WARNING: SPOILERS FOR BERSERK MANGA

Many Berserk fans discovered the franchise by watching one of its anime, but those who have yet to read the manga are missing out on several of the story's best moments. Multiple anime series have attempted to adapt Kentaro Miura's beloved tale with varying levels of success. However, due to creative differences, budget, and the story's bleakest developments, a faithful anime adaptation has yet to deliver all of the most jaw-dropping moments featured in Berserk's manga.

Anime adaptations so far have either changed Berserk's story, cut entire arcs, or failed to continue long enough to reach later parts of Gut's journey. An arguably good anime adaptation of Berserk from the 1990s featured a different beginning for Guts than the manga.

Then, much later, two seasons of a controversial CGI series released in 2016 - 2017 covered arcs after the traumatizing Eclipse. However, the disappointing series ended before adapting some of the story's most striking material. There are at least ten incredible moments from the Berserk manga that fans will hopefully be able to someday see animated faithfully.

Summary

• The Lost Children arc showcases demons with human backgrounds and adds depth to Berserk's story of struggle and belonging.
• Rickert's satisfying slap to Griffith humanizes the god-like figure, marking a significant development and showcase of character growth.
• Schierke and Farnese's journey into Casca's mind presents a mystical and potentially profound narrative that could be a visual spectacle when adapted.

10 The Lost Children Arc Proves That Guts Isn't The Only Struggler

These Events Took Place In Berserk Chapters #95 - #117

A story arc utterly absent from any previous anime adaptation is the story of the Lost Children. It occurs two years after the Eclipse with Guts and Puck alone in the countryside. They encounter a young girl named Jill, who lives in a village suffering from a series of kidnappings. The culprit turns out to be a young girl named Rosine, who became a demonic apostle. The entire arc demonstrates the steep contrast between the demons shown during the Eclipse and ones like Rosine, who was a lost child who wanted to feel like they belonged somewhere.

9 The Sea God And Gut's Battle Is Miura's Skills At Their Maximum

This Event Took Place In Berserk Chapters #319 - #327

The journey to Elfheim contained several large bumps, one of which, in particular, was an enormous Sea God. While Kentaro Miura has drawn some incredible beasts during his career, the Sea Beast might be one of his most complex and fascinating to behold. If an anime production studio can faithfully recreate the creature with the sense of power and dread it exuded onto Guts, they'd deserve to win an award.

8 Serpico's Second Duel With Guts Puts The First To Shame

Event Took Place In Berserk Chapters #256 - #258

Lady Farnese had grown close to Guts and Shierke during their travels and hardships, so it broke their hearts when she separated from them to return to her life as a noblewoman in the grand city of Vritannis. Her faithful companion, Serpico, traveled with Farnese and even confronted Guts and his crew to stop them from convincing her to re them. The duel between Guts and Serpico took place in a small room filled with narrow spaces and stone columns, and it was another display of brilliant strategy and brute strength between two fascinating warriors.

7 The Guardians of Desire Arc Gives Guts A More Effective Intro

These Events Take Place In Berserk Chapters #03 - #08

In 1990, Berserk's controversial first pages were published, beginning Guts's journey that millions of fans worldwide now know and love. However, the 1997 anime adaptation also starts with a battle-hardened post-Eclipse Guts fighting through a village led by a demonic reptile-like apostle lord, but instead of immediately jumping ahead to the Golden Age arc, the manga spends more time with the Black Swordsmen and even a preview of the God Hand long before they appear in during the Eclipse.

The Black Swordsman arc received a heavily shortened and altered version in the 90s anime, but the manga features a lot more brutality and a more effective introduction to the struggler hellbent on revenge. After barely surviving a fight to the death against The Slug Barron apostle, Guts is teleported to the astral plane where the God Hand and Griffith's Femto form awaited him. The Guardians of Desire arc features a better peak at the horrors that await Guts later in the story before the dramatic shift into the past, beginning the Golden Age arc.

6 Rickert Finally Takes The God-Like Griffith Down A Peg

This Event Took Place In Berserk Chapter #337

Along with Guts and Casca, another remnant of Griffith's original Band of the Hawk still lives, the kind and brilliant Rickert. Thankfully, the young soldier was separated from Guts' group before the horrific events of the Eclypse took place, leaving Guts and Casca branded by the infernal God Hand. Years later, Rickert became an accomplished blacksmith and learned the truth about Griffith's actions from Guts. And it wouldn't be long before he saw the man he once looked up to again.

After the borders between the physical and astral realms were broken, the world became a much more dangerous place to live. Demons began roaming the lands, killing anyone they found, leaving Rickert and the young girl Erica desperate to find a place of safety. Their travels led them to Falconia, a thriving utopia serving as the headquarters of the new Band of the Hawk, now including many of the strongest Berserk characters. After seeing the brutality of the demon horde and apostles under its banner, Rickert was summoned to meet with Griffith.

