I’ve read thousands of manga over the years, from mainstream hits to obscure one-shots. Every once in a while, I stumble upon special works that few people seem to know. These underrated manga are often powerful, strange, and emotionally resonant hidden gems that remind me why I love this medium so much.
This list is dedicated to those overlooked masterpieces. Some were victims of poor marketing, bad timing, or abrupt magazine cancellations. Others were simply too unconventional to ever gain a wide audience. Yet each delivers something unforgettable, whether it’s the raw psychological intensity of Freesia, the psychedelic art of Ultra Heaven, or the gripping tension of Me and the Devil Blues.
You’ll find all kinds of manga here: gritty crime stories, experimental horror, operatic historical epics, and emotional character studies. While many of them aren’t easy reads, all of them are rewarding and deserve far more attention than they ever received.
If you feel like you’ve already read every great manga out there, this list might just prove you wrong.
Mild spoiler warning: I keep things as vague as possible, but a few plot details are unavoidable.
So here’s my list of the 25 best underrated manga you need to read (last updated: November 2025).
25. Holyland
I discovered Holyland by sheer chance years ago, having never heard anyone talk about it. Yet it quickly became one of the most powerful and realistic martial arts stories I’ve ever read. On the surface, it looks like a simple street-fighting manga, but beneath the punches and bruises lies one of the best coming-of-age stories in the medium.
The story follows Yuu Kamishiro, a lonely high school outcast who trains obsessively to defend himself. When he gets into fights, a single perfect punch earns him fame on the street as the thug hunter, pulling him deeper into a violent, chaotic world where every victory brings new enemies.
What makes Holyland exceptional is its realism. Every fight, stance, and counter feels grounded in real technique. Its true strength, however, lies in its characters: Yuu’s desperate struggle to belong and the moral complexity of figures like Masaki Izawa and Shougo Midorikawa.
Holyland sometimes lingers too long on technique explanations or circling back to the same themes, but those flaws never dull its impact. If you’re looking for a realistic, character-driven, and deeply emotional story, Holyland is one of the most underrated manga you can read.
Genres: Martial Arts, Coming of Age, Drama
Status: Completed (Seinen)
24. Dead End
I’ve long considered Manabe Shōhei one of manga’s most underrated creators. He’s a master of gritty realism and an expert at exposing society’s dark underbelly. Dead End might be his most obscure and outlandish work, but it’s also one of his best, an underrated manga that deserves more attention.
The story begins with Shirou, a construction worker whose quiet life shatters when a mysterious naked girl named Lucy literally falls into his world. Hours later, his friends are slaughtered, Lucy has disappeared, and a strange man urges him to flee before an explosion engulfs the scene. From there, Shirou gathers a group of rough-edged figures from his past to uncover the truth behind the chaos.
At first, Dead End resembles a hard-boiled crime thriller full of smoky bars, broken men, and violent encounters. But halfway through, Shōhei changes course as supernatural and surreal elements creep in, transforming the story into something entirely its own.
The art is rough, realistic, and full of texture, perfectly matching the rawness of its world and characters.
If you enjoy gritty, unpredictable storytelling that blurs the line between crime and nightmare, Dead End is an underrated manga that deserves far more recognition.
Genres: Thriller, Supernatural
Status: Completed (Seinen)
23. Green Blood
Green Blood by Masasumi Kakizaki is a hard-boiled crime drama unlike anything else in manga. Set in New York’s infamous Five Points district after the Civil War, it trades neon alleys and yakuza dens for muddy streets, saloons, and the raw desperation of 19th-century America. It’s a setting that instantly makes Green Blood stand out as an underrated masterpiece.
The story follows two brothers: Brad and Luke Burns. Luke dreams of escaping poverty, while Brad hides a brutal secret: he’s the Grim Reaper, a feared assassin working for the Grave Digger gang. What follows is a tale of brutal violence, gang wars, and the dying embers of the American Dream.
Kakizaki’s artwork is jaw-dropping. Every page bursts with cinematic energy, from gunfights and smoke to the weary faces of men who’ve seen too much. His attention to detail in clothing, architecture, and period weaponry gives Green Blood a rare authenticity.
Despite its short run, it delivers striking atmosphere, sharp pacing, and moments of real emotional power.
If you want a violent, stylish, and beautifully drawn story about brotherhood and revenge, Green Blood is an underrated manga that deserves far more recognition.
