Any longtime anime fan should already be more than familiar with Berserk. While the manga is the most popular way to experience the story, the series also includes several anime adaptations and even movies.
All Berserk Anime and Movies
Here’s the best way to watch the Berserk anime series and movies:
- Berserk (1997)
- Berserk: The Golden Age Arc I – The Egg of the King (2012)
- Berserk: The Golden Age Arc 2 – The Battle for Doldrey (2012)
- Berserk: The Golden Age Arc 3 – The Advent (2013)
- Berserk (2016-2017)
- Berserk: The Golden Age Arc – Memorial Edition (2022)
For new fans, I highly recommend starting with the original Berserk anime series released in 1997. It focuses on the Golden Age arc, which shows Guts’ origin story and past. Here, you can learn about the grim life this wandering swordsman has suffered. You should be able to watch this old anime series on Netflix. Although the animation has shown its age, it’s arguably the most iconic adaption of this popular series.
Afterward, you can watch the Berserk: The Golden Age Arc trilogy. This is actually a reboot of the 1997 anime series, but the trilogy consists of three movies released between 2012 and 2013. The story covered in this adaptation is similar to the original anime series, but I still recommend watching it since the trilogy is more faithful to the manga. Although the original anime series is considered iconic, it leaves out some scenes that are featured in the manga. Like the original anime series, you can watch the movies on Netflix.
The second Berserk anime series is also titled Berserk. Fortunately, you don’t need to worry about mistaking the two since each has its own unique animation style. This second adaptation didn’t receive as warm a welcome from the fandom, mainly due to its animation style, which many consider clunky and awkward. The studio tried using 3D animation, which many anime fans don’t find appealing.
However, it does attempt to cover more stories from the manga, so if you can accept the 3D animation, you should still consider watching it. I recommend visiting Crunchyroll if you want to watch the official version.
The last one is Berserk: The Golden Age Arc – Memorial Edition. This is an optional watch since it’s essentially just a re-release of the original Golden Age Arc trilogy. It also doesn’t cover any new story content from the manga, so you can consider skipping it. However, if you’re still interested, you can head to Prime Video or Apple TV to watch this movie.
And that’s everything you need to know about how to watch the Berserk anime series and movies. Once you’re done, I highly recommend reading the manga, as it is much further ahead.