Top Outdoor Activities Manga Recommendations

Vagabond

Also known as Vagabond.

Status: Hiatus
Genres: Action , Adventure , Drama

At seventeen years of age, Miyamoto Musashi--still known by his childhood name, Shinmen Takezo--was a wild young brute just setting out along the way of the sword.

In the aftermath of the epic Battle of Sekigahara, Takezo finds himself a fugitive survivor on the losing side of the war. Takezo's vicious nature has made him an outcast even in his own village, and he is hunted down like an animal. At this crucial crossroads in Takezo's life, an eccentric monk and a childhood friend are the only ones who can help him find his way.



Tags: Samurai , Swordplay , Seinen , Historical , Philosophy , Travel , Coming of Age , Male Protagonist , Martial Arts , Tragedy , Survival , Disability , Cultivation , Biographical , Gore , Rural , War , Heterosexual , Outdoor Activities , Ghost , Agriculture , Classic Literature , Language Barrier , Fugitive , Nudity , Afterlife ,

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

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 He’s withdrawn and sullen, and the teachers are just waiting for him to explode.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

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

Supyeongseon

Also known as The Horizon.

Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Drama , Psychological

A world where everything has been lost. A boy and a girl alone together. A spark of hope kindled between them. All they can do is move forward. But against broken adults and devastating despair, how long will they be able to keep going...?



Tags: Survival , Post-Apocalyptic , Philosophy , War , Tragedy , Religion , Coming of Age , Primarily Child Cast , Crime , Travel , Achromatic , Time Skip , Male Protagonist , Rehabilitation , Orphan , Guns , Gore , Suicide , Cannibalism , Language Barrier , Outdoor Activities

Golden Kamuy

Also known as Golden Kamuy.

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

In the early twentieth century, Russo-Japanese War veteran Saichi “Immortal” Sugimoto scratches out a meager existence during the postwar gold rush in the wilderness of Hokkaido. When he stumbles across a map to a fortune in hidden Ainu gold, he sets off on a treacherous quest to find it. But Sugimoto is not the only interested party, and everyone who knows about the gold will kill to possess it! Faced with the harsh conditions of the northern wilderness, ruthless criminals and rogue Japanese soldiers, Sugimoto will need all his skills and luck—and the help of an Ainu girl named Asirpa—to survive.



Note: Won the 9th Manga Taisho Award in 2016 and the 22nd Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 2018. Nominated for the 20th and 21st Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize and the 40th Kodansha Manga Awards in 2016.

Tags: Historical , Conspiracy , Military , Outdoor Activities , Indigenous Cultures , Seinen , Politics , Ensemble Cast , Surreal Comedy , Educational , Food , Travel , Found Family , Gore , Primarily Male Cast , Primarily Adult Cast , Survival , Guns , Cute Boys Doing Cute Things , Revenge , Male Harem , Language Barrier , Anti-Hero , LGBTQ+ Themes , Slapstick , Crime , Snowscape , Prison , Trains , Animals , Nudity , Male Protagonist , Wilderness , Archery , Swordplay , Disability , Suicide , Tanned Skin , Transgender , Twins , Cannibalism , Zoophilia , Heterosexual , Yakuza , Time Skip , Dissociative Identities , Crossdressing , Gender Bending

Fumetsu no Anata e

Also known as To Your Eternity.

Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Drama , Fantasy , Psychological , Supernatural

A lonely boy wandering the Arctic regions of North America meets a wolf, and the two become fast friends, depending on each other to survive the harsh environment. But the boy has a history, and the wolf is more than meets the eye as well …



Note: Includes one extra chapter.

Tags: Tragedy , Shapeshifting , Philosophy , Coming of Age , Time Skip , Outdoor Activities , Ensemble Cast , Dissociative Identities , Survival , Urban Fantasy , Ghost , Cosmic Horror , Denpa , Shounen , Agender , Travel , Gore , Yandere , Bullying , Suicide , Urban , Cyberpunk , Age Regression , Male Protagonist , Language Barrier , Animals , Nudity , Dystopian , Indigenous Cultures , Historical , Female Protagonist

Imawa no Kuni no Alice

Also known as Alice in Borderland.

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

Eighteen-year-old Ryohei Arisu is sick of his life. School sucks, his love life is a joke, and his future feels like impending doom. As he struggles to exist in a world that can’t be bothered with him, Ryohei feels like everything would be better if he were anywhere else. When a strange fireworks show transports him and his friends to a parallel world, Ryohei thinks all his wishes have come true. But this new world isn’t an empty paradise, it’s a vicious game. And the only way to survive is to play.

