#berserk theories

[epraim1992]

Gut's Daimon

The Beast of Darkness is offering Guts powers in exchange for yielding himself. Which begs the question to what it is.

It seems like it's more then a figment of Guts imagination since Griffith noticed its presence which is significant.

I have a theory that it is a daimon. Daimons are high class spirits that exist in deep domain of the Astral World. With some of them being humans.

It has been suggested a couple of times that Guts will use the Beherit. But I think there will be a twist and that Guts is already a reincarnation. I think the Beast was a daimon that reincarnated into Guts.

I think the Beast's offer is to tell Guts his true name so he can transform and gain power.

There is an evil opposite of a daimon called a kaikodaimon I think that is what the Beast is. The Astral World is split into light and darkness. And I think Flora hinted at it when she said demons and angels in the deeper layer of the Astral World which is where the Daimons reside.

The Beast of Darkness takes the form of a canine and I think there is a link to the Black Dog Knights.

Also Guts was called a mad dog by Casca.

And appeared as a dog in Casca's dream world.

It's odd that Wyald named his unit the Black Dog Knights even though he looks like a monkey. Not only is he called one by others but acknowledges it himself.

During his fight with Guts Wyald states that he hadn't been hurt that bad in a hundred years.

Which is when the Midland-Tudor War started, I don't think this is a coincidence.

I think the Beast was the original of commander/lord of Doldrey who dressed in dog shape armor. I think Wyald helped Tudor capture Doldrey and the Beast inflicted that would on him. I think Wyald adopted his moniker in homage/mockery. I think after dying he became a daimon.

I think he was mentioned by Guts as the noble who roasted women, children and entire town. I don't think this tidbit was random I think it's important.

I think he got the info from Griffith who studied history. Or Guts read about it himself to learn the history of Doldrey in preparation for that battle.

Guts depicts this noble as a zealot which I think is one reason why the Beast reincarnated and wants to kill Griffith. Griffith is an enemy to the church, their scripture warns about Griffith's coming.

Also I think he wants revenge for the fall of Doldrey. I think the God Hand manipulated those events in their grand plan which is why Wyald was there.

There is precedent Zodd intervened in Guts' battle to ensure the Eclipse happened.

Skull Knight mentioned that Guts might have some ties to the elves. I think the Beast went to them to reincarnate.

The Peekaf story showed that elves can grant wishes similar to the God Hand. And most of the things in that story ended up being true, an example being time dilation.

A hole in my theory is Schierke not noticing this but a person's Od can be hidden. Danann could not sense Griffith within the Moonlight Boy.

Along with the witches they couldn't figure out what the Moonlight Boy was.

Another headcanon I have is that Gambino's and Shisu's biological son was meant to become Griffith's other half. I thought Guts might have been a replacement used to mess up the God Hand's plans. He is reminiscent of a changeling and Guts has a potential link to the elves.

And he was called a devil's child by Gambino which is one of the definitions of a changeling.

I think it will be massive callback to the King's statement about how would be fitting for Griffith to be killed by the black hounds of Hell.

I think the Beast is also inspired by the tiangou a mythological black dog that is capable of eating the moon. The moon is uses to represent the power of causality/the God Hand.

[fairydares]

I'm sorry but this post is so funny 💀 reblogging to save tbh

Popular Berserk fan-theories:

Warning: Spoilers for up to chapter 338.

The Skull Knight is actually Gaiseric, who was sacrificed by the person who then became the God-Hand ‘Void’ as a result.  

Void is actually one of the aliens from ‘Mars Attacks!’. The Skull Knight will figure out (purely by accident) that Void is vulnerable against a random, obscure, old song and will play it until Void’s head explodes. Like with the film ‘Mars Attacks!’ (and many of Berserk’s more creative Apostle/demon encounters with Guts) no one will understand what the hell they just saw or why/how any of it happened. The art will be beautiful and gruesome.

Keep reading

[anniflamma]

My next animatic will probably be Ruthlessness. So I have been sketching out some ideas, I guess, for Poseidon, and I ended up making him a horse. So I like to depict the gods as animals or change sizes when they are expressing big emotions. And Poseidon has this calm anger throughout all of his songs, but his anger is simmering beneath. So my first ideas, I started out having him as a dark horse chasing Odysseus' boat. And when he becomes angry, he becomes more horrifying. But then I realized that meant that I had to draw a freaking horse throughout the whole animatic, and I didn't want that, so I gave him a human form....

