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The Fantasia Arc is the fifth, and current, story arc of the Berserk manga series, serialized in Young Animal starting in 2010. The arc is preceded by the Millennium Falcon Arc.

The story follows Guts and his comrades in the aftermath of the Great Roar of the Astral World, caused by Griffith. Onboard the Seahorse, Guts and his party set sail for the mystical island of Elfhelm to seek counsel with the Elf King, who could possibly restore Casca's sanity. Meanwhile, Rickert begins to form his own party while Griffith rules nearly the entire world from his city, Falconia.

Plot[]

Elf Island Chapter[]

The Ghost Ship in the Full Moon[]

RoderickSpiesShip

Roderick spots the Captain Bonebeard in the distance.

The Great Roar of the Astral World blows an ominous wind across the land and the sea. A short while later, the Seahorse continues sailing towards Skellig Island. In the gloom before dawn, a sailor points out another ship approaching. Roderick confirms it is Bonebeard's ship. Roderick is amazed that Bonebeard's ship is still afloat since it suffered heavy damage in its recent battle with the Seahorse. Roderick orders his crew to ready the cannons, and orders Schierke and the rest of Guts's group to wait in the hold. Schierke pauses, sensing a monstrous menace from the other ship. She explains that the crew on Bonebeard's ship is not human. The Seahorse's crew fires the cannons, but Bonebeard's ship dips underwater to evade. Roderick then asks for Guts's group to assist in the fight. Bonebeard's ship comes close to the Seahorse, revealing that Bonebeard and his crew are reanimated corpses. Bonebeard declares that he will take his revenge on everyone. He summons several squid-like creatures from the sea. The creatures begin to eat the sailors, as Bonebeard watches with glee. Guts had been in the hold resting, with his brand bleeding since the Roar. Hearing the noise above, he walked outside to the deck. Guts slashes the creatures with his sword, killing them in a few deft blows. His opponents are then revealed to be tentacles of a much larger monster. In one explosive maneuver with his cannon and sword, Guts destroys the larger creature. With dawn approaching, Bonebeard retreats into sea while vowing to return.

CaveOfTheSeaGod

Isidro and Puck come across a large and ominous cavern.

After the party's victory, they discover that the hull of the Seahorse has taken heavy damage. They need to stop to repair the ship. Roderick sails the Seahorse to a nearby island to begin the repairs. Schierke again feels an eerie presence, and is unsure if they should be on the island. Isidro, excited to explore, runs off with Puck. They find a cave, where they meet a blue-haired girl. She warns them not to enter the cave because it is the home of the Sea God. At first, Isidro feels intimidated. But soon he gets excited to find out whether the legend of the Sea God is true. As he is about to enter the cave, Isidro gets hurt as a wave knocks him off his feet. The girl invites him to her house, where she'll patch him up. Isidro agrees, going with her while failing to realize he left his dagger behind. Once at the girl's house, she bandages Isidro's head. She tells Isidro that her name is Isma. He tells her that his group will only be spending one night on her island, as he tells her of his adventures.

Meanwhile, Guts and the rest of his group set off to find a place where they can stock up on food and other supplies. They discover a small fishing village nearby. There's no one on the street, but they notice that people are hiding in their houses. Schierke feels uneasy. She explains that there is a faint, creepy aura covering the entire town. Casca then leads the group to a small shrine by the side of the road. A disconcerting statue of an octopus sits there with a single, large, closed eye. Schierke explains that it represents an ancient god. She believes it might be an Astral Being that the villagers worship. The group wonders how the Holy See has not destroyed such a statue, as they would consider it blasphemy. Schierke believes this shows how isolated this island is. She tells the group to continue looking for an inn, while she explores the island on her own. Schierke finds the Sea God's cave. As she picks up Isidro's dagger, more tentacle creatures appear and attack her. She realizes these are the same squid-like creatures which Captain Bonebeard summoned earlier. Schierke fends off the monsters. After escaping, she finds her way to Isma's house. She scolds Isidro for losing such a rare weapon. Schierke then notices Isma and realizes she is no normal girl. As the sun sets, Schierke and Isidro learn that Isma's mother was a Merrow. Isma reveals that the villagers shunned her because of her Merrow lineage. Even her father never spoke to Isma until the day he died. Isma explains that the villagers have resented the Merrow ever since an incident involving a giant, tentacled monster. She says that monster is known as the Sea God. Isma tells the story of how the Merrow sealed the monster away in a cave under the island. But the Sea God is able to extend its tentacles from the cave to claim its prey once a month, on the night of a full moon. Isidro sees a link between the Sea God and Bonebeard. Isma adds that the villagers have been acting strangely lately. She says that began when that strange wind blew over the island. She has felt strange things lately too, like hearing noises from the cave and from under the sea.

