Top Curses Manga Recommendations

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.
- Chapter count includes extra chapter.

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

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

ONE PIECE

Also known as One Piece.

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

As a child, Monkey D. Luffy was inspired to become a pirate by listening to the tales of the buccaneer "Red-Haired" Shanks. But his life changed when Luffy accidentally ate the Gum-Gum Devil Fruit and gained the power to stretch like rubber...at the cost of never being able to swim again! Years later, still vowing to become the king of the pirates, Luffy sets out on his adventure...one guy alone in a rowboat, in search of the legendary "One Piece," said to be the greatest treasure in the world...



Tags: Pirates , Travel , Found Family , Shounen , Ensemble Cast , Super Power , Tragedy , Ships , Male Protagonist , Fugitive , Conspiracy , Crime , Military , Politics , Terrorism , War , Slapstick , Time Skip , Gods , Primarily Adult Cast , Post-Apocalyptic , Lost Civilization , Slavery , Anachronism , Cultivation , Large Breasts , Dystopian , Swordplay , Mythology , Environmental , Prison , Religion , Gangs , Animals , Espionage , Anti-Hero , Skeleton , Cyborg , Meta , Anthropomorphism , Primarily Male Cast , Samurai , Henshin , Adoption , Assassins , Robots , Food , Guns , Medicine , Mermaid , Drugs , Amnesia , Dragons , Revenge , Desert , Battle Royale , Kemonomimi , LGBTQ+ Themes , Monster Girl , Oiran , Time Manipulation , Centaur , Ninja , Zombie , Memory Manipulation , Trains , Angels , Transgender , Female Protagonist , Clone , Dinosaurs , Gender Bending , Aliens , Body Swapping , Shapeshifting , Primarily Child Cast , Curses

Dandadan

Also known as Dandadan.

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

Momo Ayase strikes up an unusual friendship with her school’s UFO fanatic, whom she nicknames “Okarun” because he has a name that is not to be said aloud. While Momo believes in spirits, she thinks aliens are nothing but nonsense. Her new friend, meanwhile, thinks the exact opposite. To settle matters, the two set out to prove each other wrong—Momo to a UFO hotspot and Okarun to a haunted tunnel! What unfolds next is a beautiful story of young love…and oddly horny aliens and spirits?



Notes:
- Includes 1 extra chapter.
- Nominated for the 15th Manga Taisho Award in 2022.

Tags: Youkai , Urban Fantasy , Aliens , Super Power , Ghost , Shounen , Female Protagonist , Male Protagonist , Surreal Comedy , Henshin , Tokusatsu , Ensemble Cast , Primarily Teen Cast , Heterosexual , School , Shapeshifting , Body Horror , Love Triangle , Terrorism , Conspiracy , Kaiju , Acrobatics , Gore , Chuunibyou , Super Robot , Tragedy , Cannibalism , Exorcism , Circus , Gods , Tsundere , Nudity , Bullying , Dissociative Identities , Suicide , Curses ,

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

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

Jujutsu Kaisen 0: Tokyo Toritsu Jujutsu Koutou Senmon Gakkou

Also known as Jujutsu Kaisen 0.

Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Supernatural

Yuta Okkotsu is a nervous high school student who is suffering from a serious problem—his childhood friend Rika has turned into a curse and won't leave him alone. Since Rika is no ordinary curse, his plight is noticed by Satoru Gojo, a teacher at Jujutsu High, a school where fledgling exorcists learn how to combat curses. Gojo convinces Yuta to enroll, but can he learn enough in time to confront the curse that haunts him?



Tags: Shounen , Demons , Male Protagonist , School , Tragedy , Urban Fantasy , Magic , Super Power , Ensemble Cast , Mythology , Swordplay , Body Horror , Bullying , Heterosexual , Primarily Teen Cast , Exorcism , Curses , Primarily Male Cast

Made in Abyss

Also known as Made in Abyss.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Adventure , Drama , Fantasy , Horror , Sci-Fi

In an age when the corners of the world have been scoured for their secrets, only one place remains unexplored–a massive cave system known as the Abyss. Those who traverse its endless pits and labyrinth-like tunnels are known as Cave Raiders. A young orphan named Riko dreams of following in her mother’s footsteps as a Cave Raider, and when she meets a strange robot when exploring the Abyss, she’s one step closer to achieving her goal!



Notes:
- Includes the 4-chapter "How Are You? Somewhere" side story.
- Nominated for the 11th Manga Taishou Awards (2018).

