Berserk, the masterpiece of mangaka Kentaro Miura, has influenced a great number of intellectual properties since its launch in 1989 in the Animal House magazine – now known as Young Animal – of the Hakusensha publishing house. However, despite the importance that Kentaro Miura’s work has had, it has not had an animated adaptation that satisfies its fans. For this reason, at GamerFocus we have prepared a guide to learn about the different adaptations of Berserk to ‘anime’, video games and how these can be complemented with Kentaro Miura’s ‘manga’.
At GamerFocus we covered the unfortunate news of Kentaro Miura’s passing on May 20, 2021 . In this article we review a little of his career and the messages that other artists left after the departure of the author of Berserk.
How can I understand the history of Berserk?
Berserk’s dark fantasy universe has left an irrefutable mark on the world of ‘manganime’, film and video games.
During the 32 years that the Berserk ‘manga’ has been in circulation, it has had three adaptations to ‘anime’. Some of these have had differences with respect to the original work of Miura. With this in mind, we will review each of the versions of the Berserk ‘anime’ .
How to start watching the ‘anime’ or reading the ‘manga’ of Berserk ?
In 2021 there are several ways to start reading or seeing animated the work of Kentaro Miura. So, just like in our guide to watching and reading Baki by Keisuke Itagaki , we’ll go over the Berserk ‘anime’ adaptations as we locate each arc in its corresponding ‘manga’ chapter. In this way – and without ‘spoilers’ – they will be ready to learn the story of Guts, the black swordsman (“kuroi kenshi”).
Berserk ‘manga’ (1989)
The ideal starting point for anyone who wants to start watching or reading Berserk is undoubtedly the ‘manga’, since the first arc in the Guts story called ” The Black Swordsman” . This arc, which is located between chapter 94 and 95 of the ‘manga’ introduces us to Guts, Puck, Femto and a mysterious group known as “The Hand of God.” The arc of ” The Black Swordsman” covers the first two volumes – and part of the third ‘tankōbon’ – and much of the third where the most famous arc of Kentaro Miura’s work begins.
What to do before you start watching the 1997 Berserk anime ?
Berserk from 1997, despite having made some changes in the beginning with respect to the story of the ‘manga’, is a great ‘anime’. So reading the first three volumes, or tankōbon , of Berserk before starting the 1997 ‘anime’ is highly recommended. This is because the first arc of the ‘manga’ of Berserk , called ” The black swordsman” , which goes from chapter 1 to 8 of the ‘manga’ of Kentaro Miura ‘ , is compiled in the first episodes omitting characters and some events.
Who is Puck?
Puck (パ ッ ク), one of the omitted characters in the 1997 animated version, is an elf of the pisky race. This race is a descendant of the ancient spirits of the wind. Puck, prior to the events of the “Golden Age” arc , lived in Elfhelm. This character, according to his stories, migrated from his home due to boredom. In the beginning, Miura created Puck as a link with the reader to sympathize with Guts. Later, the author would give him the role of a comic character and sometimes he breaks the fourth wall.
Berserk (1997)
The first adaptation to the ‘anime’ that Berserk had , called in Japan Kenpuu Denki Berserk (剣 風 伝 奇 ベ ル セ ル ク), was released in October 1997 and ended its broadcast in March 1998 with a total of 25 episodes. This series was in charge of the studio OLM, Inc ( Pokémon, Yokai Watch , SRW OG: Divine Wars ) and covered the arc of ” The Golden Age “. The history of the 1997 ‘anime’ Berserk spans from the end of volume ( tankōbon ) 3, to chapter 86 of volume 13 of Kentaro Miura’s ‘manga’.
Berserk’s 1997 series has been widely praised by fans and critics not only for its animation and dialogue, but also for its memorable soundtrack. This was composed by Susumu Hirasawa. He was recruited by Miura himself and since his participation in the 1997 ‘anime’ he has composed much of the music for the products derived from the Berserk ‘manga’ .
Where can I see the 1997 Berserk ‘anime’ ?
