Top Monster Boy Manga Recommendations

Chainsaw Man

Also known as Chainsaw Man.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Action , Comedy , Drama , Horror , Supernatural

The name says it all! Denji's life of poverty is changed forever when he merges with his pet chainsaw dog, Pochita! Now he's living in the big city and an official Devil Hunter. But he's got a lot to learn about his new job and chainsaw powers!



Notes:
- Nominated for the 2020 Manga Taisho Award.
- Winner of the 2021 Kono Manga ga Sugoi Award.
- Winner of the 66th Shogakukan Manga Award in the shounen category.
- Winner of the 2021 and 2022 Harvey Award for Best Manga.
- Chapters 1-97 were released in Weekly Shounen Jump from Dec 3, 2018 to Dec 13, 2020. The series resumed from Ch. 98 in Shounen Jump+ on July 12, 2022

Tags: Demons , Tragedy , Urban Fantasy , Dissociative Identities , Male Protagonist , Gore , Body Horror , Psychosexual , Cosmic Horror , Henshin , Female Protagonist , Urban , Survival , Monster Boy , Work , Ensemble Cast , Found Family , Memory Manipulation , Cult , Shounen , Heterosexual , Guns , Assassins , Yandere , Human Pet , Coming of Age , Monster Girl , Revenge , Terrorism , Shapeshifting , Philosophy , Slapstick , Meta , Primarily Teen Cast , Afterlife , Nudity , School , Angels , Cannibalism , Necromancy , Delinquents , Time Skip , Amnesia , Mafia , Yakuza , LGBTQ+ Themes , Tsundere , Femdom , Zombie , Chimera , Motorcycles , Yuri , Vore

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

Shingeki no Kyojin

Also known as Attack on Titan.

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

In this post-apocalyptic sci-fi story, humanity has been devastated by the bizarre, giant humanoids known as the Titans. Little is known about where they came from or why they are bent on consuming mankind. Seemingly unintelligent, they have roamed the world for years, killing everyone they see. For the past century, what's left of man has hidden in a giant, three-walled city. People believe their 50-meter-high walls will protect them from the Titans, but the sudden appearance of an immense Titan is about to change everything.



Note: Includes 2 extra chapters.

Tags: Dystopian , Anti-Hero , War , Tragedy , Military , Conspiracy , Survival , Philosophy , Kaiju , Shapeshifting , Memory Manipulation , Politics , Revenge , Henshin , Male Protagonist , Monster Boy , Terrorism , Post-Apocalyptic , Super Power , Gore , Time Manipulation , Body Horror , Ensemble Cast , Cosmic Horror , Time Skip , Cannibalism , Coming of Age , Slavery , Swordplay , Torture , Alternate Universe , Shounen , Espionage , Mythology , Amnesia , Tsundere , Kuudere , Class Struggle , Disability , Historical , Baseball , Dissociative Identities , Drugs , Achronological Order , Heterosexual , Reincarnation , Transgender , LGBTQ+ Themes , Suicide , Primarily Adult Cast , Religion , Acrobatics , Cult , Medieval

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

Kaijuu 8-gou

Also known as Kaiju No.8.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Action , Sci-Fi

A man working a job far removed from his childhood dreams gets wrapped up in an unexpected situation…! Becoming a monster, he aims once again to fulfill his lifelong dream…!



Note:
- Nominated for the 14th Manga Taisho Award in 2021.
- Winner of the 7th Next Manga Award in the Web Manga Category in 2021.

Tags: Kaiju , Shapeshifting , Shounen , Military , Henshin , Primarily Adult Cast , Super Power , Urban Fantasy , Male Protagonist , Monster Boy , Tokusatsu , Guns , Gore , Conspiracy , Revenge , War , Body Horror , Heterosexual , Tragedy , Survival , Primarily Male Cast , Kuudere

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

Yofukashi no Uta

Also known as Call of the Night.

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

One sleepless night, Ko slips out to walk the streets. Life after dark is a revelation! When flirtatious Nazuna invites Ko to spend the night at her place in an abandoned building, he’s stoked! But then he awakens to kisses on his neck with a little too much bite to them... Is it just the delicious taste of his blood that makes her meet him night after night for late-night adventures, conversation and...naps? Or something else? Then, when a cute girl from Ko’s past shows up and competes for his attention, his budding relationship with the undead is put to the test!



Notes:
-Seventh place of Tsugimanga 2020 Award in the Manga Category.
-First place of Daruma 2023 Award (France) in the new manga category (released in 2022 in France).

