Kentarou Miura has passed away

I found out the news this morning, and it's been the only thing on my mind today. SK.net was the first place I headed to upon finding out. Reading the reactions of those here who I have spent countless hours reading/listing to speculation and analysis of his great works has made this hit even harder.

Miura was such an excellent writer and artist, and was too young to pass. Berserk came to me during a time I really needed it, and will always be my steady in an ever-changing life. I will be forever grateful for what this man has given us.
 
Long time lurker here, like a lot of people today, i was moved to register to pay my respects to this great artist who touched the life of us all, and many others through the decades of his excellent work and career, like the characters, like guts, who matured and evolved, we also matured and evolved together, berserk, and the journey of guts is our journey, my journey, i feel like many others a deep connection with the world and characters, and this being perhaps the oldest active Berserk community, i would like to thank all the staff, members, everyone that in any shape or form contribuited to the great legacy of Berserk, rest in peace miura, your work, characters and souls will live forever.
 
Thank you everyone for sharing your kind words and stories and thank you also for the Skype call last night. This situation is truly shitty, but hearing about everyone's inspirations, dreams and love for Miura and his work really is heart warming.

I first read Berserk at a bookstore where someone had torn the plastic wrap covering off. I was 13 at the time and was shocked and entranced by what I was looking at, like I had stumbled upon some amazing secret nobody knew about. I was able to take peaks at the pages when I thought no one was looking but obviously didn't have the nerve at that age to really read it. It was my curiosity and fascination that actually inspired me to get my first job working a paper route. With my first pay from that job I was able to purchase the first volume (through my amazing Mother...she would even put in pre-orders for me), then another, then another.

The next step was showing my friends and getting them into it too, as well as occasionally smuggling volumes in my school backpack and lending them to people. I'm living out of country now but keep in touch with friends in a chat group. One of them actually posted about Miura's passing and reminisced how Berserk was one of his first memories of me and what brought us close together as friends initially. He isn't anywhere near as big a fan as I am, and I barely remembered that being a major reason we became friends, but 15 years later we still message all the time. It was really touching to see.

These stories are a bit more juvenile , I know, but I really look back on these things fondly and how they shaped me at such an influential part of my life. More importantly, Berserk is what really fostered my interested in Japan and Japanese media, and would eventually lead to my route in secondary education. From there it led to coming and working in Japan and even meeting my girl friend of 5 years now who I met on the plane coming here (she also now loves Berserk and we now share it together).

I truly believe that Berserk has influenced my life more than any one singular thing and if it wasn't for Miura and his story, I most certainly wouldn't have made the friends I have, seen this beautiful country, become the man I am today or met the love of my life. Thank you Miura for everything you've done to help me and get me through the last 17 years of my life. I will always be truly grateful.
 
I just now found out about this. I don’t even know what to think right now. I just feel disbelief and anger. A part of me wants to put it out into the universe how much he affected my life, but I can’t even think about it without it hurting. I just hope he passed away as painlessly as possible and his last memories were good ones. This fucking sucks so badly man.
 
Words can't adequately express this loss. All I can say, is I'm grateful for having been witness to this masterpiece, for what is half my entire life...one which stood above all other literature and even played a formative role in my adulthood to an extent, helping me (then and now) in tough times. We have all lived with and felt such closeness to the story and characters for so long, and so deeply, for me to be reminded of this Sandman quote:

“Things need not have happened to be true. Tales and dreams are the shadow-truths that will endure when mere facts are dust and ashes, and forgot.”

In its way, Miura's story live on forever.

Rest in peace.
 

Tirade

Hai Yai, Forces!
I feel like a part of me has died now that Miura is gone. I know I was never the biggest fan, but Berserk guided me through some truly dark times in my life. He will be sorely missed by so many people.
 
Rest easy now, Miura-sensei. You may be gone, but never ever will you be forgotten :sad:

I woke up today thinking that the horrible news that I read last night was just a very bad dream. Even after seeing multiple mainstream outlets reporting his death, a flicker of hope remained in me that maybe this was all just a mix-up; that maybe it was someone else by the name of "Kentaro Miura" who died. Or maybe some really evil scumbag troll hacked Hakusensha's website for shits and giggles and planted a fake death notice for Miura. My mind was racing through all the possible scenarios I could think of that would exclude Miura's death.
Next, as the reality began sinking in, I suddenly started to remember all those troll comments and edgy memes from this past decade, about how Miura's gonna die before Berserk would be finished. And it just pissed me the fuck off. You know the saying to never paint the devil on the wall? That if you think about bad shit happening, it is gonna happen? This is what this feels like - as if all those negative thoughts collectively willed that scenario into reality.
Seriously; any edgy troll who's been "predicting" Miura's death on the Internet for these past several years, if you're reading this - fuck every single one of you.
If I had a penny for every time I saw some asshole edgelord on Reddit or Twitter joking about Miura's premature death and Berserk never getting a finale, well....
Out of the five stages of grief for Miura's death, this must be the denial and anger stages that I'm going through at the moment. I'm so heartbroken right now, that I'm just rambling.
 
