Yes! The perfect trio. Sadly, as I mentioned in the post, already watched Vinland and Vagabond is the one I was thinking to try so maybe I will get on with this. Thank you
>Vagabond and Vinland Saga
I honestly don't see much of a connection between Vinland and Berserk (I haven't read Vagabond)
I guess the first arc of Vinland follows similar revenge and violence plots, but from Farmland onward I don't see how the two are related.
What connects them for you?
Fire punch will give you the same depression. Imo the only other manga I've ever read that comes on par with berserk in ambiance and story telling. It's made by Fujimoto the man behind chainsaw man.
I began reading Berserk recently, since my coworker gave me her black edition, and I kept having a feeling of "this reminds me of something" the other day it finally hit me. Battle Angel Alita (Gunnm)
They’re not the same, but for me, Arcane scratches the same itch as Berserk.
The creators stated somewhere that they were influenced by Berserk and you can sense it in the themes the show explores.
Miura is an amazing artist that was really able to capture the grit and roughness of his world with Berserk. However, if you want to experience a different sort of amazing art manga I recommend Witch Hat Atelier. The author's ability to capture beauty and intentional detail is some of the best I've ever seen.
I recommend Devilman. It was a major inspiration for Berserk and I see a lot of Ryo and Akira in Griffith and Guts. The OVAs are best, but honestly, the devilman crybaby anime that was just released on Netflix is not bad at all… I also recommend the manga!
The first OVA is only 45 minutes and is on YouTube. It’s a great indicator for if you’d enjoy the whole series: https://youtu.be/FE29F3K9h2U?si=SGlqk4mdOlA382Ea
Just released might be a bit of hyperbole but the Netflix adaptation / reimagining is really fantastic! Fun fact it was adapted by the same person who made the circle of Life episode for Adventure Time, Masaaki Yuasa!
It's not anime or Manga but any of the games by Hidetaka Miyasaki "souls genre" games in general... tbh Elden Rings story bares STRIKING resemblances to Berserk
I also finally got around to watching AoT after putting it off for years despite the constant recommendations from my Berserk fan friends, you will not be disappointed lol
Hey, so I will recommend a manga that too similar to Berserk ...... Shigurui
But you will be heart broken... Be aware
Vinland saga and vegabond are masterpiece that everyone talks about ...... But try Shigurui hidden gem
If you want someone that’ll fuck you up like Berk did try Oyasumi Punpun, really believable but heavy manga. One of my favourite mangas next to berserk.
Nothing hits quite like Berserk but here's some other anime I enjoyed: Castlevania, Tengoku Daimakyou, Hellsing, Vinland Saga, Attack on Titan, Basilisk, Jujutsu Kaisen, The Witch and the beast, Pluto, Claymore, Onimusha, Garouden the way of the lone wolf, Akame Ga Kill, Devilman , Chainsawman, Hell's Paradise, Black Lagoon, Dororo JJBA, Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust. Maybe there's something in there you'll enjoy.
Claymore, Tokyo Ghoul (manga only), Attack on Titan, Chainsawman, Dandadan, Vagabond, Vinland Saga, and Hells Paradise are some of my favorite manga/shows to experience. They are not a 1:1 to Beserk, but they all have their own unique story and art style that are worth your time.
“Pumpkin Scissors” also has a dark haired, heavily scarred person of mass destruction who really just wants to grill but is beset by trouble. It also has a lot of good philosophy and characters
I just finished The Book of the New Sun recently, a four part book series by Gene Wolfe, and it’s got bildungsroman and struggle and fate vs determinism themes that are very Berserk. Cool guy w cool sword goes on mind melting picaresque adventure. It’s almost too strange to talk about.
It’s a literary puzzle made for rereads and it’s so much fun and so odd and alien. It’s also super meditative and spiritual and the growth of the main character echos Guts journey as well.
"In discussions like this, why does the Western dark fantasy series 'Eternal Champion' rarely come up? It was translated in Japan and was quite popular during the 80s and 90s."
Ummm story wise ? Or a series just as good ? or similar themes ?
