Top Card Battle Manga Recommendations

HUNTER×HUNTER

Also known as Hunter x Hunter.

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

Gon might be a country boy, but he has high aspirations. Despite his Aunt Mito's protests, Gon decides to follow in his father's footsteps and become a legendary Hunter. The Hunter hopefuls begin their journey by storm-tossed ship, where Gon meets Leorio and Kurapika, the only other applicants who aren't devastated by bouts of seasickness.

Having survived the terrors of the high seas, Gon and his companions now have to prove their worth in a variety of tests in order to find the elusive Exam Hall. And once they get there, will they ever leave alive...?



Tags: Shounen , Super Power , Cultivation , Ensemble Cast , Travel , Male Protagonist , Primarily Male Cast , Urban Fantasy , Tragedy , Assassins , Revenge , Chimera , Battle Royale , Death Game , Anti-Hero , Politics , Crime , Coming of Age , Gangs , War , Martial Arts , Philosophy , Gore , Conspiracy , Lost Civilization , Ships , Video Games , Card Battle , LGBTQ+ Themes , Animals , Mafia , Time Manipulation , Transgender , Cannibalism , Amnesia , Virtual World , Demons , Reincarnation , Asexual , Kemonomimi

Tomodachi Game

Also known as Tomodachi Game.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Mystery , Psychological

Play a game that costs a lot of money with your best friends! The key to clearing the game is "don't doubt your friends." However, one betrayal raises suspicion, and the game becomes a psychological warfare! Money or friends?

The ultimate intellectual game manga that shakes people's hearts has been born!



Note: Includes 3 extra chapters.

Tags: Anti-Hero , Death Game , Male Protagonist , Battle Royale , Survival , Crime , Tragedy , Revenge , Shounen , Yandere , Ships , Snowscape , Torture , Gambling , LGBTQ+ Themes , Adoption , Card Battle , Ensemble Cast , Prison , School , Gangs , Poker

Kakegurui

Also known as Kakegurui - Compulsive Gambler -.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Drama , Mystery , Psychological

Hyakkaou Private Academy. An institution for the privileged with a very peculiar curriculum. You see, when you're the sons and daughters of the wealthiest of the wealthy, it's not athletic prowess or book smarts that keep you ahead. It's reading your opponent-the art of the deal. What better way to hone those skills than with a rigorous curriculum of gambling?

At Hyakkaou Private Academy, the winners live like kings, and the losers are put through the wringer. But when Yumeko Jabami enrolls, she's gonna teach these kids what a high roller really looks like!



Tags: Gambling , Card Battle , Female Protagonist , School , Primarily Female Cast , Poker , Anti-Hero , LGBTQ+ Themes , Death Game , Primarily Teen Cast , Villainess , Twins , School Club , Idol , Ojou-sama , Slavery , Bullying , Drugs , Economics , Family Life , Shounen , Yuri , Unrequited Love

Medaka Box

Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Comedy , Ecchi , Romance

Kurokami Medaka, a first year, is elected as Student Council President, and the first thing she does is establish a suggestion box, later dubbed by students the "Medaka Box". Medaka encourages students to submit any problem to the box without hesitation and promises to take on any issue from anyone.

Since Medaka won the Student Council elections with a staggering 98% of the vote, she ends up as the Council's only member. She asks her childhood friend, Hitoyoshi Zenkichi, for help and he grudgingly agrees, becoming the Student Council's lowest ranking member. Soon Medaka recruits two more people to the Student Council, the former judo club member Akune Kouki as secretary and the current swim club member Kikaijima Mogana, on loan for 300 yen a day, as treasurer.

Now the Student Council members spend their days solving the problems submitted through the Medaka Box, whether they be hooligans in clubs where they don't belong, girls who need help writing love letters or people who've lost their pets, gradually earning the respect and admiration of the entire school.

Included chapters:
Volume 15 contains the gaiden "Good Loser Kumagawa" (グッドルーザー球磨川); Jump NEXT (2011/12/26)
Volume 22 contains the gaiden "Good Loser Kumagawa Final" (完結編).

