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Berserk Deluxe Edition #5
Berserk Deluxe Edition, Volume 5
Kentaro Miura's epic adult fantasy/horror series is an international sensation and is now featured in 7x10 deluxe hardcover editions!
Griffith, the mutilated leader of the Band of the Hawk mercenaries, offers up his command to the demon lords of the Godhand in exchange for a rebirth into beauty—and terrible power. But the Hawks' berserker champion, Guts, will take on perdition itself to save his lover, Casca, from the profane violations that only Hell can offer! Collects Berserk volumes 13-15, and includes Berserk Prototype, the original Berserk submission story.
Griffith, the mutilated leader of the Band of the Hawk mercenaries, offers up his command to the demon lords of the Godhand in exchange for a rebirth into beauty—and terrible power. But the Hawks' berserker champion, Guts, will take on perdition itself to save his lover, Casca, from the profane violations that only Hell can offer! Collects Berserk volumes 13-15, and includes Berserk Prototype, the original Berserk submission story.
720 pages, Hardcover
First published July 7, 2020
193 people are currently reading
1901 people want to read
About the author
Kentaro Miura
372 books2,739 followersKentarou Miura (三浦建太郎) was born in Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, in 1966. He is left-handed. In 1976, at the early age of 10, Miura made his first Manga, entitled "Miuranger", that was published for his classmates in a school publication; the manga ended up spanning 40 volumes. In 1977, Miura created his second manga called Ken e no michi (剣への道 The Way to the Sword), using Indian ink for the first time. When he was in middle school in 1979, Miura's drawing techniques improved greatly as he started using professional drawing techniques. His first dōjinshi was published, with the help of friends, in a magazine in 1982.
That same year, in 1982, Miura enrolled in an artistic curriculum in high school, where he and his classmates started publishing their works in school booklets, as well as having his first dōjinshi published in a fan-produced magazine. In 1985, Miura applied for the entrance examination of an art college in Nihon University. He submitted Futanabi for examination and was granted admission. This project was later nominated Best New Author work in Weekly Shōnen Magazine. Another Miura manga Noa was published in Weekly Shōnen Magazine the very same year. Due to a disagreement with one of the editors, the manga was stalled and eventually dropped altogether. This is approximately where Miura's career hit a slump.
In 1988, Miura bounced back with a 48-page manga known as Berserk Prototype, as an introduction to the current Berserk fantasy world. It went on to win Miura a prize from the Comi Manga School. In 1989, after receiving a doctorate degree, Kentarou started a project titled King of Wolves (王狼, ōrō?) based on a script by Buronson, writer of Hokuto no Ken. It was published in the monthly Japanese Animal House magazine in issues 5 and 7 of that year.
In 1990, a sequel is made to Ourou entitled Ourou Den (王狼伝 ōrō den, The Legend of the Wolf King) that was published as a prequel to the original in Young Animal Magazine. In the same year, the 10th issue of Animal House witnesses the first volume of the solo project Berserk was released with a relatively limited success. Miura again collaborated with Buronson on manga titled Japan, that was published in Young Animal House from the 1st issue to the 8th of 1992, and was later released as a stand-alone tankōbon. Miura's fame grew after Berserk was serialized in Young Animal in 1992 with the release of "The Golden Age" story arc and the huge success of his masterpiece made of him one of the most prominent contemporary mangakas. At this time Miura dedicates himself solely to be working on Berserk. He has indicated, however, that he intends to publish more manga in the future.
In 1997, Miura supervised the production of 25 anime episodes of Berserk that aired in the same year on NTV. Various art books and supplemental materials by Miura based on Berserk are also released. In 1999, Miura made minor contributions to the Dreamcast video game Sword of the Berserk: Guts' Rage. 2004 saw the release of yet another video game adaptation entitled Berserk Millennium Falcon Arc: Chapter of the Record of the Holy Demon War.
Since that time, the Berserk manga has spanned 34 tankōbon with no end in sight. The series has also spawned a whole host of merchandise, both official and fan-made, ranging from statues, action figures to key rings, video games, and a trading card game. In 2002, Kentarou Miura received the second place in the Osamu Tezuka Culture Award of Excellence for Berserk.[1]
Miura provided the design for the Vocaloid Kamui Gakupo, whose voice is taken from the Japanese singer and actor, Gackt.
Miura passed away on May 6, 2021 at 2:48 p.m. due to acute aortic dissection.
That same year, in 1982, Miura enrolled in an artistic curriculum in high school, where he and his classmates started publishing their works in school booklets, as well as having his first dōjinshi published in a fan-produced magazine. In 1985, Miura applied for the entrance examination of an art college in Nihon University. He submitted Futanabi for examination and was granted admission. This project was later nominated Best New Author work in Weekly Shōnen Magazine. Another Miura manga Noa was published in Weekly Shōnen Magazine the very same year. Due to a disagreement with one of the editors, the manga was stalled and eventually dropped altogether. This is approximately where Miura's career hit a slump.
In 1988, Miura bounced back with a 48-page manga known as Berserk Prototype, as an introduction to the current Berserk fantasy world. It went on to win Miura a prize from the Comi Manga School. In 1989, after receiving a doctorate degree, Kentarou started a project titled King of Wolves (王狼, ōrō?) based on a script by Buronson, writer of Hokuto no Ken. It was published in the monthly Japanese Animal House magazine in issues 5 and 7 of that year.
In 1990, a sequel is made to Ourou entitled Ourou Den (王狼伝 ōrō den, The Legend of the Wolf King) that was published as a prequel to the original in Young Animal Magazine. In the same year, the 10th issue of Animal House witnesses the first volume of the solo project Berserk was released with a relatively limited success. Miura again collaborated with Buronson on manga titled Japan, that was published in Young Animal House from the 1st issue to the 8th of 1992, and was later released as a stand-alone tankōbon. Miura's fame grew after Berserk was serialized in Young Animal in 1992 with the release of "The Golden Age" story arc and the huge success of his masterpiece made of him one of the most prominent contemporary mangakas. At this time Miura dedicates himself solely to be working on Berserk. He has indicated, however, that he intends to publish more manga in the future.
In 1997, Miura supervised the production of 25 anime episodes of Berserk that aired in the same year on NTV. Various art books and supplemental materials by Miura based on Berserk are also released. In 1999, Miura made minor contributions to the Dreamcast video game Sword of the Berserk: Guts' Rage. 2004 saw the release of yet another video game adaptation entitled Berserk Millennium Falcon Arc: Chapter of the Record of the Holy Demon War.
Since that time, the Berserk manga has spanned 34 tankōbon with no end in sight. The series has also spawned a whole host of merchandise, both official and fan-made, ranging from statues, action figures to key rings, video games, and a trading card game. In 2002, Kentarou Miura received the second place in the Osamu Tezuka Culture Award of Excellence for Berserk.[1]
Miura provided the design for the Vocaloid Kamui Gakupo, whose voice is taken from the Japanese singer and actor, Gackt.
Miura passed away on May 6, 2021 at 2:48 p.m. due to acute aortic dissection.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 393 reviews
March 31, 2023
The Golden Age is a long journey worth taking.
Griffith may be the greatest villain ever created.
All the great things you heard about Berserk are true.
The only question is : Do you have the stamina?
Griffith may be the greatest villain ever created.
All the great things you heard about Berserk are true.
The only question is : Do you have the stamina?
August 13, 2024
4/5
Okay, only three things about this volume because I need to read the next one more than I need my next breath.
— I have never seen Guts go so berserk before. I’m talking about chapter eight seven, which left my jaw on the floor. I didn’t think it was possible to hate that guy —or not guy anymore—more, but it turns out it is.
— I literally cried when that one character died.
— Volume thirteen itself deserves five stars, but the next volumes were less interesting, so that’s why I’m giving it four stars overall.
Okay, only three things about this volume because I need to read the next one more than I need my next breath.
— I have never seen Guts go so berserk before. I’m talking about chapter eight seven, which left my jaw on the floor. I didn’t think it was possible to hate that guy —or not guy anymore—more, but it turns out it is.
— I literally cried when that one character died.
— Volume thirteen itself deserves five stars, but the next volumes were less interesting, so that’s why I’m giving it four stars overall.
June 29, 2024
Some of the most unforgettable scenes in all of Berserk within this volume. Miura's mind is...something.
October 1, 2020
This. Is. How. You. Draw. Action. Sequences.
No one can convince me otherwise.
The art in this series is perfection!
No one can convince me otherwise.
The art in this series is perfection!
October 26, 2023
can they please leave casca alone
November 5, 2021
Had to take a break from Berserk, with how ridiculously dark it gets, but it's a powerful series. Miura writes evil like nobody else. Love the art, the action sequences are incredible, and there's a bizarre, Darger like quality to the back half. Fascinating and heavy, there's nothing else quite like this.
