Top Cosmic Horror Manga Recommendations

Chainsaw Man

Also known as Chainsaw Man.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Action , Comedy , Drama , Horror , Supernatural

The name says it all! Denji's life of poverty is changed forever when he merges with his pet chainsaw dog, Pochita! Now he's living in the big city and an official Devil Hunter. But he's got a lot to learn about his new job and chainsaw powers!



Notes:
- Nominated for the 2020 Manga Taisho Award.
- Winner of the 2021 Kono Manga ga Sugoi Award.
- Winner of the 66th Shogakukan Manga Award in the shounen category.
- Winner of the 2021 and 2022 Harvey Award for Best Manga.
- Chapters 1-97 were released in Weekly Shounen Jump from Dec 3, 2018 to Dec 13, 2020. The series resumed from Ch. 98 in Shounen Jump+ on July 12, 2022

Tags: Tragedy , Demons , Urban Fantasy , Dissociative Identities , Male Protagonist , Psychosexual , Gore , Body Horror , Cosmic Horror , Coming of Age , Henshin , Urban , Monster Boy , Female Protagonist , Survival , Found Family , Work , Memory Manipulation , Ensemble Cast , Shounen , Anti-Hero , Heterosexual , Cult , Politics , Guns , Assassins , Yandere , Femdom , Monster Girl , Human Pet , Revenge , Shapeshifting , Terrorism , Meta , Surreal Comedy , Slapstick , Philosophy , Primarily Teen Cast , Super Power , Afterlife , Nudity , School , Cannibalism , Delinquents , Angels , Necromancy , Amnesia , Time Skip , Yakuza , Mafia , Tsundere , LGBTQ+ Themes , Zombie , Chimera , Denpa , Motorcycles , Yuri , Vore

Jujutsu Kaisen

Also known as Jujutsu Kaisen.

Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Supernatural

Although Yuji Itadori looks like your average teenager, his immense physical strength is something to behold! Every sports club wants him to join, but Itadori would rather hang out with the school outcasts in the Occult Research Club. One day, the club manages to get their hands on a sealed cursed object. Little do they know the terror they’ll unleash when they break the seal…



Notes:
- Ranked 1st in Japan's Bookstore Employees Top Manga of 2018.
- Nominated for the 25th Annual Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 2021.
- Nominated for the 65th Shogakukan Manga Award in the Shounen Category in 2019.
- Includes one extra chapter.

Tags: Urban Fantasy , Demons , Super Power , Shounen , Curses , Tragedy , Monster Boy , Male Protagonist , Youkai , Magic , Martial Arts , Body Horror , Dissociative Identities , Death Game , Gore , Primarily Teen Cast , Battle Royale , Urban , Exorcism , Ensemble Cast , Cosmic Horror , Sadism , Body Swapping , Cult , School , Anthropomorphism , Transgender , Assassins , Amnesia , Time Manipulation , Swordplay , Time Skip , Nudity , Slapstick

Berserk

Also known as Berserk.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Action , Adventure , Drama , Fantasy , Horror , Psychological

His name is Guts, the Black Swordsman, a feared warrior spoken of only in whispers. Bearer of a gigantic sword, an iron hand, and the scars of countless battles and tortures, his flesh is also indelibly marked with The Brand, an unholy symbol that draws the forces of darkness to him and dooms him as their sacrifice. But Guts won't take his fate lying down; he'll cut a crimson swath of carnage through the ranks of the damned—and anyone else foolish enough to oppose him! Accompanied by Puck the Elf, more an annoyance than a companion, Guts relentlessly follows a dark, bloodstained path that leads only to death...or vengeance.



Notes:
- Volumes 1-5 contain the 16 prequel chapters 0A - 0P.
- Chapter 83 was omitted from Volume 13 due to the author’s request.
- Volume 14 includes “Berserk: The Prototype”.
- Due to the author's passing, starting from Chapter 365, the manga is illustrated by Studio Gaga (Miura's assistants) and supervised by Kouji Mori (a close friend of Miura's).

