Plagiarism or Inspiration: How much Dark Souls DNA is from Berserk?

It is no secret that Dark Souls design, from Lore, to animation, to themes and more, is hugely inspired by Berserk, making many references. In this video we look to delve into some of the lesser known character, plot and philosophical connections between both masterpieces.
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Hawkshaw.

[@Hawkshaw]

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/user?u=3372968 May grace guide us all.. ✨ Hawkshaw

[@justhuman5487]

Hey Hawkshaw , Gwyndolin is Griffith. Look into it make a video

[@GregHuffman1987]

shaw hawk

[@HarlequinNova]

I'm disappointed that while comparing Guts and Artorias you didn't point out that they both sacrificed their left arm for somebody important to then, Artorias saved Sif from the Abyss resulting in his arm getting severely broken, and Guts chopped part of his arm off to save Casca

[@everlastilngsilver9086]

Are you still making videos???????????????

[@unalloyedju]

I thought Artorias gave his shield to sif "after" his left arm is broken because he can't use it anymore

[@Yelzabub]

I Iike to think that Artorias broke his own arm before he slipped into madness, to spare the world of his true prowess w a blade. (Being left hand dominant).

[@joshmay2944]

@@Yelzabub that is a really cool theory!

[@themostdiabolicalhater5986]

@@joshmay2944 no it isn’t. It’s corny as fuck unless you’re the kind of person who thinks Joker edits are cool

[@OnryoKami]

Heck the Dark Souls creators on a interview stated they had a lot of inspiration from Berserk, Also whoever sympathizes with Griffith has more then 1 screw loose.

[@Moneyman-33]

Lost Folklorist Guts legit left Griffith behind as he got tortured and ruined for years. Griffith descent to madness is Guts’ fault. Griffith did nothing wrong

[@akumakami9727]

That is what is so great about Berserk. It pushes the limits on addressing subjects that most are to hypocritical or stereotypical on. It is a grey so dark between right/wrong and good/evil it is all perspective. That's probably why as a adult Berserk is my all time favorite manga. Plus I really love the art design :). As much as there are parts of me that relate to Guts (mostly that darkness and rage), I find Griffith to be such a badass. His design (both normal and Femto) is just so cool, and he is quite a relatable entity. After all, who hasn't been through life with goals that they are so close to achieving, with only a moment twist as life takes it away.

[@Justaguy1123]

@@Moneyman-33 griffith not being able to control himself and banging the princess is his fault. The whole point is that guts was trying to be his own person and find his way. So that he could ne considered EQUAL to griffith. None of that is guts fault.

[@Moneyman-33]

just a guy Yes it’s all his fault actually. Griffith gave Guts a home and a family. He gave him a place in the world. And Guts left him behind for selfish bullshit. If Guts never left Griffith never would have got into that mess and never wouldn’t have become a broken shell of a person. Griffiths dreams could only be reached at that point by being evil. Guts set the first domino in place to send Griffith into a descent into madness. Griffith banging the princess is Griffiths fault. But had Guts been there it wouldn’t have got him captured. And if he had been captured Guts would have got him out WAY before he was tortured.

[@spiderman9972]

@@Moneyman-33 ... Do you remember a little old scene where after Guts just killed a child Grifith said that the only people that are his friends are people with their OWN dream. Guts never cared about having a family. He could have just let Guts go BOTH TIMES! At both times he tried to manipulate him.... it didnt work the 2nd time. GRIFFITH IS SELFISH! He sleep with the princess because he was selfish and wanted something to ease his pain. Dont blame Guts aka GAR GOD

[@legolaswong]

RIP Kentaro Miura. You'll be missed.

[@tkm14786]

missed? nah. IMMORTALIZED

[@Crow-P5]

@@tkm14786 a man only dies when he is forgotten

[@mari2x474]

@@Crow-P5 where he at then?

[@nicholasduca5221]

@@mari2x474 playing idol master in heaven with other legends

[@clydegrey5061]

​@@mari2x474 living through his work, perhaps forever

[@tylergriggs5087]

Goddamnet Miyazaki, just make a Berserk game already, Jesus Christ! EDIT: Holy Shit, Five years later and I'm still getting replies.

[@hectic_heretic2924]

He did it's called dark souls 1, 2, and 3

[@OnryoKami]

Lucas even blood borne has references as well.

[@kana22693]

He did, four games in fact... Dark Souls is what happens when you can't acquire the license to something you really want to turn into a video game. lol

[@Skorm731]

@魔悪 Everybody is entitled to their own opinion! 😉 Me, I love the modern Berserk game but that's just me. I don't really like the Dreamcast game tbh. It's good, but too challenging. I've never played the PS2 game before. I have no opinion myself about it.

[@joaoteotoniopereira5489]

Just because u like peanut butter and lasagna it doesn't mean u should mix em up.

[@CoolManiac89]

Actually the creators of the Dark Souls series asked the creators of Berserk to draw some armor designs for the game. In fact Onion Bro's (Siegward of Catarina) armor was inspired by Bazuso's armor from Berserk

[@BFCnational]

that was a smart joke ^^^

[@mollywhoppedsouls_pvp]

Seigermeyer is the onion bro from ds1.

