I mean come on, who hasn’t heard of this legendary manga series. The anime is not that well-known, but the manga is as famous as one can be. However, for those of you who don’t know, Berserk is a manga series made by the equally legendary Kentaro Miura (may he rest in peace). The series has a very solid fanbase and is renowned worldwide for its amazing art and how it perfectly captures the dark fantasy genre.
The plot of Berserk follows a man named Guts. Hell yeah, if you have a name like that, you know you’re built like a brick house. Guts is also known as the Black Swordsman and is renowned for his fighting abilities, brute strength, and the way he wanders the vast world.
Table of Contents
He goes on to have moral dilemmas within himself, fight a war, and battle against horrors that would leave any normal human being dead in their tracks. Of course, Guts doesn’t give a dang about those monsters, even if you throw 5 Karens at him, Guts will never budge.
Share:
Table of Content
Berserk 1997 Filler List
| Ep No. | Ep Title. | Type | Date |
| 1 | The Black Swordsman | MIXED CANON/FILLER | 1997-10-07 |
| 2 | Band of the Hawk | MANGA CANON | 1997-10-17 |
| 3 | First Battle | MANGA CANON | 1997-10-21 |
| 4 | The Hand of God | MANGA CANON | 1997-10-28 |
| 5 | A Wind of Swords | MANGA CANON | 1997-11-04 |
| 6 | Zodd the Immortal | MANGA CANON | 1997-11-11 |
| 7 | The Sword's Owner | MANGA CANON | 1997-11-18 |
| 8 | Conspiracy | MANGA CANON | 1997-11-25 |
| 9 | Assassination | MANGA CANON | 1997-12-02 |
| 10 | Noble Man | MANGA CANON | 1997-12-09 |
| 11 | The Battle | MANGA CANON | 1997-12-16 |
| 12 | Together | MANGA CANON | 1997-12-23 |
| 13 | Prepared For Death | MANGA CANON | 1998-01-06 |
| 14 | Bonfire of Dreams | MANGA CANON | 1998-01-13 |
| 15 | The Decisive Battle | MANGA CANON | 1998-01-20 |
| 16 | The Conquerer | MANGA CANON | 1998-01-27 |
| 17 | Moment of Glory | MANGA CANON | 1998-02-03 |
| 18 | Tombstone of Flames | MANGA CANON | 1998-02-10 |
| 19 | Separation | MANGA CANON | 1998-02-17 |
| 20 | Sparks | MANGA CANON | 1998-02-24 |
| 21 | Confession | MANGA CANON | 1998-03-03 |
| 22 | Inflitration | MANGA CANON | 1998-03-10 |
| 23 | Eve Of The Feast | MANGA CANON | 1998-03-17 |
| 24 | The Eclipse | MANGA CANON | 1998-03-24 |
| 25 | Time Of Eternity | MANGA CANON | 1998-03-31 |
Berserk 2016-2017 Filler list
| Ep No. | Ep Title. | Type | Date |
| 1 | The Dragonslayer | MIXED CANON/FILLER | 2016-07-01 |
| 2 | The Holy Iron Chain Knights | MANGA CANON | 2016-07-08 |
| 3 | Night of Miracles | MIXED CANON/FILLER | 2016-07-15 |
| 4 | Epiphany | MANGA CANON | 2016-07-22 |
| 5 | The Tower of Conviction | MANGA CANON | 2016-07-29 |
| 6 | A Nighttime Feast: Burning at the Stake | MANGA CANON | 2016-08-05 |
| 7 | The Black Witch | MANGA CANON | 2016-08-12 |
| 8 | Reunion in the Den of Evil | MANGA CANON | 2016-08-19 |
| 9 | Blood Flow of the Dead | MANGA CANON | 2016-08-26 |
| 10 | Hell's Angels | MANGA CANON | 2016-09-02 |
| 11 | Shadows of Ideas | MANGA CANON | 2016-09-09 |
| 12 | Those Who Cling, Those Who Struggle | MANGA CANON | 2016-09-16 |
| 13 | The Rent World | MANGA CANON | 2017-04-07 |
| 14 | Winter Journey | MANGA CANON | 2017-04-07 |
| 15 | Banner of the Flying Sword | MANGA CANON | 2017-04-14 |
| 16 | Forest of Demonic Beasts | MANGA CANON | 2017-04-21 |
| 17 | Spirit Realm | MANGA CANON | 2017-04-28 |
| 18 | Fight for Survival Against the Demonic Legion | MANGA CANON | 2017-05-05 |
| 19 | The Arcana of Invocation | MANGA CANON | 2017-05-12 |
| 20 | The Corruption of Qliphoth | MANGA CANON | 2017-05-19 |
| 21 | The Berserker Armor | MANGA CANON | 2017-05-26 |
| 22 | A Journey Begins in Flames | MANGA CANON | 2017-06-09 |
| 23 | Proclaimed Omens | MANGA CANON | 2017-06-16 |
| 24 | City of Humans | MANGA CANON | 2017-06-23 |
Berserk: The Golden Age Arc Filler List
So far, there are no fillers in the trilogy. It is packed with action and gore, a never-ending thrill ride that makes you grab the edge of your seat.
| Movie No. | Movie Title | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Movie 1 | The Egg of the King | Manga Canon |
| Movie 2 | Battle for Doldrey | Manga Canon |
| Movie 3 | The Advent | Manga Canon |
Difference Between Berserk 1997 and Berserk 2016-2017?
