5 Years Ago, Berserk Released Its Final Chapter From Its Legendary Creator, But Their Legacy Lives On

September 15, 2026, 11:00pm

There’s no denying the impact that Kentaro Miura’s work has had on manga readers around the globe. Of his work, his most prolific, Berserk, is often cited as being one of the most influential and prolific seinen series in the world, acting as a touchstone for other massive pieces of media, including multiple FromSoftware titles like Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring. Even other mangaka, like Attack on Titan‘s Hajime Isayama and Blue Exorcist‘s Kazue Kato have cited Berserk as being a point of reference for the respective works.

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In 2021, the final chapter of Berserk penned by Miura, Chapter 364, “Teardrop of Morning Dew,” released in Young Animal Issue #18. Aside from the chapter being notable for being Miura’s final entry into the series, the chapter has stuck with fans for its defining quote delivered by a mysterious child who visits Guts and Casca, stating: “…When I wake from the dream, only a vague sense of longing remains… that too, will soon disappear… with a single tear like morning dew.” The quote itself has lingered with fans for years, even as Berserk continues under the direction of Kouji Mori.

Miura’s Legacy Was Cemented In Guts’ Journey & A Deep Love For Art

Kentaro Miura launched Berserk‘s prototype, aptly titled Berserk: The Prototype in 1988. The brief one-shot was published in Hakusensha’s Monthly ComiComi, while he was still working as an assistant to Hajime no Ippo‘s creator George Morikawa. Miura has originally envisioned Berserk to be a fantasy series designed for shonen audiences, and didn’t have many plans in place for where he wanted the story to go. In spite of this, he continued shaping the world and journey that Guts would inevitably go on as the years went on. One thing Kentaro Miura has always been very firm and very open about was his influences when creating Berserk.

Deeply inspired by other pieces of dark literature, Miura’s set pieces for Berserk were influenced by works like Clive Barker’s Hellraiser, Jean-Jacques Annaud’s The Name of the Rose, and Brothers Grimm’s fairytales, while the art style he honed for the series was deeply inspired by Fist of the North Star by Buronson and Tetsuo Hara. Miura’s myriad of inspirations show that the mangaka is true lover of all corners of art and media, embracing themes and visuals that, while off-putting to mainstream audiences can really resonate with the right crowd. His story writing speaks to this as well, as Guts’ journey is overflowing with themes regarding the indomitable will of humanity in the face of suffering, free will, and hope born from the desperation of survival.

Berserk‘s Impact Has Kept Miura’s Memory Alive

As of writing, it’s been reported that there are over 70 million copies of Berserk in circulation around the globe. Officially being serialized since 1989, the series very quickly became popular both in sales and among critics, with even western publications like Rolling Stone giving the manga glowing reviews, calling Berserk a poignant exploration of humanity, friendship and ambition. Artistically, Miura has been praised for decades for his intricate detailing techniques, using meticulous cross-hatching methods to give an almost obsessive attention to detail in every single panel of the manga.

This masterful presentation has made an impact on creatives around the world, with many dark fantasy mangaka, like Black Butler‘s Yana Toboso, Attack on Titan‘s Hajime Isayama, Blue Exorcist‘s Kazue Kato, and Vinland Saga‘s Makoto Yukimura declaring that they’ve taken inspiration from the work. Even in western media, Adi Shankar, who worked on the first four seasons of Netflix’s Castlevania has called Berserk a masterpiece, stating that it would be a dream to work on an adaptation of the series. With Berserk in the hands of Miura’s personal friend and colleague Kouji Mori and the rest of Studio Gaga, it’s clear the series won’t be going anywhere anytime soon, and that the people who love and respected Miura are hard at work to keep his memory alive.