Godo: A verdadeira Mensagem de Berserk

Berserk is well known for having an extremely strong protagonist with a horrible life, which is certainly the purest truth, but despite this, the work is not limited to that. The manga often deals with various delicate and deep themes, such as trauma, regret, child abuse, selfishness and many other things. And in all these themes there is a link that connects them, like a chain that guides each character to a tragic end. Something that I strongly believe is the main message of the entire work. A message that Godo summarized almost as a spoiler within the manga, and that perhaps went unnoticed. And if this is your case, rest assured that after this video you will experience the work in a completely different way. Because that’s exactly what we’re going to analyze in today’s video, so let’s go. To understand the true message of Berserk we will need to know the origin of the Dragon Slayer, and consequently its creator, Godo. This way we can understand the two phases of Guts’ life that perfectly summarize the secret that the old blacksmith had revealed. Sadness, where pain took over Guts, defeating him and preventing him from continuing on his path. Hatred, the new path that Guts chose to follow after his defeat. And finally the truth behind the link that connects all the characters in the work. Starting from the beginning. In chapter 93 of the manga, we are introduced to Godo. An extremely skilled old blacksmith, and quite grumpy too. He was clearly an armed man full of regrets. A big indication of this statement is the fact that he lives isolated near abandoned mines in the middle of nowhere with the only company of an orphan girl that he had adopted. Godo had been a very famous blacksmith, who even when he was young was already known throughout the province for his high quality weapons and equipment. At one point, the king would issue a decree for his vassals to create a sword capable of killing a dragon. Each province gathered the best materials, equipment, and of course, its best blacksmith. Godo was one of them. Although this was certainly a great honor, Godo was already tired of serving the desires of the nobles who always wanted elegant and pompous swords, which had much more decorative value than functionality in battles. Because of this, he decided to take this request very seriously. At that moment he was no longer concerned with creating a beautiful and manageable weapon, but rather a metal monstrosity capable of killing a creature that didn’t even exist, at least that’s what he believed. When presenting his finally finished work, the king was furious, it was impossible to handle something like that. To escape the royal wrath, Godo was forced to flee, hiding in the mines and staying there for the rest of his life. In the meantime, Guts would meet him and finally prove himself to be the swordsman capable of lifting the Dragon Slayer, something that until then seemed simply impossible. But at that moment, Guts was entering a world full of creatures Godo never thought existed. And so that would be the perfect weapon for the battles that would follow. And now that we know the origin of the Dragon Slayer, we can move on to the two moments that would define the trajectory of our protagonist. Guts was born and spent his entire life in suffering. Born from a nameless corpse in the mud, on a forgotten battlefield. Adopted by a woman with psychological problems and a mercenary who never had any affection for him. Sold and abused even though he was just a child. Guts has never experienced care, love and affection from anyone. His entire career taught him to never trust anyone, never depend on anyone, and especially never get attached to anyone. But, fortunately or not, that changed the moment Guts joined the hawk’s flock. There he formed bonds with his battle buddies. He had friends, something he didn’t even think was possible. And even found love. For Guts, that was finally the moment when things started to work out. It was that little part of life we ​​call happiness. However, all that hope was turned into pain and suffering when his best, and perhaps only, friend betrayed the entire gang and chose to sacrifice all those people for his selfish goal of owning his own country. For the members of the gang this was incomprehensible, why was this killing happening? Because now? For Judeau, it was confirmation of his suspicions, Griffith was full of hatred and desire for revenge. For Casca, it was a nightmare, something completely out of reality, it was inconceivable that her beloved leader, someone she saw as a god, was causing something like this, it could only be a mistake. They were all suffering, terrified and lost. But for Guts, he was side by side with the hawk the entire time, he witnessed every step, every word that the hand of god spoke. And most importantly, he was the closest person Griffith ever had. The betrayal he suffered was even greater, the trauma much deeper. And it would get even worse, when he was forced to watch the most disturbing scene of his life. Casca being raped by several monsters and then by Griffith himself, now reborn as Femto. Even though he was saved by the Skull Knight, Guts never returned to his normal life. How could he? Guts lost an arm, an eye, and all his friends. The woman he loved was completely mentally broken, she was practically a scared child, and above all she was afraid of him. Everything remotely pleasant that he had achieved was taken from him in the eclipse. He had nothing left. Sadness is the strongest feeling in this part of the work. The feeling of loss, of despair permeates each panel. Whether in Guts’s eyes, or in the eyes of the people around him. It was such a pain that he could no longer bear it. Seeing Casca in that situation every day without being able to do anything and knowing that the culprit was on the loose That made the suffering too heavy Which took the black swordsman to the darkest phase of his career. Before continuing, I would like to ask you to subscribe if you are not already subscribed, most of you who watch me are not subscribed to the channel. So if you like the content, give us some strength so we can reach 5 thousand subscribers, it won’t cost you anything and it will help me a lot to continue bringing content like this to the channel. Now that you’ve given me that strength, let’s go: Guts didn’t know where Griffith was, much less if he could defeat him. But at that moment it didn’t matter. He could stay there, mourning and waiting for his death, or begin a journey of revenge. Hunt down every apostle in existence and completely destroy each one of them. Of course, it was an impossible journey for an ordinary human being, especially alone. But Guts didn’t care about that. During his journey at no point did he plan to survive above all else. If he had to die in exchange for killing one of those monsters, he was willing. It was no longer about saving someone, or even doing justice, but about revenge. It was the moment when Guts gave meaning to his pain. He used all that hatred for death and violence against the monsters that caused it all. Guts found a new motivation to live the moment he decided to leave. This mentality of Guts is proven within this same arc, when Guts tries to create as much hatred as possible