Search results
Learn the definition of guts as a phrase for bowels or courage, and see examples of usage and synonyms. Find out how to say guts in different languages, such as Chinese, Spanish and Portuguese.
- Overview
- Personality
- Background
- Story
- Abilities
- Weaknesses
- Equipment
- Creation and Conception
- Portrayal
Guts, renowned as the "Black Swordsman", is a former mercenary and branded wanderer who travels the world in a constant internal struggle between pursuing his own ends and upholding his attachments to those dear to him.
At one time driven solely by his will to survive, Guts finds purpose in life upon joining the Band of the Falcon, greatly helping in the faction's storied successes during the Hundred-Year War as captain of the band's raiders. He eventually becomes dissatisfied with clinging to Griffith's dream and departs from the band in pursuit of his own. Following the horrors of the Eclipse prompted by Griffith, Guts embarks on a two-year war against the God Hand and apostles, becoming increasingly embittered on his one-track quest for retribution. He in time realizes protecting his regressed lover is more important to him, as well as something he cannot do alone, and thus puts aside his quest for revenge while fostering camaraderie with new companions.
Known for his air of austerity, Guts is a gruff, cynical man holding an overall bleak outlook on life. This is a consequence of enduring waves of suffering and numerous betrayals since his youth, as nearly all highlights of his life have, in time, become lows. In spite of his guarded, brooding exterior, he shows a more easygoing, compassionate side around the people he trusts, appearing markedly less unsociable and distant, though still retaining his dry candidness. Even as his inner darkness festers deep within him and its temptation becomes increasingly harder to resist, he retains his empathy and compassion, refusing to discard his humanity.
In his formative years, Guts is devoid of true purpose in life, killing as a child mercenary merely as a means to survive. As a blank slate, he often finds himself seeking validation from those he respects most, content so long as "one person [looks his] way". His precariousness slowly develops into individuality upon meeting Griffith – someone whom he eventually seeks to stand beside as an equal, rather than be looked down on by. The swordsman then embarks on a journey of self-discovery, in which he comes to acknowledge his lifelong bond with and passion for the sword. Upon realizing this, he begins devoting himself to honing his craft and fighting ever stronger adversaries, having a newfound purpose in life through this.
After surviving the Eclipse, Guts grows vindictive, wanting nothing other than to hunt down and slaughter any apostle he encounters, and, more importantly, exact revenge on Griffith and the God Hand. He leaves behind a regressed Casca for two years to embark on his warpath against demonkind. On his two-year hunt, Guts becomes largely self-centered and anti-social, indifferent to the suffering of others and detesting those whom he deems weak. His reclusive nature and hostility toward those attempting to connect with him stem from a fear of creating new emotional attachments; fear of making precious new companions akin to the comrades he lost to the Eclipse. With time, due in large part to the efforts of Puck, Guts ceases his solitary struggle and solicits the help of fellow travelers, slowly fostering new companionship with them. Despite his initial apprehension toward displaying affection for his new comrades, he comes to appreciate the bonds he makes with them and finds himself grateful for having their individual strengths to rely on.
Above all else, Guts is the personification of perseverance and resilience. Through all of his numerous trials and tribulations, he has never yielded to the flow of causality and continues to subsist against seemingly insurmountable odds. Indeed, Guts is an ardent detractor of the idea of destiny, believing his actions to ultimately be of his own volition and paying no heed to such a supposed certainty.
Guts was born from the corpse of his lynched mother underneath a hanging tree, where he was left to die alone in a mire of blood and afterbirth. A mercenary group lead by a man named Gambino eventually happened upon the grisly site, presuming the infant to be dead. When the baby began wailing, to the surprise of the mercenaries, an acquaintance of Gambino's, Shisu, immediately took to the child and came to his aid. Gambino allowed the woman to keep Guts for her own personal consolation, despite the circumstances of Guts' birth being considered ominous by his cohorts. Three years later, Guts' surrogate mother contracted the plague, dying as he watched on.
Under Gambino's tutelage, Guts began honing his swordsmanship at six years of age, and joined the mercenary's band three years later at nine years old, looking up to his leader as a father figure of sorts. On the night following Guts' first skirmish, a mercenary named Donovan ambushed and raped him in his tent, revealing he bought the boy for a night from Gambino. In a following skirmish, the young mercenary isolated Donovan and eliminated him, refusing to believe the man's claim from the previous night.
