For Kentaro Miura · 4:07am May 20th, 2021
I’ve never read Berserk. I know of it, though. How could I not? Its reputation precedes it; it’s one of those genre-defining epics whose influence and reach just... cannot be overstated. The tropes Kentaro Miura codified in his manga, the setting and characters he crafted, the vivid strokes of ink lovingly (and violently!) etched across every page, coalesced to form something special that seeped into the medium, and spread well beyond its confines.
There’s no Dark Souls without Berserk. No Bloodborne. No Nier. No Castlevania. The list just goes on. This person’s work is just that far-reaching, that influential.
I’ve never read Berserk. It feels familiar, though. And that’s because Kentaro Miura is in so much of the art that I love.
There will never be another like him. And yet, in a way? He’ll outlive us all.
Berserk has always fascinated me from a lot of perspectives. The gorgeous artstyle, the complex characters, the setting, the fights, the plot, and a lot of other things I'm not capable of putting into words.
But the most fascinating thing about it was the mind of the author who put every little piece in place to create something truly unique, even after years of descendants in the industry.
He might be gone, but his work will live forever.
His artwork is literally hanging next to my bed. Godspeed.