His human form isn't really 100% decided yet. I don't really know if he fit of the delivery the song.

If I remember right, in the snippet of Get In The Water, Jay said that there will be a "twist" in the song. Probably Athena will appear or something. I don't know what it can be. But I do have some theories.

I have a headcanon about Poseidon in the musical. I see him more like a personification of vengeance itself. It's based on the parallelism between Odysseus, Poseidon, and even Hector.

Hector was the man who died and couldn't protect his son from the perpetrator. Poseidon is the man whose son became mutilated and is trying to take revenge on his perpetrator. Odysseus is the man who does everything he can to make sure he won't end up in the same spot like Hector/Poseidon.

So this design of Poseidon is more based on what if Poseidon was the representation of Hector's ghost trying to take revenge for the murder of his son.

It's a stretch, but I kind of like it!

[ladygriffith]

Similarities between Belladonna of Sadness (1973) and Berserk

Belladonna of Sadness (哀しみのベラドンナ, Kanashimi no Beradonna) is a 1973 Japanese adultanimatedart film produced by the animation studioMushi Production and distributed by Nippon Herald Films.

Jeanne makes a pact with the a spirit, who soon reveals himself to be the Devil. She submits her body in exchange for more riches and she is granted magical powers. The baron offers to make Jeanne the second-highest noble in the land, but she refuses, saying she wishes to take over the entire world. These events were only foreshadowing her tragic fate.

original reddit post by morbidcorbin

Surely, Miura found this inspiring to write Griffith's story.

[noctusfury]

Do Dagur and Heather Have Anglo-Saxon Ancestry? (HTTYD/RTTE Theory)

Hello, my fellow Furians! Here's another HTTYD article for you today!

In this article, we'll ask the question of why Heather doesn't look like the other Vikings and why her name isn't a Viking or Barbaric-Archipelago-ian like the others. 

Here is my take on this.

(This is also major thanks to @valiantwarrior37 for helping me out concerning this and we had a lot of fun discussing this several years ago.)

My Theory and Headcanon:

.

.

Their Physical Appearance:

Here's MY theory and headcanon for this question:

Heather — and possibly Dagur — have Anglo-Saxon blood!

If this is the first time you've heard of this, or if this sounds a bit "out there," then please hear me out!

Now, you're probably wondering, "Noctus, why do you think that Heather — and possibly Dagur — have Anglo-Saxon blood? They're BERSERKERS!" 

AH! Well, I didn't say that they were FULL-BLOODED Anglo-Saxons, now, did I?

What I mean is that they're half Anglo-Saxon and half Viking. The Viking half from their father, and the Anglo-Saxon half from their mother. Or even a quarter Anglo-Saxon from their father's side (or mother's side), maybe?

Now, why do I think that?

Because we literally know nothing about their mother and very little about Osvald the Agreeable. We don't know what they looked like, how they met before Dagur and Heather were born, or if maybe the mom died and Osvald remarried—WE. KNOW. NOTHING!

Yes, Heather looks nothing like a Viking; that we can agree with. Neither does her name. My headcanon is that she takes it after their mother, or even grandmother, who's quite possibly Anglo-Saxon by blood. The reason why is probably the hair-color and Heather's physical appearance. It's very common in Anglo-Saxon women. Anglo-Saxons were well-known to have a lot of brunettes (though they did have blondes, too). Black-haired people as well. Even a few redheads, but those weren't as common as the Celtic and even Nordic peoples.

We must, of course, consider, that Dagur and Heather could be half-siblings, meaning that they could've had different mothers.

Now, we don't know what she looked like, nor what Osvald looked like. Osvald could've had red hair and green eyes, while the mother had black hair (or dark brown hair) and whatever-colored eyes she had (let's say, blue, for argument's sake). So Dagur looks like Osvald and Heather looks like the mother. Or Osvald could've had different eyes while the mother had the green eyes, so both kids have their mother's eyes, but Heather also has her mother's looks and hair. 

If Osvald had black/dark brown hair and green eyes (which I doubt because Vikings don't really have that combination usually) and the mother had red hair and blue eyes, then Heather would have the form of her mother yet the hair and eyes of her father, and Dagur would have the form and eyes of his father, but the hair of his mother. 

If Osvald had black/brown hair hair and blue (or brown) eyes, and the mother had red hair and green eyes, then Dagur would've had his mother's hair and eyes and the build and personality of his father while Heather had the form and eyes of her mother and the hair of her father. Actually, the OC that I made to be Dagur and Heather's mother has this combo (though, I'm not sure if I'm going to be keeping that look).