There are actually two adaptations of Berserk. The first one was released way back in 1997 and the most recent one aired from 2016 to 2017. So you might be wondering what’s the difference between the two adaptations? Are there even similarities? Which is better? Why am I asking so many questions? Well, don’t worry because I’ll satisfy your THICC curiosity.
Berserk 1997 or the “better” Berserk anime adaptation covers the Black Swordsman Arc all the way to the Golden Age Arc. It has a total of 25 episodes and adapts Volume 1 to Volume 13 of the original Berserk Manga.
Even though it is the more acceptable animation between the two it did skip some scenes from the manga and is not as gory or intense as Kentaro Miura wrote it. However, it was still considered a success as Berserk fans from all over the world loved it.
However, Berserk 2016 was produced by Liden Films which covers The Millennium Falcon Arc of the manga. People seem to dislike CGI and that’s probably why they call Berserk 1997 the better adaptation.
Berserk 1997
Release Date: October 7, 1997 (Japan), 28 May 2008 (English)
Episodes: 25
Duration: 23 minutes
About Berserk 1997:
Berserk Anime series was direced by none other than the legendary Kentaro Miura. The first series, Berserk 1997 has total 25 episodes and in these 25 episodes, the first thirteen volumes of the manga are covered.
Let’s talk about the plot now. The story focuses on an orphan mercenary named Guts who goes around and tells people that he’s “The Black Swordsman”. As he looks upon his days being a part of the Band of the Hawks, led by ambitious, merciless, and a ruthless man named Griffith, together they battle and make their way to the Royal Court.
At first, Guts didn’t know about Griffith’s evil intentions so, he decided to leave the band of the Hawks and turned his back against him. One day, Guts confronts a group of robbers who were holding a woman named Jill. He saved her and Jill took him to the village and revealed to him the mysterious secrets of the area. That’s how interesting and dark adventures are portrayed in Berserk. So, if you haven’t watched it, you really need to. Now, let’s take a look at the Filler Episodes of Berserk 1997.
Berserk (2016-2017)
Release Date: July 1, 2016 (Japan), 23 June 2017 (English)
Episodes: 25
Duration: 23 minutes
About Berserk 2016-2017:
Berserk 2016-2017 covers The Golden Age Arc, The Conviction Arc, and The Millennium Falcon Arc as well. The story focuses on Guts and his journey with Griffith during his time in the band of the Hawks. Since they turned their backs on each other, they had to fight and prove their strength. Griffith continues to work for his dream of ruling the world from his own city, Falconia. However, Guts on his journey along with Casca, who’s the love of his life, meets so many new people.
Casca is also traumatized after seeing so many horror and evil rituals. But we all know that Guts couldn’t just leave her alone and let her die, so he fought for the love of his life, how sweet right?
During the eclipse ritual, one member of the Hawks band was absent. So, Guts is sent off to find that guy during the eclipse. He sets off hunting for the God Hands’ Apostles to kill Griffith for revenge. After some years, Guts unintentionally saves an elf named Puck who joins him further in his journey. Now, let’s see the Filler Episodes of Berserk 1997.
Berserk: The Golden Age Arc (2012-2013)
Release Date: 4 February 2012 (Japan), 23 June 2017 (English)
Duration: 98 minutes
About Berserk: The Golden Age Arc
Berserk is a series written by Kentarou Miura and a specific arc has been adapted into a movie trilogy, the Golden Age Arc. Diving into the brutal world of Berserk is such a thrilling, breathless, and jaw-dropping experience (literally, the first panel of the manga was Guts having intercourse with a female demon and I was speechless), that I wish I hadn’t read the manga so that I could experience it again for the first time.
The Golden Age Arc features Guts way back then, before he was a bloodthirsty demon slaughterer and dives into his past. This arc gives depth to what he has become and who he is, but this is not limited to only him. Other characters that have somehow become involved with Guts are given flesh as if they are about to come out of the screen or page and grab you by the face. This arc also broke my heart seeing the characters go through hell and I hope I’ll be able to recover from this. So WELCOME! To the fucked up yet somehow grotesquely beautiful world of Berserk: The Golden Age Arc.