When Gambino lost his leg in battle, his relationship with Guts immediately deteriorated. From verbal to physical abuse, Guts was subjected to various forms of degradation for two years following Gambino's injury before Gambino eventually made an attempt on his life. Possessed of the notion Guts was the reason for his misfortune, Gambino revealed he did indeed sell Guts out to Donovan, voicing his disgust for the boy's existence. Heavily disheartened by this revelation, Guts retaliated and killed his assailant in self-defense – the closest thing to a father he had ever known. Consequently attacked by Gambino's men and branded a father killer, he fled with aggressors on his tail, eventually running into a dead end and being shot off a cliffside. From his high fall and a bout with a pack of wolves below, he fell unconscious, eventually being discovered by and enlisted as a child soldier in another mercenary band that happened upon him.
Spring Flower of Days Long Passed
Golden Age Arc Black Swordsman Arc
For two years, Guts continues on his warpath against demonkind, becoming renowned as the "Black Swordsman" in his hunt for apostles. He eventually makes his way to the town of Koka, killing an unidentified female apostle one night while en route. Upon arriving in the town, he immediately makes his presence known by killing several Koka thugs in a tavern, leaving but one victim alive to send word of his approach: "The Black Swordsman has come." He also unintentionally makes an invaluable ally by freeing an elf named Puck, who in return frees and heals the swordsman when he is caught and imprisoned in a Koka jail. Receiving word of the Black Swordsman's presence, the bloodthirsty Snake Lord rides through Koka in search of his aggressor, burning down everything in his path and leaving a trail of corpses in his wake. Guts eventually intercepts and does fierce battle with the Snake Lord, eventually incapacitating the apostle and interrogating him for the God Hand's whereabouts before leaving him to burn to cinders. Sometime later, during the trialing of supposed heretics in another municipality, Guts makes his presence known to a Slug Count apostle serving as ruler of the area. The alerted town guards, led by Zondark, pursue Guts, though he easily dispatches them and disfigures their commander, before escaping to a lab with the help of a diminutive man named Vargas. Inside, Vargas informs the swordsman of a secret passage into the Count's castle, and reveals the beherit which he stole from the apostle seven years prior. They are soon ambushed by a possessed Zondark, who ruins the lab in a fierce bout with Guts and forces them to flee again. Guts eventually parts ways with Vargas, but not before taking the beherit in the man's possession for himself. Following the later capture and execution of Vargas by the Count, Guts vows to succeed where his late accomplice could not, before using the secret passage to infiltrate the Count's castle. Storming the premises, Guts finishes off the pseudo-apostle Zondark and fights his way toward the Count's quarters, where the apostle assumes his massive slug-like released form. He is initially overpowered by the transformed Slug Count, but with Puck's intervention and the swordsman's hostage-taking of the Count's daughter, Theresia, Guts is able to deal a crippling blow to the abstracted apostle with his cannon arm. Fearing for his life, the Count manages to activate his returned beherit (dropped by Guts during their battle) and summons the God Hand. The sight of Femto immediately enrages Guts, spurring him to attack his nemesis, though his assault ends in vain after Femto casually repels him. After the Count fails to offer his daughter as sacrifice, he is dragged by lost souls into the Abyss, and so too is Guts as one branded, although the swordsman manages to free himself with a blast from his cannon arm as the temporal junction ends. Returned to the Physical World, Guts prevents a suicidal Theresia from falling to her death. He sows within her hatred directed toward himself, for his being the primary reason for the loss of her father, and thus the loss of all she has ever known; Theresia declares revenge on the swordsman, her will to die extinguished. Guts nonchalantly accepts her declaration and takes his leave; however, upon closer inspection, Puck observes that the typically-stoic swordsman is noticeably upset by the declaration.