Tags: Survival , Tragedy , Primarily Child Cast , Lost Civilization , Travel , Body Horror , Female Protagonist , Wilderness , Chibi , Amnesia , Gore , Philosophy , Seinen , Male Protagonist , Robots , Food , Twins , Monster Girl , Nudity , Curses , Adoption

Mob Psycho 100

Also known as Mob Psycho 100.

Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Comedy , Psychological , Slice of Life , Supernatural

Do you or someone you know need an exorcist who works cheap? Reigen's your guy! What's his secret to busting ghosts while keeping prices low? Well, first, he's a fraud, and second, he pays the guy who's got the real psychic power—his student assistant Shigeo—less than minimum wage. Shigeo is an awkward but kind boy whose urge to help others and get along with them is bound up with the mental safety locks he's placed on his own emotions. Reigen knows he needs to exploit Shigeo to stay in business, yet for better or worse he's also his mentor and counselor. And he also knows whenever the normally repressed kid's emotions reach level 100, it may unleash more psychic energy than either of them can handle!



Note: Includes 12 extra chapters.

Tags: Coming of Age , Philosophy , Super Power , Urban Fantasy , Ghost , Dissociative Identities , Shounen , Male Protagonist , Satire , School , Demons , Primarily Teen Cast , Surreal Comedy , Aliens , Youkai , Parody , School Club , Delinquents , Cult , Body Horror , Curses

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 , Tanned Skin

Totsukuni no Shoujo

Also known as The Girl From the Other Side: Siúil, a Rún.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Fantasy , Mystery

In a world split between the Inside and the Outside, those living in both realms are told never to cross over to the other side, lest they be cursed. A young girl named Shiva lives on the other side, in a vacant village with a demonic guardian known only as “Teacher.” Although the two are forbidden to touch, they seem to share a bond that transcends their disparate appearances. But when Shiva leaves Teacher’s care to seek out her grandmother, the secret behind her mysterious living arrangement comes to light.



Tags: Fairy Tale , Rural , Anthropomorphism , Male Protagonist , Female Protagonist , Demons , Amnesia , Family Life , Pandemic , Philosophy , Adoption , Found Family , Body Horror , Curses , Teacher , Cosmic Horror , Gods , Orphan , Foreign , Tragedy , Religion , Travel , Lost Civilization , Survival , Politics , Eco-Horror , Medicine , Centaur

Ao no Exorcist

Also known as Blue Exorcist.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Action , Supernatural

Raised by Father Fujimoto, a famous exorcist, Rin Okumura never knew his real father. One day a fateful argument with Father Fujimoto forces Rin to face a terrible truth—the blood of the demon lord Satan runs in Rin's veins! Rin swears to defeat Satan, but doing that means entering the mysterious True Cross Academy and becoming an exorcist himself. Can Rin fight demons and keep his infernal bloodline a secret? It won't be easy, especially when drawing his father's sword releases the demonic power within him!



Note: Includes 3 extra chapters.

Tags: Demons , Male Protagonist , Shounen , Conspiracy , Urban Fantasy , Twins , Swordplay , Primarily Teen Cast , Primarily Male Cast , Exorcism , School , Tragedy , Orphan , Religion , Youkai , Clone , Anthropomorphism , Gore , Body Horror , Chimera , Espionage , Curses , Magic , Ensemble Cast , Mythology , Guns , Kemonomimi , Time Manipulation , Heterosexual , Kaiju , Memory Manipulation , Suicide , Zombie , Nudity

D.Gray-man

Also known as D.Gray-man.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Action , Adventure , Fantasy

A born exorcist, Walker's primary anti-akuma weapon is the cross that's embossed on his red, disfigured left hand, which contains Innocence. But not only does Walker destroy akuma, he sees the akuma hiding inside a person's soul! Together with his fellow exorcists fighting under the command of the Black Order, Walker leads the battle against the Millennium Earl, the evil being out to destroy mankind.



Tags: Demons , Amnesia , Tragedy , Super Power , Foreign , Found Family , Dissociative Identities , Male Protagonist , Religion , Cult , Shounen , Adoption , Exorcism , Primarily Male Cast , Circus , Historical , Steampunk , Post-Apocalyptic , Curses

Fruits Basket

Also known as Fruits Basket.

Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Drama , Psychological , Romance , Supernatural

After a family tragedy turns her life upside down, plucky high schooler Tohru Honda takes matters into her own hands and moves out...into a tent! Unfortunately for her, she pitches her new home on private land belonging to the mysterious Sohma clan, and it isn't long before the owners discover her secret. But, as Tohru quickly finds out when the family offers to take her in, the Sohmas have a secret of their own--when touched by the opposite sex, they turn into the animals of the Chinese Zodiac!



