Guts was born from the hanged corpse of his mother and raised as a mercenary by his abusive adoptive father, Gambino, following the death of his adoptive mother, Shisu. After being forced to kill Gambino in self-defense, Guts fled his mercenary group and became a wandering mercenary. His reckless yet powerful fighting style attracts the attention of Griffith, the leader of a mercenary group called the Band of the Hawk, which he makes Guts join after defeating him