Black Swordsman Party In Berserk

The Black Swordsman Party is a group consisting of Guts and the allies he has made in his post-Eclipse travels. Originally comprised only of himself, Puck and Casca, Guts' group gradually increases in size as his journey takes him to various lands. Though the Skull Knight is not a member of the party, he has aided the group on several occasions.

Guts

A black-clad swordsman missing both an eye and an arm who crosses the threshold between worlds. While he travels to protect his companions and Casca, he holds a deep hatred for Griffith, who has turned life for Guts and his loved ones into a nightmare. Displaying a pessimistic outlook, he usually keeps his distance from others. He is quick to jump into the thick of battle without fear for his own safety. His battle style is simple and straightforward, wielding his Dragon Slayer sword, he directly overcomes his foes by attacking them head-on. Not only blessed with physical strength and many years of battlefield experience, Guts has endured many sleepless nights honing his skills for battle with the evil spirits attracted by the Brand of Sacrifice. With such prowess he is able to battle the formidable apostles and transcendents as equals. As well as the Dragon Slayer sword, Guts is equipped with a cannon arm, in place of his original hand, as well as explosives, throwing knives, and other projectiles, ready for any battle situation that arises.

Guts Berserker Armor

Guts wears the Berserker Armor. The Berserker Armor gives him superhuman abilities, such as giving him the strength to swing the Dragon Slayer at incredible speeds, or the ability to quickly close the gap between himself and opponents in an instant. Altogether, the armor gives him the ability to fight like a god, well beyond the natural limitations of other humans. The armor can also change its shape, allowing it to fit to the body of the wearer. This allows it to integrate Guts’s prosthetic hand into the armor itself. Despite its power, the dwarves that created the armor also imbued it with a curse. By amplifying the emotional flow of hatred and malice, wearing the armor allows the wearer to even ignore pain itself. However, in ignoring pain, the wearer may fail to heed the warnings of damage being done to their body, as well as the possibility that the flow of negative emotions may completely overcome the wearer, causing them to lose all reason and enter the berserker state.

Casca 

Casca is a former unit commander of the Band of the Falcon and an estranged companion of Guts. Originally a callow peasant girl living in a remote mountain village, she develops into a well-attuned warrior upon joining the Band of the Falcon and aids greatly in the group's storied successes during the Hundred-Year War. Following Guts' departure and Griffith's subsequent imprisonment, she is forced to assume the position as the band's leader, succeeding in preventing the complete annihilation of the Band of the Falcon and rescuing Griffith from the Tower of Rebirth. Crippled from his horrifying year-long torture and demoralized by his fall from grace, Griffith ultimately invokes the Eclipse, in which he is reborn as the fifth God Hand member Femto and rapes Casca to spite Guts. Having physically survived the ordeal, she regresses into an infantile and largely mute amnesiac. Guts and his newly formed traveling party are currently preoccupied with the restoration of her fragmented mind in Elfhelm.

Puck

Puck is a Wind spirit from Elfhelm, a utopia on Skellig Island in the Western Sea. Elves in Berserk can only be seen by the open-minded, the devoutly religious cannot see Puck at all. Puck can secrete a powder from his wings to quickly heal wounds and can emit a bright flash to blind enemies. On occasion, he also resorts to his Bloody Needle attack, tossing a chestnut at someone. It deals no injury, but is painful enough to prompt most victims to cry out. Puck was the first to join Guts' journey, and is starting to show a strange attachment to the Behelit Guts took upon his battle with the Count.

Farnese de Vandimion

Farnese de Vandimionis a noblewoman who led the Holy See's ceremonial guard, the Holy Iron Chain Knights. Since this position has been traditionally held by a woman, Farnese was appointed during her stay at the convent she was sent to by her father. She and Serpico left their Holy See positions after her faith was shattered during the devastation of Albion and the events surrounding Griffith's reincarnation. She then chose to follow Guts in hopes of learning more about the world and has changed into a more gentle human being. Since then, Farnese has begun to study witchcraft under Schierke's tutelage. While given a chainmail of silver and a silver short sword for protection against creatures from the astral plane, Farnese later receives a ring that allows her to manipulate a trio of snake-like rose vines and being taught by Schierke to use magic.

Serpico

Serpico is Farnese's companion and her half-brother. During his time with the Holy See, Serpico was Herald for the Holy Iron Chain Knights. When aggressive, Serpico's appearance and is comparable to a fox due to his shrewd observation and speed with a rapier. Despite Farnese's childhood abuse and her forcing him to burn his own mother at the stake, he cares deeply for his half-sister. Serpico's relationship with Guts has not really good, due in large part to the dangers that inevitably surround Guts and anyone he takes into his Band. After a duel with Guts in the underground pillars of Vritannis, Guts spared his life. Their bond rekindled, and Serpico has since learned to trust Guts to protect her when he can not. Serpico uses two items blessed by the wind spirit Sylph in order to battle with tolerance alongside Guts: a rapier that can generate razor sharp gusts of wind; and a cloak that constantly generates a swirling vortex around its wearer which can deflect projectiles, assist in jumping, and slow falls from great heights.

