Top Space Manga Recommendations

Dr. STONE

Also known as Dr. STONE.

Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Comedy , Sci-Fi

One fateful day, all of humanity was petrified by a blinding flash of light. After several millennia, high schooler Taiju awakens and finds himself lost in a world of statues. However, he’s not alone! His science-loving friend Senku’s been up and running for a few months and he's got a grand plan in mind—to kickstart civilization with the power of science!



Note: Shueisha published its 27th volume on April 4, 2024. This volume contains the one-shot Dr. STONE: TERRAFORMING and the mini-series Dr. STONE 4D SCIENCE.

Tags: Post-Apocalyptic , Survival , Ensemble Cast , Educational , Male Protagonist , Shounen , Lost Civilization , Travel , Philosophy , War , Time Skip , Environmental , Space , Kingdom Management , Primarily Male Cast , Tragedy , Espionage , Ships , Food , Adoption , Asexual , Bisexual , Time Manipulation , Guns

Houseki no Kuni

Also known as Land of the Lustrous.

Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Fantasy , Mystery , Psychological , Sci-Fi

In a world inhabited by crystalline lifeforms called The Lustrous, every unique gem must fight for their way of life against the threat of lunarians who would turn them into decorations. Phosphophyllite, the most fragile and brittle of gems, longs to join the battle. When Phos is instead assigned to complete a natural history of their world, it sounds like a dull and pointless task. But this new job brings Phos into contact with Cinnabar, a gem forced to live in isolation. Can Phos’s seemingly mundane assignment lead both Phos and Cinnabar to the fulfillment they desire?



Note: Nominated for the 8th Manga Taisho in 2015.

Tags: Tragedy , Philosophy , Seinen , Anthropomorphism , Religion , Coming of Age , Anti-Hero , Body Horror , Shapeshifting , Cosmic Horror , Post-Apocalyptic , Revenge , Time Skip , Agender , Reincarnation , Dissociative Identities , Memory Manipulation , Ensemble Cast , Space , Politics , Aliens , Asexual , Swordplay , Amnesia , LGBTQ+ Themes , Heterosexual , School , Suicide , Robots , Foreign , Gods , Gender Bending , Nudity

God of High School

Also known as The God of High School.

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

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

Shin Seiki Evangelion

Also known as Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Mecha , Mystery , Psychological , Sci-Fi

In 2015, the "Angels" have returned, and Shinji Ikari, a fourteen year-old child of the new Earth, is forced by his father Gendo--commander of the secret organization NERV--to pilot the monstrous biomechanical weapon called "Evangelion" to match the Angels' fearsome power...



Tags: Philosophy , Coming of Age , Kaiju , Tragedy , Military , Body Horror , Primarily Teen Cast , Real Robot , Conspiracy , Male Protagonist , Post-Apocalyptic , Denpa , Cosmic Horror , Robots , Super Robot , Tsundere , Angels , Kuudere , Gore , Memory Manipulation , Cyberpunk , Amnesia , Bisexual , Espionage , Guns , School , Urban , Seinen , Nudity , Space , Age Gap , Tokusatsu , Love Triangle , Boys' Love

Dragon Ball Super

Also known as Dragon Ball Super.

Status: Hiatus
Genres: Action , Sci-Fi

Reuniting the franchise's iconic characters, Dragon Ball Super follows the aftermath of Goku's fierce battle with Majin Boo as he attempts to maintain earth's fragile peace.

Tags: Super Power , Martial Arts , Male Protagonist , Henshin , Shounen , Gods , Time Manipulation , Alternate Universe , Battle Royale , Space , Dragons

Gintama

Also known as Gin Tama.

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

The samurai didn't stand a chance. First, the aliens invaded Japan. Next, they took all the jobs. And then they confiscated everyone's swords. So what does a hotheaded former samurai like Sakata "Gin" Gintoki do to make ends meet? Take any odd job that comes his way, even if it means losing his dignity.



Included Bonus Chapters:
Volume 1: Dandelion (One-shot).
Volume 2: Shirokuro (One-shot).
Volume 24: 13 (One-shot).
Volume 38: Bankara-san Ga Tooru (One-shot).
Volume 41: Special Lesson.

