Thread: Is Guts getting softer?

From the beggining of the manga to the current chapter, I'm not sure if I'm the only one willing to speak up and say that guts is getting to be a big 'ol softy *pauses for flaming arrows of hate from berserk fans*
now before you start bringing torches and angry mobs towards my doorstep hear me out *possible (not really) spoilers ahead)
In the beggining of the manga, Guts is a total lone wolf. He never talks to anyone for more then five minutes if he doesn't plan on cutting there head off and he doesn't want (or need) anyone elses help. He's going off and killing innocent people and not giving two shits, cause he's just that badass. Enter Puck, the over opptimistic humerous metro-sexual sidekick.
The closer puck and Gats get the more our main character seems to open up EVER so slightly. But at the same time most of the dialouge is a banter battle between him and puck about whether guts is evil/heartless/the debil or what not (yeah I mispelled devil on purpose, shut up).
The manga continues on like this for quite a while, guts will either make snide comments or maybe mock somebody near him but that's about it as conversations sake goes. Enter Caska, the emotional train-reck and overall humanizing love-life
Once Caska starts following Guts around, Guts obviously gets more intimite with his feelings. He starts having inner monolouges about how he has to protect Caska, shouting from far off distances and acting heroic to save her from certain doom, ya know hero junk. Enter Fairnese and Serpio, the incest hopefulls.
Okay maybe it's just because Fairnese and Serpio were such a mushy additive to the story to begin with, but this is where Guts really seems to lose his man-hood. He starts fighting to protect everyone in his little day-care center, and even worse *shivers* starts giving people HOPE! That's not the guts I know and love! Enter Schierke, the Berserk loli fanboy's dream come true.
Not only did Schierkes character usher in a flood of disturbing hentai to the pervert community, but even WORSE was that it forced Guts to interact and be nice to little children. When Guts starts willingly having conversations with random strangers, and opening up to people for no good reasons (most recently when he starts talking about his love life with that guy on the boat in chapter 287 [I forget his name and I really don't wanna look it up])
As long as guts keeps on fighting like a fiend I don't mind how many people he talks to, or whether he gets intimate about his feelings and crap. But I swear to god at the rate the manga is moving in the year 2011 Guts will be saying "killing is wrong", throwing tea parties, and becoming much MUCH more emo.
All kidding aside, is Guts becoming a "nicer" person really such a bad thing? Not really, but I think all these other characters are really starting to clutter up his space and make him more of a conversationalist then a fighter. Not to mention that this love triangle (or square if the lolicons wanna add Schierkes character) is getting REALLY annoying, and Berserk is now two characters short of becoming a harem anime.

I never liked Fairnese and Serpico (spelling?), in fact i hated Fairnese in the beggining (not so much now but still), i was hoping that Guts brutally killed the zealot bitch... but it didn't happen ;_; i can just hope that she later dies a painful, slow, and pathetic death together with that fat-ass knight.

... so much for that.

Now that you mention it, he indeed seems softer now. But he likes Caska, that stupid Fairnese will die a horrible death, so no worries for a love triangle =D

Well, considering all the times he went back to his lone wolf status, something wrong always happened. Before being in the Hawks, that is. First time, Griffith got all depressed, banged Charlotte and from there on, the downward spiral we all know of. Second time he went on the lone wolf status, Caska was almost burned for being a 'witch.' So he realized he did need the companionship, even if it does put some restrictions on him. In a way, each character that's part of a group serves a purpose to Gutts personality and vis-a-verse.

I love where the Manga is going
it made me soo sad to see gutts losing everything
and seeing him happy adds a little light in the story.
Besides all the new characters kick ass

I still don't know why Gutts was the way he was at the start, I mean the start of the manga is 1-2 years after the events of the eclipse, so all the companionship of the bank of the hawk days and the love he felt for Caska was there. But he said " I hate people who are weak" blah blah "don't fight battles if you can't fight" ect, being an asocial lone wolf. Then after the backstory of how he ended up -1 arm & eye and + a brand, it was as though Gutts himself learned about those things for the first time (at least emotionally). Just seems strange that since he had this craving for companionship of Caska/The hawk why he'd treat people so harshly until he had the vision of Caska at the stake.

