The classic seinen manga Berserk is famed for its hard-hitting story, its gorgeous illustrations, and most of all, its willingness to shock readers with images of gore, torture, trauma, and breathtaking plot twists. It all adds up to a wild ride in a bloodsoaked medieval world where anything can happen, a story loaded with shocking plot twists and turns. Even the brief Black Swordsman story arc has more shocking scenes than some readers may be ready for.

While Berserk is loaded with nightmarish scenes that will shock any viewer, ten of those outrageous scenes stand out either because they are so graphic, so brutal, or so unexpected. Berserk‘s story keeps fans on the edge of their seats with its merciless narrative, which led to some of manga’s most legendary and shocking plot points any reader has ever seen. Some of those shocking scenes aren’t easy to stomach and may haunt readers, but they do contribute to a hauntingly compelling tale of the human spirit’s ability to overcome any hardship, scars and all.

10

Guts Was Seduced By and then Killed an Apostle

Chapter 1: “Black Swordsman”

One of the very first panels in the entire Berserk manga was certainly shocking at the time, and in more than one way: the element of surprise and the sheer graphic nature of it all. Guts the antihero mercenary was seen physically intimate with a woman out in the wilderness, only for Guts’ carnal lover to morph into her true form, a creature with fangs, claws, and more. It was a startling transformation for the reader, but tellingly, Guts wasn’t alarmed.

The shock was the reader’s alone, because Guts was already used to Apostles like that one taking people by surprise with their various forms, proving what a veteran fighter Guts was at the time. Guts didn’t hesitate to aim his prosthetic left arm at the Apostle and slay it with a cannonball, another surprising twist in the Berserk‘s entire manga. Not only was the hero a tough guy, he even had a cannon arm, something not usually seen in fantasy manga.

9

Donovan Violated Guts in His Tent

Chapter 9: “Golden Age (1)”

The lengthy Golden Age story arc in Berserk features many of the manga’s most shocking plot twists in terms of graphic content, sheer surprise, or both. One of the first was also one of the most traumatic for the young hero Guts, who once trusted the mercenary commander Gambino with his life. Gambino was a foster father figure for Guts, but then a nightmarish betrayal took place.

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Gambino allowed one of his troops, the hulking Donovan, to visit Guts in the latter’s tent and violate him in unspeakable ways, all in exchange for a few coins in Gambino’s pocket. Guts never forgave either Gambino or Donovan for that betrayal, and Guts got revenge when he shot Donovan dead with a crossbow during a mission not long after that.

8

Griffith Seduced Princess Charlotte

Chapter 38: “Beginning of the Endless Night”

The mercenary commander Griffith took personal pride in recruiting Guts the talented warrior to the Band of the Hawk, but when Guts left the group, Griffith’s insecure side showed, and he acted on it. Desperate to feel like he could command the hearts of anyone around him, Griffith made the terrible decision to enter princess Charlotte’s bedchambers and seduce her.

After getting over the shock, Charlotte welcomed Griffith’s X-rated advance, but it was still shocking for the reader because it was such a rash decision. Griffith had no business being in the princess’s room like that, even if he was Midland’s hero, and he paid dearly for it when the king’s men captured him the next morning.

7

The Band of the Hawk Was Teleported to Another Dimension

​​​​​​​Chapter 73: “Eclipse”

The single biggest plot twist in all of Berserk launched the climax of the Golden Age story arc, with Griffith activating the Egg of the King as the eclipse began. In one shocking panel, the entire Band of the Hawk found themselves in a supernatural realm, a place with countless layered faces. No one except Griffith expected that, and the eerie visuals made it that much scarier.

Most of all, that scene was the first time Guts saw anything truly supernatural in his life, having lived a relatively mundane life of fighting in medieval warfare against his fellow humans until then. That meant Guts shared the viewers’ utter shock and disorientation as the supernatural took over, and then things became 100 times worse as the Apostles and the four members of the God Hand appeared.

6

Griffith Assaulted Casca Just to Spite Guts

​​​​​​​Chapter 86: “Birth”

The eclipse sequence had plenty of shocking and graphic twists and turns, including Griffith’s first act when he was reborn as a being named Femto wearing black armor with a bird motif. Guts was trapped in place and could only watch as Femto approached the helpess, unconscious Casca and decided to brutally spite both her and Guts.

