title: Starbucks

text: In March 2017, Starbucks announced the launch of two new limited-edition specialty drinks made from beans aged in whiskey barrels at its Seattle roastery. Starbucks's barrel-aged coffee will be sold with a small batch of unroasted Starbucks Reserve Sulawesi beans, which are then hand-scooped into whiskey barrels from Washington state.


title: Starbucks

text: In May 2008, a loyalty program was introduced for registered users of the Starbucks Card (previously simply a gift card) offering perks such as free Wi-Fi Internet access, no charge for soy milk and flavored syrups, and free refills on brewed drip coffee, iced coffee, or tea. Each time a customer purchases a drink, they will earn stars if they present their rewards card or scan their card from the mobile app. Eventually, these stars accumulate to allow customers to redeem for perks such as free drinks, free add-ins, free bakery items or selected merchandise.


title: Starbucks

text: In 2009, Starbucks began beta testing its mobile app for the Starbucks card, a stored value system in which consumers access pre-paid funds to purchase products at Starbucks. Starbucks released its complete mobile platform in January 2011. By December 2011, the number of mobile transactions exceeded 26 million.


title: Starbucks

text: In August 2002, Starbucks provided free Wi-Fi in the United Kingdom, although in the past, a Starbucks rewards card was required.


title: Starbucks

text: In October 2012, Starbucks and Duracell Powermat announced a pilot program to install Powermat charging surfaces in the tabletops in selected Starbucks stores in the Boston area. Furthermore, Starbucks announced its support in the Power Matters Alliance (PMA) and its membership in the PMA board, along with Google and AT&T, in an effort to create "a real-world ecosystem of wireless power" through a universal wireless charging standard that customers could use to recharge smartphones.


title: Starbucks

text: In August 2016, startup company FluxPort introduced Qi inductive charging pads at select locations in Germany.


title: Starbucks

text: The company's headquarters is in Seattle, Washington, United States, where 3,501 people worked as of January 2015. The main building in the Starbucks complex was previously a Sears distribution center.


title: Starbucks

text: , Starbucks had already operating 32,660 locations spanning 79 countries and territories on six continents:


title: Starbucks

text: In 1998, Starbucks entered the United Kingdom market with the US$83 million acquisition of the then 56-outlet, UK-based Seattle Coffee Company, re-branding all those stores as Starbucks.


title: Starbucks

text: In October 2002, Starbucks established a coffee trading company in Lausanne, Switzerland, to handle purchases of green coffee. All other coffee-related business continued to be managed from Seattle.


title: Starbucks

text: In September 2007, the company opened its first store in Russia, ten years after first registering a trademark there. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, on May 21, 2022, Starbucks announced closure of all outlets in Russia, and in July it was revealed that a local restaurant manager, Anton Pinsky, is going to acquire Starbucks' Russian operating company "OOO Starbucks" and all its 130 stores.


title: Starbucks

text: In February 2010, Starbucks opened in Arlanda Airport outside Stockholm, its first location in Sweden.


title: Starbucks

text: In February 2011, Starbucks started selling its coffee in Norway by supplying Norwegian food shops with their roasts. The first Starbucks-branded Norwegian shop opened in February 2012, at Oslo Airport, Gardermoen.


title: Starbucks

text: In May 2012, Starbucks opened its first coffeehouse in Finland, with the location being Helsinki-Vantaa Airport in Vantaa.


title: Starbucks

text: In August 2013, the first Starbucks inside Dansk Supermarked opened in the department stores Salling in Aalborg and Aarhus in Denmark.


title: Starbucks

text: In November 2014, Starbucks announced its first Channel Island store, in the primary business area of St Peter Port in Guernsey.


title: Starbucks

text: On April 21, 2015, Kesko, the second largest retailer in Finland, announced its partnership with Starbucks, with stores opened next to K-Citymarket hypermarkets. As of June 2017, three stores had been opened next to K-Citymarkets: In Sello in Espoo and in Myyrmanni and Jumbo in Vantaa.


title: Starbucks

text: In February 2016, Howard Schultz announced the opening of stores in Italy. The first Italian Starbucks store was inaugurated in Milan on September 6, 2018, at which point Starbucks already had locations in 78 countries.


title: Starbucks

text: In June 2018, Starbucks announced the opening of stores in Serbia. The first store was opened in April 2019 at Rajiceva Mall.


title: Starbucks

text: On June 1, 2019, Starbucks opened its first coffee store in Malta at Valletta, the 80th country that will have a Starbucks outlet.


title: Starbucks

text: In 2022, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Starbucks coffee withdraw all operations and sold its business to local buyers, re-branded as “Stars coffee”


title: Starbucks

text: In 2000, Starbucks opened its location in the Forbidden City in Beijing, however, in July 2007, this location was closed after years of controversy since its opening in 2000 with protesters objecting that the presence of the American chain in this location "was trampling on Chinese culture".


title: Starbucks

text: Between 2001 and 2003, Starbucks opened six (of 80 planned) locations in Israel and having struggled with fierce local competition, Starbucks, along with its partner Delek, however, in April 2003, after losing US$6 million Starbucks Israel closed all six of its locations in Israel, citing "on-going operational challenges" and a "difficult business environment".


title: Starbucks

text: In January 2011, Starbucks and Tata Coffee, Asia's largest coffee plantation company, announced plans for a strategic alliance to bring Starbucks to India and also to source and roast coffee beans at Tata Coffee's Kodagu facility.


title: Starbucks

text: In October 2011, Starbucks opened another location in Beijing, China, at the Beijing Capital International Airport's Terminal 3, international departures hall; making the company's 500th store in China. The store is the 7th location at the airport.


title: Starbucks

text: In January 2012, despite a false start in 2007, Starbucks created a 50:50 joint venture with Tata Global Beverages called Tata Starbucks. Tata Starbucks owned and operated Starbucks outlets in India as "Starbucks Coffee "A Tata Alliance"." Starbucks opened its first store in India in Mumbai on October 19, 2012.


title: Starbucks

text: On February 1, 2013, Starbucks opened its first store in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and its first location in Hanoi in July 2014.


title: Starbucks

text: In May 2014, the Starbucks operations in South Korea launched a mobile ordering system named Siren Order, accessible through a local version of the Starbucks smartphone application. In December 2014, Starbucks launched a similar system named Mobile Order & Pay, in Portland, Oregon. The expanded nationwide in 2015, and in late March 2018, the company opened the system, previously available to Starbucks Rewards members only, to all customers.


title: Starbucks

text: In September 2014, Starbucks announced the acquisition of the remaining 60.5% stake in Starbucks Coffee Japan that it did not already own, for US$913.5 million.


title: Starbucks

text: In August 2015, Starbucks announced plans to open in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, its 16th market in the China/Asia Pacific region by the end of 2015.


title: Starbucks

text: On December 18, 2015, Starbucks opened in Almaty, Kazakhstan. On the next day, one more coffee shop was opened.


title: Starbucks

text: In December 2017, the Starbucks Reserve Roastery opened at HKRI Taikoo Hui in Shanghai, China, the only such location of its kind outside of Seattle.


title: Starbucks

text: In September 2002, Starbucks opened its first store in Latin America, in Mexico City. By 2016, there were more than 500 locations in Mexico.


title: Starbucks

text: In November 2010, the company opened the first Central American store in El Salvador's capital, San Salvador.


title: Starbucks

text: In June 2012, Starbucks opened a store in San Jose, Costa Rica. In October 2012, Starbucks announced plans to open 1,000 stores in the United States in the next five years.


title: Starbucks

text: In August 2013, Starbucks's CEO Howard Schultz personally announced the opening of Starbucks stores in Colombia. The first café was set to open in 2014 in Bogotá and add 50 more stores throughout Colombia's main cities in a 5-year limit. Schultz also stated that Starbucks will work with both the Colombian Government and USAID to continue "empowering local coffee growers and sharing the value, heritage and tradition of its coffee with the world." Starbucks noted that the aggressive expansion into Colombia was a joint venture with Starbucks's Latin partners, Alsea and Colombia's Grupo Nutresa that has previously worked with Starbucks by providing coffee through Colcafe. This announcement came after Starbucks's Farmer Support Center was established in Manizales, Colombia, the previous year making Colombia an already established country by the corporation.


title: Starbucks

text: In late August 2013, Starbucks announced its first store in Colombia at a press conference in Bogota, where the company's CEO explained, "Starbucks has always admired and respected Colombia's distinguished coffee tradition."


title: Starbucks

text: In May 2014, Starbucks announced its first café in Bolivia would open in 2014 in Santa Cruz de la Sierra and the first in Panama in 2015.


title: Starbucks

text: In November 2017, Starbucks commenced operations in Jamaica, where the first store opened in the resort city of Montego Bay on the shores of the Doctor's Cave Beach Club, offering views of the Caribbean Sea. The company also reaffirmed its commitment to working with local coffee farmers to "implement systems to increase productivity and yields, while also increasing compliance to international standards." Starbucks Jamaica opened its first store on November 21, 2017, with plans to open 15 locations island-wide over a 5-year period. Starbucks Jamaica opened stores at the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay and at the Falmouth Pier, in Falmouth, Jamaica. Starbucks Jamaica announced plans to open up to six stores in Kingston, Jamaica, by 2019. The first of the Kingston stores opened on June 21, 2018. The second store is in Kingston's central business district, New Kingston. Starbucks opened its first in-store location in the flagship location for Jamaica's largest Pharmacy chain, Fontana Pharmacy, also located in Kingston; making it Starbucks's third location.


title: Starbucks

text: In July 2000, the first location in Australia opened in Sydney. After a massive downturn in 2008, the remaining Australian Starbucks stores were sold to the Withers family in 2014, with the company planning a more restrained expansion.


title: Starbucks

text: As of November 2022, there are 59 Starbucks stores in Australia; 23 in New South Wales, 19 in Queensland and 18 in Victoria. These stores are spread out across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast and Ballarat. Before the mass-closure of 61 of their 85 stores in 2008, there were also stores in Adelaide, Canberra, Hobart and Wollongong. However, there are plans to open a restaurant in Toowoomba.


title: Starbucks

text: In May 2010, Southern Sun Hotels South Africa signed an agreement with Starbucks to brew Starbucks coffees in select Southern Sun and Tsonga Sun hotels in South Africa. The agreement was partially reached so Starbucks coffees could be served in the country in time for the 2010 FIFA World Cup hosted by South Africa.


