Guts’ big sword in Berserk could appear unrealistic, however the Shonen Bounce manga The Elusive Samurai simply confirmed that it has actual historic precedent.
Warning: SPOILERS for The Elusive Samurai Chapter 78!One of the superior components of Berserk is Guts’ gigantic sword, which can appear impractical and unwieldy, however one Shonen Bounce manga simply defined that there’s truly a historic precedent for swords being that huge. In doing so, it each answered criticism of Berserk whereas additionally paying homage to the long-lasting collection.
The Elusive Samurai is a manga by Assassination Classroom creator Yusei Matsui centered on the interval of Japanese historical past often known as the Kenmu Restoration. The protagonist of the collection is Hojo Tokiyuki, the final scion of the earlier shogunate who’s at present main a rebel to overthrow emperor Go-Daigo and restore the earlier dynasty. In doing so, Tokiyuki has encountered numerous eccentric allies and enemies, every of which often has a specific exaggerated quirk to differentiate them. This is usually a bodily characteristic, just like the Lovecraftian options of most important villain Ashikaga Takauji, or a persona quirk like worshiping a fictional idol, however it doesn’t matter what it’s it at all times makes these characters memorable. One such enemy is Tsuneie Iwamatsu, who wears a kind of domino masks and carries an especially massive sword just like Guts’ Dragon Slayer.
In chapter 78, the backstory of this sword is lastly revealed. After Japanese forces rebuffed the tried Mongol invasion roughly 50 years previous to the occasions of The Elusive Samurai, weapons makers have been in a position to look at the weapons these international fighters left behind. This sparked an explosion in weapon experimentation that resulted in trying to mix the finer edges of Japanese swords with the heavier, clublike weapons of the invaders. This led to the creation of Iwamatsu’s blade, a huge black sword that enormously resembles the one Guts makes use of in Berserk. This weapon’s nice weight permits it to smash by means of lighter swords and provides its wielder an edge in battle if they’ve the power to make use of it correctly.
In fact, The Elusive Samurai tends to visually exaggerate its character quirks, making it unclear if the good measurement of Iwamatsu’s weapon is a visible metaphor or truly true to life. However even when the precise measurement of his sword is off, its measurement relative to different blades is what issues most, and in that regard it’s a lot bigger than common to the purpose that the typical swordsman couldn’t wield it, similar to Guts’ blade. And the historic purpose for the blade’s measurement is smart, displaying that Dragon Slayer isn’t truly an unrealistic weapon for a robust swordsman to wield. Which Guts reveals all through Berserk‘s many battles as he makes use of it to defeat numerous enemies.
A part of what makes Iwamatsu’s weapon so cool is that it isn’t solely rooted in Japanese navy historical past, however within the historical past of manga as nicely. Berserk has turn out to be such an influential collection, that many fashionable mangaka grew up studying Kentaro Miura’s masterwork of darkish fantasy and have tailored components of it into their very own works. The most recent chapter of The Elusive Samurai is an efficient reminder of that, serving as each a captivating historical past lesson and a justification cum homage to Berserk’s most iconic weapon.
The Elusive Samurai Chapter 78 is out there from Viz Media.
