Guts' most recent encounter withGriffithended once more with Casca slipping from his grasp, sendingBerserk’s iconic hero into a lethargic state. Since his departure from the Band of the Hawk during the Golden Age, Guts has been entirely incapable of harming his friend turned nemesis, despite his goal throughout most of the story being to take his revenge.
Even with the experience gained through his numerous battles,Guts was completely humiliatedwhen he swung his sword down on Griffith in the most recent chapters, and all he could slice were a few strands of hair. This has been a trend since Griffith’s ascension to the God Hand, as during their two previous encounters Guts was unable to even get close.
However, there is one possible avenue of victory for Guts and his party:the Moonlight Boy. His identity was finally revealed toBerserk’s main cast in chapter #364, before Elfhelm was plunged into destruction. And while the mysterious child may just be Guts' best chance at defeating Griffith, the cost of winning could be terribly sad.
The Moonlight Boy Is Griffith’s Greatest Vulnerability
Shared Emotions May Leave Griffith Unable to Harm Guts and Casca
The biggest sort of Chekhov’s Gun inBerserkis the presence of the Moonlight Boy. Half demonic host of Griffith, half child of Guts and Casca,the Moonlight Boy has had an enormous impact on the storydespite his limited appearances throughout the manga. While his most recent visit to Guts and Casca ultimately resulted in the destruction of Elfhelm following the boy’s transformation into Griffith, it’s very possible thatthis shared body could be Griffith’s undoing.
It’s been shown already that the feelings of the Moonlight Boy also pierce through Griffith, causing him to act irrationally towards his own interests and desires. This was seen on the Hill of Swords, when Griffith claimed to be truly free of his human emotions, despite going out of his way to rescue Casca. The child cares deeply for his parents, especially Casca, and somay prevent Griffith from causing any harm to them as long as they share a body.
While immunity would give Guts an advantage in their eventual showdown, preventing any harm from coming to the Moonlight Boy’s parents wouldn’t solve the fact thatthey also wouldn’t be able to harm Griffith. In all likelihood, an attack launched on the Hawk would still fail, resulting in Griffith walking away unscathed while the new Band of the Hawk comes to his defense. With dwindling options, the Moonlight Boy opens another path toward victory, though one that would likely cause great despair for both Guts and Casca.
The Death of the Moonlight Boy Could Mean Death to Griffith
Because Griffith and the Moonlight Boy share a body,the death of one would likely mean the death of the other. It has yet to be confirmed if any physical damage would affect the body’s other host, but sacrificing the child in order to take Griffith down would undoubtedly be Guts' best chance at quickly and easily securing victory.
There is risk involved though. Griffith is a demonic being harboring power that breaks the rules of space and time, which makes any move against him uncertain at best. If killing the Moonlight Boy fails, his tragic death would be senseless. Regardless of the effectiveness of this plan,Guts would have to voluntarily sacrifice his and Casca’s childfor the sole reason of bringing his enemy down. While he’s been shown to be heartlessly vicious in the past, the current Guts is not the same Black Swordsman from earlier inBerserk.
Now, having bonded with the boy, and understanding Casca’s motherly instincts toward him, it’s difficult to imagine the current Guts being willing to lose anyone else to Griffith. Instead, through Schierke’s magic or some other means, the main cast may attempt to separate the two beings, sparing the Moonlight Boy from whatever future harm comes to Griffith. Though it may be the best option,sacrificing the Moonlight Boy to kill Griffithwould leave both Guts and Casca in a despair that neither deserves to experience at this point inBerserk.
Berserk
Berserkis a dark fantasy manga series by Kentaro Miura, first published in 1989. Set in a medieval Europe-inspired world, it follows Guts, a lone mercenary, and his struggle against demonic forces after his betrayal by Griffith, leader of the Band of the Hawk. The franchise has expanded into multiple anime series, films, video games, and merchandise.
