As I’m sure readers of my blog are well aware of, I’m a big fan of the Dark Souls series and, in turn, the works of Hidetaka Miyazaki. Understandably, as with any creator of media, he’s been influenced by a wide variety of media such as other video games, literature, Western tabletop games etc. However, I thought it might be particularly interesting to take a look at the influence of manga on the Dark Souls series since it feels like we don’t often hear of the influence of manga on other media.
Let’s start off with the manga most often referred to when it comes to the influence of manga on the Dark Souls series, Berserk. Created by the late Kentaro Miura, Berserk is set in a dark fantasy world and follows Guts, a swordsman who ends up joining a mercenary division named Band of the Hawk, led by Griffith. The manga was critically acclaimed, has been adapted into several anime TV series and films and has been cited as an influence on various manga series and video games.
Notice any similarity?
One of the most obvious influences of Berserk on Dark Souls are the ultra greatswords. Unbelievably huge and heavy, these weapons take inhuman strength to wield but are devastating, inflicting enormous damage and keeping enemies off balance. These types of weapons have been popularised by the Berserk franchise and have gone on to influence numerous series such as Dark Souls. It’s even been noted that the item description for the greatsword in Dark Souls III contains a reference to Berserk, stating that the blade “tested the true limits of human strength“.
Beyond that, there are many other ways that Berserk has influenced Dark Souls. The iconic Catarina armour worn by the knights of Catarina is influenced by the armour design of Bazuso, an early adversary of Guts. Additionally numerous enemies in Dark Souls share similar designs with enemies from Berserk, such as the Taurus Demon and Nosferatu Zodd, the Moonlight Butterfly and Rosine and many others.
In addition, a wide variety of other manga have served to influence the Dark Souls series. With regards to equipment, it’s been noted that Hidetaka Miyazaki took inspiration from series such as Record of Lodoss War, Saint Seiya and Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure. Additionally, it’s interesting to note that Black Iron Tarkus, an NPC summon in the original Dark Souls, is a reference to Tarkus, an antagonist from the Phantom Blood arc in Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure. It’s also been confirmed that Hidetaka Miyazaki is a fan of the Devilman manga, something that may help to explain so many of the bizarre monster designs in Dark Souls. It’s also been theorised that the Sunlight Maggot may be a reference to Medoc, a parasite demon that controls its victim by fusing with their head.
The influence of manga on the Dark Souls series is fascinating and I would love to hear your thoughts on these references, whether you were aware of these before, if you’re aware of any other references to manga series within the Dark Souls series and any additional information you might have on the topic.
Hopefully you have found this article interesting and informative and, if you wish to seek any of the works I mentioned, don’t hesitate to use amazon.co.uk and amazon.com for all of your needs!