Genres: Historical, Action, Crime, Drama
Status: Completed (Seinen)
22. Tenkaichi
Tenkaichi is one of the most underrated manga currently running. It’s a high-stakes tournament epic that blends Japan’s samurai history with the over-the-top spectacle of modern battle manga, creating pure adrenaline from start to finish.
Set in 1600, ten years after Oda Nobunaga unified Japan, the aging warlord announces a tournament where sixteen of the nation’s strongest warriors will fight to the death. The winner’s master will earn the right to rule Japan. It’s a simple premise, but that simplicity is its strength. The series exists purely to deliver the most jaw-dropping fights imaginable.
Every match feels monumental, featuring reimagined legends like Miyamoto Musashi, Hattori Hanzo, Honda Tadakatsu, and Sasaki Kojirō. Each warrior is larger than life, their fighting styles exaggerated to mythic proportions. The art is nothing short of spectacular, with detailed character designs, sweeping spreads, and dynamic choreography.
What makes Tenkaichi special is its self-awareness. It knows exactly what it is and executes that vision flawlessly. There’s no filler, no fluff, just beautiful, brutal detail drenched in style and history.
If you’re looking for an ongoing, underrated manga that celebrates pure combat spectacle, Tenkaichi deserves far more attention than it gets.
Genres: Action, Historical, Samurai, Martial Arts
Status: Ongoing (Seinen)
21. Omoide Emanon
Some stories carry a quiet brilliance that lingers long after reading. Omoide Emanon by Kenji Tsuruta is one of those rare works. Adapted from a novel by Shinji Kajio, it’s a short, deeply emotional, and profoundly human story that deserves far more recognition as one of the most underrated manga of its kind.
The story opens with a young man traveling home on a ferry. There, he meets a mysterious woman named Emanon, and their conversation gradually turns from small talk to something extraordinary. What follows is less a plot-driven story and more an intimate reflection on memory, identity, and the quiet passage of time.
Tsuruta’s art is soft, natural, and filled with a quiet warmth. His characters feel alive, and every background looks drawn from real observation. The melancholic tone, paired with Emanon’s haunting presence, gives the manga a timeless quality that’s hard to put into words.
At just one volume, Omoide Emanon evokes more emotion than many long-running series ever manage.
Sometimes, it’s the smallest things that stay with you the longest, and Omoide Emanon might just be one of them.
Genres: Drama, Slice of Life
Status: Completed (Seinen)
20. 6000
I first read the manga 6000 years ago, and it has remained one of my favorite horror manga ever since. Few series capture the suffocating terror of deep-sea isolation as effectively as 6000. Set six kilometers beneath the ocean’s surface, 6000 plunges readers into an undersea research station where sanity and reality slowly dissolve. It’s a haunting, visually driven, and truly underrated manga that deserves far more attention.
The story follows a team of engineers sent to restart an abandoned undersea facility after a string of mysterious deaths. From the moment they arrive, the deserted station feels deeply wrong. As paranoia takes hold, grotesque visions of bloated corpses and sinister rituals blur the line between hallucination and reality, culminating in the appearance of a monstrous entity straight out of a cosmic horror story.
Nokuto Koike’s scratchy, high-contrast art traps readers in endless corridors of black ink. The station feels both infinite and claustrophobic, and the fragmented visual storytelling mirrors the descent into madness.
6000 is not an easy read. Its narrative is cryptic and the pacing is deliberately disorienting, but that’s what makes it so powerful. For those drawn to oceanic dread and cosmic horror, this is one of the most underrated manga you should not miss.
Genres: Horror, Psychological, Survival, Cosmic Horror
Status: Completed (Seinen)
19. Kasane
I read Kasane only recently, but it left a deep impression. At first, it seems like a dark drama about beauty and envy in the acting world, but beneath the surface lies one of the most psychologically unsettling stories I’ve ever read. It’s a haunting, emotionally complex, and deeply underrated manga.
The story follows Kasane Fuchi, daughter of a legendary stage actress. She inherits her mother’s incredible talent but not her beauty, and her disfigured face makes her a target of cruelty. Everything changes when she recalls her late mother’s strange advice: to wear the lipstick and kiss whoever she desires. Doing so allows Kasane to swap faces with others, granting her a terrifying chance to achieve her dreams at a devastating cost.
