In the video, a group of women can be seen walking towards the alcoholics with a broom in their hands. As soon as they see the ones who were drinking, they start beating them up with brooms and make them leave the area
Hailed as one of the most popular seinen manga, Berserk, is an amalgamation of terrific characters and plot points. Their detailed designs, along with well fleshed out, nuanced personalities is something that has made Kentaro Miura’s manga an absolute favorite for generations of fans.
Based around the story of a swordsman named Guts, who, along with most of his comrades, was almost sacrificed in a terrible demonic ritual by one of their allies named Griffith, in exchange for unchallenged power. The story progresses with Guts going on a long winding journey through a violence and bloodthirst ridden path to finally exert his vengeance on Griffith.
Miura turned the story into a majestic epic by infusing a shocking depth of emotions, masterful handling of sensitive themes, and spectacular twists into its pages. Even now, after his unfortunate demise, and his childhood friend Kouji Mori, another fellow manga artist, taking over the project, their team has worked hard to maintain Miura’s legacy.
As a result, the ongoing epic fantasy manga has a cast where every character seems to one up the other in some shape or form. However, even among them some clearly make themselves stand out from the rest, and in this list we have tried to explore who exactly they are, as well as what distinguishes them from their peers:
The princess of the Midland kingdom is gentle, kind, but naive. Her beautiful heart which beat for the sufferings of the ill-fated people, truly matched her outward beauty. It is unfortunate that someone so kind fell in love with a demon like Griffith, and suffered unnecessarily for that.
Even the kind of profession and lifestyle mercenaries toiled in, could not break Judeau’s amazing character. He was one of the very few fair and kind-hearted mercenaries, who at once relished the battle frenzy as much as being with his friends.
One of the first members of the Band of the Hawk to offer an olive branch towards Guts, his personality possibly shone most prominently when he asked the latter to take care of Casca even when he himself harbored feelings for her.
Although introduced as an antagonist of Guts, Serpico made himself a fan-favorite because of his love and protective nature towards his half-sister as well as superior Farnese. What truly distinguished him from other antagonists, though, was his clever tactics when dealing with opponents far beyond his skill level.
Not to mention his silly humor and fair personality which eventually turned him into one of the most loyal and dependable soldiers when he later joined Guts’ group alongside his sister.
One of the youngest members of Guts’ camp, and one of the youngest fighters in the Berserk universe in general, Isidro brings to the readers a relief full of pranks and a silly punkish personality. In the dark world filled with violence and some of the vilest characters, Isidro provides a fresh breath with his unique skill set cultivated over the years as a seasoned thief, which he slyly applies in his fights to flabbergast his opponents.
Almost like a little brother to Guts due to his hero-worship and a fascinatingly hilarious equation with Schierke that almost resembles a shounen duo, Isidro is unquestionably one of the best characters in the manga.
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Captain Roderick embodies the epitome of good leadership in the manga. A world, where leaders, and people with powers in general often fall into a downward spiral of evil, Roderick sows the seeds of chivalry and shows why it is needed even more so in trying times.
A generous ally, gentleman, and tough when he needs to be, Captain Roderick is an equally great ship captain and human being, making him a fan-favorite.
A beautiful little elf, resembling almost a fairy from the legends, Ivalera was introduced in the manga as a dear friend to Schierke. Eventually after being immersed into Guts’ group of misfits, she also opened up to become one of the irreplaceable members who often provides emotional support to her friends. Kind, charming, caring, and at times, funny and teasing, she is a delight to the fans.
An innocent little witch that has donned her big girl pants to explore the wide world, away from the shelter of her motherly mentor Flora. She is funny, smart, kind, albeit a bit naive at times, which makes her friend Ivalera’s big sister instincts flare up.
Be it her affinity to explain magic to her friends regardless of their lack of understanding, hilarious banter with Isidro, or innocent crush on Guts, she brings a lot of heart to the pages.
Kindness is a virtue, as is adaptability. However, being kind and trying to make the best of a situation even when trying to survive in a constant barrage of misfortunes is something that makes Luca stand apart.
A brave woman who always looks out for her fellow sex workers, almost like a big sister, be it with her social skills and charming personality or even traveling to dangerous areas to protect them, she showed a different kind of strength to the readers.
A beautiful elf, who without any hesitation took on the burden of being an emotional support for someone as high strung as Guts in his lowest moments, Puck is possibly one of the manga’s most liked characters.
He is kind, empathetic to the point where Guts starts to look at him like his own conscience, and just generally wants to be a good sport who always cheers for his friends. In the desolate world of Berserk, Puck is almost like hope lighting up the lives of his friends.
A person with tremendous heart, Casca went through a rollercoaster ride of character development as the manga progressed over time. Although she was never evil, the readers saw her barriers come down over time to reveal a multilayered character with an amazing mixture of love, vulnerability, and the mental and physical fortitude of a true warrior.
Her initial envy and then a beautiful relationship with Guts, and her care for all her friends and comrades puts her at the top of the best characters in Berserk.
From adventure, action, emotions, and breathtaking twists, Berserk has a lot to offer to its readers. It shows in the way it has become a cult-favorite among fans of fantasy manga over the last decades and continues to gain new fans everyday. So, if you haven’t had a chance to read the manga yet, this might be your cue to finally check it out!
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Seinen manga has gained a cult favorite status over the years due to the depth it delves into to portray sensitive themes, and issues in a magnificent manner, and Vagabond is a poster example of that. Based around a samurai from ancient Japan named Miyamoto Musashi, Takehiko Inoue’s manga takes the readers along for the journey he embarks on to become the strongest.
