There are many kinds of creepypasta out there. What started out as campfire tales and urban legends shared via the internet now incorporates various styles, topics and media, as you can see in my list of the best creepypasta of all time.
One medium that’s been given a lot of attention by creepypasta writers is video games. There’s a plethora of video creepypasta out there. The subgenre is infamous for spawning some of the worst and most ridiculous creepypasta out there.
There are, however, some I truly came to enjoy. That the reason I created a list of the best video game creepypasta.
This video game creepypasta features a Morrowind Mod called Jvk1166z.esp. The mod is cryptic, strange and only works after extensive tinkering with it.
Our narrator tries his luck with the mod, but soon gives up out of frustration. An acquaintance of his he got to know via the internet doesn’t give up so soon.
As the story continues, we learn what the narrator’s acquaintance uncovers in this weird mod.
When I was a teenager, I used to play Morrowind excessively. I loved the game and enjoyed the many details given in this story.
If you’re a fan of cryptic mysteries related to video games, check this story out.
Killswitch is written more like an urban legend than a real creepypasta and details the story of a game that was supposedly released in 1989.
What makes Killswitch such an interesting video game creepypasta isn’t the content of the game itself. At first sight, it appears to be a simple story about a cryptic and bizarre video game.
What’s interesting here are the circumstances of the game and its supposed creation. Only 5000 units of the game were ever created. They were uncopiable, and the game deleted itself after finishing.
What made it even more mysterious was the fact that the game had two playable characters, but was almost impossible to play should one choose the second one.
Killswitch is an interesting video game creepypasta, and it makes one curious if games like this actually exist. While it’s not scary, and written more like an urban legend, it’s a very creative and interesting idea.
Polybius is probably the most famous video game creepypasta of all time. It’s theoretically an urban legend, but I still included it in this list, if only for its widespread popularity.
The story is about an arcade game by the same name that appeared in Portland, Oregan. The legend states that the game was highly addictive and everyone who played it suffered from side-effects. These side-effects included amnesia, night terrors, but also suicide.
After only a month, men in black removed all traces of Polybius and none of the machines were ever seen again.
Over the years, Polybius garnered a lot of attention. It was the subject of countless YouTube videos and was referenced in a variety of movies.
Polybius proves to be a very interesting story, not so much for its content, but the history surrounding it and its spread to become the dominant urban legend it is today.
The game series Pokémon serves to be a breeding ground for video game creepypasta. The most popular of them is Lavender Town Syndrom. It’s no understatement to say that anyone who’s heard about creepypasta has heard about it.
Once more, this is less written as creepypasta, but more like an urban legend, related to the original theme of Lavender Town.
It’s a quick read for a video game creepypasta, but still enjoyable and details a rather unsettling urban legend related to a children’s game.
Ah, Ben Drowned, the story who started the trend of haunted video game creepypasta. The sub-genre revolves around haunted video games which cause the people who play them to go insane or kill themselves. It makes up a huge subset of video game creepypasta and has spawned some of the worst ones out there.
Ben Drowned, however, is a rare exception. While I’m not too big a fan of haunted video games, one has to acknowledge the influence Ben Drowned had on the genre of creepypasta.
What I enjoyed most about Ben Drowned was the attention to detail. As the story continues, we read about strange glitches, additional levels or areas created out of nowhere and various other game changes.
The story itself regards a young man who buys a used game of Majora’s Mask at a yard sale. Upon starting the game, he discovers a safe file named Ben. Ignoring it, he starts the game, but notices that NPCs occasionally refer to him as Ben. This, however, is only the beginning, and the game gets progressively strange, becoming a surreal experience for the narrator.
Ben Drowned isn’t an outstanding story, but what is outstanding is the work that went into it. The story comprises elements from multiple other media. There are not only pictures showcasing what’s happening, but even actual footage of this supposedly haunted game.
Ben Drowned doesn’t end there, however. There’s an entire ARG (alternate reality game) related to Ben Drowned. I found out about it because of a YouTube video and now see the entire story in a different light.
Ben Drowned is a very long video game creepypasta about a haunted video game cartridge. While the story isn’t the best, I still consider it a fantastic work, if only for all the work that went into it and the ARG surrounding it.
Pale Lune is among the best video game creepypasta out there.
The story revolves around an obscure text adventure only circulated in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Most people who tried the game quickly abandoned it. The game was cryptic and barely functioning.
Eventually, a young man with too much time on his hand decides to play the game himself to see if he can actually finish it.
Pale Luna is a rather short video game creepypasta, but I really enjoyed it. It’s a story about a cryptic, mysterious game and the disturbing secret hidden within.
Pokémon Black is another video game creepypasta regarding an obscure game, a Pokémon game.
If you ever explored video game creepypasta, you notice that there’s a plethora of Pokémon creepypasta out there. Many of them aren’t worth your time, but Pokémon Black proved to be different.
It’s not about a cursed or haunted game, but about an obscure hack by the titular name.
That’s what makes Pokémon Black so interesting and why it works so well. The hack itself isn’t dangerous, it’s merely a tale about an obscure hack that can be interpreted in many ways.
Another video game creepypasta that’s not about a haunted or cursed video game cartridge. Instead, the story features a strange and glitchy game.
I don’t know why, but since the first time I read The Theater, I loved it. The mystery, the minor details, the obscure nature of the game, it all fits together fantastically.
Once more, nothing bad happens to the narrator, and instead he only describes what he experiences when playing a strange, obscure game.
The Theater is a very enjoyable, short tale, one I regard as a classic.
The NES Godzilla Creepypasta is my favorite video game creepypasta of all time.
The story revolves around a young man who wants to rekindle his childhood nostalgia. Back in the day, he loved nothing more than to play the NES game Godzilla: Monster of Monsters.
His play-through of the game starts out normal enough, but soon enough, the game glitches and changes in strange ways.
The reason I like the NES Godzilla Creepypasta is less for the story, but for the visuals, the images. The creator wasn’t satisfied by merely telling a creepy story. Instead he filled it with pixel art of entire screens, bosses and monsters.
Over the course of the story, he even describes the various levels of the game in intricate detail, the bosses, and how he’s able to defeat them.
I can’t say why, but I enjoyed this play-through-style of writing.
My biggest problem with this creepypasta, however, is the story. It’s a story about a haunted video that’s clichéd at best and lackluster at worst.
What makes it stand out, however, is the game itself, the different levels and the various monsters. For that alone, it’s a delight to read, even if the story is rather weak.
If you’re interested in video game creepypasta, this one is a must-read. However, you might want to focus more on the art and the strange game it depicts than on the story itself.
Creepypasta is a divisive genre as you can see if you check out my list of the best creepypasta of all time. What used to be urban legends and scary stories shared via the internet has evolved into a genre of its own.
By now, there’s a plethora of creepypasta out there, as you can see in my list of the best creepypasta of all time.
While some creepypasta are scary and disturbing, others are sad or convey deeper meaning. Yet, there are some that can only be described as weird.
On this list, I want to share my favorite 15 weird creepypasta with you.
In this weird creepypasta, a man recounts the most fantastical story he’s ever heard. At the time of the story, the man was the headmaster at a primary school in Northamptonshire.
That day, a boy named Christopher was sent to his office. He was in a state of panic, confused, and mumbled to himself that things weren’t supposed to be like that.
After that, we hear the story Christopher told the headmaster.
Think Not of the Morrow is a great story, but what makes it a truly weird creepypasta is the unique and unsettling ending.
Burgrr Entries sticks out even in a list of bizarre and weird creepypasta. It’s one of the most surreal pieces of fiction I’ve ever read.
This creepypasta is an apocalypse story, but one that’s different from any other. The end doesn’t come in the form of zombies, aliens, or natural disasters, but in the form of new fast food.
Even stranger, this new type of food is only available at weird take out windows that appear all over town. One such window suddenly appears at the side of the narrator’s home with no visible addition to the inside.
While the narrator sees the food as disgusting and weird, most other people act as if it’s completely normal and stand in line to get it. It seems only our narrator understands what’s really going on.
As the story continues, more and more people fall prey to the lure of this strange food. From here on out, the story also gets progressively stranger.
Burgrr Entries is a weird creepypasta, one that can get quite gross, but it’s also one of the most creative and surreal ones I’ve read.
It’s unfortunate that the story devolves into a drawn out fight and escape scenario in later parts. The overall plot and theme are interesting. It’s especially the early parts of this creepypasta that stand out for their gross and bizarre imagery.
Keep a Diary was the first diary-type creepypasta I ever read. It’s also a rather unique and weird creepypasta.
The story starts with a man waking up in a giant, seemingly never-ending room. His only possession is a diary in which he details his experiences.
He’s afraid of what will happen to him, but every morning he’s provided with supplies that help him survive. At first, it’s only essentials such as food, water and clothing. Over time, however, he receives more supplies and even materials to build a shelter for himself.
Eventually, other people arrive.
Keep a Diary is a weird creepypasta, but also a very interesting one. The narrator’s earlier survival efforts, the creation of a small society and the diary format make it a rather unique experience.
It also muses on about some deeper themes that might make you ponder for a bit.
You sometimes stumble upon a story that’s so weird, you can’t help but wonder what you’re reading. The Memetic Symbol is one such tale and one of my favorite weird creepypasta.
Our narrator is a studier of memetic theories. One day while browsing the internet he comes upon a strange symbol. When he returns to the computer the next day, he realizes in shock that the symbol has not only affected his computer, but everything around it.
From here on out, the story continues as more and more of the narrator’s world is taken over by the strange symbol.
The Memetic Symbol is a short tale, but one that’s so outlandish and strange one can’t help but be reminded of other utterly bizarre and weird creepypasta.
Mice is yet another weird creepypasta I really enjoyed.
A nameless narrator talks about his colony of mice. Over the course of the story, he details how he takes care of them, how he trains them and that he’s their god.
Yet, this is a creepypasta and as so often in this medium, things might not be what they seem.
House of Rules was one of the first weird creepypasta I read and I loved it.
The narrator of the tale states he’s living in a house of rules, details how it influences his life. One might think the rules are enforced by the renting company or the neighbors. Instead, they are enforced by the house itself.
Whenever you don’t follow the rules, the house will punish you.
House of Rules is another quite creative story, one filled with an atmosphere of hopelessness and isolation.
It’s an interesting and weird creepypasta, one that’s a delight to read.
This short, weird creepypasta details a mysterious and inexplicable event.
In a quiet town in Minnesota, police uncover the charred body of a woman in a kitchen stove. What appears to be a suicide soon turns stranger when more details are revealed.
The Woman in the Oven is a short creepypasta, one more reminiscent of an urban legend. There’s no narration, no set up, no story, it merely explains a mysterious event.
It’s an unsettling tale, a weird creepypasta and one that makes you wonder what might have happened.
Cervin Birth centers on a strange video that was shared around the internet. The video was supposedly showcasing the birth of a blind deer.
After this, the story describes what the other videos by the creator of Cervin Birth contain.
Cervin Birth is another short creepypasta, merely detailing the contents of various, strange videos. Once again, there’s no narration. Instead the creepypasta is nothing more than a description of obscure videos.
Sometimes, less is more, and for Cervin Birth, it’s definitely the case.
The Backrooms is a more recent, yet quite weird creepypasta. It’s nothing but a strange picture and a description of what we’re seeing in it.
In essence, The Backrooms are the place you end up when you glitch through reality.
I love eerie ideas like this, especially since it’s depicted as something that could happen to anyone.
Should you ever end up in The Backrooms, there’s nothing you can do but wander those endless corridors forever and hope that the other things there don’t notice you.
We’ve officially made it to bizarro world. The Dream of Every dentist might be the most unique and weirdest creepypasta I ever read.
In the story, a man in a black suit offers a group of dentists a large sum of money to reveal their dream to him. At first, the men say he won’t understand it before they eventually share it with him.
The Dream of Every Dentist is not only a weird creepypasta, but one that makes you squirm while reading it. When I first read it, I stared at the computer screen for quite a while, unsure what I’d just read and why I enjoyed it so much.
An Egg centers on our existential fears and our search for meaning before it gives an answer them. This answer is one of the most interesting and remarkable ones I’ve come upon.
It’s a short creepypasta, but one that’s absolutely fascinating.
Dogscape is an utterly surreal and weird creepypasta, but also one of my all-time favorites.
The story centers on a single concept. What would happen if the entire earth would become a never-ending landscape made up of dogs?
In this strange world, the ground is covered entirely in dog fur. Strange dog trees and random dog heads are sprouting from it.
Dogscape is not a single story, but a collection of short, weird creepypasta detailing the life and survival of the people inhabiting this strange world.
The setting is as strange as it sounds, but the tales themselves are even weirder. We got to know weird dog cults. People are devoured by dog heads or become assimilated by the Dogscape itself.
While the quality of the individual tales varies in length and quality, I still think Dogscape is something any creepypasta fan needs to experience for themselves.
It is, however, a harsh world, full of gore, rape and many other atrocities.
If you like surreal and weird creepypasta, however, I am sure you will enjoy this unique collection of tales.
Kris Straub’s Candle Cove is one of the most popular creepypasta of all time and was adapted as the first season of horror anthology series Channel Zero.
It’s not only a weird creepypasta, it’s also written in a very interesting format. The entire tale is written as a conversation in a thread on a message board.
The users partaking in the thread discuss a strange children’s TV show named Candle Cove. At first, they are reminiscing about their memories and nostalgia. As more people join the discussion, however, strange and stranger details are revealed about the show.
The reason Candle Cove is so popular and well-liked is, without a doubt, the unique format and the way it is told. What starts out as a group of people rekindling childhood nostalgia slowly turns into something unsettling.
While Candle Cove is not as bizarre as some other entries on this list, I still regard it as quite the weird creepypasta, both for its format and its content.
It’s a fantastic read and anyone who hasn’t heard about it should definitely check it out.
There are many creepypasta out there. Ever since its emergence in the mid-2000s, the genre proved massively popular.
What started out as urban legends and campfire tales shared over the internet soon developed. By now there’s a variety of creepypasta out there, as you can see in my list of the best creepypasta of all time. They are including different formats, styles and topics.
While some are short, scary anecdotes, others are long epic tales. In this article, I want to share with you my favorite long creepypasta.
The Devil’s Cosmonaut is a long creepypasta set in a space station.
The tale is about the cosmonaut Boris. After Communications with the ground break down, weird things happen in the space station. He hears strange noises, even though he’s alone, and the temperature seems to rise constantly.
The Devil’s Cosmonaut is absolutely amazing. The idea of being confined to a small station in space is already unsettling, yet what’s happening to Boris makes it even worse.
Being stuck in space is terrifying enough, but not knowing what’s real is so much scarier. This story is so effective because we clearly witness Boris’ descent into madness.
The Devil’s Cosmonaut is a long tale, a slow-moving one, but it’s a fantastic read all around.
Back in 1999, our narrator, Elliot, was seven years old and loved the TV-show Pokemon. When his dad got fed up about his son’s whining to watch the show, he gets Elliot his own TV.
It isn’t long before Elliot discovers a secret channel, Channel 21, which features strange and disturbing content.
The earlier parts of this creepypasta are written more in an anthology format in which Elliot describes the various strange shows on Channel 21. This culminates in him writing a letter to his favorite show, Mr. Bear’s cellar. When he receives an invitation to the show, his father offers to drive him there.
The two of them don’t meet Mr. Bear, however, but the police and soon learn about the true nature of Channel 21.
The story doesn’t end there, however, but details Elliot’s research into the strange channel and Mr. Bear when he’s in college.
What makes 1999 work so well is the format. It’s less written like a traditional story, but more like an internet diary by Elliot detailing his findings.
The longer his research lasts and the more details he uncovers over the course of this long creepypasta, the more disturbing things get.
Stevie is a very long creepypasta, but also an extremely well written one. At the outset of the story, psychiatrist Sylvester Penn is on his way to interview a young man in a mental asylum.
Michael, the young man, is there because he murdered someone. The interview begins and we learn more about Michael’s past and his childhood.
Michael grew up in a pleasant neighborhood. Yet, there weren’t many kids there and his only friend was a boy named Michael who was slow in the head. After teasing him and playing tricks on him for a while, Michael soon developed a feeling of being responsible for him.
When more people move into the neighborhood, Michael makes friends with some of the new kids. One of them is called Stevie, who’s a lanky, weird boy, obsessed with taxidermy.
As Michael details his childhood and teenage years with his new friends, including Stevie, things soon take a turn for the worse.
Stevie is one of the longest creepypasta I ever read. It’s a tale that develops slowly, but turns progressively darker the longer it goes on. It’s a fantastic story and its great writing will keep you engaged throughout.
Humper-Monkey’s Ghost Story is not just a long creepypasta, it’s huge. The story was originally posted in a military story thread on Something Awful and proved to be extremely popular.
Our narrator, Monkey, joins the US Army in the late 1980s and is stationed in an undescriptive building in the mountains in Germany. The place is cold, isolated, but even worse, it’s supposedly haunted.
Things get strange during his first night at the building. He’s got the feeling he’s not alone in his room and that he’s watched by someone or something.
Humper-Monkey’s Ghost story is, as the name implies, a ghost story and with almost 30.000 words, the longest creepypasta on this list. The story also spawned several follow-ups and related tales.
What makes this story so great is the isolated setting. Yet, things should only get worse, as the soldiers try to uncover what is going on in the building.
Humber-Monkey’s Ghost Story is popular for a variety of reasons. The writing is great; the language is rough, and it feels realistic.
No End House is a classic, a really popular one. This long creepypasta proved so popular it was adapted as the second season of the horror anthology series Channel Zero.
The story centers on a haunted house, the titular No End House. Our narrator David learns his friend visited the place and that there’s a challenge involved. The place comprises nine rooms and whoever makes it to the end wins $500.
Soon enough, David sets out to try his luck. After all, how hard can it be?
While the first rooms start out silly, almost childish, things soon get strange and more nightmarish.
No End House might be quite a long creepypasta, but it’s a fantastic read. I love the fascinating setting, but also the creativity that went into it. If you haven’t heard about No End House, and haven’t read it, I highly recommend it.
Here we have another long creepypasta, but one that’s different. The entirety of the Dionaea House is told via email correspondences and blog entries.
This strange choice of format makes The Dionaea House not only interesting, but it also makes it feel much more realistic. It doesn’t read like a creepypasta or a short story. Instead, it feels like you’re reading a real email correspondence between friends.
The story is about Eric who gets contacted by his friend Mark, regarding a fellow friend, Andrew. Apparently Andrew snapped, shot two people and later killed himself.
From here on out, we witness Mark’s investigation as he tries to figure out what happened to their old friend and drove him to do what he did. His emails to Eric read more like an investigative diary, but are written realistically.
When Mark eventually finds his way to The Dionaea House, nothing is revealed, however. Instead, the story only proves to get stranger.
The Dionaea House is a slow-developing and very long creepypasta. It’s well put together, however, and the format keeps you engaged throughout. What I came to enjoy the most, however, was the idea of the Dionaea House itself.
If you haven’t read it yet, and you got some time to spare, be sure to check out this long creepypasta.
Ted the Caver is one of the earliest and longest creepypasta out there. As the title says, this story is all about caving.
While I’m not claustrophobic, I find the idea of exploring tight spaces and caves inherently disturbing.
Ted the Caver works so well because of all the intricate details that are added to it. The story starts out as a blog by a caving enthusiast who shares his discovery of an unknown cave system.
The earlier posts focus more on the process of caving. Each of the blog posts making up this tale features various photographs. This gives you not only more insight into the setting, but also immerses you into the story. It feels like what you’re reading is an actual story.
Ted the Caver is a long creepypasta, one that develops slowly, but it proves to be a fascinating tale. What makes it so great is the realism, and the unsettling elements that take over the story in its later half.
Ted the Caver is a classic, long creepypasta, but one very well worth reading.
I love Psychosis by Matt Dymerski. He’s one of the most talented authors of creepypasta out there. Psychosis is a long creepypasta, one that develops slowly and details a man’s descent into madness.
John, a young man, notices strange details about his life. Things don’t seem to add up anymore. As time continues, we witness as he grows increasingly paranoid and wonders what is real and what isn’t.
What makes this long creepypasta so fascinating is John’s descent into madness, his spiraling out of control. And yet, as we read on, we also wonder if John might not be right.
Psychosis is a fantastic study in paranoia and isolation. While it might be a rather long creepypasta, it’s definitely one of the best ones out there.
The Strangers is a superb story and my favorite creepypasta of all times. It’s a well-written epic, detailing what happened to a young man named Andrew Erics.
The young man got a strange habit. Whenever he’s on the subway, he can’t help but watch his fellow passengers. While most people act a bit strange, he comes upon one man who seems different. This weird character doesn’t react to Andrew’s staring at all. It doesn’t take long before Andrew becomes interested in the man and follows him on his daily trips, back and forth on the subway.
This, however, is only the beginning of this long creepypasta.
The Strangers is one of the most-well written creepypasta out there. When I first read it, I was floored by how well it’s told. Even today, after reading hundreds of other creepypasta, it still holds up as my favorite.
I can’t recommend this long creepypasta enough. It’s a fantastic read and a delight for anyone interested in horror and weird tales.
The first creepypasta were short, scary campfire tales shared via the internet. Over the years, however, as the medium received more and more attention, creepypasta have transformed. Over the time I’ve read countless creepypasta as you can see on my list of the best creepypasta of all time.
Some are more akin to literary short stories, while others use the internet to their advantage. Those are written as blog posts, email correspondences or even pseudo-documentaries.
In this article, however, I don’t want to talk about those. While most creepypasta are scary, or at least unsettling, there are some truly disturbing creepypasta out there.
In this article I want to present you with some of the most disturbing creepypasta ever.
Pale Luna is a video game creepypasta and one of the best in this subgenre.
The story is about an obscure text adventure which was only known to a few select people back in the day.
There’s something special about Pale Luna, though. The game is cryptic and barely functioning, prompting most people to abandon it out of sheer frustration. One day, a young man decides to see if there’s more to this enigmatic game.
Pale Luna isn’t as disturbing as the other creepypasta on this list. The reason I added it, however, is the final reveal and the scenario depicted.
Overall, it’s an interesting tale, surrounding a mystery in a video game.
12 Minutes is one of the strangest and most disturbing creepypasta I read.
It details what happened in the fall of 1987 when a small local news channel in Atlanta had a gap in scheduling. It was eventually filled by young Reverand Marley Sachs who used the available hour for his show ‘Words of Light with Rev. Marley Sachs.”
From here on out, things soon get weird. Complaints arrive by woman who report feeling uncomfortable while watching the show. They mention that this feeling always occurs in twelve-minute intervals. Before long, the show is cancelled as the channel has to report on a more important topic, the local miscarriage epidemic.
When a young intern takes a deeper look at the tapes of Reverand Marley Sachs’ show, however, he discovers something truly disturbing.
12 Minutes is a story I absolutely loved. It’s a mysterious, yet deeply disturbing creepypasta. It’s a tale that anyone interested in horror should check out.
Gateway of the mind is a classic in the realm of creepypasta, but also one of the most disturbing creepypasta of all time.
