![]() ![]() On making the sword his primary weapon after the incident with the roaming apostle, Guts regularly deploys it during his nightly confrontations with malevolent spirits. The blade would itself remain in storage for years, gradually biding its time until a fateful encounter with an apostle at Godot's workshop would force Guts to wield it for the first time. This unfortunate series of events prompted the blacksmith to flee the castle town he called home and settle down at the mines where he would live out the rest of his days and eventually cross paths with Guts. Infuriated by the impractical nature of the sword - to a degree where virtually no one could ever hope to really wield it - Godot's lord threatened his life. However, Godot's presentation of the oversized, almost crude weapon before his lord provoked the latter's anger. ![]() RELATED: Why Berserk Deserves A Proper Anime Adaptation The king had issued a decree to his vassals, calling for a sword "capable of killing a dragon." On hearing the king's proclamation from his liege lord, the exceptionally-skilled young blacksmith - who had grown tired of crafting elaborate weapons for nobles who prioritized elegance over functionality - took the call to heart and set out to fulfill this brief in every regard. Gut's own stature and physique were also defined through Miura's own studies into what level of strength and endurance would be necessary for an individual to use a sword of this nature effectively.Īs per the manga, the Dragon Slayer was forged by Godot during his youth, having been initially commissioned by the sovereign of a town he was residing in at the time. This is evident in the immense trail of destruction left by the sword every time Guts makes use of it, slicing through opponents, stone walls, other swords, and obstructions indiscriminately with alarming force. In this regard, he sought to rectify this very point that he had observed through his representation of the Dragon Slayer being used in combat. Even though it was not the first oversized blade seen in the medium, Miura had noted that most portrayals of such weapons did not account for the actual force and physicality needed to swing such a large, weighty object. ![]() Guts also wields it one-handed in Berserk: The Prototype, as opposed to his predominantly two-handed use of it in the manga. While its predecessor expands towards the hilt, in a manner similar to that of a crossguard, the Dragon Slayer as featured in the final Berserk manga has a much less elaborate design, simply consisting of a trapezoidal pommel, unadorned hilt wrapped in cloth, a semicircular guard with a concentric ridge, followed by a fairly straight, double-edged blade of massive size that tapers towards a pointed tip at its very end. Although the design of the sword changed between Berserk: The Prototype and the debut of the Black Swordsman arc in the final manga, many similarities did remain. However, this was soon scrapped in favor of the now-iconic Dragon Slayer and cannon embedded in Guts' left arm. Miura's original idea while developing the prototype for Berserk, was to equip his protagonist with a Japanese sword, and insert him into a medieval European setting. RELATED: Berserk: The God Hand, Explained Moreover, what makes it especially effective is its ability to slice through opponents from both the physical and astral worlds when called into action. Its thickness, width, and sheer visual weight have often led to it being described as a "heap of raw iron," much more uncouth than the traditional image of a sword, yet Guts' use of it throughout Berserk has shown that it is the ideal armament for a swordsman of his incredible level of skill. Since its debut, the sword has inspired countless homages, including the Buster Sword used by Cloud Strife in the Final Fantasy series, Greatswords in the Dark Souls franchise, as well as specific Greatswords that serve as more direct tributes in Elden Ring and Skyrim. As Guts' signature weapon in Kentaro Miura's Berserk, the weapon, despite not being the first oversized blade of its kind, has gone on to become an inextricable part of the Black Swordsman's identity, regularly cleaving his foes to pieces while meeting little resistance in its path. Far too large and unwieldy to be a sword yet wielded just like one, the Dragon Slayer is a blade that has inspired countless other weapons across various forms of media in the years since its first reveal. ![]()
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