Since the manga debuted in 1989, Berserk has been adapted several times across several mediums. Throughout several anime adaptations and a handful of video games, these adaptations have only covered about 100 chapters of the original manga. When mangaka Kentaro Miura died in 2021, 364 chapters had been published. It has since been announced that Miura's assistants will continue the series.
With less than a third of the manga adapted into other mediums, there are still plenty of memorable scenes that deserve this treatment. Guts' adventures go on after the anime stopped, and even if many fans may not be familiar with the manga, there is plenty of drama, excitement and bloodshed that deserves to appear in an anime, movie, or other form.
10 The Boyhood Arc
The unofficial name for a flashback about Guts's early life before ing the Band of the Hawk that spans a few chapters, the Boyhood Arc is a short interlude between Berserk's story arcs. This arc offers readers several important insights into Guts's character. First, it demonstrates his lingering doubts and vulnerabilities. Second, it demonstrates his growth from a helpless and inexperienced child to the unstoppable Apostle hunter recognizable from later on life. Third, it demonstrates that even at his most vulnerable and inexperienced, Guts has always been determined and crafty.
When faced with an opponent encased in armor his sword cannot cut, Guts makes novel use of his sword, cross-checking his opponent with his sword to knock him over, then grabbing it by the blade and swinging it like a hammer to strike the few vulnerable gaps in his opponent's armor, showing all the determination and inventiveness that will let him prevail against supernatural foes later on in his life.
9 The Hydra
The nightmarish designs of the monsters inhabiting the world of Berserk has always been of the series' greatest strengths. The hydra is no exception, with his hulking form and disturbingly human-like heads. Despite its fearsome appearance, the hydra is easily dispatched by Zodd in a memorable fight. The hydra itself is just begging for a full-color animated adaptation and its subsequent fight with Zodd is a high point among the series' fight scenes. The short, brutal fight between the two monsters would shine in animation or as a video game boss fight.
8 Emperor Ganishka's Transformations
Although Emperor Ganishka did briefly appear as a boss in the 2016 video game Berserk and the Band of the Hawk, both Ganishka monstrous transformations and importance of the plot of the series went underutilized in the video game. Ganishka's transformation culminate in his kaiju-sized, godlike final form, which has not yet been adapted outside the manga. Another example of Berserk's excellent monster designs, Emperor Ganishka's final form would thrive in all its horrifying glory on-screen.
Similarly, the events following Griffith's victory over Ganishka are among the most important in Berserk's plot and deserve to be adapted, considering they open the way for the Astral World to invade the Physical World and set up the next step in Griffith's grandiose plan.
7 The Sea God
Guts's fight with the Sea God is one of his best moments in the series. While the rest of the cast is either completely helpless or utterly ineffective, Guts faces the Sea God without flinching. First, he dispatches the Sea God's minions, then fights the Sea God itself in a multi-chapter battle. Guts faces off with Berserk's answer to Cthulhu and not only wins, but dominates every stage of the fight. The fight with the Sea God would be jaw-dropping fully animated or could make for a phenomenal boss fight in a future Berserk video game.
6 The Great Roar of the Astral World
The result of Griffith's manipulations of his enemies to ensure not only his victory in battle, but also the opening of a magical rift that allows the Astral World to merge with the Physical World, the Great Roar is literally visible from space. A single still, black-and-white image leaves such a cataclysmic event somewhat difficult to understand. The unfolding of the Great Roar of the Astral world and its aftermath need an anime adaptation to truly convey the scope of such a visually impressive and world-altering plot arc.
5 Guts vs. Rosine
Guts has been fighting Apostles since the opening pages of the original manga. For the most part, Berserk adaptations have done justice to Guts's Apostle hunting. His fierce fight with the moth-like Rosine is one of the most well-known Apostle fights that has not yet been animated or adapted in other media. This lack of adaptations is thanks in large part due to the very graphic and incredibly disturbing subject matter of the Lost Children arc of the manga where she serves as the villain. Whether or not the arc and Guts's fight with Rosine ever gets adapted, it remains a memorable storyline in the original manga.
4 Rickert Slaps Griffith
The Eclipse is the most significant event in the plot of Berserk. Griffith's betrayal of the Band of the Hawk, ing the Godhead and adopting his Femto persona drives literally everything else that comes after. While Griffith is a threat to the entire world of Berserk, his conflict with the few survivors of the Eclipse is deeply, intensely personal. Thanks to the frequent hiatuses taken during the original manga's run, the readers have been waiting real-life decades for Griffith to be brought to justice.
When Rickert final meets Griffith after hundreds of chapters and years of real-life waiting, his first reaction is to slap Griffith across the face, which is deeply cathartic for the readers. It's also shockingly audacious coming from RIckert. Griffith is a godlike being at this point, but Rickert is completely unfazed. It's a simple thing, but it's one of the most awesome moments in the series.
3 Casca's Recovery
Hundreds of manga chapters and decades of real-time waiting in the making, Casca's recovery after the events of Eclipse has been a long time coming. Notably, it's also a rare unambiguously happy and hopeful moment in a series infamous for being dark and bleak. A moment this important deserves an anime adaptation and an animated version of Casca's recovery would serve as a powerful counterpoint to the previous anime adaptations, which have usually ended at or immediately after the Eclipse without getting a chance to examine its long-term consequences, both for its survivors like Guts and Casca and for the world of Berserk in general.
2 Berserker Armor Dog Guts
Guts and his companions' quest to restore Casca's identity after the Eclipse culminates in a magical journey through the dreamscape of Casca's subconscious and memories. During this journey, Guts manifests in the form of a dog. At the climax of their journey through Casca's mind, the group is attacked and almost overwhelmed by the demonic manifestations of Casca's traumatic memories. During this struggle, Guts's dog form dons his trademark Berserker armor and fights back to save the group. While the visuals in this scene are phenomenal, an animated adaptation would really allow the action of the scene to thrive.
1 Guts vs. Griffith in Elfhelm
The first chapters to be released since Kentaro Miura's unexpected death in 2021 prove that the series is in good hands. Guts and Griffith meet on Elfhelm for the first time in years. Guts finally has a chance to avenge all the evil Griffith has done, attacking in a flurry of blows. The attacks are largely ineffective, with the notable exception that Guts shears a single hair from Griffith's head. The implications of this one single hair for the series going forward are astounding. Despite all his successes and god-like power Griffith isn't invincible after all, and Guts does have the ability to harm him. This scene would be absolutely necessary for any adaptation of the later chapters of the manga.
Previous adaptations have focused on the early or middle chapters of Berserk, and the anime especially has contributed to the worldwide success of the series. Since then, however, the original manga has continued its run, creating many memorable scenes that have not yet been adapted. The later chapters of Berserk provide plenty of material for future adaptations, so fans of the series still have a lot to look forward to.