Fantasia Arc
Aboard the Seahorse on the Western Sea, Guts and his crew members bear witness to the transfiguration of the world.[115] Following the birth of Fantasia, the crew on two occasions comes under attack from Bonebeard and his crew, their second encounter in which the Seahorse acquires extensive damage from the newly undead Bonebeard Pirates and their "ghost ship". The crew docks at a remote island for repairs, though they soon come to realize all but one of the island's inhabitants, like Bonebeard and his crew, are now transformed human tentacles of the Sea God. When Guts does battle with sea slug extensions of the Sea God, Bonebeard's ship arrives and unleashes its own tentacles on the swordsman. Pushed to his breaking point during the struggle, Guts resorts to using the Berserker Armor and annihilates the tentacle swarm, his rage thereafter once again abated by the childlike luminous body from before.[116] Guts realizes setting sail again without slaying the Sea God will only bring about further complications at sea, and so sets out to do as much himself, with Schierke's luminous self safeguarding his mind from the Berserker Armor's influence. Reaching the Sea God's den beneath the island, Guts leaps over the Sea God's tentacles and slides down into its stomach. From there, he slices an opening into the Sea God's upper stomach lining and is carried upward toward the creature's heart by its escaping intestinal gas. The growing intensity of the Sea God's heartbeat, coupled with the adverse effects of the Berserker Armor and swarm of monsters safeguarding the creature's heart, weigh heavily on Guts, eventually rendering his senses near-null. As Guts lays immobilized, the song of attacking merrows outside negates the intensity of the Sea God's heartbeat. With urging and guidance from Schierke's luminous self, Guts musters the strength to cleave his Dragon Slayer into the Sea God's heart, felling the deity. A gush of the Sea God's bleeding heart engulfs him afterward, separating the swordsman from Schierke's luminous self. In the darkness of the dying Sea God's body, as Guts begins accepting his impending demise, the childlike luminous body comes to his aid yet again and guides him toward the inner lining of the Sea God's heart chamber, allowing the swordsman to pierce open a puncture for merrows to enter and carry him to the surface. For their efforts in defeating the Sea God, the merrows offer to escort the Seahorse crew to Skellig.[117] Finally reaching the island of Skellig, Guts and his group encounter several defense mechanisms intended to ward off trespassers. Overcoming these obstacles, they are promptly met by Skellig sorcerers, including archmage Gedfring, who escorts them to his manor. Eager to restore Casca's mind, Guts immediately requests to meet the Flower Storm Monarch, though Gedfring advises the swordsman and his companions to first rest and unwind from their long journey. The next day, they are guided through Elfhelm by Gedfring and the archmages' attendant, Danan, to the Flower Storm Monarch's spirit tree palace, where Danan transforms into and reveals herself to be the sovereign of Elfhelm.[118] Danan informs Guts she can likely mend Casca's regressed mind by using the "Corridor of Dreams". However, she requests only Schierke and Farnese's assistance in doing so, voicing that Casca's fear of Guts would only impede the process. To that end, Guts leaves Casca in the care of the young sorceresses while he and the rest of the party wait out the ceremony.[119] After the ceremony is complete, and Casca is restored to her former self, Guts returns to see her. The mere sight of the swordsman triggers Casca's memories of the Eclipse, causing her to scream in horror.[120] After the incident Guts decides to keep his distance from Casca in order for her to recover. Farnase, however, tells Casca of the situation and she approaches him at a distance. Casca talks with Guts, about the journey to reach this point and their companions, comparing Isidro's sword style to Judeau's. This ends up bringing back memories of his death and the Eclipse, triggering her anxiety again. A visibly saddened Guts resorts to walking off.[121] Afterwards, Guts swings his sword by a cliff questioning what to do now. He is then met with the Skull Knight. The two converse for a bit before they are met by Gedfring, who tells the pair that meeting with the dwarf named Hanarr would gain answers regarding Guts' armor.[122] Skull Knight and Guts agree and meet with Hanarr, who shows Guts what donning the armor means by hitting it with a hammer and triggering various memories of the previous user of the armor which were dyed into it.[123] Guts questions to himself if he and Skull Knight are the same. At night, Guts thinks of how Gedfring told him that the Skull Knight sees the swordsman as a reminder of who he once was until he is then greeted by the mysterious boy.[124] The boy plops himself atop the swordsman's head and Guts decides to bring him to his companions who is then brought up to Casca. The following day, Guts trains by a waterfall where he starts to lose grip of the Dragon Slayer and notices his vision blurring, commenting to himself he still needs to rely on the armor. At the same time, the boy pops out of the armor and plays with Guts briefly. His friends begin looking for the boy, so Guts tells him to go back with them and spend time with Casca. At night, the boy walks outside, where both Guts and Casca witness him transform into Griffith.[125] A furious Guts manages to hold off the Beast and attempts to strike Griffith[126] to no avail as the Dragon Slayer only manages to cut off a shred of hair. Griffith does not react to the swordsman's attempts and merely smiles as Zodd arrives.[127] Guts and Zodd begin to duel while Griffith draws closer to Casca. Guts manages to slip past Zodd and attempts to strike him but stops the blow as he notices Griffith carrying Casca. At the same time, the ground under him begins to shake, revealing shadowy creatures emerging.