As Kasane sinks deeper into the illusion of beauty, she begins to lose sight of who she is. The series transforms from a showbiz drama into a slow psychological spiral about identity, self-loathing, and the monstrous cost of ambition.
The art isn’t flashy, but in key moments, when Kasane’s expression twists between despair and obsession, it’s unforgettable. Kasane may not be perfect, but it’s a rare and daring exploration of vanity, cruelty, and madness that deserves to be recognized as one of the most underrated manga of its kind.
Genres: Drama, Psychological, Supernatural
Status: Completed (Seinen)
18. Wakusei Closet
Tsubana is a creator I had somehow never heard of until recently, but Wakusei Closet instantly stood out as something special. Among their catalog, this is the one work that feels like a true hidden gem. It blends dreamlike fantasy, cosmic body horror, and emotional storytelling, making it one of the most striking underrated manga I’ve read.
The story begins innocently enough. Each time Aimi falls asleep, she awakens on a mysterious planet, where she meets another girl named Flare. Together, they try to piece together the world’s bizarre rules. What first seems whimsical and cute slowly mutates into a nightmare, as more and more of the planet’s horrifying inhabitants are revealed.
Tsubana’s soft, moe-inspired art style makes the terror even more striking. The warm, rounded designs clash violently with scenes of mutation, parasitism, and despair. One moment feels tender, the next grotesque. That contrast makes both sides hit even harder.
What truly sets Wakusei Closet apart, however, is its writing. Beneath the surreal horror lies a genuine emotional core that builds toward one of the best late-story twists I’ve read in years.
Beautiful and terrifying, Wakusei Closet is a surreal masterpiece too few readers have discovered. It’s a must-read for anyone seeking an underrated manga that balances heart and horror in equal measure.
Genres: Horror, Fantasy, Supernatural, Shoujo Ai
Status: Completed (Seinen)
17. Dai Dark
The name Q Hayashida is almost synonymous with Dorohedoro, her cult-classic masterpiece of grime and madness. But because that series is so beloved, her follow-up Dai Dark often flies under the radar. It’s a shame, because it’s every bit as brilliant and easily one of the most underrated manga still running.
The premise is simple. Zaha Sanko’s bones can grant any wish, making him the most wanted being in the galaxy. Instead of turning this into grim survival horror, Hayashida does what she does best, creating a space odyssey where dismemberment, bone-harvesting, and cosmic slaughter are treated as casual entertainment. Sanko and his bizarre crew, including Avakian, Shimada Death, and Damemaru, drift through space cracking jokes while butchering anyone who stands in their way.
Dai Dark’s universe is grotesque and absurd, filled with monstrous aliens and shadowy cosmic cults. Yet the tone is gleefully ridiculous, with ultraviolence played for laughs, horror presented as comedy. Hayashida’s art remains breathtaking: dense, filthy, and mesmerizing.
Like Dorohedoro, Dai Dark is episodic, weird, and deeply chaotic, and that’s exactly the point. It’s both a surreal joyride through space and a fever dream of death, humor, and cosmic absurdity. This underrated manga proves that Q Hayashida remains one of the medium’s best and most unique creators.
Genres: Horror, Sci-Fi, Comedy, Action, Adventure
Status: Ongoing (Shonen)
16. Utsubora
Utsubora by Asumiko Nakamura is a haunting psychological drama about identity, obsession, and the collapse of artistic integrity. The story follows Shun Mizorogi, a novelist whose life unravels after a young woman named Aki Fujino takes her own life. When her supposed twin, Sakura Miki, appears, Mizorogi’s latest novel becomes the center of a plagiarism scandal that forces him to confront his own moral decay.
What follows is a slow, disorienting spiral in which truth and fiction merge. The narrative grows increasingly unreliable, yet offers just enough clues to piece together the truth. Nakamura uses this ambiguity masterfully, crafting a mystery that doubles as a meditation on creative paralysis.
Visually, Utsubora is beautiful in its restraint. Nakamura’s clean, delicate lines and expressive faces give the story a quiet, dreamlike melancholy. Every page feels still and tense, filled with unspoken emotions.
As a story about writers, Utsubora felt both familiar and deeply personal to me. It captures the loneliness of the craft, the temptation to steal inspiration, and the fear that one’s best work is already behind them. For anyone who has ever tied their identity to art, the line “you don’t live to write, you write to live” feels achingly familiar.
