Top Eco-Horror Manga Recommendations

Jigokuraku

Also known as Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku.

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

Gabimaru the Hollow is one of the most vicious assassins ever to come out of the ninja village of Iwagakure. He’s ruthlessly efficient, but a betrayal results in him being handed a death sentence. He has only one hope—in order to earn his freedom, he must travel to a long-hidden island and recover an elixir that will make the shogun immortal. Failure is not an option. On this island, heaven and hell are just a hair’s breadth away.



Tags: Survival , Samurai , Philosophy , Mythology , Ninja , Ensemble Cast , Anti-Hero , Gore , Tragedy , Historical , Gods , Primarily Adult Cast , Male Protagonist , Eco-Horror , Swordplay , Battle Royale , Body Horror , Gender Bending , Shounen , Nudity , Arranged Marriage , Heterosexual , Super Power , Travel , Amnesia , LGBTQ+ Themes , Crime , Yandere

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 , Tragedy , Orphan , Foreign , Religion , Travel , Lost Civilization , Survival , Politics , Eco-Horror , Medicine , Centaur

Mushishi

Also known as Mushishi.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Fantasy , Mystery , Slice of Life , Supernatural

Some live in the deep darkness behind your eyelids. Some eat silence. Some thoughtlessly kill. Some simply drive men mad. They are known as mushi—creatures that came into being shortly after life emerged from the primordial ooze. They still exist parallel to our own lives and can only be seen by a select few. As a mushishi, Ginko is one of the few who are aware of their existence, and this young man with a sardonic smile roams from place to place with the knowledge and skill to aid those unwittingly affected by mushi.



Note: Won the Excellence Prize for Manga at the 7th Japan Media Arts Festival in 2003 and the Kodansha Manga Award for General Manga in 2006.

Tags: Travel , Episodic , Environmental , Youkai , Seinen , Mythology , Rural , Eco-Horror , Iyashikei , Philosophy , Male Protagonist , Tragedy , Urban Fantasy , Historical , Work , Demons

Kaze no Tani no Nausicaä

Also known as Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.

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

Humanity, in its hubris, has precipitated a devastating environmental disaster. Flourishing industrial civilizations have been swallowed up by the Sea of Corruption, an enormous forest of fungi releases a miasma of poisonous spores into the air. Nausicaa, a compassionate young princess, and her allies battle to heal a wounded world and its inhabitants...



Note: Won the 26th Seiun Award for Best Comic (1995).

Tags: Environmental , Post-Apocalyptic , Lost Civilization , War , Philosophy , Survival , Female Protagonist , Military , Aviation , Cult , Eco-Horror , Dystopian , Politics , Religion , Kaiju , Anachronism , Tanks , Ghost , Magic , Slavery , Tragedy , Travel , Calligraphy

Jigokusei Remina

Also known as Remina.

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

An unknown planet emerges from inside a wormhole, and its discoverer, Dr. Oguro, christens the body “Remina” after his own daughter. His finding is met with great fanfare, and Remina herself rises to fame. However, the object picks up speed as it moves along in its curious course, eliminating planets and stars one after another, until finally Earth itself faces extinction… Is the girl Remina the true cause of the catastrophe? A masterwork of horror from Junji Ito, unfolding on a universal scale.



Note: Includes the one-shot Okumanbocchi

Tags: Female Protagonist , Cosmic Horror , Tragedy , Space , Cult , Seinen , Body Horror , Aliens , Eco-Horror , Post-Apocalyptic , Yandere , Male Harem , Hikikomori , Primarily Adult Cast

Trigun Maximum

Also known as Trigun Maximum.

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

Much of the damage attributed to "Vash" is caused by the activities of bounty hunters who are after the 60,000,000,000$$ (sixty billion "double dollars") reward on Vash's head for the destruction of a city called July. Vash does not clearly remember the destruction of July, and only wants "love and peace", as he puts it; though he is a gunfighter of inhuman skill, he uses his weapons only to save lives wherever he can.

