Berserk

Guts is born from the corpse of his hanged mother and is raised by Gambino, an abusive mercenary captain. After Gambino's death, Guts becomes a wandering warrior whose combat prowess attracts Griffith, leader of the Band of the Hawk. Griffith defeats him in battle and compels him to join the mercenary group. During his time with the Hawks, Guts learns of Griffith's ambition to rule a kingdom and the mysterious Crimson Behelit he possesses. The demonic warrior Nosferatu Zodd spares their lives upon recognizing the Behelit, warning Guts that his bond with Griffith will bring calamity. As Griffith rises in Midland's political circles, Guts grows close to Casca, the Hawks' sole female commander. Upon hearing Griffith declare that he only regards those with their own dreams as equals, Guts resolves to leave the Hawks to seek his own purpose. Griffith refuses unless Guts defeats him in single combat. Though victorious, Guts's departure triggers Griffith's downfall, leading to his arrest after he seduces Princess Charlotte. Tortured and broken, Griffith loses the Behelit, and the Midland army annihilates most of the Hawks in a brutal ambush. Guts, separated and unaware of these events, is confronted by The Skull Knight who warns Guts of an impending Eclipse. A year after separation from his comrades, Guts learns of a sneak attack on the Band of the Hawk, prompting him to rejoin the survivors and rescue Griffith. During this time, Guts and Casca confess their love for one another.
The rescued Griffith is left physically ruined, but when his Behelit activates, it summons the Eclipse—a convergence of realms where the Godhand offer him godhood in exchange for sacrificing his comrades. Branded as offerings, the Hawks are slaughtered by Apostles, demonic beings once human, with only Guts and Casca surviving. Griffith, reborn as the demonic Femto, rapes Casca as Guts loses an eye and arm trying to protect her. The Skull Knight rescues them, but Casca is left mentally broken. Marked by the Brand of Sacrifice, Guts entrusts Casca to the care of the blacksmith Godo, his adopted daughter Erica, and Rickert—the only Hawk untouched by the Eclipse—before arming himself with the Dragonslayer and a prosthetic arm. He wages a vengeful war against Apostles while being haunted by the Demon Child, his and Casca's unborn son, corrupted by Femto's violation.
Years later, Guts, now renowned as the "Black Swordsman", travels with the elf Puck. Captured by Farnese of the Holy Iron Chain Knights, he escapes after saving her and returns to Godo, only to find Casca missing. His search leads him to St. Albion, where the Godhand prepare a ritual to incarnate one of their own. Amidst refugees fleeing the Kushan Empire, Guts rescues Casca from the fanatic Mozgus as the dead rise, forming a massive Brand of Sacrifice. Farnese, her bodyguard Serpico, and the thief Isidro join him, while an Apostle beneath the city consumes the Demon Child, using its essence to restore Griffith to physical form. After battling Griffith and Zodd at Godo's home, Griffith senses lingering traces of the Demon Child's emotions within him. Seeking a haven for Casca, Guts resolves to travel to Elfhelm, allowing Farnese, Serpico, and Isidro to accompany him—partly fearing his own growing rage may endanger her. Meanwhile, Griffith reforms the Band of the Hawk with Apostles, waging war against the rogue Apostle Ganishka.
Guts's party liberates a village from trolls, encountering the witch Flora, her apprentice Schierke, and the elf Ivalera. Flora gifts Guts the Berserker Armor, enhancing his strength at the cost of his sanity. After Apostles kill Flora, the Moonlight Child—later revealed as the Demon Child—appears before vanishing. The Skull Knight confirms Elfhelm's potential to heal Casca but warns of the armor's dangers. Boarding Roderick's ship, they evade a Kushan attack, during which Guts briefly clashes with Ganishka. Griffith slays the emperor, merging the physical and astral worlds, then establishes Falconia as humanity's last refuge. During the voyage, the Moonlight Child reappears, and the group battles a sea monster and undead pirates as Farnese begins studying magic under Schierke.
Recruiting the merrow Isma, they reach Elfhelm, where the elven sage Danann restores Casca's mind. The Skull Knight reveals the Berserker Armor's dark origins and his own history with the Godhand's Void. The Moonlight Child is exposed as the Demon Child, briefly usurping Griffith's body before Griffith reasserts control, abducts Casca, and destroys Elfhelm's spirit tree—scattering its inhabitants into the astral realm. As survivors flee aboard the Seahorse, Guts collapses in despair. In Falconia, Casca regains fragmented memories before being recaptured. Guts resists his inner darkness but falls unconscious as Kushan warriors—led by Silat, Daiba, and Rickert—board the ship.
Imprisoned by the Kushan, Guts learns from Daiba that Falconia's forces are advancing—Griffith's attack on Elfhelm was only the beginning. Drafted into the Kushan resistance, Guts's party prepares for war. During a royal gathering, the Apostle Rakshas unleashes trolls upon the city. Silat rallies the defense while Farnese's magic drives Rakshas into retreat. The assassin flees to Guts's cell, where a despairing Guts welcomes death—until Silat intervenes, with Rakshas retreating. In the aftermath, Guts is led away by Kushan Brahmins under Daiba's orders, sealed within an ancient tomb. He enters a meditative state there and is forced by a mysterious entity to confront his inner darkness. After awakening, Guts reopens the tomb with renewed strength. Meanwhile, Schierke's astral projection scouts Falconia for Casca, her unconscious body concealing the endeavor.