Zodd

Personality and Ideology

Zodd is a fearless apostle who has dedicated his existence to battle. His desire to face stronger opponents and his relentless thirst for combat have left countless corpses in his wake. He is fierce and ruthless, even when his opponents are clearly outmatched. Above all, he longs for a challenge worthy of his strength—the "ultimate strong one."

Despite his intense appetite for combat and seemingly single-minded nature, Zodd is an enigmatic individual. Unlike most apostles, he does not consume human flesh, nor is he inherently sadistic or cruel; he takes no pleasure in torturing or killing the weak. In fact, Zodd has expressed deep melancholy about his own power, as he is too strong to find worthy opponents among men. For those who survive encounters with him and prove themselves as worthy adversaries, Zodd holds nothing but respect. He highly esteems anyone capable of injuring him or even holding their own against him, such as Guts and the Skull Knight.

History

Golden Age Arc

"If you are truly this man's friend, then beware… When his ambition crumbles, death will visit you! A death you can never escape!"
—Zodd's prophecy about the coming Eclipse.

For nearly three centuries, Zodd earned the title of "Nosferatu"—a monstrous and immortal "god of the battlefield"—disappearing for long periods before resurfacing to continue his massacres. He eventually offered his services to the Tudor Empire during its century-long war against the Kingdom of Midland.

Zodd first encountered Guts while guarding the inner citadel of a Tudor stronghold, having slaughtered nearly fifty members of the Band of the Falcon who had stormed its halls, before the swordsman entered alone to confront him. Enraged at finding Zodd among the slaughtered remains of his comrades, Guts retaliated by hurling the corpses of two fallen raiders at the apostle. Zodd then approached Guts, praising his swordsmanship before they clashed in battle.

Risking his life on a single strike, Guts managed to sever the upper half of Zodd's blade, cutting into the apostle's right shoulder. Commending Guts for being the first man to wound him in 300 years, Zodd grabbed his adversary's sword and revealed his true form, excited to fight at full strength.

However, Zodd’s overwhelming power proved too much for Guts. Disappointed, he resolved to finish the swordsman. As he was about to crush Guts, a volley of arrows fired by Falcon reinforcements, led by Griffith, interrupted him. Enraged, Zodd tore through the Falcon soldiers, cornering both Griffith and the wounded Guts before they could escape, demanding they fight him.

As Zodd advanced, Guts and Griffith executed a coordinated attack, with Guts slashing deep into Zodd’s torso while Griffith severed his arm. In retaliation, Zodd flung Griffith into a column with his tail, knocking the White Falcon unconscious. Thrilled to have found two humans capable of injuring him so severely, Zodd expressed his regret at having to kill them. However, as he prepared to strike Griffith, he hesitated upon seeing the Crimson Beherit around his neck, shocked that a man like him possessed the "Egg of the King."

Realizing the significance of this event, Zodd broke through the dungeon ceiling and prepared to take his leave, warning Guts of the inevitable death awaiting him when Griffith's dream crumbled, before flying away.

During the Battle of Doldrey, while observing Guts’ duel with Boscogn from afar, Zodd throws his sword to Guts after the latter’s weapon shatters mid-fight. He departs shortly after Guts defeats Boscogn, knowing that the time of the Eclipse is near.

A year later, Zodd encounters the Band of the Falcon for the last time as they are attacked by his fellow apostle Wyald. Offended by Wyald’s defiance of the God Hand’s will, Zodd kills him for using the crippled Griffith as a hostage. He then tells Griffith that his Crimson Beherit will soon return to him but refuses to answer Guts’ questions about his previous warning, stating that all will be revealed in time before taking his leave.

When Griffith summons the Fifth Eclipse, Zodd remains in the physical world, outside the time junction, uninterested in taking part in the massacre of the Band of the Falcon alongside his fellow apostles. Instead, he waits for the arrival of the Skull Knight, who wrongly assumes that Zodd was stationed to guard the entrance to the Eclipse. Eventually, Zodd is overpowered by the knight and forced to let him pass. Shortly after, he witnesses his rival emerge from the Eclipse with Guts and Casca. Shocked to see Guts still alive, Zodd agrees to the Skull Knight’s request to postpone their fight and allows him to escape with the remaining sacrifices and Rickert. Watching them depart, Zodd expresses his anticipation of how a now-branded Guts will survive in his darkened reality.