Once lost to a life of violence to the point of losing aspects of his humanity, Musashi, while traveling, grows as a person as well along with growing as a samurai. His struggles to confront, and overcome his weaknesses both physical and mental, provides the readers with a similar arc of self confrontation and gaining different perspectives in their own lives. Not to mention its detailed art styles makes sure the experience becomes breathtaking on every page.
Unfortunately, Vagabond has been on indefinite hiatus for years, with no end in sight. However, there is no need to worry, as the genre itself has multitude of equally amazing manga to offer, some of which are compiled here in this list, to make sure that fans never find their regular supply of fictional brilliance lacking:
Another masterpiece by Takehiko Inoue, Real deals with similar themes of growing pains of three teenagers as they try to tackle challenges related to physiological, psychological and societal differences from their peers. Combined with Inoue’s spectacular artstyle, this ongoing manga is a must read for fans of Vagabond.
Although it features no violent battles in its run, the manga provides the readers with an inspirational story that will motivate them to cultivate a little more empathetic outlook towards themselves, their peers and life in general.
Ruroruni Kenshin by Nobuhiro Watsuki is a highly popular manga that tells the tale of former assassin Himura Kenshin. Tired of a life lived in blood and violence, Kenshin eventually finds himself a family when he takes up the offer of helping a woman run her father’s dojo in exchange for a room to stay. The story takes a hopeful approach to narrate that it is never too late to find yourself anew, and the strength deep bonds can provide you with.
A loose adaptation of the life of great mountain climber Buntaro Kato, Kokou no Hito is another manga famous far and wide for its intrinsically detailed artstyle. It narrates not only the protagonist Buntaro Mori’s journey of reaching difficult summits, but also shows his steep climb through difficulties like depression, and the lonesome path solo climbing often brings in different stages of his life.
A gem of a manga told through many of his inner monologues where he analyzes life in retrospect in order to become a better climber and better human being in general, this is a must in fans’ TBR list.
Claymore features a violent storyline weaved with awe-inspiring art style that will leave people feeling dumbstruck once they embark on this journey. A story of a claymore warrior and her human partner called Raki on a journey to destroy the evil Yoma responsible for the misfortune of their whole island.
It is violent, hard-hitting, and shows a deep sensitivity in dealing with darker issues while cutting no corners in portrayal of the story. Fans of Vagabond should definitely give this a try.
Monster in its narrative brilliance shows in-depth analysis of the life of Dr. Kenzo Tenma, and the unfortunate consequences he has to face for his deep empathy. A morally strong Japanese brain surgeon working in Germany, dissatisfied with the hospital’s biased treatment of patients, makes a snap decision while treating the survivors of a massacre that drastically changes the course of his life.
The manga will make fans question right and wrong, the impact of trauma, as well as how the effects of a single action can come back to haunt again and again, screaming louder each time. Fans of thrillers will surely enjoy this in its vicious glory.
Dororo is one of the most popular manga series of all time, and its tight storytelling and the compelling journey the characters commence on, internally as well as physically leaves no question as to why.
Japan in the Sengoku period, overwrought with bandits, tyranny, samurais, and wars brings Hyakkimaru and Dororo together by a chance encounter. Together they find their way through war ravaged countryside, slaying demons, and trying to understand what it means to be human.
Vinland Saga, is another cult favorite seinen manga series of all time, depicting the story of Thorfinn, a young viking, is desperate to exert vengeance on the killer of his father. However, through a twist of fate he ends up working as a slave in a farm, where he meets a young girl and learns to let go of his past burdens. Redeemed as a pacifist, he regrets his past actions and dreams of journeying to Vinland, a place of peace and abundance as his father used to tell him.
Crossing the many detours life forces on his way, he eventually settled in Vinland with his motley crew in peace alongside the natives. Vinland Saga is a beautiful story of rage, redemption, the lightness that comes from letting go of expectations, burdens, and the fleeting nature of peace in the cycle of existence.
Lone Wolf and the Cub tells the story of a father struggling to protect his young child, while trying to survive and seek vengeance in a cruel world. Once a respected leader, now an assassin on the run, his journey takes him to the darkest of places. Both he, and his son end up slaughtering numerous people until it all comes to a conclusion in grief, fatigue, and ultimately the end of the cycle of vengeance in a bittersweet way.
The manga boasts of containing possibly the longest single fight sequence spanning more than a hundred pages and is a must for fans who appreciate action packed plot lines driven by bloodlust.
Berserk is a manga that is famous for its tight narrative, character depth and masterful handling of dark themes and issues without taking away from the story. The story shows A wounded mercenary on a mission to seek vengeance and free the land from the tyranny of an ex-ally turned demon.
Berserk wins heart at every turn with its twists, despair and the deep rooted bonds the characters manage to nurture over time. It also shows how kindness can be the greatest grace in people’s lives and the necessity of the same in trying times.
Shigurui, similar to Vagabond, deals with dark themes, and how the greed of the rich with complete disregard for the masses shape up a society ridden with violence and bloodshed. The manga focuses on two skilled samurais, one-armed Fujiki Gennosuke, and the blind Irako Seigen when they meet to fight in a tournament arranged by a feudal lord.
However, unlike other tournaments, this one required the samurais to fight with real katana instead of the usual wooden ones. The story takes a turn when the narrative starts flashing back to the history between the two that lead them to duel here. It is intrinsically detailed, gory, and will keep the fans on edge with its narrative style.
Whether you are a fan of action, artstyle, character-driven plots, or narratives that send a deep message through to the readers, this list has it all. If you feel the absence of Vagabond acutely, maybe it is time to pink one of these and delve into a new world of fantasy to keep you entertained!
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