The first time you see it, you're usually not ready. You open a manga expecting typical fantasy tropes—maybe a knight in shining armor or a misty tavern—and instead, you’re slapped in the face by a gritty, sweaty, and undeniably provocative introduction. The Berserk first page photo isn't just a drawing; it’s a mission statement. It’s Kentaro Miura, the late master of seinen manga, essentially telling the reader to buckle up because things are about to get uncomfortable.
Honestly, it’s one of the boldest openings in the history of the medium.
If you’ve spent any time in the Berserk fandom, you know exactly which panel I’m talking about. It’s Guts, the Black Swordsman, in a compromised position with a female apostle. It’s visceral. It’s dark. It’s arguably one of the most polarizing starts to any story ever told. Some people find it off-putting, while others see it as the perfect "low point" to establish who Guts is before we learn why he’s so broken. It sets a tone that never quite lets up for the next thirty-plus years of publication.
The Shock Value of the Berserk First Page Photo
Let’s be real: that first page is a total "what the hell" moment. Published originally in Monthly Animal House back in 1989, that single panel did more to define the seinen (young adult men) genre than almost anything else at the time. You have to remember the context of the late 80s. Manga was certainly growing more mature, but Miura decided to skip the pleasantries and go straight for the jugular.
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The image features Guts in the middle of an intimate act that quickly turns into a bloodbath. It’s a subversion of expectations. Usually, the hero is introduced saving a village or looking heroic on a hilltop. Here, Guts is shown at his most cynical and arguably his most "villainous." He’s using a monster’s own lust against it to get a clear shot with his cannon arm. It tells you immediately that Guts isn't a "good" guy in the traditional sense. He’s a survivor who has been dragged through the mud and is willing to use the mud as a weapon.
Why Miura Chose This Specific Opening
There’s a lot of debate among scholars of the series—people like those over at the Skullknight.net forums who have dissected every ink stroke—about whether Miura regretted this start. Later in his career, Miura’s art style shifted. It became more ethereal, detailed, and almost "high fantasy" in its beauty. But the Berserk first page photo remains this raw, unpolished gem of pure 80s edge.
Kinda makes you wonder if he knew how long the journey would be.
When you look at the "Black Swordsman" arc as a whole, it’s basically an epilogue to a story we haven't seen yet. By starting with this specific photo/panel, Miura creates a massive mystery. You see this one-eyed, one-armed man who is clearly miserable and filled with rage. You want to know how a human being gets to that point. If the story had started with Guts as a happy child in a mercenary camp, the emotional payoff of the Golden Age wouldn’t have hit nearly as hard. We needed to see the "monster" Guts became first to appreciate the boy he used to be.
Artistic Evolution and the Impact of the First Panel
If you compare the first page to the art in Chapter 364 (the final chapter Miura worked on before his passing in 2021), the difference is staggering. It’s like looking at a different artist entirely. The Berserk first page photo has thick, heavy lines and a lot of black ink. It’s claustrophobic. By the end, Miura was drawing every individual leaf on a tree and every link in a suit of chainmail.
But there’s a soul in that first page that never left the series.
- Line Weight: The heavy hatching creates a sense of filth and grit.
- Composition: The way Guts' face is partially obscured keeps him a mystery.
- Narrative Hook: It uses "in media res" (starting in the middle of the action) to perfection.
The "photo" (as many fans call it when sharing the iconic scan online) serves as a litmus test. If you can handle the first five pages of Berserk, you can handle the rest. If that first page turns you off, you probably aren't going to make it through the Eclipse. It’s a gatekeeper in the best way possible. It ensures that the audience knows exactly what kind of psychological and physical horror they are signing up for.
Misconceptions About the Opening
A lot of newcomers think the Berserk first page photo is just "edgelord" bait. They see the violence and the sexual themes and assume the series is just mindless shock value. They couldn't be more wrong. Honestly, that's the biggest tragedy of how Berserk is often perceived by people who haven't read it.
The first page is a mask.
Guts is performing a role. He’s trying to be the "Black Swordsman," a man who doesn't care about anyone and lives only for revenge. But as the chapters progress, you see the mask slip. You see him cry. You see him tremble. The harshness of the first page is there to contrast with the deep, aching vulnerability that Guts hides inside his armor. It’s a brilliant piece of characterization that only reveals its true depth once you’ve finished the first few volumes.
The Technical Details Fans Miss
Look closely at the hatching on Guts' face in that first panel. Miura was using traditional G-pens and physical ink. There’s no digital smoothing here. Every line is a deliberate choice. The sweat on the characters' skin looks greasy, almost tactile. This wasn't just about drawing a "cool" scene; it was about creating an atmosphere of overwhelming discomfort.
In the world of Berserk, the "Interstice" is a place between the physical world and the astral world. The first page feels like it’s set in that space—where things are just slightly "off" and the shadows are a bit too long. It’s a masterclass in visual storytelling.
How the First Page Influenced Modern Media
You can’t talk about Berserk without talking about its DNA in other works. From Dark Souls to Attack on Titan, the "grimdark" aesthetic owes a massive debt to that first page. Hidetaka Miyazaki, the creator of the Souls series, has been vocal about how Berserk influenced his world-building. That feeling of a lone warrior standing against cosmic horrors? That started with the Berserk first page photo.
It’s about the "Struggle."
The first page introduces us to the "Struggler." It sets up the theme that life is cruel, unfair, and often disgusting, but you keep swinging your sword anyway. Even when you’re at your lowest, even when you’re doing things you aren't proud of just to survive, you don't stop. That resonates with people. It’s why fans still tattoo that first panel onto their arms 35 years later. It’s a symbol of surviving the unsurvivable.
Actionable Insights for New Readers
If you’re looking at that first page for the first time and feeling a bit overwhelmed, here’s how to actually process it without giving up on what is arguably the greatest fantasy story ever written:
- Look past the surface. Don't take Guts at face value in the first volume. He is a man suffering from extreme PTSD, and he’s acting out because he doesn't know how to be human anymore.
- Pay attention to the eyes. Miura always put the most detail into the eyes. In the first page, Guts’ eye is filled with a mixture of hatred and exhaustion. It’s the key to his character.
- Read the "Golden Age" arc immediately after. If the "Black Swordsman" arc feels too dark or "edgy," keep going. Once you hit the flashback arc (The Golden Age), the first page will suddenly make tragic, heartbreaking sense.
- Compare the versions. If you can, look at the original Japanese tankobon versus the Dark Horse Deluxe editions. The larger format of the Deluxe editions allows you to see the fine detail in the ink work that gets lost in digital scans or smaller prints.
The Berserk first page photo is a piece of art history. It’s uncomfortable, it’s dirty, and it’s unapologetic. But more than anything, it’s honest. It doesn't promise a happy ending or a clean hero. It promises a struggle. And in a world of sanitized stories, that honesty is exactly why we’re still talking about it today.
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If you want to understand the true legacy of Miura, start at the beginning, stare at that first page, and realize that you’re looking at the birth of a legend. Just don't expect it to be pretty.
Final Steps to Dive Deeper
- Seek out the Dark Horse Deluxe Edition Volume 1. The oversized pages are the only way to truly appreciate the scale of the original ink work.
- Research the "Monthly Animal House" history. Understanding the magazine’s demographic helps explain why Miura went so hard with the mature themes right out of the gate.
- Listen to the "Behesound" or 90s anime OST. While reading the first volume, the music by Susumu Hirasawa captures the "vibe" of that first page better than any words can.