How The Dragon Slayer Succeeds Where Other Giant Swords Fail - Berserk
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- Опубліковано 25 січ 2020
- Giant Swords are a staple of Manga and Anime, however only a few series have pulled off the concept well. Perhaps the best example being, Berserk.
Berserker Armor Video: • Why The Berserker Armo... - Фільми й анімація
"I hate giant swords more than I should, but love the Dragonslayer."
I mean, that statement actually does make sense. _It's too big to be called a sword..._
Its a giant scarp of iron
Too big to be called a sword...
Indeed...it was a heap of raw iron.
Dragon bone smasher
One of my favorite panels with it was when he was against 2 insect apostles. He couldn't generate enough force to cut through their chittin. So guts used the recoil of his arm cannon for that extra boost.
Its a great sword simple its a different class just that things a ton bigger so .... an upgraded great sword classified as a hunk of steel. Only for the strongest to wield.
Fun fact: in an interview, Miura admitted that the Dragonslayer (along with his arm-cannon) was originally just a gimmick.
And believe it or not, it's not all that unfeasible. In real life, the biggest sword ever used in combat was over 7 feet long, though it wasn't nearly as heavy.
@@h0m3st4r it actually is completely unfeasible just by looking how big dragonslayer is. It most likely weighs more than Guts so if he would be strong enough to swing it he would go flying just because his mass is less than the object. Biggest swords like zweihänders in history that were used were like 4-8pounds dragonslayer would be like 400pounds. I know you already said its heavier, but im just saying it doesnt really compare to real swords. Heaviest sword i'm aware of that might have been used in combat is scottish sword called "bloody murder" it weighs around 10 kilos, and even that most likely is just legend, and that artefact is actually what is known as bearing sword. Weapons made for parade, and showing off, and not for actual use.
The arm cannon was literally inspired by Evil Dead. An american cult classic B movie lol
True, but I meant compared to other oversized swords in fiction.
@@blues4509 at least Miura said he didnt know about Evil Dead, and was genuinly surprised how similar Ash was to Guts. In interview he said first time when he saw Evil Dead was when the initial comic was already sent to the publisher. He is very open about all the fiction that inspired ideas in berserk so its most likely true.
The Dragon Slayer is symbolic of Guts being emotionally stunted, like he's still wielding that oversized adult sword from when he was a traumatized kid.
Very interesting point ! Deep down Guts still remains a broken child repeating the same pattern. Though his ultimate goal is to defy his own destiny.
more like he has a small dick..a character without any clear objective 😂
@@bassnab3885 youre an imbecile
Bass Nab uncultured shonen watching small brain dim wit
@@bassnab3885 Pee wee seems like a fitting name for you.
*_The virgin Giant Teenager swords vs the Chad Berserker DragonSlayer_*
The giant sword is also a chad, but the dragonslayer is a black hole of chadness
well one is a encouraging shounen self incert character speaking to the teen insecurity and power fantasy, the other a grisly struggeler that you absolutely do not want to be in the shoes off but cant help but admire.
ChadSlayer
This is funny cause in the black clover community asta is sometimes refers to chadsta
you made my day!!!
I also like , that Guts gets a new sword wich is considered to be top grade, only for it to snap after his first swing, so he had to grab the Dragonslayer, it wasnt just handed to him because he needs it.
Well, yeah. I mean the way Guts fights is basicly "I'm gonna hit him really, REALY hard." And the DragonSlayer allows him to fight that way because it can withstand his strength.
A little giggle.... Guts totally got a sword because he needed it.
General Boscogn was literally about to kill Guts, and Zodd Hail Mary-ed him that cool-ass demon chopper at the last second. Guts knew what it was and left the sword behind after using it.
I love the progression where as he ages and gets bigger, the swords also increase in size to show that he didnt simply just pick up a giant ass sword, he trained himself to use the sword
@@ctse26 exactly! When he was a child, even short swords were quite big. And he just kinda... Got used to big ass swords. And he does have the body for it too. Nothing fancy, just swing. Granted not much can take more than one swing and live, lol.
@@ctse26 had no choice.
"We don't have kid-sized swords."
-Gambino
You wanna pull your weight for your adopted family, and the only way you could was by killing grown-Ass men with a blade 175% your height. So as you keep *not dying* you get used to it, and your muscles develop to accommodate it.
But I've had a low-boiling theory I've shared in the past that as Guts became a walking interstice, he is becoming partially able to break the laws of the ordinary world.
It was never explained, but the signs are there:
Schierke-SAMA (don't be a prick, you respect that loli) offered Guts a greataxe empowered by gnome spirits and he instantly refused, as the Dragonslayer is "what he's used to."
And when she look upon it with her magic sight, she saw black od rippling off it.
I saw maybe 8 years ago that someone had claimed that was a sign that it had become a "true demon-killing sword."
I agree, and also think that Guts himself has been transformed.
Schierke often sees the darkness flowing from Guts.... I think it's the same. I think his very soul has become *demonbane* .... which is the most metal fucking thought I've ever had in 37 years of life.
