The world of manga is no stranger to horrific monsters and the most disgusting of all can be found in Berserk. Though the seinen manga is more dark fantasy than horror, its demons are uniquely terrifying in a way that hasn't been seen before or since.
Beginning in 1989, Kentaro Miura's Berserk follows a man named Guts as he wanders through a world infested with monsters. After losing almost everyone he knew and loved to the demonic machinations of his former friend turned Demon lord, Griffith, Guts sets out on a brutal quest for revenge. Unfortunately for Guts and the other humans of his world though, Demons can be difficult to spot, as most of them spend a great deal of their time in a more human form. If a demon does shed its appearance though, the best any human can hope for is a swift death, because just the sight of these monstrosities is enough to drive even the sanest over the edges of madness.
Present from the very first pages, Berserk's demons are everything from grotesque to utterly incomprehensible. Even the weakest of these creatures are horrifying in their own right. While some, such as Nosferatu Zod, are more traditional demons that take on an almost beast-like appearance, others such as slug-like Count or the mountain of fur and muscle named Wyald are far more difficult to pin down. Nowhere are these horrific designs more evident than during Berserk's Eclipse. Minor demons and great ones alike descend on Guts and his companions to feast on the helpless humans. The presence of so many demons is enough to twist the very landscape itself, turning water into blood and the ground into agonized human faces. To call it nightmarish is an understatement.
More than just disturbing concepts though, what truly makes these demons is the art by Berserk's creator Kentaro Miura. Miura has long been seen as one of the industry's best artists, and all of that skill is evident in even the most inconsequential of his demons. Similar to Xenomorph designer H.R. Giger, Miura incorporates psychosexual elements into his monster designs to make them all the more unsettling. It's difficult not to see a creature like the Count as phallic. Just one of these designs would be a major artistic feat, but the fact that Berserk has entire hordes makes it all the more impressive.
Berserk is one of the most well-respected manga for good reason. Just on a sheer artistic level, Miura is nothing short of a master. The fact that his artistic mastery was also accompanied by a story as horrific yet moving as this one is what keeps fans coming back to the series again and again. Berserk's monsters are sure to stick with fans long after they finish the series.