The dialogue of Berserk is brilliant, with Kentaro Miura, and later Kouji Mori’s guiding hand going into the creation of seinen manga’s most prized series. The exceptional writing has evolved alongside the characters and intellectual scope of the series, creating a dynamic experience that’s discussed as much for its pivotal moments as it is for its brilliant turns of phrase. As such, the best quotes from Berserk often vary between beholders, but their pearls of wisdom and insight perfectly demonstrate the series’ brilliance.
As far back as 1989, Berserk wasn’t always as popular or as set up for success as it is today, but it’s been immensely quotable throughout all arcs regardless. Once the series found its true footing with the Golden Age Arc onward, it would soon balance its excellent writing with increasingly elaborate and gorgeous artwork.
Still, with the series frequently discussed via word of mouth, the best quotes from Berserk are key insights into the characters who speak them, and their surrounding world.
Kentaro Miura’s magnum opus, Berserk, continues to define the world of anime and manga, and his legendary panels have stood the test of time.
10“Are You Afraid? One Such as Yourself?!”
Void to Griffith, Chapter #77
Are you afraid? One such as yourself?! Of extraordinary beings such as us? Or perhaps of the future you will follow?
-Void
The Eclipse is an easy source of quotable moments in Berserk, but it also gives a proper glimpse at the God Hand and how well they understand their imposing presence in the series. Griffith, having taken their words to heart while imprisoned, invokes the ceremony that would soon grant him incredible powers in exchange for the lives of his comrades. But at this moment, faced with the visages of four dark angels, Griffith is asked whether he fears the powerful beings in front of him or what he will have to sacrifice to become like them.
9“Whether It Suits Them or Not, People Yearn For a Dream.”
Griffith to Princess Charlotte, Chapter #12
Whether it suits them or not, people yearn for a dream. Sustained by a dream, hurt by a dream, revived by a dream, killed by a dream. And even after being abandoned by a dream, it continues to smolder from the bottom of one’s heart…probably until the verge of death…A man should envision such a lifetime once. A life spent as a martyr…to the god named “Dream.”
-Griffith
Before the cataclysmic events of the Eclipse, Griffith is introduced as an impossibly ambitious, elite soldier who quickly gets into Midland royalty’s good graces. Perhaps his biggest feat of ingratiation comes in how he engages with Charlotte, princess of the kingdom, knowing her strategic value while speaking about his beliefs on the all-consuming dreams of men. The unfortunate thing is that Griffith would soon become warped, twisted, and discard his humanity when given a shot at ruling a kingdom of his own, whether he deserves it or not.
8“There’s No Paradise For You To Escape To.”
Guts to Jill, Chapter #117
Berserk doesn’t mince words in how it portrays a dark fantasy world where demonic abominations run amok, yet Guts delivers this in an almost defeated tone. He knows firsthand that the horrors following him never go away, but Jill does not realize the implications of his Brand of Sacrifice. Jill’s best friend, Rosine, was susceptible to this corruption, believing Rosine would eventually find a way to help escape her abusive family to live among the elves. But Guts’ quote is a way for him to spare Jill the horrors and violence ahead in the Conviction Arc and beyond.
7“But With the Two of Us…My Sword Grew Heavy.”
Guts to Roderick and Serpico, Chapter #349
Alone…my own body on the line, I could rough it without regard for how worn out it got. But with the two of us…my sword grew heavy. I could no longer afford to die, and I could no longer handle it all on my own. I set aside my own ways…accepted help from others, and have pushed onward.
-Guts
Part of Guts’ character arc is just in how he processes his trauma from the Eclipse alongside the horrors of his childhood. In the Golden Age Arc, Guts was a loner who favored battle to hone his skills, barely being won over by the Band of the Hawk before the ultimate betrayal. In the Black Swordsman Arc, Guts was a malicious, vengeful terror. He’s only won over when he was reunited with Casca, where he realized he couldn’t put his life in danger anymore, recognizing his latent rage and need to rely on others like Farnese, Schierke, Isidro, and Serpico.
6“But Even If We Are Tortured or Wounded, We’ll Fight to Survive.”
Guts to the Snake Lord, Berserk Anime (1997) English Dub, Episode #1
“You’re right, we are mortal and fragile. But even if we are tortured or wounded, we’ll fight to survive. You should feel the pain we feel and understand. I am the messenger that will deliver you to that pain and understanding.”