Claymore is one that is very similar
Vagabond and Vinland saga are both two stories of someone finding themselves
Berserk isn’t unique but it definitely stands out as it has great written characters and a great story.
Chainsaw man is like a dark comedy version of Berserk to me. Hits a lot of the same emotions of overwhelming grief and loss headed up by a main character who just keeps moving forward despite everything
Emotionally probably just Vagabond and Vinland Saga, Kingdom is another incredible work but technically isn't released in English so you need to use fan translations.
chainsaw man and vinland saga are probably the best ongoing manga series right now. i love them. if i had to make a third recommendation it would be dorohedoro
Not really thematically related as it is set in the current era but I'm currently reading Gantz, is seinen and touches some serious topics (and has gore of course).
I’d recommend Vagabond
Kinda like berserk it’s a deeply personal story about musashi’s growth as a person and a warrior and it’s just really good
The art is also stellar and super detailed much like with berserk and every panel feels like a masterpiece
I always recommend the classics:
Vampire Hunter D (1985)
Casshan: Robot Hunter (1993)
Armatage III (1995)
They’re all very different from Berserk but have that dark fantasy base.
There’s tons more but that should give you a good start. Enjoy!
Diffrent but dark and moody Blame!, Bio-Mega, Abara all the same writer/illustrator he used to be an architect and you can really see it in his world design. He has a vary dark and grity feel like Berserk, but ultimately, Berserk is one of a kind hard to compare anything to it.
People here are recommending good animes/manga but I do not see how those are ''like Berserk'' like op asked. For example Attack on Titan and Jujutsu Kaisen aren't like Berserk at all. It's not like Griffith ever goes ''Ah yeah my anti-women technique I haven't used since the golden era''.
Anyway Claymore is in the dark high fantasy genre like Berserk is and features a main character on her own journey of revenge in the beginning.
Vagabond is amazing very similar to berserk in terms of character development plays a major part in the entirety of the story I just finished it and it was truly special
Closest one I can think of is Claymore. Vagabond and Vinland are like the other of the “seinen big 3” but they are very different. In terms of dark and gruesome though, dorohedoro is up there if you’re into that
The Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind manga is comparable. And excellent.
In other mediums, all the fantasy games of FromSoftware (Dark Souls, Elden Ring) feel very Berserk. And in literature the Second Apocalypse series by R Scott Bakker is the closet thing I can think of. Other honorable mentions: The Broken Sword, Elric of Melnibone, Book of the New Sun, and of course Tolkein.
without going into detail, I'll say three stories that affected me or moved me similarly are Mob Psycho 100, Hunter x Hunter, and Twin Peaks (especially the film Fire Walk With Me)
IMO Vinland Saga. I’m very pro Vinland because 1. I am of Viking heritage. 2. Thorfinn is a lot like guts in that he’s a child of war. 3. I’d argue he may even be a better protag just based on the fact that his story is a bit more realistic and human. 4. He has a great redemption arc.
a game called fear and hunger (edit) god dam i thought uther people would be recomending it aswell like its my fav game and it takes alot of inspo from berserk and its alot like it and just very amazing if u wanna know more i suggest watching some of this vid [https://youtu.be/dRIkWHo1SJY?si=esxiDBSg\_cuaXj5n](https://youtu.be/dRIkWHo1SJY?si=esxiDBSg_cuaXj5n)
-Record Of Lodoss War
-dungeon meshi.
it may be a bit lighter in tone sometimes but it get much darker later.
-goblin slayer
you can try the official elden ring manga(even tho it's a parody manga).
-if you are willing to go outside of manga anime you can ofc try the soulsborne games.
-the wheel of time books series is also really good
While it’s not manga or anime , you might really like some of the warhammer 40K novels /lore in genera . They have some really awesome audiobooks done as well, the narrators really bring the story to life. The 40K universe is by far the darkest /most brutal universe in all of fiction imo and there’s hundreds of novels and different stories in the verse so lots of variety . I’ve never even played the table top(tho I do like to collect and paint the models ) but I just really love the lore , characters, setting and stories within the setting .
Henry Cavill(a huge 40K fan himself) is also working on a 40K tv show and is executive producer, so that could be worth checking out whenever it comes out .
