Berserk

- Season 1

(1997)

Guts enters into a pub where a girl is being assaulted. He kills all but one of the assailants and orders him to tell his master, the Baron, that the Black Swordsman is coming.

In a flashback, Corkus tries to rob Guts and Casca is drawn into the battle. Guts defeats her but is then grievously injured by Griffith. Griffith orders Casca to lie with Guts during his convalescence, who awakens and challenges Griffith.

Griffith defeats Guts, making him a member of his mercenary band, Band of the Hawk. They go on a midnight raid and Griffith chooses Guts for the most important position: protecting the rear. Guts succeeds and the band hails him as a hero.

Three years pass as Guts and the other Band of the Hawk members gain in skill. In a flashback, Guts is shown being raised by his adoptive father, Gambino. He teaches him to be a warrior, but one night he tries to kill Guts.

Guts is now a commander in Griffith's army. Guts is taking risks in battle, and although he succeeds, Casca rebukes him for it. Griffith is knighted, and the nobles become jealous. Guts saves the Band of the Hawk in battle.

Guts and Griffith battle Zodd the Immortal, and they both lose. Zodd sees the Behelit around Griffith's neck and tells Guts that Griffith will doom him. Zodd then changes into a monster and leaves.

Griffith and Guts are injured. Griffith uses this to his advantage, getting closer to the nobles and the King. He also flirts with the King's daughter. Guts and some Band of the Hawk members feel that Griffith is pulling away from them.

Griffith and Guts continue to have success in battle, and Griffith is made a count. General Julius is furious about this, and the idea of murder is planted in his mind. They plan to shoot Griffith with a poison arrow during the next hunt.

Griffith and the Princess grow closer during the hunt. Suddenly, Griffith is shot with a poisoned arrow. However, the arrow strikes his Behelit and he is unharmed. Griffith finds that Julius is behind the plot, sending Guts to kill him.

Guts assassinates Julius, but also kills his son Adonis because he is a witness. Guts is emotionally scarred by this evil deed. Later, he hears Griffith say that a true friend would have to stand for his own ethics.

Griffith and the Band of the Hawk lead the march into battle. Casca has a fever, and when she falls unconscious off a cliff, Guts goes with her. They are washed downriver, and Guts finds a cave, proceeding to keep Casca warm with his body.

Casca tells her story: Griffith helped her save herself from being raped, so she followed him. She watched him be with a pederast lord to earn money to create an army. When Guts arrived, she knew she would not be Griffith's chosen friend.

The commander of the Blue Whale Knights and his crew find Guts and Casca. Though completely outnumbered, Guts tells Casca to run while he stays to fight. Some men go after Casca, catching her and holding her down. Guts continues fighting.

Casca defeats her attackers, and she and Guts end up back at the camp. Guts and Casca share a tender moment, where Guts explains that everyone in the camp has a dream, but all he has is his sword, causing Casca to think he's leaving.

An impossible battle must be fought, and Griffith volunteers the Band of the Hawk. They are attacking the pederast lord's castle, and Griffith has his band attack and then pull back. Their boats are burned, and there is nowhere to retreat.

The retreat was a ruse and Casca takes Doldrey alongside the Band of the Hawk. Guts fights with the opposing general and his weakened sword breaks. Zodd, from a great distance, throws his sword to Guts.

The Band of the Hawk won the battle and the war. The King holds a ball for them, which they attend dressed up in lavish clothing. The Queen and Foss hatch a plan to poison Griffith. Earlier, Foss received a letter from Griffith.

Griffith and Foss have double crossed the Queen and her co-conspirators. Griffith has them locked in a castle, which is set on fire. Guts decides to leave and tells Casca that he does not want to be caught up in Griffith's dream anymore.

As Guts leaves, he is challenged by Griffith. Guts defeats Griffith by breaking his sword. Psychologically damaged by the encounter, Griffith goes to Princess Charlotte's chambers. As he leaves the next morning, he is apprehended.

A year has passed and Guts is living with Godot, a swordsmith, and his granddaughter. Guts learns that the Band of the Hawk, now with Casca as captain, are wanted outlaws. Guts seeks them out and finds his former band battling mercenaries.

The Band of the Hawk drives off the mercenaries. Casca has a plan to rescue Griffith from the dungeon where he is held. She blames Guts for Griffith's problems, but realizes he's not at fault. Guts asks her to go with him after the rescue.

Casca and Guts go into the dungeon to rescue Griffith. They find him and bring him out, but he is horribly maimed. Meanwhile, the Band of the Hawk members at their camp are slaughtered by monsters.

Griffith is now mute and crippled. Casca feels she must take care of him and tells Guts to leave. Griffith takes a wagon and runs off, finding his Behelit, which allows him to contact the God Hand.

The God Hand informs Griffith that he is to become one of them. He must sacrifice the Band of the Hawk members for his induction. Guts attempts to try and stop Griffith from becoming a member of the God Hand.

According to Griffith's will, all Band of the Hawk members other than Guts and Casca are to be sacrificed and devoured by apostles.