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Guts, the Black Swordsman, goes from the frying pan to the fire as he must enter the mating chamber in the horrifying lair of trolls to rescue his love, Casca, and the Lady Farnese from the loathsome attentions of the hideous beasts. But while even an army of trolls cannot stand against Guts's boundless fury, the mightiest of warriors is no match for a demon lord. And so when Slan of the Godhand manifests from the entrails of slain trolls and takes Guts into her deadly embrace, Guts discovers he may not only be fighting for his life, but for his very soul!

224 pages, ebook

First published December 24, 2003

About the author

Kentaro Miura

373 books2,263 followers
Kentarou Miura (三浦建太郎) was born in Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, in 1966. He is left-handed. In 1976, at the early age of 10, Miura made his first Manga, entitled "Miuranger", that was published for his classmates in a school publication; the manga ended up spanning 40 volumes. In 1977, Miura created his second manga called Ken e no michi (剣への道 The Way to the Sword), using Indian ink for the first time. When he was in middle school in 1979, Miura's drawing techniques improved greatly as he started using professional drawing techniques. His first dōjinshi was published, with the help of friends, in a magazine in 1982.

That same year, in 1982, Miura enrolled in an artistic curriculum in high school, where he and his classmates started publishing their works in school booklets, as well as having his first dōjinshi published in a fan-produced magazine. In 1985, Miura applied for the entrance examination of an art college in Nihon University. He submitted Futanabi for examination and was granted admission. This project was later nominated Best New Author work in Weekly Shōnen Magazine. Another Miura manga Noa was published in Weekly Shōnen Magazine the very same year. Due to a disagreement with one of the editors, the manga was stalled and eventually dropped altogether. This is approximately where Miura's career hit a slump.

In 1988, Miura bounced back with a 48-page manga known as Berserk Prototype, as an introduction to the current Berserk fantasy world. It went on to win Miura a prize from the Comi Manga School. In 1989, after receiving a doctorate degree, Kentarou started a project titled King of Wolves (王狼, ōrō?) based on a script by Buronson, writer of Hokuto no Ken. It was published in the monthly Japanese Animal House magazine in issues 5 and 7 of that year.

In 1990, a sequel is made to Ourou entitled Ourou Den (王狼伝 ōrō den, The Legend of the Wolf King) that was published as a prequel to the original in Young Animal Magazine. In the same year, the 10th issue of Animal House witnesses the first volume of the solo project Berserk was released with a relatively limited success. Miura again collaborated with Buronson on manga titled Japan, that was published in Young Animal House from the 1st issue to the 8th of 1992, and was later released as a stand-alone tankōbon. Miura's fame grew after Berserk was serialized in Young Animal in 1992 with the release of "The Golden Age" story arc and the huge success of his masterpiece made of him one of the most prominent contemporary mangakas. At this time Miura dedicates himself solely to be working on Berserk. He has indicated, however, that he intends to publish more manga in the future.

In 1997, Miura supervised the production of 25 anime episodes of Berserk that aired in the same year on NTV. Various art books and supplemental materials by Miura based on Berserk are also released. In 1999, Miura made minor contributions to the Dreamcast video game Sword of the Berserk: Guts' Rage. 2004 saw the release of yet another video game adaptation entitled Berserk Millennium Falcon Arc: Chapter of the Record of the Holy Demon War.

Since that time, the Berserk manga has spanned 34 tankōbon with no end in sight. The series has also spawned a whole host of merchandise, both official and fan-made, ranging from statues, action figures to key rings, video games, and a trading card game. In 2002, Kentarou Miura received the second place in the Osamu Tezuka Culture Award of Excellence for Berserk.[1]

Miura provided the design for the Vocaloid Kamui Gakupo, whose voice is taken from the Japanese singer and actor, Gackt.

Miura passed away on May 6, 2021 at 2:48 p.m. due to acute aortic dissection.

