Top Denpa Manga Recommendations

Oyasumi Punpun

Also known as Goodnight Punpun.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Psychological , Slice of Life

Meet Punpun Punyama. He’s an average kid in an average town.
He wants to win a Nobel Prize and save the world.
He wants the girl he has a crush on to like him back.
He wants to find some porn.
That’s what he wants, but what does he get…?



Tags: Coming of Age , Seinen , Tragedy , Philosophy , Denpa , Suicide , Psychosexual , Urban , Male Protagonist , Heterosexual , Time Skip , Anti-Hero , Fugitive , School , Surreal Comedy , Cult , Meta , Work , Nudity , Gods , Body Horror , Love Triangle , Ghost

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 , Full Color , Death Game , Gods , Meta , Male Protagonist , Denpa , Tragedy , Found Family , Astronomy , POV , Time Loop , Cosmic Horror , Suicide , Philosophy , Primarily Adult Cast , Historical , Battle Royale , Isekai , Swordplay , Body Horror , Adoption , Dragons , Age Regression , Parody , Trains , Crossover , Demons , Angels , Afterlife , Terrorism , Female Protagonist , Zombie , Super Robot

[Oshi no Ko]

Also known as [Oshi no Ko].

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

Gorou is a gynecologist and idol fan who’s in shock after his favorite star, Ai, announces an impromptu hiatus. Little does Gorou realize that he’s about to forge a bond with her that defies all common sense! Lies are an idol’s weapon!

Awards: - Nominated for the 14th and 15th Manga Taisho. - Winner of the 7th Next Manga Award in the print category. - Nominated for the 26th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize. - Nominated for the 67th Shogakukan Manga Award in general category. - Nominated for the 46th Kodansha Manga Award.

Tags: Revenge , Idol , Acting , Reincarnation , Tragedy , Female Protagonist , Male Protagonist , Seinen , Twins , Detective , Time Skip , Work , Age Gap , Otaku Culture , Love Triangle , Female Harem , Heterosexual , Anti-Hero , Suicide , Bullying , Educational , Urban Fantasy , Tsundere , Primarily Female Cast , Primarily Teen Cast , Urban , Pregnant , Filmmaking , VTuber , Cosplay , Denpa

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

Koe no Katachi

Also known as A Silent Voice.

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

Based on a one-shot that won the 80th Weekly Shounen Magazine Newbie Best Mangaka Award.

Shouya is a bully. When Shouko, a girl who can't hear, enters his elementary school class, she becomes their favorite target, and Shouya and his friends goad each other into devising new tortures for her. But the children's cruelty goes too far. Shouko is forced to leave the school, and Shouya ends up shouldering all the blame. Six years later, the two meet again. Can Shouya make up for his past mistakes, or is it too late?



Note: Includes 2 extra chapters.

Tags: Rehabilitation , Language Barrier , Coming of Age , Bullying , Disability , Time Skip , Denpa , School , Suicide , Heterosexual , Male Protagonist , Primarily Teen Cast , Female Protagonist , Ensemble Cast , Kuudere , Shounen , Tragedy , Tomboy , Filmmaking

Aku no Hana

Also known as The Flowers of Evil.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Psychological , Romance

The story opens as middle school student Takao Kasuga receives an F on a math test. But he doesn't even seem to notice because he's too engrossed in surreptitiously reading Beaudelaire's The Flowers of Evil. And the day goes downhill from there. In a moment of weakness, he finds and takes home the gym clothes belonging to sweet, pretty Nanako Saeki on whom he has a major crush. Unfortunately for Takao, there's a witness to the theft: Nakamura, who has a huge chip on her shoulder and a sadistic streak.

As the saga unfolds, we see Takao struggling to decide whether to confess or cover up his misdeeds at the same time that he tries to win over the girl of his dreams, and avoid the blackmail attempts of Nakamura, his new ”BFF.”

Smart, funny, and emotionally engaging, The Flowers of Evil introduces a character who's not a hero, but just an ordinary teenager in search of true love and real friendship.



Note: Includes 1 extra chapter.

Tags: Coming of Age , Psychosexual , Philosophy , Denpa , Rehabilitation , Love Triangle , School , Classic Literature , Tragedy , Time Skip , Male Protagonist , Bullying , Sadism , Suicide , Writing , Shounen , Urban , Heterosexual , Blackmail , Female Protagonist , Rural , Nudity , Crossdressing

Homunculus

Also known as Homunculus.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Horror , Mystery , Psychological , Supernatural

Nakoshi Susumu, age 34, is living out of his car. Between spending his days with the homeless and his nights in his vehicle, he has little to his name–but not so little that he’ll agree to be the subject of a scientific experiment. An unnerving medical student is stalking him and offering to pay Nakoshi a significant sum to test trepanation: the ability to draw out a sixth sense by drilling into the skull. Nakoshi refuses. When Nakoshi’s beloved car is towed, though, he finally agrees to cash and the operating table. At first, the experiment seems to bear no fruit, and Nakoshi’s life is unchanged. That is, until Nakoshi realizes his vision has warped in his left eye…showing him the twisted homunculus inside every human.



