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, Seong Jin-U, 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: Jin-U has been granted the rare opportunity to level up his abilities, possibly beyond any known limits. Follow Jin-U’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: Includes 22 extra chapters.

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

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

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

Vinland Saga

Also known as Vinland Saga.

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

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 , Male Protagonist , Battle Royale , Athletics , Primarily Male Cast , Primarily Teen Cast , Ensemble Cast , Shounen , Super Power , Anti-Hero , Fitness , Foreign , Augmented Reality , Tragedy , Language Barrier , Suicide , Revenge

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

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

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

Riders from around the world gather in the Wild West for the race of the century! Johnny Joestar, a former jockey paralyzed from the waist down, comes to spectate, and momentarily regains the ability to walk while watching a duel fought by Gyro Zeppeli. Desperate to learn more about this power, Johnny joins the race alongside Gyro and embarks on the most epic and bizarre race to ever cross the American frontier!



Tags: Travel , Super Power , Cowboys , Male Protagonist , Seinen , Conspiracy , Primarily Adult Cast , Foreign , Disability , Environmental , Tragedy , Alternate Universe , Philosophy , Outdoor Activities , Religion , Ensemble Cast , Historical , Terrorism , Primarily Male Cast , Gore , Guns , Desert , Crossdressing , Coming of Age , Body Horror , Trains , Espionage , Wilderness , Dinosaurs , Nun , Gambling , Time Manipulation , Indigenous Cultures , Nudity , Delinquents , Acting , Shapeshifting , Curses

Kingdom

Also known as Kingdom.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Action , Drama

Xin is a war orphan in a poor village in the kingdom of Qin. He has big dreams of becoming a great general, and when his best friend’s life is cut short by political machinations, Xin sets off to find a deposed ruler and help restore his place on the throne, while working his way up through the ranks of the Qin kingdom’s army to do what no one has ever done before—unify China.



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

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

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

Kokou no Hito

Also known as The Climber.

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

Transfer student Buntaro Mori starts his first day at his new school already on the administration’s radar. He’s withdrawn and sullen, and the teachers are just waiting for him to explode. When his annoying classmate Miyamoto promises to leave him alone forever if he climbs to the top of the school, Mori eagerly takes up the challenge and shocks everyone when he makes it all the way to the roof. Flushed with the victory of his first successful climb, Mori can’t resist the lure of the local peak, despite warnings from more experienced climbers about the risks of climbing alone. But Mori doesn’t care. A little danger is nothing in the face of his new obsession.

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

Soul Eater

Also known as Soul Eater.

Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , 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 four extra chapters.

Tags: Ensemble Cast , Magic , Henshin , Shounen , Super Power , Female Protagonist , Gods , Guns , Witch , Male Protagonist , Shapeshifting , School , Swordplay , Twins , Foreign , War , Agender , Nudity , Travel , Urban Fantasy , Philosophy , Coming of Age , Alternate Universe , Assassins , Tragedy , Zombie , Werewolf , Body Horror , Urban , Gender Bending , Kemonomimi , Nekomimi , Tanned Skin , Unrequited Love , Space , Martial Arts , Heterosexual

God of High School

Also known as The God of High School.

Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Fantasy

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 , Urban Fantasy , Ensemble Cast , Conspiracy , Revenge , Amnesia , Cult , Time Skip , Male Protagonist , Tragedy , Swordplay , Demons , Cultivation , Post-Apocalyptic , Politics , Religion , Foreign , Space , Heterosexual , Terrorism , Dragons , Isekai , Age Regression , School , Athletics , Espionage , Kemonomimi , Long Strip , Centaur

Akatsuki no Yona

Also known as Yona of the Dawn.

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

A red-haired princess loses her family and her kingdom—now she must rise and fight for her throne!

Princess Yona lives an ideal life as the only princess of her kingdom. Doted on by her father, the king, and protected by her faithful guard Hak, she cherishes the time spent with the man she loves, Su-won. But everything changes on her 16th birthday when tragedy strikes her family!

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

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 , Politics , Memory Manipulation , Philosophy , Anti-Hero , Foreign , Post-Apocalyptic , Real Robot , Ensemble Cast , Conspiracy , Amnesia , War , Noir , Anachronism , Cyberpunk , Urban Fantasy , Male Protagonist , Cult , Suicide , 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 , Foreign , Conspiracy , War , Politics , Royal Affairs , Criminal Organization , Class Struggle , Male Protagonist , Time Manipulation , Memory Manipulation , Shounen , Time Skip , Dungeon , Philosophy , Slavery , Economics , Revenge , Gods , Ensemble Cast , Pirates , Desert , Swordplay , Dystopian , Reincarnation , Cultivation , Spearplay , Dragons , Food

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 , Historical , Gore , Male Protagonist , Tragedy , Foreign , Time Skip , Body Horror , Bullying , Heterosexual , Bisexual , Rugby

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 , Shounen