Miura is the only one who pulled off the giant sword trope in a genuine way, everybody around Guts is like wtf is that, it shows him learning swordsmanship at a very young age with full size longswords, so he develops a niche skill and familiarity with larger swords and as he grows up that preference becomes swords that are considered unusable to everyone around him. So Guts basically develops the Oversized Sword Style since he was 6, ends up being 6'7ish, 250 lbs as an adult. The back story of the Dragon Slayer being a sword Godo made for pompous royalty as an irony only adds to it this is the only oversized sword trope that works as narrative alongside aesthetic
Jeff Boxing I agree with you but I wouldn’t call full size long swords as “big” swords per se they weigh only like at most 2.5-3 lbs, something I would call a big sword in real life is something like a Zweihänder which are really huge for swords and can weigh up to 7lbs
@@Dell-ol6hb wow I didn't realize the scale difference. 60lb child/3lb sword vs 250lb adult/400lb sword.. I never thought about it like that. Still not the most unbelievable aspect of the story but cool
Joseph Leece yea true, don’t get me wrong I agree with the original commenter that Muira’s use of that big sword trope is really well done and is as believable as can be possible in the world he has created lol, I just wanted to clarify that a longsword is really not considered a big sword or anything.
that and also the fact that it's literally too heavy for a human to use, to show how guts overcomes the most basic limits of what humans can do, and thus fight "the dragon" or destiny or god, AND the fact that it's basically the quintessential freudian cock, with which he literally bones fate itself into submission
ULTRA great sword
In Black Clover the sword makes the man special, in Berserk the man makes the sword special.
Lol black cover? Never heard of it, nor do it care for it
True dat
black clover is pretty good if you dont compare it to masterpieces...
@@bigbangattack97 It's just generic shounen, nothing unique about it.
@@yeah-xd5qi No
I love how the dragon slayer has been crafted to kill mythical monsters and Guts is using it to slay demons (which some characters dont believe they exist and are "mythical").
Lokman it’s even more funny because after the astral plain and the physical world merged together a dragon actually appeared.
IRON BLOODED GUTS!
Plus, the Dragonslayer has been bathed in so much demon blood that it can even kill immaterial beings (ghosts/spirits/etc.) as it now exists on multiple planes of existence thanks to so much demon blood covering it for so long.
@@Foxxie0kun Dragonslayer - 936 DMG (Physical/Arcane)
Originally, it was crafted as a joke. Sure it could "kill" dragons, but no human could lift this thing and if there was, then that being wouldn't need it. It just so happened to fit all of Guts' needs, but before the dragon slayer, Guts used way smaller and lighter swords than that. In fact, having a smaller sword would honestly make his job so much easier if they could keep up with his demands.
Guts is like the quote
"fall a million times, and rise a million more"
Isnt It "fall a million times, rise a million and one"?
Just like rock Lee would say
I agree with how a giant sword should be portrayed, as a ultra greatsword user in Dark Souls, these giant hunks of metal are precision weapons that depend on the timing of one swing at a time.
I also use ultra greatswords in ds3 but I still think that they are sort of underpowered
Dark Souls' maker are Berserk fans after all.
I personally love the Lothric Knight Greatsword. That sweet sweet weapon art. It’s so satisfying sending invading shit lords flying through the air lol
@@lorenzocoy-galindo4419 I suggest Chaos Zweihander. Good choice too
I also like the Longswords in Dragon's Dogma, another game with a lot of Berserk influences, including the original release having Guts Black Swordsman and Griffith Silver Hawk gear and weapon sets for the Berserker (Two-handed weapon user which includes Longswords, Battle-axes, etc.) and Fighter (Sword and Shield user) respectively.
Sadly those sets had to be removed from the PC release for (presumably) copyright related reasons.
a qualm I've always had with giant swords, its that, say your character is strong enough to wield the giant sword, just using a smaller one and being faster in your swings would be far more efficient. However in gut's case, no smaller sword would be able to cut what he wants to cut, nor would any other blade take the beating that the dragonslayer endures
Yeah that's for sure when he fought grunbeld is a great example of that. He's a dragon demon thing made of straight up rock. Yeah, no, you need a cleaver to even attempt that with a sword. The dragon slayer checks off all those rediculous boxes
The only other option is to go full on Sacred Blacksmith and constantly replace the swords you are breaking. Which wouldn't fit Guts at all.
Tru
Guts grew up always using oversized blades as he got used to it since Gambino taught him with a regular sword
@@haydenetrom I was so worried it would break. Like the impact was felt in every fight using the dragon slayer especially starting from MF arc
The fact that Godo made the sword as a joke to put the middle finger up to some noble is part of what makes it so awesome.
That's the only way something like that would ever get made. As a joke sword. And it just happens to work for Guts in a moment of desperation.
Someone's trash is someone else's treasure.
@@gendoruwo6322 Low income nomad's treasure
Because Dragon Slayer is the OG great giant sword trope. No magic, no shenanigans, just a big heap of iron! It's even more powerful when the wielder totally looks capable & believable to use it effectively.
There is some magic to it. It became really good at slicing apostles and other other worldly beings just because Dragonslayer is essentially bathes in blood of undead creatures every night, so this blood gave power to it. Other than that, yeah it's too much of everything and it's fucking cool.
@@spaceman9459 What I meant by magic powers are something like along the lines of able to conjure magic projectiles from distance or have elemental attacks, etc. While technically somewhat "magic," Dragon Slayer is more about changed its properties over time, from being bathed in blood & used to kill so many supernatural things. the more it kill apostles & demonic creatures, the "sharper" or more effective & powerful it is in killing such beings. For Comparison, Skull Knight's behelit sword is more What I describe pure magic sword, as it can cut space itself.