Now that I've had some time to reflect on it, it feels right to share my experience with Berserk as well.

Admittedly, I'm not a veteran fan like most here. I've always known about the series, but I didn't decide to dedicate reading it until 2018 or so. For those who are sensitive to people speaking about real-life sexual abuse, this is your warning to consider not continuing to read this post.

In the original arc, it's immediately obvious that Guts doesn't like men touching him. When we saw Puck trying to heal him and Guts' reaction to it, my heart sank a little bit, as I had a feeling on why he was like that. Once that arc concluded, you see the unfortunate event to what happened to him as a child. He despises men touching him because of that. When I was really young, about five or so, I was molested. I'll spare everyone the grotesque reality of that event, but as we see Guts' trauma unfold, I was starting to be able to relate. Sex for me is quite difficult emotionally. I feel like I'll suffocate if I partake in it too intensely.

Seeing what Guts went through, the bit of closure he was able to get from dispatching Donovan... I don't know, I just kind of needed it.

In any case, it made me more comfortable with what I had endured. Berserk will always have that for me. I informed my boss I wouldn't be working for the rest of the week. Today and yesterday has been non-stop crying. I'll share my thoughts on whatever future Berserk may or may not have when that time comes. But right now, I'm trying to think of this as me not losing Berserk, but a sobering reminder of what I had gained from it.
 

Franz

It's a dolphin.
Welp, I guess I'll be that guy: fuck. I knew this would happen.

Obviously his passing was unforeseen and is a great loss. But this was my immediate thought: I knew this would happen. Now we're left with 80% of a masterpiece that's taken 30 fucking years. Chalk this up to my history of enjoying books and tv series that see a premature and cancellation. It still kills me that HBO's Carnivále was cancelled after a cliffhanging second season. This is absolutely why I refuse to read A Song of Ice and Fire unless George R.R. Martin gets his fat old ass in gear and finishes the series. Time is not on his side.

So now, after 40+ volumes, we have no way to wrap this up. It's not as though the script's been finished and we just need a new director, or new actor, to fill in the role. Even if it were completely written, no one can match his illustrations. The whole thing is just too unique. I will definitely reread the series as I've done over the years, since I first picked up on it around 2003, but fuck am I going to hate the unknown and reaching the same break in the story.

This makes me thankful that JK Rowling wasted no time and banged out 7 books. If an author gets burned out I wish they would see it as a sign to start figuring the arc necessary to wrap things up. I guess I hate when the greats put shit on the back burner, because there's no guarantee we'll ever see tomorrow (speaking of which, get your wills/living trusts in order people!).
 
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Long time lurker, I registered years ago but never posted since I enjoyed reading the insightful discussions that took place over the years within this forum. I was shocked and saddened by the news like everyone and struggled to process it. I wished that there was a mistake or a misunderstanding but alas, death is a part of life and what is important is the legacy that remains. Miura left a lasting and powerful legacy that influenced and touched many people.

I am from the Middle East, we never had an official release, but I started reading Berserk during my teenage years after watching the 1997 anime. I remember that I always had a translation tool at hand to understand the English scans until eventually, my English improved to the degree that I rarely needed help to understand the chapters. Reading the posts here and on social media made me realise how much all of us share great appreciation and love for his work. His legacy transcended national boundaries to engulf the whole world, and it's touching to see all the heartwarming tributes across the globe. I'll cherish the legacy he left behind and wish that his memory will live on through his work and through the generations of artists and storytellers he influenced.

May he rest in eternal peace. My sincere thoughts and condolences to his family and loved ones, as well as all the fans that loved his work.
 
Hello All, been a long time lurker and after the sudden passing of Miura sensei, I felt the push to join and share in the shock and sadness among the best berserk community online. It's been tough processing all of this, but reading the many wonderful tributes here have helped a bit.

I'd heard about Berserk for many years growing up being a part of the anime/manga fandom and I finally took the plunge 5 1/2 years ago and It immediately vaulted itself into the top of my list of favorite manga/works of fiction. No other series has been able to grip me as hard as Berserk has and made me feel such intense emotions for the characters that are part of the story. It's truly a tragedy that this series will probably never get the ending that it deserved. But alas, such is life. We all know the date of our birth, but not the date when we part from this mortal coil and sadly it was Miura's time to depart.

I'm sad that is over, but I'm also glad that it happened. I will forever be grateful for having experienced this dark and beautiful story and grateful to Miura sensei for bringing this story into the world. The fact that this series was so consistently great and never experienced dips in quality is a testament to Miura putting his heart and soul into it and I truly felt that with every page and volume that I read.
 
I just don't really know what to say, whatever comes to my mind just feels like it isn't enough. My minds been spinning ever since I first heard the news just... How? Why did it have to be Miura? He was so young, so much life left to live. It just isn't fair that it has to end this way.

