Top Mountaineering Manga Recommendations

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

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

Eden no Ori

Also known as Cage of Eden.

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

Danger and action abound after Akira Sengoku and his classmates crash-land on a deserted island while flying home from a class trip. The island doesn't exist on any maps but that's not even the strangest part: the animals they find on the island are prehistoric beasts that are supposed to have been extinct for thousands of years! Now Akira and his friends are in danger as the island's residents start eyeing the humans for their next meal. Will they ever solve the mystery of the island and find their way home?



Tags: Survival , Chimera , Nudity , Primarily Teen Cast , Male Protagonist , Shounen , Lost Civilization , Dinosaurs , Alternate Universe , Time Manipulation , Crossdressing , Gender Bending , Love Triangle , Educational , Mountaineering , Heterosexual

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 ,

Kamigami no Itadaki

Also known as The Summit of the Gods.

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

In a small Nepalese shop, Makoto Fukamachi, photographer for a Japanese expedition to conquer Mt. Everest, stumbles across a camera which may well be that of George Mallory, the celebrated mountain climber who was the first to attempt conquering Everest.

Mallory disappeared along with Andrew Irvine during the course of their ascent in 1924, without leaving any indication of whether they reached the summit or not. So, what if it was only on their return trip that they had their fatal accident?

Tags: Philosophy , Seinen , Male Protagonist , Outdoor Activities , Primarily Adult Cast , Mountaineering , Historical , Primarily Male Cast , Tragedy , Non-fiction , Fitness

Monkey Peak

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

A group of company employees on an overnight hiking trip starts to get harassed by a murderous demon monkey.

Tags: Survival , Mountaineering , Outdoor Activities , Gore , Primarily Adult Cast , Wilderness , Revenge , Crime , Seinen , Tragedy , Conspiracy , Ensemble Cast , Animals , Torture , Guns , Archery , Swordplay , Drugs

Kokuhaku: Confession

Also known as Confession.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Psychological , Thriller

Two miles up in the unforgiving heights of Mt. Owari, hikers and friends Asai and Ishikura are hit by a blizzard and lose their way. Injured and sure of his imminent death, Ishikura confesses to killing a member of their university hiking club five years ago. However, Asai then stumbles upon shelter and carries them both to safety, only to realize that the confession has forever changed their relationship—and that the brutal elements may no longer be the most deadly threat around.



Tags: Seinen , Survival , Snowscape , Outdoor Activities , Mountaineering , Crime , Primarily Adult Cast , Male Protagonist

Takara no Biidoro

Also known as Takara's Treasure.

Status: Finished
Genres: Romance

Taishin has moved to Tokyo from his hometown of Fukuoka in order to reunite with Takara, a stranger who had consoled him in his grief the year prior. However, despite finally getting a chance to express his gratitude to Takara at college, he is given the cold shoulder! But Taishin, undeterred, decides to pursue Takara anyway, and Takara finds himself becoming more and more enchanted by Taishin’s straightforward and earnest gaze.



Tags: Boys' Love , Male Protagonist , Primarily Adult Cast , College , Mountaineering

Inu wo Kau

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Slice of Life

Short stories by Jiro Taniguchi. Five short stories. The first one tells the death of an old dog, hence the title. The last one is a bit similar to a later work of the author, Kamigami no Itadaki.

Tags: Seinen , Animals , Family Life , Tragedy , Primarily Adult Cast , Episodic , Mountaineering

Yama no Susume

Status: Releasing
Genres: Adventure , Comedy , Romance , Slice of Life , Sports

Aoi prefers indoor hobbies and is afraid of heights, but her childhood friend Hinata loves to show off her passion for mountain climbing. As young children they once watched the sunrise from the top of a mountain, and now they've decided to take up mountain climbing in hopes of seeing that sunrise again. They have cooking battles with mountaineering gear, climb small hills in their neighborhood, and meet new mountaineering friends as they learn the ropes of the hobby. When will they finally see that sunrise again?

