Highlights

• Elden Ring's 'worst offender' comparison to Berserk has players digging deep for influences, not 1:1 copies.
• Radahn's silhouette resembles Gaiseric, with combat akin to Zodd, while Rykard's blade evokes Skull Knight's.
• From Trolls to Witch comparisons, Elden Ring's subtle nods to Berserk make for intriguing discoveries.

Let's be honest, the comparisons to Berserk whenever a new From Software game comes out are always over-the-top, and Elden Ring is probably the 'worst offender' of them all.

People adore Berserk, and for good reason. It's become so bad with players trying to compare every aspect of Elden Ring to Berserk that finding a genuine influence or reference is now difficult to even talk about. That said, let's mention some of the references and inspirations from Berserk in Elden Ring that a lot of players are finding and pointing out and talking about whether they're direct references or (more likely) just small bits of influence here and there.

Updated April 2nd, 2024 by Jacob Buchalter: Since this list first came out, a lot of new info on Shadow of the Erdtree has come to light. It's clear that this DLC will include even more references to Berserk, as even just the concept of this 'shadow world' itself in the Shadow of the Erdtree trailer bears some resemblance to the Astral World in Berserk. But, at the time of writing this, the DLC is not out, and it's not fair to speculate with the info we currently have. So instead, let's dig deeper and deeper into what we know of Elden Ring and find even more Berserk references, homages, and design inspirations.

12 The Demigod Radahn, The Apostle Nosferatu Zodd & The Supreme King Gaiseric

Radahn's Silhouette Feels Inspired By The Supreme King Gaiseric & His Style Of Combat Is Similar To Zodd's

First off, let's just make one thing clear, at no point in this list are we saying that any of these Berserk similarities are 1:1 copies from the Berserk manga. Rather, they are aspects, characters, and parts of Elden Ring where it's obvious that some part of Berserk was used for inspiration in their design. To start off with, Radahn has a lot of aspects of his design that feel similar to both Nosferatu Zodd and the mythical civilization's leader Supreme King Gaiseric in Berserk.

Radahn's Armor has a very similar silhouette to Gaiseric's, while his style of combat using two gigantic blades seems very reminiscent of how Zodd fights in his non-Apostle form. Even Radahn's blades look visually similar to Zodd's, but that's about where the similarities stop. In terms of his character, the king of Caelid, Radahn, doesn't have much in common at all with either of these two Berserk characters

11 Skull Knight's Blade & Rykard's Blasphemous Blade

Two Blades That are Coated in Completely Disgusting Goop to Become Magical

Next up is the comparison between Rykard's Blasphemous Blade and the Skull Knight's Behelit Sword. While not a 1:1 homage, both swords absolutely have a similar 'wriggling mass' aesthetic to them, but that's not enough to warrant this being a 'reference'.

What pushes this over the line to becoming a reference is the fact that both Rykard and Skull Knight pull these disgusting blades out of their mouths. In Skull Knight's case, he eats the Behelits he takes from Apostles, and by basically doing his 'sword swallowing trick' he coats the blade in molten Behelits. Whereas Rykard's Blasphemous Blade is coated with the remains of the countless heroes he's devoured in his mutated state. Again, very different concepts, but the inspiration can still be clearly seen.

10 The Trolls & The Jotunn

Compared to a lot of the other obvious inspirations on this list, this one is relatively weak. However, when looking at the Trolls in Elden Ring side-by-side with the Jotunn in Berserk, it's pretty apparent that the Jotunn were referenced in some capacity in the general Troll concept. To give a bit further explanation on this comparison, there are grounds the argue that both the Jotunn and the Trolls are 'sacrificial lambs' in their settings.

In Elden Ring the Golden Order basically used the fact that the Giants worshipped a different god to push the Trolls, descendants of Giants, into betraying their own kind. Then, after the Trolls do this and suffer horribly because of it, the Golden Order basically abandons their Troll 'companions' (for the most part). Meanwhile, in Berserk, the Jotunn are a race from the Astral World that were forcibly summoned as part of the Great Roar of the Astral World. They didn't choose to come here, and while they're antagonistic towards humanity, Griffith using them as a way to easily gain more prestige (even though he technically summoned him) is pretty twisted.

