Berserk began in 1989 with Kentaro Miura and remains one of manga's most talked-about dark fantasies. Miura died on May 6, 2021, aged 54, with the story unfinished. Since June 2022, Studio Gaga, his former assistants, has drawn the series under the supervision of his friend from his youth, Kouji Mori. This Berserk review grades only that continuation, focusing on the chapters that carry the Fantasia storyline forward, and does not re-grade Miura's own work. Chapter 384 has just returned after a nine-month break, so it is a fair moment to take stock.
Quick facts about Berserk under Studio Gaga
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Team | Original work by Kentaro Miura (1966-2021), art by Studio Gaga, supervised by Kouji Mori |
| Publishers | Hakusensha (Japan, Young Animal magazine), Dark Horse Comics (English) |
| Milestones | Began August 25, 1989; chapter 364 (Miura's last) ran September 10, 2021; resumed with chapter 365 on June 24, 2022 |
| Latest chapter | Chapter 386 (Young Animal, July 10, 2026); no date for chapter 387 as of early October 2026 |
| Volumes released | Volume 42 (September 29, 2023) and volume 43 (August 29, 2025) in Japan; English volume 42 on March 18, 2025, volume 43 due November 24, 2026 |
| Where to read | Young Animal and the collected volumes from Hakusensha (Japan); Dark Horse (English) |
| Reader scores (Oct 3, 2026) | MyAnimeList 9.46/10 (405,701 votes, whole series); Goodreads volume 42: 4.38/5 (2,390 ratings) |
| OtaHub score | 8.0/10, Good |
Picking up Miura's pen: a promise not to embellish
Volume 41, released in December 2021, still said the series' future was undecided. On June 7, 2022, Hakusensha and Kouji Mori announced that it would continue, based on what Miura had told Mori along with the notes and character designs he left behind. Mori said he would write only the episodes Miura had described to him, without expanding on them and without writing anything he does not remember clearly.
The consequence of that promise is what matters: Berserk under Gaga does not try to imitate Miura's voice by padding in new material. It moves slowly, sticks to the established thread and keeps familiar imagery. For a series many readers treat as a legacy, that is a safe choice, and the right one.
Story: the fall of Elfhelm and the road through Kushan
Mild spoiler warning: the paragraphs below mention events from volumes 42 and 43, and nothing about the ending.
The first nine Gaga chapters, from June 24, 2022 to May 26, 2023, close out the Elf Island storyline. Griffith's arrival fractures the island, Casca is taken, and Guts falls into despair. From September 22, 2023 a new thread opens in Kushan, where the party is imprisoned and then drawn into the fight against Griffith's forces. Chapters 383 to 386 carry on from there but have not yet been collected into a volume.
In content terms, volume 42 packs a lot of upheaval into nine chapters, while volume 43 slows down and centres on Guts in isolation. OtaHub's judgement, based on the published material and reader feedback, is that the turning points still carry emotional weight but the quiet beats between climaxes are shorter than in Miura's run. Mori described chapter 384 as one Miura agonised over for about 20 years, so many readers are waiting to see what it opens up.
Art: still dense, but not Miura
Studio Gaga is made up of six longtime Miura assistants, so environments, armour, monsters and crowd scenes keep a very high level of detail. Many readers say the quality still sits above the manga average. Others, including reviewers of volume 42, find the linework lighter and the pressure on each page short of Miura's own.
OtaHub takes the practical view: nobody replaces an author who spent years on every page, and Gaga does not claim to. What they achieve is consistency, so the story does not fracture. The cover of volume 43 lists Miura's original work on the top line, then Studio Gaga's art and Mori's supervision beneath it, so credit for each part is stated plainly.
Release schedule and reading rhythm
This is the biggest drawback. Chapters 365 to 386 add up to 22 chapters in just over four years. There was a four-month break (after the chapter of November 8, 2024, until February 14, 2025), two chapters in June 2025 (the 13th and 27th), then chapter 383 on September 12, 2025 and nine months of silence until chapter 384. In summer 2026, chapters 384 to 386 ran within six weeks, the steadiest stretch since 2022, but nobody knows when chapter 387 will arrive.
