Aaron Gandžumian

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 and skilled
mercenary, and Griffith, the leader of a mercenary band called the “Band of the Hawk”.

It tells a dark story of Guts and his ways of surviving the unforgiving world he was born into.
From the very start of his life, he was considered to be a bad omen because of the circumstances he was
born into. Although he never let anyone get too close to him at his youth, he soon found a group of
mercenaries he ought to call his friends and family, the “Band of the Hawk”. However, his close
attachment to them didn’t last long. Griffith was a natural born leader and although he was a
commoner, it didn’t stop him from actualizing his dream of obtaining his own kingdom at any cost. To
acquire his own kingdom, Griffith had to sacrifice everyone he held dear to himself in an act of
selfishness and betrayal. Guts miraculously survives the sacrifice and begins his long and grueling
journey for revenge.

The plot and narrative are thrilling, well drawn and grim. What makes the character of Guts
stand out is the way he doesn’t let his problems define who he is. He doesn’t make excuses and tries his
best to make his life something worth living despite everything being thrown his way. It’s an attitude
which puts into focus the character’s most important lesson to the audience: even if it’s pointless, keep
trying, keep fighting, be defined by what you overcame, not what weighted you down.

Berserk is an amazing piece of fiction that is really underrated but not suitable for anyone. If you
enjoy reading manga and aren’t squeamish from the amount of gore in it, you won’t be able to put it
down. I would definitely recommend reading it.