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Isma, a teal-haired youth in a ragged tunic, crouches holding a staff in a dark misty forest.
The provided image is an artist's interpretation made for this entry. Details may differ from official depictions. The character and franchise remain © their respective rights holders.

Isma is a young half-merrow girl who joins Guts and his companions on their voyage to Skellig. Thanks to her mixed blood, she can shift between human and merrow forms by speaking her true name, and she is the lone survivor of her island after the Sea God awakens.

Age: 15 (Fantasia Arc, per guidebook)
Status: Unknown
Kind: Human/Merrow hybrid
First Appearance (Anime): Episode 311: Solitary Island
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Appearance

Isma is a girl of about fifteen with blue hair and blue eyes. Her mingled human and merrow heritage lets her slip between a human body and a merrow's aquatic form whenever she voices her true name, and she is famously unbothered by nudity, treating going bare as perfectly ordinary.

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Personality

Cheerful and warm, Isma is brave and endlessly curious, longing to see the world beyond her small island. She takes to people and things without a trace of prejudice, and she quickly grows more at ease among her new companions than with the merrow mother she has only just come to know.

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History

Born to a human fisherman and a merrow, Isma was pushed to the fringes of her island community, which had come to worship the sealed Sea God and forbade any contact with merrows. Only as her father lay dying did she learn her mother's nature and receive a protective charm, along with a promise that her mother would one day return. When the Great Wave of the Astral World loosened the Sea God's seal, that charm made her the lone survivor as the rest of the islanders were devoured and turned into the creature's tentacles. Taken aboard the Seahorse, she plunges into the water after Isidro when he tumbles overboard and pulls him to safety by uttering her true name, then helps the merrows battle the Sea God and reunites with her mother. After the deity's fall she stays with the crew, sailing on to Skellig and joining the Black Swordsman Party, until she fades away with the other mystical beings when Griffith seizes Casca in Elfhelm.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What happened to Isma in Berserk?

Isma is the lone survivor of her island after the Sea God awakens and devours the rest of the islanders. She joins Guts' Black Swordsman Party and sails with them to Skellig, but fades away with the other mystical beings when Griffith seizes Casca in Elfhelm.

How old is Isma in Berserk?

Isma is about fifteen years old during the Fantasia Arc, according to the guidebook.

Who is Isma's mother?

Isma's mother is a merrow, one of the sea dwelling folk of the Astral World. Isma only recently came to know her, and the two reunite after the Sea God is destroyed.

Does Isma join Guts in Berserk?

Yes. After being rescued aboard the Seahorse, Isma helps the merrows battle the Sea God, then sails on with the crew to Skellig and joins the Black Swordsman Party.

Why is Isma the lone survivor of her island?

A protective charm given to Isma by her dying father, along with the truth about her merrow mother, is what spared her when the Great Wave of the Astral World loosened the Sea God's seal and the rest of the islanders were devoured and turned into its tentacles.

Sources & Information

Looking for more on Isma? The Berserk Wiki on Fandom has a dedicated page with community notes.

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This content is original writing by Daddy Jim Headquarters based on the Berserk anime series, manga, and official materials. Berserk was created by Kentaro Miura, published by Hakusensha, and animated by OLM. All rights to Berserk and its characters belong to their respective owners. Episode and chapter references are cited where applicable.

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All rights belong to their respective owners.

Character and scene imagery on this site is original artwork by Daddy Jim Headquarters, not screenshots or licensed imagery. Official cover art is used on three types of pages for editorial commentary:

  • Movie pages: theatrical posters and key visuals, credited to OLM and Hakusensha.
  • Game pages: official box art, credited to the game's respective publishers.
  • Manga chapter pages: volume covers, credited to Hakusensha and Kentaro Miura.

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