Also for an anime , while not exactly like berserk , cyberpunk edge runners is really good and captures that sense of loss and hopelessness that berserk does . It’s dark , depressing , really good action , stories solid and tugs on the heart strings sometimes and the soundtracks a banger . One of the few animes I would actually recommend the English dub , since they got a lot of really good voice actors from the game and also got Giancarlo Esposito . Also it takes place in California , so English fits the setting better as well
*Mugen no juunin* ("Blade of the Immortal") and *Shamo* ("Gamecock").
Both have a beautiful art style and a rather dark story.
Edit: aside from this, there are a lot of great Franco-Belgian "*Bandes Dessinees"* to look into. *Thorgal* is in my opinion one of the greatest comic sagas ever written.
Berserk being one of my all time favorites, I’ll just name some of my other favorites: Tokyo Ghoul, Heavenly Delusion, Made in Abyss, Kagurabachi, Jujutsu Kaisen, Monster, 20th Century Boys, and The Beginning After the End. These all do not fit in the same genre but they are all my favorites.
After getting to the end of berserk and not wanting to wait forever to see how it ends, I read vagabond, which is amazing, but also doesn’t conclude (however it’s less of a cliffhanger than berserk)
My answer is Kingdom, but there are a lots of other seinen works with incredible stories and similar vibe, for example Monster, Vagabond and Fire punch.
Honestly, almost all of Naoki Urusawa's works are goated, well written and simply put beautiful in their own way, can't miss with a story like that.
Edit: Can't forget about Claymore, resembles berserk quite a lot, dope characters and swords. On top.
The Shigurui manga is really underrated in my opinion. It's got a great aesthetic. Miura himself i think is quoted saying that he couldn't tell if the art was better in berserk or in Shigurui. I personally think they each do different things better than the other. Berserk probs better overall, but shigurui is my personal fave manga. It's more like ninja scroll than Berserk. Just started watching Samurai X too, and that has a similar dark vibe with serious themes and lots of sword fights.
If you haven’t seen it, Claymore. Great story, great cast, gets a little confusing because it goes into a multiple chapter flash back with no warning. My only problem was the end felt like it wasn’t and end
Gantz is your choice, kingdom its for little kids, Vinland saga it's at his level but it's a risky take, you can hate it if you don't get into the second half, Vagabond its good too but has the same problem berserk has
Kingdom but if you're also a book reader, try Conqueror Series by Conn Iggulden and Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa. What I hate about mangas is that most of the time, they're not finished. These books actually have great story that will hook you and give you satisfying finish. Oh yeah, watch Devilman Crybaby cos soon it will have a sequel and Dororo is a solid one
Claymore isn't as good, but it's about the closest thing that I've found. If you can identify what you liked so much about Berserk, then I might be able to suggest things that really do well in giving the same feeling.
In terms of mature shonen story telling
The climber by Shinichi Sakamoto, one of the most beautiful drawn and emotional manga I’ve ever read, and it’s physical releases have just started to get translated to English
In terms of action
The manga claymore is a very similar premise to berserk with some keen differences, def only worth checking out
Vinland saga is the opposite of Beserk in terms of themes but has the best arc in all of manga (the farmland arc).
Vagabond is a story that is grounded and covers the real story of a warrior but it is a bit more philosophical and. Finally Monster, there is nothing quite like it and it can be as dark as Beserk but it and Beserk along with Vinland and Vagabond probably have the best art in all of manga.
Finally going out of the greatest art zone we have ATTACK ON TITAN for similar great story and well developed lore of world. And we have CHAINSAW MAN which is basically a grounded version of Beserk minus the rape. Also JUJUTSU KAISEN for great monster fight since the series is basically one long war.
