CAN GRIFFITH BE DEFEATED? SHOULD HE?

I have been wondering about Griffith from the anime/manga Berserk. Can he be defeated and should he be defeated? We all know Griffith did unforgivable things to achieve his ultimate goal of acquiring his kingdom ranging from sacrificing his army to the Apostles, raping Casca, and maiming and half-blinding Guts. However, I have been analyzing the storyline of Berserk and wonder what Griffith’s ultimate fate will be at the end of the story. Many people want Guts to kill Griffith in single combat, but I think such a scenario will be complicated both in actual combat and in the potential consequences Guts will create by slaying Griffith.

As a normal human being, Griffith can be defeated by Guts, but I don’t know if the same can be said of his status as both the God Hand Femto and the untouchable reincarnate. As Griffith demonstrated throughout the Kushan invasion and his battles with Emperor Ganishka, Griffith has the ability to thwart any and every attempt to attack him, which allowed him to defeat his enemies every single time. Guts has a tendency to defy fate and his large sword can wound a God Hand, but I don’t know if that will be enough to counter Griffith’s fate manipulation and untouchable aura. Guts may be able to wound Griffith, but I don’t think he can ultimately beat Griffith in the long run.

Also, even if Guts manages to slay Griffith, the consequences of his death will be tremendous and disastrous. Due to his exploits during the Kushan invasion, Griffith has established a solid reputation as a savior and hero. The Holy See religion also sees Griffith as their messiah and the lynchpin to their faith. The telepathic medium Sonia is blindly devoted to Griffith and even if she fully read Griffith’s mind and saw what he did, it is questionable if she would turn on him after saving her from the Kushans. Even if Guts forces Griffith to reveal his true form as Femto to the world, I doubt they will turn on him because they came to accept the Apostles after they revealed their true forms in the final battle against Emperor Ganishka. Overall, due to his status as a hero who saved Midland not once but twice and the messiah of the Holy See religion, Griffith has established himself as the lynchpin to the human world. Without the lynchpin, the whole system will come crashing down. If Guts reveals everything Griffith has done and kills him, he will not save the world; he will tear it apart.

With this in mind, I think Berserk will have a bittersweet ending like Game of Thrones. Despite his thirst for vengeance and hatred for Griffith, Guts may have to accept that Griffith is holding the world together or risk turning the entire world against him and Casca. But in the end, Guts and Casca will be together until the end of their days.

THE NEXT JOKER

For decades, the Joker has been one of the most iconic supervillains of all time. However, to quote Prometheus, “A king has his reign and then he dies. it is inevitable.” Due to this, I wonder if the day will ever come when someone somewhere comes up with a supervillain who rivals the Clown Prince of Crime in terms of infamy. If such a character could be created, what traits would they have to be on the Joker’s level. Please share your thoughts.

POSSIBLE FANTASY VILLAIN

FANTASY PROJECT: MAIN VILLAIN

I decided on the layout of the main villain of my fantasy project. Sorcerers have always been either heroes or villains in fantasy. With this in mind, I am thinking of making a dark sorcerer who is ambitious beyond reason and specializes in the use of necromancy and alchemy, which means his magic will be fueled by death and he will be capable of creating unholy abominations. Like I did for Cyber Shadow in my main series, I will be drawing inspiration from the various bullies who harassed me over the years. When it comes to creating juicy villains, that is my primary source of inspiration. I am thinking of making this dark sorcerer a polar opposite to the main character and I can imagine a final duel between them that will decide the fate of the kingdom.

MY GREATEST FEAR!!!

