"I still remember the day I started reading it. I was studying and I went to take my usual 30-minute break. I opened the first volume, that famous opening page of pure horror-erotic chaos that introduced Guts to me. I’m sure I took the day off, reading Berserk as much as I could."

In this article, I’m going to talk about Berserk, a Japanese manga* created by Kentaro Miura, which became the dark fantasy genre’s landmark masterpiece, influencing many works across media from manga and anime to video games.

*Manga (in Japanese, 漫画): Japanese comics or graphic novels, typically published in serialized form and read from right to left.

Table of Contents

1.0. What is Berserk? (Page 1)
　　1.1. Influences
　　1.2. Synopsis
2. Why is Berserk so important? (Page 2)
3. Origins of Berserk & Kentaro Miura’s Legacy (Page 2)
4. Narration, Themes and Characters (Page 3, spoiler alert!)
5. Artwork (Page 4, spoiler alert!)
6. Author’s Message (Page 5)

What is Berserk?

Berserk is an epic dark-fantasy Japanese manga that follows Guts, also known as the Black Swordsman, a stoic, fierce warrior who, along with his lover Casca, was marked by the Brand of Sacrifice. The Brand is a powerful curse that makes the bearer prey for demonic apostles, who were once human.

Originally released as a prototype in 1988 and written and illustrated by Kentaro Miura, Berserk's first volume was published on November 20, 1990, by a company called Hakusensha. Since its release, Berserk has sold more than 70 million copies worldwide, a landmark record for a seinen* manga. It has become one of the most popular manga series of all time. Furthermore, Berserk has received multiple anime adaptations, including the fan-favorite Berserk (1997 TV series). It has also earned numerous nominations and accolades, including the Award for Excellence at the sixth annual Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 2002.

*Seinen (in Japanese, 青年): A category of Japanese comics aimed at young adult and adult men, typically featuring mature themes, omplex narratives, and more realistic or graphic content than shōnen (in Japanese, 少年) manga.

Berserk has been loved by both fans and critics for its beautifully written story, its complex characters, each carved masterfully, and especially for its vivid, dynamic, and maximalist artwork that showcases Kentaro Miura’s virtuoso talent in the manga industry.

To get familiar with the concepts, ideologies, themes and narration of Berserk it is important to know the works that Miura personally acknowledged as his influences for Berserk.

1.1. Influences

Berserk has taken a huge amount of influence from various films, novels, manga and artists that are visible throughout the story, art, world & character design, etc. The Lord of The Rings, George Lucas’s Star Wars (1977), Osamu Tezuko’s Dororo, Devilman, Batman (1989), Fist of the North Star are some of the materials that inspired Berserk’s storytelling, character design, dark and chaotic tone which shaped its visuals and narration. It’s also good to know that painters such as M. C. Escher and Pieter Bruegel have also influenced Miura’s drawing style.

All of these great works’ influences has been enriching Berserk’s complex structure which through Kentaro Miura’s exceptional originality and talent, Berserk has become a timeless valuable masterpiece of an art.

1.2. Synopsis

Berserk tells the story of Guts, the infamous Black Swordsman who bears a gigantic armament called Dragonslayer. Guts along with his lover, Casca, was marked by an astral demonic curse called the Brand of Sacrifice. The bearer of the curse would be hunted down by demons from the other realm; therefore Guts struggles to survive and faces numerous challenges in his journey while trying to protect his loved ones. In his journeys Guts is always torn between his thirst for vengeance and his choice to stay and protect his loved ones. Even though he is feared by both men and apostles, Guts has to find a way to overcome his nemesis, the Femto, one of the Godhands of the astral realm who has cursed Guts to be damned for eternity.

- Written & Edited by Mohammadamin Almasi

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