Tags: Parody , Samurai , Found Family , Meta , Swordplay , Male Protagonist , Aliens , Shounen , Philosophy , Episodic , Tragedy , Space , Historical , Anachronism , Time Skip , Ensemble Cast , Police , War , Dystopian , Robots , Ninja , Ghost , LGBTQ+ Themes , Homeless , Assassins , Crossdressing , Fugitive , Idol , Shrine Maiden , Body Swapping , Gender Bending , Judo , Drawing , Gangs , Female Harem , Dissociative Identities , Afterlife , Amnesia , Cult , Military , Reincarnation , Nekomimi , Conspiracy , Politics

Wu Lian Dianfeng

Also known as Martial Peak.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Action , Adventure , Ecchi , Fantasy , Romance , Supernatural

The peak of martial arts is solitary and lonely. It is an endless pursuit for unattainable heights as well. In order to surpass the limits of martial arts, growth and the will to survive in adverse situations is necessary. One day, Yang Kai, a disciple-on-trial (and floor sweeper) of the Lingxiao Martial Arts Sect discovered a Wordless Black Book. That marked the turn in his luck and the beginning of his martial arts journey.



Tags: Wuxia , Male Protagonist , Martial Arts , Cultivation , Full Color , Magic , Female Harem , Dragons , Primarily Adult Cast , Time Skip , Aliens , Aviation , Alchemy , Heterosexual , Travel , Revenge , Super Power , War , Skeleton , Anti-Hero , Space , Demons , Assassins , Slavery , Coming of Age , Adoption , Archery , Battle Royale , Body Swapping , Monster Girl , Tsundere , Twins , Succubus , Amnesia , Nudity , Teacher

Dai Dark

Also known as Dai Dark.

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

Zaha Sanko’s body has great and terrible powers–they say that possessing his bones will grant you any wish, even the desire to become ruler of the universe. But Sanko is still a teenage dude with his own life, and he isn’t about to let every monstrous lowlife in the galaxy rip him limb from limb. He and his skeletal buddy Avakian will use their dark powers to fend off any murder attempts while they search space for whomever put this curse on Sanko’s bones…because killing them might end the madness.



Tags: Space , Gore , Surreal Comedy , Body Horror , Aliens , Dystopian , Anti-Hero , Shounen , Henshin , Skeleton , Cult , Agender , Demons , Food , Cosmic Horror , Space Opera , Slavery , Age Regression

Planetes

Also known as Planetes.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Psychological , Sci-Fi , Slice of Life

Haunted by a space flight accident that claimed the life of his beloved wife, Yuri finds himself six years later as part of a team of debris cleaners on a vessel called the Toy Box charged with clearing space junk from space flight paths. The team consists of Hachimaki, a hot shot debris-man with a sailor's affinity for the orbital ocean; Fee, a chain-smoking tomboy beauty with an abrasive edge; and Pops, a veteran orbital mechanic whose avuncular presence soothes the stress of the job.



Tags: Philosophy , Work , Environmental , Space , Seinen , Educational , Politics , Family Life , Terrorism , Primarily Adult Cast , Heterosexual , Male Protagonist , Episodic , Iyashikei , Tragedy , Nudity , Time Skip

EDENS ZERO

Also known as EDENS ZERO.

Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Comedy , Ecchi , Fantasy , Sci-Fi

Eleven months after the grand finale of Fairy Tail, master mangaka Hiro Mashima is back with a great adventure beyond imagination! All the steadfast friendship, crazy fighting, and blue cats you've come to expect... IN SPACE!

A young boy gazes up at the sky and sees a streaming bolt of light. The friendly, armor-clad being at his side tells him gently, "That's a dragon." The fact that he's joking isn't important. What's important is the look of wonder on the boy's face... and the galaxy-spanning adventure that's about to take place! Join Hiro Mashima (Fairy Tail, Rave Master) once more as he takes to the stars for another thrilling saga!



Tags: Space , Shounen , Ensemble Cast , Time Manipulation , Robots , Male Protagonist , Alternate Universe , Super Power , Artificial Intelligence , Time Skip , Transgender , Bondage , Large Breasts , Slavery , Female Protagonist , LGBTQ+ Themes , Tragedy , Parody , Tentacles , Swordplay , Guns , Human Pet , Heterosexual

World Trigger

Also known as World Trigger.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Action , Sci-Fi

A gate to another dimension has burst open, and from it emerge gigantic invincible creatures that threaten all of humanity. Earth's only defense is a mysterious group of warriors who have co-opted the alien technology in order to fight back!



Tags: Shounen , Aliens , Super Power , Ensemble Cast , War , Male Protagonist , Military , Battle Royale , Primarily Male Cast , Politics , Space , Primarily Teen Cast , Video Games , Swordplay , Guns , Tragedy , Isekai

Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon

Also known as Sailor Moon.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Fantasy , Mahou Shoujo , Romance

Usagi Tsukino is a normal girl until she meets up with Luna, a talking cat, who tells her that she is Sailor Moon. As Sailor Moon, Usagi must fight evils and enforce justice, in the name of the Moon and the mysterious Moon Princess. She meets other girls destined to be Sailor Senshi (Sailor Scouts), and together, they fight the forces of evil!



