The Berserk Shonen Successor is Finally Coming To America

The Shonen world has had its fair share of dark series released in the pages of Weekly Shonen Jump, with Chainsaw Man being a prime example of a manga that is more than willing to dive into blood and gore. Debuting last year, Shueisha debuted a new riveting, dark tale in the pages of the manga publication that many consider to be a reflection of Berserk. Centuria debuted in April of last year from creator Tohru Kuramori and manga readers in the West will have the opportunity to check out Julian’s story and the bleak setting in which he must survive.

Confirming that Centuria would arrive in North America in 2026, Viz Media updated its social media account with the big announcement, “Announcement: A bitter slave. A cruel bargain. A child worth saving. When Julian trades a life to awaken an ancient god, he gains powers he must use to protect an innocent in a brutal world. Centuria, Vol. 1—a dark fantasy series by Tohru Kuramori—releases Spring 2026.” While the series has yet to receive an anime adaptation, the popularity of the franchise so far makes it an easy win for whichever anime studio decides to adapt Centuria’s story.

Announcement: A bitter slave. A cruel bargain. A child worth saving. When Julian trades a life to awaken an ancient god, he gains powers he must use to protect an innocent in a brutal world. Centuria, Vol. 1—a dark fantasy series by Tohru Kuramori—releases Spring 2026. pic.twitter.com/mnF1Uifr7J

— VIZ Media (@VIZMedia) June 6, 2025

[RELATED: Berserk, Tsutomu Nihei, and Cthulhu Inspired Shonen Jump’s Darkest New Series]

Centuria’s Backstory

In an interview released earlier this year, Centuria creator Tohru Kuramori attributed major inspiration from Kentaro Miura’s Berserk, while also crediting some other big elements, “I got my idea for chapter one of Centuria from the painting “The Slave Ship” by Joseph Mallord William Turner. I imagined a situation in which the protagonist of the story was aboard that slave ship and built upon the story from there. One thing led to another, and I ended up with the concept of a protagonist who had been granted the lives of one hundred people. I think I’ve been influenced most by Kentaro Miura-sensei’s Berserk, Tsutomu Nihei-sensei’s works, and the Cthulu mythos.”

If you want to learn more about this dark manga taking the world by storm, here’s the official description of Centuria from Shueisha, “Stowing himself away on a slave ship, Julian sets sail for the great continent with a hundred slaves, all yearning for freedom, until…?! Embark on a groundbreaking journey through this action-packed dark fantasy saga!!”

Since this manga debuted last year, fans will have plenty of time to play catch-up with Julian’s story. As it stands, Centuria has four manga volumes to its name and is showing no signs of stopping any time soon. With the recent announcement that Kaiju No. 8 is ending in two chapters, there will be a major power vacuum in Weekly Shonen Jump that Centuria might be able to fill.

Want to see if Centuria is able to become one of the big movers and shakers in Weekly Shonen Jump? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on the bleak manga and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.