“I feel no responsibility to those comrades who’ve lost their lives in my service. They chose to fight those battles, just as you chose, just as I… just as I have chosen this. But there is one thing I can do for them—for the dead. It is to win, and keep winning until I attain my dream. A dream they clung to and risked their lives for. I can’t just step over the bones of the dead in order to realise it. My dream is already smeared with blood. I don’t regret; I don’t feel guilty. But I’d rather sacrifice myself than watch any more innocent children die in the name of my dream.”
— Griffith from Berserk
In my view, Griffith embodies a disturbing blend of unhealthy obsession, Machiavellian cunning, moral detachment, a fractured sense of responsibility, delusion, and false heroism, each aspect interwoven with a chilling elegance.
His unhealthy obsession is clear in his relentless pursuit of his dream, regardless of the cost. When he states that he doesn’t feel responsible for the deaths of his comrades because they “chose” to fight, it highlights his singular focus on his goal, disregarding the human cost. His priority is his vision, and he reduces the sacrifices of others to mere choices rather than recognizing them as genuine acts of selflessness. Yet, despite this rationalisation, he still feels a sense of guilt. His obsession blinds him to the true cost of his ambition, allowing him to justify the loss of life while still struggling with internal conflict.
Machiavellianism is reflected in Griffith’s cold pragmatism. The statement “they chose to fight those battles” underscores his manipulative mindset—he views those around him as pawns who make decisions for themselves. His detached attitude toward their sacrifices reveals his willingness to justify their deaths as a means to an end, characteristic of Machiavellian behavior. Griffith sees people as tools in his grand plan, willing to use them without any emotional attachment or care for their fate. Yet, beneath this detached exterior, he is trapped in his own internal contradictions, experiencing deep guilt over the consequences of his actions.
By claiming, “I feel no responsibility…” one might assume that Griffith is emotionally disengaged from the suffering of others. However, this doesn’t reflect a lack of guilt or regret over the sacrifices of his comrades. Instead, he rationalises their deaths as choices they made, distancing himself from any moral burden. Despite his attempts to distance himself emotionally and justify his actions, he still grapples with guilt. He frequently reflects on the people who have died because of his dream, blaming both himself and his ambition inwardly, while outwardly justifying his actions. This creates an internal dilemma that tears at his psyche.
The following lines further reveal his breakdown through a false sense of responsibility: “But there is one thing I can do for them—for the dead. It is to win, and keep winning until I attain my dream. A dream they clung to and risked their lives for.” Here, Griffith imposes a sense of responsibility that is partially delusional. He convinces himself that the best way to honor the dead is by achieving the dream they “clung to.” However, this sense of responsibility isn’t genuine; it’s a mental construct meant to rationalise his obsession. The weight of this perceived duty serves as psychological justification for continuing to sacrifice others. It’s not true selfless responsibility, but a coping mechanism that allows him to maintain his focus on his goal while masking the emotional turmoil that accompanies it.
Griffith is deluded into believing that the end justifies the means. He says, “I can’t just step over the bones of the dead in order to realise it,” suggesting that he retains some moral boundary. However, his insistence that he must fulfill the dream “for the dead” is itself a delusion, because it enables him to overlook the horrific consequences of his actions while still rationalising them as necessary for the greater good. He convinces himself that his dream will somehow redeem the sacrifices made in its name, even as he continues down a path paved with violence and betrayal.
Finally, Griffith’s false heroism is evident in his belief that his pursuit of his dream is not only justified but noble. The line, “My dream is already smeared with blood,” reflects his internal conflict but also his refusal to turn back. By stating that he would rather sacrifice himself than watch innocent children die for his dream, he presents himself as someone burdened with a higher moral calling—sacrificing others for the “greater good.”
This is the essence of false heroism: Griffith sees himself as a hero because he believes he is making these sacrifices for a noble cause, when, in reality, his actions are self-serving and driven by ego.
The line, “But I’d rather sacrifice myself than watch any more innocent children die in the name of my dream,” is crucial in understanding Griffith’s self-perception as a tragic hero.
On the surface, it suggests a moment of self-awareness and even self-sacrifice, as he claims that he would put his own life on the line to prevent further innocent deaths. However, this statement also reflects Griffith’s deeply flawed understanding of his own moral standing. It implies that, despite the bloodshed he has already caused, he still believes his ultimate goal is noble enough to warrant such sacrifices.
His willingness to “sacrifice himself” is framed as a form of atonement, but it is also a manipulation of his guilt. The fact that he would rather die than let more innocents suffer reinforces his delusion that he is, in some way, the tragic hero of his own story—sacrificing others for the greater good, while seeing himself as burdened with a higher moral calling.
In reality, Griffith is not truly acknowledging the enormity of the harm he has caused, as he still justifies his violent and self-serving actions as being in service of a dream that transcends any personal guilt or regret. His attempt to position himself as a martyr only further illustrates the extent to which he is trapped in a cycle of delusion, convinced that his sacrifice will redeem him and make his dream legitimate, even at the cost of others’ lives.