Berserk Tattoo: 40 Creative Design Ideas and Meanings (2024 Updated)
Berserk is a popular anime television series, first broadcast in 1997. However, the second edition of the anime, released in 2016, gained global recognition and quickly became one of the most popular anime series of all time.
If you’re not familiar with this dark fantasy anime, here’s a quick summary of the plotline;
The anime follows a character called Guts as the ‘Black Swordsman’. As a former mercenary, Guts was seen wandering around with a mercenary group known as the Band of the Hawk. The leader of the group, Griffith, sacrificed all of his followers, including the member of the group. Only Guts, and Casca, his lover, managed to escape the sacrifice ritual. Unfortunately, Casca lost her sanity and memory due to everything that happened with the group leader.
Now, this would be just the introduction to all the vengeance adventures that unfold in the anime. It is truly a masterpiece, both in animation and storyline, so it is quite worthy of watching.
Of course, those of you who are already familiar with the anime know that there’re loads of interesting symbolism, characters, and signs that one can use for awesome tattoo inspiration. So, if you’re not sure what kind of Berserk tattoo you should get, well, this is the right place to start. In the following paragraphs, we’ll talk about some of the best design options, explain the meaning behind them, and hopefully inspire you to get a new Berserk tattoo. Therefore, without further ado, let’s get right into this!
The Best Berserk Tattoo Designs
Guts Tattoo
As we mentioned in the introduction, Guts is the main character, renowned as the ‘Black Swordsmith’. As a former mercenary and a branded wanderer (Brand of Sacrifice), he now wanders the world trying to find the end to all his suffering. He is a cynical man with a generally bleak outlook on life. However, with each new episode of the series, we get to discover how compassionate and easygoing Guts is under all the guarded exterior.
After all, he’s gone through, Guts becomes vindictive and vengeance becomes his mission. His personality keeps changing but Guts becomes and stays the personification of perseverance and resilience.
He is the perfect inspiration for a Berserk tattoo, for sure. From super awesome and iconic scenes to his own appearance, there is so much to choose from for design inspiration when it comes to Guts. Here are some of our favorite Guts tattoos you can also use for inspiration;
Behelit/Beherit Tattoo
Behelits are often described as their highly spiritual stone objects. Now, these objects are highly important because they act as keys that establish a link between a deep layer of the Astral World and the Physical World. Believed to govern the faith of humanity, they are primarily used to summon the God Hand.
Behelits resemble eggs and are often referred to as the ‘Egg of the King’. Behelits are often green or bluish-green, but the most popular one is the Crimson Behelit. Getting a Behelit tattoo is an exceptional idea for all Berserk fans out there, so make sure to check some of the following tattoo ideas for inspiration;
The Brand of Sacrifice Tattoo
The Brand of Sacrifice marks those anointed for the Invocation of Doom. This is known as a sacrificial ritual or ceremony in which those declared sacred transcended their humanity and become an apostle, also known as members of God’s Hand. The ritual includes someone close to the summoner being ritualistically murdered. The force of the deceased’s life is used to complete the summoner’s transition between humanity and the apostle.
Guts and Casca are the only characters who have survived the branding ritual. Because of this, they keep attracting evil spirits, which causes them to bring mayhem everywhere they go. Here are some of the best design ideas if you decide to get the Brand of Sacrifice tattoo.
Casca Tattoo
Casca is the estranged companion of Guts and a former leader of the Band of Falcon. She is the female lead of the story, often appearing tomboyish and extremely capable and resilient. Casca was born into a peasant family but has grown into a well-respected warrior.
Following their ‘cat and dog’ relationship, Guts and Casca finally develop respect for each other, and the rest of the series relies on them cooperating to survive. Both Guts and Casca are the only survivors of the Invocation of Doom, a sacrifice ritual, which has left them with the Brand of Sacrifice.
