History Manga / Berserk

For a while, following Kentaro Miura's [[DiedDuringProduction passing from an acute aortic dissection]] on May 6, 2021, the series' future was uncertain. Episode 364 was posthumously completed by Miura's assistants based on his script, and released in ''Young Animal'' magazine on September 10, 2021, and was included together with the remaining uncollected chapters in Volume 41, published on December 24, 2021. On June 7, 2022 [[https://twitter.com/berserk_project/status/1534023434174627840 his staff announced they would be continuing the series to give it a proper ending]], [[PosthumousCollaboration helped by his lifelong friend Kouji Mori]].

If any human can take on these [[TheLegionsOfHell legions of hell]], it's Guts. Born from the womb of a hanged woman and raised by a cruel mercenary as a ChildSoldier, he has spent his whole life taking [[TookALevelInBadass one level in badass after another]] in order to be tough enough to survive. He wears fearsome armor, has a [[{{Arm Cannon}} cannon-equipped iron prosthetic]] where his left arm used to be, and carries the slab-like [[{{BFS}} Dragonslayer]] sword on his back wherever he goes. Initially accompanied only by the diminutive elf [[FairyCompanion Puck]], who tries to act as a voice of conscience for the ruthless wanderer, he follows the God Hand while leaving a trail of enemy corpses in his wake.

In serialization since 1989, ''Berserk'' advertises itself as the "Number 1 Fantasy Comic" in Japan, and stands as the author's ''Magnum Opus''. Miura incorporates story and visual elements from many different media into his epic manga, which was mainly inspired by Kaoru Kurimoto's ambitious and long-running ''Literature/GuinSaga'' fantasy series. He loved the classics of the [[ShonenDemographic shounen genre]] including Buronson's ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'', as well as two of the darkest and most violent works of Creator/GoNagai, ''Franchise/{{Devilman}}'' and ''Manga/ViolenceJack''. At the same time, he appreciated manga written for the ShoujoDemographic and their focus on character drama, and has called ''Berserk'' the result of his attempt to fuse the worlds of ''Fist of the North Star'' and ''Manga/TheRoseOfVersailles''. The latter is especially evident in his depiction of love and political intrigue in the court of Midland, and in the complicated triangular relationship between Guts, Griffith, and Casca. Miura was also a student of TheMiddleAges and drew images from that period. Lastly, Miura acknowledges the influence of action, horror, SciFi, and fantasy films from Hollywood and from some of his favorite literature in creating the look and feel of the series. His creation broke new ground because of the unique way that he combined and developed upon these influences, and ''Berserk'' has been successful enough to leave its mark on a new generation of storytellers.

In serialization since 1989, ''Berserk'' advertises itself as the "Number 1 Fantasy Comic" in Japan, and stands as the author's ''Magnum Opus''. Miura incorporates story and visual elements from many different media into his epic manga, which was mainly inspired by Kaoru Kurimoto's ambitious and long-running ''LightNovel/GuinSaga'' fantasy series. He loved the classics of the [[ShonenDemographic shounen genre]] including Buronson's ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'', as well as two of the darkest and most violent works of Creator/GoNagai, ''Manga/{{Devilman}}'' and ''Manga/ViolenceJack''. At the same time, he appreciated manga written for the ShoujoDemographic and their focus on character drama, and has called ''Berserk'' the result of his attempt to fuse the worlds of ''Fist of the North Star'' and ''Manga/TheRoseOfVersailles''. The latter is especially evident in his depiction of love and political intrigue in the court of Midland, and in the complicated triangular relationship between Guts, Griffith, and Casca. Miura was also a student of TheMiddleAges and drew images from that period. Lastly, Miura acknowledges the influence of action, horror, SciFi, and fantasy films from Hollywood and from some of his favorite literature in creating the look and feel of the series. His creation broke new ground because of the unique way that he combined and developed upon these influences, and ''Berserk'' has been successful enough to leave its mark on a new generation of storytellers.

The '''[[TropeCodifier quintessential]]''' DarkFantasy manga.

'''[[TropeCodifier The]]''' quintessential DarkFantasy manga.

