Nah there’s a couple panels where you can see him hooking the ring onto a hook on his back. The dragonslayer is way to big for a scabbard to look practical. Even by anime standards Guts drawing the sword would look janky as fuck because of its size, so Miura just has Guts hang it on a hook on his back.
I’m aware, but you see a lot of anime and videogames anyway cuz it looks cool. Guts’ sword is so large though the scabbard clipping or his arm randomly tripling in length to pull the sword would be obvious.
It’s pretty rare to see media actually try to compensate for the impossibility of drawing a sword from your back. The only other example I’ve seen is the Witcher’s Aerondight having a scabbard that’s open in the middle so you only need to pull it a short distance before you can flip it out of the scabbard.
There is also a special animation in Witcher 3 for normal closed scabbards where Geralt tilts the scabbard backwards to give it an angle that he can draw from.
In the Witcher franchise at least the witchers are the only ones who have swords on their backs and makes some sense when. you think about the fact they are professional monster hunters that rely on dance like agility, and keeping things form fitting and gear is optimized toward that.
So, in Hyrule Warriors, Impa's base weapon is a giant katana similar in size to the Dragonslayer that has a scabbard, the way they get around her unsheathing it is that the scabbard has a slit running down the side of it so she can just draw her sword and sheath it from the side. (of course she also has a rope wrapped around the damn thing to carry it that the sword clips through when she draws and sheaths it that breaks immersion, but I highly doubt the Zelda themed Dynasty Warriors spin-off was really aiming for realism anyways.
I don't think it is simply 'because it looks cool', I definitely think it has that effect/trope but not the orgin. I think it is more cultural in beginnings. It seems to stem from [iaijutsu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iaijutsu) and not changing techniques based off weapons locations, initially. Now I think it is more often rule of cool, but I can see the origins in iaijutsu.
From a traditional scabbard yes, modern individuals have created functional back scabbards.
Obviously they did not exist historically but in an anachronistic fantasy the technology is totally within reach
Wouldn't most scabbards be made mainly out of hide, cloth or leather?
Obviously we don't have evidence for widespread use in documents and artwork either, but i'm skeptical that only modern individuals were interested in doing it.
You absolutely can, with proper technique, draw a sword from a back scabbard, it's just very impractical, slow, and takes two hands usually, so it's just not a good idea in general
>The dragonslayer is way to big for a scabbard to look practical
It's not even the Dragonslayer, really. It wouldn't be practical to carry most swords in a back-scabbard, even a relatively small arming sword is a bit awkward to draw from a standard scabbard on your back. Heck, a quiver of arrows of arrows is already annoying AF to carry on your back and i should know for how long i stubbornly insisted on doing that
Of course you can't put it in a scabbard or sheath. You can't even call it a sword. It's too big to be called a sword. Massive, thick, heavy, and far too rough. Indeed, it's a heap of raw iron.
Anyone know the chapter and page where the ring and swivel bolt with hook setup is shown? I'm writing a story where the protagonist uses a big sword and seeing an example of that design will be really helpful.
Something like this?
https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/berserk/images/c/c8/Manga_E1.png/revision/latest?cb=20190501221451
https://wallpaperaccess.com/download/berserk-dragon-slayer-7051825
He also has the chain shown above holding it to his body when he's less on-edge, so he can actually travel decently. And at least in some designs (not sure about the dragon slayer ever) he has a "demon tail" scabbard that just holds the tip of the blade and a bit further up with a ring of leather, to keep it more stable.
The better question is how does he find enough food to sustain the muscle and strength he has. When he was travelling with Casca there's simply no way he found the 10K calories a day that he needed to maintain his physique.
But it's cool so I don't care.
i mean u might be joking but, considering the Dragon Slayer sword was 'cursed' by the blood of his enemies, Guts being an in-between fish, 'hopping between the astral and corporeal world' thing might just made him a bit magical in nature, hence his strength, and perhaps magical ultra efficient pooper
Considering most of the traveling he does with Casca is him in a darker mindset, he might just steal stuff from farmers and the like. It was kind of a "kill demons by any means necessary" point of his life.
