Top Mystery Manga Recommendations

Shingeki no Kyojin

Also known as Attack on Titan.

Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Fantasy , Mystery

In this post-apocalyptic sci-fi story, humanity has been devastated by the bizarre, giant humanoids known as the Titans. Little is known about where they came from or why they are bent on consuming mankind. Seemingly unintelligent, they have roamed the world for years, killing everyone they see. For the past century, what's left of man has hidden in a giant, three-walled city. People believe their 50-meter-high walls will protect them from the Titans, but the sudden appearance of an immense Titan is about to change everything.



Note: Includes 2 extra chapters.

Tags: Dystopian , Anti-Hero , War , Tragedy , Military , Conspiracy , Survival , Philosophy , Kaiju , Shapeshifting , Memory Manipulation , Politics , Revenge , Henshin , Male Protagonist , Monster Boy , Terrorism , Post-Apocalyptic , Super Power , Gore , Time Manipulation , Body Horror , Ensemble Cast , Cosmic Horror , Time Skip , Cannibalism , Coming of Age , Slavery , Swordplay , Torture , Alternate Universe , Shounen , Espionage , Mythology , Tsundere , Amnesia , Kuudere , Class Struggle , Disability , Historical , Baseball , Dissociative Identities , Drugs , Achronological Order , Heterosexual , Reincarnation , LGBTQ+ Themes , Suicide , Primarily Adult Cast , Religion , Acrobatics , Cult , Transgender

Tokyo Ghoul

Also known as Tokyo Ghoul.

Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Horror , Mystery , Psychological , Supernatural

Shy Ken Kaneki is thrilled to go on a date with the beautiful Rize. But it turns out that she’s only interested in his body—eating it, that is. When a morally questionable rescue transforms him into the first half-human half-Ghoul hybrid, Ken is drawn into the dark and violent world of Ghouls, which exists alongside our own.



Note: Includes 1 extra chapter.

Tags: Tragedy , Cannibalism , Dystopian , Urban Fantasy , Male Protagonist , Gore , Seinen , Survival , Shapeshifting , Philosophy , Coming of Age , Body Horror , Torture , Police , Cosmic Horror , Kuudere , Primarily Adult Cast , Heterosexual , Chimera , Twins , Mythology , Demons

Yakusoku no Neverland

Also known as The Promised Neverland.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Fantasy , Horror , Mystery , Psychological , Thriller

Emma, Norman and Ray are the brightest kids at the Grace Field House orphanage. And under the care of the woman they refer to as “Mom,” all the kids have enjoyed a comfortable life. Good food, clean clothes and the perfect environment to learn—what more could an orphan ask for? One day, though, Emma and Norman uncover the dark truth of the outside world they are forbidden from seeing.



Note: Nominated to the 22nd, 23rd, and 25th Annual Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize.

Tags: Survival , Primarily Child Cast , Body Horror , Demons , Dystopian , War , Found Family , Guns , Female Protagonist , Shounen , Politics , Coming of Age , Alternate Universe , Travel , Ensemble Cast , Conspiracy , Anti-Hero , Time Skip , Gore , Philosophy , Male Protagonist , Amnesia , Rural , Heterosexual , Suicide , Augmented Reality

[Oshi no Ko]

Also known as [Oshi no Ko].

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Mystery , Psychological , Supernatural

Gorou is a gynecologist and idol fan who’s in shock after his favorite star, Ai, announces an impromptu hiatus. Little does Gorou realize that he’s about to forge a bond with her that defies all common sense! Lies are an idol’s weapon!

Awards: - Nominated for the 14th and 15th Manga Taisho. - Winner of the 7th Next Manga Award in the print category. - Nominated for the 26th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize. - Nominated for the 67th Shogakukan Manga Award in general category. - Nominated for the 46th Kodansha Manga Award.