Tags: Seinen , Philosophy , Male Protagonist , Tragedy , Amnesia , Primarily Adult Cast , Denpa , Anti-Hero , Gore , Homeless , Body Horror , Psychosexual , Transgender , LGBTQ+ Themes , Masturbation , Crossdressing , Heterosexual , Economics , Boys' Love

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

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

Fumetsu no Anata e

Also known as To Your Eternity.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Adventure , Drama , Fantasy , Psychological , Supernatural

A lonely boy wandering the Arctic regions of North America meets a wolf, and the two become fast friends, depending on each other to survive the harsh environment. But the boy has a history, and the wolf is more than meets the eye as well …



Tags: Tragedy , Shapeshifting , Coming of Age , Philosophy , Time Skip , Outdoor , Ensemble Cast , Dissociative Identities , Survival , Urban Fantasy , Ghost , Cosmic Horror , Denpa , Shounen , Agender , Travel , Gore , Yandere , Bullying , Suicide , Age Regression , Male Protagonist , Language Barrier , Animals , LGBTQ+ Themes , Nudity , Urban , Female Protagonist , Boys' Love

Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou

Also known as Girls' Last Tour.

Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Sci-Fi , Slice of Life

Civilization is dead, but Chito and Yuuri are still alive. So they hop aboard their beloved Kettenkrad motorbike and aimlessly wander the ruins of the world they once knew. Day after hopeless day, they look for their next meal and fuel for their ride. But as long as the two are together, even an existence as bleak as theirs has a ray or two of sunshine in it, whether they're sucking down their fill of soup or hunting for machine parts to tinker with. For two girls in a world full of nothing, the experiences and feelings the two share give them something to live for…



Note: Winner of the Best Comic Award at the Seiun Awards in 2019.

Tags: Post-Apocalyptic , Philosophy , Female Protagonist , Tragedy , Lost Civilization , Survival , Iyashikei , Primarily Female Cast , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Seinen , Episodic , Travel , Snowscape , Urban , War , Artificial Intelligence , Tanks , Denpa , Cosmic Horror , Military , Chibi , Aliens

Youkoso Jitsuryoku Shijou Shugi no Kyoushitsu e

Also known as Classroom of the Elite.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Psychological , Slice of Life , 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! Ayanokoji Kiyotaka has landed at the bottom in the scorned Class D, where he meets Horikita Suzune, who’s determined to rise up the ladder to Class A. Can they beat the system in a school where cutthroat competition is the name of the game?



Includes Volumes: 4.5, 7.5, 11.5
Included Chapters: 14 Prologues, 13 Epilogues, 1 Extra

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

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 , Politics , Primarily Female Cast , Military , Time Manipulation , Bisexual , Coming of Age , Denpa , Dystopian , Language Barrier , Philosophy , Tragedy , School , Otaku Culture , Suicide , Anti-Hero , Post-Apocalyptic , Gore , Satire , Cosmic Horror , Yuri , Love Triangle

Shin Seiki Evangelion

Also known as Neon Genesis Evangelion.

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

In 2015, the "Angels" have returned, and Shinji Ikari, a fourteen year-old child of the new Earth, is forced by his father Gendo--commander of the secret organization NERV--to pilot the monstrous biomechanical weapon called "Evangelion" to match the Angels' fearsome power...



Tags: Philosophy , Coming of Age , Kaiju , Tragedy , Military , Body Horror , Primarily Teen Cast , Real Robot , Conspiracy , Male Protagonist , Post-Apocalyptic , Denpa , Cosmic Horror , Robots , Super Robot , Tsundere , Angels , Kuudere , Gore , Memory Manipulation , Cyberpunk , Amnesia , Bisexual , Espionage , Guns , School , Urban , Seinen , Nudity , Space , Age Gap , Tokusatsu , Love Triangle , Boys' Love

Sabishisugite Rezu Fuzoku ni Ikimashita Report

Also known as My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Ecchi , Psychological , Slice of Life

A hugely popular comic on Pixiv, My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness offers readers an honest and heartfelt look at one young woman’s exploration of her sexuality, mental well-being, and growing up in our modern age.