The story details an experiment conducted by a group of scientists. They presume that if a human being has no access to their senses, they could perceive the presence of God.
It doesn’t take them long to find a subject. It’s an old man who’s got nothing left to lose.
As the story continues, we witness how the subject grows increasingly more disoriented, paranoid and hallucinates. Before long, however, things get much, much more unsettling.
Gateway of the Mind presents an idea that’s as interesting as it is disturbing. If you had no access to your sense, and are stuck inside your own head, what happens?
What makes Gateway of the Mind such a great and disturbing creepypasta, however, is the ending. If you haven’t read this tale yet, I highly recommend you do.
Dogscape is not only weird and surreal, it’s also one of the most disturbing creepypasta ever. Yet, it has always been one of my favorite creepypasta of all time.
Dogscape details what happens after all the earth has become a never-ending landscape made up of dogs. It’s a world in which the ground is covered in dog fur, random dog heads and from which strange dog trees sprout.
This creepypasta comprises multiple tales, detailing the life and the survival of people in this strange world.
What makes Dogscape so disturbing isn’t merely the weird setting, but what happens in it. The inhabitants of the Dogscape are devoured by dog heads, kill each other or become assimilated by the Dogscape itself. It also features frequent mentions of rape happening among survivors.
It’s one of the weirdest selection of tales and something that must be experienced by anyone interested in weird horror.
The tales of the Dogscape vary in detail, length and quality. They feature gore, rape and many other atrocities. It’s truly a disturbing creepypasta, but it deserves a place on this list for its bizarre setting and imagery.
If you like weird, surreal and disturbing creepypasta, you will enjoy Dogscape. Just be warned, some tales feature explicit content.
Disturbing Creepypasta – Normal Porn for Normal People
Normal Porn for Normal People has always been one of my favorite, disturbing creepypasta. Something about tales that center on weird, hidden corners of the internet has always fascinated me.
The narrator details he received a spam mail, telling him about a website called normalpornfornormalpeople.com. The website itself is barely functional, but features a variety of strange videos. When he shares his discovery with the members of an image board, people investigate and soon discover more unsettling content.
What makes Normal Pron for Normal People so disturbing is the thought that websites like this exist somewhere in the depths of the internet.
I highly recommend this story to anyone who’s interested in scary tales. It’s well worth the read and an absolute favorite of mine.
Creepypasta have long been a staple of internet horror story-telling. They are short, scary tales, reminiscent of urban legends.
Yet, over the years, creepypasta have evolved and now come in a variety of formats. Some are written as blog posts or email correspondences, while others are reminiscent of pseudo-documentaries or diary entries.
Creepypasta is incredibly popular and there are now thousands of them out there. Over the years I’ve read countless creepypasta, some good, some bad and some fantastic, as you can see in my list of the best creepypasta of all time.
While creepypasta are horror tales, not all of them are necessarily scary. That’s why I put together a list of my favorite scary creepypasta.
Who’s in my bed is a very short, but also extremely scary creepypasta. It’s about a father who tucks his son into bed, but is asked to check under the bed for monsters.
Yet, he doesn’t find a monster there, but something much more unsettling. This scary creepypasta proves you don’t need a lot of words or a long narrative to unsettling readers.
It was also adapted as a short film. You can watch it on YouTube right here.
The Devil’s Cosmonaut is an extremely unsettling creepypasta set in a space station.
It’s the tale of a cosmonaut, Boris, who’s alone in a space station in earth’s orbit. Communication with the ground breaks down and soon strange things happen. The station grows increasingly hotter and Boris begins to hear strange noises around the station.
This is an absolutely amazing and scary creepypasta. Being confined to a small station in space is unsettling enough, but strange things happening there, makes it even worse.
It’s a crazy idea to be stuck in space, not knowing what’s real. What makes this so great and a truly scary creepypasta is to witness the decline of our narrator Boris.
It is, however, a rather long creepypasta, one that develops slowly. It’s well worth it though, and a fantastic read overall.
1999 is a very long, very scary creepypasta. It starts with our narrator, Elliot, in the year 1999 when he was five years old.
Back then, he was in love with the TV-show Pokemon. His dad, fed up about his son’s whining to watch the show, buys him his own TV.
One day, Elliot discovers a secret channel, Channel 21, which airs strange and disturbing shows.
The first part of 1999 is written more like an anthology in which Elliot describes the various strange shows airing on Channel 21. Eventually, Elliot writes a letter to his favorite show on the channel, Mr. Bear’s Cellar, and receives an invitation to the show.
Driving there with his father, they don’t meet Mr. Bear, but the police and soon discover the true nature of Channel 21 and Mr. Bear.
This, however, is only the beginning of this epic tale. In college, Elliot remembers the strange channel, Mr. Bear, and starts his own research about the events that took place during his childhood.
1999 works so well because it’s not written like a traditional short story, but as an internet blog detailing Elliot’s quest.
And the longer his research lasts, and the more details he uncovers, the more unsettling this scary creepypasta becomes.
There are many scary creepypasta out there. Some detail creepy beings or monsters, others describe unexplained incidents. Then there are some who are scary for completely different reasons.
This is one of them.
Wake Up is a tale that unsettled me. There’s always this tiny little voice in the back of my mind, asking me ‘what if’?
Ever since I first read this story, I’ve always regarded it as a truly scary creepypasta.
Mother’s Call is a classic in the realm of creepypasta.
This tale is short, extremely short, and comprises only a few sentences. Yet, as I mentioned before, you don’t need a lot of words for a scary creepypasta.
The Hidden Things is another effective and scary creepypasta. When a hotel owner receives no word from the man in room 304, he pays him a visit.
When he gets no answer, he enters the room using a spare key. Inside, he finds the man dead in a corner of the room and the walls covered in strange writings.
After a few days, the narrator enters the room again to figure out what happened to the man.
When I first read this story, I was impressed. The story is fantastically written, provides some great imagery, and the old man’s descent into madness is masterfully done.
The Hidden Things is a scary creepypasta and a delight to read.
The Russian Sleep Experiment and the image accompanying it is without a doubt one of the most popular creepypasta of all time. Yet, this popularity is for a good reason because it’s also a truly scary creepypasta.
Set in Russia, the story details what happens to a group of political prisoners who are subjected to an experiment. For the duration of thirty days, they are put in a room and kept awake by an experimental gas.
The men grow increasingly paranoid and slowly lose their mind. Things, however, don’t end there.
The Russian Sleep Experiment is an absolutely scary creepypasta classic.
Ted the Caver is a story about caving. I never liked the idea of exploring tight spaces or caves. No, it’s unsettling to me. While I’m not claustrophobic, the idea of squeezing through dark caves and tight spaces makes me anxious.
What makes Ted the Caver such a scary creepypasta is the way the story is told and the details that are put into it.
It begins as a blog by a caving enthusiast who discovers an unknown part of a cave system. The first posts detail the process of laying bare the entrance to this unknown system. Each post comes with a variety of photographs that give you more insight and immerse you more into the story. It makes it feel you aren’t reading a creepypasta, but an actual story.
Ted the Caver is a slow-moving, long tale, but it proves to be a fantastic read. While the beginning is about caving, weird details are slowly added to the story as it continues.
What makes Ted the Caver such a scary creepypasta is first the unsettling setting, but also the atmosphere the tale conveys.
Ted the Caver is truly one of the greatest, most detailed and scariest creepypasta ever written.
I’ve always loved internet horror and this creepypasta details just one such depraved and sick internet discovery.
The story begins when the narrator receives a chain letter about a weird website called normalpornfornormalpeople.com. When he visits the page, he discovers it features various, strange videos. Soon enough, the narrator shares his discovery on a certain image board. In time, members discover more and more unsettling content.
I don’t know why, but I always enjoyed stories about the strange, hidden corners of the internet. What makes this such a scary creepypasta is the idea that videos such as featured on the page most likely exist out there somewhere.
I recommend this story to anyone out there, but especially to those people who are looking for especially scary creepypasta. It also inspired one of my earlier stories, Fetish Webcam.
Psychosis by Matt Dymerski is one of my favorite creepypasta of all times. It’s a long, well-written story that details a man’s descent into madness.
It’s the story of a young man named John, who notices that many things in his life don’t seem to add up anymore. Before long, he wonders what’s real and what isn’t, and is not sure if he can trust his surroundings.
He isolates himself from the world and we witness his paranoia getting worse and worse.
What makes this story so great, and what makes it such a scary creepypasta is John’s descent into madness. As we read on, we can somewhat share his feelings, but we’re never true what’s really going on.
Psychosis is a fantastic story, a study in paranoia and isolation and one of the scariest creepypasta ever written.
Creepypasta are amongst the most-popular internet horror content there is. Over the years I’ve read countless creepypasta, as you can see in my long list of must-read creepypasta.
Many creepypasta are short anecdotes, often no longer than a few sentences long. Others are written as simple online-post, diary entries or email-correspondences.
Some, however, are more literary and are akin to short stories. For this list, I want to share some of the most well-written creepypasta with you.
Doppelganger was one of the first creepypasta I ever read and I was blown away by it.
This well-written creepypasta tells the tale of a man who notices his wife is changing and acting strangely. Soon enough, he believes that the woman he’s with now is not his actual wife.
As the story continues, the narrator describes how things have changed and we witness as his paranoia and knowledge about the doppelganger grows.
Doppelganger is a fantastic and well-written creepypasta, one any horror fan should read.
Stevie is long, but it’s also one of the most well-written creepypasta I’ve read. It begins with a psychotherapist, Sylvester Penn, interviewing a young man at an asylum.
This young man is Michael, who’s there because he murdered someone. As two of them talk, we learn more about Michael and his past. He grew up as one of the few kids living in a pleasant neighborhood.
His only friend was a boy named Andrew, who was a bit slow in the head. Michael often played tricks on Andrew. Even though Andrew grew mad at him for it, he always stuck to Michael, who soon felt responsible for him.
Over time, more families move to the neighborhood with their kids. One of them is Stephen DiMisaco or Stevie, as he’s being called. He’s a weird, lanky boy who’s obsessed with taxidermy.
Michael recounts his childhood and teenage years and his relationship with new friends, but also with Stevie.
It isn’t long, however, before things take a turn for the worse.
Stevie is the longest tale on this list. It’s a slow developing story, but one that turns progressively darker. It’s a fantastic story, one that keeps you engaged until the end and one of the most well-written creepypasta ever.
Another well-written creepypasta about a mysterious event.
Payton, a young boy, wants to take pictures of a young lion spotted in the area. When he asks for advice from the people at National Geographic, he’s told to put an automatic camera at a place the young lion might frequent.
To lure the young lion to the small creek, he sets up the recording of a dying rabbit.
The narrator of this tale isn’t Payton, however, but a young girl. She describes how she can hear the distant recording of the dying rabbit even from her house at night. What makes it even worse, however, is that the recording is distorted.
It’s soon revealed that something was indeed lured to the creek, but it might not have been the young lion.
Rabbits in the Creek is another fantastic and well-written creepypasta. It’s a great story, told slowly and reveals yet another mysterious and unexplained event.
This well-written creepypasta tells the story of a man named Jacob Emory. He’s a jack of all trades, but his ambitions and interests soon grow too large for his small hometown.
And so Jacob travels abroad. When he returns to his home town, years later, he brings along a stick of chalk. This stick turns out to be special because it allows him to draw strange paintings that are animated.
It isn’t long before Jacob holds his own shows, presenting his animate paintings in front of an audience. Things, however, should soon get worse, much worse.
The Art of Jacob Emory is a favorite of mine. It’s not only one of the most well-written creepypasta but also one of the most creative I’ve ever read.
Case Report 7591 tells the tale of a man named Travis Leroy and takes place in the amusement park he created. The man’s most priced attraction was an indoor ride through an enchanted forest.
The park turns out to be profitable and soon leads to business booming in the small town it was created in.
Tragedy strikes, however, when a four-year-old boy goes missing in the outskirts of town. A search is started, but the case is closed down, eventually.
When another child goes missing, however, an investigation is started. Soon enough, the amusement park is investigated and a terrible secret is discovered.
Case Report 7591 is a creepypasta that stands out for its narrative and the fascinating story-telling.
It’s a fantastic and well-written creepypasta that transforms a simple premise into something unique. If you’re looking for a well-written creepypasta, I highly recommend it.
Creepypasta set in the realm of science-fiction are rare. The Gift of Mercy is one of the few exceptions and it’s a remarkable little tale.
Yet, this story isn’t set in a spaceship or space station. It’s not one about an alien invasion. Instead, it follows an alien narrator who laments the greatest mistake his species ever made.
It’s an incredible interest, unique and creative little tale.
Well-Written Creepypasta – The Song and Dance Man.
The Song and Dance Man has always been one of my favorite creepypasta. It’s a phenomenal piece of fiction and one of the most well-written creepypasta I ever read.
It’s the story of a strange man who one day appears in the narrator’s home town. The man sets up a tent and invites inside to listen to music and to dance. Many of the townspeople follow his invitation and join him for free music and dancing.
Yet, things are never what they seem at first glance and there’s more involved than just a bit of dancing.
What makes this story so great is the fantastic writing, the way the story is presented to us as well as the narrative.
The Song and Dance Man is without a doubt one of the most well-written creepypasta I’ve come upon and a delight to read for any horror fan.
Ever since I read Psychosis, Matt Dymerski has become a favorite of mine. It’s another long, but incredibly well-written creepypasta. I first discovered it on 4chan’s /x/ board years ago and was stunned by how good it was.
Psychosis is a strange story. It’s about a young man, John, who soon feels things don’t add up anymore. He wonders what’s real and what isn’t, and soon enough, he’s not sure if he can trust his surroundings anymore.
John isolates himself from the world, believing something terrible is happening out there. Over the course of the story, his paranoia gets worse and worse. It’s a fascinating and interesting tale, one that presents us with a slow descent into madness.
Psychosis is a well-written creepypasta and Matt Dymersky’s one of the greatest creepypasta and horror writers out there.
The Strangers is my favorite creepypasta of all time. It’s a superb story. The world created is fascinating, and it’s one of the most well-written creepypasta of all time.
It tells the story of a young man named Andrew Erics. He’s got a peculiar habit. Whenever he rides the subway, he watches the other passengers. One day, he discovers a peculiar character, a man who doesn’t react to being watched at all. It isn’t long before Andrew tries to figure out what’s wrong with this weird character. In time, however, he discovers there are other strangers around.
Andrew follows the man on his daily trips, back and forth on the subway, but this is merely the beginning of the tale.
The Strangers is a masterfully told tale and one of the most well-written creepypasta of all time. It was one of the first creepypasta I ever read, but it blew me away. After rereading it recently though, I can say that it still holds up, even today and even after reading hundreds of other creepypasta. I highly recommend this tale to anyone who’s interested in creepypasta, horror or strange tales.
Blame! is the debut series of Tsutomu Nihei, a science-fiction cyberpunk manga artist. He’s among the best and most talented manga artists out there and his art can compare to the best in the entire medium.
Blame! is one of my favorite manga of all time. It’s unique, beautiful, awe-inspiring and at times brutal. The manga stands out for its amazing setting, the stunning action scenes, but also the many gorgeous and disturbing cybernetic horrors that populate it.
It tells a dark, futuristic story that depicts a world in which technology is running amok and has created one of the most unique settings ever created.
The world of Blame! is a typical cyberpunk setting, depicting a world of fascinating high-tech but at the same low-life for all its inhabitants. Many other cyberpunk tropes fit Blame! as well, but the manga also features many instances of biomechanics and bio-punk.
Tsutomu Nihei was an architecture student before he became a manga artist. This knowledge of architecture is one reason Blame! is so unique and impressive. We constantly see grand, awe-inspiring buildings and massive architectural wonders. Blame!’s world isn’t just huge, it’s immeasurable and mind-boggling gigantic.
The plot of Blame! is relatively simple. Killy, our main character, wanders the world of Blame! only known as the City in search of a human with Net Terminal Genes. A person like this could access the Netsphere, stop the chaotic growth of the City and stop the Safeguard from destroying what remains of humanity.
Over the course of the manga, we follow Killy on his journey through the world of Blame! and witness his interaction with the many other inhabitants of the City.
Blame’s world is dark and beautiful, chaotic and depressing and dangerous and brutal. It’s a wondrous, technological wasteland.
Blame! is a cyberpunk manga set in the far-future, but it’s also set in a post-apocalyptic dystopia.
The apocalyptic event was the loss of control over the City and thus over the builders and the Safeguard. There’s also the infection and devolution of humans and at the time of the story, no one with Net Terminal Genes remains.
The dystopian elements are clear at first sight. The surviving humans don’t amount to much when compared to the other cybernetic horrors inhabiting the City. They huddle together in small pockets of society and constantly have to fend for survival. Another aspect is the Netsphere, an advanced virtual reality which allows people to upload their consciousness. People with the Net Terminal Gene already did so, leaving the real world or base reality, as it’s called in Blame! behind.
Blame!’s setting is entirely unique. It’s a world devoid of any natural elements. There are no forests, no normal ground and no mountains within the megastructures. Instead, everything we see in Blame! are buildings and constructions, many of which are of mind-boggling size. The City is a chaotic amalgamation of titanic architecture whose dimensions are entirely unknown to any of its dwellers. It’s essentially labyrinthine, futuristic dungeon.
Over the course of the manga, we learn more about the insane size of the City. At one point, Killy stumbles upon a single room the size of Jupiter inside the City. In the prequel NOiSE, we learn the Moon was the first celestial body incorporated into the City. It’s stated by the writer Tsutomu Nihei that the City is the size of a Dyson Sphere, meaning it stretches as far as the orbit of Jupiter.
Even now, however, the City continues to grow and is endlessly constructed by so called builders, autonomous robots. Since no human is possible to access the Netsphere, no one can communicate with the builders and so they just keep on increasing the size of the City.
There are, however, some interesting details and concerns about the City. It’s so massive that its sheer size defies the law of physics. A construction the size of a Dyson Sphere would inevitably collapse into itself. Yet, this seems to be solved by certain gravitational controllers inside the megastructure which manipulate gravity itself and keep the City from destruction.
Another interesting tidbit is the sheer amount of materials. We learn, over the course of the story, that many celestial bodies have been harvested as raw materials. Even then, there wouldn’t be enough raw materials for a construction the size of the City. It’s implied, however, that builders can convert energy into matter, are using some sort of antimatter or can simply conjure matter into existence.
The City is one of the most unique and interesting settings I’ve ever come upon in manga.
As mentioned before, humans don’t have it easy in the City. Many of them have to fight for survival and do so in various outposts and pockets of civilization. Some are smaller, others, however, like the Capitol, are bigger.
Many of the humans our main characters encounter look different from one another. Some are taller, others are smaller. The reason for this is most likely because of the often mentioned infection, devolution, and mutation. What they all have in common, however, is that they look pale, emaciated, even sick. These changes are also the reason that people aren’t carrying the Net Terminal Genes anymore.
The Safeguard was originally a security system to protect the Netsphere from unauthorized access and protect humans with the Net Terminal Gene. The Safeguard still follows these instructions, but by now hunts down and kills anyone without Net Terminal Genes.
Other dwellers of the City are the Silicon Life, cyborgs who have their own goals, are independent from the Netsphere and want to keep the chaotic growth of the City going. If humanity would regain control over the City, and thus the Safeguard, they’d most likely use them to destroy the Silicon Life. And thus they want to keep the current status quo intact.
The last important fiction is the Governing Agency, which is basically the AI administration in charge of protecting the Netsphere. They are the ones who task Killy with finding a human with Terminal Net Genes to stop the chaotic growth of the City.
Blame! is a highly stylistic and unique manga, but that also means it’s not for everyone. The manga is mostly told via visuals and has very little dialogue.
With Blame! Nihei pushes the entire manga towards the visual side and his story is told not by dialogues or conventional narration, but almost entirely by visuals.
Blame! is a grand example of virtual story-telling and of a work in which a setting drives the narrative. In Blame!, the narration is told via the setting and not the other way around.
It’s this reason that makes Blame! so special and unique because it succeeds at telling a story primarily through the art.
Many parts of Blame! comprise nothing but silence. We watch as Killy travels on through futuristic wastelands, desolation and massive derelict buildings.
There’s scarcely any dialogue in Blame! but often it’s unnecessary. A great example is Killy’s gun, the Gravitational Beam Emitter. Instead of telling us how it works and how powerful it is, Nihei shows us multiple panels of how destructive a single shot is. Another one is the City itself. We know it’s chaotically and continuously growing, but we’re never told how huge it is. Instead, Nihei conveys this entirely through the visuals. There are countless panels in which we’re shown a bird’s-eye view of Killy as he wanders through buildings and past constructions of mind-boggling proportions.
Another great way about Blame!’s specific way of story-telling is that the manga’s never bogged down by needless explanations. We don’t get long-winded explanations about how the world of Blame! works. Instead, we merely witness the stunning, bizarre and nightmarish effects of the technological wonders Nihei conjures. Blame! is all visual.
This visual story-telling also influences the pacing of the manga, which lends itself especially well to the many action-sequences of the manga.
Nihei’s fantastic at world-building and Blame!’s a masterclass in world-building.
We know right from the very first chapter that Blame!’s a world that’s unfamiliar, dangerous and even alien when compared to our own. As we watch Killy’s travels, we soon realize that the City is entirely different from our world and it gives us a feeling of alienation.
All this is only possible by the insane, futuristic technology that exists within the City. This technology, however, is never explained, we just see it. Blame! happens so far in the future and everything can be explained by technology, but technology that not even the cast of characters truly understands anymore.
A lot of the technology we witness is the stuff of dreams or nightmares. This is most prevalent in the arc about Toha Heavy Industries. It’s here we learn that teleportation, time travel and even traveling to parallel realities is possible. All that, however, is hinted at to be caused by yet another of Nihei’s strange, futuristic technologies going haywire.
What’s true about technology is also true about the many factions and the mythology of the world. We only learn more about the City and its inhabitants in bits and pieces and have to put together the entire story on our own. All of it is vague, however, at times confusing, but it adds so much more to the mystery of the story and the atmosphere.
The main characters in Blame! are stoic, quiet badasses that almost never twitch when they get hurt.
This is truer for Killy than for everyone else. As he wanders the City he barely ever utters a word. That changes when he meets up and continues to travel with Cibo, but there’s still very little dialogue compared to other works.
When reading Blame! one soon learns that Killy isn’t a normal human being, and it’s later revealed or at least hinted at that Killy, similar to Dhomochevsky and Iko, is a provisional Safeguard. Even then, his past is hazy and we never learn much about him apart from what we witness of his mission.
Many of the human characters we encounter are badasses in their own right, and one can clearly see the toll survival has taken on them. We never encounter someone who’s truly happy or truly beautiful. No, this is a dark, depressing and dangerous world and it shows as much in its setting as in its characters.
While the manga comprises various arcs within their own specific parts of the megastructure, Killy’s overall quest ties it all together.
Because of the special way Blame! is told, the manga can be confusing. There’s little dialogue and no exposition.
This is especially the case at the beginning of the manga when we don’t know what’s going on. We merely follow Killy as he wanders the City through several almost unconnected chapters.