Note: Chapter count includes 22 side story chapters.

Tags: Tragedy , Death Game , Survival , Philosophy , Amnesia , Urban , Male Protagonist , Gore , Battle Royale , Gambling , Afterlife , Alternate Universe , Anti-Hero , Shounen , Isekai , Dystopian , Primarily Adult Cast , Revenge , Guns , Outdoor Activities , Heterosexual , Transgender , LGBTQ+ Themes , Martial Arts , Gods , Drugs , Parkour , Mahjong , Nudity

Kimi wa Houkago Insomnia

Also known as Insomniacs After School.

Status: Finished
Genres: Romance , Slice of Life

Unable to sleep at night, Ganta Nakami is cranky in class and unpopular with his classmates. He discovers that the school observatory, once used by the now-defunct astronomy club, may be the perfect place for a nap—but he’s not alone. Fellow insomniac Isaki Magari is willing to share the observatory with Nakami, and a friendship between the two begins as they bond over the most unlikely of things.



Note: Nominated for the Tsugimanga 2020 Award in the Manga Category.

Tags: Coming of Age , Astronomy , Iyashikei , Heterosexual , School , School Club , Photography , Seinen , Disability , Male Protagonist , Female Protagonist , Outdoor Activities , Camping , Time Skip , Tomboy

Summer Time Render

Also known as Summertime Rendering.

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

A tragic incident calls a young man named Shinpei back to his hometown on the remote island of Higotoshima, Japan. But something sinister awaits upon his return, and a chilling sequence of events unfolds that will have dire consequences for Shinpei, for Japan, and for the entire world!



Tags: Time Manipulation , Rural , Shounen , Male Protagonist , Ensemble Cast , Body Swapping , Time Loop , Urban Fantasy , Demons , Survival , Shapeshifting , Aliens , Reincarnation , Gore , Tanned Skin , Dissociative Identities , Mythology , Crime , Cosmic Horror , Tragedy , Suicide , Gods , Denpa , Religion , Swimming , Love Triangle , Outdoor Activities , Amnesia , Nudity , Historical , Heterosexual , Unrequited Love

Yaiteru Futari

Also known as How to Grill Our Love.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Romance , Slice of Life

Dating can be tough when you nerd out over barbecue. Kenta, a practical pitmaster, looks for a grill-friend in Chihiro, an aloof and faultless business babe…or is she? Scared of being rejected for who they really are, the two of them find comfort in food and each other…and all is well until Kenta must transfer away. With their developing relationship at steak, Chihiro proposes they tie the knot and they marry for better or wurst. Winging a long-distance marriage is one thing, but here's the rub—they barely know each other! It's a rare marriage where all the awkwardness of dating meets a sizzling passion for grilling!



Tags: Food , Primarily Adult Cast , Male Protagonist , Seinen , Family Life , Female Protagonist , Heterosexual , Outdoor Activities , Rural , Educational , Iyashikei , Office Lady

Natsume Yuujinchou

Also known as Natsume's Book of Friends.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Drama , Supernatural

When Reiko was Takashi's age, she bound the names of demons and spirits in her Book of Friends, enslaving them to her capricious whim. Now Takashi is the owner of the book, and the creatures will do anything to get their names back.



Tags: Adoption , Youkai , Iyashikei , Male Protagonist , Shoujo , Rural , Episodic , Outdoor Activities , Primarily Teen Cast , Estranged Family , Rehabilitation , Primarily Male Cast , Found Family , Shapeshifting , Orphan , School , Exorcism , Gender Bending

Yuru Camp△

Also known as Laid-Back Camp.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Comedy , Slice of Life

Setting up a tent, starting a fire, and eating noodles with Mt. Fuji in view...Rin and Nadeshiko absolutely love to camp! Enjoy their zest for travel and maybe even pick up a tip or two about roughing it in the great outdoors. You might just want to go camping yourself!