Elegant, melancholic, and disturbingly intimate, Utsubora is an underrated manga that rewards careful reading. For those drawn to slow-burn mysteries and stories exploring the fragile psychology of artists, it’s a rare and unforgettable experience.
Genres: Psychological, Drama, Mystery
Status: Completed (Josei)
15. Soil
Atsushi Kaneko’s Soil is one of the strangest manga I’ve ever read. It’s a surreal, nightmarish mystery that starts grounded in reality and gradually descends into pure madness. It’s a genre-defying experience that almost no one talks about today, making it one of the most criminally underrated manga in existence.
The story opens in the quiet, spotless community of Soil New Town, where an entire family vanishes overnight. Two detectives, the unhinged Yokoi and the methodical Onoda, arrive to investigate. At first, it feels like a simple missing-person case, but as they probe deeper, the town’s immaculate surface begins to crack, revealing grotesque secrets.
By Soil’s halfway point, logic completely collapses, and the mystery mutates into a surreal, cosmic nightmare. Kaneko’s art is intentionally rough, more reminiscent of an indie comic than traditional manga. Yet it evolves alongside the narrative, perfectly capturing the town’s descent into madness.
Soil trades resolution for atmosphere and coherence for absurdity. It isn’t about solving a mystery, but about witnessing one unravel until reality itself stops making sense.
Weird, darkly funny, and profoundly unsettling, Soil is a singular work of surreal fiction and one of the most underrated manga ever made.
Genres: Horror, Crime, Mystery, Psychological, Philosophical
Status: Completed (Seinen)
14. Smuggler
If Guy Ritchie ever made a manga, it would probably look like Smuggler. Written and illustrated by Manabe Shōhei, this short crime thriller is violent, stylish, and steeped in pitch-black humor. It’s a true underrated manga that proves a story doesn’t need a long run to make a lasting impact.
The story follows Yosuke Kinuta, an aspiring actor drowning in debt, who’s forced to take a job hauling corpses for the yakuza. It’s a dirty gig, but it pays, until he finds himself caught between rival gangs and two unhinged Chinese assassins. From that point on, Kinuta’s world collapses into pure chaos.
What makes it so addictive is its perfect balance between realism and absurdity. Yosuke is the only grounded character in a cast of madmen, stoic killers, and unhinged mob bosses. Manabe’s gritty art amplifies the tension: sharp lines, expressive faces, and an unfiltered look at Japan’s criminal underbelly.
Despite its short length, Smuggler delivers brutal violence, sharp humor, and a fantastic final act. It’s proof that Manabe is one of the medium’s most overlooked talents and that Smuggler remains one of the most underrated manga out there.
Genres: Crime, Thriller
Status: Completed (Seinen)
13. Fraction
Even within Shintaro Kago’s catalog of grotesque and absurd works, Fraction stands out as something extraordinary. Often dismissed as a mere shock-artist, Kago proves here that he’s one of manga’s most intelligent and daring storytellers. Brutal, self-aware, and conceptually wild, Fraction is a truly underrated manga that turns narrative conventions inside out.
The story begins as a grim crime thriller about the Slicing Devil, a serial killer who bisects his victims with surgical precision. It feels grounded at first until Kago abruptly shifts gears by inserting himself as a character. From there, he begins dissecting his own plot, explaining storytelling devices and manga tropes directly to the reader. What begins as a conventional mystery quickly mutates into a chaotic meta-narrative that deconstructs the medium itself.
This tonal shift leads to one of Kago’s most jaw-dropping twists, one that left me staring at the page in sheer disbelief. From there, the story spirals into Kago’s trademark blend of surrealism, body horror, and black comedy. The result is both disturbing and absurdly nonsensical.
Fraction also includes several side stories, notably Voracious Itches, a piece so viscerally uncomfortable it’s unforgettable. Like much of Kago’s work, it’s graphically divisive, and impossible to look away from.
Provocative, meta, and utterly insane, Fraction is a masterclass in experimental storytelling and one of the most underrated manga ever created.
Genres: Horror, Mystery, Psychological, Meta
Status: Completed (Seinen)
12. Sanctuary
Sanctuary by Buronson and Ryoichi Ikegami is one of the greatest crime thrillers in manga and one of the most underrated manga ever made. Blending yakuza grit with political ambition, it tells an epic story of two men determined to reshape Japan.