The story only gets more engaging when Killy reaches the Capitol and meets up with Cibo.
Even then, the reader has to always put things together on their own as information is revealed slowly and only bit by bit over the course of the manga. Once one gets used to Nihei’s style of story-telling, however, the story is almost straight-forward.
And yet, Blame! might still be a manga you have to read twice. When I read Blame! for the first time years ago, I was entirely lost when I reached the ending. On my second reread, however, all was much clearer and the plot now made sense.
The passage of time is something that matters little in the world of Blame! We don’t know how much time passes as Killy travels from location to location.
It’s only occasionally that we get a measure of time for an elevator ride or the time it takes for Killy to fully repair and those numbers, similar to the size of the City, are mind boggling.
An elevator ride through a megastructure takes about a month, his reconstruction after being heavily damaged takes years. The same is true for other characters and other parts of the story. Dhomochevsky, for example, has been fighting the Silicon Life under Davinelulinvega for approximately three-hundred years before Killy and Cibo arrive at the unofficial megastructure.
This treatment of time only helps to add to the mystery of the world and makes the City seem even more unfathomable and immeasurable.
The sheer size of the City makes the passing of time almost irrelevant, especially since Killy’s is almost always seen to be traveling on foot. We don’t know how long he’s been wandering the City, but estimations point not just at centuries or millennia, but at dozens of millennia.
What’s interesting about Blame! is also the question of who the antagonists are. The more we learn about the world of Blame!, however, the more we discover that there are merely different factions opposing one another.
At first the Safeguard is the primary antagonist. We discover, however, that the Safeguard is merely a security network out of control which was originally responsible for protecting the Netsphere from unauthorized access.
The Silicon Life fits the term antagonists the closest, but even they are merely fending for survival in the City. It’s their goal to keep the current status quo, afraid that should humanity regain control over the City and the Safeguard, they’d be wiped out.
It’s even revealed in Blame² a sequel that the Silicon Life as Killy as ‘the calamity,’ the one responsible for their race almost going extinct.
The Governing Agency wants to find a Net Terminal Gen simply to stop the growth of the City and to regain control of it.
While we watch the story from the eyes of Killy, it appears, of course, that the Safeguard and the Silicon Life are the prime antagonists of the story. If we take a step back, however, we learn that all that’s happening is caused by mismanagement and the chaotic stage of the ever-expanding City.
Blame! is one of the greatest manga’s I’ve ever read in terms of visuals. As mentioned before, I believe that Tsutomu Nihei is an artist who can rival the best in the genre. Be it his world or his various cybernetic horrors, Blame! is a marvel to look at.
The moment you start reading Blame! you realize that this manga’s different from others. Even in chapter 1, we already get to see the grand architecture of mind-boggling proportions so common to Blame!
You can clearly see that Tsutomu Nihei studied architecture and that he knows about the construction of buildings. It’s this knowledge that sets Blame! aside from other works.
There’s a sense of scale in many of Tsutomu Nihei’s panels that really showcases the insane proportions of the immeasurable City. Yet, all those constructions are as bleak as they are vast. Many times we can’t even make out the end of these constructions, as they seem to go on forever.
Many times, we see Killy in front of a backdrop of immeasurable proportions or we see him only as a small unimpressive dot as he walks vast metal plans, climbs giant buildings, or wanders a bridge that continues further than the eye can see.
And yet, as gigantic as Tsutomu Nihei’s creations are, they are still insanely detailed. This attention to detail is especially prevalent when we get a closer look at the locations Killy travels. Technological gadgets, machines and many other elements of the City are rendered in stunningly beautiful detail.
It’s this mixture of mind-boggling proportions and attention to detail that truly brings forth Nihei’s world and truly immerses you in the story.
An interesting detail to note is that Blame!’s world isn’t a unified one. In one chapter, we see Killy traversing an amalgamation of high-tech constructions or a futuristic cityscape. In others, he’s ascending winding corridors, unending staircases or what looks like gothic castles. At times, these constructions look almost organic, almost like something that grew instead of being built.
Tsutomu Nihei’s style is rough, almost dirty, especially in earlier chapters. His imagery comprises a lot of line work which lends itself fantastically to the more derelict and ruined areas of the City.
The many different details of the City are brought forth by a heavy reliance on shadows and shading.
Blame!’s entire visual style is one of the stark contrast between light and dark. Empty spaces are generally held in lighter colors while interiors, especially tunnels, caves and staircases, are conveyed via deep blacks.
What’s special about Tsutomu Nihei’s style is his usage of negative spaces to convey light or huge explosions during action sequences. This makes them a marvel to look at and helps to bring forth what’s happening.
Killy’s design is an interesting choice. He’s wearing all back, no special armor and seems to be almost understated in a world as strange as Blame!’s. The same can be said about the rest of the cast, however. Cibo, Sanakan and also Dhomochevsky are all dressed similarly.
This is a stark contrast from the other inhabitants of the City who all have a distinctly different look from one another. The Electrofisher’s armor, the Silicon Life in general, but also the exterminators of the Safeguard.
Blame’s world is a harsh and dangerous one and as mentioned before, you can truly see it in the design of the many humans. Almost all of them look pale, sick, malnourished and depressed. They look hardened, emotionless and you can see just how much they went through.
What’s interesting to note is the aforementioned contrast of light and dark also applies to many of the character designs. The interior structure of the exterminators seems to be black, while their faces and outer parts are white. The same is true for the many Silicon Life, who generally have white, human faces, but distorted, black, metallic bodies.
One could even say that the color palette of a character shows their alignment. The most dangerous beings, like Schiff, or the armored Silicon Knights, are held entirely in black. Mensab and Sue, two arguably lawful individuals are held in almost pure white.
Our main characters, especially Killy, are almost all morally gray and thus are a mixture of black and white.
While Blame!’s world is one of futuristic high-tech, many of its elements look strangely biological.
This is especially true for the many cybernetic monstrosities Killy encounters, the exterminators of the Safeguard and the Silicon Life. They clearly look mechanical or robotic, but at the same time, they all have a distinctly organic look to them. This is especially true when new Safeguard units are synthesized. The entire process has a sort of biological look and feel to it.
The many cybernetic horrors that populate the City are all fantastic, disturbing and outlandish to look at.
While the normal, level 1 exterminators look terrifying, they all look identical to one another and appear more like drones than anything else. Higher-level exterminators, however, look amazing. There’s the ‘siren’ Safeguard Killy encounters when climbing the tower, the high-level exterminator at the end of the story, but also Cibo after fusing with the level 9 Safeguard. They all have a distinct, almost angelic look to them with rings, haloes, and even wings. It’s an interesting design choice that only serves to make them creepier.
The Silicon Life has some of the most fantastic design I’ve ever seen in a science-fiction magna. They come in a variety of forms and design, employ a variety of weapons and wear a variety of armor. Some are even heavily distorted, sprouting additional limbs or parts.
Their design is throughout the book terrifying and disturbing, but they are a marvel to look at and are rendered in beautiful detail. Their design is reminiscent of the strange organic-inorganic art of H. R. Giger.
Blame! is full of frantic action which is always shown in stunning detail. Each of panel of it is fantastic to look at.
Many of the action sequences in Blame! are devastating, insane in scale and bright forth mass destruction. At other moments, however, they are more intimate and showcase fantastic close-range encounters.
There are also action scenes in Blame! that are clearly created for style alone. This is most prevalent in the Toha Heavy Industry arc, which features Seu, the protector of Mensab who appears as a knight in shining white armor wielding a sword. When he fights Ivy and when he fights the guards of the Central AI, it gives the action the air of a fantasy manga and not that of a science-fiction one. One thing has to be said, however, those fights look absolutely amazing!
I always loved science-fiction, but especially the more futuristic and outlandish scenarios. Blame! was everything I was looking for.
It combines fantastic and unique world building with breathtakingly beautiful visuals. The art is incredible and shines because of its technical drawings and Tsutomu Nihei’s knowledge of architecture.
While Blame!’s setting is a post-apocalyptic dystopia, it’s one so strange and fresh it’s unique. It’s a tale of technology run amok which manifests in the ever-growing, chaotic City and the out-of-control Safeguard. Things go even so far as to include time travel, mass-scale teleportation and even parallel realities.
What I came to love the most, however, were the many creatures, especially the higher-level exterminators and the Silicon Life, who spice the manga up with a fair bit of horror because of their design and simply look gorgeous.
An interesting little detail is that Blame! never becomes preachy, never a discussion of the topics it showcases. Instead, it simply conjures up a nightmarish vision of our future, one unlike any ever seen before.
While most of Blame! is full of weird imagery, crazy action, and Killy’s stoic demeanor, there are some human and tender scenes. At one point, Killy and Cibo discover a cloning machine which is forever creating clones and which Killy promptly destroys. At another point, Killy saves a Dry Man child and later destroys the cooperation’s docks after he realizes that the transporter he was on was transporting Dry Man ready for organ harvesting.
Those minor events never detract from the atmosphere, but are instead merely there, but they help to flesh out Killy a bit and give him at least some semblance of emotion.
There are, however some problems with Blame! While I love the action scenes in the manga, some of them can be hard to follow because of the abundance of gigantic explosions caused by Killy’s Gravitational Beam Emitter.
Another problem can be the style of story-telling and the story overall. It makes for a somewhat different, confusing reading and can be hard on first-time readers of the manga, making it almost necessary to read the manga more than once.
While I enjoyed the weird and outlandish technologies at play, I think Tsutomu Nihei went a bit too far during the Toha Heavy Industry arc and makes it one of the most confusing ones to follow and understand.
And yet, even with this criticism, I still think Blame! is an absolute visual masterpiece. It’s not something to be simply read, but it’s something to marvel at and to be immersed in.
Blame! is a manga with an intensely dark and brooding atmosphere, a unique setting which is portrayed by vast, colossal structures and frantic action sequences.
I’d recommend Blame! to anyone interested in visual story-telling, people who are fans of science-fiction and anyone who loves cyberpunk.
If you want to read Blame!, I recommend buying the complete set of the Master Edition released by Vertical Comics:
There’s no one as famous in the world of horror manga today as Junji Ito. He has rightfully amassed a cult following around the globe.
And yet, Junji Ito is not merely a horror mangaka. In my opinion, he’s one of the greatest horror artists of our time. If you’re a fan of horror and especially horror manga, you will certainly stumble upon his works.
Junji Ito’s body of work is as strange as it is unique. Reading his manga feels like going down a tiny, very special rabbit hole unlike any other.
I first learned about Junji Ito a decade and a half ago. At the time, I was searching online for new horror manga to read. At the time, I was still new to the genre, but the prospect of a manga that was supposed to ‘give me nightmares’ sounded interesting enough.
That manga was Tomie. When I finally read it, it was everything I desired in a work of horror and much, much more. It was full of outlandish ideas and terrifying imagery.
The next manga by Junji Ito I read was Gyo, which was as nightmarish as Tomie, but much more surreal, weird and absurd. Junji Ito’s style, however, was as fantastically disturbing and nightmarish as in Tomie.
What finally sold me and made me a lifelong fan of his works was Junji Ito’s masterpiece, Uzumaki. It’s the story of the small coastal town of Kurouzu-cho which is haunted by spirals. The story was outlandish, the imagery disturbing, and it was completely unique and different from any other horror manga I’d read until then. If you want to learn more about Uzumaki, I put together a short article about my favorite Uzumaki chapters.
Over the years, I’ve read countless horror manga, both by well-known and lesser known writers, as you can see in the list of my favorite horror manga. Still, Junji Ito’s works hold a special place in my heart and are, in my opinion, among the best horror manga of all time. His works are so strange, so unique and outlandish, I find myself going back to them time and again.
What makes Junji Ito’s works so fantastic is his blend of outlandish and, at times, supernatural horror with the mundane things in life.
Junji Ito’s work truly shines because it’s a very special kind of horror. His works seldom feature killers or monsters. Instead, Junji Ito’s horror is often unexplained, comes from powers outside of our influence or it comes from our very own faults, fears, obsessions and phobias.
Sometimes his premises are strange, even ridiculous, but Junji Ito makes it all work. The idea of a town haunted by spirals becomes one of the most disturbing and unique horror works of all time. Balloons taking on the faces of people and hunting them down becomes a nightmarish apocalypse. Even a story about human-shaped holes revealed after an earthquake become a setting of outlandish existential horror and deadly curiosity.
Junji Ito’s works stand out for their blend of masterful imagery and the narrative themes featured in them. It’s especially interesting to note that Junji Ito’s nightmarish imagery and disturbing ideas often hide deeper themes or things to ponder about.
Once can’t talk about Junji Ito without first discussing cosmic horror.
The genre was created by American Horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. It centers on the idea that the most horrible thing is the realization that humanity is ultimately meaningless in the greater scope of the universe. Even worse, there are powers and beings out there that are far older and far more powerful that we could ever imagine. They are entities that were around long before man first emerged and will be so long after we’re gone again. Our lives, our dreams, our problems, they are all meaningless in the greater sense of the cosmos.
While Junji Ito’s influenced by H. P. Lovecraft, he still created his very own blend of cosmic horror. It’s one that’s often weirder and stranger than what was seen in Lovecraft’s work. Humans are powerless in Junji Ito’s world, but while some of his works, like Uzumaki, feature unknown powers or entities, most of his work focuses on more intimate and mundane things.
Another similarity is that cosmic horror and Junji Ito’s works seldom feature central villains or antagonists. We don’t encounter evil in the traditional sense. Instead, it’s our own realizations or inexplicable powers that are at the core of cosmic horror.
Visual Style and Narrative Themes
In the main part of this article, I want to discuss both Junji Ito’s visual style and his narrative themes. They both make Junji Ito’s work unique and make it stand out amongst a plethora of other graphical horror works.
Junji Ito’s works are well known for his own personal style. He brings forth his horrors by a combination of masterful ink work and line work.
Junji Ito uses his detailed line work and a reliance on bold, almost unsettling inks to present his grotesque and shocking imagery. While he uses shading, his work mostly relies on lines to show textures. Even his gore and many of his unsettling details, like blood and wet, squishy details, are rendered with nothing but lines. This serves to give them not only a unique look, but adds much more detail and gives them a more visceral and disgusting quality.
Another concept Junji Ito heavily uses is contrast, both in environments and in characters.
His visual style, however, is most prevalent and recognizable in his characters. Junji Ito’s characters never blush and seldom show signs of normal happiness. Instead, they are often devoid of normal emotions and all he shows us are over-exaggerations.
Junji Ito’s characters often look empty and lifeless even before the horror happens. This is most often the case in his stories that focus on personal horror or mental illnesses. You can truly see how bad his characters feel and how close they already are to the abyss that’s eventually going to swallow them up. Their faces are characterized by fallen in cheeks and their bodies are often sickly thin, almost skeletal-like. Dark circles around the eyes and abnormal irises often help to showcase dark emotions, such as depression and gloominess.
This effect is used by minimal shading and heavy contrast between certain elements of the person’s face. Ito often focuses on the eyes, the mouth, and uses them to show nothing but unnatural emotional reactions.
His characters often wear creepy facial expressions. Be it smiles, be it sad looks, they are all disgustingly accentuated, giving them an entirely surreal feeling.
Once the true horror of a story happens, however, Junji Ito goes all out when showcasing a person’s emotional response. Terrified facial expressions are often so overdrawn they make us uncomfortable. Mouths are wide agape, faces are distorted and elongated as they scream and eyes are wide open.
Another element that makes Junji Ito’s works so unique is his reliance on body horror and the distortion of the human body. He doesn’t rely on monsters to scare us, instead his horror is often related to our own bodies. People are being twisted, become warped and turn into forms barely resembling human beings. We see people turning into spirals or becoming rotten abominations and elongated versions of themselves.
It’s this reliance on body horror that makes Junji Ito’s work so terrifying. Often, the horror of his stories doesn’t come from outside, but from within our very own bodies. It’s both strangely fascinating, but also highly disturbing.
Junji Ito’s Narrative Themes
As a writer, I’m often fascinated by Junji Ito’s works. It’s not only for their visual representation, but also for the narrative themes he employs. While his works are graphic, he uses a variety of narrative themes and elements to bring forth his own blend of horror.
Junji Ito’s works are bizarre, even absurd, but incredibly creative. His characters, as well as his settings, however, are often as mundane as can be, at times even boring.
His themes often center on fears, obsessions and phobias and showcase what happens when people give into them. And yet, many of his works hide deeper themes, a deeper meaning that might not be visible at first glance.
I want to discuss all of those elements in detail below.
Junji Ito’s work doesn’t follow normal or traditional story-telling conventions.
Most of his characters aren’t characterized and there’s no character development throughout his work. Instead, characters are often blank slates, or merely exist to showcase a certain fear, phobia or obsession.
The same is true for the plot. Junji Ito’s works seldom rely on an engaging or interesting plot. Instead, he merely gives us a glimpse into someone’s life and lets us witness the horrible things that happen to them. More than anything, Junji Ito’s works are about atmosphere, about horror and the gruesome demise of his characters.
While Junji Ito writes horror stories, there’s seldom a feasible antagonist. People are haunted by faceless entities, curses, higher powers, or by their very own psychological problems.
One of the biggest problems in horror writing or horror stories is the need to explain what should be inexplicable or adding too many details. Junji Ito seldom does this. Instead, he leaves us with the mystery, leaves us guessing and fearing the unknown. One of the best examples is his story Hanging Balloons. We never get an explanation what those balloons are, where they came from or why. Instead, he only shows us what happens after they appear. He lets us watch it through the eyes of his characters and ends it when their time on the screen is over. The mystery remains intact and, with it, the horror.
Gyo is an example of a story where Junji Ito breaks this convention. Near the end, he tries to give a scientific explanation for the apocalyptic horror that unfolded and, at least to me, it didn’t work. Instead, it seemed silly, almost comically absurd, and almost ruined the manga for me.
Junji Ito’s stories often begin in normalcy. We don’t start with a dramatic backstory or by introducing an antagonist. Instead, his stories begin in the most mundane places. We watch characters going to school, falling in love or having to go to the hospital. It’s here in these normal, mundane settings that Junji Ito slowly introduces his horror elements.
The same is true for the horror themselves. In many stories, Junji Ito’s horror comes from the most mundane places or is caused by mundane objects: musical records, laughter, hair and even concepts such as spirals.
Many of his stories feature normal or ordinary fears such as the unknown depths of the ocean, claustrophobia, being watched, a sweaty, dirty mattress or holes in a wall. Yet, Ito drives them up a notch. He twists them into something irrational and surreal, blows them up and turns them into crazy phobias. At the essence, though, those are often fears or thoughts that plague many of us.
And yet, Junji Ito twists these mundane settings and tortures his normal characters until his stories turn into a world of horror. What started out as a normal, everyday scenario becomes uncomfortable to watch, has been warped and now the surreal and disturbing reigns supreme.
It’s this that makes Junji Ito’s work so special and unique. This contrast between the mundane and the horrors he conjures. We see it most in his characters. Their mundane, almost expressionless faces get twisted and turned into masks of terror with over-exaggerated details that are barely resembling them. It’s almost as if not only the story but also his characters get warped into something entirely different, something horrible.
There are also some stories by Junji Ito that are grounded in reality. A great example is The Bully, which serves to be one of his most realistic, but also most terrifying, works.
It’s not only Junji Ito’s stories that are normal and mundane but also his characters. They are nobodies, often blank slates who become involved with Junji Ito’s horrors.
They are often students or normal day people who lead a normal life. His characters are never the heroes of their stories, they are never smart or resourceful protagonists. Instead, they often serve as nothing but a vessel. Through them Junji Ito gives us a glimpse into his world of horrors.
Even worse, though, sometimes his characters are dumb and driven on by their curiosity or desires. And yet, if his characters show strong emotions, it’s almost always a singular one. Their fear, phobia or desire becomes their defining character trait, often the only one they showcase, and that ultimately leads to their demise.
Junji Ito’s a fantastic writer and artist, but he’s not a character writer. No, his characters are merely there and seem to be nothing but lambs waiting to be slaughtered.
We all know irrational or childish fears. When we were young, we were all afraid of the monsters under our bed, of the doctor, strange neighbors, or even shadows.
As adults, we understand that those are nothing but irrational fears. There’s no boogeyman, and there are no monsters out to get us.
Junji Ito’s work, however, often features exactly these fears. This often gives them an uncanny feeling because we recognize those scenarios. We too were afraid to visit the doctor, and we too were afraid of the monsters under the bed and even know we have our own eccentricities and phobias. And Junji Ito explores and exploits them. He takes the most irrational and silly fears, gives them life and as a result his stories so much more terrifying.
Junji Ito’s a master of body horror. He isn’t just satisfied by people dying. Instead, he often distorts, warps, and twists them. This is not merely visible in their ultimate demise, but also in the way people change over the course of his stories. People who start out by looking normal, even beautiful, become haunting, sick versions of themselves or turn insane as their sanity shatters.
Two of Junji Ito’s greatest examples of body horror are Dissection Girl and Uzumaki. The first features a disturbed woman who wishes to be dissected. Her wish is ultimately granted at the end of the story and showcases one of Junji Ito’s most fantastically disturbing panels. For it is revealed that it’s not only her mind that was heavily distorted but also her body. Uzumaki, on the other hand, is a three volume masterpiece about a small town haunted by spiral. Over the course of the story, many of its inhabitants become obsessed with spirals and are warped and twisted until their bodies represent the spiral in various horrible ways.
Junji Ito’s brand of body horror is always a disturbing delight to look at and one that often renders his characters almost unrecognizable.
One of Junji Ito’s most common tropes is that of mental illness. Depression, fears, phobias and obsessions are often the center point of his stories.
Yet, Junji Ito isn’t satisfied by exploring them. Instead, he uses them as a basis for the madness in his stories. Many times, an irrational fear or phobia is merely the starting point and. Over the course of the story, he amplifies and distorts them until they end in utter madness and insanity.
His characters’ mind gets distorted and changes similarly to their bodies. While their eyes become large and bulging and their mouths hang agape in terrible screams, their minds, too, are inevitably broken.
Powerful emotions and general erratic and irrational behavior are widely featured in his works and are almost commonplace amongst his characters. They are eccentric weirdos, people whose entire being or character revolves around a single trait, often their very own blend of mental illness, fear or phobia.
Obsession is the leitmotif in Junji Ito’s Tomie which features a woman so beautiful any man who sees her becomes obsessed with her. Many other stories, too, feature obsession. It can be caused by love, by animosity, jealousy or even the obsession of owning a certain object. And each of these stories ends with people giving into their obsession, being changed by it and ultimately leading to dire results.
Love, too, is something Junji Ito often exploits and distorts. What might start as a harmless crush will soon turn into a dangerous obsession that drives people mad. Great examples are again the aforementioned Tomie, but also other works such as The Lovesick Dead or the chapter Jack-in-the-box in Uzumaki.
As mentioned before, Junji Ito often drives his characters’ fears and phobias to the max and turns them into despair and insanity.
The reason for this, however, is often because his characters are inevitably doomed. Similar to the characters in the works of Franz Kafka or H. P. Lovecraft, Junji Ito’s characters have no power over their world.
