I don't think anyone is expected to feel sympathy for Griffith. It's more about understanding why he did what he did. I don't think there can be any justification for the Casca rape but him making the decision to "sacrifice" is understandable, considering what he'd been through. He may have been rescued by his comrades, but by that point it hardly mattered. His life was effectively over. He couldn't accomplish anything, yet alone the dream he craved more than anything. He never wanted much to do with Casca but that's not really the point. It's more about the control he had over her up to then being taken from him, and her wanting to be with Guts more than be around him. Guts was also most likely the person Griffith really loved, so them both being together and ignoring Griffith is obviously not something that would please him. There's also the fact that Casca rejected his "advances" out of pity previously. He may not have genuinely wanted her but he didn't want to be seen as an object of pity, considering his status previously. He mostly saw his subordinates as mere belongings but he did still care about them. Surely the part where he was clawing his own skin off in the flashback with Casca should make this apparent. That said, Guts was the one person who he valued more than a mere belonging. That should be obvious if you pay attention to his dialogue before he sacrifices as well as other events such as how he tried to ward Guts away before the eclipse started. After he lost the fight to Guts and Guts walked away, he would have seen this as a huge knock to his pride, as well as losing someone he cared for very deeply. Then there was the Godhand convincing him to make the sacrifice by giving him a glimpse into his past and reminding him of who he was and what he needed to accomplish. The manga goes into more detail and greater examines the relationship between Guts and Griffith, but I think the anime does a good enough job at providing a very compelling and believable case of a character turning to the "dark side". Perhaps re-watch Berserk and don't treat it as a comedy next time and you might understand him and the series better. Also, if you don't feel satisfied with doing an analysis, perhaps you shouldn't bother. I don't think it's a good idea to do everything the fans want.
you had me up to the huge and random presumption that griffith 'loved' guts. there's almost nothing in the series that implies that at all. the events in the manga heavily contradict that theory, as well.. btw, she warned you about her feelings toward the character at the very start of the video.
That's far from a presumption. It's quite obvious if you pay close attention to details. Sometimes it's even blatantly spelled out. I'm aware of that. I wasn't offended by the video or anything. I was just enlightening her a little. I'm even more baffled about her feelings towards Makashima.
your claiming it to be blatantly obvious without sighting all the 'hard evidence' that i'm apparently missing. i've literally never heard anyone else make the claim that he loved guts, and his actions seem to exude nothing but stoic indifference now.
Griffith is someone most people don’t understand. He felt heartbroken when guys left, he was betrayed and tortured for years. He already wasn’t the same person when he was rescued. Add that to the persuasion of the god hands truly transformed him. Griffith before guts betrayal was a “neutral” person that I think we can all respect.
he's one of my favorite antagonists, he's very complex and in the beginning no one saw his asshole ways coming, the more he got obsessed with wanting to be king, the more evil things he pulled, and to be fair I don't think he saw Charlotte as "property" if anything he considered Guts property more than anyone, I think he had a man crush on Guts too
Pretty much agree on just about everything. Griffith's ambition essentially put a wedge between himself and everyone else around him, something that wasn't exactly discouraged by the way that almost everyone in the Band of the Hawk looked upon him with such reverence and admiration. Even those closest to him in the band still looked up to him, including Guts. Griffith's mentality was essentially that the Hawk was HIS, that they were HIS soldiers whose purpose was to help him achieve his dream. Everything the Hawk had, their livelihood, their prestige, their increasing social status, were things that HE gave them. He said so himself the day they met; Guts *belonged* to him. That's why Griffith went to the Princess the night that Guts left. Not because he loved her or because he was looking to fill the gap that Guts had left, but because he needed to assure himself that he was still in control of something. I think what pushed Griffith over the edge, especially after so much torture, was that everyone's lives just went on without him, just kept on going. The Hawks were supposed to be his. Casca was supposed to be his. *Guts* was supposed to be his. Griffith was now a cripple, an invalid. Even if he had made a "full" recovery, his life was, for all intents and purposes, over. But Guts, Casca and the Hawks? Their lives just continued. And that was something, I think, that he couldn't handle.
douglas wahid That's the real kicker, isn't it? What exactly did Griffith describe as a friend? Remember what he told Charlotte; *“In my mind, a true friend never relies on another’s dream. The man who would be my friend must have his own dream, beyond me. And he should put his heart and soul into protecting his dream. He should never hesitate to defend it, even against me”.* How ironic that it is when Guts begins to measure up to Griffith's idea of what a friend should be that he begins to resent and even hate him.
I think Griffith was a man with great ambitions who wanted to do find a great purpose in his life. We don't really know what he planned to do once he "reaches the castle" or so, but let's assume he wanted to become a good ruler and make the world a better place. He staretd out with this great ambition, but soon realized that people kept dying for him and the good in his personality started to fall apart due to the guilt. There was this one scene with a young boy who died for Griffith in a battle and it only went downhill from there. If I remember correctly, when Casca wanted to join the Band of the Hawks, Griffith immediately informed her that she will probably have die for him and it only went downhill from there. That's how he came to the conclusion, that he needs to "pile up the corpses to reach the castle" when the God Hand convinced him.
Griffith is fucked up for what he did at the end of the series but for the most part he was a decent man with flaws like everyone else. He was a man ruled by his ambitions to make the world a better place. The demons took advantage of his desire to save the weak because of his background of being poor. That's why he wanted to be king and rule over all was to fix some of the problems he saw in his society. The problem came when his best friend wanted to pursue his own life. He felt betrayed and abandoned by the only person he considered his equal. He felt like he couldn't obtain his dream without him. Because of his bad judgement in seeking a night of comfort from a royal princess he was tortured into an invalid. Then the demons offered him an offered him power in the lowest point of his human existence. I think we can give him a break on some levels because his DID have good intentions before the shit hit the fan. You have to put the blame on the demons for manipulating him early in his life.
+jaythedstyr And now in the manga he not only become king, yeah, by destroying a whole kingdom, slaving the people, men, woman and children, transforming it in a heaven for demons, were there is blood, brutal death and horror, and of course, he had become the king of the ashes. So selfless.
+TheKeyser94 well he's a demon now, not a human.. he is no longer the man he waa so naturally he would be evil, But he didn't start out that way as we saw so long ago. For example you give a desperately hungry man who is dying a chance to eat if he offs his friend believe it or not most people would chose to kill their friend to survive. Griffith is not a perfect man but the example of what it means to be human. He had the best intentions but it wasn't enough to bring out the best of himself so he fell to the bane of men, greed, power, and gluttony.
I think it's basically implied, as a heavy undertone, that Griffith was in love with Guts and possessive of him. When he raped Charlotte (after ignoring her pleas to stop and using her meekness and hero worship against her), he was thinking of Guts. When he rapes Casca, he looked at Guts. When he tried to get Casca back before the Eclipse, it was to spite Guts. Griffith probably did have homoerotic feelings for Guts.
I totally agree. Although the tought of Griffith being omosexual stroke me only a couple of years after reading the series. Before that, I tried to see their relationship as a really fucked up friendship, but it didn't really make sense until the romantic interest came into place.
+Azure Wrath You see what you want to see, Griffith feel lost and betrayed, he have a good way to think he have killled everyone he loved but it wasnt a free butchery
+Babouchi Yassin mabie but it's still grifith's fault if he feels betrayed he should of acted like a real friend and not manipulate guts, caska and the rest of the hawk .-.
Yea you do have to cut him a little slack there. It still doesn't excuse him, but it should be taken into account. torture has terrible effects on people. I wonder if he wasn't tortured and wasn't so venerable at that time, if he would have made a different decision or even if he did, if things would have gone a little differently, like him resisting more. Also Foxxy Moon, they actually cut that off too? I guess they left that part out of the anime. It makes sense considering the circumstances, but it's still pretty horrible to even think about.
I think any of us would honestly lose it too if we got tortured, it's an awful situation, but yeah, Griffith should not of banged daddy's little princess in the first place :/
Did you people even bother to pay attention at Griffith motivations. For one the only difference between Griffith and everyone else in the band of the hawk is that Griffith was the only one willing to make the sacrifices to achieve his dreams, every one in the band of the hawk was just as selfish and guilty of murder as much as he was. And no Griffith did not WANT to sacrifice his friends, go watch before the eclipse happens Griffith clearly warns everyone to stay away. By the time Griffith makes the "choice" to sacrifice everyone he did it because it was inevitable at that point. Which just so happens to be a HUGE aspect of berserk the whole destiny thing, which just so happens to be the quote the show starts with every episode. Not to mention you could say what happened at the eclipse was retribution for all the things they had done, just like Griffith payed by being tortured.