As the series progresses, more is gradually learned about Vash's mysterious history and the history of the human civilization on Gunsmoke, the desert planet the series is set on. The series is often humorous in tone, but at the same time it involves very serious character development and especially in later episodes it becomes quite emotionally intense. Vash is occasionally joined by a priest, Nicholas D. Wolfwood, who is almost as good a gunfighter as Vash himself, and later is targeted by a band of assassins known as the Gung-Ho Guns for reasons which are mysterious at first.

Trigun evolves into a very serious discussion of the nature of morality, posing questions such as: What is the nature of morality? Can we judge different moral codes? If a person is forced to betray their moral code, does that betrayal invalidate that moral code, and can the person still try to live up to that moral code? Can the person find redemption from their wrongs, and if so, how?



Originally serialized in 102 chapters, condensed then to 96 in the tankoubon release. Vol.8 contains 2 extra chapters: “FREED BIRD”; Young King Ours 1999-09, 10.

Tags: Dystopian , Guns , Steampunk , Male Protagonist , Aliens , Seinen , Post-Apocalyptic , Twins , Assassins , Cosmic Horror , Religion , Philosophy , Super Power , Body Horror , Desert , Primarily Adult Cast , Crime , Gore , Environmental , Tragedy , Space , Transgender , Dissociative Identities , Eco-Horror

7SEEDS

Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Drama , Horror , Mystery , Psychological , Romance , Sci-Fi

Scientists had predicted this disaster, and in response, the leaders of every country met to develop a plan for human survival before the meteor hit. The Seven Seeds project was developed out of this meeting. Each country froze a number of young healthy people, which allowed them to survive the meteor. After the computer determined that Earth was once again safe for human life, it released them into the world.

The Japanese government created five groups of survivors: Winter group, Spring group, Summer group A, Summer group B, and Fall group. Each group consisted of seven members and one guide. The guide carried small tubes of poison on their necks to allow them to end their lives if their situation became unbearable. The Japanese government prepared seven "Fuji" as refuges for the groups. In each Fuji, the group would find seeds and numerous books instructing them on survival in the wilderness.

Notes:
- Winner of the 52th Shogakukan Manga Award in the shoujo category in 2006.

Tags: Ensemble Cast , Female Protagonist , Survival , Josei , Post-Apocalyptic , Time Skip , Anti-Hero , Tragedy , Primarily Teen Cast , Travel , Wilderness , Heterosexual , Outdoor Activities , Coming of Age , Orphan , Lost Civilization , Guns , Gore , Love Triangle , Mountaineering , Robots , Natural Disaster , Eco-Horror , Shrine Maiden , Desert , Nudity , Baseball , Aviation , Suicide , Tsundere , Achronological Order , Revenge ,

Dragon Head

Also known as Dragon Head.

Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Horror , Mystery , Psychological , Sci-Fi , Thriller

In the horror of witnessing so many classmates perish before his eyes in a violent train wreck, Teru discovers two survivors in the tunnel: Ako and Nobuo. But salvation from this bloody carnage is far from their grasp. As they try to dig out from the wreck in order to come up with a plan to stay alive, the lack of light and food, combined with the stench of death and decay, will lead one member of the group down a dark and demented path. And with sudden, violent earthquakes shaking the tunnel, escaping to the outside world may lead them to an even greater danger...



Note: Won the 21st Kodansha Manga Award for general manga in 1997.

Tags: Survival , Tragedy , Seinen , Post-Apocalyptic , Trains , Drugs , Bullying , Natural Disaster , Guns , Eco-Horror , Female Protagonist , Conspiracy , Cosmic Horror , Cult

Usuzumi no Hate

Also known as The Color of the End: Mission in the Apocalypse.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Mystery , Sci-Fi

A girl walks alone in a world without humans. Her mission—to search for survivors and cleanse the land. But is anyone still out there in the lonely, beautiful ruins, waiting to be found?

Tags: Post-Apocalyptic , Female Protagonist , Seinen , Urban , Artificial Intelligence , Tragedy , Philosophy , Body Horror , Iyashikei , Travel , Lost Civilization , Robots , Survival , Eco-Horror , Aliens , Guns

Fool Night

Also known as Fool Night.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Drama , Psychological , Sci-Fi , Thriller

In a distant future where the sun no longer shines, Toshiro Kamiya gives up his body to a sinister floral metamorphosis for a payday.