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Griffith violated Casca right before Guts’ eyes, perhaps as retaliation for Guts abandoning him earlier in the Golden Age story arc, a vivid and horrific way for Femto to demonstrate his absolute evil. One particular panel was the most graphic of all, making it quite clear what Griffith was doing to Casca, and no one could stop him.

5

The Skull Knight Saved Guts and Casca From the God Hand

​​​​​​​Chapter 87: “Afterglow of the Right Eye”

The final shock in the eclipse sequence was the most positive one, with Guts and Casca finally catching a break during the worst day of their lives. It seemed Guts and Casca were doomed to die, but then a panel depicted the Skull Knight intruding on the eclipse. For one thing, it was surprising to see that any party even could interfere with what looked like an unstoppable event.

For another thing, the Skull Knight didn’t seem like the kind of person to burst onto the scene and aid the heroes, but he did just that, and with breathtaking timing, too. The Skull Knight even attacked Void of the God Hand with his Behelit sword, but his attack was deflected, an interesting battle to see. Most importantly, the Skull Knight rescued both Guts and Casca, but he was too late to prevent their trauma.

4

Guts Saw the Demon Baby and Almost Killed It

​​​​​​​Chapter 92: “Demon Child”

Casca and Guts were in for another nightmarish shock even after the eclipse ended, and it subverted the normally positive and heartwarming idea of a mother giving birth. Casca had already been pregnant with her and Guts’ child, but Femto’s assault tainted the child, meaning Casca birthed a deformed creature known only as the demon child.

The demon child unnerved Berserk readers when it first appeared in a certain panel, and Guts didn’t know what to make of it. He even tried to kill that creature but stopped himself, allowing his and Caca’s twisted child to linger in the story until the Egg of the Perect World absorbed it later. Only much later would Guts and Casca get a more positive child figure in their lives with the Moonlight Boy.

3

Farnese Saw the Torture Chamber in the Tower of Albion

​​​​​​​Chapter 135: “Tower of Shadows (1)”

It was clear from the start that Father Mozgus was a brutal member of the Holy See, since he was first seen attacking so-called heretics and other subversive figures near the Tower of Albion. Still, the full extent of Mozgus’ crusade was not seen until Farnese bore witness to the endless torture happening deep inside the Tower.

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A double-page spread showed hapless men and women in agony as Mozgus’ minions tortured them in various ways, cementing Mozgus’ status as a sadistic man who thought torment and destruction would somehow make the world a better place. Even Farnese, who was no stranger to the Holy See’s strict methods, was taken aback and tried to look away, but Mozgus demanded she not avert her eyes. In that moment, a rift formed between them, and Farnese would never believe in Mozgus’ cause again.

2

Emperor Ganishka Became a Super-Titan

​​​​​​​Chapter 295: “End God”

Late in the Falcon of the Millennium Empire story arc, Berserk readers had gotten used to a variety of Apostles, such as the unnamed Count and even the pseudo-Apostle Mozgus, but no one had seen a character be reborn twice. Emperor Ganishka of the Kushan Empire became the first, performing a great ritual to be reborn once again, this time as the biggest being ever seen in Berserk.

In one particular panel, the silhouette of Ganishka’s final form appeared, an impossibly vast being towering over the Midland terrain with tentacled arms going everywhere. The sheer size of Ganishka’s form was a total shock, upping the ante in a big way and making Berserk readers how either Guts or Griffith would take down a titan that can step on humans like they’re ants.

1

An Actual Dragon Appeared in the World

Chapter 306: “Fantasia”

Even if Berserk often depicted Apostles and the creatures of Qliphoth, readers were not ready for traditional fantasy monsters to appear, and yet they did. Once Griffith activated the Great Roar of the Astral World, the boundary between reality and fantasy dissolved, allowing high fantasy monsters like hydras and unicorns to walk the earth for the first time.

The single most shocking example was a full-blown dragon sitting on a castle tower, which finally validated the original concept behind Guts’ Dragon Slayer sword. While that dragon hasn’t done much so far, its very presence was still a turning point that marked a brave new era in Berserk‘s grim medieval world where anything is possible.

Berserk

Author

Kentaro Miura (1989–2021), Kouji Mori (2022–present)

Artist

Kentaro Miura (1989–2021), Studio Gaga (2022–present)

Release Date

August 25, 1989