Tags: Revenge , Idol , Acting , Reincarnation , Tragedy , Female Protagonist , Male Protagonist , Seinen , Twins , Detective , Time Skip , Work , Age Gap , Otaku Culture , Love Triangle , Female Harem , Heterosexual , Anti-Hero , Suicide , Bullying , Educational , Urban Fantasy , Tsundere , Primarily Female Cast , Primarily Teen Cast , Urban , Pregnant , Filmmaking , VTuber , Cosplay , Denpa

MONSTER

Also known as Monster.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Mystery , Psychological , Thriller

Everyone faces uncertainty at some point in their lives. Even a brilliant surgeon like Kenzo Tenma is no exception. But there’s no way he could have known that his decision to stop chasing professional success and instead concentrate on his oath to save peoples’ lives would result in the birth of an abomination. The questions of good and evil now take on a terrifyingly real dimension.

Years later, in Germany during the tumultuous post-reunification period, middle-aged childless couples are being killed one after another. The serial killer’s identity is known. The reasons why he kills are not. Dr. Tenma sets out on a journey to find the killer’s twin sister, who may hold some clues to solving the enigma of the “Monster.”



Tags: Seinen , Conspiracy , Tragedy , Philosophy , Twins , Amnesia , Fugitive , Noir , Foreign , Male Protagonist , Memory Manipulation , Primarily Adult Cast , Historical , Detective , Ensemble Cast , Police , Medicine , Time Skip , Crossdressing , Suicide , Achronological Order , Adoption , Assassins , Torture , Gore

Sinui Tap

Also known as Tower of God.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Action , Adventure , Drama , Fantasy , Mystery

Bam, who was alone all his life has entered the tower to chase after his only friend, Rachel, but how will he survive without having any special strength or power?
"What do you desire? Money and wealth? Honor and pride? Authority and power? Revenge? Or something that transcends them all? Whatever you desire—it's here."



Chapter Notes:
Season 1 contains a prologue and 78 chapters.
Season 2 contains a prologue and 337 chapters.


Tags: Super Power , Ensemble Cast , Full Color , War , Conspiracy , Male Protagonist , Magic , Tragedy , Travel , Cultivation , Time Skip , Space Opera , Politics , Memory Manipulation , Anti-Hero , Martial Arts , Battle Royale , Kemonomimi , Philosophy , Artificial Intelligence , Gore , Trains , Afterlife , Terrorism , Primarily Adult Cast , Meta , Slavery , Mafia , Found Family , Female Harem , Dinosaurs , Goblin , Time Manipulation

20 Seiki Shounen

Also known as 20th Century Boys.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Mystery , Psychological , Sci-Fi , Thriller

Humanity, having faced extinction at the end of the 20th century, would not have entered the new millennium if it weren't for them. In 1969, during their youth, they created a symbol. In 1997, as the coming disaster slowly starts to unfold, that symbol returns. This is the story of a group of boys who try to save the world.

For Kenji, a simple convenience store manager who once dreamed of becoming a rock 'n' roll musician, a host of memories from his past come rushing back when one of his childhood friends mysteriously commits suicide. Could this new death be related to the rise of a bizarre new cult that's been implicated in several other murders and disappearances? Determined to dig deeper, Kenji reunites with some of his old buddies in the hope of learning the truth behind it all.



Tags: Politics , Coming of Age , Ensemble Cast , Seinen , Fugitive , Dystopian , Achronological Order , Conspiracy , Cult , Time Skip , Post-Apocalyptic , Pandemic , Terrorism , Found Family , Male Protagonist , Detective , Musical Theater , Philosophy , Cosmic Horror , Female Protagonist , Historical , Tragedy , Augmented Reality , Police , Robots , Cute Boys Doing Cute Things , Transgender , Nudity , Foreign , Time Manipulation , Homeless , Twins , Dissociative Identities , Crossdressing

Tokyo Ghoul:re

Also known as Tokyo Ghoul:re.

Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Horror , Mystery , Psychological , Supernatural

In Tokyo, an unchanging despair is lurking. Mysterious man-eating beings, ghouls, run rampant in Tokyo. Living hidden during everyday life, the existence of ghouls, whose true identities are shrouded in mystery, permanently terrorizes Tokyo's residents.

At CCG, the sole institution that investigates and resolves cases related to ghouls, Haise Sasaki has been assigned a certain mission. While dealing with the unruly four problem children known as "Quinx", Haise's days of suffering begin...?!

Note: Includes 1 extra chapter and the one-shot "Tokyo Ghoul: Joker".

