Widely viewed as one of the most influential seinen manga in history and a seminal work of the dark fantasy genre, Berserk is a title that has always been in a class of its own. Sadly, the untimely death of its creator, Kentaro Miura, nearly 32 years after the series first began serialization in Hakusensha's Young Animal magazine, left it in an uncertain limbo state until news of a continuation emerged.

Three years after this tragic event, Berserk has published 12 additional chapters, with fellow manga artist Kouji Mori — a close friend of Miura's — overseeing production on 11 of them, alongside Studio Gaga, a team of artists who worked with Miura on Duranki and Berserk. With the series gradually heading towards a conclusion of sorts, in accordance with Miura's own plans, how does this new era of Berserk compare to the lofty standards set by its creator?

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The Void Left By Kentaro Miura's Demise

Over the course of Miura's time working onBerserk, he attained an immense degree of acclaim and influenced innumerable other successful titles in the fields of manga, television, and gaming. These include popular manga series such as Hajime Isayama's Attack on Titan, Netflix's Castlevania animated series, as well as Final Fantasy VII, Bloodborne, Elden Ring, and the Dark Souls video game franchise.

It is rare for a single manga to have such an impact on so many respected titles in different forms of media, and this speaks volumes of how Miura's work changed lives and inspired many creators to take notes from him while executing projects of their own. Furthermore, one of Berserk's greatest strengths throughout its run, was the deep personal connection between its author and the work itself.

From its complex themes, moral ambiguity, character writing, and its unique blend of dark fantasy and horror, Berserk was a project that Miura devoted his entire life to and there is one arena that best sums up his evolution as a manga artist: the artwork itself. On looking at how the visual language of Berserk evolved over the years, it is easy to perceive the efforts of an artist who dared to strive for even greater levels of perfection with every passing chapter.

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Even in the days of the opening Black Swordsman Arc, which was a bit rough around the edges in relation to what Berserk would morph into, Miura's artwork was leagues ahead of most of his peers. When the Golden Age Arc began to reach its climax, with epic battles of monumental proportion, Miura took things to another level, depicting sweeping battle sequences filled with armor-clad knights atop horses illustrated with intricate cross-hatching, pencil shading, and ink rendering techniques.

Skipping forward to the Falcon of the Millennium Empire Arc and the subsequent Fantasia Arc, his now-digitally drawn panels were reminiscent of Baroque paintings, featuring majestic landscapes and architecture detailed down to the smallest cornice. Miura's dedication to enhancing the quality of his art was irrefutable proof that Berserk was more than just a labor of love, it was something that defined him. Such a richly layered connection between creator and creation is part of what makes all great manga shine, and this goes double for Berserk, which is why Miura's demise was seen as the end of Berserk in its original form.

Enter Kouji Mori And Studio Gaga

For many fans of the series, Miura's death marked the end of Berserk as they knew it, and any continuation, regardless of its quality, would simply not live up to his lofty standards. However, the series resumed with a continuation nearly nine months after this tragic turn of events in May 2021, led by Kouji Mori, Miura's closest childhood friend and a fellow manga artist himself.

Having stepped up to take up the daunting task of finishing Miura's work, Mori noted that he was convinced to do so upon meeting with Miura's assistants at Studio Gaga, and realizing that Berserk was a story that was best experienced through the medium of manga. In addition, the team at Studio Gaga was also responsible for completing the posthumously released Chapter 364 of Berserk, which was unfinished at the time of Miura's passing.

What Are The Major Changes To Berserk's Publication?

Two years after Berserk returned in Miura's absence, Studio Gaga and Kouji Mori have released 11 chapters, which is a surprising change of pace, given the lengthy breaks it often experienced in its production schedule. Although there are still hiatuses from time to time, the manga has been steadily trudging along towards a conclusion, according to Mori's knowledge of what Miura had planned for the future of Berserk.

Generally, the production team's work on the manga has been more than commendable, especially with regard to how they have emulated the salient features of Miura's art style, to the point where fans will still feel that they are reading a version of Berserk. Needless to say, there are some minor changes in the art itself, especially with regard to backgrounds, as Miura's drawing skills and attention to detail surpass what the team can currently muster.

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This is not a criticism of their efforts by any means, it is simply a testament to Miura's immense talent as a manga artist, the likes of which may never be seen again. Moreover, each successive chapter of Berserk released over the past two years, has also showcased a gradual improvement in quality, and it is certain that things will only get better from here. From what they have put out so far, it is very easy to see that Studio Gaga has incredibly talented artists working on Berserk, and it would not be a surprise if each one of them goes on to become a successful manga artist on their own, once this project concludes.

Another facet of the manga that has changed considerably, is the amount of dialogue included in each chapter. Naturally, it would be a difficult task to replicate this aspect of Berserk, since Mori has committed to only adapting what Miura told him in detail. In this light, his decision to omit anything he is unsure of, or cannot recall, is a touching gesture to honor the memory of someone he held so dear. Hence, even if Berserk gets an ending, it will be slightly less fleshed-out than what Miura may have imagined before his death.

Berserk's New Era Starts On A Precarious Precipice

Near the time of Miura's death, Berserk was approaching a critical turning point, where Chapter 363 and Chapter 364 — the last two he worked on directly — were building up to a cataclysmic event that would alter the story's course entirely. The event in question was the destruction of Elfhelm and the subsequent reunion between Guts, Griffith, and Casca.

These three characters had not been face-to-face with one another since the fateful Reunion on the Hill of Swords, and it had been over two decades since such a moment was published in the manga. Guts and Griffith had also not engaged in a fight after he left the Band of the Falcon during the Golden Age Arc, and the rematch between them held even more narrative weight than any battle in the series prior to it. All three members of the main trio had undergone significant growth in their respective journeys, and this ill-fated meeting was a sign that Berserk was finally approaching its climax.

In fact, Berserk Chapter 364 ended on a massive cliffhanger, as Griffith revealed himself to be the Moonlight Boy in front of a bewildered Guts, indicating that Miura intended to kick things back into high gear following a relatively subdued segment of the narrative. Since then, Studio Gaga and Mori have ushered the story into the new Eastern Exile Chapter of the ongoing Fantasia Arc, where Guts and his allies seek refuge with the Kushan Empire, following Griffith's abduction of Casca and the destruction of Elfhelm.

Where Will Berserk Go From Here?

Currently, it has been estimated that Berserkwill likely end within the next decade, which is a fairly reasonable timeline given the amount of story left to cover. A 10-year-period also seems relatively small given that the manga has been in publication for more than 30 years, making this last quarter of its run appear to be a short duration in comparison to the time since its debut.

On one hand, many fans of the series must be quite grateful that Mori and Studio Gaga's efforts will actually give Berserka conclusion in some way, even if it might not be the ending it truly deserves. Despite all the mixed reactions surrounding the manga's continuation, the production team has remained focused and respectful in their efforts to honor Miura, illustrating their deep reverence for him and his work.

Amid the tragedy that brought the life of one of manga's greatest creators to a close, this new take on Berserk is a bittersweet sliver of hope, an epitaph to a true titan of the medium, as told through those who shared his love for his craft. If nothing else, the fact that Mori and Studio Gaga continue to persist and struggle towards completing a task that was thought to be impossible, is a fitting tribute to everything that Berserk stands for.

Berserk is available to stream on Netflix.

Berserk

Fantasy

Action

Release Date

October 8, 1997

Studio

OLM Team Iguchi

Creator

Kentaro Miura

Number of Episodes

25

Streaming Service(s)

YouTube