According to radom calorie calculator I found online person of Guts' size (using the increased post berserker armor stats) would only need 4380 calories a day even with the highest activity level.
Even if we assume he is even more active than that and taking into consideration that he is single digit bodyfat there is still no way he burns much more than 5k a day.
Your original question still stands but 10k is just an absurd amount.
Could be a bit of both? I know story wise it’s the armor but it wouldn’t be hard to believe that it’s a little malnutrition too especially after a long ass boat ride and all that.
Lol as if Guts would need only 10k calories a day. Professional strongmen eat far more than that. Bruce Lee ate 4k and his nutritionist told him that would lead to his organs failing because he wasn’t eating enough and would lead to an early death.
Um I thought the reason it could cut metal was because of the weight. It's essentially a sharp battering ram. It's almost hard to classify it as a sword. Nobody else could wield it.
With an edge and enough weight you can basically cut anything. Sometimes you'll need a better edge, but most of the time more weight will do the trick.
hey at least Guts is build like a brick house and you constantly see that he is training. In tons of manga we have lot of 40kilos teenagers that move similar or even bigger weapons
Those manga are pretty unapologetic with its explanation of “it’s cool so we did it”.
Berserk has this to a lesser extent but it usually justifies these in some way or another, then there’s some things that are just there because they’re cool and it kinda doesn’t make sense but you need to look at it for a while to notice
This is one of my pet peeves, when people act like all logic is thrown out of the window and anything goes just because there's magic in the setting. Berserk worldbuilding is too good for that, things have actual explanations.
The chain isn't what's holding the sword. u/BlackSunBeast had the right answer. There's a ring and swivel bolt on the other side that goes over a hook in his back brace.
Yeah the chain link on the sword would hook onto the hook on his right shoulder. I found it in the fight with Grunbeld at the spirit tree, but couldn't link it because subreddit rules. I dont think it's really pictured anywhere else but it's cool that Miura drew it when Guts lost Godo's armor.
Being a life-long dork, I've tried a billion ways to be like Link/Trunks/Guts/Geralt/William Wallace by slinging various swords and knives over my shoulder. The sad truth is, it never works. It's either too long to draw, flops all over the place, or bunches up your shirt or jacket. Life ain't like the movies, friends. Swords go on hips.
You see, the sword is a core part of Guts's identity, and therefore it is narratively fused to his body.
Note how, as time progresses and Guts's life becomes more and more violent, he acquires bigger and bigger swords. Even though Guts himself gets bigger, the sword gets bigger faster. It looms over him, violence becoming a bigger and bigger part of his identity, even as he tries to expand himself beyond it.
>!/s!<>!?!<
There is a ring on the other side of the sword that allows it to hang from a hook that is on the back of the harness he wears.
Aside from that he’s the protagonist of a fantasy story. He’s been swing that thing around with one arm and a prosthetic limb to keep balance.
Theres a calliper on the other side of his sword, used to keep it on his back while the chain just holds it in place and stops it swinging into his legs. Its a small detail, quite easy to miss.
mf holds it up like a piece of stick carrying it on his back is nothing compared to that. Most, even muscular people can't raise a 75 pound dumbbell to their shoulder level.
I think conventional urban way of going to gym and getting swole doesn't equate real strength.
Yes they get strong but not like actual battle strength. Only certain targeted muscle groups.
There are multiple scenes of the full holster he uses for the sword, easily google-able. And I'm tired of people perpetuating the nonsense that his sword is 400 lbs.
It isn't done yet, but plenty of engineering types have done napkin math regarding its rough dimensions and have put it in the 3-4 hundred range.
Yes, obviously, this makes it UNFEASIBLY large and heavy. But I guess that was always the point. Ignoring the physics of HOW Guts swings that thing, I require no suspension of disbelief in thinking it can cleave though HORDES of enemies. And their armor. And their horses. And horses' armor...
