So long, Kentaro Miura: A Tribute

I found Berserk sometime in late 2016 through the infamous 2016 anime. Because the story appealed to me greatly, despite of the horrible animation, I decided to read the manga. Instantly, I was hooked.

In that year and the year that followed, I was going through a very hard time. My mental and physical health was at a low due to circumstances mostly outside of my control, which took a while to improve considerably. There are no words how much these wholesome moments in Berserk comforted me. It gave me something that I really needed at the time. I read them over and over again because I couldn’t get enough of them.

Everyone probably has a story like this.

What is your personal story with Berserk? Let me know in the comments!

Berserk is extremely relatable because the thoughts and feelings expressed through it were genuine and heartfelt: through Guts’ journey, Kentaro Miura showed us that it’s important to fight and act, to struggle against the odds, to be brave, to be open to new people rather than shutting yourself off from everything and everyone. He touched the hearts of many with his sincerity and authenticity. Of course, he was also a masterclass artist and extremely talented. His art is to this day unrivaled. The fact he managed to produce Berserk in a bi-weekly release schedule up until the Falcon of The Millennium Empire Arc is simply insane.

At the same time, Berserk is also a social commentary: he identified that religious faithfulness can be used as means to avoid responsibility by surrendering it to a higher power during Conviction Arc; the last chapters about Falconia seem like a set up for an utopian fiction of an ideal (or not-so-ideal, since Griffith is its ruler!?) human society of diverse cultural backgrounds, to which we sadly will never see the resolution of. The fact that Miura so vehemently attempted to make the Berserk exhibit happen despite of the Corona situation shows that he also lived by what he expressed in his fictional work.

How much he truly projected himself into each character, especially into Guts, is a secret he took to his grave. Losing Miura feels more like losing a good friend than some sort of celebrity you had little to no connection with. It shows through the fact that so many of his fans are grieving. The amount of hearts Kentaro Miura touched is immeasurable.

Miura inspired and was a light to so many. But you can be the same to everyone else. Like a tree, it’s growth never-ending and at its roots, Miura’s legacy.

Every time someone famous or important passes away it’s always such a shock. More and more of your idols will die the more you age, until there is no one left. Who’s going to take their place, who’s going to inspire the next generation now?

But then you realize: this person could be YOU.

It’s the best way to continue and honor their legacy. Move forward with the people that inspired you in your heart and memory. I know for sure that Miura will stay in mine.

Thank you, Kentaro. I am more than happy that my fanletter reached you before your passing.