Manga like Hikaru no Go

3-gatsu no Lion

Also known as March Comes in Like a Lion.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Drama , Slice of Life

Rei Kiriyama is a child prodigy. Rei Kiriyama is also an orphan who lives alone in an empty apartment. Rei Kiriyama is a teen working in an adult's world. Life is complicated for Rei. He's an up-and-coming shogi player on the verge of turning pro, but he has no homelife, or much of a life period, outside his board game, but thankfully with the help of some life-long friends he has an opportunity start all over again.



Notes:
Winner of the Grand Prize at the 4th Manga Taishou Award in 2011.
Winner of the 35th Kodansha Manga Award in 2011.
Winner of the Grand Prize at the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 2014.
Winner of the Grand Prize at the Japan Media Arts Festival in 2021.

Tags: Coming of Age , Family Life , Philosophy , Rehabilitation , Seinen , Shogi , Found Family , Male Protagonist , Bullying , Iyashikei , Board Game , Food , Tragedy , Heterosexual , Age Gap , Adoption , School Club , Love Triangle

Tenmaku Cinema

Also known as Tenmaku Cinema.

Status: Finished
Genres: Slice of Life , Supernatural

The exciting new series from the creators of Food Wars! Extreme movie-lover Hajime Shinichi and the ghost of the mysterious genius screenwriter Takihiko Tenmaku--their meeting will provide some serious plot twists! It's ready, set, action for this coming-of-age series!



Tags: Acting , Ghost , Shounen , Male Protagonist , School Club , School , Filmmaking , Work , Educational , Urban Fantasy

Chihayafuru

Also known as Chihayafuru.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Romance , Sports

Chihaya is a girl in the sixth grade, still not old enough to even know the meaning of the word zeal. But one day, she meets Arata, a transfer student from rural Fukui prefecture. Though docile and quiet, he has an unexpected skill: his ability to play competitive karuta, a traditional Japanese card game.

Chihaya is struck by his obsession with the game, along with his ability to pick out the right card and swipe it away before any of his opponents. However, Arata is transfixed by her as well, all because of her unbelievable natural talent for the game. Don't miss this story of adolescent lives and emotions playing out in the most dramatic of ways!



Notes:
It won the 2nd Manga Taisho Award and the 35th annual Kodansha Manga Award for Best Shoujo.
It was nominated for the 20th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 2016.

Tags: Karuta , Josei , Female Protagonist , Coming of Age , School Club , Unrequited Love , Card Battle , Love Triangle , POV , Primarily Teen Cast , Educational , Ensemble Cast , School , Tomboy , Heterosexual , Bullying , Slapstick

Yu☆Gi☆Oh!

Also known as Yu-Gi-Oh!.

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

10th grader Yugi spent most of his time alone playing games--until he solved the Millennium Puzzle, a mysterious Egyptian artifact! Possessed by the puzzle, Yugi becomes Yu-Gi-Oh, the King of Games, and challenges evil-doers to the Shadow Games--weird games with high stakes and high risks! These graphic novels contain new stories not seen in the anime, including the origin of Yugi and his friends!



Notes:
The VIZ Media release split the series into three parts with separate chapter/volume counts. "Yu-Gi-Oh!" includes volumes 1-7, "Yu-Gi-Oh!: Duelist" includes volumes 8-31, and "Yu-Gi-Oh!: Millennium World" includes volumes 32-38.
The final chapter of VIZ Media's "Yu-Gi-Oh!" was moved from its final volume to the first volume of "Yu-Gi-Oh!: Duelist."

Tags: Dissociative Identities , Card Battle , Shounen , Male Protagonist , Mythology , Primarily Teen Cast , Dragons , Gambling , Death Game , Urban Fantasy , Magic , Gods , School , Reincarnation , Bullying , Primarily Child Cast , Amnesia , War , School Club , Desert , Adoption , Torture , Gore , Body Horror

Futari no Taisei

Also known as Double Taisei.

Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Sports

Genius shogi player Taisei Amado has a secret...Kentaro Fukuda, the creator of Devilyman and Shinigiwa, brings his beautiful art to a shogi story that you won't be able to put down!



Tags: Shogi , Dissociative Identities , Male Protagonist , Shounen , Board Game

Akagi: Yami ni Oritatta Tensai

Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Psychological

While mahjong is a game that is often played with family and friends, it is also a game that is played in the darkest corners of society. Nangou is a compulsive gambler who has accumulated debt over three million yen. In a last ditch attempt to clear his record, he decides to wager his life on a game of mahjong with the mafia. Unfortunately, as the game progresses, Nangou only moves further from the prize and closer to death.

