Renowned manga writer and artist Kentaro Miura passed away on May 6 at the age of 54. Final Fantasy XIV players are paying tribute to him, and his influence on the game, by standing vigil.
Miura’s manga Berserk is considered to be one of the greatest manga of all time. Even if you don’t have time to read the complete story, which is not completed, one look at the extraordinary illustrations from the series should make it clear why it is so beloved. Miura drew his characters and his world with such a passion that his main character, Guts, seemed to leap off the page, his emotions rendered so intensely that the character is now considered iconic.
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The visual influence of Miura’s manga is obvious in games like Dark Souls, but Guts is such an iconic character that Miura’s influence shows up constantly. It’s especially obvious in Final Fantasy XIV in the aesthetic design of the Dark Knight job. In particular, Dark Knights wield a massive sword like Guts, and they often pose with that sword slung over their shoulder or planted in the ground like Guts does.
As tribune to Miura and his influence on the game, Final Fantasy XIV Dark Knights are keeping vigil in in-game cities. Here’s the scene in the city of Ul’Dah from the server I play on:
Other players have posted videos and images of the tribute to Miura in their own servers. In some places, the line of Dark Knights is so long that not all the characters load correctly.
Miura passed away before he was able to complete Berserk, the manga he started in 1989. Looking at the Dark Knights in Ul’Dah, standing with their huge swords planted firmly between their feet, I am sure that the art he has created will live forever.
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