Kentaro Miura (三浦 建太郎, Miura Kentarō, July 11, 1966 – May 6, 2021) was a Japanese manga artist. He was best known for his acclaimed dark fantasy series Berserk, which began serialization in 1989 and continued until his death. As of 2021, Berserk had more than 50 million copies in circulation, making it one of the best-selling manga series of all time. In 2002, Miura received the Award for Excellence at the 6th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prizes.
Early life and education
Miura was born on July 11, 1966, in Chiba, Chiba Prefecture, Japan.In 1976, at the age of 10, he created his first manga, entitled Miuranger, which was published for his classmates in a school publication; the series ended up spanning 40 volumes. In 1977, Miura created his second manga, Ken e no Michi (剣への道, "The Way to the Sword"), in which he used India ink for the first time. When he was in middle school in 1979, his drawing techniques improved greatly as he started using professional drawing techniques.
While in high school in 1982, Miura enrolled in an artistic curriculum, where he and his classmates started publishing their works in school booklets. There, he befriended his later fellow manga artist Kōji Mori [ja]. They both co-authored a science fiction doujinshi which was sent to Weekly Shōnen Sunday but was shot down in the last round of selections. At age 18, Miura briefly worked as an assistant to George Morikawa, of Hajime no Ippo fame. Morikawa quickly acknowledged Miura's high artistic level and dismissed him, saying there was nothing he could teach that Miura did not already know. By then, Miura had a dark warrior with a gigantic sword already illustrated in his portfolio.
Career
In 1985, Miura applied for entrance to the
. He submitted a short project, Futatabi (再び, "Once More"), for examination and was granted admission. The project later earned him the 34th Newcomer Manga Award from Weekly Shōnen Magazine. Miura's next work, NOA, was published in Fresh Magazine in the same year, but it was not successful. In 1988, while working for Buronson on a project titled King of Wolves (王狼, Ōrō), Miura published a prototype of Berserk in Hakusensha's Monthly ComiComi; the 48-page prototype placed second in ComiComi's 7th Manga School competition. The full serialization of Berserk, which would become Miura's most famous and successful work, began in Hakusensha's Monthly Animal House in 1989. In 1990, a sequel to King of Wolves, entitled Ōrō Den (王狼伝, "Legend of the King of Wolves"), was published in the same magazine. In 1992, Monthly Animal House was renamed Young Animal, where Berserk continued serialization. In the same year, Miura collaborated with Buronson on the manga Japan, which was also published in Young Animal.
, which aired in the same year on NTV. He also supervised the 1999 Dreamcast video game Sword of the Berserk: Guts' Rage. In 2002, Miura received the Award for Excellence at the 6th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prizes for Berserk. Starting in 2006, Berserk went on frequent and often extended hiatuses, and alternated between monthly and irregular serialization.
As of 2018, Berserk was collected into 40 tankōbon volumes in Japan, and as of May 2021 it had more than
50 million copies in circulation worldwide, including digital versions. The series also spawned a host of merchandise, both official and fan-made, ranging from statues, action figures to key rings, video games, and a trading card game. Various art books and supplemental materials by Miura based on Berserk were also released.
In 2013, Miura released the short standalone manga Giganto Maxia, published in English-speaking territories by Dark Horse in 2016. Duranki, a short manga produced by Miura's personal manga studio Studio Gaga, was serialized in Young Animal Zero in 2019.
Influences
Miura stated that the work that had the biggest impact on his own was Buronson and Tetsuo Hara's manga Fist of the North Star (1983 debut).[20] Miura also cited influences from Go Nagai's Violence Jack (1973 debut), the Japanese fantasy novel series Guin Saga (1979 debut), Paul Verhoeven films, the Hellraiser series (1987 debut), shōjo manga, Disney films, and the works of Hieronymous Bosch, M. C. Escher, Gustave Doré, and Pieter Bruegel.
Death
On May 6, 2021, Miura died due to acute aortic dissection, at the age of 54. His death was publicly announced on May 20, 2021. A private ceremony was held by his family.Various manga artists offered condolences, including Kōji Mori, Miura's high school friend, and George Morikawa, who shared a story of their friendship. People who worked on the Berserk anime adaptations also paid tribute to Miura, including Susumu Hirasawa, composer for the 1997 series; Nobutoshi Canna and Yūko Miyamura, who voiced Guts and Casca, respectively, in the 1997 series; Hiroaki Iwanaga, Guts' voice actor since the 2012–13 film trilogy; and singer Yoshino Nanjō, who voiced Sonia and performed the ending theme for the 2016 series' second season with Nagi Yanagi.