The problem with this though is that I doubt that Osvald has black/dark brown hair and whatever-colored-eyes-that-aren't-green because look at this:

And this:

These are concept artwork of Osvald the Agreeable. The problem though is that none of these look like Osvald in the Race to the Edge series in this shot:

Look at this guy! Oswald in RTTE looks taller and, while buff-looking, isn't a rounded square block. To be fair, though, RTTE is a product of Netflix, not Cartoon Network, so it make sense that the designs for Osvald would be different.

Also, I really wouldn't be surprised if he has red hair and green eyes. Or red hair and blue eyes.

If any of you are experts in genetics, please clear this up for me. 

Please?

Anyway, comment on these two questions:

1) What do you think Oswald looks like?

2) What do you think Oswald's wife looks like?

<><><><><><><><><><>

Heather's Name:

Okay, back to Heather and Dagur — but mostly Heather.

Another possible proof to my headcanon as to why Heather may be half (or quarter) Anglo-Saxon is. . . well, her name. Heather is a Middle-English name used between the 1100s-1400s — though that's most likely its peak period. It wouldn't be surprising if it was used as early as the Anglo-Saxon period. It was used by the Anglo-Saxons (particularly the Northumbrians), the Anglo-Normans, and the Scottish later in the medieval period. So if her mother gave her daughter the name Heather, then she, or Heather's grandmother, would probably most likely be Anglo-Saxon, as Heather is an Anglo-Saxon name, more or less. Keep in mind that Heather is merely an Anglicized version of the name. Her mother, if she was Anglo-Saxon, would've said the name in her Anglo-Saxon language, but when she named her, her mother would've used the Norse language, so it could easily be Lynga or Lyngja or Lynghild or Lyngrid — Lyng meaning "heather" in Old Norse; another possibility is Erika, which can translate into "heather" in some languages. Quite possibly Middle-English as well.

Another possibility — but less likely — is that Heather might've inherited the name from her mother or her grandmother (depending on who was full-blooded Anglo-Saxon). It may have been that her grandmother was the Anglo-Saxon and not her mother. Honestly, we don't know. Dagur says himself that Heather and he are the only family each other's got, which means that everyone in the Berserk family has . . . retired! We know almost nothing of their family and we don't know what any of them look like.

Heck, Dagur and Heather could've been half-siblings for all we know — Oswald's first wife having Dagur and the Anglo-Saxon gal having Heather. We simply don't know.

Ugh! The possibilities are ENDLESS!!!

<><><><><><><><><><>

Conclusion:

So regardless whether Dagur and Heather's mother was red-haired and green-eyed, or red-haired and blue-eyed, or black-haired and green-eyed, or black-haired and blue-eyed, or whatever hair/eye combo you want to give her, it can literally be any of these combos because we don't know what Oswald and his wife look like. If she has red hair and blue or green eyes, she may be Scottish or Irish (or maybe one of those few Anglo-Saxon ladies that's a red-head). Or she may be Anglo-Saxon. Or she may just be 100% Norse and Heather is simply an Anglicized version of her Viking name that means "heather". After all, Hiksti means "hiccup" in Icelandic, which is the closest form of Old Norse that we can sadly get.

If anyone can correct me on this, please let me know. I'd be interested to know if there's an Old Norse word for "hiccup". 

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this article. Thank you for your time.

So, in conclusion, my theory and headcanon is that Heather and Dagur's mother is Anglo-Saxon and that they're half-bloods -- which can explain her appearance and name. It doesn't go against the canon, but it also can't be confirmed either. Though you can't confirm anything concerning Heather, Dagur, and their family because their family is practically "retired" in Valhalla having a grand ole time partying and feasting and fighting people every day for eternity. lol XD

Regardless if she's half Anglo-Saxon, half Irish, half Scottish, or just 100% Norse with an Anglicized version of what would've been her Nordic name, this is just my nest egg on the matter. I hope you enjoyed it.

So please tell me your thoughts, my fellow Furians! Who do you think Heather is? Do you agree with my headcanon that she's part Anglo-Saxon? Or do you think that she's Irish? Scottish? Or just 100% Norse?

Also, what do you think their parents looked like, and what did Dagur and Heather inherit genetically from them? Or do you think that Dagur and Heather are half-siblings?

I can't wait to hear your thoughts!

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you've enjoyed picking apart this question as much as I have. 

Farewell and happy flying to you all, my fellow Furians!

