Summary
Each of the Berserk manga adaptations has featured music by Susumu Hirasawa, giving them a common soundtrack. Hirasawa’s unique musical style has been present since the 1997 anime, and his contributions to the soundtracks are complimented by Tamun’s music. “Forces” is Hirasawa’s most famous song for the Berserk soundtrack, and perfectly captures the grim determination of the main character’s story arc.
The long-running Berserk manga has received many adaptations since its inception in 1989. The best known and most admired of these is the 1997 anime. Additionally, the 2016 anime series, a trilogy of anime films released between 2012 and 2013, was eventually adapted into a third anime series and three video games in 2022. All of these adaptations are united by one key element that really helps elevate them: the fantastic music composed by Susumu Hirasawa.
After the death of series creator Kentaro Miura in 2021, Miura’s assistants took over the series to complete the story.
The 2010s Berserk anime adaptations were divisive with fans due to the 3D animation style being seen as rough and stiff. Hirasawa’s contributions to the vocal tracks have been praised for their unique musical and vocal style and suitable vocal tone. The anime adaptation of Berserk has some of the best music in anime history, thanks to Hirasawa’s memorable musical pieces. This has been true of the series since the first episodes of the 1997 anime series by Hirasawa’s longtime contributions to Berserk’s music.
Each Berserk adaptation has music composed by Susumu Hirasawa.
Hirasawa’s unique musical style has been around since the 1997 anime.
Susumu Hirasawa is not well-known outside of Japan, but in Japan he has had a successful and prolific career since his career began in the early 1970s. Hirasawa’s official website lists 16 soundtrack albums, composed and performed by him, in addition to numerous albums produced by his solo career and as a member of the band P-Model. In particular, Hirasawa is no stranger to anime soundtracks. In addition to his long musical work with the Berserk adaptation, Hirasawa has composed and performed soundtracks for each of the anime films directed by the late Satoshi Kon.
Hirasawa composed and performed the soundtracks for every anime film directed by the late Satoshi Kon.
Hirasawa’s most famous and popular song is “Power” for the Berserk soundtrack. First playing in episode three of the 1997 anime, the epic soundtrack of “Forces” helps heighten Berserk’s Band of Hawks mini-invasion between Berserk’s most memorable fight scenes. “Force” is also the perfect summation of Hirasawa’s unique musical style.
While the heavy use of synth music and electronic bagpipes in a medieval fantasy world may seem out of place at first, the relentless, driving beat of the music and the lyrics about the grim, resolutely dark backdrop perfectly suit Guts’ story. Variations and remixes of the original “Forces” have appeared in the Berserk franchise and have been included in Hirasawa’s live performances.
Although recent Berserk anime adaptations haven’t risen to the same instant classic status as the original 1997 series, Susumu Hirasawa’s musical contributions have helped elevate each Berserk adaptation. Thanks to Hirasawa’s great music, a popular franchise from the original adaptations of the original manga is accompanied by an iconic soundtrack. Hirasawa’s brilliant musical contributions are a common threat shared by each Berserk adaptation and one of the best elements of the franchise.
Source: Susumu Hirasawa Official Site / Soundtrack, Side Projects, Other, YouTube / BERSERK – Powers-