Tags: Outdoor Activities , Mountaineering , Iyashikei , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Travel , Wilderness

Peak

Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Psychological

21-year-old Ryu Yeon-seong is about to start his mandatory military service in the ROK Army. But unlike most other conscripts, he and four others are assigned to the mountain police rescue unit stationed at Mt. Bukhan, a small mountain on the outskirts of Seoul. Not knowing much about it, they think it'll be a walk in the park, and count themselves lucky to have landed such a cushy assignment. But when they arrive at the mountain, the group soon learn that they're in for more than they bargained for

Tags: Military , Police , Full Color , Primarily Male Cast , Survival , Mountaineering

Gaku: Minna no Yama

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Slice of Life

As a mountain-rescue volunteer, Shimazaki Sanpo is a man who has scaled the world’s peaks and is well acquainted with the rigors, joys, and splendor of mountains. Many alpinists make their way up mountain trails in the hope of reaching a summit in Japan’s Northern Alps, where Sanpo lives. With comments like “You really hung in there!” and “Make sure you come again!”, he cheers up the climbers as they head back to everyday life.

Note: Winner of Manga Award 2008 and the 54th Shougakukan Manga Award.

Tags: Seinen , Mountaineering

Sousakusha

Also known as The Quest for the Missing Girl.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Mystery

Shiga, a mountaineer, leaves his isolated lodge and returns to Tokyo in order to track down Megumi - the missing daughter of Tatsuko (Shiga's deceased best friend) and Yoriko (whom Shiga has secretly been in love with since before Tatsuko died). Shiga's investigation takes him into the world of "compensated dating" and disaffected teens and what he discovers there suggests that Megumi may have been abducted by a paedophile with a great deal of power and influence. In order to save the girl and regain the self-respect he lost when his best friend died, Shiga must break through the wall of silence and do what the police dare not.

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Tags: Seinen , Outdoor Activities , Detective , Mountaineering , Crime , Urban

The Cliff

Also known as The Cliff.

Status: Finished
Genres: Horror , Psychological , Thriller

Two men accidentally fall during a hiking trip and wait for someone to save their lives. The cliff becomes a stage for conflict, violence, madness, and frustration.



Tags: Primarily Adult Cast , Survival , Male Protagonist , Revenge , Tragedy , Outdoor Activities , Mountaineering , Foreign

K

Also known as K.

Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Drama

The story of a man who challenges a towering white god. The man keeps climbing only to settle his past. An alpine epic by Taniguchi Jiro, winner of the Osamu Tezuka Cultural Prize.

Tags: Seinen , Male Protagonist , Outdoor Activities , Mountaineering , Gore

Yama Kaidan

Status: Finished
Genres: Horror

1 volume anthology based on ghost stories in the mountains.

Includes Kamigami no Yama - Makyou no Mine

Tags: Josei , Anthology , Mountaineering , Primarily Adult Cast , Primarily Male Cast , Tragedy , Ghost , Rural

Yama to Shokuyoku to Watashi

Status: Releasing
Genres: Slice of Life

A manga about an office lady who loves to eat food while mountain climbing.



Tags: Outdoor Activities , Iyashikei , Travel , Food , Mountaineering , Seinen , Educational , Primarily Adult Cast

Ganso Ylva-chan

Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy

A comical, parody spin-off of Ylva, sister of Thorfinn, main character of Vinland Saga.

Tags: Parody , Female Protagonist , Seinen , Historical , Mountaineering

Tiger-ani to Dragon

Also known as Tiger Dragon Brothers.

Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Comedy , Supernatural

Two brothers are climbing a mountain to learn a secret fighting technique from an old man. Three years later they are returning to their village ...

Tags: Shounen , Martial Arts , Gender Bending , Mountaineering , Shapeshifting , Dragons

Kamigami no Yama: Makyou no Mine

Status: Finished
Genres: Horror

Tags: Mountaineering , Primarily Male Cast , Primarily Adult Cast , Rural