An announcement from Dark Horse Comics has finally revealed the official release date for Volume 41 of Berserk, the dark fantasy manga that became a major influence not only in Japan, but around the globe. Fans are still mourning the death of mangaka Kentaro Miura almost a year ago, as tributes from luminaries such as Elden Ring director Hidetaka Miyazaki continue to pour in. In a final act of closure, Dark Horse has announced the release date of Miura’s final volume to be November 9.
The first publishing of Berserk in the west occurred in 2003, when Dark Horse first acquired the license. Though an exceedingly violent series with graphic scenes of sex and nightmarish gore, Berserk struck a chord with Western audiences thanks to its bold sense of heroism exemplified in its tortured protagonist Guts as well as its unflinchingly bleak narrative and baroque art style courtesy of Miura. When Miura died unexpectedly in May 2021 due to heart complications, he left behind a legacy found not only within his own series and its adaptations, but in the multitude of impressed fans who took his influence.
On April 4, Crunchyroll.com posted the release date for Dark Horse Comics’ final collected volume, stating November 9 as the date Berserk Vol. 41 will be available in comic shops, with bookstores having to wait until November 22 to receive copies. The volume will feature Guts and his party’s adventures on the island of Elfhelm following the restoration of the longtime mentally-fractured Casca to her former self, and further reveal mysteries concerning the elusive Moonlight Boy. Mike Richardson, President of Dark Horse Comics said of Miura in a statement, “…his creativity and incredible storytelling are unmatched. And to be able to release his final work to his fans is an honor that cannot be understated.”
The final chapter of Berserk, Chapter 364, saw posthumous release in Japan last September, though this will be the first official release for the English-speaking West. Throughout the manga’s long and twisted narrative, Berserk was notable for the way Miura maintained a surprisingly humanist, optimistic perspective despite the often-grim and gory subject matter, culminating in the long sought-after rescue of Casca from her mental imprisonment and a renewed sense of interpersonal trust from the antihero Guts. Ultimately a tale of redemption, Berserk Vol. 41 in many ways represented a tonal shift for the series from the dark and hellish journey Guts engaged in to a rejuvenated, if somewhat unsure, morality play on the nature of personal sacrifice and an action’s consequences.
The final book in the set, Berserk Vol. 41 goes on sale November 9 in comic shops only, available elsewhere on November 22.
Source: Crunchyroll