title: Starbucks

text: In April 2016, after TASTE Holdings acquired outlet licensing for South African stores, Starbucks opened its first stores in South Africa in Rosebank, Gauteng, Johannesburg and the Mall of Africa.


title: Starbucks

text: In December 2010, Starbucks debuted their first-ever Starbucks at sea. In partnership with Royal Caribbean International, Starbucks opened a shop aboard the "Allure of the Seas", Royal Caribbean's second-largest ship and the second-largest ship in the world.


title: Starbucks

text: Stores that independently operate locations include Ahold Delhaize, Barnes & Noble, Target Corporation, Albertsons and, more recently, Publix stores. In the EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) markets, Starbucks operates a franchising program. Different from the licensing program in which existing corporations may apply to operate a Starbucks kiosk within an existing store, franchises can enable new, freestanding stores.


title: Starbucks

text: Starbucks has automation systems in some areas. These machines have 280 possible drink combinations to choose from. They have touchscreens, and customers can play games while they wait for their order.


title: Starbucks

text: Vending machines are said to possibly be able to replace baristas. Starbucks has said it does not want to replace baristas with robots, but use them as a complementary tool.


title: Starbucks

text: In 2009, at least three stores in Seattle were de-branded to remove the logo and brand name, and remodel the stores as local coffee houses "inspired by Starbucks". CEO Howard Schultz called the unbranded stores a "laboratory for Starbucks". The first, 15th Avenue Coffee and Tea, opened in July 2009 on Capitol Hill. It served wine and beer and hosted live music and poetry readings. It has since been remodeled and reopened as a Starbucks-branded store. Another is Roy Street Coffee and Tea at 700 Broadway E., also on Capitol Hill. Although the stores have been called "stealth Starbucks" and criticized as "local-washing", Schultz says that "It wasn't so much that we were trying to hide the brand, but trying to do things in those stores that we did not feel were appropriate for Starbucks."


title: Starbucks

text: Starbucks entered the tea business in 1999 when it acquired the Tazo brand for . In December 2012, Starbucks paid US$620 million to buy Teavana.


title: Starbucks

text: Kevin Johnson, who served as president and chief operating officer from 2015 to 2018, has been the chief executive of Starbucks since April 2017. Myron E. Ullman became chairman of the firm in June 2018. Both Johnson and Ullman succeeded Howard Schultz, who served in both capacities from 2008 to 2017. Orin C. Smith was president and CEO of Starbucks from 2001 to 2005, after which Jim Donald took over as CEO until 2008. Since 2018, Schultz has served as the firm's first Chairman "emeritus".


title: Starbucks

text: Analysts have long believed that the firm's corporate governance must determine how to contend with higher materials prices and enhanced competition from lower-priced fast-food chains, including McDonald's and Dunkin' Donuts. In October 2015, Starbucks hired its first chief technology officer, Gerri Martin-Flickinger, to lead its technology team. Starbucks maintains control of production processes by communicating with farmers to secure beans, roasting its own beans, and managing distribution to all retail locations. Additionally, Starbucks's Coffee and Farmer Equity Practices require suppliers to inform Starbucks what portion of wholesale prices paid reaches farmers.


title: Starbucks

text: In 2006, Valerie O'Neil, a Starbucks spokeswoman, said that the logo is an image of a "twin-tailed mermaid, or siren as she's known in Greek mythology." The logo has been significantly streamlined over the years. In the first version, the Starbucks siren was topless and had a fully visible double fish tail. The image also had a rough visual texture and has been likened to Melusine. The image is said by Starbucks to be based on a 16th-century "Norse" woodcut, although other scholars note that it is apparently based on a 15th-century woodcut in Juan Eduardo Cirlot's "Dictionary of Symbols". In the second version, which was used from 1987 to 1992, her breasts were covered by her flowing hair, but her navel was still visible. The fish tail was cropped slightly, and the primary color was changed from brown to green, a nod to the Alma Mater of the three founders, the University of San Francisco. In the third version, used between 1992 and 2011, her navel and breasts are not visible at all, and only vestiges remain of the fish tails. The original "woodcut" logo has been moved to the Starbucks's Headquarters in Seattle.


title: Starbucks

text: At the beginning of September 2006, and then again in early 2008, Starbucks temporarily reintroduced its original brown logo on paper hot-drink cups. Starbucks has stated that this was done to show the company's heritage from the Pacific Northwest and to celebrate 35 years of business. The vintage logo sparked some controversy due in part to the siren's bare breasts, but the temporary switch garnered little attention from the media. Starbucks had drawn similar criticism when it reintroduced the vintage logo in 2006. The logo was altered when Starbucks entered the Saudi Arabian market in 2000 to remove the siren, leaving only her crown, as reported in a Pulitzer Prize-winning column by Colbert I. King in "The Washington Post" in 2002. The company announced three months later that it would be using the international logo in Saudi Arabia. In January 2011, Starbucks announced that it would make small changes to the company's logo, removing the Starbucks wordmark around the siren, enlarging the siren image, and making it green.


title: Starbucks

text: In 1999, Starbucks started the "Grounds for your Garden" program. This gives leftover coffee grounds to anyone requesting it for composting. The goal of the program was to make the company environmentally friendlier. Although not all stores and regions participate, customers can request and lobby their local store to begin the practice. In October 2008, "The Guardian" newspaper reported that Starbucks was wasting of water a day by leaving a tap constantly running for rinsing utensils in a 'dipper well' in each of its stores, but this is often required by governmental food safety codes.


title: Starbucks

text: In June 2009, in response to concerns over its excessive water consumption, Starbucks re-evaluated its use of the dipper well system. In September 2009, company-operated Starbucks stores in Canada and the United States successfully implemented a new water saving solution that meets government health standards. Different types of milk are given a dedicated spoon that remains in the pitcher and the dipper wells were replaced with push button metered faucets for rinsing. This will reportedly save up to of water per day in every store.


title: Starbucks

text: Starbucks began using 10% recycled paper in its beverage cups in 2006—the company claimed that the initiative was the first time that recycled material had been used in a product that came into direct contact with a food or beverage. Allen Hershkowitz of the Natural Resources Defense Council called the 10% content "minuscule", but Starbucks received the National Recycling Coalition Recycling Works Award in 2005 for the initiative. In a 2008 media article, Starbucks's vice president of corporate social responsibility acknowledged that the company continued to struggle with environmental responsibility, as none of its cups were recyclable and stores did not have recycling bins. At the time that the article was published, Starbucks gave customers who brought in their own reusable cup a 10-cent discount, in addition to using corrugated cup sleeves made from 85% post-consumer recycled fiber, which is 34% less paper than the original. During the same period, Starbucks entered into a partnership with Conservation International—pledging US$7.5 million over three years—to help protect the natural environment of coffee-growing communities in Mexico and Indonesia.


title: Starbucks

text: On July 9, 2018, Starbucks President and CEO Kevin Johnson announced that Starbucks will ban the single-use plastic straws by January 1, 2020, on all cold drinks from all locations worldwide due to climate change concerns, pollution, and sea turtle endangerment as the single-use plastic straws failed to be designed for recycling when they were invented. Frappucinos will get straws made from a different material that is sustainable and environmentally friendly such as paper or compostable plastic, while other cold drinks will get straw-less lids. These new modified lids contain 9% less plastic than Starbucks' previous flat lid. The Starbucks locations in Europe, China, Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, India, Canada, Hawaii, Alaska, Washington D.C., New Mexico, California, New York, Washington State, New Jersey, Oregon, Maryland, Delaware, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island already eliminated single-use plastic straws by the end of 2018. South Korea is the first country to introduce paper straws to all stores among 78 countries in the world that Starbucks has entered.


title: Starbucks

text: Starbucks has publicly committed to reducing waste by 50% by 2030. After successfully completing the campaign to provide the Reusable Cup in Vietnam in 2020, it held the same event in Korea in 2021. Along with a picture of throwing away a cleanly washed recycled PET bottle on Instagram, a hashtag designated by Starbucks was written and uploaded, and a reusable cup was provided instead of a disposable cup.


title: Starbucks

text: In April 2013, Starbucks introduced reusable cups where customers would be able to bring their cup into any location and receive a small discount on their drink. When the COVID-19 pandemic first began in 2019, the company halted the use of personal cups due to concerns with the transferring of germs.


title: Starbucks

text: Starbucks began drafting plans for corporate social responsibility in 1994. Since Starbucks has partnered with Conservation International (CI) to draft plans and audit its coffee and farmer equity (C.A.F.E.) program, Starbucks's C.A.F.E. practices are based on a rating system of 249 indicators. Farmers who earn high overall scores receive higher prices than those who achieve lower scores. Ratings categories include economic accountability, social responsibility, environmental leadership in coffee growing and processing. Indicators for social responsibility have evolved and now include 'zero tolerance' indicators that require workers to be paid in cash, check, or direct deposit, ensure that all workers are paid the established minimum wage, that workplaces are free of harassment and abuse, that workplaces are nondiscriminatory and do not employ persons under the age of 14, and several more. Starbucks has moved 90% of its coffee purchases to preferred C.A.F.E. certified providers, and the company is approaching its stated goal to purchase 100% of its coffee through C.A.F.E. or other 'ethically sourced' certification systems.


title: Starbucks

text: Washington State University Assistant Professor Daniel Jaffee argues that Starbucks's C.A.F.E. practices merely 'green wash' "to burnish their corporate image". Additionally, Professor Marie-Christine Renard of Rural Sociology of Chapingo University in Mexico wrote a case study of Starbucks's, Conservation International's, and Agro-industries United of Mexico (AMSA)'s joint conservation effort in Chiapas, Mexico in which she concluded that "[w]hile the CI-Starbucks-AMSA Alliance paid better prices, it did not allow the producers to appropriate the knowledge that was necessary for the organizations to improve the quality of their coffee."


title: Starbucks

text: In 2000, the company introduced a line of fair trade products. Of the approximately 300 million pounds (136 million kilograms) of coffee Starbucks purchased in 2006, about or 6% was certified as fair trade. All espresso roast sold in the United Kingdom and Ireland is Fairtrade. Groups such as Global Exchange called for Starbucks to further increase its sales of fair trade coffees.