November 22, 2023
this is my least favorite volume that I’ve read so far but all of Guts’ fight scenes are still top tier .. that man is unstoppable fr. 🗡️
August 17, 2020
The last half of it was a bit lighter, but the first half was dark as f**k!! Lot of action, very grim but I say that in a good way, this is what Berserk is. We didn't get much in term of overall evolution in the main plot with this volume, but it was nonetheless very entertaining to read. And again, the quality of the illustrations with these deluxe edition is just insane!
July 6, 2023
“If you’re alone… if it’s just your life, you can use it however you please/ Wear yourself out, get cut to ribbons, doesn’t matter. But when there’s two, the blade grows heavy. Fighting like death doesn’t concern you becomes a thing of the past. It’s no longer just you. I threw away my way of life, relied on the strength of others, and somehow pushed on.”
Other than the ending of the eclipse, this was my least favorite portion of Berserk so far. BUT it's still a five star read.
The ending of the eclipse was impactful to say the least. With the longest lasting sexual assault in terms of page length, I was left feeling SUPER uncomfortable with an intense feel of despair. How will the victim ever come back from that :(
Following the events of the eclipse, we get to see how Guts comes to get the giant sword he had in the first couple of volumes Berserk, which was awesome. We're then thrown head-first into an elven plotline where a town if being terrorized by the elves. Guts, threw his new anguish and trauma, has somehow become stronger and beats some insect ass.
Overall, what a great volume in Berserk. I'm so excited to keep reading through the manga.
December 28, 2020
This collection brings the narrative full-circle, finally completing the telling of the events of Guts' past, and easing us back into the ultra-violent demon slaying that began the series so long ago. Except now, we've got all the emotional weight behind just why Guts is going around slaying monsters, and not giving a damn about anybody. And that makes all the difference. Seeing Guts lose pretty much everything he held dear over the past several volumes really hammers home the toll it's all taken on him. Anger and vengeance are really all he has left.
And despite that, he still manages to bring hope to some people. From Puck, the elf who's trying his damnedest to bring a bit of joy and humanity back to Guts' life, to Jill, a tragic girl who honestly sees the dangers of Guts' life as a better alternative to her own, he somehow manages to draw people to him. Whether he wants to or not. And it's these side characters that keep the story grounded (even if Puck is kind of annoying sometimes); they're the reminder that maybe, just maybe, Guts is doing some good in the world, as he walks his gore-streaked path of vengeance.
While there continues to be a lot to love in Berserk, the gloves are entirely off at this point. Horrible people do things that are just as bad--if not worse--than what the demons do. There's rape. There's dismemberment. There's the butchering of innocents. Berserk has always been graphic, but Miura really doesn't hold back in depicting any of this, anymore. Just a heads-up, if you don't feel like you can handle certain sensitive subjects, because chances are, they're going to show up right in your face by this point. But if you can stomach it all, Berserk continues to be a horrifying, wonderful example of how good dark fantasy can be.
And despite that, he still manages to bring hope to some people. From Puck, the elf who's trying his damnedest to bring a bit of joy and humanity back to Guts' life, to Jill, a tragic girl who honestly sees the dangers of Guts' life as a better alternative to her own, he somehow manages to draw people to him. Whether he wants to or not. And it's these side characters that keep the story grounded (even if Puck is kind of annoying sometimes); they're the reminder that maybe, just maybe, Guts is doing some good in the world, as he walks his gore-streaked path of vengeance.
While there continues to be a lot to love in Berserk, the gloves are entirely off at this point. Horrible people do things that are just as bad--if not worse--than what the demons do. There's rape. There's dismemberment. There's the butchering of innocents. Berserk has always been graphic, but Miura really doesn't hold back in depicting any of this, anymore. Just a heads-up, if you don't feel like you can handle certain sensitive subjects, because chances are, they're going to show up right in your face by this point. But if you can stomach it all, Berserk continues to be a horrifying, wonderful example of how good dark fantasy can be.
March 16, 2025
The more I read these the more I enjoy them, but holy hell is it a hard thing to reccomend.
February 17, 2025
There’s some great action and artwork in this volume, however the story isn’t as strong as it has previously been. It’s still a fantastic book, but it felt like a bridge between bigger and better stories.
August 8, 2022
The end of the golden age arc.
About as fucked up as you'd expect. If you aren't sure what to expect or haven't been spoiled, let's just say it makes the Red Wedding look like a happy event.
Overall the ending to the Golden Age is horrific and sad, and just the right amount of depression I need.
The Misty Elf arc is next, and while it starts a little slow and lingers at times, it still has moments of amazement on top of excellent art. A
A 4.5 out of 5.
About as fucked up as you'd expect. If you aren't sure what to expect or haven't been spoiled, let's just say it makes the Red Wedding look like a happy event.
Overall the ending to the Golden Age is horrific and sad, and just the right amount of depression I need.
The Misty Elf arc is next, and while it starts a little slow and lingers at times, it still has moments of amazement on top of excellent art. A
A 4.5 out of 5.
February 9, 2024
Beautiful art delivering an interesting character study on trauma. Only negatives that stand out to me are the at times gratuitous way in which violence is employed (beyond the use it may serve for the story, character development and general catharsis) and the depictions of SA intended for the male gaze.
Demon creature design is consistently great and obviously Berserk has one of the most hateable villains ever.
Demon creature design is consistently great and obviously Berserk has one of the most hateable villains ever.
September 17, 2020
It was fun to see the story progress past where it had ended when I only had access to the anime as a teenager!
January 20, 2024
Well this was the darkest and most brutal deluxe vol yet. Not just the end of the Golden Age arc, but the arc after it just kept the momentum of trauma going.
January 12, 2026
I was planning to revoke a star or two but I still can't do it so I'll just make my grievances known here.
I thought that knowing about griffith/the godhand/behelits/the brand etc etc since literally volume one would make the whole Eclipse event less shocking but that couldn't be more wrong. I don't think that I've ever experienced peril?? the same way that I did here??? and visually stunning (in a horror kind of way).
Also it was so sad for me bc I forgot how much guts changed pre and post Eclipse.. I think bc I only hung out with him post Eclipse for the first 3 volumes and then you get a massive flashback starting from birth so like I was also surprised to see howwwww different... I just want him to be happy man :(
ALSO the whole Misty Forest arc thing is actually so horrific I literally like... idk what he was supposed to do but also like..... It might be one of my favourite little mini arcs.. And it does really convey also like this sense of pointlessness bc literally what is guts even doing at this point you know? He met Griffith once and got BODIED and now we're still aimlessly kind of wandering and I just really do feel so bad for him because it's definitely feeling self-punishing at this point and also like I NEED HIM TO SHAPE UP SOON bc it's like every time we see him, he's finding new and awful ways to suppress like any semblance of humanity. I feel so sad for him :(
AND PUCK IS FINALLY BACK I LOVE THAT ELF HES SO CUTE AND SILLY WHICH I REALLY NEEDED
Now on to my grievance: spoilers for anything involved in *that* scene (sexual assault included)
TL/DR: I don't necessarily have a problem with what happened towards the end of the Eclipse re griffith, guts, and casca.. I actually feel like its VERY on brand for Griffith - he has always talked about her like an object plus I guess he needs to be cemented as Mr. Big Bad Evil Guy, and I guess guts is too healed from his childhood trauma so he needs new nightmare fuel to provide enough rage to fight demons until the end of his days??? I'm being annoying - I actually think that the action itself does serve as an excellent reveal of character and motives.. Up until this point you could rationalize his choice to sacrifice as something done out of hopelessness and despair, but when he rapes casca he is already reborn, she was already marked for death, and he was about to step into everything he ever wanted.. yet he does the act anyways because he can, and because he feels such strong contempt for guts (seriously SO sad for casca, she was literally gonna stay with him and this heinous atrocity is being committed against her, and it's not even ABOUT her).. the action is insane and pointless and futile but that is the reveal of character for me.. he wants power REGARDLESS.. so.. the act itself does serve a purpose FOR ME.
However, I think that the scene dragged on literally for so long and it shifted from feeling horrific towards indulgent and my girl Casca was not shown nearly the same respect at all that guts for example was shown when this kind of thing happened to him. The fact that it is rape at all is horrifying enough, I do not need to see literally all of the events during to grasp that. I cried for guts, but not for casca - NOT BECAUSE IT WASN'T HORRIFYING - but because I just got pissed off and started kind of glossing over everything.
More elaboration: after a lot of thinking, I think the real problem that I have with this scene is the fact that as the reader it feels to me like the author only really wants me thinking about what guts is experiencing.
