The Japanese manga series Berserk and its adaptations feature a cast of characters created by Kentaro Miura. The series takes place in a dark fantasy setting loosely based on medieval Europe. Berserk follows the intertwined fates of the swordsman Guts and Griffith, leader of the mercenary Band of the Hawk. The narrative explores Griffith's demonic transformation after forming a pact with supernatural forces, and the profound consequences this has on both characters.
Main characters Guts
is a wandering mercenary who fights for various companies before being defeated by Griffith and forced into the Band of the Hawk. Raised in a mercenary band by Shisu, a kind prostitute, and later by its leader, Gambino, Guts eventually joins—and later leaves—the Band of the Hawk. His complex relationship with Griffith drives much of the series's story. After the Eclipse, where he loses his left forearm and right eye, Guts swears revenge against Griffith, reborn as the godlike Femto. He eventually becomes known as the . Following a two-year separation, he reunites with Casca and, after the Incarnation Ceremony, sets out with a new group of companions.
Griffith
, the "White Hawk", leads the mercenary Band of the Hawk with unmatched skill and ambition. His rise to power in Midland's war against Tudor is tied to the Crimson Behelit, an "Egg of the King" prophesied to grant power. His downfall begins when Guts leaves the Hawks, leading Griffith to recklessly seduce Princess Charlotte. After a year of torture, he sacrifices his followers to become , a demonic God Hand member. Reborn through the Incarnation Ceremony, Griffith rebuilds his army with Apostles, conquers Midland, and defeats the Kushan Empire. He merges the physical and astral worlds, establishing the utopian Falconia as his kingdom. As Femto, he wields godlike powers including causality manipulation and spatial manipulation.
Casca
is the only woman in the original Band of the Hawk and its third-strongest fighter after Griffith and Guts. Rescued by Griffith from a nobleman who bought her as a child, she develops fierce loyalty and unrequited love for him. Initially hostile toward Guts, she grows closer to him after he saves her multiple times. When Guts departs, she fails to stop him. After Griffith's capture, she leads the surviving Hawks but blames Guts upon his return, attempting suicide before he intervenes. They confess their feelings and rescue Griffith, who betrays them during the Eclipse, raping Casca and reducing her to a childlike state. Branded and hunted, she births a corrupted child and later wanders to St. Albion, where Guts saves her from fanatics. Though distrustful after his accidental violence, she slowly regains faith in him. Farnese and Schierke restore her mind in Elfhelm, but she remains distant before Griffith takes her.
The Band of the Hawk The original during the Golden Age arc was a group of mercenaries led by Griffith, who achieved great exploits on the battlefield during the hundred-year war. But after Griffith was rescued by his imprisonment, broken and mutilated from the year-long torture, the Hawks were offered up by their leader for the Eclipse ritual. Guts, Casca, and Rickert, the only members of the group not to be taken into the Nexus, are the sole survivors while the rest were all devoured and slaughtered by the gathered Apostles while Griffith used their souls to be reborn as Femto.
Judeau
is a skilled fighter and former circus performer in the original Band of the Hawk, renowned for his knife-throwing abilities. His greatest strength lies in emotional perceptiveness, demonstrated when he recognizes the developing bond between Guts and Casca before they acknowledge it themselves. As a patient and pragmatic voice of reason, he often mediates conflicts among more temperamental members like Corkus.
Judeau maintains an easygoing demeanor while prioritizing his comrades' welfare above his own. Though proficient in many skills, he excels in none particular. He harbors unrequited love for Casca throughout his service, but respects her growing connection with Guts too deeply to act on these feelings. During the Eclipse, his loyalty to Casca as commander compels him to aid her escape, resulting in his death while protecting her from attacking Apostles.
Pippin
is a powerfully built warrior in the original Band of the Hawk who wields an enormous mace. A former miner, his exceptional strength and keen senses prove invaluable to the group, most notably when he detects the Midland army's ambush following Griffith's capture. Despite his intimidating size, he maintains a calm temperament, exemplified when he patiently escorts a resistant Guts to celebrations despite being struck.
Pippin speaks sparingly, an attribute that belies his intelligence. He develops a protective, brotherly relationship with Rickert during their service. During the Eclipse, he sacrifices himself to delay an Apostle's advance, allowing Casca and Judeau to flee. His hollowed corpse later appears briefly before being destroyed by the Count.
Corkus
is a brash former bandit leader who joins the Band of the Hawk. His initial attempt to rob Guts after the Bazuso confrontation ends in failure, requiring intervention from Casca and Griffith. This humiliation fosters lasting resentment toward Guts, though Corkus remains unconvinced of Guts' significance to the Hawks when others blame him for Griffith's capture.
Despite his abrasive personality, Corkus demonstrates fierce loyalty to the Band. During the Eclipse, Corkus went into denial from shock at his hellish surroundings, before being killed by a nameless female Apostle who swallowed his head. Guts later encounters this Apostle in the Black Swordsman arc, feigning seduction to exact vengeance for Corkus' death.