title: Starbucks

text: After a long-running dispute between Starbucks and Ethiopia, Starbucks agreed to support and promote Ethiopian coffees. An article in BBC News, states that Ethiopian ownership of popular coffee designations such as Harrar and Sidamo is acknowledged, even if they are not registered. Ethiopia fought hard for this acknowledgement mainly to help give its poverty-stricken farmers a chance to make more money. In 2006, Starbucks said it paid for its coffee, more than 33% higher than the commodity price at the time. However, the coffee Starbucks bought for , had a selling price—after transportation, processing, marketing, store rentals, taxes, and staff salary and benefits—of . As of 2013, the Starbucks website sells only one Ethiopian coffee. In addition, Starbucks is an active member of the World Cocoa Foundation.


title: Starbucks

text: Since 2010, Starbucks has been donating leftover pastries in the United States to local food banks through a food collection service named Food Donation Connection. In March 2016, Starbucks unveiled a five-year plan to donate 100 percent of unsold food from its 7,600 company-operated stores in the U.S. to local food banks and pantries. Perishable food will be transported in refrigerated trucks to area food banks through the company's partnerships with the Food Donation Connection and Feeding America. This program, called FoodShare, is expected to provide up to 50 million meals over the next five years. , the program was in 10 different markets, including New York City. In New York, Starbucks works with Feeding America and City Harvest, both non-profits, to donate food from 45 locations. It plans to expand the program to all 305 Manhattan stores. In September 2019, 60% of Starbucks stores are participating in FoodShare. This level of participation contributed to 20 million meals served to those in need.


title: Starbucks

text: In 2008, Starbucks announced a comprehensive new animal welfare policy banning many inhumane farming practices, including the caging of hens. In 2009, they established a buying preference in North America to use industry best practices for animal husbandry and processing, including egg production.


title: Starbucks

text: In 2015, Starbucks made a public announcement that they will switch to 100% cage-free eggs by 2020. However, later, the company altered its commitment to just company-owned locations, excluding around 40% of its licensed restaurants.


title: Starbucks

text: In 2018, Starbucks committed to reaching the goal of using 100% cage-free eggs and egg products in company-operated stores globally by 2020, including Starbucks branded products and those supplied to licensed partners in the North America. They stated their goal to be for all their products to meet high quality and ethical standards, with a commitment to social responsibility standards with animal welfare as a primary focus


title: Starbucks

text: Organizations such as World Animal Protection and Compassion in World Farming have stated that Starbucks has not shown any demonstrable improvement in animal welfare since 2012. According to the Humane Society of the United States, Starbucks no longer qualifies as having an actual cage-free commitment.


title: Starbucks

text: Global climate change is affecting the growth and quality of coffee beans. Starbucks can be greatly affected by this due to their specific type of bean they use for their gourmet coffee. They use Acadia beans which are grown in Mexico, Brazil, and China. These beans need to be grown in a specific climate to grow in, with specific rain fall and temperatures. In Mexico and Brazil, the precipitation and temperature have changed drastically in the last decade. It is estimated the temperature will increase about 1 to 6 degrees Celsius, and rainfall is suppose to increase 15%.


title: Starbucks

text: Hear Music began as a music catalog company in 1990, adding a few retail locations in the San Francisco Bay Area. Hear Music was purchased by Starbucks in 1999. In 2002, it produced a Starbucks opera album, featuring artists such as Luciano Pavarotti, followed in March 2007 by the hit CD "Memory Almost Full" by Paul McCartney, making McCartney the first artist signed to the new Hear Music label sold in Starbucks outlets. In 2006, the company created Starbucks Entertainment, one of the producers of the 2006 film "Akeelah and the Bee". Starbucks stores advertised the film before its release and sold the DVD.


title: Starbucks

text: Starbucks has become the subject of a protest song, "A Rock Star Bucks a Coffee Shop" by Neil Young and his band, Promise of the Real. This single from the album "The Monsanto Years" criticized both Starbucks's alleged use of genetically modified food and the GMO company Monsanto.


title: Starbucks

text: In September 2016, Starbucks announced a debut of its first-ever original content series called "Upstanders", which aimed to inspire Americans with stories of compassion, citizenship, and civility. The series featured podcasts, written word, and video, and was distributed via the Starbucks mobile app, online, and through the company's in-store digital network.


title: Starbucks

text: In Canada, Starbucks has partnered with Aeroplan to award Aeroplan points to customers who link their Aeroplan and Starbucks accounts. Aeroplan members receive points for loading money into their Starbucks account.


title: Starbucks

text: Starbucks has partnered with Apple Inc. to collaborate on selling music as part of the "coffeehouse experience". In October 2006, Apple added a Starbucks Entertainment area to the iTunes Store, selling music similar to that played in Starbucks stores. In September 2007, Apple announced that customers would be able to browse the iTunes Store at Starbucks via Wi-Fi in the US—with no requirement to log into the Wi-Fi network—targeted at iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, and MacBook users. The iTunes Store automatically detects recent songs playing in a Starbucks and offer users the opportunity to download the tracks. Some stores feature LCD screens with the artist name, song, and album information of the current song playing. This feature was rolled out in Seattle, New York City, and the San Francisco Bay Area, and was offered in limited markets during 2007–2008. During the fall of 2007, Starbucks also began to sell digital downloads of certain albums through iTunes. Starbucks gave away 37 different songs for free download through iTunes as part of the "Song of the Day" promotion in 2007, and a free "Pick of the Week" download is available from the App Store.


title: Starbucks

text: Starting on June 1, 2009, the MSNBC morning news program "Morning Joe" has been presented as "brewed by Starbucks" and the show's logo changed to include the company logo. Although the hosts have previously consumed Starbucks coffee on air "for free" in the words of MSNBC president Phil Griffin, it was not paid placement at that time. The move was met with mixed reactions from rival news organizations, viewed as both a clever partnership in an economic downturn and a compromise of journalistic standards. The endorsement deal ended in August 2013.


title: Starbucks

text: Starbucks and Kraft Foods entered into a partnership in 1998 to sell Starbucks products in the Mondelez grocery stores owned by the latter. Starbucks claimed that Kraft did not sufficiently promote its products and offered Kraft US$750 million to terminate the agreement; however, Kraft declined the offer, but Starbucks proceeded with the termination anyway. Starbucks wanted to terminate the agreement because at the time, single coffee packs were beginning to become popular. In their agreement, Starbucks was confined to selling packs that only worked in Kraft's Tassimo machines. Starbucks did not want to fall behind in the market opportunities for K-Cups. In mid-November 2013, an arbitrator ordered Starbucks to pay a fine of US$2.8 billion to Mondelez International, a corporate spin-off of Kraft, for its premature unilateral termination of the agreement.


title: Starbucks

text: In June 2014, Starbucks announced a partnership with Arizona State University (ASU) that would allow Starbucks employees in their Junior and Senior years of college to complete four years of college at Arizona State University's online program for only around US$23,000. Starbucks employees admitted into the program will receive a scholarship from the college, that will cover 44% of their tuition. The remaining balance and all other expenses would be paid by the student or through traditional financial aid. In April 2015, Starbucks and ASU announced an expansion of the College Achievement Program. The program would now allow all eligible part-time and full-time employees working in a U.S. Starbucks to enroll in the program for full-tuition reimbursement. After the completion of each semester, Starbucks reimburses the student their portion of the tuition. The student can then use the reimbursement to pay any loans or debt incurred during the semester.


title: Starbucks

text: In 2015, Starbucks signed a deal with PepsiCo to market and distribute Starbucks products in several Latin American countries.


title: Starbucks

text: In May 2015, Starbucks entered a partnership with music streaming service Spotify. The partnership entailed giving U.S.-based employees a Spotify premium subscription and to help influence the music played in store via playlists made using Spotify. Starbucks was also given its own curated Spotify playlist to be featured on Spotify's mobile app.


title: Starbucks

text: On June 19, 2015, a Starbucks opened at Disney's Animal Kingdom on Discovery Island. Since the park does not allow plastic straws due to the animals, this location features special green eco-friendly straws with their cold drinks. This was the sixth Starbucks to open in Walt Disney World, following locations in the Magic Kingdom (Main Street, U.S.A.), Epcot (Future World), Disney's Hollywood Studios (Hollywood Boulevard), and two in Disney Springs (Marketplace and West Side). In addition to these six, there are locations in Disneyland (Main Street, U.S.A.), Disney California Adventure (Buena Vista Street), Anaheim's Downtown Disney, and Disney Village at Disneyland Paris. The Downtown Disney and Disney Springs locations are Starbucks-operated, while the locations inside of the theme parks are Disney-operated.


title: Starbucks

text: In December 2018, Starbucks expanded its partnership with Uber Eats to bring its beverages to U.S. customers' doorsteps, as it had already done for some time in China.


title: Starbucks

text: In March 2020, Starbucks announced that starting from April 6, all U.S. employees and their eligible family members could use up to 20 free mental health therapy or coaching sessions per year. They can meet with a counselor face-to-face or video call and will also have unlimited access to self-care apps through Lyra Health Inc.


title: Starbucks

text: Through partnerships with financial technology company PayPal and digital asset manager Bakkt, Starbucks customers can reload their Starbucks cards with cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ether.


title: Starbucks

text: Kevin Knox, who was in charge of doughnuts food quality at Starbucks from 1987 to 1993, recalled on his blog in 2010 how George Howell, coffee veteran and founder of the Cup of Excellence, had been appalled at the dark roasted beans that Starbucks was selling in 1990. Talking to "The New York Times" in 2008, Howell stated his opinion that the dark roast used by Starbucks does not deepen the flavor of coffee, but instead can destroy purported nuances of flavor.


title: Starbucks

text: The March 2007 issue of "Consumer Reports" compared American fast-food chain coffees and ranked Starbucks behind McDonald's Premium Roast in the middle of a coffee war. The magazine called Starbucks coffee "strong, but burnt and bitter enough to make your eyes water instead of open."


title: Starbucks

text: As reported by "Time" in 2010, third wave coffee proponents generally criticize Starbucks for over-roasting beans. As a result, Starbucks retrained its baristas and changed its roasting methods in 2010 in order to "standardize quality over quantity". "The Atlantic" reported that this push for higher-quality coffee slowed down orders, but stated "[they] move their product pretty quickly, and with surprising accuracy." "Forbes" corroborated this trade off between efficiency and quality at Starbucks.