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5 stars
5,281 (76%)
4 stars
1,275 (18%)
3 stars
289 (4%)
2 stars
61 (<1%)
1 star
21 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 227 reviews
Profile Image for Tawfek.
3,112 reviews2,221 followers
July 5, 2023
So what we have in this volume, is the debut of the berserker armor.
Oh wait a minute so the manga wasn't named for Gut's fighting style?
It seems so lol.
I think the armor is the same one with the skeleton king... what is his name btw! did they ever tell us his name?
I think the armor sucks the life force of its wearer, and the cover of the next volume is why i had that thought in the first place, guts hair is turning white.
Not that only the skeleton king seems like he can't turn back to normal or something.
In this single volume Guts came closer to Griffith then he ever did before, now he stands a chance, now we see that the 5 angels are so near, since the whore princess of the uterine manifested with no previous warning..
Yeah it's close but how close are we?
Will Guts have to kill all 4 angels before he gets to Griffith?
Do we have to see Zodd die?
Will Zodd die at the hands of the skeleton king, as should be since they are sword enemies?
Will the skeleton king survive till the end? now that guts is so powerful in his own right?
I guess we have to read on to find out more (Hopefully no one was expecting answers lol)
Profile Image for Maria.
599 reviews141 followers
June 9, 2018
T H E. H Y P E. 🙌🏽💯
The berserker armor enters the fray! 💀 The design of it is so badass I’m actually fangirling rn. Guts is OFFICIALLY a savage now y’all, it was even stated in here. I don’t think I’m ready for the things to come.
Profile Image for Jen - The Tolkien Gal.
458 reviews4,609 followers
June 20, 2021
It's Berserk - not much I can say except please read this. It's fantastic.

I never thought manga would deal so well with sexual assault and the trauma that comes from it. Nuanced social commentary plus Lovecraftian monsters? What more does a gal need.

Berserk Chapter 362: The Old Gods – Beneath the Tangles
Profile Image for Dream.M.
780 reviews206 followers
May 24, 2024
زره برزرک به تن گاتس چقدر برازنده اس :)))
Profile Image for Juho Pohjalainen.
Author 5 books344 followers
March 7, 2021
Grunbeld isn't the most compelling of the new Band of the Hawk, but he conducts himself well in this volume and leaves a solid enough blow in my memory. Always nice to see an Apostle with honour, in any case.

Speaking of honour, I also enjoyed the meeting with Slan. I like it when the other Godhand show up, rare as it is.
Profile Image for Armita.
256 reviews34 followers
August 25, 2023
If Guts was a quote from a book, he would be:

“I think I could stand anything, any suffering, only to be able to say and to repeat to myself every moment, 'I exist.' In thousands of agonies -- I exist. I'm tormented on the rack -- but I exist! Though I sit alone in a pillar -- I exist! I see the sun, and if I don't see the sun, I know it's there. And there's a whole life in that, in knowing that the sun is there.”

― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov
Profile Image for Monsour.
477 reviews34 followers
April 3, 2018
Berserker Armor - the most badass battle gear you will find in fiction in general.

description















Profile Image for Sylvia Joyce.
Author 1 book7 followers
February 23, 2022
Guts fights off a hundred trolls 😗

Skull Knight 😯

Slan 😮

Zodd 😳

THE BERSERKER ARMOR 🤯

I had to stop and process three or four times reading this one. Might be my new favorite volume. CHILLS EVERYWHERE
Profile Image for Ali.
211 reviews35 followers
May 29, 2024
یکی از بخش‌هایی که توی داستان‌های اینطوری دوست دارم اینه که اواسط داستان، خالق میاد و قهرمانش رو تا حدی تحقیر می‌کنه تا به کارکتر و منِ مخاطب بفهمونه که سطح قدرت فعلی کارکتر در مقابل اون ویلن یا ویلن‌های اصلی چقدر حقیر و کمه و برزرک تو این ولیوم این کار رو کرد و این جریان رو دوست داشتم.
مورد بعدی هم اضافه شدن زره برزرکر هست که یه حس و حال دیگه‌ای به داستان داد.
Profile Image for cey.
91 reviews11 followers
June 25, 2023
that‘s why skull knight is my favorite 💥💥
Profile Image for Hachi ◇♡◇.
65 reviews9 followers
December 3, 2023
◇◇English down below◇◇