[128] The figures begin to surround Guts, who can only look up and try to reach out as Casca being taken away by Zodd and Griffith. Guts despairs that he could not do anything to stop Griffith as the island of Elfhelm begins to crumble.[129] Guts is rescued by Roderick's crew and brought aboard the Seahorse. He secludes himself in the back of the hold, broken over the events that transpired. Using her luminous body, Schierke peers into Guts' memories of all his battles with the Dragon Slayer before catching a glimpse of the Beast of Darkness breaking his chains and Guts sinks deeper and despair and collapses.[130] After the Beast of Darkness manifests and asks Guts if he wants power, further stating that he can't deny it any longer and to yield everything to it, Kushan soldiers burst through the ship and restrain everyone, including Guts. Guts does not fight back and is dragged to the front deck of the ship to the shock of Isidro and Serpico. Eventually, a soldier comes up to Guts, revealing himself to be Rickert, and explains to Roderick that the Kushans need to seize the ship.[131] It is later revealed that Guts' astral body is being swept away, but is ultimately tethered by Schierke. The man then stirs in the Kushan dungeon he was taken to for his safety and their own, at least according to Silat.[132]
Master Swordsman/Tactician
Ever since he was six years of age, Guts has wielded oversized swords, culminating in his incredible strength and master swordsmanship. Despite his Herculean stature, Guts is notably dexterous and agile in the heat of battle, capable of dodging and countering even the most rapid strikes. He is a combat pragmatist and versatile improviser, capitalizing on any opportunity available to surmount opposition; on several occasions, he has used children to bait and distract enemies when overwhelmed.[133][134][135] Even combatants known for their keen combat intellect, such as Silat and Serpico,[110] have fallen prey to Guts' adaptive capacity and combative wit.
Peak-Human Conditioning
Guts has been a struggler of the battlefield since the raw age of nine, and as such, has had nearly two decades to refine himself into the formidable warrior he is. During his days as a mercenary in the Hundred-Year War, he became famed for single-handedly slaying 100 Tudor soldiers, and even garnered the respect of the legendary swordsman Nosferatu Zodd for being the first human in three centuries to wound the apostle. Following the Eclipse, his strength and reflexes improve drastically even still, honed to their peak in his constant struggle against otherworldly creatures as one branded. Guts' combat prowess becomes so great as to rival the normal forms of the most formidable apostles, allowing him to contend with them on equal footing.[136] On the Hill of Swords, Guts demonstrates the ability to contend with Zodd's released form, with the match ending in a draw after Griffith orders Zodd's retreat.[137] During her first occasion watching Guts fight, Schierke noted to herself that Guts does indeed possess superhuman capabilities. She theorized that it was due to him existing in the Interstice, where the mind can influence matter to a degree.[138] •Superhuman conditioning: With the power of the Berserker Armor, Guts is able to ignore the physiological and subconscious safety mechanisms of his own body. In this state, his already superhuman physicality is tremendously amplified. During his fight with Grunbeld, he was able to trade blows with the apostle's enormous draconic release form and even crack his corundum skin.[139] While utilizing the armor, Guts has also demonstrated the ability to both catch and toss aside a ship's falling main mast, which Roderick noted would take dozens of men and a crane merely to lift.[140]
Indomitable Will
Guts possesses an indomitable will which enables him to persevere in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles. His force of will is so great that he has unconcernedly mutilated his own body in pursuit of his goals, and let himself be injured in order to create openings and execute counterattacks on opponents.[141] It is specifically his personal determination that pushes him forward in the face of opposition as one branded, and factors greatly into his retention of his humanity.
Beast of Darkness
The personification of Guts' inner darkness is constantly seeking to overtake the swordsman.
Brand of Sacrifice
Guts' brand attracts all manner of evil entities whom he must fend off incessantly if no intervening method is employed. Additionally, when near an immensely powerful demon, such as a member of the God Hand, Guts' brand bleeds profusely and can induce a nigh-crippling amount of pain in him. Many of the brand's primary effects can be subdued via the application of a magical talisman to the spot of the brand;[147] however, the presence of a member of the God Hand is sufficient to break down such a talisman entirely.[103]
Berserker Armor
The drawbacks of the armor are at least as numerous as its advantages. The primary downside to the armor is a malicious magical od that gives the armor its power. Combined with Guts' own inner turmoil, if used in a serious battle, the od will overwhelm Guts' psyche, turning him into a feral monster with no ability to distinguish friend from foe. The only currently demonstrated way to bring him out of this state is with a powerful magical projection into his mind such as Schierke's luminous body or the Moonlight Boy's interference, which can suppress the armor's od and allow Guts to take conscious control of himself. However, even when under control, Guts is at constant risk of losing bodily functions and even his life due to the armor's suppression of his ability to feel pain. Additionally, when a debilitating injury such as a broken bone is sustained, the armor extends metal spikes deep into the wearer's flesh, forcibly reconstructing the impairment while causing significant blood loss in doing so.[139] From using the Berserker Armor, Guts has developed a progressive and noticeable visual impairment.
