Berserk Cosplay

[Istvan]

Before he got the Slayer he always had that cool leather thing (holster?) on his back for sheathing which kinda looked like a demons/lucifers tail when he jumped around, very cool. And it was mechanically able to hold the huge sword. But now with the Slayer the only visible thing he has is that chain with a little bit of leather in the middle hanging from his back. The chain goes around the blade of the sword, with the sharp edge resting in the leather. But the question arises how does the sword not simple fall through that mechanism, sticking to the ground - because the tip of the blade clearly is nowhere sheathed? So I recon maybe the big handgrip of the Slayer doesn't fit through the chain so it stays on his back without falling through...

There is a single chain link attached to the DS just before the handle. I imagine that hooks on somewhere and keeps the sword from falling through the chains on his back.

I think it's just that the sword gets somewhat wider as you go from the tip towards the hilt, so at some point (represented by where the strap is on the sword when he wears it) it's too wide to slide through.

[The Herald]

That Griffith is awesome, but I think I know why he didn't win best cosplay. There are two problems with his costume. The first being that he personally didn't make it. I know metallurgy is really difficult and I commend him for dishing out the bucks to get it done, but in costume competitions the maker wins. Or the designer, but in this case the manga artist is the designer. The other problem was his wig. It wasn't quite the right color and it didn't fit him too well. Other than that though man was that an awesome costume! And yet another kudos for wearing armor all day.

[The Prince]

Before he got the Slayer he always had that cool leather thing (holster?) on his back for sheathing which kinda looked like a demons/lucifers tail when he jumped around, very cool. And it was mechanically able to hold the huge sword. But now with the Slayer the only visible thing he has is that chain with a little bit of leather in the middle hanging from his back. The chain goes around the blade of the sword, with the sharp edge resting in the leather. But the question arises how does the sword not simple fall through that mechanism, sticking to the ground - because the tip of the blade clearly is nowhere sheathed? So I recon maybe the big handgrip of the Slayer doesn't fit through the chain so it stays on his back without falling through...

There is a single chain link attached to the DS just before the handle. I imagine that hooks on somewhere and keeps the sword from falling through the chains on his back.

I think it's just that the sword gets somewhat wider as you go from the tip towards the hilt, so at some point (represented by where the strap is on the sword when he wears it) it's too wide to slide through.

Wouldn't that sever the hilt at some point, considering constant contact to the blade's edge and overall weight of the blade being applied at that point?

[Fuji Nagase]

That Griffith is awesome, but I think I know why he didn't win best cosplay. There are two problems with his costume. The first being that he personally didn't make it. I know metallurgy is really difficult and I commend him for dishing out the bucks to get it done, but in costume competitions the maker wins. Or the designer, but in this case the manga artist is the designer. The other problem was his wig. It wasn't quite the right color and it didn't fit him too well. Other than that though man was that an awesome costume! And yet another kudos for wearing armor all day.

yup! i totally agree! i didnt know he had it paid for and done for him by some company, but that is exactly why he didnt win. if you are a professional ( have any kind of cosplay commision bussiness) then you cant win or even enter in many contests. but cosplay is for fun, so i bet he had a blast in that costume. def.props for armor. it sucks to wear that much in the sun though i guess it might reflect the sun or something...i bet its still a bit heavy.

men cosplayers have much more trouble with wigs because there arent nearly as many made for men and the quialities are either really bad or really good and expensive. so i kind of let it go with the whole wig thing. unless he ordered that too. because if so then i think he could have done better. but he must have spent so much $ on the armor...i dunno. i still love it.

[ZiMaze]

men cosplayers have much more trouble with wigs because there arent nearly as many made for men and the quialities are either really bad or really good and expensive. so i kind of let it go with the whole wig thing. unless he ordered that too. because if so then i think he could have done better. but he must have spent so much $ on the armor...i dunno. i still love it.