[[caption-width-right:300:"Dragons are dragons because humans can't beat 'em. So, what's a man who beats dragons?"
[[labelnote:Pictured]][[NinetiesAntiHero Guts]], center; [[FairyCompanion Puck]], top right.[[/labelnote]]]]

[[caption-width-right:300:"Dragons are dragons because humans can't beat 'em. So, what's a man who beats dragons?" [[labelnote:Pictured]][[NinetiesAntiHero Guts]], center; [[FairyCompanion Puck]], top right.[[/labelnote]]]]

[[caption-width-right:300:"Dragons are dragons because humans can't beat 'em. So, what's a man who beats dragons?"[[labelnote:Pictured]][[NinetiesAntiHero Guts]], center; [[FairyCompanion Puck]], top right.[[/labelnote]]]]

''Berserk'' (ベルセルク, ''Beruseruku'') is a {{Seinen}} manga series by the late Creator/KentaroMiura (and later, Kouji Mori and Studio Gaga), set in a grim MedievalEuropeanFantasy world.

The quintessential DarkFantasy manga, ''Berserk'' (ベルセルク, ''Beruseruku'') is a {{Seinen}} manga series by the late Creator/KentaroMiura (and later, Kouji Mori and Studio Gaga), set in a grim MedievalEuropeanFantasy world.

Because of its frequently disturbing and graphic content, which includes child abuse, torture, sexual violence, and copious amounts of gore, this manga is [[NotSafeForWork NOT safe for all audiences]]. It's certainly not recommended for the [[NightmareFuel faint of heart]]--[[{{Squick}} or stomach]]! However, for those who dare to take it on, there's a huge payoff in the thrilling action and human drama as it explores the great problems of existence, such as {{revenge}}, [[SlidingScaleOfFreeWillVsFate fate]], religion, morality, the causes of evil and suffering, the nature of an individual's hopes and dreams, and the various ways that people cope with living in a cruel world. The depth and atmosphere of the setting, the engrossing plot, the psychological complexity of the characters, and the [[SugarWiki/AwesomeArt virtuosity of Miura's art]] are all reasons that ''Berserk'' has attracted many loyal fans. Having said upfront that there's a lot of pain ahead, it would be just as wrong to misrepresent it as consisting of nothing but angst and gloom, since this series can sometimes offer inspiring examples of human resilience when you least expect it. It also contains a surprising amount of humor. The manga is published in Japan by Hakusensha and licensed in English by Creator/DarkHorseComics. As of May 2021, it has [[https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASP5N4438P5NUCVL00S.html 50 million volumes in circulation worldwide]].

The quintessential DarkFantasy manga. ''Berserk'' (ベルセルク, ''Beruseruku'') is a {{Seinen}} manga series by the late Creator/KentaroMiura (and later, Kouji Mori and Studio Gaga), set in a grim MedievalEuropeanFantasy world.

'''The''' quintessential DarkFantasy manga. ''Berserk'' (ベルセルク, ''Beruseruku'') is a {{Seinen}} manga series by the late Creator/KentaroMiura (and later, Kouji Mori and Studio Gaga), set in a grim MedievalEuropeanFantasy world.

'''The''' quintessential DarkFantasy {{Seinen}} manga. ''Berserk'' (ベルセルク, ''Beruseruku'') is a seinen manga series by the late Creator/KentaroMiura (and later, Kouji Mori and Studio Gaga), set in a grim MedievalEuropeanFantasy world.

'''The''' quintessential DarkFantasy {{Seinen}} manga.

The [[RedBaron Black Swordsman]] walks the land, a brooding, blood-stained figure. His name is [[NinetiesAntiHero Guts]], and wherever he goes, evil spirits from hell follow. Guts bears the cursed Brand of Sacrifice on the back of his neck, [[WeirdnessMagnet which attracts ghosts and demons hungry to devour him]] -- but he is also one of the strongest men in the world and carries a [[{{BFS}} very big sword]]. When the demons find him, their deaths aren't pretty.

