Berserk (manga)

Berserk (ベルセルク) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kentaro Miura. Set in a medieval Europe-inspired dark fantasy world, the story centers on the characters of Guts, a lone swordsman, and Griffith, the leader of a mercenary band called the "Band of the Hawk". The series follows Guts' journey seeking revenge on Griffith, who betrayed him and sacrificed his comrades to become a powerful demonic being.

Miura premiered a prototype of Berserk in 1988. The series began the following year in Hakusensha's manga magazine Monthly Animal House, which was replaced in 1992 by the semimonthly magazine Young Animal, where Berserk has continued its publication. Following Miura's death in May 2021, the final chapter that he worked on was published posthumously in September of the same year; the series resumed in June 2022, under supervision of Miura's fellow manga artist and childhood friend Kouji Mori and Miura's group of assistants and apprentices from Studio Gaga.

Berserk was adapted into a 25-episode anime television series by OLM, which covered the Golden Age story arc, and was broadcast from October 1997 to March 1998. The Golden Age arc was also adapted into a trilogy of theatrical anime films; the first two films premiered in 2012 and the third film premiered in 2013. A second 24-episode anime television series adaptation was broadcast for two seasons in 2016 and 2017.

By September 2023, the Berserk manga had over 60 million copies in circulation, including digital versions, making it one of the best-selling manga series of all time. It received the Award for Excellence at the sixth installment of the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 2002. Berserk has been widely acclaimed, particularly for its dark setting, storytelling, characters, and Miura's detailed artwork.

Plot
Guts was born from a hanged corpse and raised as a mercenary by his abusive adoptive father, Gambino, following the death of his adoptive mother, Shisu. After being forced to kill Gambino in self-defense, Guts fled his mercenary group and became a wandering mercenary. His reputation attracts the attention of Griffith, the leader of a mercenary group called the Band of the Hawk, which he makes Guts join after defeating him. The kingdom of Midland hires the Band to aid them in their war against the Chuder Empire, and Guts learns of Griffith's desire to rule his own kingdom and of the pendant he possesses, called the Behelit. After Nosferatu Zodd spares them, he warns Guts that he will die for being Griffith's friend.

As Griffith befriends Midland's nobility and the king's daughter, Charlotte, Guts begins to develop feelings for Casca. After overhearing Griffith confess to Charlotte that he only considers someone with their own dream as a friend, Guts decides to leave the group to find his own dream, a decision that sends Griffith into a downward spiral that culminates in his arrest after he seduces Charlotte. He loses the Behelit while being subjected to torture, and the Midland army declares the Hawks as criminals. Soon after, a mysterious being known as the Skull Knight warns Guts that his actions have triggered an Eclipse and, after learning of the Hawks' predicament, he rejoins them to rescue Griffith.

After rescuing Griffith, the Hawks learn that his torture has left him incapable of leading them. When Griffith regains his Behelit, it uses his blood to initiate the Eclipse, a convergence of the physical and astral realms. During the Eclipse, the Hawks encounter a quartet of archdemons known as the Godhand, who reveal that Griffith has been chosen as their fifth member and can only do so if he sacrifices his comrades, which he accepts. After being branded with sigils that mark them for sacrifice, the Hawks are slaughtered by the Godhand's Apostles—humans who, like Zodd, gained power by sacrificing their loved ones—and only Guts and Casca survive. Griffith, who has become the fifth Godhand, Femto, rapes Casca, and Guts loses his left forearm and right eye while trying to save her; although the Skull Knight rescues them, the ordeal traumatizes Casca. After learning from the Skull Knight that the Brands of Sacrifice make them targets for beings of darkness, Guts leaves Casca in the care of the blacksmith Godo, his adoptive daughter Erica, and Rickert, the youngest member of the Band of the Hawk, who survived because he was not present at the Eclipse. After Godo gives Guts a new sword, Dragonslayer, and Rickert gives him a prosthetic left arm, Guts begins hunting the Apostles while being pursued by the Demon Infant, which is revealed to be his and Casca's unborn child that became deformed after Femto raped her.

Two years later, having killed many Apostles and become known as the Black Swordsman, Guts is joined by the elf Puck, but they are captured by Farnese, the captain of the Holy See Church's Holy Iron Chain Knights, who believes that Guts is a harbinger of the apocalypse. Guts escapes after saving Farnese and returns home to Godo, where he learns that Casca has wandered off. His search for her takes him to the ruined city of St. Albion, which the Godhand have prepared as the site for a ceremony to give one of their own a physical form and which has become a refuge for refugees fleeing the Kushan Empire's armies. Guts saves Casca from the Holy See bishop Mozgus as the souls of the dead attack the city and is joined by Farnese, her bodyguard Serpico, and the young thief Isidro. Meanwhile, an Apostle living under St. Albion consumes the Demon Infant and uses its body to restore Griffith to physical form.

