Berserk Can Fast-Track Griffith Into The Most Controversial Hero In Manga
Warning! Spoilers ahead for Berserk chapter 358!
The island where Guts and his troupe are currently stationed in Berserk could potentially thrust these weary travelers forward in time to a point where Griffith has already transitioned from a villain to becoming the most controversial hero in manga.
Fans who have just watched the 1997 anime are only aware of Griffith's tremendous fall from grace when he makes the conscientious decision to sacrifice his friends and comrades just so he can achieve his dream of getting his own kingdom. But the manga takes this dynamic to the next level by actually portraying him as a benevolent and progressive leader who has the capability of creating a perfect world, forcing readers to perceive a despicable character in a positive light. And now fans might be put in an even more difficult situation more quickly than originally believed.
In chapter 342 of Berserk, Guts and his fellow travelers finally arrive on Skellig Island to restore Casca's broken mind. But a mermaid (or merrow) they recently befriended warns them that the flow of time is different there and recommends keeping their sojourn short: "Continuing to stay here means becoming cut off from the outside world." While the merrow doesn't provide any actual numbers or equivalencies in measures of time, one of Guts' comrades mentions fairy tales of children who return home after being lured into an elven village only to find that decades have passed. Terrifyingly, the merrow doesn't contradict these words, creating the impression that decades could very well pass quickly during their stay on the island of Skellig.
If that's the case, Guts and his comrades may very well find that many years have passed in the outside world upon leaving Skellig, and based on earlier chapters, it's possible that Griffith's hold on the world might be much tighter and broader than ever before. This is even more likely as Griffith recently opened a portal known as the World Spiral Tree that allows him and his armies to travel through "branches" in the sky, greatly expediting travels in the process, thus vastly improving trade and allowing Griffith to move his armies more freely and effortlessly as he expands his reach across the globe. This exponential effect - coupled with the potential jump in time from Skellig - could bring this future to readers sooner, with a rational explanation. What's especially compelling about this is that Berserk has already shown that Griffith could make the world a better place, introducing the age-old question of whether the ends can ever justify the means.
Even though Griffith betrayed his friends in the most brutal way imaginable, later chapters show Griffith dreaming of a world where demons and humans can live in harmony, and where refugees and orphans are treated equally and have the same opportunities as the privileged few. It was clear from the beginning that this dream would take a considerable amount of time to achieve, especially as Griffith was met with heavy resistance from his closest advisers. Now this potential time skip could make it a reality quicker, thus amplifying the dichotomy of Griffith's status as a treacherous backstabber to a heroic savior as readers could now see how wonderful the world has become under Griffith. Moreover, Griffith's capital of Falconia already represents the very best of society, serving as a safe haven for those seeking shelter from chaos, war and famine. This utopia could potentially spread farther than Falconia if a time skip were ever to occur. Berserk is already a controversial manga, and fast-tracking Griffith from villain to hero would certainly keep that streak going.
Source: Screenrant
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