WARNING #1: This essay contains gigantic SPOILERS all the way through VOLUME 13 of BERSERK!!
WARNING #2: If you can't handle the idea that Griffith might like Guts as... more than a friend... save yourself the trauma and stop reading now!!
WARNING #3: The essay is VERY graphic-intensive, so loading the pages might take a bit!!
WARNING #4: Berserk is a very explicit series, so the afore-mentioned graphics contain violence, gore, and nudity!!
WARNING #5: Do not read the addendum to the essay, Griffith Invictus, if you're uncomfortable with moral ambiguity!

Many of you might know Griffith as the guy who sacrificed his trusting friends to demons in order become a god, and topped it off by raping his best friend’s girlfriend. And, well, that’s all true!! But how did things go so horribly wrong?? Extraordinary tragedies require extraordinary circumstances. Was Griffith always a demon masquerading as an angel? Or was he simply... human? This essay attempts to answer that question by tracing back the events that led to his ultimate decision.
I call it an essay, but it's really a commentary on the manga, so the following pages feature A LOT of manga scans. Make sure you read each panel RIGHT<<<TO<<<LEFT!! Now, as far as my chosen Layout: if there are two columns of pictures on a page, each column is usually a separate scene. The left column is usually reserved for my commentary and any manga pictures directly related to a quote. The right column is usually reserved for longer scenes. Sometimes it's the other way around, or completely random. Good luck!!

NOTE ON THE TRANSLATION: Unless otherwise specified, the lines I quote are from the official Dark Horse release of Berserk. However, I also provide visuals of the same scenes with a fan translation by The Band of the Hawk. The Dark Horse translation is much more accurate. Also, I like to cross-reference translations, so here is a third source.

 

Griffith Invictus
A post-Eclipse addendum to the essay above.
 
Last Updated 07/25/11: More text added to Hawk of Light & Darkness in Griffith Invictus. Warning #5 added above.

DISCLAIMER: Berserk and all the characters, story, and art therein is copyright Kentaro Miura. No copyright infringement is intended, and I hope that this essay inspires more people to read/watch Berserk! Translation in the text is by Dark Horse, translation in the images is by The Band of the Hawk, unless otherwise specified.