Top Foreign Manga Recommendations

Na Honjaman Level Up

Also known as Solo Leveling.

Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Fantasy

In a world where awakened beings called “Hunters” must battle deadly monsters to protect humanity, Sung Jinwoo, nicknamed “the weakest hunter of all mankind,” finds himself in a constant struggle for survival. One day, after a brutal encounter in an overpowered dungeon wipes out his party and threatens to end his life, a mysterious System chooses him as its sole player: Jinwoo has been granted the rare opportunity to level up his abilities, possibly beyond any known limits. Follow Jinwoo’s journey as he takes on ever-stronger enemies, both human and monster, to discover the secrets deep within the dungeons and the ultimate extent of his powers.



Note: Chapter count includes a prologue and 21 side stories.

Tags: Dungeon , War , Male Protagonist , Super Power , Full Color , Magic , Necromancy , Urban Fantasy , Gods , Primarily Adult Cast , Politics , Post-Apocalyptic , Demons , Tragedy , Video Games , Foreign , Memory Manipulation , Anti-Hero , Time Manipulation , Bullying , Estranged Family , Age Regression , Assassins , Chimera , Heterosexual , Time Skip , Language Barrier

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

SPY×FAMILY

Also known as SPY x FAMILY.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Action , Comedy , Slice of Life , Supernatural

The master spy codenamed <Twilight> has spent his days on undercover missions, all for the dream of a better world. But one day, he receives a particularly difficult new order from command. For his mission, he must form a temporary family and start a new life?! A Spy/Action/Comedy about a one-of-a-kind family!



Notes:
- Includes 2 "Extra Missions" and 11 “Short Missions”.
- Nominated for the 24th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 2020.
- Nominated for the 13th and 14th Manga Taisho Award in 2020 and 2021.
- Nominated for the 44th Kodansha Manga Award in the Shounen Category in 2020.

Tags: Family Life , Espionage , Found Family , Surreal Comedy , War , Assassins , Female Protagonist , Adoption , Male Protagonist , Work , School , Shounen , Politics , Heterosexual , Ensemble Cast , Super Power , Slapstick , Orphan , Marriage , Guns , Terrorism , Parody , Episodic , Foreign , Fake Relationship , Iyashikei , Satire , Urban , Parenthood , Anachronism , Historical , Tsundere , Hikikomori , Gore

Vinland Saga

Also known as Vinland Saga.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Action , Adventure , Drama

As a child, Thorfinn sat at the feet of the great Leif Ericson and thrilled to wild tales of a land far to the west. But his youthful fantasies were shattered by a mercenary raid. Raised by the Vikings who murdered his father, Thorfinn became a terrifying warrior, forever seeking to kill the band's leader, Askeladd, and avenge his father. Sustaining Thorfinn through his ordeal are his pride in his family and his dreams of a fertile westward land, a land without war or slavery … the land Leif called Vinland.



Notes:
- Won the Grand Prize at the Japan Media Arts Festival in 2009.
- Winner of the 36th Kodansha Manga Award in the General category in 2012.

Tags: Historical , Coming of Age , Vikings , Rehabilitation , Foreign , Male Protagonist , Philosophy , Seinen , War , Revenge , Tragedy , Primarily Adult Cast , Primarily Male Cast , Parenthood , Adoption , Travel , Slavery , Found Family , Time Skip , Politics , Gore , Swordplay , Ships , Anti-Hero , Rural , Pirates , Agriculture , Environmental , Language Barrier , Heterosexual , Nudity , Achronological Order , Archery , Tomboy , LGBTQ+ Themes , Transgender

Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai: Tensaitachi no Renai Zunousen

Also known as Kaguya-sama: Love is War.

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

As leaders of their prestigious academy’s student council, Kaguya and Miyuki are the elite of the elite! But it’s lonely at the top… Luckily for them, they’ve fallen in love! There’s just one problem—they both have too much pride to admit it. And so begins the daily scheming to get the object of their affection to confess their romantic feelings first… Love is a war you win by losing.



