Sword on back?

[KyleRipman]

Curious if anyone knows just how Guts attaches his sword to his back. Trying to rig something like that up for a couple of my own, but having limited success.

[He_Deceives]

Well, for the first few swords he used he wore a specialized sheath that kind of looked like a tail when it was empty, but I assume you're refering to the dragon slayer.

The dragon slayer has a small metal ring, like a single link in a chain, that dangles near the handle. Guts' armor has a tiny hook on the right shoulder on which Guts hangs the tiny metal ring of the dragon slayer. That's how it stays in place.

[KyleRipman]

How the hell that can support such an enormous sword is beyond me, but that, or something like it, will probably work on my own smaller swords. Thanks.

[ZKK]

Sorry, but I think topics like this just beg for pictures.
That and I tend to be consistently excessive in my replies.

So the first picture shows the metal chain link He_Deceives mentioned, the second picture is from the earlier days of the Black Swordsman in which Guts only had the hook to support the Dragon Slayer which is seemingly attached to his throwing knives sash. The next four pictures are of his more current set up - now having a second sash draped over his other shoulder, again over the top of his armour, which looks to allow for a chain brace and strap to further support the weight of the sword and hold it in place in addition to the hook, as well as the chains connected to both of these running back over his shoulders to connect to the sashes linked to his belt, I guess in order to more evenly distribute the weight.

Sorry, this post is a result of having too much free time.

[kakomu]

Look at the sig.  That's the Ring.  In the first Episode, I think it makes a really loud noise when he latches it to his back.

[KyleRipman]

Pictures very appreciated.

Thanks guys, still a few questions though. In the 3rd pic, where you can see the strap extending across the sword: for Guts to lift the sword off his back and wield it, wouldn't he have to lift it impossibly high to be clear of the strap? Or does it somehow "undo" itself when he tugs on the sword so he is free to swing?

[kakomu]

the same thing occurs for the original swords guts used (Volumes 3-13).  It's one of those called Comic magic.  It really doesn't matter too much...Guess it's one of those things the writer never put much thought into :p

[Hitokiri J]

Comic magic unfortunately doesn't play a part this time. First of all, you know that the throwing knives sash has the short chain with a hook on it, which is originally the only thing Guts used to support his sword. If you need to understand how he can get the sword off his back with second sash/strap around it, examine the last picture. You will notice that his second sash has a lengthy chain on it, also complete with a hook. And in the middle of that chain is the small aforementioned strap used to wrap around the dragon slayer. Note the second hook. It wraps around the sword and also latches onto the metal loop of the sword in addition to the higher one. So it's just logic as far as how he gets the sword clear of the strap. It undoes itself. If Guts is able to unlatch the sword off of the hook on his right shoulder, then he should be able to get it off of the other hook, in effect loosening the strap. That's why you will often see just a limp chain hanging at his side.

*bows*

Oh yeah. I'm not a berserk newbie anymore. took me....hmmm.....3 months to read all the current manga and subscribe to Y.A. :p
Peace.

[kakomu]

I looked at it a bit more intently, and Hitokiri J, I think you're wrong.  Rather, I think the sword support is a hard U-Shapped device with padding on it.  I think there is NOTHING hold the side closest to him, so it's shaped that way and won't change it's shape.  If you notice in the pic on the bottom right hand side, there looks to be only one chain link.  So I think it just cups it, and that's it.


As for Guts' original sword, that's still a mystery :p

[Woraug]

Mystery?  How so?  Its just like a normal sheath exept  on top it has a loop of leather to hold it in place, then the tail like strap of leather that goes down and ends at a pocket like thing that supports and holds the end.

[kakomu]

except the sword is as tall as he is...how does he take the sword out if his arms don't extend all the way down to the ground (and a little further).  He'd have to reach incredibly high in order to get that sucker outta the sheath.

[SpYrE]

Not really. If it's made of leather (which it is), he can twist it over his shoulder to pull it out at any angle he needs to.

[KyleRipman]

Wouldn't that still make for a ridiculously awkward way of drawing his sword?

Hitokiri: I'm still not clear on how the strap in the third picture undoes itself. And if it does, how would he reattach it?

[SpYrE]

Well, yeah. It'd be awkward just holding it in the first place, all I'm saying is that it's possible.

[ZKK]

Fortunately for all of you I'm away from home and all my Berserk manga and images so I can't post another barrage of pictures. But unfortunately for all of you I've still managed to find a computer to post from.

Now with the sling, is this any help?

A better example is Lucifer's great coloring. I hope he doesn't mind me linking you to it.

The sixth image shows it reasonably well I think, as Hitokiri J has already mentioned. So I agree with Hitokiri J, though I'm not entirely sure were the second hook attaches to create the sling, but the idea of it also hooking onto the chain link loop on the Dragon Slayer works well for me. If its the downwards weight of the sword that keeps it on the hook if the first place, then when Guts draws the sword - usually upwards - it should unhook, and release the sling and the sword at the same time, which I think is a pretty good way of going about it.

You can see the chain of the sling flailing about quite a lot while Guts is fighting even if it is quite often obscured by his cape.  Though conveniently, I don't think we've ever seen Guts placing it back on his back since he's added the sling to his gear, but I don't have the manga in front of me to check that. Examples from the anime and earlier volumes of the manga don't help us any either, as he was only using the hook by itself.

kakomu, I think the strap is meant to be like a hardened leather or something similar. Not necessarily from looking at he pictures, but from one of the Art of War statues - Guts: the Lost Children. The strap on the statue is actually made from two small metal chains, and either leather or vinyl as apposed to resin like the rest of the statue. But I do agree that Guts' ability to draw the Dragon Slayer so cleanly each time is part of the magic of fiction.