In the Shadow of a God: Yuka Miura and the Weight of Legacy

She got a text. That’s how she found out her father was dead.

 Not a phone call. Not a knock at the door. Just a message, abrupt and unceremonious, that shattered everything.

On May 26, 2021, Yuka Miura’s world changed with the sudden death of her father, Kentaro Miura, the legendary creator of Berserk.

 For fans, it was the loss of a genius. For Yuka, it was the collapse of a myth.

"He was larger than life," she recalls.

 "When I was little, I thought he was a god. And honestly? I never really stopped feeling that way."

Now, as the author of the internationally acclaimed Kannazuki series, Yuka walks a delicate line between reverence and reinvention. Her path from private mourning to public authorship has been riddled with scrutiny, speculation, and unwavering dedication to storytelling.

Interview Excerpt:

SY: How did you find out?

 YM: I got a text.

 SY: You were at work?

 YM: Yeah. At first, I didn’t believe it. When your parent lives a public life, rumors happen. I called his phone voicemail. Texted him. Called the studio. Nothing. Then more messages started coming in. And finally, my mom called.

 SY: That’s when it felt real?

 YM: It wasn’t denial. I just wanted to hear his voice. I had so much to say. He was always busy, always working. But to me, he was everything.

Kentaro Miura’s death was a seismic blow. Revered in Japan and around the world, his signature art style and storytelling made Berserk a genre-defining masterpiece. Despite long hiatuses, it never lost its relevance.

YM: Cleaning out his estate was the worst day of my life. So many books, so many tools. We couldn’t keep everything. Most of it was donated books to libraries and tools to young artists. We kept the personal things.

SY: This was before the decision to continue Berserk?

 YM: Way before.

 SY: Were you involved in the continuation?

 YM: Not at all. Kouji Mori and the team made that decision. I made it clear I’d stay out of it. As a family member, I can’t really comment. I’m just grateful his legacy didn’t end with him. That’s what he would’ve wanted.

 SY: Do you think he had a clear ending planned?

 YM: Absolutely. But he was always evolving. He might’ve surprised even himself.

 SY: Were there sketches or notes that stood out?

 YM: Yes, many. But some things were never meant to be seen. I’ll leave it at that.

Eventually, the studio made its decision. Miura’s longtime assistants, under Kouji Mori’s direction, chose to continue Berserk. The move wasn’t universally accepted, but it was born out of love, not profit.

YM: He had a plan. I knew that even as a kid. He lived for those characters. When they continued it, I felt relief.

SY: Is that when you started writing?

 YM: No, that came later. At the time, we were still dealing with the estate. That was the hardest part.

 SY: So when did it begin?

 YM: About a year later. My therapist suggested I write everything down: the funeral, the studio, the memories. It helped. Just a little at first. Then more. Eventually, I started writing about him and about our life.

SY: Do you see his influence in your work?

 YM: Definitely. I don’t copy him, but he shaped how I view stories. That stays with you.

 SY: If your books became an anime, who would you want to direct?

 YM: It doesn’t work like that. People are either available, or they’re not. They care, or they don’t. I’m just happy where things are.

But success hasn’t come without struggle.

Her debut novel, The Beast of Akune, was accused of plagiarism; anonymous critics claimed she had borrowed from her father’s unpublished work.

YM: It was hard. I expected criticism, but not that. My editor told me to stay quiet and focus on the work. So I did.

Despite the noise, the Kannazuki series found its audience. Millions of copies sold. A manga adaptation is in progress.

 For someone accused of riding coattails, Yuka has carved a distinctly different path.

YM: I think it’s good. I’m nervous. It’s not my father’s work, and I hope people understand that.

SY: The fourth novel, Streets of Fire, comes out this month. Have you read any fan reactions?

 YM: None. I’m my own worst critic. I see flaws no one else does.

 SY: Do you think your father would have approved?

 YM: No. And I’m not going to explain that. Nothing I did was ever good enough for him. I don’t think he liked his own work, either.

 SY: What would he have said?

 YM: That it needed to be changed. Always. But I realized later—that was the medication talking. When he was on it, nothing interested him. Off it, he couldn’t sit still.

 The Hidden Struggle

SY: Medication?

 YM: Schizophrenia. From a young age. He never told anyone—not friends, not colleagues. In Japan, mental illness carries a heavy stigma. He wanted to be known only as a creator. Nothing else.

 SY: That must’ve been difficult.

 YM: As a kid, I didn’t understand. I thought all dads were like that vacant one moment, intense the next. On meds, he was detached. Of them, he worked nonstop. Only later did I realize what was really going on.

 SY: He never talked about it?

 YM: Never. He feared it made him look weak. Or worse, that people would say his brilliance was just a symptom. So he buried it—and let the work speak.

SY: Some people online say you’re capitalizing on his death. What would you say to them?

 YM: I’d tell them to hug their parents. You never know what you have until it’s gone.

 SY: That’s it?

 YM: They’re grieving too. Blame gives people something to hold onto. Some are angry I’m not the villain they want me to be.

 SY: But you make money from these books?

 YM: Very little. But I’ll be okay. That’s not what matters.

 SY: Then what does?

 YM: The stories. The art. That’s what he lived for. And now—it’s what I live for too. I don’t write for profit or approval. I write because I have something to say. Because I want to create worlds people can get lost in. If that’s all I inherited from him, it’s enough.