That is true. He did want everyone to stay away. he obviously knew at that point something bad was going to happen and that he was going to lose control soon. He did even try to save Guts when he fell.
yes griffith is selfish, he had a dream that he would do anything to achieve but he also then made a deep friendship with guts replying on him for emotional support as someone who would always be there for him like casca said " a man cant live in solitude with nothing but a dream " so when guts left griffith became broken, then once rescued him seeing that casca was going to be the next person to leave him like guts did he couldnt handle it so he tried to sexually persuade her while being in that state knowing that she once loved him. that didnt work and he saw himself becoming alone, something that he couldnt take so being in that situation he accepted the hands of gods offer so he could further his path to complete his dream even though he understood guts still cared for him he couldnt take the possibility of being alone again being helpless with everything hes sacrificed in his life for his dream to end in nothing, as hes stated the lifes of his men are his, him saying that his mean know what they are getting into. that they will die to prolong his dream so he can one day achieve it and him sacrificing his men to become the 5th hand of god is no different from his men dying on the battlefield, thats how i see him thinking anyways. the other thought iv had while watching this anime, it was when guts said to casca to go with him and she said she couldnt leave griffith not in this condition, you could argue that he then took the reins and had the horses ride of to try and get away so casca wouldnt stay behind with him knowing he was over, he couldnt do anything anymore. that he was broken but then finding his behelit then accepting the offer to become femto he sure he still had a chance to achieve his dream so he took it, he had a selfless thought because he saw nothing else but once a opportunity came he took it as griffith would, a man who would give up anything to achieve his dream, yes its messed up how he would sacrifice everyone who cares for him but thats just how griffith is, a child born with nothing having nothing but a dream of becoming a king is something so crazy you cant even comprehend someone having such a dream but he did and does anything to achieve it, only once we see him question his dream when a child died during a fight his army was apart in, a child who wanted to become a knight something unheard of for a commoner, seeing the similarities they had he had a break done while bathing but soon came past it and overcame the emotions. griffith is a messed up person who would / will and does anything for his dream but thats what i like about his, hes this genius force that overcomes every barrier he comes across to achieve his dream. this was rather long xD but i hope it helped u understand his character a little more like the way i find it ^^ he is human, with a heart that was broken once who had an opportunity to advance his dream when there was no other options and he took it even if it ment losing everything else dear to him
+disturbedpatrick well put. while i can't defend why people hate him. I can honestly say he makes an already great series even better. this villain is by far my most favorite.
wow so many people really do not understand griffith calling him selfish and stuff. when A lot of people would not know what they would do in his position. A lot of people say oh yea i would never sacrifice my whole groups of mercenaries. But If they were stuck in his position that would be another story
Well...he IS selfish. Before meeting Guts he didn't care personally, or didn't bother to, with his men, and aimed for a goal that was all for him on his life. In that sense, Guts presents a dilemma in his life, because he ends caring up for him.
Damn i forgot i wrote this post two years ago... umm and actually Griffith did care before meeting guts.... he had to throw away his caring and emotional attachments because.. a little boy died under his leadership, and he felt so guilty about it that he went to have sex with some old guy just so he could keep more people from dying... he made a least 5 battles worth of money just off that 1 night with that guy.... After that he vow to never do anything like that again and that traumatized Griffith to realize that he cant shoulder each and everyone making him more distant from his own band of the hawk
Griffith was essentially a sociopath. He used others for his own ends and saw them as little more than his personal property to be used and discarded as he saw fit. At first I was deceived and I thought that, in some way, he sought someone to challenge him and prove themselves worthy of his friendship. Arrogant, true; but reflective of a loneliness born from his own skills and achievements. Boy was I wrong about that one.
I don't think it's that people agree with what Griffith did (I mean, he horrifically killed all his loyal friends, there's NO justification for that) it's more....understanding why he did it. He was brutally and horrifically tortured for a year, was maimed beyond comprehension and had everything he'd worked towards his entire life taken away. Totally agree that it doesn't justify what he did, but it explains it, and it makes me feel sympathy for him despite what he did. Surprised you didn't address whether or not you believe Griffith had romantic feelings for Guts.
I personally agree. even before his fall, griffith was always motivated mainly by his own selfish desire and never once shown to genuinely care about his group, as the only peron he consistently treated as a friend was guts, and he has repeatedly shown how ruthless he is (from literally whoring himself out, to manipulating people at their weakest moment to join him, all the way to murdering or blackmailing those who'd try to fight him politcially). It may have been because the first episode said he was evil along and that may have skewed my opinion of him, but personally I always felt that whatever good qualities or intentions he shown were skin deep and in reality he cared only about himself.
I think Griffith was a heartless bastard, who painted himself with false colours, to blind other people. In the end he finally became the monster, which allways was Inside of him and showed his real face.
I wouldn't consider him to be completely evil. few people if any actually are. I would say, that when he let his need for power completely take over him, that lead to him transforming into a demon. Once he was a demon, he no longer had his humanity, which allowed all of his negative characteristics to be amplified and to come out without any of his human constraints. They even make a point of stating that that is the last tear he will ever shed. that made me think he was losing his human emotions while transforming.
He doesnt only do that, in the manga he does much more than that, he torture Guts with his presence, want to destroy a whole kingdom, slave the people in it, transform it in a heaven for demons only so he can be king of the ashes.
For having not read the manga, everything you said was spot on. Thinking of people as pawns rather than friends and taking advantage of Charlotte to forget about being undermined by Guts and get himself back on that high horse, so to speak. I only disagree in that IMO Griffith's desire for Casca developed from realizing that her love/affection, whatever you want to call it, was something that would always be there, even if he lost everything else. But when he realized she was taken, by Guts no less, that was the last straw which lead to the eclipse. I think the demand for this video came from diehard Berserk fans just wanting to make sure you understood the motivations behind Griffith's actions. So many people take aspects of this story at face value (ie. sex and violence) rather than taking the time to think about the moral, psychological, and philosophical motivations behind those aspects this story questions. Thank you for making another great Berserk video.
i don't necessarily think he thought of them as pawns, or he wouldn't have reacted that way toward guts and caska. griffith pre-torturing seemed to be harshly realistic about the mercenaries he employed is all it was. they were his soldiers, not his friends. he was rising everything to achieve a dream through blood and sacrifice, not throwing a picnic on the battlefield with his closest friends.
Griffith saw his friends as both items and people in the beginning, after the torture I'd say his perspective of them became warped and at the same time he didn't want to fall any further from his dream.
This is a pretty shallow analysis of Griffith. You failed to mention his upbringing, you failed to mention him saving Casca from the nobleman. You essentially have demonstrated a fundamental lack of knowledge regarding Griffith. It would be much more fitting to say that Griffith came from dirt, rescued Casca, and through his undying quest for power created the band of the Hawk from.. well nothing. I sentence you to re-regarding the manga, or re-watching the original anime version and creating a new video. Either comply or you will be damned forever.
Pretty sure im late to the party and you wont see this, but i wonder if you notice that Gilgamesh (f/z) and Griffith have similar traits. Both only sees themselves and believes everything should be theirs just because they live and breathe. However, griffith does seem shitier merely because he would walk over loyalty and other human code of honor to get what he wants. Whereas, Gilgamesh sorta enjoys or values that which griffith walks over but only appreciates if its is the level of utmost purity (eg saber's ideals and wavers unwavering loyalty). Thus, i wonder if it dawned on you that if you removed gilgameshs belief that the world is already his and OP armory and had to work to gain his place, would he pretty much be like griffith?
Just watched your Berserk analysis, well thought out and surprisingly so. That's why I honestly expected more from you about Griffith. The problem is that, yes, he _is_ a selfish bitch, but he's more than that. Your analysis portrayed him just like another monodimensional villain while his character, his actions and reactions can be read in very different ways by two different people. I never watched the anime and I don't know how the character is represented, so that might be the reason behind the difference in opinions.
Honestly if you don't appreciate Griffith's character by the end of Golden Age, reading the manga from where it left off won't change anything. Majority( if not ALL ) of his characterization is in the first arc. After that he just makes shiny Jesus appearances, says a few words, and builds an army. An one more thing but that would be a spoiler. If i had to give you any advice at all it would be to not re-watch the anime, but "read" The Golden Age arc instead. If you laugh during that than i don't know what to tell you.
No you're wrong , I think. It's true that griffith don't make a lot of appearances but what's important is what a men accomplish not who he is. He is the entity behind almost everything that happens in the second part . He is an influence behind a lot of charachters and develloppments, like johan in monster. By now we all see griffith a bit differently after all these chapters, the author has succeed to make us doubt (even just a little) about our reaction when he decide to sacrifice everyone. I don't know how to say it but he's existing more like a mood which has been transferred to the people in his kingdom. You can see the influence of griffith in a lot of faces. Again,like in monster with johan.
