In the manga seriesBerserk, protagonist Guts is a character that one might consider a one-man army (and the story even showcases this being true with the Hundred-Man Slayer scene). However, as the plot continues and the character evolves, he learns he cannot walk this path of the Branded alone.
Guts gains a party of companions, ranging from fairies and old enemies, to a witch and even a child. While they all provide something for the team, some are simply stronger than others. This is the Black Swordsman party, ranked by strength.
While the Black Swordsman Party has grown in size since it’s creation, some members will be omitted from the ranking, as they either have very little screentime, or do not have any feats worthy of note. For example, there is no reason, unfortunately, to include Casca in this particular ranking.
7Puck and Ivalera
Puck is the first companion Guts ever gets on his journey, and, unfortunately, also the weakest. Puck and Ivalera, Schierke’s companion, are both elves, and have the appearance of fairy-like creatures.
While the duo bring some much-needed comic relief to the series, and early on Puck’s healing dust is imperative to his survival, they don’t bring much else to the table. They cannot fight or deal any significant damage, and serve only to make light of situations and do some scouting from time to time.
6Roderick
Roderick is the captain of the Seahorse ship, which Guts and his friends use to sail on their journey to Elfheim. Roderick is a capable swordsman, but does not boast any significant abilities out of the ordinary.
However, as the captain of the ship, he is an invaluable member of the team, and they would not have made it to Skellig without him. So, while not particularly strong with his combat skills, Roderick is still an essential member of the party at this point.
5Isidro
Isidro is the apprentice swordsman of the group and a young thief with a knack for getting into trouble. Due to his small size, Isidro has to come up with creative ways to get the upper hand on his opponents, and throughout the story, has developed into a fine fighter in his own right.
Isidro wields a fetish given to him by the Witch of the Forest, The Salamander Dagger, which is powered by fairies and allows him to create fire with the weapon. He also uses miniature bombs which he can throw and stick at enemies, exploding after a few seconds. While not able to take on any major Apostle threat, Isidro is perfect at dealing with fodder enemies and human opponents.
4Farnese
For a long time in the series, Farnese would be considered the weakest member of the party, even behind Puck, or Magnifico, her brother. She was appointed as the leader of the Holy Iron Chain Knights more as a show of politics, and once in the Black Swordsman Party, was shown to be extremely weak and unable to defend herself or Casca.
However, eventually, she learns magic from Schierke and becomes an exceptional apprentice to the magical arts. Magic is very powerful in Berserk, and Farnese can wield thorn snake familiars created by Schierke, as well as being gifted silver chainmail and dagger fetishes from the Witch, protecting her from evil.
3Serpico
Serpico is the attendant of Farnese and an incredibly adept fighter. He uses a fencing-like technique, and even before he receives his fetishes from the Witch, can duel with Guts and keep him on the ropes. Serpico is easily the most competent fighter, right behind Guts.
When he receives his fetishes, he becomes even more powerful. Granted the Sylph Sword and Sylph Cloak, Serpico is able to harness the power of wind from the faeries residing within, and can float around as well as slashing with destructive power.
2Schierke
Schierke is an apprentice witch and is incredibly powerful for being so young and only being an apprentice. In the Berserk world, magic is very strong, as it is not common and most don’t know of its existence (and those that do wish to burn the users at the stake).
Schierke may not be a hand-to-hand combatant, but she is above Serpico for how powerful her magical capabilities are. In the troll assault, she can commune with the water spirit of the area, and summon a massive tidal wave from the river. She is also imperative for being able to pull Guts back from the abyss when the Berserker Armor takes him over. Without Schierke doing things like bringing Guts back, allowing communication with thought transference, and sensing the Od (magical energy in Berserk) of living things, the part would be severely handicapped.
1Guts
To anyone familiar with the character, it is no surprise that Guts is the strongest member of his party. Even as a young boy, Guts was constantly training, being raised in a band of mercenaries, and preferred using a sword much bigger than his size.
And all that practice paid off, as in the current day, he is able to wield the monstrous Dragon Slayer sword, a weapon that is much more akin to a hulking mass of iron. He also lost his arm during the eclipse and has since replaced it with a mechanical arm equipped with a cannon and crossbow. Add on the Berserker Armor, and Guts is on a whole other plane compared to the rest of the party, able to dispatch all but the highest-level Apostles with ease.