@@crozraven Oh yeah i see you. Fair point. Love this too, everything about Guts is so exteme yet still human, raw human maximum.
My friend watched some of berserk 1997. He stopped watching because “all he does is swing his sword” this actually hurt me.
Your friend is an idiot
Wanna sacrifice ur friend?
Supreme Verdict I should
@@interestingcomments5903 I've heard that sacrificing your friend can have some great health benefits for you.
Interestingly, I think there's a part in the manga where Guts says, "all I can do is swing my sword". It's cool how the thought behind a line changes its entire meaning.
You could look at it in several ways, visually it fits Guts who is built like a brick shit house and you can almost believe he could use the dragon slayer
but you could also say he is able to use it because the trials and training he has endured, combined with battles and surviving the eclipse.
He clearly was never human to begin with.
For stories i right the only characters weilding wepoans as big as his are those who are giants.
@@vladtepes2667 On the contrary, guts is nothing more than a human. An epitome of humanity yes, but a human nonetheless. The story of berserk is multi- layered, with many different thematics, but the core theme is that of humans struggle against the evils of the world they live in, and ultimately against themselves. I've never read a story, manga or not, that was as close to real life as berserk is. Character interractions, ambitions, dreams and morality, the atmosphere and narrative gives of this almost surreal feeling when reading/watching berserk, but on a human level. Its simply a masterpiece.
Also the sword is pretty much possessed at this point, No doubt its easier to use for guts
To gets strongest body, you have to be a fat fuck. Looks at the world strongest men and powerlifters, they're all fat fucks while guts looks likes bodybuilder model.
@@Imperiusism
I definitely recommend monster and vagabond if you haven't seen them. They're also the manga that are very much real.
You forgot to mention the bit after Lost Children's, when Guts is so weak that the act of even swinging his sword threw him off of his feet.
In fact, he throws himself off balance a lot, and even when he doesn't you can see his feet sliding and scraping across the ground looking for purchase against the momentum of the Dragonslayer. Just goes to show that the thing has actual weight behind it.
Yes, when you watch Guts fight. It makes complete sense with how he digs his feet into the ground and turns his whole body and shit. The dudes a genius swordsman.
This is one of the reasons, if not the main one, i love guts fighting scenes. Just the amount of .. weight and movement fueled by him swinging a giant fucking heap of metal around. How he moves WITH the sword, and/or acts as an anchor for it. He acts as the anchor at the initial point of the swing then moves with the blade before the he performes other actions. Like Tallicaman said "how he digs his feet into the ground and turns his whole body and shit".
Man.. So fucking good.
My fantasy always run wild with scenes inspired by this work.
First volume of berserk. The snake apostule. Guts goes for a swing with the dragonslayer do rip the snake's body in two, he manages to do it but he is so hurt that because of the swing he gets off balance and falls down. Just to show that miura knew what he was doing.
in the span of 2 years Guts made his own skill and mastered it to wield the DS even more effective.
Here are glow up, in the BSW arc he gets busted up, bait the apostle, puts a cannon and finally using the DS for the finishing blow, ( which is quite realistic ).
In the Zodd fight, he didn't use any of it and pretty much bested him in a sword fight, I don't think Zodd was serious either but the choreography fight makes it believable and how skilled he is
The last chapter guts dosent have the strength to hold onto his sword anymore outside the armor. Fuck man Miura passing still hurts.
While yes, his life journey has lead him to being able to wield the Dragon Slayer, though I think a key detail about why big swords was left out, and should have been added, simply to show his unusual strength. That is the first mercenary group he was in as a child had no training swords, so he had trained with swords that are bigger than himself from such and early age. Which, if I'm not mistaken, was addressed by Guts, in that he can't use smaller, normal, swords because they feel off.
Yup, glad someone said it. "We don't have any baby sized swords for kids!"-Gambino
The only time he used a regular sword was in night of the butched assassination. Looked like he could swing it at Mach 1 by the difference in weight :D
@@twistedhermit2839 Nah that was only in animated adaptations. If I remember correctly he still used the big sword in the assassination in the manga.
One time he used a small sword though was when he cut his arm off during the Eclipse. Shit.
@@lawrencevalero8111 yep, which was also the same sword he stabbed adonis with
Which compared to dragonslayer looks like a normal longsword
@@biggusdickus1779 also the time when godo gave him a sword before welding the dragonslayer, he seemed disatisfy with it not only because it wasn't enough to kill a monster as the demon there, but because is not his fighting style,you can see that when in that scene after he tried to cut the Demon with that little sword, his face and his inner dialogue do the work, he said inside himself that that thing was enough, only for it to be destroyed
i hope sometime in the 2020s we get an actual good berserk post golden age 2D anime
Rumors is that Adi Shankar from Castlevania is interested.
@George Gebhard the only problem with the 97 anime was the lack of skullknight
@George Gebhard Not sure if 'moving postcard' style will sit well with the modern viewers. Berserk movie 2013 isn't that bad. The 2016-17 version tried too much. The studio was trying to use digital formate to tell a manga like story. I heard it went into production issues and the usual cost overruns. So they dile back the CG qaility to make it on time. I also heard the DVD version is btter as they 'clean up' the faults in the TV version.
