Top Alternate Universe 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 , Medieval , Yuri , 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 , Amnesia , Tsundere , Kuudere , Class Struggle , Disability , Historical , Dissociative Identities , Drugs , Achronological Order , Religion , Heterosexual , LGBTQ+ Themes , Reincarnation , Baseball , Transgender , Suicide , Primarily Adult Cast , Acrobatics , Cult

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 , Body Horror , Primarily Child Cast , 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 , Augmented Reality , Suicide

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

JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken: Stone Ocean

Also known as JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 6: Stone Ocean.

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

The story of Joutarou Kuujou's (Part 3) daughter, Jolyne Kuujou. She is framed for a murder and ends up in the Green Dolphin Street Prison. She is given an amulet inherited from her father, which cuts her hand and unlocks her Stand ability, Stone Free, which allows her to unravel her body into living string. The string can form a humanoid Stand within 2 meters of her body, and can extend further as string. In the prison, she soon becomes uneasy allies with fellow convicts and Stand users Hermes (Kiss) and Foo Fighters.

Tags: Super Power , Female Protagonist , Tragedy , Memory Manipulation , Prison , Urban Fantasy , Foreign , Time Manipulation , Alternate Universe , Gore , Crime , Body Horror , Primarily Female Cast , LGBTQ+ Themes , Shounen , Philosophy , Ensemble Cast , Transgender , Religion , Cosmic Horror , Amnesia , Disability

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 , Tragedy , Female Protagonist , Heterosexual , Male Protagonist , Alternate Universe , Shounen , Revenge , Gore , LGBTQ+ Themes , Exorcism , Magic , Suicide , Slapstick , Survival , Body Horror , Yandere , Tsundere , Time Manipulation , Gods , Mermaid , Love Triangle , Shrine Maiden , Body Swapping

Soul Eater

Also known as Soul Eater.

Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Comedy , Fantasy , Supernatural

Maka is a scythe meister, working to perfect one particular scythe until it is good enough to become Death's Weapon -- the weapon used by Shinigami-sama, the spirit of Death himself. As if that wasn't unusual enough, her scythe is a demon scythe called Soul Eater, which can change form from a scythe to a human-looking boy. In order to make Soul Eater powerful enough to be Death's Weapon, he must eat the souls of 99 humans and 1 witch. Along the way, the two of them face many different challenges, including a cat witch named Blair (who happens to have a thing for Soul) and a teacher who's been turned into a zombie (and wants him to join her!). Her fellow students, like the shadow ninja weapon meister named Black Star who always needs to be the center of attention, aren't much help, either. It'll be a miracle if Maka even survives, let alone manages to make Soul Eater into the Death Scythe.



Note: Includes the 3-chapter prologue and 1 extra chapter.

Tags: Ensemble Cast , Henshin , Magic , Guns , Shounen , Super Power , Female Protagonist , Male Protagonist , Urban Fantasy , Shapeshifting , War , Witch , Gods , School , Twins , Swordplay , Foreign , Travel , Agender , Nudity , Werewolf , Assassins , Tragedy , Philosophy , Coming of Age , Alternate Universe , Zombie , Kemonomimi , Nekomimi , Tanned Skin , Unrequited Love , Body Horror , Urban , Space , Martial Arts , Heterosexual , Gender Bending

Enen no Shouboutai

Also known as Fire Force.

Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Sci-Fi , Supernatural

Terror has paralyzed the clockwork metropolis of Tokyo! Possessed by demons, people have begun to burst into flame, leading to the establishment of a special firefighting team: the Fire Force, ready to roll on a moment's notice to fight spontaneous combustion anywhere it might break out. The team is about to get a very unique addition: Shinra, a boy who possesses the unique power to run at the speed of a rocket, leaving behind the famous "devil's footprints" (and destroying his shoes in the process). Can the Fire Force discover the source of this strange phenomenon and put a stop to it? Or will the city burn to ashes first?



Note: Includes the prologue and two epilogue chapters.

