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IMDbPro

Berserk

Original title: Kenpuu Denki Berserk
  • TV Series
  • 1997–1998
  • TV-MA
  • 23m
IMDb RATING
8.7/10
70K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
603
26
Nobutoshi Canna, Yûko Miyamura, Toshiyuki Morikawa, and Kenji Utsumi in Berserk (1997)
Trailer
Play trailer2:02
7 Videos
99+ Photos
Action EpicAdult AnimationAdventure EpicAnimeBody HorrorDark FantasyEpicFantasy EpicFolk HorrorHand-Drawn Animation

Guts, a wandering mercenary, joins the Band of the Hawk after being defeated in a duel by Griffith, the group's leader and founder. Together, they dominate every battle, but something menaci... Read allGuts, a wandering mercenary, joins the Band of the Hawk after being defeated in a duel by Griffith, the group's leader and founder. Together, they dominate every battle, but something menacing lurks in the shadows.Guts, a wandering mercenary, joins the Band of the Hawk after being defeated in a duel by Griffith, the group's leader and founder. Together, they dominate every battle, but something menacing lurks in the shadows.

  • Creator
    • Kentaro Miura
  • Stars
    • Marc Diraison
    • Nobutoshi Canna
    • Carrie Keranen
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    8.7/10
    70K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    603
    26
    • Creator
      • Kentaro Miura
    • Stars
      • Marc Diraison
      • Nobutoshi Canna
      • Carrie Keranen
    • 179User reviews
    • 17Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Top rated TV #92
      • See the top 250 TV shows as rated by IMDb users

    Episodes25

    Browse episodes
    TopTop-rated1 season

    Videos7

    Berserk
    Trailer 2:02
    Berserk
    Berserk: Vol. 4
    Trailer 2:06
    Berserk: Vol. 4
    Berserk: Vol. 4
    Trailer 2:06
    Berserk: Vol. 4
    Berserk 3: White Hawk / 10-13
    Trailer 1:34
    Berserk 3: White Hawk / 10-13
    Berserk: Immortal Soldier 6-9
    Trailer 1:51
    Berserk: Immortal Soldier 6-9
    Berserk: War Cry 1
    Trailer 2:50
    Berserk: War Cry 1
    Berserk
    Trailer 2:41
    Berserk

    Photos219

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    + 211
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    Top cast99+

    Edit
    Marc Diraison
    Marc Diraison
    • Guts
    • 1997–1998
    Nobutoshi Canna
    Nobutoshi Canna
    • Guts
    • 1997–1998
    Carrie Keranen
    Carrie Keranen
    • Caska
    • 1997–1998
    Kevin T. Collins
    Kevin T. Collins
    • Griffith
    • 1997–1998
    Unshô Ishizuka
    Unshô Ishizuka
    • Narration…
    • 1997–1998
    Carla Tassara
    Carla Tassara
    • Additional Voices
    • 1997–1998
    Jon Avner
    Jon Avner
    • Void
    • 1997–1998
    Yûko Miyamura
    • Caska
    • 1997–1998
    Akira Ishida
    Akira Ishida
    • Judeau
    • 1997–1998
    Tomohiro Nishimura
    • Corkus
    • 1997–1998
    Toshiyuki Morikawa
    Toshiyuki Morikawa
    • Griffith
    • 1997–1998
    Christopher Kromer
    • Judeau
    • 1997–1998
    Akiko Yajima
    Akiko Yajima
    • Rickert…
    • 1997–1998
    Marc Sebastian
    Marc Sebastian
    • Corkus
    • 1997–1998
    Masuo Amada
    • Pippin
    • 1997–1998
    Jeff Ward
    Jeff Ward
    • Pippin…
    • 1997–1998
    Michelle Newman
    • Ricket
    • 1997–1998
    Eiji Sekiguchi
    • Soldier A…
    • 1997–1998
    • Creator
      • Kentaro Miura
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews179

    8.770K
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    Summary

    Reviewers say 'Berserk' is celebrated for its dark themes, intricate characters, and mature narrative. It delves into friendship, betrayal, and humanity through violent storytelling. Guts' character arc is highly praised. The animation, though sometimes critiqued, aligns with the dark aesthetic. Susumu Hirasawa's soundtrack enhances the atmosphere. The tragic ending is impactful. Despite animation and pacing criticisms, 'Berserk' is a significant influence in anime, resonating globally.
    AI-generated from the text of user reviews

    Featured reviews

    10Sabre_Wolf

    Berserk is a true classic anime

    This is a good anime if you want to get introduced to the Berserk franchise and I know for sure it was my introduction because while I prefer the manga, I still love the anime quite a bit.

    Both subbed and dubbed versions are pretty good though I am neutral on the subbed/dubbed debate personally. But the English dub did pick good voice actors and what captured me on the dubbed version was Marc Diraison voice performance as Guts.

