How Heavy Is Guts' Sword? Dragon Slayer Weight and Length in Real Steel
Ask how heavy Guts' sword is and you get two very different answers. The internet says the Dragon Slayer weighs somewhere between 80 kg and several hundred, and is six and a half feet long. A forge that has actually built one says something else. This post gives you both — what Berserk says (almost nothing), what the fan estimates are and where they come from, what a real two-handed sword weighs, and exactly what a Dragon Slayer and Guts' other swords weigh when they are forged in steel at every length we make them.
Everest Forge's Guts swords are independent hand-forged interpretations and are not official or licensed Berserk products. Berserk, Guts and the Dragon Slayer belong to Kentaro Miura, Studio Gaga and Hakusensha.
What Berserk Actually Says About the Size of Guts' Sword
Nothing numerical. Kentaro Miura never gave the Dragon Slayer a length or a weight in the manga, and when asked he described it only as "just the right size to be still somehow carryable." The famous introduction tells you how to feel about it, not how to measure it: "It was too big to be called a sword. Too big, too thick, too heavy, and too rough. It was more like a large slab of iron." The anime, the films and the games all draw it at slightly different proportions, and Miura himself drew it bigger as the series went on.
That is why every figure you have read is an estimate. The common ones — about 6.5 feet (2 m) long, about 1.5 feet (45 cm) wide, and anywhere from 80 kg to 130 kg to "over 400 pounds" — are fans scaling panels against Guts' height (around 6'8" / 204 cm) and multiplying by the density of steel. The length and width estimates are reasonable. The weight estimates are all over the place because weight depends on thickness, and nobody can read thickness off a drawing.
How Heavy a Real Dragon Slayer Would Be
Steel weighs about 7.85 grams per cubic centimetre, whatever the grade. So the weight of any slab sword is length × average width × average thickness × 7.85, plus the hilt. Run the fan dimensions through that: a blade 170 cm long and 40 cm wide at the base, tapering to a point, averages roughly 28 cm wide. At 10 mm thick that is about 37 kg of blade; at 25 mm, about 93 kg; at the 50 mm some fans assume, over 180 kg. The "100 kg" figure is not crazy — it is simply the weight of a two-inch-thick slab of steel the size of a door, which is what the drawing is.
None of that can be lifted, let alone swung, and the drawing is not the point of owning one. The point is a sword that reads as the Dragon Slayer at a weight a person can hang, carry and photograph with.
What a Real Two-Handed Sword Weighs
For scale: the Metropolitan Museum's Venetian two-hand sword of about 1570 has a 45-inch blade, is 63 inches overall, and weighs 2.86 kg. The Wallace Collection and Royal Armouries put fighting two-handers at 2.3 to 3.6 kg; the heaviest bearing swords, made for parades and never for fighting, reach 6 or 7 kg. A blade that weighed even 10 kg would have been useless on a battlefield. Every Guts sword ever forged, including ours, is several times a fighting weight. It is a display object by nature, and anyone selling a 13 kg sword as "battle ready" is telling you something about themselves.
What Our Guts Swords Weigh, by Length
These are the forge estimates for the four swords in our Guts Sword collection, sword only, calculated from the real blade geometry and checked against swords we have weighed. Every sword is weighed and photographed on the scale before it ships.
| Blade length | Raider (anime pattern) | Hundred-Man Slayer (manga pattern) | Dragon Slayer | Buster Sword |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 in (71 cm) | 3.8 kg | 5.0 kg | 4.7 kg | 5.1 kg |
| 30 in (76 cm) | 4.4 kg | 5.8 kg | 5.5 kg | 5.9 kg |
| 36 in (91 cm) — standard | 6.5 kg | 8.5 kg | 8.1 kg | 8.7 kg |
| 40 in (102 cm) | 8.1 kg | 10.6 kg | 10.2 kg | 11.0 kg |
| 45 in (114 cm) | 10.5 kg | 13.7 kg | 13.2 kg | 14.2 kg |
Sword only; add roughly 0.6 kg (28 in) to 2 kg (45 in) for the scabbard or cover. Estimates ±15% until weighed. Overall length is the blade plus a 10 to 20-inch grip depending on the model.
Two things stand out. First, the Dragon Slayer is not the heaviest sword in the collection at any length, even though it is the widest — because we forge it at a 9 mm spine, thin enough to keep a 174 mm slab under ten kilograms at the standard size. The narrower Golden Age swords are forged thicker, at 14 to 15 mm, because that is the stock that makes them feel like the drawing in the hand. Second, every one of them is three to five times a fighting weight. That is the honest shape of a Guts sword in steel.
Why Thickness Matters More Than Length
Buyers compare swords by blade length because it is the number on the listing. Weight does not work that way. Doubling the thickness doubles the weight; adding 25% to the length adds 25%. A 43-inch "Raider sword" sold at 3.5 kg and one sold at 11 kg are the same shape with different stock — roughly 5 mm against 15 mm — and both exist on the market. Three-millimetre stainless Dragon Slayers at under 4 kg exist too, and they flex like a saw blade. When you compare two Guts swords, ask for the spine thickness; it tells you more than the length does.