@George Gebhard true but skullknight came up to guts after he banged casca in the golden age movies
@George Gebhard Haha. It like some post snow flakers find the orginal Star Wars, A New Hope, is boaring. While The Last Skywalker is a master piece. 2016-17 was too hung up on eye and ear candy. And forgotten that anime is a slighly different story telling media from manga.
"It was too massive to be called a sword: massive, thick, and far too rough."
That's what she said.
That’s what casca said.
@@rougepenguin2839 no she didn’t, cause she couldn’t say shit.....cause she’s was a potato.
@@rougepenguin2839 that's what Schierke said...
~~Doujin reference~~
@@rougepenguin2839 that's what guts said
@@ridleyrickmanreduz2196 wait...schierke?
Don't forget how much Nietzchean influence there is in Berserk and killing the dragon of thou shalt is the last step if actualization, and the way guts forces his will upon the world independent of fate is called dragonslayer
Is guts last man or ubermench
@@omiorahman6283 it's very likely that he's ubermensch
Cringe schizo
@@siriuslywastaken I'd say he transitions between the two. His campfire spiel to Casca about how he has no purpose in life but fighting and surviving is pure Last Man to its core, and once he strikes out on his own to find his own purpose, he starts changing into more of an Ubermensch. Post-eclipse, he seems to fade in and out of both mindsets. His nihilistic edgelord speeches to Puck feel pretty "Last Man."
@@omiorahman6283how the fuck would you come to the conclusion that Guts would be the last man?Have you read the books?
I really like the line where Godot said the weapon was utilized for "slaying dragons" only to counter his previous statement by saying "if there were any". Implying only those suited to slay debatably the most feared monster in fiction and folklore could wield it. The last chapter of the Golden Age arc, "He who slays Dragons" to me has always sounded like a metaphor for Guts' relentless persecution of Griffith and the God Hand even after losing everything, and Guts is the only man strong enough to do it. He isn't slaying "dragons", but he is pursuing something of as mythical value. So in a way, the Dragon Slayer represents his inhuman will and strength to keep pursuing his goals.
I've always liked most of the big swords in the dark souls series but those games pay homage to Berserk alot
Dark Souls combat revolves around weight, it only makes sense that massive blades with massive weight would feel good in such a system.
Greatsword Ultra Greatsword gang
@@jooot_6850
The GUGS is sooo good in invasions
Darksouls 1 is the reason I discovered berk. Made my fuckin year.
Greatswords in dark souls and monster hunter feel like they have weight behind them because of how the character moves like they're holding something heavy.
I also hated massive swords. Nightmare from Soul Calibur, Inuyasha, and Guts were my only exceptions.
In defense of that horrid cgi clang battle. That is legit how it's "supposed" to look. Puck even mentions it in the Pseudo Apostle Zondark fight in the stairwell. Puck could barely see what was happening, but what he saw made him realize Guts isn't just swinging that thing around like it's a lumbering weight. The dude was elegantly swing it and blocking at the same time. This is further strengthened when Rickert was watching the battle on Sword Hill Cemetary. He too barely saw anything and Guts even mentions if he even blinks once. He's dead. That battle was no joke and just shows you how far Guts has come since the 100 man fight.
Good point.
I guess that's the advantage of manga -- your mind fills in the missing details in a way that's cooler than any animation.
Yeah, Manga can't really show how fast he's using.. He can't take super slow strikes, it just wouldn't fly on a battlefield with spears, monsters, etc. Him moving as fast as Zodd shows how powerful he's become, and how even without the Berserker armor he's truly pushing the limits of humanity.
Well spoken!
I sometimes prefer large but thinner blades mainly Nodachis such as Sephiroth's Masamune
Part of the reason I love the Dragonslayer is because it's decription as a lump of iron makes it sound rough and savage which is very much like how Guts fights making it feel like the Dragonslayer has been waiting for someone like Guts. Also SMT is awesome one of the best game series when it comes to gameplay and how it handles it's idea's I wound not be against seeing an SMT video
It's basically just a big wedge rather than a sword and i love it.
The irony to your comment is that as you go deeper into the story you see how he starts getting used to it and shows how skilled of a swordsman he is, parrying serpico where he is supposed to be defenseless, using the recoil fron his cannon arm to power up his slashes etcetera.
A lump of iron that has been imbue with gallons upon gallons of demons and lesser demon’s blood which now allow the lump of metal to cleave almost any demons unlucky enough to cross path with Guts.
So the whole point of this video is to say the Dragonslayer isn't compensating for anything, but a true representation of the badass that is Guts.
You might not like how fast Guts is portrayed using dragonslayer in the adaptation but that’s not wrong. In the manga its often commented on how fast Guts swings the sword and characters will say they can’t follow his movements like when Rickert watches Guts fight Zodd for example.
Yeah it was kind of a weird criticism because it’s brought up countless times. It’s constantly mentioned how fast and reactive apostles are in general, so obviously he’d need to match to keep up.
The ps2 game is the most accurate so far
When it comes to throwing the sword around, when guts goes sicko wearing the sicko mode armour his fighting style is fast and agile tho it is mostly him using the fact that the sword throws him around to his advantage
Berserk* berserker mode* you saying sicko makes me think he is just ill
this here is a man that has never witnessed another going sicko mode, you are blessed
@@ostangvulkahn1875 Guts is straight ill though.
@@TallicaMan1986 hell yeah!
The amount of strain that puts on his body is insane, though. Torn muscles, stretched tendons, bones fractured in numerous places, and the armor just impales his body together with spikes so he can keep fighting.