We can see it best in Uzumaki. In it an entire town becomes an inescapable hell and characters realize that there’s no hope, no way out anymore. In a similar way, The Enigma of Amigara Faults toys with our curiosity, but also with inevitable fate. People flock to the strange holes that resemble them and, driven by an almost supernatural, primal urge, they are overcome with a curiosity they can’t seem to fight.
Existential dread is something at the core of our very being. As humans, we are the only beings on this planet who know that they will die one day and there’s nothing we can do about.
Junji Ito’s stories are full of this existential dread and horror, but his world is one that’s far more unforgiving than our own. It’s a place far more dangerous and far weirder and messes with its characters. The horror often comes in the most mundane forms and it shows that nothing is safe in the world of Junji Ito. There are no safe spaces and even the most mundane thing can lead to a terrible, horrible incident.
While Junji Ito’s work relies on supernatural forces and mental instability, many of his works feature deeper themes.
Town Without Streets is a prime example. In it, Junji Ito discusses privacy and twists it to its extremes. What would you do if there was no more privacy? Would you reject the notion of such a world and do anything against it, or would you accept and discard the idea of privacy all together? It’s a topic that’s even more relevant today.
Another fantastic example is The Long Dream. It poses the question if endless dreaming could be a way to defeat death itself. Is it a better choice to be trapped in a dream forever than to die? Is even a never-ending nightmare better than to cease existing?
Isolation is another dominant theme in Junji Ito’s work. As mentioned before, many of his characters suffer from problems and not a few isolate themselves from society.
Junji Ito features a different idea of isolation in his story, Army of One. Safety in numbers is usually common rule in horror. In Army of One, however, he twists this idea, and it’s those who stay alone, who isolate themselves that are safe. It’s a strange story, but one that’s ripe with deeper meaning. It seems almost to point at our urbanized society and the forced social interactions so common in it and especially in Japan. Is it ultimately a better choice to stay on your own than to mingle and take part in this often forced social life
Lingering Farwell is a study of holding on and not accepting the death of loved ones and also one of Junji Ito’s best stories of all time.
Black Paradox is one of Ito’s weirdest stories, but in its later parts brings forth an interesting question. In the story’s context, it’s using our own souls as a new source of energy. It’s clear, however, that the story centers on the idea of humanity bringing its own demise. Would we, too, bring our own end because of our greed and hunger for power?
Hanging Balloons is a story that might at first glance seem utterly nonsensical, but once more there’s more here than meets the eye. The very first person to die is Terumi, an idol. If one’s familiar with Japanese pop culture and the idol business, one knows suicides are an unfortunate reality. But the story isn’t merely a criticism of the idol business.
Similar to The Enigma at Amigara Faults, the story is a discussion of Sigmund Freud’s ‘Death Drive,’ our own fascination with suicide and the compulsive need to follow our desire towards destruction. Most of us ignore those thoughts, but there are still some who don’t.
While The Enigma at Amigara Faults showcases the characters’ strange, almost supernatural obsession with finding out more about their holes, Hanging Balloons takes a different route. The balloons Junji Ito features are almost a personification of the ‘Death Drive’ and the story itself is an allegory of it catching up and preying upon people.
Many similar examples show that while Junji Ito’s predominantly an artist who creates visual nightmares, his works often hold deeper meaning.
It’s always interesting for me to think about how works as bloody, surreal and twisted as those of Junji Ito can also convey deeper themes. It gives them an entirely different layer and something to ponder about when one’s not satisfied by just gore and blood alone.
Junji Ito is one of my favorite horror creators and Junji Ito’s Uzumaki is among my favorite horror manga of all time. It’s not only disturbing, it’s also entirely unique. Most other horror manga feature killers, monsters, or supernatural entities, not so Uzumaki. It presents us with a premise that’s almost nonsensical, silly even, but Junji Ito brings it forth in all its twisted and horrific glory.
Junji Ito’s Uzumaki is the story of Kirie Goshima and Shuuichi Saitou and tells the story of what happened in the small coastal town of Kurouzu-cho which is infested by spirals. There are no monsters or killers here, no psychopaths or ghosts, no, there’s only concept which manifests as an omnipresent curse.
Over the course of this three volume epic, our main characters stumble upon one freakishly scary incident after another.
What makes Junji Ito’s Uzumaki so great, however, isn’t its story or its characters, it’s Junji Ito’s art and creativity. His imagination is incredible and disturbing and he always finds new ways to conjure up the horror of the spiral.
Junji Ito’s Uzumaki comprises three volumes divided into twenty chapters. While I consider Uzumaki as a whole a masterpiece, it has its highs and lows.
That’s why I decided to write this article in which I want to discuss my favorite chapters of Junji Ito’s Uzumaki.
As always, I’d like to give a spoiler warning. If you haven’t read the manga yet, I suggest you do so because I’m going to discuss each chapter and its plot.
I regard the third volume of Junji Ito’s Uzumaki as its weakest. At the outset of the third volume, multiple storms have transformed the town of Kurouzu-cho into an apocalyptic mess of rubble.
While volume three brings the manga to its Lovecraftian conclusion, it also features elements which I didn’t enjoy. What I enjoyed, however, was the depressing and eerie atmosphere as Kirie and Shuuichi travel the ruined town. There’s a feeling of despair and futility that hangs heavily over Uzumaki’s last chapters.
This is most prevalent in chapter seventeen, Escape. It is here that Kirie and Shuuichi make one last attempt to flee the twisted hell that Kurouzu-cho has become. As we follow them into the mountains, we see that by now everything has fallen to the curse of the spiral. Nature itself has become warped, twisted and has taken on the form of the spiral. Soon enough, however, we see that even those who want to flee the town succumb to madness and are slowly twisted into the form of the spiral.
And it’s here we realize how ironic the chapter’s title truly is. Because we learn that an escape from Kurouzu-cho and the curse of the spiral is impossible.
If there’s one thing to be said about Junji Ito’s Uzumaki is that it wastes no time and presents us with the horrific curse of the spiral right from the get-go.
After a brief introduction to our main characters, we soon learn that Shuuichi’s father has recently become obsessed with spirals. At first, this obsession manifests in him collecting all spiral-shaped objects he can find. After his wife gets rid of said collection, his obsession takes on a more disturbing turn, one that should ultimately lead to his demise. For he learns he can use his own body to create spirals.
It’s a fantastic introduction chapter that truly brings forth the horror of Junji Ito’s Uzumaki in all its glory. The chapter is ripe in body horror as we witness how Shuuichi’s father twists and contorts parts of his body into the form of the spiral. The chapter also features one of the most popular and unsettling panels in all of Junji Ito’s Uzumaki.
Truly a fantastic and disturbing introduction to Kurouzu-cho and the curse of the spiral.
I believe that Junji Ito’s Uzumaki is at its best in its second volume. It’s here that Ito’s creativity is at its peak, and the curse of the spiral takes on even stranger and more disturbing forms than in its first volume.
The Black Lighthouse is one of these chapters. Lighthouses always give off an eerie atmosphere and seem to be a perfect setting for horror. Junji Ito’s Uzumaki is no different.
The chapter begins with Kurouzu-cho’s abandoned lighthouse working again. Everyone is puzzled about it, but soon enough the light influences people and renders them impossible to walk in a straight line.
This, however, is only the chapter’s beginning. Before long, Kirie’s brother Mitsuo and his friends enter the lighthouse, prompting Kirie to follow them. As she climbs the seemingly endless stairs, she soon notices spiral patterns all over the walls. Those patterns are rendered in beautiful detail and give the entire staircase an almost disorienting feeling.
Before long, Kirie stumbles upon horribly burned bodies and discovers that the lighthouse’s lens has melted out of shape, taking on the form of a spiral. As Kirie stares at it, she realizes it must be the light that melted the lens, but also burned the bodies she saw before.
And of course, Junji Ito isn’t satisfied by merely teasing at the idea of burning hot light. No, as Kirie, her brother and his friends flee down the stairs, we bear witness to one of the boys being consumed almost instantly.
The Black Lighthouse is a fantastic chapter. It show’s Junji Ito’s artistry by showing us the many spiral patterns, the melted lens, but also the horribly burned bodies. Truly a fantastic chapter.
While The Snail is lower on gore than many other chapters, it serves to be one of, if not the most unsettling and unnerving chapter in Junji Ito’s Uzumaki.
The Snail is the first chapter in which we bear witness to people transforming into snails. Junji Ito, of course, isn’t satisfied by showing us a disturbing and gross transformation, no he goes even further. After Katayama, a bullied boy, transforms into a snail, his bully, Tsumura, soon turns into a snail itself. Not knowing what to do with the snails, the school keeps them in an enclosure. And here we come to the most disturbing and unsettling part of the chapter. Snails are hermaphrodites and we soon witness Katayama and Tsumura mating.
People turning into snails is disturbing enough and Junji Ito brings forth this transformation in all its glorious detail. The bully and his former victim mating, however, are beyond unsettling.
A fantastic chapter that might be lower on gore, but which brings forth concepts that are unsettling and unnerving in an entirely different way.
Junji Ito’s Uzumaki features many strange and disturbing ideas. Still, The Umbilical Cord might be the manga’s most disturbing chapter. It’s the second chapter set at Kurouzu-cho’s hospital.
After the events of The Black Lighthouse, Kirie was hospitalized. In the chapter Mosquito’s, she bore witness to pregnant women, including her cousin Keiko, sucking the blood from other patients. While Mosquito is a great chapter it only serves as the prelude to The Umbilical Cord.
The chapter beings with the birth of the babies of said blood-sucking woman. Kirie soon notices that something seems to be wrong about the babies. After the birth, strange mushrooms also become a regular ingredient in the hospital’s meals. While Kirie never eats them, other patients become obsessed with them.
Wondering what’s going on, Kirie wanders the hospital and hears a conversation between the babies who wish to be returned to the womb they came from.
When Kirie hears her cousin’s screams, she enters the operation room. There stumbles upon a plethora of the same mushrooms served as part of the hospital’s meals.
And here we learn what those mushrooms really are. They are nothing other than placenta, regrown from the babies’ umbilical cords. As if this wasn’t disturbing enough, we also learn what became of Keiko.
The Umbilical Cord is a chapter that’s ripe with disturbing and unsettling ideas. There are first the placenta-mushrooms who drive people mad, the creepy babies and the imagery of a woman whose baby is returned into her.
There’s just so much here, in this single chapter, that makes it an absolute masterpiece of the disturbing and of body horror.
The Umbilical Cord is the best chapter in Junji Ito’s Uzumaki’s. Not only for its imagery but also for the multiple, disturbing ideas it includes. It’s a fantastic chapter and the best in a fantastic horror manga. It also served as inspiration for my story Special Diet.
If you’re looking to read Uzumaki yourself, I highly recommend to get the 3-in-1 Deluxe Edition.
As a writer, I’ve always read novels, even at a young age. Another medium that was always close to my heart was manga, especially the seinen genre. While I also enjoy shonen manga, as you can see from my list of the best shonen manga, I usually prefer the seinen genre. I love stories that are more mature and convey deeper themes. That’s why I decided to share my list of the best seinen manga with you.
This is, of course, a personal list, so some popular or acclaimed titles might not be part of it. I also like to give a spoiler warning. While I’m not trying to give major plot points away in my review, it might be unavoidable.
But now, here’s my list of the 48 best seinen manga anyone should read.
Manabe Shohei is one of my favorite mangaka of all time. Dead End is one of his weirder manga, but one I thoroughly enjoyed and consider one of the best seinen manga.
Our protagonist is a man named Shirou who works as a construction worker. His life changes when a naked girl named Lucy falls into his life. After introducing her to his friends, he leaves the apartment only to come back to find Lucy gone and his friends slaughtered.
In the center of the carnage stands a mysterious man who saves Shirou from an explosion. He urges him to flee into the sewage system where Shirou meets another strange.
From this point onward Shirou gathers a rag-tag group of weird characters he supposedly knows from his past to figure out what’s going on.
While this premise already sounds strange, things only get weirder as the manga continues.
Dead End starts out realistic, more like a thriller, but over time it introduces more fantastical elements. It’s those elements that make the manga such a surreal and weird experience.
The reason I enjoyed Dead End so much was in large parts because of the characters. They are all absolute badasses.
Manabe Shohei’s works feature a very special art type. It’s unique and takes some time to get into. The backgrounds and surroundings are rendered in gritty detail. Yet it’s the characters that stand out the most. They are more realistic than other manga characters, but their unique design also makes them uglier than usual manga characters. This, however, is one reason I consider Manabe Shohei’s works so unique.
Dead End is a weird and surreal manga, one worthy to start this list of the best seinen manga with. If you’re looking for a raw, gritty and surreal thriller, you should definitely give this one a try.
Usogui by Toshio Sako is a manga about mind games and gambling and one of the best seinen manga of all time.
It’s the story of Baku Madarame who’s known as the Usogui, the Lie Eater and the many deadly gambles he takes part in.
Those games are watched over by the referees of Kagerou, a powerful organization which makes sure that all games are carried out satisfactorily and all best are paid.
Usogui gets crazy right from the start. After a brief introduction to our protagonist, we enter our very first death game. From here on out, things only get crazier.
The reason Usogui is such a fantastic manga is the games. They can be complex, but are never impossible to understand. A lot of times it’s not even the games itself the manga focuses on, but the many psychological tricks and ploys the characters employ to win them.
I also truly enjoyed the characters. Our protagonist Baku is the type who never shies away from a death game and who isn’t scared to confront overwhelming odds. Kaji starts out as a normal guy, and more a stand-in for the reader. Over the course of the manga, however, he grows as a person and eventually becomes a talented gambler himself.
The art might be a bit of a let-down, at least early on. It starts out rather simplistic and doesn’t stand out much. The longer the manga goes on, however, the better the art becomes and in later parts it’s downright fantastic.
Usogui is also one of the longest series on this list. The manga comprises a multitude of arcs, spanning over 500 chapters in total. However, it’s worthwhile reading it.
I had a lot of fun reading Usogui and I think it’s one of the best gambling and mind game manga out there. While so of the scenarios and games depicted are unconventional and extreme, I still enjoyed the suspense and tension. Usogui is one of the best seinen manga and I’d recommend it to anyone who’s interested in gambling and mind games, especially the extreme kind.
Motor Mase’s Ikigami is set in a dystopian future. Under a strange law, the National Welfare Act, certain citizens between the age of eighteen and twenty-four are selected to die for their country.
Twenty-four hours before they die, they receive an Ikigami, a notification informing them of their fate.
These Ikigamis are delivered by government messengers, like our protagonist, Kengo Fujimoto.
Ikigami’s story is told in episodic fashion, showing us how different people react to the terrible news of their impending death and how they spend their last days. While some accept, others throw themselves into despair.
The manga also focuses on Kengo, who slowly develops his own doubts of the National Welfare Act.
Ikigami’s premise is as interesting as it is terrifying, making it one of the most thought-provoking and best seinen manga out there. It’s interesting to witness these different scenarios and people presented to us. Some storylines are heartfelt and beautiful while others are poetically tragic.
It’s those different episodes that make Ikigami so good and made me add it to this list of the best seinen manga.
The biggest problem with a manga such as Ikigami are the characters. While some are well done, and we can truly feel for them, they are never around for long.
Ikigami’s art is serviceable and does what it needs to do, but it’s rarely more than average. Some pivotal moments, however, are rendered in beautiful detail and.
I enjoyed Ikigami a lot and I think it’s worth reading for almost everyone out there. While it’s a more episodic manga, it’s also a deep and thought-provoking one. I couldn’t help but wonder how I’d spent my last day.
I first read Eiji Otsuka and Shouu Tajima’s MPD Psycho a few years ago. Back then, the manga was relatively new with only, but it still stayed on my mind.
A year ago I revisited it and enjoyed it even more. By now I consider it one of the best seinen manga out there.
MPD Psycho isn’t for everyone though. It’s a complex and confusing psychological manga with a lot of scenes of shocking violence.
It’s the story of Kazuhiko Amamiya, a man suffering from multiple personality disorder. He works as a detective and solves multiple violent crime cases and sick murders.
The result is presented to us in all their twisted and sick glory. That’s why this manga is not for the faint of hard, and goes almost too far.
MPD Psycho’s art is clean and very detailed and features some of the most realistic character design I’ve ever seen.
What I’ve mentioned so far might make the manga sound like a slaughter fest, but it’s far from it. It’s a highly psychological manga that develops over time as a complex plot related to Amamiya’s post is revealed.
Yet, the more complex the manga becomes, the more confusing it grows. This is in part caused by the mystery of the plot, but also by Amamiya’s different personalities. It is tough to keep up with them and what they seem to aim for.
And here we come to the biggest problem with this manga, the personality shifts. At times, it’s hard to understand what’s going on or which personality is in charge.
Another problem is the aforementioned copious violence which might be off-putting to some readers. We can see bodies that have been dismembered, cut apart or heavily tortured.
MPD Psycho is a twisted and dark manga with deep psychological themes and a complex plot. If you like thriller manga and if you like dark, twisted stories, I highly recommend it to you.
When I first read Soil by Atsushi Kaneko, I didn’t know what I’d just read. And yet, I enjoyed the manga immensely and consider it one of the best seinen manga out there.
Soil differs from anything else I read. It’s weird, probably the weirdest manga on this entire list.
The manga’s set in Soil New Town and details what happens when a family vanishes without a trace. Yokoi and Onoda, two detectives, are tasked with uncovering what happened. What seems like a routine case quickly gets out of hand as more details about the town and the missing family are revealed.
Soil’s art is very different and takes some getting used to. At first it might appear simplistic, amateurish even, but if one’s willing to read one, one realizes that it’s a very deliberate and unique style. This art shines the most when it showcases the bizarre events happening in Soil New Town. The more surreal the town becomes, so does the art.
The characters in Soil are realistic, complex and all stand out from one another. You won’t find any clichéd characters here. Instead, most of them act like realistic people and are heavily flawed. However, those flaws can be a bit overdrawn, especially in the character of Yokoi.
I couldn’t help but wonder if Atsushi Kaneko created those eccentric characters to add to the overall odd atmosphere so prevalent in the manga.
Soil is a manga that is filled to the brim with weird things. One has to be impressed. It makes it different and refreshing and an entirely surreal and unique experience.
This, however, is also one of the biggest problems with the manga. Soil, especially in the latter half, feels more like an exercise in weirdness than a coherent story. Atsushi Kaneko adds more and more weird elements, making it almost impossible to understand what’s going on anymore.
This is most prevalent in the ending. It isn’t so much an ending as it is another question. I found some interpretations on the internet, but most of them are nothing but mere guesses.
While I think Soil is flawed from a storytelling point of view, I can’t help but recommend it to everyone. It’s one of the most surreal and weird experiences I ever had in manga.
If you’re looking for a manga that’s different, and you enjoy surreal imagery, read Soil, it’s one of the best seinen manga in that regard.
It took me a while to decide if I’d include Inio Asano’s Oyasumi Punpun in this list. The more I thought about it, however, the more I had to admit that it’s one of the best seinen manga of all time.
If you’re familiar with Inio Asano’s work you can already tell that this won’t be your everyday manga. No, his works are famous for being depressing.
Our protagonist, Punpun Onodera, is a normal eleven-year-old boy. His life is fine, but that soon changes. First Punpun meets Aiko, the new girl in glass and quickly comes to learn how fickle relationships can be. Over the course of the manga we learn more about Punpun, about his family and friends and watch as this shy little boy turns down a dark path.
Oyasumi Punpun is a depressing manga. Punpun’s life is filled with romantic problems, family issues, alcohol as well as depression and anxiety. It’s one of the best manga I ever read, but it’s far from an easy read. There many raw, gritty details that showcase how even the smallest of things can influence us. That’s what makes Punpun so relatable. Each one of us has experienced his share of misery, and each one of his can, on some level, relate to Punpun.
Over the course of the manga, we get multiple glimpses into Punpun’s life. At first as a little boy, then as a high school student and ultimately a young adult.
Punpun’s art comes with Inio Asano’s unique style. It’s a beautiful manga, drawn more realistically, but also grittier and gloomier. This style adds a lot to the overall, depressing atmosphere of the manga.
The most interesting thing about the manga is that Punpun and his family aren’t drawn as people. Instead, they are drawn as comical, bird-like beings. At first, this confused me, almost made me drop the manga, but I soon realized why this was the case. It was an obvious choice by Inio Asano to better convey Punpun’s emotions and reactions and to make him stand out more amongst the realistic setting.
While Punpun is a major manga, featuring its fair share of nudity, there’s never any fan service. The only reason for nudity and sex is to make us uncomfortable.
There are a lot of characters in Punpun and many of them are damaged. The manga isn’t trying to present us with likeable, good-hearted characters, but with real people. No one is perfect and no one would be an ideal protagonist, and it’s the same with Oyasumi Punpun’s characters.
I enjoyed the earlier parts of Punpun the most. It was the innocence so prevalent during those parts, but also the feeling, the knowledge that it would all go downhill. Later on, especially during the last arc, the story felt almost too dramatic. Before, the story always felt real, was always relatable, but during the last arc, things spiraled out of control far too much. It’s for that reason I consider the last arc of the manga its weakest.
Another problem was the story’s deviation in later arcs and the focus on side-characters. I think Punpun’s friends are interesting characters, but the time spent with them almost felt like filler.
Punpun can also feel pretentious and self-indulgent. While I don’t mind a mangaka discussing deeper themes and conveying his own reasoning, it fell flat at times and seemed to be there only for the sake of being there.
And yet, Oyasumi Punpun is a fantastic manga and one of the best seinen manga of all time. It’s deeper and more depressing than most other works I’ve read, but also much more realistic.
If you want to read a story, that will make you uncomfortable and depressed, Punpun is exactly that. However, it’s not merely misery porn, it’s a thought-provoking read, one that shows how easy it is to fall into darkness.
Battle Royale is one of my all-time favorite movies. When I learned there was a manga adaption, I had to check it out. It’s not without flaws, but I still consider it one of the most disturbing and best seinen manga of all time.
The manga adaption by Masayuki Taguchi and Koushun Takami is, of course, a retelling of the original novel. However, it spends much more time on the individual characters, exploring their backstory and adding details here and there. The manga also alters the source material occasionally to make things more dramatic.
The story of Battle Royale is simple. Each year a class is selected for the titular program and the students have to kill themselves until only one remains.
When his class is chosen for the program, our protagonist Shuuya Nanahara makes it his goal to get off the island without taking part in the game.
Battle Royale features one of the most disturbing settings of all time. Forcing students, even friends, to kill each other to survive is sick, and the manga doesn’t sugarcoat things either. Instead, it focuses on showing us how different people would react to a situation such as this. While some give into despair, others set out to win at all costs.
What I enjoyed the most about the manga was the many additional details we learned about each character. However, the manga also overdramatized a lot of the events. In typical manga fashion, fights are over-the-top and often last entire chapters.
Battle Royale’s art does a great job in showing us the gruesome reality of the situation and doesn’t shy away from depicting gore in glorious detail. However, sometimes it feels a bit too copious, similarly to the sexual themes depicted. The art, however, is always good.