Tags: Cosmic Horror , Super Power , Religion , Gods , Shounen , Post-Apocalyptic , Firefighters , Conspiracy , Tragedy , Meta , Cult , Male Protagonist , Demons , Urban Fantasy , Alternate Universe , Military , Dragons , Primarily Adult Cast , Primarily Male Cast , Ensemble Cast , Nun , Crossover , Swordplay , Female Harem , Rescue

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

BLAME!

Also known as BLAME!.

Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Horror , Psychological , Sci-Fi

Killy is a man of few words. He wanders, seemingly endlessly, through a lonely, gargantuan labyrinth of concrete and steel, fighting off cyborgs and other futuristic nightmares, searching only for something called Net Terminal Genes. And he has a very powerful gun, which he uses without hesitation whenever anything resembling danger rears its ugly head.

Who is this quiet, violent, determined man and what are these Genes he seeks? The small communities he finds tucked into the crevices of this towering, dystopic ruin hardly give him leads on his treasure, driving him to find larger enclaves of civilization where people can reveal more about the world he lives in and the quarry he seeks.



Note: Includes 1 extra chapter.

Tags: Seinen , Cyborg , Post-Apocalyptic , Cyberpunk , Robots , Survival , Lost Civilization , Body Horror , Travel , Dystopian , Guns , Cosmic Horror , Male Protagonist , Tragedy , Time Skip , Urban , Gore , Artificial Intelligence , Alternate Universe , Kaiju , Time Manipulation , Amnesia , Agender

Pandora Hearts

Also known as Pandora Hearts.

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

The air of celebration surrounding fifteen-year-old Oz Vessalius’s coming-of-age ceremony quickly turns to horror when he is condemned for a sin about which he knows nothing. He is thrown into an eternal, inescapable prison known as the Abyss from which there is no escape. There, he meets a young girl named Alice, who is not what she seems. Now that the relentless cogs of fate have begun to turn, do they lead only to crushing despair for Oz, or is there some shred of hope for him to grasp on to?



Included:
Volume 8: Pandora Hearts (pilot)
Volume 20: Extra episode: It makes all kinds
Volume 21: Extra episode: Together

Tags: Tragedy , Amnesia , Philosophy , Time Manipulation , Ensemble Cast , Fairy Tale , Found Family , Body Swapping , Reincarnation , Dissociative Identities , Memory Manipulation , Time Skip , Twins , Male Protagonist , Denpa , Butler , Alternate Universe , Gore , Tsundere , Female Protagonist , Magic , Shounen , Guns , Yandere , Body Horror , Afterlife

Dungeon Meshi

Also known as Delicious in Dungeon.

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

When young adventurer Laios and his company are attacked and soundly thrashed by a dragon deep in a dungeon, the party loses all its money and provisions...and a member! They're eager to go back and save her, but there is just one problem: If they set out with no food or coin to speak of, they're sure to starve on the way! But Laios comes up with a brilliant idea: "Let's eat the monsters!" Slimes, basilisks, and even dragons...none are safe from the appetites of these dungeon-crawling gourmands!



Notes:
- Nominated in the 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th Manga Taishou Award in 2016-2019.
- Ranked first in the 2016 Kono Manga ga Sugoi! (Male Readers Division).
- Includes 14 extra chapters.

Tags: Dungeon , Food , Environmental , Magic , Ensemble Cast , Medieval , Seinen , Primarily Adult Cast , Lost Civilization , Anti-Hero , Philosophy , Elf , Cosmic Horror , Demons , Necromancy , Dragons , Body Horror , Kemonomimi , Episodic , Chimera , Male Protagonist , Monster Girl , LGBTQ+ Themes , Iyashikei , Alternate Universe , Succubus , Witch , Mermaid , Curses

Mushoku Tensei: Isekai Ittara Honki Dasu

Also known as Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Adventure , Drama , Ecchi , Fantasy

An unemployed otaku has just reached the lowest point in his life. He wants nothing more than the ability to start over, but just as he thinks it may be possible…he gets hit by a truck and dies! Shockingly, he finds himself reborn into an infant’s body in a strange new world of swords and magic. His identity now is Rudeus Greyrat, yet he still retains the memories of his previous life. Reborn into a new family, Rudeus makes use of his past experiences to forge ahead in this fantasy world as a true prodigy, gifted with maturity beyond his years and a natural born talent for magic. With swords instead of chopsticks, and spell books instead of the internet, can Rudeus redeem himself in this wondrous yet dangerous land?