Notes:
- The first 10 chapters were published in Monthly Miracle Jump. It switched to Weekly Young Jump starting with Ch. 11, with the chapter count being reset. This entry still includes the first 10 chapters from Miracle Jump.
- Winner of the 65th Shogakukan Manga Award for "Best General Manga" category in 2019.

Tags: Heterosexual , School , Tsundere , Female Protagonist , School Club , Ojou-sama , Primarily Teen Cast , Ensemble Cast , Coming of Age , Slapstick , Seinen , Male Protagonist , Parody , Meta , Episodic , Love Triangle , Politics , LGBTQ+ Themes , Philosophy , Bullying , VTuber , Conspiracy , Crossdressing , Foreign

Blue Lock

Also known as Blue Lock.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Action , Drama , Sports

After a disastrous defeat at the 2018 World Cup, Japan's team struggles to regroup. But what's missing? An absolute Ace Striker, who can guide them to the win. The Japan Football Union is hell-bent on creating a striker who hungers for goals and thirsts for victory, and who can be the decisive instrument in turning around a losing match...and to do so, they've gathered 300 of Japan's best and brightest youth players. Who will emerge to lead the team...and will they be able to out-muscle and out-ego everyone who stands in their way?



Note: Winner of the 45th Kodansha Manga Award in the Shounen Category in 2021.

Tags: Football , Battle Royale , Male Protagonist , Athletics , Primarily Male Cast , Primarily Teen Cast , Shounen , Ensemble Cast , Fitness , Foreign , Language Barrier , Bisexual , Augmented Reality , Tragedy , Suicide , LGBTQ+ Themes

MONSTER

Also known as Monster.

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

Everyone faces uncertainty at some point in their lives. Even a brilliant surgeon like Kenzo Tenma is no exception. But there’s no way he could have known that his decision to stop chasing professional success and instead concentrate on his oath to save peoples’ lives would result in the birth of an abomination. The questions of good and evil now take on a terrifyingly real dimension.

Years later, in Germany during the tumultuous post-reunification period, middle-aged childless couples are being killed one after another. The serial killer’s identity is known. The reasons why he kills are not. Dr. Tenma sets out on a journey to find the killer’s twin sister, who may hold some clues to solving the enigma of the “Monster.”



Tags: Seinen , Conspiracy , Tragedy , Philosophy , Twins , Amnesia , Fugitive , Noir , Foreign , Male Protagonist , Memory Manipulation , Primarily Adult Cast , Historical , Detective , Ensemble Cast , Police , Medicine , Time Skip , Crossdressing , Suicide , Achronological Order , Adoption , Assassins , Torture , Gore

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: Politics , Coming of Age , Ensemble Cast , Seinen , Fugitive , Dystopian , Achronological Order , Conspiracy , Cult , Time Skip , Post-Apocalyptic , Pandemic , Terrorism , Found Family , Male Protagonist , Detective , Musical Theater , Philosophy , Cosmic Horror , Female Protagonist , Historical , Tragedy , Augmented Reality , Police , Robots , Cute Boys Doing Cute Things , Transgender , Nudity , Foreign , Time Manipulation , Homeless , Twins , Dissociative Identities , Crossdressing

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 , Cowboys , Male Protagonist , Super Power , Seinen , Conspiracy , Primarily Adult Cast , Disability , Foreign , Tragedy , Alternate Universe , Environmental , Philosophy , Ensemble Cast , Historical , Terrorism , Nun , Primarily Male Cast , Gore , Outdoor , Crossdressing , Guns , Coming of Age , Desert , Body Horror , Espionage , Trains , Acting , Dinosaurs , Time Manipulation , Delinquents , Gambling , 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

The story of Joutarou Kuujou's (Part 3) daughter, Jolyne Kuujou. She is framed for a murder and ends up in the Green Dolphin Street Prison. She is given an amulet inherited from her father, which cuts her hand and unlocks her Stand ability, Stone Free, which allows her to unravel her body into living string. The string can form a humanoid Stand within 2 meters of her body, and can extend further as string. In the prison, she soon becomes uneasy allies with fellow convicts and Stand users Hermes (Kiss) and Foo Fighters.