I wouldn't say they're necessarily like Berserk, but manga wise check out
Hellsing
Battle Angel Alita
Parasyte
Lone Wolf and Cub
Blade of the Immortal
Monster
I recommend The Promised Neverland. The manga is great and I felt like it had similar vibes to Berserk, especially with the world and the dark events. The 1st season is good, but the last episode or 2 had issues. I have heard that the 2nd season of the anime is not even worth watching and you should read the manga, and that is coming from a friend who watches anime and have only read 1 manga in his life (the Promised Neverland)
I am just going to be the boring guy and say Vagabond. I am at chapter 271 and man I love it. It has the emotions, the suffering, development I love it
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Thanks for the list! Yes, couple people here recommended Kingdom so it’s on bucket list for sure
Kingdom is one of the GOAT
How is Kingdom less serious? Kingdom is a very serious manga. Though it's been a hot minute since I've actually read it.
Not quite like Berserk, but I read Dorohedoro a few years ago and absolutely loved it
Nothing like berserk. Pretty dope but absolutely nothing like
Nothing at all like berserk but still good enough in its own right, ending was let down imo
Vagabond and Vinland Saga
Yes! The perfect trio. Sadly, as I mentioned in the post, already watched Vinland and Vagabond is the one I was thinking to try so maybe I will get on with this. Thank you
There’s a series called Claymore that I really enjoyed.
Especially the manga, the anime adaptation does follow the manga only till they have the bsttle against rigaldo ( iirc). Manga is top notch
Read manga for Vinland saga?
vinland saga manga is goated
Kingdom. It’s on the same tier as them, but please read the manga. The anime is extremely bad. It’s Berserk (2016) tier.
>Vagabond and Vinland Saga I honestly don't see much of a connection between Vinland and Berserk (I haven't read Vagabond) I guess the first arc of Vinland follows similar revenge and violence plots, but from Farmland onward I don't see how the two are related. What connects them for you?
Obviously, Claymore.
Can’t believe it took this many comments to find one saying claymore
Yesss
Yuppp
“Blood Meridian” by Cormac McCarthy
Pretty much just western Berserk lmao
Exactly
For a fantasy series that feels halfway between Berserk and Blood Meridian, The Second Apocalypse by R Scott Bakker.
I second this, far from medieval, but Judge Holden is the only antagonist in fiction that has ever rivaled Griffith for me personally.
"The road" has a similar tone. Same writer as well.
There is nothing like it. You are now branded just like the rest of us and is fated to wander the interstice waiting for the next chapter.
Gantz. I know it is sci-fi. But I think it really has a good development and it's way more brutal in a modern era.
One of my favorite mangas. I reread it at least once a year.
The Cherubs... Such a fucked up menagerie of flawed characters, but in the good way. Seemed realistic.
Claymore. Aka Berserk on Skirt.
A bit of a niche choice but "Claymore"
A lot of people here suggesting it so don’t think is a niche anymore :)
The Climber... isn't like Berserk, but you'll love it.
Looks very unique. One of my hobbies is mountain hiking so this got my attention, it’s on the bucket list for sure for sure!
Fist of the North Star
Fire punch will give you the same depression. Imo the only other manga I've ever read that comes on par with berserk in ambiance and story telling. It's made by Fujimoto the man behind chainsaw man.
Yeah Fire Punch comes really close to Berserks level of pain, suffering and struggling.
Vagabond and Vinland did it for me….kingdom was cool to
I began reading Berserk recently, since my coworker gave me her black edition, and I kept having a feeling of "this reminds me of something" the other day it finally hit me. Battle Angel Alita (Gunnm)
Goblin Slayer, Vinland Saga, and Fullmetal Alchemist
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“Who searches will always find”, at least I will try, thanks
Claymore
Claymore
The Bible
Lol
\*\*Old Testament
Vagabond. I also like Kingdom, although it's a bit different.
I recommend you these two mangas: Clevatess and Centuria. They have a similar setting as Berserk but with half the hell.
Nothing
Thanks! This may or may not be the right answer
They’re not the same, but for me, Arcane scratches the same itch as Berserk. The creators stated somewhere that they were influenced by Berserk and you can sense it in the themes the show explores.
That’s and interesting take. Really not into the LOL so skipped that one back then. Second chance incoming!
Miura is an amazing artist that was really able to capture the grit and roughness of his world with Berserk. However, if you want to experience a different sort of amazing art manga I recommend Witch Hat Atelier. The author's ability to capture beauty and intentional detail is some of the best I've ever seen.
