Berserk
| Fandom | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Berserk, Berserk: The Prototype ベルセルク, Beruseruku |
| Abbreviation(s): | |
| Creator: | Miura Kentarō |
| Date(s): | Aug 25, 1989 – Sep 10, 2021 Jul 12, 1996 (one-shot) Jun 23, 2017 (light novel) Jul 1, 2016 – Sep 16, 2016 Apr 7, 2017 – Jun 23, 2017 June 23, 2012 February 1, 2013 February 21, 2017 (World Wide) |
| Medium: | manga, anime, film, musou game |
| Country of Origin: | Japan |
| External Links: | Official Website (Japanese) at Wikipedia (1989 to 2021) at MyAnimeList (one-shot) at MyAnimeList (light novel) at Wikipedia (1997 series) at MyAnimeList (2016 series) at Wikipedia (2016 series) at MyAnimeList (2017 series) at MyAnimeList (Jun 2012) at MyAnimeList (Feb 2013) at Wikipedia (golden arc) |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
| Needs Updating: This page is out of date. Editors are encouraged to add more recent information. |
Berserk is a long-running seinen manga created and illustrated by Kentaro Miura, between 1989 to 2021 and by Kouji Mori and Studio Gaga from 2022 to present.
It is known for being exceptionally dark, gritty, and bleak, particularly in terms of violence and sexual violence. Berserk is set in a medieval dark Europian-inspired fantasy world and centers on Guts, a mercenary on a dangerous journey; his emotionally and mentally shattered partner Casca; and an enigmatic figure from their past, the androgynous Griffith.
The manga has three anime adaptations — a series in 1997, a movie trilogy from 2012 to 2013, a series in 2016 - controversially filmed in CGI - and an episodic edition of the movie trilogy in 2022, ‘ Berserk: The Golden Age Arc - Memorial Edition’. There was a 2017 spin-off novel, Berserk: The Flame Dragon Knight.
Miura’s Death & Continuation
In May 2021, the official Twitter account for Berserk released a statement, sharing the news of Miura’s death.[1] A chapter was published posthumously in September of that year, ending the series prematurely. In June 2022, it was announced that the series would be continued by Miura's close friend, Kouji Mori, in collaboration with Miura’s studio, Studio Gaga, using Miura's completed manuscript.[2]
As the only person who was told the intended ending, Kouji Mori explained in a 2022 interview with Hakusensha, "I will only write the episodes that Miura talked to me about. I will not flesh it out. I will not write episodes that I don't remember clearly. I will only write the lines and stories that Miura described to me.” [3]
Influences
Miura cited Kenshiro from Fist of the North Star as the character model for Guts, and Oscar François de Jarjayes from The Rose of Versailles for Griffith.[4]
Miura expressed his enjoyment for Shoujo manga, citing The Rose of Versailles and Kaze to Ki no Uta as specific influences from that demographic. [5]
Other influences include Star Wars and Hellraiser.[6]
Influence On Other Works
Hidetaka Miyazaki has mentioned Berserk being influential to him; this is very evident in the Dark Souls games. [7]
Miro Haverinen, the creator of Fear & Hunger stated the character Le’Garde was directly influenced by Griffith.[8] Makoto Yukimura, the author of Vinland Saga, notes Berserk as a big influence.[9]
Fandom
Ships
- Guts/Griffith
- Guts/Casca
- Griffith/Casca
- Griffith/Charlotte
- Casca/Farnese
- Guts/Farnese
- Farnese/Serpico
- Farnese/Roderick
Controversies
There was a time where some people (fans and no-fans) believed Casca's brutal rape was "meant to be sexy," pissing off devoted fans of the series who pointed out that even in the less graphic 90s anime, it was still clearly played for horror.
Example Fanworks
Fanart
AMVs
Doujinshi
| Title | Circle | Published | Contents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toxic | Killer Bambi | 2014.05.04 | 18+ Griffith/Guts |
| Heartache | Killer Bambi | 2014.12.29 | 18+ Griffith/Guts |
| I’m Incontinent Just Because I’m Drunk [10] | Kentaro Miura, Kouji Mori, Akkiu, Sugiko | 2004.12.30 | 18+ General |
Meta
- Sacrifice, a Guts/Griffith ship manifesto by relmneiko
- Smooth Talker, a Judeau idol reflection by FuziPenguin
Archives, Communities & Resources
Archives
Communities
- midland, a Berserk LiveJournal community
Forums and Wikis
- The Berserk Encyclopedia at SkullKnight.net
- Falconia forums
- Blackswordsman forum (web archive)
- BerserkRealm.com
- Berserk Wiki at Wikia
Other Resources
References
- ^ Official Statement of Kentaro Miura’s Passing by Berserk Project, 20 May 2021.
- ^ Berserk Manga to Continue After Creator's Death
- ^ 『ベルセルク』再開のお知らせ, Archived version (in Japanese). Hakusensha. June 7, 2022.
- ^ Comic from Miura citing Kenshiro and Oscar as inspirations for Guts and Griffith. - panel provided by richmond_lee on Twitter.
- ^ Berserk Official Guidebook Interview (2017).
- ^ Say It With Manga - Western Influences in Berserk by CBR, 23 Jan 2014.
- ^ Complete List of Berserk Influences on Souls Games by knowll, 2020.
- ^ Miro refers to Le’Garde as ‘Walmart Griffith’ on Twitter 10 May 2023.
- ^ I have a lot of influence from BERSERK. - Makoto Yukimura, 11 Oct 2020.
- ^ I’m Incontinent Just Because I’m Drunk, Archived version published 30 Dec 2004, uploaded by frostifusionz_ on Mega, 29 Dec 2023.