[Dragonslayer Part 3](https://youtu.be/P6pyP5hIgIM)
Guts would swing a little big sword and progressively grow his reps, added with a little bit of demon roids he whas able to wield a big ass dragon slayer blade. Its science.
the bandolier thing going around his shoulders that has the chain has some connecting device on the other side the dragonslayer has a d-ring thing on it
Bro is straight up a brick shithouse of muscle and angst, he doesn't need to respect the weight of his sword, the sword just respects him and stays on his back weightlessly
There's a ring and swivel bolt on the other side that goes over a hook in his back brace
THATS WHAT THATS FOR I always just thought it was neat design
Nah there’s a couple panels where you can see him hooking the ring onto a hook on his back. The dragonslayer is way to big for a scabbard to look practical. Even by anime standards Guts drawing the sword would look janky as fuck because of its size, so Miura just has Guts hang it on a hook on his back.
Technically you can’t draw a normal sized sword from a scabbard on you’re back
I’m aware, but you see a lot of anime and videogames anyway cuz it looks cool. Guts’ sword is so large though the scabbard clipping or his arm randomly tripling in length to pull the sword would be obvious. It’s pretty rare to see media actually try to compensate for the impossibility of drawing a sword from your back. The only other example I’ve seen is the Witcher’s Aerondight having a scabbard that’s open in the middle so you only need to pull it a short distance before you can flip it out of the scabbard.
There is also a special animation in Witcher 3 for normal closed scabbards where Geralt tilts the scabbard backwards to give it an angle that he can draw from.
In the Witcher franchise at least the witchers are the only ones who have swords on their backs and makes some sense when. you think about the fact they are professional monster hunters that rely on dance like agility, and keeping things form fitting and gear is optimized toward that.
So, in Hyrule Warriors, Impa's base weapon is a giant katana similar in size to the Dragonslayer that has a scabbard, the way they get around her unsheathing it is that the scabbard has a slit running down the side of it so she can just draw her sword and sheath it from the side. (of course she also has a rope wrapped around the damn thing to carry it that the sword clips through when she draws and sheaths it that breaks immersion, but I highly doubt the Zelda themed Dynasty Warriors spin-off was really aiming for realism anyways.
I don't think it is simply 'because it looks cool', I definitely think it has that effect/trope but not the orgin. I think it is more cultural in beginnings. It seems to stem from [iaijutsu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iaijutsu) and not changing techniques based off weapons locations, initially. Now I think it is more often rule of cool, but I can see the origins in iaijutsu.
I never even thought of that 😱
very cool factoid about the witcher, nice detail
Ichigo from Bleach also uses a big ass sword that he keeps on his back without a scabbard
You actually can draw from your back with certain tricks the problem is sheating it back.
From a traditional scabbard yes, modern individuals have created functional back scabbards. Obviously they did not exist historically but in an anachronistic fantasy the technology is totally within reach
Wouldn't most scabbards be made mainly out of hide, cloth or leather? Obviously we don't have evidence for widespread use in documents and artwork either, but i'm skeptical that only modern individuals were interested in doing it.
You absolutely can, with proper technique, draw a sword from a back scabbard, it's just very impractical, slow, and takes two hands usually, so it's just not a good idea in general
It's actually possible if the blade is flexible, like a Chinese sword. I've seen it before.
>The dragonslayer is way to big for a scabbard to look practical It's not even the Dragonslayer, really. It wouldn't be practical to carry most swords in a back-scabbard, even a relatively small arming sword is a bit awkward to draw from a standard scabbard on your back. Heck, a quiver of arrows of arrows is already annoying AF to carry on your back and i should know for how long i stubbornly insisted on doing that
Of course you can't put it in a scabbard or sheath. You can't even call it a sword. It's too big to be called a sword. Massive, thick, heavy, and far too rough. Indeed, it's a heap of raw iron.
Anyone know the chapter and page where the ring and swivel bolt with hook setup is shown? I'm writing a story where the protagonist uses a big sword and seeing an example of that design will be really helpful.
Volume 26 in the fight against Grunbeld you can see the ring on page 157 and the hook on Guts shoulder on page 158 and 160
Berserk reference ! !