Hehe, the thing is, that's not a wig ^_^" he actually painted his hair with something that comes off with one wash, And yes they could have done better, but seeing the fact that most cosplayers didnt made their own outfit, or they made just a little bit of it, it was still the best in my option. The armor was made by a friend for them who was allso at the con^^

[Fuji Nagase]

AHHHhhhhh that makes much more sense now. it looks like the spray on stuff. i see. i wouldnt say its uncommon that cosplayers make their own costume. the really cool costumes are usually made by hand because things have to be fitted to their body so exactly and to put all that time and money into something that doesnt fit would suck. and also, i think cosplay is kind of like an ode to the manga or anime or game of how much you like it so i think the really amazing costumes are made by the fan. but this one..because its armor...well armor is like the exeption of cosplay i think. its really intimidating, expensive, sometimes dangerous and so i still respect someone like this guy who put that much money and effort into the costume. i think how much he cares shows in the fullness of the costume. i think..there are better options for the hair still, but again, im not going to hold it against him. i think ill still respect anyone with a berserk costume even if it sucks (though the levels are different depending) because..its berserk. and you gotta give that skinny kid props who gets out of his basement and puts on the some sweat pants, his cape, his dueling boots and the marker to draw a scar on his nose, then gets out the duct tape to make the DS and then for the first time in too long sees the sunlight and goes to a con. i got a soft spot for those kids because thats kind of how american cosplay started i think...we were all there once, even now.

[Istvan]

Wouldn't that sever the hilt at some point, considering constant contact to the blade's edge and overall weight of the blade being applied at that point?

I'm not following you. Why would you think that the blade getting wider as it goes along sever the hilt? Because I can't think of why it would. Not if it's well forged from all one piece, anyway.

[The Herald]

Ah yes, one time I saw a Guts at Anime Evolution in Vancouver and he made his boots out of tape. It was soooo bad I still had to hug him though, because c'mon, it was Guts. Gah, now I so have to make a Roderick pirate coat by hand to show how cool he can be! And make a little boat in a bottle. I'm still trying to figure out what color his coat is. If Ys is supposed to emulate Britain, then the coat is red. But if it's trying to emulate Sicily, which I think it is, then it's blue! Aw man, I'm so confused. Though, once upon a blue moon I saw one colored picture of him, but that's when he was at that ball, standing next to Magnifico in his regal outfit with the decorated breast plate. Or, since Roderick isn't in English yet, do you think I should do Judeau or Gaston from the great Eclipse? I want to do the Great Eclipse because I want to make broken armor and cover myself in blood. I do have freckles like Judeau. Everybody tell me what you think!

[The Prince]

Wouldn't that sever the hilt at some point, considering constant contact to the blade's edge and overall weight of the blade being applied at that point?

I'm not following you. Why would you think that the blade getting wider as it goes along sever the hilt? Because I can't think of why it would. Not if it's well forged from all one piece, anyway.

Hmmm....I guess I'm having trouble picturing the mechanism you describe then. Because from what you decribe, I can't think of why it would not.

[Fuji Nagase]

Or, since Roderick isn't in English yet, do you think I should do Judeau or Gaston from the great Eclipse? I want to do the Great Eclipse because I want to make broken armor and cover myself in blood. I do have freckles like Judeau. Everybody tell me what you think!

well my caska is from the eclipse!(anime version) come to AX or comic con!!!! that would be awesome..although very very sad...

[MrFelony]

(Please ignore my doll next to him )

is that supposed to be charlotte

[ZiMaze]

(Please ignore my doll next to him )

is that supposed to be charlotte

hehe, I could easily pull it off with a mediveal dress, but no, she just kind of got into the pic Plus, big Griffith was eyeing the little doll, but I guess he was way to tired to ask XD But I think this is off topic, so I'll shut up now^^"

[The Herald]

I have Judeau's freckles, but Gaston's hair color! Which one should I be? Well, Judeau is cooler, but it also makes me sadder that he dies because he's so cool! Oh the choices!

[The Prince]

Wouldn't that sever the hilt at some point, considering constant contact to the blade's edge and overall weight of the blade being applied at that point?

I'm not following you. Why would you think that the blade getting wider as it goes along sever the hilt? Because I can't think of why it would. Not if it's well forged from all one piece, anyway.

I looked at a picture of him after the cave w/out his armor, so I think I better visualize your explanation.

[The Herald]

Gut's sword is probably made from two pieces of steel. The handle is made from a dowel bar of steel that would be really really strong, while the blade is melted and molded onto it. European swords were always molded, not folded. Also, Gut's sword shouldn't be sharp, it should have nicks in it, or it would be too fragile. Only the realy skinny rapiers like the one that Griffith has should be sharp. But, for a cosplay sword, there's no point in making it out of metal because it would be too heavy and banned at every convention. Just make it out of wood, with a dowel for the handle and drill a big hole in the blade then glue and screw it in. If you want the metalic feel just glue foil to it, like aluminum foil. Make sure to glue it well or it will come off.

[Istvan]

Gut's sword is probably made from two pieces of steel. The handle is made from a dowel bar of steel that would be really really strong, while the blade is melted and molded onto it. European swords were always molded, not folded. Also, Gut's sword shouldn't be sharp, it should have nicks in it, or it would be too fragile. Only the realy skinny rapiers like the one that Griffith has should be sharp.

