How many volumes of ‘Berserk’ are there, and is the series over?

Even if they never read it, all manga readers have heard about Berserk at some point. The series began publication in 1989, and it has since become one of the best-selling manga in history with over 50 million copies sold until 2021. Berserk is a dark and epic fantasy series, stocked full of action, horror, and drama, which might the reason behind its success.

Currently, the series has 41 volumes released in Japan, and after much waiting, North American readers will finally be able to get their hands on what many describe as Berserk‘s final volume. Dark Horse Comics, the publisher responsible for Berserk‘s U.S. releases, has confirmed that volume 41 will be made available for purchase on Nov. 9 in comic stores, and on Nov. 22 in bookstores across the country. However, the question remains—is this really the series’ end?

Is Berserk over?

The manga’s publication came to a sudden stop in 2021 when its creator, Kentaro Miura, passed away. Before his death, though, the mangaka finished chapter 364 of Berserk, titled “Teardrop of Morning Dew.” This chapter ended up being published posthumously along with volume 41 of the series. For the nine months to follow, fans of the manga were under the impression that Berserk would remain unfinished until Kouji Mori, Miura’s close friend, and a group of Miura’s apprentices banded together to continue the story this past June. Since then, six new chapters have been released, and there are more to come.

Thus, we can confirm that Berserk is not over just yet, and there is no information on when the series will reach a conclusion. For a manga that has been around for more than 30 years, it’s an incredible feat to still have an engaged audience waiting to see where the story leads them next.