Finn Steur LOL you completely missed my point. I was only speaking on how meaphe felt about Griffiths character as a whole. An when i said "characterization" i meant we don't really learn anything more about him after Golden Age. He just get's a lot more stoic in personality. Most people i know first fell in love with his character in Golden Age arc because that is where we really got to know him. Everything after that was just fanservice( figuratively ). Meaphe ALREADY hates him. Why would seeing him accomplish things make her suddenly like him? See what i mean Griffith is my all time favorite villain next this character in Monster we all know very well. You don't have to convince me that he's a good character dude
I understand but meaphe is persuaded that griffith is a straightforward charachter . Seeing him in the second parts and seeing the world he try to create would surely make her balance his charachter a little bit. You know for example she likes makashima in psycho pass but what if she had seen him only in the first half , a killer psychopath who kill people one after another without clear reason ? No the second part of berserk is there to balance the charachter of griffith even if she hates him now, it's difficult to really blame griffith for what he does now.she's an honest viewer she would'nt just continue to hate him blindly. And finally like all of us would start to ask herself the central question of berserk : does the end justify the means ?
Kamina DaGreat I just want her to stop hating him blindly , not starting to love the charachter ^^, even thejorishae changed opinion about obito so i don't lose hope.
I can understand your antipathy for this character. His behavior is in fact not really likable. And the rape situation with Casca is, in all clarity, unforgivable. I will invite you to look on his behavior (the sacrifice situation) from another perspective, just for the sake of it. Imagine a person (maybe yourself) who everyone looks up to, someone on his prime in so many ways and cut out his tongue, disfigure his looks so women/men will feel pity and not attraction on first sight, torture him to a point where he can’t do anything alone anymore, not even go to the bathroom or eat and drink, and give him an opportunity to fix all that in an instant and even more, give him the chance to become a demigod with power beyond his horizon to fulfill his dreams since childhood and tell him the price for all that. I wouldn’t be surprised if the amount of people who are willing to take this offer are more than it looks like on first sight. The survival instinct shouldn’t be underestimated. And heroes with perfect behavior in all situations have all one thing in common, they are very hard to find. It is easy to moralize from a point of view where someone self has nothing to do with such kind of a situation, but I would go so far to point out that no one really knows how he/she would behave if they were in Griffith shoes. So yes, he is not really likable, and he is not the Leader who he thought of himself he was. But the question that I find interesting is, would really everyone denied this trade.
In her defense, she only watched the Anime. In the Anime version Griffith is not portrayed very detailed, so it’s understandable why she sees him that way. But thank you for your comment.
You are absolutely right. The Manga and the OVA`s are much better than the Anime. But I am not so sure about if I would suggest her to read the Manga. It’s to Gory and Sexual grotesque. It’s not for everyone’s taste. I like this kind of dark atmosphere and environment, but I can totally understand if it’s too much for some people.
You have valid points and yes what would someone do in his situation? But in my opinion I think people can't grasp the betrayal of guts and casca yeah I get he had to make a sacrifice but he didn't have to rape casca. So he's evil in a sense.
I'm a Griffith Fan and my personal feelings are that what he did was probably what anyone would have done in that situation. He obviously felt betrayed by Guts and possibly Casca. So in his mind he wasn't needlessly sacrificing anyone. That is the way I see it anyways
I think he felt more betrayed because of Guts :(. Griffith had more feelings towards Guts than anyone. I felt bad for Caska after she was raped by Femto :'( especially because Griffith was the first man she fell in love with before Guts
I understand the dislike for Griffith. Those emotions are proof that the character was written extemely well. My feelings are that Griffith stated many times that he doesn't respect people who don't have their own dream. He values his soldiers but he doesn't consider them friends because they willingly give up their lives to support his dream. By the time the eclipse happens there is only one option for him, death. He attempts suicide which activates the Behelit. At this point he is informed that there is another way to achieve his dream, the only way. This involves sacrificing the BotH, and he is ok with that because they always willingly died for him before. When Femto emerges he is no longer Griffith, he is a demon and evil. Thus, the rape of casca and tormenting of Guts. I think he can be considered a different character from then forward.
very but the fact is he felt he should sacrifice what was left of the hawks to complete his dream which he didn't wanna let all those bodies he pilled to be in vain. Also he is very selfish but overall in the end I never understood why he wanted guts to stay.
To be fair, I also interpreted the "his members belonging to him" thing as at least partially a product of the time period. In that era, when you worked for someone, you did kind of belong to them. Servants technically belonged to their masters. Wives technically belonged to their husbands and children technically belonged to their parents. There was definitely that concept of owning people and a semi slavery mentality when it came to certain relationships. No one seems to get offended when Griffith makes these statements. It's kind of expected a little bit. that being said, it also makes Griffith a little hypocritical because he doesn't technically approve of the status quo rules and his society and doesn't feel that people in power like nobles should be able to do whatever they want and that anyone, even someone not of notable birth, can do what they want and achieve great things. I'm sure he doesn't realize his own hierocracy, though, and just continues using his people for selfish means. I do think he does, or at least did care for his people. It just went all down hill when he made the choice to become a demon. When that happened, I view it as losing all his humanity and all of his negative characteristics were amplified and were able to be expressed without any human moral constraints. Also, we already knew Griffith was starting to flirt with the moral gray line when he started killing the people who were trying to kill him. Generally, once a character starts doing things like that, it'll only get worse.
I have to disagree only because of something that is HINTED at in the show, and bit more overt in the manga: that Griffith had a chance to overcome his "destiny" and live a normal life, and that perhaps his friendship with Guts would have been just the thing to make that possible. If I'm wrong then everything you said is absolutely true, but I think it's a tragic twist that makes Guts leaving the catalyst for Griffith's downfall
Griffith is a biiiit-cha. I can't wait for the inevitable final confrontation where Gut's Dragon Slayer, sheers right though Femto's anus. FOR CASCA and the BAND OF THE HAWKS!
I think the fact that Griffith was such an manipulative bastard was sort of the point. However I will say for me, if he decided not to sacrifice his friends that wouldve been fine too. I think that's how it was you know, that it could've ended up either way to an extent and overall it played out extremely well.
BUT guts knew what would happen if he left griffith zodd told him "never to let die the ambition of the man he admires" or something like that ... and besides guts is also selfish he couldnt cope with his new situation cos the only thing he wanted to do was to fight fight and fight lets be honest guts is a traumatized guy who cannot deal with people in a normal enviroment because he was raped and he only lived as a mercenary they were so close to become sirs and noble guts decision to leave at that point was very stupid he should have left after griffith becoming a landlord and all his comrades knights or noble i mean whats the problem theres always people with ambitions and back at this time everything was unfair griffight was kinda trying to fight and get his own land against the dreadful system of monarchism whats the problem? if guts hadnt left at that moment griffith would have become landlord without having to have summon hell on earth and everyone would have been happy and dont tell that the band of the hawk hadnt seen through the cause of griffith they all knew he was ambitious and fighting for his own cause besides they all fought for themselves cause griffith's success epitomized success for themselves so most of all member of the band of the hawk were ambitious i mean they were mercenaries...NEVERTHELESS griffith is the biggest cunt on earth RICKERT FOR PRESIDENT :D (sry if my english is not perfect but im not a native speaker) #griffithbiggestcuntofanime
Episode 19 of the anime truly shows Griffith's character. Earlier on, he manipulated Guts into murdering a man and his son, and felt no remorse. Griffith will go to any length to further himself no matter the cost. He has always been insane, but "Separation" truly revealed it, although earlier there are slight hints dropped. He revels in the complete control he has over the Band of the Hawk, they view him as God and he sees himself as God. By leaving and choosing his own path, Guts lets Griffith loose his complete control. Griffith's secret insecurity comes through, by being questioned he fears that the image he created of himself, as God, will shatter, that is why he is ready to kill Guts or die trying. When Guts defeats him, Griffith's self image is destroyed. He can't possibly bare the thought that he is not godlike, imperfect, so the next thing he does is sleep with Charlotte. This he purely does for a sexual conquest, to re-establish his control. In the end, when he is turned into a Demon, he is too far gone from reality and sacrificed any humanity he might have held to reaffirm himself as God.
Noah G I just saw this comment for some reason haha, but I love your observation. Especially the final point you mentioned about Griffith sacrificing any humanity he had left to become a demon. I think it's brilliant.
Raaah it's too bad you don't want to read the manga ^^ All the fanboys toward griffith come from there ! I already said it in a comment last time and I assure you that griffith is a charachter as complicated as johan , but you must read the rest of the series to understand that. It's like if you had just seen johan murder people one after another ..for nothing and not even knowing that he's suicidal because of his own actions and that he never wanted to become "jesus-hitler". And like everyone said griffith is made to be hated johan is at least at the same level and you have sympathy for him, why is that ? because he's made to. And if you want to know why everyone thinks griffith is complicated and like him you must read the rest of berserk. Because for the moment you're horrified by the eclipse (I know where you come from I was horrified by the eclipse when I read it) . That's all try it one day, really I always thought griffith and johan in the same spectrum. And if you read the rest you will understand ..maybe
I think Johan is more evil than Griffith and definitely more of a true villain. As to which is the better character though, I'm not quite sure yet. They're both deep and complex.
