Berserk is usually split into six named story arcs: Black Swordsman, Golden Age, Lost Children, Conviction, Falcon of the Millennium Empire and Fantasia, plus a newer arc running since September 2023. The 1997 series and the 2012 to 2013 films adapt the Golden Age; the 2016 and 2017 series adapt Conviction and half of Falcon.
Image: Fan art (AI-generated)
Last checked: 3 November 2026. This page is spoiler-light. It names each arc and says what kind of story it is, and it flags the one section that touches a major event.
How many arcs does Berserk have?
There is no official count. The arc names come from the Japanese volume headings and from fan wikis, and they overlap. Wikipedia's article on the manga names six: Black Swordsman, Golden Age, Lost Children, Conviction, Falcon of the Millennium Empire and Fantasia. Its chapter list, though, marks only five arc headers, and it places the start of Conviction at chapter 95 in volume 14, which is inside the stretch the article calls Lost Children (volumes 14 to 16). That is why some lists give five arcs and some six.
The page here uses six, plus the current arc. If you only want the map, this table has it. All volume and chapter numbers come from Wikipedia's chapter list, and the anime coverage from the pages named in Sources.
| Arc | Manga volumes | One line, no spoilers | Anime that covers it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Swordsman | 1 to 3 | A lone mercenary hunts demonic enemies | Opening of the 1997 series |
| Golden Age | 3 to 13 | A mercenary band rises in a long war | 1997 series, three films, Memorial Edition |
| Lost Children | 14 to 16 (per Wikipedia) | The aftermath of the Golden Age | Reportedly left out of the 2016 series |
| Conviction | 14 to 21 (chapters 95 to 176) | A hunt across a haunted countryside | Berserk (2016) |
| Falcon of the Millennium Empire | 22 to 34 (chapters 177 to 306) | A new kingdom and a very old conflict | First half: Berserk (2017) |
| Fantasia | 35 onward (from chapter 307) | The story turns to fantasy | None |
| Current arc | 42 onward (from September 2023) | Unnamed in the sources we found | None |
Our Berserk watch order explains which anime to see first, and is Berserk finished covers where the manga stands today. Berserk is a landmark of seinen manga, so expect violence and mature themes throughout.
Black Swordsman arc
This is where the manga starts, in volume 1 (published 26 November 1990 in Japan). It follows a swordsman with a huge blade and a cursed brand, and it plays like a dark fantasy of monster-hunting episodes rather than one long war. The Golden Age begins in volume 3, so this is the shortest arc.
Anime coverage: the 1997 series opens with this material before moving to the Golden Age. The films skip it. See Berserk (1997).
Golden Age arc
The story most people mean when they say Berserk. It tells how the hero joins a mercenary company and how it rises. It runs from volume 3 to volume 13 and holds the manga's most discussed events.
Spoiler warning: the arc ends with the Eclipse, a catastrophe that shapes everything after it. If you have not read or watched it, stop here and move on to the next section.
Anime coverage: three adaptations. The 1997 series covers about twelve volumes and part of the thirteenth, per Wikipedia. The three Studio 4°C films, The Egg of the King, The Battle for Doldrey and The Advent, retell it in 2012 and 2013, and the 2022 Memorial Edition re-edits them into 13 episodes.
One oddity for manga readers: chapter 83, "God of the Abyss (2)", is absent from the collected volumes, and Wikipedia's chapter list marks it as unreleased. We could not find a primary source explaining why, so we do not guess.
Lost Children
The stretch that follows the Golden Age and leads into Conviction. Sources disagree on where it starts and ends: Wikipedia's manga article gives volumes 14 to 16, while its chapter list does not use the name at all.
Anime coverage: reportedly skipped by the 2016 series, which cuts or alters several chapters from the manga, according to fan wikis and Sportskeeda. Treat that as a reading tip, not an official statement.
Conviction arc
Conviction starts at chapter 95, "The Black Swordsman, Once More", in volume 14, and ends at chapter 176 in volume 21. It picks up the hero's story after the Golden Age and runs for eight volumes.
Anime coverage: Berserk (2016), 12 episodes, adapts the arc. Anime News Network's Jacob Hope Chapman criticized its CG in the first three episodes, but liked the source material. The manga gives you more than the anime does here.
Falcon of the Millennium Empire arc
The longest arc by volume count: volumes 22 to 34, chapters 177 to 306, which is 130 chapters. Its title is "Hawk of the Millennium Empire" on some pages, including Wikipedia's page on the 2016 series; the chapter list and the manga article use "Falcon". The arc opens with chapter 177, "The Rent World". It runs slightly longer than the Golden Age.
Anime coverage: the first half is Berserk (2017), 12 episodes, which reportedly stops around chapter 249 in volume 29. The second half has not been adapted.