TentaclePeople

The villagers.

Meanwhile, Guts and the others find an inn. As they eat their supper, a feeling of creeping dread spreads over them. A fishy smell hangs in the air. After finishing his meal, Roderick gets up from the table. He announces that he will return to the Seahorse, so he can oversee the repairs while the others get some rest. Now Roderick realizes the rest of the inn's patrons are staring at him. They look the same as Bonebeard's men did the night before. The cook tells the group that there is a full moon tonight. And it is a special night, the cook explains, the "Easter of the Sea God". Farnese assumes that this means they will become the evening's meal. The villagers then transform into tentacle creatures and attack. While still speaking with Isma at her house, Schierke senses the danger her friends are in. Isma leads Schierke and Isidro to the village to investigate. As they approach the village, Isma notices the Captain Bonebeard crawling onto the land. The ship crashes into the village, with Bonebeard gloating from the main deck. He explains that every villager on the island has been turned into a tentacle creature. They are the hands and feet of the Sea God, Bonebeard gloats. While she has not yet reached the village, Schierke senses the rising tide of rage in Guts's heart. She knows that the berserker armor will take over again if Guts doesn't calm down. Schierke pleads with Guts psychically, begging him to stop. Guts loses control, and the beastly helmet snaps over his head. Without hesitating, he leaps onto Bonebeard's ship.

GutsEatsTentacle

Guts' mind is nearly lost to the Beast of Darkness.

Schierke, Isidro, and Isma then arrive at the village. Schierke realizes that there are no human souls on the island other than those of their group. Every resident of the island has been transformed into a tentacle creature. However, Isma has not been transformed. Schierke explains that this is likely due to the amulets protecting her house. Isidro and Isma guard Schierke's body while she attempts to recall Guts' mind. When Schierke's astral form approaches Guts, the armor knocks her back into her physical body. Bonebeard begins to panic as Guts massacres many of the tentacles and sea slug creatures. Guts then notices some of the monsters attacking Casca. He rushes in to save her. Serpico warns the rest of the group not to approach Guts. While he did save Casca, they do not believe Guts has regained his sanity yet. From within the armor, all Guts can see clearly is the figure of Casca. All the others in his group appear as faceless shadows to him. Then the flame-creature appears to Guts. It is the same one he saw on the beach outside Vritannis. It reminds Guts that he must protect Casca at all costs. Schierke senses that Guts is beginning to return to them, so she leaps onto his back. With the assistance of both the flame-creature and Schierke, Guts's sanity returns. Looking around, the group then realizes that Bonebeard and his monsters are gone. All of a sudden, the group realizes why Casca ran off a minute ago. She is embracing the mysterious boy from before. Schierke and Guts realize that the child is more than he appears.

Isma introduces herself to the group. She explains that she is the last remaining person on the island. Isidro convinces Roderick to allow Isma to come with them so she is not alone. Roderick wants to make final preparations to leave the dangerous island. Guts stops him, explaining that they must first make sure all the tentacle creatures are dead. Isma explains that the source of the creatures must be the Sea God's cave. Schierke orders everyone to regroup on board the Seahorse. She will prepare for the Sea God's inevitable next attack there. Schierke then reveals her plan. Guts will enter the Berserker Armor once again, this time with Schierke possessing him to protect his mind. They will enter the cave to confront the Sea God. In the meantime, Farnese will remain on the ship and become its shield. Schierke explains to Farnese that she must summon the Four Kings to protect the ship. Farnese completes the summoning ritual successfully, and Schierke possesses Guts. As the Berserker Armor takes over Guts again, Schierke sees the armor as a starved beast that is desperate to feed. Guts then leaps off the deck of the ship, heading towards the Sea God's cave.

