Berserk official account calls out fan animation project for unauthorized use of Kentaro Miura’s IP 

The official X account for the acclaimed manga series Berserk made an announcement on September 11 addressing an ongoing fan-made animation project. The account, owned by Berserk’s publisher Hakusensha, warns readers that the Berserk animated series currently in production by Studio Eclypse uses the IP without permission from its rightsholders, Kentaro Miura/Studio GAGA. 

Studio Eclypse is currently working on The Black Swordsman, a fan-produced anime adaptation of Berserks’s Black Swordsman arc. The series currently has a trailer out, and the first episode is scheduled to premiere in 2025. 

The project by Studio Eclypse does not attempt to present as official, as their website and posts on social media include the following disclaimer: “The Black Swordsman is a passion project created with utmost respect to the original author by fans all over the world. All the characters and canon materials used in this fan animation are property of KENTARO MIURA, Studio GAGA and Hakusensha. Please support the official releases of BERSERK.” In addition, the project appears to be non-profit, with the studio receiving support only in the form of donations on Patreon. 

However, as Hakusensha has pointed out, this doesn’t change the fact that Studio Eclypse’s use of the Berserk IP has not been authorized by the late Miura. Thus, Japanese users who have come to know of the project through Hakusensha’s announcement are very critical of it. While not-for-profit fan animations of existing source material are generally not the object of legal action or criticism (much like fan art), perhaps the scale of Studio Eclypse’s project has grown too big, or has been judged to appear misleadingly similar to something official. It remains to be seen whether the publisher will take any further steps aside from their public warning.