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Hakusensha Disavows Berserk Fan Animation Project

The official X (formerly Twitter) account of the Berserk franchise posted a statement on Wednesday by publisher Hakusensha Inc. regarding the Berserk fan animation project, stating that copyright holder Kentarō Miura (and Studio Gaga) did not authorize said production, and that the videos in the project are used without permission. The statement was posted in several languages including English, Korean, Chinese, and French.

Studio Eclypse has not made a statement about the situation on its website or on social media as of press time.

In October 2023, online animation group Studio Eclypse announced that its team has begun pre-production on a BERSERK: The Black Swordsman fan animation, stating that the project will include "adaptation of the stories that have been neglected of this medium."

Studio Eclypse posted a Japanese dub trailer of the fan animation on May 18, then an English dub version of the trailer on July 2, with the announcement that episode one of BERSERK: The Black Swordsman is scheduled in summer 2025. The video (below) currently has over 2 million views. It was then followed by a comparison video between the cuts from Studio Eclypse's trailer and the panels from the original Berserk manga, on July 26.

Miura died on May 6, 2021 due to acute aortic dissection. He was 54. His manga went on hiatus after his passing, but then resumed in Young Animal in June 2022. The manga now has the following credits: "Original work by Kentarō Miura, manga by Studio Gaga, supervised by Kouji Mori."

The 1997 anime adapted the "Golden Age arc" as did the three-part film retelling of the arc that opened in Japan in February 2012. Two new anime debuted in 2016 and 2017 continuing the story.

Source: Berserk franchise's X/Twitter account