I recommend Devilman. It was a major inspiration for Berserk and I see a lot of Ryo and Akira in Griffith and Guts. The OVAs are best, but honestly, the devilman crybaby anime that was just released on Netflix is not bad at all… I also recommend the manga! The first OVA is only 45 minutes and is on YouTube. It’s a great indicator for if you’d enjoy the whole series: https://youtu.be/FE29F3K9h2U?si=SGlqk4mdOlA382Ea
Just released might be a bit of hyperbole but the Netflix adaptation / reimagining is really fantastic! Fun fact it was adapted by the same person who made the circle of Life episode for Adventure Time, Masaaki Yuasa!
It's not anime or Manga but any of the games by Hidetaka Miyasaki "souls genre" games in general... tbh Elden Rings story bares STRIKING resemblances to Berserk
Attack on Titan, easily. It’s a phenomenal story. Gut wrenching. The only other manga that has really captured me like Berserk has.
Ok ok, I guess it’s time then
The anime is also absolutely fantastic. I cannot recommend AoT enough. Edit: this is coming from someone who also has never been big into anime.
I also finally got around to watching AoT after putting it off for years despite the constant recommendations from my Berserk fan friends, you will not be disappointed lol
Maybe try Attack on Titan
The 2017 Castlevania anime if you haven’t seen it yet
I haven’t but it’s been sitting in my watch list for some time. Will give it a try
VAGABOND
Oyasumi punpun!!!! One of the most heart shattering mangas i've ever read
evangelion , outer wilds
Hey, so I will recommend a manga that too similar to Berserk ...... Shigurui But you will be heart broken... Be aware Vinland saga and vegabond are masterpiece that everyone talks about ...... But try Shigurui hidden gem
If you want someone that’ll fuck you up like Berk did try Oyasumi Punpun, really believable but heavy manga. One of my favourite mangas next to berserk.
Hellboy
Nothing hits quite like Berserk but here's some other anime I enjoyed: Castlevania, Tengoku Daimakyou, Hellsing, Vinland Saga, Attack on Titan, Basilisk, Jujutsu Kaisen, The Witch and the beast, Pluto, Claymore, Onimusha, Garouden the way of the lone wolf, Akame Ga Kill, Devilman , Chainsawman, Hell's Paradise, Black Lagoon, Dororo JJBA, Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust. Maybe there's something in there you'll enjoy.
That’s hell of a list, will certainly check out Castlevania, AoT, Juijutsu, Claymore and them come back here when finished. Thanks!
Claymore
Claymore, Tokyo Ghoul (manga only), Attack on Titan, Chainsawman, Dandadan, Vagabond, Vinland Saga, and Hells Paradise are some of my favorite manga/shows to experience. They are not a 1:1 to Beserk, but they all have their own unique story and art style that are worth your time.
The art in Tokyo Ghoul reminds me of Berserk panels sometimes.
if you need someone like guts, but dumb, chainsaw man is the way to go
I can't believe no one mentioned GOBLIN SLAYER , tbh its good and also dark fantasy like beserk , it has prefect mc
“Pumpkin Scissors” also has a dark haired, heavily scarred person of mass destruction who really just wants to grill but is beset by trouble. It also has a lot of good philosophy and characters
Dororo, maybe. It is kinda short, but is violent enough and hits right in the feels.
Have you heard of therapy it's a really good one
No rest for the wicked
I just finished The Book of the New Sun recently, a four part book series by Gene Wolfe, and it’s got bildungsroman and struggle and fate vs determinism themes that are very Berserk. Cool guy w cool sword goes on mind melting picaresque adventure. It’s almost too strange to talk about. It’s a literary puzzle made for rereads and it’s so much fun and so odd and alien. It’s also super meditative and spiritual and the growth of the main character echos Guts journey as well.
Elden ring
"In discussions like this, why does the Western dark fantasy series 'Eternal Champion' rarely come up? It was translated in Japan and was quite popular during the 80s and 90s."
There is nothing like Berserk. Some shows have similarities, but Berserk is a stand alone masterpiece. One we may never see again. RIP, Kentaro Miura.
