Berserk: What Race Is Casca? Is She Black?

Berserk is still on standby after Kentarou Miura’s death in 2021. However, new fans are still attracted to this manga masterpiece because the stories and characters are absolutely incredible. Of course, nothing is perfect, but Berserk is surely quite close since it was so carefully and peculiarly structured, which is why the series has been ongoing for over thirty years. The questions about the world of Berserk and its characters are still noticeable, and some fans noticed that one of the main characters, Casca, is unique and beautiful. Of course, her ethnicity and race are being questioned.

Kentarou Miura never disclosed the ethnicity or race of Casca; it seems that the author simply created the character to his own preferences, and Casca was an “end product.” In the manga series, Casca has brown skin, and some fans started to speculate and use the character’s brief mentions of her origins to tie the character’s origins to the Kushan people that lived during Kushan Empire that existed shortly before and after the Christ era. The Empire was established on territories of modern-day Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Modern India territories. Others suggest that Casca could be black, specifically from the territory of the Horn of Africa.

We will discuss this topic in detail and use the information from manga to establish the inspiration for Casca’s character design. Furthermore, we will analyze fan theories of Casca’s origins.

Casca’s brief origins in Berserk

When it comes to Berserk and its characters, everyone is jaded, with fates so tragic that one is overwhelmed with how they are treated. Some would say Berserk treats its characters poorly, making the manga series hard to read. That is a totally fair assessment since not everyone loves the same things. However, in the world where God’s Hand, Apostles, and power-hungry vile people exist, rarely can anyone be happy.

Before the Band of Falcons, each member had a tragic life that brought them to Griffith. We all know that Guts’ and Griffith’s awful childhoods marked them forever, but Casca was not better. Her life wasn’t good at all, especially as a woman in Midland. According to the manga, Casca was originally a callow peasant girl living in a remote mountain village. In the chapter dedicated to her character, Casca tells Guts briefly about her life before she met him and became a member of the Band of Falcons.

Before that, both Guts and Casca almost die in the fight against Adon, and the warrior takes them safely into the cave. Casca is shivering in her sleep, and Guts realizes she was weak in the fight because she got her period. Guts wonder how difficult it is to be a woman and proceed to watch over her for the whole night. Casca wakes up disoriented and naked, which she assumes was due to Guts taking advantage of her. Guts try to explain what transpired the day before, but Casca hits him in the face and tries to leave.

When she calms down, Guts asks Casca why she joined the Band of Falcons, and Casca tells about her life before becoming a fearsome warrior. She reveals that she grew up in a small, isolated village, which was so poor that she wouldn’t eat for days. It didn’t help that the village was set “somewhere near the border,” often making it a target for enemy soldiers.

One day, a nobleman approaches Casca’s parents and offers a large sum of money to buy a young girl. Casca’s parents accept the offer, and poor Casca becomes “a slave” to a nobleman who makes unwanted advances on her. He attacks her, but before he can sexually abuse a young woman, Guts comes to the rescue and slices the nobleman’s ear. Before he can finish him off, Guts throws Casca his sword, which she uses to kill the abusive nobleman. After collecting their loot, the Band of Falcons leave the premises, but young Casca asks to join their group, and she joins the Band of Falcons.

Did Kentaoru Miura ever officially establish Casca’s race and ethnicity?

Interestingly enough, this three-part story of Casca learning about the Band and its members reveals the only clue of her origins. Miura never confirmed Casca’s race or ethnicity, or even the inspiration for the characters.’

However, the fans took it upon themselves to explore Casca’s possible ethnicity and race in the manga. Casca’s character design suggests that her skin color is brown, which is more noticeable in anime than in manga series. Miura did make a few drawings and concept art where he drew Casca as a woman of brown skin color.

There are few strong suggestions of Casca’s character origins, and two seem quite possible. Some fans suggested that Casca is from East Africa, specifically from territory across the Horn of Africa, which includes countries like Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, and Djibouti. Pretty good shout if you take in her looks in Berserk manga.

Another fan theory is more “accurate,” in my opinion, since it connects with Berserk’s concept and lore more than the previous one. Some fans from Asia suggested that Casca is possibly from the territory of the former Kushan Empire that existed for over three hundred years. The ancient empire was set in the territories of modern-day Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Northern India.

However, as we mentioned before, Casca was never confirmed as specifically of the black race or any ethnicity with any links with the “real world.” It seems that Miura designed Casca by his preferences, and coincidentally, she has darker skin, is unique in her design, and is extremely beautiful.

Kentaro Miura drew inspiration for Berserk from all kinds of places in popular culture, which made the manga series so good and so unique. The series was controversial for some things, but its characters were created to enthrall the readers and make them relate to them emotionally.

It doesn’t matter if Casca is African, Indian, or any other ethnicity – she is a woman who suffered a lot in her life and fought against the norms in the best way she could. And that is the most important thing.