The Berserker armor is one of the most iconic things associated with the legendary dark fantasy manga series Berserk by the late mangaka Kentaro Miura. In the legacy left by him, the Berserker armor had a lot of importance, as it was worn by the protagonist Guts, which gave him the ability to go ‘Berserk,’ and that’s the title of the story. So, you can realize how important it was to the story.
However, that’s not the only reason why the series was named as it was. One of the reasons might be that the protagonist, Guts, was already fighting like a person who had gone berserk, even before he donned on the infamous armor. When we add the Berserker armor into that already violent mix, we can all guess that what’s coming out of it isn’t going to be just a powerful warrior, but a (literally) crazy powerful berserker.
Even if the armor had that much importance, it wasn’t introduced to the viewers right from the start. Rather Kentaro Miura took his sweet time to slowly incorporate the infamous armor into Guts’ life.
Berserk is a Japanese dark fantasy manga series written and illustrated by legendary artist Kentaro Miura to the people who still haven’t figured it out. The story revolves around the character Guts, who has a troubled past and an even more troubled future, as he joins a mercenary band called the “Band of the Hawk” led by the charismatic Griffith.
Guts have always been a lone swordsman, so the Band of the Hawk gave him a much-needed feeling of being belonged somewhere. But as you might’ve guessed, this story is not a feel-good but a dark tale. So, things won’t go as Guts would like them to. And the Berserker armor has helped through the tough times, so here are some interesting details about the sturdy armor.
What’s So Special About The Berserker Armor?
Every armor created in fiction and non-fiction should do one thing above all others. To protect the wearer, the Berserker armor can do that better than many other such armors in anime fiction.
For starters, the Berserker armor is an extremely sturdy and durable armor that perfectly stood against even the Great Flame Dragon, Grunbeld. Apart from this obvious advantage of protection, the armor can also bestow the wearers with superhuman strength and unbelievable ferocity, making the wearer rightly called a “Berserker.”
The armor story begins with the dwarf blacksmith Hanarr, who forged the armor by imbuing it with the ominous od that is purposed to rouse the negative feelings such as violence, rage, and anger within the wearer’s mind. Coupling this increased strength with the ability to numb all pain the suit provides, the wearer will mostly be unstoppable to any force or reason. This makes it truly a cursed armor.
Before being donned by Guts, Berserker’s armor was used by the infamous Skull Knight, who used it in his battles against the demon. Later he entrusted it with his friend, the witch Flora. The armor was turned over to Guts when Flora’s spirit tree transformation was interrupted by the apostles of Griffith’s reborn Band of Hawks.
The armor channels all the deep dark emotions in the wearer, such as rage and violence, to the front, making him incredibly stronger with the flush of adrenaline and giving him high endurance. Even if the wearer is afflicted by extreme pain, he won’t be aware of it as all his pain will just be ignored to keep him fighting on. In this state, the wearer may lose all sense, and they might not even differ foe from friends.
All of these powers that make the armor special are associated with the ominous od that was imbued into the armor when it was created, and it is the thing that makes the armor cursed too. If the wearer’s negative emotions are left unchecked, the od will consume the wearer’s psyche in a fit of violence, to the point that he is no longer different from a feral animal.
When Do Guts Get The Berserker Armor?
As I’ve mentioned before, the creator took his sweet time introducing the cursed armor into the storyline. The first time the Berserker armor was introduced to Guts was during the Millennium Falcon Arc, which spanned from volumes 22 to 35.
The exact episode that the cursed armor was introduced to Guts by the young witch Schierke in lieu of Flora was in episode 225, which is aptly titled “Berserker Armor (1)”.
Where To Read Berserk?
To the dismay of the fans, the manga is unavailable to read on any online platform. But it is available in digital and physical forms in online stores like Amazon, etc.
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