You thought that he was selfless?! In the first few episodes he says things like "now you belong to me" and "I will choose the place where you will die for me." Griffith outright admits that he's only using the Band of the Hawk for his personal gain early on in the show, and everyone in the Band knows it. You can't blame Griffith for all the people who just rode his coattails to success and knighthood without doing much at all, except Guts that is. This is why Griffith viewed Guts as an invaluable asset to the Hawks, so much so that he was willing to kill him for trying to leave. However, it's not like Griffith doesn't care about his men, he expressed great distress after a child died under his service and slept with that nobleman in order to get money from him. I believe Griffith made the sacrifice not just because of his dream, but because he felt betrayed. Guts was planning on leaving him a second time, this time with everyone else except Casca. Since Casca was the only reason Guts stayed, I believe that Griffith raped her both to spite Guts as well as to show how she was the only one that was truly close to him. Not to mention that after Griffith's torture, he was in for a bedridden life of no words and broken dreams. This very thought made Griffith panic and cling to any opportunity that allowed him to stand again, unfortunately that opportunity was the behelit. Griffith is a tragic and ambitious character who's lust for his dream caused his ambition to crumble, and gave way to desperation to stay alive. See? My comment has more facts, substance, and depth than your "analysis". No offense, but you could have done better.
Oh and by the way, Griffith didn't blame Guts at all. Griffith actually forgave Guts the moment he saw how much Guts felt remorseful for leaving, when Guts started crying and Griffith put his hand over Guts' to show that he doesn't resent him. That was until Guts tried to leave again, that's when Griffith snapped. It was actually Casca who blamed Guts for everything, she even tried to kill him despite him saving her life along with the rest of the Band from a Midland attack. Please get your facts straight.
I Hate Griffith and I don't care what are his stupid reason for his evil action, raping is never okay especially when that person is also a loyal follower of yours who's done nothing but serve you loyally, and raping is not only pure evil but also pure cowardly. That's why I hate on him and I do not need to see the anime since the tropes and the images I found are enough, but I can't find if he got what he deserve for his fuck up action. His perfect punishment would be for him to be stripped of his power, make him immortal and by turned into a women so that he can feel everything that Casca or women in general feel to be rape or by use as object.
It was actually implied, even before the scene with Casca, that he had such tendencies. The princess kept saying no but her meekness and hero worship made her cave in. Griffith did, in fact, rape her too.
+Jarin Jove I would think the becoming a demon basically amplifies all your negative traits. So yea, we saw that he had those sorts of tendencies already. We didn't see too much of that scene, but it was definitely an iffy gray area situation. Once he became a demon, he let any desires suppressed by his humanity go, and committed rape in a much more direct and brutal way, likely out of jealousy and spite.
The last sentence you wrote honestly confuses me? Why would he need to be turned into a woman to understand how bad rape is? Or how bad it is to be treated like an object? I haven't watched/read berserk in a long time but havent both Guts and Griffith been raped? (Guts when he was a kid and Griffith with that one guy). Your whole comment confuses me honestly (like are you just reading the Wikipedia pages or are you actually consuming berserk media?)
Just wanted to know if you were up to date on the manga if so could you do a new analysis on Griffith, perhaps try to do an unbiased review, Griffith is a very complex character and 2 minutes doesn't really do him justice
i agree with you! but i still think griffith is my favorite character ever haha. i know he does horrible things and he is insanely selfish but his actions and his ambition make him really interesting even if hes a bastard
Based on the content of this video you don't strike me as a particularly deep thinker, someone who can't see Griffith's actions as anything but shallow and superficial, nor do you seem to understand the characters in this story. Berserk is very symbolic and philosophical, and not even I fully understand it all of the time. I'm going to recommend you watch Aleczanxr's video "Griffith Did Nothing Wrong" (and yes, those quotation marks are intentional). Aleczandxr is, to me, someone who does understand the layered and nuanced nature of Griffith, and the other charecters as well going off of his other Berserk videos. He made other videos like The Tragedy of Casca, Guts & Griffith - The Driving Forces Behind Berserk where he compares and contrasts the stories 'hero' and 'villain'.
Yeah yeah, we all know Griffith is a piece of shit that can never redeem himself for what he did. But you were completely bias the entire time, this wasn't even a review tbh, more of just a rant. You didn't state anything about Griffith at all. Griffith is way more than just a horrible person, he was a very complex character who was extremely ambitious and would do ANYTHING for his dream. And if it wasn't for him, Guts wouldn't be the character he currently is. I'm not talking about him wanting revenge on Griffith, but making Guts search for a goal and making him recognize that all he cared about was fighting. Because of Griffith, Guts questioned his place in the universe.(which you never gave him credit for in your analysis video of Guts) Him having horrible characteristics are what made him a great character.
So many people don't get Griffith at all. Its a bit more than just evil and good in Berserk. So it's nice to see someone who actually looks deeper than just 'he's a d**k!' Thank you!
There's no way i can sympathize with him.. he did 2 disgusting deeds with no remorse whatsoever.. unforgivable... beside that point, i'm a fan of griffith.. ugh.. i hate him but i also love him -no homo- :p
Doesn't Griffith have some kinda homosexual attraction to guts? I'm asking as I am not an expert and have only watched the golden age arc movies. Seemed like Griffith was very fond of guts
Do you even watch berserk I .Mean seriously Griffith warn them stay away but they didn't listen to him also later he realize that if he go back now then what's the point of doing all of this
He's a hot dickweed. I know you got the hots for Guts griffith but common you don't just rape his girl then kill all your buddies. When you got tortured I felt like shit but then you just killed all your friends... like why dude. I was a fan of Griffith reading the manga and watching the show but at the end- LIKE WHY THE ACTUALLY HELL GRIFFITH YOU PULLED AT MY HEART STRINGS AND TORE OUT MY KOKORO THROUGH MY FLAT CHEST.
Quoting Gamingbrithero: "Some characters are great BECAUSE of their unlikability" Baiscally, Griffith IS a dick. An absolute asshole in his actions through the eclipse, to the point he's a monster. HOWEVER, to actually understand WHY he ended up doing that, and why he acts like he does is...intriguing. He makes for a well written character not because you're supposed to sympathize with him, but because his horrible actions aren't justified at all morally, but they are absolutely justified narratively(they aren't random dickery nor mere shock value. They make sense, which is what makes them so striking).
An analysis is mostly objective. This is a comment. Additionally not a very good one cause good and evil are subjective and a person cant be seen only black or white. One of the poorest things I have ever watched. Just. Disappoing. Dislike.
Wheter you love him or hate him, this guy is one of the best characters EVER.
Yes! Absolutely. A mysterious, charming and wonderful character. He is the best.
Yes
So much hatred. You wound me with your words. Fear not my child, forgiveness is God's greatest gift.. so i forgive you.
GRIFFITH!!!!
LOL!! Guts was quick to find your ass!!
Griffith and Guts final battle happening RIGHT HERE in Meaph's comment section! *hyperventilating* fggerfdscfd
I read that comment in your voice.
***** guts forgot the rules of his master he can't bark till donovan spanks him
Griffith makes Satan look like Gandhi.
Pure gold comment.
+Richard Milton And Johan Liebert makes Griffith look like a nun...
+The Bolt Thrower nah I think there about the same. contex and time and demons is everything my friend
I don't think anyone is expected to feel sympathy for Griffith. It's more about understanding why he did what he did. I don't think there can be any justification for the Casca rape but him making the decision to "sacrifice" is understandable, considering what he'd been through. He may have been rescued by his comrades, but by that point it hardly mattered. His life was effectively over. He couldn't accomplish anything, yet alone the dream he craved more than anything. He never wanted much to do with Casca but that's not really the point. It's more about the control he had over her up to then being taken from him, and her wanting to be with Guts more than be around him. Guts was also most likely the person Griffith really loved, so them both being together and ignoring Griffith is obviously not something that would please him.
There's also the fact that Casca rejected his "advances" out of pity previously. He may not have genuinely wanted her but he didn't want to be seen as an object of pity, considering his status previously.
He mostly saw his subordinates as mere belongings but he did still care about them. Surely the part where he was clawing his own skin off in the flashback with Casca should make this apparent. That said, Guts was the one person who he valued more than a mere belonging. That should be obvious if you pay attention to his dialogue before he sacrifices as well as other events such as how he tried to ward Guts away before the eclipse started.
After he lost the fight to Guts and Guts walked away, he would have seen this as a huge knock to his pride, as well as losing someone he cared for very deeply.
Then there was the Godhand convincing him to make the sacrifice by giving him a glimpse into his past and reminding him of who he was and what he needed to accomplish.
The manga goes into more detail and greater examines the relationship between Guts and Griffith, but I think the anime does a good enough job at providing a very compelling and believable case of a character turning to the "dark side".
Perhaps re-watch Berserk and don't treat it as a comedy next time and you might understand him and the series better.
Also, if you don't feel satisfied with doing an analysis, perhaps you shouldn't bother. I don't think it's a good idea to do everything the fans want.