Note: Includes 1 extra chapter.

Tags: Autobiographical , Coming of Age , Non-fiction , Female Protagonist , LGBTQ+ Themes , Rehabilitation , Family Life , Disability , Yuri , POV , Philosophy , Drawing , Psychosexual , Primarily Adult Cast , Primarily Female Cast , Survival , Achronological Order , Urban , Nudity , Full Color , Denpa

Sachi-iro no One Room

Also known as One Room of Happiness.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Psychological , Slice of Life

That day, she was abducted. But to her, that abduction was a ray of hope -- the beginning of a new life. The girl promises to marry her abductor, and the abductor offers plenty of "happiness." This is the story of an abductor and his victim... How could it be so warm?
Note: Chapter count includes one bonus chapter.

Tags: Denpa , Rehabilitation , Female Protagonist , Tragedy , Male Protagonist , Bullying , Crime , Philosophy , Suicide , Detective , Found Family , Yandere , Age Gap , Heterosexual , Homeless , Delinquents , Time Skip , Coastal , Primarily Adult Cast , Crossdressing

Shinai naru Boku e Satsui wo Komete

Also known as My Dearest Self With Malice Aforethought.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Horror , Mystery , Psychological , Slice of Life , Thriller

Eiji the college-age virgin dreams of someday having a girlfriend...until he wakes up one day with his "girlfriend" in his bed with him! Not only that, his buddy tells him he got in a fight...and that three days have passed that Eiji doesn't remember? What dark secrets are being hidden...by Eiji himself?



Note: Includes 1 epilogue chapter.

Tags: Dissociative Identities , Revenge , Crime , Seinen , Amnesia , Police , Denpa , Fugitive , Yandere , Detective , Torture , Male Protagonist , Anti-Hero , Prostitution , Suicide , Gore , Gangs , Adoption , College , Time Skip , Orphan , Tragedy , Nudity , Body Horror , Guns , LGBTQ+ Themes , Transgender

Platinum End

Also known as Platinum End.

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

As his classmates celebrate their middle school graduation, troubled Mirai is mired in darkness. But his battle is just beginning when he receives some salvation from above in the form of an angel. Now Mirai is pitted against 12 other chosen humans in a battle in which the winner becomes the next god of the world. Mirai has an angel in his corner, but he may need to become a devil to survive.



Tags: Gods , Shounen , Angels , Urban , Tragedy , Cosmic Horror , Battle Royale , Survival , Male Protagonist , Superhero , Suicide , Philosophy , Crime , Politics , Religion , Coming of Age , Super Power , Denpa , Memory Manipulation , Heterosexual , Conspiracy , Ensemble Cast , Bullying , Guns , Nudity , Urban Fantasy , Cult , Yandere , Zombie , Ghost , Kuudere , Time Skip , LGBTQ+ Themes , Amnesia

Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai

Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Fantasy , Romance

Katsuragi Keima is known on the net as the god of getting the girls while in real life he’s known as otamegane and he hates all real girls. However he is approached by Elsie, a devil from hell, to help her in catching runaway spirits that hide in people. Apparently the spirits only hide in the hearts of girls and the only way to get the souls out is by making the girl fall in love so the spirit gets forced out. And he’s not allowed to fail or he will lose his head.

Tags: Female Harem , School , Video Games , Primarily Female Cast , Otaku Culture , Male Protagonist , Gods , Demons , Heterosexual , Time Manipulation , Urban Fantasy , Slapstick , Age Regression , Denpa , Shounen , Philosophy , Memory Manipulation , Anti-Hero , Amnesia , Tsundere , Kuudere , Bullying , Dissociative Identities , Love Triangle , Coming of Age , Family Life , Chibi , Crossdressing , Idol , Band , Body Swapping

Shadows House

Also known as Shadows House.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Fantasy , Horror , Mystery , Slice of Life , Supernatural

In the depths of a murky mansion lives a group of enigmatic nobles known as...the Shadow family. With no visible features to speak of, these mysterious aristocrats employ living dolls to act as their “faces.” Kate and Emilico are one such pair of mistress and servant, dwelling in their own little world and learning from each other bit by bit with every new day. But in a house of locked doors, living according to rules from no apparent source—how long can their blissfully peaceful existence truly last...?



Tags: Conspiracy , Female Protagonist , Memory Manipulation , Body Horror , Cosmic Horror , Full Color , Work , Amnesia , Denpa , Tragedy , Found Family , Historical , Magic , Primarily Child Cast , Foreign , Seinen , Maids , Ensemble Cast , Drugs , Twins , Circus , Fairy Tale , Shapeshifting , Politics