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    Zodd Nosferatu

    Character » Zodd Nosferatu appears in 83 issues.

    Zodd is a formidable Apostle and an enemy of Skull Knight and Guts. He travels with an fights alongside the resurrected Griffith and is a part of his new band of warriors, the Neo Band of the Hawk alongside other Apostles and various humans.

    Short summary describing this character.

    Zodd Nosferatu last edited by Abra_Kapocus on 12/19/23 10:08AM View full history

    Overview

    Zodd Nosferatu is an infamous Apostle who has spent 300 years as a mercenary, and is revered by many as the God of Warfare. Zodd has a little known prior relationship with Skull Knight. The two have clashed multiple times over the centuries, with no clear winner emerging. He is forever seeking opponents skilled enough handle more than one swing of his sword. He may have found a new rival in Guts who can stand on equal footing of his normal human form. Zodd's goal is to find the ultimate foe for whom he would serve for the rest of his life. At the moment Zodd follows Griffith due to his defeat at his hands.

    Origin

    Not much is known about Zodd’s life before he was an apostle. It can be surmised that at least three-hundred years ago, he was a normal human who was a fierce warrior and hungered for stronger opponents. It’s possible that his wish was answered by the God Hand, who offered him a behelit, which turned him into an apostle.

    Creation

    Zodd was created in 1992 by Kentaro Miura. As a character, he was created to be the first instance of the supernatural that was encountered by Guts.

    Character Evolution

    Personality

    Zodd lives for battle. Strength of body and mind are both paramount to him, and he wishes for nothing more than to make himself stronger to become the ultimate warrior. Whoever he meets, he wishes for a duel, and becomes gravely disappointed when his opponent proves to not be worthy of his skills.

    When he meets any opponent who is worthy of his power, his demeanor becomes much lighter and more jovial. But that makes him no less menacing. He only begins to fight harder as his opponents prove themselves in combat. Despite all of that, he often feels unfulfilled when fighting, as he rarely ever meets a worthy opponent. That all changes when he becomes a member of the New Band of the Hawk, and he finds a new purpose in his life.

    Appearance

    No matter how you look at him, Zodd is a monster. He towers over regular people with his hugely muscular frame like they were insects. And even without transforming, his face looks more like some wild beast than a human’s with his broad nose, glaring eyes and visible fangs. However beastly he looks, it’s nothing compared to his released form.

    When Zodd unleashes his true form as an apostle, he grows to twice his normal height, and gains even more muscle. His face becomes that of a lion’s, and gigantic horns protrude from his head. His feet turn to gigantic bull’s hooves, his claws grow even longer, and his body becomes covered in deep red fur. Completing his demonic appearance is a long, bulky tail and a pair of bat wings.

    Major Story Arcs

    The Golden Age

    In his debut appearance, Zodd is only mentioned at first. Rumors of his being the guard of a stronghold circulate among the Band of the Hawk, sharing tales of his legendary battle prowess. These rumors appear to be true, as when Guts goes to investigate, he finds a trail of dead bodies that lead to a monster of a man, Zodd himself.

    It is only a shortly into their battle that Zodd congratulates Guts for being able to last so long, but he doesn’t plan to hold back any longer. Zodd fights with all of his might, and ends up becoming grievously wounded in the end. That is where he reveals the true extent of his power, and releases his apostle form.

    In his true, demonic form, Zodd is able to easily overpower Guts, treating him as if he were merely a plaything the whole time, before he decides that he must end the fun by killing him. It is only the timely arrival of Griffith that Zodd is able to be wounded once more. But when he discovers the crimson behelit that Griffith possesses, Zodd relents his attack and leaves Guts with a chilling prophecy before he flies off into the night.

    Zodd makes a very short, yet extremely important appearance during the Battle for Doldrey. When he first appears, he is simply overlooking the battlefield. Just as Guts is cornered by General Boscogn without any weapons, allies, or escape, Zodd is the one who assists him. Taking one of his swords, Zodd hurls it from his distant vigil to Guts’ side, thus saving his life. His work is done. And with that one single act, Zodd has set up the events that will upheave the entire world order.