Dragon Slayer
Having been made with the "ultimate steel", Guts uses this enormous sword to cleave through humans and demonkind with ease. In conjunction with the Berserker Armor, the cutting power of the Dragon Slayer increases significantly. During the Berserker's bout with Grunbeld, Guts is able to shatter the knight's cannon fire-deflecting shield[139] and crack the corundum skin of the apostle's released form.[148] It also has defensive uses, broad enough to act as a shield from arrows and bolts, and capable of diverting lightning into the ground as a lightning rod. Guts also uses it to mitigate blows by holding the sword level with his body and letting it absorb the brunt of impact. •Astral properties: The Dragon Slayer has been tempered by the malice of the innumerable inhumans slain in Guts' journey,[104] and is capable of harming both astral and physical beings.
Berserker Armor
Given to him by Flora,[149] the Berserker Armor acts as the Black Swordsman's last resort against overwhelmingly powerful enemies. The armor's primary function is to allow Guts to override the physiological mechanisms that prevent the human body from using enough force to damage itself. Functionally, this enhances his already prodigious physical capabilities to an unarguably superhuman level. While utilizing the armor, Guts becomes capable of annihilating swarms of mammoth monsters and even decisively defeating apostles in their released forms.
Cannon Arm
The cannon in Guts' mechanical arm is one of Rickert's inventions, given to him for his hunt on demonkind. It has been of invaluable use to the swordsman, having saved him from peril many times in his journey. The cannon has a highly effective blast radius, capable of tearing into even the most sizable of monsters and apostles. When unable to use his right arm, Guts instead uses his teeth to pull the cannon's ignition cord, often fooling enemies into believing he has been outdone before blasting into them. He has also used the velocity produced by the cannon's recoil to blast into one target and perform a reversing slash into another with the Dragon Slayer, effectively eliminating two enemies in a single motion.[150]. He has also made use of the cannon on occasion to deal lethal internal damage to an opponent already pierced by the Dragon Slayer, bypassing what would ordinarily be armor or hide too tough or thick to penetrate effectively with the cannon.[151]
In Berserk: The Prototype, Guts originally wore an eyepatch over his right eye and bore noticeably longer sideburns. Personality-wise, the prototype Guts was more brash, cocky and whimsical in nature. Additionally, the crossbow he utilized didn't attach to his prosthetic arm and his Dragon Slayer also possessed a slightly different design.
In earlier designs, Guts possessed long hair and wielded a katana. According to Miura, it took him a while to conceive of Guts as the swordsman appears today, but upon coming up with the character's current overall design, Miura "felt like [he] really nailed it".[154]
Japanese Voice Actor(s)
•Nobutoshi Canna: Berserk (1997 Anime)/Berserk: Millennium Falcon Arc - Flowers of Oblivion Chapter/Berserk: Millennium Falcon Arc - Holy Evil War Chapter •Hiroaki Iwanaga: Berserk: The Golden Age Arc/Berserk (2016 Anime)/Berserk Musou/Berserk: The Golden Age Arc - Memorial Edition
English Voice Actor(s)
•Michael Bell: Berserk: Millennium Falcon Arc - Flowers of Oblivion Chapter •Marc Diraison: Berserk (1997 Anime)/Berserk: The Golden Age Arc/Berserk: The Golden Age Arc - Memorial Edition •Kaiji Tang: Berserk (2016 Anime)
Japanese Voice Actor(s)
•Orine Fukushima: Berserk (1997 Anime) (ep 2) •Tomoko Miura: Berserk (1997 Anime) •Jun Inoue: Berserk: The Golden Age Arc
GUTS definition: 1. the bravery and determination that is needed to do something difficult or unpleasant: 2. the…. Learn more.
Guts (stylized in all caps) is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo, released on September 8, 2023, through Geffen Records. It was written and recorded with Rodrigo working closely alongside Dan Nigro, the producer and multi-instrumentalist of her debut album Sour (2021).
Learn the various meanings and uses of the word gut, from bowels and digestive tract to courage and instinct. See synonyms, examples, etymology, and related phrases of gut.
Cow's guts are suited for digesting grasses and grains. I was in the kitchen , pulling the guts out of a chicken . He has to be careful what he eats because he has some problems with his guts.
Guts, famously known as The Black Swordsman, is the main protagonist of the Berserk franchise. In the series, Guts is a former mercenary and branded wanderer that travels the world in a constant... Heroes Wiki