After Guts fights Griffith and Zodd at Godo's home, Griffith realizes that some traces of the Demon Infant remain within him. Hoping to find a land safe from the demons, Guts decides to travel with Casca to Puck's homeland of Elfhelm on the island of Skellig, allowing Isidro, Farnese, and Serpico to follow him out of fear that he will lose control of himself to his dark impulses, which are embodied as the Beast of Darkness within his mind, with Farnese becoming Casca's primary caretaker. Meanwhile, Griffith forms a second Band of the Hawk with Zodd and other Apostles to save Midland from the Kushan Empire, which is led by their emperor Ganishka, a rogue Apostle.

Guts' party encounters the witch Flora and her apprentice Schierke while saving a village from trolls, and Flora gives him the Berserker Armor, which increases his power but risks pushing his body beyond its limits and being consumed by his inner darkness. Flora is later killed, and after escaping, Guts' party encounters the Moonlight Child, who expresses affection for Guts and Casca before disappearing after the full moon passes. Meanwhile, the Skull Knight warns Guts to not abuse the Berserker Armor's power while assuring him that Elfhelm's inhabitants can heal Casca's mind. While Guts and his party secure a ship called the "Seahorse", which is captained by Farnese's fiance, Prince Roderick, to reach Elfhelm, the Emperor transforms and causes the physical and astral realms to merge. With the blessing of Charlotte and the Holy See, Griffith establishes the city of Falconia to provide refuge for the Midlanders and humanity from the creatures that manifested after the realms merged.

After recruiting a merrow girl named Isma, Guts' party reaches Elfhelm; its elf ruler, Danann, helps Farnese and Schierke begin a training, and succeed in restoring Casca's mind. The Skull Knight introduces Guts to the creator of the Berserker Armor and reveals his past with the Godhand and its leader, Void. The Moonlight Child later reappears; it is revealed that he is the Demon Infant, who can take control of Griffith's host during a full moon. Griffith regains control of his host and abducts Casca while destroying the island's spirit tree, unleashing spirits that attack the island and causing Danann, Isma, and the other magical creatures (except for Puck and Ivalera) to disappear into the Astral Realm. As the survivors flee on the Seahorse, Guts breaks down in despair. Griffith returns to the mainland with Casca, heading to Falconia, where she remembers her companions and attempts to escape, only to lose consciousness. Guts is taunted by visions of his inner darkness that urge him to give in, but he passes out as Kushan warriors invade the ship and are revealed to be under the command of Silat, the leader of the Bakiraka warrior clan, and Daiba, a magician and former servant of Ganishka. Among the soldiers is Rickert, who had escaped from Falconia along with the Kushan deserters.

The Kushan escort Guts and the rest of the party to their capital and Guts is imprisoned. Daiba informs them that Falconia's army has appeared on the borders of the Kushan Empire and that the attack on Elfhelm is part of a wider campaign by Falconia to have Griffith rule the world. As such, Daiba orders that Guts and his party, Rodrick, the ships' crew, and Elfhelm's surviving sorcerers be placed under his command as the empire prepares for war with Falconia.

Development
While briefly working as an assistant to George Morikawa at 18, Miura had already planned some ideas for Berserk's development, having a dark warrior with a gigantic sword illustrated in his portfolio who would be the first conception of Guts. Miura submitted manuscripts to a manga magazine for about four years before working for Hakusensha; however, he felt that he was not capable enough for it and they were also not interested in publishing science fiction or fantasy works. In 1988, while working with Buronson on a manga titled King of Wolves, Miura published a prototype of Berserk in Hakusensha's Gekkan ComiComi. This 48-page prototype placed second at the seventh ComiComi's Manga-School prize. He later submitted his work to a magazine that, at the time, "was on the verge of going under," and he was switched around between several editors before meeting his first editor. The serialization of Berserk began in Hakusensha's Monthly Animal House in 1989. Miura commented that he landed the serial as soon as he made his debut, so he never had the opportunity to receive much criticism from editors.

Concept and influences
Miura stated that the inspiration for the series' title was diffuse at the time of creation. He did not have information about the berserkers or the Berserker Armor (which first appeared in the 222nd chapter) planned out from the start. He chose the word, telling himself that "its mysterious aspect would stick well." Miura said that the title was connected to Guts' imagery, influenced by Mad Max, further elaborating: "In short, starting from a world with a dark hero who is burning for revenge, prompts you to imagine a rabid character. When, guided by his anger, he will pour out this rage on overpowered enemies, we must insist on his fanaticism if you want to stay consistent. That's why I thought "Berserk" would make a perfect title to represent my universe." According to Miura, the series' dark fantasy setting was inspired by the 1982 film Conan the Barbarian and the Elric of Melniboné series. Miura stated that he did not see dark fantasy as a genre in itself, but rather as an equivalent of general fantasy. He commented that outside of Japan the big works of fantasy, like The Lord of the Rings, contain dark elements, and in Japan, the fantasy genre was popularized by video games like Dragon Quest, which were aimed at children, and therefore, expurgated the dark elements, but since he received the influence from novels before that of those games, Miura "naturally turned to dark fantasy."