Currently, the 1997 Berserk ‘anime’ is not licensed for Latin America, but if you want to see it with Spanish subtitles, you can do so on YouTube at the following link .
Who make up the “Band of the Hawk”?
The “Band of the Hawk (鷹 の 団)” was founded by Griffith and its main members are Judeau, Casca, Pippin, Corkas, Rickert and Guts. The latter joined the group after losing a battle to Griffith. The members of the Gang of the Hawk are Guts’s “family” and play a pivotal role in the development of the Berserk protagonist . According to Kentaro Miura, the members of the Gang of the Hawk are based on their friends from high school .
The Berserk ” Golden Age ” Arc Movie Trilogy
Berserk: The Golden Age Arc is a trilogy of films written by Ichiro Okouchi ( Code Geass ) and directed by Toshiyuki Kubooka ( Lunar: The Silver Star, Gunbuster ). Susumu Hirasawa composed the ‘opening’ of the film adaptation of the arc of “The Golden Age”, while Shirō Sagisu ( Neon Genesis Evangelion ) composed the soundtrack. These three films, The Egg of the King , The Battle for Doldrey and The Advent , cover the events of ” The Golden Age ” from the end of volume 3 ‘to chapter 92 of volume 14 of Berserk’s ‘ manga’. It should be noted that this adaptation eliminated a lot of material from Kentaro Miura’s original work. Despite this, all three films are highly recommended and serve as a prequel to the 2016 ‘anime’.
Who is Rickert?
Rickert (リ ッ ケ ル ト), the youngest member of the “Gang of the Hawk”, is a gentle and rational young man. During the arc of ” The Golden Age “, Ricker was always accompanied by Corkas, Judeau and Pippin. The youngest of the “Band of the Hawk” always stood out for his marksmanship. After surviving the events of the “eclipse”, Rickert is the one who creates the mechanical arm of Guts before his two-year journey in search of revenge.
How to continue the story of the Berserk movie trilogy ?
From this point we recommend that you better continue reading Berserk from chapter 89 of the volume or ‘tankōbon ‘ 13 of the »manga ‘ . This is because both the end of “The Advent” and the beginning of the 2016 ‘anime’ change elements of the original work. If after this you still want to continue watching the 2016 anime, you should know a story from the third arc, which was omitted from the 2016 Berserk anime .
What stories make up the bow ” Conviction” of Berserk ?
The third Berserk story known as the ” Conviction” arc is made up of three chapters. The first one called ” The chapter of the lost children” , which does not have an animated adaptation and therefore was omitted in the ‘anime’ Berserk of 2016. So before starting to see the ‘anime’ Berserk of 2016, we recommend you read the first story of the arc « Conviction».
This is the location of the three chapters of the ‘ Conviction ‘ arc in Berserk’s ‘manga’ :
- The story of the ” Lost Boys” begins in chapter 95 of volume 14 and ends in chapter 117 of volume 16 of Berserk’s ‘manga’ .
- ” The chapter of the chain of union ” begins from chapter 118 of volume 16 of the ‘manga’ and extends until chapter 125 of volume 17 of Berserk.
- ” The chapter of the birth ceremony” begins in chapter 126 of ‘tankōbon’ 17 and ends in chapter 176 of volume 21. This is the end of the arc ” Conviction” .
Berserk (2016)
At the end of 2015, before Berserk: The Golden Age Arc III – The Advent was 3 years after its premiere in theaters in Japan, the new animated adaptation of Hakusensha’s work was announced in the Young Animal magazine of Hakusensha publishing house. Kentaro Miura. Weeks later, during the Comiket fair, the first trailer for Berserk (2016) was revealed . This series produced by Liden Films and animated by the Gemba studio ran for two 12-episode seasons.
erserk (2016) ran with a series of problems in its production . This is due to the lack of experience from the Gemba studio and the poor decisions of Shin Itagaki, the director ofthe 2016’anime’ Berserk . Although some of the animation bugs were corrected in the Blu-Ray version, fans of the Kentaro Miura’s ‘manga’ do not accept the vision of the Gemba studio. Additionally, Berserk’s 2016 ‘anime’featured the participation of Susumu Hirasawa, composer of the 1997 series, with the songs ” Ash Crow “ and “ Hai Yo “ .
