25 Best Manga of All time

Story by Eiji Yoshikawa & Art by Takehiko Inoue, 37 Volumes, 327 Chapters (On-Hiatus)

At seventeen years of age, Miyamoto Musashi, still known by his childhood name, Shinmen Takezō was a wild young brute just setting out along the way of the sword.
In the aftermath of the epic Battle of Sekigahara, Takezō finds himself a fugitive survivor on the losing side of the war. Takezō’s vicious nature has made him an outcast even in his own village, and he is hunted down like an animal. At this crucial crossroads in Takezō’s life, an eccentric monk and a childhood friend are the only ones who can help him find his way.

Note: Won the 24th Kodansha Manga Award in the general category in 2000. Won the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 2002 and was nominated for the 2003 Eisner Award in the Best Writer/Artist category.

Story & Art by Yuki Urushibara, 10 Volumes, 50 Chapters (Complete)

Some live in the deep darkness behind your eyelids. Some eat silence. Some thoughtlessly kill. Some simply drive men mad. They are known as mushi creatures that came into being shortly after life emerged from the primordial ooze. They still exist parallel to our own lives and can only be seen by a select few. As a mushishi, Ginko is one of the few who are aware of their existense and this young man with a sardonic smile roams from place to place with the knowledge and skill to aid those unwittingly affected by mushi.

Story & Art by Akihito Tsukushi, 11 Volumes, 64 Chapters (Ongoing)

In an age when the corners of the world have been scoured for their secrets, only one place remains unexplored–a massive cave system known as the Abyss. Those who traverse its endless pits and labyrinth-like tunnels are known as Cave Raiders. A young orphan named Riko dreams of following in her mother’s footsteps as a Cave Raider, and when she meets a strange robot when exploring the Abyss, she’s one step closer to achieving her goal.

Note: Nominated for the 11th Manga Taishou Awards (2018).

Story & Art by Naoki Urasawa,18 Volumes, 162 Chapters (Complete)

Monster weaves the riveting story of the brilliant Dr. Kenzo Tenma, a famous surgeon with a promising career at a leading hospital. Tenma risks his reputation and promising career to save the life of a critically wounded young boy. Unbeknownst to him, this child is destined for a terrible fate.

A string of strange and mysterious murders begin to occur soon afterward, ones that professionally benefit Dr. Tenma, and he emerges as the primary suspect. Conspiracies, serial murders, and a scathing depiction of the underbelly of hospital politics are all masterfully woven together in this compelling manga thriller.

Note: Won the 46th Shogakukan Manga Award in the general category.

Story & Art by Katsuhiro Otomo, 6 Volumes, 120 Chapters (Complete)

Akira is set in the post-apocalypse Neo-Tokyo of 2030, a vast metropolis built on the ashes of a Tokyo annihilated by an apocalyptic blast of unknown power that triggered World War III. The lives of two streetwise teenage friends, Tetsuo and Kaneda, change forever when dormant paranormal abilities begin to waken in Tetsuo, who becomes a target for a shadowy government operation, a group who will stop at nothing to prevent another catastrophe like that which leveled Tokyo. And at the core of their motivation is a raw, all-consuming fear. A fear of someone or something, of unthinkably monstrous power known only as “Akira”.

Note: Won the 1984 Kodansha Manga Award for best general manga, won the Harvey Award for Best American Edition of Foreign Material in 1993. Was nominated for the Harvey for Best Graphic Album of Previously Published Work in 2002. Won the Eisner Award for Best U.S. Edition of International Material in 2002, the Eisner Award for Best Archival Collection/Project in 2002 and The Akira 35th Anniversary Edition won the Eisner Award for Best Archival Collection/Project in 2018.

Story & Art by Ai Yazawa, 21 Volumes, 84 Chapters (On-Hiatus)

Nana Komatsu is a young woman who’s endured an unending string of boyfriend problems. Moving to Tokyo, she’s hoping to take control of her life and put all those messy misadventures behind her. She’s looking for love and she’s hoping to find it in the big city. Nana Osaki, on the other hand, is cool, confident and focused. She swaggers into town and proceeds to kick down the doors to Tokyo’s underground punk scene. She’s got a dream and won’t give up until she becomes Japan’s No. 1 rock’n’roll superstar.
This is the story of two 20-year-old women who share the same name. Even though they come from completely different backgrounds, they somehow meet and become best friends. The world of Nana is a world exploding with sex, music, fashion, gossip and all-night parties.

