Summary

• Guts is a complex character, showcasing both quiet introspection and forceful determination through his dialogue.
• The evolution of Guts' dialogue reflects his growth from an edgy anti-hero to a more mature, reasoned individual.
• Guts' quotes in Berserk provide insight into his internal struggles, trauma, and the themes of the series as a whole.

Berserk's Guts, though a hulking, '80's action-movie-esque hero of few words, has never allowed an opportunity for a great quote to slip by. Much of the magic of Berserk lies in its silence; the quiet, pensive, meditative moments. And the dialogue that's woven through that silence ties the total package together. At the same time, when the series decides it wants to be loud, messy, and forceful, Guts is just as capable of shouting one-liners that could make John McClane quiver.

Though Berserk has shifted focus and style throughout the 35 years it's been running, the series has always been able to boast top-tier quotes, from philosophical to adrenaline-pumping. Guts, having begun his journey as the overly edgy bad boy of Dark Fantasy, matured greatly over this time, and such change is evident within his dialogue. Even so, when his back is against the wall, Guts won't hesitate to let his true colors show.

10 "You'll All Keep Dying Until the Day Breaks."

Guts in a Fight With Various Demons, Chapter #124

Thanks to you all's stupid tricks... This vivid sentiment... ed after so long... This feeling that started it all... Thank you. It's the worst I ever feel. You'll all keep dying until the day breaks.

-Guts

Following the conclusion of the Lost Children mini-arc, Guts is still very much struggling with overwhelming feelings of hatred. However, in this portion of the story, just before Conviction really gets underway, it becomes clear that Guts has started turning over a new leaf. He no longer communicates with Puck solely through threats, he treats Jill with kindness at the end of Lost Children, and so on.

But when a demonic threat makes itself known, pure feelings of hatred possess Guts and bring forth the brutality he was known for in The Black Swordsman Arc. In this moment, as he recalls the events of the Eclipse, the Beast of Darkness makes its presence known.

9 "Tens of Thousands of People Shouldn't Cling to Just One Woman!"

Guts to Mozgus, Chapter #169

Mozgus: Do you mean you care not that tens of thousands of believers shall lose their lives in exhange for one evil witch?

Guts: Don't make me laugh. All they do is pray. Every last one of them... When the fire's under their own ass... All any of them do is bow down. Tens of thousands of people... Shouldn't cling... To just one woman!

Berserk's Conviction Arc is filled to the brim with religious commentary and iconography. During Guts' clash with the ironically demonic Father Mozgus, the entire village backdrop is calling for Casca to be burned at the stake. While their suspicions of her being a witch are incorrect, it is true that her presence brought the demons to them.

Guts and Mozgus, through their vicious, traded blows, banter back and forth about their own views on faith and prayer, with Mozgus asking Guts if he would allow a village to perish for the sake of a single woman. In response, Guts calls out the people and their faith, and the fallacy in praying away their problems rather than taking action. For one of the first times since the eclipse, his blind rage is replaced by reason.

8 "This is... My War Declaration!!!!"

Guts to Skull Knight, Chapter #91

I'll hunt and kill... All those wretched monsters... And all of you... Down to the last one! This is... My war declaration!!!!

-Guts

When Guts is first introduced to readers of Berserk, he is brash, ignorant, and shows little concern for life outside his ultimate goal of killing all demons. Without the proper context supplied later in the series, it can be difficult to root for a person like him in the early chapters. His behavior becomes understandable only after the events of the Golden Age Arc. With this declaration of war following the Eclipse, Guts swears to hunt down and kill every last demon, throwing caution to the wind in order to fulfill his vengeful desires.

7 "Why Do I Always See These Things... After They're Done and Gone?"

Guts, Chapter #71

Similarly to how Guts is introduced during the Black Swordsman Arc, he's a lone wolf before ing The Band of the Hawk in the Golden Age. However, through shared camaraderie and a strong leader in Griffith to rally behind, even someone who survived the sort of trauma Guts experienced as a child found a place to belong.

In a wicked instance of foreshadowing, this quote from Guts following his departure from The Band of the Hawk points toward all he would eventually come to lose during the Eclipse. This eventual loss would go on to become the main source of fuel for Guts' Beast of Darkness.

6 "I'm Purebred Human Right Down to the Bone."

Guts to Ganishka, Chapter #275

Ganishka: You can't be a mere human. Are you as I thought... One of the Hawk's captains?!

Guts: That's the worst joke I've ever heard. In of timing, anyway... XXXXX you. I'm purebred human, right down to the bone. Don't mistake me for one of you freaks.

As Guts fought his way through the Lost Children and Conviction Arcs, more and more focus was brought to the similarities between him and the demons he fought. His monstrous strength, reckless abandon, and undying will to overcome adversity eventually became far too great to continue appearing human.

