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: Tragedy , Demons , Urban Fantasy , Dissociative Identities , Male Protagonist , Psychosexual , Gore , Body Horror , Cosmic Horror , Coming of Age , Henshin , Urban , Monster Boy , Female Protagonist , Survival , Found Family , Work , Memory Manipulation , Ensemble Cast , Shounen , Anti-Hero , Heterosexual , Cult , Politics , Guns , Assassins , Yandere , Femdom , Monster Girl , Human Pet , Revenge , Shapeshifting , Terrorism , Meta , Surreal Comedy , Slapstick , Philosophy , Primarily Teen Cast , Super Power , Afterlife , Nudity , School , Cannibalism , Delinquents , Angels , Necromancy , Amnesia , Time Skip , Yakuza , Mafia , Tsundere , LGBTQ+ Themes , Zombie , Chimera , Denpa , 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.
- Includes one extra chapter.

Tags: Urban Fantasy , Demons , Super Power , Shounen , Curses , Tragedy , Monster Boy , Male Protagonist , Youkai , Magic , Martial Arts , Body Horror , Dissociative Identities , Death Game , Gore , Primarily Teen Cast , Battle Royale , Urban , Exorcism , Ensemble Cast , Cosmic Horror , Sadism , Body Swapping , Cult , School , Anthropomorphism , Transgender , Assassins , Amnesia , Time Manipulation , Swordplay , Time Skip , Nudity , Slapstick

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

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 two extra chapters.

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

Kaijuu 8-gou

Also known as Kaiju No.8.

Status: Finished
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 , Urban Fantasy , Shapeshifting , Shounen , Military , Henshin , Primarily Adult Cast , Super Power , Urban , Male Protagonist , Monster Boy , Tokusatsu , Guns , Gore , Conspiracy , Revenge , War , Body Horror , Heterosexual , Tragedy , Survival , Primarily Male Cast , Slapstick , 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 , Seinen , Revenge , Dystopian , Body Horror , Gore , Monster Boy , Surreal Comedy , Primarily Adult Cast , Demons , Urban Fantasy , Curses , Time Manipulation , Super Power , Henshin , Gangs , Cosmic Horror , Body Swapping , Nudity , Animals , Anthropomorphism , Zombie , Male Protagonist , Female Protagonist , 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 and first place of Daruma 2023 Award (France) in the new manga category (released in 2022 in France).
- Includes three extra chapters.

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

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 , Fugitive , Male Protagonist , Classic Literature , Tragedy , Primarily Male Cast , Seinen , Work , Ensemble Cast , Primarily Adult Cast , Philosophy , Found Family , Criminal Organization , Anti-Hero , Terrorism , Orphan , Conspiracy , Assassins , Gods , Cute Boys Doing Cute Things , Vampire , Suicide , Guns , Monster Boy , Gore , Swordplay , Police , Torture , Circus , Sadism , Time Manipulation , Tsundere , Shapeshifting , Animals , Boys' Love

Jagaaaaaan

Also known as Jagaaan.

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 , Female Protagonist , Male Protagonist , Shounen , Body Horror , Monster Boy , Demons , 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 , Rural , Cosmic Horror , Body Horror , Tragedy , Primarily Teen Cast , Boys' Love , Mythology , School , LGBTQ+ Themes , Unrequited Love , Gods , Curses , Urban Fantasy , Seinen , Aromantic , Asexual , Mountaineering

Fruits Basket

Also known as Fruits Basket.

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

After a family tragedy turns her life upside down, plucky high schooler Tohru Honda takes matters into her own hands and moves out...into a tent! Unfortunately for her, she pitches her new home on private land belonging to the mysterious Sohma clan, and it isn't long before the owners discover her secret. But, as Tohru quickly finds out when the family offers to take her in, the Sohmas have a secret of their own--when touched by the opposite sex, they turn into the animals of the Chinese Zodiac!



Note: Volume 9 includes the bonus chapter "Rain Shelter of Terror".

Tags: Shoujo , Mythology , Animals , Ensemble Cast , Tragedy , Shapeshifting , Philosophy , Rehabilitation , Heterosexual , Reincarnation , Found Family , Female Protagonist , Urban Fantasy , Primarily Male Cast , School , Family Life , Primarily Teen Cast , Coming of Age , Age Gap , Tsundere , Estranged Family , Youkai , Curses , Love Triangle , Memory Manipulation , Disability , Orphan , Unrequited Love , Incest , Crossdressing , Henshin , Delinquents , Cohabitation , Monster Boy , Iyashikei , Revenge , Dissociative Identities , Teacher , Marriage , Transgender

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 , Bullying , Foreign , Mythology , Rural , Age Gap , Monster Boy , Shounen , Heterosexual , 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 , Youkai , Demons , Coming of Age , Gods , Urban Fantasy , Monster Boy , School , Yandere , Heterosexual , Male Harem , Time Manipulation , Amnesia , Love Triangle , Historical , Found Family , Cohabitation , Age Regression , Idol , Afterlife , Marriage , Curses

Rosario to Vampire

Also known as Rosario+Vampire.

Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Comedy , Ecchi , Romance , Supernatural

All-around average student Tsukune can't get accepted to any high school save one...but on his first day, he finds the rest of the student body doesn't appear average in the least. Best of all, the cutest girl on campus can't wait to fling her arms around his neck! Wait a sec'--are those her teeth around his neck too...? Tsukune's going to have one heck of a hickey when he gets home from Monster High! But does he have a chance in H-E-double-hockey-sticks of raising his grades at a school where the turf war isn't between the jocks and the nerds but the vampires and the werewolves?



Tags: Vampire , Monster Girl , Magic , Female Harem , Male Protagonist , Shounen , Witch , Demons , School Club , Mythology , Primarily Female Cast , Youkai , Boarding School , Female Protagonist , Body Horror , Memory Manipulation , Unrequited Love , School , Succubus , Urban Fantasy , Dissociative Identities , Heterosexual , Mermaid , Love Triangle , Monster Boy , Delinquents , Gore , Chimera , Kemonomimi , Nekomimi , Tragedy , Bisexual , Estranged Family , Martial Arts , Zombie , Tanned Skin , Clone , Terrorism , Triads

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: Includes two extra chapters.

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

Jungle Juice

Also known as Jungle Juice.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Action , Fantasy

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.



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

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: Includes 10 extra chapters.

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

Kemono Jihen

Also known as Kemono Jihen.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Action , Supernatural

Inugami is a Tokyo detective who specializes in the occult. One day, answering a call to a remote village leads him to Dorotabo: a peculiar boy nicknamed after a yokai that haunts muddy rice paddies. The boy has no parents and is somewhat unnerving, emitting a foul odor that draws the ire of those around him. Inugami, however, quickly realizes that there’s something more monstrous about Dorotabo than just his nickname–a fact proven when the two of them investigate an inhuman creature attacking local livestock. Perhaps Inugami can take this mistreated boy under his wing and train him to face the secret, supernatural beasts hidden in the world…using the eerie powers of his own body.



Note: Includes 1 extra chapter.

Tags: Urban Fantasy , Youkai , Shounen , Primarily Male Cast , Male Protagonist , Gore , Kemonomimi , Shapeshifting , Body Horror , Virtual World , Age Gap , Chimera , Anthropomorphism , Detective , Orphan , Primarily Teen Cast , Twins , Vampire , Femboy , Video Games , Monster Boy , Monster Girl