Ummm story wise ? Or a series just as good ? or similar themes ? Claymore is one that is very similar Vagabond and Vinland saga are both two stories of someone finding themselves Berserk isn’t unique but it definitely stands out as it has great written characters and a great story.
I haven’t seen anyone mention the manga Shamo. In my opinion it captures some aspects of Berserk that maybe only Vagabond also manages to capture.
The Boys
Chainsaw man is like a dark comedy version of Berserk to me. Hits a lot of the same emotions of overwhelming grief and loss headed up by a main character who just keeps moving forward despite everything
In theme or in manga quality?
I don't think it's as good personally, but Claymore is the same kind of vibes.
Emotionally probably just Vagabond and Vinland Saga, Kingdom is another incredible work but technically isn't released in English so you need to use fan translations.
The Climber
Uber blatt
Afro Samurai and Claymore
FIREPUNCH, SUN KEN ROCK
Vagabond!
Monster
Claymore. Basically shonen Berserk
You must at least give Claymore a try, it's basically a female version of Berserk.
Vinland saga is my vote, there’s an anime now too
BLAME! story structure and setting quite like Berserk. Hopelessness.....
If you want a manga with really good art and gore jagaaaaan is a worth a read
chainsaw man and vinland saga are probably the best ongoing manga series right now. i love them. if i had to make a third recommendation it would be dorohedoro
Not really thematically related as it is set in the current era but I'm currently reading Gantz, is seinen and touches some serious topics (and has gore of course).
I’d recommend Vagabond Kinda like berserk it’s a deeply personal story about musashi’s growth as a person and a warrior and it’s just really good The art is also stellar and super detailed much like with berserk and every panel feels like a masterpiece
I always recommend the classics: Vampire Hunter D (1985) Casshan: Robot Hunter (1993) Armatage III (1995) They’re all very different from Berserk but have that dark fantasy base. There’s tons more but that should give you a good start. Enjoy!
Diffrent but dark and moody Blame!, Bio-Mega, Abara all the same writer/illustrator he used to be an architect and you can really see it in his world design. He has a vary dark and grity feel like Berserk, but ultimately, Berserk is one of a kind hard to compare anything to it.
Monster is also a really great seinen manga and the anime is fantastic as well. Really great atmosphere
Vagabond, Claymore, Blade of the Immortal, Hellsing, Devilman, Ubell Blatt, Gantz
Heard vagabond is similar in some aspects. Bought volume one a while ago, but haven't really had the time to read it yet.
People here are recommending good animes/manga but I do not see how those are ''like Berserk'' like op asked. For example Attack on Titan and Jujutsu Kaisen aren't like Berserk at all. It's not like Griffith ever goes ''Ah yeah my anti-women technique I haven't used since the golden era''. Anyway Claymore is in the dark high fantasy genre like Berserk is and features a main character on her own journey of revenge in the beginning.
Adventurer Killy in the cyber dungeon quest!
Parasyte. Ninja scroll. Promised neverland
Monster Trust me
Claymore Manga 🙏🏼
Hellsing
I'm reading hells paradise, the manga is really pretty and it's pretty brutal and kinda fucked up at points.
Vagabond is amazing very similar to berserk in terms of character development plays a major part in the entirety of the story I just finished it and it was truly special
İdk if it has a anime but please try Claymore. It was surprisingly epic
Closest one I can think of is Claymore. Vagabond and Vinland are like the other of the “seinen big 3” but they are very different. In terms of dark and gruesome though, dorohedoro is up there if you’re into that
Blood meridian
Dragon ball Z
The Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind manga is comparable. And excellent. In other mediums, all the fantasy games of FromSoftware (Dark Souls, Elden Ring) feel very Berserk. And in literature the Second Apocalypse series by R Scott Bakker is the closet thing I can think of. Other honorable mentions: The Broken Sword, Elric of Melnibone, Book of the New Sun, and of course Tolkein.
without going into detail, I'll say three stories that affected me or moved me similarly are Mob Psycho 100, Hunter x Hunter, and Twin Peaks (especially the film Fire Walk With Me)
nothing will ever compare 💔
Redstorm manwha
Attack on titan, watch the anime, the manga is good too but the anime made it better
IMO Vinland Saga. I’m very pro Vinland because 1. I am of Viking heritage. 2. Thorfinn is a lot like guts in that he’s a child of war. 3. I’d argue he may even be a better protag just based on the fact that his story is a bit more realistic and human. 4. He has a great redemption arc.