The earth of the distant future is covered in thick clouds, and the sun no longer shines. Plants wither, and oxygen is thin. To fight extinction, humankind has developed a technology that turns humans into plants, providing a small amount of oxygen. Is this process sustainable? Is it ethical? Toshiro Kamiya must consider these questions as he’s faced with a difficult choice—save his family or save himself.

Kamiya is at the end of his rope. His mother is ill, and his job barely pays for her medication, much less food. With few options left, he considers the life-changing process of floromorphosis. Ready to give his body up for a payday, Kamiya is about to explore the limits of society’s waning humanity.



Tags: Eco-Horror , Seinen , Post-Apocalyptic , Dystopian , Male Protagonist , Tragedy , Class Struggle , Primarily Adult Cast , Body Horror , Urban , Female Protagonist , Espionage , Work , Cult

Versus

Also known as Versus.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Action , Adventure , Fantasy

Centuries ago, humanity’s natural enemy, “Demons,” invaded the world and oppressed humankind. The Great Demon Lord and 47 subordinates known as Demon Lords have since dominated the world, while the human race lives on in fear. In desperation, a last-ditch effort for humanity’s very survival is placed in the hands of 47 people gathered from across the world. These heroes will oppose the demon army and win back humanity’s freedom…or die trying!



Tags: Isekai , Alternate Universe , Demons , Survival , Male Protagonist , Shounen , Magic , Robots , Artificial Intelligence , Aliens , Post-Apocalyptic , Cosmic Horror , Military , Kaiju , Eco-Horror , Tragedy , Primarily Adult Cast , Gods

Wild Strawberry

Also known as Wild Strawberry.

Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Fantasy

Plants have evolved. They can now feed on humans and become terrible monsters known as Jinka. Kingo and Kayano do their best to survive in a Tokyo overrun by plants, but when Kayano becomes a Jinka, Kingo will do anything he can to get her back!



Tags: Eco-Horror , Post-Apocalyptic , Dystopian , Gore , Conspiracy , Urban , Body Horror , Shounen , Urban Fantasy , Shapeshifting , Monster Girl , Male Protagonist , Dissociative Identities , Tragedy , Primarily Male Cast , Gyaru

Bakemono Yawa-zukushi

Also known as Phantom Tales of the Night.

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

Welcome to the Thundercloud Inn, a curious establishment that opens its doors to the troubled masses, human or otherwise. But to pay for the stay, the equally curious innkeeper takes payment only in the form of one's deepest secrets…Who will come calling today?



Tags: Shoujo , Ghost , Youkai , Urban Fantasy , Shapeshifting , Anthropomorphism , Male Protagonist , Episodic , Ensemble Cast , Body Horror , Mythology , Gender Bending , Inn , Eco-Horror , Cannibalism

GREEN WORLDZ

Also known as GREEN WORLDZ.

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

Tokyo, 20XX. An era of intense greenification efforts meant to halt the effects of global warming. Akira has come to Tokyo to visit a girl named Yui, but finds himself trapped inside the subway after a sudden power outage... When he finally reaches the surface, he sees the unimaginable: giant plants attacking humans...



Tags: Post-Apocalyptic , Survival , Time Manipulation , Gore , Environmental , Body Horror , Eco-Horror

Getter Robo

Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Drama , Fantasy , Horror , Mecha

The first Getter Robo series chronologically. Published 15 years before the rest of the manga, Getter Robo pioneered the idea of the combining and transforming robot.

Millions of years ago, the dinosaurs were driven deep underground due to the sudden arrival of "Getter Rays" on Earth. After evolving into sentient beings, they grew bitter and vengeful at the humans who replaced them on the surface and began plotting their attack on humanity.

Fighting against them is Getter Robo, a machine built by Professor Saotome which uses the mysterious Getter Rays as its power source. Piloting it are three strong-willed young men - the violent martial artist Nagare Ryoma, the psychopathic yet highly intelligent revolutionary Jin Hayato, and the hot-blooded Judo master Tomoe Musashi. Each controls one of three specially designed combat jets which can be combined together in different forms to form three different kinds of giant robots: the flying, axe-wielding Getter-1, the quick, drill-wielding Getter-2, and the tough, tank-like Getter-3.

