Berserk

is a long-running dark fantasy manga series written and illustrated by Kentaro Miura. Miura premiered a prototype of Berserk in 1988. The first volume of the manga was published on November 26, 1990 by Hakusensha in its Jets Comics collection. After three more volumes were published, Berserk was serialized in Young Animal in 1992 and is still being released.

The series was adapted into a twenty-five episode anime series,, by OLM, Inc./Oriental Light and Magic. It debuted in Japan on October 7, 1997, on Nippon Television; the final episode aired on March 31, 1998. It covered the first arc: Golden Age. Two video games were also created for the series: an action adventure for the Dreamcast and another for the PlayStation.

Berserk's setting is inspired by medieval Europe. It centers around the life of Guts, an orphaned mercenary warrior, and Griffith, the leader of a mercenary band called the. As he ages, Guts changes from a solitary boy into a man who realizes the value of camaraderie. The story contains elements of both fantasy and horror, as it explores both the best and worst of human nature. Both the manga and anime are noted for their heavy violence.

Plot
Born beneath the gallows tree from which his dead mother hung, Guts has always existed on the boundary between life and death. After enduring a terrible childhood, he spends his adulthood in brutal combat, pitting his strength against others in order to build his own. Life is simple enough for Guts until he meets Griffith, the inspirational, ambitious, and beautiful leader of the mercenaries, the Band of the Hawk. When Guts loses to Griffith in a duel, he is forced to join the Band of the Hawk, and, despite himself, finds a sense of camaraderie and belonging amongst them. However, as Griffith leads his soldiers from victory to victory, the bloody wars and underhanded politics reveal a side to him that nobody quite expected. Very soon, what seems like a straightforward march for conquest becomes a harrowing struggle for humanity and life itself. Can Guts, a simple warrior, defend those who have come to mean the most to him, all the while struggling not to lose to the darkness he has carried with him his entire life?

Other Sources
Review of Berserk at Anime Academy

Other Wikis

 * Berserk Wiki (Spanish)
 * Berserk Wiki (German)
 * Berserk Wiki (Czech)