9 Ranni The Witch & Schierke The Witch

Ranni Has Some Pretty Noticeable Schierke Similarities

Moving on to a pretty thin connection between two characters, Ranni the Witch and Schierke the Witch-in-training. Again, it's not like the team at From Software is copying and pasting from Berserk, Witches are almost always in any high fantasy media. But, Schierke obviously contributed to Ranni's overall concept. To paint a clearer picture, let's describe Ranni as a whole.

She's a Witch who lives isolated from the rest of the world, has an absurdly large hat, was trained by an even more legendary Witch, and has a body that seems to mimic the form of a young girl. On top of all this, the Snow Witch that Ranni learned from was known to have lived in the woods (in a tree) just like Schierk's mentor, Flora, did. Of course, in terms of her personality and goals, Ranni has more in common with Griffith than she does with Schierke. And, these examples don't even breach the surface of the connection between Schierke and Gut's friendship compared to Ranni and Blaidd's.

8 The Erdtree & The World Spiral Tree

Of Course, Both Examples Didn't 'Invent' The Idea Of A World Tree

We couldn't get far into this list without mentioning Elden Ring's Erdtree. So many people are comparing the Erdtree to Berserk's World Spiral Tree which first appeared in Volume 37. Let's just get this out of the way first and say that there are a ton of different 'world trees' in many different cultures and religions. For one, Yggdrasil, the Norse Mythology iteration of the World Tree, is by far the most well-known. But, there are plenty of other examples in other cultures ranging from Hungarian to Chinese.

That said, the way that the branches of Elden Ring's Erdtree seem to stretch along the entire sky and how the top branches look more like they're made of light than anything else does seem incredibly similar to the World Spiral Tree. Additionally, the World Spiral Tree in Berserk is what links the Physical and Astral Plains together, for better or for worse, and the Erdtree in Elden Ring is the main way that the "Great Will", an Outer God, is able to interfere in the Lands Between.

7 The Greatsword & Guts' Dragonslayer

Or At The Very Least It Has A Lot In Common With His Golden Age Sword

Next up, let's talk about another commonly recurring Berserk reference in FromSoft games, the Greatsword design. It's no stretch of the imagination to say that Guts' Dragonslayer Sword from Berserk is one of the most iconic swords in media. This sword, usually described as a literal slab of iron that no human should be able to wield, is so incredibly iconic.

And, the same sword (as well as Guts armor, etc.) has been reimagined in the Greatsword designs of multiple Dark Souls games as well as Elden Ring. That said, the Greatsword in Elden Ring, in particular, its hilt and grip, share a lot more visually with Gut's Golden Age Arc Greatsword than his Black Swordsman Dragonslayer (except for the size of the blade, of course).

6 The Sword Graveyard & The Hill Of Swords

Sword Graveyards Aren't A New Concept, But Still

Going from the most commonly talked about reference to the least talked about, next up are the Sword Graveyards in Elden Ring. There are a good ten or so of these spread throughout the Lands between and they're usually outside or near one of the game's Castles or Legacy Dungeons. Each one of them includes a bunch of swords with their blades stuck into the ground almost like tombstones, with one large Greatsword at the center with carvings made into the blade.

These carvings usually give a bit more lore to specific important characters in Elden Ring, but the Graveyard itself is obviously inspired by The Hill of Swords, a memorial to the Band of the Hawk after the Eclipse in Berserk. Yes, other stories and Dark Fantasy media have used the concept of a graveyard of swords previously, but Guts is one of the most well-known sources and the Greatsword at the center once again points to Guts. And, considering the tragic passing of manga author, Kentaro Miura, a Hill of Swords reference does feel more appropriate now than ever.