Tags: Isekai , Reincarnation , Magic , Family Life , Age Gap , Coming of Age , Male Protagonist , Seinen , Rehabilitation , Time Skip , Female Harem , Survival , Tragedy , Demons , Gore , Tomboy , Alternate Universe , Swordplay , Polyamorous , Marriage , Medieval

All You Need Is Kill

Also known as All You Need Is Kill.

Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Mecha , Psychological , Romance , Sci-Fi

When the alien Mimics invade, Keiji Kiriya is just one of many recruits shoved into a suit of battle armor called a Jacket and sent out to kill. Keiji dies on the battlefield, only to be reborn each morning to fight and die again and again. On his 158th iteration, he gets a message from a mysterious ally--the female soldier known as the Full Metal Bitch. Is she the key to Keiji's escape or his final death?



Tags: Military , Time Manipulation , Seinen , Aliens , Survival , War , Tragedy , Primarily Adult Cast , Male Protagonist , Time Loop , Guns , Revenge , Alternate Universe , Heterosexual , Gore

Dubeon Saneun Ranker

Also known as Second Life Ranker.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Action , Adventure , Fantasy

Yeonwoo’s brother disappeared years ago, and he’s devastated to learn of his death. As he copes with his loss, he’s given a pocket watch and learns there’s more to his brother’s death: he was betrayed while competing in the Tower of the Sun God. Now it’s Yeonwoo’s turn to use the knowledge his brother left behind. Can Yeonwoo (call sign: Cain) navigate that world and gain enough power and experience to reach the top of the tower, defeating his brother’s enemies and all those who stand in his way?



Tags: Alternate Universe , Revenge , Full Color , Male Protagonist , Twins , Gods , Dungeon , Survival , Mythology , Anti-Hero , Dragons , Goblin , Military , Demons , Long Strip

Dead Dead Demon's Dededededestruction

Also known as Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destruction.

Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Drama , Sci-Fi , Slice of Life

The Japan Self-Defense Forces are still looking for a way to combat the alien threat, but so far conventional weapons have had no effect. Maybe it’s time to try something unconventional.

Meanwhile, Kadode Koyama and her best friend avidly track the aliens’ movements on social media and less enthusiastically study for college entrance exams. When the end of the world looms overhead, you learn to take things one step at a time.



Notes:
- Winner of the 66th Shogakukan Manga Award in the general category.
- Includes 1 extra chapter.

Tags: Seinen , Aliens , Female Protagonist , Alternate Universe , Primarily Female Cast , Politics , Military , Time Manipulation , Bisexual , Coming of Age , Dystopian , Denpa , Language Barrier , Philosophy , Tragedy , School , Otaku Culture , Suicide , Anti-Hero , Post-Apocalyptic , Gore , Satire , Cosmic Horror , Yuri , Video Games , Love Triangle

orange

Also known as orange.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Psychological , Romance , Sci-Fi , Supernatural

Everyone has regrets in life. So who wouldn’t take the chance to change the past if given the opportunity? When sixteen-year-old Takamiya Naho receives a mysterious letter, claiming to be from her twenty-seven-year-old self, her life is suddenly thrown into flux. The letter tells her that a new transfer student by the name of Naruse Kakeru will be joining her class, and to keep her eye on him. But why? Naho must decide what to make of the letter and its cryptic warning, and what it means not only for her future, but for Kakeru’s as well.