Fuck understanding that. Everyone knows why he did what he did and it was horrible.
If you're not going to add anything productive, don't bother responding to me.
you had me up to the huge and random presumption that griffith 'loved' guts. there's almost nothing in the series that implies that at all. the events in the manga heavily contradict that theory, as well..
btw, she warned you about her feelings toward the character at the very start of the video.
That's far from a presumption. It's quite obvious if you pay close attention to details. Sometimes it's even blatantly spelled out.
I'm aware of that. I wasn't offended by the video or anything. I was just enlightening her a little. I'm even more baffled about her feelings towards Makashima.
your claiming it to be blatantly obvious without sighting all the 'hard evidence' that i'm apparently missing. i've literally never heard anyone else make the claim that he loved guts, and his actions seem to exude nothing but stoic indifference now.
For me ,he's one of my favorite anime/manga characters.
Griffith is someone most people don’t understand. He felt heartbroken when guys left, he was betrayed and tortured for years. He already wasn’t the same person when he was rescued. Add that to the persuasion of the god hands truly transformed him. Griffith before guts betrayal was a “neutral” person that I think we can all respect.
he's one of my favorite antagonists, he's very complex and in the beginning no one saw his asshole ways coming, the more he got obsessed with wanting to be king, the more evil things he pulled, and to be fair I don't think he saw Charlotte as "property" if anything he considered Guts property more than anyone, I think he had a man crush on Guts too
Pretty much agree on just about everything.
Griffith's ambition essentially put a wedge between himself and everyone else around him, something that wasn't exactly discouraged by the way that almost everyone in the Band of the Hawk looked upon him with such reverence and admiration. Even those closest to him in the band still looked up to him, including Guts. Griffith's mentality was essentially that the Hawk was HIS, that they were HIS soldiers whose purpose was to help him achieve his dream. Everything the Hawk had, their livelihood, their prestige, their increasing social status, were things that HE gave them. He said so himself the day they met; Guts *belonged* to him. That's why Griffith went to the Princess the night that Guts left. Not because he loved her or because he was looking to fill the gap that Guts had left, but because he needed to assure himself that he was still in control of something.
I think what pushed Griffith over the edge, especially after so much torture, was that everyone's lives just went on without him, just kept on going. The Hawks were supposed to be his. Casca was supposed to be his. *Guts* was supposed to be his. Griffith was now a cripple, an invalid. Even if he had made a "full" recovery, his life was, for all intents and purposes, over. But Guts, Casca and the Hawks? Their lives just continued. And that was something, I think, that he couldn't handle.
douglas wahid That's the real kicker, isn't it? What exactly did Griffith describe as a friend? Remember what he told Charlotte; *“In my mind, a true friend never relies on another’s dream. The man who would be my friend must have his own dream, beyond me. And he should put his heart and soul into protecting his dream. He should never hesitate to defend it, even against me”.*
How ironic that it is when Guts begins to measure up to Griffith's idea of what a friend should be that he begins to resent and even hate him.
bruh I think he was just talking about himself.
I think Griffith was a man with great ambitions who wanted to do find a great purpose in his life.
We don't really know what he planned to do once he "reaches the castle" or so, but let's assume he wanted to become a good ruler and make the world a better place.
He staretd out with this great ambition, but soon realized that people kept dying for him and the good in his personality started to fall apart due to the guilt.
There was this one scene with a young boy who died for Griffith in a battle and it only went downhill from there.
If I remember correctly, when Casca wanted to join the Band of the Hawks, Griffith immediately informed her that she will probably have die for him and it only went downhill from there.
That's how he came to the conclusion, that he needs to "pile up the corpses to reach the castle" when the God Hand convinced him.
Griffith is fucked up for what he did at the end of the series but for the most part he was a decent man with flaws like everyone else. He was a man ruled by his ambitions to make the world a better place. The demons took advantage of his desire to save the weak because of his background of being poor. That's why he wanted to be king and rule over all was to fix some of the problems he saw in his society. The problem came when his best friend wanted to pursue his own life. He felt betrayed and abandoned by the only person he considered his equal. He felt like he couldn't obtain his dream without him. Because of his bad judgement in seeking a night of comfort from a royal princess he was tortured into an invalid. Then the demons offered him an offered him power in the lowest point of his human existence. I think we can give him a break on some levels because his DID have good intentions before the shit hit the fan. You have to put the blame on the demons for manipulating him early in his life.
+jaythedstyr And now in the manga he not only become king, yeah, by destroying a whole kingdom, slaving the people, men, woman and children, transforming it in a heaven for demons, were there is blood, brutal death and horror, and of course, he had become the king of the ashes. So selfless.
+TheKeyser94
well he's a demon now, not a human.. he is no longer the man he waa so naturally he would be evil, But he didn't start out that way as we saw so long ago. For example you give a desperately hungry man who is dying a chance to eat if he offs his friend believe it or not most people would chose to kill their friend to survive. Griffith is not a perfect man but the example of what it means to be human. He had the best intentions but it wasn't enough to bring out the best of himself so he fell to the bane of men, greed, power, and gluttony.
I think it's basically implied, as a heavy undertone, that Griffith was in love with Guts and possessive of him. When he raped Charlotte (after ignoring her pleas to stop and using her meekness and hero worship against her), he was thinking of Guts. When he rapes Casca, he looked at Guts. When he tried to get Casca back before the Eclipse, it was to spite Guts. Griffith probably did have homoerotic feelings for Guts.
I totally agree. Although the tought of Griffith being omosexual stroke me only a couple of years after reading the series. Before that, I tried to see their relationship as a really fucked up friendship, but it didn't really make sense until the romantic interest came into place.
Dislike. Griffith is more than just an asshole. He is actually a very complex character. In fact, one of my most favourite characters. Ever.
How is he complex? He manipulated his way and killed those who defied him I want guts to destroy him xD
+Azure Wrath You see what you want to see, Griffith feel lost and betrayed, he have a good way to think he have killled everyone he loved but it wasnt a free butchery
+Babouchi Yassin mabie but it's still grifith's fault if he feels betrayed he should of acted like a real friend and not manipulate guts, caska and the rest of the hawk .-.
Azure Wrath Tell me what he did wrong, guts have betrayed Griffith and caska was in love with guts so i dont think he is The bad Guy.
+Deadpool The anime left out alot about griggith's character
I think Griffith rejeceted all of his humanity after spending 1 year of torture... I am wondering how can people forget about this...
yep, having sex with the princess cost him his dick, tongue, dignity...I can see why he went crazy
Yea you do have to cut him a little slack there. It still doesn't excuse him, but it should be taken into account. torture has terrible effects on people. I wonder if he wasn't tortured and wasn't so venerable at that time, if he would have made a different decision or even if he did, if things would have gone a little differently, like him resisting more. Also Foxxy Moon, they actually cut that off too? I guess they left that part out of the anime. It makes sense considering the circumstances, but it's still pretty horrible to even think about.
I am not excusing him, may be sound like it... But I take the fact of torutre like a break point (another one, being Guts's departure de 1st)
Bimmy Leglock Yea I agree.
I think any of us would honestly lose it too if we got tortured, it's an awful situation, but yeah, Griffith should not of banged daddy's little princess in the first place :/
I love Griffith
Did you people even bother to pay attention at Griffith motivations. For one the only difference between Griffith and everyone else in the band of the hawk is that Griffith was the only one willing to make the sacrifices to achieve his dreams, every one in the band of the hawk was just as selfish and guilty of murder as much as he was. And no Griffith did not WANT to sacrifice his friends, go watch before the eclipse happens Griffith clearly warns everyone to stay away. By the time Griffith makes the "choice" to sacrifice everyone he did it because it was inevitable at that point. Which just so happens to be a HUGE aspect of berserk the whole destiny thing, which just so happens to be the quote the show starts with every episode. Not to mention you could say what happened at the eclipse was retribution for all the things they had done, just like Griffith payed by being tortured.
That is true. He did want everyone to stay away. he obviously knew at that point something bad was going to happen and that he was going to lose control soon. He did even try to save Guts when he fell.
3min "Character Analysis" about Griffith? Are you okay ladie?
