Warning: contains spoilers for Berserk
The manga and anime communities received a stunning blow in late May when publisher Young Animal announced that mangaka Kentaro Miura of the legendarily dark manga series Berserk had passed away at 54. The future of his ongoing series was uncertain at the time, whether his 363rd and latest chapter would be his last or if a trusted mangaka and friend of Miura would take on the unenviable task of continuing Guts' journey across a demon-infested world. But recently, Berserk's publisher Young Animal announced that its eighth issue from 2021 would feature chapter 364. What can readers expect from what is understood to be Miura's last installment?
For more than 100 chapters, Berserk has been weaving back and forth between the quest of the villainous Griffith as he expands the reach of his empire and Guts' travels towards Skellig Island to restore Casca's mind after the horrors she endured during the Eclipse. After introducing readers to Griffith's impressive capital of Falconia, the villain displays his progressive mindset in chapter 358 to help orphans and refugees. Meanwhile, Guts and his small band of comrades arrive on the island and successfully cure Casca of her mental malady, though she still can't communicate with Guts without triggering memories of the traumas she endured. By chapter 363, Guts learns that he and the Skull Knight share a seemingly identical past and comes face to face with the ever-elusive Moonlight Boy who, it is assumed, is Guts and Casca's child.
In a world where Miura had been able to somehow conclude all of the current arcs in chapter 364, the contents of this upcoming installment would be easy to deduce. Ever since the defeat of Griffith's Grunbeld the Giant, nothing else had been on Guts' mind except helping Casca. This mentality later manifests in an even greater form when the dark hero admits that he may be moving past his hatred for Griffith, having found a greater purpose in protecting his friends and family. Skull Knight even foreshadows that Guts is reaching the end of his journey in chapter 360. This act of foretelling, coupled with the reappearance of the Moonlight Boy at various intervals, create the impression that Guts' character might actually retire, resulting in the Moonlight Boy taking over his earlier endeavor. Learning that he shares a similar past with Skull Knight, a character whom Guts is often irritated with could cause him to rethink his need for vengeance and start a new life. The fact that the last panel of chapter 363 shows the Moonlight Boy standing before Guts only makes this possibility more likely.
What's more, the Moonlight Boy possesses a power that makes him a match for Griffith by his ability to control astral creatures. Additionally, the fact that he exists on a higher plane positions him to face Griffith who, despite his sins, is creating a safer world. Guts, who had been already losing the will to kill Griffith, may have even allowed Griffith to live for the betterment of mankind should they have ever met, while the Moonlight Boy, as a creature untethered by worldly matters, could likely strive to bring balance to the astral realm by defeating Griffith. As for Casca? It would be incredible if she retires alongside Guts. She has been suffering as a result of the violence Griffith inflicted upon her for the entire manga. She has been a victim for long enough. As an already powerful character and woman, Casca should have the strength to not succumb to vengeance and move on with her life in peace.
Of course, it's impossible that all of this to somehow be miraculously concluded in one manga chapter. But, should Miura had been fortunate enough to survive, this could have been a possible direction of his masterpiece, Berserk.