Tags: Dissociative Identities , Tragedy , Body Horror , Dystopian , Amnesia , Shapeshifting , Seinen , Philosophy , Gore , Urban Fantasy , Conspiracy , Police , Primarily Adult Cast , Rehabilitation , Ensemble Cast , Heterosexual , Yandere , Suicide , Male Protagonist , Kuudere , Cosmic Horror , Transgender , Crossdressing , Meta , Nudity , Mythology

JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken: Steel Ball Run

Also known as JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Part 7–Steel Ball Run.

Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Drama , Mystery , Supernatural

Originally presented as an unrelated story, this series was later officially declared a part of the JoJo storyline. The series stars Gyro Zeppeli, who uses a set of steel balls that spin incredibly fast, and Johnny Joestar (Jonathan Joestar), a former hot-shot jockey who was crippled by an ambusher and lost his fame and fortune. They race, along with others, in a mad-dash across America for 50 million dollars, reminiscent of The Cannonball Run.



Tags: Travel , Cowboys , Male Protagonist , Super Power , Seinen , Conspiracy , Primarily Adult Cast , Disability , Foreign , Tragedy , Alternate Universe , Environmental , Philosophy , Ensemble Cast , Historical , Terrorism , Nun , Primarily Male Cast , Gore , Outdoor , Crossdressing , Guns , Coming of Age , Desert , Body Horror , Espionage , Trains , Acting , Dinosaurs , Time Manipulation , Delinquents , Gambling , Nudity

DEATH NOTE

Also known as Death Note.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Mystery , Psychological , Supernatural , Thriller

When Light Yagami finds a notebook giving him power over death, will he use it for good—or evil?

Light Yagami is an ace student with great prospects—and he’s bored out of his mind. But all that changes when he finds the Death Note, a notebook dropped by a rogue Shinigami death god. Any human whose name is written in the notebook dies, and Light has vowed to use the power of the Death Note to rid the world of evil. But will Light succeed in his noble goal, or will the Death Note turn him into the very thing he fights against?



Tags: Detective , Tragedy , Anti-Hero , Police , Urban Fantasy , Crime , Male Protagonist , Philosophy , Gods , Espionage , Primarily Male Cast , Time Skip , Shounen , Demons , Memory Manipulation , Amnesia , Politics

Jigokuraku

Also known as Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku.

Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Mystery , Supernatural

Gabimaru the Hollow is one of the most vicious assassins ever to come out of the ninja village of Iwagakure. He’s ruthlessly efficient, but a betrayal results in him being handed a death sentence. He has only one hope—in order to earn his freedom, he must travel to a long-hidden island and recover an elixir that will make the shogun immortal. Failure is not an option. On this island, heaven and hell are just a hair’s breadth away.



Tags: Survival , Samurai , Philosophy , Ninja , Ensemble Cast , Anti-Hero , Mythology , Gore , Tragedy , Historical , Gods , Primarily Adult Cast , Male Protagonist , Eco-Horror , Swordplay , Battle Royale , Body Horror , Gender Bending , Shounen , Nudity , Heterosexual , Super Power , Travel , Amnesia , LGBTQ+ Themes , Crime , Yandere , Arranged Marriage

Fire Punch

Also known as Fire Punch.

Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Mystery , Psychological , Supernatural , Thriller

Orphaned siblings Agni and Luna, like the Ice Witch who cursed their world, are two of the “blessed,” humans who hold special abilities. However, not all who are blessed are friendly, and after another of their kind attacks Agni and decimates the orphans' village, Agni fights to survive, vowing revenge.



Tags: Post-Apocalyptic , Suicide , Tragedy , Dystopian , Revenge , Philosophy , Cult , Anti-Hero , Super Power , Survival , Religion , Body Horror , Meta , Cosmic Horror , Gore , Male Protagonist , Coming of Age , Torture , Acting , Snowscape , Time Skip , Cannibalism , Incest , Urban Fantasy , Filmmaking , Transgender , Slavery , Denpa , LGBTQ+ Themes , Gods , Memory Manipulation , Surreal Comedy , Politics , Heterosexual , Nudity , Shounen

Uzumaki

Also known as Uzumaki: Spiral into Horror.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Horror , Mystery , Psychological , Romance , Supernatural

Kurozu-cho, a small fogbound town on the coast of Japan, is cursed. According to Shuichi Saito, the withdrawn boyfriend of teenager Kirie Goshima, their town is haunted not by a person or being but by a pattern: uzumaki, the spiral, the hypnotic secret shape of the world. It manifests itself in small ways: seashells, ferns, whirlpools in water, whirlwinds in air. And in large ways: the spiral marks on people's bodies, the insane obsessions of Shuichi's father, the voice from the cochlea in your inner ear. As the madness spreads, the inhabitants of Kurouzu-cho are pulled ever deeper, as if into a whirlpool from which there is no return...