It's like your brain stops sending the signals to hold the body's capabilities back for self-preservation while also flooding you with endorphins, adrenaline, and painkillers.
An interesting thing I noticed about Guts and the various swords he wielded over the course of his life is that as Guts gets older and has to struggle more, the size of his sword becomes larger.
As a small child who was raised in a band of mercenaries, Guts had no "baby-sized" swords to train and/or fight with. He was forced to use a regular sized sword like every other adult in Gambino's band. Because of his small frame, a sword that's primarily designed to be used by grown-ups is already too big for him.
After he was started doing things solo, and when he joined the Band of the Hawk, Guts used a sword that's not just too big for him, but for every other person as well. However, because of the way he was raised, he's no stranger to wielding larger than average swords.
And when he finally became the Black Swordsman, as Guts became older and his suffering and struggle got worse, the size of his blade increased with it, which too the form of the Dragonslayer. He's literally carrying a burden on his back. However, and he's using said burden to cut his opponents into pieces as a metaphorical "Fuck You" or middle finger to life, destiny, and everything that comes in his way.
Great comment
that's why most common commentary about RL feasibility of giant sword is "impossible".
But if you take someone who's extra-ordinary... and make him do this all his life... practicing with this 'impossible weapon'... With insane devotion, the impossible may become... probable.
You could switch Cloud's Buster Sword with a knife and it wouldn't make a difference in how he defeats his foes
yeah man, this is what i hate about ff7, but i still enjoy the game alot tho
@@Zoldwigh
Yeah, Final Fantasy 7 is amazing. I had low expectations and always thought it's overrated but the game proves me wrong!
I watched a video by Shadiversity where he shows what a "slimmed down" version of his Weapon would look like and it looks cool while still being less "impractical" then a thick blade that'd weight about 400 lbs irl. He also talks about how Greatswords should be sized to fit a setting (i.e., Monster Hunter's are large since you hunt massive beasts, Berserk has monsters so Guts' weapon has to be very deadly to humans and demons as examples.)
Or a nail bat…
I love how the Dragonslayer has no fanfare to it. Aside from a couple lines from Godo explaining why he made it, it’s just in the back of a weapon storage and wasn’t meant to be Guts’ sword at all.
I think design is something worth mentioning, the simple design of the sword makes it look like a real weapon, most giant swords have too much curves and flairs, in the end they look more like a toy than a weapon.
The quote “dragons are dragons because humans can’t beat ‘em, so what’s a human who beats dragons?” is one of my favourite quotes in literature
I think what makes the Dragon Slayer so iconic and meaningful is what it represents. In addition to what you mentioned, to me the Dragon Slayer also symbolizes the burden that Guts carries. The burden of pain, of revenge, of protection. He wields it the same way we can carry our own hardships, if we choose to. Not as a weight that holds us back but rather as a weapon, a shield, an extension of ourselves through which we can channel our own strength to change our destiny.
Not just the sword. The man himself.
He's used to fight using 2 hands: then he lost one hand. And also lost an eye. He's used to fighting with complete faculty, but now he's crippled.
Those would be career enders for most warriors.
But those setbacks did not stop him. He just practice more to be able to wield his weapon one-handed. And he added an autocrossbow and a cannon to his left arm prosthesis. In honor of Judeau his past compatriot, he also become a master of knife-throwing.
He travels the world not just for revenge, but also to protect his ... mentally-damaged wife. He loved her, he would not abandon her.
To never give up:,even if crippled, strive to always get up again and get stronger, so that you may take revenge and you can protect your loved one.
He will beat them, even if the enemies are a bunch of evil cheaters like Behelit using humans and demons.
Guts is an example as a warrior and a man.
*Fun fact:*
The Mangaka from Black Clover is a gigant Fan of Berserk And he wanted to create a shounen version of Berserk => Black Clover
Well he failed
@@redgraves4030 no he aint
You almost summoned an army of edgy Berserk fanboys
@A M nah he didn't fail, black clover is really popular in Japan. He may not have completely conveyed the berserk feel through black clover but he didn't fail
@A M what an asshole
"Take me to your master....I wanna see him.."
Stupid goon tries to sneak behind him
SLAM!!!! BADASS WEAPON INTRODUCED!!!
One of my favorite Dragonslayer moments is when they're being chased by the wheel skeletons, Isidro sees Guts chopping through thick wooden wagon wheels effortlessly, but when he tries it, it doesn't even leave a mark. I guess that's more of an "Isidro is a little kid" moment rather than "Guts' sword can do things no other sword can", but it still really demonstrates the wrecking ball-ness of the Dragonslayer and Guts in general.
Castlevania day armor scene perfectly displays what proper greatsword animation should look like. And it's also a tribute to Berserk.
every panel of guts swinging that damn beautiful thing is basically manga monalisa
I think the best dragonslayer swings in all media was in the ps2 game, it's realistic and shows the struggle with swinging that huge thing
Honestly for me when people swing giant swords I like it that they feel more like a sledgehammer then a short sword because sure it's cool to see them swing it fast but when you have a guy just cut 4 guys apart in one swing and everyone is terrified of it then you know you've done something right
I also like it because Guts has always been wielding a sword that's as big as him ever since he was a kid when Gambino gave him a straight up sword because Gambino told him that there are no such things as kid weapons on the battlefield.
