Berserk’s 7 Most Brutal Moments That Will Never Be Animated

There’s a reason why this Berserk article is being printed on October 31st, as the brutal anime franchise has long had supernatural elements and sheer brutality that make it skirt the line between action and horror. While the 1996 series, the 2016 series, and the anime films focusing on the Band of the Hawk have been plenty brutal, some scenes have yet to hit any of the anime adaptations. The series might have had no problem in airing the Eclipse twice in its various anime offerings, but there are some moments that Kentaro Miura created that might never be animated, thanks to how dark they are.

As of the writing of this article, Berserk has yet to confirm if the franchise will have another anime adaptation on the way. The last time we saw Guts and company in action was thanks to the television series, Berserk: Memorial Edition, which took the footage of the three theatrical films and spliced them together to once again tell the tale of the Golden Age Arc. Following the tragic passing of creator Kentaro Miura, the manga has continued thanks to writer Kouji Mori and the artists of Studio Gaga, and while these chapters haven’t been animated, there remain quite a few of Miura’s works that are dying for the animation treatment. With all that being said, let’s dive into the list.

7.) Everything About Wyald

You know that a character does plenty of bad things when he is excluded from two different anime adaptations. Wyald was a big part of Berserk following Griffith’s rescue from Midland’s torture chambers, first appearing as a major roadblock for Guts and the Band of the Hawk to overcome. Even in comparison to the Godhand and the other Apostles of this world, Wyald was on an entirely different level. The demonic warrior led the Black Dog Knights, one of Midland’s scariest armies, and was composed almost entirely of the worst criminals that the demon could find. The innumerable crimes of Wyald are too gruesome to even put into words, but rest assured, they were all horrible enough to mean that the powerful apostle would never arrive in the anime proper. Luckily, he did make an appearance in the video game, Berserk And The Band of The Hawk.

6.) The Lost Children Arc

Berserk’s Lost Children Arc, much like Wyald, didn’t make it to either anime adaptation that we’ve seen so far, despite taking place after the Eclipse but before Guts met the likes of Farnese, Serpico, and company. Fighting against an apostle named Rosine, the Black Swordsman finds himself fighting a demon who primarily partakes in the killing of children. In some truly ghastly scenes, the demon turns her victims’ bodies into bombs, hurling them at Guts in an attempt to kill him. Caked in blood throughout most of the fight and even taking on an appearance that frightens the Apostle herself. While there has never been an official reason as to why this storyline wasn’t animated, we have to imagine that the huge amount of violence toward children was a big reason.

5.) The King of Midland And His Daughter’s Terrible Day

This makes for yet another scene that fell took place during the Golden Age Arc, which never made its way to Berserk’s anime adaptations, and for good reason. Following Princess Charlotte and Griffith spending the night together, the Midland King loses his mind and attempts to take his daughter as his wife (which is really putting it lightly). Needless to say, it’s a brutal, cringe-inducing scene that features no demons but goes to show dark humanity can be even if they haven’t been touched by the Godhand. This moment did show a bleak side of the king that many hadn’t seen before, but it’s so grotesque that we can’t imagine this scene will ever be animated.

4.) The Troll Invasion

One of the most recognizable “grunts” of Berserk are the trolls, the supernatural beings that are effectively brainless and far beneath the power of the Apostles and the Godhand. Despite this fact, their sheer number and ruthlessness make them a force to be reckoned with. The trolls themselves played a big role in the 2016 anime adaptation, as Guts and his newfound allies fought against the rampaging collective. In the manga, however, readers get the chance to see the devastation that the trolls cause as they rampage through small, nearby villages, and it is not pretty. Much like the Midland King’s past actions, we have to avoid saying what the trolls even did, but rest assured, the dark moments proved how bleak the Berserk series could be.

3.) Ganishka’s Demon Army

One of the biggest fights that we are dying to see animated from Berserk is the fight against the Kushan emperor known as Ganishka. Acting as a foe to both Guts and Griffith alike, the sinister Apostle did something that many believed would be impossible: he made the two former friends join forces. In order to create an army worthy of his terrifying power, Ganishka gathered scores of pregnant women and…well…it’s hard to even describe, and it certainly has a slim chance of ever being animated. We fully expect that one day, Ganishka and the fight against him will be animated, but we can’t imagine that the creation of his army will be similarly brought to life.

2.) Berserk’s Opening Manga Scene

The opening scene of Berserk’s manga is so eye-popping and surprising that it, for a brief period of time, became a meme unto itself. To get close to one of the Apostles, Guts finds himself seducing and bedding said female Apostle, with the demon transforming in the middle of the act. In typical Black Swordsman fashion, Guts dispatches the demonic antagonist in quick order and makes for a wild introduction to both the protagonist and his world. Despite kicking off the beloved dark story, this scene hasn’t made its way into any of the anime stories so far, and we can’t imagine that it will ever be animated at this point, thanks to its more risque elements.

1.) The Conviction Arc Uncensored

Some might see this finale choice as something of a cheat, but it’s worthy of making the list. Berserk’s Conviction Arc was a major part of the 2016 anime adaptation, but there was so much that had to be left on the cutting room floor when it came to Mozgus and his torture chambers. While the anime series didn’t steer entirely clear of this storyline, it couldn’t get into the more graphic details, often placing things in shadow or shying away from some of the most gruesome things taking place in the holy man’s abode. Should Berserk even return to translate old events, we have to wonder if these scenes would be even more heavily censored.

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