Chapter 9 of Berserk marks a massive shift.
The Black Swordsman Arc ends.
Now we go back in time.
Back before the Brand.
Back before the hatred.
Back before Griffith became a name filled with rage.
This is where the tragedy truly begins.
1. A Child on the Battlefield
We meet a younger Guts.
But even as a child, his world is brutal.
He was born from a corpse beneath a hanging tree.
Raised in a mercenary camp.
Surrounded by war.
Trained to kill before he could fully understand life.
Chapter 9 shows something important:
Violence wasn’t something Guts chose.
It was something he was born into.
2. Gambino – A Broken Father Figure
We are introduced to Gambino, the mercenary leader who raises Guts.
Gambino is harsh.
Cold.
Unstable.
He trains Guts brutally.
Yet, in his own twisted way, he is the closest thing Guts has to a father.
Their relationship is complicated.
Gambino both shapes Guts into a warrior and emotionally scars him.
3. Childhood Without Innocence
While other children might play…
Guts trains with a sword too heavy for his age.
He learns:
- Survival over comfort
- Strength over softness
- Silence over vulnerability
There is no softness in his upbringing.
This chapter makes something clear:
The Black Swordsman didn’t become hard overnight.
He was forged slowly.
4. The Tone Shift
The atmosphere changes in Chapter 9.
It’s still dark.
But it feels grounded.
Less supernatural.
More realistic.
More human.
We are no longer dealing with Apostles and the God Hand.
We are watching the making of a man.
And that makes it even more powerful.
5. Why Chapter 9 Is Important
Chapter 9 begins the Golden Age Arc — widely considered the greatest arc in Berserk.
It does something brilliant:
We already know the future is tragic.
We already know something catastrophic will happen.
So every moment of youth feels fragile.
We’re watching happiness and ambition grow…
Knowing it will be destroyed.
Final Thoughts on Chapter 9
This chapter shows us the roots of Guts’ strength.
Not supernatural strength.
But emotional endurance.
He wasn’t born with destiny.
He was born into suffering.
And instead of breaking…
He learned to survive.
The Golden Age has begun.
And soon, we’ll meet the man who will change everything.