Can Anyone Actually Swing One?
A strong adult can lift and shoulder any sword in the table, carry the 36-inch builds up a staircase, and hold the 45-inch ones in a two-hand stance long enough for a photograph. Nobody should swing them at anything: a slab this thick is edge-hardened and tempered rather than hardened through, it is not balanced for cutting, and 10 kg moving at arm's length is a danger to the person holding it before it is a danger to anything else. If you want a Guts sword you can cut with, ask us in the order note for the thin-stock version at our normal longsword gauge — about half the weight — and we will quote it individually.
How Do You Ship a Sword This Big?
This is the question behind a lot of "how heavy is Guts' sword" searches, so here is the plain answer. A Guts sword leaves the forge in a wooden box built for it — a timber crate cut to the sword's length and width, with the blade and scabbard padded and braced so nothing moves in transit — not a cardboard carton. The crated weight is the sword plus scabbard plus roughly 3 to 5 kg of timber, so a standard 36-inch build ships at around 11 to 14 kg and a 45-inch build at 16 to 20 kg. Courier pricing on a parcel this long is driven by its dimensions as much as its weight, which is why the crate is built tight to the sword.
We ship worldwide with FedEx Express, tracked, and delivery takes seven to ten days after the forge is done. On a standard shipment, import duties and taxes may be charged by your country on delivery. If you would rather not deal with that, choose our DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) service: we handle the duties, import taxes and customs clearance ourselves before the parcel moves, and there is nothing to pay and nothing to sign for at the door. For a sword this size in most countries that is the option we recommend. Import rules on large edged blades vary by country and are the buyer's responsibility to check before ordering; if you are unsure, ask us before you buy and we will tell you what we know about your destination.
The Swords in This Table
Golden Age sword, anime pattern — channel, twin-plate guard, white wrap
Approx 6.5 kg at 36 in · five blade lengths · forged to order
View Sword
Guts Hundred-Man Slayer Greatsword
Golden Age sword, manga pattern — fuller, block guard, faceted pommel
Approx 8.5 kg at 36 in · five blade lengths · forged to order
View Sword
The post-Eclipse slab — 174 mm wide, slotted disc collar, back harness
Approx 8.1 kg at 36 in · five blade lengths · forged to order
View Sword
Final Fantasy VII-inspired — not a Berserk sword, but the other giant blade
Approx 8.7 kg at 36 in · five blade lengths · forged to order
View SwordEvery sword is forged to order in Kathmandu from 5160 spring steel on a riveted full tang, in five blade lengths with your choice of finish, wrap, fittings and scabbard or cover. For the full story of each sword, read Guts Sword – The Legendary Blade from Berserk.
Want a Specific Weight?
Tell us the length and thickness you have in mind — a heavier display slab, a thinner one you can swing, or a blade past 45 inches — and we will quote it individually and tell you honestly what it will weigh before you order.
Browse the Guts Sword Collection Request Custom ForgeFrequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How heavy is Guts' sword in Berserk?
Berserk never says. Fan estimates range from 80 kg to several hundred, and depend entirely on the thickness assumed; a two-inch-thick slab the size of the drawing would weigh around 100 kg. Miura described it only as just the right size to be still somehow carryable.
How long is the Dragon Slayer?
No official length exists. Scaled against Guts' height, fans put it at about 6.5 feet (2 m) overall and about 45 cm wide at the base. Our forged versions run from 37 to 59.5 inches overall depending on the blade length chosen.
How much does a real Dragon Slayer weigh?
Forged in 5160 steel at the drawing's proportions, ours weighs about 8.1 kg with a 36-inch blade and about 13.2 kg at 45 inches, sword only. Plate-steel versions at 25 to 30 mm thick reach 25 kg or more and cannot be heat-treated.
What does a real two-handed sword weigh?
Between 2.3 and 3.6 kg for a fighting two-hander; the Met Museum's 1570 Venetian two-hand sword with a 45-inch blade weighs 2.86 kg. Parade bearing swords reach 6 to 7 kg. Any Guts sword in steel is several times a fighting weight.
Which is the heaviest Guts sword?
Of the four we forge, the Buster Sword at 45 inches (about 14.2 kg) and the Hundred-Man Slayer at 45 inches (about 13.7 kg), then the Dragon Slayer (13.2 kg) and the Raider (10.5 kg). At the standard 36-inch build the range is 6.5 to 8.7 kg.
How is a Guts sword shipped, and do I pay import duties?
In a wooden crate built to the sword, by FedEx Express, tracked, seven to ten days after the forge is done. On a standard shipment your country may charge duties and taxes on delivery; choose our DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) service and we handle duties, import taxes and customs clearance for you, with nothing to pay at the door.
Can you make a lighter Guts sword?
Yes. Ask in the order note for the thin-stock version at our normal longsword gauge, which roughly halves the weight and can be fully hardened. It is quoted individually.