The Sea God and the Merrow[]

LairOfTheSeaGod

Guts ventures into the cave of the Sea God.

Guts enters the cave. As he reaches a giant cavern within, Bonebeard appears again. From the deck of his ship, Bonebeard congratulates Guts for coming so far. A huge group of slug creatures then appears, making Bonebeard laugh. Bonebeard explains that the sea slugs are only extensions of the Sea God's body. He invites Guts to peer through the darkness of the cave and fully comprehend the danger he is in. That's when Guts notices the massive shape of the Sea God at the other side of the cavern. The monster is so large that Guts can only see a wide row of sharp teeth in the distance. The Sea God lets out a low grumble, which hits Guts like a gust of wind. Schierke advises that Guts find a bottleneck near the cavern's entrance. This would allow him to kill the slugs one at a time. But Guts has another plan. He charges through the pack of slugs and jumps into the Sea God's open mouth. Believing that Guts is dead, Bonebeard leaves the Sea God's body so he can assault the Seahorse next. The slug creatures try to board the the Seahorse, but Farnese's astral barrier repels them. The barrier is less effective against physical forms however, allowing Bonebeard and his crew to board. Isidro unsheathes his sword and leads the counterattack, defeating the pirates once again. Meanwhile, Guts uses the rising tide of stomach acid to reach the roof of the Sea God's belly and puncture it with his sword. He now stands beside the monster's heart, whose beat reverberates throughout Guts's body. The Sea God now senses the danger, and activates its immune system to protect itself. The heart's chamber fills with serpents who try to kill Guts. The Sea God then emerges from the island cave.

IsmaGrowsTail

Isma transforms into a Merrow.

The gigantic body of the Sea God bursts out of the cave, shattering much of the island around it. This triggers a huge wave, and the remains of the island sink into the ocean. The force of the wave knocks Isidro overboard. Isma immediately dives in to rescue him, and she holds Isidro in her arms underwater. As a group of tentacle creatures surround them, a mysterious voice calls out to Isma. It tells her to speak her true name. Isma utters it silently, which transforms her body. She becomes a hybrid human-fish creature, with the torso and head of a human and the tail of a fish. Using her powerful tail, Isma races up to the surface with Isidro in her arms. With Isidro safe again on board the Seahorse, a strange pattern appears on the waves around them. It looks like a school of large fish at first, but Isma recognizes them with glee. This is where the voice came from, beneath the waves. It's the merrow, and Isma dives back into the water to join them. They are swimming towards the Sea God, prepared to end their long war against the monster. Roderick instructs his crew to aid in the attack. The Seahorse's crew fires its cannons, making the beast squirm. Underwater, Isma dodges several attacks by the tentacles but is quickly overwhelmed. An adult merrow rushes in to save Isma. She recognizes her rescuer; it is Isma's mother, who called out to her earlier.

Manga E326 Sea God Defeated

Guts slices the Sea God's heart open.

Inside the Sea God, Guts has been struggling against the serpent creatures. He has overused the Berserker Armor, making him nearly blind and deaf. The creature increases the speed of its destructive heartbeat, which nearly kills Guts. Schierke then hears the merrow singing, which causes the Sea God pain. This leaves an opening for Guts to destroy the heart. Because Guts can't see, Schierke guides his movement. Guts slashes the heart, killing the Sea God. Schierke is then forced to return to her physical body, leaving Guts alone. Isma's mother thanks the humans for their help. She offers to assist searching before the sea dragons are lured by the blood spilled from the Sea God's body.

FlameLeadsWay

The flame-child directs Guts out of the Sea God.