[@aparker2210]

Lie

[@TheBatman39]

Berserk's creator is Kentaro Miura, but I don't think Miyazaki or FromSoft requested him to actually draw armor designs for the games.

[@tahaimran21294]

Succumbing to dark within, at the cost of all others... Vendrick, he said something similar... "Seeker of fire, you know not the depths of Dark within you. It grows deeper still, the more flame you covet. Flame, oh, flame…" AND "Shadow is not cast, but born of fire. And, the brighter the flame, the deeper the shadow."

[@FadedFades]

Guts and Artorias fighting style in the his berserk armor is like 100% the same. No wonder Artorias is so bad ass, just got into berserk and i always been into Dark Souls. After watching the movies i see the game differently. The broken world incased in war, demonic gods, Tragic characters drove to madness from the influences of evil.

[@DJYungHoxha]

I hope you've taken the time to read the manga by now, as the movies really don't capture what makes Berserk the masterpiece that it is all that much.

[@ovechkin100]

In the 3rd manga, i nearly shit golden bricks of joy when griffith used the term "dark souls"

[@GhostOfVincentGogh]

Ok so finally it wasn't me 😅😅

[@justajobro1266]

Which chapter?

[@ovechkin100]

@@justajobro1266 vol 3,chap 6 the guardians of desire, he says "like a drop of water, you'll simply dissolve. becoming no more than another swell in an ocean of dark souls"

[@mookiestewart3776]

@@ovechkin100 cool to know!!

[@carl1836]

5 dislike? the god hand? Edit 2021 : godamn im still getting likes? 😆

[@marlom7882]

Finn Scouter coincidence ? I think not

[@earthopedia4602]

tudor soldiers disliked the video

[@raulrojas9253]

probably salty christians.

[@Vlad_-_-_]

and about 80 or so apostoles.

[@fuzzinator9523]

Raul Rojas salty Christians?

[@WhiteLimo011]

Demon's Souls has a massive resemblance as well, like King Allant, his Knights and Maiden Astraea becoming demons for more power like some become apostles in Berserk for more power, and you as the player can wield ridiculously big and powerful swords as you hunt down the demons one by one, just like Guts does the apostles. Miyazaki just loves Berserk, he takes so much inspiration for in everything he does.

[@MasterOfTheGames9]

Yeah, I honestly think Demon's Souls is more similar to Berserk in terms of philosophies and themes. Dark Souls is most similar in terms of art and design. Even Bloodborne has some references, The Hunter's Mark looks similar to The Brand Of Sacrifice. Hell, Sekiro is pretty similar to Guts, and they share the same Japanese voice actor.

[@rdc4461]

@@MasterOfTheGames9 yeah the most obvious reference to berserk in sekiro would be the prosthetic arm

[@NicKTsanicK7]

@@rdc4461 The prosthetic arm, being the lone wolf, being betrayed by a father figure and leader, branded with Kuro's blood. There are a lot of similarities just not only your face, I just realized that

[@rdc4461]

@@NicKTsanicK7 well yeah that too lol

[@dabossdafly]

Both Gwendolyn and the mysterious child who most believe to be Guts and Caska's baby are children of the moon (Gwendolyn being the deity of the moon I believe and the moonlight boy only ever appearing at the full moon) Food for thought

[@Hawkshaw]

Nice man i like it. i also believe the moon child is guts and casca's baby. good link spot.

[@dabossdafly]

Hawkshaw I want the baby to be theirs but knowing Berserk it won't be without a price.

[@SicksInYourAss13]

I was a berserk fan far before I was a dark souls fan, I knew the similarities/references but this took it too a whole new level. I've been waiting since the last video for this! And you did not disappoint! Still baffling to see few subscribers, but with quality content such as yours I'm sure it'll soon rise! (I've also been spreading your channel name at every dam DK video so I hope that helps a little too lol) thank you, and praise the lore!

[@Hawkshaw]

Awesome that you enjoyed it so much nonetheless. I'm sure that helps thank you for that- we shall see how it goes then eh? Praise the Lore!

[@xouat]

For me it was the other way around, I learned about Berserk through the Dark Souls parallels people had been mentioning. I have to say that my standards on comics (or graphic novels, manga, whatever) are pretty high, but Berserk is frankly one of the best I've read in ages! Up there with Sandman and Cerebus in my opinion

[@xouat]

Exellent vid again, BTW

[@MineSlimeTV]

That was indeed kindhearted for yourself my friend dearest ^^

[@drewdonovan3444]

Berserk is the dark souls of anime

[@patlefofort]

Dark Souls is the best Berserk game we will probably ever have.

[@hassanbassim4007]

No , Dark souls is the Berserk of Games . not the opposite .

[@joaquinillo_]

I think the 2017 berserk game is rather good.

[@literallyjustchickensandwich]

No it's Gobliyn Slayer

[@Meekmillan]

Chestnut Puck I wish I could agree :/

[@Hawkshaw]

For returning subs who are interested we have just edited the timeline video to have the missing text of the timeline at the end.

