Kentarou Miura has passed away

I honestly didn't want to think about this kind of thing in my life time, because we knew that in some way or another that it would happen. But I'm crushed that it happened so soon and at such a young age, It's no exaggeration that Berserk and the legacy of Kentaro Miura are nothing short of an earth-shattering impact on the industry. As creative people and as readers continue to read this story and pour over it's beauty and heartbreak, it's no denying that Miura and his work will go down in history as a gamechanger and something that really helped people in a large and small way.

Godspeed and thank you for everything Kentaro Miura, this world will never know your kind again...
 
Rest in peace Kentaro Miura. I got into Berserk about two months ago, and woke up today to these news... I'll not forget your work for as long as I breathe.
 

Scorpio

Courtesy of Grail's doodling.
I've been reading Berserk for almost 20 years now and this doesn't change the fact that I'll still be reading it after 20 more.

In that time I've shared the series with countless friends and family but selfishly, I'm most greatful Miura was able to share it with me. While I've read many works that are rich experiences in their own right I've rarely encountered art that has reflected back at me my own changes and accumulation of experiences the way Berserk has. I'd like to say it's characters grew along with me, but it's truly the opposite; I had to grow to appreciate these characters. How Miura accomplished this right from the start is a testament to his creativity, his work ethic, and most of all his empathy.

It's a little difficult to truly celebrate his work right now with just the... sheer shock of his sudden passing, but it's nice to see all the tributes from those he touched and the acknowledgements from places I might not have expected.

Rest in peace, Miura.

And thank you.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
For all those who are up to it, Puella and I are thinking about organizing a campaign to send notes and flowers to Hakusensha to honor Miura sensei after his passing. I'm waiting to see if they give specific instructions but otherwise I'll make a thread with details on what to send and where.
 
Very sad new this morning. Crying for Master Miura and his family and all the fans...
It s really hurts.
Thank you so much for his work and what he did for us!
Thanks to Skullknight community and all fans.
RIP mister!
Berserk lover forever
 
i’m truly in disbelief of the news that has crossed my eyes just now.

as we all mourn the loss of Kentaro Miura i can’t help but appreciate the happiness and impact his life has brought to my life, and i’m sure many of yours.

today we depart with a man who has sacrificed his blood, sweat, and tears for a work that will live on through us for eternity

- Rest easy, Miura Sensei
 
I am emotionally devastated. RIP Kentaro Miura, the best Mangaka of all time. I still cant believe it and also the fact the we will never see the end of Berserk... :sad:
 
For all those who are up to it, Puella and I are thinking about organizing a campaign to send notes and flowers to Hakusensha to honor Miura sensei after his passing. I'm waiting to see if they give specifics instructions but otherwise I'll make a thread with details on what to send and where.
Love this! If it were up to me the man would have a life size dragonslayer as his tombstone.
 
As I got into bed last night and set my alarm I saw the news come across my feed. I was in complete denial staring at my phone until the sources credibility sunk in.

I'm crushed. For almost two decades Berserk has been a part of my life. It captured my imagination and very little has come close to the experience. This is a great loss but even unfinished Berserk and Miura will live on.
 
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I've only been into Berserk since 2016. I'm not the oldest of fans, nor the most emotionally attached. Even so, reading Miura's work has always been a wonderful experience to me, and I never looked at the slow pace with disappointment. It was fine, Berserk was already a defining piece of art to me.

Reading the news, this morning, completely destroyed me, and 14 hours in nothing has changed. 54 years is too young.
Hell, I would've been happy if Miura announced a complete retirement. He probably deserved it and it would have been fun to laugh at the entitled fans.

But in the end, it was not a retirement. I can't really be sure, but I have the impression Miura was probably too passionate to ever completely stop producing his life-work.

I just hope that he lived with a smile on his face, that he was proud of what he meant to thousands and thousands of people.
I'll never forget him and his work. Rest in peace, sensei.
 
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puella

Berserk forever
I'm totally overwhelmed by this monumental loss. But at the same time, it also gives me a very strong will to do my best to make sure people will forever remember what a great man Miura was. If there's something I can do to prevent them from forgetting him, it will be my duty from now on. I will try to bring more of his interviews and commentaries to light with good translations.
 
