The world of anime and manga has seen some brutal and gruesome scenes, but none of them compare to what Kentaro Miura introduced in the story of Berserk. Being a Seinen manga, it is expected to have some grim scenes, but the adventure of Guts was too uncomfortable, even for the fans of the Seinen genre.
From torture to ghastly deaths, since the beginning of the series, Berserk has never shied away from going beyond the threshold and including provocative scenes in order to perfectly portray the severity of the narrative. And while these horrifying scenes might prove to be a little shocking for the fans, Miura seemingly had no regrets about them.
The manga creator once revealed that he understood the dark depths of the various grim scenes of Berserk, but he had no regrets about them. Not only that, even his editorial manager was with him while he was working on such scenes and defended him from the higher-ups.
Kentaro Miura Did Not Regret a Single Thing
In 2019, the French newspaper Le Figaro interviewed Berserk Mangaka, and he was asked about the crude scenes that included torture, the massacre of children, etc., and whether he regretted including such scenes in the manga. Miura apologized for the scenes and pointed out that while he sometimes thought about whether the scenes were necessary or not, he convinced himself.
Miura stated:
Sorry about these scenes! I must say that my editorial manager defended me well. At the time, the head of the editorial board or people higher up said once or twice that I was going too far. I also refrained several times, telling myself it would not pass. You have to understand that a mangaka in the process of drawing takes very little perspective on his work, which leads him to convince himself that his choices are the right ones.
Talking about his higher-ups, the manga creator revealed that while his editorial board has sometimes stated that he might be going too far, his editorial manager has always defended him. The mangaka even indirectly pointed out that these scenes are one of the reasons why Berserk is one of the most popular manga series in the world.
Times When Berserk Manga Went Too Far
Kentaro Miura’s magnum opus is known for carrying a combination of dark and light moments. While it has tried to explore the goodness in humanity sometimes, it has primarily focused on the violence and brutality of the world, combining it with mystical elements, which makes it even more horrifying for Berserk fans.
There were many times the Berserk manga went too far. One of the worst moments in the series was the torture and assault that Casca had to go through during the Eclipse, and Guts had to forcibly watch all of it. This added a mix of sadness and dreadfulness to the story, which made it probably the most dire scene in the series.
Other scenes included the child massacre, Gambino’s betrayal of Guts, the death of the band of hawks, the troll cave, the Mozgus’ chamber, etc. These scenes may have made Berserk what it is today, but it doesn’t change the fact that these parts are also the reason why some fans regret reading the manga.
You can read the Berserk manga on Dark Horse.