The Dragonslayer is so belivable it made Clanging sounds everytime Guts moved
Breathe
Talked
Lol
Only good part about the adaptations, and soundtracks and voice characters.
in his fight against the skeletons after they kill the monks daughter it clanged as he put his hand on the hilt
Hey *CLANG* guys *CLANG* how *CLANG* are *CLANG* you? *CLANG*
"It's no longer about a man getting dicked over by life, but a man giving life a dicking."
You earned this sub my dude.
You fuckin earned it for somehow summing up Berserk in the most stupidly creative, but *absolutely* accurate way I've ever heard.
The missing weight behind getting the giant sword in Black Clover and Bleach is mostly owed to the fact that it is shonen. You need to establish the character early as the series can rarely afford a slow start. It is much harder to make the character struggle as much without making the story seinen. Then again Kimetsu no Yaiba started quite dark but it didn't capitalize on that because it went into a training arc like 3 chapters later...They might not do the big sword thing right but Bleach certainly did it right with the Bankai. The impact of that scene was similar to the first use of the Dragon Slayer.
Also everyone should remember that zanpakuto's are extension of its user.
If it's looks like a 2 metr long trench knife, this just means that its user is similar to it in his soul.
Every zanpakuto in Beach shows it (Nozarashi, Senbonzakura, Ryujin Jakka etc)
In Bleach the zanpaktou don't have a weight the same way that a regular sword does because they are a part of the wielder's soul.
Yeah but the true bankai still became huge
I think black clover mc was inspired by berserk mc because both used a big ass sword
Other's Big Giant Sword: 0/10 "not enough Clang"
The dragons slayer sword was a response to a drastic escalation in the enemies that Guts was going to fight from now on. Acolytes transcend any reasonable logic in reality, so it makes sense for Gut’s weapon to be the same. The same could be said when he acquired the berserker armor.
Did boofire start the vid with the words "goddamned twink" 😂😂
@@BOOFIRE191 Thank you for stanning muscle daddy Guts
The Dragon Slayer is not a sword, but a Tree made of Iron.
You left out the most important part. Guts was/is a child soldier. He was ALWAYS fighting things bigger then himself. There were only adult sized swords for him to use as a kid. He gets a bigger sword everytime he grows. He still is that child soldier fighting with a sword to big for him, fighting opponents who are way more powerful then him.
"Life has given Guts A BAD HAND"
"bad" lol understatement of the century.
Gambino 'betrayed' Guts.
When re-reading the manga I noticed that Shierke mentions how, because of the cursed brand putting him closer to the astral world, matter may be easier for Guts to manipulate. I believe this may contribute to the reason he is able to swing this massive sword, however I do believe that his past also contributes to being able to wield it.
It's the steel of conviction no mere words can comprehend the pure essense that is the dragonslayer blade!!... but good work. haha
To be fair the manga DOES show Guts swinging the Dragonslayer almost too fast to see. Multiple times the on lookers describe him swinging it impossibly fast.
I love how Kingdom applies that whole bit about earning the size of the weapon with Shin and Ouki's Glaive.
Well if you read the Manga you also know he was swinging that thing fast enough that he's normal human eye couldn't track it and that was at the beginning of it before the hill of Swords battle with Zod even starts
The first panel he swings the blade in is one where he cracks a doorway made from rocks and wood. That itself is indication of his strength and the heft to the Dragonslayer.
the PS2 game "Berserk: Millennium Falcon Hen" does a amazing job with the sword movement and weight, I do feel every swing has a lot of inertia behind it
Dude those movies made me read the manga last year. I only wish I had sooner.
Edgar Hernandez no you didn't
You would've suffered wkth the constant hiatus of Miura
Granted it's worth the wait, but the wait is killing
I started 3 years ago through a friend’s recommendation. I was skeptical at first but thankfully I stuck it through and found a diamond in the rough.
Lol be glad you started this late. You had 10+ years of content
I started reading this around the time boat hell ended
I agree with what you're saying but sometimes l just enjoy seeing the nonsensical giant sword slashes other shows do
@@BOOFIRE191 Aside from Berserk any series utilize a good giant sword for it concept?
BOOFIRE191what about Claymore?
In one piece dracule mihawk is known around the world as the worlds greatest swordsman, his blade, yoru, is a long black blade with a golden cross for its hilt, while it’s certainly long it doesn’t look the heaviest but I still think it counts as a giant sword, the reason it works is because in its first scene we see it slice a ship in half, a feat not previously accomplished in one piece, and two, it helps sell Mihawks power, while everyone even Zoro, the guys who has made it his goal to surpass mihawk, uses for the most part normal katana style blades Mihawks giant blade helps distinguish him as a....cut...above the rest
@@Somespideronline claymore does it well too cause even tho they look weak they are half yomi so it makes sense how they use the swords
If they ever make an adaption of Stormlight Archive, I hope the Shardblades are as portrayed in that series, massive weapons far lighter than anyone who has picked up a sword would expect them to be. I want the highly mobile but massive blades to be there and make the impression of the terrifying weapons that they are mena to be, proper swords instead of the massive steel paddle that Guts uses, or the elaborate nonsense we see in anime.
'The hero, After countless defeats...starts winning'
Thats what I was looking for. Thanks for the vid.