Long Live the Night!

— Noctus Fury

[sarnai4]

Betrayal

I was going to make this a fun post, but then I discovered that there are Dagur gifs on here and...yeah, that light topic didn't happen. So, here goes a little sad something.

I think these frames of animation are very interesting. Actually, this entire scene is to me. It's in "The Night and the Fury" and is right after Dagur learns that Hiccup lied. I love how this occurred because it would have been so easy to just have him be like, "You have dragons? Okay, now I'm about to kill you." They didn't do that, though. Even as Dagur is connecting the dots, he harps on the fact that a lie was told. "Your father lied to me...YOU lied to me!" If you go back to Dagur's threat from "Twinsanity," he never even said that he'd attack Berk if they had dragons. He specifically said he would if he found out they did after they denied it. Technically speaking, Dagur could have attacked immediately if he wanted to, but he still had the intention of keeping the peace. These expressions in the gif are right after he says, "You could've been my brother, Hiccup. Now, you're my enemy." When he says this, he actually sounds sad. His expressions match that. Dagur, Mr. Gets Angry At The Drop Of A Helmet didn't immediately respond with rage. He's hurt and I think I know why.

Dagur doesn't perceive things like other Vikings to put it lightly. When he has his first episode, he's talking about how he and Hiccup had great laughs after he tries to drown the poor Berkian. He calls Hiccup his old friend when they see each other again in the episode with the gif. I think he genuinely believes this. For the strange things Dagur does, he doesn't see it. So, it's not just someone lying to him, it's his best, his ONLY friend lying to him and making him looking like a cool in front of his tribe. That's why he sounds sad instead of angry. That's why he has to look away and think through what his next move is. Yes, he attacks, but what are his options?

Hiccup doesn't give him any more time to think. He tries to leave with Toothless, so Dagur has to act then. Regarding his options, they all are bleak. If he attacks, then you have war and what we got. The alternative is that he doesn't then, right? Well, that's not great either. As soon as he gets back to his ship, one of the Berserkers says that he wants to kill Hiccup himself. Dagur has to make it clear that no one besides himself will go after Hiccup. This shows how the Berserkers really can be vengeful. They're not even an aggressive group (as shown in "Something Rotten on Berserker Island"), but they have tempers. So, if Dagur holds onto the friendship that he just realized didn't exist, he has to go back with his tail between his legs and admit not only that he was played, but that he doesn't want to do anything about it.

Dagur already was worried that no one would respect him as chief. They never would if they found out he was tricked and didn't even want to get revenge for it. He would be the young chief who was too foolish to see through lies and too weak to defend his people in case the liar decided to lie again and actually attack. So, yes, Dagur attacked. Was it a mistake? Oh most definitely. He could've caused the deaths of many people and was arrested for this. So, I'm not saying that Dagur is in the right for his war, but I'm saying that I don't think it's a black and white as the show tried to portray. We see it from Hiccup's perspective with Dagur being this wild kid who just likes killing. Dagur's so much more than just some angry or deranged Viking. I just wish we got to see more of his side of things.

[sweatytyrantobservation]

I think zodd is going to stray from griffith.

I know this has been said on reddit but there's been a few panels* where I've seen zodd and he just looks, conflicted? As the dude said on reddit when you look at his facial expressions, it says a lot. He almost looks uncomfortable in my opinion. I've got a feeling he's gonna stray from griffith soon, or at some point.

To me zodd is a guy that is a true warrior and has the capability to recognise when others are true warriors with good skill, for example with guts, he respects guts because of the fact that he managed to wound zodd for the first time in 300 years. There's no way zodd isn't aware of how griffith is toying with guts and casca, so I could imagine he's going to feel conflicted naturally.  I know zodd is seen as 'on griffiths side' but griffith only won zodd and his obedience a result of being defeated in a battle. I don't think zodd sees griffith as a fair fighter. I mean he isn't, not really. I feel bad for him man, poor things obviously running himself by a warrior code of some sorts like errr the dragon dude is it grunbeld (from what I've seen) And is clearly not liking what he's seeing but this code of his so to speak is getting in the way of him outright leaving.

*These are the panels i'm referencing

[plenilune]

i'm stuck in my sci fi novel so i just, started reading marx's capital :/

[teratophilex]

I find the "is Zodd the true father of Guts?" Theory so funny because it acknowledges that Zodd absolutely fucks.

