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Guts is the protagonist of the story: a tall, muscular man with a huge sword called the Dragon Slayer and a prosthetic left forearm that has a magnetic grip and conceals a cannon and repeater crossbow. Guts is a Byronic hero who is able to struggle against causality, but seemingly unable to overcome it. Casca was the only female soldier in the original Band of the Hawk and is behind only Guts and Griffith in swordsmanship. Her ambivalent relationships with both Guts and Griffith makes her capricious. Casca joins the Band of the Hawk after Griffith saves her from a sexual assault by a nobleman and, after Griffith is imprisoned, she becomes the leader of the Band of the Hawk and leads the mission to rescue Griffith along with Guts after he returns. The trauma of the Eclipse and the journeys afterward, especially her rape at Femto's hands, cost Casca her memory and her relationship with Guts, though there is hope for a "cure" in Elfhelm.Berserk's setting is inspired by medieval Europe. It centers around the life of Guts, an orphaned mercenary warrior, and Griffith, the leader of a mercenary band called the Band of the Hawk. As he ages, Guts changes from a solitary boy into a man who realizes the value of camaraderie. The story contains elements of both fantasy and horror, as it explores both the best and worst of human nature. Both the manga and anime are noted for their heavy violence.