Still, Battle Royale has its share of problems.
The biggest one lies in the design of the characters. It’s frankly said, extremely unrealistic. While the students are supposed to all be of the same age, around fifteen, some of them look like they are no older than ten, while Kawada looks like a man in his thirties.
The formulaic approach to tell the story is also a problem. The manga follows a simple concept. It introduces a character, shows us his or her backstory before they are, ultimately, killed off. It gets old quickly.
The last thing is the aforementioned over-dramatization. The movie and the novel aim to make things realistic and confrontations rarely last more than an instant. In the manga, however, things often get out of hand and we witness characters fighting on after being shot, or even disemboweled. It goes a bit too far.
This doesn’t mean that Battle Royale is a bad manga, it’s just realistic. This, however, didn’t deter my enjoyment. No, I still consider it one of the best seinen manga out there.
If you’re a fan of the movie Battle Royale and want to dive deeper, I highly recommend this manga. The same is true if you’re a fan of death games or manga featuring kill or be killed situations.
Naoki Urasawa’s Pluto is a retelling of one of the most popular classical manga of all time, Astro Boy by Osamu Tezuka.
I never read Astro Boy and when I started reading Pluto I didn’t know, the manga was inspired by it. It made reading it quite a different experience.
The manga begins when one of the seven most advanced robots in the world, Montblanc, gets murdered.
Gesicht, another one of the seven most advanced robots working as a detective for Europol is sent to investigate. Before long he uncovers evidence of a plot to destroy all the world’s most powerful robots related to a mysterious entity known as Pluto.
When Gesicht realizes that the murder couldn’t have been committed by a human, the story soon gets more interesting.
Naoki Urasawa is most famous for his manga 20th Century Boys and Monster, but Pluto is another fantastic manga by him. It’s a great mystery manga and clearly one of the best seinen manga out there. The story follows Gesicht as he uncovers a world-wide-plot.
At Pluto’s center, is the relationship between robots and humans. This is especially important because Gesicht himself is a robot.
Even though, the boundaries between humans and robots have become more and more fleeting, we witness many examples of anti-robot hate. It shows that not all is well in the futuristic world of Pluto.
Pluto’s impressive plot is one reason I considered it one of the best seinen manga. Many times the gripping mystery kept me guessing what was going on and I couldn’t help but read on.
Once again Naoki Urasawa reveals his mastery of storytelling and plot development. Many manga use new characters and events to move a plot forward. Not so Naoki Urasawa. Plot is a more intimate story, much more reliant on dialogue and interaction between characters.
Gesicht himself is a very complex character. Even though he’s a robot, he’s still haunted by his own demons.
The biggest problem with Pluto is one I’ve also encountered in his other works, namely that the story reaches its peak during the middle of the manga. It’s unfortunate, but the later volumes feel a bit lacking compared to the earlier ones.
Now don’t get me wrong, Pluto is still an amazing mystery manga and one of the best science-fiction manga out there. It’s set in a fantastic, futuristic world and features an intriguing mystery. If you’re a fan of mystery manga or the other works of Naoki Urasawa, I urge you to read Pluto.
What makes Holyland such a fantastic manga are the characters and the way the story is told by them. From the moment you start reading the manga you can feel how lost Yuu is and how desperately he wants to find a place for himself.
At its core, Holyland is a coming of age story. Yet, it’s not a one man story. Yuu makes friends, but also enemies and many of them are as carefully developed as Yuu himself. The most notable examples are the characters of Masaki Izawa and Shougo Midorikawa. They too have their reasons for being out in the streets and they too are shunned by normal society.
Holyland isn’t without his faults. A lot of times, fight scenes are interrupted by explanations about the techniques employed. This often stops the flow of battles and makes it harder for them to be enjoyed.
Another problem is that Holyland is entirely character-driven. It focuses more on character development than plot. Since Holyland is a manga about street fights and action, things soon become repetitive.
It didn’t change my opinion of the manga much however and I still consider it one of the best seinen manga of all time.
When you start reading Holyland you quickly notice that the art, while unique, is also old-fashioned. It’s the type of style that takes a while to get used to, but it soon develops its own charm. This art stands out especially during the battles which are all rendered in fluid detail.
Holyland is a fantastic martial arts manga. While the story isn’t too deep, it makes up for it with amazing characters, great development and a relatability. Every one of us can understand how hard it is to find our own place in this world.
Holyland is one of the best seinen manga I ever read in terms of character development and I urge anyone interested in martial arts to give this manga a try.
Minetaro Mochizuki’s Dragon Head is an apocalypse manga.
After surviving a violent train wreck that saw many of his classmates killed, our protagonist Teru encounters two other survivors, Ako and Nobu.
While the three of them try to escape the train tunnel, the lack of light and food slowly impacts their psyche.
Eventually they make it outside, only to learn that a massive catastrophe has happened and the outside world might hold even more dangers.
Dragon Head’s major selling point are its characters. They are realistic and act like normal people thrown into a disaster. These characters are afraid; they lash out and might even go crazy.
The same is true for the story. There’s constant suspense and a prevalent feeling of hopelessness that never wavers. The more you read of Dragon Head, the more you wonder if there’s even anything left for our main characters.
Dragon Head is the best apocalypse manga I ever read. It’s a thrilling experience and the manga never takes a break. Instead, the world seems to become more and crazier the longer it goes on.
When it comes to the art, Dragon Head is fantastic. The world, the backgrounds and the general destruction are something to marvel it. Dragon Head’s destroyed world is presented to us in all its terrifying and depressing glory. It’s this beautiful, detailed rendering of an apocalyptic world that makes it stand out amongst other, similar manga.
In later parts, however, Dragon Head drags on a bit too much. Instead of a general plot, the manga heavily relied on character introspection. And yet, one has to wonder if it was done on purpose. The world is ending, so what is there to do anymore?
Another, bigger problem was the ending. The manga was simply over and we are left without a resolution and with no clear answers.
Even though it has its faults, Dragon Head still presents us with one of the best and most realistic depictions of the end of the world in the entire medium.
If you want to read a manga about survival and disaster, about destruction and the end of the world, Dragon Head is exactly what you’re looking for.
Shuuzou Oshimi’s Chi no Wadachi is a psychological masterpiece and one of the best seinen manga I’ve read in recent years. It’s a manga that focuses on trauma, abuse and manipulation.
Our protagonist, Seiichi Osaba, is a typical young boy. There’s one thing, however, he’s often made fun of, his overprotective mother. While she’s acting strange and a bit extreme, it’s nothing too out of the ordinary.
Until a certain incident changes Seiichi’s life and the way he thinks of his mother forever.
Chi no Wadachi might start out simple before it spirals out of control and becomes crazier and crazier.
The pacing of the manga is slow, however, but it’s slow for a reason. Entire chapters might be dedicated to the interaction between two characters. This slow, almost stifling way of storytelling adds a lot of tension and suspense.
There are a lot of moments and slow shots filled with suspense, so much so that it’s almost oppressive. The more I read on, however, the more I was drawn in and eventually got used to this style of storytelling. This focus on even the smallest of details makes Chi no Wadachi so great.
The art is yet another reason I consider this manga to be amongst the best seinen manga of all time. It looks stunning and gives a lot of focus on facial details. Some pages of the manga might be sparse, others dense, but it always helps to set the mood of the story. Where the art truly shines is during the many big page spreads.
Chi no Wadachi’s story might not sound too deep. What makes it so good is the way it’s told, the way we experience it. You can’t help but be disturbed by the portrayal of a toxic, manipulative mother and a young, insecure boy trying to please her.
The slowly, gloomy and depressing atmosphere of the manga might be a problem to some. The same is true for the suspense and tension, which might be a bit too much.
Overall, I think Chi no Wadachi is a fantastic psychological manga, one that’s told in rather unique fashion and truly worth reading.
I was drawn in by Ouroboros by Yuuya Kanzaki the moment I started reading it. When I finished it, I had to admit that I’d just read one of the best seinen manga of all time.
The manga tells the story of Ryuuzaki Ikuo, an investigator for the Shinjuku Police and Tatsuya Danno, a member of the yakuza.
When the two of them were children, they lived in an orphanage under their caretaker, Yuiko. Their happy life ended when the two of them witnessed her murder.
Ouroboros, similar to other manga, begins in a more episodic fashion, showcasing Ryuuzaki and Tatsuya, working together to solve various crime cases.
For most of its run time this episodic nature continues, but the general plot tying it all together becomes more and clearer as we learn more about the man they are after.
Ouroboros soon become one of my favorite manga about crimes and conspiracies. It might develop slowly, but the manga is never a boring read.
This overall plot is clearly the manga’s strongest point. Yukio’s murder is a mystery, one that becomes more and more complex and throws you off repeatedly.
Ouroboros’ art is enjoyable enough, but never truly outstanding. One thing I truly enjoyed was the realistic design of the characters. It helped to keep the story grounded in reality.
Our two protagonists were both interesting and complex. Yet, I’d have loved to see more of Tatsuya Danno and his underworld shenanigans, since he was, at least to me, the more interesting of the two.
There are also a lot of side-characters in Ouroboros, which are all interesting and well-developed in their own right.
My only problem with the manga was the overabundance of twists near the end. Things deteriorated a bit too much and became a little too clichéd near the end.
The manga kept me engaged throughout the entire run, however, and I truly enjoyed it and especially the setting.
The reliance of a more episodic nature might daunt some and so might be the first volumes of the manga that reveal little about the overall plot. If you like those parts, however, you’ll love the rest.
Ouroboros is clearly one of the best seinen manga in the crime and underworld genre.
I’m a big fan of manga featuring the underworld and Sanctuary by Buronson and Ryoichi Ikegami was right up my alley.
It’s the story of two men who want to change Japan. One is Akira Houjou, the other Chiaki Asami. The two of them feel Japan is stagnant and set out to push the country into a new age to create their very own sanctuary.
To accomplish this, the two of them set out on different paths. While Asami aims to become Prime Minister, Houjou sets out to seize control of the underworld.
The best thing about Sanctuary is this dualism of the plot. One part centers on politics, the other on organized crime.
Over the course of the manga, our two protagonists encounter various adversaries. Some are ambitious hot-shots and yakuza bosses others are hardened politicians and diet members.
Sanctuary is a fun, suspenseful ride. I guess I’m a fan of power fantasies and Sanctuary is among the best of them. What makes things even more interesting is that Sanctuary, mostly, is grounded in reality.
Now while Sanctuary was interesting and kept me reading for the plot, it was also really cool. Many of the characters are absolutely amazing and pure badasses.
The art in Sanctuary is typical for the 90s, but not bad. Characters look professional and badass at the same time and many of the wide shots are gorgeous to look at.
The biggest issue with Sanctuary is the aforementioned realism. While Sanctuary is set in the real world and aims to be realistic, it slowly becomes more and more unbelievable. And yet, while many of the political intrigues and twists were unrealistic, I still had a great time following them. This is in large parts because of Isaoka who was probably the best character in the entire manga and a fantastic adversary.
Things spiraled out of control near the end. It was still enjoyable, and I wanted to see how things ended, but by then I’d long abandoned the idea of realism.
Another problem is the depiction of woman. Sanctuary is a manga centered about manly characters and any woman who are there are prostitutes, sex objects or serve as love interests to our main characters.
Still, I had a great time reading Sanctuary. It reminded me of certain over the top gangster movies or polit-thrillers. It might not be too realistic in the long run, but it sure is a lot of fun. Asami’s plotline is full of suspense while Houjou’s is full of action. This combination makes Sanctuary one of the best seinen manga I ever read. If you are into crime manga and political intrigue, you could do worse than to read Sanctuary.
Tokyo Ghoul is a manga created by Ishida Sui and is another long and vastly popular series. It’s by many considered one of the best seinen manga of recent years.
The manga tells the story of Ken Kaneki. He’s a reserved college student who encounters a beautiful young woman named Rize at a café. The two of them bond over their love for books.
Unbeknownst to Kaneki, Rize is a ghoul and driven by her hunger for human flesh attacks him.
Ghouls are creatures with superhuman powers who mingle amongst humans and need to feed on them to survive.
Kaneki miraculously survives the encounter and is saved by Dr. Kanou. He soon learns, however, that he’s now part ghoul and can’t stand normal food. He finds refuge at Anteiku, a café and a safe house for ghouls.
Over the course of the story, we are introduced to a plethora of interesting characters and learn more about ghouls.
Early on the story focuses on Kaneki, how he comes to terms with his new life and the characters he encounters. The story takes up steam however, as newer and more dangerous threats are introduced.
The manga’s continued in a sequel called Tokyo Ghoul:re which expands the plot and the world of Tokyo Ghoul.
Tokyo Ghoul’s art is one of its biggest selling points. The manga has both fantastic creature design and character design. Backgrounds look fantastic and the entire manga is filled with a gloomy dark atmosphere. Ishida Sui accomplishes this with his inky art style, which is perfect in setting the mood.
Another thing I greatly enjoyed were the many battles. Especially the various weapons and the ghoul’s kagune showed some fantastic design. And yet, sometimes the battles could be a bit confusing. This is mostly the case in Tokyo Ghoul:re where the battles are on a larger scale and lots of people are involved.
Tokyo Ghoul’s characters are a tough point for me. I grew to like some of them while I disliked others. Kaneki, our protagonist, is one of the prime offenders.
Early on he’s a shy, reserved boy, but over the course of the manga and after certain significant power-boots he quickly becomes a force to be reckoned with.
Another thing is his edginess. Sure, Kaneki had some bad things happening to him and he’s clearly going through some serious trauma, but at times it feels a bit too much.
The characters I enjoyed the most were supporting characters like Arima, Urie or Amon.
Another glaring problem of Tokyo Ghoul comes from its most prevalent theme, that of the tragic past. Over the course of the manga, we find out that a large part of the main cast suffers from this trope. I understand that the world of the ghouls and the CCG is a dark and brutal one. And yet, this seem is so common that it ultimately weakens its impact. Before long, I felt myself merely shrugging when another character’s tragic backstory was revealed, thinking, same old, same old.
Now those are of course not the only themes in Tokyo Ghoul. One I came to enjoy was the dualism of the two sides, the CCG and the ghouls. Neither side is truly good or evil.
While I enjoyed Tokyo Ghoul for all of its run, I found myself most invested in the earlier parts. Here the difference between ghouls and humans was still the most important part.
All of those flaws, however, don’t make Tokyo Ghoul a bad series. No, I enjoyed it a lot and I still believe it’s a fantastic manga and one of the best seinen manga of all time.
Tokyo Ghoul stands out for its gorgeous art, its battles and the fantastic design of creatures and weapons. I recommend this manga to anyone who’s looking for a darker, more complex and brutal manga.
Most of the time, I don’t enjoy comedy manga. So at first I was wary about One Punch Man by Yusuke Murata and One. I quickly came to realize, however, that it’s one of the best seinen manga at what it does.
The manga is centered on a single gag. Imagine a character is so strong he can defeat any enemy with a single punch.
This character is Saitama who sets out to become a hero and joins the Hero Organization. He soon becomes bored when he realizes just how strong he is and searches for a real challenge.
That’s basically it for the premise. It might sound simply, even silly, but it sure is a lot of fun.
As the manga continues, the story shifts more to the many side-characters introduced and their individual struggles. It presents a nice contrast to Saitama’s powers and is often used for comedic purposes.
The high point of the series is clearly the art which shines most during the various battles. One Punch Man is easily at the top of the medium in terms of art. The monsters are extremely detailed and fantastic to look at.
From the premise one might think that most battles are over quickly, but many focus on other characters. It’s often only in the end when Saitama shows up and ends things in a single blow.
The side-characters in this manga are fantastic, too. A favorite of mine is King, the world’s strongest man. I often laughed out loud when he was involved in the story.
One Punch Man features a plethora of characters. Some are more comical, others more serious, but they are all likeable. Another favorite character of mine is Garou.
What makes this manga, however, is the humor. As simple as the premise is, it never loses its charm. The art also adds a lot to this. Saitama is often depicted as a small, unimportant bystander before he’s shown as an absolute badass when he finally takes action.
One Punch Man has quickly become one of my favorite seinen manga of all time and is one of the best action and comedy manga out there. It’s extremely entertaining, a lot of fun and offers some of the best art in the entire medium.
Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys is one of the greatest mystery manga of all time and one of the best seinen manga ever.
I read this manga years ago and it’s one of the first manga that comes to mind when I think of the best seinen manga.
The manga tells the story of Kenji Endo and his friends. At the end of the 20th century, Kenji is working at a convenience store.
The story takes up steam when he learns of the suicide of one of his friends, Donkey. At the same time, a cult, led by a figure only known as Friend, becomes more and more popular. Before long, Kenji realizes that this cult and the ominous figure of Friend are related to his childhood.
To find out more about the cult and Friend Kenji reunites with his childhood friends to find out the truth.
Naoki Urasawa’s art might appear simple at first glance. His mastery of the craft becomes clear, however, in his characters. Every single one of them has his own personality and is recognizable at first glance, even when the manga switches to different points in time. Backgrounds are very detailed and a pleasure to look at.
The reason 20th Century Boys is so good is because of the mystery, the relationship between the characters but also the way the story is told.
Conspiracy plots are nothing new and neither is saving the world. Yet, the way the story unfolds is masterfully done. What I loved the most was the inclusion of different timelines and the showcasing of childhood events. It was extremely well done, never confusing and helped to learn more about the various main characters.
20th Century Boys comprises three major arcs. The first is set during the end of the 20th century, the second in the year 2014 and the last during the 3FE, the third year of the so-called Friend Era. Included in all this are various flashbacks to the 60s and 70s when Kenji and his friends were children.
Of all those arcs, the last one, the Friend Era, was my least favorite.
The first two arcs of the manga were some of the best I read and I consider them to be some of the best in the entire mystery manga genre. They are masterfully told and you will guess repeatedly what’s going on.
The last arc, however, felt almost detached and too different from what had happened before.
Another pet peeve of mine is how so many people are in on the conspiracy. It almost feels as if our protagonists are not fighting against a conspiracy, but against the rest of the world.
Those problems, however, don’t change my opinion of the manga. 20th Century Boys is a fantastic manga. Because of its complex story and the way it’s told it is clearly one of the best mystery manga and seinen manga of all time.
The most visually stunning was chapter five, which was drawn in stunning full colors and was absolutely beautiful. This, however, was in contrast to the story, which was barely there.
My favorite amongst the collection was chapter one, which featured the titular hotel and even made me tear up a little.
There are few collections on this list of the best seinen manga, but I feel that Hotel truly deserves to be named here. The stories featured here might be emotional, others might be surreal, but they are all interesting and rendered in beautiful and stunning detail.
Hotel is a great read, and with only five chapters a quick one. It stands out, however, because of Boichi’s absolutely outstanding art.
I’m a big fan of science-fiction and especially cyberpunk and Battle Angel Alita by Yukito Kishiro is one of the best manga the genre offers.
Ido, a scientist, uncovers the remains of cyborg girl and restores her. She’s lost her memory, she he names her Alita and gives her a new cybernetic body.
From here on out, the story follows Alita as she finds her way in this new world. Over the course of the manga she changes from an innocent, almost childlike character to a battle-hardened badass.
The art is merely serviceable at the outset of the series, but improves in later parts. Where it stood out was during the many battle scenes. While the battles in Battle Angel Alita are intense, they are always fluid. This was most prevalent during the fantastic motor ball arc.
Battle Angel Alita is set in a gritty, post-apocalyptic world. Especially the city of Scrapyard, was a fantastic cluster of machines, factories and rubble. More so, it’s a cesspool where the worst criminal scum and cybernetic freaks gather.
Alita herself was an interesting main character, and I enjoyed her character development. She’s not your standard protagonist. Her story is more about finding her way in the world, more character-driven and about her than following a general plot.
Ido, too, is a complex character and his relationship with Alita can be seen as one between father and daughter.
The manga’s villains are a lot of fun too, especially the deranged bounty hunter Zapan who later turns into a full blow psychopath.
What I enjoyed were the deeper themes present in the manga. Battle Angel Alita toys with such things as the meaning of life, finding your own way and uncovering who you are, but it’s never shoved into your face and always part of the story.
The manga, however, is not free of flaws. The most obvious one is the art. It’s decent enough, but never truly stands out. The city of scrapyard and the general post-apocalyptic setting is beautifully done, but many of the characters feel unrefined and, at times, even cartoonish.
Some characters are also a bit overdrawn and to on-the-nose.
This is also true for Alita. I enjoyed her character growth a lot, but she’s still immature and arrogant for most of the story.
Still, Battle Angel Alita is an entertaining cyberpunk, science-fiction manga and among the best seinen manga I read. If you’re a fan of science-fiction or post-apocalyptic settings, you could do worse than to read Battle Angel Alita.
Some manga stand out because of their characters or their plot, others because of the world they create. Made in Abyss by Akihito Tsukushi is an example of the latter.
The titular Abyss is one of the most beautiful and stunning worlds ever created. I only read this manga recently, but I almost instantly fell in love with the abyss.
The manga tells the story of Riko, a young girl who lives in the town of Orth which is built around the abyss. The abyss is a giant chasm that has never been fully explored.
Riko is the daughter of a White Whistle, a famous cave raider who explored the abyss. After her mother’s disappearance, it’s Riko’s dream to become a White Whistle as well.
The story begins when Riko uncovers a robot boy called Rengu on an expedition to the abyss. She believes this encounter to be orchestrated by her mother and soon Riko and Rengu descend the abyss to find her.
Made in Abyss is a manga that can be best described as a mixture of science-fiction and fantasy. Its world is populated with various strange and bizarre creatures as well as interesting characters.
What makes this manga so good is the fantastic art. It’s amongst the most beautiful manga I’ve ever seen and clearly amongst the best seinen manga in that department. The level of detail used to illustrate the abyss is insane.
Early on the story starts out as lighthearted, especially because of the age of the characters. The deeper our protagonists descend into the abyss, though, the darker and more disturbing the story becomes.
The abyss has this overwhelming feeling of dread surrounding it. There are not only the bizarre creatures populating it but also the ‘curse of the abyss.’ This curse manifests when a person ascents from the depths of the abyss. The further one descended, the more painful it becomes, and eventually a return from the abyss becomes impossible.
One of the biggest problems with Made in Abyss are its characters. I’m not a huge fan of very young characters in manga. It makes me wonder why the author chose for Riko and Rengu to be that young.
Is it to relate to the adventurous feelings we all had as children, or was it a done as a contrast to the dangerous and alien world that is the abyss?
While I think this choice is strange, it didn’t deter my enjoyment of the series. The world building in Made in Abyss is excellent and each layer of the abyss serves to be more interesting than the last.
It’s a beautiful manga, one of the most beautiful I’ve ever read and presents its readers with one of the most unique settings ever.
I urge everyone to give this manga a try. It’s clearly one of the best seinen manga of all time.
Jagaaaaaan by Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Kensuke Nishida is definitely one of the weirder manga on this list.
It tells the story of Shintarou Jagasaki, a young police officer who’s frustrated with his quiet and boring life.