After they part ways (Guts being imprisoned and Casca becoming the leader of the Hawks), Guts and Casca reunite and become lovers. Casca is an excellent choice for a tattoo design, thanks to her appearance, awesome and iconic moments in the series as also because she is also the heart and soul of the series, alongside Guts and Griffith. Check out some of our favorite Casca tattoo designs for inspiration;
Dragon Slayer Sword Tattoo
Dragon Slayer is the name of a massive sword used by Guts. This sword has become the signature weapon of Berserk, and the main means for surviving the Eclipse (rare even where a new member of the God Hand is welcomed). The Dragon Slayer sword is often described as terrifying and legendary and as such we think it is the perfect choice for a Berserk-inspired tattoo.
This sword is powerful enough to slay a dragon, and because it was too heavy and too big to be used by anyone, Guts was the only one who could use it correctly. That is it would be perfect to get the sword tattoo alongside Guts as well. Either way, here are some of our favorite Dragon Slayer tattoo designs you can use for inspiration;
Puck Tattoo
Puck is probably the best-known companion of Guts. As an elf of the Pisky race, Puck is believed to be the descendant of the ancient spirits of the wind. He is often depicted as a naked man, with insect-like wings and elongated, elf-like ears. He is well known for his spiky, blue hair and large blue eyes.
Among all the mayhem and destruction, Puk offers a comedic relief and ensures Guts enjoys a few laughs. He is super lighthearted and whimsical, and Puck’s presence truly stands out in every scene. Because Guts is so cynical, Puck is a complete opposite, showing how patient he is and willing to see goo in anyone, even in Guts during his most cynical and destructive moments, even towards Puck himself.
By getting a Puck tattoo, you’re truly showing how willing you are to focus on the light and good. We think Puck is a great tattoo choice, so make sure to check some of our favorite Puck tattoo designs for inspiration;
Griffith Tattoo
Griffith is, alongside Guts and Casa, one of the main characters of Berserk, and the leading antagonist. He is the leader of the mercenary group Band of the Hawk, which is Guts forced to join after Griffith beats him in a battle. Guts and Griffith, throughout the series, have a turbulent relationship and are often the primary focus of the storyline.
Griffith is a controversial character because he manages to grow into a villain throughout the series. He also sacrifices the Band of the Hawk, during the Eclipse, to finally obtain a kingdom and become a member of the God Hand.
His overall relationship with Guts and his development into a villain has made Griffith an indispensable character when talking about Berserk. As such, we believe he would serve as excellent inspiration for a Berserk tattoo, so check out our favorite Griffith tattoo design to get some inspiration;
Beast of Darkness Tattoo
Beast of Darkness is the manifestation of Gut’s vengeance, wrath, and bloodlust. His trauma from the events of Eclipse has turned Guts into a vindictive character, so much so that the Beast thrives on Guts’ most negative of emotions.
The Beast yields whenever Huts activates the Berserker Armor. Ths armor provides Guts with unlimited strength and agility. When this happens, the Beast overtakes Guts’ mind and turns him into an unstoppable beast himself.
The Beast is an essential aspect of Guts’ personality and development throughout the series. It is also incredible imagery, which can surely serve as a great inspiration for an awesome Berserk tattoo. Here are some of our favorite Beast of Darkness tattoo designs you can use for inspiration;
Final Thoughts
And that’s it; these were our top favorite Berserk tattoo design ideas we hope you will use as inspiration for your own tattoo. We do have to point out that the tattoo images used in this article are not to be copied; the designs are the cultural and intellectual property of the tattoo artists who have created them. We have only featured the images so you can get an idea of what your design might look like. The designs can serve as inspiration for your own, newly created design. We hope you like our recommendations and design selection.
Read More:
- Safe, non-toxic plant-based temporary tattoos made with 100% high-definition printing for a realistic look without the pain
- Easy to apply and remove - just stick for 20 seconds then take off
- Set includes 5 sheets with 17 fun, delicate designs like hearts, cats, smiles, suns, moons, and more
- Waterproof and long-lasting - stays on up to 2 weeks of wear
- Fashionable for women, men, girls and boys
- Place on arm, wrist, neck, leg, finger, waist, foot and more
- Great for parties, birthdays, and showing your unique style