[@joshjaguar713]

Hawkshaw dude u deserve more subs, like it's not funny how much u deserve more subs

[@Hawkshaw]

Thanks man, tell us about it!

[@MB-bz1qx]

RIP Miura you not only created one of the greatest stories ever told and designed but also inspired one of the greatest game franchises ever made

[@cassiusemmanualtheyoutubep3171]

I've always compared Griffith to the Anti-Christ. Many in the Berserk world believe he's a savior, he can do no wrong, and is perfect in everyway. There are several verses that parallel Griffiths arc. Such as Revelations 13:3 which is about the Anti-Christ being killed or incapacitated and being revived. This happens several times to Griffith but more prominently when everyone receives the dream about the Hawk being reborn.There is another verse about subduing Three Kings, King of Midland, King of Kushan, I don't know about the third King of Chuder perhaps? Now of course Berserk has themes from other religions and not solely Christianity, but regardless of my faith and it's critical parallels of the actions organized Religion it manages to be a fantastic read that I truly love. Sadly I think the author is on hiatus(AGAIN).

[@CrazyDiamond419]

Cassius Emmanual KZbin Player Yoooo I love this. Especially the part about the three kings. If that is true, it could either be the Emperor of Chuder or Farnese’s father, Federico de Vandimion III. Given Federico has strong pull everywhere, of the likes of the Holy See and multiple countries, and that the Vandimion family is vastly wealthy, I’d say he could play a part in all the craziness later on.

[@dpieman92]

It would probably be the Elf King

[@justbny9278]

Either the Elf King or the Pope as a metaphorical king of the Holy See

[@807D14M0ND5]

I thought about Guts always carying his sword/cross

[@anjaneyasreetrout2444]

A permanent hiatus this time

[@nikolaidrostdov]

God damn it. The editing. It's fucking phenomenal. And the way you cite sources. And include more context to the quotation. And the incredible analysis and understanding of both works. And (!) the pedagogical, comfortable tone and pace of narration. A-fucking-plus. This is a masterpiece of KZbin videos. Be very proud of yourselves.

[@squishybeaver]

I started dark souls remastered at the same time I started reading Berserk and couldn't help but feel the similarities between them. Also how amazing and tragic both these are is what really hit me

[@Kmanboi796]

the heavy greatsword +10

[@EinFelsbrocken]

Kman with the ham Bravo; man. Hilarious!

[@artemis142]

i miss reading berserker for the first time..

[@babyeater639]

artemis142 you seen the news chapter? I heard Cassca is getting her memorys back.

[@febbra2]

But the feels get stronger with every read...

[@phuongvu527]

*mindblow*

[@usernamesystem3586]

@@babyeater639 yeah after 2 years

[@usernamesystem3586]

Asim Khan boat arc best arc babyyyyy

[@dutchbannger6503]

"...in the womb was a place when a change could be effected" Blood borne with the blood making the body malleable and the emphasis on wombs, children, birth, and even a demon baby akin to berserk, plus knowing that despite existing in separate universes, from's games are heavily connected. --- I think that you really struck gold with the specific wording you used in regards to seath.

[@dutchbannger6503]

4 years fly by damn lol

[@leonardohenrique5647]

Susumu Hirasawa is a badass compositor, every music that came's from him, makes all turns into an epic. Kentaro Miura and Susumu Hirasawa makes berserk an epic, like Hidetaka Miyazaki and Motoi Sakuraba did to dark souls.

[@elliotaddler2302]

HAAIIIIIIIIIYAI FORCES

[@speed7176]

It's a shame your sub count doesn't reflect the quality of your videos. You really have done a lot of work. Congrats and keep it up. Over time I'm sure others will recognize the quality and sub. You've earned mine today

[@abysschef5078]

Speed Weed true that this guy’s videos are great and really chill

[@mikeyelnats4798]

BERSERK IS SO FUCKING COOL

[@johnvonshepard9373]

Game of Throne is cooler.

[@raimethefumeknight2062]

John von Shepard Heresy!

[@0816M3RC]

John von Shepard Definitely not. You just like the porn don't you?

[@akshat3516]

John von Shepard Got is shit

[@babyeater639]

John von Shepard nooo, not nearly as dark or cool.

[@Nabo42]

I just watched the Golden Age Arc and it kind of broke my heart.

[@OfLaSoul]

RIP Kentaro Miura

[@CasparLeones]

Years later and the imagery of the eclipse continues to TERRIFY me.

[@williambarrett9814]

I know this is old, and no one will probably see this, but the reason the nameless king rebelled against gwyn is because he locked away gwynevere with the egg containing the abyss. Which pissed off the nameless king and caused him to go to the dragons in an attempt to destroy his father and free his sister who he loved.

[@cloroxusthestainlessone4324]

Do you mean Fillianor? If so then I really like that idea. A bit of wholesome if a dying world

[@lolguy00]

Berserk's OST is so good!

[@freddiefisher9177]

lolguy00

[@himanshuwilhelm5534]

Tell me wha tell me wha tell me whatchu waant!