On another boring day, he and his partner escort home a drunk man. On the train, they witness an office worker transforming into a twisted monster. The creature beings tearing apart the other passengers, but is ultimately defeated by Jagasaki with a bream he shoots from his hand.
Jagasaki quickly learns that the man was a fractured human, and he himself is one as well.
Fractured humans come into being when so-called frenzied frogs infest a normal person with a strong desire. When these people experience strong emotions and give into their desires, they transform into monsters. Some, like Jagasaki, however, are able to resist this temptation.
From this point onward; it’s Jagasaki’s task to hunt down fractured humans.
As crazy as this premise sounds, Jagaaaaaan proves to get even crazier as it goes on. As crazy as it is, however, I still consider it one of the best seinen manga I ever read.
I enjoyed the idea of people’s desire, causing them to become monsters. It adds a certain depth to an overall very weird series.
What stands out the most about Jagaaaaaan is the outstanding art. Kensuke Nishida’s art is fantastic throughout the board. I especially came to enjoy the monster design. Many of the fractured humans have a fantastic and horrible design.
The high point of the series are the battles. Over the course of the manga, Jagasaki becomes more and more powerful and as he does his own transformation becomes more impressive to look at. What starts out as nothing but a handgun soon turns to a rival and later even crazier things.
Having read Muneyuki Kaneshiro’s Kamisama no Iutoori and its sequel, I knew the author’s tendency for weird characters. Jagasaki is no different. He’s quite the weirdo, and we know it right from the first chapter. And yet, there’s something realistic about his frustration with life, something relatable. Over the course of the manga, however, Jagasaki changes and slowly turns to someone who values the people by his side.
The many side characters in Jagaaaaaan are interesting as well. Many are fractured humans, like Jagasaki. While some of them are more normal, it’s the crazy ones who are truly interesting.
What’s important about Jagaaaaaan is that it’s a mature manga, so it’s got its fair share of explicit content. The manga isn’t shy to present us with gore, nudity and sex.
One criticism I have with the series is the pacing. While the first chapter works well to introduce us to the setting and premise, I still think it was a bit too rushed. This, however, is only a minor criticism.
Jagaaaaaan is a weird and twisted manga, but a great one. It’s full of action, gore and its share of depraved acts, but never just for the sake of it. Even though Jagaaaaaan is a horror manga, and one of the best in the genre in recent years.
For all its disturbing and depraved content, I still enjoyed the manga a lot and consider it one of the best seinen out there.
If you’re looking for a weird manga, check out the first few chapters or the first volume of Jagaaaaaan. If you enjoy those, you will enjoy the rest of the manga.
What makes it special is that all those stories are only a few pages long. They don’t focus on plot, but are rather short, creepy incidents involving ghosts or supernatural entities.
Each chapter comprises several incidents all center on a certain topic. It can be a location such as a hospital or a concept like uninvited guests.
It might sound strange that Fuan no Tane doesn’t have a plot. But this is exactly why the manga works so well and is one of the best at what it does.
Fuan no Tane doesn’t set the scene or introduces characters, but only presents us a creepy incident. Because of this, the manga can fully devote itself to being creepy and scary.
The art is unique and sketchy, which helps to underline the general atmosphere. It is, however, not outstanding and can’t compare to some of the better manga on the list.
Fuan no Tane is definitely not for everyone. It’s a special type of horror, one that doesn’t bother with plot or characters and thus might alienate readers.
If this is what you’re looking for, pure scares, then Fuan no Tane is definitely worth your time. I consider it one of the best manga in the horror genre and one of the best seinen manga.
Knights of Sidonia is Tsutomu Nihei’s longest series to date. It can best be described as a mecha-space manga. If one’s familiar with Nihei’s earlier works, one might notice a diversion from his usual style of storytelling, one might even call it mainstream-friendlier.
What’s the same, however, is his outstanding art and his complex world-design.
While I don’t think Knights of Sidonia is as good as Blame! or Biomega, it’s still one of the best seinen manga of all time.
The manga tells the story of Nagate Tanikaze. He lives aboard the Sidonia, a spaceship that fled after earth was destroyed by the Gauna, a powerful alien species. These Gauna are still in pursuit of the Sidonia and attack it relentlessly.
For most of his life, Nagate Tanikaze has lived in the depths of the ship without contact with other human beings.
The story begins when he finds his way to the populated portions of the ship. There it quickly becomes clear that he has innate abilities as a fighter pilot. And thus, he becomes the pilot of a Gardes, giant mechs designed to fight the Gauna.
As I mentioned, Knights of Sidonia is more mainstream than Nihei’s other series. Many of his earlier works had a dark and gritty feel to them and were gloomy and quiet.
Knights of Sidonia differs from them, at least to a part. While the fights are still presented to us in a gritty and dark atmosphere, the rest of the manga feels much more conventional. People living on the Sidonia have fun, hang out, joke around or fall in love.
Even though, Knights of Sidonia still looks and feels like a Nihei manga. His architectural design is still as grand and ambitious as always. The alien Gauna are rendered in beautiful detail and are entirely unique. Later in the mange we even encounter entities that remind us more of the silicon life from Blame!
While Knights of Sidonia features lighter elements, it’s still a seinen manga. Death is an everyday occurrence and so are destruction and danger.
My biggest quarrel with the series is the ending. It feels strange and a bit too happy and even cheesy.
For most its time, however, Knights of Sidonia is still one of the best space opera manga out there and definitely one of the best seinen manga.
If you’re a fan of space or Tsutomu Nihei, you should definitely check it out.
Katsuhiro Otomo’s Akira is one of the most influential manga of all time. It spawned the Japanese cyberpunk subgenre and also one of the most influential anime movies of all time.
It’s held in very high regard and many fans consider it to be one of the best manga ever created.
The story is set in the dystopian cyberpunk city of Neo Tokyo. It’s a futuristic hell that combines technology and skyscrapers with poverty, revolutionaries and biker gangs.
Our protagonists are two bikers, Shoutarou Kaneda and Tetsuo Shima. The two of them are best friends, but also bitter rivals. One day, Tetsuo pulls a desperate stunt to prove himself and sets into motion the events that lead to the awakening of Akira, a secret government project.
Akira’s story is one about government conspiracies, secret experiments and megalomania.
What makes Akira one of the best seinen manga is Katsuhiro Otomo’s fantastic art. It brings to life the dystopian hell that is Neo Tokyo in all its detail. We can see cracks in streets and buildings, rubble in dirty corners or marvel at high-rising skyscrapers.
We can especially see Katsuhiro Otomo’s mastery in the later chapters when he presents apocalyptic destruction in all its glory.
The characters’ visual design is also fantastic. They all look stunning and unique. The same, though, can’t be said for their personality. Many characters seem more like arch-types than actual people.
Tetsuo is an edgy teenager who wants to be at the top while Kaneda is a badass biker boy.
Tetsuo is clearly the more interesting of the two, especially in earlier chapters. He’s scary, almost chilling, but remains tragic and even sympathetic.
One of the biggest problems in Akira, however, is the story. The manga is often more style than anything. While I love to watch the massive destruction caused by psychic powers, none of them are ever clearly established.
I enjoyed Akira the most when it focused on biker gangs, drug orgies, and government conspiracies. It’s also here that the cyberpunk elements and the dystopian setting come to shine the most.
None of those flaws ruined Akira for me. Having read Katsuhiro Otomo’s other works and watched the movie version of Akira, I knew what I was in for. I knew it wouldn’t be a hard-science-fiction manga. What I wanted to see was outstanding art, a cyberpunk setting and a storyline about a crazy megalomaniac. That was exactly what I got.
Does Akira deserve the hype it gets? In my opinion, yes and no. Akira’s massive influence on the manga and anime genre can’t be overstated, but similar to other pivotal works it doesn’t truly life up to its reputation.
Still, in terms of art and setting, Akira more than holds up. Katsuhiro Otomo’s art is gorgeous and amongst the most detailed in all of manga.
Once you look past the almost one-dimensional characters and the sometimes lackluster plot, you get to experiences some of the greatest art and one of the best cyberpunk settings in the entire manga.
While I think Akira is flawed, I still consider it among the best seinen manga of all time.
There are weird manga, and there is Dorohedoro by Q Hayashida. While the manga’s set in a dark, grim and brutal world, it’s still full of absurdist humor.
The manga is set in the city of Hole which is connected to the Sorcerer’s World. This connection has made the city the perfect testing ground for magic users.
Magical atrocities are a daily reality for the people living in Hole.
Our protagonist Kaiman, a man with a reptilian head and suffering from amnesia, believes himself to be another victim of magic users. Together with his female friend Nikaido, he hunts them down to find out what happened to him and who he really is.
This premise might be weird, but the story only proves to get much, much weirder over the course of the manga.
There is, however, a strange dualism to Dorohedoro. It mixes death, carnage and gore with comedy and lightheartedness. It’s a strange mixture that’s unlike anything I’ve read before.
Another thing praiseworthy about Dorohedoro is the art and the world its set in. The decrepit city of Hole and the surreal Sorcerer’s World are both beautiful to look at.
The same can be said about the cast of characters. They are all unique, be it the disfigured inhabitants of Hole or the outlandish magic users populating the Sorcerer’s World.
The most interesting thing about the cast of characters is that neither are presented as good or evil. Instead, Dorohedoro is a morally gray mush and almost all of its characters are likeable.
Early on the story centers on Kaiman, but we soon learn that he’s connected to both the city of Hole and the Sorcerer’s World. Dorohedoro’s plot is as strange as its presentation and one of the most original and creative ones I’ve read.
While Dorohedoro is often lighthearted and even humorous, it still features copious amounts of blood and gore. The longer the manga continues, the more outlandish, brutal and horrific the overall story becomes.
Dorohedoro is without a doubt one of the most original manga I ever read. And yet, one can’t help to wonder if all its weirdness and complexity is just there for the sake of it.
I urge anyone to read Dorohedoro. While it’s often humorous and lighthearted, make no mistake, this manga is not for the faint of heart.
Still, Dorohedoro is one of the best manga seinen manga I’ve ever read and anyone who’s interested in horror and especially surreal manga should check it out.
Shigurui by Norio Nanjou and Takayuki Yamaguchi is a samurai manga, but one of the best and most brutal the genre offers.
The story begins when the daimyo Tadanaga Tokugawa proclaims to hold a martial arts tournament with real swords and fights to the death.
The first fight is between a one-armed man, Gennosuke Fujiki and the blind and lame Seigen Irako. And yet, the manga doesn’t focus on the tournament, instead it focuses on the backstory of our two companions.
Shigurui’s high point is clearly the fantastic art. Characters, backgrounds and nature are beautiful and gore and brutality are rendered in stunning detail.
It’s not the art however, that makes Shigurui special, but its depiction of the brutal and unforgiving nature of samurai culture. In other manga, and media it’s often romanticized. Shigurui, however, doesn’t shy away from showing that it was despicable and the cause of many lost lives.
The most interesting thing about Shigurui is that it doesn’t distinguish between good and evil. The author shows the flaws of both characters and we come to understand that the true evil here is samurai culture.
Women in this manga are nothing more than attachments to samurai. They can be abused and exploited as seen fit and we witness it too in the form of Lady Iku and Mie Iwamoto.
Shigurui’s entire story gives of a feeling of depression. None of what we witness is good. There’s only the sword that forces people into a life of servitude and obedience in the guise of honor.
The manga’s plot is largely character-driven and showcases our character’s lives and how they were eventually driven to become mortal enemies.
And here the problems with Shigurui start. In later parts, the manga seems to lose focus and drags on a bit too much. An entire arc of the manga is also dedicated to two characters that have no relation to our protagonists and is brought to no resolution.
The reason for this is simple, however. The manga is based on a novel featuring the tournament held by Tadanaga Tokugawa. This novel itself features not only the fights but also the backstory if all the contestants. This begs the question if the manga was cut short and originally wanted to feature the entire tournament and all its contestants.
This might also explain the ending. While I thought it was a perfect ending for our protagonists and handled the overall themes satisfactorily, it still felt rushed.
Make no mistake, though, Shigurui is still a fantastic, brutal story. It features interesting characters and gives us a realistic view of samurai culture.
I regard Shigurui not only as one of the best seinen manga of all time but also one of the best samurai manga ever created. Anyone who’s interested in samurai culture and brutal fights should check this one out. It is, however, not for the faint of heart.
Lone Wolf and Cub by Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima might be the oldest manga on this list of the best seinen manga. This samurai manga is, however, an absolute classic and proved to be one of the most influential manga of all time.
The manga tells the story of Ittou Ogami. He was once the Shogunate’s chief executioner, but was framed for treason by the Yagyuu Clan. He was forced to flee with his young son and now lives as an assassin for hire, known as Lone Wolf and Cub.
Early on, the story is told in episodic fashion, featuring various assassination carried out by Ittou Ogami. Over the course of the manga, however, we learn more about our protagonist, his back story and the reason for his travels. Ittou Ogami has only one purpose, to get revenge against the Yagyuu Clan.
Lone Wolf and Cub is a fantastic manga both for its overall plot, but also for the many episodic stories told. Many of those are extremely well done, and convey more depth and emotion that many other, much longer manga.
While the art is old-fashioned, it’s still excellent. It’s gritty and realistic and lends itself perfectly to a traditional samurai story.
The best part is, of course, the many battle scenes. Even today, almost fifty years after the manga was published, they still hold up and make Lone Wolf and Cub one of the best sword fighting manga out there.
I also really came to like Itto Ogami’s character. At first he might seem like a cold-blooded assassin, a demon even, but we soon learn that he’s a much more nuanced character.
Lone Wolf and Cub might not be for everyone. It’s old-fashioned art and realistic presentation makes it different from other, flashier samurai manga.
And yet, it’s without a doubt one of the best seinen manga and samurai manga of all time. If you’re a fan of traditional Japanese stories and samurai manga, go check out Lone Wolf and Cub.
And now we come to one of the most graphical and most disturbing manga of all time, Ichi the Killer by Hideo Yamamoto. Incidentally, it’s also one of the best seinen manga of all time.
Hideo Yamamoto has really outdone himself when creating Ichi the Killer. While his older work is strange too, Ichi the Killer is batshit insane.
Ichi the Killer is the story of two men. One is Ichi, an ominous figure who kills his victims brutally. The other, is Kakihara, a deranged yakuza. When Kakihara’s boss vanishes, he tries to find him at any cost. Before long, he figures out what happens and begins his search for Ichi, which eventually leads to a confrontation between the two.
Ichi is nothing for the faint of heart. It’s a mature and graphical manga that features violence, torture, sexual abuse, rape and murder.
While Ichi relies on graphic violence, it’s no mere gore feast. Instead, it’s a psychological tale that explores various themes.
The most important one is that of sadism and masochism, but Ichi also features things such as identity disorder, childhood abuse, manipulation and much, much more. Yamamoto Hideo mixes all of those together and created one of the most deranged and best seinen manga of all time.
This, however, is what makes Ichi the Killer work so well. It doesn’t filter. Instead, we are subjected to the deepest depth of human depravity.
That’s what I enjoyed the most about Ichi the Killer, the mixture of brutal violence, over-the-top and insane characters and deeper themes. Over the course of the manga, there are quite a few twists and turns as we get to know our two protagonists. This is most prevalent in the character of Ichi, who’s much more complex than anyone would’ve guessed.
Ichi the Killer’s art is both unique and simplistic. One of the most notable things about the manga are overdrawn facial expressions that show the mental state of characters. Another thing is the violence which is shown to us in stunningly disturbing detail.
The driving force of the manga is clearly its two protagonists. Ichi and Kakihara are almost opposites which also serves to make the manga more interesting than it already is.
I already mentioned the brutal violence, and it can be a bit much. There are certain scenes that are quite disturbing and rough. The plot too, has some problems, namely that a few details are left unexplained or are unrealistic. Still, it didn’t deter my enjoyment, and it’s to be expected from a manga as insane as this one.
Ichi the Killer is definitely not for everyone. If, however, you can stand the brutal violence and the disturbing subject-matter, you’re treated to one of the best seinen manga out there. At its core, Ichi is an amazing psychological thriller.
Kingdom created by Yasuhisa Hara is one of the most popular historical and military manga of all time.
I had always heard good things about Kingdom and read it last year. I enjoyed it tremendously and think it’s one of the best seinen manga in its respective genres.
The manga’s story is set during the Warring States era of China. It details the events that led to the unification of China under the state of Qin.
During a rebellion against the soon-to-be king of Qin, Ei Sei, a young servant boy gets entangled in the matters of state. This young servant boy is Shin, our protagonist.
It’s from this point onward that Shin follows his path to becoming a Great General under the Heaven to help Ei Sei unify all of China under his banner.
The scope of Kingdom is grand and I think it’s one of the most ambitious projects in all of manga. Kingdom is currently close to 700 chapters long, and it’s far from over.
Kingdom’s focus is clearly on the large-scale battles that were common during the Warring states era. Those battles are presented to us in stunning detail.
During those battles we can witness armies numbering in the tenth or even hundreds of thousands. The greatest part of Kingdom’s battles isn’t scale, it’s the presentation of tactics and strategies. The manga goes into extreme detail when explaining the various engagements, as well as the tactics and strategies used.
Kingdom doesn’t solely focus on battles, though. Another important plot-point is the power struggle between Ei Sei and Ryo Fui, the Chancellor of State who plants to overthrow Ei Sei and become king himself.
As much as I loved the large-scale battles of Kingdom, I also came to enjoy the matters of state with all their intrigues.
In later chapters, Kingdom also illustrates the important events that take place in all the different states.
Kingdom’s scope is grand and the story that is told is fantastic, especially for someone who’s interested in history. For this alone it deserves to be added to any list of the best seinen manga.
Kingdom’s art is merely average at the beginning. During the very first arc, it was decent enough to get the job done, but nothing outstanding. As the manga continued, the art improved. Large-scale battles were detailed and the giant, walled cities of ancient China are a joy to look at.
A manga is grand as Kingdom also has a vast cast of characters. Some of these are truly fantastic, for example Ei Sei, Ryu Fui, General Ou Ki and Riboku.
There are also characters who I wasn’t as fond of. One of them is unfortunately, our protagonist Shin. Raised as a servant boy together with his friend Ri Hyou, the two of them dreamed to become generals in China and often sparred together.
These sparring matches and his natural talent somehow make Shin a force to be reckoned with. Over the course of the first arc, he not only battles against, but wins against experienced swordsman and hardened assassins.
This theme continues for the rest of the manga and Shin’s martial prowess feels unrealistic.
Shin’s characterization is also quite clichéd. He’s your typical hotheaded, young man who aims for the top because it’s the top. And yet, his young man is always recognized by those around him for his greatness. It, frankly said, feels forced.
Often, this isn’t too important though. Sure, Shin is the manga’s protagonist, but the focus is clearly on the general plot and the large-scale battles and the politics. We might witness the battles from Shin’s point of view, but the focus isn’t solely on him, but always on the overall battle.
The worst part of Kingdom, however, is the very first arc. During the Sei Kyo Rebellion arc, his faults are most glaring and the story is at its weakest. Early on, Kingdom doesn’t feel like a seinen manga, but more like a typical shonen manga.
This changes, however, when Chancellor Ryo Fui returns to court and when we enter our first large-scale battle. It’s from here on out that Kingdom proves to be one of the grandest and best seinen manga of all time.
A word of warning though, while Kingdom is a historical manga, it takes some liberties with the source material. This, however, shouldn’t be too surprising.
The problems outlined didn’t deter my enjoyment and once I was done with the first arc, I truly grew to enjoy Kingdom. If you decide to read Kingdom, make sure you read on until the very first large-scale battle. It’s here that Kingdom truly shines and becomes one of the best seinen manga.
The world of illegal money lending is a dangerous place. The people in Manabe Shouhei’s Yamikin Ushijima-kun get used, betrayed, tortured or even lose their life.
If you enjoy darker and more twisted stories, than this manga is perfect for you. It’s amongst the best crime manga out there and one of the best seinen manga I ever read.
Kaoru Ushijima, our protagonist, is a moneylender who offers cash loans. However, his loans are special, they have an interest rate of fifty percent and are to be paid back within ten days. Now, the first thing you might wonder is who’d take such an outrageous loan. Apparently there are many people, if you believe Yamikin Ushijima-kun. It’s people who are drowning in debt, who gave into their vices or simply the dregs of society.
The manga follows Ushijima on his path as he makes sure people pay him back and he takes from them all they have. Ushijima uses any means possible to get his money back, including prostitution, identity theft and extortion. He’s even willing to set the occasional example for those who think they can get away.
Yamikin Ushijima-kun is a realistic, grounded story that shows us the worst of humanity. Here we can see how deep you can fall and in just how much trouble you can get. There are no monsters here, no killers, there’s only people’s own mistakes and their desperation.
While most of the episodic stories end with characters in a terrible place, there are some rare glimpses of hope. They might feel a bit out of place in a manga such as this, but they make the manga much, much better.
And yet, most of the depicted stories are without a doubt tragedies.
We soon learn, however, that Ushijima isn’t the only bad guy out there. Over the course of the manga we see other people, people far worse than him.
What makes this manga so dark is how realistic it is. We all make mistakes in our life. Sometimes we have bad luck. And there are always people out there, who are preying on the weak.
Make no mistake, this manga isn’t meant to glamorize, it’s meant to be unpleasant. It focuses on the underbelly of society, the dark sides and does so in a fascinating way.
Manabe Shouhei’s art isn’t as refined as that of other manga. It’s gritty and almost dirty, but it’s exactly right for a manga such as this. The world of Yamikin Ushijima-kun isn’t a pleasant or clean world, no it’s a dark, gritty and dirty world.
The character design is unique, but many characters aren’t exactly pleasing to look at. But again, this helps to set the tone.
Many of the characters in this manga aren’t likeable. Our protagonist Ushijima is all business and has no scruples taking from people as much money as he can. And yet, you often come to root for him and not for the many other characters.
In later arcs, though, the manga’s focus shifts. Ushijima and his plots aren’t a focus anymore, instead it’s the stories of other people. It’s here that Yamikin Ushijima-kun truly shines. I enjoyed the earlier chapters a lot, but it was the later, longer arcs that I truly came to love. It’s here that the manga’s at its best and truly becomes one of the best seinen manga of all time.
It’s extremely interesting to follow people along, see the lives of different people and to witness what eventually drives them to Ushijima’s office.
Most of those characters aren’t sympathetic, and one’s hard pressed feeling sorry for them, but there are some fates that are truly heartbreaking.
Yamikin Ushijima-kun is a fascinating, dark manga that showcases the underbelly of society in all its glory.
While there are many crime manga out there, almost none portray the dark side of society just like Yamakin Ushijima-kun. It’s definitely among the best seinen manga out there, and well worth the read.
I love Gantz by Hiroya Oku. It’s one of the most insane manga I ever read.
One day, our protagonist Kei Kurono and his childhood friend Masaru Kato die in a tragic train accident. Soon after, they awake in a Tokyo apartment where a group of people, as clueless as them has gathered. In the room’s center sits a giant sphere called Gantz. It explains to them they now have to hunt aliens living among humans and are soon after teleported to a different location.
