With this episode it is finally established that Griffith and the Moonlight Boy share the same body – a theory that has been around ever since 2006. Compared to the other instances, Miura has made it quite obvious for us this time.

However, not only does Miura show us that they are connected, but also a little bit of the HOW.



Are Griffith and the boy separated entities with separated feelings?

The leak shows us that they do share the same body, with either of them taking turns who has control over it.

share the same body, with either of them taking turns who has control over it. What is also shown that Griffith appears to “transform” into the Moonlight Boy’s shape, by disappearing completely in the last page.

What rules apply for the symbiosis between Griffith and the Moonlight boy?

It appears Griffith has little to no control over the Moonlight Boy. From this episode I get the impression that he may sense when boy intends to take control, however.

If Griffith remembers the times the Moonlight Boy has helped Guts he’s effectively spying on Guts’ party. Perhaps Griffith only knew of fast traveling along the Spirit Tree’s branches was possible because the Moonlight Boy has used it before!

Our Moonboy using the branches of the Spirit Tree as means for fast travel in volume 37, after the Sea God fight.

At some point Rickert escapes during full moon. You see Griffith gazing into the sky as he watches Rickert depart, which hints that the Moonlight Boy isn’t always in charge and likely only active when his parents are in danger.

Back in volume 22 on the Hill of Swords, we see Griffith rescuing Casca, which proves that the boy’s feelings for his parents have an effect on his actions. This is made very obvious by Miura.

Why is Griffith supporting Charlotte’s idea to construct an orphanage?

Griffith himself grew up as an orphan on the streets.

Griffith is flattering the princess by supporting her to get closer to the throne. She’s literally asking him to become king just a couple of pages later.

To give lost children a home could also be one of the Moonlight Boy’s desires, which could be bubbling up from the depth of Griffith’s subconsciousness.

To support the above mentioned point, while Griffith rationalizes the decision to construct the orphanage as being good for the survival of his kingdom, he never was good at being aware of his own feelings or desires. But… how far this really goes we still have to see!

Does Griffith have a desire for family- or is that ONLY the Moonlight Boy’s desires? Do these two desires merge together? Is Griffith still human? More revolving about this question in this tumblr post I wrote.

Why is Griffith departing at the end of this episode?

At this point it’s obvious that him and the Moonlight Boy are indeed connected. But why would the Moonlight Boy depart Falconia NOW? Is he visiting his parents now because he is yearning for them, or are they in danger because Guts is about to use the Berserker Armor again?!



Wait a moment. Remember how chapter 355 was left with Casca screaming on seeing Guts? Is the Moonlight Boy visiting his awakened mother?!



So maybe the impending reunion is not just going to a reunion of Guts and Casca, but also a family reunion with their son!



The timing also does not necessarily contradict the story time line either, because time flows differently in Elfhelm. It appears that weeks and months have passed for Griffith (given the different dynamics between him and Charlotte, more about the episode in general here). For Guts and Co. it’s been only one or two days at most.

While it is full moon in the real world where time flows normally, Elfhelm shows a crescent.

What happens if the Moonlight Boy is present when Guts and Casca reunite? Will the boy drive away Casca’s inner demons in a similar fashion as he has driven away Guts’ inner demons in the Berserker Armor? What role will he play in her recovery? Those are interesting questions, which hopefully we find some answers in the next chapters to be released!

Another thing that’s worth noting is the fact that the Moonlight Boy first looked like this:

The Moonlight Boy stopping Berserker Guts from assaulting his companions in volume 28

…and only later on during the Sea God fight he had Griffith’s hair style:



The Moonlight Boy leading Guts out of the Sea God’s corpse. Note the shape of his hair. Why did it change? Was this Miura trying to make it obvious to us that Griffith and the boy are connected, or is this Griffith BECOMING the boy?



…but wait a minute!

Isn’t Griffith transforming into the Moonlight Boy a parallel to Guts transforming using the Berserker Armor…?!

Guts and The Beast of Darkness

vs

Griffith and the Moonlight Boy

Yin and Yang: There is good inside the evil – and evil inside the good.

If you look at it closely the situation of Griffith and the Moonlight Boy has become a parallel to Guts and the Beast of Darkness:

Guts, being human, has a powerful astral power-up with the Beast of Darkness and the Berserker Armor, the beast inside the man.

And now that we have proof that Griffith and the Moonlight Boy are connected, it seems like Griffith – being a demi-god – still has some humanity left in him through the Moonlight Boy. The human inside the god, if you will.

Read more: Guts and Griffith – Parallels and Differences

The Moonlight Boy, originally a human being conceived by Guts and Casca, inhabits the body of a demi-god as an agent of Light – while the Beast of Darkness, an astral manifestation of fear and anger, rests inside the body of a human as an agent of Darkness: they are opposites in every sense of the word.

For Guts, the Beast of Darkness affect’s Guts’ actions, e.g. because of its influence he choked and later assaulted Casca. The same applies to Griffith: The Moonlight Boy’s feelings for his mother made Griffith save her at the Hill of Swords. It is possible this is not the only instance that the Moonlight Boy low-key is affecting Griffith’s actions. Time will tell how boy changes Griffith’s decision making in the long-run. Exciting times we live in!