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Berserk 10THE ART One of the very first, if not the first, thing or factor that is critical to the very particular form of media platform that is manga is the art. Detailed, beautifully drawn manga can certainly help a manga be a top class work and on the other side of the coin, a lazily, half-baked drawn manga can make help make it bottom tier in terms of the manga that is available out there. Berserk is absolutely in the top-class category. Not only has it been detailed and wonderfully illustrated from the start, Kentaro Miura's work has aged like fine wine over the years and only has improved. 9IT'S A REALLY WELL DONE REVENGE STORY Revenge stories have been done quite a lot in pop culture media, whether it be books, movies, TV, video games, etc. They can also be done poorly and seem overly generic if they are done wrong also. However, Berserk makes a what could have been a very simple revenge story about one man taking away the newfound pieces of happiness that another very broken man had left into a consistently compelling and complicated narrative. This list will go into further detail on how and why that is as the entries go on, but, without getting too deep into spoilers, there are a number of factors about the characters and their world that keep it always interesting and exciting. 8ITS DARK AND GRITTY TONE Not there is anything wrong with the more lighthearted nature of many manga and anime out there, particularly with the shonen genre, this one is definitely for those that are fans of the more dark, gritty, and serious. It has probably been said many times before, but the tones that Berserk relies upon is comparable to George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire novel series and HBO TV series Game of Thrones. RELATED: Berserk: The Most Horrifying Enemies, Ranked Both are very dark by nature and there is nothing lighthearted about it. Not that there aren't good moments of positive sentimentality. In fact there are tender moments that are used well, but for those who are looking for something that isn't exactly "kid friendly," look no further. 7DARK FANTASY SETTING For those who are fans of fantasy, but not quite the high fantasy of The Lord of the Rings, Berserk is the perfect setting. Once again, its dark fantasy setting is very much akin to that of Martin's aforementioned book and TV series A Song of Ice and Fire and Game of Thrones. This one also kind of ties into the previous entry, as fans of dark fantasy will likely enjoy the dark and gritty tone and nature of the characters and the world around them. Berserk is set in an old European-inspired world ravaged by supernatural forces and creatures, especially after the events of a key story arc. 6THE MAIN ANTAGONIST Griffith is another big pull of the narrative of the world and characters of Berserk. He is arguably one of the most well written antagonists in all of anime and manga. He is a complex character because of his intentions and where those intentions ultimately bring him in terms of his status in the world and to the rest of the main cast of characters. His appearance, for starters, is one that would resemble that of a hero; a protagonist. But because of the events that transpire largely because of his decisions, he very much becomes the main cast's, or at least to the main protagonist, antagonist. 5A LAYERED PROTAGONIST Of course, any narrative is arguably going nowhere without a main protagonist. Berserk has a great one in Guts. The character might seem like a generic manga and anime fantasy hero on the surface level. He is quiet, carries a massive sword, is built like a brick house, and more. However, there is more to him than meets the eye. RELATED:10 Best Fight Scenes In Berserk He is a man ravaged by tragedy. Without delving into spoiler territory, everything good that he has had in his life has been brutally taken away from him and then some. But in spite of it all, he always fights his way forward; never giving up and always healing after the next hit he takes. When you think about it, he is truly inspiring. 4 CHARACTER RELATIONSHIPS DRIVE THE PLOT While, at the base of the narrative, Berserk is certainly a revenge story, it is helped driven forward and kept interesting, exciting, and compelling by the relationships between the characters. The main cast that comes along Guts in his journey helps contribute to this, but the main relationships that drive the plot are between the main trio of characters early on in the story. Those are the characters of Guts, Griffith, and Casca. The relationships these three characters make with each other and the events that transpire as a result of those relationships are the core of the plot throughout. 3 THE LINES OF GOOD AND EVIL ARE BLURRED Unlike many pieces of media, in whatever platform or medium they inhabit (books, TV, film, video games, etc.), or any given piece of fiction especially, in Kentaro Miura's Berserk, good and evil are not so clearly defined. Instead, Kentaro Miura chooses to paint the characters in a light dependent on the events of their lives and allows the audience, in this case, reader, to decide for themselves how to view them. RELATED:10 Shonen Anime From The 90s Everyone Needs To See Of course, the reader is more likely inclined to view Guts and company to be the heroes of the story, but after a certain turning of events in the narrative, the roles could be argued to have flipped. Miura even does this in the appearance of the characters. Guts, especially at times, looks demonic or evil. Meanwhile, Griffith looks angelic and heroic. And sometimes, the monstrosities that plague the world aren't the workings of hell, rather, they are emissaries of God. 2THE ACTION SCENES ARE PURE HYPE At the absolute basis of Miura's Berserk, at its core, is a dark fantasy action manga series. Therefore, the action displayed throughout the narrative has to be thrilling, well drawn, and, in this case given the target demographic, brutal and gory. In this respect, like in many other areas Berserk is responsible for satisfying, it does not disappoint. Given the fact that the world of Berserk is one that is constantly plagued with horrific creatures wreaking havoc on the human world, there are plenty of action and fight scenes involving Guts and company against some daunting opponents and not one of them disappoint. 1IT'S ARGUABLY THE BEST SEINEN MANGA This one can certainly be up for debate given the reader's perspective and the masterful level of work in the seinen manga genre. Other masterpieces of works like Vagabond and Vinland Saga rightfully earn their merit as world class pieces of not just manga, but works of fiction in general. However, Berserk has been a long-running manga since the late 1980s and has consistently, and unfortunately with its fair share of hiatuses, consistently told and illustrated a compelling narrative for a longer amount of time. No disrespect given to works like the aforementioned newer works of Vagabond and Vinland Saga.

My first ever manga was Naruto because I just couldn't wait for the next episode to release, I was always up to date with the episodes before it finished 😞