[@disconondrumemporium8632]

@Space Cowboy when

[@schmebulockjizz]

No its not

[@casshernsins8333]

Rip miura

[@RedEyesSg]

hey - been counting the days til i got more more Hawkshaw. It's good you're back

[@RoyalGhost-27]

Something I wanna point out, I would say how Casca felt about Griffith was not love. Love is a mutual thing, it requires some give and take. Casca worshipped Griffith, and there is a difference. Also I'm pretty sure the fan theory is that the sacrifices in the tower were to make Void, as he is linked with Gaiseric somehow.

[@thatloserderek536]

Some people think that skull knight was king gaiseric because some of the god hand referred to him as a majesty.

[@ideadlift20kg83]

Nice video. The strangest part about watching Berserk is the music. It's the closest link to the Mushrooms in Dark Souls.

[@stuartroom3171]

always thought about guts being more the chosen undead. But yeah... atorias is the better choice. great Video!

[@Miuranger1]

Raumario Dos Santos u don't think he is better then guts?

[@stuartroom3171]

Kako Mohammed i meant that Atorias resembles gutts more then the Chosen Undead. because of the Brand and your struggle. But artorias has the wolf, greatsword and his connection to gwin.

[@Miuranger1]

Raumario Dos Santos in my opinion it resembles both of them perfectly. Atorias is berserker armor guts,while undead is the black swordsman guts.

[@RichterTheRat]

Pretty sure Seath is Griffith. He's an outsider whose contributions won Gwyn the war, was made a duke, and while he wasn't manually disfigured he was however a mutation and seen as disfigured by his dragon brethren. He also achieved immortality, has blinding white color scheme, and if you're looking for a tampered hybrid child, look no further than Priscilla in the Painted World.

[@Sokolva]

These are some really good arguments, and I agree with much of your analysis of Dark Souls demons, and how they are far more cultured and intelligent than many of the accounts of the Lords and humans who feared and fought them give them credit for. However, I disagree with several of your points about Berserk in this regard. The lores may be more different than it seems, or the effect may simply be different; there is certainly far more direct information given about the demons in Berserk at this point and their intentions than about the Dark Souls. Firstly, you assert that in Berserk, the Demons may not be evil at all, and that "good" and "evil" are not so much diametric opposites but may simply be a matter of point of view. Your first piece of evidence is Griffith and Gut's conversation about Zod, and whether he is more like a god or more like a demon. Griffith says the former, and asks what the difference between them would be, which you say is a good point, going on to ask whether it is because of the appearance or apparent monsterousness of the demon. I would say that the difference completely depends upon what mythology you are drawing upon, and the mythology of Berserk and Dark Souls is quite different in this regard. Demons in Berserk are shown many times to be created from "ambition," and through free will. They are humans who want power and dominion so badly, they are willing to sacrifice all they love, and all their humanity, to become a creature that preys upon humans. Their intelligence and ability to think remains to them, but they certainly lose something, as many of the demons we meet in Berserk attest to themselves. I think it is very significant that Griffith, who would become a demon and make one of the greatest sacrifices of all to become a God Hand, is the one who feels there is no difference between a god and a demon, while Guts is the one who feels there is a difference on an instinctive level. He cannot support his argument morally, but when he sees the demon Zod (who identifies himself as a demon) he instantly knows what he is without having to be told, while what Griffith sees in Zod, and all that is important to him, is power, and to Griffith, power is worthy of worship and is the most important and highest consideration that makes a being worthy of respect. Therefore, to him, power is all that matters to become one of his "gods" and he does not care whether the creature's nature is demonic and godlike. The second piece of evidence you use is tied to the first. You ask whether it is fair to consider demons in Berserk to be evil simply because they feed upon humans. You compare this to the way that humans eat animal meat, and ask if that makes humans evil, essentially putting demons into the natural food-chain of Berserk. The problem with this point is that firstly, Demons are mentioned several times through Berserk as being seperated from the natural order of the world. They are creations that do not fit into the natural balance of the "food chain" and nature, and in fact, by their very existance, are shown to disrupt it and begin to throw the world into chaos. This does not mean they are "evil" but it does show they aren't the same as a simple "prey-predator" relationship that sustain's an ecosystem's strength and health. Secondly, demons are not forced to eat humans for survival, they do it by choice, and further, they become demons by choice, leaving behind their natural bodies and sacrificing others to ascend (or descend) themselves into a state of greater power. They are even shown to sacrifice family, friends, entire armies, lovers, and children, all for this desire for power. The higher the ambition and desire, the higher the sacrifice, the more power they gain. This creates a demon culture in Berserk that is PURELY BORN upon ambition and ruthlessness, which is the willingness to sacrifice others in order to gain power. In this culture, Griffith, the man who cannot tell the difference between a god and a demon, becomes one of the highest of demon-kind. If this was the only part of the story, you could argue that Berserk is saying that perhaps good and evil don't matter, that there is no difference between demons and humans, or demons and gods, and that there is no true evil or great good. But Berserk DOES NOT say this. It does show the complexity: demons are not always ruthless, and they are shown to be capable of love, at least when they were human, and to have once been human. They are created from humans themselves, after all. But there are also instances of great courage and self-sacrifice and love in Berserk, that act as a counterpoint to this ruthlessness and cruelty. Who is the main character that we follow? Guts. The struggler. The one who survived the unimaginable sacrifice of Griffith despite all odds and defies fate through sheer strength, and unending perserverance, and, crucally, love. Casca, and his love of her despite her childlike and broken state, drives him through many poitns of the story, and after he meets with other characters who begin to rely on him and on whom he relies on, he fights for their survival as well. Later, the story seems to suggest that the entire world and the fate of the balance of the universe itself may begin to rely on his struggle, as he seems to be the only one who can truly balance the power and disruption of the demons to fight for those who are weaker and cannot kill those who would hunt them as prey for the mere joy of overpowering them. In this way, Berserk's demon lore straddles the line between Christianity's good and evil and its own mythos, not to mention Japanese myths and legends in terms of demons. However, with the focus of Griffith, the antagonist and demon's dream being ambition, power, and pride (very similar to Satan) and Gut's efforts being self-sacrifice, love, and perserverance through suffering no matter how great the burden, even though we have a very dark storyline and a dark main character there is definitely still the battle between Good and Evil here, with greater evil than we usually see, but also startling courage and good. We see prostitutes become some of the greatest heroes in a battle using intelligence, courage, and putting others before themselves, while in the same battle, one of the most devoted men of the church who is so obsessed with purity becomes one of the most dangerous and corrupt demons. Berserk breaks down who is expected to be righteous and instead shows that everyone is capable of both good and evil, and yet there is still definitely a divide between those two opposites, even if it becomes grey and hard to find at many times throughout the story. There is no arguing that Griffith and his side has an appeal for many, and that there are many who feel Griffith did nothing wrong and that he was right. In fact, the story itself is full of demons who are glad of what they become, regret nothing, and are cynical, feeling that they may as well sieze the power since if they don't someone else will be willing to make the sacrifice and sieze it for themselves, and their value of human live is low in comparison to thier own life. However, this kind of argument is exactly the one playing out between Guts and Griffith, along with many other themes. Remember; Guts never made this sacrifice for power, and yet he is still able to oppose every demon he faces. He only ever sacrifices himself, pushing himself further in his armor that devours him even as it protects him. He only over takes his burdens upon himself, never putting them upon others. Unlike the demons, who force others to pay the ultimate price for their power, Guts is so powerful without ever forcing ANYONE to pay the price for him. This matches the ancient meaning of the world hero: "the sacrifice" and why Guts falls perfectly within the realm of heroes and legends even though his story takes him into such dark places. And this same quality is what terrifies the demons, and bewilders them, most of all, because it makes their own sacrifice seem so much more petty and weak in comparison.

