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| Anime vs. Manga |
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In response to the many emails that I have received concerning the difference between the anime and the manga, I have written up a simple page that lists much of the differences between the two media. The listing begins with the title of the anime episode, highlighted in yellow. It is then followed by the titles of the manga stories on which the anime is based on, followed by the manga volume where they can be found. The information under the parenthesis tells the name of the magazine where the story is first published and the volume or issue number as well as its publication year. The letters "AH" mean "Animal House", the name of the monthly magazine where Berserk got its start until it evetually moved to Young Animal ("YA"), a forthnightly publication. Finally, the comments section gives the lowdown of what elements have been included or omitted from the manga, as well as those which were not in the manga at all. At the moment, this listing only contains information up to Episode 20 but be sure to visit the Updates section of this site to find out the latest additions and revisions. In the meantime, I hope that information below will satisfy your curiosity. |
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| Anime Episode 1: The Black Swordsman | ||
| Manga: | The Black Swordsman, Vol. 1 (Animal House Oct 1989) The Seal, Vol.1 (AH Jan 1990) |
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| Comments: This episode revolves mostly around the 1st manga story with some of its elements replaced by the ones from the 2nd story. For example, Pakk the fairy was taken out of the story and replaced by Colette who actually appeared in the 2nd story along with the old monk. The manga depicted Gatts being captured by the castle guards which obviously didn't happen in the anime. In addition, Gatts was haunted not by ghosts and visions of God Hand but rather by Caska's demonic son. |
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| Anime Episode 2: The Band of the Hawks | ||
| Manga: | Golden Age Part 3, Vol. 4 (AH Oct 1991) Golden Age Part 4, Vol. 4 (AH Nov 1991) Golden Age Part 5, Vol. 4 (AH Dec 1991) |
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| Comments: This episode started halfway through Part 3 of the Golden Age story arc and followed the manga faithfully except for the dream sequence. That sequence is more disturbing in the manga where Gambino's dog has Shisu's head and the large shadowy figure chasing after Gatts is actually Donovan. |
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| Anime Episode 3: Baptism of Fire | ||
| Manga: | Golden Age Part 5, Vol. 4 (AH Dec 1991) Golden Age Part 6, Vol. 4 (AH Jan 1992) Golden Age Part 7, Vol. 5 (AH Feb 1992) |
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| Comments: This episode followed the manga very closely and didn't deviate from it. |
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| Anime Episode 4: Hand of God | ||
| Manga: | Golden Age Part 8, Vol. 5 (AH Mar 1992) Golden Age Part 1, Vol. 3 (AH Aug 1991) Golden Age Part 2, Vol. 4 (AH Sep 1991) Golden Age Part 3, Vol. 4 (AH Oct 1991) Guardian Angels of Ambition Part 6, Vol. 3 (AH May 1991) Sword and the Wind Vol.5 (Young Animal #11, 1992) |
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| Comments: This episode explored much of Gatts's past through flashbacks but omitted that part where Donovan raped him. That incident would have explained a couple of scenes from the previous episodes but I personally believe that the story didn't suffer much from the omission. |
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| Anime Episode 5: Sword and the Wind | ||
| Manga: | Sword and the Wind, Vol. 5 (YA #11, 1992) | |
| Comments: The above manga story arc was used in the first half of the episode. The latter half, however, is an anime side story. In other words, it didn't happen anywhere in the manga. This also marks the debut of Adon in the anime, although he does not appear until much later in the manga. |
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| Anime Episode 6: Zodd the Immortal | ||
| Manga: | Zodd the Immortal Parts 1-4, Vol. 5 (YA #12-#15, 1992) | |
| Comments: There are only a three things that are different from the manga. First is that when Griffith went in to rescue Gatts, the other senior commanders like Caska, Judeau and Corkus were with him and not ordered to wait outside. Therefore, they saw what Zodd looked like. The second is that when Griffith and Gatts attacked Zodd at the same time, they actually went in the direction opposite to that shown in the manga. And lastly, Zodd (in human form) is naked in the manga (not a pretty sight). |