It's okay because it only covers the anime and not the manga.
yes griffith is selfish, he had a dream that he would do anything to achieve but he also then made a deep friendship with guts replying on him for emotional support as someone who would always be there for him like casca said " a man cant live in solitude with nothing but a dream " so when guts left griffith became broken, then once rescued him seeing that casca was going to be the next person to leave him like guts did he couldnt handle it so he tried to sexually persuade her while being in that state knowing that she once loved him. that didnt work and he saw himself becoming alone, something that he couldnt take so being in that situation he accepted the hands of gods offer so he could further his path to complete his dream even though he understood guts still cared for him he couldnt take the possibility of being alone again being helpless with everything hes sacrificed in his life for his dream to end in nothing, as hes stated the lifes of his men are his, him saying that his mean know what they are getting into. that they will die to prolong his dream so he can one day achieve it and him sacrificing his men to become the 5th hand of god is no different from his men dying on the battlefield, thats how i see him thinking anyways. the other thought iv had while watching this anime, it was when guts said to casca to go with him and she said she couldnt leave griffith not in this condition, you could argue that he then took the reins and had the horses ride of to try and get away so casca wouldnt stay behind with him knowing he was over, he couldnt do anything anymore. that he was broken but then finding his behelit then accepting the offer to become femto he sure he still had a chance to achieve his dream so he took it, he had a selfless thought because he saw nothing else but once a opportunity came he took it as griffith would, a man who would give up anything to achieve his dream, yes its messed up how he would sacrifice everyone who cares for him but thats just how griffith is, a child born with nothing having nothing but a dream of becoming a king is something so crazy you cant even comprehend someone having such a dream but he did and does anything to achieve it, only once we see him question his dream when a child died during a fight his army was apart in, a child who wanted to become a knight something unheard of for a commoner, seeing the similarities they had he had a break done while bathing but soon came past it and overcame the emotions. griffith is a messed up person who would / will and does anything for his dream but thats what i like about his, hes this genius force that overcomes every barrier he comes across to achieve his dream. this was rather long xD but i hope it helped u understand his character a little more like the way i find it ^^ he is human, with a heart that was broken once who had an opportunity to advance his dream when there was no other options and he took it even if it ment losing everything else dear to him
+disturbedpatrick well put. while i can't defend why people hate him. I can honestly say he makes an already great series even better. this villain is by far my most favorite.
wow so many people really do not understand griffith calling him selfish and stuff. when A lot of people would not know what they would do in his position. A lot of people say oh yea i would never sacrifice my whole groups of mercenaries. But If they were stuck in his position that would be another story
Well...he IS selfish. Before meeting Guts he didn't care personally, or didn't bother to, with his men, and aimed for a goal that was all for him on his life. In that sense, Guts presents a dilemma in his life, because he ends caring up for him.
Damn i forgot i wrote this post two years ago... umm and actually Griffith did care before meeting guts.... he had to throw away his caring and emotional attachments because.. a little boy died under his leadership, and he felt so guilty about it that he went to have sex with some old guy just so he could keep more people from dying... he made a least 5 battles worth of money just off that 1 night with that guy.... After that he vow to never do anything like that again and that traumatized Griffith to realize that he cant shoulder each and everyone making him more distant from his own band of the hawk
Griffith was essentially a sociopath. He used others for his own ends
and saw them as little more than his personal property to be used and
discarded as he saw fit. At first I was deceived and I thought that, in
some way, he sought someone to challenge him and prove themselves worthy
of his friendship. Arrogant, true; but reflective of a loneliness born
from his own skills and achievements.
Boy was I wrong about that one.
god i completely agree with u, griffith looked at his people as nothing more than precious commodity to get him from point A to point B.
Sad but Trueeeeeeee he's my fav character
I don't think it's that people agree with what Griffith did (I mean, he horrifically killed all his loyal friends, there's NO justification for that) it's more....understanding why he did it.
He was brutally and horrifically tortured for a year, was maimed beyond comprehension and had everything he'd worked towards his entire life taken away. Totally agree that it doesn't justify what he did, but it explains it, and it makes me feel sympathy for him despite what he did.
Surprised you didn't address whether or not you believe Griffith had romantic feelings for Guts.
I personally agree. even before his fall, griffith was always motivated mainly by his own selfish desire and never once shown to genuinely care about his group, as the only peron he consistently treated as a friend was guts, and he has repeatedly shown how ruthless he is (from literally whoring himself out, to manipulating people at their weakest moment to join him, all the way to murdering or blackmailing those who'd try to fight him politcially). It may have been because the first episode said he was evil along and that may have skewed my opinion of him, but personally I always felt that whatever good qualities or intentions he shown were skin deep and in reality he cared only about himself.
I think Griffith was a heartless bastard, who painted himself with false colours, to blind other people. In the end he finally became the monster, which allways was Inside of him and showed his real face.
I wouldn't consider him to be completely evil. few people if any actually are. I would say, that when he let his need for power completely take over him, that lead to him transforming into a demon. Once he was a demon, he no longer had his humanity, which allowed all of his negative characteristics to be amplified and to come out without any of his human constraints. They even make a point of stating that that is the last tear he will ever shed. that made me think he was losing his human emotions while transforming.
I hope that the skull knight slashes femto heal of in the most horrifying fucking way possible.
He doesnt only do that, in the manga he does much more than that, he torture Guts with his presence, want to destroy a whole kingdom, slave the people in it, transform it in a heaven for demons only so he can be king of the ashes.
For having not read the manga, everything you said was spot on. Thinking of people as pawns rather than friends and taking advantage of Charlotte to forget about being undermined by Guts and get himself back on that high horse, so to speak.
I only disagree in that IMO Griffith's desire for Casca developed from realizing that her love/affection, whatever you want to call it, was something that would always be there, even if he lost everything else. But when he realized she was taken, by Guts no less, that was the last straw which lead to the eclipse.
I think the demand for this video came from diehard Berserk fans just wanting to make sure you understood the motivations behind Griffith's actions. So many people take aspects of this story at face value (ie. sex and violence) rather than taking the time to think about the moral, psychological, and philosophical motivations behind those aspects this story questions.
Thank you for making another great Berserk video.
i don't necessarily think he thought of them as pawns, or he wouldn't have reacted that way toward guts and caska. griffith pre-torturing seemed to be harshly realistic about the mercenaries he employed is all it was. they were his soldiers, not his friends. he was rising everything to achieve a dream through blood and sacrifice, not throwing a picnic on the battlefield with his closest friends.
Griffith saw his friends as both items and people in the beginning, after the torture I'd say his perspective of them became warped and at the same time he didn't want to fall any further from his dream.
This is a pretty shallow analysis of Griffith. You failed to mention his upbringing, you failed to mention him saving Casca from the nobleman. You essentially have demonstrated a fundamental lack of knowledge regarding Griffith. It would be much more fitting to say that Griffith came from dirt, rescued Casca, and through his undying quest for power created the band of the Hawk from.. well nothing. I sentence you to re-regarding the manga, or re-watching the original anime version and creating a new video. Either comply or you will be damned forever.
lol, there is so much more to griffith. but whatever.
Pretty sure im late to the party and you wont see this, but i wonder if you notice that Gilgamesh (f/z) and Griffith have similar traits. Both only sees themselves and believes everything should be theirs just because they live and breathe. However, griffith does seem shitier merely because he would walk over loyalty and other human code of honor to get what he wants. Whereas, Gilgamesh sorta enjoys or values that which griffith walks over but only appreciates if its is the level of utmost purity (eg saber's ideals and wavers unwavering loyalty). Thus, i wonder if it dawned on you that if you removed gilgameshs belief that the world is already his and OP armory and had to work to gain his place, would he pretty much be like griffith?
Nope. Gilgamesh will never rape a mortal. Thats just out of characters in a unbelievable level
Just watched your Berserk analysis, well thought out and surprisingly so. That's why I honestly expected more from you about Griffith. The problem is that, yes, he _is_ a selfish bitch, but he's more than that. Your analysis portrayed him just like another monodimensional villain while his character, his actions and reactions can be read in very different ways by two different people.
I never watched the anime and I don't know how the character is represented, so that might be the reason behind the difference in opinions.
Honestly if you don't appreciate Griffith's character by the end of Golden Age, reading the manga from where it left off won't change anything. Majority( if not ALL ) of his characterization is in the first arc. After that he just makes shiny Jesus appearances, says a few words, and builds an army. An one more thing but that would be a spoiler.
If i had to give you any advice at all it would be to not re-watch the anime, but "read" The Golden Age arc instead. If you laugh during that than i don't know what to tell you.
No you're wrong , I think.
It's true that griffith don't make a lot of appearances but what's important is what a men accomplish not who he is.
He is the entity behind almost everything that happens in the second part .
He is an influence behind a lot of charachters and develloppments, like johan in monster.
By now we all see griffith a bit differently after all these chapters, the author has succeed to make us doubt (even just a little) about our reaction when he decide to sacrifice everyone.
I don't know how to say it but he's existing more like a mood which has been transferred to the people in his kingdom. You can see the influence of griffith in a lot of faces.
Again,like in monster with johan.
Finn Steur LOL you completely missed my point. I was only speaking on how meaphe felt about Griffiths character as a whole. An when i said "characterization" i meant we don't really learn anything more about him after Golden Age. He just get's a lot more stoic in personality. Most people i know first fell in love with his character in Golden Age arc because that is where we really got to know him. Everything after that was just fanservice( figuratively ). Meaphe ALREADY hates him. Why would seeing him accomplish things make her suddenly like him? See what i mean
Griffith is my all time favorite villain next this character in Monster we all know very well. You don't have to convince me that he's a good character dude
I understand but meaphe is persuaded that griffith is a straightforward charachter .