Tags: Tragedy , Seinen , Revenge , Male Protagonist , Demons , Cosmic Horror , Gore , Found Family , Philosophy , Anti-Hero , Travel , Rehabilitation , Mythology , Swordplay , Magic , War , Survival , Body Horror , Religion , Foreign , Gods , Primarily Adult Cast , Curses , Nudity , Fairy , Military , Politics , Disability , Time Skip , Amnesia , Torture , Witch , Elf , Coming of Age , Sadism , Dystopian , Heterosexual , Ensemble Cast , Kaiju , Skeleton , Achronological Order , Cult , Age Regression , Tomboy , Medieval , Adoption , Dungeon , Super Power , Kingdom Management , Slavery , Pregnancy , Prostitution , Cannibalism , Group Sex , Dragons , Incest , Monster Girl , Ships , LGBTQ+ Themes , Vore , Monster Boy , Mermaid , Masturbation , Fellatio

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 two extra chapters.

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

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 one extra chapter.

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

One Punch-Man

Also known as One-Punch Man.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Action , Comedy , Sci-Fi , Supernatural

In this new action-comedy, everything about a young man named Saitama screams "AVERAGE,” from his lifeless expression, to his bald head, to his unimpressive physique. However, this average-looking fellow doesn't have your average problem... He's actually a superhero that's looking for tough opponents! The problem is, every time he finds a promising candidate he beats the snot out of them in one punch. Can Saitama finally find an evil villain strong enough to challenge him? Follow Saitama through his hilarious romps as he searches for new bad guys to challenge!



Tags: Superhero , Super Power , Urban Fantasy , Parody , Surreal Comedy , Kaiju , Satire , Meta , Ensemble Cast , Male Protagonist , Primarily Adult Cast , Slapstick , Gods , Cosmic Horror , Seinen , Philosophy , Urban , Martial Arts , Cyborg , Swordplay , Gore , Aliens , Time Manipulation , Nudity , Tragedy , Guns

Jeonjijeok Dokja Sijeom

Also known as Omniscient Reader.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Action , Adventure , Fantasy

Back then, Dok-Ja had no idea. He had no idea his favorite web novel 'Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse' was going to come to life, and that he would become the only person to know how the world was going to end. He also had no idea he would end up becoming the protagonist of this novel-turned-reality. Now, Dok-Ja will go on a journey to change the course of the story and save humankind once and for all.



Tags: Survival , Post-Apocalyptic , Death Game , Full Color , Meta , Male Protagonist , Gods , Denpa , POV , Time Loop , Tragedy , Philosophy , Astronomy , Found Family , Alternate Universe , Cosmic Horror , Suicide , Primarily Adult Cast , Historical , Battle Royale , Isekai , Religion , Swordplay , Body Horror , Age Regression , Dragons , Parody , Long Strip , Trains , Adoption , Crossover , Demons , Angels , Ensemble Cast , Terrorism , Afterlife , Female Protagonist , Zombie

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: Coming of Age , Ensemble Cast , Politics , Seinen , Achronological Order , Dystopian , Fugitive , Conspiracy , Cult , Found Family , Pandemic , Time Skip , Post-Apocalyptic , Terrorism , Male Protagonist , Detective , Philosophy , Cosmic Horror , Dissociative Identities , Tragedy , Musical Theater , Historical , Female Protagonist , Augmented Reality , Police , Robots , Cute Boys Doing Cute Things , Transgender , Foreign , Rock Music , Time Manipulation , Homeless , Nudity , Twins , Urban , Drugs , 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: Tragedy , Dissociative Identities , Body Horror , Amnesia , Seinen , Philosophy , Shapeshifting , Dystopian , Gore , Urban Fantasy , Conspiracy , Primarily Adult Cast , Police , Rehabilitation , Male Protagonist , Ensemble Cast , Yandere , Heterosexual , Suicide , Kuudere , Cosmic Horror , Meta , LGBTQ+ Themes , Crossdressing , Nudity , Mythology , Transgender , Gender Bending

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

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 , Female Protagonist , Gore , Episodic , Philosophy , Lost Civilization , Rural , Cannibalism , Urban Fantasy , Heterosexual , Suicide , Curses , Bullying , Demons , Unrequited Love , Cult , Yandere

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 , Seinen , Revenge , Dystopian , Body Horror , Gore , Monster Boy , Surreal Comedy , Primarily Adult Cast , Demons , Urban Fantasy , Curses , Time Manipulation , Super Power , Henshin , Gangs , Cosmic Horror , Body Swapping , Nudity , Animals , Anthropomorphism , Zombie , Male Protagonist , Female Protagonist , Cyberpunk , Gender Bending

