The Berserk manga has been the center of inspiration for many forms of media throughout the years, most notably the monstrous creations within the Dark Souls Universe and Guts Dragon Slayer Sword serving as the concept behind Cloud Strife’s Buster Sword from Final Fantasy VII. However, Berserk itself is birthed from inspiration, as most creative forms are, and some can be linked back to mythology around the globe. Ancient history has an abundance of mythical creatures, legendary gods and historical beings that have found themselves re-imagined within the world of Berserk in the form of apostles.

Berserk features a collection of mythological, religious and historic references within the world-building, the apostles’ appearances, setting and themes. By analyzing the Band of the Falcon’s top five Generals under the service of Griffith, there are some clear connections to various creatures, beings or Gods of mythology, and not simply due to their appearances. Through the research of primarily Greek and Roman mythology, the themes and arcs of the Generals have observable influences.

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Irvine the Greek God and Locus the Thessalian God

Locus from Berserk manga art.

Irvine is the Robin Hood-style apostle, wielding a bow with precision akin to the elves of Middle Earth and serving as captain of the Band of the Falcon’s archers. The likely mythological inspiration for Irvine derives from the Greek God Pan. It is not the archery that's the connecting factor between the pair but rather Irvine’s apostle form and behavior during the Band’s downtime. Pan has the characteristics of a satyr, similar to that of a deer, which Erica describes the apostle form as. The deeper connection comes through their affiliation to music and the woodland, serving as beings of the wild and producers of the finest music. Even as an apostle, Irvine emits an aura of peaceful, forest-like calm -- something attributed to Pan.

Locus is the reserved and reliable Moonlight Knight, commended for his political mind, wisdom and outstanding cavalry prowess. His apostle form resembles a centaur, though there is likely more to his conception than simply that mythological creature. Centaurs are traditionally wild and lust-driven creatures, while Locus shows the opposite of these traits; due to this, it is far more probable he is drawn from the Thessalian God Chiron. Chiron is considered a being of wisdom, intelligence and adherence to civilized behaviors, similar to Locus’ personality. Because of this, it would be too simple to simply label Locus as a centaur when he is far more appropriately designated as the most civilized centaur in mythology.

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Grunbeld the Fire-Breathing Giant and Rakshas the Hindu Demon

Grunbeld from Berserk in armor, manga art.

Grunbeld leads the Band of the Falcon’s Giant Regiment, appearing as a stalwart knight and battle-loving beast. Grunbeld adopts the form of a fire-breathing dragon when transforming; however, his connection to mythology is more related to his human form. Since there are countless dragons in legend, there are more possibilities of his inspiration to be found in the giant Cacus. In Roman mythology, Hercules faced off against the fire-breathing giant Cacus, and this is similar to when Grunbeld challenges Guts, using his advanced weaponry to unleash bursts of flames before he even transforms. The conflict could almost be considered a re-imagining of the mythological confrontation.

Rakshas is the black-clad, masked apostle who generally works within the shadows of conflict as an assassin, scout or spy. Rakshas is one of the Generals with a much more obvious influence in mythology. In Hindu mythology, there are demigods known as Rakshasa that have the ability to shape-shift and cause disruption wherever they can be found. Aside from the obvious similarity to the name, both Berserk’s apostle and the demon in Hindu legend are considered forces of evil and merciless killers. If there was one Rakshasa that could be the particular influence for Rakshas, it could be Hidimba for his cannibalizing. Rakshas not only kills other Kushan but has also announced a desire to one day kill Griffith. While not exactly cannibalism, the impression is there symbolically.

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Zodd the Minotaur and Griffith the False Prophet

Guts Faces Nosferatu Zodd In Berserk

The Immortal Nosferatu Zodd is known for his unmatched prowess in swordsmanship and his apostle form of a winged, horned monster. As the right-hand man of Griffith, Zodd is the protector and sword-arm of the God Hand member. Zodd’s inspiration is quietly clearly drawn from the Minotaur portrayed in Greek mythology. Aside from their shared appearance and terrifying skill in battle, there is a possible theme that could be explored in the future of Berserk. When Guts finally reaches Griffith’s Palace, descending into its depths, he will need to slay Zodd before even dreaming of reaching Griffith. As Theseus slew the Minotaur, Guts will likely challenge Zodd in the center of the palace for the final time.

Griffith himself can be compared to the Anti-Christ in Christian belief and scripture. His return to the world of the living is on false pretenses. While he purposely portrays himself as the savior of mankind and is worshiped as a messiah, the souls he damned to an eternity of suffering to attain his power show his evil nature, and his mask of angelic kindness hides the greed that dictates his ambition. Griffith is a man fueled by sin in a shroud of heavenly light used to blind others to reality. Because of these factors spawned from lies, he is the embodiment of the Anti-Christ and a stark contrast to Guts. Guts is symbolically naked in truth but cast in shadow, showered in painful trials that test his humanity. If anything, Guts is far more akin to a savior than Griffith could ever be.

These similarities are only speculative, but considering how robust Kentaro Miura’s research into European Medieval culture was when he designed the world of Berserk and the references to Christianity and Islam throughout the story, it is entirely plausible that Kentaro considered ancient mythology when creating the five most vital apostles. There are certainly links to other beings and creatures of legend that could be connected to the five Generals, yet the above-discussed beings are not only similar in appearance in their apostle form but also in their themes, behaviors and arcs.