The plot follows childhood friends Akira Houjou and Chiaki Asami, survivors of a dark past who share one vision: to rebuild their country as their own sanctuary. To achieve it, they take opposing paths. Houjou rises through the underworld, uniting the yakuza, while Asami climbs the ranks of government to claim the seat of Prime Minister. This dual narrative gives the story its pulse. One half is about blood and loyalty, the other about manipulation and politics.
What makes Sanctuary so brilliant is how it mirrors both worlds. Whether in back alleys or boardrooms, the same hunger for power drives everyone. The cast is packed with larger-than-life figures, none more memorable than Isaoka, a political rival whose cunning makes him one of manga’s all-time great antagonists.
Ikegami’s art is pure 90s: slick suits, sharp expressions, and smoky Tokyo nights rendered with cinematic precision. While dated in its portrayal of women and increasingly operatic by the end, Sanctuary remains a masterpiece of ambition, greed, and loyalty.
For fans of crime sagas and political intrigue, Sanctuary is a gripping, forgotten classic that deserves far more recognition.
Genres: Crime, Political Thriller
Status: Completed (Seinen)
11. Bokutachi ga Yarimashita
Before Blue Lock made Kaneshiro Muneyuki a household name, he wrote Bokutachi ga Yarimashita, a dark, character-driven masterpiece few people talk about today. It’s a painfully human story about guilt and the irreversible consequences of one terrible mistake. A truly underrated manga, it’s as bleak as it is unforgettable.
The story follows four aimless teenagers named Tobio, Isami, Maru, and Paisen, whose prank to humiliate local delinquents ends in catastrophe. Overnight their lives collapse, but what follows isn’t an action-driven crime story; it’s a slow psychological breakdown. Each of the boys copes differently: denial, self-destruction, repression. The result is one of the most haunting portrayals of guilt and moral decay in modern manga.
Kaneshiro’s storytelling is immaculate. The pacing is tense yet patient, and the emotional fallout portrayed with frightening realism. The art might look simple at first, but it’s remarkably expressive. Twitches, grimaces, and downward glances reveal each character’s unraveling mental state.
What makes Bokutachi ga Yarimashita so powerful is its refusal to offer catharsis. There are no heroes here, only flawed kids trying to overcome the weight of what they’ve done. The ending offers no redemption, only quiet, crushing acceptance.
Bleak, intimate, and psychologically gripping, Bokutachi ga Yarimashita is an underrated manga that deserves far more recognition as one of Kaneshiro Muneyuki’s finest works.
Genres: Psychological, Crime, Drama
Status: Completed (Seinen)
10. Yamikin Ushijima-kun
Yamikin Ushijima-kun by Manabe Shōhei is one of the darkest and most brutally realistic crime manga ever written. It’s a rare underrated manga that peers straight into Japan’s underworld without flinching.
The series follows Kaoru Ushijima, a black-market loan shark who lends money at an obscene fifty-percent-in-ten-days rate. His clients are people on the edge: gamblers, overworked salarymen, desperate housewives, and those drowning in bad decisions. Ushijima doesn’t care about excuses. His only goal is getting paid back, no matter how ugly the method, whether it’s extortion, prostitution, or worse.
Each arc focuses on a different debtor, painting a bleak portrait of modern despair. These stories often end in ruin, sometimes with brief flashes of hope, but they all feel painfully real. There are no heroes or villains here, only people making desperate choices in a system that punishes the weak. Over time, Ushijima himself begins to seem almost sympathetic, not because he’s good, but because everyone else is worse.
Manabe’s raw, unpolished art perfectly suits the material. Characters look human, not idealized, and the plain paneling captures the suffocating realism of poverty, greed, and exploitation.
More sociological than sensational, Yamikin Ushijima-kun shows how debt and desperation destroy lives, and how the underworld feeds on both. It’s an uncompromising, hard-hitting masterpiece, and one of the most underrated manga in crime fiction.
Genres: Crime, Psychological, Drama
Status: Completed (Seinen)
9. Kamisama no Iutoori and Kamisama no Iutoori Ni
Written by Muneyuki Kaneshiro and illustrated by Akeji Fujimura, Kamisama no Iutoori and its sequel stand as the pinnacle of death-game manga. It’s a series that’s brutal, surreal, and endlessly inventive. Despite its brilliance, it remains largely overlooked, making it one of the most underrated manga duologies in the genre.