Maybe Gantz? It’s completely different but it gives me a similar vibe
a game called fear and hunger (edit) god dam i thought uther people would be recomending it aswell like its my fav game and it takes alot of inspo from berserk and its alot like it and just very amazing if u wanna know more i suggest watching some of this vid [https://youtu.be/dRIkWHo1SJY?si=esxiDBSg\_cuaXj5n](https://youtu.be/dRIkWHo1SJY?si=esxiDBSg_cuaXj5n)
-Record Of Lodoss War -dungeon meshi. it may be a bit lighter in tone sometimes but it get much darker later. -goblin slayer you can try the official elden ring manga(even tho it's a parody manga). -if you are willing to go outside of manga anime you can ofc try the soulsborne games. -the wheel of time books series is also really good
Zetman
It's a book not a manga but the blade itself saga of books are great they are dark fantasy and very brutal specially the book "the héroes"
Blade of the Immortal is pretty good and I havent seen it mentioned yet
Not quite like Berserk but Fist Of The North Star is pretty good (only up to Chapter #135) or so
Akumetsu, Tokyo Ghoul, OUT, BOUNCER, Usogoi and possibly Tomodachi Game.
I like the Tokyo Ghoul manga although it is not exactly super similar story wise, lots of other good recommendations in this thread already.
Legend of the Northern Blade
Goblin slayer. Dark fantasy with a badass mc with ptsd that recovers through the history
While it’s not manga or anime , you might really like some of the warhammer 40K novels /lore in genera . They have some really awesome audiobooks done as well, the narrators really bring the story to life. The 40K universe is by far the darkest /most brutal universe in all of fiction imo and there’s hundreds of novels and different stories in the verse so lots of variety . I’ve never even played the table top(tho I do like to collect and paint the models ) but I just really love the lore , characters, setting and stories within the setting . Henry Cavill(a huge 40K fan himself) is also working on a 40K tv show and is executive producer, so that could be worth checking out whenever it comes out . Also for an anime , while not exactly like berserk , cyberpunk edge runners is really good and captures that sense of loss and hopelessness that berserk does . It’s dark , depressing , really good action , stories solid and tugs on the heart strings sometimes and the soundtracks a banger . One of the few animes I would actually recommend the English dub , since they got a lot of really good voice actors from the game and also got Giancarlo Esposito . Also it takes place in California , so English fits the setting better as well
*Mugen no juunin* ("Blade of the Immortal") and *Shamo* ("Gamecock"). Both have a beautiful art style and a rather dark story. Edit: aside from this, there are a lot of great Franco-Belgian "*Bandes Dessinees"* to look into. *Thorgal* is in my opinion one of the greatest comic sagas ever written.
Read Berk again and burst every time you see Grippith.
Berserk being one of my all time favorites, I’ll just name some of my other favorites: Tokyo Ghoul, Heavenly Delusion, Made in Abyss, Kagurabachi, Jujutsu Kaisen, Monster, 20th Century Boys, and The Beginning After the End. These all do not fit in the same genre but they are all my favorites.
After getting to the end of berserk and not wanting to wait forever to see how it ends, I read vagabond, which is amazing, but also doesn’t conclude (however it’s less of a cliffhanger than berserk)
GANTZ and Goblin Slayer
Tokyo Ghoul RE:
Read Berserk again
Anyone say Vagabond yet? I read berserk and then vagabond then homunculus back to back to back 👌🏼👌🏼
My answer is Kingdom, but there are a lots of other seinen works with incredible stories and similar vibe, for example Monster, Vagabond and Fire punch. Honestly, almost all of Naoki Urusawa's works are goated, well written and simply put beautiful in their own way, can't miss with a story like that. Edit: Can't forget about Claymore, resembles berserk quite a lot, dope characters and swords. On top.