title: Starbucks

text: In 2018, "Business Insider" conducted a test of Starbucks coffee judged by 100 coffee experts. It concluded that although staples of the menu were "too sugary", coffee quality materially improved with particularly strong showings in the firm's iced coffee and nitro cold brew coffee offerings. "Insider" experts, however, did note that the coffee quality in Starbucks Reserves far surpassed that of the typical retail store.


title: Starbucks

text: Starbucks has been a target of parodies and imitations of its logo, particularly the 1992 version, and has used legal action against those it perceives to be infringing its intellectual property.


title: Starbucks

text: In 1999, a New York store selling stickers and T-shirts using the Starbucks logo with the phrase "Fuck Off" was sued by the company.


title: Starbucks

text: In 2000, San Francisco cartoonist Kieron Dwyer was sued by Starbucks for copyright and trademark infringement after creating a parody of its siren logo and putting it on the cover of one of his comics, later placing it on coffee mugs, T-shirts, and stickers that he sold on his website and at comic book conventions. Dwyer felt that since his work was a parody it was protected by his right to free speech under U.S. law. The case was eventually settled out of court, as Dwyer claimed he did not have the financial ability to endure a trial case with Starbucks. The judge agreed that Dwyer's work was a parody and thus enjoyed constitutional protection; however, he was forbidden from financially "profiting" from using a "confusingly similar" image of the Starbucks siren logo. Dwyer was allowed to display the image as an expression of free speech, but he can no longer sell it.


title: Starbucks

text: Starbucks did not open any stores after first registering its trademark in Russia in 1997, and in 2002 a Russian lawyer successfully filed a request to cancel the trademark. He then registered the name with a Moscow-based company and asked for US$600,000 to sell the trademark to Starbucks, but was ruled against in November 2005.


title: Starbucks

text: In "", Dr. Evil made his hideout in a Starbucks-branded tower from which he traveled back to the past.


title: Starbucks

text: In the 2004 DreamWorks Animation film "Shrek 2", Starbucks is parodied as Farbucks in the kingdom of Far Far Away, which in turn, is a parody of a medieval version of Hollywood, California.


title: Starbucks

text: In December 2005, Sam Buck Lundberg, who owns a coffee store in Oregon, was prohibited from using "Sambuck's Coffee" on the shop front.


title: Starbucks

text: After a bar owner in Galveston, Texas, United States, registered the name "Star Bock Beer", Starbucks filed a lawsuit in 2003. In a 2005 federal court ruling, the bar owner won the right to sell the beer, but the ruling also stated that the sale of the beer must be restricted to Galveston; the United States Supreme Court upheld the ruling in 2007.


title: Starbucks

text: In September 2007, Christian bookstores and websites in the United States sold a T-shirt featuring a logo with the siren replaced by Jesus and the words "Sacrificed for me" around the edge.


title: Starbucks

text: In April 2008, Starbucks claimed that Seattle's Rat City Rollergirls had a logo (drawn by a Washington artist) which was too similar to its own. Starbucks requested an extension to further examine the issue and possibly issue a complaint, which was granted by the Trademark Office. The case was terminated.


title: Starbucks

text: In November 2013, Starbucks lost a case against a small, family-owned roaster in New Hampshire that sells coffee known as Charbucks.


title: Starbucks

text: In 2014, Nathan Fielder, a Canadian comedian behind "Nathan for You", opened a store called "Dumb Starbucks Coffee" in Los Feliz, Los Angeles. The store resembled a typical Starbucks with one exception: everything was preceded by the word "dumb". For example, the drinks he carried included Dumb Skinny Vanilla Lattes and Dumb Frappuccinos. The store carried music titled "Dumb Jazz Standards" and "Dumb Norah Jones Duets". He thought he could bypass infringement and copyright claims through the "Parody Law", referring to the parody aspect of Fair Use laws (that protect parodists such as "Weird Al" Yankovic and "SNL)". No lawsuits were filed though because the store was short-lived. The Los Angeles Health Department shut it down after four days because Fielder lacked the proper permits.


title: Starbucks

text: In October 2016, the company prevailed in a trademark infringement case against bongs that look like Frappuccinos, winning over US$500,000 after the pipe designer did not show up to court.


title: Starbucks

text: In May 2017, a coffee shop in Brooklyn sued Starbucks for US$10 million, claiming that its "Unicorn Frappuccino" overshadows the shop's "Unicorn Latte". The case was settled in September 2017.


title: Starbucks

text: In 2003, Starbucks sent a cease-and-desist letter to "HaidaBucks Coffee House" in Masset, British Columbia, Canada. The store was owned by a group of young Haida men, who claimed that the name was a coincidence, due to "buck" being a Haida word for "young man" (a claim that cannot be substantiated). After facing criticism, Starbucks dropped its demand after HaidaBucks dropped "coffee house" from its name.


title: Starbucks

text: In 2005, an anti-Starbucks website, starbuckscoffee.co.uk, which encouraged people to deface the Starbucks logo was transferred to Starbucks, but has since resurfaced at www.starbuckscoffee.org.uk.


title: Starbucks

text: In January 2006, Starbucks won a case against the Xingbake chain in Shanghai, China for trademark infringement, because the chain used a green-and-white circular logo with a name that sounded phonetically similar to the Chinese for Starbucks.


title: Starbucks

text: In January 2007, Starbucks lost a trademark infringement case against a smaller coffee vendor in South Korea that operates coffee stations under the name Starpreya. The company, Elpreya, says Starpreya is named after the Norse goddess, Freja, with the letters of that name changed to ease pronunciation by Koreans. The court rejected Starbucks's claim that the logo of Starpreya is too similar to their own logo.


title: Starbucks

text: In November 2017, the company lost a trademark infringement dispute against Morinaga Milk Industry, which used a black-and-white circular logo, with Mount Rainier branding. The case was thrown out by the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore.


title: Starbucks

text: In March 2007, Starbucks launched action against an Indian cosmetics business run by Shahnaz Husain, after she applied to register the name Starstruck for coffee and related products. She said she aimed to open a chain of stores that would sell coffee and chocolate-based cosmetics.


title: Starbucks

text: Businesses that used the Starbucks logo unaltered and without permission, include a café in Pakistan and a cafe in Cambodia in 2009, the owner saying that "whatever we have done we have done within the law."


title: Starbucks

text: In 2009, a cafe in Al-Manara Square, Ramallah, Palestinian Territories, opened with the name "Stars and Bucks" and a logo using a similar green circle and block lettering. Like Starbucks, the Stars and Bucks serves cappuccinos in ceramic cups, and offers free Wifi. According to speculation cited in the "Seattle Post Intelligencer", the cafe's name and imitation Starbucks style may be a political satire of American consumerism. Starbucks is not known to have taken action against this business.


title: Starbucks

text: Following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, a number of companies have faced growing pressure to halt operations in Russia, but have not yet done so. This includes Starbucks. On March 4, Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson stated that the company has no business operations in Ukraine, but does have 130 licensed Starbucks locations in Russia that are wholly owned by a "licensed partner". While Johnson did not comment on their future, he condemned the Russian invasion and did say that the company "will donate any royalties we receive from our business operations in Russia to humanitarian relief efforts for Ukraine."


title: Starbucks

text: In 1994, Starbucks settled a lawsuit after two employees were dismissed because of their race, age, and sex. A black woman filed a suit after her direct supervisor, a regional vice president, said he would like to call her Toby, a slave name which was given to African Kunta Kinte in a TV mini-series "Roots". Her co-worker spoke on her behalf, after which she was fired.


title: Starbucks

text: In 2008, a former African American Starbucks engineer sued the company for discrimination after his supervisor failed to address racist bullying he was experiencing at the workplace, instead giving him extra work due to his complaining. Starbucks settled the suit in 2009.


title: Starbucks

text: In 2014, a Milwaukee Starbucks employee called the police when they noticed a black man sleeping in a park, which resulted in the police officer killing the man by shooting him 14 times, prompting protests.


title: Starbucks

text: The 2015 Starbucks "Race Together" campaign, when baristas were instructed to write the phrase "Race Together" on customer's cups with the aim to start a national dialogue about race, was heavily criticized and received backlash.


title: Starbucks

text: In 2018, two black men were arrested and escorted out of a Philadelphia Starbucks after the staff called the police because they refused to leave. The video of the incident quickly became viral and sparked widespread outrage.


title: Starbucks

text: In another 2018 incident, a black man was denied the code for the restroom for not being a customer, even though at the same time a white man was given that code before ordering anything.


title: Starbucks

text: In 2020, Starbucks employees were prohibited from wearing Black Lives Matter symbols or phrases on their clothing or accessories.


title: Starbucks

text: In 2021, a Starbucks in Ireland was fined €12,000 after an Irish Thai customer received her order with a racist drawing on the cup.


title: Starbucks

text: The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has raised allegations against Starbucks for racial bias in its promotions, allegedly based on workforce data from 2007 to 2011 that showed that minority retail partners in the United States received fewer promotions than statistically expected.


title: Starbucks

text: In 2022, over a period of few months, Starbucks dismissed more than 85 workers in the US involved in organizing worker unions against unfair labor practices. The workers also accused Starbucks of creating a culture of fear and surveillance in the store.


title: Starbucks

text: In November 2022, the chain announced it would close a location in Seattle that was the first to unionize. It said the closure was due to safety concerns.


title: Christina Applegate

text: Christina Applegate (born November 25, 1971) is an American actress. As a child actress, she gained recognition for starring as Kelly Bundy in the Fox sitcom "Married... with Children" (1987–1997). Applegate established a successful film and television career in her adult years, winning a Primetime Emmy Award from seven nominations as well as nominations for four Golden Globe Awards and a Tony Award.


title: Christina Applegate

text: Applegate starred in the title role of the NBC sitcom "Jesse" (1998–2000), which earned her a Golden Globe Award nomination. She received a Primetime Emmy Award for her guest role in the NBC sitcom "Friends" (2002–2003). For her role in the Broadway revival of "Sweet Charity" (2005), she earned a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. She went on to star in the ABC sitcom "Samantha Who?" (2007–2009), for which she received two Primetime Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations; the NBC sitcom "Up All Night" (2011–2012); and the Netflix dark tragicomedy series "Dead to Me" (2019–2022), which earned her three Primetime Emmy Award nominations and a Golden Globe Award nomination.