    This is a great anime of the one of the longest and still good manga out there written and drawn by the great Kentaro Miura! The anime did his manga a decent amount of justice at least.
    Xaov

    Very good

    I was introduced to Berserk by a friend of mine. He had seen it over at a friend's house and thought I would enjoy it.

    Until Berserk my favorite anime had been Tri-gun. Upon seeing this anime I had been blown away by the sheer magnitude of story, characters, etc. I loved it.

    This anime is one of the best ones I have seen. The story and Characters were developed over time all 25 episodes not just the first 3 or 4 as is typically found. The story raised the same emotions of excitment that FF7 did when I first played it.

    I really wish the ending would have been different, but it only meant that more is to come. I am really hoping that they decide to do a 2nd season of Berserk, if they don't I'll just have to get my hands on the manga that everyone has been talking about.

    Overall the series is very good. there are minor flaws in the animation at times but for the most part its smooth sailing.
    ian-462

    Awesome. That is to say, it leaves one in awe.

    To the one who panned this series after watching an hour and a half of it: That's like watching the first 15 minutes of >insert title of any complicated, intelligent movie here< and dismissing it.

    As for the music, it's not standard anime j-pop crap. It's not movie-score like music either. It's definitely not for everyone, as far as just listening to it goes (but I must say I've developed a liking for Susumu Hirasawa's work), but most of it fits quite well (although with the rampant re-use it's bound to not work sometimes), and some of it is great regardless what it's presented with. "Behelit," and "Forces" being the real stand-outs, both in terms of being listenable, AND in terms of reuse with varying degrees of appropriateness. The opening theme does suck though. No question. (In stark contrast to the end credits song, which, while also being an abomination of Engrish, sounds perfect.)

    I used to be really into anime. I fell out of it a few years ago, and stopped giving a crap about almost all the anime I'd ever seen or heard of. But as all the chaff blew away, this was one of the few grains to remain. It's unforgettable, especially if you watch the whole series in order. It's unspeakably grim when viewed as a whole, but contains a growing optimism throughout most of the series.

    There are only a tiny handful of animes which can stand beside Berserk in the quality of their storytelling. Hell, only a small portion of ANY fiction can be compared favorably to it. Berserk is not just good anime, it's good drama. If you like the fantasy genre in any format, you must see this show. If you like stories about people growing through hardship, you must see this show. If you like stories about unrelenting badasses, you must see this show. If you don't care about anything but eye candy, or you're an anime dork looking for wank-fuel, look elsewhere. Berserk may not have something for EVERYONE, but it has something for MOST people.
    10demonichorde69

    The greatest anime experience of all time....

    I wan't to start by saying that i cannot recommend Berserk enough. It was the single greatest anime experience of my life. I watched the entire series on my computer over a three day period during which I had school and extracurricular activities to attend. Although I did not have any extra time to spare during the days I stayed up all three nights watching episode after episode unable to break away from the most engrossing anime series created.

    I am not going to spoil anything but will tell you that the series features some of the most interesting characters i have ever experienced. Although the animation is rarely top notch and the voice acting isn't always perfect i still found myself captivated by each and every second of the series. If you value plot and don't mind flagrant amounts of violence and some nudity this is definitely and anime series for you. If you have ever liked anime or enjoy more medieval types of live action films even you should give Berserk a try.

    P.S. after watching the series you should definitely check out the forums or the manga, it will make you feel a lot better i promise.

    Overall 10/10 for an incredible experience, despite some technical flaws. Watch Berserk as soon as you can, you will not regret it!
    10superteamvann

    Thank you

    Almost everything that could be said, already has been. I just wanted to say thank you Kentaro Muira for all that you brought to this world. Never before has a piece of fiction ever made me feel so many emotion at one time before. Thank you also for taking your time with the series and not rushing to finish. Even though it's possible Berserk might never have a true ending, you still managed to create one of the most amazing stories to ever exist.

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    Romance

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The manga that the anime is based on had a big influence on the Dark Souls (2011) video game series.
    • Quotes

      Griffith: It is my perception that a true friend never relies on anothers dream. A person with the potential to be my true friend must be able to find his own reason for life without my help. And he should put his heart and soul into protecting his dream. He would never hesitate to fight for his dream, even against me. For me, a true friend is one who stands equal to me in all respects.

    • Crazy credits
      After the final episode's credits, Gatsu is shown leaving Godo's home with his new Dragon Slayer blade, and receiving a warning from Godo 'not to get killed'.
    • Connections
      Edited into Berserk: Volume 1: War Cry - Outtakes (2002)
    • Soundtracks
      Forces
      by Susumu Hirasawa

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    FAQ23

    • How many seasons does Berserk have?Powered by Alexa
    • What's Berserk about?
    • Is Berserk based on a book?
    • Does something happen after the ending of the last episode? (episode 25)

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 28, 2002 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • Japan
      • Poland
    • Languages
      • Japanese
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Kiếm Sĩ Đen
    • Production companies
      • Hakusensha
      • Nippon Television Network (NTV)
      • OLM-Animation Studio
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 23m
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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