Isidro

A young runaway and petty thief, Isidro left home and family behind in order to become a swordsman. After Guts saves him from an attack of Kushan Bakirakas, he follows him around to spy out his technique. Although Isidro greatly lacks in swordsman skills, he is an exceptional thrower, managing to kill two pigeons with a double-handed throw at great distance. It is suggested that he has underlying issues regarding his parents, when they are inquired about he becomes more stiff, defensive, and avoids the topic completely. He later receives from Flora the Salamander Dagger, a weapon blessed by the spirits of fire which sears whatever it cuts and also receives an inherited cutlass from an old villager as a gift. He often bickers with Schierke who finds him reckless and ill-mannered.

Schierke

Schierke is a good-hearted young witch-in-training, and a disciple of the witch Flora. She is accompanied by an elf, Ivalera. She aided Guts's group with a troll infestation in the nearby village Enoch, where she showed how powerful magic can be in Berserk. After a series of events, Schierke was forced to leave her home and Flora behind forever when they faced an attack Griffith ordered. Schierke, having lived a sheltered life, does not like the Human world or the Holy See's religion, but she finds life outside bearable due to her companions. Her magic skills and knowledge of the world are impressive for a child her age. One of her most used and handiest spells is the ability to hypnotize or temporarily desensitize others. But due to her pivotal role in battles, she is sometimes forced to take risks and try unstable spells. Her ability to sense Od (life force or spirit energy) means she can sense the power, intent, and alignment of all creatures and artifacts.

Ivalera

Ivalera is an elf who was tasked by Flora to oversee Schierke. She often provides critical information about Schierke's state to the other members of Guts' party while the former is in a spell trance. Like Puck she is often teasing Farnese about her low self-esteem and poking fun at Schierke regarding her infatuation with Guts. She bickers frequently with Puck whom she shares an odd brother-sister relationship with.

Manifico de Vandimion

Manifico de Vandimion is the son of Federico and the brother of Farnese. Federico considers his other sons to be more competent than Manifico, and he has given Manifico the less important family duties as a result. Manifico arranged a marriage between Farnese and his friend Roderick in the hope of improving his standing. When Guts left for Elfhelm, Manifico accompanied him on board Roderick's ship with the intent to capture and breed the elves for commercial purposes. Manifico persuaded Puck to help him by offering him the crown of Elfhelm after Roderick refused to help him, his scheme later exposed and forced to do community service in Elfhelm.

Azan

Azan is a former member of the Holy Iron Chain Knights who served as Farnese's second-in-command. He was named to this position because Farnese was not considered to be sufficiently experienced to lead without supervision. Effectively wielding a metal quarterstaff, he has shown great skill with it in combat against Guts and various other abnormally skilled or strong fighters. He earned his nickname 'The Bridge Knight' after he came across an old man defending a small bridge, harassed by bandits. He fought the bandits for hours. This feat earned him a reputation comparable to that which Guts earned by slaying one hundred of Adon's mercenaries, but Azan had given up that title, along with his formal knighthood, when he joined the Holy Iron Chain Knights. Presently, he accompanies Guts and company on their sea voyage, earning his spot on board by swabbing the deck, and taking some time off to train young Isidro in the ways of combat.

Roderick of Schtauffen

Roderick of Schtauffen is the third prince of the island nation Iith, and captain of the Sea Horse. He is in a similar situation to his college friend Manifico de Vandimion in the sense that he does not get the respect he feels he deserves from his peers. As a sailor, he sees vast potential in the exploration of the seas, unlike his peers, who focus internally to the point of stagnation. As part of Manifico's plan to join the Vandimion name with the royal Iith family, Roderick agreed to be Farnese's fiance. He is currently ferrying Guts and company aboard his ship, on their way to Skellig. Roderick and the crew of the Sea Horse also have a claim to fame on the high seas as their ship sank five Tudor vessels on its own, thus earning Roderick the title of Prince of the Seas.

Isma

Isma a teenage girl living a solitary existence as a fisherman on a small and remote island. Although she is kind, cheerful, and energetic, she was a pariah on her island home. Her father was a human fisherman who fell in love with a merrow woman who returned to the sea just after Isma's birth. When Isma attempts to help Guts and his group against the Sea God as it begins attacking the remaining humans on the Island, Isma learns her true name and gains the ability to assume merrow form while reunited with her mother. Once the Sea God is killed, her home destroyed In the process, Isma joins Guts's group aboard the Seahorse on their voyage to Elfhelm.

Skull Knight

A knight with armor in forged in the shape of a skull, who comes across Guts after he has left the Band of the Hawk. When they meet, the mysterious Skull Knight acts as a guide for Guts, providing him with knowledge,or otherwise helping him in battle. Contrary to his otherworldly appearance, the Knight acts with a righteous heart to overcome his own battles and weaknesses. He has been said to have battled the inhumans for more than a thousand years. The Skull Knight has strength to match even the powerful Zodd, with whom he has a long standing rivalry. Wielding his sword while on his horse, the knight can easily cut through demon after demon. Along with his sword and shield that resemble a rose, using the Sword of Actuation made from the countless beherits of slain apostles, the Skull Knight is able to puncture the very walls of reality. The Skull Knight is also known to have worn the same Berserker Armor that Guts has taken on.