Is the Berserk 1997 Anime a Complete Story? (Where to Read Next)

The Ultimate Cliffhanger

If you just finished the 1997 Berserk anime, you are probably staring at a blank screen in shock. The show abruptly ends in the middle of "The Eclipse"—a literal nightmare scenario—leaving the fates of Guts, Casca, and the Band of the Hawk completely unresolved.

To answer the question: No, the 1997 anime is not a complete story. It only covers the "Golden Age Arc," which is essentially the prequel to the actual main plot of Berserk.

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Where Do I Start Reading the Manga?

Technically, the anime leaves off around Volume 13 of the manga. However, you should NOT start from Volume 13.

You must start reading the manga from Volume 1. Here is why:

1. The Black Swordsman Arc: The anime completely skipped the first 3 volumes of the manga, which establish who Guts is in the present day and introduce Puck, a crucial main character.
2. The Skull Knight: The 1997 anime cut out the "Skull Knight," a mysterious character who plays a massive role during the Eclipse and explains how Guts survives the cliffhanger you just watched.

If you start from Volume 13, you will be completely lost.

The Best Way to Read: > Start from the true beginning with the the Berserk Deluxe Edition Vol. 1 on Amazon.

If you loved the dark politics and trauma of the 1997 anime, you haven't seen anything yet. The manga expands the world into a massive, dark fantasy epic that no anime adaptation has ever managed to capture perfectly.