Notes:
- Includes the extra chapter "Uzumaki Tokubetsu-hen: Ginga", which was included in editions later released.
- Chosen by the American Library Association (ALA) as one of the Top Ten Great Graphic Novels for Teens 2009. (Vol. 1)

Tags: Tragedy , Body Horror , Cosmic Horror , Seinen , Survival , Gore , Female Protagonist , Philosophy , Lost Civilization , Episodic , Cannibalism , Heterosexual , Rural , Suicide , Bullying , Cult , Unrequited Love , Demons

Dorohedoro

Also known as Dorohedoro.

Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Comedy , Fantasy , Horror , Mystery

In a city so dismal it's known only as "the Hole," a clan of Sorcerers have been plucking people off the streets to use as guinea pigs for atrocious "experiments" in the black arts. In a dark alley, Nikaido found Caiman, a man with a reptile head and a bad case of amnesia. To undo the spell, they're hunting and killing the Sorcerers in the Hole, hoping that eventually they'll kill the right one. But when En, the head Sorcerer, gets word of a lizard-man slaughtering his people, he sends a crew of "cleaners" into the Hole, igniting a war between two worlds.



Note: Includes 23 side stories titled "Extra Evil" and the side story "The Lizard Head and the Magic Whistle."

Tags: Dissociative Identities , Magic , Ensemble Cast , Anti-Hero , Amnesia , Revenge , Seinen , Dystopian , Gore , Body Horror , Surreal Comedy , Primarily Adult Cast , Monster Boy , Demons , Urban Fantasy , Super Power , Time Manipulation , Body Swapping , Gangs , Tragedy , Nudity , Zombie , Cyberpunk , Gender Bending

Hurejasik

Also known as Bastard.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Horror , Mystery , Psychological , Romance , Thriller

High school life is hard enough, but it’s even harder for Seon Jin. A sickly disabled boy, Jin might as well be invisible. No one ever pays attention to him, except for the bullies who prey on him for being weak. Jin, however, keeps a very dark secret—there’s a serial killer in his house…and it’s his father!



Note: Includes the prologue.

Tags: Crime , Tragedy , Male Protagonist , Gore , Bullying , Anti-Hero , Full Color , Coming of Age , Disability , Noir , Heterosexual , Delinquents , Suicide , Philosophy , Memory Manipulation , School , Assassins , Amnesia

Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun

Also known as Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Action , Comedy , Drama , Mystery , Romance , Supernatural

"Hanako-san, Hanako-san... are you there?" At Kamome Academy, rumors abound about the school's Seven Mysteries, one of which is Hanako-san. Said to occupy the third stall of the third floor girls' bathroom in the old school building, Hanako-san grants any wish when summoned. Nene Yashiro, an occult-loving high school girl who dreams of romance, ventures into this haunted bathroom... but the Hanako-san she meets there is nothing like she imagined! Kamome Academy's Hanako-san... is a boy!


Tags: Youkai , Mythology , Ghost , Urban Fantasy , School , Afterlife , Twins , Female Protagonist , Tragedy , Heterosexual , Male Protagonist , Alternate Universe , Shounen , Revenge , Gore , LGBTQ+ Themes , Magic , Suicide , Slapstick , Survival , Body Horror , Yandere , Tsundere , Time Manipulation , Gods , Mermaid , Love Triangle , Shrine Maiden , Body Swapping

Houseki no Kuni

Also known as Land of the Lustrous.

Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Fantasy , Mystery , Psychological , Sci-Fi

In a world inhabited by crystalline lifeforms called The Lustrous, every unique gem must fight for their way of life against the threat of lunarians who would turn them into decorations. Phosphophyllite, the most fragile and brittle of gems, longs to join the battle. When Phos is instead assigned to complete a natural history of their world, it sounds like a dull and pointless task. But this new job brings Phos into contact with Cinnabar, a gem forced to live in isolation. Can Phos’s seemingly mundane assignment lead both Phos and Cinnabar to the fulfillment they desire?



