Despite Kentaro Miura’s departure from this world, his legacy lives on through the masterpiece he crafted, Berserk. And Koji Mori has done a splendid job of carrying out his legacy. Miura has written his characters so well that every one of them remains unforgettable, especially Guts and Griffin.

Guts is still known as one of the best characters to be ever created. However, were you aware that Miura had a distinct vision for Guts’ appearance? If not, fret not, as we go through the interview where Miura shared his initial take on Gut’s appearance and lots of other interesting stuff.

Guts’ Initial Appearance that was Never Made Public

"I felt like I really nailed it": Kentarou Miura Originally Gave Guts a Wildly Different Design Which Didn't Even Feature His Signature Weapon
Guts (Credits: Kentaro Miura)

In an old interview by Yukari Fujimoto in September 2000, Kentaro Miura discussed Guts’ Initial appearance in Berserk. After finding out that Miura was really into Voiance Jack, Fujimoto asked whether Guts’ sword drew inspiration from that manga.

Miura told him that he got inspiration from Shinji Wada’s Pygmolio and Guin Saga spin-off, The Snow Queen. In that spin-off, there was an illustration of a 2-3 meter giant wielding a long sword. So, by combining the ideas he got from reading those two mangas, Miura drew Guts’ sword.

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However, instead of making the sword long like those seen in Shinji Wada’s Pygmolio and Guin Saga spin-off, The Snow Queen, Miura chose to make it slightly shorter. This decision allowed for a sword that appeared practical to carry, while still giving a menace look to the character.

“That comes from Shinji Wada’s Pygmalio. Also, I think it was in the Guin Saga spin-off The Snow Queen, there was this illustration of a two- or three-meter-tall giant wielding a sword. Guts’s sword is a cross between those two. It’s just the right size to be still somehow carryable, while giving that close-to-the-action feeling of violent men’s manga.”

"I felt like I really nailed it": Kentarou Miura Originally Gave Guts a Wildly Different Design Which Didn't Even Feature His Signature Weapon
Guts in Berserk anime (Credits: Kentaro Miura)

It took quite some time to create Guts’ sword, as Miura struggled to settle on its design. While Miura was talking about the design for Guts’ sword, he also revealed that Guts’ initial appearance went through numerous revisions before reaching its final version.

Berserk Fans’ Reaction to Guts with Long Hair

According to Miura, his initial vision for Guts involved long hair rather than short, and he initially considered equipping him with a katana rather than a long sword. However, he dropped all those ideas and went for a different one, the one that was made into the manga.

Also Read: “I thought Miura would be angry”: Kouji Mori’s Decision to Continue Berserk After Original Mangaka’s Death Will Break Your Heart

“I couldn’t make up my mind for a while, though, and Guts’s design went through quite a bit of change — long hair, wielding a katana, etc. After agonizing over it for a while I ended up with what he is now, and I felt like I really nailed it. All I had to do was somehow capture the swinging around of that sword and that pleasingness of it.”

As the saying goes, everything works out well in the end. Still, it would have been quite interesting to see Guts with long hair. Fear not, though, as one dedicated fan took the idea to heart and decided to draw Guts with long hair.

His art really shows how Guts would have looked if had long hair instead of short one. Even all the fans agree that it would have been a great choice to have Guts with long dashing hair.

Miura should have gone with the idea of having Guts with longer hair. Not in the entire story, but for a small sequence would have been good. Like in Vinland Saga, we saw Thorfin with long hair for a whole arc.

You can read Berserk Manga on the Viz media platform.

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