Which story arcs from Berserk’s ‘manga’ does the 2016 ‘anime’ adapt?
The first episodes of the 2016 Berserk anime span the first two chapters of the “Black Swordsman” arc and then skip to the events of the second and third chapters of the ” Conviction” arc . The second batch of episodes of Berserk (2016) was released in 2017 and adapted the arc called ” The Millennium Falcon ” up to chapter 264 ‘manga’ by Kentaro Miura.
What chapters does the arc called ” The Millennium Falcon ” in the Berserk ‘manga’ cover ?
” The Millennium Falcon ” (千年 帝国 の 鷹篇) is the fourth story arc of the Berserk ‘manga’ , which with a total of 131 chapters is the longest in the history of Kentaro Miura’s ‘manga’. The story of the arc ” The Millennium Falcon ” begins in chapter 177 and ends in 307.
Who are the members of the new Guts group?
The new Guts group, or the new gang of the black swordsman, is a team made up of allies that Guts has had after the events of the Eclipse. Each of the members of this group helps Guts in different ways. This makes this group complement each other when facing powerful enemies. While the Skull Knight has fought alongside Guts and his group, Guts cannot be considered a member of this team. So this is the current list of members of the new group of Guts, or the new gang of the black swordsman until the fifth story arc of the Berserk ‘manga’ called Fantasia .
- Guts
- Farnese
- Bark
- Schierke
- Puck
- Ivalera
- Serpico
- Isidro
- Roderick de Schtauffen
- Magnificent
- Azan
- Isma
Where should I read the Berserk ‘manga’ from if I have already finished watching the 2016 ‘anime’?
Once episode 24 of the 2016 Berserk ‘anime’ is finished , they should start reading the ‘manga’ from chapter 265. From this point on, the rest of the arc « The Millennium Falcon « has not been adapted to the ‘anime’. nor the following story of the ‘manga’. This is called Fantasia and for the moment it continues until chapter 364 of the Berserk ‘manga’ . This chapter was released on September 10, 2021 with the help of Miura’s assistants from Studio Gaga.
Will chapter 364 of Berserk’s ‘manga’ be the end of Kentaro Miura’s work?
In issue 18 of 2021 of Young Animal magazine chapter 364 of the ‘manga’ Berserk was published. At the end of chapter 364 of Berserk his editor left a letter for fans of Kentaro Miura’s work. The letter reveals that the last manuscript of Berserk, in which the ‘mangaka’ Kentaro Miura worked, was that of chapter 364. Thanks to that, Studio Gaga, founded by Miura himself and made up of his assistants, was able to finish chapter 364 of Berserk. In the letter, the publisher of Berserk also expresses the joy of all those involved for the launch of volume 41 of the Berserk ‘manga’. . This last ‘tankōbon’, like chapter 364 of the ‘manga’, will also be a tribute to Kentaro Miura the author of Berserk.
According to the editor’s letter from Kentaro Miura, there is currently no final decision on whether or not this will be the end of the Berserk ‘manga’ .
What is Studio Gaga?
Studio Gaga was founded by Kentaro Miura. The main purpose of the ‘mangaka’ was that his assistants could be present at his work under the name of a collective. Currently, Studio Gaga is working on the ‘ Duranki ‘ manga , which had the participation of Kentaro Miura as a producer.
Who makes up Studio Gaga?
- Yoshimitsu Kurosaki (黒 崎 能 光, Kurosaki Yoshimitsu)
- Akio Miyaji (宮 地 秋 夫, Miyaji Akio)
- Shinshu Hirai (平井 信 周, Hirai Shinshū)
- Arihide Nagashima (長島 有 秀, Nagashima Arihide)