El volumen 26 de Berserk nos sumerge una vez más en el oscuro y visceral mundo creado por Kentaro Miura. Aunque algunas escenas son inherentemente grotescas, la maestría con la que Miura las ejecuta transforma lo repulsivo en una forma de arte impactante. La atención al detalle y la expresividad de los personajes alcanzan nuevas alturas, recordándonos por qué Berserk sigue siendo una obra maestra del manga.

Sin spoilers, debo mencionar que los últimos dos capítulos son simplemente asombrosos. La espera por ver la armadura Berserk en acción finalmente llega a su fin, y Miura no decepciona. Los eventos desencadenados en estos capítulos son tan impactantes que realmente me volaron la cabeza. La narrativa se intensifica, y la habilidad de Miura para transmitir emociones a través de sus ilustraciones es insuperable.

En resumen, Berserk Vol. 26 continúa demostrando por qué la serie es venerada en el mundo del manga. Aunque la crudeza de algunas escenas puede resultar difícil de digerir, la destreza artística de Miura eleva este volumen a la categoría de obra maestra, y los momentos finales son simplemente inolvidables.

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

Volume 26 of Berserk immerses us once again in the dark and visceral world crafted by Kentaro Miura. While some scenes are inherently grotesque, Miura's mastery in executing them transforms the repulsive into a striking form of art. Attention to detail and the expressiveness of the characters reach new heights, reminding us why Berserk remains a manga masterpiece.

Spoiler-free, I must mention that the last two chapters are simply astounding. The anticipation to witness the Berserk armor in action finally comes to fruition, and Miura does not disappoint. The events unfolded in these chapters are so impactful that they truly blew my mind. The narrative intensifies, and Miura's ability to convey emotions through his illustrations is unparalleled.

In summary, Berserk Vol. 26 continues to showcase why the series is revered in the manga world. While the rawness of some scenes may be hard to digest, Miura's artistic prowess elevates this volume to the masterpiece category, and the final moments are simply unforgettable.
Profile Image for Sara Bakhshi.
1,431 reviews384 followers
March 13, 2022
ها این یادمه کدوم ولوم بود.
اونجا که جادوگرا میان.
چقدر یه سری حرفاش خوب بود.
Profile Image for OmniBen.
1,245 reviews32 followers
January 26, 2022
(Zero spoiler review for Deluxe edition 9, which this volume is part of)
Sadly, this started off and reinforced every tiresome, frustrating aspect of this series for me, and once again, had me contemplating selling my entire deluxe collection. Yet something kept me pushing through this, as it has done many times in the past when similar feelings of annoyance have overcome this highly praised (and it must be said, overrated) reading experience. Volume 25 was one of the weakest offerings yet, with the near 200 page book focusing on one rather uninteresting and pointless battle. The dialogue was sparse and was Muira at his worst. The characters which I despise and pray to the literary gods will die very time I turn the page, were in peak cringe mode. Yet, thankfully, when volume 26 arrived, things quickly improved, straying back onto a darker, more interesting path. And perhaps even better, continued to improve right up through volume 27 and the end of the deluxe edition (which currently is not available to review here for some reason).
Dialogue became richer, more poetic... more frequent. We stopped fighting boring fodder and started running into some old and rather formidable favourites. I started to fall in love with the series again. I was reminded why so many people worship Berserk. And whilst there is too much filler and not enough killer across this long running series to have me on my knees praising this book to hell and back. When its this bloody good, thoughts of not continuing with these deluxe editions became a very distant memory indeed. 4/5 for volume 26.


OmniBen.
Profile Image for Ellie.
62 reviews8 followers
September 11, 2015
Incredible, one of my favourite volumes yet - although I'm starting to understand fan frustration with Miura a little. I'm 26 volumes and 13 years into the series, but I feel like I'm only 30% to 40% of the way through the story, and they only JUST introduced the the series namesake ().