The story begins when Shun Takahata’s teacher’s head explodes and a Daruma doll forces the class into a deadly children’s game. From there, Shun and other players face a string of bizarre survival challenges inspired by childhood activities, each more grotesque and unpredictable than the last. The sequel introduces a new cast before eventually looping back to Shun’s arc.
What truly sets Kamisama no Iutoori apart are its characters. Instead of tired archetypes, it gives us chaos incarnate: from the gleefully deranged Amaya to the complexity of the wildcard Ushimitsu. Their unhinged antics make them standouts and drive much of the series’ tension.
Visually, the jump in quality from Part 1 to 2 is immense. The later chapters deliver explosive spreads with some of the best composition in shonen.
Weird, violent, and gleefully unhinged, Kamisama no Iutoori is a death-game fever dream that proves the genre can still surprise. A wildly creative and criminally underrated manga that deserves far more attention.
Genres: Survival, Psychological Thriller, Action
Status: Completed (Shonen)
8. Helter Skelter
Helter Skelter by Kyoko Okazaki is one of the darkest, most psychologically raw manga I’ve ever read. It’s a disturbing look at beauty, identity, and the dark side of the entertainment industry, and deserves far more recognition.
The story follows Haruko “Liliko” Hirukoma, Japan’s top model, whose entire body has been reconstructed through surgery. She’s beautiful, famous, and utterly fake. But as her body begins to deteriorate and the industry that made her discards her, Liliko spirals into paranoia, cruelty, and self-destruction. What begins as a glossy depiction of celebrity quickly unravels into a harrowing psychological breakdown.
I didn’t expect to enjoy Helter Skelter this much. It’s brutal, honest, and far darker than its premise suggests. Liliko is a fascinating protagonist. She’s broken, manipulative, and deeply human. She’s both victim and monster, consumed by the system that built her. Watching her unravel is horrifying, not because of the violence, but for how real it feels.
Okazaki’s sketchy, imperfect art perfectly fits the tone. Every jagged line mirrors the distortion of Liliko’s world and the ugliness beneath her glamorous facade. It’s not meant to be beautiful; it’s meant to hurt.
Helter Skelter isn’t just a critique of fame. It’s a story about losing yourself in pursuit of perfection, and the price you pay for it. Haunting, stylish, and fearless, it’s one of the greatest psychological stories ever written and one of the most criminally underrated manga of its era.
Genres: Psychological, Drama, Avant-Garde
Status: Completed (Josei)
7. Joshikouhei
Joshikouhei by Jiro Matsumoto is one of the most bizarre, disturbing, and philosophically rich manga ever written. It’s a surreal fusion of sex, death, and existential horror. It’s also one of Matsumoto’s most underrated manga, pushing his trademark themes to their absolute extremes.
The premise alone sounds like satire: in a futuristic interdimensional war, soldiers pilot colossal humanoid mechs called Assault Girls, war machines that look exactly like teenage schoolgirls. But as pilots remain connected, their minds begin to erode. They slowly lose their identity, adopting the thoughts, emotions, and speech of their mechanical avatars. What begins as grim science-fiction soon spirals into psychological collapse.
Lieutenant Takigawa, leader of the Hyena Platoon, hunts corrupted pilots who’ve merged completely with their machines. Through his eyes, Joshikouhei evolves from a bleak war story into a full-blown metaphysical nightmare about identity, gender, and the human mind.
Matsumoto’s frantic, sketch-like art mirrors the chaos perfectly. The infamous orgy scene, in which multiple Assault Girls melt into a single, writhing mass, remains one of the most shocking scenes in manga.
Transgressive, grotesque, and hauntingly intelligent, Joshikouhei is not for everyone. But for those who are drawn to philosophical surrealism and boundary-breaking storytelling, it’s a criminally underrated masterpiece.
Genres: Psychological, Sci-Fi, Mecha, Surreal, Erotic Horror
Status: Completed (Seinen)
6. Freesia
Few manga haunt the mind like Freesia. Another work created by Jiro Matsumoto, it’s his most straightforward and coherent story, yet also one of the strangest, darkest, and most unsettling underrated manga ever made.
Set in a dystopian Japan where a new law permits revenge killings, Freesia follows Kano, an emotionally detached man who executes targets on behalf of grieving clients. Beneath its revenge-thriller premise lies something far more disturbing, a story of society and psyche coming apart.
