Spoiler Warning: The following contains spoilers for Berserk by Kentaro Miura
Berserk is easily one of the greatest manga of all time, with a sterling legacy of quality artwork from the covers to the jaw-dropping two-page spreads. Kentaro Miura’s intricate artwork matured over the decades of his career and even beyond his tragic passing in 2021.
Legions of Berserk fans attest to the uncompromising visual detail, depicting a dark fantasy world collapsing under the actions of its characters. Its influence has appeared in other manga, anime, video games, and more, immortalizing the legendary mangaka and his work. Evaluating and analyzing Miura’s work on Berserk has resulted in the fandom surrounding the series often trading favorite panels from the series and an enormous array of video essays by YouTubers.
With controversial themes and a mature seinen plot creating a story craved by millions of readers, it’s unsurprising how much Guts’ journey has resonated with the readers. Comparing individual achievements and moments against one another feels disingenuous. Still, in reality, it’s a celebration of Miura’s work, with the best volume covers of Berserk as a common topic.
By the time of this Berserk guidebook’s publication in 2016, the series as it’s known had nearly 27 years worth of content in circulation. It’s an unusually hopeful image for the series, with Guts backed by his party of would-be mercenaries, including an aristocrat-turned-mage, a witch’s disciple, and brave little elves in its ranks. After the devastation of Guts’ former party, it seemed like his only company was Puck and his deeply traumatized lover, Casca, so this is not only a showcase of memorable characters but of Guts’ handling of his losses.
The contents of the guidebook are more scrutinized by Berserk fans due to the suspected involvement of writers other than Miura handling character data. Much like many guidebooks, it’s more of a collectible than a book that readers frequently return to reread. Miura’s artwork alone is a strong selling point, with this cover being among the brightest and most optimistic.
By the time of Berserk volume #11, pivotal events like Griffith seducing Princess Charlotte had crossed the point of no return for his first play at acquiring a kingdom. By this point in the series, the terror of the apostles began to rear their aberrant heads, such as recently with Rosine and with Wyald soon to feature. Volume #11 is a retrospective of the apostles Guts faced, such as in the Black Swordsman arc, along with a nice callback to his prototype design with the traditional crossbow. Sadly, this image has no eyepatch or vampire-hunting features, so the throwbacks end there.
Volume #11 is one of the best covers in Berserk due to its gorgeous showcase of the apostles Guts faced, including Rosine, whose design influenced the Moonlight Butterfly boss from Dark Souls. Also featured are Nosferatu Zodd and Black Swordsman Arc adversaries like the Snake Lord from chapter #1 and The Count from that same arc. Berserk has no shortage of deadly apostles; these enemies are a mere taste of the enemies to grace future covers.
By volume #7 of Berserk, readers may guess that Guts and Casca end up together as one of the most famous couples in manga. The two confide in one another in a way not quite seen among the rest of the Band of the Hawk, even between Guts and Griffith. This Berserk image is also one of the most tragic covers for those who read further, because it eerily hides what terrors the pair eventually experience.
Regarding the artwork, it’s a much simpler illustration than almost any of the other Berserk volume covers. It portrays an eerily romanticized portrayal of Guts, a massive sword slung behind his back, and Casca posed cheekily behind his back, evoking a pulpy sword and sorcery aesthetic. It’s a shame this feeling never lasts or ever really existed for the pair save for a few comedic moments like in chapter #22.
The pivotal events of the Golden Age Arc are likened to a twisted Greek tragedy for superficial reasons. Guts is an inherently tormented, flawed antihero, born ominously from his mother’s hanged corpse; there are surprising moments of reverie like Chapter 30; cosmic beings grace the plot and interact with the human cast; and, crucially, a harrowing betrayal by Guts’ closest ally. This ally, the infamous Griffith, was the idealistic leader of his mercenary group, the Band of the Hawk, but his God complex and failure to properly cope with his trauma led to this moment where he shed his former self.
After seducing Charlotte, Griffith was made public enemy no. 1 for Midland and its lecherous king. Griffith was captured, tortured, and mutilated to the point where his tendons were severed, and his tongue was removed, making him vulnerable to temptation by demons. This leads to him being made the newest member of the God Hand, a syndicate of cosmic-scale dark angels serving the Idea of Evil, where he is dubbed Femto, after which he carries out the most infamous event of the series.
The Berserker Armor may be obnoxiously on-the-nose, but its cursed gimmicks fit perfectly in Berserk lore, hinting at a fascinating connection to the mysterious Skull Knight. It’s a horrifying concept that drives the berserker idea to its extremes, as a suit of armor that binds itself to its wearer, connecting wounded and broken bones and tissue until the last drop of blood is spilled. This creates a point of anxiety for Guts as he must prevent himself from falling into the rage that sets this power loose, as it does not discriminate between friend or foe.
The pose itself has Batman vibes, but it’s also one of the most beloved covers from the vast gallery of Berserk‘s other artwork. It matches Guts’ brooding tendencies while also being visually appealing and simple. It also hints at menacing traits of Guts’ worst qualities: a ravenous wolf out for blood and other depraved acts, struggling to break free but held at bay by his humanity and supporting friends.
Berserk volume #38 is still relatively new in the grand scheme of the series, yet it enjoys a ubiquitous position among the fandom. It showcases Guts’ physical development; a muscular dark fantasy hero wielding a 300-pound sword like it’s nothing. Yet, it also shows how vulnerable he is, from his glancing arm wounds to bandages commonly wound around his torso to his disfigured eye and Thomas More-esque patch of white hair. Guts has been through a lot and isn’t showing signs of quitting.
This is so familiar thanks to famous social media personalities like Manga Mogura on X (formerly Twitter) using this image frequently to announce leaks or updates on upcoming chapters. It’s not quite to a point where fans see this image burned into their grilled cheese, but it’s a solid depiction of the protagonist. Guts may look menacing on this cover, but he has softened dramatically since the Black Swordsman Party started growing.
While the events depicted in Berserk volume #18 involve the Conviction Arc and Mozgus more than the cover may suggest, this is an undeniably excellent rendition of Guts’ greatest foes. Zodd is imposing in his beastly released form, while Griffith’s fallen angel aesthetic creates a feathery backdrop as the pair are locked in combat. An extraordinary amount of detail is given to Puck, Guts’ most energetic and long-serving ally, a manga-style rendition of the Midsummer Night’s Dream fae servant, which Berserk fans can appreciate.
This cover benefits from the juxtaposed blood and feathers and undeniably gorgeous attention to detail. The posing of the characters is near-perfect, and Guts’ stance and physique indicate the heft of his sword. What’s truly terrifying is that Zodd, the demonic beast he’s fighting, is a mere servant to Griffith.
The Troll Caves story in Berserk is one of the most uncomfortable and troubling experiences for readers, but it produced one of the best covers for the series. Trolls, in this case, are Astral World creatures manifested among humans in what turns out to be a watershed moment for Guts and his party as they learn how these creatures born from fear terrorize a nearby village. The events of this arc are shocking – but also introduce fan-favorite moments, like when Serpico gains the Sylph Sword and Isidro’s Salamander Dagger as granted by their new teammate, Schierke.
The cover is one of Miura’s more abstract pieces, with the trolls coated in a deep red hue, Farnese bravely putting herself between her threats and Casca, and Guts brandishing his sword. While other characters feature, Schierke’s presence is the most striking of all. He is a pivotal character whose protection becomes vital from this point onward, including keeping Guts and Casca’s Mark of Sacrifice at bay. Teamwork makes the dream work, even if they occasionally fight back against nightmares when they become real.