Conviction Arc

Two years after the Fifth Eclipse, Zodd, having massacred three hundred mercenaries, grows weary of constantly fighting weaker opponents. Sitting atop a mound of corpses, he evaluates potential adversaries, dissatisfied with the strength of his fellow apostles and only appeased by the thought of battling the Skull Knight. He then considers tracking down Guts, having observed the number of apostles the swordsman has slain in his quest for vengeance.

Suddenly, Zodd experiences a vision of the Hawk of Light, in which he takes his liberated form and attacks, only to be instantly defeated by the apparition. As he regains consciousness, he finds his left horn severed before him and a cut on his forehead. He looks up at a sky filled with crows before hearing a disembodied voice calling him to Albion, where "the desired one" will appear.

During the Incarnation Ceremony, which causes the destruction of Albion, Zodd arrives at its outskirts, where he comes face-to-face with the Skull Knight. The two travel together toward Albion at dawn, searching for the ritual’s outcome: a reincarnated Griffith. Zodd then kneels before his new master, slaughtering advancing Kushan soldiers before flying off with Griffith in tow.

Millennium Empire Arc

After taking Griffith to the Hill of Swords, where Guts arrives and attacks the White Falcon, Zodd intervenes and faces the Black Swordsman. Expressing his excitement to fight Guts again and his determination to protect Griffith, Zodd begins the battle with the swordsman. After a brief duel of equal weapons, Zodd’s large Kushan sword cracks severely, and he and Guts separate. Zodd congratulates Guts for honing his skills since their last fight and takes his true form, intensifying the battle and causing the destruction of the cave near Godot's home. Griffith then orders Zodd to cease the fight and take him so he can continue pursuing his dream.

Zodd later appears in armor as Griffith begins his initial attack against the Kushan invasion force that has taken control of Midland, slaughtering many Kushan soldiers alongside several powerful apostles who come to serve Griffith as part of his newly reborn Band of the Falcon. Later, Griffith sends Zodd, Grunbeld, and other war demons to kill the witch Flora, considering her an obstacle to his goal. As Grunbeld faces a weakened Guts, Zodd again fights the Skull Knight. When Guts is revived by donning the Berserker Armor, Zodd recalls his previous duels with the Skull Knight and wonders if the knight intends for Guts to follow the same path as him. From then on, Zodd and the Skull Knight cease their fight to watch the inhuman tenacity of Berserker Guts.

Zodd encounters Guts once again in Vritannis, leading apostles against Ganishka and the Pishacha army of the Kushan emperor. Despite several blows to Ganishka’s mist form, Zodd proves unable to inflict any damage on the emperor, who attempts to strike him down with lightning. However, he is eventually knocked out and falls from the sky. When he flies again, he finds the Black Swordsman hanging from his back. Schierke then reveals to Guts that the Dragon Slayer is capable of injuring his ethereal body and that he can himself hurt Ganishka. Recalling Sonia’s prophecy telling him to choose between "fighting the sword that once cut his flesh or using it as a weapon," he and Guts reluctantly combine their forces to defeat Ganishka’s mist form, neither of them able to defeat their common enemy alone. Despite a lightning strike, Zodd manages to pierce the front of the avatar, and Guts strikes, scattering the mist avatar and temporarily defeating it. After recovering from their forced landing and assessing the state of their enemy, Zodd demands that Ganishka rise so they can finish their fight. As Guts complies, Zodd changes his mind and declares that they should continue another time. However, when Guts learns that Griffith is nearby, Zodd threatens to have the swordsman chopped to pieces by the army if he dares to attack the White Falcon. Guts agrees to the apostle’s terms after Serpico reminds him of his priorities, and Zodd leaves to lead the apostles out of the city to rejoin Griffith.