Kano remains one of the most fascinating protagonists in manga. He suffers from memory gaps, hallucinations, and schizophrenia, and Matsumoto doesn’t just tell us about it, he makes us experience it. Panels shift seamlessly between reality and delusion, drawing the reader into Kano’s disorientation, uncertain what’s real and what’s imagined. It’s a masterful narrative technique that turns the act of reading into a psychological descent.
Once again, Matsumoto’s art perfectly matches the tone, remaining rough, grimy, and often surreal. His city is bleak; his characters weary. Violence erupts, but seldom as spectacle, more often as a consequence of a collapsing society and collapsing minds.
Despite its grimness, Freesia remains profoundly human. Kano knows he’s broken and navigates his insane world as best as he can. The revenge targets, rarely bloodthirsty killers, are humanized, making their end tragedies in their own right. It’s bleak, suffocating, but also unforgettable.
Freesia is a surreal, nihilistic nightmare that lingers long after the final page. A psychological masterpiece and one of the most underrated manga on this list.
Genres: Psychological, Crime, Drama
Status: Completed (Seinen)
5. Innocent
Shinichi Sakamoto, best known for The Climber and his recent DRCL Midnight Children, reached his artistic peak with Innocent and its sequel, Innocent Rouge. Set in pre-revolutionary France, the series follows Charles-Henri Sanson, the royal executioner of Paris, and later his sister, Marie-Joseph. Together, they navigate duty, guilt, and beauty amid one of history’s bloodiest eras. Despite its brilliance, Innocent remains a shockingly underrated manga, especially considering its staggering artistry.
Sakamoto transforms history into a baroque opera. The manga is lavish, grotesque, and emotionally extravagant, unfolding like a grand stage performance. Scenes of public execution are rendered with breathtaking elegance, balancing horror with grace. Lace, wigs, and guillotines become recurring symbols of decadence and decay. The linework is meticulous, transforming manga pages into stunning works of art.
Narratively, Innocent rejects straightforward storytelling in favor of dreamlike expression. Sakamoto leaps through time, weaving symbolism with surrealism, and fusing classic beauty with modern excess. The sequel, Innocent Rouge, shifts focus to Marie-Joseph, turning her into a revolutionary figure whose defiance mirrors the coming storm. Some find its fragmented pacing alienating, while others see it as the very reason Innocent is so unforgettable.
More than historical fiction, Innocent is about the paradox of progress, the dream of humane execution, the beauty of cruelty, and the nobility of sin. It’s erotic, philosophical, and visually decadent, serving as a testament to manga as fine art.
Dark and unrelentingly beautiful, Innocent is not only a masterpiece of historical fiction, but one of the most criminally underrated manga of its generation.
Genres: Historical, Drama, Psychological
Status: Completed (Seinen)
4. Usogui
Toshio Sako’s Usogui is the greatest high-stakes gambling manga that, unfortunately, remains known only within a small but devoted fandom. It’s a brilliant, underrated manga that deserves far greater recognition. What begins with a rough, horror-tinged survival game soon evolves into one of the smartest and most ambitious psychological thrillers in the medium.
The story follows Baku Madarame, known as the Usogui, meaning Lie Eater. He’s a genius gambler who risks his life in games overseen by Kagerou, a secret organization that ensures every deadly bet is honored. From his first wager onward, Usogui becomes a dizzying escalation of stakes, strategy, and willpower.
At first, the art and structure feel unpolished, but with each arc, the series refines itself. By the Labyrinth arc, the psychological duels evolve into intricate masterpieces of misdirection and logic. During its final arcs, the famous Air Poker and Surpassing the Leader, Usogui has reached heights few manga ever achieve. It’s a breathtaking fusion of tension, brilliance, and spectacle.
Yet it’s not merely Baku who stands out. The Kagerou referees shine whenever they appear, and adversaries like Vincent Lalo and Soichi Kimura nearly outshine Baku with their audacity and intellect.
I’ve read countless psychological and high-stakes manga, but Usogui is one of the most astonishing I’ve ever encountered. It’s a masterpiece of intellect and suspense, and one of the most criminally underrated manga ever created.
Genres: Psychological, Gambling, Thriller
Status: Completed (Seinen)
3. Blade of the Immortal
Blade of the Immortal by Hiroaki Samura is, without question, one of the greatest manga ever created and among my absolute favorites. It’s a masterpiece that remains shockingly underrated outside of hardcore seinen circles. Overshadowed by Vagabond and Shigurui, Blade of the Immortal stands apart as a brutal, stylish, and deeply human epic.