in the count’s daughter. So that she would also pursue him in search of revenge, gaining a new motivation to exist. For him, living with hate was better than not living, which in turn was better than living with his own pain. At all times Guts placed himself in extremely risky situations, no price was too high to achieve his objective. He was a man completely focused on his mission. If I needed to kill innocent people, I would, have sex with a demon, have sex, kill children, I would do that too. It is at this moment that Rosine, an apostle that Guts faces during his journey, asks, completely perplexed: “What are you?” She doesn’t ask WHO you are, but WHAT you are. And that makes perfect sense, because at that moment, Guts no longer had anything human about him. He didn’t seem to feel pain or fear. Not even the survival instinct that any animal or creature would normally have, nor did he show that. Just hate and more hate. On a level so absurd that even an apostle, an essentially evil creature, would feel afraid. This was the state in which Guts returned to Godo’s cabin to look for Casca. Someone who looked more like a beast than a man. And it is exactly at this moment that Godo finally reveals his wisdom, the truth behind Berserk and Guts’ journey. Upon returning to the cabin where his old friends would be taking care of his loved one. Guts receives the terrible news that Casca was no longer there, that they had lost. And in a fit of anger he interrogates Rickert about why he didn’t do anything about it. And it is then that Rickert reveals the reason for having remained in the cabin even after Casca disappeared. Godo was dying. A sick old man and a child, alone in an isolated cabin, was clearly not a good idea. Because of this, Guts understands the situation and goes to talk to Godo. In his bed and clearly weakened, Godo greets Guts in his usual friendly way. Despite the grocery stores, this was a way of showing affection, however bizarre it may seem. Guts in turn looks at him with a face of sadness and maybe even a little pity. Which makes the old man question him: After so many deaths you’ve witnessed, what’s so strange about seeing an old man half dead? It was also a way to break the funeral atmosphere, which in a way worked very well. While they were talking, Godo asked to take a look at the metal arm and sword to see how his creations were doing and if they needed any repairs. What surprised him absurdly when he saw the state of the Dragon Slayer, It had been about 2 years, but it seemed like more than 10, due to the damage the sword had suffered. It was as if Guts had been fighting day and night, instead of eating and sleeping. He warns Guts that he couldn’t stay sane by fighting at that rate. Which Guts obviously doesn’t listen to. Still Godo insists. He notices that Guts’ face is even darker, something he has come to understand over time. And after finally understanding the reason behind all that hate, he asks Guts: If revenge is your only motivation, why not run away from all that hate? This question caused Guts to be quite shocked, as if it was something completely unrealistic. Godo sets out to explain, and finally reveals the wisdom of decades. Listen, this is the advice of an old man. Hatred is the place where the man who is unable to bear sadness goes. Just like a blade rusted by blood, revenge is something that can only be sharpened with more blood. You sink that blade into your own heart as you try to mend the cuts of sadness. The more you sharpen it, the more it hurts you, and in the end all that’s left is a pile of blood and rust. The path you are walking will lead you to a lonely death full of regrets, nothing more. Guts, upon hearing this, immediately retorts, almost as if he didn’t take it all seriously. But deep down he knows that Godo is right. He explains that everything he saw and suffered in the eclipse, all the people he lost… All of that was too much for him to bear. He says he lost everything that day, that he had no reason to move on other than revenge. And it is at this moment that Godo reminds him that two years ago, on the day he left, he chose of his own free will to leave his greatest treasure behind. That he wasn’t able to share his suffering with the person he loved. Instead, he preferred to escape to a more comfortable place, where he didn’t have to deal with his pain. Exactly as I said. What Godo revealed to Guts on his deathbed is the essence of Berserk. Guts’ entire career has been about running away from his feelings, even if to do so he becomes a monster. From his childhood, from his time in the hawk band to his current situation in the most recent chapters, Guts has been developed to deal with his own demons. He seeks revenge and violence a refuge from your pain. For him, it is easier to face death every day than to be alone with his own thoughts for a night. Something that connects directly with reality How many of us use rudeness and harshness to push people away, as a defense mechanism? Thinking that showing emotions would make us weak? Unfortunately, as much as we don’t like to admit it, it is a reality. Berserk provides a very interesting analysis of this behavior: Where did Guts get to with this attitude? Was this good for the character? Did it help the people he loved or hurt them? Well, I think this is a question that everyone needs to ask themselves at some point. And perhaps then we understand that facing suffering may cause momentary pain, but it will save us from even more suffering and regret in the future. Something that became very clear in Guts’ journey, yet there are those who think that Guts going through depression after losing everything again is an inconsistency in the work. As if they had changed their essence. And that’s something that doesn’t make any sense to me. In my opinion, Guts has always shown himself to be on this path. A traumatized boy, with serious trust issues, and who could never stop even for a moment to try to heal from so much suffering, it’s normal for him to break down at some point. Berserk was never about an anime superhero who defeats everything and everyone with a smile on his face. On the contrary, the work has always made a point of making it clear that Guts is not, initially, a hero. Fortunately, his development has occurred as he faces increasingly greater challenges. He has come to realize that living by the sword may not bring the future he desires. It has already been said that perhaps what he wants and what Casca wants are totally different things. Who knows, perhaps she might prefer to follow Godo’s suggestion? Run away from hatred and seek a new life, of peace. Maybe for Guts, revenge is still disguised as peace, and so he believes that to have peace he needs to take revenge. But regardless of the path Guts takes from here, I imagine that at some point he will look back, remember Godo’s words, and finally understand what he meant. And who knows, if I’m not being too optimistic here, Guts himself will become the wise advisor of the new generations to come. Passing on his own wisdom, which he learned a long time ago from an old blacksmith friend. But for this video I’ll stop here, I hope you liked this content, and if you did, subscribe and you’ll be very welcome! Here’s to us, and I’ll see you in the next video, thanks!