When all hope seems lost, the game parlor is suddenly intruded upon by Shigeru Akagi, a young boy on the run from the police. Desperate to turn the game around, Nangou hands the game over to Akagi after teaching him a few of the rules. The mafia can only smirk as Akagi sits down to play. However, they soon come to learn that Akagi is a natural born gambler. An imposing figure who does not fear death. One who is destined to become a legend.



Tags: Gambling , Mahjong , Death Game , Male Protagonist , Philosophy , Seinen , Primarily Male Cast , Kaiju , Tsundere , Anti-Hero , Yakuza , Time Skip , Historical , Afterlife , Gods , Demons , Board Game

Akane-banashi

Also known as Akane-banashi.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Drama

Rakugo--the ultimate form of storytelling, where everything in a story is expressed with just your body and words. Shinta and his daughter Akane have been seduced by this wonderful form of classical entertainment. Having observed her father strive to pass the shin'uchi rakugo test, Akane will take her own steps into this unique world!



Notes:
Ranked 3rd in the 8th Next Manga Awards print manga category in 2022.
Ranked 4th in the Kono Manga ga Sugoi! 2023 guidebook for male readers.
Ranked 3rd in the Nationwide Bookstore Employees' Recommended Comics of 2023.
Ranked 2nd in the 16th Manga Taisho in 2023.
Nominated for the 47th Kodansha Manga Award in the shounen category in 2023.
Included in the New York Public Library's 2023 Best Books for Teens.
Included in YALSA's 2024 Great Graphic Novels for Teens.

Tags: Rakugo , Female Protagonist , Primarily Adult Cast , Coming of Age , Acting , Work , Philosophy , Shounen , Found Family , Revenge , Family Life , Time Skip , School

Medalist

Also known as Medalist.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Drama , Psychological , Sports

Inori is a little girl who dreams of becoming a figure skater. Yet, the obstacles to this dream feel insurmountable: Inori’s already “too old” (she’s 11); she’s always had trouble at school; and, worst of all, her older sister’s skating dreams ended in failure, so her mother is dead set against putting her other daughter through a similar experience. Still, the rink is the only place Inori can be herself, and she’s out on the ice when a fateful meeting takes place. Tsukasa, a frustrated coach on the edge of giving up competitive skating himself, will join Inori to form an unstoppable duo powered by hard work, transcendent joy, and an unshakeable belief that they can prove everyone wrong.



Notes:
Winner of the 8th Next Manga Award in the Print Manga Category in 2022.
Winner of the 68th Shogakukan Manga Award in the General Category in 2022.

Tags: Ice Skating , Seinen , Coming of Age , Female Protagonist , Teacher , Male Protagonist , Ballet , Time Skip , LGBTQ+ Themes , Found Family

B no Seisen

Also known as Star of Beethoven.

Status: Finished
Genres: Music , Supernatural

The door of fate now opens... Piano prodigy Ichiro Yaso left the world of classical music after an incident at a competition. He vowed to never play the piano again, but now that he has a mentor claiming to be Beethoven, it may be time for his redemption!



Note: Includes the one-shots "LIFE LIAR FROM HELL" and "Violin-hime (バイオリン姫)".

Tags: Classical Music , Elderly Protagonist , Shounen , Criminal Organization , Found Family , Male Protagonist

Tennis no Ouji-sama

Also known as The Prince of Tennis.

Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Sports

Ryoma Echizen just joined the Seishun Academy's tennis team, which is known for being one of the most competitive teams in Japan. Its members are incredibly talented, gifted, and athletic. With rigorous and extremely intense practices, the upperclassmen of the team expect the very best from themselves and they expect even more from the new members of the team. While most of the freshmen are on pins and needles hoping they won't get cut from the team, Ryoma Echizen is confident, cool, and collected. Some might even say he's cocky, but at least he's got the skills to back up his attitude. With his virtually unreturnable "twist serve," Ryoma is sure to make the starting team. Join Ryoma and the other first years, as they train hard, make friends, and try to find a place for themselves on the team. And meet Ryoma's cute but chronically shy classmate Sakuno Ryuzaki. She's got a big crush on Ryoma, but will he ever notice her? Ryoma Echizen is the Prince of Tennis. He may be ready for the Seishun Academy tennis team, but are THEY ready for HIM?



Note: Includes one extra chapter.

Tags: Tennis , School Club , School , Anti-Hero , Primarily Male Cast , Male Protagonist , Primarily Teen Cast , Shounen , Time Skip , Ensemble Cast