Well, almost no medieval sword (aside from, as you point out, skinny rapier types) would actually be sharp the way we think of it. To be both sharp and sturdy requires the many times folding of Easter swords, European swords couldn't handle a true edge. For a swords like Gut's though, it should be completely dull (note that he can often rest it on his shoulder) because any real edge at all would shatter the moment it hit something hard from the weight of the blade. Instead, as Guts points out when he's fighting the 100 men, the huge mass of the blade simply causes it to tear through whatever it hits.

[The Prince]

Gut's sword is probably made from two pieces of steel. The handle is made from a dowel bar of steel that would be really really strong, while the blade is melted and molded onto it. European swords were always molded, not folded. Also, Gut's sword shouldn't be sharp, it should have nicks in it, or it would be too fragile. Only the realy skinny rapiers like the one that Griffith has should be sharp.

Well, almost no medieval sword (aside from, as you point out, skinny rapier types) would actually be sharp the way we think of it. To be both sharp and sturdy requires the many times folding of Easter swords, European swords couldn't handle a true edge. For a swords like Gut's though, it should be completely dull (note that he can often rest it on his shoulder) because any real edge at all would shatter the moment it hit something hard from the weight of the blade. Instead, as Guts points out when he's fighting the 100 men, the huge mass of the blade simply causes it to tear through whatever it hits.

Yeah, but you forgot the fact that the current Dragon Slayer has retained a supernatural quality through killing apostles and demons. So maybe when it comes to slicing supernatural flesh, its sharp as "hell". But if you recall the scene where he first encounters ishi-goro, after seeing Godo one last time, the DS is shown cutting through a bunch of Kushans with ease.

And like Istvan said, Medieval swords were always more bulky than sharp. Does anyone remember that scene in "Rob Roy" where Tim Roth's character is owning Liam Nileson's character using a rapier against that big ass sword Roy was using? That duel was a great scene BTW!

[Turd Ferguson]

Gut's sword is probably made from two pieces of steel. The handle is made from a dowel bar of steel that would be really really strong, while the blade is melted and molded onto it. European swords were always molded, not folded. Also, Gut's sword shouldn't be sharp, it should have nicks in it, or it would be too fragile. Only the realy skinny rapiers like the one that Griffith has should be sharp.

Well, almost no medieval sword (aside from, as you point out, skinny rapier types) would actually be sharp the way we think of it. To be both sharp and sturdy requires the many times folding of Easter swords, European swords couldn't handle a true edge. For a swords like Gut's though, it should be completely dull (note that he can often rest it on his shoulder) because any real edge at all would shatter the moment it hit something hard from the weight of the blade. Instead, as Guts points out when he's fighting the 100 men, the huge mass of the blade simply causes it to tear through whatever it hits.

Yeah, but you forgot the fact that the current Dragon Slayer has retained a supernatural quality through killing apostles and demons. So maybe when it comes to slicing supernatural flesh, its sharp as "hell". But if you recall the scene where he first encounters ishi-goro, after seeing Godo one last time, the DS is shown cutting through a bunch of Kushans with ease.

An important thing to take note of is that this is a ficitonal story and furthermore it is placed in a fantasy setting. While Mirua seems to pay fantastic attention to historical and physical detail, that doesn't mean that he won't take liberties with realism when he sees fit.

Right after the scene you just mentioned with Isidro, there is another scene where Isidro sneaks up on Guts while he's sleeping and attempts to steal the DS. Isidro remarks about how amazingly sharp it is. Now, this was just after Godo had reconditioned the sword, and most of the time it is nicked up and probably dull; but it is at least capable of holding a sharp edge through a few battles.

[Brainpiercing]

Gut's sword is probably made from two pieces of steel. The handle is made from a dowel bar of steel that would be really really strong, while the blade is melted and molded onto it. European swords were always molded, not folded. Also, Gut's sword shouldn't be sharp, it should have nicks in it, or it would be too fragile. Only the realy skinny rapiers like the one that Griffith has should be sharp.