Legacy
Established as one of the best-selling manga of all time, Miura's series Berserk
impacted the manga medium and beyond, with journalist Jade King stating: "[It] is difficult to overstate the tremendous impact his work has had on the world of games, manga, film, anime, and even literature." The image of Guts and his massive sword is attributed to inspiring characters like Cloud Strife of Final Fantasy VII and Dante from the Devil May Cry series, with the overall aesthetic of Berserk inspiring the monsters and world of the Dark Souls series. Video game director Hideaki Itsuno and producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi are fans of Berserk, and the role-playing hack and slash game Dragon's Dogma included armor based on Guts and Griffith's. During a GDC talk in 2019, Itsuno stated that the tone and style of Devil May Cry 5 was inspired from Berserk.
Many authors have cited Miura and Berserk as influences, including Blue Exorcist author Kazue Kato, Baccano! and Durarara!! author Ryōgo Narita, Black Butler author Yana Toboso, Black Clover author Yūki Tabata, and Attack on Titan author Hajime Isayama, who called it "tremendous, just magnificent [...] I got the impression that it was very well organized like a movie".Yoko Taro stated that the protagonist of Drakengard, Caim, was inspired by Berserk's protagonist Guts.
The 2021 18th issue of Young Animal, released on September 10, 2021, was a "memorial" to Miura. Besides the inclusion of the posthumous chapter 364 of Berserk, the issue featured a special "Messages to Kentarou Miura" booklet and a poster of "famous scenes" from the manga. In the issue, manga artist Kōji Mori, Miura's long-time friend, published a one-shot titled "Mori-chan Ken-chan", which tells the story of Mori's friendship with Miura.
Works
Futatabi (再び, "Once More") (1985) — One-shot. Published in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine.
NOA (1985) — One-shot. Published in Kodansha's Fresh Magazine.
Berserk: The Prototype (ベルセルク, Beruseruku) (1988) — One-shot. Published in Hakusensha's Monthly ComiComi.
King of Wolves (王狼, Ōrō) (1989) — Written by Buronson, illustrated by Miura. Serialized in Hakusensha's Monthly Animal House.
Berserk (ベルセルク, Beruseruku) (1989–2021) — Serialized in Hakusensha's Monthly Animal House (1989–1992) and Young Animal (1992–2021).
Ōrō Den (王狼伝) (1990) — Written by Buronson, illustrated by Miura. Serialized in Hakusensha's Monthly Animal House.
Japan (ジャパン) (1992) — Written by Buronson, illustrated by Miura. Serialized in Hakusensha's Young Animal.
Giganto Maxia (ギガントマキア, Gigantomakia) (2013–2014) — Serialized in Hakusensha's Young Animal.
Duranki (ドゥルアンキ) (2019–2020) — Serialized in Hakusensha's Young Animal Zero.
FAQs
How did Kentaro Miura learn to draw? ›
In 1977, Miura created his second manga, Ken e no Michi (剣への道, "The Way to the Sword"), in which he used India ink for the first time. When he was in middle school in 1979, his drawing techniques improved greatly as he started using professional drawing techniques.
What does Kentaro Miura use? ›Miura was left-handed, and did most of his art with traditional techniques such as the g-pen, Maru pen, and brushes. For his color illustrations, there was wild speculation about how he did them; in fact, he used good old colouring pencils and watercolors.
Who is drawing Berserk now? ›The art for the new chapters, though, will be handled by Studio Gaga, Miura's team of assistants and apprentices who assisted him in drawing Berserk and are thus the most capable of carrying on its visual legacy. As for the new chapters' story, that too is coming from an appropriate source: Miura himself.
Was Kentaro Miura a perfectionist? ›Miura was a perfectionist. He was a caring friend. He was a talent unrivaled in the industry. He influenced a generation of creators not just in the dark fantasy genre but across the board, igniting imaginations and crafting relationships that will last long after he is gone.
How long does it take to draw a page of Berserk? ›It can get quite cumbersome depending on the page. Miura takes a total of approx. 55 hours for this particular page.
What materials did Kentaro Miura use? ›- Mechanical Pencils.
- Kneaded rubber eraser.
- Eraser Pencils.
- A large brush.
- Ruler, triangle ruler.
- Compass/Calipers.
- Technical drawing board.
- The right paper.
Anyway, the entire industry is digital now, and you can only delay getting on board for so long. Even if it's not the case yet, sooner or later, everything or almost will be done digitally. So more power to Miura and his team for living with the times.
Is Berserk finished? ›Berserk will continue with six chapters, finishing the "Fantasia Arc/Elf Island Chapter" before starting a new arc afterward, with the credits as "original work by Kentaro Miura, art by Studio Gaga, supervised by Kouji Mori". The 365th and 366th chapters were published on June 24, 2022.