Miura said that Fist of the North Star, by Buronson and Tetsuo Hara, was the work that had the greatest impact on his own work, helping as well to develop his art style. Miura also mentioned animator and manga artist Yoshikazu Yasuhiko and manga artist Fujihiko Hosono as early influences to his art style. Violence Jack by Go Nagai and Guin Saga by Kaoru Kurimoto inspired the series' story and atmosphere. Ranpo by Masatoshi Uchizaki served him as a reference for his backgrounds. Miura said that his favorite manga series was Dororo by Osamu Tezuka, and that he wanted to create a fantasy work that possessed dark, "muddy" and -like elements. Miura stated that he learned the basics of storytelling from George Lucas, creator of the Star Wars franchise, and called the eponymous 1977 film his favorite work. Miura commented about the influence of manga on the series, stating that it is about "expressing every feeling powerfully." Particularly, he mentioned influence from Yumiko Ōshima, and that the anime adaptations of The Rose of Versailles and Aim for the Ace!, both directed by Osamu Dezaki, inspired him to read The Rose of Versailles manga and the works of Keiko Takemiya, mainly Kaze to Ki no Uta.

Some aspects of Guts (personality and design) were partially inspired by Miura's highschool friend and later fellow manga artist Kouji Mori, by Mad Max's Max Rockatansky and by Rutger Hauer's performances in Flesh and Blood, Blade Runner, The Hitcher and The Blood of Heroes. Guts' prosthetic hand was inspired by Dororos Hyakkimaru and Cobras eponymous protagonist. Kurt, the protagonist of Pygmalio, by Shinji Wada, and an illustration of a giant wielding a sword, featured in The Snow Queen (Guin Saga spin-off), inspired the size of Guts' sword, the Dragon Slayer, by mixing both characters' swords. Miura commented that when drawing the Dragon Slayer, he wanted to emulate the effect of Kenshiro's or Raoh's (Fist of the North Star) fist "flying out from the page," but he felt that Guts' sword did not have the same feeling of weight as a fist. He wanted to convey an "extension of reality" feel to the sword, similar to the depiction of the Fist of the North Star's Hokuto Shinken martial art, and make it believable for the readers. Miura stated that "Black Swordsman" Guts was the first thing he was set on, but he did not have any idea about what his backstory would be. He focused on the character development up until around the third or fourth volume and then he would think about what brought him to revenge.

Frequency
Berserk is known for its frequent and often extended hiatuses, which date back to late 2006. Following a pause, three consecutive chapters about Guts' childhood were published from June 8 to July 13, 2012;  the main storyline resumed eight months later on October 12,  and the series went on hiatus after a chapter published on December 28 of the same year. Miura took a break to work on his six-chapter mini-series Giganto Maxia, and Berserk was published intermittently from April 11 to September 26, 2014. After a 10-month hiatus, the manga resumed on July 24, 2015, and was published monthly until November 27 of the same year, before entering on hiatus. It was published monthly from June 24 to September 23, 2016, before entering another hiatus. The manga resumed publication from March 24 to June 23, 2017,  and was then published on a monthly basis from December 22 of the same year to May 25, 2018. Four months later, another chapter was published on August 24, 2018, before entering an eight-month hiatus. Two chapters were published on April 26 and August 23, 2019. Three chapters were published on April 24, July 22, and October 23, 2020, respectively. The last chapter published in Miura's lifetime was released on January 22, 2021.

Miura's death and series resumption
On May 20, 2021, Hakusensha announced that Miura died at 54 due to an acute aortic dissection on May 6, leaving it undecided what would happen to the series. The posthumous 364th chapter of Berserk was published in Young Animal on September 10 of the same year, which was Miura's last work, and members of Miura's Studio Gaga, which consisted of him and his group of assistants and apprentices, worked to finish the manuscript of the chapter. The magazine's issue was a "memorial" to Miura, featuring a special "Messages to Kentarou Miura" booklet and a poster of "famous scenes" from the manga. In the same issue, Hakusensha stated that the future of the series remained uncertain and that the staff's priority would "always be placed on him—what he would think if he were still with us." The afterword in the manga's 41st volume (released in December 2021) from Young Animal's editorial staff stated that the future of the manga was still undecided.

On June 7, 2022, Hakusensha and Kouji Mori announced that the series would continue publication, using plans and thoughts that were relayed to Mori by Miura himself, as well as memorandums and character designs that Miura left behind. Mori related how he had visited Miura nearly 30 years ago when the latter was drawing "the Eclipse" event of Berserk and how his friend completed the storyline for the manga up to its last chapter that week. Mori explained that the story for Berserk had since gone on "exactly as we discussed at the time, with almost no changes." As the only person who knows the ending Miura intended, Mori agreed to continue the series and promised, "I will only write the episodes that Miura talked to me about. I will not flesh it out. I will not write episodes that I don't remember clearly. I will only write the lines and stories that Miura described to me."