So the scene plays out like POV: you and all of your friends have been offered for sacrifice, after watching most of them die in horrible ways and fighting countless huge demon monsters you see your girlfriend tied up in the palm of the godhand, you run as fast as you can to get to her, your sword breaks and your arm gets stuck in the jaws of a monster so now all you can do is watch as griffith comes down, you see every angle and detail (I guess??), its unbearable so you hack off your arm with your broken sword only to have a demon bird squash your head and gouge out your eye right after your unconscious girlfriend wakes up enough to tell you "don't look"
- horrifying right? well yes BUTTTTTTT
I think that in a scene like this it's impossible to ask me to not center the person who is ACTUALLY experiencing it... It's like they made her unconscious so that the reader doesn't have to hear her say anything, and then when she DOES say something it's just to protect the man in the scenario.. I also think that when centering Casca's perspective, the amount of detail provided was just gratuitous and I think that it actually did cheapen the horror of what was happening to her bc now instead of focusing on what this could mean for her as in being dehumanized in the worst possible way, or being betrayed by someone that she considered to be her closest friend etc etc.. it felt to me like it was just about the physical aspect of everything and was objectifying and like I don't want to say pornographic but if the shoe fits... ultimately I think there is a difference between Griffith objectifying her and the audience objectifying her.. and I think that again bc the audience is predominantly male, I just think that the later is often the case and it does make me feel ick
But the scene gave me a lot to talk about and I know it's been controversial forever so I guess there's that... Also it was still a very small percentage of this entire volume and im blowing it up as if it was EVERYTHING which it defff was not
STILL IN LOVE... just wish we gave women the same sensitivity that we give men is all.. but also I'm not disillusioned and I surely walked into Berserk and the rampant misogyny is a well documented issue with it so as always I will take the good (which is MUCH OF IT!!), and go RRRRR at the bad
I thought that knowing about griffith/the godhand/behelits/the brand etc etc since literally volume one would make the whole Eclipse event less shocking but that couldn't be more wrong. I don't think that I've ever experienced peril?? the same way that I did here??? and visually stunning (in a horror kind of way).
Also it was so sad for me bc I forgot how much guts changed pre and post Eclipse.. I think bc I only hung out with him post Eclipse for the first 3 volumes and then you get a massive flashback starting from birth so like I was also surprised to see howwwww different... I just want him to be happy man :(
ALSO the whole Misty Forest arc thing is actually so horrific I literally like... idk what he was supposed to do but also like..... It might be one of my favourite little mini arcs.. And it does really convey also like this sense of pointlessness bc literally what is guts even doing at this point you know? He met Griffith once and got BODIED and now we're still aimlessly kind of wandering and I just really do feel so bad for him because it's definitely feeling self-punishing at this point and also like I NEED HIM TO SHAPE UP SOON bc it's like every time we see him, he's finding new and awful ways to suppress like any semblance of humanity. I feel so sad for him :(
AND PUCK IS FINALLY BACK I LOVE THAT ELF HES SO CUTE AND SILLY WHICH I REALLY NEEDED
Now on to my grievance: spoilers for anything involved in *that* scene (sexual assault included)
TL/DR: I don't necessarily have a problem with what happened towards the end of the Eclipse re griffith, guts, and casca.. I actually feel like its VERY on brand for Griffith - he has always talked about her like an object plus I guess he needs to be cemented as Mr. Big Bad Evil Guy, and I guess guts is too healed from his childhood trauma so he needs new nightmare fuel to provide enough rage to fight demons until the end of his days??? I'm being annoying - I actually think that the action itself does serve as an excellent reveal of character and motives.. Up until this point you could rationalize his choice to sacrifice as something done out of hopelessness and despair, but when he rapes casca he is already reborn, she was already marked for death, and he was about to step into everything he ever wanted.. yet he does the act anyways because he can, and because he feels such strong contempt for guts (seriously SO sad for casca, she was literally gonna stay with him and this heinous atrocity is being committed against her, and it's not even ABOUT her).. the action is insane and pointless and futile but that is the reveal of character for me.. he wants power REGARDLESS.. so.. the act itself does serve a purpose FOR ME.
However, I think that the scene dragged on literally for so long and it shifted from feeling horrific towards indulgent and my girl Casca was not shown nearly the same respect at all that guts for example was shown when this kind of thing happened to him. The fact that it is rape at all is horrifying enough, I do not need to see literally all of the events during to grasp that. I cried for guts, but not for casca - NOT BECAUSE IT WASN'T HORRIFYING - but because I just got pissed off and started kind of glossing over everything.
More elaboration: after a lot of thinking, I think the real problem that I have with this scene is the fact that as the reader it feels to me like the author only really wants me thinking about what guts is experiencing.
So the scene plays out like POV: you and all of your friends have been offered for sacrifice, after watching most of them die in horrible ways and fighting countless huge demon monsters you see your girlfriend tied up in the palm of the godhand, you run as fast as you can to get to her, your sword breaks and your arm gets stuck in the jaws of a monster so now all you can do is watch as griffith comes down, you see every angle and detail (I guess??), its unbearable so you hack off your arm with your broken sword only to have a demon bird squash your head and gouge out your eye right after your unconscious girlfriend wakes up enough to tell you "don't look"
- horrifying right? well yes BUTTTTTTT
I think that in a scene like this it's impossible to ask me to not center the person who is ACTUALLY experiencing it... It's like they made her unconscious so that the reader doesn't have to hear her say anything, and then when she DOES say something it's just to protect the man in the scenario.. I also think that when centering Casca's perspective, the amount of detail provided was just gratuitous and I think that it actually did cheapen the horror of what was happening to her bc now instead of focusing on what this could mean for her as in being dehumanized in the worst possible way, or being betrayed by someone that she considered to be her closest friend etc etc.. it felt to me like it was just about the physical aspect of everything and was objectifying and like I don't want to say pornographic but if the shoe fits... ultimately I think there is a difference between Griffith objectifying her and the audience objectifying her.. and I think that again bc the audience is predominantly male, I just think that the later is often the case and it does make me feel ick
But the scene gave me a lot to talk about and I know it's been controversial forever so I guess there's that... Also it was still a very small percentage of this entire volume and im blowing it up as if it was EVERYTHING which it defff was not
STILL IN LOVE... just wish we gave women the same sensitivity that we give men is all.. but also I'm not disillusioned and I surely walked into Berserk and the rampant misogyny is a well documented issue with it so as always I will take the good (which is MUCH OF IT!!), and go RRRRR at the bad
May 8, 2025
the volume has left me with mixed feelings.
the first section is Griffith's rise to power and the explicit rape scenes that disturbed me so much that i just skipped those parts. and everything that happens after, Guts' inability to understand her PTSD, a victim of rape, and it throws back to his own rape from childhood.
The narration to return to current time (all backstories told, including how he got that symbol), and continue with the horrors of the world. And this time, its children.
Heartbreaking stories aside, humans probably are worse than demons and the "greater good" a clever phrase to ignore the weak and vulnerable, and use their position for personal gain.
the first section is Griffith's rise to power and the explicit rape scenes that disturbed me so much that i just skipped those parts. and everything that happens after, Guts' inability to understand her PTSD, a victim of rape, and it throws back to his own rape from childhood.
The narration to return to current time (all backstories told, including how he got that symbol), and continue with the horrors of the world. And this time, its children.
Heartbreaking stories aside, humans probably are worse than demons and the "greater good" a clever phrase to ignore the weak and vulnerable, and use their position for personal gain.
April 4, 2023
i love this series so much
Check out my vlog reading chapter for chapter:
https://youtu.be/i_8jXT65C5E
Check out my vlog reading chapter for chapter:
https://youtu.be/i_8jXT65C5E
June 26, 2024
I’ll just say this. The story is good. Really good. It’s not like I can’t handle rape scenes, or whatever. But God, why would the author multiple this theme so many times? Casca is always naked and knights want to fuck her every damn time. You will say: „It’s normal, because she is the only woman participating in these wars”. Bullshit. It’s disgusting to me. Humans, demons, angels, everybody either rapes or sexually assaults casca, and not only casca. This was awful to read. I’m glad I didn’t finish this.
January 31, 2024
2.5 stars.
I knew going in there'd be so much violence. I'm no stranger to that. I enjoy reading the macabre in mangas. But I didn't know there'd also be so much on-page SA. I almost could not finish it. This is what people enjoy? This is the number 1 manga of all time??
What happened to Casca was horrific. And to almost every girl and woman we meet.
I'm so glad when the whole Griffith/Bank of Hawk arc was finished.
I knew going in there'd be so much violence. I'm no stranger to that. I enjoy reading the macabre in mangas. But I didn't know there'd also be so much on-page SA. I almost could not finish it. This is what people enjoy? This is the number 1 manga of all time??
What happened to Casca was horrific. And to almost every girl and woman we meet.
I'm so glad when the whole Griffith/Bank of Hawk arc was finished.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 5, 2025
3.75
pretty over the rape scenes. feels like he can’t write a woman character that’s tragic without taking away her autonomy. i do like how unhinged Guts has gotten though
pretty over the rape scenes. feels like he can’t write a woman character that’s tragic without taking away her autonomy. i do like how unhinged Guts has gotten though
December 14, 2021
Hellraiser + Conan the Barbarian + Game of Thrones + Ash vs Evil Dead + Elric of Melnibone + Macbeth = Berserk.