Well, yeah, he's getting better. Look at his character progression:

1) He begins his life in a mercenary band. He's treated horribly by his adopted father, but he seems to "love" him all the same. However, things go wrong, and he kills Gambino. He is driven away. Guts loses his "family".

2) He continues on, always alone. He fights because it's all he knows. He finally meets the Hawks, and if defeated in battle. He joins the Hawks, and comes to regard them as a new "family".

3) He leaves the Hawks, because he feels that he has to seek out his own dream. He trains for a year and returns to his "family".

4) Guts rescues Griffith. As the Hawks are deciding what to do next, the Raiders approach him and ask to come with him. Guts finally realizes that he has a place where he belongs. He is content for the first time in his entire life. On top of that, he has Casca, whom he loves.

5) Boom. Eclipse. No more family. Guts loses everything, right after finally realizing what he had. You can imagine how horribly this affects him. His entire life changes...now he has to spend his nights restlessly, constantly on the move, fighting demons at all hours.

6) Quite a bit of time passes this way. Guts is always alone, living in darkness. You can imagine the sort of effects this had upon his mind. It's understandable that he's a cynical monster when Puck meets him.

7) Puck is the beginning of Guts' change. Guts goes through the Lost Children arc, but then the Casca stuff happens. Guts realizes that he has to protect Casca. No longer is he fighting for the sake of vengeance, instead he is fighting to protect the woman he loves.

Guts gradually forms a group of followers. Now, finally, Guts is regaining a "family".

It's only understandable that he's becoming kinder.

Hm... If his family gets crushed again he might lose his sanity forever.

If he loses them, all at once, and before he has some sort of physical recovery phase, he would most likely be killed in battle in the very next encounter with a "Major Apostle."

Hense a logical reason, other than the gut feeling I, and I'm sure a lot of others already had, that these characters wont be dieing until the ending parts of the entire story.

if there was going to be multiple deaths for his companions I think Schierke would get away somehow but Gutts would lose himself in the berserker armor and it'd be like the Skull knight/mistress witch relationship all over again!

Originally Posted by coolerimmortal

Well, yeah, he's getting better. Look at his character progression:

1) He begins his life in a mercenary band. He's treated horribly by his adopted father, but he seems to "love" him all the same. However, things go wrong, and he kills Gambino. He is driven away. Guts loses his "family".

2) He continues on, always alone. He fights because it's all he knows. He finally meets the Hawks, and if defeated in battle. He joins the Hawks, and comes to regard them as a new "family".

3) He leaves the Hawks, because he feels that he has to seek out his own dream. He trains for a year and returns to his "family".

4) Guts rescues Griffith. As the Hawks are deciding what to do next, the Raiders approach him and ask to come with him. Guts finally realizes that he has a place where he belongs. He is content for the first time in his entire life. On top of that, he has Casca, whom he loves.

5) Boom. Eclipse. No more family. Guts loses everything, right after finally realizing what he had. You can imagine how horribly this affects him. His entire life changes...now he has to spend his nights restlessly, constantly on the move, fighting demons at all hours.

6) Quite a bit of time passes this way. Guts is always alone, living in darkness. You can imagine the sort of effects this had upon his mind. It's understandable that he's a cynical monster when Puck meets him.

7) Puck is the beginning of Guts' change. Guts goes through the Lost Children arc, but then the Casca stuff happens. Guts realizes that he has to protect Casca. No longer is he fighting for the sake of vengeance, instead he is fighting to protect the woman he loves.

Guts gradually forms a group of followers. Now, finally, Guts is regaining a "family".

It's only understandable that he's becoming kinder.

I agree with ya, but the question is do you LIKE it? I'm not ENTIRELY against the flow of raging emotions that Gats has to battle against but it's starting to get to be a bit much, if it gets any mushier he's gonna have to wear a freaking maxipad to battle.