Shigurui takes us back to the Edo Era of Japan, when many citizens of society enjoyed a great deal of peace, and Japan was thriving as a whole. Lord Tokugawa had other plans however, and declares a tournament will be held for anyone interested. The only stipulation is that real swords will be used in battle as opposed to the traditional wooden swords. Main protagonists Fujiki, a one-armed swordsman, and the blind Irako, must battle each other in this event. Both are disciples of the infamous Iwamoto Kogan, also known as Japan's greatest swordsmen. The two of them duke it out to see who is the true successor of the Iwamoto school, and to become the champion. Berserk and Shigurui share a lot in common in that, they both explain the story of characters who are out to prove to themselves they can overcome their pasts. Guts lost his arm which was then replaced with a metallic prosthetic one, while Fujiki despite not having a metal replacement, uses one arm to swing his long sword swiftly in battle. The two, along with Irako, must go through an entire cast of characters, with swords piercing through every part of the body in hopes that they can discover the answer to everything around them. With their setbacks being at the forefront of every battle, they reach toward their willpower in order to survive each encounter they confront, with vigor and intensity. Both shows are incredibly deep and tell such a powerful story of how setbacks can be the catalyst in order to set oneself free.

Claymore is an action packed thrill ride that takes us along with Clare, as she battles through constant hordes of enemies called Yoma , while trying to find some solace within herself. These beasts feast on the innards of the human body, while taking on the appearance of a real human to blend in with society. For this reason, a special organization created half-human, half-Yoma warriors called Claymores are sent out to eliminate the enemy that threatens to seal the fate of all humanity. Clare is detested by society due to being half-Yoma while her comrade Raki experienced a dark encounter with a Yoma in his past. The two together set out on a journey to extinguish these deadly creatures, restore peace back into society, and to discover their deeper qualities while fulfilling childhood goals. Guts and Clare both share a deep dark past, where the two had witnessed a lot of disasters and have undergone a lot of suffering. They use their pain as a fuel to overcome their dark past, wielding huge swords to slash and take down their enemies. The two have a purpose to serve and that's to uncover the secrets to their upbringing, while protecting others from facing the same obstacles they did. Lots of blood is shed throughout both anime, and while it all may seem gruesome at first, the purpose behind it all is more so to cleanse the darkness that controls them and to seek inner peace.

Hokuto no Ken is an all time classic that features main protagonist Kenshiro on his continuous journey to uncover the mysteries that lie ahead. Kenshiro had been betrayed and left for dead by rival Shin, who kidnapped his fiancee Yuria. Throughout his arduous journey he makes use of his extremely powerful fighting form, Hokuto Shinken, to help defend the helpless from bloodthirsty hooligans. Due to his overwhelming strength this caught the attention of more powerful enemies along his journey, such as warlords, and martial artists who all sought out to challenge his extraordinary abilities. Kenshiro is now forced to put his skills to the test in order to take back what he cares for the most. Kenshiro has a very strong motive in his actions, which is to help save his fiance from danger, but also to ensure the well being of everyone around him. This is extremely similar to Guts where he too is also out to help the ones he deeply cares about, while ensuring that no one around him gets hurt. They both wield extraordinary powers and can wipe out an entire army of enemies with a few attacks. Kenshiro is more like the inspiration to Guts as Hokuto no Ken released long before Berserk, which is why we can we see such a resemblance in both main characters. They both were left for dead and were betrayed by those who they thought had their support, which led them to only trust in their own intentions to move forward.

Afro Samurai is simply a fantastic anime that truly sells the story of Afro and his determination to seek revenge for the brutal death of his father. Justice, who is the main antagonist of the series, decides to wear the number one headband in order to claim all godly powers as his own. After obtaining the number two headband which granted him permission to challenge number one, Afro decides to hunt down the killer who took his father's life, and to thrust his sword through his soul. There only lies one major problem for Afro, and it's that everyone else becomes his enemy as they strive to take the number two headband away, so that they can battle the number one. Afro must now fight his way through a myriad of foes in order to seek vengeance. Guts and Afro both are very skilled in the art of sword play, and the two have some sort of vendetta towards the antagonist of their respective story. Both take place in a very dark and gritty time where corruption and mass murder were rampant, and so the two must use their skills and determination in order to stay ahead of the pack. We love how Afro never backs down from any fight, and how the both main characters emerged from the darkness as champions of the light in many regards. They both struggled with an early tragedy which led them on a new life path in order to bring clarity into their opaque present moment. Each scene presented to us is filled with an array of high flying performance, heads being chopped off, and only one person standing among the stack of corpses that lay in front of them. Both share a great experience that we encourage you check out for yourself when you can.

Texhnolyze takes place in the cyberpunk city of Lux, a man-made underground city that has turned to rubble after years of neglect. Ichise was once an orphan who has made a name for himself as a prize fighter in Lux. During a violent altercation after an event, a fight promoter loses control which resulted in Ichise losing his arm and leg. Before the grim reaper could have Ichise sign over the contract of death, Eriko, a Scientist, discovers him and begins experimentation on her new design called Texhnolyze. Now equipped with his new powerful mechanical limbs, Ichise decides to work with one of the organizations known as Organo under the leadership of Oonishi. He soon meets with a mysterious woman known as Ran, and now the two must work together to save Lux which is on the brink of war and collapse. Ichise and Guts both were orphans who ended up losing their limbs at the cost of surviving. They were discovered, repaired, and brought back into the fray with new extraordinary abilities. Both Guts and Ichise are faced with a huge ongoing problem that is war, and they must put an end to all of the destruction that threatens human existence. Along the way they meet up with female characters who aid them in their journey, but also play a major role in ensuring the two survive at all costs. Guts and Ichise have suffered severely at the hands of another, and so they devote their entire life to make sure no one else goes through those very ordeals they did.

Hellsing revolves around Alucard and an organization who are dedicated to destroying supernatural creatures who threaten the existence of humanity. Hellsing Ultimate is an OVA that continues much of the previous story that the original anime had, but brings more depth and development about the antagonist Millennium as they plot to destroy mankind. Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing leads her own military while donating her time to destroying the deadly creatures that are seen as a threat to her world. Alucard serves as the organization's greatest asset as he is the most powerful vampire to ever be committed to the organization, along with his vampire assistant Seras. Their mission is very simple: leave no one behind and eliminate all invaders as swiftly as possible. Guts and Alucard are two insanely powerful beings, both with nightmares they have to come to terms with. They almost always find themselves in harms way, having to battle out of it with everything they have, leaving no traces of their opposition. The two are very self sufficient and don't usually have to rely on other people for help unless it's truly necessary, which is very seldom. Alucard draws much of his power from the supernatural realm, while Guts draws most of his power all from his will to survive. While their weapon styles may differ, their objective is quite clear and it is to ensure that they discover a clear solution to their most dangerous battle: Their inner struggle.