Note: The 2 one-shots that introduce the leads appeared in Cookie’s first two issues in late 1999 and early 2000. The first tankoubon released before the regular magazine serialization began leading to confusion around the manga´s debut.

Won the Shogakukan Manga Award for Shoujo in 2002. 

Story & Art by Hiroyuki Takei, 32 Volumes, 300 Chapters (Complete)

Shamans possess mysterious powers that allow them to commune with gods, spirits, and even the dead. High schooler Manta Oyamada doesn’t know much about them, but that changes fast when his class welcomes a new transfer student from remote Izumo: Yoh Asakura, a shaman in training! Although he may just be starting out, Yoh’s dream is a big one: to become the Shaman King, the one and only shaman who may commune with the Great Spirit and help remake the world for the better. But the road to this pinnacle of spiritual power runs through the Shaman Fight: a gauntlet of battles with rival mediums who call forth dizzying powers from the world of the dead in their own bids for the crown. It’d be nice if Yoh had a little more time to train and mature but the Shaman Fight is only held once every 500 years, so he’s going to have to grow up fast.

Story & Art by Masashi Kishimoto, 72 Volumes, 700 Chapters (Complete)

Twelve years ago the Village Hidden in the Leaves was attacked by a fearsome threat. A nine-tailed fox spirit claimed the life of the village leader, the Hokage, and many others. Today, the village is at peace and a troublemaking kid named Naruto is struggling to graduate from Ninja Academy. His goal may be to become the next Hokage, but his true destiny will be much more complicated. The adventure begins now.

Note: Nominated for the 19th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize and won the “Rookie of the Year” award in the media fine arts category by the Agency for Cultural Affairs in 2015.

Story & Art by Natsuki Takaya, 23 Volumes, 136 Chapters (Complete)

After a family tragedy turns her life upside down, plucky high schooler Tohru Honda takes matters into her own hands and moves out into a tent! Unfortunately for her, she pitches her new home on private land belonging to the mysterious Sohma clan, and it isn’t long before the owners discover her secret. But, as Tohru quickly finds out when the family offers to take her in, the Sohmas have a secret of their own—when touched by the opposite sex, they turn into the animals of the Chinese Zodiac.

Note: Won the 2001 Kodansha Manga Award in the shoujo manga category and the “Best Manga” award at the 2007 American Anime Awards.

Story & Art by Hideaki Sorachi, 77 Volumes, 709 Chapters (Complete)

During the Edo period, Japan is suddenly invaded by alien creatures known as the “Amanto.” Despite the samurai’s attempts to combat the extraterrestrial menace, the Shogun soon realizes that their efforts are futile and decides to surrender. This marks the beginning of an uneasy agreement between the Shogunate and Amanto, one that results in a countrywide sword ban and the disappearance of the samurai spirit.

However, there exists one eccentric individual who wields a wooden sword and refuses to let his samurai status die. Now that his kind are no longer needed, Gintoki Sakata performs various odd jobs around town in order to make ends meet. Joined by his self-proclaimed disciple Shinpachi Shimura, the fearsome alien Kagura, and a giant dog named Sadaharu, they run the business known as Yorozuya, often getting caught up in all sorts of crazy and hilarious shenanigans.

Volume 2 contains Shirokuro
There is a young professional “curser” who, trought mystical methods and a baseball bat, brings punishment to what law doesn’t punish, and to bring calm to hateful hearts. She meets a demon that tells her to give up her “work,” to keep the harmony between the human and supernatural worlds.

Story & Art by Aka Akasaka, 28 Volumes, 281 Chapters (Complete)

As leaders of their prestigious academy’s student council, Kaguya and Miyuki are the elite of the elite! But it’s lonely at the top. Luckily for them, they’ve fallen in love! There’s just one problem – they both have too much pride to admit it. And so begins the daily scheming to get the object of their affection to confess their romantic feelings first.
Love is a war you win by losing.