Inside the Sea God's body, Guts tries to escape on his own. The flame-child then appears and guides the swordsman. Guts attempts to ask what it is and why it is helping him, but the flame-child does not reply. It indicates Guts should escape through a fleshy wall inside the Sea God's body. Guts finds himself washed away by the ocean current, before the merrow find him and bring him on board the Seahorse. Soon after, Isma returns to her human form. She joins Guts and the others on the ship. To show their gratitude, the Merrow begin to escort the Seahorse to Skellig Island. Below decks, Schierke and Farnese tend to Guts' injuries. As they are chatting, they realize that the mysterious boy has disappeared again. Schierke now believes that the boy could be an emissary from Skellig. She explains that the boy could have been sent to investigate Guts' group. Or that he could even be the Flower Storm Monarch.

Guts begins to doze off, and he dreams of Casca as she was before the Eclipse. Then, he suddenly remembers the Skull Knight's words about her: Guts' wish may not be the same as Casca's. An image of the Eclipse flashes into Guts' mind, and he is startled awake. He wonders what will become of Casca after she regains her sanity and she is able to remember the Eclipse. Guts then contemplates his next move after Casca's mind is restored. His mind immediately wanders to Griffith. The mysterious boy watches the Seahorse from one of an invisible tree's branches, before finally taking his leave.

Flowers of Days Long Past[]

MartinoEscapes

Martino uses Guts as a distraction so he can make his own getaway.

A teenage Guts is bound in stocks. He walks alongside other similar prisoners, all mercenaries who fought on the losing side of a battle and have been captured. A wounded Guts contemplates his life, Guts stumbles to the ground, and one of his captors whips him until he stands back up. The prisoner behind Guts, called Martino, advises that Guts keep his footing lest he die. Guts stumbles again, but Martino catches him. Guts violently recoils at the man's touch and orders Martino not to touch him. Martino then grabs Guts and hooks the latter's locked arms around his neck, keeping him from falling again. The two share a brief conversation until they spot where they are going - a castle that is still under construction. Martino then uses a lock pick to unfasten Guts' stocks and tells him to escape. Martino cannot reach his own lock to free himself. Guts asks Martino for his name, and offers his own in return. Promising to pay Martino back, Guts slides down a cliff nearby, and the guards pursue him. Martino then dislocates his fingers, slides his arms out of his stocks and sneaks away, having used Guts as bait for the guards. The boy is struck by crossbow bolts and is caught. This makes Guts remember a battle he partook in while a part of Gambino's mercenary band, with new recruits having been used as bait.[7]

Guts wakes up in a cell, chained. He tries to convince himself that he is ready to die. However, he still makes the effort to catch a nearby rat and eats it before covering himself in hay to get warm. Then he notices a tiny flower sprouting up from the cell floor.[7] Seeing a small humanoid nearby, Guts wonders whether he is having a fever dream. The door then opens, and three guards and a noble enter. The guards force Guts to his feet and the noble inspects the boy. When asked if his wounds have healed, Guts spits in the nobleman's face. The guards begin to beat Guts, but the nobleman orders them to stop. The guards take off Guts's shirt, and the nobleman approaches Guts (who tells the nobleman that what he is doing is sick) and applies medicine to Guts' wounds. The nobleman explains that his son will be having his first battle the next day, that Guts will be offered as his first opponent, and that Guts will die in the fight. The nobleman then leaves.[8]

ChitchHealsGuts

Chitch heals the wounds on Guts' back.

A small creature steps out from the flower growing out of the floor and approaches Guts. The creature introduces herself as Chitch, the spirit of the spring blossom flower. She explains that her name comes from the sound that the rats in the cell make. Guts introduces himself, believing Chitch to be a hallucination. Chitch thanks Guts for saving her from the rat earlier, which was about to eat the plant's leaves (and make her "disappear" as a result). As a way to offer Guts thanks, she brings Guts water and then begins to heal his wounds per his own requests. While Guts marvels at how much better he feels and hears the being talk of the other prisoners that end up there, he begins to suspect that Chitch is a manifestation of his own weakness. Guts tells Chitch that, on the way to the castle, he saw a field full of flowers identical to Chitch's. He promises that, when he can leave the cell, he will bring her there. Delighted, Chitch resumes plucking leaves off her flower to place on Guts' injuries. Starting to feel better, Guts falls asleep, with Chitch stating he was the only one who ever found her. Upon waking, Guts realizes that his fever has broken. He calls out to Chitch, but she does not respond. Guts sees that her flower has been stripped of all its leaves and has begun to wilt. Realizing that him assuming she was an hallucination caused Chitch to pluck all the leaves, Guts carefully plucks Chitch's flower and takes it with him as he is taken outside.[8]