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

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: Tragedy , Philosophy , Seinen , Anthropomorphism , Religion , Coming of Age , Anti-Hero , Body Horror , Shapeshifting , Cosmic Horror , Post-Apocalyptic , Revenge , Time Skip , Agender , Reincarnation , Dissociative Identities , Memory Manipulation , Ensemble Cast , Space , Politics , Aliens , Asexual , Swordplay , Amnesia , LGBTQ+ Themes , Heterosexual , School , Suicide , Robots , Foreign , Gods , Gender Bending , Nudity

Kingdom

Status: Releasing
Genres: Action , Drama

Millions of years have passed since the times of legends, when the worlds of man and gods were still the same. In these times it was the desires of man that moved the world. It is the period of the 500 year war: the Era of Warring States. Kingdom is the story of a young boy who grew into a great general and all the trials and bloodshed that led him there.

Tags: Military , Historical , War , Politics , Royal Affairs , Male Protagonist , Ancient China , Seinen , Swordplay , Coming of Age , Tragedy , Foreign , Heterosexual , Gore , Primarily Male Cast , Fugitive , Conspiracy , Body Horror , Assassins , Spearplay , Time Skip , Torture , Archery , Ensemble Cast , Crossdressing , Magic

Soul Eater

Also known as Soul Eater.

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

Maka is a scythe meister, working to perfect one particular scythe until it is good enough to become Death's Weapon -- the weapon used by Shinigami-sama, the spirit of Death himself. As if that wasn't unusual enough, her scythe is a demon scythe called Soul Eater, which can change form from a scythe to a human-looking boy. In order to make Soul Eater powerful enough to be Death's Weapon, he must eat the souls of 99 humans and 1 witch. Along the way, the two of them face many different challenges, including a cat witch named Blair (who happens to have a thing for Soul) and a teacher who's been turned into a zombie (and wants him to join her!). Her fellow students, like the shadow ninja weapon meister named Black Star who always needs to be the center of attention, aren't much help, either. It'll be a miracle if Maka even survives, let alone manages to make Soul Eater into the Death Scythe.



Note: Includes the 3-chapter prologue and 1 extra chapter.

Tags: Ensemble Cast , Henshin , Magic , Guns , Shounen , Super Power , Female Protagonist , Male Protagonist , Witch , School , Swordplay , Twins , Gods , Foreign , Travel , Agender , Nudity , Gender Bending , Alternate Universe , Zombie

Tongari Boushi no Atelier

Also known as Witch Hat Atelier.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Adventure , Drama , Fantasy

In a world where everyone takes wonders like magic spells and dragons for granted, Coco is a girl with a simple dream: she wants to be a witch. But everybody knows magicians are born, not made, and Coco was not born with a gift for magic. Resigned to her un-magical life, Coco is about to give up on her dream to become a witch … until the day she meets Qifrey, a mysterious, traveling magician. After secretly seeing Qifrey perform magic in a way she’s never seen before, Coco soon learns what everybody “knows” might not be the truth, and discovers that her magical dream may not be as far away as it may seem...



Notes:
- Nominated for the 11th Manga Taishou Award in 2018.
- Won the Daruma d'Or at Japan Expo in 2019.
- Won Best U.S. Edition of International Material - Asia at the Eisner Awards in 2020.
- Won the Best Manga Award at the Harvey Awards in 2020.

Tags: Witch , Magic , Memory Manipulation , Female Protagonist , Teacher , Drawing , Revenge , Coming of Age , Ensemble Cast , Primarily Female Cast , School , Primarily Child Cast , Conspiracy , Tragedy , Politics , Disability , Philosophy , Seinen , Spearplay , Rehabilitation , Foreign , Amnesia , Travel , LGBTQ+ Themes , Iyashikei , Boys' Love , Found Family

Kokou no Hito

Also known as The Climber.

Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Drama , Psychological , Sports

On his first day of transferring to a new high school, a loner named Mori Buntarou, is cajoled by a classmate into climbing the school building. Despite knowing that one misstep could send him spiraling to his death, he moves forward, and upon finally reaching the top, Mori experiences a sense of fulfillment. That feeling, which seems to be telling him, "You're alive!" gives birth to an adrenaline for rock-climbing.

