Few swords are as absurdly powerful or large as Guts's Dragon Slayer. The infamous weapon from Berserk is one of the mightiest swords ever wielded in the series, designed to cleave dragon skulls in two, while also being far too heavy and dense for any normal human to wield. At first glance, the Dragon Slayer might just appear to be another generic, giant sword with no story behind it. Guts uses it. It's big. That, at first, looks to be it.

However, for those who delve deeper into the lore of Berserk, it's clear that the Dragon Slayer is far more than meets the eye. In fact, it's arguably one of the most bewildering weapons ever created in anime -- not because it's particularly complicated, but because this slab of iron managed to become something far mightier than was ever intended.

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Origins

The Dragon Slayer was first crafted by a blacksmith named Godot. While Godot would later be relegated to poverty in a hovel, at first he lived in the castle of an old king as a weapons outfitter. When the king commissioned a sword that could potentially slay a dragon, Godot answered the call, but didn't want to create some fancy, pretty weapon. Instead, he designed a sword that really could split a dragon's bones in two: a massive slab of metal heavy enough to break bone and smash bodies, but too bulky to properly be used.

The king, outraged by this new weapon, banished Godot, driving him into the kingdom's underground mines and away from all his wealth. The sword remained in storage for years until Guts found it while fighting an Apostle, following the Eclipse. While Guts struggled to fight off the monster, upon finding the Dragon Slayer, he smashed the adversary to pieces with a few swings of the blade. So far, Guts is the sole person to be able to wield the sword. It even took multiple Holy Iron Chain Knights to even lift the blade, let alone swing it, after apprehending Guts.

A common mistake is assuming that Guts's weapon during the Golden Age arc is the Dragon Slayer, but this he actually gets it much later. Guts trained with adult weapons as a young child, and so became accustomed to fighting with oversized weapons. During his first castle siege at the age of nine, he wielded a Bastard Sword -- the same type of sword Jon Snow wields in Game of Thrones -- a one-and-a-half handed weapon. When fighting as an adult mercenary and alongside the Band of the Hawk, Guts used giant, two-handed weapons. The Dragon Slayer just happened to suit his style perfectly.

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Guts Alters the Weapon

Ironically, despite being created to destroy dragons, the Dragon Slayer has never actually killed a dragon. It killed a dragon-like Apostle by the name of Grunbeld, but never an actual dragon. Rather, Guts has used the blade to carve through legions of spirits, demons and monsters. As of now, it's also the only weapon known to have injured members of the God Hand. However, that has less to do with any inherent qualities of the Dragon Slayer, and more to do with how Guts' use has altered the weapon.

When the Skull Knight examined the sword before Guts fought Slan, one of the God Hand, it was revealed that Guts had used the weapon against so many demons that it was essentially baptized in the blood of his enemies. This means that the weapon has become effective against even the God Hand, entities that stand apart from all others, as it is soaked with portions of their power. Guts can strike and hurt literal gods with the Dragon Slayer.

The blade also retains magical power. When fighting the wizard general Daiba, a fire spirit empowered the Dragon Slayer, giving it the ability to create intense infernos. Guts used this power to create a wave of flame, defeating the water beast aiding Daiba. But, because of the type of creatures Guts often fights, the blade itself is inherently magical, whether or not its spewing flames.

One odd thing about the Dragon Slayer is that it almost didn't exist. Guts's original weapon in early drafts of Berserk was going to be a katana. To imagine Guts like a traditional samurai, wielding a nimble, elegant katana would have completely altered the development of the iconic, battle-hardened rage beast we know and love.

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