What software did Miura use? ›| Miura Instrument Code | MIURA |
|---|---|
| Operational system | MS Windows® |
| Interface to LIS host | Ethernet, Bi-directional connection |
| Environment temperature | 18 ÷ 32°C |
| Environment RH | 30 ÷ 70 % (without condensation) |
| Guts | |
|---|---|
| Sex | Male |
| Species | Unknown |
| Height | 6'8" (204 cm) |
| Weight | 253 lbs (115 kg) |
Is Berserk finished 2022? ›
Despite the death of Kentaro Miura on May 20, 2022, Berserk will not remain unfinished. The author's masterpiece, one of the most influential seinen in history, will be resumed soon by Kouji Mori, mangaka and close friend of Kentaro Miura.
Why is Berserk not finished? ›Miura died suddenly from acute aortic dissection, a tear in the aorta branching off from the heart, on May 6, 2021, leaving Berserk unfinished and in the middle of an ongoing story arc. The series will resume in the next issue of Young Animal's magazine, and the next six chapters will conclude the Fantasia Arc.
Where did guts get his sword? ›Godo gave him a fine sword with which to fight, but it broke while battling a local apostle, so Guts needed something more. He seized the seemingly worthless dragon slayer and picked it up, defeating the apostle with its deadly cutting edge.
Who animated berserk? ›Berserk was produced by Nippon Television and VAP, animated by Oriental Light and Magic, and directed by Naohito Takahashi. The series begins with the original manga's Black Swordsman arc, continuing through the Golden Age arc, covering twelve volumes (and part of the thirteenth volume) of the manga.
How many volumes of berserk are there? ›As of September 25, 2019, forty volumes have been released. A hardcover Deluxe Edition is also being released by Dark Horse Comics since February 27, 2019.
How do mangaka draw so fast? ›Manga artists use Shapes to Build Drawings. Manga artists draw fast because they use shapes to structure their drawings. After they have set this pillar, they begin to make changes and add details. This helps ensure the proportion and accuracy of their drawings, without sacrificing speed.
How many pages do mangaka draw a day? ›Simply speaking, a manga artist would be required to finish 3 pages a day, if he is working for a weekly manga magazine. As for the monthly magazine, the requirement would be 1 page a day.
Why is Berserk so good? ›4 Character Relationships Drive The Plot
While, at the base of the narrative, Berserk is certainly a revenge story, it is helped driven forward and kept interesting, exciting, and compelling by the relationships between the characters.
Born on July 11, 1966 to artist parents, Miura began drawing at age 10. While still a teenager, he won a New Artist Award from the leading manga magazine Weekly Shonen. He attended the art college of Nihon University in Tokyo and saw the first installment of Berserk appear in print shortly after he graduated in 1989.
What is AG pen drawing? ›When drawing manga, G pens are often used for the main lines of characters and contour lines, while mapping pens are often used for hair and backgrounds, but there is no clear rule. Some artists use just a single type of nib. Besides the various types, the hardness and feel varies by manufacturer as well. - G-pen.
Did Kentaro Miura draw Berserk? ›
No, that's not true. In September 2019, Miura gave a long interview about Dur-An-Ki and the future of Berserk. In it, he's asked how moving to digital drawing changed his process and his conception of manga creation.
Did Miura draw Duranki? ›Interview with Kentaro Miura regarding his new series Duranki and how it affects Berserk Duranki is made under Miura's Studio Gaga. For the series, he is credited as writer and producer. Three assistants on-site, one remote. For Berserk, he draws all the characters and background.
Does Berserk art style change? ›As far as i am concerned, the art style will most likely change sooner or later again. From left to right, Episodes 342-347-349. As you can see, the one panel in the middle differs in terms of simplicity compared to the other 2, especially the one on the left is the most comparable due to the angle.
Does the Berserk art get better? ›The Artistic Evolution of Berserk (1989-2021) - YouTube
Will Berserk 364 be the last chapter? ›Chapter 364 of Berserk, "Tear of Morning Dew," was the last chapter to be penned by Kentarō Miura before his death.
What is Guts last name? ›...
Guts (Berserk)
| Guts | |
|---|---|
| Berserk character | |
| First appearance | Berserk chapter A0: "The Black Swordsman" (1989) |
| Created by | Kentaro Miura |
Berserk fans are finally close to getting Chapter 364 of the popular manga series. The upcoming chapter will presumably end the series; however, there's a small chance that the Berserk manga might continue. Written and illustrated by Kentaro Miura, Berserk is a popular Japanese manga that began in 1989.
