It's Time Berserk Got the Anime It Deserves

It's long past time for Guts and the Band of the Hawk to return to the anime world.

By Evan Valentine

The last time that anime fans were able to explore the Band of the Hawk was thanks to 2022's Berserk: Memorial Edition. The compilation series took footage, old and new, from the trilogy of movies created by Studio 4C, releasing it as a way to pay homage to deceased creator Kentaro Miura. Unfortunately, Berserk has been making the news recently thanks in part to controversy surrounding fan anime productions and how the artists at Studio Gaga weren't thrilled to see the projects released without official backing. Despite this controversy, it is long past time for Berserk to get a new anime adaptation worthy of Miura's works. 

Berserk's history in the anime world is one filled with ups and downs. To start, the brutal manga's first anime arrived in 1997 and was universally praised in that it stuck close to Miura's art style while covering the majority of one of Berserk's biggest storylines, the Golden Age Arc. Following this, it was decades before Guts and the Band of the Hawk would return to the screen via the Berserk: The Golden Age Arc trilogy. Perhaps the most controversial release was the Berserk anime of 2016, which received two seasons and followed Guts after the Eclipse. 

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(Photo: Liden Films)

Berserk's Treasure Trove of Material

Despite receiving two anime series and a trilogy of films, there is a vast library of events and battles that have never been animated from Guts' dark journey. Even with the 2016 anime adaptation seeing Guts creating his new band of adventurers to tag along in his quest, including Farnese, Puck, Serpico, Isidro, and Schierke, the series didn't have the opportunity to translate all of Miura's stories from the manga. Rest assured, the stories that were never brought to the small screen are well worth bringing to the anime world. 

Some of the material that was never brought to life includes Griffith's further creation of the new Band of the Hawk, an army that saw humans teaming up with Apostles for the first time. The stories also saw Guts doing the unthinkable and teaming up with the White Hawk in an effort to take on a darker threat in the Kushan Empire. Even with the tragic passing of Kentaro Miura, the series has continued thanks to the artists of Studio Gaga and new writer Kouji Mori who are all honoring their friend by working to finish the series.

The Time is Now For Berserk

Anime has never been more popular than it is today, as sales for anime and manga have gone up by leaps and bounds thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. Even while lockdowns have subsided, the desire for fans to pick up anime stories has not. Berserk remains one of the biggest anime franchises the world over and all it needs is a studio that is willing to adapt the manga for the long haul. With production houses such as Studio MAPPA, David Productions, Science Saru, and countless more creating big anime series, the Band of the Hawk would benefit from any of these studios taking up the Dragon Slayer.

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The main obstacle that many anime fans see in adapting Berserk is simply living up to the high standards set by Kentaro Miura. The deceased mangaka's artwork is so detailed and gorgeous that many believe no anime adaptation could ever truly do it justice. However, as technology continues to advance and more funds are placed into the medium, now might be the best time to once again return to Guts' dark locale. 

Want to see if the Band of the Hawk gets their chance to return to the anime world? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on Berserk and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime. 

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