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: Philosophy , Tragedy , Anthropomorphism , Seinen , Religion , Anti-Hero , Shapeshifting , Cosmic Horror , Body Horror , Post-Apocalyptic , Time Skip , Revenge , War , Amnesia , Agender , Reincarnation , Dissociative Identities , Ensemble Cast , Space , Asexual , Aliens , Swordplay , Robots , LGBTQ+ Themes , Suicide , Politics , Gods , Work , Nudity

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

Jolyne Cujoh—daughter of Jotaro Kujo—is sentenced to 15 years in prison for a murder she didn’t commit! In a bizarre turn of events, the prison is filled with Stand users. Some become her allies, but many are sent to kill Jolyne and her friends in a scheme to resurrect the scourge of the Joestar family—DIO! It’s a battle for survival in a prison where death lurks around every corner while Jolyne fights to save her father’s life.



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

GANTZ

Also known as Gantz.

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

Tokyo teens Kei and Masaru are killed by a subway train but awaken in a room with an ominous black orb that gives them weapons, suits and orders. Fighting bizarre alien monstrosities in a deadly game, will they win their freedom or die for the final time?



Tags: Survival , Seinen , Aliens , Gore , Tragedy , Death Game , Urban , Guns , Cosmic Horror , Philosophy , Battle Royale , Nudity , Heterosexual , Ensemble Cast , Super Power , Terrorism , Vampire , Assassins , Female Harem , Youkai , Dinosaurs , CGI , Age Gap , Anti-Hero , Crime , Clone , Trains

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 three extra 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 , Rescue , Nun , Crossover , Swordplay , Female Harem

Chi no Wadachi

Also known as Blood on the Tracks.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Horror , Psychological

Ordinary middle school student Seiichi Osabe receives love and care from his mother Seiko. Until one summer an incident changes the family dynamic forever. This is a story of a mother’s love that has gone too far….



Tags: Tragedy , Seinen , Family Life , Denpa , Coming of Age , Crime , Suicide , Memory Manipulation , Male Protagonist , Heterosexual , Time Skip , Amnesia , Psychosexual , Bullying , Anti-Hero , Philosophy , School , Police , Nudity , Cosmic Horror , Tomboy , Dissociative Identities , Acting

BLAME!

Also known as BLAME!.

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

In a future version of Earth, there is a city grown so chaotically massive that its inhabitants no longer recall what “land” is. Within this megastructure the silent, stoic Killy is on a mission to find the Net Terminal Gene—a genetic mutation that once allowed humans to access the cybernetic NetSphere. Armed with a powerful Graviton Beam Emitter, Killy fends off waves of attacks from fellow humans, cyborgs and silicon-based lifeforms. Along the way, he encounters a highly-skilled scientist whose body has deteriorated from a lengthy imprisonment who promises to help Killy find the Net Terminal Gene, once she settles a score for herself…



Note: Includes one extra chapter.

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

Gachiakuta

Also known as Gachiakuta.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Action , Drama , Fantasy

A boy lives in a floating town, where the poor scrape by and the rich live a sumptuous life, simply casting their garbage off the side, into the abyss. When he’s falsely accused of murder, though, his wrongful conviction leads to an unimaginable punishment—exile off the edge, with the rest of the trash. Down on the surface, the cast-off waste of humanity has bred vicious monsters, and to travel the path to vengeance against those who cast him into Hell, a boy will have to become a warrior…



Tags: Ensemble Cast , Male Protagonist , Shounen , Revenge , Post-Apocalyptic , Dystopian , Super Power , Class Struggle , Survival , Urban Fantasy , Tragedy , Assassins , Urban , Adoption , Primarily Male Cast , Body Horror , Love Triangle , Gods , Guns , Cosmic Horror

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 , Primarily Adult Cast , Lost Civilization , Seinen , Anti-Hero , Philosophy , Elf , Male Protagonist , Necromancy , Demons , Dragons , Body Horror , Cosmic Horror , Kemonomimi , Episodic , Chimera , Monster Girl , Iyashikei , Alternate Universe , Witch , Succubus , Mermaid , Curses , Tanned Skin