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Berserk is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kentaro Miura. Set in a medieval Europe-inspired dark fantasy world, the story centers on the characters of Guts, a lone swordsman, and Griffith, the leader of a mercenary band called the “Band of the Hawk”.

Berserk is a long-running dark fantasy manga series written and illustrated by Kentaro Miura. Miura premiered a prototype of Berserk in 1988. The first volume of the manga was published on November 26, 1990 by Hakusensha in its Jets Comics collection. After three more volumes were published, Berserk was serialized in Young Animal in 1992 and is still being released.

The series was adapted into a twenty-five episode anime series, Kenp? Denki Berserk (????????? Beruseruku Kenp? Denki^?), by Oriental Light and Magic. It debuted in Japan on October 7, 1997, on Nippon Television; the final episode aired on March 31, 1998. It covered the first arc: Golden Age. Two video games were also created for the series: an action adventure for the Dreamcast and another for the PlayStation.

Berserk’s setting is inspired by medieval Europe. It centers around the life of Guts, an orphaned mercenary warrior, and Griffith, the leader of a mercenary band called the Band of the Hawk (??? Taka no Dan^?). As he ages, Guts changes from a solitary boy into a man who realizes the value of camaraderie. The story contains elements of both fantasy and horror, as it explores both the best and worst of human nature. Both the manga and anime are noted for their heavy violence.