In a 2023 interview, on the occasion of the 42nd volume release, Mori commented that Miura "was a manga genius bursting with talent," and that "[h]e had an eagerness to see things through to the end as well as an outstanding ability to paint, conceive stories and employ narrative devices effectively." For this reason, Mori initially concluded that it would be impossible to keep the series going without Miura, but he changed his mind after meeting with the members of Studio Gaga, who had worked under Miura, to perfect the unfinished last Berserk chapter that Miura had worked on. Mori recalled thinking: "The thought that Miura would be mad at me doing nothing motivated me to reach a decision." About his taking over from Miura in connection with the series, Mori stated that he still had mixed feelings: "It may be unforgivable for me to do it, now that Miura is no longer here," reiterating as well: "I will never add my own twist. I will simply remember and convey what Miura told me."

Berserk has continued with the credits appearing as "original work by Kentaro Miura, art by Studio Gaga, supervised by Kouji Mori". The "Fantasia Arc/Elf Island Chapter" finished with chapters released from June 24, 2022, to May 26, 2023; a new story arc started on September 22 of the same year.

Themes
Berserk explores a wide range of themes and topics. Free will, destiny, and causality are discussed within the series. Human resilience is a recurring theme, with many characters coming from traumatic backgrounds, constantly struggling against an unjust world. Guts struggles with destiny itself and is constantly resisting the pull of predetermination. Griffith also embodies this idea of resilience, by chasing his dream of ruling his own kingdom, despite his lowborn origins, as well as free will, by his own decision to sacrifice the Band of the Hawk in order to achieve his dream.

The series also explores human nature and morality, as characters struggle between becoming good human beings or falling into madness and evil. Guts, at the beginning of the story, is presented as an antihero who does not care about killing and is indifferent to people who aid him. Guts does not act in accordance with definitions of right and wrong, he operates within a gray area. Initially he does not attempt to be heroic or protect the innocent, though his self-motivated actions sometimes do so incidentally. However, as the story progresses, it is shown that he is in fact a person who is deeply conflicted internally. His tragic and traumatic past, unfolded in the Golden Age arc, shows Guts as a more complex character. Anne Lauenroth of Anime News Network wrote that Griffith is "not evil at all," but "arrogant and brutally realistic about human nature." The suppression of his own human nature would initiate his demise as the Hawk and the rise of Femto.

Friendship, comradery and human relations are other explored themes. As a child, Guts tried to build some level of friendship with his mercenary group, but due to his traumatic experience with them, he lost trust in people. However, through the time he was with Griffith and the rest of the Band of the Hawk, Guts formed bonds, friendships, animosities and co-dependencies, maturing as well as individual. Miura stated that he based the Band of the Hawk on his own high school friend relationship experience. Specifically, he mentioned that his friendship with later fellow manga artist Kouji Mori partially inspired the relationship between Guts and Griffith. Jacob Chapman of Anime News Network, wrote that through their friendship, Guts' ambitions were elevated and Griffith's were lowered, allowing both of them to consider a new future for the first time, one where they fight side by side as equals and die on the battlefield, but they reject this future out of their own personal fears, as Guts did not think he was "good enough" for a happy future and Griffith was terrified of his lofty dream crumbling into something more mundane. Miura also said that the conflict between Guts and Griffith speaks about their change after having built their personalities.

The Golden Age arc has been compared to a Greek tragedy. According to Lauenroth, Griffith's hamartia lies in how he compartmentalizes his feelings of guilt and shame that would get in the way of his dream and how he deals to repress them. His inner dialogue in his second duel with Guts, "If I can't have him, I don't care," marks the Golden Age arc peripeteia. When Guts comes running to rescue him during the Eclipse, Griffith reaches his moment of anagnorisis with his thought: "You're the only one... who made me forget my dream."

Betrayal and revenge are major themes in the series. Guts suffered his first betrayal when Gambino sold Guts' body to another soldier for a few coins. He would eventually take revenge against the soldier, killing him on the battlefield and he later would kill Gambino as well. Guts is in a quest for revenge after his comrades were betrayed by Griffith and sacrificed by the God Hand. This desire for vengeance has been his main reason of survival.

Religion has been also touched in the series, mainly through the characters of Mozgus and Farnese. Miura stated that he created Mozgus based on the concept of rigid personality to create a religious fanatic character with no flexibility. Farnese is presented as the figurehead of the Holy Iron Chain Knights, inquisitors tasked with burning heretics and witches at the stake. After her encounter with Guts, she finds it increasingly difficult to resolve her faith with the atrocities she became party to, as Guts, inversely, takes action against something he disagrees with. Guts denounces the very idea of prayer, claiming that the act of clasping hands only prevents people from fighting for their lives. Farnese eventually begins to reject her faith and the rigidity of her beliefs after finding out the truth about Mozgus. After the battle between Guts and Mozgus, Farnese decides to follow Guts, to find a new purpose in her life, away from her social position and the church.