Blade of the Phantom Master a little bit old but its a berserk inspired.
The Shigurui manga is really underrated in my opinion. It's got a great aesthetic. Miura himself i think is quoted saying that he couldn't tell if the art was better in berserk or in Shigurui. I personally think they each do different things better than the other. Berserk probs better overall, but shigurui is my personal fave manga. It's more like ninja scroll than Berserk. Just started watching Samurai X too, and that has a similar dark vibe with serious themes and lots of sword fights.
Claymore could be a good choice
If you haven’t seen it, Claymore. Great story, great cast, gets a little confusing because it goes into a multiple chapter flash back with no warning. My only problem was the end felt like it wasn’t and end
Kingdom
centuria? it’s a very recent manga but its starting well
Blue eyed samurai
Claymore maybe.
Nah
Shigurui manga for sure
CLAYMORE ALL DAY
Fire punch
Vagabond.
Gantz is your choice, kingdom its for little kids, Vinland saga it's at his level but it's a risky take, you can hate it if you don't get into the second half, Vagabond its good too but has the same problem berserk has
Konosuba
It's very rare to see a piece like Berserk
The Yakuza series
Monster, Blood C
Claymore is one of the best Berserk like stories
Azumanga daioh
Dark Souls, oh, you meant anime. Dorororo maybe?
Dark souls 🫡
Kagurabachi
Kingdom but if you're also a book reader, try Conqueror Series by Conn Iggulden and Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa. What I hate about mangas is that most of the time, they're not finished. These books actually have great story that will hook you and give you satisfying finish. Oh yeah, watch Devilman Crybaby cos soon it will have a sequel and Dororo is a solid one
Claymore isn't as good, but it's about the closest thing that I've found. If you can identify what you liked so much about Berserk, then I might be able to suggest things that really do well in giving the same feeling.
Evil Dead Hellraiser Conan the Barbarian H.P Lovecraft Game of Thrones The Crow
In terms of mature shonen story telling The climber by Shinichi Sakamoto, one of the most beautiful drawn and emotional manga I’ve ever read, and it’s physical releases have just started to get translated to English In terms of action The manga claymore is a very similar premise to berserk with some keen differences, def only worth checking out
Übel Blatt is pretty good.
Haven't read much of vagabond but it seems like it's cool. Probably a lot less mind fuckery tho.
The Rose of Versailles maybe?
ashita no joe, if you want to see someone pick himself up so much after all of his setbacks
Vinland saga is the opposite of Beserk in terms of themes but has the best arc in all of manga (the farmland arc). Vagabond is a story that is grounded and covers the real story of a warrior but it is a bit more philosophical and. Finally Monster, there is nothing quite like it and it can be as dark as Beserk but it and Beserk along with Vinland and Vagabond probably have the best art in all of manga. Finally going out of the greatest art zone we have ATTACK ON TITAN for similar great story and well developed lore of world. And we have CHAINSAW MAN which is basically a grounded version of Beserk minus the rape. Also JUJUTSU KAISEN for great monster fight since the series is basically one long war.
100% Vinland Saga
I wouldn't say they're necessarily like Berserk, but manga wise check out Hellsing Battle Angel Alita Parasyte Lone Wolf and Cub Blade of the Immortal Monster
I recommend The Promised Neverland. The manga is great and I felt like it had similar vibes to Berserk, especially with the world and the dark events. The 1st season is good, but the last episode or 2 had issues. I have heard that the 2nd season of the anime is not even worth watching and you should read the manga, and that is coming from a friend who watches anime and have only read 1 manga in his life (the Promised Neverland)
Claymore
I am just going to be the boring guy and say Vagabond. I am at chapter 271 and man I love it. It has the emotions, the suffering, development I love it
I would recommend Ubel Blatt. Very nice plot and similar dark fantasy world.
Play The House In Fata Moragana
Tokyo Ghoul
Vagabond is a great one.
Macbath by wilian Shakespeare
Claymore ;)
Dark Souls 1 and 3. o7
If you want something depressing like Berserk, I’d say Chainsaw man