In 2021, the world lost Berserk’s legendary creator, Kentaro Miura, and the fate of his magnum opus passed into the hands of his close friend, Kouji Mori and a small group of editors and artists at Studio Gaga. Five years later, one member of this close-knit team has revealed that Miura’s readers are in for an emotionally grueling ride right up to the very end.
In a recent interview with Sabukaru magazine, Miura’s former editor, Akira Shimada, explained the roles of the various individuals tasked with wrapping up Berserk’s final storylines. At Sabukaru’s behest, Shimada briefly touched on the manga’s planned ending, which has been entrusted to only a select few members of Berserk’s editorial team.
“Including myself, Kouji Mori-san, [Yoshimitsu] Kurosaki-san and Young Animal Editor [Ryo] Takamura are the only four people who know the complete ending to Berserk.” This devotion to secrecy speaks to the prudence of those Miura entrusted with the destiny of his tragic anti-hero, Guts.
Only a Handful of People Know Berserk’s Ending — and It Won’t Be an Easy Journey
The dark fantasy epic, Berserk, launched in Young Animal magazine on Aug. 25, 1989. The narrative takes place in a war-torn society inspired by medieval Europe. In this world, a lone swordsman named Guts makes his living as a mercenary until the day he meets Griffith — an enigmatic and charismatic figure determined to rise above his lowly birth to become the ruler of his own kingdom.
Several years after joining Griffith’s mercenary group, the Band of the Hawk, a devastating betrayal causes Gut’s life to descend into a single-minded quest for revenge — for both his allies and his lover, Casca. The story is mired in heartbreak, violence, and tragedy, and, according to Shimada, readers will not experience any reprieve in the finale. “I can tell you that it is not a happy ending, nor is it a bad ending,” he stated.
During Miura’s lifetime, his main creative confidant was Kouji Mori, a fellow manga artist who now serves as the official supervisor for Berserk. Notably, Shimada credits their meeting as one of the “significant” events that spearheaded the manga’s birth. “Mori-san is the only person that Miura-san consulted about the story of Berserk until the very end [of his life]. That should give you an idea of what he meant to him.”
Since Miura’s death, Mori and his colleagues have completed 20 additional chapters of Berserk, the most recent of which debuted in Young Animal on June 12, 2026. According to Shimada, Kurosaki has taken on a “central role” in the series’ illustration production. “The drawings are carefully produced under the principles of quantity over quality and how Kentaro Miura would draw it…” Shimada said.
The psychological complexity of Miura’s characters is matched only by the complexity of his artwork, which is exemplified particularly by the weapon and armor designs. To match the quality of Miura’s art as closely as possible, Studio Gaga’s editorial team has not committed to a strict weekly or monthly release schedule. “The current setup allows us not to have any constraints on completing the manuscripts…” Shimada notes.
As of December 2025, Berserk’s chapters have been compiled into 43 published volumes. Since its 1989 debut, the iconic manga has been translated into over 17 languages and sold roughly 70 million copies worldwide.
Though Studio GaGa has released no information that suggests the story is due to end anytime soon, Shimada insists that Berserk fans will ultimately be well rewarded for their patience. “[The end] is nothing you can put into a mold we’ve grown accustomed to,” he said. “But it’s truly a tremendous ending.”
Berserk is available in English from Dark Horse Comics. Chapters 385 and 386 now have official release dates set, following the recent release of Berserk: Chapter 384.
- Video Game(s)
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Berserk: Millennium Falcon Hen Seima Senki no Sho, Berserk and the Band of the Hawk, Sword of the Berserk: Guts Rage
- First Film
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Berserk: The Golden Age Arc 1: The Egg of the King
- Created by
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Kentaro Miura
- Where to watch
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Crunchyroll