Guts is a severely traumatized vigilante that wanders the world, throwing himself into one battle after another in hopes of finding a meaning in the tremendous suffering he's endured. His sword is his only trusted companion and he's consumed by a lust for vengeance. Griffith is a charismatic mercenary with dreams of ending a hundred year war in hopes of attaining his own kingdom. Little do his comrades and enemies know, he's not the flawless hero many believe him to be. When the paths of these two men clash, the entire world drastically evolves around the earth-shattering conflict between their indomitable wills.
A grimdark epic with compelling protagonists, stomach-churning horror, heartbreaking drama and a lovecraftian sense of metaphysical worldbuilding that's as fascinating as it is terrifying. Berserk has been my favorite manga, fantasy story and perhaps favorite story ever made for over a decade now and I was really sad to hear that the man behind the masterpiece passed away earlier this year.
Berserk is infamous for being the most gratuitously dark, brutal, shocking and depressing fantasy story ever written, but it is also rich with intense human emotion, philosophical depth, perseverance through unimaginable suffering and horrifyingly realistic depictions of psychological trauma. The series tackles the complex nature of morality vs. primal nature, fate and causality vs. free will, resilience against soulcrushing trauma that would cause most people to become broken or twisted. The definitions of good an evil are blurred beyond recognition, the heroes are just as flawed and capable of terrible deeds as the villains. The lead characters Guts and Griffith consistently challenge these themes and definitions through their shocking yet horrifyingly human actions.
This manga has inspired many famous works of art that are popular in today’s media such as the Dark Souls franchise, Final Fantasy, Attack on Titan, Evangelion, Castlevania, as well as countless fantasy novels, comics, manga, movies, tv shows, video games, musicians, artists, illustrators and so much more.
Miura inspired me as well and I regard him for being the person who taught me just how influential, meaningful and life changing art and literature can be when I first read his series over a decade ago. He changed the way I view entertainment and taught me how to appreciate the deeper meanings in everything I experience.
Berserk is to me what Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings is to millions of others.
Rest In Peace to a legendary man.
***
Above is my completely spoiler free review showing my appreciation for this series and its characters.
Below is a review of the entire series, broken down arc by arc. I originally wrote these individual reviews back during my first reading of the series, so keep that in mind. Each part contains mild spoilers, I would advise not looking any further than the arcs you’re currently reading or have already read.
***
The Black Swordsman Arc: Volumes 1-3
The first arc is only the tip of the iceberg of a very complex, dark and violent tragedy. If you find yourself to be not too impressed with the first volume, I highly recommend reading until at least volume 4 before deciding if this series is for you or not. The first three volumes serve as an interlude to help prepare you for the atrocities to come and may seem somewhat underwhelming in terms of plot, but believe me when I say the payoff is highly rewarding and memorable.
The Black Swordsman arc is awesome for fans returning to the series or rereading the series, but it often gives newcomers the wrong impression. It’s not that it’s bad, it’s just extremely different from the rest of the series and it’s set in the middle of the story rather than the beginning. This is done to set the dark tone of the series, bombarding you with shocking and upsetting content to make sure you know what you’re getting into before delving back to the beginning. For newcomers, this arc is a confusing yet exciting sword and sorcery tale of a vengeful barbarian warrior hunting demons in hopes of settling the score with his mortal enemy Griffith, and the evil lovecraftian beings that govern the world from the abyss known only as the Godhand. For returning readers, the Black Swordsman arc is much deeper than it seems, packed with genius foreshadowing, subtle character depth and truly impressive worldbuilding that will probably fly over the heads of newcomers.
Guts seems like a simplistic, edgy anti-hero at first glance, but he's so much more than that. Guts is one of the greatest characters the fantasy genre has to offer. Sigmund Freud could probably write a novel-length psychological analysis of this severely troubled and broken man. Guts is more complex than he leads people to believe as well. He's not a sociopathic antihero, he's a man that has no choice but to lie to himself to keep his emotions from crushing his spirit and getting innocent people involved with his deadly affairs. He's cruel and harsh for the greater good. It's the only way he can keep himself from going insane and continue to put up a good fight against terrifying creatures that are far stronger than he is. There's a bit of a joke in the Berserk community that says that no matter how bad your life might be, Guts will always have it worse. It's really not that hard to believe after you've read a bit of the series. His life was one big catastrophe literally from the moment he was born.
Not to mention his rival Griffith who is equally complex and incredibly rich with psychological depth, but there will be more on that as you delve further in. I would strongly recommend this series for hardcore fans of fantasy and horror, so long as you're prepared to be traumatized for life by the disgustingly harsh nature of its content.
This arc mainly serves to set up a lot of future plot points by introducing us to the Behilit, the God Hand, and the fact that even the demonic apostles are capable of emotions and having a family. Nothing is as it seems and no one is safe or innocent. It might not seem like it in the beginning, but the Black Swordsman arc is arguably one of the most important as it solidifies the themes of struggle, survival and wavering humanity that Guts deals with on a daily basis and sets up the flow of the rest of the story. It peels back the layers and reveals little by little how Guts grew up to be such a mentally broken and morally outraged character. It makes you sympathize with him and understand why he acts the way he does.
***
The Golden Age Arc: Volumes 4-13
The Golden Age Arc is where the story truly begins.
We return to the origins of Guts and learn about the series of battles, traumas and conflicts he gets himself wrapped in one after the other. We get introduced to a wonderfully intense group of mercenaries that go by the name of The Band of the Hawk. Among the Hawks are Casca the hot-headed female warrior, Judeau the smooth talking assassin, Corkus the drunken realist, Pippin the gentle giant, Rickert the blacksmith and of course, the infamous leader of men named Griffith.
Griffith is the most interesting of the motley crew as he is very complex and unpredictable. He has a playful side, a merciless side, a charismatic side and a childish yet vulnerable side. He can't be put into any single category. The gallant and elegant master of the sword has more layers than an onion. His brotherly rivalry with Guts is also a lovely and dementedly joyful sight to behold. This is the major turning point of the series and it only gets better and better from here.
After a life of grief and trauma, Guts reluctantly joins Griffith on his quest to attain his own kingdom while simultaneously struggling to come to terms with his own identity. We get to see a side of Guts we’ve never experienced up until this point. We see his vulnerability, his wounded soul, his ability to show affection to others, his role as a battle commander, and his blossoming relationships with Casca and Griffith; the two people who end up having the biggest impact on his entire life for very different reasons.
This is the arc that has the most in common with Game of Thrones, focusing on personal character dramas rather than constant brutal battles, action and lovecraftian horror being thrown at you left and right. While the battles and action sequences in Berserk are amazing, where it truly shines are its quiet moments of vulnerability where we get to see the most raw, heart-wrenching and introspective emotions of the severely damaged cast of protagonists.
Guts is an unstoppable badass, but he constantly suffers and contemplates his meaning in life. His sheer strength and relentless rage can’t hide the wounded little boy deep inside him. Casca is more fierce than most male soldiers on the battlefield and she has an attitude to match, so when we see her more feminine and loving side it makes her complex journey of self-realization all the more powerful. Griffith is a godlike war hero that millions of people worship, yet he has the deepest flaws, insecurities and inner darkness than any other character in the entire series. Most of all, they’re painfully human. These three represent the absolute best and absolute worst in all of us. That’s what makes them equally compelling, empathetic and utterly repulsive at times.
After an incredible display of war, romance, political drama, moral and philosophical musings, heartbreaking trauma, fascinating worldbuilding and chilling foreshadowing, the Golden Age arc ends on the single most shocking, depressing and mind blowing finale I’ve ever witnessed in a fantasy story. The Eclipse marks the major turning point in the story from Game of Thrones style medieval drama to the lovecraftian nightmare fest that we only get a small taste of in the Black Swordsman arc.
***
The Lost Children Arc: 14 - 16
Ah, the end of the Golden Age and the beginning of the Age of Darkness. This is where the horror elements of Berserk are dialed up to the absolute extreme. You thought the story was gruesome and horrifying before? You haven't seen anything yet. The Lost Children arc is not only arguably the most gruesome of them all, but it also completely wrecks your emotions as well. The relationship between Guts and Jill shows us that Guts is still in touch with his human side after the atrocities of the Black Swordsman arc may have convinced us otherwise. It solidifies his bond with his unlikely companion Puck, explores the lasting effects of trauma inflicted on him by the Eclipse and by Casca's heartbreaking condition and there's a rollercoaster of action, horror and small glimpses of hope in a sea of darkness. I've always loved how Jill and Puck brought Guts's humanity back to the surface after being stuck in such a devastating and harmful state for so long. This arc also humanizes the act of becoming an apostle which adds a layer of emotional depth to their depraved existence and makes the antagonists feel like more than simple fodder for Guts to slash through.
The Lost Children arc feels a bit underwhelming in a few areas compared to the shocking finale of the Golden Age arc, but the ending of this arc finishes with quite a few shockers of its own to bring back the hype and despair of the series. This arc is one of my favorites for a few reasons. It shows that apostles can be victims in their own right by exploring the sad life of Rosine who only sought to escape abuse and had to resort to inhumane methods to bring this about. This is made further relatable by contrasting her situation with that of Jill's as she's also severely abused by her father and wants nothing more than to escape from that life.