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| Anime Episode 7: Sword Master | ||
| Manga: | Sword Master Part 1, Vol. 5 (YA #1, 1993) Sword Master Part 2, Vol. 6 (YA #2, 1993) |
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| Comments: For the first two thirds of the TV episode, the anime followed the manga very closely but then switched to an impending battle sequence involving the Fort Brax garrison. Again, this segment is a side story, with Adon defending the ill-fated garrison. |
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| Anime Episode 8: Conspiracy | ||
| Manga: | Sword Master Part 2, Vol. 6 (YA #2, 1993) | |
| Comments: The side story continues in this episode and takes up most of it. When the garrison is finally taken, the story goes back to where manga left off and finishes the latter half of the story. |
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| Anime Episode 9: Assassination | ||
| Manga: | The Assassin Part 1-2, Vol. 6 (YA #3-4, 1993) | |
| Comments: This episode is faithful to the manga. |
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| Anime Episode 10: Nobleman | ||
| Manga: | The Assassin Part 3-4, Vol. 6 (YA #6-#7, 1993) Nobleman, Vol. 6 (YA #8, 1993) Leaving for the Frontline, Vol. 6 (YA #9, 1993) |
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| Comments: There are two elements in the anime which are different from the manga. In the manga dream sequence, Zodd kills Gambino by decapitating him instead of simply stabbing him, as shown in the anime. The second is that the scene showing Gatts raising his sword at end of the episode is not found in the manga. |
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| Anime Episode 11: Battle Engagement | ||
| Manga: | Leaving for the Frontline, Vol. 6 (YA #9, 1993) Battle Engagement, Vol. 6 (YA #10, 1993) Caska Part 1, Vol. 6 (YA #11, 1993) |
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| Comments: Adon first showed up in the story "Battle Engagement" and had the anime followed the manga exactly, he would have appeared in this episode for the first time. Other than that, the anime is faithful to the manga. |
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| Anime Episode 12: Two People | ||
| Manga: | Caska Part 2, Vol. 6 (YA #12, 1993) Caska Part 3, Vol. 7 (YA #13, 1993) Suicidal Act Part 1, Vol. 7 (YA #14, 1993) |
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| Comments: The anime showed Griffith grazing the cheek of an aristocrat with his swordtip when he rescued Caska. In the manga, however, he actually cut off the aristocrat's left ear. |
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| Anime Episode 13: Suicidal Act | ||
| Manga: | Suicidal Act Parts 1-3, Vol. 7 (YA #14-16, 1993) | |
| Comment: There is this amusing scene in the manga which is left out of the anime. While being surrounded by Adon's mercenaries, Gatts warns Adon not to fool around with Caska because she bites. Caska responds by elbowing Gatts at the back of his head. |
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| Anime Episode 14: Campfire of Dreams | ||
| Manga: | Suicidal Act Part 3, Vol. 7 (YA #16, 1993) Returning Alive, Vol. 7 (YA #17, 1993) Campfire of Dreams, Vol. 7 (YA #18, 1993) |
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| Comment: There is one scene in the anime which, in my opinion, made more violent than the manga version. When the mercenary that Caska wounded in the eye tried to kill her, a knife came flying out of the shadows and hit his other eye. In the manga, there was no knife but rather a hail of crossbow bolts from the Hawk archers. One of the bolts, however, hit his other eye. |
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| Anime Episode 15: The Decisive Battle | ||
| Manga: | Campfire of Dreams, Vol. 7 (YA #18, 1993) Invasion of Doldrey Part 1-3, Vol. 7 (YA #20-22, 1993) |
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| Comment: Boscogne, the commander of the Purple Rhino Knights of the Chudan Empire, first appeared at the end of the story "Campfire of Dreams", although fully armored and his face not revealed until the next story "Invasion of Doldrey Part 1". |
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| Anime Episode 16: The Conqueror | ||
| Manga: | Invasion of Doldrey Part 3-4, Vol. 7 (YA #22-23,
1993) Invasion of Doldrey Part 5, Vol. 8 (YA #24, 1993) Invasion of Doldrey Part 6, Vol. 8 (YA #1, 1994) Triumphant Return, Vol. 8 (YA #3, 1994) |