title: Christina Applegate

text: Applegate has also had major roles in several films, including "Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead" (1991), "The Big Hit" (1998), "The Sweetest Thing" (2002), "Grand Theft Parsons" (2003), "" (2004), "Hall Pass" (2011), "" (2013), "Vacation" (2015), "Bad Moms" (2016), and "Crash Pad" (2017).


title: Christina Applegate

text: Applegate was born in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. Her father, Robert William "Bob" Applegate, was a record producer and record company executive; her mother, Nancy Priddy, is a singer and actress. Her parents separated shortly after her birth. She has two half-siblings, Alisa and Kyle, from her father's second marriage. After her divorce, Applegate's mother had a relationship with musician Stephen Stills. As a child, Applegate trained as a dancer in various styles, including jazz and ballet.


title: Christina Applegate

text: Applegate made her television debut in 1972 alongside her mother in the soap opera "Days of Our Lives" and starred in a commercial for Playtex baby bottles at 3 months old. She made her film debut in the 1981 horror film "Jaws of Satan" (or "King Cobra") and appeared in the 1981 movie "Beatlemania." She debuted as a young Grace Kelly in the television biopic "Grace Kelly" (1983) and appeared in her first television series in Showtime's political comedy "Washingtoon" (1985), in which she played a congressman's daughter.


title: Christina Applegate

text: Applegate was a guest in the series "Father Murphy" (1981), "Charles in Charge" (1984–1985), and "Silver Spoons" (1986). In 1986, she won the role of Robin Kennedy, a policeman's daughter, in the police drama series "Heart of the City" (1986–1987). For her performance, she received a Young Artist Award. She guest-starred in several television series, including "All is Forgiven", "Still the Beaver", "Amazing Stories", and "Family Ties".


title: Christina Applegate

text: From 1987 to 1997, Applegate played the ditzy, sexually promiscuous daughter, Kelly Bundy, on Fox's first sitcom, "Married... with Children". While working on the series, Applegate was seen in "Dance 'til Dawn" (1988) and "Streets" (1990), in which a teenage drug addict is stalked by a psychotic police officer. She guest-starred in "21 Jump Street" (1988) and "Top of the Heap" (1991) and hosted "Saturday Night Live" (1993) and "MADtv" (1996). The character of Sue Ellen Crandell in the black comedy feature "Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead" (1991) was Applegate's first starring role in a mainstream film, playing a rebellious teenager who is forced to take care of siblings after their summer babysitter dies. She had roles in films such as "Vibrations" (1995), "Across the Moon" (1995), "Wild Bill" (1995), Tim Burton's "Mars Attacks!" (1996), and Gregg Araki's "Nowhere" (1997). In 1996, she auditioned for the role of Rose in James Cameron's blockbuster hit "Titanic", but lost to Kate Winslet. When "Married... with Children" was cancelled in 1997, producers pitched a spinoff centered on Kelly Bundy, but Applegate declined.


title: Christina Applegate

text: In 1998, Applegate starred as Claudine Van Doozen in the independent feature "Claudine's Return" (or "Kiss of Fire"), appeared in the action-comedy "The Big Hit" and played the fiancée of a mob boss in the Mafia satire "Jane Austen's Mafia".


title: Christina Applegate

text: Applegate was one of the founding members of The Pussycat Dolls, which debuted at Johnny Depp's Viper Room on the Sunset Strip in 1995. She emceed for the group when they moved to The Roxy Theatre in 2002.


title: Christina Applegate

text: In 1998, Applegate began portraying the title role in the NBC sitcom "Jesse", which received rave reviews. She won the People's Choice Award for Favorite Female Performer in a New Television Series and the TV Guide Award for Favorite Star of a New Series and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Comedy. The series was cancelled in 2000.


title: Christina Applegate

text: Applegate played the dual role of a 12th-century noblewoman, Princess Rosalind, and her 21st-century descendant, Julia Malfete, in the time-travel comedy "Just Visiting" (2001). She was Princess Gwendolyn and Kate in the movie "Prince Charming" (2001). After playing Cameron Diaz's level-headed best friend, Courtney Rockcliffe, in "The Sweetest Thing" (2002), she appeared in "Heroes" (2002), the romantic airplane comedy "View from the Top" (2003), the true-crime film "Wonderland" (2003) based on the Wonderland murders, and the Gram Parsons biopic "Grand Theft Parsons" (2003). In 2004, she starred with Ben Affleck in the holiday comedy "Surviving Christmas" and with Matt Dillon in "Employee of the Month". She was the executive producer of "Comforters, Miserable" (2001).


title: Christina Applegate

text: Applegate guest-starred on "Friends" in the ninth (2002) and tenth (2003) seasons in episodes titled "The One with Rachel's Other Sister" and "The One Where Rachel's Sister Babysits" as Amy Green, Rachel Green's (Jennifer Aniston) sister. She won the Primetime Emmy Award from two nominations for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her performance in "The One with Rachel's Other Sister."


title: Christina Applegate

text: Applegate received recognition for her portrayal of anchorwoman Veronica Corningstone in the 2004 comedy films "" and "", an alternative film comprising alternate takes and deleted scenes and story elements.


title: Christina Applegate

text: Applegate has performed on stage in "The Axeman's Jazz", "Nobody Leaves Empty Handed", "The Runthrough", and John Cassavetes' "The Third Day" (co-starring Gena Rowlands). In 2004, she debuted on Broadway as Charity Hope Valentine in a revival of the 1966 musical "Sweet Charity". In late April 2005, she took part in the annual Broadway Cares' Easter Bonnet Competition, being sawed in half by a magician in their Clearly Impossible sawing illusion. "Sweet Charity" ended its Broadway run on December 31, 2005. Applegate won the 2005 Theatre World Award and was nominated for a 2005 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her role in the musical.


title: Christina Applegate

text: While appearing in "Sweet Charity", Applegate broke her foot and it was announced that the musical would close during previews. She persuaded the producers to rescind their decision. Because of her injury, she had to wear special shoes to prevent another accident. In a 2013 interview, she said that because of what happened, she "actually can't dance anymore. And that is sad for me because I always wanted to go back. But I probably won't be able to." She does dance whenever the opportunity presents, but cannot perform in strenuous roles.


title: Christina Applegate

text: In 2006, Applegate appeared in Jessica Simpson's music video for "A Public Affair" with Eva Longoria, Ryan Seacrest, and Christina Milian. She starred in the ABC comedy "Samantha Who?" from October 15, 2007, until it was cancelled on May 18, 2009; the finale aired on July 23, 2009. The series co-starred Jean Smart, Jennifer Esposito, and Melissa McCarthy and focused on a 30-year-old who, after a hit-and-run accident, develops amnesia and has to rediscover her life, her relationships, and herself. She received two nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series and two nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy. Shortly after the cancellation was announced, she began a campaign to get the show back into production, which failed. She topped the list of "People"'s Most Beautiful People in 2009. She appeared with her "Married With Children" brother David Faustino in an episode of Faustino's comedy series "Star-ving".


title: Christina Applegate

text: Applegate voiced Catherine the Cat in the three-dimensional talking animal sequel "" (2010). She said her mother wanted her to be involved in the film. Prior to "Cats & Dogs 2", she voiced Brittany, one of the Chipettes, in "" (2009), "" (2011), and "" (2015).


title: Christina Applegate

text: Applegate starred in the NBC sitcom "Up All Night" with Maya Rudolph and Will Arnett, which debuted on September 14, 2011. On February 8, 2013, she left the series after its second-season hiatus, which was leading into a planned format change. The series was ultimately cancelled.


title: Christina Applegate

text: On July 31, 2013, Applegate was featured on the second episode of the fourth season of the revived American version of the TLC series "Who Do You Think You Are?". The episode centered on Applegate trying to find information about her paternal grandmother, Lavina Applegate Walton, who was absent for most of Applegate's father's life and died when he was young. Applegate learned that Walton died in 1955 from tuberculosis and alcohol-related cirrhosis.


title: Christina Applegate

text: In 2013, Applegate reprised her role as Veronica Corningstone in the comedy sequel film "". The film received positive reviews from critics and was a box office success. In 2014, she had a starring voice role as Mary Beth in the animated musical fantasy film "The Book of Life". In 2015, she starred with Ed Helms in the "National Lampoon" sequel "Vacation", the fifth full-length movie episode of the road-trip comedies. They played Rusty Griswold and his wife, Debbie, who with their two sons take a trip to Walley World, just as Rusty did with his parents in the 1983 original film, "National Lampoon's Vacation". The film was poorly reviewed, but was a box office success. In 2016, she starred as Gwendolyn James in the comedy film "Bad Moms" with Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, and Kathryn Hahn. The film earned mixed reviews from critics and was a box office success. She reprised her role for a cameo appearance in the November 2017 sequel "A Bad Moms Christmas".


title: Christina Applegate

text: In July 2018, Applegate co-starred with Linda Cardellini in the Netflix dark comedy series "Dead to Me" and executive produced the series with Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, and Jessica Elbaum. The series received critical acclaim. Applegate received two nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her performance in seasons one and two and nominations for a Golden Globe Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, and TCA Award.


title: Christina Applegate

text: On November 14, 2022, she received a star on Hollywood Walk of Fame. She was accompanied by her "Married With Children" co-stars Katey Sagal and David Faustino. Her star was placed adjacent to Sagal and Ed O'Neill's stars.


title: Christina Applegate

text: On October 20, 2001, Applegate married actor Johnathon Schaech in Palm Springs, California. Schaech filed for divorce in December 2005, citing irreconcilable differences, and the divorce was finalized in August 2007. In 2009, she began dating Dutch musician Martyn LeNoble. The couple became engaged on Valentine's Day 2010 and married on February 23, 2013, at their Los Angeles home. It was the second marriage for both. They have one daughter, born in January 2011. Applegate is a vegetarian, and in 2007 appeared in an anti-fur advertisement for PETA.


title: Christina Applegate

text: In 2008, "People" reported that Applegate had been diagnosed with breast cancer. A representative stated, "Christina Applegate was diagnosed with an early stage of breast cancer. Detected early through a doctor-ordered MRI, the cancer was not life-threatening. Christina is following the recommended treatment of her doctors and will have a full recovery." It was announced that she was cancer-free after a double mastectomy, although cancer had been found in only one breast. She has an inherited genetic trait, a "BRCA1" mutation, which can trigger breast and ovarian cancer. Her mother is also a breast cancer survivor. Applegate said when she first was diagnosed, "I was just shaking and then, also immediately, I had to go into 'take-care-of-business mode,' which included a change to a more healthy diet."


