How a logo test turned into my most requested dark fantasy mask

By Jérémy, Dai Yokai founder · @dai.yokai Published: May 2026

Key takeaways

• The Hannya x Berserk mask carries the Brand of Sacrifice (生贄の焼印) engraved on the forehead of a Noh theater demon

• This mask was born by accident: a test to show I could engrave custom logos on my Hannya masks

• Available in 6 finishes: white, black, red, cracked red, blue, cracked blue

• The Hannya and Berserk share the same core story: a human being turned into a monster by unbearable suffering

For the full meaning of the Hannya mask (Noh origins, colors, legends), see the Hannya guide.

This mask was not planned

I was rereading Berserk and simultaneously looking for a way to show customers I could engrave a custom logo or design on my masks. I needed a visual example. I grabbed a Hannya, added the Brand of Sacrifice on the forehead, posted the photo.

Messages started coming in. Berserk fans wanted exactly that. So I developed the concept into multiple color variants, and it became a full product line.

That is how most of my best masks happen. Not from a marketing plan, but from a workshop accident.

Why the Hannya is the right mask for Berserk

The Hannya is not an Oni. The Oni is an ogre, brute force. The Hannya is a woman. An aristocrat whose jealousy or betrayal was so violent that she physically transformed into a horned demon. But tilt the mask downward and you still see the grief beneath the rage.

That mirrors Berserk exactly. Griffith is beautiful, brilliant, adored. Then comes the Eclipse. He sacrifices his companions, the Band of the Hawk, to be reborn as Femto. The transformation is irreversible. But Miura never lets us forget the human who was there before.

Theme	Hannya (Noh, 14th century)	Berserk (Miura, 1989-2021)
Transformation	Woman → demon through jealousy	Griffith → Femto through despair
Dual face	Grief (tilted down) / rage (tilted up)	Griffith is both the traitor and the betrayed
Physical mark	Visible horns and fangs	Hidden Brand of Sacrifice, bleeds near demons
Point of no return	Jealousy consumes, no way back	Causality, the God Hand planned everything

What the Brand changes on the mask

Without the Brand of Sacrifice, the Hannya is a woman who destroyed herself. A personal, self-inflicted tragedy.

With the Brand engraved on the forehead, the mask tells a different story. The pain is no longer self-inflicted. It is imposed. The horns did not grow from jealousy but from a curse. The demon was not born from weakness but from betrayal.

That is Guts. That is Casca. That is the entire Band of the Hawk.

The forehead placement is deliberate. In Noh theater, that is where the concentration lines of a woman in prayer would be. Engraving the Brand there replaces prayer with damnation.

6 finishes, 6 moods

Finish	Mood	Link
White	Griffith before the fall, icy purity, masked ambition	Hannya Berserk White
Black	Femto, erased humanity, the void	Hannya Berserk Black
Red	Guts during the Golden Age, rising fury, blood	Hannya Berserk Red
Cracked red	Post-Eclipse artifact, burned but still standing	Hannya Berserk Cracked Red
Blue	Eclipse sky, twisted dimension, cold authority	Hannya Berserk Blue
Cracked blue	Cursed relic, spectral nobility, ancient object	Hannya Berserk Cracked Blue

The gold on the horns, teeth, and Brand is not decorative. In Noh, gold on a mask means the supernatural. In Berserk, gold is the color of Beherits and the Hawk of Light. On this mask, it marks the border between human and divine.

What Berserk owes to Japanese folklore

Berserk looks like medieval Europe, but its engine is Japanese.

The Apostles work like yōkai: humans transformed into monsters by an emotion pushed to the extreme. That is the exact definition of a Hannya.

The God Hand echoes malevolent kami from Shinto: amoral forces, neither good nor evil, just overwhelming.

The Berserker Armor Guts wears is possessed by an "inner beast." That is the concept of the inner oni (鬼) in Japanese Buddhism: the idea that every human carries a demon inside.

Nosferatu Zodd resembles the Oni guardians on temple gates: terrifying monsters serving a higher order.

Miura never hid these roots. Devilman by Go Nagai (which draws directly from Oni folklore), the imagery of Muromachi-era painted scrolls. Berserk is a European manga built on Japanese bones.

Berserk x Hannya tattoo ideas

The Hannya is already the most tattooed motif in traditional Japanese ink. The Brand of Sacrifice is one of the most requested manga tattoos worldwide. Combining them creates a design that speaks to both communities.

Classic compositions: Hannya with Brand on the forehead + flames, neo-Japanese color, thigh or back. Hannya black/gray + Beherit in the jaw, blackwork, forearm. Half-Hannya / half-Femto split face, manga realism, full back. Brand of Sacrifice alone + Noh patterns in the background, minimalist, back of the neck (like Guts).

For full irezumi composition rules: Irezumi, the history of Japanese tattooing.

Where to display this mask

This mask does not belong on a white wall in direct sunlight. It needs shadow.

Dark wall (black, charcoal, midnight blue). The mask floats like a cursed artifact. Low-angle LED to project horn shadows.

Gaming setup. The Souls/Elden Ring aesthetic is native here. Above the screen, next to figurines. Cracked red and cracked blue work especially well.

Tattoo studio. Direct visual reference. Several tattoo artists already use this mask as an atmosphere piece next to their irezumi flash sheets.

As a triptych. A Classic Red Hannya, a Black Hannya Kezurata, and the Berserk. Three stages of the same transformation.

Browse the full Hannya mask collection on daiyokai.com.

FAQ

What is the Brand of Sacrifice in Berserk?

A rune burned into the flesh of those offered as sacrifices during the Eclipse, a demonic ceremony that occurs every 216 years in Miura's universe. Bearers attract demons and are hunted permanently. Guts (back of neck) and Casca (chest) are the only known Eclipse survivors. The Brand bleeds and causes intense pain near demonic creatures.

Why combine Hannya and Berserk?

Because both tell the same story: a human destroyed by forces beyond their control who refuses to die. The Hannya is a woman consumed by jealousy, Griffith is a man consumed by ambition. Engraving the Brand on the Hannya turns a personal tragedy into a curse imposed by someone else.

Can the mask be worn for cosplay?

Yes. Full adult face size, lightweight PETG (around 150 g), hollow back, integrated wall-mount system. Wearable at a convention all day or hung on a wall.

Can I order a custom logo on a Hannya mask?

Yes, that is exactly how the Berserk version was born. If you have a logo, crest, or symbol you want engraved on a Hannya (or any other Dai Yokai mask), contact me with a reference image.

Is Berserk finished?

Kentarō Miura passed away on May 6, 2021, after 32 years of publication and over 55 million copies sold. The series has continued under the direction of his childhood friend Kōji Mori and Studio Gaga, based on Miura's notes and conversations.