#either its well written griff so i hate him or a whole different twink who happens to be called griffith

[valdarksouls]

Griffith: A Review (aka Val rants about Berserk again)

In this piece of Berserk analysis, I will be saying a lot of very negative things about Griffith as he is in canon, as a character he is very well written and i like him very much, but as a figure in lore he is a no good bastard man

tw for mention and discussion of rape and sexual assault

also spoilers for all of berserk, just the entire thing

Part 1: Why Griffith is an interesting character

I'm going to start out of the gate with a potentially controversial statement, Griffith changes very little throughout Berserk. This is what makes him so interesting to me, as the largest change he undergoes is not being tortured or born anew as a godhand, but instead meeting Guts as that causes his dream to waver, although that does not fundamentally change the course of his life, as while it may have changed the route, the goal of having a kingdom stays true throughout.

Part 2: Evidence

The most demonstrative character to explore Griffith with is Casca, as there are 4 distinct examples that show how Griffiths perception of and therefore how he treats her.

Example 1: Casca's Devotion

As is seen throughout the golden age arc, Casca is unhealthily obsessed with Griffith and while it would be easy to see him as simply just the object of this, I believe that Griffith would have been incredibly aware of this as someone who is regularly depicted as a master manipulator, as someone who can read people with just a glance, so it would be safe to assume that not only was he complicit in Casca's obsession, he was actively encouraging it to the massive detriment of Casca. In this Griffith does not see Casca as a friend or a follower but as an object that is his to control, which would help explain the jealousy he feels once she stops being under his control and instead becomes an equal to Guts.

Example 2: Jealous Assault

As a broken and tortured Griffith sees Casca embracing Guts, it is reasonable to assume that as he sees Guts as the only one equal to himself that he assumes that Guts is a threat to his control, especially as he has lost control of his own body, so as a last effort to regain control in what would presumably have been his dying days, he flips himself over onto Casca, an act of assault that clearly affects her as well as clearly taking great effort on Griffiths part. This shows how as Griffith loses control, he cannot accept that his position is changing so struggles to maintain the power over Casca he once had as a final attempt to regain control.

Example 3: The Eclipse

I'm going to keep this one brief because it is a deeply uncomfortable topic and also a topic that deserves to be handled with great care.

Griffith's motivation here is the same as in the last section, but as Femto he has the physical power to follow through and complete his goal, as well as forcing Guts to watch as he treats Casca as if she was an object made to serve him. This degradation and humiliation of Casca is based in Griffith's view of her as an object for him to use, not as a person but as a tool.

Example 4: Abduction

After Casca regains her sanity, Griffith comes to Elf Island to abduct her. This shows how as soon as she becomes useful to him, Griffith will once again exert his power over her. He also erases her memory which, although it doesnt work, shows very blatantly his intention to manipulate her

These 4 examples show how Griffith controls Casca not only for use as a tool, but as symbolic of his control of the situation he is in. The only time at which this falters is when Guts interferes with his control.

Part 3: Conclusion

Griffith is a bastard man from his first appearance all the way through to the current final chapter. He manipulates the people that trust him and he has long stopped caring for anyone else.