Note: Nominated for the 8th Manga Taisho in 2015.

Tags: Tragedy , Philosophy , Seinen , Anthropomorphism , Religion , Coming of Age , Anti-Hero , Body Horror , Shapeshifting , Cosmic Horror , Post-Apocalyptic , Revenge , Time Skip , Agender , Reincarnation , Dissociative Identities , Memory Manipulation , Ensemble Cast , Space , Politics , Aliens , Asexual , Swordplay , Amnesia , LGBTQ+ Themes , Heterosexual , School , Suicide , Robots , Foreign , Gods , Gender Bending , Nudity

Homunculus

Also known as Homunculus.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Horror , Mystery , Psychological , Supernatural

Nakoshi Susumu, age 34, is living out of his car. Between spending his days with the homeless and his nights in his vehicle, he has little to his name–but not so little that he’ll agree to be the subject of a scientific experiment. An unnerving medical student is stalking him and offering to pay Nakoshi a significant sum to test trepanation: the ability to draw out a sixth sense by drilling into the skull. Nakoshi refuses. When Nakoshi’s beloved car is towed, though, he finally agrees to cash and the operating table. At first, the experiment seems to bear no fruit, and Nakoshi’s life is unchanged. That is, until Nakoshi realizes his vision has warped in his left eye…showing him the twisted homunculus inside every human.



Tags: Seinen , Philosophy , Male Protagonist , Tragedy , Amnesia , Primarily Adult Cast , Denpa , Anti-Hero , Gore , Homeless , Body Horror , Psychosexual , Transgender , LGBTQ+ Themes , Masturbation , Crossdressing , Heterosexual , Economics , Boys' Love

JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken: JoJolion

Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Drama , Mystery , Supernatural

This part will take place in Morioh-Cho (the same town in Part 4: Diamond is Unbreakable), but in the alternative universe in which Steel Ball Run takes place.

Following the Great East Japan earthquake, Morioh has been stricken by vast earthen protrusions known by the locals as Wall Eyes. Despite investigation, professional estimations are left empty. Meanwhile, the young girl Yasuho Hirose discovers a man buried within the ground, he possesses a distinctive star-shaped birthmark together with deeply penetrating bite marks. The man, who has contracted a staple case of amnesia is taken in by a local family and given the name Jousuke Higashikata, however mysterious events cannot stop from piling one upon the other and soon that enigma known as stands emerges to complement the great cloud of confusion.

Tags: Super Power , Coming of Age , Seinen , Amnesia , Tragedy , Conspiracy , Male Protagonist , Urban Fantasy , Family Life , Alternate Universe , Agriculture , Medicine , Body Horror , Cultivation , Gore , Nudity , Animals , Gambling , Memory Manipulation , Suicide , Crossdressing

Ajin

Also known as Ajin: Demi-Human.

Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Horror , Mystery , Psychological , Supernatural

High school student Kei Nagai is struck dead in a grisly traffic accident, but immediately revives to learn that he may not be like every other human. Instead, he may be a mysterious almost immortal being granted not only the powers of rejuvination but the abilities to see super-natural beings. Scared, he runs away, and is aided in his escape from society by his friend. Unfortunately for Kei, the manhunt is on and he will soon be caught within a conflict between mankind and others like him as they prepare to fight a new war based on terror.



Notes:
Includes 13 extra chapters.

- Nominated for the 7th annual Manga Taishou Award.
- Nominated for the Readers Award in the 18th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize.
- Nominated for the 38th Annual Kodansha Manga Awards in the Seinen category.
- Nominated for the 40th Kodansha Manga Awards in 2016 in the General category.

Tags: Urban Fantasy , Fugitive , Seinen , Super Power , Terrorism , Crime , Suicide , Gore , Male Protagonist , Conspiracy , Guns , Anti-Hero , Torture , Military , Body Horror , Philosophy , Urban , Police , Revenge , Shapeshifting , Ghost , Bullying , Tragedy , Delinquents , Drugs , Cars , Satire