You’re a manga fan who just heard about Berserk want to start watching it immediately? You better hold your horses because you may end up wasting your time because you wont fully grasp the storyline. Berserk requires you to follow the correct watch order and not the order of release to fully enjoy it. The movies and TV series are intertwined and while some were released long before others, the story only starts to make sense when you follow the prescribed sequence.
How To Watch Berserk In Order
Save for its first story arc, The Black Swordsman Arc, Berserk pretty much follows a linear pattern in its publication. These linear pattern has been replicated by those that have adapted the manga into movies and TV series, and as such, this makes it easy to figure out how to watch them in order.
To watch Berserk in order, you have to first watch the trilogy of Berserk films that were released from 2012 to 2013. These films are The Egg of the King (released 4th of February 2012), The Battle for Doldrey (released 23rd of June 2012), and The Advent (released 1st of February 2013). These three films delve into the Golden Age Arc. This is actually the second arc in the series, but chronologically it is the first.
After watching the three Berserk movies, the next production to watch is the Berserk 1997 TV series. This tells the story of the Black Swordsman arc (the first arc but chronologically the second) before shifting into the Golden Age arc.
To continue watching Berserk in order, one can now go ahead to watch the 2016 Berserk TV series. The TV series has two seasons comprising 12 episodes each which aired from July 1 to September 16, 2016 (Season 1) and April 7 to June 23, 2017 (Season 2). The first season covers the Conviction Arc, while the second season delves into Millennium Falcon Arc.
Correct Berserk Watch Order
- The Egg Of The King (4 February 2012)
- The Battle for Doldrey (23 June 2012)
- The Advent (1 February 2013)
- Berserk 1997 TV series
- Berserk 2016 TV series Seasons One and Two
How Many Volumes of Berserk Are There?
Some may think Berserk is a lot to start watching from scratch because it has 41 volumes. These 41 volumes are broken down into 370 chapters covering five story arcs. But while some may dislike the quantity, others will love that they have something to keep them occupied for a while before they start searching again for a new manga to watch.
Below are the arcs broken down into volumes and chapters:
- Black Swordsman Arc – Volumes 1 to 3 – Chapters I to 9
- Golden Age Arc – Volumes 3 to 14, Chapters 9 to 94
- Conviction Arc – Volumes 14 to 21 – Chapters 95 to 176
- Millennium Falcon Arc – Volumes 22 to 35 – Chapters 177 to 307
- Fantasia Arc – Volumes 35 to 41 – Chapters 308 to 370
Are There New Berserk Chapters?
Between June and December 2022, six new chapters of Berserk were released to the delight of fans. They are chapters 365 to 370 which completed the Fantasia Arc.
Studio Gaga and Kouji Mori produced the new Berserk chapters. They made the project despite the passing away of Berserk creator Kentaro Miura. With the manga having new creators behind it, it It was revealed that Berserk will have a new story arc, and that fans will get much more new chapters of Berserk in the future.
Berserk: The Golden Age Arc Trilogy – https://t.co/GaIaghBbSc #Berserk #BeserkTheGoldenAgeArc #Anime #Manga #KentaroMiura #ToshiyukiKubooka pic.twitter.com/3rjFJ8v6og
— Just Good Movies (@JustGoodMovies) November 6, 2016
Ket Facts About Berserk
| Title | Berserk |
| Genre | Dark Fantasy, Action, Horror |
| Original Creator | Kentaro Miura (Manga) |
| First Anime Adaptation | 1997 |
| Subsequent Adaptations | 2016-2017 |
| Main Character | Guts, a lone mercenary known as the “Black Swordsman” |
| Setting | Medieval-inspired dark fantasy world, filled with wars, supernatural creatures, and demons |
| Plot Focus | Guts’ journey of revenge against Griffith, leader of the Band of the Hawk |
| Notable Themes | Struggle for freedom, fate, morality, revenge, friendship, and betrayal |
| Animation Style | Mixed reception; 2016 adaptation heavily used CGI, which was criticized |
| Main Antagonist | Griffith, once a close friend of Guts, who transforms into a powerful enemy |
| Iconic Weapon | Guts’ Dragonslayer Sword, a massive sword he uses against both human and demonic enemies |
| Target Audience | Primarily mature audiences due to graphic violence, psychological horror, and dark themes |
| Legacy | Highly influential in dark fantasy media, inspiring many works across anime, manga, and games |
| Current Status | Manga remains ongoing (authored by Miura’s assistants after his passing in 2021) |
Where To Watch Berserk 1997
One sure way to get one’s hands on Berserk 1997 it is home media. Both the Japanese and English dub versions were released on DVDs and Blu-ray disks sometime after they aired on TV. Therefore you can watch Berserk 1997 by purchasing a DVD copy or Blu-ray copy of the TV series.
The Berserk manga ran for nearly a decade before it got its first TV adaption. That debut TV adaptation is an anime TV series that was released in 1997. It has a total of 25 episodes and ran on Japanese TV from the 8th of October 1997 to the 1st of April 1998.
It was a success with viewers and anime enthusiasts, and by 2002, an English dub version had made its way to North America and subsequently other parts of the world. It has been more than two decades since Berserk 1997 was released, and as such, it will be difficult to find a TV channel that is airing it.