    Much later when Griffith has been broken out of prison, he is captured by Zodd’s associate, Wyald. Just as Wyald is about to kill Griffith, Zodd descends from the sky and stays his hand. Wyald believes that Zodd was sent to aid him, but is instead run through the back by Zodd’s horns. The two apostles debate whether or not Griffith really is one of the chosen ones. Wyald is convinced that the prophecy was false, but Zodd still has faith in the power of causality. And as a part of that faith, he kills Wyald and spares Griffith. Then once again, he leaves Guts with a cryptic message, stating that he will understand everything soon enough.

    When the eclipse happens, Zodd is ordered to guard the entrance to the netherworld. The only reason that Zodd ever accepted was that he expected a powerful opponent to arrive. And just as he thought, The Skull Knight has come to face him in combat once more. In the end, Zodd fails his duty and ends up with a severed arm, Allowing Skull Knight to get past him. But he is perfectly ready to finish their duel when Skull Knight returns. However, Zodd is intrigued by how there are survivors from the Feast that had just occurred, and agrees to postpone their duel so that causality may play its course.

    Conviction

    Zodd reappears in the midst of battle against a troop of three-hundred soldiers. Such a pitiful number of enemies proves no match for him, and he is soon left sitting upon yet another pile of corpses that he’s amounted. It seems that after meeting Guts, normal opponents don’t thrill him like they used to. Not even fighting other apostles seems like much of a challenge anymore. Indeed, fighting Guts was pinnacle of what it means to be a warrior to him.

    As he ruminates over his existence as a warrior, he is approached by a glowing white hawk that lands before him. The hawk consults Zodd about what it is that he desires from his life. And Zodd has only one answer: to face the strong. Sensing the power that resonates from the creature, Zodd changes into his apostle form and lunges to attack. The hawk proves too much of a match for him and slices his head in two, severing one of his horns in the process.

    In another moment, Zodd finds himself sitting on that pile of corpses once more, in his human form, his body no worse for wear. At first, he considers that what may have happened was only a dream or some delusion. But a bleeding wound and his disembodied horn on the ground beside him makes him question otherwise. The disembodied voice of the hawk then tells him where he may find his desired destiny.

    When Zodd journeys toward where he was told to go, he finds Skull Knight there as well. Feeling as though he were meant to be led toward a worthy opponent, he wastes no time attacking his old rival with everything he has. But a deeper meaning was meant by the prophecy that was left for him. When the true meaning of the prophecy reveals itself, Zodd successfully fights past Skull Knight and claims the prize that he was meant to find. The thing that will overturn the world as everyone knows it.

    Millennium Falcon

    Directly after returning from his appointed mission, Zodd is seen flying across the land by a group of children who have wandered into a forest. What they don’t understand is that Zodd has been given instructions to fly to a certain destination in order to help his new master complete a task. When he arrives at that place, he is delighted to find that Guts is there as well, and once more challenges him to a duel. Though he is infinitely pleased by the act that his greatest challenger is still alive, Zodd plans to end things between them once and for all, and he resorts to every technique he knows. But even as he is being pushed back, Zodd still isn’t fulfilled.

    He once again unleashes his true form and continues the duel. Even though he’s felt the new power and skill that Guts has acquired, it is still enough to surprise him. He deals every blow intending to win the duel, but still comes up short. It is only by outside interference that Zodd relents his assault and returns to his master’s side. And though it is much to his chagrin, Zodd retreats, thus postponing their duel once more.

    Once he’s arrived at their next destination, Zodd is granted the opportunity for more slaughter. The castle that has been chosen to be his master’s stronghold is overtaken by enemy forces, and he thrills himself once more in the throes of slaughter. During the battle, he is joined by other apostles, who he quickly accepts as his allies. With them, he helps to lead an army into battle, where more of the White Hawk’s enemies are slain in a mess of gore.

    Later on, Zodd is given orders to go and kill a powerful witch who opposes his master. Once again, he is delighted to find Guts there waiting for him, and wishes once again to duel with him. Before he can even challenge Guts, his associate, Grunbeld, interjects. Zodd concedes to Grunbeld’s wish to duel with Guts instead. With Guts otherwise occupied, Zodd takes the opportunity to duel with his other rival, the Skull Knight. At first, he delights in fighting a worthy opponent, but is quickly driven away by Guts when he intervenes their fight.