title: Christina Applegate

text: In August 2021, Applegate announced that she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis a few months prior. The disease heavily affected her ability to perform on set during the final season of "Dead to Me", the success of which she accredits to her co-star Linda Cardellini and showrunner Liz Feldman's support and openness in making reasonable adjustments to her filming schedule.


title: Christina Applegate

text: Applegate has supported Entertainment Industry Foundation, Adopt-A-Classroom, The Motion Picture and Television Fund Foundation, World Animal Protection, and the Trevor Project. In 2003, she was the spokesman for the Lee National Denim Day, which raises millions of dollars for breast cancer education and research. Following her breast cancer diagnosis, she appeared on a television special, "Stand Up to Cancer", designed to raise funds for breast cancer research. The one-hour special was broadcast on CBS, NBC and ABC television networks on September 5, 2008.


title: Christina Applegate

text: In 2009, Applegate announced plans to return as the ambassador for Lee National Denim Day. Also in 2009, she founded Right Action for Women, a charitable foundation dedicated to breast-cancer screening for women and focused on the type of MRI scan that saved her life. In February 2015, she was awarded the Saint Vintage Love Cures Award at the 2nd annual event hosted by "Variety" magazine for her dedication to and work with Right Action for Women.


title: Berserk (manga)

text: "Berserk" was adapted into a 25-episode anime television series by OLM, which covered the Golden Age story arc, and was broadcast from October 1997 to March 1998. The Golden Age arc was also adapted into a ; the first two films premiered in 2012 and the third film premiered in 2013. A second 24-episode anime television series adaptation was broadcast for two seasons in 2016 and 2017.


title: Berserk (manga)

text: As of May 2021, the "Berserk" manga had over 50 million copies in circulation, including digital versions, making it one of the best-selling manga series of all time. It received the Award for Excellence at the 6th installment of the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 2002. "Berserk" has been widely acclaimed, particularly for its dark setting, storytelling, characters, and Miura's detailed artwork.


title: Berserk (manga)

text: Guts is a lone warrior who was born from a hanged corpse and raised as a mercenary by his abusive adoptive father Gambino. It came to a head when Guts was forced to kill a drunk Gambino in self-defense, fleeing his mercenary group and becomes a wandering sellsword. His fearsome reputation catches the attention of Griffith, the charismatic leader of a mercenary group known as the Band of the Hawk. Griffith forces Guts to join the group after defeating him in battle, with Guts becoming his best fighter and main confidante. The Band is hired by the kingdom of Midland to help in its century-long war against the Chuder Empire. Guts learns of Griffith's desire to rule a kingdom of his own and his mysterious pendant known as a Behelit. The Behelit is instrumental when they are spared by Nosferatu Zodd, a monstrous immortal who leaves Guts with a cryptic warning of a painful demise for being Griffith's friend.


title: Berserk (manga)

text: As Griffith mingles with Midland nobility while acquainting himself with the king's daughter Charlotte, Guts begins developing feelings for his fellow commander Casca, the Hawks' only female member. But upon overhearing Griffith confessing to Charlotte that he only considers someone with their own dream as a friend, Guts decides to leave the group once Midland has won its war so he find his own dream. But Gut’s decision inadvertently causes Griffith to fall into a emotional spiral that culminates in being arrested for seducing Charlotte in a moment of weakness, losing his Behelit while subjected to endless torture with Hawks being declared criminals by the Midland army. Guts, having spent a year training to become a better swordsman, is warned by a mysterious being known as the "Skull Knight" that his actions have instigated an "Eclipse". Learning of the Hawks' predicament, Guts rejoins them to rescue Griffith, while also consummating his feelings for Casca.


title: Berserk (manga)

text: Despite a successful rescue while fleeing to Midland’s borders, the Hawks learn Griffith became physically incapable to lead them as they, Casca and Guts determine how to proceed with this turn of events. When Griffith regains his Behelit while injuring himself during a solar eclipse, the pendant uses his blood to establish a temporary convergence of the physical world and the supernatural astral realm in the form of a hellscape. The Hawks encounter a quartet of archdemons known as the "Godhand" who have gathered for a ritual known as the Eclipse, revealing that Griffith has been chosen to become their final member and can only transcend his humanity if he offers his comrades as sacrificial offerings. Griffith accepts once reminded of the person he has always been, the Hawks all then branded with demonic sigils while being slaughtered by the Godhand's Apostles—humans like Zodd who attained power by sacrificing their loved ones and humanity. Only Guts and Casca survive the massacre, but Griffith's first act as the being Femto is to rape Casca in front of Guts; with an enraged Guts losing his left forearm and right eye in his attempt to save her. They are rescued by the Skull Knight, but the ordeal traumatizes Casca enough to regress her mind to a childlike state. Guts learns from the Skull Knight that their "Brands of Sacrifice" makes them targets for specters and other beings of darkness on a nightly basis. Guts leaves Casca in the care of the blacksmith Godo, his adoptive daughter Erica, and Rickert, the last and youngest member of the Band of the Hawk, who survived by not being present at the Eclipse. Godo outfits Guts with a giant new sword, "Dragonslayer", and a prosthetic left arm with a built-in cannon and crossbow. Guts begins hunting down the Apostles to find and kill Griffith while followed by a demonic phantom called the Demon Child; which is actually Guts and Casca's unborn child after it was deformed by Femto's rape.


title: Berserk (manga)

text: Two years later, after having killed many Apostles and earning the nickname of "the Black Swordsman", Guts is joined by an elf named Puck. They are captured by Farnese, captain of the Holy See Church's Holy Iron Chain Knights, who believes Guts is a foretold harbinger of the apocalypse. Guts escapes after saving Farnese from specters, returning to an ailing Godo while learning that Casca wandered off. His search for her takes him to the refugee-infested city of St. Albion, a city the Godhand have prepared as the site for an Incarnation ceremony to give one of their own a physical form. Guts saves Casca from the fanatical Holy See bishop Mozgus as the city descends into nightmarish chaos from the souls of the dead attacking. Joined by Farnese, her bodyguard Serpico, and a young thief named Isidro, Guts and Casca survive the ordeal as a misshapen apostle living under St. Albion ingests the dying Demon Child and uses its body to reconstitute Griffith into a physical form.


title: Berserk (manga)

text: Guts encounters Griffith and Zodd at Godo's home and they engage in battle; the nearby enchanted mine, which sheltered Casca from the nightly demon attacks, is destroyed by Zodd while Griffith realizes some lingering traces of the Demon Child persist within him. To try and find a means of restoring her mind, Guts decides to journey with Casca to Puck's homeland of Elfhelm, on the island of Skellig. He allows Isidro, Farnese and Serpico to follow him out of fear that he will lose control of himself to his dark impulses—embodied as a demonic black dog within his mind—with Farnese becoming Casca's primary caretaker. At the same time, Griffith creates a second Band of the Hawk with Zodd and other Apostles to save Midland from the invading Kushan Empire, led by their rogue Apostle emperor, Ganishka.


title: Berserk (manga)

text: Guts' group encounters the witch Flora and her apprentice Shierke while saving a village from marauding trolls. Schierke begins to teach Farnese magic and dampens the effects of the sacrificial brands on Guts and Casca via magical seals. Flora gives Guts a dangerous relic known as the Berserker Armor, which increases his physical capability with the added risk of being consumed by his inner darkness. Flora is later killed when the New Band of the Hawk destroy the tree she made her home in. After escaping the destruction of Flora's home, during a full moon, Guts' party encounters Moonlight Boy, a small boy who does not speak but expresses a fondness for Guts and Casca. The boy disappears after the full moon passes. While Guts and his party secure a ship called the "Seahorse", captained by Farnese's erstwhile fiancée, Prince Roderick, to reach Elfhelm amidst a Kushan attack on the port, Griffith's war with Ganishka reaches its climax; the emperor is destroyed following his transition into a god-like abomination that causes a worldwide overlapping of the mortal and astral realms. Unopposed and with Charlotte and the Holy See's blessing, Griffith establishes the city of Falconia to provide refuge for Midlanders and the rest of humanity from the numerous mythical creatures that manifested when the realms merged.


title: Berserk (manga)

text: After a dramatic battle with a supernatural island-sized monster known as the Sea God and recruiting a merrow girl named Isma, Guts' party reaches Elfhelm. The elf ruler, Danann, helps Farnese and Schierke travel into Casca's mind and restore her to her former self. Despite her recovery, Casca is still traumatized from her ordeal to the point of finding it difficult to be around Guts without remembering the events of the Eclipse. Farnese and Schierke begin training with the other apprentice witches and wizards living on Skellig, the former taking an interest in the power to heal human souls to help Casca. At the same time, the Skull Knight tells Guts his journey is at an end, introduces him to the creator of the Berserker Armor, and explains his own past with the Godhand and its leader Void. The Moonlight Boy appears on Elfheim during a full moon. Danann senses no malice from the child and he is allowed to stay, forming a mother-son bond with Casca. It is revealed that Moonlight Boy is the Demon Child, who can take control of the body Griffith resides in during a full moon. Griffith regains control of his host when day breaks and unnerves Guts with his inability to harm him before Zodd arrives. Griffith proceeds to abduct a incapacitated Casca while killing the island's giant spirit tree. The tree's destruction not only unleashes a torrent of evil spirits that nearly submerge the island, but also cause Danann, Isma and the other magical creatures, except Puck and Ivalera, to disappear into the Astral Realm. The survivors sail off on the "Seahorse", defeated with their only advantage against Griffith gone. Guts breaks down in despair as a whirlpool begins to draw in the ship. Meanwhile, Griffith and Zodd return to the mainland with Casca.


title: Berserk (manga)

text: While briefly working as an assistant to George Morikawa at 18, Miura had already planned some ideas for "Berserk"s development, having a dark warrior with a gigantic sword illustrated in his portfolio who would be the first conception of Guts. Miura submitted manuscripts to a "shōnen" manga magazine for about four years before working for Hakusensha. However, he felt that he was not capable enough for it and they were also not interested in publishing science fiction or fantasy works. In 1988, while working with Buronson on a manga titled "King of Wolves", Miura published a prototype of "Berserk" in Hakusensha's "Gekkan ComiComi". This 48-page prototype placed 2nd at the 7th "ComiComi"s Manga-School prize. He later submitted his work to a magazine that, at the time, "was on the verge of going under," and he was switched around between several editors before meeting his first editor. The serialization of "Berserk" began in Hakusensha's "Monthly Animal House" in 1989. Miura commented that he landed the serial as soon as he made his debut, so he never had the opportunity to receive much criticism from editors.


