"The Black Witch" is the seventh episode in the Berserk 2016 anime adaptation. It covers manga episodes 144 through the beginning of 148.
Overview[]
The Black Swordsman, Guts, finally arrives in Albion with Puck and Isidro. Meanwhile, Luca takes off to rescue Pepe once told that she has been captured by the pagan hunters. It is there that both Luca and Pepe are saved by Guts, who interrogates and later kills the hunters after they couldn't provide information on Casca's whereabouts. Luca brings Guts to Casca's tent, only to find her missing. Nina, who has ran away in fear with Casca, is captured alongside the childlike woman by the pagan cult after they learn of their members' encounter with spirits that Casca appeared to send away. Nina is to be sacrificed for her supposed treachery while the heretics hail Casca as the "Black Witch" and offer her as a wife to their leader, the Great Goat. Isidro and Puck, who have been tailing the heretics the entire time, distract the abductors while Casca's Brand awakens the spirits of those killed in the heretics' cave. The spirits possess most of the cultists. Puck races off to find Guts, and Isidro fends off the possessed heretics alone. Meanwhile, the Holy Iron Chain Knights are led by Joachim to the heretics' base just as things are going sour. A band of heretics and the Great Goat try to escape in secret, but the Great Goat is transformed into a pseudo-apostle by an unknown entity. The monstrous Apostle Goat goes on a rampage, killing his own followers before attempting to rape Casca. However, Guts then appears, killing several heretics and wounding the Great Goat, saving Casca just in time. With a deep and emotional gaze, Guts and Casca look upon one another for the first time in years as they reunite.
Summary[]
Guts arrives in Albion.
Bringing Casca and Nina back to camp, Luca is uneasy when she finds herself and her girls being showered with gifts by the fearful few who now believe that Casca is a witch. As Luca orders the others to distribute the gifts around camp to keep themselves from getting unwanted attention from the Holy See, Nina fears retribution more to the point of attempting to convince Luca that they should abandon Casca. But Luca emerges from their tent upon hearing a commotion, finding her girl Pepe arrested by Hunters, knights of the Holy See who periodically patrol the camps in search of heretics and heathens. Luca comes to Pepe's aid, scolding the Hunters for abusing their power to punish others from on high. The statement angers the lead Hunter, who prepares to strike her again with his whip. Luckily, Luca is saved at the last second by Guts, who has just arrived at Albion. While Guts has no interest in fighting, demanding to know if they saw a branded woman, he ends up killing four of the Hunters while Isidro pickpockets the lead Hunter's keys, which he gives to Luca so she can free Pepe. The remaining hunters are forced to flee when the crowd starts pelting them with rocks. Now safe from harm, Luca walks up to Guts and tells him she knows a branded woman, escorting the swordsman to her tent after seeing his own Brand. However, by the time Luca brought Guts to the tent, believing her mentor got arrested, Nina had ran off and took Casca with her. Yet, she does not get far as she and Casca are caught by the pagans.
Farnese overseeing a public burning.
Luckily, Isidro and Puck notice the pagans and decide to follow them rather than tell Guts. After ending up in the pagans' cave hiding among the surrounding rocks, Isidro watches the high priest addressing his naked followers. Proclaiming that only they know the true significance of the Falcon of Light, the high priest has the "Black Witch" Casca presented with a crown of thorns on her head, intending to wed her to the Great Goat. The high priest orders Nina to be brought out, intending to have the girl be ritually murdered in celebration of the union between Casca and his master. Elsewhere, after overseeing the burning of three accused heretics, Farnese is told that they have someone - a badly shaken and wounded Joachim - who can lead them to the pagans' cave. Farnese also learns of Guts' presence in the city, concealing her feelings of shame from their last encounter as she tells Azan that the capture of the Black Swordsman is no longer their concern and to focus on raiding the pagans' cave.
Farnese's men fighting the possessed pagans.
After sending Puck to find Guts, feeling that he might be rewarded for it, Isidro decides to distract the pagans away from Casca and Nina by tossing rocks at them and causing multiple injuries. However, as Nina tries to get Casca to run with her, she notices the girl's Brand bleeding. Within moments, the spirits of those who were used as food in the pagans' crockpot emerge and possess some of the pagans, compelling them to kill the others before exiting the cave to attack the arriving Holy Iron Chain Knights. While Azan assumes the pagans are under some form of drug to be acting like savages, Farnese knows this situation is no different than the incident with the possessed horse that nearly violated her during her pursuit of Guts.
The Great Goat transformed.
Seeing Casca and Nina surrounded while fending off the possessed pagans attacking him, Isidro comes to their aid despite his ungraceful landing. With only a sea of pagans and knights between them and the mouth of the cave, Isidro notices the Great Goat and the high priest attempting to escape with a few followers via a narrow crevice in the wall. In that instant, the mysterious observer shoots out a spiked tendril that impales the Great Goat's chest. Moments later, Isidro witnesses the pagans running back after their high priest has been killed by the Great Goat, who is now transformed into large satyr-like monster. The Great Goat proceeds to kill every normal human within reach as Isidro is separated from Casca and she is surrounded by possessed pagans.
Guts and Casca seeing each other for the first time in two years.
The pagans soon part from the Great Goat, who licks Casca's face before restraining her to consummate their union with his now serpentine penis. Suffering flashbacks to the Eclipse, Casca struggles weakly against the goat-man's grasp before Guts swiftly arrives, having dashed through the entrance with Puck, and severs the goat-man's serpent and left hand. Isidro, Nina, Casca and the Holy Iron Chain Knights watch as Guts whirls the sword around to cut down the surrounding pagans. He and Casca gaze at each other, finally reunited after being separated for two years.
Next Episode Preview[]
Farnese commands the Holy Iron Chain Knights not to let Guts escape, no matter what. The Great Goat, still in his pseudo-apostle form, bleats demonically. After this, Guts loads his crossbow with bolts and tells Isidro that he's leaving Casca to him. Meanwhile, Nina begins to doubt herself again and apologizes to Luca in her mind, telling her she's sorry. Guts then readies himself against the Great Goat, concealing a miniature bomb in his hand. Just then, an unknown voice calls out to Guts, telling him to prepare for battle.
Characters in Order of Appearance[]
- Casca
- Luca
- Nina
- Demon Child
- Fouquet
- Pepe
- Lucie
- Guts
- Isidro
- Puck
- Heretic High Priest (First appearance) (Death)
- Farnese
- Serpico
- Azan
- Joachim
- Great Goat (Apostle Form)
- Egg of the Perfect World (Glimpse)
Manga/Anime Differences[]
- The Egg of the Perfect World spying on Guts and Luca as they look for Casca is cut.
- The knights being eaten alive and torn apart is censored, along with explicit nudity from the cultists and Nina.
- Isidro's appearance in the tavern from the first episode is included in his flashback.
- Isidro's fantasy of being rewarded with sex from Luca's prostitutes for saving them is removed.
- Serpico and Jerome complaining about the long mountain hike, along with Azan scolding them, is removed.
- Farnese's flashback to the events of her encounter with Guts and the demonic hounds is replaced by the possessed horse.
- A scene with the cult's high priest being decapitated by the Great Goat is added.
- Jerome's brief talk with Joachim is cut.
Appendices[]
Template:Navbox/Anime (Assorted)