Tags: Large Breasts , Coming of Age , School , Super Power , Shounen , Meta , Anti-Hero , Parody , Surreal Comedy , Female Protagonist , Satire , Martial Arts , Ensemble Cast , Afterlife , Chuunibyou , Male Protagonist , Yandere , Nudity , Primarily Teen Cast , Nekomimi , Assassins , Card Battle , Time Skip , Swordplay , LGBTQ+ Themes , Robots , Guns , Classic Literature , Swimming , Judo , Cyborg , Band , Idol , Incest

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

Youkoso Jitsuryoku Shijou Shugi no Kyoushitsu e: 2-nensei-hen

Also known as Classroom of the Elite: Year 2.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Psychological , Thriller

Students of the prestigious Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School are given remarkable freedom–if they can win, barter, or save enough points to work their way up the ranks! Ayanokouji Kiyotaka started at the bottom in the scorned Class D, where he met Horikita Suzune, who was determined to rise up the ladder to Class A. Who can beat the system in a school where cutthroat competition is the name of the game? The second year of this intense school drama begins now!



Includes Volumes: 4.5, 9.5, 12.5
Included Chapters: 15 Prologues and 15 Epilogues.

Tags: School , Male Protagonist , Anti-Hero , Ensemble Cast , Boarding School , Philosophy , Conspiracy , Heterosexual , Coming of Age , Survival , Primarily Teen Cast , Battle Royale , Politics , Fugitive , Bullying , Revenge , Classic Literature , Delinquents , Card Battle , Orphan , Seinen , Torture , Martial Arts , Disability , Dissociative Identities , School Club , Athletics , Tsundere , Calligraphy , Love Triangle , Kuudere , Female Harem , Suicide , Yandere , Maids , Tragedy

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 , School , Gambling , Death Game , Urban Fantasy , Primarily Child Cast , Bullying , Dragons , Primarily Teen Cast , Reincarnation , Gods , Magic , Amnesia , School Club , Adoption , Torture , Desert , Gore

Subete no Jinrui wo Hakai Suru. Sorera wa Saisei Dekinai.

Also known as Destroy All Humans. They Can't Be Regenerated. A Magic: The Gathering Manga.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Comedy , Romance , Slice of Life

In everything he does, it seems like geeky Tokiwagi Middle School student Hajime Kano comes in second place behind popular honor student Emi Sawatari. But when Hajime takes a trip to a new game store he’s been hearing about, their rivalry takes an unexpected turn. Welcome to the early years of Magic: The Gathering, when a trading card game shaped a generation forever!

Sixteenth place of Tsugimanga 2020 Award in the Manga Category

Tags: Card Battle , Shounen , Heterosexual , Urban , Tsundere , Ojou-sama , Chuunibyou , Love Triangle , Historical , School

Tobaku Mokushiroku Kaiji

Also known as Gambling Apocalypse Kaiji.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Psychological , Thriller

Ne'er-do-well Kaiji Itou's shiftless existence is suddenly rattled by a visit from the yakuza. Burdened by debt and resentment, Kaiji is coerced into gambling for his worthless life. As the stakes grow higher and the rules become increasingly more bizarre, Kaiji must finally take the future into his own hands!



Note: Won the 22nd Kodansha Manga Award for general manga in 1998.

Tags: Gambling , Seinen , Survival , Primarily Adult Cast , Primarily Male Cast , Male Protagonist , Death Game , Card Battle , Yakuza , Class Struggle , Tragedy , Nudity

Masamune-kun no Revenge after school

Also known as Masamune-kun’s Revenge: After School.

Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Drama , Ecchi , Romance , Slice of Life

What comes after revenge? Now that Aki and Masamune are together, everyone’s wondering what to do…including Aki and Masamune! As the new couple tries to figure out their relationship, their friends, exes, and former rivals get to be the stars of their own stories!

Tags: Heterosexual , Tsundere , Shounen , Male Protagonist , School , Female Protagonist , Ensemble Cast , Primarily Teen Cast , Bullying , Maids , Female Harem , Card Battle , Drawing , Nudity

Tobaku Datenroku Kaiji: One Poker-hen

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Psychological , Thriller

Kaiji and Kazuya face off against each other in a high-stakes game of "One Poker," a modified version of standard poker. Kazuya sets forth a gamble of 2,000,000,000 yen! How will Kaiji survive?!

Chapter count for this arc is 101-254 in the original tankoubon.

Tags: Poker , Gambling , Card Battle , Death Game , Survival , Seinen , Tragedy , Primarily Adult Cast , Male Protagonist , Primarily Male Cast

Yu☆Gi☆Oh! GX

Also known as Yu-Gi-Oh! GX.

Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Comedy , Fantasy

Considered a slacker by his peers, Jaden battles teachers and students alike to make his mark in the Duel World. Can he bring his low-level dorm, Slifer Red, to the top of the deck? Or will the champions in the Obelisk Blue dorm hang onto their winning hand?



Note: The chapter count includes an extra story.

Tags: Card Battle , Shounen , School , Male Protagonist , Primarily Teen Cast

Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories

Also known as Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories.

Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Fantasy

The door to Kingdom Hearts was sealed, dealing a blow to the heartless and restoring the worlds to normal, but Riku and King Mickey were trapped inside! Now Sora, Donald, and Goofy's search for their friends leads them to the mysterious Castle Oblivion, where a hooded figure tells them, "Ahead lies something you need, but to claim it, you must lose something dear." What could be more dear than their very memories themselves? And what do the shadowy members of Organization XIII want with them?



Tags: Memory Manipulation , Magic , Shounen , Male Protagonist , Crossover , Primarily Male Cast , Card Battle

Kakegurui Midari

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Psychological

Spin-off of Kakegurui that focuses on a grey area of Ikishima Midari's past when she began her role in the Student Council and became comrades with an unlucky girl named Nana Ootori.

Tags: Gambling , Female Protagonist , Primarily Female Cast , School Club , School , Card Battle , Primarily Teen Cast , Death Game

Yu☆Gi☆Oh! R

Also known as Yu-Gi-Oh! R.

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

It's been many duels since Yugi defeated Maxmilion Pegasus, the super-rich designer of the collectible card game "Duel Monsters." But Yako Tenma, Pegasus' protégé, has never forgiven Yugi for his master's horrible fate. To draw Yugi out, Yako kidnaps Anzu Mazaki and takes her to the heart of the Kaibacorp building, guarded by dozens of the world's most dangerous gamers! But Yako's true plan for Anzu is much worse than mere revenge...



Tags: Shounen , Card Battle , Male Protagonist , Mythology , Urban Fantasy , Twins

Yu☆Gi☆Oh! 5D's

Also known as Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's.

Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Comedy , Drama , Sci-Fi

A high-speed Turbo Duel through the streets of Satellite brings Yusei Fudo and his friend Sect face-to-face with an urban legend incarnate! Will Yusei lose Sect to the Skeleton Knight? And what sinister plans does Jack Atlas, master of New Domino City, have in store for Yusei?



Note: Includes 2 extra chapters.

Tags: Card Battle , Shounen , Urban Fantasy , Male Protagonist , Motorcycles

Subete no Jinrui wo Hakai suru. Sorera wa Saisei Dekinai.

Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Romance , Slice of Life

1998, Hajime Kanou is not on good terms with the school star Eimi Sawawatari, but maybe through the card game Magic: The Gathering they can improve their relationship...?!

Tags: Heterosexual , Male Protagonist , Card Battle , Shounen , School

Liar Liar

Status: Releasing
Genres: Ecchi , Psychological , Romance

The ranks of the students attending the island academy are determined by games. In the entrance exam, I, Shinohara Hirota had the best score in this country. I caught up with last year's top scorer Saionji Sarasa within the first day and went down in history as the fastest person to become part of the "Seven Stars" who rule the school.
--Haha, well, of course all of that is a lie.

So that i can fulfill my goal here on this island, i have to stay at the top even if it is through nothing but lies.

Tags: School , Parody , Slapstick , Male Protagonist , Love Triangle , Acting , Card Battle , Maids , Gambling

Mamore! Shugomaru

Also known as Protect Me, Shugomaru!.

Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Comedy

Being a bodyguard isn't easy, especially when you’re a danger to everyone around you!



Note: Includes 5 extra chapters.

Tags: Assassins , Episodic , Parody , School , Slapstick , Shounen , Otaku Culture , Card Battle

Liar Liar: Usotsuki Tenkousei wa Ikasama Cheat chan to Game wo Seisuru sou desu

Also known as Liar, Liar.

Status: Finished
Genres: Ecchi , Psychological , Romance

The Academy—a school the size of an island where students compete for ranks. Not only did Hiroto Shinohara pass the most rigorous exam in the country with top marks to transfer there, but he defeated last year's reigning champ on his very first day, catapulting him to the rank of Seven Star in record time. ...Except he didn’t. The truth is, he screwed up big time, and now he has to maintain his position there no matter what. It's a liar's world, after all!



Tags: School , Parody , Slapstick , Male Protagonist , Love Triangle , Acting , Card Battle , Maids , Gambling