First of all i wanna say hi to everyone, I've also been lurking the SK.net forums for a very long time and love Berserk with all my heart like all you guys here. It started in high-school which feels like it was an eternity ago. A friend introduced me to the manga when he gave me the first 3 Berserk volumes. I've read it, then I've watched the 1997 Berserk Anime on DVD and that was it. I was hooked and since then i've been a fan. And also a fun fact, the friend who introduced me to Berserk is now my husband. You can say Berserk brought us together somehow.

I was also a member of the german Berserk community (BerserkFan and Berserk Blutrache) and through Kentaro Miura's work i have met so many wonderful and great people, in real life or also on the forums. I will never forget the awesome time we fans had together and was also sad when it became quiet around the community (life or losing interest in Berserk, i suppose). That's why i decided to join this forum, but never had the courage to write anything.

Anyway, i was truly shocked, sad and devastated when i heard that Kentaro Miura had passed away. 54 years, it's way too young. His work left a great impact on me, i would even go as far and say it even changed my life. I was at a point where I had studied law and was close to graduation, but it was something i was never really happy with, or something i wanted to do for the rest of my life. And I remembered Griffith's memorable speech about having a dream and to follow that dream passionately. Just as Miura I love to draw and to be creative and i completely turned my life around and studied graphics design. I followed my dream and i even have the kanji for dream on my right arm. Berserk is a story that influenced me so much, i love the world and the characters and everything Miura has created. For me Berserk is and always will be the best manga out there, nothing and no one will ever come close to this incredible piece of work.

Rest in peace, Mr. Miura, you truly are a god of manga (together with Tezuka-san) and I will never forget what you gave us. You put your heart and soul into creating your work and every fan respects what you have done, all those countless hours and days you have invested in a story which will sadly never be finished. RIP, it's been one hell of a ride and I will cherish Berserk forever. Thank you.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Like many of us, I wasn't able to articulate my thoughts in writing last night, and wanted to say some things a few of us discussed yesterday, besides saying goodbye.

As far as appreciating Miura's work as an artist I'm hopeful for the future. I'm hopeful we'll get another Berserk episode, I'm hopeful we'll get a treasure trove of art both related and unrelated to Berserk, a more complete picture of the breadth of Miura's artistic interests that he unfortunately wasn't able to share with us himself in his own time. I'm not going to see Berserk or Miura's output as incomplete, but merely never finished as anyone's life's work isn't truly done until they're gone. Berserk already has enough greatness in it for ten masterpieces, the Goldan Age Arc having multiple adaptations unto itself, and hopefully there's more recognition to come.

I'm moved by the outpouring of appreciation, support, sadness and just acknowledgement from people, groups and outlets from around the world, some of which may not have even known Miura was alive but will now be aware of him and his story. I hope this will bring greater due attention to Miura's often transcendent and always high quality work, not only as an artist but a storyteller.

As for Berserk itself, because it begins in medias res, its story was formed in my mind more as a figure-eight than a straight line; we're introduced to Guts the Black Swordsman, we see his past, then we see him become the Black Swordsman again, and on its gone in that way ever since. Obviously one side of that figure has now grown far larger than the other, but I still see the center of it, and Guts relationship with Casca, Griffith, his comrades and loved ones, whomever they be, as the complete, center core of the story from which everything else emanates.

That as a work was already complete and forever, and so Berserk will be in my eyes. And because Miura was such a meticulous storyteller and guide he already left us a roadmap within the work to its ultimate destination and the points along the way, it's just up to us to get to that place, in our heads and our hearts, on our own now. Sometime, somewhere I imagine Guts, Casca, and their children living a simple, happy life; something they won for themselves and the rest of the world. After whatever else we have left to learn or is fit to be shared from Miura's work is revealed, I won't be done with the series or Miura's art, I'll still be reading and appreciating it, and patiently waiting on indefinite hiatus for the next episode with you all.

Thank you, Miura. My condolences to your mother, family and friends; those you knew personally, and all of us. Rest in peace.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
I dedicated more than half my life to following Berserk. Despite how crazy that sounds, it never felt like a waste of time or a bad investment of my energy. Berserk is rich enough that it rewards readers the deeper you go, and it was so reliable in terms of quality that my heart felt safe being wrapped up in it so deeply.