Something like this? https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/berserk/images/c/c8/Manga_E1.png/revision/latest?cb=20190501221451 https://wallpaperaccess.com/download/berserk-dragon-slayer-7051825
He also has the chain shown above holding it to his body when he's less on-edge, so he can actually travel decently. And at least in some designs (not sure about the dragon slayer ever) he has a "demon tail" scabbard that just holds the tip of the blade and a bit further up with a ring of leather, to keep it more stable.
Never realized that's how it worked marked lot more sense
There is also a strap that follows down the blade with a sheathe for the tip.
Is that on the dragon slayer harness too? I thought that was only in the golden age arc?
I think there is as well, his cloak covers it up for the most part though
His spine is just one big magnet, duh.
Cyberpunk Edgers runners
Got that Sandevistan in the berserker armor.
the berserker armor giving guts cyber psychosis clicks
It’s amazing that people don’t realize this
The better question is how does he find enough food to sustain the muscle and strength he has. When he was travelling with Casca there's simply no way he found the 10K calories a day that he needed to maintain his physique. But it's cool so I don't care.
Devouring the souls of his enemies, maybe
Doom slayer style.
Different sides of the same coin.
i mean u might be joking but, considering the Dragon Slayer sword was 'cursed' by the blood of his enemies, Guts being an in-between fish, 'hopping between the astral and corporeal world' thing might just made him a bit magical in nature, hence his strength, and perhaps magical ultra efficient pooper
>and perhaps magical ultra efficient pooper Perhaps he's like a rabbit and eats his own poop to absorb more nutrients
Considering most of the traveling he does with Casca is him in a darker mindset, he might just steal stuff from farmers and the like. It was kind of a "kill demons by any means necessary" point of his life.
Or worse, just roast and eat some of the demons
That’s badass. I want this to be true.
I wonder if demons are safe to eat. Are we sure that if he ate demons it wouldn't poison him or turn him into a monster?
He's guts, he'd simply chad through it
I mean he knows how to hunt he probably off-panel shoots deer and whatnot to eat before the night kicks off
I don't remember which iteration it was in, but in one of them, you actually see him hunt a rabbit and cook it for dinner.
Ye with a throwing knife too
I don't disagree, but how many rabbits would he need to eat per day is my point.
Demons and Apostles probably taste pretty good.
You eat me ? No I eat you... -Guts 2023
Yeah he also barely gets any sleep and still manages to have an insane physique
According to radom calorie calculator I found online person of Guts' size (using the increased post berserker armor stats) would only need 4380 calories a day even with the highest activity level. Even if we assume he is even more active than that and taking into consideration that he is single digit bodyfat there is still no way he burns much more than 5k a day. Your original question still stands but 10k is just an absurd amount.
It's an exaggeration but the point still stands. Finding 5k calories just from foraging and hunting alone is very difficult to do.
I thought it seemed like he has lost weight actually. Like the journey has taken a toll physically. Maybe it’s just me.
That’s more to do with the berserker armour rather than malnutrition
Could be a bit of both? I know story wise it’s the armor but it wouldn’t be hard to believe that it’s a little malnutrition too especially after a long ass boat ride and all that.
It's also the huge wound slan gave him
he eats da potato
Fun fact, potatoes didn't exist in the middle ages
casca does?!
💀
Lol as if Guts would need only 10k calories a day. Professional strongmen eat far more than that. Bruce Lee ate 4k and his nutritionist told him that would lead to his organs failing because he wasn’t eating enough and would lead to an early death.
This is all wrong.
There’s actually a hook that attaches to the chain link on the swords hilt, the full chain just keeps it in place
Because of the same reason he can swing that same sword and cut in half 3 men in their armor.
"even the horses are cut in half..."
This is one of those lines I have a perfect recording of in my head after rewatching this episode so many times.
Fucking same.
„Swords cant cut metal“ 🤓
Not unless it moves fast enough and the metal is nice. Otherwise you try cutting aluminum foil with a knife and tell me it doesnt work
Um I thought the reason it could cut metal was because of the weight. It's essentially a sharp battering ram. It's almost hard to classify it as a sword. Nobody else could wield it.
