Key Takeaways
- The story of Berserk revolves around the battle between humanity and the demonic forces of the God Hand.
- Nosferatu Zodd is one of the most powerful Apostles, known for his devotion to combat and mastery of various fighting styles and weapons.
- Zodd’s ambition is to find the strongest warrior to battle them, making him a formidable rival to Guts.
The entire story of Berserk can be condensed into the battle between humanity and the demonic forces. These forces are headed by a mysterious group of seemingly all-powerful demons called the God Hand; 5 godlike figures who seek to spread destruction and chaos in their wake. The most powerful of the followers of the God Hand are called Apostles, and each has their strengths that make them incredibly dangerous.
Among the most powerful of the Apostles is the beloved Nosferatu Zodd. Despite being one of the strongest and oldest antagonists throughout Guts’ story, Zodd has become a fan-favorite character who has even lent a helping hand to the protagonists in the past, showing that, despite him being an evil demon, he has not let go of his sense of self and pride. So, let’s go over Zodd and the goals that he seeks to fulfill in Berserk.
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Who Is Nosferatu Zodd?
One of the First Apostles in the Story
|
First Appearance |
Berserk, Volume 5, Chapter 2, “Nosferatu Zodd (1)” |
|---|---|
|
Debut Date |
23 October, 1992 |
|
Story Arc |
Golden Age Arc |
Introduced as one of the very first Apostles in the story, Zodd has been a demon for about 300 years. He has been described as one of the most powerful characters in all of Berserk and is someone who has devoted his entire life to the pursuit and perfection of combat. Due to this, he has been in active battle for most of his life and has earned the title of ‘Nosferatu’, which means battle god, due to his seemingly immortal nature, which is seen with him often disappearing from a battle for years on end only to show up again much later.
He even offers his services to various kingdoms and parties as a mercenary just so he can eventually continue his slaughter. This is integral to his character arc, as it eventually allows him to come into the employ of Griffith after the latter is reborn as the Falcon of Light. This leads to Zodd becoming Griffith’s most trusted Apostle follower and his chief combatant, with Griffith even giving him leave to command Falconia’s armies in his absence.
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Zodd’s Ambitions
What Does Zodd Want?
From the very first instance of his appearance, Zodd has devoted his entire life to combat. Because of this, he has only ever had one goal; to search for and fight against ‘the ultimate strong one’. This basically means that the main thing that gives Zodd’s life any meaning is the search for the strongest warrior and eventually battling them in a fight to the death, which is what has led him on his lifelong crusade of slaughter, where he has ended thousands of lives simply due to him wanting to realize this dream.
The closest he has ever come to fulfilling this goal in the approximately 300 years of his existence is against Skull Knight, who’s an ethereal being dedicated to the destruction of the God Hand. Zodd and Skull Knight have battled dozens of times but there has never been one clear winner between them since they are completely evenly matched.
I’ve stood before the Apostles many times as well, but somehow they’re no good… they cannot satisfy me…
Zodd also has the uncanny ability to be a master combatant in a plethora of different fighting styles and is a master of just about any weapon he finds on the battlefield. Although he prefers to fight by dual-wielding his swords or axes, he can fight with any other armament too. As the only known Apostle to have survived an altercation with Skull Knight, many times, his strength, skill, and durability are second to none.
This obsession with strength and battle has greatly endeared Guts to Zodd. The Immortal recognizes and respects the strength and skill of the Black Swordsman, even considering him to be one of his rivals whom he wants to fight with to see who comes out on top. Although their interests aren’t aligned and they’re on opposing sides of the conflict, Zodd respects Guts and considers him to be an equal.
In the various conflicts between Guts and Zodd, there has never been a clear winner, so the eventual battle between the two is going to be the ultimate deciding factor to close this storyline. In the battle against Emperor Ganishka, Zodd and Guts even formed a temporary and uneasy alliance to take down the insane king, which they managed to do, albeit partially.
Zodd is one of the best characters in all of Berserk and, despite being a monstrous Apostle who has killed thousands of people and aids Griffith, has earned the love of most fans of the series. Though it remains a mystery how the story is going to play out at the end, fans believe that Guts and Zodd are going to have one final altercation to see who the stronger of the two really is.
Berserk can be streamed on Amazon Prime and Crunchyroll.
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Berserk
In his quest for revenge, Guts confronts sinister forces, including violent criminals, evil spirits, and a devout adversary. Despite the immense personal cost, he fights relentlessly, relying solely on his human strength and swordsmanship to face enemies with unnatural powers.
- Release Date
- October 8, 1997
- Based On
- Manga
- Creator
- Kentaro Miura