Manga
Written and illustrated by Kentaro Miura, Berserk debuted in Hakusensha's Monthly Animal House on August 25, 1989. Hakusensha published the first volume of Berserk under its Jets Comics imprint on November 26, 1990. In 1992, Monthly Animal House was replaced by Young Animal, where the series resumed publication in October of that same year. Miura continued the series' irregular publication in the semimonthly magazine until his death in May 2021; the series resumed in June 2022, under supervision of Miura's fellow manga artist and childhood friend Kouji Mori, with illustrations by Miura's group of assistants and apprentices from Studio Gaga. In June 2016, Hakusensha's Jets Comics imprint was rebranded as Young Animal Comics, and the first thirty-seven volumes of Berserk were re-published with new cover arts. The posthumous 41st volume came in both regular and special editions; the latter included special canvas art drawn by Miura and a drama CD. The 42nd volume was released on September 29, 2023.

In North America, Dark Horse Comics, in conjunction with Digital Manga Publishing, announced the license of the manga in 2003. The first volume was published on October 22, 2003. , 41 volumes have been published. In September 2018, Dark Horse Comics announced a deluxe edition of Berserk, featuring hard covers and larger prints, with the first volume (collecting original volumes 1–3) released on February 27, 2019. The 14th and latest volume (collecting original volumes 40, 41, and Berserk Official Guidebook) was released on November 22, 2023.

First series (1997–1998)
Berserk was adapted into a 25-episode anime television series, produced by Nippon Television and VAP, animated by Oriental Light and Magic, and directed by Naohito Takahashi. The first episode begins with the Black Swordsman arc and shifts into the Golden Age arc thereafter. It was broadcast in Japan on Nippon TV from October 8, 1997, to April 1, 1998.

Film series (2012–2013)
The Berserk Golden Age arc was adapted into a trilogy of theatrical anime films by Studio 4°C. The first film, The Egg of the King, premiered in Japan on February 4, 2012. The second film, The Battle for Doldrey, premiered in Japan on June 23, 2012. The third film, The Advent, premiered in Japan on February 1, 2013. A remastered television broadcast edition, labeled as "Memorial Edition", aired from October 2 to December 25, 2022.

Second series (2016–2017)
A second anime television series adaptation of Berserk was produced by Liden Films and animated by GEMBA and Millepensee. The series' 12-episode first season covered the manga's Conviction arc. It was broadcast on Wowow and MBS's Animeism anime programming block from July 1 to September 16, 2016. A 12-episode second season, which covered the first half of the manga's Falcon of the Millennium Empire arc, was broadcast from April 7 to June 23, 2017.

Video games
Two video games based on Berserk have been developed by Yuke's. The first game, Sword of the Berserk: Guts' Rage (ベルセルク 千年帝国の鷹篇 喪失花の章), was released for the Dreamcast in Japan by ASCII Corporation in late 1999. It was localized in western regions early the following year by Eidos Interactive.

The second game, Berserk: Millennium Falcon Hen Seima Senki no Shō (ベルセルク 千年帝国の鷹篇 聖魔戦記の章), was published by Sammy Corporation exclusively in Japan on the PlayStation 2 in 2004.

A Berserk-themed spin-off of Omega Force's Dynasty Warriors series, titled Berserk and the Band of the Hawk (ベルセルク無双) was released on October 27, 2016, in Japan, and later in the U.S. on February 21, 2017, for PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita and PC via Steam.

In a collaborative event with Dragon's Dogma, the weapons and armor sets from the Berserk: The Golden Age Arc films were added to the game, and Shin Megami Tensei: Liberation Dx2 made characters as they appeared in the 2016 TV series adaptation of Berserk playable. In December 2021, the MMORPG Lineage W announced a collaboration with Berserk, including the ability to play as Guts.

Novel
A spin-off novel, titled Berserk: The Flame Dragon Knight (ベルセルク 炎竜の騎士), written by Makoto Fukami with illustrations by Kentaro Miura, was released on June 23, 2017. It is focused on the past of the new Band of the Hawk's apostle Grunbeld. In North America, the novel was published in English by Dark Horse on April 17, 2019.

Other media
Five Berserk art books and one guidebook have been released by Hakusensha:
 * Berserk: Illustrations File, also known as Kentaro Miura - Berserk Illustration Book (三浦建太郎画集　ベルセルク), released on February 26, 1997.
 * Berserk: Kenpū Denki—Kanzen Kaiseki-sho (ベルセルク 剣風伝奇完全解析書), an art book about the 1997 anime, released on December 9, 1998.
 * Berserk: War Cry—Postcard Collection (ベルセルク ポストカードブック WAR CRY (雄叫び)), released on August 20, 1998.
 * Berserk: Visual & Story File (ベルセルク ビジュアル＆ストーリーFILE), art book about the video game Sword of the Berserk: Guts' Rage, released on December 22, 1999.
 * Berserk Official Guidebook (ベルセルク オフィシャルガイドブック), was released by Hakusensha on September 23, 2016. It was published in North America by Dark Horse on September 19, 2018.
 * The Artwork of Berserk was released for the 2021 Large Berserk Exhibition; it was sold exclusively during the event, but it was later announced that it would be available for purchase after the event.