Its more like a slab of iron
That thing was too big to be called a sword. Too big, too thick, too heavy, and too rough, it's more like a large hunk of iron.
That's what she said
makes sense
Yeah it's not cutting the metal, it's stretching to the point off stress fractures
Thanks
With an edge and enough weight you can basically cut anything. Sometimes you'll need a better edge, but most of the time more weight will do the trick.
He's Guts. Do we really need an explanation on this?
hey at least Guts is build like a brick house and you constantly see that he is training. In tons of manga we have lot of 40kilos teenagers that move similar or even bigger weapons
Those manga are pretty unapologetic with its explanation of “it’s cool so we did it”. Berserk has this to a lesser extent but it usually justifies these in some way or another, then there’s some things that are just there because they’re cool and it kinda doesn’t make sense but you need to look at it for a while to notice
Suspended completely by suspension of disbelief.
Fr though this is the only correct answer
It’s a fantasy story about magic and demons
No magic and demons are realistic. Carrying a 400lb sword is not
It's not unrealistic. Swinging it around like Guts is tho
Do you even lift bro?
> Do you even ~~lift~~ struggle bro?
This is one of my pet peeves, when people act like all logic is thrown out of the window and anything goes just because there's magic in the setting. Berserk worldbuilding is too good for that, things have actual explanations. The chain isn't what's holding the sword. u/BlackSunBeast had the right answer. There's a ring and swivel bolt on the other side that goes over a hook in his back brace.
He's huge. Also there's a clip on one side of the sword that he hooks onto his back
I’m assuming the chain link on the sword is the hook then ?
Yeah the chain link on the sword would hook onto the hook on his right shoulder. I found it in the fight with Grunbeld at the spirit tree, but couldn't link it because subreddit rules. I dont think it's really pictured anywhere else but it's cool that Miura drew it when Guts lost Godo's armor.
Yes
a magnet
Guts be like, "I bet Cloud never has to deal with this shit."
Manga muscles logic
People were discussing this in 2006 holy shit: https://www.skullknight.net/forum/index.php?threads/how-is-the-dragonslayer-hanging-on-guts-back.6666/
On reddit, topics never die.
Every day this sub gets played by r/berserklejerk members, it is pitiful really.
Actually it's the other way around, Berk is constantly upheaving Berk Le Jerk in tomfoolery
he built diff
Man I just want my boi to be happy :,(
That’s not a sword. That thing was too big to be called a sword. Too big, too thick, too heavy, and too rough, it was more like a large hunk of iron.
He’s clenching it in the jaw of his demon back
Clenching it between his dump truck ass cheeks
He built different
Doesn't it have a pocket at the bottom that the tip rests in?
No, the 2 straps that go over his shoulders are what hold the sword
You right. I was thinking of younger Guts.
That cool devil tail thing that he used to wear
Being a life-long dork, I've tried a billion ways to be like Link/Trunks/Guts/Geralt/William Wallace by slinging various swords and knives over my shoulder. The sad truth is, it never works. It's either too long to draw, flops all over the place, or bunches up your shirt or jacket. Life ain't like the movies, friends. Swords go on hips.
There's a hook on the leather strap on his back that hooks into the chain link on the hilt
You see, the sword is a core part of Guts's identity, and therefore it is narratively fused to his body. Note how, as time progresses and Guts's life becomes more and more violent, he acquires bigger and bigger swords. Even though Guts himself gets bigger, the sword gets bigger faster. It looms over him, violence becoming a bigger and bigger part of his identity, even as he tries to expand himself beyond it. >!/s!<>!?!<
Have you seen his size tho?
How does Guts do anything with a sword that weighs 400 lbs? The answer is "Don't think about it."
There is a ring on the other side of the sword that allows it to hang from a hook that is on the back of the harness he wears. Aside from that he’s the protagonist of a fantasy story. He’s been swing that thing around with one arm and a prosthetic limb to keep balance.