Plot
The first movie of the trilogy shows Guts earning the attention of the famous Band of the Hawk’s leader, Griffith when he defeated Bazuso. He later fought Griffith to earn the choice of not joining the group, but he suffered a defeat when he came face to face with the leader and was forced to join the merry band. Guts served the Band of the Hawk for three long years and earned a place for himself, he became the Captain. During those three years, he grew closer to the members except for Casca and made some fun memories with them, he even became friends with Griffith.
They were then hired by the King of Midland to participate in the hundred-year war against Tudor due to their strength and constant victory in their endeavors. During a siege, the Band of the Hawks encountered the famous immortal swordsman, Zodd. Guts and Griffith worked together to fight the ferocious monster and then Zodd noticed the Behelit that Griffith wore by his neck. Zodd warned Guts about Griffith and then left them.
They, unsurprisingly, won the war and Griffith rose in terms of status and popularity, but some noblemen weren’t happy with that fact. Julius, the brother of the King, attempted to assassinate Griffith and was killed by Guts later under the orders of the charming Griffith. Guts was traumatized as he murdered Julius’ son, Adonis, to leave no witnesses to the crime. When he returned to discuss with Griffith, he overheard him and the daughter of the King, Princess Charlotte, about his ideas of a friendship. Guts realized that he wasn’t even considered a friend to Griffith as the pretty man began to dive deeper into the topic.
Casca was with him during this time and they later had to work together to fend off a hundred enemy soldiers and they kind of made up. Guts revealed his desire to leave the band to become equal with Griffith as he really wanted to become his friend. But, he would still participate in a final war and then leave the band. Griffith was opposed to this and challenged Guts to a duel and I really didn’t expect Guts to win that time, but he did. Guts left and Griffith was mortified, his despair led him to make the mistake of bedding the Midland’s precious princess.
The King was furious when he found out what Griffith did to his precious daughter and ordered to have him imprisoned and the Band of the Hawks to be branded as criminals. Honestly, the King was even more repulsive in the manga as he lusted after his daughter as Princess Charlotte looked a lot like his late wife. He was so jealous of Griffith, who took his daughter’s first or in other terms “deflowered” her, and Princess Charlotte woke up to the sight of her beloved father trying to lick her breasts.
During the year that Guts was away, Griffith was being tortured in the Tower of Rebirth in the most gruesome ways and if I was Griffith, I doubt I would be able to survive (if my memory is correct, this was also the part when he lost the Behelit that he always wore). It looked painful and my low pain tolerance body would’ve been so distressed and before the torturer could sink one of his torture devices in my skin, I would probably be bawling my eyes out or have difficulty in breathing and then I’d be dead.
Guts then heard that the Band of the Hawks are now criminals and he reunited with them with a plan to rescue Griffith. They broke into the Tower of Rebirth and found Griffith mutilated beyond recognition. The man could barely move and his tongue was cut off, his muscles and face stripped off. Guts and the rest of the members were horrified to find Griffith in that state. They barely escaped the kingdom and Griffith soon realized what his life had become and succumbed to misery.
That’s when he was reunited with his Behelit and a solar eclipse that sucked him and the rest of the squad into a nightmare-like world where they met the powerful four God Hands. The four powerful beings then began to tell how everything that had happened had led up to his moment and offered Griffith the position of being the fifth God Hand. Griffith’s dream that he had forgotten for a hellish year began to resurface and his resolve was strengthened once more.
To become a God Hand, Griffith had to sacrifice something and the four God Hands offered a bit of advice—that his offering would be the whole squad. Griffith, without a second thought, offered them and Guts’ heart was broken. Griffith turns into Femto, the fifth God Hand, while his comrades are branded and devoured by the demonic creatures. Only Guts and Casca escaped through the help of a Skull Knight, but Casca was emotionally and mentally scarred witnessing the deaths of her team and being brutally raped by the monsters and by Femto himself.
Guts, enraged by the last scene that his eye saw, was unconscious and heavily wounded when he tried to fend off the monsters. Guts then left Casca on Rickert’s watch and had Godot make him a sword. He donned a large sword, a prosthetic arm, and a closed eye, then set off on the bloody trail of revenge as he hunted down demons as he swore to kill Griffith. That was the birth of the Black Swordsman.
Comment Down Below
The first time I read Berserk, I didn’t like Guts’ character that much because at first, he was shown as a heartless and blunt man that doesn’t care about others. Reading this arc was an eye-opener and helped me understand Guts as a character. I really loved this arc as it is a good mix of horror, gore, comradery, betrayal, love and tragedy. Everyone grew on me and it was such a shame to see them die and having to witness Griffith turn into a villain that Guts has to eliminate. This is one of my favorite series even though I only recently read it. This series, especially this specific arc, has carved a place in my heart and I will never forget the journey that I got to take while consuming this series.
That’s it for Berserk Filler List. I hope this list helps you in watching Berserk with more accuracy and fun. So, if you haven’t watched Berserk, you definitely should! They’re super intense and nobody would have this series!
