Hailed as one of the most popular seinen manga, Berserk, is an amalgamation of terrific characters and plot points. Their detailed designs, along with well fleshed out, nuanced personalities is something that has made Kentaro Miura’s manga an absolute favorite for generations of fans.
Based around the story of a swordsman named Guts, who, along with most of his comrades, was almost sacrificed in a terrible demonic ritual by one of their allies named Griffith, in exchange for unchallenged power. The story progresses with Guts going on a long winding journey through a violence and bloodthirst ridden path to finally exert his vengeance on Griffith.
Miura turned the story into a majestic epic by infusing a shocking depth of emotions, masterful handling of sensitive themes, and spectacular twists into its pages. Even now, after his unfortunate demise, and his childhood friend Kouji Mori, another fellow manga artist, taking over the project, their team has worked hard to maintain Miura’s legacy.
As a result, the ongoing epic fantasy manga has a cast where every character seems to one up the other in some shape or form. However, even among them some clearly make themselves stand out from the rest, and in this list we have tried to explore who exactly they are, as well as what distinguishes them from their peers:
10 Best Characters in Berserk Manga:
10. Princess Charlotte
The princess of the Midland kingdom is gentle, kind, but naive. Her beautiful heart which beat for the sufferings of the ill-fated people, truly matched her outward beauty. It is unfortunate that someone so kind fell in love with a demon like Griffith, and suffered unnecessarily for that.
9. Judeau
Even the kind of profession and lifestyle mercenaries toiled in, could not break Judeau’s amazing character. He was one of the very few fair and kind-hearted mercenaries, who at once relished the battle frenzy as much as being with his friends.
One of the first members of the Band of the Hawk to offer an olive branch towards Guts, his personality possibly shone most prominently when he asked the latter to take care of Casca even when he himself harbored feelings for her.
8. Serpico
Although introduced as an antagonist of Guts, Serpico made himself a fan-favorite because of his love and protective nature towards his half-sister as well as superior Farnese. What truly distinguished him from other antagonists, though, was his clever tactics when dealing with opponents far beyond his skill level.
Not to mention his silly humor and fair personality which eventually turned him into one of the most loyal and dependable soldiers when he later joined Guts’ group alongside his sister.
7. Isidro
One of the youngest members of Guts’ camp, and one of the youngest fighters in the Berserk universe in general, Isidro brings to the readers a relief full of pranks and a silly punkish personality. In the dark world filled with violence and some of the vilest characters, Isidro provides a fresh breath with his unique skill set cultivated over the years as a seasoned thief, which he slyly applies in his fights to flabbergast his opponents.
Almost like a little brother to Guts due to his hero-worship and a fascinatingly hilarious equation with Schierke that almost resembles a shounen duo, Isidro is unquestionably one of the best characters in the manga.
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6. Captain Roderick
Captain Roderick embodies the epitome of good leadership in the manga. A world, where leaders, and people with powers in general often fall into a downward spiral of evil, Roderick sows the seeds of chivalry and shows why it is needed even more so in trying times.
A generous ally, gentleman, and tough when he needs to be, Captain Roderick is an equally great ship captain and human being, making him a fan-favorite.
5. Ivalera
A beautiful little elf, resembling almost a fairy from the legends, Ivalera was introduced in the manga as a dear friend to Schierke. Eventually after being immersed into Guts’ group of misfits, she also opened up to become one of the irreplaceable members who often provides emotional support to her friends. Kind, charming, caring, and at times, funny and teasing, she is a delight to the fans.
4. Schierke
An innocent little witch that has donned her big girl pants to explore the wide world, away from the shelter of her motherly mentor Flora. She is funny, smart, kind, albeit a bit naive at times, which makes her friend Ivalera’s big sister instincts flare up.
Be it her affinity to explain magic to her friends regardless of their lack of understanding, hilarious banter with Isidro, or innocent crush on Guts, she brings a lot of heart to the pages.
3. Luca
Kindness is a virtue, as is adaptability. However, being kind and trying to make the best of a situation even when trying to survive in a constant barrage of misfortunes is something that makes Luca stand apart.
A brave woman who always looks out for her fellow sex workers, almost like a big sister, be it with her social skills and charming personality or even traveling to dangerous areas to protect them, she showed a different kind of strength to the readers.
2. Puck
A beautiful elf, who without any hesitation took on the burden of being an emotional support for someone as high strung as Guts in his lowest moments, Puck is possibly one of the manga’s most liked characters.
He is kind, empathetic to the point where Guts starts to look at him like his own conscience, and just generally wants to be a good sport who always cheers for his friends. In the desolate world of Berserk, Puck is almost like hope lighting up the lives of his friends.
1. Casca
A person with tremendous heart, Casca went through a rollercoaster ride of character development as the manga progressed over time. Although she was never evil, the readers saw her barriers come down over time to reveal a multilayered character with an amazing mixture of love, vulnerability, and the mental and physical fortitude of a true warrior.
Her initial envy and then a beautiful relationship with Guts, and her care for all her friends and comrades puts her at the top of the best characters in Berserk.
From adventure, action, emotions, and breathtaking twists, Berserk has a lot to offer to its readers. It shows in the way it has become a cult-favorite among fans of fantasy manga over the last decades and continues to gain new fans everyday. So, if you haven’t had a chance to read the manga yet, this might be your cue to finally check it out!
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