A trading card game was released by Konami in Japan in 2003 and 2004. Berserk has spurred a line of statues and action figures produced by Art of War, Prime 1 Studio and First 4 Figures. Various figma figures by Max Factory based on the characters have been released, including Guts (Black Swordsman version, Band of the Hawk version and Berserker Armor version), Griffith and Femto, Casca, and the Godhand. Berserk inspired two pachinko machines that feature original CG animation.

With the publication of the 40th volume of the manga on September 18, 2018, a promotional video, featuring actor Shigeru Matsuzaki portraying Guts, was streamed.

"Large Berserk Exhibition" (大ベルセルク展), a special event to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Berserk, was announced in October 2020. It was originally scheduled to be held at Ikebukuro Sunshine City's Exhibition Hall A in Tokyo from January 30 to February 15, 2021. However, due to COVID-19 pandemic concerns, the event was postponed. The event was rebranded as "Large Berserk Exhibition: Kentaro Miura's 32 Years of Artistry" (大ベルセルク展～三浦建太郎 画業32年の軌跡～), and was held at the same location from September 10–23, 2021. The exhibition was held in Osaka from December 11, 2021, to January 30, 2022.

A drama CD, featuring the return of the 2016 anime's cast, portraying the "Awakening" chapter of the manga, was published with the special edition of the 41st volume of the manga on December 24, 2021.

Reception
The 1988 prototype chapter of Berserk placed second at the seventh ComiComi's Manga-School prize. The manga was a finalist for the second, third, fourth, and fifth installments of the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2001, respectively. In 2002, Berserk earned Miura the Award for Excellence at the sixth installment of the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize, being awarded along with Takehiko Inoue, who won the Grand Prize for Vagabond. Berserk was one of the Manga Division's Jury Recommended Works at the fifth and sixth installments of the Japan Media Arts Festival Awards in 2001 and 2002, respectively. Berserk: Birth of the Black Swordsman, a 15-second video commercial for the 2016 anime television series adaptation, was one of the Entertainment Division's Jury Recommended Works at the 20th installment of the Japan Media Arts Festival Awards in 2017.

In 2016, Berserk ranked 38th on the 17th "Book of the Year" list by Da Vinci magazine; it ranked 44th on the 22nd list in 2022. On TV Asahi's Manga Sōsenkyo 2021 poll, in which 150,000 people voted for their top 100 manga series, Berserk ranked 91st.

In 2007, the manga received the prize of best manga at the Japan Expo Awards. Berserk won the French AnimeLand's Anime & Manga Grand Prix for Best Classic in 2008, 2009 and 2013. It won the Spanish Manga Barcelona award for the category in 2013 and 2021.

Sales
Volumes 33–41 of Berserk debuted in the top six on Oricon weekly manga chart from 2008 to 2021; volumes 34 and 40 debuted first in 2009 and 2018, respectively. By July 2015, the manga had over 27 million copies in circulation in Japan and 8 million overseas; over 40 million copies in circulation by January 2016; over 50 million copies in circulation (including digital versions) by May 2021; over 55 million copies in circulation (including digital versions) by October 2022; and over 60 million copies in circulation (including digital versions) by September 2023.

Berserk received an Excellence Award of Hakusensha's Denshi Shoseki Taishō (E-Book Award) in 2015, which went to the publisher's best-selling digital manga from July 1, 2014, to June 30, 2015; it won the same award in its 2021 edition, which went for the publisher's best-selling digital manga from January 1 to December 31, 2021.

In March 2017, Michael Gombos, Dark Horse Comics' director of international publishing and licensing, reported that Berserk was their best-selling product of all time (not just among manga), dethroning Lone Wolf and Cub, and it had over 2 million copies sold in North America by September 2018. Following Miura's death announcement in May 2021, it was reported that the first eight volumes of Dark Horse's deluxe edition of Berserk ranked on Amazon's top 100 overall best-selling books list. According to ICv2, Berserk was the fourth best-selling manga franchise for Q4 2021 (September–December) in the United States, and it was also the tenth "most efficient manga franchise" for retailer bookshelves, based on the website's calculations of which manga franchises had the highest sales per volume. The first volume of Dark Horse's deluxe edition was one of the highest-selling manga volumes of 2022; it was also one of the highest-selling manga volumes of 2023.