I saw the Goosebumps film tonight and upon seeing the overall premise of the film, I realized what my greatest fear and worst nightmare is. The thought that always haunted the dark corners of my mind is what would happen if the supervillains I created for my series became real. I created these characters so I know better than anyone just how psychopathic and bloodthirsty they all are and how much madness, death, and destruction they would unleash upon the world if they were real. In a way, this makes me consider myself to be Doctor Victor Frankenstein and my supervillains my monstrous creations. Every once in a while, whenever I sleep, I would have nightmares of this scenario, which would include a world engulfed in flames, cities demolished, bodies strewn throughout the streets, and my supervillains psychotically laughing in unison. Without warning, I would wake up to find myself in my room and have difficulty sleeping for hours. I guess when all is said and done, the creator sometimes fears his own creation even if the creation originates from his imagination.

CONCEPT: ANTI-VILLAIN

We are so accustomed to seeing a traditional villain in a story. A traditional villain can range from a sadistic psychopath or a megalomaniacal sociopath. What we sometimes overlook is a type of villain who possesses heroic characteristics. Personally, I find this type of villain more interesting than a traditional villain because they provide a more intricate story and can have motivations that are morally ambiguous. In some cases, the anti-villain’s intentions are good, but the price they are willing to pay is high beyond measure. Other times, the anti-villain has hostile intentions, but end up doing the right thing in the end. One of the main villains of my series will turn out to be an anti-villain. I won’t say who, but what I can say is that their motivations and plans will rock the modern world to its core.

CHARACTER CREATION: CYBER SHADOW

I based Cyber Shadow on several bullies who tormented me throughout middle and high school to give myself an emotional release and find a healthy way to get revenge.  Before he takes on the name Cyber Shadow, the character’s name was Brick Baxter, who is a psychopathic sadist who routinely targeted the main character, Patrick Donovan.  However, a couple days after Patrick gained his powers from the Genesis Spell, Brick attacked Patrick and Patrick accidentally used his powers to burn Brick alive.  Shortly afterwards, Brick’s remains were salvaged and he was turned into a cyborg called Cyber Shadow.

Because of the potential glitches and defects that could come from being a cyborg, I thought of an ideal way for Brick to be a formidable supervillain and completely miserable at the same time.  To begin with, the technology that is keeping Brick’s organic components alive is highly experimental and inadvertently exacerbates Brick’s already insane, sadistic urges.  Most of his senses are either diluted or gone, leaving him with only sight and hearing, which are still somewhat diminished.  His metal limbs are extremely heavy and difficult to move, which causes serious strain to his traumatized brain.  His robotic head is a poor fit for his brain, which causes him endless headaches.  And his synthetic organs cause him a constant state of nausea, but he cannot vomit because he has no esophagus or mouth.  Overall, Cyber Shadow’s existence as a cyborg is living damnation.  Still, despite the limitless misery he suffers, I made sure that Cyber Shadow was equipped with advanced weaponry to go along with his insatiable bloodlust and hunger for vengeance.  Currently, Cyber Shadow’s ultimate fate is a mystery, but a hint will be revealed in the upcoming third volume.

CHARACTER CREATION: FANOXEAN

Fanoxean is the incarnation of what I consider to be the epitome of absolute evil. Not only is he the main villain in the second volume, but he plays a vital role in the entire series. He is responsible for Tinisha crossing over from her world into 21st century Earth, which also makes him indirectly responsible for the Young Guardians gaining their powers. As a being of pure evil, Fanoxean is a nihilist, believing that everything in the universe and all realities are meant to be destroyed. In addition, Fanoxean is one of the Young Guardians’ most powerful enemies and while fighting him, the Young Guardians are forced to confront their inner demons.

Character Overview: Cyber Shadow

Name: Brick Baxter
Alias: Cyber Shadow
Occupation: Former school bully, supervillain, and mass-murderer
Personality and Traits: Sadistic, arrogant, psychopathic, vengeful, and bloodthirsty
Goals: Seek revenge against Patrick Donovan and kill anyone or anything that gets in his way.
Powers and Abilities: Cybernetic body equipped with superhuman strength, durability, reflexes, flight, and advanced weaponry.
Vulnerabilities: If his brain is damaged or destroyed, he will die.  In addition, the experimental technology that keeps him alive also drives him insane.