It also shows that Guts still has a human side. Despite how broken and full of hate and bloodlust he is, he still cares for Jill and throws himself in harm's way multiple times to protect her. Considering how tragic and terrifying Guts's childhood was, it's not too surprising that he would have a soft spot for kids that also happen to be suffering from abuse.
After the arc is done, we're thrown into another great arc which introduces us to the Holy Iron Chain Knights. Farnese and Serpico are fascinating characters, Azan is a cool guy and the shadiness of the group as a whole raises a lot of red flags. Guts and Puck also become much closer during this time which solidifies their companionship.
The Lost Children arc is often written off as a short filler mini-arc, but I think it serves its purpose more than well in just 3 volumes.
***
The Conviction Arc: 17 - 21
My favorite arc of Berserk in many ways.
The amount of story packed into these few volumes is incredible. Griffith is manipulating people's dreams from the beyond while a plague ravages the entire country. The people see this as a sign that the foretold messiah will soon come to save the world from darkness when really it's just Griffith leading them to believe that. After being visited by an omen in his dreams, Guts decides to return to Casca after not seeing her for two years because he's been going on a murderous rampage. After the tragic outcome of the Lost Children arc, Guts begins to accept that his quest for vengeance is futile, and that there are more important things in his life than violence.
This is where the arc gets really emotional. Figuratively speaking, Guts receives the harsh scolding and the much-needed therapy he's needed for a long time from Godo the blacksmith. Rickert, Erika and Puck are also there to knock some sense back into Guts's thick skull, giving him the mental and emotional support and guidance he desperately needed to get back on his feet after the tragedy of the eclipse. After regaining his compassion and conviction, Guts sets out to find the missing Caska, the woman who set the spark on his self-destructive quest in the first place to try and redeem his life from all the horrible things he’s been through and all the detestable things he’s done in the name of love.
We're then introduced to a horrifying priest that loves unreasonable torture, genocide and bashing people's brains out with a bible. The Holy Iron Chain Knights mean business and there's tragedy and death all over the world. Guts's path to redemption, the mad religion dedicated to a false messiah, the foreshadowing of Griffith's return, this arc is packed full of all kinds of heavy emotions.
On top of all the heart-wrenching emotions in this arc, it’s also by far the most terrifying. Religious tyranny, satanic orgy cults, cannibalism do to starvation, extreme torture methods using real historical tools such as the Judas Cradle, breaking wheels, rack torture, flaying and burning at the stake, etc. And that’s just a small taste.
We’re introduced to a group of prostitutes with strong character development. Luca is a saint and Nina is a sinner, yet Luca brings everyone together and loves them all unconditionally. Though she’s a prostitute, she has more love, kindness and motherly instinct in her than the entirety of the Holy Iron Chain Knights and their religious order which makes me respect her character a lot.
Overall an explosive arc that’s equally horrifying and beautiful. It has one of the most satisfying reunions and redemption plots of all time.
***
The Millennium Falcon Arc: Volumes 22-35
After the shocking ending of the previous arc, Griffith returns to the spotlight once more.
This is the most complex arc of the series as it's split into multiple perspectives which hasn’t really been done up until this point. Guts has reunited with his beloved Casca and her mind is still in shambles from the trauma she experienced during the Eclipse. With a new band of loyal companions at his side, Guts begins to learn how to trust, grow and love as he once did during his time in the Band of the Hawk while struggling to reconcile with his inner darkness and his hatred towards his former friend Griffith.
Schierke is a young witch that serves to explain the more magical, fantastical and metaphysical elements of the world of Berserk while aiding Guts’s crew in their journey to fight against the alarming uprising of demonic creatures overrunning the land.
The Kushan Empire has risen to power and is waging war with the unguarded kingdom of Midland. As if the deadly plague, religious crusades and rampant demon invasions weren’t enough, Emperor Ganishka of the Kushan Empire is making life an even greater hell for anyone that’s in his path of conquest.
Griffith is back in the human world, building an army of knights, demons, apostles and any other willing companions in his journey to 'save' the world from war to fulfill his dream of attaining his own kingdom no matter the sacrifices and immoral actions he must commit to make his dream a reality.
Not my favorite arc, but definitely the most chaotic, action-packed and lore heavy of them all. The fantasy, paranormal and existential elements of the story really ramp up in this arc and there’s all kinds of mindblowing chaos at work.
***
The Fantasia Arc: Volumes 36-41
It’s difficult to review this arc because it was left unfinished after the author’s untimely passing.
The Fantasia arc marked another major turning point of the series. If Lost Children and Conviction were the age of darkness, this was the beginning of the age of misguided light. Griffith changed the world in truly remarkable ways, both fascinating and terrible.
Guts and his crew set out to Elf Island to restore Casca’s memories before deciding how to settle the score with Griffith once and for all. The arc was tying up loose ends at a very nice pace, answering questions that many readers have been contemplating since the beginning of the series such as the identity of Skull Knight, the origins of the God Hand, Griffith true motives, how Casca confronts her trauma, the purpose of the Berserker Armor, Guts finding the answer to his life’s purpose, the secret history and lore of the greater universe and much more.
Just as the arc was heading for a climactic buildup to the finale, it ends on a tear jerking cliffhanger that serves as the untimely ending of the series as a whole. It’s a shame that Miura’s masterpiece wasn’t able to be finished, but he’s created the most influential manga of all time that heavily impacted millions of reads and thousands of artists all over the world.
***
If you're looking for some dark ambient music for reading horror, dark fantasy and other books like this one, then be sure to check out my YouTube Channel called Nightmarish Compositions: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPPs...
Guts is a severely traumatized vigilante that wanders the world, throwing himself into one battle after another in hopes of finding a meaning in the tremendous suffering he's endured. His sword is his only trusted companion and he's consumed by a lust for vengeance. Griffith is a charismatic mercenary with dreams of ending a hundred year war in hopes of attaining his own kingdom. Little do his comrades and enemies know, he's not the flawless hero many believe him to be. When the paths of these two men clash, the entire world drastically evolves around the earth-shattering conflict between their indomitable wills.
A grimdark epic with compelling protagonists, stomach-churning horror, heartbreaking drama and a lovecraftian sense of metaphysical worldbuilding that's as fascinating as it is terrifying. Berserk has been my favorite manga, fantasy story and perhaps favorite story ever made for over a decade now and I was really sad to hear that the man behind the masterpiece passed away earlier this year.
Berserk is infamous for being the most gratuitously dark, brutal, shocking and depressing fantasy story ever written, but it is also rich with intense human emotion, philosophical depth, perseverance through unimaginable suffering and horrifyingly realistic depictions of psychological trauma. The series tackles the complex nature of morality vs. primal nature, fate and causality vs. free will, resilience against soulcrushing trauma that would cause most people to become broken or twisted. The definitions of good an evil are blurred beyond recognition, the heroes are just as flawed and capable of terrible deeds as the villains. The lead characters Guts and Griffith consistently challenge these themes and definitions through their shocking yet horrifyingly human actions.
This manga has inspired many famous works of art that are popular in today’s media such as the Dark Souls franchise, Final Fantasy, Attack on Titan, Evangelion, Castlevania, as well as countless fantasy novels, comics, manga, movies, tv shows, video games, musicians, artists, illustrators and so much more.
Miura inspired me as well and I regard him for being the person who taught me just how influential, meaningful and life changing art and literature can be when I first read his series over a decade ago. He changed the way I view entertainment and taught me how to appreciate the deeper meanings in everything I experience.
Berserk is to me what Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings is to millions of others.
Rest In Peace to a legendary man.
***
Above is my completely spoiler free review showing my appreciation for this series and its characters.
Below is a review of the entire series, broken down arc by arc. I originally wrote these individual reviews back during my first reading of the series, so keep that in mind. Each part contains mild spoilers, I would advise not looking any further than the arcs you’re currently reading or have already read.
***
The Black Swordsman Arc: Volumes 1-3
The first arc is only the tip of the iceberg of a very complex, dark and violent tragedy. If you find yourself to be not too impressed with the first volume, I highly recommend reading until at least volume 4 before deciding if this series is for you or not. The first three volumes serve as an interlude to help prepare you for the atrocities to come and may seem somewhat underwhelming in terms of plot, but believe me when I say the payoff is highly rewarding and memorable.
The Black Swordsman arc is awesome for fans returning to the series or rereading the series, but it often gives newcomers the wrong impression. It’s not that it’s bad, it’s just extremely different from the rest of the series and it’s set in the middle of the story rather than the beginning. This is done to set the dark tone of the series, bombarding you with shocking and upsetting content to make sure you know what you’re getting into before delving back to the beginning. For newcomers, this arc is a confusing yet exciting sword and sorcery tale of a vengeful barbarian warrior hunting demons in hopes of settling the score with his mortal enemy Griffith, and the evil lovecraftian beings that govern the world from the abyss known only as the Godhand. For returning readers, the Black Swordsman arc is much deeper than it seems, packed with genius foreshadowing, subtle character depth and truly impressive worldbuilding that will probably fly over the heads of newcomers.
