If you have a great fascination for Japanese anime shows with frightening and disturbing themes, then I can expect that Berserk will be among your top anime list. Like most anime shows, this dark fantasy show shares a similar name with the manga series. Kudos to Kentarou Miura who did a great job in being a writer and illustrator of the Berserk manga series that got published first time in 1989 on 25th April. It has been following since then.
Coming on to the ending phase of the 90s era, the idea of adaptation of manga series to anime version covering the Conviction arc from the manga came into being. In the later years from 2012 to the following year (2013), the adaptation of the Gold Age story arc from Manga turned into an anime film trilogy.
The first part of Berserk in its original Japanese language was released in 2012 on 4th February followed by the second part from 23rd June in the same year to 1st February in 2013. After some years, came an announcement that revealed the launch of an anime TV series. It would cover events post the Gold Age story arc, and so the premiere of the first season of Berserk hit the screens in 2016 on 1st July.
Even though the dark fantasy show received a thumbs down for quality of animation style, still, it managed to strike a chord with viewers and got a renewal for its second installment whose premiere came in 2017 on 7th April. And now fans just can’t handle more patience in expecting good news regarding the release of the third season of Berserk. So is it going to stream soon or do we have to wait for upcoming years? Let us find out in this article.
Show Details
| TV Series: | Berserk |
| Genre: | Dark fantasy |
| Directed by: | Shin Itagaki |
| Written by: | Makoto Fukami |
| Place Of Origin: | Japan |
| Original network: | Wowow, MBS, TBS, CBC, BS-TBS |
| Original language: | Japanese |
| Number of seasons: | 2 |
| Number of episodes: | 24 |
Story plot
The story of Berserk takes place in the Kingdom of Midland, an imaginary place. There is one mainstream character named Guts, who is a wandering warrior always ready to pick fights. Being a man of war, he is always seen carrying a big sharp, and edgy sword larger than himself. It hardly matters whether he is surrounded by unfavorable odds, Guts always proves his worth in getting victory over his opponent.
And one day, his fighting skills get noticed by Griffith, the leader of a mercenary group named Band of the Hawk. He finds the fighting prowess of Guts too impressive and expresses his will to him in joining his clan. But Guts does not agree to it and challenges Griffith to have an open duel. Unafraid, he accepts the challenge and fights with Guts, and overpowers him. Accepting defeat, Guts joins the Band of the Hawk to stage a war against the Chuder Empire.
But without the knowledge of others, Griffith has some mysterious agenda that he is keeping to himself. When the task for which Griffith added Guts to his army of mercenaries is accomplished, he (Guts) bids goodbye to follow his dreams, despite Griffith’s efforts in not letting him go. But years later, Guts joins the mercenary group again. But this time he discovers that the strength the army had before has declined now.
Now the group is searched across Midland for betrayal done by their leader Griffith who is kept in the prison ever since. However, with the help of Guts, Griffin is freed from prison by mercenaries. But again, the fighter warrior discovers a change in the traits of Griffith from the time of his imprisonment. Being shadowed by his former self, his mercenary group, Band of the Hawk must bring back their lost popularity in Midland. But their efforts in gaining back their past eminence in a baleful manner.
Chaos in Midland
Marked for death and followed by demons, Guts, the Black Swordsman has to make extreme efforts to shape up his destiny, which won’t be so simple. However, a few unexpected friends help him in his mission. The following episodes of Berserk, show Midland becoming a land of disorder with approaching demons causing havoc everywhere. The continuous long fight for years begins showing results on Guts. His motive to change his destiny ends with the searching of Elfhelm, a mystical land, where the demons can’t step in.
The 2 main characters of Berserk
Guts
Guts is the central hero of the dark fantasy anime series Berserk. He is presented as a man with tall stature with a muscular physique. He keeps a big sword which has a name called Dragonslayer. Guts is seen with one injured eye, an artificial left arm hiding a small cannon. Having a long experience in war, he just cannot think of anything other than conflict instead of peace. The black swordsman is always ready or prepared for fighting. Guts struggle a lot to change his fate. He wears a tattered black outfit.
Griffith
Griffith is another principal character and main villain in Berserk. He is the founder of a mercenary group named Band of the Hawk. It is he who gets impressed with the fighting prowess of Guts after noticing him. He even offers to be a part of his group. But when Guts picks up a duel fight with Griffith, he gets defeated by the latter and joins the group. Unlike Guts, Griffith appears attractive in terms of his looks. He sports a white long hairstyle, a delicate sabre, and no marks on his body. He is thin and has an average height in comparison to Guts who is taller.
Will there be a third season of Berserk?
The premiere of Berserk second season came in 2017 on 7th April and ended in the same year on 23rd June. It ended in giving a hint to the viewers about the possibility of a third installment of the dark fantasy series. However, right now, no official confirmation has come from its makers. But that does not mean the third season is canceled. There are anime shows which take much time to come back with the new season. So expect the release of Berserk Season 3 by 2022.