A strange phenomenon that seems to have vanished all of Berserk‘s magical beings just removed the polarizing character Puck the Elf, just when the series had ostensibly changed him for the better.
Even though Puck has been there with Guts since the very beginning, even some of Berserk‘s most rabid fans have never truly embraced him, mostly because of his over-the-top comedic nature, which is seen as being incongruous with the series’ overall serious tone. Even in the later chapters from Kentaro Miura, Puck became ever-more absurd, taking the form of various Star Wars characters like Obi-Wan Kenobi and a Stormtrooper. Indeed, Puck’s best quality has always been the tragedy of how much more respectfully Guts treated another elf named Chitch before the Golden Age.
Studio Gaga’s approach to Puck has seemingly abandoned this slapstick approach, with a more serious depiction that addresses fan complaints about the character. Now, just as Puck began to seemingly change for the better, Berserk chapter 369 by Studio Gaga implies the character has disappeared. The phenomenon began just when the ostensible lords of Skellig Island that Griffith had released during his invasion of Elfheim began disappearing once they hit the waters surrounding the island. Lord of the Elves Danan tells Isma, the human/merrow hybrid, that they can no longer remain in the corporeal world. In addition to both of them disappearing, so too do other magical creatures including elves just like Puck.
Ironically, readers will now be inclined to mourn the implication that Puck has left the corporeal realm, where before many have wished he’d vanish permanently. Puck’s role in every chapter since’s Berserk‘s return has been some sort of speaker of doom, where he narrates all the horrible things happening near Skellig Island. In fact, one of the first panels in chapter 369, and the first spread of the installment, is an image of Puck proclaiming that the island is falling apart. Of course, this moment and the many others that preceded it since Berserk returned aren’t exactly enough for him to be beloved, but they have given readers a glimpse of what his character can be without its comic relief affectations.
That said, even though Puck has likely left the corporeal realm along with the other magical beings on Skellig Island, it’s highly implausible that the annoying elf is gone forever. Berserk has been known to murder major characters, though not since the Golden Age. When Puck does eventually return, hopefully Studio Gaga will continue with his foreboding new portrayal in the pages of Berserk.
Berserk chapter 369 is available now from Dark Horse Comics.