Tags: Outdoor Activities , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Primarily Female Cast , Iyashikei , Travel , Camping , Rural , Educational , School Club , Food , Seinen , Primarily Teen Cast , Female Protagonist , Mopeds , Environmental , Wilderness

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

With what may be Mallory’s camera found and lost, photographer Fukamachi delves deeper into the life of the mysterious character Bikha Sanp – the “Venomous Snake” – convinced that he is, in reality, the legendary mountaineer Jouji Habu. The more he digs the more he reveals of the lives of both Habu and his constant nemesis Tsuneo Hase as they each struggle against their own limitations and the perceived achievements of the other. It is a tale of obsession to succeed, to be the first – always. But as he penetrates the darkness of these men’s psyches he finds himself being laid bare and bound to the mountain in this raw human drama.

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

Amigara Dansou no Kai

Also known as The Enigma of Amigara Fault.

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

A short horror manga story by Junji Ito, printed as a bonus one-shot alongside his fish-zombie-apocalypse manga Gyo. A boy named Oowaki, and a girl, Yoshida, meet on Amigara Mountain, where an unsettling discovery has been made. Human shaped holes are scattered across the mountain, and it soon becomes clear that the holes are "calling" to the people they are shaped like. So what happens when they enter the hole? Well, you can be sure that massive amounts of claustrophobia and Nightmare Fuel are involved.

Tags: Tragedy , Outdoor Activities , Body Horror , Seinen , Cosmic Horror , Male Protagonist , Rural , Primarily Adult Cast , Lost Civilization , Gore , Heterosexual

Gon

Also known as Gon.

Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Comedy , Slice of Life

Long before the dawn of man, savage dinosaurs roamed the Earth. Now, only one remains — the smallest, wildest of them all! GON marches across the wilderness defending the friendly and furry from the mean and hungry. Told entirely without words, these stories highlight the amazingly detailed art and visual storytelling genius of creator Masashi Tanaka.

Note: Got an additional chapter in Afternoon 2013-11 (to promote the CGI show), and a spin-off in 2006 called "Gon-chan" in Comic BonBon that lasted until 2007.

Tags: Animals , No Dialogue , Seinen , Episodic , Dinosaurs , Outdoor Activities , Surreal Comedy , Primarily Animal Cast , Wilderness , Historical

Hokuhokusei ni Kumo to Ike

Also known as Go with the Clouds, North-by-Northwest.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Adventure , Mystery , Slice of Life

The story takes place in Iceland, at land’s end, 64°N.
Kei Miyama is a 17-year-old with three secrets: he can talk to cars, he can’t handle pretty girls, and he works as a private investigator. One case has him searching for a beloved dog, another involves reuniting a woman with a man she fell for at first sight. And then comes a case that strikes close to home—searching for his own little brother.
Tag along as this globe-spanning journey unfolds…



Note: Nominated for the 12th Manga Taisho Award in 2019.

Tags: Detective , Outdoor Activities , Seinen , Foreign , Urban Fantasy , Iyashikei , Male Protagonist , Travel , Super Power , Gore , Nudity , Tsundere , LGBTQ+ Themes , Suicide , Educational

Watashi no Kobushi wo Uketomete!

Also known as Catch These Hands!.

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

From back alley brawls to bashful bonds, two former-delinquents face their next fight: long-term relationships. During her high school years, Takebe was the top dog at her school. But with her old friends now living as happy adults, Takebe was faced with an impending sense of crisis. Takebe convinced herself to quit delinquency, but then she runs into her old rival, Soramori. After losing another fist-fight against Soramori, for some reason or other they reconciled by becoming a dating couple. What kind of relationship did the two of them have back in high school? And will Takebe ever manage to graduate from delinquency...!? Note: Includes four extra chapters.

Tags: Delinquents , Primarily Female Cast , Female Protagonist , Yuri , Primarily Adult Cast , Tsundere , Seinen , LGBTQ+ Themes , Asexual , Fishing , Outdoor Activities , Urban , Unrequited Love

Yeol-Ahobseumulhana

Status: Finished
Genres: Romance , Slice of Life

Yun-I is a girl who is carrying a huge emotional scar in her heart. Due to an accident, she lost 2 precious years of her life, the time period between 19 and 21 years old. Her life is empty. She is miserable, but still attending a preparatory school in an attempt to catch up with all the time she has lost. Suddenly, one day on her way to feed some stray cats, she comes across a young man who seems to have what she has lost... the period between 19 and 21 years old.

Note: this work is originally a webcomic, made available in print form.

Tags: Coming of Age , Heterosexual , Full Color , Female Protagonist , Primarily Adult Cast , Animals , Iyashikei , Outdoor Activities , Rehabilitation , Philosophy , Otaku Culture