Tags: Vampire , Urban Fantasy , Age Gap , Male Protagonist , Monster Girl , Tragedy , Coming of Age , Yandere , Surreal Comedy , Monster Boy , Heterosexual , Outdoor Activities , Shounen , Hikikomori , Female Protagonist , Urban , Suicide , Detective , Primarily Teen Cast , Philosophy , Gore , Maids , Gyaru , Iyashikei , Femboy , Boys' Love , LGBTQ+ Themes , Yuri

Bungou Stray Dogs

Also known as Bungo Stray Dogs.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Action , Drama , Mystery , Supernatural

Having been kicked out of the orphanage, a despairing young man by the name of Atsushi Nakajima rescues a strange man from a suicide attempt--Osamu Dazai. Turns out that Dazai is part of an armed-detective agency staffed by individuals whose supernatural powers take on a literary bent!



Tags: Urban Fantasy , Detective , Super Power , Mafia , Crime , Male Protagonist , Classic Literature , Fugitive , Seinen , Primarily Male Cast , Gods , Tragedy , Work , Ensemble Cast , Primarily Adult Cast , Orphan , Anti-Hero , Philosophy , Terrorism , Conspiracy , Gore , Assassins , Suicide , Vampire , Monster Boy , Police , Guns , Swordplay , Torture , Circus , Sadism , Time Manipulation , Tsundere , Shapeshifting , Found Family , Criminal Organization , Animals

Jagaaaaaan

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

Shintarou Jagasaki, who is a neighborhood police officer, lives with his girlfriend while working a job that is killing him slowly with annoyance. It looks like he will end up marrying soon and live a boring life with a nuclear family - a grim future for a guy with dreams! One such day, a mysterious monster appeared on the train and he suddenly can shoot with his right hand like Master Buppanatsu, the eggplant mascot of his city!

Tags: Aliens , Super Power , Seinen , Anti-Hero , Tragedy , Gore , Monster Boy , Philosophy , Primarily Adult Cast , Post-Apocalyptic , Dystopian , Revenge , Terrorism , Male Protagonist , Nudity , Detective , Police , Dissociative Identities , Shapeshifting , Body Horror , Conspiracy , Cosmic Horror , Drugs , Heterosexual , Bullying , Gender Bending , Body Swapping , Kaiju , Mythology , Transgender , Death Game

Gokurakugai

Also known as Gokurakugai.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Action , Fantasy , Supernatural

Gokurakugai, a bright and bustling working class district with a hidden dark side. In this area without order, Tao and Alma work as troubleshooters for hire. Their missions involve helping a young boy find his lost friend, a person who dissapears without a trace, and disfigured animal corpses. All the while, the evil spirits who live in the shadows bring out a different side to these troubleshooters!



Tags: Urban Fantasy , Male Protagonist , Female Protagonist , Shounen , Demons , Body Horror , Monster Boy , Crime , Tragedy , Gangs , Anthropomorphism , Yandere , Suicide , Slavery

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 , Seinen , Rural , Cosmic Horror , Body Horror , Tragedy , Primarily Teen Cast , Boys' Love , Gods , LGBTQ+ Themes , Unrequited Love , Curses , Mountaineering

Mahoutsukai no Yome

Also known as The Ancient Magus' Bride.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Drama , Fantasy , Romance , Slice of Life , Supernatural

Hatori Chise has lived most of her short 15-year life full of neglect and abuse, and devoid of love. With no familial warmth, she's had more than her share of troubles and pitfalls. Just when it seems like life can't get any worse, she's now being sold at a slave auction! When a cloaked man, with the head of a beast' skull and wielding strange powers, purchases her, Chise’s life will never be the same again.

The man is a a sorcerer of great power, a kindly magus who frees Chise and then makes a bold statement: Chise will become his apprentice–and his bride!



Note: Nominated for the 8th Manga Taisho Award.

Tags: Magic , Female Protagonist , Heterosexual , Foreign , Mythology , Rural , Age Gap , Monster Boy , Shounen , Urban Fantasy , Primarily Adult Cast , School , Travel , Fairy , Werewolf , Shapeshifting , Dragons

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

Gleipnir

Also known as Gleipnir.

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

Shuichi Kagaya is an ordinary high school kid in a boring little town. But when a beautiful classmate is caught in a warehouse fire, he discovers a mysterious power: he can transform into a furry dog with an oversized revolver and a zipper down his back. He saves the girl’s life, sharing his secret with her. But she’s searching for the sister who killed her family, and she doesn’t care how degrading it gets: she will use Shuichi to accomplish her mission …



Tags: Super Power , Shapeshifting , Monster Boy , Seinen , Anti-Hero , Rural , Psychosexual , Battle Royale , Aliens , Body Horror , Nudity , Memory Manipulation , Gore , Monster Girl , Guns , Heterosexual , Female Protagonist , Male Protagonist , Yandere , Love Triangle , Clone , Time Manipulation , Suicide , LGBTQ+ Themes

Yeopchongsonyeon

Also known as Shotgun Boy.

Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Horror , Psychological , Supernatural , Thriller

While running for his life in the woods, bullying victim Gyu-Hwan stumbles upon a shotgun and just enough shells for his classmates. It’s a recipe for disaster. But fate takes an unexpected turn when he returns to find his classmates under attack by brain-eating creatures. Now, the only thing that stands in the way of their ravenous feast is a boy with a shotgun.



Note: Chapter count includes a prologue and one extra.

Tags: Demons , Bullying , Male Protagonist , School , Guns , Body Horror , Post-Apocalyptic , Full Color , Monster Boy , Military , Tragedy , Cosmic Horror , Conspiracy , Survival , Shapeshifting , Primarily Teen Cast , Rural

Kuchi ga Saketemo Kimi ni wa

Also known as Even If You Slit My Mouth.

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

The Kuchisake-onna, Miroku-san is the bride-to-be of high schooler Kōichi Sano to regain her powers?! And for some reason, Kōichi is totally on board with the engagement… The exciting life of the Kuchisake-onna at the mercy of her high schooler fiancé starts now!



Note: Chapter count includes 8 extra chapters.

Tags: Female Protagonist , Heterosexual , Male Protagonist , Monster Girl , Urban Fantasy , Shounen , Youkai , Marriage , Tsundere , Coming of Age , Age Gap , Monster Boy , School , Tragedy , Disability , Meta , Time Skip , Agender

Jungle Juice

Also known as Jungle Juice.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Action , Fantasy , Sci-Fi , Supernatural , Thriller

Su-Chan Jang is an extraordinary college student at the top of the social food chain. But underneath the perfect facade, he hides a pair of insect wings that suddenly grew when he used a mysterious bug spray called "Jungle Juice.” Su-Chan's life crumbles when he bares his wings to the world to save someone's life. When all hope seems lost, Su-Chan stumbles upon a hidden world of insect humans where everyone is accepted for what they are. But the law of the jungle governs this secret society and all must fend for themselves in order to survive.



Note: Season 1 contains 83 chapters and an extra chapter.

Tags: Full Color , Male Protagonist , Body Horror , Heterosexual , Monster Boy , Monster Girl , Terrorism , Martial Arts , College , Demons , Primarily Adult Cast , Primarily Male Cast

Sentai Daishikkaku

Also known as Go! Go! Loser Ranger!.

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

When the Monster Army invaded Earth thirteen years ago, the Divine Dragon Rangers rose up to stop them! With the war raging on, these great heroes are mankind’s last hope!

…or are they?

In truth, the invaders were subjugated within a year, forced to continue to crank out a monster a week for the Rangers to crush in front of their adoring fans! But one monster has had enough. Something has to change! He’ll rebel against the might of the Dragon Rangers and destroy them all…from the inside!



Tags: Revenge , Tokusatsu , Anti-Hero , Henshin , Urban Fantasy , Shapeshifting , Monster Boy , Fugitive , Acting , Male Protagonist , Conspiracy , Espionage , Dystopian , Shounen , Urban , Aliens , Agender , Survival , Time Skip , Ensemble Cast , Work , Super Power , Gore , Acrobatics , Time Loop , Angels , Battle Royale , School , Body Horror

Abara

Also known as Abara.

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

A vast city lies under the shadow of colossal, ancient tombs, the identity of their builders lost to time. In the streets of the city something is preying on the inhabitants, something that moves faster than the human eye can see and leaves unimaginable horror in its wake.



Included one-shot: Digimortal

Tags: Seinen , Cyberpunk , Male Protagonist , Primarily Adult Cast , Body Horror , Dystopian , Gore , Urban , Monster Girl , Monster Boy , Henshin , Religion , Ensemble Cast , Detective , Urban Fantasy , Tragedy

Kumo desu ga, Nani ka?

Also known as So I'm a Spider, So What?.

Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Comedy , Fantasy

I used to be a normal high school girl but in the blink of an eye, I woke up in a place I've never seen before and-and I was reborn as a spider?! How could something that's nothing more than a tiny spider (that's me) possibly survive in literally the worst dungeon ever? Are there no rules? There should be some rules! Who the hell is responsible for this? SHOW YOUR FACE!



Tags: Monster Girl , Magic , Isekai , Reincarnation , Gods , Female Protagonist , Achronological Order , Anti-Hero , Robots , Post-Apocalyptic , War , Lost Civilization , Dungeon , Demons , Found Family , Elf , Dragons , Yandere , Dissociative Identities , Vampire , Environmental , Yuri , Chimera , Angels , Monster Boy , Anthropomorphism , Gender Bending