Story & Art by Takehiko Inoue, 31 Volumes, 276 Chapters (Complete)

Winning isn’t everything in the game of basketball, but who wants to come in second? It takes dedication and discipline to be the best, and the Shohoku High hoops team wants to be just that. They have one last year to make their captain’s dream of reaching the finals come true–will they do it? Takehiko Inoue’s legendary beloved basketball manga is finally here and the tale of a lifetime is in your hands.
Hanamichi Sakuragi’s got no game with girls—none at all! It doesn’t help that he’s known for throwing down at a moment’s notice and always coming out on top. A hopeless bruiser, he’s been rejected by 50 girls in a row! All that changes when he meets the girl of his dreams, Haruko, and she’s actually not afraid of him! When she introduces him to the game of basketball, his life is changed forever.

To commemorate the 100 Million sales of the series, a one-shot called “10 Days After” was drawn by the author in a classroom at Kanagawa Prefectural Misaki High School in December 2004. This epilogue later published in a special documentary book and Switch magazine in 2005.

Notes: Received the 40th Shogakukan Manga Award for shounen in 1995.

Story & Art by Yoshihiro Togashi, 19 Volumes, 176 Chapters (Complete)

Yusuke Urameshi was a tough teen delinquent until one selfless act changed his life by ending it. When he died saving a little kid from a speeding car, the afterlife didn’t know what to do with him, so it gave him a second chance at life. Now, Yusuke is a ghost with a mission, performing good deeds at the beshest of Botan, the spirit guide of the dead, and Koenma, her pacifier-sucking boss from the “other side.” But what strange things await him on the borderline between life and death?

Note: Won the 39th Shogakukan Manga Award in the Shounen category.

Story & Art by Haruichi Furudate, 45 Volumes, 407 Chapters (Complete)

After losing his first and last volleyball match against Tobio Kageyama, “the King of the Court,” Shoyo Hinata swears to become his rival after graduating middle school. But what happens when the guy he wants to defeat ends up being his teammate?

Note: Won the 61st Shogakukan Manga Award for Shounen.

Story & Art by Tatsuki Fujimoto, 14 Volumes, 127 Chapters (Ongoing)

Denji’s a poor young man who’ll do anything for money, even hunting down devils with his pet devil Pochita. He’s a simple man with simple dreams, drowning under a mountain of debt. But his sad life gets turned upside down one day when he’s betrayed by someone he trusts. Now with the power of a devil inside him, Denji’s become a whole new man – Chainsaw Man!

Note: Won 2nd place in the 5th Next Manga Award in 2019, the Harvey Award for Best Manga in 2021, 2022 and 2023, the 66th Shogakukan Manga Award for Best Shōnen Manga in 2021 and the 27th Manga Barcelona for Best Shōnen Manga in 2021. Won 3 Japan Expo Awards in 2022 and the Best Manga award at the Japan Expo Awards in 2023.
Nominated for the 3rd annual Tsutaya Comic Award in 2019, the 13th Manga Taishō in 2020 the Eisner Award for Best U.S. Edition of International Material – Asia in 2022.

Story & Art by Yoshihiro Togashi, 37 Volumes, 400 Chapters (Ongoing)

Gon might be a country boy, but he has high aspirations. Despite his Aunt Mito’s protests, Gon decides to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a legendary Hunter. The Hunter hopefuls begin their journey by storm-tossed ship, where Gon meets Leorio and Kurapika, the only other applicants who aren’t devastated by bouts of seasickness.
Having survived the terrors of the high seas, Gon and his companions now have to prove their worth in a variety of tests in order to find the elusive Exam Hall. And once they get there, will they ever leave alive?

Story & Art by Gege Akutami, 22 Volumes, 221 Chapters (Ongoing)

Although Yuji Itadori looks like your average teenager, his immense physical strength is something to behold! Every sports club wants him to join, but Itadori would rather hang out with the school outcasts in the Occult Research Club. One day, the club manages to get their hands on a sealed cursed object. Little do they know the terror they’ll unleash when they break the seal.

Story & Art by Tite Kubo, 74 Volumes, 705 Chapters (Complete)

Ichigo Kurosaki has always been able to see ghosts, but this ability doesn’t change his life nearly as much as his close encounter with Rukia Kuchiki, a Soul Reaper and member of the mysterious Soul Society. While fighting a Hollow, an evil spirit that preys on humans who display psychic energy, Rukia attempts to lend Ichigo some of her powers so that he can save his family; but much to her surprise, Ichigo absorbs every last drop of her energy. Now a full-fledged Soul Reaper himself, Ichigo quickly learns that the world he inhabits is one full of dangerous spirits and, along with Rukia – who is slowly regaining her powers – it’s Ichigo’s job to protect the innocent from Hollows and help the spirits themselves find peace.