Tags: Outdoor , Coming of Age , Seinen , Travel , Tragedy , Male Protagonist , Mountaineering , Primarily Adult Cast , Primarily Male Cast , Survival , Hikikomori , Time Skip , Fitness , Anti-Hero , Suicide , Nudity , Delinquents , School , Dissociative Identities , Foreign , School Club

God of High School

Also known as The God of High School.

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

Mori Jin is a high school student and Taekwondo specialist who enters "The God of High School," a fighting tournament that promises the winner anything they want. What began as a competition to seek out the best high school fighter soon reveals itself to be part of a much greater plot that goes beyond Mori's wildest imagination. What will he give to become a true god?



Tags: Martial Arts , Super Power , Gods , Full Color , Mythology , War , Ensemble Cast , Amnesia , Revenge , Urban Fantasy , Conspiracy , Cult , Time Skip , Male Protagonist , Tragedy , Demons , Swordplay , Post-Apocalyptic , Cultivation , Politics , Dragons , Isekai , Age Regression , Terrorism , Athletics , School , Kemonomimi , Espionage , Religion , Foreign , Space , Heterosexual , Centaur

Akatsuki no Yona

Also known as Yona of the Dawn.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Action , Adventure , Drama , Fantasy , Romance

Yona reels from the shock of witnessing a loved one’s murder and having to fight for her life. With Hak’s help, she flees the palace and struggles to survive while evading her enemy’s forces. But where will this displaced princess go when all the paths before her are uncertain?



Tags: Travel , Female Protagonist , Shoujo , Historical , Found Family , Dragons , Politics , Fugitive , Gods , Mythology , Reincarnation , War , Tragedy , Royal Affairs , Foreign , Primarily Male Cast , Coming of Age , Heterosexual , Archery , Super Power , Male Harem , Kuudere , Drugs , Orphan , Pirates , Survival

PLUTO

Also known as Pluto.

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

In an ideal world where man and robots coexist, someone or something has destroyed the powerful Swiss robot Mont Blanc. Elsewhere a key figure in a robot rights group is murdered. The two incidents appear to be unrelated...except for one very conspicuous clue - the bodies of both victims have been fashioned into some sort of bizarre collage complete with makeshift horns placed by the victims' heads. Interpol assigns robot detective Gesicht to this most strange and complex case - and he eventually discovers that he too, as one of the seven great robots of the world, is one of the targets.



Tags: Seinen , Robots , Artificial Intelligence , Detective , Police , Tragedy , Urban Fantasy , Philosophy , Politics , Foreign , Anti-Hero , Memory Manipulation , Real Robot , Ensemble Cast , Amnesia , Conspiracy , War , Noir , Anachronism , Post-Apocalyptic , Male Protagonist , Cult , Suicide , Cyberpunk , Agender

Magi

Also known as Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic.

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

Deep within the deserts lie the mysterious Dungeons, vast stores of riches there for the taking by anyone lucky enough to find them and brave enough to venture into the depths from where few have ever returned. Plucky young adventurer Aladdin means to find the Dungeons and their riches, but Aladdin may be just as mysterious as the treasures he seeks. Together with the djinn Ugo and his friend Alibaba, Aladdin sets out to find his fortune in the depths of the endless dunes…



Tags: Magic , Conspiracy , War , Politics , Foreign , Royal Affairs , Male Protagonist , Time Manipulation , Memory Manipulation , Shounen , Time Skip , Dungeon , Slavery , Gods , Economics , Revenge , Philosophy , Pirates , Swordplay , Dystopian , Ensemble Cast , Desert , Cultivation , Reincarnation , Spearplay , Dragons

JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken: Phantom Blood

Also known as JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 1: Phantom Blood.

Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Supernatural

Young Jonathan Joestar’s life is forever changed when he meets his new adopted brother, Dio. For some reason, Dio has a smoldering grudge against him and derives pleasure from seeing him suffer. But every man has his limits, as Dio finds out. This is the beginning of a long and hateful relationship!



Tags: Shounen , Vampire , Primarily Male Cast , Cultivation , Super Power , Tragedy , Historical , Male Protagonist , Gore , Time Skip , Foreign , Body Horror , Bullying , Heterosexual , Bisexual , Rugby