Guts seems like a simplistic, edgy anti-hero at first glance, but he's so much more than that. Guts is one of the greatest characters the fantasy genre has to offer. Sigmund Freud could probably write a novel-length psychological analysis of this severely troubled and broken man. Guts is more complex than he leads people to believe as well. He's not a sociopathic antihero, he's a man that has no choice but to lie to himself to keep his emotions from crushing his spirit and getting innocent people involved with his deadly affairs. He's cruel and harsh for the greater good. It's the only way he can keep himself from going insane and continue to put up a good fight against terrifying creatures that are far stronger than he is. There's a bit of a joke in the Berserk community that says that no matter how bad your life might be, Guts will always have it worse. It's really not that hard to believe after you've read a bit of the series. His life was one big catastrophe literally from the moment he was born.
Not to mention his rival Griffith who is equally complex and incredibly rich with psychological depth, but there will be more on that as you delve further in. I would strongly recommend this series for hardcore fans of fantasy and horror, so long as you're prepared to be traumatized for life by the disgustingly harsh nature of its content.
This arc mainly serves to set up a lot of future plot points by introducing us to the Behilit, the God Hand, and the fact that even the demonic apostles are capable of emotions and having a family. Nothing is as it seems and no one is safe or innocent. It might not seem like it in the beginning, but the Black Swordsman arc is arguably one of the most important as it solidifies the themes of struggle, survival and wavering humanity that Guts deals with on a daily basis and sets up the flow of the rest of the story. It peels back the layers and reveals little by little how Guts grew up to be such a mentally broken and morally outraged character. It makes you sympathize with him and understand why he acts the way he does.
***
The Golden Age Arc: Volumes 4-13
The Golden Age Arc is where the story truly begins.
We return to the origins of Guts and learn about the series of battles, traumas and conflicts he gets himself wrapped in one after the other. We get introduced to a wonderfully intense group of mercenaries that go by the name of The Band of the Hawk. Among the Hawks are Casca the hot-headed female warrior, Judeau the smooth talking assassin, Corkus the drunken realist, Pippin the gentle giant, Rickert the blacksmith and of course, the infamous leader of men named Griffith.
Griffith is the most interesting of the motley crew as he is very complex and unpredictable. He has a playful side, a merciless side, a charismatic side and a childish yet vulnerable side. He can't be put into any single category. The gallant and elegant master of the sword has more layers than an onion. His brotherly rivalry with Guts is also a lovely and dementedly joyful sight to behold. This is the major turning point of the series and it only gets better and better from here.
After a life of grief and trauma, Guts reluctantly joins Griffith on his quest to attain his own kingdom while simultaneously struggling to come to terms with his own identity. We get to see a side of Guts we’ve never experienced up until this point. We see his vulnerability, his wounded soul, his ability to show affection to others, his role as a battle commander, and his blossoming relationships with Casca and Griffith; the two people who end up having the biggest impact on his entire life for very different reasons.
This is the arc that has the most in common with Game of Thrones, focusing on personal character dramas rather than constant brutal battles, action and lovecraftian horror being thrown at you left and right. While the battles and action sequences in Berserk are amazing, where it truly shines are its quiet moments of vulnerability where we get to see the most raw, heart-wrenching and introspective emotions of the severely damaged cast of protagonists.
Guts is an unstoppable badass, but he constantly suffers and contemplates his meaning in life. His sheer strength and relentless rage can’t hide the wounded little boy deep inside him. Casca is more fierce than most male soldiers on the battlefield and she has an attitude to match, so when we see her more feminine and loving side it makes her complex journey of self-realization all the more powerful. Griffith is a godlike war hero that millions of people worship, yet he has the deepest flaws, insecurities and inner darkness than any other character in the entire series. Most of all, they’re painfully human. These three represent the absolute best and absolute worst in all of us. That’s what makes them equally compelling, empathetic and utterly repulsive at times.
After an incredible display of war, romance, political drama, moral and philosophical musings, heartbreaking trauma, fascinating worldbuilding and chilling foreshadowing, the Golden Age arc ends on the single most shocking, depressing and mind blowing finale I’ve ever witnessed in a fantasy story. The Eclipse marks the major turning point in the story from Game of Thrones style medieval drama to the lovecraftian nightmare fest that we only get a small taste of in the Black Swordsman arc.
***
The Lost Children Arc: 14 - 16
Ah, the end of the Golden Age and the beginning of the Age of Darkness. This is where the horror elements of Berserk are dialed up to the absolute extreme. You thought the story was gruesome and horrifying before? You haven't seen anything yet. The Lost Children arc is not only arguably the most gruesome of them all, but it also completely wrecks your emotions as well. The relationship between Guts and Jill shows us that Guts is still in touch with his human side after the atrocities of the Black Swordsman arc may have convinced us otherwise. It solidifies his bond with his unlikely companion Puck, explores the lasting effects of trauma inflicted on him by the Eclipse and by Casca's heartbreaking condition and there's a rollercoaster of action, horror and small glimpses of hope in a sea of darkness. I've always loved how Jill and Puck brought Guts's humanity back to the surface after being stuck in such a devastating and harmful state for so long. This arc also humanizes the act of becoming an apostle which adds a layer of emotional depth to their depraved existence and makes the antagonists feel like more than simple fodder for Guts to slash through.
The Lost Children arc feels a bit underwhelming in a few areas compared to the shocking finale of the Golden Age arc, but the ending of this arc finishes with quite a few shockers of its own to bring back the hype and despair of the series. This arc is one of my favorites for a few reasons. It shows that apostles can be victims in their own right by exploring the sad life of Rosine who only sought to escape abuse and had to resort to inhumane methods to bring this about. This is made further relatable by contrasting her situation with that of Jill's as she's also severely abused by her father and wants nothing more than to escape from that life.
It also shows that Guts still has a human side. Despite how broken and full of hate and bloodlust he is, he still cares for Jill and throws himself in harm's way multiple times to protect her. Considering how tragic and terrifying Guts's childhood was, it's not too surprising that he would have a soft spot for kids that also happen to be suffering from abuse.
After the arc is done, we're thrown into another great arc which introduces us to the Holy Iron Chain Knights. Farnese and Serpico are fascinating characters, Azan is a cool guy and the shadiness of the group as a whole raises a lot of red flags. Guts and Puck also become much closer during this time which solidifies their companionship.
The Lost Children arc is often written off as a short filler mini-arc, but I think it serves its purpose more than well in just 3 volumes.
***
The Conviction Arc: 17 - 21
My favorite arc of Berserk in many ways.
The amount of story packed into these few volumes is incredible. Griffith is manipulating people's dreams from the beyond while a plague ravages the entire country. The people see this as a sign that the foretold messiah will soon come to save the world from darkness when really it's just Griffith leading them to believe that. After being visited by an omen in his dreams, Guts decides to return to Casca after not seeing her for two years because he's been going on a murderous rampage. After the tragic outcome of the Lost Children arc, Guts begins to accept that his quest for vengeance is futile, and that there are more important things in his life than violence.
This is where the arc gets really emotional. Figuratively speaking, Guts receives the harsh scolding and the much-needed therapy he's needed for a long time from Godo the blacksmith. Rickert, Erika and Puck are also there to knock some sense back into Guts's thick skull, giving him the mental and emotional support and guidance he desperately needed to get back on his feet after the tragedy of the eclipse. After regaining his compassion and conviction, Guts sets out to find the missing Caska, the woman who set the spark on his self-destructive quest in the first place to try and redeem his life from all the horrible things he’s been through and all the detestable things he’s done in the name of love.
We're then introduced to a horrifying priest that loves unreasonable torture, genocide and bashing people's brains out with a bible. The Holy Iron Chain Knights mean business and there's tragedy and death all over the world. Guts's path to redemption, the mad religion dedicated to a false messiah, the foreshadowing of Griffith's return, this arc is packed full of all kinds of heavy emotions.
On top of all the heart-wrenching emotions in this arc, it’s also by far the most terrifying. Religious tyranny, satanic orgy cults, cannibalism do to starvation, extreme torture methods using real historical tools such as the Judas Cradle, breaking wheels, rack torture, flaying and burning at the stake, etc. And that’s just a small taste.
We’re introduced to a group of prostitutes with strong character development. Luca is a saint and Nina is a sinner, yet Luca brings everyone together and loves them all unconditionally. Though she’s a prostitute, she has more love, kindness and motherly instinct in her than the entirety of the Holy Iron Chain Knights and their religious order which makes me respect her character a lot.
Overall an explosive arc that’s equally horrifying and beautiful. It has one of the most satisfying reunions and redemption plots of all time.
***
The Millennium Falcon Arc: Volumes 22-35
After the shocking ending of the previous arc, Griffith returns to the spotlight once more.