[@oldmeidanrrustemi4098]

tldr

[@0816M3RC]

S Sokolva Well let's be fair... Guts is protected by plot armor. However he is still holding onto that Behelit (the Count's).

[@hectic_heretic2924]

I 100% agree with you and I think this is an excellent summary of berserk and it's take on good and evil and morality

[@eliv370]

I agree, however, I would say that good and evil is Berserk isn't really a stressed theme as Berserk more so questions things like are humans in control of their fate? and what is a God? and can these gods/extreamly powerful beings really control fate? The main theme of guts will always be to me, ambition, its ramifications, and the struggle.

[@ifeif5878]

0816 M3RC It does not feel like plot armor. Everytime he faces a new enemy he loses his humanity. It is always a pyrrhic victory, because he never comes out unscathed. Look at the guy. He looks like he is nearing 40 but he is in fact a young man of 23. It's actually pretty sad

[@kajixdn]

To me Gwyn and Skull Knight/Gaiseric are very similar too. Both are previously great rulers who single handedly changed the world only for everything they worked for to fall ruin in some way and they both are now husks of their previous selves fighting for a single simple reason and nothing else.

[@NieroshaiTheSable]

Skull fights a battle he himself knows is hopeless to break the cycle of causality. Gwyn caused the Age of Fire and selfishly fights to preserve it, world be damned. You couldn't ask for more different characters.

[@Piratesaregay12322]

Berserk is awesome.

[@arradon2825]

@Benny Fair fax yes it's worth it, the story is great, the characters are great and the art style of Berserk is one of the best and most detailed. If you really want to watch a berserk anime I recommend the 1997 one, even if is a bit dated it is the closest to the source material than the 3 movies and the 2016-17 anime (this one is a CGI atrocity, don't watch it). The only downside to the 1997 anime is that it covers only the beginning of the story, not the full story.

[@ramenisbombman]

SoulsBorne is the wonderful child of Lovecrafts Absurd Cosmicism and Beserks aesthetics

[@madscientistshusta]

I thought it was established that gwindolin IS a god, hence why he was fed to Aldrich *_the devourer of gods_*

[@cansnake]

madscientistshusta hes technically a god, being a son of Gwyn and part of the divine royal family. However Gwyn himself is more of a self-proclaimed god rather than a god in the traditional sense. God in Dark Souls doesn't mean the same as god in our world, they're more like a race than actual divine beings. Aldrich's title isn't meant to be taken in the same sense as it would if it existed in our world.