Berserk was known for long gaps even under Miura, so this is not new. What differs is that someone now holds the ending in their head, which gives every pause more weight. The most comfortable way to read, in OtaHub's view, is by volume: nine chapters in one sitting flow far better than waiting on single Young Animal issues.
Strengths and weaknesses
Strengths
- The story follows what Miura relayed to Mori, with no invented plot.
- Studio Gaga keeps backgrounds, armour and monsters highly detailed.
- The summer 2026 run was faster: three chapters in six weeks.
- Dark Horse keeps the English volumes coming; volume 43 includes an afterword by Mori and a short comic about Miura.
Weaknesses
- The schedule is erratic, including a nine-month gap before chapter 384.
- Some readers find the pacing compressed, with fewer quiet beats than in Miura's run.
- The linework is lighter and rarely reaches the density of Miura's pages.
- English volumes trail Japan by more than a year, and volume 43 has slipped again.
What critics and readers say
There is no large critic aggregate for this era yet. On Comic Book Roundup, the Dark Horse edition of volume 42 has a single review: Comic Watch gave it 7.8/10 and concluded the series is still in good hands. Among readers, Goodreads averages 4.38/5 for volume 42 across 2,390 ratings (read October 3, 2026); recurring comments mention the fast pace, a synopsis-like feel and weaker art, alongside Guts' despair still landing. The 9.46/10 on MyAnimeList (405,701 votes, same day) covers the whole series, not just this era.
Commercially, Berserk passed 70 million copies in circulation worldwide by August 2025, and volume 43 debuted second on Oricon's weekly manga chart. Dark Horse has sold more than 10 million English copies as of February 2026.
OtaHub score
The overall score is the weighted average of the four criteria, with up to ±0.2 editorial adjustment. See our review standards.
Who should read Berserk under Studio Gaga?
Read it if you have followed Guts through the Golden Age and Falconia, want to see where the story is heading and can live with a slow schedule.
Think twice if you are new to Berserk or need a series that comes out on a steady cadence. Start with volume 1, finish Miura's part first, and wait for the collected volumes instead of single chapters.
Frequently asked questions
Is Berserk still releasing new chapters after Kentaro Miura's death?
Yes. Since chapter 365 (June 24, 2022) the series has been drawn by Studio Gaga and supervised by Kouji Mori in Young Animal. The latest chapter as of early October 2026 is 386 (July 10, 2026), and there is no date for chapter 387.
Why did Berserk chapter 384 take so long?
Chapter 383 ran on September 12, 2025 and chapter 384 only arrived in Young Animal on June 12, 2026, a nine-month break. Kouji Mori apologised for the wait and said the chapter covers material Miura agonised over for about 20 years. Chapters 385 and 386 followed on June 26 and July 10.
When does Berserk volume 43 come out in English?
Dark Horse lists November 24, 2026 at $14.99, pushed back from October 27, 2026 because of a production issue. The Japanese volume 43 has been out since August 29, 2025, and English volume 42 came out on March 18, 2025.
Who knows how Berserk ends?
Kouji Mori says Miura told him the full story almost 30 years ago and that it has since progressed much as discussed. He has said he writes only what he clearly remembers from Miura, and the ending has not been revealed.
Where should a newcomer start reading Berserk?
At volume 1, since the Golden Age arc underpins everything that follows. Dark Horse publishes deluxe hardcovers collecting three volumes each, starting February 27, 2019, as well as single volumes up to volume 42.
Sources: official Berserk page on Young Animal (Hakusensha), Dark Horse's Berserk volume 43 page, Anime News Network, Wikipedia: Berserk (manga) and its chapter list, ComicBook.com, Dread Central, Comic Book Roundup, MyAnimeList and Goodreads (reader figures taken October 3, 2026). The score is OtaHub's editorial judgement under our review standards.