When fighting Ganishka, a force akin to a god, the demon echoes those exact sentiments, unwilling to believe that Guts was a mere human. In response, after fighting like a demon himself for nearly 200 chapters, Guts responds with one of his more cathartic lines in the entire series.

5 "It's All Right. You'll Stand Up. And You'll Start Walking. Soon..."

Guts, Chapter #36

It's all right. It's like stumbling on a rock on the roadside. It's petty... A small thing. The place you want to go... Is more distant... farther off. So... It's all right. You'll stand up. And you'll start walking. Soon...

-Guts

Though these lines are never physically spoken by Guts, they are meant for Griffith. After deciding that he can no longer devote himself fully to another man's dream, Guts leaves The Band of the Hawk, in search of his own purpose in life. From what he knows of Griffith, he believes his former leader will recover from the humiliating defeat at his hands.

Guts, not realizing how much he really meant to Griffith, doomed himself at this very moment. Griffith would go on to quickly spiral into a god complex, lose his trademark composure, and eventually cause the Eclipse. Regardless, the quote itself, even out of context, stands as one of Guts' more profound and meditative lines throughout Berserk.

4 "Have I Ever Before... Wielded a Sword So Heavy?"

Guts, Chapter #188

And it's not just about completely protecting Casca... Because my death will result in her death. I'm used to fighting to survive. But what grows worse daily... Is the pressure not to die. Have I ever before... wielded a sword so heavy?

-Guts

After the long journey to find and rescue Casca during the Conviction Arc, Guts finally seems to have undergone some major change. Spending two years away, selfishly indulging in a revenge quest following the events of the Eclipse, Guts fought for no one but himself as The Black Swordsman. Following Conviction, for the first time since his days as a captain of The Band of the Hawk, he is now directly responsible for a life other than his own.

Having taken a step back to reassess his situation, Guts finally allows himself to feel the pressure of protecting not just himself, but Casca as well. If it were just him, his animal instinct and carnal rage might just get him out of a bad situation. With two, however, the sword grows heavy.

3 "There's No Paradise... For You to Escape To."

Guts to Jill, Chapter #117

You said you don't care where. Well, what you see is what you get. This is your paradise. There's no paradise... For you to escape to.

-Guts

The Lost Children mini-arc picks up right where The Black Swordsman Arc left off, before going back in time to the Golden Age. After spending such a large chunk of the story with Guts prior to the events of the Eclipse, the sudden jump back to his edgy persona during Lost Children can be a bit jarring. He is cold and often downright mean to Puck on many occasions, while constantly reminding Jill that she's in his way.

However, the first cracks in Guts' thin suit of armor begin to show themselves as the arc progresses. The main showdown between him and Rosine depicts Guts purposefully avoiding fatal blows to the apostle while actively saving Jill on multiple occasions. His false, uncaring nature comes clean off when he comforts Jill, and warns her not to follow him.

2 "He Died Doing What He Wanted, No Matter What, Right? I Bet He Was Happy."

Guts to the Priest, Chapter #2

Priest: If he were alive today, he'd probably have his own family by now. He could have enjoyed the simple pleasures of life. How foolish of him!

Guts: What's wrong with that? He died doing what he wanted, no matter what, right? I bet he was happy.

One of Guts' more sentimental lines of dialogue throughout the entire series comes surprisingly in Berserk's second chapter. Though Kentaro Miura itted to not quite knowing where he wanted his manga to go at this stage, his superb writing talent shines through even in the earliest of entries.

After the Golden Age puts Guts' true caring nature on display, this bit of dialogue in reference to the priest's nephew from The Black Swordsman Arc seamlessly fits his character, as well as his inability to hide that nature while on his revenge tour. As Lost Children and Conviction follow the events of The Black Swordsman Arc, Guts becomes less and less capable of maintaining his hard exterior, letting sentimental slip-ups become far more common.

1 "I Guess Even if You Force Back What Was Lost... It Still Won't Be the Way It Was."

Guts to Schierke, Chapter #287

I'd forgotten. It's just a lump of iron I attached so I could beat up my enemies. She slipped... Right through. I guess even if you force back what was lost... It still won't be the way it was. - Guts

This quote from Guts during the boat section of The Falcon of the Milennium Empire Arc is Berserk's best line of dialogue. Following an incident in which Casca falls overboard, and Guts fails to catch her with his prosthetic arm, nearly drowning himself, he examines the spot where his arm was severed. He casually mutters this line to Schierke who is tending to his wounds, referring to the fact that while his arm was technically replaced, it won't be the same as it was before.

Metaphorically, this line acts as an exploration into how the main characters of Berserk respond to their trauma, and more importantly, how they choose to recover from it. At this point in the series, given everything Guts has had to endure, such meditation on his own journey through the treacherous waters toward recovery is refreshing to observe. And it perfectly displays the growth he has undergone as a character. He understands that even if it's impossible to force things to be the way they were, it's still possible to move on.