Notes:
- The tankoubon release contains 52 Acts and 9 bonus chapters across 18 volumes; chapter/volume counts follow the tankoubon release.
- The shinsouban release contains the original 52 Acts plus 8 new Acts across 12 volumes, but no bonus chapters as all 9 were released separately in Sailor Moon Short Stories alongside another bonus chapter that was previously released in an artbook.
- The kanzenban release contains both the 60 Acts and the 10 bonus chapters from the short story shinsoubans across 10 volumes.


Tags: Shoujo , Primarily Female Cast , Reincarnation , Magic , Female Protagonist , Lost Civilization , Henshin , Time Manipulation , Urban Fantasy , Coming of Age , Heterosexual , Tragedy , Memory Manipulation , Mythology , Philosophy , War , Cosmic Horror , Space Opera , Parenthood , Demons , Space , Super Power , Astronomy , School , Aliens , LGBTQ+ Themes , Fairy Tale , Bisexual , Body Horror , Rehabilitation , Nudity , Bullying , Revenge , Time Skip , Tokusatsu , Dissociative Identities , Age Gap , Urban , Unrequited Love , Found Family , Yuri , Superhero , Circus , Gender Bending , Shrine Maiden , Love Triangle , Animals , Kemonomimi , Age Regression , Twins , School Club

Trigun

Also known as Trigun.

Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Comedy , Drama , Sci-Fi

Much of the damage attributed to "Vash" is caused by the activities of bounty hunters who are after the 60,000,000,000$$ (sixty billion "double dollars") reward on Vash's head for the destruction of a city called July. Vash does not clearly remember the destruction of July, and only wants "love and peace", as he puts it; though he is a gunfighter of inhuman skill, he uses his weapons only to save lives wherever he can.

As the series progresses, more is gradually learned about Vash's mysterious history and the history of the human civilization on Gunsmoke, the desert planet the series is set on. The series is often humorous in tone, but at the same time it involves very serious character development and especially in later episodes it becomes quite emotionally intense. Vash is occasionally joined by a priest, Nicholas D. Wolfwood, who is almost as good a gunfighter as Vash himself, and later is targeted by a band of assassins known as the Gung-Ho Guns for reasons which are mysterious at first.

Trigun evolves into a very serious discussion of the nature of morality, posing questions such as: What is the nature of morality? Can we judge different moral codes? If a person is forced to betray their moral code, does that betrayal invalidate that moral code, and can the person still try to live up to that moral code? Can the person find redemption from their wrongs, and if so, how?



Note: Includes 3 extra chapters.

Tags: Shounen , Guns , Steampunk , Male Protagonist , Dystopian , Primarily Adult Cast , Fugitive , Desert , Crime , Post-Apocalyptic , Super Power , Tragedy , Religion , Space

Jigokusei Remina

Also known as Remina.

Status: Finished
Genres: Horror , Psychological , Sci-Fi

An unknown planet emerges from inside a wormhole, and its discoverer, Dr. Oguro, christens the body “Remina” after his own daughter. His finding is met with great fanfare, and Remina herself rises to fame. However, the object picks up speed as it moves along in its curious course, eliminating planets and stars one after another, until finally Earth itself faces extinction… Is the girl Remina the true cause of the catastrophe? A masterwork of horror from Junji Ito, unfolding on a universal scale.



Note: Includes the one-shot Okumanbocchi

Tags: Cosmic Horror , Female Protagonist , Tragedy , Space , Cult , Seinen , Body Horror , Aliens , Post-Apocalyptic , Yandere , Male Harem , Hikikomori , Primarily Adult Cast

Terra Formars

Also known as Terra Formars.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Action , Horror , Sci-Fi

After humanity’s first manned mission to the Red Planet was lost, a second expedition arrives. The explorers prepare to exterminate the cockroaches that were used to transform the Martian environment, but are shocked to discover that the insects have mutated into giant, aggressive humanoids with one overriding goal—exterminate the humans! However, this crew of explorers has each undergone the “Bugs Procedure,” terrifying experimental surgery designed to make them more than human…



Tags: Aliens , Henshin , Tragedy , Super Power , Seinen , Ensemble Cast , Espionage , Martial Arts , War , Space , Tokusatsu , Gore , Shapeshifting , Male Protagonist , Primarily Adult Cast , Politics , Military , Dystopian , Conspiracy

UQ Holder!