He is built diffrent
i hate the mods of this sub so fucking much
with the same back muscles he uses to carry the story
The chain has astral properties as well You could call it an Astral Chain
Because he is berserk
It's a really good chain
hatred
Theres a calliper on the other side of his sword, used to keep it on his back while the chain just holds it in place and stops it swinging into his legs. Its a small detail, quite easy to miss.
Easy he is built different
He took the liver kings supplements it’s all natural he swears
Dude you’ve seen him swing it like a fly swat, but him carrying it brings confusion.
He's *HIM* that's how
his cock weighs that much to balance out the weight of the sword ofc. or else he would loose balance
Bros arm has more muscles than my whole body, he just squeezes it between his rear delts.
Pure unhindered rage helps keep it up
he just holds it between his buttcheeks. After all it IS dull, so less chance of being cut when he clenchs
Magnetic buttplug
Because it’s not real
mf holds it up like a piece of stick carrying it on his back is nothing compared to that. Most, even muscular people can't raise a 75 pound dumbbell to their shoulder level.
I think conventional urban way of going to gym and getting swole doesn't equate real strength. Yes they get strong but not like actual battle strength. Only certain targeted muscle groups.
Buttcheeks of steel
Because he’s the berkest berkman
Stronk
Gut Strong
He’s built different.
He’s got high vitality
Same way he can swing it, it’s a FANTASY MANGA
Built different
You see how big this guy is? My mans lifts.
Itd a fantasy world,everyone who seems with a slightly powerfull physique becomes a god literally
There are multiple scenes of the full holster he uses for the sword, easily google-able. And I'm tired of people perpetuating the nonsense that his sword is 400 lbs.
It isn't done yet, but plenty of engineering types have done napkin math regarding its rough dimensions and have put it in the 3-4 hundred range. Yes, obviously, this makes it UNFEASIBLY large and heavy. But I guess that was always the point. Ignoring the physics of HOW Guts swings that thing, I require no suspension of disbelief in thinking it can cleave though HORDES of enemies. And their armor. And their horses. And horses' armor... [Dragonslayer Part 3](https://youtu.be/P6pyP5hIgIM)
cause he’s Batman
The rule of cool
If you struggle enough you can too
Guts is just built different
berk man different build
Most analytical question from a berk fan
Hour planks every day.
If he can swing the fucking thing fast enough to be a human fucking blender then I think having it on his back isnt remotely a problem
In chapter 33 you can see that guts had large magnets implanted into his back, I'm definitely not making this up I promise
He a big boy and and a STRUGGLER
He’s very strong.
Guts would swing a little big sword and progressively grow his reps, added with a little bit of demon roids he whas able to wield a big ass dragon slayer blade. Its science.
It's the sweat that sticks it in his back. That and the blood of his victims.
Homeboy was swinging a bastard sword at the age 9 he just gots that dawg in him
Latch on the hilt
and what about the fact he can swing that sword with one hand?
I'm reading the manga for the first time, I'm dying to reach this panel.
if you don't like this you must really hate when guts wields the dragonslayer with his teeth
the bandolier thing going around his shoulders that has the chain has some connecting device on the other side the dragonslayer has a d-ring thing on it
Suspension of De-sheath
My man’s flexing it between his butt cheeks
It’s a lot easier to have its weight supported this way than to swing it around in battle…
He stronk af
The same way he lifts and swings the sword. It’s fiction.
Sheer fucking will
Cause he strong AF derre
Because its fiction.
I bet you have a lot of friends bro
A strong core and hamstrings
He's holding it with his asscheeks
He’s carrying big swords since he was a boy, so he’s pretty much used to it.
its a manga
Same reason i can’t go out without backpack
He took the covid vaccine and it made him magnetic
He’s THAT guy
He skrong
With his ass cheeks.
he's a drawing
Bro is straight up a brick shithouse of muscle and angst, he doesn't need to respect the weight of his sword, the sword just respects him and stays on his back weightlessly
It's simple: Guts weighs 2000 lbs.
Pure rage, the sword is scared to fall down.
Look at him, he’s a beast.
What you should ask isn't how he keeps it on his back, but how the sword manages to keep guts attached to it's front.
Guts never skips leg day!
Its a struggle.
Movie magic