Guts is led to the arena, and is given basic armor and a dull sword. Feeling well again, he begins to fight the nobleman's son. Realizing that his strength is still sapped and knowing that the uprooted flower will not last long like it is, he decides that he needs to finish the match quickly. Remembering advice Gambino gave him as a child on how to beat heavily-armored men, Guts plunges the hilt of his sword into one of the eyes of his opponent and takes him hostage. Then the castle gates open, and Martino rides in with many other mercenaries to save him. Although the plant is trampled on the ground in the fray, Guts then brings it to the meadow he saw earlier, and lays it down among the other flowers.[9]

Paradise and Pandemonium[]

UneasyRockert

Rickert is no longer sure what to think of Griffith.

Since Ganishka's death and the World transformation, the world has changed with humans escaping from the Astral creatures that now roam the land. Among the supernatural wildlife, the trolls are the most reoccurring threat for travelers. Rickert happens to be in one such caravan alongside Erica as he attempts to hinder the trolls that are attacking their group. Luckily, the group are saved from the trolls by Irvine and soldiers led by Laban before a Cockatrice ambushes them. Rickert is shocked to see Irvine as an Apostle while killing the monster bird, further conflicted to learn he is a member of Griffith's new Band of the Falcon. Soon after, Rickert's group gains their rescuers as escorts. During a later attack by Harpies, Rickert recognizes Laban who failed to remember the boy's ties to the previous Band of the Falcon.

InsideFalconia

Falconia.

The group soon arrives into a plane filled with gemstone formations that Laban explains are Wing Stones that ward off evil before pointing to the World Spiral Tree that it all that remained of Ganishka. The caravan eventually reaches Falconia, now completely inhabited while learning that numerous escort groups are sent to save and gather as much of humanity as they can find. After Laban presents him with a letter of recommendation for several local guilds, Rickert feels conflicted that he also gains a writ with instructions to see Griffith a day after settling in. Rickert and Erica later get boarded in an inn owned by Luca and the hooded Daiba serving as a stable hand due to his skill in talking to animals.

The next day, as Rickert heads off, Erica, along with two other young boys, amuse themselves by trying to sneak into the barn behind Luca's inn, in which a monster is said to live. Inside the barn is Daiba, who frightens the boys off while he hypnotizes her into doing his chores due to knee pain. But Daiba did not expect Erica to be no stranger to manual labor as still shows interest in entering the barn. It was only when she noticed Daiba's knee pain that she gives him a leg brace that Rickert made for Godot in his final months.

Manga E336 Pandemonium Fog

Pandemonium, located behind Falconia's citadel.

Meanwhile, after an arduous climb, Rickert reaches Falconia's citadel and presents his writ to enter. Inside, Rickert runs into the citadel's captain Owen who learned of the boy through Laban. But Owen explains that Rickert would need to wait as Griffith is attending a funeral mass for those among the caravan who did not make it, using his power to enable their spirits to give comfort to the surviving loved ones with Sonia as their medium. Locus appears behind Rickert and Owen, the former deducing he is not human as the Apostle explains while this gives the survivors closure, it also tells them that they know an afterlife exists. Locus then borrows Rickert, deducing the boy wishes to know about the Eclipse, to take him behind the city to see the Apostles' personal arena, Pandemonium. There, with Rickert shocked to see an Apostle fighting an ogre, Locus explains that Griffith has enabled their kind with a place they can belong and only need to defend humankind in return. Locus concludes that Griffith created a true utopian society where no one has to fight amongst themselves or fear death.