My personal favorite use of the dragon slayer was Isidro's proper introduction. The kid decides to try steal from guts behind his back, and puck responds by encouraging him to try and lift the dragon slayer. He manages to lift it a little ways before puck throws him off balance leading him to be trapped under the thing. Its hilarious and quite possibly the most creative use for a giant sword.
Asta makes it work well like he has the physical strength to swing and wield it
Have to disagree completely on your hint about ichigo though. The size of his sword has a point and its shown time and time again in the series. If you put cloud strife instead, fine. But that blade also has a point.
I know what you're saying, but still... it's more fun to think of Ichigo's normal sword (big and impractical) versus its "bankai" version (slim and efficient) as an allegory for Bleach filler episodes vs. actual plot-related content.
I am late to the party but after seeing this vid and the berserk armor vid I totally love your channel my guy
Much of this is due in no small way to that Miura actually thought about how using such a sword would go. It has palpable weight and momentum. Miura made an actually believable huge sword because of how he drew the scenes and his designing of guts combat methods
berserk is EDGY bruhhh, thats why many people loves it
It's not edgy, it's dark. Edgy is just a blast of vapid misery and torture while darkness is like shadows, it reaches to pitch blackness but it also has greys and even little dots of light. It has layers and complexity.
Hey man,
Fantastic video I appreciate the way you break down the sense of escalation and narrative weight behind the Dragon Slayer. Keep up the great work!
Yes! I’m so glad you mentioned SMT. Such great games.
I love that in goblin slayer they made the point that a giant sword in a cave can t be used. They literally created a guts lookalike to make that point. JAJAja
Then goblin slayer proceeded to take the girl from lancer from fate.
Diego Kaqui You mean Cu Chulainn and Guts teaming up in that last episode (featuring other adventurers)? Yeah that was fun
@@AchaOda hey man i love the show and the characters but it still cracks me up. Also later they actually team up to troll a warlock...and yeah it s pretty funny. TThey literally kill him via loohole.
@@diegokaqui60 Wait that's in the manga/webnovel, right? Probably a bit further than I am lol
@@AchaOda yeah....i read ahead a lot. But you can see in in the brand new day spin off of goblin slayer. That spinoff has all the sidestories of volume 4.
Berserk itself actually uses this as a minor plot point at one point-Guts is unable to use it during the cliff duel with Serpico because...well, it’s a cliff.
The most terrifying fact is that there are times when Guts can hold the Dragonslayer with one hand. Imagine trying to hold that thing with one hand.
And in one part where he fights the count early on, he even carries it in his mouth like sif from dark souls
Absolute beast
Good on you for describing the complicated feelings Guts’s sword elicits in a simple,easy to understand way.
Its also mentioned in the manga that the dragonslayer has some magical properties due to the fact its killed so many demonic entities.
A point I’d like to mention is the correlation between the simplicity of the design of Dragonslayer and the abilities of Guts.
Unlike most other lumps of modern art projects that are called swords and the superficially shallow people behind them Guts and Dragonslayer’s design is minimal and muted. No ornate jewellery, cross guard the size of a zebra crossing or spikes that would just as likely impale the user.
It’s a giant sharpened hunk of metal with a plain but practical design. Guts only power is the ones humans have but many don’t use. Unlike some of his companions he doesn’t use a magic weapon or magic itself. He doesn’t fly, fire lightning out of his rugged buttcheeks or fire lasers. His only superpower is using the Berzerker Armour and that only restricts his physical and mental inhibitions, power he naturally possesses as a human. And that whole ‘pinning his body together’ being allegorical of his mind-fuckingly strong determination to keep going.
He’s not some isekai fuckboi who shits success with fancy powers and gaudy gear. (I do like some Isekai protags tho, Rimuru, Naofumi and Ainz come to mind.)
i love how the anime portrays combat, you can understand every move made, and the dynamic flow from the panels
tnx, I really love your berserk analysis videos, keep up
you forgot to mention the fact that guts has to use the ds to ustilize the full potentiel of his strength when he uses smaller swords they broke easily
Guts probably unlocked 100% of his brain's potential ever since that time with Donovan
Im so happy I found this channel bru
Great vid dude. I am interested to see what you will do in the future.
You know who else uses a giant sword like a chad Guts is?
*Kirby*
BUT THAT ELDRICTH ABOMINATION CAN EAT THE FUCKING UNIVERSE, SO WHY HE WOULD NOT USE AN GIANT SWORD
@@kleberleite4006 Yes
Shit, you increased my appreciation for my favorite weapon ever even more, great video.
I really like how you unpack the narrative importance of the Dragon Slayer. I'm also not a fan of the whole "huge for the sake of being huge" trope in a lot of anime, but I couldn't really explain why until I saw this video.
I came here from your video from 2019 about the Berserker armor, which was also great! Your description of how the armor thematically contrasts Guts' character with Griffin's was really well said. Your analyses are really insightful and put a spotlight on what constitutes good writing for manga. I also appreciate that you effectively use visuals examples in your videos, and that you use the majority of your video time to develop and further support your main points (rather than repeat the same thing over and over again in slightly different words). It makes me feel like you have a lot to say and that you're not just trying to hit an arbitrary time threshold.
Also lmfao at 9:03
"No longer about a man getting dicked over by life..."
[Zooooom]
"...but a man giving life a dicking."
45 seconds in and I feel like subbing to you simply due to your good tastes in fiction
Ah, dipping your toe into SMT. I love the series' unique aesthetic and feel, it's bit of shadow run, a bit of that classic, crazy japanese interpretations of western fantasy and religion.