Critical reception
Berserk has been widely acclaimed by critics. Reviewing the first volume, Michael Aronson of Manga Life described Berserk as "a curious mix of medieval barbarism, sorcery and futurist technology, combining ghouls, guns and gore. The result is beautifully rendered badass action with enough bloody violence to keep fans of the genre happy." Publishers Weekly wrote: "Berserk offers a montage of merciless violence and thrilling action sequences in a blend of pure fantasy and graphic horror." Grant Goodman of Pop Culture Shock wrote: "Berserk redefines what is considered a well-written fantasy manga. There are few manga that come anywhere close to creating a complex tale that includes medieval warfare, magic, and horror." Reviewing the first two volumes, Greg McElhatton of Read About Comics wrote: "it's still hard to identify what about Berserk brings across such a fascination. Is it the characters? The visual look of the monsters? The little hints of a troubled past, like Guts' tattoo that oozes blood? All of the above? I'm not sure, but I do know that I'm hooked." In his review of the third volume, Daniel Briscoe of The Fandom Post called the series "a tragic story of hatred, violence, and innocence lost," adding that Miura "manages to pack so much emotion, both good and bad, next to so much violence and gore I believe is a testament to his writing and his artwork."

In his review of the first six volumes, Satyajit Chetri of Rolling Stone wrote: "By the end of the fifth volume, Berserk has morphed into a touching tale of humanity, friendship and ambition. It is less about the blood spilt and more about the choices made by the characters, the small twists that will ultimately turn friends into nemeses." Reviewing the twelfth volume, Eduardo M. Chavez writing for AnimeOnDVD, commented that despite its long-running publication, "Berserk is as shocking and unique as ever this far into the series. There are few titles out there that can sustain the level of intensity and relevance as this." In his review of the twenty-first volume, Scott Campbell of Active Anime wrote: "The deep, dark places that this manga travels to both in story and in artistic expression can be as interesting and captivating as they are horrifying," adding that there are not many other stories or manga quite like Berserk. Writing for SciFi.com, Zac Bertschy said: "Kentaro Miura has managed to create a story that's not only darkly disturbing, but also absorbing and affecting on a deeper level than most manga titles can achieve." Bertschy praised the story and character development, concluding: "Not for the faint of heart, Berserk is perfect for mature manga fans who like a little blood with their drama."

In Manga: The Complete Guide, author Jason Thompson gave Berserk 4 out of four stars. He called it "[a] blood-soaked sword-and-sorcery epic with elements of Clive Barker's Hellraiser," and wrote: "Berserk's medieval European world of mud and blood is so realistic—and drawn in such realistic detail—that when dark fantasy elements begin to intrude upon it, they do so with a slow, dawning horror." Thompson, in a review for j-pop.com, also wrote: "Despite the slaughter, Berserk doesn't feel as amoral as it could be; our hero is a killer, but given his well-developed back story, his occasional tears of remorse seem more genuine than, say, Crying Freeman's." In another article, writing for Anime News Network (ANN), Thompson said that Berserk started as "the story of a lone swordsman traveling the world fighting demons with blood and sweat," and it was later turned into a "fantasy RPG party of heroes with a magic-user, a thief, a fighter, some elves, etc.," commenting that Miura apparently was "aiming the series at a younger age group." Despite this, Thompson stated: "I'm still impressed by Miura's great art and his ability to create such a long storyline with so much scope and (relative to other manga, at least) so little filler. No other seinen fantasy manga has such well-developed characters with such deep backstories, even for the minor characters."

Matt Fagaly, writing for Crunchyroll, analyzed Berserk's use of and  manga tropes in the Lost Children arc (volumes 14–16), which resulted in an "entirely original and moving narrative." Fagaly commented about the arc protagonist, Jill, and her hopeful words at the end of that story, further adding: "I have never seen another Shonen or Shojo express this notion with the same audacity, depth, and idiosyncrasy as Berserk." Carl Kimlinger, writing for ANN, in his review of the thirty-fifth volume, compared Guts' "monster-plagued" trip to Elfhelm to the fantasy tales of Robert E. Howard and, in comparing the volume to the previous ones, he wrote that series dropped down a notch, although he stated that it was not a "disastrous drop," but "just the series falling back into a comfortable, classical adventure mode." Brittany Vincent of Otaku USA said: "Berserk is undoubtedly one of the most unique and engaging Western-style fantasies of all time." Writing for Syfy Wire, Eric Frederiksen said: "Berserk is one of the longest-running manga, and consistently one of the darkest out there, but also one of the most emotionally powerful and rewarding." Writing for Crunchyroll, Peter Fobian expressed: "Berserk is one of the most deeply personal works I've ever read, both for myself and in my perception of Miura's works. The series' transformation in the past 30 years artistically and thematically is so singular it's difficult to find another work that comes close."