RickertGriffithOnBridge

Rickert meets with Griffith for the first time since learning about the Eclipse.

Once the mass concludes, Griffith and his inner circle settle themselves in a gazebo to enjoy the tea and cake Charlotte made before Locus arrives with Rickert standing nearby on a small bridge. Parting from the others, Griffith meets Rickert for a private discussion. As Griffith approaches, Rickert is conflicted on what to say as Griffith sacrificed their allies while having created an utopia society. But the moment Griffith asks Rickert if he still wants to help him achieve his dream after learning the truth, the boy slaps him across the face to everyone's shock with Griffith ordering his men to stand down. Revealing the shame he was not able to join the others in saving him, Rickert tells Griffith that he cannot truly hate him but tells him that he will always be a part of the Band of the Falcon rather than its replacement before walking off with Griffith telling his entourage that Rickert merely rejected an offer of camaraderie. But as Locus angrily crushes a stone handrail with his grip over the turn of events, the event was witnessed by another.

RakshasStatue

Rakshas appears on the statue.

Over the next few days, despite his talents making him a valuable asset to the city, Rickert fears he may be forced to leave Falconia for slapping Griffith. But the fact that the advanced city was only made a reality by his comrades' deaths convinces Rickert leave on his own volition. While Luca accepts Rickert's decision to leave Falconia, she asks him to reconsider it if Erica accompanies him. Later that evening, Rickert wanders through Falconia's armories while pondering over what his next course of action should be before is confronted by Rakshas who attempts to kill him before Silat and his Tapasa intervene. After the battle that ensues, losing his mask in the process, Rakshas fall back while vowing to return later. Recognizing Silat as one who led a host of mercenaries who ambushed the Falcons years ago while learning the Kushan needs him for intelligence on Griffith, Rickert barters a deal for Silat to get him and Erica out of the city.

Rakshas loses his head

Rickert and company fleeing Falconia.

Rickert later returns to Luca's inn with the cloaked Silat to get supplies, telling Luca that he is no longer safe in Falconia while Silat explains he is taking the boy to the Bakiraka clan's hidden fortress. Silat adds that he considered joining Griffith the day of Ganishka's death, but ultimately decided against allying himself with another inhuman being. But as preparations are being made, the maskless Rakshas stares down at Falconia from a large falcon-shaped statue before putting on a new mask to resume his attack. Though Rickert and Silat were ready for him, Rakshas reveals himself to be an Apostle while taking Erica as they attempt to kill the monster with weapons and fire. But Erica runs onto the battlefield with the Apostle grabbing her to with the intent rip her apart and douse the fire on his body with her blood. But Daiba appeared at the last second, using snakes to force Rakshas to drop Erica into his arms to repay her kindness to him while expressing his wish to leave Falconia as well. With Daiba's snakes and vermin slowing Rakshas down, the gang head to the barn where Daiba kept some Garudas while he gives Luca a sack of diamonds for compensation. Rickert and his group then mount the Garudas to escape, firing a rocket at Rakshas when he attempts to catch up to them. With one devastating shot, Rakshas is sent reeling back into the city while everyone sees the group flying off into the night.

Elfhelm[]

Skellig

Guts and party arrive at Skellig.

After eight days of travel, the Seahorse has reached the island of Skellig with Isidro inquiring why Puck left his home in the first place. Puck goes into a long story that he picked a fight with a seagull over fish and got himself stranded on the mainland. Isma's mother gives Guts and his company a seashell to communicate with her while warning them to not linger on the island too long as a day on it is decades long. But the crew soon finds out that it is no simple walk to Elfhelm as they are greeted by countless traps. The first is a field of stones that caused those not from the island to become lost, with Puck leading the group past them. The group stumbled into a pumpkin field where Isidro accidentally animates a small army of scarecrows, Schierke using her magic to reduce the golems to dust. It is then revealed that Guts' group are being watched by a witch coven with their member Molda conjuring a wicker man golem to attack the party before it is split in two by Guts' sword.

Chapter 347 Title Page

Danan reveals herself as the Flower Storm Monarch.