And thus begins the first of many brutal alien hunts.
With over 400 chapters, Gantz is one of the longest manga on this list. It’s well worth the investment though, especially since Gantz is high on action and, often, low on dialogue.
Gantz is a brutal, gritty series about people hunting aliens. It’s ripe on fluid action and glorified gore, and it’s exactly this that makes Gantz so good. The action and the violence are among the best in the entire manga genre, especially later when the scale and the danger seem to increase exponentially.
Yet, what makes Gantz stand out is not only the action and violence, it’s the sheer absurdity of the premise and the outstanding art. Each character is detailed and unique. The same goes for the aliens, who all have a fantastic design.
Gantz is a battle manga, and it knows it. Battles are amazingly drawn, the action is fluid, and the violence is brutal. The best part, however, is that the enemies aren’t cannon fodder. No, it’s the humans who often end up being torn apart and killed off. Death is normal in Gantz and characters die, many characters die.
While I love the action in Gantz, what truly made me appreciate it was its protagonist. Kurono starts out as an unlikeable and egoistic teenager. He’s the type of character that you almost can’t help but hate. As the manga progresses, however, he develops tremendously, grows as a person and eventually becomes the leader of the Gantz team. Whenever I think back to reading Gantz, the first thing that comes to mind is Kurono’s character development.
However, Kurono isn’t the only fantastic character in this manga. Almost all the supporting characters are fantastic in their own way and many of them have their own traits and abilities.
There are, however, some serious flaws with Gantz I’d like to point out.
Gantz is long, and I while reading I often had the feeling that Hiroya Oku as experimenting. There are quite a few plot points or even entire subplots that are never truly resolved and are just left hanging.
Another is the world of Gantz. The alien missions are dark, brutal and unforgiving, but so is the real world. We bear witness to severe bullying, rape, brutal violence and even a mass shooting.
The biggest problem I had with Gantz, however, was the last mission and the ending. The plot didn’t feel planned out anymore and felt almost as if Oku was making things up on the fly. Near the end Gantz turned very weird, and it’s never truly explained what was going on before the manga was brought to a rushed ending. I understand what Oku wanted to say, but it all happened too fast.
This, of course, doesn’t mean Gantz is a bad manga. No, it’s a fantastic manga. Gantz is a weird, brutal gory mess featuring some of the best action scenes I’ve seen in manga. The same is true for the monsters and their design.
While the plot can deteriorate a little, I still consider Gantz one of the best seinen manga of all time. Gantz is a series about hunting aliens, and during those missions it’s at its absolute best.
Shinobu Kaitani’s Liar Game is my favorite mind game manga of all time and also one of the best seinen manga of all time.
The story starts when Kanzaki Nao, an incredibly honest girl, suddenly finds herself a contestant in the Liar Game. It’s a game where you have to deceive and trick your opponent with stakes in the hundreds of millions.
It isn’t long before Nao is tricked and loses her money. When she finds out that Shinichi Akiyama, a genius swindler, is released from prison, she sets out to get his help. After initially rejecting her request, he soon helps her out and turns the first round of the Liar Game around.
What makes Liar game so good are the different games. They might appear simple early on, but over the course of the manga they get much more complex and interesting.
Liar Game is one of the best manga out there for anyone who’s interested in clever mind games and psychological ploys.
Even more interesting than the games themselves, are the many tricks and strategies used by our protagonist. It’s incredibly fun to watch them as they out-play each other repeatedly.
Liar Game’s art is good enough, but never outstanding. The characters are all rendered uniquely and the locations are nicely designed, but all of it is merely serviceable. One thing I found a bit annoying, however, were the over-exaggerated reactions of characters.
Another problem with Liar Game are its side characters. Many of them seem to be only there to represent a certain character type. Apart from a select few such as Yokoya and Harimoto, none of them are a match for Akiyama. Once the aforementioned characters show up, however, the manga becomes much more interesting and reaches new levels of suspense. It’s especially because of the games featuring them that are outstanding and truly make Liar Game one of the best seinen manga.
What might also alienate some readers are the explanations of many of the games. They can become drawn out and overly complex.
There’s also the ending which I found anti-climactic and which felt to me as if the manga was cut short.
Still, I enjoyed Liar Game immensely. While some of the earlier games are easy enough, things get truly interesting during the Contraband Game. It was during this game that my mind was literally blown by the sheer complexity and the many strategies used.
Liar Game is absolutely brilliant and I highly recommend it to anyone who’s looking for a complex mind game manga.
I came upon Bokutachi ga Yarimashita while searching for other works of Kaneshiro Muneyuki. When I started it, I wasn’t sure what to think about it. Soon enough though, it turned out to be one of the darkest and best seinen manga I ever read.
The manga centers about Tobio Masubuchi and his three friends Isami, Maru, and Paisen. Most of their days are spent leading an average life. Things change when Maru’s beaten up by delinquents from a neighboring school. Together the friends hatch a plan to get revenge.
What was nothing but a little prank quickly turns into deadly reality and their normal lives end.
Bokutachi ga Yarimashita is a fantastic manga about psychological themes such as guilt and redemption. It’s also one of the darkest and most depressing manga I ever read.
Reading this manga was one of the most unique experiences I ever had. It’s a story ripe with tension, but more so one that makes you uncomfortable on a deep psychological level.
What this manga succeeds at the most is the storytelling and the plot. It keeps you engaged throughout the entire run and the pacing is fantastic.
The art is pretty good, but it truly shows in terms of facial expressions and the showcasing of the characters’ emotional state.
However, what truly makes this one of the best seinen manga of all time are, without a doubt, the characters. The story of this manga is entirely character-driven. But here’s the major difference with Bokutachi ga Yarimashita, the characters aren’t heroes; they are normal everyday people. Hell, they are weak and immature, the type who don’t think about the consequences of their actions.
It’s extremely interesting to see these people handle the situation they find themselves in and of course the psychological and emotional toll it takes on them.
Bokutachi ga Yamashita not only presents us with topics such as guilt and redemption but also friendship, love, and life itself. It’s a deep character study and there’s no magical ending here. Life goes on and at the end, our characters have to live with the consequences of their actions.
It’s a fantastically dark and suspenseful manga. Reading Bokutachi ga Yarimashita was an experience for sure. It presents its reader with a deep look at the human psyche.
It’s clearly amongst the best seinen manga and was probably the best manga I read last year.
Homunculus is another manga by the creator of Ichi the Killer, Hideo Yamamoto. While it’s not as brutal and disturbing as Ichi the Killer, it’s much, much stranger.
Homunculus tells the story of Susumu Nakoshi, a homeless man living in his car. One day he encounters Manabu Ito, a young medical student. Manabu is doing research about a process known as trepanation, the drilling of holes into the human skull, and asks Nakoshi to become his test subject.
Nakoshi eventually agrees to undergo the procedure. From then on, he’s able to see distorted versions of humans, the titular homunculi.
Homunculus is not only one of the most unique but also one of the best seinen manga of all time. Yet, it starts out interesting, but it soon becomes very strange.
The manga deals with various themes, such as vanity, trauma, identity disorder and materialism, to name a few.
Homunculus features its fair share of disturbing scenes, both violent and sexual, but also other scenes that are uncomfortable on a deeper, more psychological level.
The story of this manga can almost be described as a slow, but steady descent into madness.
It’s because of this that the manga often feels unpredictable. Right from the beginning we can tell that something’s off about Nakoshi and after the trepanation it becomes more a character study than a straight plot.
What I loved the most about Homunculus was the art and the strange story it told. For those two reasons alone, it’s a worthy addition to a list of the best seinen manga of all time.
The art is abstract disturbing at others, but it’s always detailed.
Our protagonists, Nakoshi and Manabu, are both interesting in their own way, and are both complex and flawed people. Over the course of the manga their interactions are masterfully done and slowly, but steadily reveal more. Neither of the two is a clichéd character, and the same can be said about the various side-characters featured in the story’s course.
It’s near the end, though, that Homunculus derails and turns from a deeper psychological story to one of surreal insanity.
To me, the biggest problem with the manga is the ending. It stayed on my mind for a long while, but I still can’t say what I truly think about it.
Homunculus is a psychological masterpiece and one of the most unique and surreal manga I’ve ever read. It’s a deep, psychological story that features some of the most complex characters I ever came upon.
For the sheer creativity alone, and for its psychological themes alone, this manga is well worth reading.
Freesia is a manga I go back to repeatedly. It’s a weird, surreal story and one of the best seinen manga I ever read.
The manga is created by Jiro Matsumoto, the creator of Keep on Vibrating.
Freesia is set in a dystopian Japan plagued by war. In this society, a new law has been passed, one that legalizes retaliatory killings. This means you’re legally allowed to kill someone who murdered a loved one or hire someone to do the job for you.
Kano, our protagonist, is a man who works for an organization that specializes in retaliatory killings.
This manga’s story isn’t pleasant, and it presents us with a set of horrible and insane people.
Freesia’s world is a dark and cruel one, a gloomy one, and there’s a dark, depressing feeling prevalent throughout the entire work.
The art in Freesia isn’t pretty to look at, but it doesn’t want to be. The style is unique. It’s raw, gritty and unpolished. Backgrounds are detailed while faces are often simplified. It’s an interesting contrast that feels oddly fitting for a story such as this.
The cast of this manga is full of broken and damaged people. One can almost tell that Jiro Matsumoto discarded the idea of presenting us well-adjusted, sane people.
Kano, our protagonist, suffers from schizophrenia, delusions and memory failure. Yet, Kano understands that it’s not the world, but he who’s crazy.
Other members of the cast suffer from similar problems, the most prevalent being delusions and hallucinations. This shows in the manga itself. Sometimes scenes don’t appear to make sense, or appear strange, until we learn the truth about what’s really happening.
Freesia might appear to be a story about retaliatory killings, but it focuses more on personal stories. It gives us insight into both our main characters and the people they are tasked to kill.
This helps especially in fleshing out the extras, the targets of the retaliator killings. It makes these characters sympathetic and turns many of the killings into tragedies of their own right. It also shows us that the world is not black and white, but nothing but morally gray. This is another reason I consider Freesia one of the best seinen manga.
The world of Freesia isn’t safe, and atrocities are committed daily. Our characters too, are far from normal. Most of them are mentally ill and some even snap over the course of the story.
And yet, we never learn much about this world. The war is nothing but a backdrop, a reason for all the misery that’s happening.
It’s similar for our main cast. We’re only shown glimpses of their past, but we never truly learn who they really are. This, however, isn’t too much of a problem, since Freesia is mostly concerned with Kano and his point of view of the world.
Freesia might be a tough read for some people because of the prevalent theme of mental illness. It can confuse and irritate and cause scenes that are downright surreal.
This manga is dark, gloomy and depressing and clearly not for everyone. However, Kano’s portrayal, his delusions and hallucinations make it a surreal and unique experience and one of the best seinen manga I ever read.
If you’re looking for a dark and surreal story, read Freesia.
Junji Ito’s my favorite horror mangaka of all time, and I regard his horror collection as one of the greatest works of Japanese horror.
Most of the collection comprises one-shots, but there are also longer works in here. One is Ito’s adaption of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the other one of his most popular works, Tomie.
Junji Ito’s Tomie tells the story of a high school girl who gets murdered and dismembered. This, however, only proves to be the beginning of the tale because Tomie shows up the next day as if nothing happened. Soon enough the true horror in this tale is revealed. Tomie is a special type of being, one able to regenerate any injury and replicate from the smallest part. To add to this, she’s of entrancing beauty and drives every man into a senseless obsession about her and ultimately mad.
The story of Tomie is told in episodic fashion, but she’s never the protagonist. Instead, she’s always an enigma, always an evil.
This collection contains some of Ito’s best work. My favorites amongst those many stories are The Long Dream, Hanging Balloons, Lingering Farewell, Lovesick Dead and My Dear Ancestors.
Ito’s work stands out because of his unique and beautiful style. He’s a master at what he does.
Body horror is a common theme and his characters are often distorted and twisted, presenting the reader with gruesome imagery, violence and gore. Yet, Ito’s work stands out the most for his character reactions, especially their faces. Wide eyes, terrified faces and distorted expressions are rendered in stunning detail
Another element that makes Ito’s work stand out is the page turn. Ito’s a master of it and often ends a page with a character’s shocked or terrified expression. It’s only on the next page, after the page is turned, that he reveals the reason.
Ito’s stories often feature characters going mad, toying with things they don’t understand or giving into their desires.
These character’s, however, they aren’t heroes. Instead, they are nobodies, mundane people like you and me, going about their normal life only to stumble into horrific situations. Yet, these situations are often caused by things as mundane as his characters. Instead of monsters or killers, Ito’s stories feature things such as dreams, love, hair or even musical records who turn into deadly enigmas.
Junji Ito is in my opinion Japan’s best horror mangaka. If you’re horror fan and you want to enjoy the horror genre at its best, I urge you to read the works of Junji Ito.
There are certain stories that contain glances of absolute brilliance. Kenji Tsuruta’s Omoide Emanon is such a story and one of the best seinen manga of all time. It’s a beautiful short little story based on the novel by Shinji Kajio.
The story features a young man who’s returning home after his travels. On a ferry he meets a beautiful young woman. She introduces herself as Emanon and the two of them get to know each other.
While they have dinner together, she tells him her story.
There’s something about this manga. It has this warm, solemn atmosphere about it. It might be the way our protagonists meet or why the young man returns home, but it’s all strangely fitting together.
Omoide Emanon’s art is beautiful, and it paints a beautiful picture of a beautiful story. The characters are rendered very realistic. Emanon stands out especially. She’s beautiful and charismatic, but also ominous.
While it’s a short manga, barely a volume long, I’m surprised how many emotions were packed into it. This short little tale had more of an emotional impact on me than many other, much longer series.
However, sometimes it’s the smaller things in life that stay on our mind the longest. If you read Omoide Emanon, it might very well become one of these things.
Onani Master Kurosawa or Masturbation Master Kurosawa is a manga created by Katsura Ise and Takuma Yokota. I honestly thought a manga with a title like that wouldn’t be any good. Yet, after reading, I consider it one of the best seinen manga I ever read.
I first found out about the manga on an image board. Finding out what the title meant, I thought I knew what I was in for. Nothing but a big perverted joke. Still, I was intrigued and before long I realized I was entirely wrong.
Our protagonist is Kakeru Kurosawa, a fourteen-year-old, anti-social loner with a very special habit. Once school is over, he heads to a seldom-used bathroom at school to masturbate.
Before long he notices how the timid Aya Kitahara is bullied by two of the popular girls in class. He takes retribution into his own hands by doing what he does best.
Kitahara eventually figures out he’s the culprit and not only confronts him, but blackmails him to do the same to other girls who’ve crossed her.
This is the start of a strange, but heartfelt coming-of-age story.
The manga starts out humorous, and its earlier parts are often seen as a parody of Death Note. Over time, though, it gradually changes and becomes a sweet, inspiring story that tackles various serious topics.
Onani Master Kurosawa’s art gives a lot of emphasis on characters, bringing their expressions to life with its careful shading and its sketchy style. Backgrounds, however, are often simple and uninspired. The art is good enough to get the job done, but it’s never outstanding.
The manga truly stands out because of its character. Kurosawa is a well-rounded, believable and likeable character. It was surprising to me how a character who’s called the Masturbation Master can be so well done. This, of course, is mostly because of his development over the course of the manga.
Kurosawa is relatable and we as the reader get to know him intimately, no pun intended. We not only see what’s going on, or how he feels, no we come to understand him. It’s this intimacy that elevates Onani Master Kurosawa to one of the best seinen manga out there.
Almost all the important side-characters are as complex and realistic as Kurosawa. They might not develop as much as him, but they too change and we get to understand them as well.
What might be off-putting to some readers is Kurosawa’s fantasies. They can be disturbing, but one has to remember that he’s a teenager. Apart from those parts though, there’s no cheap fan service throughout the rest of the manga.
Onani Master Kurosawa proved to be one of my biggest surprises in manga. I thought it was nothing but a perverted joke, but it turned out to be one of the best seinen manga I ever read. It’s a sweet, well-told coming of age story I urge anyone to check out.
Tsutomu Nihei’s Biomega is a mixture of science-fiction, cyberpunk and zombie apocalypse. This manga is as weird and crazy as it sounds. It’s for this reason and many others that I love it and regard it as one of the best seinen manga of all time.
It’s the story of the synthetic human Zouichi Kanoe and his AI companion Fuyu Kano. Biomega begins when they are sent to retrieve a human that’s immune from the N5S virus.
All who get infected by the virus are changed to drones, disfigured, zombie-like creatures.
The story soon takes up steam though, as more characters with different agencies are introduced. The most notable of those, Niardi, the leader of the DRF.
Biomega is a typical Nihei manga. It features a futuristic world, characters who aren’t fully human and lots of cyberpunk action.
As is always the case with the works of Tsutomu Nihei, the art in Biomega is gorgeous. It’s raw and gritty, featuring stunning and wide-reaching architecture and various cybernetic monstrosities. Nihei’s art is enough to make Biomega one of the best seinen manga.
Biomega’s creature design is also fantastic. There are the drones, who are reminiscent of lifeless robots, but are clearly biological. The many other creatures featured in Biomega are depicted in all their stunning detail and their transformations are delightfully horrible to witness.
The same, of course, is true for our protagonist Zouichi, and fellow synthetic human Nishu. Both are absolute over-the-top badasses. Their motorcycles, their outfits and their weapons are all incredibly well done.
What made Biomega stand out from other works by Nihei is the pacing. Many chapters of this manga comprise nothing but action, some of which are incredibly fast-paced. This action is almost always over-the top, but it’s well-done, fluid and you’ll always know what’s going on.
Similarly to Nihei’s other works, especially Blame!, Biomega scarcely uses dialogue, and the story is often told via stunning visuals. More so in Biomega, making it almost impossible to make a clear division between the art and the story.
What I love so much about Biomega is the scope, the craziness and the creativity of the work. I’ve seldom read a manga similar to it.
The fast-pacing of Biomega’s story is a double-edged sword though. At times things are moving forward too quickly, giving you almost no time to breathe or think about what’s going on. Biomega’s second part, however, is where things get completely out of hand. It could almost be a different manga.
While the first part is a fast-paced cyberpunk story set in an apocalyptic world, the second part is more reminiscent of a cyberpunk-fantasy story. It’s almost as if Nihei’s trying to fit way too much into a six volume long series.
And yet, it never deterred my enjoyment of the manga. The art, the action and the many twisted cyberpunk creatures we get to see easily make up for the above weaknesses.
While the story’s weird, sometimes lackluster, I was still stunned by Biomega as a whole and consider among the best seinen manga.
I recommend it to anyone who likes the other works of Tsutomu Nihei, science-fiction and cyberpunk.
Smuggler is another manga by Manabe Shohei, but it’s much shorter than his other work featured on this list.
Our protagonist Yosuke Kinuta, a failed actor with a massive debt, is forced to work as a smuggler and becomes part of a corpse disposal crew.
Trouble brews when the crew becomes involved in a mob war. Even worse, are the two Chinese assassins joining the fold.
I consider Smuggler, as short as it is, one of the best manga in the crime and thriller genre.
The action is fantastic and the characters are great throughout the board. Yosuke stands out amongst the rest of the cast by being relatable and the only member of the cast who seems to be normal and not entirely mad.
My favorites, however, were the leader of the corpse disposal crew and the assassins, who are all absolute badasses.
While there are occasional scenes of subtle humor, this is a dark and serious story.
I think Smuggler can be best described as a story similar to movies by Tarantino or Guy Richie. It’s a crime story featuring crazy events, over-the-top characters and scenes that pack a heavy punch.
Manabe Shohei’s personal style isn’t for everyone. It’s detailed and well done, but his characters are rendered strangely uniquely. Their distinct facial features make them look more realistic than the characters in other manga, but also somewhat ugly.
While it’s an interesting style, it’s not for everyone and I can see people disliking it.
Smuggler is a hidden gem that’s definitely not for everyone. It’s a disturbing and amazing thriller that’s fantastic throughout the board. It features memorable characters, stunning action and some absolutely amazing moments. At only five chapters, it might be one of the shorter manga on this list, but I still consider it one of the best seinen manga of all time.
The Climber by Shinichi Sakamoto is one of the most beautiful manga I ever read.
I’m not a fan of sports manga and so I was reluctant to read it. Once I did, however, I discovered one of the best seinen manga of all time.
Our protagonist, Buntarou Mori, is a lonesome and solitary teenager. He gets interested in climbing when a classmate challenges him to climb the school building. Mori accepts without hesitation and it’s in this moment that his passion is awoken.
When Mori’s introduced, you feel like he doesn’t care about anything. After climbing the school building, however, he changes completely and appears like a different person.
As the story of The Climber continues, Mori climbs more and more mountains and gets to know other characters. Yet, he’s always a loner.
The thing I loved most about the Climber was the showcasing of dedication and perseverance. It’s almost as if the manga says that if you push and work hard enough, you can do anything.
I also enjoyed the story of the manga immensely. At first glance, one might think it’s a manga solely about climbing, but it’s also one about character development. The story in the Climber is hugely character-driven and shows Mori’s development as a person. Mori’s got problems. He’s someone who can’t seem to relate to people, but as he overcomes more and more mountains, he also overcomes more and more problems. This dualism of the story is fantastically done.
Death is another theme prevalent in this manga. Mountain climbing is a dangerous sport, and The Climber makes it no secret. And yet, death is never dramatized, never show as an over-the-top struggle, no it’s haunting, depressing and natural.
The art in this manga is among the best in the medium. It’s breathtakingly beautiful, often presenting us with stunning double pages of mountain ranges. These are rendered in excruciating detail and a delight to look at.
One thing that makes the Climber stand out amongst other manga is the glimpses of poetic beauty. Throughout the manga, many panels are solely dedicated to Mori climbing. There’s no dialogue, instead the manga speaks through its visuals alone. It’s a thing of beauty, one that elevates The Climber to one of the best seinen manga of all time.
And yet, it goes even further. The Climber adds metaphors, allusions and even literary passages and quotes. It gives the entire work a feeling of joy and character, but never feels pretentious. The Climber is clearly a piece of art.
While it’s an outstanding work, it’s also not free of fault.
The very first problem is the change of tone. The manga was originally written by two people. When its writer left, Sakamoto Shinichi, the artist, continued it on its own. It’s at this point that the focus of the manga changes. It’s not so much about sports anymore, but becomes an atmospheric and visual character study.
This manga is for and foremost the story of Mori Buntarou. We might witness other characters coming into his life, some of which are well-developed, but the focus is clearly on Mori. This focus on a single character might daunt some readers.
Another problem is the frequent time skips. Some are only a few days long, others will span weeks or even years. This can make the manga somewhat confusing. It didn’t deter my enjoyment too much and was well handled, but you might wonder what happened.
The Climber is a work of beauty. It’s not solely a manga about climbing. It’s rather a character-driven coming-of-age story. While this might make for some heavy reading at times, it’s never an unpleasant experience.
