Why Some Berserk Fans Claim its Controversial First Page is Non-Canon

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Warning: contains discussion of sexual assault

Few manga have earned the respect and admiration of readers across the world like Berserk. Central to that love is the series' main character, Guts. The Black Swordsman is a deceptively complex character. It's this depth that explains why some fans of the hit manga just can't reconcile the series' first few pages with what they later learn about Guts.

Created by Kentaro Miura in 1989, Berserk is the story of the Black Swordsman, Guts. Throughout the manga's first handful of chapters, Guts appears as a completely unlikable protagonist. It gets to the point where the only reason he could be considered a hero at all is that the demons he kills are far worse than he is. In the series' famous Golden Age arc though, readers finally learn how Guts became so cold-hearted. Guts is a man who has lost everything he cares about multiple times over. While the Eclipse that ended up killing his mercenary band is the most well-known example of this, Guts' trauma goes back even farther than that. Readers learn that Guts was sexually assaulted as a child. Suddenly his aversion to being touched makes sense. That cold and detached persona that defines him in the opening chapters is suddenly a defense mechanism he uses to protect himself from getting hurt. All of this makes Guts a much deeper character than initial appearances suggest… which is why the manga's opening just doesn't add up.

Related: Berserk's Version of Zoro's One Piece Sword Style is More Ridiculous

Berserk's first chapter begins with Guts sleeping with a woman. However, in the throes of passion, the woman transforms. Though she thinks she's trapped Guts with her disgusting true form, he turns the tables without hesitation and