Well, almost no medieval sword (aside from, as you point out, skinny rapier types) would actually be sharp the way we think of it. To be both sharp and sturdy requires the many times folding of Easter swords, European swords couldn't handle a true edge. For a swords like Gut's though, it should be completely dull (note that he can often rest it on his shoulder) because any real edge at all would shatter the moment it hit something hard from the weight of the blade. Instead, as Guts points out when he's fighting the 100 men, the huge mass of the blade simply causes it to tear through whatever it hits.

j

Wrong. Early Europeans used folded sharp swords as early as the 11th or 12th century, as can be seen by findings of "Sax" blades that were in no way inferior to Japanese blades. Just because we forgot how to do metalwork the way the Japanese do doesn't mean we never knew how to do it. A sword never was a brute force weapon. It also breaks when you bash it full force against another keen edge.

Of course, that doesn't mean the dragonslayer is sharp. Just that it could be sharp.

[The Herald]

Hehe, most of my sword knowledge is of the medieval era, not the crusades. During the crusades I can see the Europeans using eastern techniques. Though, Berserk is KIND OF based during the end of the hundred years war and right after, during the early 1400s, so none of the blades should be folded. Well, Silat and his guys could have folded blades, but not Guts. Anyways, Godo, from what I could see, used the normal Euro tradition of molding swords.

[Istvan]

Yeah, but you forgot the fact that the current Dragon Slayer has retained a supernatural quality through killing apostles and demons. So maybe when it comes to slicing supernatural flesh, its sharp as "hell". But if you recall the scene where he first encounters ishi-goro, after seeing Godo one last time, the DS is shown cutting through a bunch of Kushans with ease.

I think the supernatural quality just makes it capable of actually harming high astral beings. So where a normal sword (or other weapon) would do no real damage, the Dragon Slayer is capable of inflicting wounds. As far as "cutting through a bunch of Kushans", he wouldn't have needed to be "cutting" them at all. A sword that size would tear right through a human body regardless if it was sharp or not.

Wrong. Early Europeans used folded sharp swords as early as the 11th or 12th century, as can be seen by findings of "Sax" blades that were in no way inferior to Japanese blades. Just because we forgot how to do metalwork the way the Japanese do doesn't mean we never knew how to do it. A sword never was a brute force weapon. It also breaks when you bash it full force against another keen edge.

I've never heard/read anything about that, but I'll take your word for it. However, even in such a case, most western swords would still have been dull, with maybe the swords of some of the aristocrats being sharp. This had nothing to with the ability to create folded steal swords, but to create a folded blade takes a long time (relatively speaking), and is thus very expensive. This is fine if you have a restricted, wealthy caste of warriors (see: samurai) but if one wants to field large armies armed with blades, it becomes unpractical. Also, I wasn't refering to a keen edge shattering when striking another keen edge, but rather striking anything hard (i.e. mettle armor, bone, a rock, whatever). A typical western sword couldn't be sharp as we think of it because a truly sharp blade would shatter too easily. There may have been exceptions to this, I don't know, but that was the norm.

[War Machine]

I just checked the chapter where Isidro joins Guts and I didn't see him comment on the sharpness of Guts blade, only on how big and heavy it was.

The blade doesn't have to be that sharp anyway, as many have said, the weight is all that's needed, you can see that the Kushans were spinning violently after getting struck, which would suggest that the blade didn't completely cut through them. Plus, the sharpness is relative to the thickness of the blade, so while the DS might not be as sharp as a rapier, it can be very sharp for a blade of its type (a big chunk of metal).

[Turd Ferguson]

I just checked the chapter where Isidro joins Guts and I didn't see him comment on the sharpness of Guts blade, only on how big and heavy it was.

I guess it depends on the accuracy of the translation you're reading. In the official Dark Horse English release, Isidro says, "So sharp! So massive! I'll bet this sword's famous!"

[War Machine]

I just checked the chapter where Isidro joins Guts and I didn't see him comment on the sharpness of Guts blade, only on how big and heavy it was.

I guess it depends on the accuracy of the translation you're reading. In the official Dark Horse English release, Isidro says, "So sharp! So massive! I'll bet this sword's famous!"

Oh yeah, you're right, I forgot that the dark horse translations are a little different. Anyway, Isidro didn't know how heavy the sword was, so his comment on the sharpness could've been from what he perceived in the fight, not proof that the sword is really that sharp. It was only a few seconds later that he noticed the actual weight of the dragon slayer.

[Turd Ferguson]

Oh yeah, you're right, I forgot that the dark horse translations are a little different. Anyway, Isidro didn't know how heavy the sword was, so his comment on the sharpness could've been from what he perceived in the fight, not proof that the sword is really that sharp. It was only a few seconds later that he noticed the actual weight of the dragon slayer.

That's a good point. In the end though, none of this really matters. Whether dull or sharp, the DS takes care of business!