Where can I read berserk digitally? ›The Berserk manga is also available for digital purchase on Amazon's ComiXology.
How many chapters are in Duranki? ›Production. Hakusensha announced Duranki in 2019, stating the manga would launch in the inaugural issue of Young Animal Zero, with two chapters, totaling 64 pages. The announcement received negative attention from fans of Miura's Berserk series, worrying that this new manga will only distract and further delay Berserk.
How heavy is the Dragonslayer sword? ›The blade most likely weights about 220 pounds or 99.8KG. Although on the wiki, it has been stated that it should be around 400 pounds, and some reddit user calculated it to be around 625 pounds or 283.5KG.
What ethnicity is Guts? ›
The global setting Midland is based on is "European-like", but that doesn't mean much. Guts is white with black hair and has no beard, nor any kind of pilosity on his torso, arms and legs. Being assumedly born in Midland, he's logically a "Midlander".
Will Berserk 41 be the last? ›41. Dark Horse has revealed that the final chapter in Berserk is coming on November 9th in comic book shops with Berserk Volume 41. Kentaro Miura's horror-fantasy manga will be in English for the first time and also feature a two-sided color poster insert.
Is there gonna be a chapter 365 of Berserk? ›It has been confirmed that Berserk will return with Chapter 365, created by Kentaro Miura's assistants and overseen by mangaka Kouji Mori. Kentaro Miura, the original creator and mangaka behind Berserk, passed away in May 2021, aged 54.
How long will Berserk continue? ›Berserk Manga Will Continue
Berserk's last issue was released in September 2021, four months after the author's passing. The legendary dark fantasy title will be published in Young Animal's 13th issue from June 24, with the news being revealed on the Berserk official Twitter account.
Berserk's posthumous 364th chapter is likely the end of the late Kentaro Miura's epic manga series, but it promises hope in a world full of suffering. Warning! Spoilers ahead for Berserk chapter 364!
Will Berserk anime ever continue? ›The world of Berserk might be one of the darkest to ever be created within the medium of anime, but it is also one that is so beloved that fans are clamoring for news when it comes to the universe of Guts and the Band of the Hawk.
How heavy is golden age Guts sword? ›It is 100% handmade steel construction and features a hardened steel blade (Hardox brand AR450). As pictured, the sword blade is 63" long and 5" wide with 1/2" thickness. The overall length is 84" and the total weight is 40lbs.
Does Guts keep Zodd sword? ›I'm sorry if this sounds dumb but I was wondering why in the anime Zodd decides to throw guts his sword to help Guts but in the movie Guts simply overpowers Boscone. After in the anime episode, Guts is still carrying Zodd's sword post battle.
Are Guts fully human? ›its not like he's so strong because he has magic powers or something. he just trains really hard, and he gets really pissed off. he's a normal human, in an unusual situation that his led him to push the bounds of human capabilities.
What's wrong with Berserk anime? ›2) 'Berserk'
However, the animation ended up being of poor quality with awkward camera angles and the overall uncanniness of the anime. Apart from the animation style, the anime had generally bad pacing, which made it difficult to fully enjoy.
Is Berserk all CGI? ›
The only problem this series has is CGI but if you ignores it they won't make Berserk all colorful anime well its a dark fantasy anime full of blood and gore so CGI seem like suit its at some point but overall its an entertaining series. If you are into violence anime then this anime is for you.
Which Berserk is best? ›- Berserk: The Golden Age Arc III - The Advent (2013) Not Rated | 110 min | Animation, Action, Adventure. ...
- Berserk: The Golden Age Arc II - The Battle for Doldrey (2012) ...
- Berserk: The Golden Age Arc I - The Egg of the King (2012) ...
- Berserk (1997–1998) ...
- Berserk (2016–2017)
Born on July 11, 1966 to artist parents, Miura began drawing at age 10. While still a teenager, he won a New Artist Award from the leading manga magazine Weekly Shonen. He attended the art college of Nihon University in Tokyo and saw the first installment of Berserk appear in print shortly after he graduated in 1989.
Did Kentaro Miura draw Berserk? ›No, that's not true. In September 2019, Miura gave a long interview about Dur-An-Ki and the future of Berserk. In it, he's asked how moving to digital drawing changed his process and his conception of manga creation.
How do you draw Miura? ›How to draw like Miura Kentaro - YouTube
When did Kentaro Miura switch to digital? ›Firstly, Miura made the shift from traditional artwork to digital in 2015, around volume 38 of Berserk, which meant that Miura had to basically relearn everything from scratch. That shift wasn't as sudden as it first seems, however.