Combined with his slow chapter releases, I can see how this can be really frustrating. At the same time, the art is so good, the story is so good, the world is so good, and the characters are so good, that I'm okay with Miura taking his time to complete this series, even if it takes decades. Its without a doubt the most ambitious comic series I've ever read, from either the East or West.

In a perfect world of Fully Automated Luxury Communism, I'm sure he could just not release the manga at all until it was fully completed, but we don't live in that world. Artists gotta make a living. It sucks but if he was rushing it, I'm sure the quality would suffer.

Lets see if I still think that a year from now when I've finished the series and he has hardly released anything, but that's my opinion at the moment.
Profile Image for Kyle Berk.
640 reviews10 followers
December 24, 2020
Ah so this is the Berserker armor I’ve heard so much about! It’s delightful and well defined in the first few pages it’s presented in.

The series main ideas are progressed and the world is built upon. Guts realizes he’d thought lost.

Lady Farnese maybe gets some redemption and the “new and improved” Band of the Hawk make their first move against Guts.
Profile Image for Jenny.
811 reviews60 followers
March 29, 2022
THIS IS LITERALLY THE MOST HYPE VOLUME OF THE WHOLE SERIES.

Skull Knight is the most metal character ever, and the Berserker Armor is the most metal thing ever. Guts going apeshit is always the best thing ever. The artwork in this volume is on a whole other
level of good, honestly, I'm speechless. This arc is too fire.

Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.
Profile Image for atlas.
129 reviews3 followers
Read
June 24, 2021
i believe in guts with his hair down supremacy
Profile Image for ShamNoop.
349 reviews16 followers
July 25, 2022
The armour is cool but I’m getting tired of all the pages of redundant violence
Profile Image for Nanu.
40 reviews
July 22, 2023
Nietzsche would freaking loveeee berserk!!
"Don't forget...when you gaze into the darkness...The darkness gazes back into you."
"If you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back at you."

WHAT A FREAKING VOLUME WAS THAT!!
THE BERSERKER ARMOUR?!?! goddamnn had me screaming and gasping all along.

"He is driven by such violent emotions..He forgets about things like pain and fear. Humans have unconsciously estabilished bounds to their strength so they do not harm their own bodies. Pain is a warning to keep us from destroying ourselves. A human without pain realizes unbelievable strength, reflexes and perception.
He surpasses the limits of the human body...at the risk of his own life."
Sobbing dude :(

"Death is not an end, but a change in the form of life." Each word is so beautifully written...
"Something even weaker than i... sustained me. Is this redemption? Will the weakling i oppressed constantly...now be the one to save me?"
Profile Image for Drew Canole.
2,516 reviews13 followers
May 29, 2023
Continuing the Falcon of the Millennium Empire Arc - The Holy Evil War Chapter

Guts and co go into the troll cave to rescue Casca and Farnese. In the process they rescue all the villagers that were kidnapped (All the girls are being raped by Trolls... Kentaro Miura really overdoes the whole rape conflict).

Guts meets another Apostle who gets takes the form of a beautiful lady from the filth and troll entrails of dead things in the trolls cave. Qlipoth is the name of the evil astral realm. The Skull Knight comes in to help Guts. Once they're out of the cave, Guts really embraces the idea of companions.

It's revealed that Skull Knight and Flora (the elder witch) know each other. Unfortunately the Spirit Tree Mansion is burned down. Guts has a battle with some of Griffith's new beastly warriors and Zodd. He learns about the new Band of the Hawk. He's getting beaten down so Schierka gives him some magical armour - Berserker Armour. It gives him awesome power, but could lead to his death as it surpasses the limits of the human body.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
6 reviews
January 2, 2024
My favorite part was when he said, “it’s berserkin’ time”
Profile Image for Mohamad.
6 reviews
August 5, 2024
i know ive been rating every volume in this arc a 5, but holy fuck this was a banger
Displaying 1 - 30 of 227 reviews

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