Rickert
is the youngest survivor of the original Band of the Hawk, having avoided the Eclipse by absence. After the group's destruction, he apprentices under blacksmith Godo for two years, crafting memorial swords for his fallen comrades that create the landmark "Hill of Swords". He later modifies Guts' armor and provides him with a repeating crossbow.
When Guts confronts Griffith at the memorial site, Rickert learns of Griffith's betrayal that doomed their comrades. Despite Griffith's offer to join his new Band of the Hawk, Rickert refuses after witnessing Zodd's destruction of Godo's mine. Traveling to Falconia with Erica, Godo's granddaughter, he acknowledges Griffith's civic achievements but ultimately rejects him, declaring the Griffith he followed dead. This defiance nearly costs him his life when Rakshas attacks, though Silat's timely intervention saves him.
Gaston
serves as second-in-command of Guts' Raiders within the Band of the Hawk, demonstrating both professional respect and personal friendship toward Guts. During the assault on a Tudor stronghold, he attempts to restrain Guts from confronting Zodd, an act that nearly costs him his life. Following the Doldrey campaign, Gaston temporarily leaves the Hawks to establish a clothing shop in Wyndham using his mercenary earnings. He abandons this venture when the Band is exiled, rejoining out of loyalty to his comrades.
Shortly before the Eclipse, Gaston and fellow Raiders express their desire to accompany Guts on future campaigns. During the catastrophic event, he becomes the last Raider to perish when a demon erupts from his skull as Guts discovers him mortally wounded.
Guts' Party Puck
is a wind spirit originating from Elfhelm, a utopian island in the Western Sea. As an elf, he remains invisible to close-minded individuals, particularly the devoutly religious, though he can interact with them unnoticed. Puck possesses several abilities, including healing powder secreted from his wings and a blinding flash emitted from his body. His "Bloody Needle" attack involves throwing chestnuts with enough force to cause pain but no serious injury.
The first companion to join Guts' journey, Puck develops an unusual fascination with the Behelit obtained after Guts' battle with the Count. Initially serving as a cheerful counterbalance to Guts' dark persona during the Black Swordsman arc, Puck's role gradually shifts toward comic relief. He frequently appears in exaggerated comedic scenes alongside Isidro and maintains a playful sibling-like relationship with the elf Ivalera, who shares his humorous function in the narrative.
Farnese de Vandimion
is a noblewoman who commands the Holy Iron Chain Knights, a ceremonial guard traditionally led by women. Her father Federico de Vandimion secures her this position during her convent stay. Farnese exhibits pyromaniacal tendencies, deriving secret sadistic pleasure from burning alleged witches and pagans, though she denies these impulses.
After witnessing the events at Albion and Griffith's reincarnation, Farnese abandons her post alongside Serpico. She joins Guts' party to broaden her worldview, undergoing significant personal growth. Under Schierke's guidance, she studies witchcraft while primarily serving as Casca's caretaker. Farnese develops romantic feelings for Guts but remains focused on her duties. For protection, she wields silver chain mail and a short sword, later acquiring a magical ring that controls rose vine snakes and begins learning basic spellcraft.
Serpico
is Farnese's companion and, unknown to her, her half-brother. As herald of the Holy Iron Chain Knights, his unassuming appearance belies formidable combat skills with a rapier, earning him comparisons to a fox for his cunning and speed. Despite Farnese's past abuse, including forcing him to execute his own mother, he remains devoted to her since she rescued him from a snowy street years prior.
Serpico maintains a contentious relationship with Guts, initially distrusting him for endangering Farnese. After their duel in Vritannis, where Guts spares his life, Serpico develops cautious trust in Guts' protection. He wields Sylph-blessed equipment: a wind-generating rapier and a vortex-creating cloak that deflects projectiles and cushions falls. His genuine appreciation and clever nature forge an unusually strong bond with the wind spirits.
Isidro
is a runaway thief who aspires to become a swordsman. After Guts saves him from Kushan Bākiraka warriors, he follows Guts to study his combat techniques. Though unskilled with swords, he demonstrates exceptional throwing accuracy. He exhibits visible discomfort when questioned about his parents, suggesting unresolved familial issues.
Flora provides him with the Salamander Dagger, a fire-imbued weapon, while Morgan gifts him a cutlass. His reckless behavior frequently clashes with Schierke's disciplined nature. Despite his brash personality, Isidro proves more perceptive than his noble counterpart Mule, recognizing Falconia's artificial paradise for what it is.
Schierke
is a young witch and former apprentice of Flora who joins Guts' party during the troll infestation in Enoch Village. Accompanied by her elf companion Ivalera, she reluctantly adapts to life outside her sheltered existence after Griffith's forces destroy Flora's home. Despite her disdain for human society and Holy See doctrine, she proves invaluable to the group through her mastery of hypnosis, sensory manipulation, and ability to perceive Od. Schierke frequently employs dangerous magic in combat situations, particularly to stabilize Guts when he uses the Berserker Armor. Her initial dislike of Guts develops into a protective, almost filial bond, leading her to refuse Sonia's invitation to join the Band of the Hawk. She maintains a bickering yet affectionate dynamic with Isidro, frequently exasperated by his antics.
Ivalera