A violent sword-and-sorcery adventure in which Guts, a brooding warrior, haunted by demons, fights with an enormous two-handed sword. When he's defeated in hand-to-hand combat by the elegant Griffith, Guts joins the Band of the Hawk. They're supposed to be mercenaries, but Griffith's loyal corps instead behaves like a crack regiment in the century-long war between Midland and Chuder. Although he takes unnecessary personal risks for reasons rooted in past traumas, Guts quickly rises to a position of command.