After the official statement that confirmed the death of the mangaka Kentaro Miura, the author and illustrator behind Berserk since the 1980s, fans have been celebrating his creation online. One community of gamers, in particular, the Dark Souls fans, have been celebrating the Berserk creator and how his work impacted the FromSoftware franchise and games.
Berserk is a Japanese manga series set in a dark and medieval Europe where demons exist. The manga follows the story of a young mercenary named Guts who carries an enormous sword on his back and fights terrifying demons on a journey of revenge. The manga premiered as a prototype back in 1988, having been a major influence on the dark fantasy genre, which can clearly be seen in the FromSoftware Dark Souls franchise and the unreleased Elden Ring title.
Across various FromSoftware-based subreddits on Reddit fans have been posting dedications to the passing of Miura and Berserk, in remembrance of how his work influenced the games they love. There are messages of thanks, fanart of Guts and other Berserk characters, along with images of references to the Berserk universe inside the Dark Souls series and in the unreleased Elden Ring press images. From these posts, such as one from Reddit user MagnoBurakku, the influence can be clearly seen. Without the monstrous strength of Guts, there may never have been a surge of anime characters wielding enormous swords over half the size of themselves.
RIP Kentaro Miura. Yours and Guts struggle will never be forgotten. Without Berserk, there would hardly be Dark Souls and everything that followed. from Eldenring
Berserk is known for being an especially dark material, filled with grotesque imagery and harsh violence. The story is filled with religious imagery and subtext, marking both the good and evil sides in a grey light, leaving humanity left hanging in the middle without a way out. These are all elements found in FromSoftware’s games, particularly Dark Souls, including the difficult and harsh gameplay that mirrors the grand loss of life shown in Berserk. While there may only be few examples of the developers and studio discussing the manga as a direct influence, the evidence speaks for itself.
While the fans who had been patiently awaiting an ending to the almost thirty-year-long story may now never get an answer to how Gut’s story will end, they aren’t alone. The fans of all the various series and franchises influenced by Miura’s work are also mourning the loss of the famous mangaka. Miura’s legacy will live on in the artists, writers, and creatives his work inspired.