[@kamleshkarki2231]

Guts = strength build Griffith = dex build

[@mitchl6896]

Glad you're back!

[@Kinda_Venty]

Watching hawkshaw is like being part of the cool exclusive club that only the coolest kids are a part of >:)

[@SicksInYourAss13]

Those damn plebs will never know this feeling B)

[@MFZBitch]

Right ?!? and that in the " DS elitist " community xD

[@anthonychase6906]

I wonder what's going on in the minds of the people who disliked this? Did they find the video and click it to say "fuck this weeb shit" or something? Just want to go against the flow? Who knows?

[@rusi6219]

chinese cartoons r gae

[@daephx]

A simple yet seemingly overlooked resemblance, Artorias' and Guts' arm.

[@iWillWakeYouUp]

Awesome! I've been looking for videos like this. There's only one guy on youtube who pointed out the visual similarities and a few little theme similarities, but you went much deeper. I haven't read Berserk, but this is very interesting. If you can - make more, please. This is great stuff.

[@Hawkshaw]

It's a read that will stick with you, but definitely worth if if you can manage it

[@AccentedGamer]

Well put.

[@JuliusCaesar103]

This is a great video, many things that aren't that obvious you point out, which is definitely better than many of the other videos out there which only cover superficial level similarities. The best manga inspired a lot of the best game, I'm privileged to have experienced both these magnificent works and to enjoy them as much as I do.

[@snakemilthescienceeel2565]

Dark Souls demons didn't choose to become demons; they were born when the Witch of Izalith created the Chaos Flame.

[@zacheryjackson5089]

Thank u! Cant tell u how many comments i searched thru like "is nobody gonna mention that??"

[@Hawkshaw]

It's likely because they've watched our other videos, including our demons video, which includes a great deal of evidence that the demons chose to become them in dark souls.

[@Hawkshaw]

Yes, not when she was engulfed by it, as you can see between the demon firesage existing before pyromancy (explicitly stated to be created when she was engulfed). Please watch our demons video for a lot of evidence why they chose to become demons.

[@ajbexploration5804]

But remember Nito is the lord of the Dead!

[@diddymelone2265]

yeah I see, but I thought the demon firesage has been alive before the witch was engulfed by chaos, but has not been a demon yet. where does it explicitly say that he´s been a demon then?

[@smoage]

i used to get frustrated when people would make offhand comparisons between dark souls and berserk. this video made me want to read berserk. thank you!

[@Hawkshaw]

Glad to hear it Let me know if you do start!

[@josephpa05]

Did you read it?

[@smoage]

@@josephpa05 i've only gotten the first couple of books but i read those

[@turtleanton6539]

R.I.P Kentaro miura

[@AbdouSefiani]

A vast number of these similarities are just common medieval tropes. Since both Berserk and Dark Souls are both games that appear to be set in a medieval environment, there's bound to be similarities.

[@Mannnnnnnn]

Rip Kentaro Miura

[@nanjo621]

GUYS your entire channel is absolutely amazing!! Are you guys going to go over Dark Souls 2 and/or 3?? I would love love love to find out your guys' take on the lore there. Keep up the good work guys seriously, nice work!

[@NatanIsntHere]

RIP Kentaro Miura :(

[@SirStrugglesAlot]

Plagirism=They don't want you to find the similarities Inspiration=They try to make it as obvious as humanly possible

[@Graff-z4x]

Nice to see all of these! I never considered the stairs to the Abyss in New Londo amongst the Berzerk inspirations! Among other things ofc, I was very happy to learn of the plethora of parallels. Another example I noticed, that I've never heard anyone ever mention, is the case of Dusk and Manus. While it makes sense to place Casca and Ciaran in the field of comparison, Miyazaki often splits his inspirations/roles into two if not more characters. appearance-wise Casca and Dusk share striking similarities especially when casca is wearing that dress and then there's the winged tiara. But perhaps because it is such a controversial/volatile moment in both cases I've never heard the direct comparison made between when Casca is raped by demons and the moment after defeating Manus, when we find Dusk lying on the ground, panting, clearly exhausted and half-conscious. This immediately struck me as a direct call-back to Berzerk and so I've been surprised not to see it mentioned anywhere.

[@russian_knight]

I think we can all agree that's it's inspiration done right, there's clear nods to berserk but with Miyazaki's own spin on it

[@Victor-um9ce]

I really love the including of guts' theme in your video, it's such a good song.

[@sirpepeofhousekek6741]

Furthermore, in Dark Souls 3, you must place the five Cinders of the Lords on their thrones to get to the Soul of Cinder. I honestly believe this is reflective of the God Hand, and it could probably be looked at further.

[@septic1502]

How can you not love a piece on two such legendary pieces of art Great video

[@cosmicseaa1119]

Guts also swung the sword with his mouth to add a detail to knight artorias so makes sense the wolf uses it the same

[@seanwegner9925]

This video pushed me over the edge to play Dark Souls. I had about 100 hours in Bloodborne and I had just finished collecting all 38 published volumes of the manga masterpiece, Berserk. I had bought Dark Souls for around $6.99 on an Xbox Live sale and with my background in playing Bloodborne I had an easier time adapting to the gameplay and systems than somebody who was starting fresh with no From Software game. Also since I love and adore Berserk I am really into the lore, mythology, and art design of Dark Souls that it has me totally enraptured with it.

