‘Berserk’: Will Guts Kill Griffith in the Final Fight?

‘Berserk‘ is currently on hiatus ever since its esteemed writer Kentaro Miura tragically died in 2021. The year after Miura’s passing, his friend and colleague, Koji Mori, confirmed that ‘Berserk’ would continue under his careful supervision to ensure the storied franchise ends how the great writer intended. Of course, the conflict between Guts and Griffith is the story’s main focus, as two former friends and brothers seek revenge against each other. After Griffith turned against the Band of Falcon and Guts by becoming the demon Femto, Guts has been hunting the former leader, trying to kill him once and for all. The final stand hasn’t happened yet, and in this article, we will discuss whether Guts will kill Griffith in their final fight.

Guts definitely has a chance to kill Griffith and will most likely kill him, even with the possibility of sacrificing himself. The sword Guts possesses, Dragonslayer, can most definitely hurt Griffith in Femto form, but Guts would need to come close to the demon first to deal a final blow. However, it seems that the story of suffering and persevering will include Guts getting “help” from the Moonlight Boy, Casca, and maybe even Skull Knight. There are many possibilities of the story ending because there is no way Griffith actually gets the redemption arc by the end of the ‘Berserk’ manga.

‘Berserk’ is still on hiatus, but the next and final chapter of the famous manga will see the final fight between Guts and Griffith, which could go either way. If you’re interested in a few theories and possibilities of what might happen at the end of the ‘Berserk’ manga, stay with us until the end.

Who is stronger – Guts or Griffith?

Guts and Griffith had a major history with each other, which led to a few confrontations in the past. When Guts and Griffith met for the first time, the young and jaded man was captured by the leader of the Band of Falcon.

Guts actually attacked the Band of Falcon, and he almost defeated them if not for the intervention of their leader, Griffith. At that moment in time, Griffith was already notable for his great swordsmanship skill, and he immediately showcased it against Guts.

Griffith immediately defeats Guts, but their interaction doesn’t end there. Griffith proposes to Guts a deal – if he defeats him, he will be free to go; if not, Guts will have to join the Band of Falcon. Of course, Griffith beats Guts once again, and the warrior reluctantly joins the group of mercenaries.

Years later, Guts becomes a skillful warrior, even beating apostles and evil beings while slowly but surely getting used to the new group. Griffith and Guts became great friends, with the former showing “more-than-friendship” feelings towards Guts (at least, there are signs that Griffith was obsessed with Guts at one point).

Of course, that didn’t stop Guts and Griffith from butting heads because Guts decided to leave the group after years of being comrades. After seeing that he must live his life to fight for something and stop following Griffith’s dream, Guts decides to leave the Band of Falcon.

Griffith challenges Guts to a duel to leave the Band, and Guts wins, ultimately departing on his own journey. Overall, their encounters and fights were balanced out until Griffith transformed into the God Hand demon Femto.

The ultimate betrayal of Band of Falcon led to Femto killing the members of his group and becoming a literal god.

Despite Femto being incredibly powerful, Guts also became more powerful, especially with the Dragonslayer, the (in)famous Berserk armor, and the canon arm – this is without mentioning his combat skills.

However, Femto is a demon who has defeated Guts multiple times in the ‘Berserk’ manga, making him more powerful. However, the final stand will be epic, and with Guts’ progress as the warrior, his powers only get more vast.

Will that be enough to defeat Griffith at the final stand?

Will Guts defeat Griffith at the end of the ‘Berserk’?

There are few theories about how Guts can defeat Griffith in their final stand. Well, the fight would most definitely be epic. Griffith’s arc in the last chapter saw him being resurrected together with the former members of Band of Falcon and trying to “shape” the whole land for him to rule it, as he always dreamed about.

Of course, Guts gained power and more allies, but his personal mental problems kickstarted with the Berserk armor, which uses bearers’ emotions and psychological state to enhance their power. When Guts goes emotionally too far, his power is enhanced, but his psyche is vulnerable, hence why Moonlight Boy has to intervene to save Guts’ mental.

Nevertheless, everything points at Griffith and Guts having a final stand, and there could be many factors. The story could end with Guts defeating his “ghosts” and ultimately killing Femto/Griffith in the end. The classic happy ending is possible, with Griffith finally paying for his sins and Guts happily continuing his life with Casca. However, it seems that the classic happy ending for the main protagonist, especially for Guts and his story, doesn’t make sense.

Some fans suggest that Guts will finally live happily after killing Femto, but that probably won’t be that simple. Guts is already a broken man, at least the last time we saw him, with Griffith being in a much better place in comparison. However, Guts’ improved powers and his allies include the Moonlight Boy (an unborn child of Guts and Casca with strange abilities), who “saved” the Black Swordsman after he almost fell under the influence of the Berserk Armor, and from the dying Sea God.

Nevertheless, Moonlight Boy is important since he can influence astral creatures, mostly by persuasion, and it seems that, once again, the child will have some role in the final encounter between Guts and Griffith.

Another theory seems to be that the former friends, now enemies, will be powered by the astral beings and have an epic fight that will be their last stand against each other, resulting in Griffith dying.

Do I believe Griffith will die in the end? I think so. As much as Miura loved to emphasize the power of Femto and Guts’ sufferings, there is no way that the ending of ‘Berserk’ will see the ‘Falcon of Light’ living in the end – he is just too evil to have redemption arc, and Guts’ story would end in vain.

Griffith is a layered character who sometimes shows signs of remorse for some actions, but most importantly, he always puts himself and his dreams above everything else.

He is selfish, and as much as some people want to believe otherwise, Griffith doesn’t need redemption of any kind. Moreover, another theory will see Casca killing Griffith in the end since it would be a callback to their first encounter – when they first met, Griffith made sure that Casca killed the man who tried to sexually abuse her.

Knowing that Griffith (or Femto) sexually abused her in front of Guts during the Eclipse, Casca’s sufferings and journey throughout the manga could be another way the writers could end this story.

In the end, we can hope that we will get a satisfying ending to ‘Berserk’ that will make, at least, most of its fans really happy.

What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below!