[midnight-in-town]

About Casca, it’s me or are they keeping her “jailed” and busy in a way that’s nothing like her ? It’s as if Griffith doesn’t remember what his ex right hand is all about… don’t get me wrong, I know he can’t give her a sword, but pretty dresses, calm days, making flower crowns with kids, who is he even kidding?

Hey Anon! Well I more or less agree but, as you said, Griffith drugged Casca so she wouldn't escape, so what else is there to do? x) At least she can go outside and see the sun...

That being said, reading the chapter, it really made me remember episode 72 during the Golden Age, when tortured!Griffith imagined what his life as Casca's companion would be:

Back then, powerless as he was after being tortured so much, he realized his dream became unachievable. Since he knew Casca used to have feelings for him and hearing that she couldn't leave him behind in such a state, he dreadfully imagined what his life would become, driven by (what he imagined was) Casca's wishes. Of course, that scared the hell out of him and he chose to become Femto soon after.

Now, in ep372, it really seems to me that it's the other way around: powerless and drugged, Casca is experiencing what Griffith's dream is all about and what life she might have had, if she had clung onto his dream like she used to do.

With Falconia, Griffith almost managed to get his kindgom, even if he still needs to wed Charlotte to get the official crown.

So if the Eclipse hadn't happened and Casca had remained by Griffith's side, like an obedient right hand woman who used to have feelings for her leader, it's likely that she would have become an honorable lady living in the castle, especially since women who are warriors a rare feat in Berserk (which btw caused Casca some feminity issues in the past).

Obviously though, that's all imaginary because the reality depicted in ep372 is pretty different from the Golden Age. As we know, Griffith became Femto and sacrificed the very people who always believed in him ; also Casca has feelings for Guts and is now Griffith's prisoner but...

...she was indeed abducted because she's indispensable to the realization of his dream, because Griffith wants to keep a good and tighter grasp over his own vessel, the moonlight child, so I find it's a cool parallel.

TL;DR what Casca is currently experiencing against her will and drugged in ep372 is probably what her life could have been like...

...if Guts hadn't made her realize that she didn't have to live by clinging onto another person's dream.

All that being said, I'm really hoping that Casca will soon get her agency back, because she deserves it and because I know she's capable of protecting herself without Guts necessarily being around, even if for that, she's going to need allies... :)) (see below)

Sorry for rambling Anon, but I hope it helps ! Have a nice day. :))

Hey Anon! Well, don't worry, there are always several possibilities !

Casca could manage to escape the castle for a short time and to come across them for example, even if I agree it's hard to imagine it now, seeing as she's drugged.

Personally, my favorite idea is the castle needing new maids and one of the girls getting hired as a replacement, seeing "Elaine" again and wondering why she's without Guts.

Or, considering that Daiba gave them diamonds when Rickert and co left Falconia, they probably don't have to work anymore...

...so maybe they will get a glimpse of "Elaine" as a (drugged) court lady (during Griffith and Charlotte's wedding ?) and wonder why she's there, thus getting hired as maids to get in touch with her?

Either way, I think it's very likely that Luca and the rest of the girls will be Casca's first allies and will help her overcome the whole 'being drugged' obstacle. :))

As for other possible allies at a later time, I discussed it a few years ago here, but I'm interested in Casca's presence in Falconia maybe acting as a catalyst leading to more development for Zodd, Sonia & Mule but also and mostly Charlotte.

Indeed, as a fan of the few interactions we had between Casca and Charlotte back during the Golden Age (because on this blog, we dislike competition between women and support women bonding over similar goals), I'm really hoping that Charlotte will eventually realize, upon seeing Casca, that the man she loves is an absolute monster and that, as a result, she will find it in her to step up as the rightful monarch of this kingdom.

We've still got some looong ways to go before we reach this point though, obviously.

I hope it answers your question, have a nice day Anon!

[13eyond13]

started reading comments on the Berserk wiki and nearly died at someone referring to Casca's broken-minded period as her "potato times"

[epraim1992]

Nature of the Beast

I have a theory that the Beast of Darkness is a dark elf and forest guardian from Elfhelm. I think he fused with a baby Guts to get revenge on the God Hand.

Danann told Casca she looked like a dark elf princess which hints that they are are humanoid dark elves.

Evil spirits told Guts that he reeked of a darkness close to them.

Later on we learned about Qliphoth where dark spirits reside.

And Slan told Guts that his soul belonged in Qliphoth so I think this is the darkness close to them.

We know dark elves exist on Elfhelm they resided in a ravine that Schierke compared to Qliphoth.