A few days later, during the final battle of the Band of the Falcon against Ganishka, reincarnated twice, Zodd carries Griffith to the massive head of the apostle and is present at the epicenter of the Great Wave of the Astral World.

Fantasia Arc

After the foundation of Falconia, Griffith and the Band of the Falcon face the Jötnar. Zodd is one of the first to attack. In response, the king of the Jötnar orders his subordinate Jötnar to send a massive hydra to attack the Band of the Falcon. Zodd faces the hydra, strangling and biting several of its heads, while Irvine supports him from afar by shooting arrows at the giant serpent. The finishing blow is delivered by Grunbeld, who burns the hydra with his fire breath. Later, Zodd and his comrades return triumphantly to Falconia.

After Griffith's return to Elfhelm following his transformation into the Moonlight Boy, Zodd arrives and intercepts an attack from Guts against Griffith. The Immortal and the Black Swordsman begin their fight, but Guts deflects one of Zodd's attacks and maneuvers to surpass the apostle in order to reach Griffith. After the sudden disappearance of the great cherry blossoms in Elfhelm and the arrival of a calamity in the elven kingdom, Zodd watches as Griffith takes the unconscious Casca into his arms. Griffith mounts Zodd while carrying Casca, and Zodd then takes flight to return to Falconia. Some time later in Falconia, Zodd positions himself behind a pillar, far from Griffith, Irvine, Locus, and Grunbeld, while Griffith is informed of Casca's captivity and focuses on "the East."

Abilities

Swordsmanship and Tactics

Zodd has learned a vast array of combat styles and tactics over his centuries of battle. He is capable of fighting with nearly any weapon he finds on the battlefield, but his preferred weapons in his normal form are two-handed swords and battle axes. When facing Guts on the Hill of Swords, he is able to discern in seconds that his sword has been damaged by the Dragon Slayer's massive blows and swiftly discards it, immediately adopting a new combat style with new weapons.

Strength

Zodd is capable of easily defeating an average apostle and is the only known apostle to have survived a direct confrontation with the Skull Knight, whom he has faced multiple times. In his apostle form, he can block heavy weapons with his horns and claws, absorb volleys of arrows with his thick fur and skin, and pierce concrete and rock with his sheer brute strength. His strength is such that he can send a fully armored Guts flying with a single swipe of his paw. Furthermore, he is able to slice through men and horses in armor with a single strike.

Durability

Zodd's endurance is exceptional; he is able to withstand several lightning bolts from Ganishka, an attack that kills many of his fellow apostles, yet he manages to ignore it with little effort. Moreover, Zodd shows an incredible tolerance for pain, reacting to the cutting of his arm with mere amusement.

In the case of severe or critical injury, Zodd can regenerate and heal his wounds almost instantly. When his arm is severed during a fight against Guts and Griffith, Zodd picks it up and reattaches it to the bloody stump before the wound closes and heals within moments. He was also severely cut in the abdomen during his confrontation with Guts on the Hill of Swords, but the wound disappeared within seconds. However, this is only possible if Zodd can physically reattach the severed part of himself; for instance, he is unable to regenerate his horn after it has been metaphysically severed.

Flight

In his released form, Zodd can generate wings that allow him to fly and tear through flesh. These wings emerge from his back or retract into it at his will.

Remarks

According to the official Berserk guide, Zodd is estimated to be 220 cm (7 ft 3 in) and 165 kg (364 lb) in his normal form, and 350 cm (11 ft 4 in) and 1001 kg (2207 lb) in his released form. (NOTE: The accuracy of the Berserk official guide is highly questionable.)

The first English voice actor for Zodd was not David Brimmer, but Peter Lurie from the video game Sword of the Berserk: Guts' Rage, despite the fact that the first animated Berserk adaptation aired in 1997. The English dubbing was released in 2002, while Sword of the Berserk: Guts' Rage was released in Japan in 1999 and then in North America in 2000.

Many mercenaries consider Zodd to be a "god of the battlefield."

Guts and Griffith are the only two people in 300 years to have wounded Zodd.

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