The Skull Knight is one of the most enigmatic and significant characters in Berserk, a towering figure clad entirely in armor, with decorations resembling parts of a human skeleton, especially his helmet, earning him his name. He rides a massive, ghostly black horse. Despite his ominous appearance, he is an adversary of the Godhand and their followers, relentlessly hunting Apostles and consuming their Behelits. His rivalry with Zodd the Immortal is particularly intense, often shown to be easily overpowered by the Skull Knight.
He wields a powerful sword that, when plunged down his throat, transforms into a terrifying, Behelit-coated blade capable of cutting through reality itself. This allows the Skull Knight to traverse freely around the world or even between different dimensions. This mysterious knight has saved Guts on multiple occasions, notably during the infamous Eclipse where Griffith became a member of the Godhand, and when Slan nearly killed him. However, he never explained his motives, merely stating that the Struggler (his name for Guts) must continue to follow his fate.
In his mortal life, the Skull Knight was known as Gaiseric, the warlord who unified Midland and became its first Emperor. He was notorious for his skull-shaped helmet and his ambitions, which reportedly prompted God to send four Angels (likely the members of the Godhand) to punish him. He was also the original wearer of the Berserker Armor and knew the witch Flora. During the duel between Griffith and Ganishka, he suddenly appeared through a dimensional rift, attempting to deliver a fatal blow to Griffith, but it was deflected onto the writhing body of the Kushan Emperor instead.