Story & Art by Makoto Yukimura, 26 Volumes, 201 Chapters (Ongoing)

As a child, Thorfinn sat at the feet of the great Leif Ericson and thrilled to wild tales of a land far to the west. But his youthful fantasies were shattered by a mercenary raid. Raised by the Vikings who murdered his family, Thorfinn became a terrifying warrior, forever seeking to kill the band’s leader, Askeladd, and avenge his father. Sustaining Thorfinn through his ordeal are his pride in his family and his dreams of a fertile westward land, a land without war or slavery. The land Leif called Vinland.

Story & Art by Eiichiro Oda, 105 Volumes, 1081 Chapters (Ongoing)

As a child, Monkey D. Luffy was inspired to become a pirate by listening to the tales of the buccaneer “Red-Haired” Shanks. But his life changed when Luffy accidentally ate the Gum-Gum Devil Fruit and gained the power to stretch like rubber at the cost of never being able to swim again. Years later, still vowing to become the king of the pirates, Luffy sets out on his adventure one guy alone in a rowboat, in search of the legendary “One Piece,” said to be the greatest treasure in the world.

The best-selling series in manga history and the 2nd bestselling comic of all time after Superman.

Note: Was a finalist for the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize from 2000 to 2002. The German translation won the Sondermann audience award at the Frankfurt Book Fair Comics Centre in 2005, 2008 and 2009. Won the 41st Japan Cartoonists Association Award Grand Prize alongside Neko Darake in 2012. Received the Kumamoto Prefecture Honorary Prize in 2018.

Story & Art by Hiromu Arakawa, 27 Volumes, 116 Chapters (Complete)

In an alchemical ritual gone wrong, Edward Elric lost his arm and his leg, and his brother Alphonse became nothing but a soul in a suit of armor. Equipped with mechanical “auto-mail” limbs, Edward becomes a state alchemist, seeking the one thing that can restore his brother and himself… the legendary Philosopher’s Stone.

Won the 49th Shogakukan Manga Award in the Shounen category.
Won the 15th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Award New Artist Prize.
Won the Eagle Award’s “Favourite Manga” in 2010/2011.
Won the Seiun Award for best science fiction comic in 2011.

Story & Art by Akira Toriyama, 42 Volumes, 519 Chapters (Complete)

Dragon Ball follows the adventures of Goku from his childhood through adulthood as he trains in martial arts and explores the world in search of the seven mystical orbs known as the Dragon Balls, which can summon a wish-granting dragon when gathered. Along his journey, Goku makes several friends and battles a wide variety of villains, many of whom also seek the Dragon Balls for their own desires. Along the way becoming the strongest warrior in the universe.

Story & Art by Kentarou Miura, 41 Volumes, 364 Chapters (Ongoing)

His name is Guts, the Black Swordsman, a feared warrior spoken of only in whispers. Bearer of a gigantic sword, an iron hand, and the scars of countless battles and tortures, his flesh is also indelibly marked with The Brand, an unholy symbol that draws the forces of darkness to him and dooms him as their sacrifice. But Guts won’t take his fate lying down; he’ll cut a crimson swath of carnage through the ranks of the damned – and anyone else foolish enough to oppose him! Accompanied by Puck the Elf, more an annoyance than a companion, Guts relentlessly follows a dark, bloodstained path that leads only to death or vengeance.

Warning: For mature audiences only, since it has sexual content and graphic violence (gore, rape, etc).

The scanlated Episode 83 God of the Abyss (2) was published in Young Animal No. 14 in 1996 but is left out of all collected editions. Vol 14 includes Berserk: The Prototype (1988).

Note: The 1988 Prototype chapter won a prize at the Comi Manga School Miura attended. The main series was nominated for the annual Tezuka Osamu Award from 1998 to 2001 and won the Award for Excellence in 2002. Won the prize for Best Seinen Manga at the Japan Expo Awards in 2007. Won the Manga Barcelona award in the Seinen Category in 2013 and 2021.

Story & Art by Hirohiko Araki, 131 Volumes, 959 Chapters (Ongoing)

An epic supernatural-horror-action-adventure spanning generations of the Joestar family, each arc of Jojo no Kimyou na Bouken focuses on a different descendent and their battles with various super-powered opponents.