Note: Volume 9 includes the bonus chapter "Rain Shelter of Terror".

Tags: Shoujo , Animals , Mythology , Ensemble Cast , Tragedy , Philosophy , Shapeshifting , Heterosexual , Reincarnation , Rehabilitation , Primarily Male Cast , School , Female Protagonist , Found Family , Urban Fantasy , Family Life , Tsundere , Age Gap , Coming of Age , Primarily Teen Cast , Love Triangle , Memory Manipulation , Disability , Unrequited Love , Estranged Family , Youkai , Orphan , Crossdressing , Incest , Curses , Henshin , Delinquents , Revenge , Dissociative Identities , Teacher , Marriage , Cohabitation , Transgender

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 , Suicide , Philosophy , LGBTQ+ Themes , Ensemble Cast , Alternate Universe , Time Manipulation , Amnesia , Anachronism , Detective , Assassins , Urban Fantasy , Curses , Acting

Hikaru ga Shinda Natsu

Also known as The Summer Hikaru Died.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Horror , Mystery , Psychological , Supernatural , Thriller

Two boys lived in a village: Yoshiki and Hikaru. The two did everything together...until the day Hikaru was encompassed by a mysterious light. That was when everything changed—Hikaru most of all. Yoshiki still wishes from the bottom of his heart to always stay by his side...but is there even a Hikaru left to be with?

Tags: Monster Boy , Male Protagonist , Rural , Seinen , Cosmic Horror , Body Horror , Tragedy , Primarily Teen Cast , Boys' Love , Gods , LGBTQ+ Themes , Unrequited Love , Curses , Mountaineering , Eco-Horror

Undead Unluck

Also known as Undead Unluck.

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

As an UNLUCKY girl prepares to face her death, an UNDEAD who desperately wants to die appears before her! Vicious, violent and buck naked! An unprecedented picaresque hero appears in Shonen Jump!

Winner of Tsugimanga 2020 Award in the Manga Category.

Tags: Super Power , Shounen , Tragedy , Female Protagonist , Primarily Adult Cast , Urban Fantasy , Time Manipulation , Kaiju , Heterosexual , Dissociative Identities , Male Protagonist , Gore , Time Skip , Martial Arts , Ensemble Cast , Zombie , Cosmic Horror , Nudity , Memory Manipulation , Post-Apocalyptic , War , Meta , Aliens , Body Horror , Real Robot , Swordplay , Idol , Time Loop , Curses , Boxing

Kamisama Hajimemashita

Also known as Kamisama Kiss.

Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Fantasy , Romance , Supernatural

Nanami Momozono is alone and homeless after her dad skips town to evade his gambling debts and the debt collectors kick her out of her apartment. So when a man she's just saved from a dog offers her his home, she jumps at the opportunity. But it turns out that his place is a shrine, and Nanami has unwittingly taken over his job as a local deity!

Nanami has all kinda of new responsibilities she doesn't understand, dangers she's unaware of, and a cranky ex-familiar who's...actually pretty hot. What's a new-fledged godling to do?



Tags: Shoujo , Female Protagonist , Kemonomimi , Demons , Coming of Age , Youkai , Gods , Urban Fantasy , Monster Boy , Found Family , School , Yandere , Time Manipulation , Amnesia , Historical , Love Triangle , Heterosexual , Male Harem , Age Regression , Idol , Afterlife , Marriage , Curses , Cohabitation

xxxHolic

Also known as xxxHOLiC.

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

Kimihiro Watanuki is haunted by visions of ghosts and spirits. He seeks help from a mysterious woman named Yuko, who claims she can help. However, Watanuki must work for Yuko in order to pay for her aid. Soon Watanuki finds himself employed in Yuko’s shop where he sees things and meets customers that are stranger than anything he could have ever imagined.



Notes:
- The series was re-named to xxxHolic•Rou on chapter title pages of chapter 186 and on, but not on their volume's front covers, spines and indicia.
- The chapter count contains a one-shot published in May 2010 to commemorate the switch, which was later collected into Volume 18.
- The chapter count also reflects the magazine releases; the chapters plus the one-shot were re-arranged into 109 chapters across 19 volumes.

Tags: Magic , Youkai , Mythology , Ghost , Crossover , Seinen , Clone , Male Protagonist , Curses , Witch , Philosophy , Time Manipulation , Urban Fantasy , Episodic , Denpa , Memory Manipulation , Tragedy , School , Heterosexual