It feels like my hearts been shattered into a million pieces man.. Rest in peace Miura-san, and thank you for everything. For over 10 years, you've given me such joy and intrigue that very few things in life have. I honestly can't say for sure if I'd be here were it not for Berserk giving me the inspiration I needed to keep going, irrespective of how hard life kicked me. It might be a bit silly to say Miura saved my life but.. He sure taught me to find a way forward.

It'll be a while before I can fully digest this. The struggle only grows heavier.. But we'll carry on somehow.
 
Just heard about this yesterday morning. Very sad news.

I was first introduced to Berserk back in 2006 and since then it has been the only literature I've ever felt a deep connection to. It helped me through my 20s and gave me a drive to conquer my fears and obstacles. No matter how much life would beat me down I always thought of the mindset Guts had in the face of everything that fate threw at him, and strived to have that same mindset in all aspects of my life. Berserk is one of the greatest pieces of literature ever created, and it really is heartbreaking that we will likely never see its conclusion. Regardless, the emotions, experiences, and discussions that we've had from reading this epic will never be forgotten. Although I haven't commented on this forum in years, I've tried to keep up events, whether its news on new merchandise, anime, or the next chapter. Looking at Miura's picture in this thread breaks my heart. Such a young guy who had so much more to do and offer to the world in as a writer and story teller. It's truly a shame that he never became well known in the mainstream among the likes of J.K Rowling and George R.R Martin; he truly deserved to be. RIP Kentaro, your legacy will live on forever in the hearts and minds of everyone's lives you've touched with your masterpiece.
 
Yesterday I would have liked to post my deepest condolences to Miura Kentarō's family but I do it today.

Kentarō Miura sensei, you have been a fantastic person who has dedicated his entire life to what you have always liked, I admire your dedication and thank you for teaching me to pursue my own dreams without sacrificing your friends (sorry guys).

The dream for me became absolute thanks also to his contribution, that despite the bad things that Griffith had to do, I identified with what it was before a certain well-known event.

Miura, seriously speaking, I admired you and I will continue to do so, I take your teachings and make them mine, thanks sensei for your contribution to the comics and art scene, thanks for having worked so hard and with a lot of commitment despite the criticisms, Miura Kentarō. .. Thanks for all.

" In this world, is the destiny of mankind controlled by some transcendental entity or law? Is it like the hand of God hovering above? At least it is true that man has no control, even over his own will. Man takes up the sword in order to shield the small wound in his heart sustained in a far-off time beyond remembrance. Man wields the sword so that he may die smiling in some far-off time beyond perception. "

- Kentarō Miura

 
Long time lurker here, just made an account. I know back in 2009 we compiled a letter of community questions and sent it to Miura's publishing agency. I was thinking it would be nice if we as a community could do something similar with the many heartfelt messages in this thread. No idea how feasible this is, was just wondering.
 
I see many people in the comments saying that, but I personally took it as them saying that they'll "Keep moving forward" now that Miura has passed away, either in their career or life in general. We'll see.
Yea that would also be a good way to interpret that. I also remember the official announcement mentioning some unreleased stuff, but the translation I read could admittedly be wrong.
 
Hi guys. I'm a french reader since 2005 and a long time (maybe since 2008/9) follower of this forum and community. I registered yesterday, juste because i wanted to thank you all for all the love and passion you putted in the discussions in this place.
Berserk means a lot to me, as many of you.
I'm reading every comment in this thread, and now, i know there's something NOTHING can break and that the manga has build over the years: now, we are not alone, we have each others.
The meta around the manga was strong, but i feel that now, it's stronger than ever. Berserk changed the lives of so many people, sometimes saved lives, and created something beautiful that can't be broken.
Take care. Life's short, and in the darkest times of illness, depression, loneliness, shits in your job and relationship, mat you find some beauty and a reason to never give up .
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Yea that would also be a good way to interpret that. I also remember the official announcement mentioning some unreleased stuff, but the translation I read could admittedly be wrong.

Yes, please don't let yourself get swept up by wild speculation. The assistant's message doesn't imply anything except that we will try to carry on and honor his deceased teacher by doing his best. As for the announcement, we'll be checking it carefully today.

Long time lurker here, just made an account. I know back in 2009 we compiled a letter of community questions and sent it to Miura's publishing agency. I was thinking it would be nice if we as a community could do something similar with the many heartfelt messages in this thread. No idea how feasible this is, was just wondering.

I posted about it a few pages ago. I'm still planning to do it, but we have to be a little patient because there is a risk otherwise that Hakusensha will refuse to accept delivery of what we send. Please stay tuned, I'm working on it. I will probably have more concrete information next week.
 
What a profoundly tragic loss. Words alone are hardly sufficient to express just how devastating his passing is, how keenly his absence is going to be felt. The world lost one of its finest storytellers and artists with his passing — he was a true master of his craft. He was taken from us far too soon.

There's only a small measure of comfort in the fact that his legacy will live on in the hearts & minds of all of his readers and fans across the world. Countless people have been touched by the masterpiece he created. There's no doubt that generations to come will be inspired anew when they discover Berserk for themselves; that feeling of awe that we all felt ourselves when reading it for the first time...

Rest in peace, Miura-sensei.
 
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