-Guts
Guts was a different breed of warrior in the Black Swordsman Arc, being especially brutal while savoring his killing of the Snake Lord. But Guts has an ax to grind with the apostles and the God Hand they serve, as he fully intends to dish out the suffering they gave to his comrades in the Eclipse. The English dub of the 1997 Berserk anime is full of excellent quotes due to liberties taken in translation, but this one hints at the malice in Guts’ heart as he tempers the Dragonslayer with the malice of his enemies.
5“In the End, All That’s Left Is a Pile Of Rust and Scraps.”
Godo to Guts, Chapter #129
The thing about hatred…it’s the place where people who can’t look sorrow in the eye without waverin’ run off to. Even more than a blood-rusted sword, vengeance is somethin’ you soak and sharpen in blood. You sink the blade called your heart deep into blood in order to fix the nicks called sorrow. The more you sharpen, the more it rusts, so you sharpen it again. In the end, all that’s left is a pile of rust and scraps.
-Godo
A commonly misquoted line, this exchange between Godo and Guts precedes Guts’ lowering his guard over time once again. The events of the Eclipse were horrible, and Guts’ actions when he left behind his last surviving friends to carry out his vengeance hardened his heart severely. But Godo’s speech reminds Guts that, while he was powered by hate in his quest, it’s also his way of running away from his trauma, eventually wearing him down to nothing. Guts’ face in this arc is even shown as a more unsustainable intensity, which lessens immensely by the Fantasia Arc in comparison.
4“Why Do I Always See These Things After They’re Done and Gone…?”
Guts, Chapter #71
Perhaps the most grim foreshadowing possible, Guts realizes about the Band of the Hawk after rescuing Griffith, being nudged by Judeau to take Casca to his side, and realizing he has a place where he belongs. His billowing sense of self-awareness comes up through his gruff exterior, only to be tamped down by the horrible events soon to follow, as Griffith will soon start the Eclipse. The chapter ends with this exact quote echoing for Guts in his tender moment with Casca while Griffith lies nearby, moments before the most pivotal sequence in Berserk.
3“…Like a Bonfire Of Dreams.”
Casca to Guts, Berserk Anime (1997) English Dub, Episode #14
Guts: Looking over them all, from up here, I almost think I can see their hopes and dreams flickering in each little light.
Casca: Like a bonfire of dreams.
Guts: Well, that was beautiful. You sounded like the princess talking.
The English dub of Berserk from 1997 has surprisingly elegant turns of phrase among its quotes, with Casca’s line being wonderfully executed to the point that Guts mocks her for such a high-minded statement. She says this as they look over the Band of the Hawk’s encampment, lighting the night sky, as the two have a surprisingly beautiful moment, bonding the pair in one of Berserk’s best scenes. The conversation starts lightly, with Casca initially coming to treat Guts’ wounds after he successfully fended off the might of a hundred soldiers in the Golden Age Arc.
2“Struggle, Contend, Wriggle!! For That Alone Is the Sword Of One Who Confronts Death!!”
Skull Knight to Guts, Chapter #37
The various translations of this phrase have appeared in countless formulaic video essays, but it encapsulates Guts’ experiences well beyond this encounter in the Golden Age Arc. The Skull Knight’s origins in Berserk have still yet to be clearly defined, as he’s the most enigmatic figure in the series, but he’s likely Guts’ strongest ally. These lasting words push Guts to stay alive in the Eclipse, enduring the pain of the Berserker Armor and facing the God Hand, branding him as the Struggler, whose defiance against death gives him and his friends a fighting chance.
1“Even if You Force Back What Was Lost…It Still Won’t Be the Way It Was.”
Guts, Chapter #287
Many of Berserk’s themes revolve around how its characters interact with and address their trauma throughout the series. Guts continuously grows as a human being while facing his demons, while Griffith embraces them differently. Griffith gives into his desire for power at all costs, discarding his humanity in the process.
This quote brilliantly encapsulates the philosophy of Guts’ character in the Hawk of the Millennium Empire Arc going forward. In context, it’s about when Casca, in her fractured state, fell overboard from the Seahorse, but not before trying to catch her with his prosthetic arm and failing, indicating how much has changed for the two of them. However, in a grander sense, this is powerfully true just as much for Guts as he regains what he lost as it is for Griffith as he forcefully tries to recreate the Band of the Hawk to exact his twisted ambitions in Berserk.