    After returning from his previous successful mission, Zodd is almost immediately given another assignment to complete. He is to go to a seaside town and eradicate the enemy forces there. As he leaves, he is warned of what he may face there by his comrades, and is given a strange prophecy by one of them as he goes. Once he arrives at his destination, Zodd does what he intended and tears through the enemies he finds there. Just as he was warned, the enemy’s king is there as well, and he proves to be a greater challenge than any he has fought yet. Also there is Guts, who has been fighting the same opponent since before Zodd arrived.

    Through a completely unexpected twist of fate, Zodd reluctantly joins forces with Guts so that they may defeat their common enemy through their combined might. And even though they nearly kill one another in the process, they eventually succeed at great cost to their own bodies. Once the dust settles, Zodd is the first one on his feet and he challenges Guts to another fight. This time, he waits until Guts is on his feet as well. In due course, Zodd decides that both he and Guts are in no condition to properly duel, and that the orders given to him take precedent. So once more he retreats, vowing to continue their duel to the death.

    By the end of this part of his story, Zodd is called to arms for one last push against the invading Kushan forces. He leads his troop of beastly demons into battle, but is soon called to Griffith’s side so that he may protect his master for a crucial mission. It is there that Zodd witnesses the rebirth of the world into Fantasia.

    Fantasia

    With all things magical and monstrous unleashed upon the world, Zodd is busier than ever with assisting Griffith in expanding the reaches of his kingdom. Directly after assisting in defeating the king of the jötnar, something unexpected happens. Taking heed of the portent that has been sent to them, Zodd accompanies Griffith to Elfheim.

    When they arrive, Zodd finds once again that he and Guts have been drawn to one another. Since they have both recovered to their full strength since their last encounter, Zodd lunges to attack without any hesitation. But just as it has been before, loyalty to his master comes first. So when Griffith says that it’s time to leave, Zodd does so, despite how he had barely even begun to fight with Guts.

    To date, the most recent appearance of Zodd has been his return to Falconia with Casca, and subsequently being told of trouble that brews in the east.

    Skills & Abilities

    Swordsmanship

    Zodd vs. Guts
    Zodd vs. Guts

    After three hundred years of combat, Zodd has naturally become very good at using swords. He is able to fight at a speed that is beyond human capability, and is able to easily kill 300 soldiers at once. His style, though it appears brutish, wild and savage, is actually quite refined, and he is able to fend off enemies who even match his strength and skill. His skill, however, can be overwhelmed by certain powers greater than his own, such as Guts when he wears the Berserker Armor.

    Unarmed Combat

    Even without a weapon, Zodd is dangerous. His unarmed combat style is even more violent and animalistic, where he simply smashes anyone he grabs with his fists, dashes them against any solid surface that he can find, or literally tears them limb from limb. While it is certainly less refined than his skill with a weapon, it’s just as effective.

    Combat Literacy

    By watching the stances and minute movements of his opponents, Zodd is easily able to read their body language to predict their next move and strategy down to the finest detail.

    Powers

    Shapeshifting

    Whenever he meets an opponent who is his match in combat, Zodd chooses to transform into his demonic apostle form. In this form, Zodd’s true power is unleashed, and he is able to truly test the might of his opponents.

    Immortality

    Zodd has been around for three hundred years, and it doesn’t look like he’s going anywhere anytime soon.

    Superhuman Strength

    Zodd’s strength is far great than that of any human. Without even transforming, he is capable of unbelievable feats of strength. After transforming, his strength reaches nearly unlimited potential.

    Agility

    Zodd is able to perform incredible feats of agility and speed that would seem impossible for his large, cumbersome frame. He is even able to dodge lightning bolts on some occasions.

    Invulnerability

    As an apostle, Zodd is naturally resistant to most normal forms of damage.

    Healing

    Deep wounds heal in the blink of an eye. Cracked bones knit in seconds. Even severed limbs reattach themselves. All of this leads to Zodd being nearly unkillable.

    Flight

    When he transforms into his apostle form, Zodd is able to grow wings from his back, granting him the ability to fly.

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