The nervous Rickert approached the angelic Griffith in a beautiful garden surrounded by The Hawk of the Light's companions and mightiest soldiers. Rickert then slapped Griffith, the one they all worshipped, in the face. The emasculating attack proved that the newest member of the God Hand wasn't untouchable and that Rickert had grown from the boy who couldn't the mission to save the leader he no longer saw in front of him. Griffith allowed the young man to leave with his life, but it was incredibly satisfying to see the god-like figure finally get hit in the face.

5 One Of Miura's Final Chapters Revealed The Shocking Truth Of The Moonlight Boy

This Event Takes Place In Berserk Chapters #363 - #368

One of the final Berserk chapters author Kentaro Miura helped create featured one of the biggest twists in the series. After Guts and his new band of friends finally made it to Elfen Island and successfully regained Casca's sanity, the mysterious little boy who seemed emotionally linked to Guts and Casca underwent a dramatic change. The boy who could have grown up to be Guts and Casca's child transformed into the man who tore their lives apart, Griffith.

The shocking event recontextualized many moments in Berserk's dark storyline and stripped away the hope that Guts, Casca, and the mysterious young boy would find a happy ending together. After Griffith revealed himself, he stole Casca again, humiliated Guts, and triggered the destruction of the sacred Elfhelm island once again, leaving the protagonist in pieces.

4 Casca Getting Her Mind Restored Was A Rare Win In Berserk's World

These Events Take Place in Berserk Chapter #355

The Eclipse saw a height in traumatizing brutality and death, but arguably the worst moment of the event was the violence that Griffith brought upon Casca. Her mind broke after Griffith's demon form forced himself on Casca, all in front of a restrained Guts. Thanks to the Skull Knight, the two were able to escape the hellscape with their lives, but the journey to restore Casca's horrifically damaged mind would be a long one.

After several large-scale battles and surviving nearly impossible odds, Guts had finally gotten Casca to the place where their trustworthy elf friend told them that she could repair her sanity, the mythical home of the elves, Elfhelm. While the long journey there finally ended, it still took considerable effort from Schierke and Franese's magical ability to restore Casca's mind, which finally happened in Berserk chapter #355. While her personality and faculties returned, her mind was not yet ready to be able to handle a conversation with Guts.

3 Schierke and Farnese Brave Into The Darkness Of Casca's Mind

These Events Take Place In Berserk Chapters #347 - #354

Once Casca finally reached the witches and elves that resided on Elfhelm island, Schierke and Farnese were able to dive into her mind to help fix what was broken during the terrifying events of the Eclipse. As the two magic s descended deeper into Casca's mind, the atmosphere completely changed into a dark, ethereal dream. They discover a sizable injured dog dragging a casket that proved pivotal to healing Casca's mind through a hellscape resembling the Eclipse. It's one of the more mystical journey's in Berserk and has the potential to be an out-of-this-world experience if adapted well enough.

2 Guts and Zodd Forces Against The Kushan Leader

These Events Took Place In Berserk Chapters #274 - #277

The Kushan Empire's assault on Lady Farnese's city required Guts, Serpico, and Schierke to use almost everything they had to survive. Then, in classic Berserk fashion, everything got even more perilous. A legion of Griffith's demonic allies arrived to battle the invaders and cause even more destruction. Guts' formidable foe, Nosferatu Zodd, was among them, and after Ganishka appeared as a giant elemental avatar immune to physical strikes, the two old enemies had to form a truce against the overwhelming common enemy and take the sky with Guts's magical Dragon Slayer Sword.

Guts's legendary Dragon Slayer sword has spilled so much demonic blood that it has gained the ability to damage beings from the Astral World. Zodd and Guts flew to meet their foe, who blasted them with lightning bolts, but they charged through the pain and delivered an incredible slash across Ganishka's weak point, winning the battle and creating imagery that heavy metal album covers may never be able to sur.

1 Skull Knights Failure Is Griffith's Reality Breaking Success

These Events Took Place In Berserk Chapters #292 - #306

Ganishka was the leader of the formidable Kushan Empire, and after receiving considerable damage in battle and to his pride from losing battles against Griffith's new Band of the Hawk, the rouge apostle took drastic action. After sacrificing his people and many fellow apostles, Ganishka began to grow at an uncontrollable rate. He soon morphed into a colossal demonic tree creature that could be seen from dozens of miles away. As the hulking figure began to move, it became clear that the event was precisely what Griffith wanted to happen.

The Kushan Leader's sacrifices linked him to the deepest parts of the Astral World to attain the power that erroded his sanity. When Griffith arrived atop the giant figure, the Skull Knight suddenly appeared behind Griffith with a sword made of Beherits, determined to end the newest God Hand member's life. However, Griffith waited for this opportunity and redirected the attack to Ganishka. The magical weapon destroyed the Kushan Leader and inadvertently opened the link between the physical and astral planes, changing the worlds forever with some of the most fantastic artwork ever published in manga.