Seeing him in the second parts and seeing the world he try to create would surely make her balance his charachter a little bit.
You know for example she likes makashima in psycho pass but what if she had seen him only in the first half , a killer psychopath who kill people one after another without clear reason ?
No the second part of berserk is there to balance the charachter of griffith even if she hates him now, it's difficult to really blame griffith for what he does now.she's an honest viewer she would'nt just continue to hate him blindly.
And finally like all of us would start to ask herself the central question of berserk : does the end justify the means ?
Finn Steur Ok man ok lol
Kamina DaGreat I just want her to stop hating him blindly , not starting to love the charachter ^^, even thejorishae changed opinion about obito so i don't lose hope.
I agree in every fashion with what you said.
There's no Beserk without him .
I can understand your antipathy for this character. His behavior is in fact not really likable. And the rape situation with Casca is, in all clarity, unforgivable.
I will invite you to look on his behavior (the sacrifice situation) from another perspective, just for the sake of it.
Imagine a person (maybe yourself) who everyone looks up to, someone on his prime in so many ways and cut out his tongue, disfigure his looks so women/men will feel pity and not attraction on first sight, torture him to a point where he can’t do anything alone anymore, not even go to the bathroom or eat and drink, and give him an opportunity to fix all that in an instant and even more, give him the chance to become a demigod with power beyond his horizon to fulfill his dreams since childhood and tell him the price for all that. I wouldn’t be surprised if the amount of people who are willing to take this offer are more than it looks like on first sight. The survival instinct shouldn’t be underestimated. And heroes with perfect behavior in all situations have all one thing in common, they are very hard to find.
It is easy to moralize from a point of view where someone self has nothing to do with such kind of a situation, but I would go so far to point out that no one really knows how he/she would behave if they were in Griffith shoes.
So yes, he is not really likable, and he is not the Leader who he thought of himself he was. But the question that I find interesting is, would really everyone denied this trade.
youre right,i agree with you.someone who just simply hate griffith are so childish and innocent
In her defense, she only watched the Anime. In the Anime version Griffith is not portrayed very detailed, so it’s understandable why she sees him that way.
But thank you for your comment.
ok.by the way,the anime of berserk is not good.the manga and movies about golden age are great anyway
You are absolutely right. The Manga and the OVA`s are much better than the Anime.
But I am not so sure about if I would suggest her to read the Manga. It’s to Gory and Sexual grotesque. It’s not for everyone’s taste.
I like this kind of dark atmosphere and environment, but I can totally understand if it’s too much for some people.
You have valid points and yes what would someone do in his situation? But in my opinion I think people can't grasp the betrayal of guts and casca yeah I get he had to make a sacrifice but he didn't have to rape casca. So he's evil in a sense.
Griffith makes Gendo Ikari look like a civilized man
I'm a Griffith Fan and my personal feelings are that what he did was probably what anyone would have done in that situation. He obviously felt betrayed by Guts and possibly Casca. So in his mind he wasn't needlessly sacrificing anyone. That is the way I see it anyways
I think he felt more betrayed because of Guts :(. Griffith had more feelings towards Guts than anyone. I felt bad for Caska after she was raped by Femto :'( especially because Griffith was the first man she fell in love with before Guts
very insightful review, thanks mayne
I understand the dislike for Griffith. Those emotions are proof that the character was written extemely well.
My feelings are that Griffith stated many times that he doesn't respect people who don't have their own dream. He values his soldiers but he doesn't consider them friends because they willingly give up their lives to support his dream. By the time the eclipse happens there is only one option for him, death. He attempts suicide which activates the Behelit. At this point he is informed that there is another way to achieve his dream, the only way. This involves sacrificing the BotH, and he is ok with that because they always willingly died for him before. When Femto emerges he is no longer Griffith, he is a demon and evil. Thus, the rape of casca and tormenting of Guts. I think he can be considered a different character from then forward.
very but the fact is he felt he should sacrifice what was left of the hawks to complete his dream which he didn't wanna let all those bodies he pilled to be in vain. Also he is very selfish but overall in the end I never understood why he wanted guts to stay.
To be fair, I also interpreted the "his members belonging to him" thing as at least partially a product of the time period. In that era, when you worked for someone, you did kind of belong to them. Servants technically belonged to their masters. Wives technically belonged to their husbands and children technically belonged to their parents. There was definitely that concept of owning people and a semi slavery mentality when it came to certain relationships. No one seems to get offended when Griffith makes these statements. It's kind of expected a little bit. that being said, it also makes Griffith a little hypocritical because he doesn't technically approve of the status quo rules and his society and doesn't feel that people in power like nobles should be able to do whatever they want and that anyone, even someone not of notable birth, can do what they want and achieve great things. I'm sure he doesn't realize his own hierocracy, though, and just continues using his people for selfish means. I do think he does, or at least did care for his people. It just went all down hill when he made the choice to become a demon. When that happened, I view it as losing all his humanity and all of his negative characteristics were amplified and were able to be expressed without any human moral constraints. Also, we already knew Griffith was starting to flirt with the moral gray line when he started killing the people who were trying to kill him. Generally, once a character starts doing things like that, it'll only get worse.
Solaire of Astoria is basically Griffith.
I have to disagree only because of something that is HINTED at in the show, and bit more overt in the manga: that Griffith had a chance to overcome his "destiny" and live a normal life, and that perhaps his friendship with Guts would have been just the thing to make that possible. If I'm wrong then everything you said is absolutely true, but I think it's a tragic twist that makes Guts leaving the catalyst for Griffith's downfall
Griffith is a biiiit-cha.
I can't wait for the inevitable final confrontation where Gut's Dragon Slayer, sheers right though Femto's anus. FOR CASCA and the BAND OF THE HAWKS!
I've never seen Griffith do any of these bad things she's talking about
I think the fact that Griffith was such an manipulative bastard was sort of the point. However I will say for me, if he decided not to sacrifice his friends that wouldve been fine too. I think that's how it was you know, that it could've ended up either way to an extent and overall it played out extremely well.
BUT guts knew what would happen if he left griffith zodd told him "never to let die the ambition of the man he admires" or something like that ... and besides guts is also selfish he couldnt cope with his new situation cos the only thing he wanted to do was to fight fight and fight lets be honest guts is a traumatized guy who cannot deal with people in a normal enviroment because he was raped and he only lived as a mercenary they were so close to become sirs and noble guts decision to leave at that point was very stupid he should have left after griffith becoming a landlord and all his comrades knights or noble i mean whats the problem theres always people with ambitions and back at this time everything was unfair griffight was kinda trying to fight and get his own land against the dreadful system of monarchism whats the problem? if guts hadnt left at that moment griffith would have become landlord without having to have summon hell on earth and everyone would have been happy and dont tell that the band of the hawk hadnt seen through the cause of griffith they all knew he was ambitious and fighting for his own cause besides they all fought for themselves cause griffith's success epitomized success for themselves so most of all member of the band of the hawk were ambitious i mean they were mercenaries...NEVERTHELESS griffith is the biggest cunt on earth RICKERT FOR PRESIDENT :D (sry if my english is not perfect but im not a native speaker) #griffithbiggestcuntofanime
if you want a reeeaaally in depth analysis read Griffith Invictus.
Episode 19 of the anime truly shows Griffith's character. Earlier on, he manipulated Guts into murdering a man and his son, and felt no remorse. Griffith will go to any length to further himself no matter the cost. He has always been insane, but "Separation" truly revealed it, although earlier there are slight hints dropped. He revels in the complete control he has over the Band of the Hawk, they view him as God and he sees himself as God. By leaving and choosing his own path, Guts lets Griffith loose his complete control. Griffith's secret insecurity comes through, by being questioned he fears that the image he created of himself, as God, will shatter, that is why he is ready to kill Guts or die trying. When Guts defeats him, Griffith's self image is destroyed. He can't possibly bare the thought that he is not godlike, imperfect, so the next thing he does is sleep with Charlotte. This he purely does for a sexual conquest, to re-establish his control. In the end, when he is turned into a Demon, he is too far gone from reality and sacrificed any humanity he might have held to reaffirm himself as God.
Wow thanks for pointing this out.
John Micheal My pleasure! What do you think of my observations?
Noah G I just saw this comment for some reason haha, but I love your observation. Especially the final point you mentioned about Griffith sacrificing any humanity he had left to become a demon. I think it's brilliant.
sorry for all the typos i kinda rushed typing this and iv been drinking ^^ so yea hehe
Oh come on. I am the reason Berserk is so good :) you all love the evil.
Griffith actually youre right ^^'
Griffith true but I hope that cuts cleaves your ass up in the finale!
*Guts
but YOU NEVER ONCE MENTIONED HIS PHYSICAL BEAUTY!!!
Raaah it's too bad you don't want to read the manga ^^
All the fanboys toward griffith come from there !
