Berserk is a famous seinen manga series whose protagonist, the wandering swordsman Guts, wields one of manga’s most iconic weapons of all time. Guts is almost synonymous with oversized swords throughout Berserk‘s story, using broadswords in the Golden Age story arc before moving on to his famous Dragonslayer sword after the horrific Eclipse. For Guts, the Dragonslayer isn’t just a weapon — it’s an extension of himself.
The Dragonslayer sword has seen Guts through countless desperate battles against enemy soldiers, Apostles, and even fantasy monsters like trolls and a kraken. All this action and mayhem is also personal for Guts since he and his famous sword are both tough, brutal, and surprisingly vulnerable in every Berserk story arc. Now, Berserk fans want to know the exact details of what makes the Dragonslayer what it is, how it’s shaped, and why it’s such a personal weapon for its wielder.
What Is the Dragonslayer In Berserk?
New Berserk fans might be tempted to think that Guts’ incredible Dragonslayer sword is a legendary weapon passed down to him from a heroic knight or similar figure, but the reality is the opposite. The Dragonslayer is not some famous weapon like Excalibur — the Dragonslayer sword lay in obscurity for years, with no one to wield it. In fact, this weapon was forged as an act of folly, a foolish waste of metal. Near the end of Berserk‘s Golden Age story arc, an injured but recovering Guts met a blacksmith named Godot, who lived in a remote hut with the Dragonslayer sword just lying around, unwanted. Guts learned the sad history of the Dragonslayer sword from its creator and soon adopted this bizarre, fearsome weapon for himself.
Years ago, a local liege lord put out a request for a mighty sword that could slay a dragon, even though monsters like dragons didn’t exist in Berserk‘s world at the time. Godot, who usually forged ornate swords for noble patrons, gladly took on this challenge and forged an oversized, heavy sword that could theoretically hack apart a dragon’s neck. The resulting Dragonslayer was too heavy and big for anyone to use, so the frustrated liege lord threatened Godot’s life for forging a seemingly pointless weapon. The Dragonslayer went unused in all that time until Guts claimed it, breaking in that weapon by slashing apart a huge Apostle to save his and Godot’s life. From then on, the Dragonslayer was Guts’ primary weapon, and he wielded it with Godot’s blessing.
The Dragonslayer sword isn’t just a huge, brutish weapon to reflect its owner’s tall and brawny stature. The Dragonslayer also mirrors Guts’ personal arc throughout Berserk‘s story in two critical ways, starting with Guts’ and the sword’s connection to the supernatural. Guts, bearing the Brand of Sacrifice, is constantly pursued by the undead and Apostles, meaning Guts stands between the mortal realm and the Astral Plane. Guts is a man of two worlds, and after cutting enough spirits and Apostles, the Dragonslayer became a weapon of two worlds, too. It’s imbued with supernatural energy after all those battles, allowing it to slash apart more spirits, Apostles, and even the God Hand members’ bodies with ease. An example was when Slan appeared before Guts in Qliphoth, only to get hacked apart by his Dragonslayer weapon.
The Dragonslayer sword also echoes Guts’ character arc on a more personal level. Both of them are rough and durable and have survived countless fights with brute force, but all this took a toll on them. The Dragonslayer’s blade became impure and less effective, similar to Guts collecting mental and physical scars without ever getting proper rest. Guts and his sword were both about to fall apart after too much struggling, so Godot reforged the Dragonslayer to purge its impurities. Similarly, Guts needs a chance to rest and refocus himself once in a while.
How Heavy Is Guts’ Sword In Berserk?
Berserk‘s lore never provided a clear answer on how heavy the Dragonslayer sword is, and the official Berserk guidebook is usually dismissed as inaccurate and untrustworthy. According to some online sources, dedicated Berserk fans did their best to estimate the Dragonslayer’s statistics, including its weight, and have come up with a rough estimate. Berserk fans believe that the Dragonslayer’s weight is around 300 pounds, or 130 kilograms. Berserk fans inferred this from Guts’ fights against human opponents with large, heavy weapons of their own, observing how Guts could destroy his enemies’ armor and weapons with the Dragonslayer’s sheer weight.
Even if the 300-pound weight is only an estimate, such an enormous weight is consistent with how the Dragonslayer is portrayed in Berserk‘s story. Manga artist Kentaro Miura didn’t just make Guts’ signature weapon a big sword — he made sure that sword actually felt heavy to readers. Mr. Miura drew Guts’ movements to suggest that a strong person is swinging around a heavy, dense item that can simply smash whomever it strikes in battle, giving that weapon weight in every sense of the term. The Dragonslayer doesn’t just cut like Askeladd’s sword in Vinland Saga or Ichigo Kurosaki’s bankai in Bleach — the Dragonslayer has incredible momentum and crashes into its enemies while cutting them with its rough iron edge.
How Long Is Guts’ Sword In Berserk?
.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=750&dpr=1.5)
Berserk‘s lore and official guidebook do not provide a definitive answer to “How long is Guts’ sword?,” but here again, Berserk fans have done their best to make an educated guess. Based on how long this weapon is compared to Guts himself, who evidently stands at 6’3,” or 190 centimeters, the Dragonslayer sword is anywhere from 60 to 72 inches in length, or 150 to 182 centimeters. Most likely, the Dragonslayer is at the higher end of that estimated range, such as 71 inches. This makes the Dragonslayer sword as tall as most adult men, which few other fictional or real swords can claim.
The size of Guts’ sword gives him key advantages in combat. With such great length, the Dragonslayer can easily reach an opponent and cut them before they can attack back, as many combat scenes in Berserk show. Guts often strikes the first and last blow for this very reason, with few swords able to match or exceed the Dragonslayer’s reach. The Dragonslayer isn’t just extra-long, though — it has thickness and width to match its impressive length, meaning Guts can use the flat side of this oversized sword as an improvised shield in battle. The sheer length of the Dragonslayer, especially if it’s around 71 or 72 inches long, means it has even more momentum and leverage whenever Guts swings it at an opponent.