The story follows Manji, an immortal swordsman cursed with sacred bloodworms that heal any wounds. To regain his mortality, he vows to slay one thousand evil men. His path crosses with Rin Asano, a young girl seeking revenge against the Itto-ryu, the sword school that massacred her family. What begins as a simple tale of vengeance transforms into a sprawling odyssey of pain and moral ambiguity.
Samura’s cast is phenomenal. Every character feels alive, conflicted, and fully realized, from the idealistic Rin and cynical Manji to the charismatic, larger-than-life antagonist Anotsu Kagehisa. Even side characters like Makie, Hyakurin, and the unhinged Shira leave unforgettable marks on the story.
The art is equally distinctive: sketchy yet precise, alternating between raw immediacy and breathtaking detail. The battles in Blade of the Immortal are among the best ever drawn. They are fast, feral, and showcase some of the best choreography in all of manga. Despite its supernatural premise, Manji’s victories are hard-earned, and the violence is raw, real, and visceral.
Blade of the Immortal rejects the romanticism of Bushido. It’s not a story about honor but about the gray space between justice and vengeance. With its layered characters, punk energy, and staggering artistry, Blade of the Immortal is a once-in-a-generation work, and an underrated masterpiece every manga fan should experience.
Genres: Historical, Action, Revenge, Drama
Status: Completed (Seinen)
2. Me and the Devil Blues
Before Prison School, Akira Hiramoto created Me and the Devil Blues, a masterpiece few people know of and even fewer have read. A surreal retelling of blues legend Robert Johnson’s rumored deal with the devil, it’s one of the most daring and underrated manga ever made.
Set in the Jim Crow South of the 1930s, the story follows Robert “RJ” Johnson, a struggling musician who sells his soul at the crossroads for musical genius. But the gift quickly turns into a curse as RJ is pulled into a nightmare of violence, racism, and supernatural dread.
What makes this manga remarkable is its atmosphere, its relentless tension and quiet menace. Hiramoto sustains a sense of unease for entire chapters, every page radiating dread and paranoia. Though not traditional horror, it’s more haunting and unsettling than most works in the genre. The oppressive South, defined by racial violence and moral decay, becomes a living, breathing character.
Hiramoto’s art is stunning. His depiction of 1930s America is meticulous and cinematic, filled with dusty roads, smoke-choked juke joints, and sweat-drenched blues performances. The character work is equally rich. RJ’s quiet suffering contrasts with the charm of outlaw Clyde Barrow and the chilling presence of Stanley McDonald, one of the most sinister figures in manga.
Me and the Devil Blues fuses myth, history, and horror into something wholly original. It’s a brilliant yet criminally underrated manga that deserves far more recognition.
Genres: Historical, Psychological, Horror, Mystery
Status: On Hiatus (Seinen)
1. Ultra Heaven
Ultra Heaven by Keiichi Koike is a truly mind-altering experience. It’s a psychological masterpiece that pushes manga to its absolute limits and then shatters them. Even among the most daring seinen works, Ultra Heaven stands in a class of its own both visually and conceptually.
Set in a bleak future where emotions can be bought and sold, the story follows Kabu, a small-time dealer and addict chasing synthetic feelings. His life changes when he’s introduced to a mysterious new drug called Ultra Heaven. What follows is less a narrative than an odyssey through altered states, a spiraling descent into perception, consciousness, and illusion.
Koike’s artwork is astonishing. His cityscapes are grim and tactile, but once the hallucinations begin, the pages dissolve into kaleidoscopic chaos. Panels melt, twist, and fuse together, creating one of the most visually experimental works in the medium. Reading Ultra Heaven feels like being trapped in a psychedelic trip gone wrong: ecstatic, disorienting, and terrifying all at once.
Thematically, the manga explores drugs, meditation, and the search for enlightenment, both chemical and spiritual. It’s a metaphysical freefall that questions whether reality is fixed or merely another illusion.
At only three volumes, Ultra Heaven feels brief and unresolved, but that’s part of its charm. It’s not a conventional story; it’s an experience. For anyone interested in obscure works that turn art into philosophy, Ultra Heaven is a must-read. It’s one of my absolute favorites, and without a doubt, one of the most underrated manga of all time. One can only hope its long-overdue English release finally brings it the recognition it deserves.
Genres: Psychological, Sci-Fi, Experimental
Status: Completed (Seinen)