[@Zarocaz]

4 years later but if you haven't given Elden Ring a shot, it fits the Dark Souls picture on a grand scale

[@masterzoroark6664]

Also, about Caduceus- the Brand of Sacrifce also looks quite similar to a Caduceus. And well, beinh branded heralds arrival of spectral beings

[@JonathanKanelis]

I know this is maybe a bit out of place but "Gwyndolin" has eyes in DS3 if you do look closely.

[@MineSlimeTV]

Such ideas in this video where more and intriguing sensations that I was not expecting to imagine nor thing about. Especially the description for the idea of Ciaran as that is an interesting backstory and structure

[@ReddoX30]

Wow, I knew Dark Souls was inspired by Berserk, but this goes beyond my expectations!

[@saint_gales]

the video was amazing, but a thing a saw in dark souls is that the darkmoon Knightess has a strong similarity: she was saved by Gwyndolin (in this case it would be like griffith) and she spent her whole life on being the darkmoon blade

[@HeavySte3l]

A masterpiece... Its haunting how much this video stuck with me

[@big_hat_logan]

One thing I always try to point out, is that Dark Souls has it’s own “vibe” of an intensely decayed world, a dead world, where everything has already occurred, an intense loneliness. Berserk’s world is VERY MUCH alive, and teeming with life, from demons to human civilizations spanning the world, to magical creatures, to animals. Of course tons of the themes are form berserk but the overall “feel and vibes” of the worlds themselves are very different. I love the Dark Souls experience of almost playing as an anthropologist discovering historical artifacts, decayed civilizations long long after they actually lived and existed, Exploring the embers of a world that was once vibrant, and the feeling of being at the end of time and the end of the world. It feels like you’re one of the last living conscious things in the universe in dark souls

[@Triceratronz]

Lol I understand the point being made that our actions in dark souls are morally questionable, but in my opinion there is just no way to justify the demons in berserk as interpretable. it's pretty clear that their actions are totally evil and you just can't redeem them

[@NieroshaiTheSable]

Except for Griffith's demon army. While still monstrous and savage, they become a unifying force and are seen as angels. Granted, this makes them dark gray at best.

[@AllTheOthers]

I use a berserk manga as my fleshlite. I love berserk.

[@agnazen5798]

I thought that you were going to talk something about how Guts lost one of his arms,and Artorias did as well. (even though he just broke the arm,didn't actually lose it)

[@Hawkshaw]

There are plenty of aesthetics that are similar agreed. We tried to highlight point that haven't been made before that highlight something new about the lore

[@agnazen5798]

Yeah,good job by the way,i learned a lot about both dark souls' and berserk's lore,but i didn't think that you were going to let such a big resemblance between guts and artorias slip by... =)

[@nasserharbi7839]

thanks Hawkshaw, I am thrilled every time you upload a video. By the way, I think that Skull knight is like Guts was meant to be a sacrifice in an eclipse and I think that Void was the one who sacrificed them.

[@slowpoke157]

Great thorough work as usual

[@anobash]

Griffith had the brightest fire of his dreams at the falcons camp and there were also hundreds of other smaller bonfires surroundind it, the owners of which devoted their lives and this fire to Griffith. We are lighting the First Flame for the Gwin as well, following his dream. But is there an ending where we follow our own dreams?

[@reinerackerman8681]

This is such a great channel. You just got a sub, keep up the good work.

[@Hawkshaw]

Welcome aboard!

[@xXDarkxIdealsXx]

FINALLY, someone who has basically the EXACT same interpretation of Berserk and Souls lore as i do! Instant-sub from me...can't wait to read the rest of your videos about both my favorite game and favorite manga lol Great video guys!

[@SirToastedTheBakery]

Thank you for showing the similarities. This video was worth the wait.

[@greycegordon1597]

We all know Dark Souls got its ideas a little from Berserk

[@zdf14]

Berserk is love, Berserk is life.

[@oldmeidanrrustemi4098]

Donovan is love, Donovan is life.

[@FACM.]

Meidan Rrustemi Rape is love, rape is life.

[@tyrionlannister4541]

Berserk is cult Berserk is god!

[@mcp7158]

Berserk is god

[@stumpe9662]

I've waited like a year to actually read berserk to watch this video, was worth the wait

[@donaldjoseph4990]

Isn't bozuso onion bro?

[@fukcg00gle95]

Every time I watch one of these videos, it makes me realize how much I missed in my first playthrough.

[@timbudel5857]

once again great work!

[@flipzmadmax5494]

Man I love dark souls so much I didn't even think this went hand and hand each other. Wow

[@lashed1980]

6-7 years after a d the community is still finding lore in a game that was "rushed". how deep does the rabbit hole go?