Tags: Super Robot , Kaiju , Dinosaurs , Body Horror , Amnesia , Gore , Shounen , Martial Arts , Demons , Delinquents , Male Protagonist , Episodic , Eco-Horror , Guns , Natural Disaster , Heterosexual , War , Space Opera

Fourteen

Status: Finished
Genres: Horror , Sci-Fi

A SF/horror manga that takes place in 2200. At a chicken manufacturing company, a certain chicken transforms into a supermutant named Chicken George. And so, a nightmarish journey through a twisted version of the future unfolds.

Tags: Environmental , Animals , Dystopian , Body Horror , Gore , Cosmic Horror , Seinen , Anti-Hero , Foreign , Eco-Horror , Aliens , Ensemble Cast , Conspiracy , Clone , Space

Darwin Jihen

Also known as The Darwin Incident.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Sci-Fi

Created in a biological science lab, Charlie is a half human, half chimpanzee hybrid known as a "Humanzee". Raised by his adoptive human parents, Charlie is now 15 and starting high school. There he meets Lucy, a clever loner who becomes his first-ever friend. But his “normal” life is shattered when the animal rights extremists who freed his mother from the lab fifteen years ago reemerge as terrorists bent on kidnapping Charlie at all costs.



Note: Winner of the 15th annual Manga Taisho Award in 2022.

Tags: Environmental , Philosophy , Anthropomorphism , Terrorism , Seinen , Foreign , Heterosexual , Criminal Organization , Male Protagonist , Primarily Adult Cast , Adoption , Eco-Horror , Animals , School , Tragedy

Dear Anemone

Also known as Dear Anemone.

Status: Finished
Genres: Horror , Supernatural , Thriller

When Gaku lands on the Galapagos Islands, a paradise is the last thing he'll be experiencing. With creatures undergoing horrific evolutions, only one rule still stands--the survival of the fittest!



Tags: Chimera , Survival , Male Protagonist , Body Horror , Environmental , Military , Shounen , Gore , Shapeshifting , Foreign , Eco-Horror , Anthropomorphism , Primarily Male Cast , Animals

Xiao Mogu

Also known as Little Mushroom.

Status: Hiatus
Genres: Drama , Romance , Sci-Fi

Decades have passed since the Earth's magnetic poles disappeared, changing the balance forever. As the last remnants of humanity huddle in their bases, the remaining lifeforms have mutated into so-called xenogens and taken over the outside world.

In the midst of this war for life or death, a sentient mushroom lived his little life in the forest. That is, until humans came and took something precious from him — his spore. With his life's purpose gone, the young xenogen is ready to risk his life to reclaim it. So, donning a dead boy's face and calling himself An Zhe, the little mushroom makes an attempt to infiltrate a human base.

To get inside, he must first get past the Supreme Judge Lu Feng, whose job it is to detect and kill any mutants who try to sneak through the gate. It is said that nothing can escape his cold sight, which is now locked on An Zhe...



Note: Silver Award winner at the 12th Chinese Nebula Awards for Chinese Science Fiction.

Tags: Anthropomorphism , Post-Apocalyptic , Shapeshifting , Dystopian , Boys' Love , Pandemic , Male Protagonist , Long Strip , Full Color , Military , Eco-Horror , Environmental , Guns , Tragedy , Body Horror , Cosmic Horror , Denpa , Fugitive

Kakugo no Susume

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

Kakugo and Harara are two siblings who have been trained to fight demons, monsters, and other creatures that are now roaming about in the post-apocalyptic 21st century. Along with their superior fighting techniques and specialized skills, they were also given special suits called Zero armor, which were made from the souls of dead warriors. Unfortunately Harara succumbs to evil within the Zero armor, and Kakugo is the only human alive that has the skills and equipment to defeat his sibling.

Tags: Post-Apocalyptic , Superhero , Henshin , Gore , Tokusatsu , Survival , Dystopian , Nudity , Cultivation , Super Power , Body Horror , Eco-Horror , Shounen , Bisexual , Monster Girl , School , LGBTQ+ Themes , Zombie , Youkai , Urban Fantasy , Heterosexual , Body Swapping , Samurai , Gods , Succubus