The suddenness of Miura's death is a reminder to everyone that nothing can ultimately be guarded against, and instead we have to cherish the life we have while we still have it.

Part of what sets Berserk apart from other series for me was how consistent it was in quality. I've followed many series—TV, manga, games, etc.—and most become disappointments over time. Berserk never had that problem. Miura was always delivering absolute knockouts through his story and art. Always keeping us on our toes, despite our analysis. Always finding ways to keep the series fresh. And to keep things from going stale for 30 years of serialization—it is unprecedented. When a new release landed, we could count on something amazing. I can’t name a single other series that didn’t gestate a lingering feeling of disappointment as time wore on.

Certainly there have been complaints over the years that he was taking too long to finish the series, but he never stopped working. One thing I think that became obvious as things progressed is that there was never really an option for him. The pace of release was the only way he could ensure the series met his exceedingly high standards for quality. And it shows. That unwavering adherence to quality likely stymied the series' growth, but it's also the key for understanding how Berserk rose above other series—Miura didn't compromise his personal values in creating his masterpiece.

Despite talking about Berserk for just under a decade on podcasts, dissecting every release in detail, there are still so many mysteries that will never be unraveled. Some broad things can be teased out fairly easily. But then there are characters like Rickert, and Zodd, and Sonia, whose futures Miura had clearly invested in, but we'll never get to know the destination he had in mind.

This shot of Pandemonium (Ep 336) encapsulates a lot of my feelings for the notes of Berserk that will forever go unplayed. He kept a lot of secrets behind that ominous dome. And as fans we're on that bridge, unable to penetrate the fog stretching into the horizon.

pandemonium.png

SKnet has always been a community for people from all over the world to celebrate how much Berserk means to them. We've lost the person who brought us all together, and what kept us coming back for more, but the place itself and the function it serves is no different. We're here because we love Berserk.
 
I still can’t or don’t want to accept the reality. It wasn’t merely a book or a manga for me. Nothing of the kind. I grew with this masterpiece. From a 16-year-old-teenager towards now it has been an extremely long way during which I felt the characters of this book developing and growing as was I. This was definitely not just a person. This was an outstanding genius who created the whole world, that determined my tastes, my preferences and many choices. Berserk as a phenomenon was surely the Golden Age for me and, I think, for all of us. Prosperous, overwhelming, tragic, intriguing, thought-provoking – so many words have been said in this book and yet so much could have been added to describe the enormous amount of philosophy, love and effort he put into his world. With the breathtaking style of art that we can’t forget, with the characters that have touched us deeply leaving deep carvings within the soul. You are not with us anymore, Kentarou. Yet, your art will always be.
 
Very unfortunate news. Many in the Berserk fandom (Twitter, Reddit, 4chan, Youtube) are grieving over Miura's sudden passing. Berserk is very important for a lot of people for a variety of reasons. I found Berserk during high school but it has stuck with me to this day for its compelling storytelling and relatable themes. Seeing Guts push through the pain and suffering of his life helped me push through some tough spots in my own life. I don't claim to know Miura, but his passing left a deep hole in my soul akin to the passing of a loved one. Rest in Peace, Miura.
 

Aphasia

ALL MYSTERIES MUST BE SOLVED
I haven't been here in quite some time, but damn this news hit me like a punch in the gut this morning. The first thing I thought about was Skullnet, and how everyone there must be feeling such a tremendous sense of loss.

Like many folks I was just an impressionable young kid when I started reading. Thought Berserk was just about a badass demon slayer. It was that, but so much more, and as I grew as a person and an artist the story itself grew and matured along with me. That was a magical experience. I'm grateful that we got as much Berserk as we did, even if there's a part of me that's sad knowing we likely won't know the end of the story.

I wonder if he passed along notes or plans to anyone or if he wouldn't have liked the idea of someone else carrying on with his story.

Reading about how impactful his work has been on everyone is really nice. My heart goes out to everyone who has been here analyzing and producing podcasts and the like.

Thanks for everything Miura. Your legacy will go on.
 
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