''Berserk'' (ベルセルク, ''Beruseruku'') is a seinen manga series by the late Creator/KentaroMiura (and later, Kouji Mori and Studio Gaga), set in a grim MedievalEuropeanFantasy world. Beginning the action InMediasRes with the first three volumes establishing Guts, the setting, and the antagonists, the story then goes into a ''twelve-volumes-long'' flashback, called the Golden Age arc, which explains HowWeGotHere and reveals Guts' [[DarkAndTroubledPast painful backstory]].

Guts survives an abuse-filled childhood by becoming a prodigious fighter and lives as a lone sellsword until he meets the charismatic mercenary leader Griffith and his undefeated [[TrueCompanions Band of the Hawk]]. Griffith is a man with a dream of winning his own kingdom despite his common origins, and possesses an egg-shaped artifact called the [[ArtifactOfDoom Crimson Behelit]], which he was told will grant its owner the world in exchange for his flesh and blood. Inducted into the Band by [[DefeatMeansFriendship losing to Griffith in a duel]], Guts finds himself for the first time surrounded by companions united by Griffith's dream and loyalty to each other, and grows to view Griffith with both friendship and admiration. By turning the tide of a hundred year war in favor of the Kingdom of Midland they become the most celebrated force in the land, but a falling out between Guts and Griffith plunges the latter into despair, setting off a chain of events that ultimately brings their friendship and the Band of the Hawk to a disastrous end.

''Berserk'' (ベルセルク, ''Beruseruku'') is a seinen manga series by the late Creator/KentaroMiura (and later, Kouji Mori), set in a grim MedievalEuropeanFantasy world. Beginning the action InMediasRes with the first three volumes establishing Guts, the setting, and the antagonists, the story then goes into a ''twelve-volumes-long'' flashback, called the Golden Age arc, which explains HowWeGotHere and reveals Guts' [[DarkAndTroubledPast painful backstory]].

Guts is a warrior haunted by his past, namely the tragedy that ended in the loss of his hand, his eye, and everyone he cared about. He is WalkingTheEarth seeking only one thing: {{revenge}} against [[FallenHero Griffith]], [[WeUsedToBeFriends once his best friend]], who treacherously sacrificed him and all their comrades to the demon gods known as the [[PowersThatBe God Hand]] in order to be reborn as their fifth member. The world is crawling with Apostles, monstrous servants of the God Hand who gave up their humanity in exchange for power. By hunting these creatures, Guts hopes to pick up the trail of Griffith and make him pay.

If any human can take on these [[TheLegionsOfHell legions of hell]], it's Guts. Born from the womb of a hanged woman and raised by a cruel mercenary as a ChildSoldier, he has spent his whole life taking [[TookALevelInBadass one level in badass after another]] in order to be tough enough to survive. He wears fearsome armor, has a [[{{Arm Cannon}} cannon-equipped iron prosthetic]] where his left hand used to be, and carries the slab-like [[{{BFS}} Dragonslayer]] sword on his back wherever he goes. Initially accompanied only by the diminutive elf [[FairyCompanion Puck]], who tries to act as a voice of conscience for the ruthless wanderer, he follows the God Hand while leaving a trail of enemy corpses in his wake.

The quintessential {{Seinen}} manga. The bloody horror. One of the darkest fantasy mangas of all time.

''Berserk'' (ベルセルク, ''Beruseruku'') is a seinen manga series by the late Creator/KentaroMiura, set in a grim MedievalEuropeanFantasy world. Beginning the action InMediasRes with the first three volumes establishing Guts, the setting, and the antagonists, the story then goes into a ''twelve-volumes-long'' flashback, called the Golden Age arc, which explains HowWeGotHere and reveals Guts' [[DarkAndTroubledPast painful backstory]].

For a while, following Kentaro Miura's [[DiedDuringProduction passing from an acute aortic dissection]] on May 6, 2021, the series' future was uncertain. Episode 364 was posthumously completed by Miura's assistants based on his script, and released in ''Young Animal'' magazine on September 10, 2021, and was included together with the remaining uncollected chapters in Volume 41, published on December 24, 2021. The episode 364 and volume 41 releases were accompanied by an official statement from the Editorial Department of ''Young Animal'', saying there was unfortunately no information to share about the future of ''Berserk'' at that date.

