Berserk, one of the longest-running manga series ever created, has spawned many anime and video game adaptations. It is also one of the highest selling mangas of all time, with over 50 million copies in circulation, and is widely regarded as an all-time classic of the medium.
Legendary video game creator Hidetaka Miyazaki drew from a number of sources when he created his Dark Souls games, including the “Choose Your Own Adventure” books he enjoyed as a child. However, he was also heavily inspired by the story, art, and mood of Berserk, making it essential for any FromSoftware fan.
A Brief History of Berserk
Berserk was conceived, written, and illustrated by Kentaro Miura, who authored the manga from 1989 until his death in 2021. Its epic narrative follows the intertwining story of Guts — a mercenary warrior known as the Black Swordsman — and his former friend Griffith, the leader of a mercenary unit called “the Band of the Hawk” (a reference to Griffith’s nickname and his avian-styled armor). Guts’ companion and former second-in-command of the Band of the Hawk, Casca, is also a pivotal character in the story.
Berserk was first published in 1989 in the Japanese magazine “Monthly Animal House,” and continued to appear in the defunct publication’s reincarnated form, “Young Animal.” As well as staggering popularity and sales, the manga also earned its creator the Award for Excellence at the 6th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prizes. A final chapter was published posthumously after his passing, which fans believe was a fitting finale for Berserk, even if it was never intended as such by its creator.
Although the long-running series has featured scores of memorable moments, its most famous is the “Golden Age” story arc, which focuses on the brutal and tragic past that connects its main characters. This origin story was adapted into a 25-episode Berserk TV series which originally ran from 1997 to 1998, as well as a trilogy of theatrical anime movies in the early 2010s.
The events of this period are disturbing, haunting, and heartbreaking in equal measure, telling the story of how taciturn and violent Guts was first persuaded to join the Band of the Hawk by its handsome and charismatic leader, Griffith. Casca, Griffith, and Guts worked together to forge a period of success and wealth for the mercenary group. However, fans of the manga knew that the trio was not fated to remain happy and cohesive, and the anime TV series and movies both did an excellent and heart-wrenching job of depicting Griffith’s harrowing downfall.
Sadly, a more recent anime adaptation of Berserk was less successful, with fans criticizing its 3D models, animation, and overall direction. But with so much material to draw from, fans remain optimistic that a future Berserk anime adaptation can successfully recapture the magic of some of the manga’s other memorable story arcs.
How Berserk Inspired FromSoftware’s Games
Berserk’s influence on Dark Souls, Demon’s Souls, and FromSoftware’s other action-adventure games is undoubted. Miyazaki's game worlds are permeated with references to the iconic manga, with a large number of items, locations, and other details in the titles revealing their director's love of the texts.
One area in which this inspiration is clearly evident is in the games’ array of weaponry. The Souls games provide players with a wide-ranging arsenal, and many of these are drawn directly from the world of Berserk. The Dark Souls series’ enormous Greatsword, a favorite of players pursuing a strength build, is clearly inspired by the ridiculously oversized blade wielded by Guts. Sekiro also borrows from Guts’ armaments by equipping its one-armed main character with a mechanical prosthetic limb capable of firing explosive projectiles.
Some of the enemy designs in the Souls series are also lifted directly from Berserk. The infamous Wheel Skeletons, also known as “Bonewheels,” depict undead corpses that remain lashed to the horrific breaking wheels that caused their deaths. In a stroke of dark comedy genius, the creatures utilize these torture devices to devastating effect, harassing the player with rolling attacks whenever they appear in the game. However, Dark Souls did not in fact mark the debut of these formidable foes; instead, they were spawned by the twisted mind of Kentaro Miura, featuring as antagonists in Berserk.
Other monster designs in the Souls games strongly suggest origins in Miura’s work. Dark Souls’ Taurus Demon strongly resembles Berserk antagonist Nosferatu Zodd, and the game’s man-serpent enemies are very similar to the manga’s villainous Snake Lord. Bloodborne also gets in on the act, with boss character Ludwig’s beastlike form resembling a monstrous and malformed horse, a design that also appeared as a monster in Berserk.
The games also contain a number of NPCs that are inspired by the venerated manga. Dark Souls' popular and tragic Siegmeyer of Catarina is known as “the Onion Knight” for the way in which his armor resembles the vegetable, but his design also strongly resembles that of Berserk’s villain Bazuso. Even the loveable Dark Souls blacksmith, Andre, is clearly designed to look like Godot, the man responsible for crafting Guts’ colossal blade.
Hidetaka Miyazaki’s first Souls title, the recently remade Demon’s Souls, is also littered with references to Miura’s work. The NPC Yuria sports a distinctive hat which is first worn by Schierke in Berserk, and Latria’s iron maidens and metal cages recall the torture room in which Griffith is imprisoned in the Golden Age arc's tragic climax.
Of course, FromSoftware is not the only developer to draw from Berserk, as the long-running series has had an enormous influence on multiple generations of Japanese creators. Games like Final Fantasy VII also bear its hallmarks in the shape of Cloud’s gigantic Buster Sword, and there are already multiple direct adaptations of Berserk into video game format.
Sadly, Kentaro Miura’s death means it is unlikely that the series will continue without its creator at the helm. However, it is certain that Berserk's legacy will live on for decades to come in the shape of the many video games the legendary manga has helped to inspire.