Skull Knight stated that Guts might have a connection to elves I think it's because he is fused with one.

Griffith and the Moonlight Child demonstrate that two beings can be fused.

I think the Misty Valley Arc foreshadowed this. Rosine created protectors she called Forest Guardians.

Dananna gave Casca "Forest Sentinel" clothes showing that they exist in Elfhelm.

I don't believe we saw Forest Sentinels but we did see human size elves. I think a Forest Sentinel from Elfhelm will appear and it will be the Beast.

Guts appeared as a dog in Casca's dream world, I think symbolizing him as her protector i.e. a guard dog. I think it explains why the Beast of Darkness is a canine, it is also a protector.

Misty Valley Arc did foreshadow Elfhelm. Rosine self stylized herself as the Queen of the Elves.

Later on it was revealed that a real ruler of the elves existed and they turned out to be a woman.

In the Peekaf story it was shown that that elves could grant wishes.

Guts even compared it to the sacrificial ceremony. I think the Beast of Darkness will give Guts a power up through a wish.

The Peekaf story had time dilation with turned out to be true I think elves being able to grant wishes will turn out true too.

The Beast of Darkness is offering Guts power in exchange for himself I think this is a clue he will grant a wish.

The branded are offering to those of darkness, I think the Beast of darkness is taking advantage and using the God Hand's power against them.

The Brand of Sacrifice has power that defies imagination.

Gambino told Guts he should have of died when he was a baby. I think he was right.

I have a theory that the child of Gambino and Shisu was supposed to be Griffith's other half.

Minute changes can happen at temporal junction points. I think the birth of Gambino's and Shisu's son was one and the Beast killed him.

I think the Beast took advantage of causality. Although minute changes can occur the course events does not change. I think the Beast took opportunity to replace him.

Causality always corrects itself, if a chosen person loses a Beherit it will come back to them.

Also it will try to recreate events. A son of Gambino and Shisu is supposed to be Guts other half so it made sure there was a replacement. The reason Casca and Guts was drawn to the Incarnation Ceremony was because causality trying to replicate the Eclipse as closely as possible.

Gambino and his men thought of Guts as a bad omen.

And Gambino called him a devil's child. I think the inspiration came from the film The Omen where the Devil replaces the child of the protagonist with the antichrist. Berserk draws a lot of inspiration from pop culture.

I think this is how Guts can take on the God Hand. Skull Knight revealed that only those who exist outside of the story can fight them. And that would fit Guts if my theory is right.

[milfsloverblog]

I know the Kate Middleton thing is getting big because why did my unchronically online partner ask if I’d heard about “Kate Middleton’s new passion for photoshop”

[theoryandahalf]

how do you feel about santi's not-so subtle dunk on lunchly

I think it was a pretty fair episode. I understand why Theorist wouldn't dedicate an entire episode to dunking on Lunchly, considering its highly implied that Logan Paul made them take down their previous Prime videos. Intellectually, I know they have to play it safe, they're in their corporate era. Theorist is kinda sleeping in the same bed as Mr Beast (they share the same talent managers).

Emotionally, I wanted Santi to rip Lunchly to shreds because I'm so tired of these idiots. I long for feral Santi. I want blood. I want the unholy trio of Dantdm, Tommyinnit and Rosanna Pansino to look like kittens next to this man's wrath.

I think its 80% because I think those jerks deserve it and 20% because it would be hot. Also because I have a lot of pent up aggression after this month's election.

[ladygriffith]

Devilman: The origins of Berserk?

Devilman is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Go Nagai. The manga focuses on a high school student named Akira Fudo who absorbs the powers of the demon called "Amon" with help of his friend Ryo Asuka in order to battle creatures hidden in human society, thus calling himself the "Devilman" in the process. 

Akira Fudo is a shy teenager who lives in his friend Miki Makimura's house as his parents work abroad.

One day, Akira's childhood friend Ryo Asuka reveals to him that the Earth is about to be invaded by demons, monstrous beings hibernating for centuries in the ice who are about to resurface. According to Ryo, demons have lived on Earth before the appearance of man, and now they want to claim possession of it.

The only way to defeat them is to take control of the demons' powers to fight them on equal terms. Ryo then involves his friend in a ritual called the Black Sabbath, an event where numerous demons plan to merge with humans to infiltrate society.

During the Black Sabbath, Akira merges with Amon, a demon warrior both idolized and feared among his kind for his incredible strength. However, instead of Amon holding control over Akira, the latter's pure soul triumphed over that of Amon, bringing the demon to heel and creating Devilman.