title: Berserk (manga)

text: Miura stated that the inspiration for the series' title was diffuse at the time of creation. He did not have information about the berserkers or the Berserker Armor (which first appeared in the 222nd chapter) planned out from the start. He chose the word, telling himself that "its mysterious aspect would stick well." Miura said that the title was connected to Guts' imagery, influenced by "Mad Max"'s eponymous character, further elaborating: "In short, starting from a world with a dark hero who is burning for revenge, prompts you to imagine a rabid character. When, guided by his anger, he will pour out this rage on overpowered enemies, we must insist on his fanaticism if you want to stay consistent. That's why I thought "Berserk" would make a perfect title to represent my universe." According to Miura, the series' dark fantasy setting was inspired by the 1982 film "Conan the Barbarian" and the "Elric of Melniboné" series. Miura stated that he did not see dark fantasy as a genre in itself, but rather as an equivalent of general fantasy. He commented that outside of Japan the big works of fantasy, like "The Lord of the Rings", contain dark elements, and in Japan, the fantasy genre was popularized by video games like "Dragon Quest", which were aimed at children, and therefore, expurgated the dark elements, but since he received the influence from novels before that of those games, Miura "naturally turned to dark fantasy."


title: Berserk (manga)

text: Miura said that "Fist of the North Star", by Buronson and Tetsuo Hara, was the work that had the greatest impact on his own work, helping as well to develop his art style. Miura also mentioned animator and manga artist Yoshikazu Yasuhiko and manga artist Fujihiko Hosono as early influences to his art style. "Violence Jack" by Go Nagai and "Guin Saga" by Kaoru Kurimoto inspired the series' story and atmosphere. "" by Masatoshi Uchizaki served him as a reference for his backgrounds. Miura said that his favorite manga series was "Dororo" by Osamu Tezuka, and that he wanted to create a fantasy work that possessed dark, "muddy" and "yōkai"-like elements. Miura was also influenced by "Star Wars", adding that he learned the basics of storytelling from George Lucas and called the eponymous 1977 film his favorite work. Miura commented about the influence of "shōjo" manga on the series, stating that it is about "expressing every feeling powerfully." Particularly, he mentioned influence from Yumiko Ōshima, and that the anime adaptations of "The Rose of Versailles" and "Aim for the Ace!", both directed by Osamu Dezaki, inspired him to read "The Rose of Versailles" manga and the works of Keiko Takemiya, notably "Kaze to Ki no Uta".


title: Berserk (manga)

text: Some aspects of Guts (personality and design) were partially inspired by Miura's highschool friend and later fellow manga artist , by Mad Max, and by Rutger Hauer's performances in "Flesh and Blood", "Blade Runner", "The Hitcher" and "The Blood of Heroes". Guts' prosthetic hand was inspired by "Dororo"s Hyakkimaru and "Cobra" eponymous protagonist. Kurt, the protagonist of "", by Shinji Wada, and an illustration of a giant wielding a sword, featured in "The Snow Queen" ("Guin Saga" spin-off), inspired the size of Guts' sword, the Dragon Slayer, by mixing both characters' swords. Miura commented that when drawing the Dragon Slayer, he wanted to emulate the effect of Kenshiro's or Raoh's ("Fist of the North Star") fist "flying out from the page," but he felt that Guts' sword did not have the same feeling of weight as a fist. He wanted to convey an "extension of reality" feel to the sword, similar to the depiction of the "Fist of the North Star"s Hokuto Shinken martial art, and make it believable for the readers. Miura stated that "Black Swordsman" Guts was the first thing he was set on, but he did not have any idea about what his backstory would be. He focused on the character development up until around the third or fourth volume and then he would think about what brought him to revenge.


title: Berserk (manga)

text: "Berserk" is known for its frequent and often extended hiatuses, which date back to late 2006. Following a chapter of the main storyline released in February 2012, three consecutive chapters about Guts' childhood were published from June to July of the same year. The main storyline resumed after eight months in October 2012, and the series went on hiatus after a chapter published in December of the same year. Miura took a break to work on his 6-chapter mini-series "Giganto Maxia", and "Berserk" was published intermittently from April to September 2014. After a 10-month hiatus, the manga came back in July 2015, and was published monthly until November of the same year, before entering on hiatus. It was published monthly from June to September 2016, before entering another hiatus. The manga resumed publication from March to June 2017, and was then published on a monthly basis from December 2017 to May 2018. Four months after, another chapter was published in August 2018, before entering an 8-month hiatus. Two chapters were published in April and August 2019. Three chapters were published in April, July and October 2020, respectively. A chapter was published in January 2021.


title: Berserk (manga)

text: On May 20, 2021, Hakusensha announced that Miura died at 54 due to an acute aortic dissection on May 6, leaving it undecided what would happen to the series. The posthumous 364th chapter of "Berserk" was published in "Young Animal" on September 10 of the same year, which was Miura's last work, and members of Miura's Studio Gaga, which consisted of him and his group of assistants and apprentices, worked to finish the manuscript of the chapter. The magazine's issue was a "memorial" to Miura, featuring a special "Messages to Kentarou Miura" booklet and a poster of "famous scenes" from the manga. In the same issue, Hakusensha stated that the future of the series remained uncertain and that the staff's priority would "always be placed on him—what he would think if he were still with us." The afterword in the manga's 41st volume (released in December 2021) from "Young Animal"s editorial staff stated that the future of the manga was still undecided.


title: Berserk (manga)

text: On June 7, 2022, Hakusensha and Kouji Mori announced that the series would continue publication, using plans and thoughts that were relayed to Mori by Miura himself, as well as memorandums and character designs that Miura left behind. Mori related how he had visited Miura nearly 30 years ago when the latter was drawing "the Eclipse" event of "Berserk" and how his friend completed the storyline for the manga up to its last chapter that week. Mori explained that the story for "Berserk" had since gone on "exactly as we discussed at the time, with almost no changes." As the only person who knows the ending Miura intended, Mori agreed to continue the series and promised, "I will only write the episodes that Miura talked to me about. I will not flesh it out. I will not write episodes that I don't remember clearly. I will only write the lines and stories that Miura described to me." "Berserk" continued with six chapters finishing the "Fantasia Arc/Elf Island Chapter", beginning from June 24, 2022, before starting a new arc afterward, with the credits as "original work by Kentaro Miura, art by Studio Gaga, supervised by Kouji Mori".


title: Berserk (manga)

text: "Berserk" explores a wide range of themes and topics. Free will, destiny, and causality are discussed within the series. Human resilience is a recurring theme, with many characters coming from traumatic backgrounds, constantly struggling against an unjust world. Guts struggles with destiny itself and is constantly resisting the pull of predetermination. Griffith also embodies this idea of resilience, by chasing his dream of ruling his own kingdom, despite his lowborn origins, as well as free will, by his own decision to sacrifice the Band of the Hawk in order to achieve his dream.


title: Berserk (manga)

text: The series also explores human nature and morality, as characters struggle between becoming good human beings or falling into madness and evil. Guts, at the beginning of the story, is presented as an antihero who does not care about killing and is indifferent to people who aid him. Guts does not act in accordance with definitions of right and wrong, he operates within a gray area, and does not attempt to be heroic or protect the innocent. However, as the story progresses, it is shown that he is in fact a person who is deeply conflicted internally. His tragic and traumatic past, unfolded in the Golden Age arc, proves that Guts is a much more complex character. Anne Lauenroth of "Anime News Network" wrote that Griffith is "not evil at all," but "arrogant and brutally realistic about human nature." The suppression of his own human nature would initiate his demise as the Hawk and the rise of Femto.


title: Berserk (manga)

text: Friendship, comradery and human relations are other explored themes. As a child, Guts tried to build some level of friendship with his mercenary group, but due to his traumatic experience with them, he lost trust in people. However, through the time he was with Griffith and the rest of the Band of the Hawk, Guts formed bonds, friendships, animosities and co-dependencies, maturing as well as individual. Miura stated that he based the Band of the Hawk on his own high school friend relationship experience. Specifically, he mentioned that his friendship with later fellow manga artist Kouji Mori partially inspired the relationship between Guts and Griffith. Jacob Chapman of "Anime News Network", wrote that through their friendship, Guts' ambitions were elevated and Griffith's were lowered, allowing both of them to consider a new future for the first time, one where they fight side by side as equals and die on the battlefield, but they reject this future out of their own personal fears, as Guts did not think he was "good enough" for a happy future and Griffith was terrified of his lofty dream crumbling into something more mundane. Miura also said that the story of fight between Guts and Griffith speaks about their change after having built their personalities.


title: Berserk (manga)

text: The Golden Age arc has been compared to a Greek tragedy. According to Lauenroth, Griffith's "hamartia" lies in how he compartmentalizes his feelings of guilt and shame that would get in the way of his dream and how he deals to repress them. His inner dialogue in his second duel with Guts, "If I can't have him, I don't care," marks the Golden Age arc peripeteia. When Guts comes running to rescue him during the Eclipse, Griffith reaches his moment of anagnorisis with his thought: "You're the only one... who made me forget my dream."


title: Berserk (manga)

text: Betrayal and revenge are major themes in the series. Guts suffered his first betrayal when Gambino sold Guts' body to another soldier for a few coins. He would eventually take revenge against the soldier, killing him on the battlefield and he later would kill Gambino as well. Guts is in a quest for revenge after his comrades were betrayed by Griffith and sacrificed by the God Hand. This desire for vengeance has been his main reason of survival.


title: Berserk (manga)

text: Religion has been also touched in the series, mainly through the characters of Mozgus and Farnese. Miura stated that he created Mozgus based on the concept of rigid personality to create a religious fanatic character with no flexibility. Farnese is presented as the figurehead of the Holy Iron Chain Knights, inquisitors tasked with burning heretics and witches at the stake. After her encounter with Guts, she finds it increasingly difficult to resolve her faith with the atrocities she became party to, as Guts, inversely, takes action against something he disagrees with. Guts denounces the very idea of prayer, claiming that the act of clasping hands only prevents people from fighting for their lives. Farnese eventually begins to reject her faith and the rigidity of her beliefs after finding out the truth about Mozgus. After the battle between Guts and Mozgus, Farnese decides to follow Guts, to find a new purpose in her life, away from her social position and the church.


