Nearly a year after the legendary mangaka’s untimely passing, the final volume of Kentaro Miura’s Berserk has officially received a Western release date for later this fall.
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Collecting the last seven chapters completed by the legendary mangaka before his untimely passing last May “due to acute aortic dissection,” Berserk’s 41st volume will release this November – on the 19th in comic stores and the 22nd in general book stores – courtesy of the manga’s longtime English publisher, Dark Horse Comics.
“It is with great pride that Dark Horse will release Miura-sensei’s last installment of his masterpiece, Berserk,” said Dark House president and founder Mike Richardson alongside the volume’s announcement. “His creativity and incredible storytelling are unmatched. And to be able to release his final work to his fans is an honor that cannot be overstated.”
Picking up in the aftermath of Griffith and the Band of the Falcon’s triumph over the armies of jötunn – their appearance a result of the Great Roar of the Astral World caused by the White Hawk’s slaying of the Man-Made Beherit-augmented Kushan Emperor – the final volume of Berserk will begin with Chapter 358, “Dawn of an Empire,” wherein the Falcon of Light discusses the political affairs of his newly erected capital city, Falconia.
From there, the collection will return to the adventures of Guts and his band of companions – currently composed of Casca, Schiercke, Isidro, Farnese, Serpico, Isma, Azan, Roderick, Magnifico, Ivalera, and Puck – across the magical elf kingdom of Elfhelm.
The volume will ultimately conclude with the series’ 364th chapter, the final to be released prior to Miura’s death, and a rather fitting revelation regarding the Moonlight Boy’s existence.
Sadly, fitting though it may be, this reveal may be where the story of Guts’ quest for revenge against Griffith comes to an end.
As of writing, there has been no confirmation as to whether the series will resume publication , possibly under direction of one of his assistants, or be honorably retired from the pages of Hakusensha’s Young Animal Comics magazine.
According to an interview with Miura conducted just prior to his death, the mangaka revealed that not only was Berserk roughly “60-80%” done, but that he had also recently begun the process of drawing the story to a close.
While it seems evident that fans will never see Miura’s complete vision for Berserk’s finale, hopefully the details of what the author had planned can be made public at some time in the future.
Are you excited to read Berserk’s final volume? How would you like to see the Miura’s story plans released to the public? Let us know your thoughts on social media or in the comments down below!
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