Kenpuu Denki Berserk
English title: Berserk
Japanese title: 剣風伝奇ベルセルク
Alternative titles: Berserk: The Chronicles of Wind Blades, Sword-Wind Chronicle Berserk
Type: TV
Source: Manga
Episodes: 25
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Oct 8, 1997 to Apr 1, 1998
Broadcast: Wednesdays at 01:45 (JST)
Duration: 23 min per ep
Rating: R+ - Mild Nudity
Studios: OLM
Producers: VAP, Hakusensha, Nippon Television Network
Licensors: Media Blasters, Discotek Media
Genres: Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Themes: Gore, Military, Psychological
Demographics: Seinen

Guts, a man who will one day be known as the Black Swordsman, is a young traveling mercenary characterized by the large greatsword he carries. He accepts jobs that offer the most money, but he never stays with one group for long—until he encounters the Band of the Falcon. Ambushed after completing a job, Guts crushes many of its members in combat. Griffith, The Band of the Falcon's leader and founder, takes an interest in Guts and duels him. While the others are no match for Guts, Griffith defeats him in one blow.

Incapacitated and taken into the Band of the Falcon's camp to recover, Guts wakes up two days later. He confronts Griffith, and the two duel yet again, only this time with a condition: Guts will join the Band of the Falcon if he loses. Due to his fresh injuries, Guts loses the fight and is inducted by Griffith.

In three years' time, Guts has become one of the Band of the Falcon's commanders. On the battlefield, his combat prowess is second only to Griffith as he takes on large groups of enemies all on his own. With Guts' immense strength and Griffith's leadership, the Band of the Falcon dominate every battle they partake in. But something menacing lurks in the shadows, threatening to change Guts' life forever.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Kenpuu Denki Berserk adapts the first 12 volumes and a part of the 13th volume of the manga. While the story remains fairly loyal to the source material, heavy modifications were made to exclude some of the more graphic depictions of violence, as well as characters and other content that could not be covered within the length of the anime’s running time. These changes were approved by the series creator himself. The series was released on DVD by Media Blasters in six volumes from May 28, 2002 to May 27, 2003. The company also released a complete collection on November 16, 2004; it was later remastered by AnimeWorks and published on March 10, 2009. An art book—titled Berserk: Kenpuu Denki - Kanzen Kaiseki-sho—containing sketches and behind-the-scenes information on the anime was published by Hakusensha on December 9, 1998.