After fighting out of the Black Sabbath, Akira uses his demon persona to battle multiple enemies hidden in society.

Meanwhile, Ryo journeys back to the mansion where he informed Akira of the world of the demons, and finds an album about his life which states he died years ago in a car accident. During his ensuing existential crisis, Ryo is met by a group of demons led by the demoness Psycho Jenny, who informs him of the reality of his identity. 

Ryo is Satan, a fallen angel who sympathized with the demons and turned on God for wanting to exterminate them. As part of Satan's plan to lead an all-out war on humanity, he had Psycho Jenny erase his memories and replace them with those of Ryo Asuka until the time when he was ready to begin the war. 

(Anime) Akira falls in love with Miki Makimura, and Devilman is tamed by his desire to protect her. (Beast of Darkness) Devilman resolves to defect from his orders, and from then on fights a slew of opponents sent by Zennon and his Demon Generals.

During a television broadcast, Ryo reveals the existence of Devilmen to the public but does not differentiate them from demons when he shows footage of Akira's first transformation. This leads to a panic that causes humans to turn on each other worldwide. While Akira confronts Ryo for answers and learns the truth of his former friend's identity, a mob of humans kill Miki and her family for being associated with him.

With Miki's death, Akira loses faith in humanity before vowing to get revenge on Satan. 

When asked by Zennon about why he wanted Akira to survive humankind's extinction by becoming a Devilman, Satan implies that the reason is because he loved Akira and wanted to protect him. 

During their final battle, the Devilmen are wiped out by the demons and Satan kills Akira.

Griffith to Guts: “I will choose the place where you die”

Reflecting on his actions, Satan realizes what he did to humankind was no different from what God did to demons, and as he feels regret, God's angels descend upon the Earth.

The series was originally ordered by Toei Animation as a toned-down anime version of Nagai's previous manga series, Demon Lord Dante. 

Here, Ryo meets Medusa (like Slan), who takes him into that past using time travel. Medusa reveals Ryo that God is an energy-based monster (Idea of Evil) God wanted Earth inhabitants' bodies.

[noctusfury]

Who Ruled the Berserker Tribe in Dagur's Absence During His Subsequent Imprisonment and Outlawry? (DreamWorks Dragons)

Hello, everyone! Welcome to another HTTYD article! Once again, we'll dive into another Berserker article/theory/question.

So I'm not sure about you guys, but I've always wondered who was managing the Berserker Tribe while Dagur was enjoying a 3-year vacation in Alvin's dungeons. Granted, different production companies made Defenders of Berk and Race to the Edge. And since the Dreamworks Dragons series usually doesn't get into details of external family and stuff, we can only speculate.

But hey, that's why you guys are here, right? lol 😂😉

But anyway, while Dagur was sipping the ale of losers in Alvin's dungeons, just who was leading the Berserkers? We know Captain Vorg was in prison with Dagur and the others. One possibility is Savage, since he was able to escape; and this could explain why he was able to rally a coup d’état against Dagur when he turned traitor and became soft for dragons and Berk in particular. However, with Savage the way he is, I doubt it. Also, we see that after Dagur's absorption into Viggo's camp, and then eventual desertion, Savage wasn't anywhere to be found.

Eventually, we see him in "Darkest Night" when he captures Hiccup, now as a mercenary/bounty hunter/still-Outcast. So it's likely that's what he was doing before he broke Dagur free. Of course, we don't know why or how he ended up returning to Outcast Island to free Dagur. Due to the unfortunately added "Traitor Johann Arc" (I can't STAND that arc!), it could be assumed that Johann had led him there or even hired him and a team to free Dagur. After all, I highly doubt that Savage would've bothered doing it by himself if he hadn't tried to free Dagur sooner. Three years is a long time, you know.

Again, though, we can't know for certain. It could be that Savage had tried several times but couldn't get past the defenses; or maybe he wanted to wait for the right moment when the Pro-Alvin Outcasts had their guards down; or maybe there's another reason we're not aware of.

And we know that, with Osvald dead, Heather living peacefully with her adopted Tribe, Great Uncle Haggard long dead as well (probably), there wasn't any other family member that we know of who could've taken over the Berserker Tribe after Dagur's defeat. That we KNOW OF, at any rate.

It's also possible that some subordinates were ruling as de facto, temporary substitutes until either Dagur came back or somebody else took over. But that's also very unlikely.

