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From Kundalini to Lord Shiva: exploring “show” and intertextuality in Kentaro Miura’s Berserk

2025/08/26 by Kunal Debnath, Nagendra Kumar · 1 voice
Arts and Humanities · Social Sciences · #Literary Theory and Cultural Hermeneutics #Media, Gender, and Advertising #Themes in Literature Analysis

paper · doi:10.1080/21504857.2025.2548554

openalex publication_date 2025/08/26 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/15

Abstract

Through close reading, using the schemas of ‘show’ and intertextuality as the theoretical framework, this study tries to unravel and analyse the references to and portrayal of Hinduism in Kentaro Miura’s manga Berserk. Manga artists often draw inspiration from and appropriate diverse mythologies, cultures, and religions. This aspect plays a significant role in enriching the narratives of manga, which can be gleaned through their intricate world-building, visual imagery, and characterisation. One such example can be found in Kentaro Miura’s Berserk, which borrows and reimagines elements from various mythologies and religions around the globe, Hinduism being one example. The paper focuses on the pretexts of Hinduism in Miura’s work and decodes how Miura alludes to, appropriates, and re-envisions it to create a new narrative for the contemporary audience. There is a dearth of critical studies on Berserk, especially its depiction of Hinduism, and the study aims to fill that research gap.

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