5 The Arsenal Charm & Gut's Journey Of Vengeance

The Charm's Description Is So Obviously About Guts

While the Arsenal charm has the least direct evidence linking it to Berserk so far, it's one of the references that players are most confident in. For one, Guts past the Black Swordsman arc of the manga is known to carry a literal "Arsenal" of weapons with him beside the Dragonslayer such as bombs, throwing knives, and even cannonballs for his metal arm.

Two, the sword seen on the Arsenal charm is a gigantic sword, again hinting towards the Dragonslayer. Finally, the item description of the Arsenal Charm talks about it being made from a Greatsword long ago wielded by a hero who hungered for vengeance, which was Guts' main goal in the Berserk storyline.

4 Wonderous Physick Crystal Tears & The Crystal Tears Of An Apostle

This One Took Some Digging To Find

This next reference was found a bit more recently, and if it is a direct reference to Berserk, it shows that director Hidetaka Miyazaki is even more of a Berserk fanboy than previously led on. As it turns out, the different "Crystal Tears" that players can obtain from defeating Erdtree Avatars look almost identical to the Crystal Tear seen in chapter 83 of Berserk (known as the "lost" chapter).

In this "technically" non-canon Chapter, Griffith literally meets with God during his transformation into Femto and sheds his final tear as a human before losing all emotion, known as a Crystal Tear. If one were to connect the lore of the Crystal Tears in Berserk back to Elden Ring, it does give some implications that the Erdtree Avatars might have once been something more human before becoming these "Apostles" of the Erdtree.

3 Malenia & Farnese

Maybe Not A Full Character Reference But At The Very Least It's Seen In The Armor

Now, these references are starting to get a bit less ironclad and are more debatable as "influenced" by Berserk or media like Berserk rather than just direct references. First up on the list of these influenced designs, let's talk about the similarities between Melania's Helmet and Farnese's Holy Iron Chain Knights Helmet. Whether it's the wings on the side of the helmet, the faceplate similarities, or the "angelic" iconography of the helmet itself.

That said, it's more likely that Malenia's designs take more inspiration from Valkyries from Norse mythos than strictly Farnese in Berserk, but who's to say that both didn't play into the final design?

2 Miquella's Cocoon & Femto's 'Egg'

By Far The Biggest 'Stretch' On Here

While players have been searching every nook and cranny of Elden Ring for Berserk nods, there has been a constant theory that's been popping up, and that's the comparison between Griffith of Berserk and Miquella of Elden Ring, who fans think will have a similar 'Hero turned Villain' moment.

Miquella is barely seen at all in Elden Ring, and most of what the player knows about him is his cursed childlike appearance, his magical charm, and his fervent dedication to improving the lives of everyone around him. But there are slight hints in some item descriptions throughout the game that point toward Miquella having some darker aspirations or motives. This is where people like to think that he'll be Miyazaki's version of Griffith/Femto. And, there's no better moment of this comparison than Miquella's arm coming out of the cocoon in Mohg's arena.

Not only does this "transformation" Cocoon bear some tonal similarities with Griffith's self-made egg shape after turning into Femto, but the arm outstretched also looks a lot like the classic cover art for Berserk of an arm reaching for a Behelit. Hopefully, even an 'evil version' of Miquella won't end up as ruthless as Femto seems to be. It still remains to be seen if these fan theories are true, but in the footage shown of Shadow of the Erdtree so far, it's clear something is up with Miquella overall.

1 Blaidd & The Berserk Armor

Blaidd's Promotional Pose And General Design Have Obvious Berserk Ties

Berserk fans might be wondering why this is last on the list, given how immediately people drew up this comparison between Blaidd and Guts. Well, frankly, it's just because there's not much else about Blaidd other than his dog-like loyalty to Ranni and large sword that make him anything like Guts. Sure, he's just barely hanging on to his sanity like Guts is, but that could be said for a lot of From Software characters.

Yes, the post he makes in some promo art for Elden Ring does look very similar to Guts' iconic pose in the Berserker Armor, but Miyazaki has referenced this pose many times before. In fact, Artorias of the Abyss, as a character, is a giant Guts reference. In any case, Blaidd and Guts do have some similarities.