However, there's an important clue that Seasons 1 and 2 give us: After Dagur is freed, he doesn't return to Berserk! Why? Besides the fact that he's deranged, he should know better than to fight the Dragon Riders without the support of his Tribe, right? What's interesting to note is that his ships and men are significantly less than during his war against Berk 3 years before! Also, he had to "P-A-Y" for new ships after being released, since he only had the one ship that he stole after escaping imprisonment.

Again, why? Why would he do that? Was he that desperate for revenge against Hiccup? I mean, yes, but there's more to it than just that. Why would he not return to his Tribe and reclaim his authority and rally his fleets and warriors to attack Berk again? Why did he have to buy ships, only have his men that escaped with him and some outcasts/mercenaries, and had to turn to the Dragon Hunter power in order to defeat Hiccup? Did he realize he couldn't win by himself or by his Tribe's strength? No, because Dagur is stubborn and is a Berserker supremacist.

Don't forget this important detail: Dagur is an OUTLAW. A CRIMINAL. A WANTED MAN. As such, several Tribes will want his head and won't stop until they do. Even if he was able to return to his Tribe, they won't have the strength. As such, when he couldn't defeat Hiccup by himself, he turned to the Dragon Hunters for sanctuary and to help him defeat Hiccup and the Riders.

Also don't forget that Dagur is a LOSER. He was DEFEATED. In Viking society, no matter if you're the leader, if you are known to lose a lot of battles, no one's gonna want to follow you. Vikings want to follow leaders who are generous, charismatic, ambitious, and, most of all, VICTORIOUS. Nobody wants to join a loser. Berserkers most of all. That's just not the done thing. It's not common sense. Remember that they lost to Berk over 50 years prior and had to have a non-aggression treaty with Berk for that long due to Osvald's passive stance and preference for peace. For Berserkers, there's no greater shame or weakness than losing battles or refusing to take part in them. Raiding, after all, is in a Viking's nature. Dagur was popular because he promised to bring back the Berserker traditions and to go back to raiding. He was aggressive and pro-war. And he had many victories. However, once he started losing to Berk repeatedly until his eventual complete defeat at the hands of the Berk-Loyalist Outcast Alliance, he lost his popularity and his support after that. Even if they ignored his outlaw status, just the fact that he had failed his people and had too many defeats under his belt was enough to justify not reinstating him as Chieftain.

But there's also one other important and possible clue: there's a possibility that someone who's plausibly a family member of the Berserker Royal Family has taken control of the Throne — like, say, a cousin or uncle or whoever. It makes sense since a Tribe without a legitimate leader wouldn't be very good. And a subordinate can't do as good a job as a proper leader would, usually.

Of course, you might wonder why would that supposed family member then relinquish his rule for Dagur to take over again? Good question! I haven't a clue either! That family member would have to be as agreeable as Osvald to let a deranged person like Dagur to take control again. Even if he is "reformed" or "enlightened", there's no way in helheim that I would've let him back into the fold. In fact, I would've killed them then and there. But blame that on Netflix scriptwriting. Realistically, Dagur reforming, when he is a deranged being, is impossible (unless he was an excellent actor and pretended to be deranged). And he was rather great as a villain, but then to just... "reform" him like this is just lame.

So in my headcanon, Dagur is still Dagur, and thus, if he had a family member ruling the Tribe in his stead, and since he's still an Outlaw and a Wanted Man, it stands to reason that he wouldn't be able to have the strength to survive let alone defeat the Dragon Riders, and couldn't return to his Tribe and resume being their leader; thus, Dagur had to turn to the aid of the Grimb(j)orn Tribe led by Viggo and Ryker, as seen in the first 2 seasons of RTTE.

A new leader, like said unknown relative, could've risen up to lead the Berserkers if Dagur had died in "Twinsanity", had Stoick gone through with his assassination plot as I detail in my article (here).

Another possible death scene was when Dagur lost the battle against Alvin, and after the war, Alvin ends up executing him with his head put on a spike in quite the treacherous fashion. 💀

Personally, I think it would've been cooler if, after Dagur's death, Heather traveled to Berserk Island to become its new ruler. "High Chieftess Heather" just rolls off the tongue, doesn't it? 😏😉😂

Hail Heather Iron-maiden, High Chieftess of the Berserker Tribe! O Hear Her Name and Tremble, Ugh, Ugh! Long may she reign! 🤣

What do you guys think? Is it a plausible theory?

Long Live the Night!

— Noctus Fury