On June 7, 2022 [[https://twitter.com/berserk_project/status/1534023434174627840 his staff announced they would be continuing the series to give it a proper ending]], [[PosthumousCollaboration helped by his lifelong friend Kouji Mori]].

Kentaro Miura [[DiedDuringProduction passing away from an acute aortic dissection]] on May 6, 2021, the series' future was uncertain. Episode 364 was posthumously completed by Miura's assistants based on his script, and released in ''Young Animal'' magazine on September 10, 2021, and was included together with the remaining uncollected chapters in Volume 41, published on December 24, 2021. The episode 364 and volume 41 releases were accompanied by an official statement from the Editorial Department of ''Young Animal'', saying there was unfortunately no information to share about the future of ''Berserk'' at that date.

On June 7, 2022 [[https://twitter.com/berserk_project/status/1534023434174627840 his staff announced they would be continuing the series to give it a proper ending]], [[PosthumousCollarboration helped by his lifelong friend Kouji Mori]].

On June 7, 2022 [[https://twitter.com/berserk_project/status/1534023434174627840 his staff announced they would be continuing the series to give it a proper ending]], helped by his lifelong friend Kouji Mori.

On the one-year anniversary of his death on May 7, 2022 [[https://twitter.com/berserk_project/status/1534023434174627840 his staff announced they would be continuing the series to give it a proper ending]], helped by his lifelong friend Kouji Mori.

Unfortunately, with Kentaro Miura [[DiedDuringProduction passing away from an acute aortic dissection]] on May 6, 2021, the series' future is uncertain. Episode 364 was posthumously completed by Miura's assistants based on his script, and released in ''Young Animal'' magazine on September 10, 2021, and was included together with the remaining uncollected chapters in Volume 41, published on December 24, 2021. The episode 364 and volume 41 releases were accompanied by an official statement from the Editorial Department of ''Young Animal'', saying there was unfortunately no information to share about the future of ''Berserk'' at that date.

There are other works that may be of interest to those who like this franchise:
* One is ''Manga/{{Wolfsmund}}'', penned by one of Miura's former assistants Mitsuhisa Kuji, a dark medieval story emphasizing history rather than fantasy.
* Another is ''Manga/{{Claymore}}'', a story about half-demon female warriors who hunt shape-shifting monsters using [[{{BFS}} giant swords]].
* The video games ''VideoGame/DemonsSouls'' and ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' also tend to enjoy overlap with ''Berserk'' in popularity, as they share a similarly grim and fatalistic fantasy atmosphere.
* There's also ''VideoGame/SekiroShadowsDieTwice'', made by the same developers behind ''Demon's Souls'' and ''Dark Souls'' which has a shinobi protagonist named the Wolf who has a physical appearance, prosthetic arm, and backstory similar to Guts as well as transplanting the dark fantasy theme and setting from a FantasyCounterpartCulture facsimile of Medieval Europe to feudal Japan during the final years of the [[UsefulNotes/SengokuPeriod Sengoku period]].
* For a short, action-packed demon-slaying story by Miura's friend Shizuya Wazarai with an art style similar to ''Berserk's'' early volumes, try ''Manga/BlasterKnuckle''.
* See also ''LightNovel/ReZero'', which in later arcs is being seen as the ''Berserk'' of [[LightNovel light novels]] in terms of tone, themes, and suffering.
* Alternatively, the light novel series ''LightNovel/TheRisingOfTheShieldHero'' has gained comparisons, as it bears similar themes and is fairly bleak, centering around a vengeful anti-hero protagonist in a dark fantasy world.
* The light novel ''LightNovel/GoblinSlayer'' and its anime adaptation also focus on a sword-wielding protagonist and his band of warriors that slay evil creatures preying on the innocent in a medieval-esque world.
* ''Manga/DemonSlayerKimetsuNoYaiba'' has a premise of a hero and his companions slaying demons that prey upon humans.
* ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'' is about the remnants of humanity protecting themselves from huge giants.
* And for Western works with similar themes and imagery, see ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' (including its television adaptation ''Series/GameOfThrones''), ''Literature/BlackLeopardRedWolf'', ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'', ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'', ''Literature/TheFirstLaw'', ''Literature/TheWitcher'', ''Film/EventHorizon'', ''Series/TheMandalorian'', ''ComicBook/{{Monstress}}'', ''VideoGame/{{Blasphemous}}'', ''VideoGame/DantesInferno'', ''VideoGame/Doom2016'' (and its sequel ''VideoGame/DoomEternal''), ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'', ''VideoGame/GodOfWar'', ''Franchise/MortalKombat'', ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'' (and its successor ''VideoGame/{{Deltarune}}''), Creator/{{Disney}}'s ''WesternAnimation/{{The Hunchback of Notre Dame|Disney}}'', ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'', ''WesternAnimation/Primal2019'', ''WesternAnimation/Castlevania2017'', ''WesternAnimation/DotaDragonsBlood'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Arcane}}'', ''WesternAnimation/BloodOfZeus'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfVoxMachina''.