The Climber is without a doubt one of the best seinen manga of all time, one I’d recommend to anyone.
Me and the Devil Blues by Akira Hiramoto is a manga that retells the life of Robert Johnson and set in the American South.
You might wonder how a manga such as that might work, but I can tell you it’s an absolutely fantastic manga.
Robert Johnson, our protagonist, is a dabbling musician. He wants to learn how to play the blues, but he’s no good at it. One day, he hears of an urban legend: if you play alone at a crossroads at night, the devil will visit you. He will take your soul, but for it, he will make you a genius blues player.
One night he tries exactly that and from then on his life changes forever.
Me and the Devil Blues is fantastic. The art in this manga is outstanding. It’s gritty, but very detailed, creating a very personal style that’s nothing short of beautiful.
Another is the setting. The South in the 1930s is well depicted. We can see the deep-seated division between white and black and also the many blues clubs so popular during the time. This gives the entire manga a very realistic and western feel.
The characters in this manga are all well done. RJ is an interesting protagonist, one who’s more thrown into the events taking place than choosing them himself. Clyde Barrow is, in my opinion, the best character in the manga and serves as a great companion to RJ.
There are also many side-characters in this manga, the best amongst them is the enigmatic Stanley McDonald.
What I came to enjoy the most about Me and the Devil Blues was the atmosphere. This makes it one of the best seinen of all time. I’ve seldom read a work that’s so heavy with suspense. The entire manga and its story are loaded with tension. There are certain parts, or even entire chapters, that don’t let you catch your breath. It’s outstandingly well done.
The one thing I have to criticize is the beginning. Even after multiple re-reads, I’m still confused about what’s actually going on.
Me and the Devil Blues is a hidden gem I think few people know about. Its western feel, its heavy suspense and outstanding art make it one of the best seinen manga of all time.
I’ll urge anyone who likes manga to give this one a try. It’s well worth it.
Makoto Yukimura’s Vinland Saga is one of the best seinen manga of all time. Art, story, characters, this manga is fantastic in all departments.
Our protagonist Thorfinn Karlsefni, son of Thors, is part of a mercenary group led by a man named Askeladd. We soon learn that Askeladd is responsible for Thor’s death. It’s getting revenge that makes a young Thorfinn join Askeladd’s group.
After this brief introduction, the manga takes up steam when the Danish prince Canute is taken hostage. Askeladd quickly puts together a plan that should change their lives forever.
Vinland Saga is manga focusing on Vikings and Viking culture set in the 11th century in Europe. It’s a brutal time and we witness rape, plunder and murder.
The manga takes, of course, liberties, but it feels very realistic.
Makoto Yukimura’s art is stunning and it can rival the best seinen manga of all time. The first volume is already fantastic to look at, but the art serves to only get better. Vineland Saga is without a doubt one of the most beautiful manga of all time and brings to work 11th century Europe in stunning detail. What I loved the most are the many shots of towns, cities and farmsteads. It really helps to bring the story to life.
Being a manga about Vikings, there are, of course, a lot of battles. These are all around brutal. The violence is blunt, gross and gratuitous, but it never feels over the top or unrealistic.
And yet, Vinland Saga isn’t a story about brutal wars and battle, it’s the story or Thorfinn. There are long parts that tell a clam, gloomy and quiet story. While I enjoyed the battles immensely, it’s those quieter parts I came to love the most. It’s here that the story and the characters truly shine.
The characters in Vinland Saga are among the best in the entirety of manga.
Thorfinn starts out as a quiet and efficient killer and we can feel the rage burning inside of him. He lives for nothing but his revenge.
As the story progresses though, Thorfinn grows tremendously and serves to become one of manga’s most complex protagonists.
My favorite character in Vinland Saga, however, is Askeladd. He might be my favorite manga character of all time and if you read Vinland Saga, you’ll find out why.
Many other side-characters are well-developed in their own right. Einar comes to mind, and so does Hild, or even Sigurd.
Thorkell is another fan favorite, but I never truly warmed up to him. He’s fun and his over-the-top character is based on an actual legend. Still, the way he acts most of the time makes him feel like more of a comic-relief character than one to be taken serious.
There isn’t much more that needs to be said about Vinland Saga. It’s an outstanding manga, both when it’s brutally violent, but also when it’s quieter and calmer. It’s a fantastic read and truly deserves to be called one of the best seinen manga of all time. I can’t recommend it highly enough.
Vagabond by Takehiko Inoue is based on the novel Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa and tells a romanticized version of the life of Musashi Miyamoto. It’s a fantastic samurai manga and one of the best seinen manga of all time.
At the beginning of the story we get to know a young man, Shinmen Takezou, who wants to become a great swordsman. He and his best friend Matahachi Honiden enlist as part of the Toyotomi army.
They barely make it out alive and after returning home, Takezo is declared a wanted criminal. After he’s caught, he’s strung up at a tree and left to die. He’s freed by a monk named Takuan Soho and given a new name, Musashi Miyamoto.
From here on, the manga details his life as he travels the land in pursuit of the sword to become ‘Invincible under the Heavens.’
The most prevalent is the art which is absolutely gorgeous and even among the best manga in terms of art, few can compare to Vagabond.
Vagabond is a samurai manga, so there are a lot of battles. All of them are stunning. They are brutal, gory and disturbing. Limbs and heads are cut off, guts are sent flying, and it’s all presented to us in gorgeous detail. This explicit content, however, is never glamorized and instead shown in an almost matter-of-factly fashion.
And yet, Vagabond isn’t solely about action. Many of the battles are more reliant of suspense and tension, about making the right move at the right time.
Vagabond’s art truly comes to shine in the design of its many characters. Each character in the manga is depicted in realistic detail and they are all unique to one another.
What makes Vagabond so enjoyable are its characters. Watching Musashi’s travels and seeing him battle various opponents is an absolute joy. Musashi is not the only character featured in this manga, though. There’s also Sasaki Koichiro, another great swordsman of the same era, and this manga is as much his story as that of Musashi.
As we follow Musashi’s and Koichiro’s story we also get to know a plethora of other character and almost all of them are similarly complex and interesting.
The most enjoyable part of Vagabond was the introspection we get about each of those characters. The manga gives us glimpses into all of them, their emotions, desires and fears, without ever painting them as good or evil. No, they are all just people living by the sword.
The storytelling in Vagabond is another thing I enjoyed immensely. While it’s the story of Musashi Miyamoto, long parts are dedicated to Koichiro and Matahachi. It makes the manga more refreshing and lets us get to know every character’s unique path.
One of the best things about Vagabond is Musashi’s development. While he starts out as a demon child who only wants to fight, he matures into a calm man, one questioning what it means to be invincible.
This also showcases in his battles. At first he’s nothing but a reckless use throwing himself into battles, but slowly turns into someone who picks his battles and uses finesse rather than raw strength to win. It’s fascinating to see him turn from a bloodthirsty and amoral warrior to one that’s philosophical. It’s one of the many reasons I consider Vagabond one of the best seinen manga out there.
Vagabond is great throughout the board, but the story can drag on a little. This is especially noticeable in one of its later arcs.
The spiritual and philosophical moments in the series are another problem. I usually enjoy the inclusion of these themes and many times it’s insightful and beautiful, but at others it can come up as pretentious.
Still, Vagabond is definitely one of the greatest accomplishments in manga history. It combines fascinating characters and character development with some of the best art I’ve ever seen.
I recommend Vagabond to anyone who’s interested in manga, even those who might not be fond of samurai culture or samurai manga. Vagabond is at the top of the entire medium and it’s clearly one of the best seinen manga of all time.
Keiichi Koike’s Ultra Heaven is a stunning piece of art and the most psychedelic manga I’ve ever read. It’s a manga unlike any I’ve read before and was an entirely unique experience.
Set in a dystopian future, it describes a world in which all feelings can be artificially created by the right type of drug.
Our protagonist Kabu is addicted to those drugs. Eventually, he stumbles upon a man who tells him of a new, illegal substance, one called Ultra Heaven.
From here on out, Kabu and the reader are in for the craziest, most creative trips I’ve ever read.
Dystopian societies are nothing new. Even the idea of artificially creating feelings via drugs is a concept seen before in the novel Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.
The reason I consider Ultra Heaven one of the best seinen manga is not the setting or the story, but the art. The setting is gritty and detailed, characters look realistic and locations are detailed. Yet, where the art truly stands out is during trips, hallucination and mediation.
While manga panels are usually rectangular and organized, Ultra Heaven breaks those conventions. While Kabu’s having a trip or suffers from an altered mind, the shapes and panels are distorted and twisted to show the character’s mental state. Panels become twisting spirals and start running into one another, showcasing absolute chaos. It’s a surreal, almost disorienting feeling that shows perfectly what’s happening in the manga.
I’ve seen nothing similar and I don’t think there’s another manga out there that’s deconstructing the medium’s visual rules in a way similar to Ultra Heaven.
Ultra Heaven features a variety of themes, the most prevalent being consciousness and the transcendent to different states of mind or being.
At first, this is showcased by drugs, but later meditation is used similarly.
Ultra Heaven’s cast of characters, however, is limited. There’s our protagonist Kabu, who’s an addict and a small-time dealer trapped in his own world. The second main character is his female friend, a neo-hippie who uses technology to reach a higher state of consciousness.
Yet, Ultra Heaven has problems. Ultra Heaven doesn’t so much have a plot as it is a slice-of-life story about an addict.
The biggest problem, however, is that the manga seems to never have been finished. It comprises only three chapters, but those are longer than what one’s used to. A lot is condensed in those chapters, making following the plot confusing and overwhelming. It’s not that you don’t understand what’s happening, it’s that nothing is ever explained. This becomes even more prevalent in the last chapter that focuses on meditation. It’s almost as if we get a mere glimpse in this chaotic, strange world and are left with just that.
Yet, those things don’t make Ultra Heaven bad. I think this sort of presentation is exactly what Keiichi Koike wanted the manga to be. A wild, unrestrained ride down into one’s consciousness.
Ultra Heaven is without a doubt a visual and creative masterpiece and one of the greatest seinen manga ever made. It’s unfortunate that so few people know about it.
I’d recommend Ultra Heaven to anyone who’s interested in drug culture, strange visuals and manga who are weird and surreal.
Uzumaki by Junji Ito is one of the most famous horror manga of all time, a horror masterpiece and without a doubt one of the best seinen manga of all time.
Manga can be a strange medium and there are many disturbing and bizarre tales out there. Few, however, are as unique and weird as Uzumaki.
Uzumaki is a three volume epic and tells what happens in the small coastal town of Kurouzu-cho that’s infested by spirals.
Over the course of the story, our protagonists Shuuichi Saitou and Kirie Goshima stumble upon one freakishly scary incident after another, all involving spirals.
The very first chapter details how Shuuichi’s father’s obsession with spirals turns to madness. It ultimately comes to a terrifying conclusion which is presented to us in one of Uzumaki’s most popular pages.
What elevates Uzumaki above many other horror manga is not the story, but the art and creativity behind it.
Ito’s imagination is incredible and disturbing as he shows chapter after chapter. The inhabitants of Kurouzu-cho are warped and twisted into various spiral shapes, always with dire results.
While Ito’s art is always fantastic, he’s at his best in Uzumaki. His unique style helps to bring forth his dark imagination and presents the horror in ghastly detail.
The curse of the spiral is dire, and Ito is sure to present us with blood, gore and twisted bodies.
As always, Ito’s characters are presented as gloomy with over-exaggerated facial expressions when they experience true terror. This strange style of character presentation really helps to set the mood for the entire manga.
What makes Uzumaki one of the best seinen manga and helps it stand out so much, is the unique premise. Uzumaki isn’t a story about monsters, killers or even a feasible antagonist. There’s only a concept, the spiral that lingers over Kurouzu-cho and our protagonists as an omnipresent curse.
While Uzumaki has an overarching storyline, most of it is told in episodic fashion. The first volumes are an anthology of spiral-related incidents all witnessed by the same protagonists and happening in the same town.
In these chapters we encounter hair, snails, doomed lovers and even pregnancies all tainted by the curse of the spiral. Every single one of these incidents is unique and terrifying.
It’s only in the third volume that Ito brings the story together and drives the narrative to a conclusion as he reveals the true Lovecraftian nature of the curse.
Kirie is more a vessel to give us insight into the surreal hell of Kurouzu-cho than an actual character and thus her actions and her continued presence in town can appear strange and illogical.
The episodic nature of storytelling is another problem. In each chapter we get to know new characters and often they will be gone by the end. This makes it hard to get emotionally invested in them and ultimately makes their fate less impactful to the reader.
The third volume is weaker than the rest. Ito’s blend of horror works best when it’s left unexplained. It should be witnessed, but not necessarily understood. Uzumaki’s ending, while satisfying in its own right, ultimately weakens the manga a bit.
Uzumaki is a must for any horror fan out there. It’s one of the greatest accomplishments of the horror genre and one of the best seinen manga of all time. Ito’s type of storytelling and his characters might not be for everyone, but his art and creativity are outstanding. Uzumaki is definitely a must-read for any horror and seinen fan.
Tsutomu Nihei’s Blame! is one of the best seinen manga of all time and also one of my all-time favorites.
Blame! is a science-fiction, cyberpunk epic that follows Killy as he travels the City. He’s on a mission to find a human with net Terminal Genes. A person like this could gain access to the so-called Netsphere, a computerized control network. It would allow them to stop both the chaotic growth of the city and Safeguard who’s exterminating the remains of humanity.
Blame!’s most amazing aspects are the art and the world building.
The city is a technological and architectural wasteland, made up of mega-structures of mind-boggling proportions. The world showcased in Blame!’s many distant shots of Killy, barely visible amongst the backdrop, are epic in proportion. Tsutomu Nihei presents those to us in many huge panels and panel spreads. It gives off both a feeling of awe and one of disorientation.
Not only Blame!’s world stands out but also the various creatures populating it. There are cyborgs, the Safeguard, the Builders and various other technological and cybernetic horrors. All of them are unique and terrifying in their own right. The detail in which they are rendered is absolutely outstanding. I often caught myself being impressed by and staring at Nihei’s creations before I could read on.
In terms of art Blame! is one of the best, if not the best seinen manga I’ve read.
Blame! is full of action and it’s showcased in stunning detail. The action often features enormous explosions, but also intimate battles.
Yet, Blame! contrasts this action with the aforementioned calmer, somber shots of Killy traveling against the backdrop of the city.
The storytelling in Blame! differs from other manga. Dialogues are sparsely used and there’s rarely a semblance of a typical plot. Blame! much like other works by Nihei, uses visuals to convey a story.
Blame! comprises multiple acts, all connected by Killy’s overarching quest for a human with Net Terminal Genes. Each of these arcs is fantastic in their own right and features interesting characters and antagonists.
Because of this visual style of storytelling, Killy’s character can seem to lack compared to other protagonists. He’s a somber character who travels the city quietly until he meets Cibo, our second protagonist.
As we learn in the story’s course, we learn more about both of them, but this is less in terms of character development. Instead we get more details about who they are.
Blame! also has some problems. The action can often overwhelm, especially because of Killy’s Gravitational Beam Emitter. It’s a weapon that causes mass destruction, giant explosions and battles often descend into chaos.
The biggest problem with Blame! is the story. As I mentioned before, the story is more episodic, with each arc focusing on different pockets of humanity. It’s only the last arc that focuses fully on Killy’s quest and it’s here where things get confusing. Instead of a clear ending, we’re presented with yet another mystery to add to an already huge list.
While Blame! might lack in the story department, it’s worth reading for the art and world alone. It’s an outstanding, visual masterpiece and for that alone deserves to be called one of the greatest seinen manga of all time.
In terms of art and world building, there are very few manga that can compare to Blame! I highly recommend this manga to anyone, but especially to fans of science-fiction, technological horror and cyberpunk.
Kentaro Miura’s Berserk is probably the single best seinen manga of all time. It’s not just the art, the story, but the themes and narrative that make it stand out. Berserk is a dark fantasy manga featuring lots of action, gore, incredible manga design and two of the most complex characters in all of manga.
Berserk tells the story of Guts, the ‘Black Swordsman,’ on his quest for revenge against monsters known as apostles and the ominous man known as Griffith.
The manga might appear simple at first glance. Our protagonist Guts wields a giant sword and fights monsters and humans alike who get in his way.
That’s true for the first arc of the manga, the Black Swordsman arc. Before long, we learn more about Guts and we catch glimpses at what a complex and nuanced character he really is.
The Golden Age arc gives us more information about Guts and about his connection to Griffith. Both of them are incredibly complex and unique characters. While they differ from one another, they are both drawn to each other. Berserk does an amazing job showcasing, exploring, testing and ultimately severing their relationship.
Another thing I love is the dualism of these characters, their symbolism and how they appear to the people around them. Guts, our protagonist, is wearing mostly black and known as the Black Swordsman, while Griffith, the antagonist is shown in all white and appears almost angelic.
It’s these two characters and their relationship alone that puts Berserk above most other manga and already makes it one of the best seinen manga.
While Berserk starts off as a simple revenge story it becomes a much more personal narrative during the Golden Age arc. Yet, the longer Berserk continues, the grander it becomes. The story includes foreign invasions, Christian fanaticism and even magical creatures and powers.
Berserk’s world is cruel and dark place, one much darker than one would expect. War and atrocities are the norm and Miura isn’t shy to showcase them. We not only witness battles and war but also murder, rape, torture and senseless slaughter.
This violence and gore is always greatest when Guts is involved. We see him cut down anything in his path, be it humans, knights in full armor or monsters. Guts are flying, people are dismembered, decapitated or torn to pieces.
While Berserk is already outstanding in terms of characters and story, the main reason for its popularity is its art. Berserk almost transcends the medium, becoming less manga and more a piece of art. Few manga out there can compare to Berserk and you can often find more details in a single page of Berserk than entire chapters of other manga. For its detailed and outstanding art alone, Berserk deserves to be on this list of the best seinen manga of all time.
What I love the most is the monster design. Berserk’s apostles are absolutely gorgeous to look at in all their unique horror. They are beautiful, grotesque and disturbing.
The single biggest problem with Berserk is the release time. While the art of Berserk has improved throughout the years, the manga’s release has slowed down massively. Berserk was originally released at a pace of two volumes per year. In the last years though, there’s barely a handful of chapters a year. It’s a shame, especially considering that the story of Berserk isn’t nearly done.
Another problem is the quality of the first arc, especially during the first chapters. They simply don’t hold up to later parts of Berserk. Our anti-hero protagonist Guts is almost a villain himself and takes out apostles who are comically evil.
This, however, only serves to elevate the Golden Age arc even higher. Many fans consider it the high point of Berserk and one of the greatest arcs in manga history.
Berserk is nothing short of art. The manga gets dark, very dark, but it’s a masterfully told story. When Berserk is at its best, almost no other manga can compare.
During its first arc Berserk might not appear the masterpiece it is, but if you read on, you will be surprised by how good it is.
I can’t recommend Berserk enough and it truly is one of the greatest seinen manga of all time. Anyone who’s interested in dark fantasy, horror or manga should read Berserk. It’s at the peak of the medium and as good as it gets.
Blade of the Immortal by Hiroaki Samura is my favorite manga and, in my opinion, the best seinen manga of all time.
It’s an action-packed story in the guise of a samurai manga, but rarely explores themes of honor or samurai code.
It tells the story of Manji, the infamous ‘Hundred Men Killer.’ To punish him for his deeds, an eight-hundred-year-old nun, Yaobikuni, placed bloodworms in his body. This renders him immortal and able to heal almost any wound.
To atone for his crime and free himself from the curse of immortality, Manji resolves to kill one thousand evil men.
The story takes up steam when Manji meets Rin Asano, a sixteen-year-old girl, who asks him for help against the man who killed her parents.
This man’s name is Kagehisa Anotsu, and he’s the leader of the Itto-Ryu sword school.
Manji decides to travel with Rin in search of the members of the Itto-Ryu and Anotsu.
While Blade of the Immortal’s premise is simple, the plot gets more complex over time as new faction are introduced, but never strays far from a revenge story.
What truly solidified Blade of the Immortal as one of the best seinen manga of all time are its characters. Our protagonists Rin and Manji go through significant amounts of character development. Yet, they aren’t the only excellent characters in this manga. Blade of the Immortal features a wide cast of fantastic characters. Anotsu Kagehisa is without a doubt the most interesting character in the entire manga, but there are also Taito Magatsu, Makie Otono-Tachibana and of course, Shira.
We get to know these side-characters, learn more about their motifs and backgrounds and all of them receive the same amount of character development. Sometimes I even caught myself being more interested in certain side-characters than our protagonists.
The biggest testament to the manga’s greatness is the nonexistent distinction between good and evil. Everyone has their own circumstances, ideals and reasons to fight. Manji and Rin are our protagonists and this alone makes Kagehisa Anotsu the story’s antagonist.
However, there’s one exception. Blade of the Immortal features one of the craziest antagonists in seinen manga history.
What I also came to like about Blade of the Immortal are the depiction of female characters. Female characters are often relegated to the role of love interests and damsels in distress, not so in Blade of the Immortal. The manga features quite a few female warriors, especially Makie Otono-Tachibana and Hyakurin.
One can say that all characters are badass and look damn cool. There are minor side-characters in Blade of the Immortal whose backstory is more intense and interesting than other manga’s protagonists.
While the setting in Blade of Immortal is populated by samurai and ronin, it’s not your typical samurai manga. While other samurai manga focuses on such topics as samurai code, honor, or ponder philosophical questions, Blade of the Immortal is a raw, gritty and brutal revenge story.
Even more interesting is that characters seldom speak in samurai lingo. This is especially true for Manji and many of the Itto-Ruy members, who act and curse like contemporary street punks or gangsters.
Another point that makes this such an outstanding manga is the art. Blade of the Immortal is one of the absolute best manga in the arts department. While Hiroaki Samura’s style is gritty and sketchy, it’s also very detailed. Every character in this manga looks great and unique.
The world of Blade of the Immortal is beautiful and gives us a detailed view of traditional Japan.
The high point of the manga is, of course, the fights. Blade of the Immortal features some of the best fights I’ve ever seen. They are brutal. People are torn apart, massive amounts of blood are shed and limbs and guts are flying. Yet, the violence, with one exception, is never over the top, instead it serves to showcase the brutal nature of sword fights.
The action in Blade of the Immortal is easy to follow and never confusing. This, however, doesn’t mean that fights are simple or boring. They are some of the best and most intense I’ve ever seen.
Perhaps it might seem that Manji’s immortality might lower the stakes, but that’s not the case. It gives him an advantage, but it’s often one he needs to even have a chance of making it out alive.
The only flaw some people might have with Blade of the Immortal might be the place. The early chapters and volumes are arguably the manga’s weakest. Once Manji and Rin set out to take revenge, however, it’s almost flawless to ride until the end.
Nothing more needs to be said about this manga. Blade of the Immortal is one of the best seinen manga out there and one that will keep you engaged until the end. It stands out in terms of characters, character development and, of course, fights.
Blade of the Immortal is absolutely amazing and anyone interested in manga should check this masterpiece out.