I already said it in a comment last time and I assure you that griffith is a charachter as complicated as johan , but you must read the rest of the series to understand that.
It's like if you had just seen johan murder people one after another ..for nothing and not even knowing that he's suicidal because of his own actions and that he never wanted to become "jesus-hitler".
And like everyone said griffith is made to be hated johan is at least at the same level and you have sympathy for him, why is that ? because he's made to.
And if you want to know why everyone thinks griffith is complicated and like him you must read the rest of berserk.
Because for the moment you're horrified by the eclipse (I know where you come from I was horrified by the eclipse when I read it) .
That's all try it one day, really I always thought griffith and johan in the same spectrum.
And if you read the rest you will understand ..maybe
I think Johan is more evil than Griffith and definitely more of a true villain. As to which is the better character though, I'm not quite sure yet. They're both deep and complex.
dude i completely agree
You thought that he was selfless?! In the first few episodes he says things like "now you belong to me" and "I will choose the place where you will die for me." Griffith outright admits that he's only using the Band of the Hawk for his personal gain early on in the show, and everyone in the Band knows it. You can't blame Griffith for all the people who just rode his coattails to success and knighthood without doing much at all, except Guts that is. This is why Griffith viewed Guts as an invaluable asset to the Hawks, so much so that he was willing to kill him for trying to leave. However, it's not like Griffith doesn't care about his men, he expressed great distress after a child died under his service and slept with that nobleman in order to get money from him. I believe Griffith made the sacrifice not just because of his dream, but because he felt betrayed. Guts was planning on leaving him a second time, this time with everyone else except Casca. Since Casca was the only reason Guts stayed, I believe that Griffith raped her both to spite Guts as well as to show how she was the only one that was truly close to him. Not to mention that after Griffith's torture, he was in for a bedridden life of no words and broken dreams. This very thought made Griffith panic and cling to any opportunity that allowed him to stand again, unfortunately that opportunity was the behelit. Griffith is a tragic and ambitious character who's lust for his dream caused his ambition to crumble, and gave way to desperation to stay alive. See? My comment has more facts, substance, and depth than your "analysis". No offense, but you could have done better.
Oh and by the way, Griffith didn't blame Guts at all. Griffith actually forgave Guts the moment he saw how much Guts felt remorseful for leaving, when Guts started crying and Griffith put his hand over Guts' to show that he doesn't resent him. That was until Guts tried to leave again, that's when Griffith snapped. It was actually Casca who blamed Guts for everything, she even tried to kill him despite him saving her life along with the rest of the Band from a Midland attack. Please get your facts straight.
Can you do a character analysis on sosuke aizen from bleach and madara uchiha?
I Hate Griffith and I don't care what are his stupid reason for his evil action, raping is never okay especially when that person is also a loyal follower of yours who's done nothing but serve you loyally, and raping is not only pure evil but also pure cowardly. That's why I hate on him and I do not need to see the anime since the tropes and the images I found are enough, but I can't find if he got what he deserve for his fuck up action. His perfect punishment would be for him to be stripped of his power, make him immortal and by turned into a women so that he can feel everything that Casca or women in general feel to be rape or by use as object.
It was actually implied, even before the scene with Casca, that he had such tendencies. The princess kept saying no but her meekness and hero worship made her cave in. Griffith did, in fact, rape her too.
+Jarin Jove I would think the becoming a demon basically amplifies all your negative traits. So yea, we saw that he had those sorts of tendencies already. We didn't see too much of that scene, but it was definitely an iffy gray area situation. Once he became a demon, he let any desires suppressed by his humanity go, and committed rape in a much more direct and brutal way, likely out of jealousy and spite.
The last sentence you wrote honestly confuses me? Why would he need to be turned into a woman to understand how bad rape is? Or how bad it is to be treated like an object? I haven't watched/read berserk in a long time but havent both Guts and Griffith been raped? (Guts when he was a kid and Griffith with that one guy). Your whole comment confuses me honestly (like are you just reading the Wikipedia pages or are you actually consuming berserk media?)
I agree, I think Griffith’s very selfish and would do anything to achieve his dream. He’s like an evil version of Luffy!
Griffith is so evil!
he's a pimp
I agree with your analysis. Griffith is the worst kind of monster. single-minded, possessive and faithless to friends. I hope Guts kills him soon.
Just wanted to know if you were up to date on the manga if so could you do a new analysis on Griffith, perhaps try to do an unbiased review, Griffith is a very complex character and 2 minutes doesn't really do him justice
i agree with you! but i still think griffith is my favorite character ever haha. i know he does horrible things and he is insanely selfish but his actions and his ambition make him really interesting even if hes a bastard
Based on the content of this video you don't strike me as a particularly deep thinker, someone who can't see Griffith's actions as anything but shallow and superficial, nor do you seem to understand the characters in this story.
Berserk is very symbolic and philosophical, and not even I fully understand it all of the time. I'm going to recommend you watch Aleczanxr's video "Griffith Did Nothing Wrong" (and yes, those quotation marks are intentional).
Aleczandxr is, to me, someone who does understand the layered and nuanced nature of Griffith, and the other charecters as well going off of his other Berserk videos.
He made other videos like The Tragedy of Casca, Guts & Griffith - The Driving Forces Behind Berserk where he compares and contrasts the stories 'hero' and 'villain'.
XD god i loved you when you said he is **** LOL ! thank you for your honesty
Yeah yeah, we all know Griffith is a piece of shit that can never redeem himself for what he did. But you were completely bias the entire time, this wasn't even a review tbh, more of just a rant. You didn't state anything about Griffith at all.
Griffith is way more than just a horrible person, he was a very complex character who was extremely ambitious and would do ANYTHING for his dream. And if it wasn't for him, Guts wouldn't be the character he currently is. I'm not talking about him wanting revenge on Griffith, but making Guts search for a goal and making him recognize that all he cared about was fighting. Because of Griffith, Guts questioned his place in the universe.(which you never gave him credit for in your analysis video of Guts) Him having horrible characteristics are what made him a great character.
So many people don't get Griffith at all. Its a bit more than just evil and good in Berserk. So it's nice to see someone who actually looks deeper than just 'he's a d**k!' Thank you!
Great char analysis 😀
I love this
Marianne, lelouch's mom please! Super lovely char.
There's no way i can sympathize with him..
he did 2 disgusting deeds with no remorse whatsoever.. unforgivable...
beside that point, i'm a fan of griffith..
ugh.. i hate him but i also love him -no homo- :p
Doesn't Griffith have some kinda homosexual attraction to guts? I'm asking as I am not an expert and have only watched the golden age arc movies. Seemed like Griffith was very fond of guts
+Vertigo Gheist Yeah, he was a narcissistic sociopath with some borderline traids.
just so you know griffith is a sociopath.
Do you even watch berserk I .Mean seriously Griffith warn them stay away but they didn't listen to him also later he realize that if he go back now then what's the point of doing all of this
I think others liked him and so they wanted to follow him becouse its more medieval? I dont know.
wow that is messed up. poor guts
He's a hot dickweed.
I know you got the hots for Guts griffith but common you don't just rape his girl then kill all your buddies.
When you got tortured I felt like shit but then you just killed all your friends... like why dude.
I was a fan of Griffith reading the manga and watching the show but at the end- LIKE WHY THE ACTUALLY HELL GRIFFITH YOU PULLED AT MY HEART STRINGS AND TORE OUT MY KOKORO THROUGH MY FLAT CHEST.
we should become friends.
that way I can sacrifice you :)
Read the whole thing
lets face it Griffith wanted guts D
If you dont want to read the manga amd want a better ending why not watch the 3 berserk movies. In my opinion the ending is better than the series.
...the cg in the first 2 movies might take some time to get used to though
kevensdesrosiers Yep but the third film balanced it well
Daaaaaaaaaaaaammmnn
The eclipse never happened.
Atleast he establish himself being a worst villian
Griffith fans? How can there actually be Griffith cans with the crap he's pulled
to be fair, its ok to like evil characters as antagonists :/ we don't have to like Griffith as a respectable person
Quoting Gamingbrithero:
"Some characters are great BECAUSE of their unlikability"
Baiscally, Griffith IS a dick. An absolute asshole in his actions through the eclipse, to the point he's a monster.
HOWEVER, to actually understand WHY he ended up doing that, and why he acts like he does is...intriguing. He makes for a well written character not because you're supposed to sympathize with him, but because his horrible actions aren't justified at all morally, but they are absolutely justified narratively(they aren't random dickery nor mere shock value. They make sense, which is what makes them so striking).
I really did not like that self righteous at all.
He didn't do anything wrong
Griffith fans exist?
i hate griffith I hate him to
An analysis is mostly objective. This is a comment. Additionally not a very good one cause good and evil are subjective and a person cant be seen only black or white. One of the poorest things I have ever watched. Just. Disappoing. Dislike.
Griffith did nothing wrong!
griffith did nothing wrong