* And for Western works with similar themes and imagery, see ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' (including its television adaptation ''Series/GameOfThrones''), ''Literature/BlackLeopardRedWolf'', ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'', ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'', ''Literature/TheFirstLaw'', ''Literature/TheWitcher'', ''Film/EventHorizon'', ''Series/TheMandalorian'', ''ComicBook/{{Monstress}}'', ''VideoGame/{{Blasphemous}}'', ''VideoGame/DantesInferno'', ''VideoGame/Doom2016'' (and its sequel ''VideoGame/DoomEternal''), ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'', ''VideoGame/GodOfWar'', ''Franchise/MortalKombat'', ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'', Creator/{{Disney}}'s ''WesternAnimation/{{The Hunchback of Notre Dame|Disney}}'', ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'', ''WesternAnimation/Primal2019'', ''WesternAnimation/Castlevania2017'', ''WesternAnimation/DotaDragonsBlood'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Arcane}}'', ''WesternAnimation/BloodOfZeus'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfVoxMachina''.

In serialization since 1990, ''Berserk'' advertises itself as the "Number 1 Fantasy Comic" in Japan, and stands as the author's ''Magnum Opus''. Miura incorporates story and visual elements from many different media into his epic manga, which was mainly inspired by Kaoru Kurimoto's ambitious and long-running ''LightNovel/GuinSaga'' fantasy series. He loved the classics of the [[ShonenDemographic shounen genre]] including Buronson's ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'', as well as two of the darkest and most violent works of Creator/GoNagai, ''Manga/{{Devilman}}'' and ''Manga/ViolenceJack''. At the same time, he appreciated manga written for the ShoujoDemographic and their focus on character drama, and has called ''Berserk'' the result of his attempt to fuse the worlds of ''Fist of the North Star'' and ''Manga/TheRoseOfVersailles''. The latter is especially evident in his depiction of love and political intrigue in the court of Midland, and in the complicated triangular relationship between Guts, Griffith, and Casca. Miura was also a student of TheMiddleAges and drew images from that period. Lastly, Miura acknowledges the influence of action, horror, SciFi, and fantasy films from Hollywood and from some of his favorite literature in creating the look and feel of the series. His creation broke new ground because of the unique way that he combined and developed upon these influences, and ''Berserk'' has been successful enough to leave its mark on a new generation of storytellers.

There are other works that may be of interest to those who like this franchise.

''Berserk'' (ベルセルク, ''Beruseruku'') is a seinen manga series by the late Creator/KentaroMiura set in a grim MedievalEuropeanFantasy world. Beginning the action InMediasRes with the first three volumes establishing Guts, the setting, and the antagonists, the story then goes into a ''twelve-volumes-long'' flashback called the Golden Age arc which explains HowWeGotHere and reveals Guts' [[DarkAndTroubledPast painful backstory]]. Guts survives an abuse-filled childhood by becoming a prodigious fighter and lives as a lone sellsword until he meets the charismatic mercenary leader Griffith and his undefeated [[TrueCompanions Band of the Hawk]]. Griffith is a man with a dream of winning his own kingdom despite his common origins, and possesses an egg-shaped artifact called the [[ArtifactOfDoom Crimson Behelit]], which he was told will grant its owner the world in exchange for his flesh and blood. Inducted into the Band by [[DefeatMeansFriendship losing to Griffith in a duel]], Guts finds himself for the first time surrounded by companions united by Griffith's dream and loyalty to each other, and grows to view Griffith with both friendship and admiration. By turning the tide of a hundred year war in favor of the Kingdom of Midland they become the most celebrated force in the land, but a falling out between Guts and Griffith plunges the latter into despair, setting off a chain of events that ultimately brings their friendship and the Band of the Hawk to a disastrous end.

