Brave young warrior Gats tests his fate as a mercenary on the front lines. A fateful encounter brings Gats into contact with a charismatic and ruthless young man named Griffith. Leading an invincible unit known as the Hawk Gang, Griffith wields a formidable force incomparable to anything. Driven by a desire for status, the Hawks display unprecedented valor in military affairs and stamina in political affairs. The armies of Midland will tremble in fear as Griffith and Gatz embark on the path they are destined to bring the world to its knees.

Appearance

The protagonist of Berserk is a very tall, broad-shouldered man with strongly developed muscles. Though he looks to be in his thirties, he is only in his second decade. He has been hardened and aged by life during the war. During the events of the Eclipse, Gatz lost his left arm to the elbow and his right eye. His right eyelid is permanently closed, hiding his gouged eye; only in the Prototype manga is Gats shown wearing an eye patch. He is covered from head to toe in scars and burns, the most notable of which are on Gatz’s nose, from a blow Gambino suffered as a child. The largest scar, horizontal across his chest, is the one that Gatz has from his encounter with Slann in Clippote. The victim’s mark on the back right side of his neck is more than a scar – it is a witch’s mark that attracts demons to the hero and makes Gats aware of their approach: it begins to ache and bleed when evil is near.

Gats has brown eyes (after Eclipse, one brown eye) and stiff black hair; with the acquisition of Berserk Armor, Gats acquired a gray strand over his forehead, probably from overexertion caused by wearing the sinister armor. Because of Gatz’s penchant for wearing black clothing and armor while hunting apostles, he was nicknamed the “Black Swordsman”; this tradition was continued with the acquisition of Berserk’s Armor.

During the Golden Age, Gats wore an unusual helmet with a massive visor protecting the upper part of his face. Gats left this helmet behind when he left the Falcons, and did not wear any helmets thereafter until he acquired the Berserk Armor.

Personality

Known for his severity, Gats is a rough, cynical man with a generally bleak outlook on life. This is a consequence of unceasing waves of misery and numerous betrayals since his youth, when almost all the highlights of his life have become minimal over time. Despite his cautious, brooding exterior, he displays a calmer and more compassionate side toward the people he trusts, appearing noticeably less unsociable and aloof, but still maintaining his dry candor. Even as his inner darkness festered deep within him, and it became increasingly difficult to resist its temptation, he retained his empathy and compassion, refusing to completely discard his humanity.

In his formative years, Gatz is deprived of a true purpose in life, killing mercenaries as a child simply as a means of survival. As a blank slate, he often seeks the approval of those he respects most, content only to have “one man [look in his direction].” His unreliability gradually develops into an identity when he meets Griffith, someone with whom he eventually seeks to stand as an equal instead of being looked down upon. The swordsman then embarks on a journey of self-discovery in which he realizes his eternal connection to and passion for the sword. Upon realizing this, he begins to dedicate himself to honing his skills and fighting even stronger opponents, with a new purpose in life.

Eventually, Gatz overcomes his fears about camaraderie, grateful for the camaraderie with the new members of his group.

After surviving the Eclipse, Gatz becomes vengeful, wanting nothing more than to hunt down and kill any apostle he meets and, more importantly, to get revenge on Griffith and the Hand of God. He leaves behind the regressed Casca for two years to embark on the warpath against the demons. On his two-year hunt, Gatz becomes largely selfish and anti-social, indifferent to the suffering of others and disgusted with those he considers weak. His withdrawn nature and hostility toward those who try to connect with him stem from a fear of creating new emotional attachments; a fear of acquiring precious new companions like the ones he lost in Eclipse. In time, largely due to Puck’s efforts, Gatz stops his solitary struggles and asks for help from his fellow travelers, gradually forging new friendships with them. Despite his initial misgivings about showing affection for his new companions, he begins to appreciate the bonds he has with them and finds himself grateful that they have individual strengths to rely on.

Above all, Guts represents perseverance and resilience. Despite all his many trials and tribulations, he has never succumbed to fate and continues to exist despite seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Indeed, Gatz is an ardent opponent of such ideas as causality and fate, believing that his decisions are ultimately of his own free will, and he pays no heed to such certainties.