Fantasia arc
The Fantasia arc begins at chapter 307, "Falconia", in volume 35 (29 September 2010 in Japan). Wikipedia's chapter list opens the arc, and its Elf Island chapter, at that point. Miura wrote the early part himself. After his death, Studio Gaga's continuation began on 24 June 2022 and the Elf Island chapter ended on 26 May 2023.
The announcement of the continuation said a new arc would begin after the Elf Island chapter. No anime adapts any of it.
The current arc
A new arc began in Young Animal on 22 September 2023. Volume 42 (29 September 2023) holds chapters 365 to 373, and volume 43 (29 August 2025) holds chapters 374 to 382. Chapters 383 to 386 ran in 2026 and are not yet collected. We found no official name for the arc, so we call it the current arc.
Which anime covers which arc
| Anime | Arc | Volumes |
|---|---|---|
| Berserk (1997) | Black Swordsman and Golden Age | About 1 to 13 |
| Golden Age films (2012 to 2013) | Golden Age | About 3 to 13 |
| Memorial Edition (2022) | Golden Age | About 3 to 13 |
| Berserk (2016) | Conviction | 14 to 21 |
| Berserk (2017) | First half of Falcon | 22 to about 29 |
The Memorial Edition and the 2017 season do not have catalogue pages yet.
Our ranking of the arcs (opinion)
This is an editorial opinion, not a poll, and it avoids spoilers.
- Golden Age. The strongest standalone story, and the best place to judge whether the series is for you.
- Conviction. The arc that moves the story forward after the Golden Age.
- Black Swordsman. Short and rough, but a clean introduction to the world.
- Falcon of the Millennium Empire. Ambitious and large, with the uneven pace of a long arc.
- Fantasia and the current arc. Still unfolding, so it is too early to rank them fairly.
Where to start reading after the anime
After the 1997 series or the films, start the manga at volume 13 or 14. After the 2016 series, go to volume 22. After the 2017 season, start at volume 29. Dark Horse publishes the English edition volume by volume, and its Deluxe Edition numbers differ: the first Deluxe volume (27 February 2019) collects original volumes 1 to 3.
Questions people ask
How many arcs are there in Berserk?
Six named arcs, counting Lost Children, plus the arc running since September 2023. Fans group them differently, so counts of five and six both appear.
What is the longest arc in Berserk?
By volumes, the Falcon of the Millennium Empire arc: 13 volumes (22 to 34), or 130 chapters, against roughly eleven for the Golden Age.
Which arc does each anime cover?
1997, the films and the Memorial Edition cover the Golden Age. The 2016 series covers Conviction and the 2017 season covers the first half of Falcon.
What is the best Berserk arc?
Our pick is the Golden Age, though that is opinion. See the ranking above.
Where do I start reading Berserk after the anime?
From volume 13 or 14 after the Golden Age, volume 22 after 2016, or volume 29 after 2017.
Why was chapter 83 removed?
It is missing from the collected volumes, and Wikipedia's chapter list marks it as unreleased. We found no primary source for the reason.
What happened in the Eclipse?
It is the event that closes the Golden Age arc and drives the rest of the series. We keep it spoiler-free here: see the Golden Age section, with its warning.
Is the Fantasia arc over?
The Elf Island chapter ended on 26 May 2023, and a new arc began on 22 September 2023, per Wikipedia. We found no official arc name for it.
Sources
- Wikipedia, "Berserk (manga)", accessed 3 November 2026: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berserk_(manga)
- Wikipedia, "List of Berserk chapters" (arc headers, volumes, chapter titles), accessed 3 November 2026: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Berserk_chapters
- Wikipedia, "Berserk (1997 TV series)", accessed 3 November 2026: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berserk_(1997_TV_series)
- Wikipedia, "Berserk (2016 TV series)", accessed 3 November 2026: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berserk_(2016_TV_series)
- Wikipedia, "Berserk: The Golden Age Arc", accessed 3 November 2026: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berserk:_The_Golden_Age_Arc
- Dexerto, "Why Berserk 2016 deserves a chance", 19 January 2024: https://www.dexerto.com/anime/why-berserk-2016-deserves-a-chance-2482215
- Sportskeeda, "Are Berserk 1997 and 2016 the same? Difference between the anime adaptations explored": https://sportskeeda.com/anime/are-berserk-1997-2016-same-difference-anime-adaptations-explored (not opened by us; cited from a search summary)
- ICv2, "Berserk Manga Will Continue", June 2022: https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/51351/berserk-manga-will-continue
- Anime News Network, Jacob Hope Chapman, review of Berserk (2016) episodes 1 to 3, as cited by Wikipedia (not opened by us).
Last checked: 3 November 2026