title: Berserk (manga)

text: Written and illustrated by Kentaro Miura, "Berserk" debuted in Hakusensha's "" in August 1989 (October issue). Hakusensha published the first "tankōbon" volume of "Berserk" under its Jets Comics imprint on November 26, 1990. In 1992, "Monthly Animal House" was replaced by "Young Animal", and Miura continued the series' irregular publication in the semimonthly magazine before his death in May 2021; the series resumed publication in June 2022, under supervision of Miura's fellow manga artist and childhood friend , with illustrations by Miura's group of assistants and apprentices from Studio Gaga. In June 2016, Hakusensha's Jets Comics imprint was rebranded as Young Animal Comics and the first thirty-seven volumes of "Berserk" were re-published with new cover arts. As of December 24, 2021, forty-one volumes have been published; the posthumous 41st volume came in both regular and special editions, the latter included special canvas art drawn by Miura and a drama CD.


title: Berserk (manga)

text: In North America, Dark Horse Comics, in conjunction with Digital Manga Publishing, announced the license of the manga in 2003. The first volume was published on October 22, 2003. , forty volumes have been published. In September 2018, Dark Horse Comics announced a deluxe edition of "Berserk", featuring hard covers and larger prints, with the first volume (collecting original volumes 1–3) released on February 27, 2019. The eleventh and latest volume (collecting original volumes 31–33) was released on August 10, 2022.


title: Berserk (manga)

text: "Berserk" was adapted into a 25-episode anime television series, produced by Nippon Television and VAP, animated by Oriental Light and Magic, and directed by Naohito Takahashi. The first episode begins with the Black Swordsman arc and shifts into the Golden Age arc thereafter. It was broadcast in Japan on Nippon TV from October 8, 1997, to April 1, 1998.


title: Berserk (manga)

text: The "Berserk" Golden Age arc was adapted into a trilogy of theatrical anime films by Studio 4°C. The first film, "The Egg of the King", premiered in Japan on February 4, 2012. The second film, "The Battle for Doldrey", premiered in Japan on June 23, 2012. The third film, "The Advent", premiered in Japan on February 1, 2013. A remastered television broadcast edition, labeled as "Memorial Edition", started airing on October 2, 2022.


title: Berserk (manga)

text: A second anime television series adaptation of "Berserk" was produced by Liden Films and animated by GEMBA and Millepensee. The series' 12-episode first season covered the manga's Conviction arc. It was broadcast on Wowow and MBS's Animeism anime programming block from July 1 to September 16, 2016. A 12-episode second season, which covered the first half of manga's Falcon of the Millennium Empire arc, was broadcast from April 7 to June 23, 2017.


title: Berserk (manga)

text: Two video games based on "Berserk" have been developed by Yuke's. The first game, , was released for the Dreamcast in Japan by ASCII Corporation in late 1999. It was localized in western regions early the following year by Eidos Interactive.


title: Berserk (manga)

text: The second game, , was published by Sammy Corporation exclusively in Japan on the PlayStation 2 in 2004.


title: Berserk (manga)

text: A "Berserk"-themed spin-off of Omega Force's "Dynasty Warriors" series, titled was released on October 27, 2016, in Japan, and later in the U.S. on February 21, 2017, for PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita and PC via Steam.


title: Berserk (manga)

text: "Dragon's Dogma" featured armor sets from the "Berserk: The Golden Age Arc" films and "" made characters as they appeared in the 2016 TV series adaptation of "Berserk" playable. In December 2021, the MMORPG "Lineage W" announced a collaboration with "Berserk", including the ability to play as Guts.


title: Berserk (manga)

text: A spin-off novel, titled , written by Makoto Fukami with illustrations by Kentaro Miura, was released on June 23, 2017. It is focused on the past of the new Band of the Hawk's apostle Grunbeld. In North America, the novel was published in English by Dark Horse on April 17, 2019.


title: Berserk (manga)

text: A trading card game was released by Konami in Japan in 2003 and 2004. "Berserk" has spurred a line of statues and action figures produced by Art of War, Prime 1 Studio and First 4 Figures. Various figma figures by Max Factory based on the characters have been released, including Guts (Black Swordsman version, Band of the Hawk version and Berserker Armor version), Griffith and Femto, Casca and the Godhand. "Berserk" inspired two pachinko machines that feature original CG animation.


title: Berserk (manga)

text: With the publication of the 40th volume of the manga on September 18, 2018, a promotional video, featuring actor Shigeru Matsuzaki portraying Guts, was streamed.


title: Berserk (manga)

text: , a special event to celebrate the 30th anniversary of "Berserk", was announced in October 2020. It was originally scheduled to be held at Ikebukuro Sunshine City's Exhibition Hall A in Tokyo from January 30 to February 15, 2021. However, due to COVID-19 pandemic concerns, the event was postponed. The event was rebranded as , and was held at the same location from September 10–23, 2021. The exhibition was held in Osaka from December 11, 2021, to January 30, 2022.


title: Berserk (manga)

text: A drama CD, featuring the return of the 2016 anime's cast, portraying the "Awakening" chapter of the manga, was published with the special edition of the 41st volume of the manga on December 24, 2021.


title: Berserk (manga)

text: The 1988 prototype chapter of "Berserk" placed 2nd at the 7th "ComiComi"s Manga-School prize. The manga was a finalist for the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th installments of the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2001, respectively. In 2002, "Berserk" earned Miura the Award for Excellence at the 6th installment of the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize, being awarded along with Takehiko Inoue, who won the Grand Prize for "Vagabond". "Berserk" was one of the Manga Division's Jury Recommended Works at the 5th and 6th installments of the Japan Media Arts Festival Awards in 2001 and 2002, respectively. "Berserk: Birth of the Black Swordsman", a 15-second video commercial for the 2016 anime television series adaptation, was one of the Entertainment Division's Jury Recommended Works at the 20th installment of the Japan Media Arts Festival Awards in 2017.


title: Berserk (manga)

text: In 2016, "Berserk" ranked 38th on the 17th "Book of the Year" list by "Da Vinci" magazine; it ranked 44th on the 22nd list in 2022. On TV Asahi's Manga Sōsenkyo 2021 poll, in which 150,000 people voted for their top 100 manga series, "Berserk" ranked 91st.


title: Berserk (manga)

text: In 2007, the manga received the prize of best seinen manga at the Japan Expo Awards. "Berserk" won the French "AnimeLand"s Anime & Manga Grand Prix for Best Classic Seinen in 2008, 2009 and 2013. It won the Spanish Manga Barcelona award for the "seinen" category in 2013 and 2021.


title: Berserk (manga)

text: Volumes 33–41 of "Berserk" debuted in the top six on Oricon weekly manga chart from 2008 to 2021. Volumes 34 and 40 debuted #1 in 2009 and 2018, respectively. , the manga had over 27 million copies in print in Japan and 8 million overseas. , the manga had over 40 million copies in circulation. As of May 2021, the manga had over 50 million copies in circulation, including digital versions. "Berserk" received an Excellence Award of Hakusensha's Denshi Shoseki Taishō (E-Book Award) in 2015, which went to the publisher's best-selling digital manga from July 1, 2014, to June 30, 2015; it won the same award in its 2021 edition, which went for the publisher's best-selling digital manga from January 1 to December 31, 2021.


title: Berserk (manga)

text: In March 2017, Michael Gombos, Dark Horse Comics' director of international publishing and licensing, reported that "Berserk" was their best-selling product of all time (not just among manga), dethroning "Lone Wolf and Cub", and it had over 2 million copies sold in North America . Following Miura's death announcement in May 2021, it was reported that the first eight volumes of Dark Horse's deluxe edition of "Berserk" ranked on Amazon's top 100 overall best-selling books list. According to "ICv2", "Berserk" was the 4th best-selling manga franchise for fall 2021 (September–December) in the United States, and it was also the 10th "most efficient manga franchise" for retailer bookshelves, based on the website's calculations of which manga franchises had the highest sales per volume.


title: Berserk (manga)

text: "Berserk" has been widely acclaimed by critics. Reviewing the first volume, Michael Aronson of "Manga Life" described "Berserk" as "a curious mix of medieval barbarism, sorcery and futurist technology, combining ghouls, guns and gore. The result is beautifully rendered badass action with enough bloody violence to keep fans of the genre happy." "Publishers Weekly" wrote: ""Berserk" offers a montage of merciless violence and thrilling action sequences in a blend of pure fantasy and graphic horror." Grant Goodman of "Pop Culture Shock" wrote: ""Berserk" redefines what is considered a well-written fantasy manga. There are few manga that come anywhere close to creating a complex tale that includes medieval warfare, magic, and horror." Reviewing the first two volumes, Greg McElhatton of "Read About Comics" wrote: "it's still hard to identify what about "Berserk" brings across such a fascination. Is it the characters? The visual look of the monsters? The little hints of a troubled past, like Guts' tattoo that oozes blood? All of the above? I'm not sure, but I do know that I'm hooked." In his review of the third volume, Daniel Briscoe of "The Fandom Post" called the series "a tragic story of hatred, violence, and innocence lost," adding that Miura "manages to pack so much emotion, both good and bad, next to so much violence and gore I believe is a testament to his writing and his artwork." In his review of the first six volumes, Satyajit Chetri of "Rolling Stone" wrote: "By the end of the fifth volume, "Berserk" has morphed into a touching tale of humanity, friendship and ambition. It is less about the blood spilt and more about the choices made by the characters, the small twists that will ultimately turn friends into nemeses." Reviewing the twelfth volume, Eduardo M. Chavez writing for "AnimeOnDVD", commented that despite its long-running publication, ""Berserk" is as shocking and unique as ever this far into the series. There are few titles out there that can sustain the level of intensity and relevance as this." In his review of the twenty-first volume, Scott Cambpell of "Active Anime" wrote: "The deep, dark places that this manga travels to both in story and in artistic expression can be as interesting and captivating as they are horrifying," adding that the are not many other stories or manga quite like "Berserk".