Included series/one-shot:
Volumes 1-5: Haru-iro Astronaut (春色アストロノート , Spring-Colored Astronaut); #1: Bessatsu Margaret 2011-06, #2: Betsuma sister 2012-01, #3~5: kakioroshi
Mami and Tomoki have always shared everything in life, they are identical twins, yet so different in character and personality: Mami tender and helpless, courted by boys to whom she doesn't never "no" for excessive kindness, Tomoki with a strong sense of duty and a great spirit of sacrifice, would do anything to see his sister happy. But there comes a time, however, when one realizes there are things that cannot be shared, especially when it is something extremely rare and unique... just like an alien?!
Volume 6: Mirai (未来)
Volume 6: Suwa Hiroto (須和弘人)
A side story focusing on Naho and Suwa's lives in the world where Kakeru passed away at age 17.

Notes: Nominated to the 20th Annual Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize.

Tags: School , Shoujo , Love Triangle , Time Manipulation , Heterosexual , Suicide , Primarily Teen Cast , Female Protagonist , Alternate Universe , Tragedy , Unrequited Love , Acting

Imawa no Kuni no Alice

Also known as Alice in Borderland.

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

Eighteen-year-old Ryohei Arisu is sick of his life. School sucks, his love life is a joke, and his future feels like impending doom. As he struggles to exist in a world that can’t be bothered with him, Ryohei feels like everything would be better if he were anywhere else. When a strange fireworks show transports him and his friends to a parallel world, Ryohei thinks all his wishes have come true. But this new world isn’t an empty paradise, it’s a vicious game. And the only way to survive is to play.

Note: Chapter count includes 22 side story chapters.

Tags: Tragedy , Death Game , Survival , Philosophy , Battle Royale , Amnesia , Gore , Urban , Male Protagonist , Afterlife , Gambling , Alternate Universe , Anti-Hero , Shounen , Isekai , Dystopian , Primarily Adult Cast , Revenge , Guns , Heterosexual , Transgender , LGBTQ+ Themes , Martial Arts , Gods , Parkour , Mahjong , Nudity , Outdoor Activities

Vanitas no Carte

Also known as The Case Study of Vanitas.

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

Rumors revolving around The Book of Vanitas, a clockwork grimoire of dubious reputation, draw Noé, a young vampire in search of a friend's salvation, to Paris. What awaits him in the City of Flowers, however, is not long hours treading the pavement or rifling through dusty bookshops in search of the tome. Instead, his quarry comes to him...in the arms of a man claiming to be a vampire doctor! Thrust into a conflict that threatens the peace between humans and vampires, will Noé cast in his lot with the curious and slightly unbalanced Vanitas and his quest to save vampirekind?



Tags: Vampire , Tragedy , Historical , Steampunk , Primarily Adult Cast , Medicine , Conspiracy , Shounen , Anti-Hero , Male Protagonist , Revenge , Religion , Foreign , Twins , Philosophy , Ensemble Cast , Alternate Universe , Suicide , Time Manipulation , Amnesia , Anachronism , LGBTQ+ Themes , Detective , Assassins , Urban Fantasy , Curses , Acting

Dragon Ball Super

Also known as Dragon Ball Super.

Status: Hiatus
Genres: Action , Sci-Fi

Reuniting the franchise's iconic characters, Dragon Ball Super follows the aftermath of Goku's fierce battle with Majin Boo as he attempts to maintain earth's fragile peace.

Tags: Super Power , Martial Arts , Male Protagonist , Henshin , Shounen , Gods , Time Manipulation , Alternate Universe , Battle Royale , Space , Dragons

Igye Geomwang Saengjongi

Also known as Latna Saga: Survival of a Sword King.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Action , Adventure , Comedy , Fantasy

After being recently discharged from military service and just drifting through life, Hanbin Ryu is suddenly transported to another world. However, his “guide line,” the system bestowed upon him to help with his survival and growth, was filled with errors, causing him to be stuck in the tutorial stage for over 20 years. When he is finally released from this personal hell, he finds everyone has turned against otherworlders like him. Just how will this low-level, super-tutorial newbie survive?



Tags: Male Protagonist , Swordplay , Isekai , Full Color , Magic , Virtual World , Dragons , Gods , Dungeon , Alternate Universe , Time Skip , Video Games , Long Strip