Warning! Spoilers for Berserk Chapter 363 below!
Fans of Kentaro Miura’s long-running dark fantasy epic Berserk have certainly had their plates full when it comes to dramatic story payoffs lately. After years in limbo, Guts and his band of stalwart adventurers have not only finally arrived on the island of Skellig, but have also seen his one-time sweetheart Casca returned to sanity following the long mental illness she suffered after the assault at the hands of Griffith. And, following the most recent chapter, it appears another mystery might be close to being revealed: the nature of the mysterious “Moonlight Boy”.
Introduced way back in Chapter 238, the Moonlight Boy is a mute child with long dark hair who resembles Casca and only appears during a full moon. Despite joining Gut’s party twice along their way to restore Casca, very little is known about him. He is clearly not a normal child, demonstrating the ability to appear and disappear at a moment’s notice, including in inaccessible locations such as the middle of the ocean. He is also capable of using an astral form, visible only in the spirit lands, to influence magical creatures as well as quell Gut’s rage when he is overtaken by The Beast of Darkness when using his Berserker Armor. Despite numerous hints as to his identity within the series, Miura has never explicitly stated exactly who or what Moonlight Boy is.
However, all of this may be about to change. Chapter 363, published in Young Animal Magazine, concluded with Guts being approached for the third time by the mysterious boy, this time on the magical island of Skellig, where many former mysteries have finally been put to rest. The arrival of the boy coincided with the disappearance of Gut’s archenemy Griffith from his chambers on the mainland in Falconia in Chapter 358, with Griffith noticing his white hair beginning to darken. Given this purposeful juxtaposition, all signs seem to be pointing to Miura finally revealing what many fans have guessed: that The Moonlight Boy is the misshapen son of Guts and Casca, known as the Demon Child, now fully healed and he and Griffith now share the same body.
This revelation has been hinted at for many years, beginning in Chapter 179, when Griffith first noted that the Demon Child still possessed some influence over him. Griffith attained a new body from the Demon Child during a ritual in the “Tower of Conviction” arc, having lost the ability to walk the physical plane when taking the mantle of the God Hand. After being reincarnated, Griffith began a campaign to bring an end to the numerous wars that affected his former kingdom of Midland, often acting in an uncharacteristically selfless manner. With the Moonlight Boy now revealed to be within the inner heart of Griffith, it is possible this is the explanation for Griffith’s recent behavior, and Griffith’s godlike powers might also explain how Moonlight Boy is able to perform the kind of feats of magic he is able to.
Could this lead to a reunion of father and son? Berserk Chapter 363 is on sale in the pages of Young Animal Magazine #3/2021 and soon to be collected by Dark Horse Comics in English.