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| Comments: There are two things in the anime that differed from the manga, one very minor and the other very major. First, the minor detail: in the anime, Caska dispatched two guards at the gate before entering Doldrey Castle. In the manga, those two guards were on top of the watch tower and simply watched helplessly as Caska and her troops made their way into the castle. And now the major detail: in the anime, it is known that the Queen despised Griffith for his ambition to become one of the nobilities so it is not surprising that she became involved in the latest plot to assassinate him at the end of the episode. However, the manga reveals a much more personal aspect to her involvement. It turns out that her reason is to seek revenge for the death of Yurius, her secret lover, a fact that apparently Foss is aware of. There is no evidence linking Griffith to Yurius's assassination but she and the others are convinced that he is responsible. |
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| Anime Episode 17: Moment of Glory | ||
| Manga: | Triumphant Return, Vol.8 (YA #3, 1994) Moment of Glory, Vol.8 (YA #4, 1994) Tombstone of Flames Part 1, Vol.8 (YA #5, 1994) |
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| Comments: This episode did not deviate from the manga. |
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| Anime Episode 18: Tombstone of Flames | ||
| Manga: | Tombstone of Flames Part 1-2, Vol.8 (YA #5-6, 1994) On a Snowy Night, Vol. 8 (YA #7, 1994) |
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| Comments: Because of the change made in Episode 16 regarding the Queen's ulterior motive in having Griffith assassinated, a change is also made on one scene in this episode. Just before they noticed the smoke going through floor, the Queen whispered to herself that they have protected the kingdom. In the manga, however, she whispered "May he rest in peace", in clear reference to the late Yurius. |
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| Anime Episode 19: Parting | ||
| Manga: | On a Snowy Night, Vol. 8 (YA#7, 1994) Morning of Departure Part 1-3, Vol. 8 (YA #8-10, 1994) Beginning of a Fateful Night, Vol. 9 (YA #13, 1994) |
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| Comments: For the most part, this episode is faithful to the manga. However, it left out a big chunk of the story that happened after the duel between Gatts and Griffith and before Charlotte's seduction. It is about Gatt's first encounter with the Skull Knight and his warning of the coming eclipse within a year. In addition, while the episode ended with Griffith's arrest, the manga continued with the king finding that Charlotte has lost her virginity to Griffith. Also, the next manga story, "The Imprisoned Hawk", is left out which would have revealed the truth behind Griffith's arrest which eventually drove the king to madness. |
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| Anime Episode 20: Spark | ||
| Manga: | Tournament, Vol. 9 (YA #16, 1994) Death Match Part 1, Vol. 11 (YA #18, 1995) Fugitives, Vol. 9 (YA #17, 1994) |
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| Comments: Unlike the other TV episodes where side stories are introduced as some kind of a "filler" while keeping the manga story continuity intact, the sequences and circumstances of events in this particular episode are so different from the manga version. For starters, the tournament fight in the anime involves Gatts and Valencia, a veteran of the 100-Year War. But in the manga, there are two fights and the first one is between Valencia and Silatt, a foreign fighter, possibly of Asian Indian descent. Later, Gatts challenges Silatt and easily defeats him. After the fight, the castle lord who hosted the tournament tells Gatts of the fate that has befallen the Hawks, now being led by Caska. In the anime, Gatts simply went on his own after turning down the lord's offer to join him. He later appears at Godo's house. Except for the flashback scene which appears in Vol. 11, the scenes showing Gatts' s activities while staying at Godo's house did not happen in the manga. Someone has to tell Gatts what happened to the Hawks so the anime staff introduced a new character, Godo's neighbor. When the Midland army launched a night attack on the Hawks, the anime showed an unidentified soldier pin down and about to kill Caska when Gatts showed up. In the manga, however, the man who pinned down Caska is none other than Silatt. |
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