I actually think miura has done a wonderful job translating real world religions into berserk, especially holy see as represantation of the catholic church which is little more than an enormously powerful political institution opressing the weak. He also researched ancient sites and literature on pagan worshiping since he exolained how holy see builds churches on sacred groves/worship places of pagans to convert the population, which was a real life thing in the ancient past.
Another thing to add to the realism of Guts using large swords is the scenes we get where he is training and he's literally just swinging the sword and counting swings. It's like weight lifting. So it isn't all natural and there is training involved for him to use oversized swords. Example is in chapter 1: Sword Wind.
What I like the most about the Dragonslayer is the story behind it. A weapon designed specifically for a task (seemingly) impossible to achieve, for a wielder that nobody would expect to exist.
It's like Guts and the Dragonslayer were made for each other, or that the Dragonslayer needed Guts as much as Guts needed it.
I feel like the fast swings would have evade more sense in the show if it was while he wore the berserker armor, but even then I don't think it worked like that in the Manga (I haven't read in a while so I can't remember if the armor augments his speed or if it's just the pain thing)
I wish you would redo this video and add the backstory to why guts uses big swords. I think it's the most important distinction between berserk and other anime. Guts was raised as an orphan in a mercenary group and being such a young kid they didn't have kids training swords so he had to use a normal adult sword which to him at 8 yrs old was like the dragon slayer. Having to constantly train with oversized swords with unbalanced weight he learned to use giant swords, and when he became a teen he carried a great sword which he used to defeat bazuzo, throughout the golden age arc as a young adult he would tie logs around the sword to add weight and do 1000s of practice strikes as seen in golden age after the zodd fight. Guts is gaining strength every chapter, untill the end of golden age when he gets branded and has his strength slowly increased beyond human from the effects of the brand. The dragon slayer slowly becoming lighter for Guts the more ge fights and kills apostles with it as the sword gets cursed by apostle deaths.
So there is a lot more to berserk then other manga.
Guts uses a normal sword at 9
A large greatsword at 14 to 19
That's 86 chapters of the manga before he gets the name sake sword
Over 220 before he gets the berserker armor which allows him to basically swing the dragonslayer like a dagger with no effort.
I finally read and caught up on Berserk as of yesterday and just read all of Black Clover right before it. Find it funny you mentioned them in this video 😆
No like everything about this video done well compared to other channels like this. The volume of your voice and the choice in music. 10/10
"Like Guts, life has dealt Asta a bad hand."
*Shows Guts with his arrow arm.*
Sorry I don't remember what's it called.
It doesn't have a name, most people just call it his prosthetic or iron arm.
@@SoI_Badguy Thanks I was wondering. Haven't read it in a while.
@@9ra307 its called a canon cannon
@@HovektheArtist Really? Why is it called that..?
@@9ra307 cause whatever he uses that arm on is blasted right outta the story
That's some smooth SMT IV music.
I'm just putting like for the OST alone man you have incredible taste
New sub. Great video great insight love it man
What I love most about it, and this may be due to the translation, is that it isn't described as "like iron" as you said, but rather "Like raw iron".
Iron is a strong metal that can be forged into all kinds of things, carefully tempered and refined until the object it makes looks clean and precise. The dragon slayer though, is like unforged raw iron. It is rough, crude, and not refined in the slightest bit. Not only does it work exactly as it was designed to, to be a huge "FUCK YOU" to all the fancy ass warriors who care about how a weapon looks over how good or not it is, but also as a partner for Guts.
At that time he was crude, sharp, and an unrefined monster of a man. How fitting that his most trusted partner, his sword, was the same as he was.
7:42 not to say that most of Asta's powers comes from the weapon itself of the "demon", not from himself. All of his powers are his, only the armor has something to itself. The dragonslayer is a tool. The weapons of Asta are his powers, and are ridicously overpowered for no reason
The same can be said for Guts’ physique. His body both shows the scars of his unfortunate circumstances, but also bis perpetual drive to overcome them. He’s not massively muscular because he’s supposed to be some attractive, fan service MC; he’s that way because he’s always had to fight and struggle just to survive.
This is the last place I expect to hear the SMT IV's SMT 1 Law theme remix coming out of a Berserk video
No Susumu Hirasawa in a berserk video? Sad, also thank you for making this video love seeing more berserk fans.
yes, but, Guts hasn't slain a dragon yet (Grunbeld doesn't count, he's a demon lizard, not a dragon) so... Fake news I say!
Lmao where did you get the demon lizard thing from? I mean, classify things as you want, just that if grunbeld isn't one, I don't know if we'll ever get anything like that
Also, he never really killed grunbeld, so yeah of course he hasn't slain a dragon with the dragon slayer
@@Dorumin chill
The sword in 2016 is called Demon slayer not Dragon slayer the People still Call the sword Dragon slayer ....
Naofumi Yeah, and the initial translation Guts was called Gats. It was an error in translation.
@@mowiezowie3261 In the Japanese language, "a" is pronounced as "U" when spoken. Guts is an accurate pronunciation for Gatsu (also commonly spelled as Gatts and Gats). I personally prefer to call him Cuts because "G" is interchangeable with "K" when translated and he appears to be ridiculously cut all over his body and face. I always found other people's confusion over his name interesting.