Artwork
Miura's artwork has been particularly praised by critics. Bertschy said that the artwork is where Berserk "really shines," adding: "The cross-hatching work, the level of detail, it's all stunning. Every page is a work of art, each scene drawn with the outmost attention to detail and atmosphere." He compared the art to the 1950s horror comics from EC Comics and found it fitting to the series' "gruesome nature." Bertschy concluded: "Miura is a fabulously talented artist and author, and future manga series by him will be met with great anticipation." Thompson said: "Miura's art is one of the real attractions. The people may occasionally look funky, but castles, knights, horses, and Baroque and Romanesque trappings are drawn with detail and accuracy." McElhatton wrote that he was "pretty unimpressed" with Miura's art at first, but he changed his mind after the demons appeared, stating: "Miura draws demons in such a wrong and disturbing manner that it's unsettling. That's how demons should look, of course." Publishers Weekly wrote: "this work has a style characteristic of other 1980s manga, with sparse dialogue, spectacular action sequences and gritty character art. The pencil shading and use of shadows lend an ominous tone." Campbell wrote: "You just can't know what 'attention to detail' means until you read Berserk—it's rare when it comes to what it has to offer to all the readers out there, so really it's no wonder that it stands out as much as it does." Campbell also commented: "The closest thing visually that Berserk could be compared to might be Claymore, another very good manga—but really Berserk is on a plain of its own." Writing for Advanced Media Network, Serdar Yegulalp said that the artwork of the first volumes are "a little rougher and less polished than the later ones," but that after the eighth volume "there is scarcely a page that doesn't look spectacular," adding that "Miura's loving attention to detail on most any page or panel is stupefying." Writing for ANN, Casey Brienza stated: "Miura's artwork is exquisite and, remarkably, drawn without the help of an army of assistants. And while he has been great right from the first page of volume one, he has improved over the many years of working on Berserk."

In another review for Graphic Novel Reporter, Brieza wrote: "Unlike virtually all other commercially successful manga artists, Miura produces his artwork without assistants, and the exquisite detail of this erotic-grotesque, Dungeons & Dragons-esque high fantasy issues from his hand and his hand alone," adding that it is "one that appeals to men and women alike." Carlo Santos, reviewer from ANN, wrote: "Miura's complete command of light and shadow gives every moment an otherworldly quality—this is one of the few series that can honestly claim to transport its readers to another time and place—and the attention to backgrounds is a welcome sight when so many other artists are too lazy to be bothered." Kimlinger wrote that Miura's art "is among the most intricate, evocative and plain beautiful art ever to be put to page and arranged cinematically. He draws wonderfully expressive faces, awe-inspiring monsters, gorgeous armor and some of the finest gore to be found just about anywhere." Chetri described Miura's otherworld featured in the first arc as "something a drug-addled MC Escher would have painted," also noting homages to Hellraiser and H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos, and called Miura a "splendid storyteller whose artwork is stark and bold enough to bring the world of Guts to life magnificently." Writing for IGN, Bruna Penilhas commented that Miura's level of detail in his illustrations is "impressive from start to finish," praising the design and features of his characters, adding that he was able to "perfectly illustrate characteristics and feelings such as pain, anger and sadness." Alex Traub from The New York Times commented about the comparison of Miura's drawings to Hieronymus Bosch's paintings, particularly for Miura's images of "little human figures occupying sweeping fantastical landscapes," adding: "Mr. Miura was known for his spectacular, apocalyptic style; specific images—a humongous sword, a monster cloaked in shadow—are immediately recognizable to his fans."

Legacy
Berserk is regarded as one of the most influential dark fantasy works. Peter Fobian, in an essay of the legacy and impact of Berserk, called it a "monolith not only for anime and manga, but also fantasy literature, video games, you name it," comparing its level of influence to Blade Runner, further adding: "it's difficult to imagine what the world might look like without it, and the generations of creators the series inspired."

According to writer and editor Kazushi Shimada, series like Fullmetal Alchemist, Attack on Titan, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba or Jujutsu Kaisen would not have existed if not for Berserk. Some dark fantasy manga authors who have declared influence from Berserk include Hajime Isayama (Attack on Titan), Kazue Kato (Blue Exorcist), and Yana Toboso (Black Butler). Other authors influenced by Berserk include Makoto Yukimura (Vinland Saga), Yūki Tabata (Black Clover), and Ryōgo Narita (Baccano! and Durarara!!). Adi Shankar, producer of the Castlevania animated series, said in an interview that he would like to adapt Berserk, calling the "hyper-detailed beauty" of Miura's artwork a "true masterpiece", while Adam Deats, Castlevania assistant director, stated that the show was inspired by Berserk.

Critics like Gene Park of The Washington Post and Ramsey Isler of IGN stated that Berserk started a visual trend of characters wielding giant swords that spread to Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII, Dante from Devil May Cry, and Ichigo Kurosaki from Bleach.

Berserk has also inspired a number of video games, including the Dynasty Warriors series, the Final Fantasy series (considerably Final Fantasy VII and XIV), the Dark Souls series, Bloodborne, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Elden Ring, and Capcom's Devil May Cry and Dragon's Dogma series.

Finnish heavy metal band Battle Beast have written songs about Berserk, including several on their 2013 self-titled album. When guitarist Anton Kabanen left Battle Beast in 2015, he formed Beast in Black and continues to write songs about the series. The deathcore band Brand of Sacrifice released the album God Hand in 2019. Both the band and album are hugely inspired by Berserk. In 2021, deathcore band Slaughter to Prevail released a music video for their song "Zavali Ebalo", which featured scenes from the Berserk 1997 anime series.