Anime fans were rocked when it was revealed that the prolific creator of Berserk, Kentaro Miura, had passed, with a large number of players of the multiplayer massively online role-playing game, Final Fantasy XIV, putting together a “Dark Knight Tribute” to honor the mangaka. Berserk has been running since the 1980s, telling the story of Guts and the Band of the Hawk dealing with a world that is besieged by demons, with the anime franchise never afraid to dive into some serious blood and guts throughout. Though it doesn’t have an anime series running now, Berserk remains a fan favorite.
For those who might not know, Berserk has been an influence on countless video games, with perhaps Dark Souls being the closest to the source material without actually featuring Guts and company. Created by Hidetaka Miyazaki, the Dark Souls franchise would have armor, enemies, monsters, and weaponry that looked like it was carved straight out of Kentaro Miura’s anime masterpiece. On top of this, Berserk has also influenced Final Fantasy itself as well as the popular Capcom series of Monster Hunter. With Berserk having several video games that directly translated the events of the series, it’s no surprise that Miura’s work has been an influence on so many others.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Final Fantasy XIV players shared videos and pictures from the “Dark Knight Tribute”, which saw many members of the Dark Knight class in the MMORPG joining together to honor the manga artist who leaves behind an amazing anime legacy with Berserk:
Balmung’s dark knight memorial to Berserk author Kentaro Miura. I love this community. pic.twitter.com/QYveSkQ9Go
— Oz! @ 5.5 (@localhyurzen) May 20, 2021
This is insane.
Rest in Peace Kentaro Miura pic.twitter.com/YSACKT6iEO
— Shenpai (@AeroViro) May 20, 2021
Final Fantasy took a radical departure with its fourteenth entry, transforming the usual single-player format into one where players around the world can band together to navigate the fantasy work. With Final Fantasy VII’s latest remake, and a fifteenth game currently in the works, it’s clear that Final Fantasy XIV will be around for quite some time with its players.
The news of the passing of Kentaro Miura has hit the anime community hard, with both fans and creators alike sharing their love of the mangaka and the world he created in the dark anime series, Berserk. Considering the reach that Miura had throughout his career within the anime community, we definitely wouldn’t be surprised to see more tributes created in the coming days.