This is the most complex arc of the series as it's split into multiple perspectives which hasn’t really been done up until this point. Guts has reunited with his beloved Casca and her mind is still in shambles from the trauma she experienced during the Eclipse. With a new band of loyal companions at his side, Guts begins to learn how to trust, grow and love as he once did during his time in the Band of the Hawk while struggling to reconcile with his inner darkness and his hatred towards his former friend Griffith.
Schierke is a young witch that serves to explain the more magical, fantastical and metaphysical elements of the world of Berserk while aiding Guts’s crew in their journey to fight against the alarming uprising of demonic creatures overrunning the land.
The Kushan Empire has risen to power and is waging war with the unguarded kingdom of Midland. As if the deadly plague, religious crusades and rampant demon invasions weren’t enough, Emperor Ganishka of the Kushan Empire is making life an even greater hell for anyone that’s in his path of conquest.
Griffith is back in the human world, building an army of knights, demons, apostles and any other willing companions in his journey to 'save' the world from war to fulfill his dream of attaining his own kingdom no matter the sacrifices and immoral actions he must commit to make his dream a reality.
Not my favorite arc, but definitely the most chaotic, action-packed and lore heavy of them all. The fantasy, paranormal and existential elements of the story really ramp up in this arc and there’s all kinds of mindblowing chaos at work.
***
The Fantasia Arc: Volumes 36-41
It’s difficult to review this arc because it was left unfinished after the author’s untimely passing.
The Fantasia arc marked another major turning point of the series. If Lost Children and Conviction were the age of darkness, this was the beginning of the age of misguided light. Griffith changed the world in truly remarkable ways, both fascinating and terrible.
Guts and his crew set out to Elf Island to restore Casca’s memories before deciding how to settle the score with Griffith once and for all. The arc was tying up loose ends at a very nice pace, answering questions that many readers have been contemplating since the beginning of the series such as the identity of Skull Knight, the origins of the God Hand, Griffith true motives, how Casca confronts her trauma, the purpose of the Berserker Armor, Guts finding the answer to his life’s purpose, the secret history and lore of the greater universe and much more.
Just as the arc was heading for a climactic buildup to the finale, it ends on a tear jerking cliffhanger that serves as the untimely ending of the series as a whole. It’s a shame that Miura’s masterpiece wasn’t able to be finished, but he’s created the most influential manga of all time that heavily impacted millions of reads and thousands of artists all over the world.
***
If you're looking for some dark ambient music for reading horror, dark fantasy and other books like this one, then be sure to check out my YouTube Channel called Nightmarish Compositions: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPPs...
December 22, 2024
cw: discussion about rape and the graphic depictions of it in the comic.
Like Better Call Saul, the Golden Age Arc manages to make Guts' inevitable transformation in to the cynical, apathetic barbarian we were introduced to at the beginning of the story even sadder than we could possibly have anticipated. His earnestness and sensitivity is destroyed by watching his friends get utterly obliterated by an endless horde of fiends and by witnessing Griffith, his best male friend, callously rape Casca, his love and best female friend. Guts' rampage through the demon horde is an incredibly kinetic sequence that displays Kentaro Miura's boundless creativity. Each new monster is as horrifyingly original as the next and many panels emphasize their seemingly endless numbers. The lack of room to breathe helps sell the cataclysmic nature of what is happening and how Guts loses his mind despite his legendary efforts. Kentaro Miura even utilizes a different drawing style for when Guts is in Berserk mode. Instead of a variety of different lines to convey shape and texture, Guts and his enemies are drawn out of a bunch of thick, vertical lines which is able to provide a kind of impressionistic motion blur that implies a large amount of kinetic energy about to be released. When Guts fully transitions in to his volume 1 form, his eyes are drawn to be permanent upside down crescents. Before leaving Casca for the final time, Guts' eyes are often more circular. His crescent eyes lend him a much more malevolent look that serve to remind us how close he is to becoming a full on villain if he is not careful. Miura uses largely novel techniques and pacing for the first half so that we viscerally can see on the page how Guts falls apart and loses much of his humanity.
Even after the Eclipse massacre, Guts wrestles with his inner conflict between desire to continue to introspect and be compassionate, and the easier road of numbing himself and getting lost in the need for bloody revenge. I appreciate that the comic portrayed the nuance of one last hurrah as one a traumatic event does not fully change us instantly, although it surely starts us down a different path. Miura is fantastic at having character growth be unpredictable and non-linear.
Griffith's rape of Casca is undeniably an effective demonstration of how he has lost his soul even if it perhaps does not do justice to her character. It goes on and on for many pages and, disgustingly, Griffith's passion is just a put on. His expression is cold and dispassionate but his body is animated to imitate genuine sensuality. He is mocking the very idea of consensual physicality in a relationship in order to inflict maximum pain on both Guts and Casca. It is hard to tell whether this brutal act is impulsive or pre-meditated, but it does echo the scene where Griffith raped Charlotte in volume 3. In that scene, Griffith may have not thought of it that way but by the time he is Femto it is clear he knows exactly what he is doing. No matter how pre-meditated it is or not, it is one of the most evil things I have ever seen a villain do in fiction. These were his two best friends and he threw away their love because of his childish need to have everything be perfect. He couldn't stand Guts not being completely deferential to him. Guts and Casca sharing a relationship, in Griffith's jealous eyes, is both of them pulling away from him.
His final transformation in to Femto is portrayed with an uneasy calm and a strange gracefulness. Before his body is transplanted in to it, his hawk husk has thick droplets of embryonic fluids running down it. He then rises and glides down to Griffith. Only then is there a shot of him standing straight with his head bowed, showing off his impressive and mysterious physique. He is a gross Lovecraftian newborn before eventually transforming in to his final, adult form. This portrayal is neither as ostentatious as Slan's nor as abrupt as Void's. Griffith does everything with grace and restraint until he doesn't.
While Guts' and Griffith's tragic transformations are portrayed with nuance and impressive visual framing, Casca gets the short end of the stick. During this sequence, however, Casca's inner world is impossible to discern. All of her body movements and facial expressions are indistinguishable from when she had consensual sex with Guts. What is Casca thinking throughout this scene? What is her character's journey? It's impossible to tell because many of her expressions and movements seem to suggest she is deriving some pleasure from what is happening to her despite the fact that we also see her say "no", tell Guts to look away, and cry at multiple points. I have heard that when people are raped, their bodies sometimes feel physical pleasure as a kind of defense mechanism. But it is hard for me to trust that the author has the maturity to treat that topic with any sensitivity or cares as much about Casca's inner world as he does Guts'. This is because Miura continues to put her in situations where she expresses largely one-note helplessness while partially or completely nude so that Guts can be motivated towards vengeance and carnage (and so part of the audience can fantasize about saving an attractive, vulnerable, and naked woman).
On top of the exploitative rape scene, Casca is so traumatized that she loses her memory and reverts to a child-like state. This is effectively tragic but essentially tosses her character in to the garbage. Casca was essentially a deuteragonist and now she may be out of the story forever because it serves Guts' character development. I would love to see how Casca develops after all of the horrible tragedies of the Eclipse but that may not happen. Miura is able to write characters with incredible depth so it is disappointing to reduce one of his main characters to being solely a symbol of trauma rather than allowing her to be a full person.
The new paradigm in volume 5 has Guts on what is essentially a side quest arc. Some of Guts' usual cynical detachment feels a little repetitive to how volume 1 explored his character, but the story surrounding him is good enough that it is only a minor qualm. Discovering more about the fairy world and exploring the impossible choices children have to make in a violent world where they can't depend on their parents is highly compelling stuff. Jill, an abused peasant child, is given a genuinely fraught choice to either lose her humanity to gain freedom or be a helpless victim forever. And to be fair to my criticism that this storyline maybe didn't tread new ground for Guts, he keeps coming very close to becoming as despicably self-interested as the audience is afraid he will become. A nice palette cleanser arc that is still dark and fantastical in its own right.
This series keeps majorly frustrating me with how it treats Casca and its often gross and inappropriate depictions of sexuality, but it has so much going for it that I continue to eat it up. It just has too much exploration of morality, complexity in its characters, intriguingly mysterious world-building, and mind-blowingly gorgeous art for me to give up on it.
Like Better Call Saul, the Golden Age Arc manages to make Guts' inevitable transformation in to the cynical, apathetic barbarian we were introduced to at the beginning of the story even sadder than we could possibly have anticipated. His earnestness and sensitivity is destroyed by watching his friends get utterly obliterated by an endless horde of fiends and by witnessing Griffith, his best male friend, callously rape Casca, his love and best female friend. Guts' rampage through the demon horde is an incredibly kinetic sequence that displays Kentaro Miura's boundless creativity. Each new monster is as horrifyingly original as the next and many panels emphasize their seemingly endless numbers. The lack of room to breathe helps sell the cataclysmic nature of what is happening and how Guts loses his mind despite his legendary efforts. Kentaro Miura even utilizes a different drawing style for when Guts is in Berserk mode. Instead of a variety of different lines to convey shape and texture, Guts and his enemies are drawn out of a bunch of thick, vertical lines which is able to provide a kind of impressionistic motion blur that implies a large amount of kinetic energy about to be released. When Guts fully transitions in to his volume 1 form, his eyes are drawn to be permanent upside down crescents. Before leaving Casca for the final time, Guts' eyes are often more circular. His crescent eyes lend him a much more malevolent look that serve to remind us how close he is to becoming a full on villain if he is not careful. Miura uses largely novel techniques and pacing for the first half so that we viscerally can see on the page how Guts falls apart and loses much of his humanity.