There are other works that may be of interest to those who like this franchise. One is ''Manga/{{Wolfsmund}}'', penned by one of Miura's former assistants Mitsuhisa Kuji, a dark medieval story emphasizing history rather than fantasy. Another is ''Manga/{{Claymore}}'', a story about half-demon female warriors who hunt shape-shifting monsters using [[{{BFS}} giant swords]]. The video games ''VideoGame/DemonsSouls'' and ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' also tend to enjoy overlap with ''Berserk'' in popularity, as they share a similarly grim and fatalistic fantasy atmosphere. There's also ''VideoGame/SekiroShadowsDieTwice'', made by the same developers behind ''Demon's Souls'' and ''Dark Souls'' which has a shinobi protagonist named the Wolf who has a physical appearance, prosthetic arm, and backstory similar to Guts as well as transplanting the dark fantasy theme and setting from a FantasyCounterpartCulture facsimile of Medieval Europe to feudal Japan during the final years of the [[UsefulNotes/SengokuPeriod Sengoku period]]. For a short, action-packed demon-slaying story by Miura's friend Shizuya Wazarai with an art style similar to ''Berserk's'' early volumes, try ''Manga/BlasterKnuckle''. See also ''LightNovel/ReZero'', which in later arcs is being seen as the ''Berserk'' of [[LightNovel light novels]] in terms of tone, themes, and suffering. Alternatively, the light novel series ''LightNovel/TheRisingOfTheShieldHero'' has gained comparisons, as it bears similar themes and is fairly bleak, centering around a vengeful anti-hero protagonist in a dark fantasy world. The light novel ''LightNovel/GoblinSlayer'' and its anime adaptation also focus on a sword-wielding protagonist and his band of warriors that slay evil creatures preying on the innocent in a medieval-esque world. ''Manga/DemonSlayerKimetsuNoYaiba'' has a premise of a hero and his companions slaying demons that prey upon humans. ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'' is about the remnants of humanity protecting themselves from huge giants. And for Western works with similar themes and imagery, see ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' (including its television adaptation ''Series/GameOfThrones''), ''Literature/BlackLeopardRedWolf'', ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'', ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'', ''Literature/TheFirstLaw'', ''Literature/TheWitcher'', ''Film/EventHorizon'', ''Series/TheMandalorian'', ''ComicBook/{{Monstress}}'', ''VideoGame/{{Blasphemous}}'', ''VideoGame/DantesInferno'', ''VideoGame/Doom2016'' (and its sequel ''VideoGame/DoomEternal''), ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'', ''VideoGame/GodOfWar'', ''Franchise/MortalKombat'', ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'', Creator/{{Disney}}'s ''WesternAnimation/{{The Hunchback of Notre Dame|Disney}}'', ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'', ''WesternAnimation/Primal2019'', ''WesternAnimation/Castlevania2017'', ''WesternAnimation/DotaDragonsBlood'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Arcane}}'', ''WesternAnimation/BloodOfZeus'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfVoxMachina''.

Unfortunately, with Kentaro Miura [[DiedDuringProduction passing away from an acute aortic dissection]] on May 6, 2021, the series' future is uncertain. The posthumous episode 364 was released in ''Young Animal'' magazine on September 10, 2021, and was included together with the remaining uncollected chapters in Volume 41, published on December 24, 2021. The episode 364 and volume 41 releases were accompanied by an official statement from the Editorial Department of ''Young Animal'', saying there was unfortunately no information to share about the future of ''Berserk'' at that date.