The cartoonist, who captivated his readers for more than thirty years with his dark fantasy masterpiece, died on May 6, 2021. He takes with him the denouement of a dark and masterful story.

The mangaka Kentaro Miura, known as the author of the Berserk series, died on May 6, 2021. He was 54 years old. The announcement of his death was made Thursday, May 20 by the team of Young Animal magazine, in which he published his major series of dark fantasy since 1989.

For his work, Kentaro Miura had been distinguished in 2002 in the category of excellence of the prestigious Japanese Cultural Award Osamu Tezuka, another great master of manga. Son of an advertising storyboard artist and an art teacher, Kentaro Miura, born in 1966, began doodling in kindergarten before starting his first manga, Miuranger, in elementary school. He published his first work, the one-shot Furatabi, in 1985, in Weekly Shonen Magazine.

Three years later, a first version of Berserk appeared in the pages of Monthly Comicomi. Since October 1989, the title has sold more than 50 million copies in about 15 countries, including France and the United States.

Set in a dark fantasy universe, with a dark and apocalyptic atmosphere, Berserk tells the story of Guts, a lone warrior hunted by dark forces who seeks revenge on his former master and comrade in arms. This work published in France by Glénat was known for the rhythm of its publication marked by long pauses. Although the title was still in progress, it had also been the subject of numerous adaptations in animated series, novels, animated films and video games.

An unfinished title

In thirty years, Berserk became a must-read title for several generations of readers who eagerly awaited each new page of its story. Kentaro Miura has created a world of darkness and depth that is unprecedented in Japanese popular culture. With its graphic violence and highly detailed drawing, the heroic fantasy universe imagined by Kentaro Miura literally takes shape before our eyes thanks to a resolutely realistic line.

In 2019, he explained to his French publisher Glénat that he was afraid of not being able to finish his series before dying. “At the time I started the series, I was less concerned with its end than with telling a story that, in any case, would end sooner or later, explained the author. But today I have realized that life is not eternal, so I am trying to finish the series by taking care of my health. “The last volume of Berserk (chapter 363, called Chōen) was published on January 22, 2021.