Even after the Eclipse massacre, Guts wrestles with his inner conflict between desire to continue to introspect and be compassionate, and the easier road of numbing himself and getting lost in the need for bloody revenge. I appreciate that the comic portrayed the nuance of one last hurrah as one a traumatic event does not fully change us instantly, although it surely starts us down a different path. Miura is fantastic at having character growth be unpredictable and non-linear.
Griffith's rape of Casca is undeniably an effective demonstration of how he has lost his soul even if it perhaps does not do justice to her character. It goes on and on for many pages and, disgustingly, Griffith's passion is just a put on. His expression is cold and dispassionate but his body is animated to imitate genuine sensuality. He is mocking the very idea of consensual physicality in a relationship in order to inflict maximum pain on both Guts and Casca. It is hard to tell whether this brutal act is impulsive or pre-meditated, but it does echo the scene where Griffith raped Charlotte in volume 3. In that scene, Griffith may have not thought of it that way but by the time he is Femto it is clear he knows exactly what he is doing. No matter how pre-meditated it is or not, it is one of the most evil things I have ever seen a villain do in fiction. These were his two best friends and he threw away their love because of his childish need to have everything be perfect. He couldn't stand Guts not being completely deferential to him. Guts and Casca sharing a relationship, in Griffith's jealous eyes, is both of them pulling away from him.
His final transformation in to Femto is portrayed with an uneasy calm and a strange gracefulness. Before his body is transplanted in to it, his hawk husk has thick droplets of embryonic fluids running down it. He then rises and glides down to Griffith. Only then is there a shot of him standing straight with his head bowed, showing off his impressive and mysterious physique. He is a gross Lovecraftian newborn before eventually transforming in to his final, adult form. This portrayal is neither as ostentatious as Slan's nor as abrupt as Void's. Griffith does everything with grace and restraint until he doesn't.
While Guts' and Griffith's tragic transformations are portrayed with nuance and impressive visual framing, Casca gets the short end of the stick. During this sequence, however, Casca's inner world is impossible to discern. All of her body movements and facial expressions are indistinguishable from when she had consensual sex with Guts. What is Casca thinking throughout this scene? What is her character's journey? It's impossible to tell because many of her expressions and movements seem to suggest she is deriving some pleasure from what is happening to her despite the fact that we also see her say "no", tell Guts to look away, and cry at multiple points. I have heard that when people are raped, their bodies sometimes feel physical pleasure as a kind of defense mechanism. But it is hard for me to trust that the author has the maturity to treat that topic with any sensitivity or cares as much about Casca's inner world as he does Guts'. This is because Miura continues to put her in situations where she expresses largely one-note helplessness while partially or completely nude so that Guts can be motivated towards vengeance and carnage (and so part of the audience can fantasize about saving an attractive, vulnerable, and naked woman).
On top of the exploitative rape scene, Casca is so traumatized that she loses her memory and reverts to a child-like state. This is effectively tragic but essentially tosses her character in to the garbage. Casca was essentially a deuteragonist and now she may be out of the story forever because it serves Guts' character development. I would love to see how Casca develops after all of the horrible tragedies of the Eclipse but that may not happen. Miura is able to write characters with incredible depth so it is disappointing to reduce one of his main characters to being solely a symbol of trauma rather than allowing her to be a full person.
The new paradigm in volume 5 has Guts on what is essentially a side quest arc. Some of Guts' usual cynical detachment feels a little repetitive to how volume 1 explored his character, but the story surrounding him is good enough that it is only a minor qualm. Discovering more about the fairy world and exploring the impossible choices children have to make in a violent world where they can't depend on their parents is highly compelling stuff. Jill, an abused peasant child, is given a genuinely fraught choice to either lose her humanity to gain freedom or be a helpless victim forever. And to be fair to my criticism that this storyline maybe didn't tread new ground for Guts, he keeps coming very close to becoming as despicably self-interested as the audience is afraid he will become. A nice palette cleanser arc that is still dark and fantastical in its own right.
This series keeps majorly frustrating me with how it treats Casca and its often gross and inappropriate depictions of sexuality, but it has so much going for it that I continue to eat it up. It just has too much exploration of morality, complexity in its characters, intriguingly mysterious world-building, and mind-blowingly gorgeous art for me to give up on it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 11, 2024
Sort of a transitional volume after the epic Volune 4, with a lot more in the way of solo adventuring (ala the initial "The Black Swordsman" arc), than the thrilling ensemble cast storytelling of the several chapters prior with their myriad intersecting plot threads and character arcs and complex timelines. It's still great stuff but feels more like a breather, in some ways. Necessary in that respect because after the Eclipse and all that it entailed the temperature needed to come back down a little, but still a little less enjoyable despite that. One cool thing is that this volume includes "The Berserk Prototype," a story Miura wrote and drew as a college student to serve as a pitch/proof of concept for the title; it's non-canonical and diverges from the official Berserk in some ways, but it's still neat to get a glimpse of what he had in mind at that early date-- and the artwork is already stunningly good. (It is kind of weird that it's placed right in the middle of the volume, though, thus breaking the flow of the story!)
August 31, 2024
Vol. 13 - The nightmare of a hellscape continues to have Guts against monster after monster while Casca is determined to also make it out alive but their army is tragically unlucky, while Griffith rises in a dark form. Despite him and Casca barely surviving it, he’ll still move forward as the nightmare’s still not over after all.
Vol. 14 - Following their nightmarish outcome and an unforeseen changes, Guts makes the tough decision to travel by himself with new weapons and during that time, he reunites with Puck the elf and must play hero when more evil forces attack the innocent.
Vol. 15 - Guts’ continuing horror story turns to a fairy tale horror story when he involved with vicious elf bugs that are responsible for the killing of many lost children and that a little girl named Jill could soon be swayed their evil queen who turns out to be tied to an old tale and Jill’s past.
A (100%/Outstanding)
Vol. 14 - Following their nightmarish outcome and an unforeseen changes, Guts makes the tough decision to travel by himself with new weapons and during that time, he reunites with Puck the elf and must play hero when more evil forces attack the innocent.
Vol. 15 - Guts’ continuing horror story turns to a fairy tale horror story when he involved with vicious elf bugs that are responsible for the killing of many lost children and that a little girl named Jill could soon be swayed their evil queen who turns out to be tied to an old tale and Jill’s past.
A (100%/Outstanding)
February 15, 2024
Dit boek geeft ons het einde van de golden age arc, en de start van de conviction arc. Golden age was simpelweg geweldig en met een enorm disturbing einde. De conviction arc is tot zover wel echt minder sterk nu het minder karakter gefocussed is, en meer episodic en worldbuilding. Ik moet nog wel even inkomen in de conviction arc, maar ik weet zeker dat het enorm goed gaat worden.
Voor nu 4/5, maar puur omdat de nieuwe arc begonnen is en vergeleken met golden age het wat zwakker is. Maar dan ook echt puur omdat golden age zo enorm goed was.
Voor nu 4/5, maar puur omdat de nieuwe arc begonnen is en vergeleken met golden age het wat zwakker is. Maar dan ook echt puur omdat golden age zo enorm goed was.
December 18, 2024
(for the entire golden age arc)
May 24, 2025
oh my god, oh my god, oh my god. i'm legitimately speechless.
November 23, 2025
Absolutely incredible. If the first deluxe edition was what got me hooked onto Berserk, this one is what made me a diehard fan of it. It's all a masterful juggling game from Miura, ranging from beautiful to disgusting and whimsical to depraved. It's rare you jump into something that not only proves that it deserves the love and hype that it has, but surpasses your expectations. I don't know if my pace picked up, or story did or both but I couldn't put it down.
If the previous book was about a character's fall from grace, this one was about them not hitting ground but managing to go lower and lower and becoming a monster in every sense of the word. The character in question deserves all of the hate and more and it was cool to see Guts moving forward not just out of revenge but a way to cope and distract himself with his anger guiding him. He's very selfish and emotionally unavailable for Casca who deserves the best and has endured the worst.
If the previous book was about a character's fall from grace, this one was about them not hitting ground but managing to go lower and lower and becoming a monster in every sense of the word. The character in question deserves all of the hate and more and it was cool to see Guts moving forward not just out of revenge but a way to cope and distract himself with his anger guiding him. He's very selfish and emotionally unavailable for Casca who deserves the best and has endured the worst.
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