I’m about to go berserk. I need my dark fantasy fix, and reading Berserk is the best medicine—not that (some of) the adaptations aren’t cool and all. But I need NEW story beats. So is there a release date for Chapter 376? I gotta know.
After the death of Berserk‘s mangaka Kentaro Muira (rest in peace to an all time great), the fate of the series was left uncertain. Even before the mangaka’s death, the release schedule of Berserk was chaotic—with multiple hiatuses that could sometimes last over a year. Thankfully, Muira’s friend and collaborator Kouji Mori will be finishing the story to its conclusion. Berserk Chapter 376 will be published on April 26. How do we know this?
So what’s the story so far? Warning: Spoilers ahead. Guts and friends managed to figure out how to get beloved Casca’s memories back. She remembers who she is now but is unable to look at her beau Guts without instantly recalling all the horrific trauma she suffered during The Eclipse. Her condition slowly improved while staying on the peaceful island of Elfhelm, and things in this grimdark series were finally looking bright.
Until Griffith showed up.
Griffith and fellow demon Nosferatu Zodd show up at the island to do what they do best: ruin every shred of decency in the world. Guts attempts to put up a fight against Griffith, but the God Hand member proves to be all but invincible while making off with Casca. Defeated, Guts and his comrades retreat to the ship on which they arrived. Griffith meanwhile destroys the island of Elfheim using the dark forces under his employ. He really never misses an opportunity to be a jerk.
On the high seas, Guts and gang come under attack from a Kushan ship under the control of assassin Silat and magician Daiba. Defeated and depressed, Guts gives himself up without a fight. As the Kushan military invades the ship, a friendly face appears: Rickert! The other surviving member of the Band of the Falcon! Ricky is able to calm everybody down as they set sail for a new land. Meanwhile in Falconia, Casca is held in captivity by Griffith. Naturally, she ain’t doing so hot. Whenever she is conscious, she flys into a hallucinogenic rage until passing out, and then the process repeats. It’s not pretty. Meanwhile, Griffith and his cronies formulate a plan to invade the Kushan Empire.
What could happen in the new chapter?
It’s likely that Rickert and the Kushan warriors are taking Guts and cadre to a part of the Kushan Empire, the same place that Griffith is no doubt planning on invading. That’s good news for Guts – hopefully he’ll have the force of an entire military behind him as he leads an attack on Falconia. What else could touch Griffith’s empire but another empire entirely? As for damaging Griffith himself, Guts is going to have to learn a few new tricks. His sword strokes phased through Griffith during their encounter on Elfheim, so Guts will hopefully learn some new magical techniques in order to scratch the Falcon of the Millennium or whatever Griffith has taken to calling himself these days.
Here’s hoping it’s more than just a scratch.
Who could teach Guts such magical ways? Maybe the Kushan magician Daiba, who was present when the Kushani captured Guts on the ship. Maybe we’ll get another entrance from Skull Knight, the ancient and mystical warrior who seems to be the only person in history to ever successfully fight against the dark forces of Causality. Whatever the plan is, they best come up with it soon. Griffith has proven that he is impossible to hide from. We don’t know exactly how he found Guts and Casca, but it’s likely the Brand of Sacrifice that both of them carry had something to do with it.
Sure the witches were able to neutralize the brand from being detectable by lesser demons and evil spirits, but members of the God Hand are on a different level entirely. Guts—once he crawls out of the pits of depression—is going to have to take the fight directly to Griffith. There is nowhere left to run, and nowhere left to hide.
(featured image: Linden Films)