The witches eventually make themselves known with Schierke trying to reason with them before everyone realizes the fire from the wicker man golem is starting to spread. Luckily, the fire is stopped by rain magically conjured by a wizard named Gedfring, whom was told of the group's arrival by the Flower Storm Monarch and takes them to a manor in Elfhelm where he and the other archmages live along with their aide Danan. There, the Archmages inform Guts of the Great Roar of the Astral World that Griffith induced with Gedfring explaining that the restoration of Casca is within their sovereign's power along with the nature of elemental magic. Guts and his group are later taken to the Spirit Tree within Elfhelm where the Flower Storm Monarch has taken residence in, learning that Danan is the Flower Storm Monarch herself.

Eclipse Eye

The Eclipse in Casca's dreamscape.

After sentencing Puck and Magnifico to a day of community service when the two's collaborative plot to overthrow her is exposed, Danan asks Guts to remain while requesting that Schierke, Ivalera, and Farnese accompany her and Casca. Once in a mushroom filled chamber, Danan explains to Farnese and Schierke that the Corridor of Dreams ritual requires them to astral project themselves into Casca’s mind and travel through its recesses. Once Danan warns them that the world of a person's mind is a more difficult place to move about in compared to the Astral Plane, Schierke and Farnese enter into Casca's dreamscape after being put to rest. The two women initially find Casca's dreamscape to be a series of childish scribbles with a shadowed silhouette meant to represent Guts, guided by Danan's petals to their destination: a mental recreation of the Eclipse over a barren landscape where they find a hound with a missing leg dragging a coffin around. Inspecting the coffin, Schierke and Farnese find the shattered remains of a doll-like figure with little creature inside it: A mental representative of Casca. Danan proceeds to direct Farnese and Schierke to their next destination as the latter beckons the hound, Casca's mental image of Guts, to come with them. As Farnese and Schierke learn they are seeking fragments of Casca's mind to mend the doll will restore Casca, they are opposed by the cloaked creatures residing in the wasteland and learn that Casca does not want to be restored because of the pain she suffered during the Eclipse. But Casca relents and allows Farnese and Schierke, though she has not overcome her trauma from the events of the Eclipse completely, usually collapsing when she sees Guts or remembers their fallen comrades.

Farnese and Schierke begin training with the other apprentice witches and wizards living on Skellig, the former taking an interest in healing human souls if it can help Casca, while Guts is taken by the Skull Knight to meet the Dwarf blacksmith who created the Berserker Armor. The blacksmith activates the armor to show Guts the memories of its previous wearer, featuring shaggy creatures, a branded woman, as well as Void, surrounded by mysterious figures. Later that night, Guts is trying to take in what he learned and where to go from there before being approached by the Moonlight Boy. The Black Swordsman Party is afforded extended time to bond with the child due to the way time passes on the island, but as morning dawns he suddenly matures into the form of Griffith to the shock of everyone present.

Eastern Exile Chapter[]

Major Fights[]

  • Guts and merrows vs Sea God[10]
  • Rickert, Silat, Tapasa and Daiba vs Rakshas[11]
  • Guts vs Griffith[12]

Notes[]

  • In an interview with Young Animal, Miura revealed that as of the beginning of the Fantasia Arc, Berserk is roughly 60-70% done in terms of story progression.[13]
  • The arc would effectively be the last one Miura would work on and not complete himself following his passing on May 2021. Its continuation was left unclear as the manga was halted for nine months after the release of Episode 364. Hakusensha, the publisher of Berserk, stated that, with regards to Miura, the staff's priority would "always be placed on him — what he would think if he were still with us." The manga resumed in June 2022, with Kouji Mori taking over as story supervisor and Studio Gaga fully taking on drawing duties.[14]
  • By publication length, the Fantasia Arc is currently the longest in the series, having been ongoing for 14 years as of 2023, with factors such as hiatuses causing delays in episode releases and the death of Miura himself in 2021 putting the future of the manga into question for nine months until June 2022. However, the longest running arc, when going by episode length alone, is the proceeding Millennium Falcon Arc with 131 episodes.

References[]

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