Have you ever heard of the manga’s Futabi or Noa? Chances are you haven’t, but you probably have heard of Berserk.
Berserk was one of the many works published by Kentaro Miura in a small magazine in 1989, but way before that in 1966 Miura was born in Chiba Japan.
At a young age Ken was a very talented artist drawing his first manga “Miuranger” at the age of 10. A very young, dedicated career that would lead to his talent for the rest of his life.
In middle school Ken would go on to create Ken e no Michi (the way of the sword) in 1977 where he experimented with ink for the first time. Later on in his final school years in high school he created a manga called Futanabi in 1982 which was later submitted to Shonen Magazine “best new author” competition which helped him get into Nihon University. During his university years he created a manga that really showed his talents for pro storytelling and art named “Noa” in 1985.
In the early years of the 1980s Ken would meet his life long best friend and fellow mangaka Kouji Mori. They bonded over manga, storytelling and art. They both attended Nakano High Schools art program. They worked on several projects together and discussed many ideas and stories.
In 1989 Miura published a dark fantasy manga begin which was titled “Berserk”, which Ken had been drawing up for many years before hand and ended up with the main and final character “Guts’ a warrior with a long tragic past.
Berserk was unlike many manga’s before its time with its dark emotional themes. It stood out with its very impressive art, story, and themes. It was and still continues to be a inspiration to many manga’s today.
Berserk’s story is still being made and continued even in 2025, as the story hasn’t ended and still continues to be worked on. Although Kentaro passed away from a tragic health accident in 2021, Berserk was left in the good hands of his friend Kouji until it finishes.
The manga is loved by many and even has a few side adaptations, but the 1997 film adaption being a masterpiece of is also loved by many fans around the world for the amazing art and animation of its time. Unfortunately the same cannot be said about the Berserk second season released in 2016-2017. This is often criticized for its poor 3d animation and terrible sound design and pacing. Berserk also had a 2012 movie trilogy and a 2022 memorial edition remaster but they aren’t often talked about within the community.
Berserk may not have been always perfect and wasn’t Kens first work but it is a big inspiration and loved by many different people around the world.