[@lashed1980]

sorry, I should say new ways to think about the lore

[@OnryoKami]

The game wasn't rushed and Dark Souls and Berserk has most deep rich lore then any other media tbh.

[@cansnake]

Lost Folklorist lmao the game was clearly rushed, from a gameplay standpoint almost the entire second half is a barely functioning mess. The demon ruins is the best example, the enemies are literally just pasted randomly and half of them are recycled bosses, not to mention the area's ACTUAL bosses (a third reskin of the TUTORIAL BOSS, a decent but dull fight in a room full of the most painful lava texture in gaming history and finally one of the original great lords being reduced to arguably the WORST boss in the entire franchise.) The game is still fantastic and has outstandingly detailed design, but it's blatantly clear they put in a little too much effort early on and then ran out of steam during the later half.

[@moccus3466]

the demons never chose anything in dark souls, they were born from the bed of chaos

[@pheenmachine]

Mmmm hearing dat music from the old anime feels good man

[@grubbiechirp5695]

What is it? I’ve been looking for it. Specifically the second tune

[@pheenmachine]

@@grubbiechirp5695 the ne from describing Artorias is Guts' theme itslef : kzbin.info/www/bejne/rWLSZYJoiMuEa8k

[@RosariusEU]

Great video with a lot of in-depth information. I just wanted to point out that the in the japanese version of the game, the sentence "an unmasking of these deities would be tantamount to blasphemy" from the description of the Darkmoon Blade Covenant Ring doesn't contain a pluralizing suffix. The sentence in Japanese is 「その偽りを破るものは、神の大敵に他ならない」, which can be translated "Those who detroy/defeat the lie/fabrication (refering to the illusion of Gwynevere) are nothing but the archenemy of God/the deity". The word 破る(destroy, defeat) can also be interpreted as "shattering a dream". In Japanese, most nouns have no plural form, so the differentiation is often a matter of context. However, the word "god" is an exception (神=god, 神々 = gods). I think that if the developers really wanted to refer to multiple gods, they would have used the plural form 神々(gods) or 諸神 (a multitude of gods). However, they maybe intentionally wrote it like that so we, the players, are left to guess.

[@ViperJoe]

Fantastic work! You're quickly becoming one of my favourite Souls content creators. There are indeed a lot of thematic and design similarities between Berserk and Dark Souls, but they tend to be blown way out of proportion by fans (I'm guilty of doing this myself); you did well to avoid doing that for the majority of this video, but I honestly found your attempt at drawing similarities between Xanthous King Jeremiah and Emperor Ganishka particularly far-fetched. As an aside, one of the discoveries of the famed Illusorywall is that Ornstein is nicknamed "Griffith" in the data files. I'm not exactly sure what this could mean with regard to your theory, but it's worth noting, I suppose.

[@GamingTheDeath]

"Only Oolacile is an exception..or used to be." That got me thinking, Oolacile might have been like Falconia, the only safe place in the Dark Souls universe, however the way things went, it fell as well. It would be interesting to see Griffith's dream crumble down and disappear.

[@SuperDKINGZ]

What is the name of the first background track?

[@SuperDKINGZ]

Thank you

[@mcp7158]

Behelit theme was the first one

[@MORTH_VENDELORD]

What's the one that's starts at 12:40?

[@zachyoung6807]

Sees picture at 6:22 Screenshots Saves to "I swear its not my porn folder" folder

[@sumtingwong8230]

BAZUSO!

[@joshbowman9481]

Coming back to this video after playing Elden ring and seeing the various Greatsword tributes littered across the map. RIP Kentaro

[@abbadonthedestroyer3792]

Artorias and Guts are not that similar, they have SOME similarities but saying they have big swords and were put into the same poses is utterly ridiculous to use as comparisons. Their personalities and missions are totally different, you literally have to stretch out their characteristics to find similarities.

[@marcrenaud8392]

Abbadon the Destroyer yea I was thinking the same, some of these were grasping at straw

[@0816M3RC]

Abbadon the Destroyer You are kidding right? Artorias is clearly a Guts reference though as of right now Slave Knight Gael is a lot more closer to Guts.

[@abbadonthedestroyer3792]

How, please tell me why you think he is a Guts reference.

[@derpaboopderp1286]

cuz Miyazaki ejaculates everytime a new Berzerk chapter comes out?

[@Jackenack]

Artorias' design is very similar to Guts, and that's how he is a "Guts reference." A character does not have to be a clear copy-paste of another character in order to be in reference to the other character.

[@chimedemon]

9:40 "okay, just hear me out. these two should make out. I ship it- I'M NOT SAYING ANYTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY, I'm just stating facts that; if you look at it in the right way... you'll see that these two bosses should totally make out. this is just facts."

[@dakotajamesmason230]

I have had my theories, and oddly the similarities coincide with the data In this video, more along the conflict of theories based on Seath and how he is the first born and becoming a dragon has been happening for ages and the everlasting dragons are actually the first giants but that is a different topic. love the video, great perception! cheers!

[@bigboss2174]

Man no one ever mentions how artorias is a fusion of Guts and Griffith. He's Guts with Femto armor, fusing both roles