The Band of the Hawk In Berserk

The original Band of the Hawk during the Golden Age arc was a group of mercenaries led by Griffith, who achieved great exploits on the battlefield during the hundred-year war. But after Griffith was rescued by his imprisonment, the Hawks were offered up by their leader for the Eclipse ritual. Guts, Casca, and Rickert, the only members of the group not to be taken into the Nexus, are the sole survivors while the rest were all devoured and slaughtered by the gathered Apostles while Griffith used their souls to be reborn as Femto.

Guts

Alias: Black Swordsman
Weapon(s) of choice: Dragon Slayer, cannon arm, repeater crossbow, throwing knives, miniature bombs
Fighting styles: Swordsmanship
Description: Guts is a mercenary who travels from company to company so he is always fighting. After meeting Griffith, Guts is defeated in battle by Griffith and is forced to join the Band of the Hawk. His childhood and adolescence is defined by his growing up in a mercenary band after being adopted by a motherly prostitute named Shisu and later the band's leader Gambino, and his later joining of, and departure from, the Band of the Hawk. After the events of the Eclipse, during which he loses his left forearm and right eye, Guts seeks revenge on Griffith, who is now Femto. In the process, he is reunited with Casca after a separation of two years. Following the Incarnation Ceremony at Albion, Guts travels with a new group of companions.

Griffith

Alias: White Hawk
Weapon(s) of choice: Sabre, spear, crossbow
Fighting styles: Swordsmanship
Description: Griffith is originally the founding leader of the mercenary unit known as the Band of the Hawk, both the group and his title "White Hawk" named for his helmet forged in the shape of a Hawk's head. Extraordinarily charismatic, intelligent, handsome, and ambitious, Griffith's skill with his sabre and tactics gave him and his band a reputation of invincibility, making him the favored choice of the Midland King, who was locked in a century long war with the Empire of Tudor. Believing that he is destined for greater things, Griffith is willing to sacrifice everything for the dream of his own kingdom and only values others who are of use to him. The source of his ambition is a Crimson Behelit given to him by a fortune teller who claims it to be an "Egg of the King" that would lead an average person to become a great ruler. The only two people Griffith truly trusted were Guts and Casca, who were his confidants in private moments.

Casca

Weapon(s) of choice: Sword
Fighting styles: Swordsmanship
Description: Casca was the only female member in the original Band of the Hawk and is behind only Griffith and Guts in swordsmanship. Casca joins the Hawks after Griffith empowers her to save herself from a sexual assault by a nobleman who bought her from her parents Casca, since that time, harbors feelings towards Griffith which most of their comrades are aware of. While Casca was against Guts joining the Hawks, her hostility towards him gradually waned as she came to accept him as a comrade for saving her life multiple times while developing feelings for him. When Guts is preparing to leave the band, Casca attempts to convince him to stay, but to no avail. After Griffith is imprisoned, Casca becomes the leader of the Band of the Hawk, as they are forced to go into hiding, having been branded as outlaws by Midland. After Guts returns to aid them when they are under attack, Casca falsely blames Guts for Griffith's capture and then laments her perceived failures as a leader before attempting suicide. Guts saves her yet again and the two finally consummate their mutual feelings for one another, embarking on a rescue mission to recover Griffith the following day.

Judeau

Weapon(s) of choice: Twin short swords, throwing knives
Fighting styles: Swordsmanship, knife throwing
Description: Judeau was part of the original Band of the Hawk and was a former circus performer with a skill in knife-throwing. He was one of Griffith's best fighters, but perhaps his greatest strength came from his ability to read the emotions of others. Patient, calm, and practical, Judeau was often the voice of reason when dealing with more volatile individuals like Corkus. With his easygoing and optimistic personality, he often put the interests of his companions in the band before his own, and showed himself to be at ease with understanding matters of the heart and surmising the true intentions of those around him. Judeau himself admitted that he was pretty good at a lot of things but was not a stand-out in any of them. During the Eclipse, still seeing her as their leader, Judeau attempted to help Casca escape and is killed while trying to protect her from the Apostles.

Pippin

Weapon(s) of choice: Spiked Mace.
Description: Pippin was a massive man who wielded an equally massive mace. A former miner who lent his strength to the Band of the Hawk, his finely attuned senses, fast reactions and raw strength saved the skins of the group on many occasions, particularly when he was the first to sense the impending ambush from the Army of Midland following Griffith's capture. In spite of his intimidating physique, he had an even-tempered demeanor. Pippin was a man of few words, which, along with his appearance, might have led others to wrongly doubt his intelligence. He was often found with Rickert, with whom he seemed to share a big-brotherly relationship. During the Eclipse, he held off an Apostle to buy time for Casca and Judeau to escape.

Corkus

Weapon(s) of choice: Sword
Fighting styles: Swordsmanship
Description: Corkus was a loud-mouthed man and a former bandit leader before he joined the Band of the Hawk. He was the one who first tried to assault Guts in order to rob him of the money earned defeating Bazuso, but failed miserably, forcing Casca, and eventually Griffith, to intervene. Since then, Corkus held a grudge against Guts and never fully accepted him as a Hawk. Surprisingly, when Casca and Rickert blamed Guts for Griffith's capture, Corkus refused to agree with them due to his belief that they overestimated Guts' importance to the Band. Despite his outspoken attitude, he was one of the most loyal members in the Band of the Hawk. During the Eclipse, while fleeing for his life amidst the slaughter, Corkus went into denial from shock at his hellish surroundings, before being killed by a nameless female apostle who swallowed his head.

Rickert

Weapon(s) of choice: Sword
Fighting styles: Swordsmanship
Description: Rickert was the youngest member of the original Band of the Hawk and is one of its few surviving members, as he was not present at Griffith's rescue and the Eclipse event that followed. In the aftermath, left in the dark as to what truly happened, Rickert became an apprentice of the blacksmith Godo over the next two years while forging a sword in memory of his fallen comrades to serve as grave markers on a hill that is later called The Hill of Swords. When Guts confronts Griffith at the Hill of Swords, Rickert finally learns how the latter's act condemned Judeau, Pippin, and Corkus to horrible deaths while leaving Guts maimed and Casca mute and traumatized.

Gaston

Weapon(s) of choice: Sword
Fighting styles: Swordsmanship
Description: Gaston was the second in command of Gut's raiders in the Band of the Hawk. He was usually seen by the side of Guts whom he showed deep respect for, both as a commanding officer and friend. During the battle for a Tudor stronghold, Gaston attempted to hold back Guts due to the immense power of Zodd, resulting in Guts threatening to kill Gaston. Despite this, Gaston was the first to aid Guts after his defeat by Zodd. Gaston would eventually leave the Band of the Hawk soon after the battle for Doldrey to pursue his dream of opening a clothing shop in Wyndham using the earnings he saved up as a mercenary.