Guts — Black Swordsman
S-tier · Mid-range bruiser and edge guarderSnapshot
| In-game label | Black Swordsman |
| Fandom name | Guts (Berserk) |
| Status | Complete kit |
| Role | Mid-range bruiser and edge guarder |
| Difficulty | Higher than Yuji (timing and camera control) |
| Early-access tier | S |
| Best device | PC with shift lock |
Identity
Black Swordsman is Strikeborn's Guts: Dragon Slayer silhouette, moving cloth, ember on the steel, and the longest complete M1s in the current build. He is not a harder Yuji — he is a different room. A battlegrounds lobby with real sword range, a command grab and camera tech feels closer to a fighting game than to a four-button punch clone. He is a PvP kit, not a Berserk story mode: there is no campfire and no apostle raid, just a slab of iron over a waterfall. The launch-week asterisk is gone: the v0.2.0 update added his awakening move, Devastation, so the kit now ships with its super.
Observed tools
No invented numbers: SSSStudio has not published cooldowns or damage for any skill. Names are showcase or community shorthand unless noted.
Tip spacing is the point. The third hit is an uppercut and the fourth slams back down — the opposite of games where hit four launches. Decide before the string whether you want a down slam or an uppercut convert.
A command grab shown as his slot-1 tool in the launch showcase — the only community-and-showcase-confirmed skill name on the roster.
At least two skills have different aerial versions. The air slot 4 was called out in showcases; above the ravine it is an edge-guard tool.
Slot 4 counts as a counter if it connects with an incoming attack and a normal swing if it does not — a guess with a floor, not a block.
After three M1s, look down and kick — community-named tech from launch showcases for converting into slams and edge guards.
The awakening move officially added in the v0.2.0 update log ("New awakening move: Devastation"). v0.2.0 balancing also adjusted its cooldown. Officially named, unlike most of the kit.
How Guts feels in a real lobby
On open stone, Guts taxes anyone who walks forward with Yuji habits. On a cliff lip, a down slam is a stock. In tight ruins he is a step late. In a 100-player lobby his cinematics are a dinner bell — take the dump into the mist and move. You win against Yuji when the fist never reaches you, and you lose when the fist starts a string at your hilt.
Evidence & notes
- Carnage Grip (showcase) and Devastation (v0.2.0 update log) are the named skills; the rest is community shorthand.
- Devastation (awakening move) officially added in the v0.2.0 update log (Sep 2026) — the launch-week 'ultimate unfinished' caveat is retired.
- Best on PC with shift lock; on mobile the slow swings plus thumb camera donate stocks.
Related
Gon — the unfinished slot
The Gon slot is the fourth portrait on the select screen and still not a complete kit — but it is moving: the v0.2.0 update added his first real base move, Janken Scissors, with 3 variants. One skill does not make a character, so the slot stays unranked and unreviewed for now.
Unfinished slotJinchuriki — the Naruto slot
The Jinchuriki slot on the character select screen is a portrait you can click, not a kit you can main. It still plays as an M1-only dummy with no skill bar, no air layer and no ultimate — the v0.2.0 update added a skill to Gon but nothing for this slot.
S-tier complete kitYuji — Vessel Sorcerer
The complete fist kit and the default way to learn Strikeborn's air game — quicker M1s than the greatsword, a kick that doubles as a counter, and air follow-ups that turn one mistake into a full juggle.
Learn the shared layer in the combat guide (M1 theory, air routes, counters), check the controls page before you queue, and compare starters on the tier list. The Free to Play guide covers the age gate and join fixes — or open Strikeborn on Roblox (free) directly.