Also known as UQ HOLDER!.

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

Negi Springfield, the boy wizard of the hit manga Negima!, fought and won many battles. Now it is decades later and Negi’s grandson(!), a little boy name Touta, dreams of leaving his quiet village and heading to the City. But first he must defeat his teacher … the immortal vampire, Evangeline! Witness the dramatic beginning of a futuristic battle fantasy



Tags: Magic , Shounen , Martial Arts , Male Protagonist , Time Manipulation , Urban Fantasy , Super Power , Space , Female Harem , Amnesia , Space Opera , Bisexual , Cyborg , Nudity , Super Robot , Primarily Female Cast , Primarily Male Cast , Gender Bending , Clone , Guns , Swordplay , Demons , Time Skip , Heterosexual , Ghost , Crossdressing , Tragedy , Vampire , Survival , Agender

Uchuu Kyoudai

Also known as Space Brothers.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Sci-Fi , Slice of Life

Two brothers looked to the starry skies as children and made a promise ... Now, in the year 2025, the younger brother, Hibito, is carrying his out. He is an astronaut who has been selected as a crew member for mankind’s first long-term base on the moon. Meanwhile, the older brother, Mutta, has just been fired from his job and is unemployed, but decides to trust himself just one last time. A text message from Hibito sends him applying to be an astronaut too and shooting for the stars …



Notes:
- Nominated for the 2nd and 3rd Manga Taisho Award
- Won the 56th Shogakukan Manga Award
- Won the 35th Kodansha Manga Award in the General Category.

Tags: Space , Educational , Seinen , Work , Astronomy , Ensemble Cast , Primarily Adult Cast , Male Protagonist , Foreign , Tragedy , Aviation , Time Skip , Episodic , Iyashikei , Nudity

SHY

Also known as Shy.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Action , Comedy , Drama

Earth was on the brink of a third World War when super-powered individuals came forth from each country around the globe, ending the conflict and ushering in a new era of relative peace. Among those heroes, Japan is represented by a timid young girl known as “Shy.” She may spend more time worrying about her own shortcomings than she does battling villains, but she’ll show the world that despite it all she still has the heart of a hero!



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

Tags: Superhero , Henshin , Super Power , Female Protagonist , Shounen , Coming of Age , Tokusatsu , Philosophy , Yuri , Suicide , Ninja , Space , LGBTQ+ Themes , Yandere , Disability , Body Horror

Sidonia no Kishi

Also known as Knights of Sidonia.

Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Drama , Mecha , Sci-Fi

Outer space, the far future.

A lone seed ship, the Sidonia, plies the void, ten centuries since the obliteration of the solar system. The massive, nearly indestructible, yet barely sentient alien life forms that destroyed humanity’s home world continue to pose an existential threat.

Nagate Tanikaze has only known life in the vessel’s bowels deep below the sparkling strata where humans have achieved photosynthesis and new genders. Not long after he emerges from the Underground, however, the youth is bequeathed a treasured legacy by the spaceship’s coolheaded female captain.

Meticulously drawn, peppered with clipped humor, but also unusually attentive to plot and structure for the international cult favorite, Knights of Sidonia may be Tsutomu Nihei’s most accessible work to date even as it hits notes of tragic grandeur as a hopeless struggle for survival unfolds.



Tags: Aliens , Space , Military , War , Male Protagonist , Survival , Post-Apocalyptic , Agender , Seinen , Clone , Female Harem , Real Robot , Heterosexual , Nudity , Space Opera

Trigun Maximum

Also known as Trigun Maximum.

Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Comedy , Drama , Sci-Fi

Much of the damage attributed to "Vash" is caused by the activities of bounty hunters who are after the 60,000,000,000$$ (sixty billion "double dollars") reward on Vash's head for the destruction of a city called July. Vash does not clearly remember the destruction of July, and only wants "love and peace", as he puts it; though he is a gunfighter of inhuman skill, he uses his weapons only to save lives wherever he can.

As the series progresses, more is gradually learned about Vash's mysterious history and the history of the human civilization on Gunsmoke, the desert planet the series is set on. The series is often humorous in tone, but at the same time it involves very serious character development and especially in later episodes it becomes quite emotionally intense. Vash is occasionally joined by a priest, Nicholas D. Wolfwood, who is almost as good a gunfighter as Vash himself, and later is targeted by a band of assassins known as the Gung-Ho Guns for reasons which are mysterious at first.

Trigun evolves into a very serious discussion of the nature of morality, posing questions such as: What is the nature of morality? Can we judge different moral codes? If a person is forced to betray their moral code, does that betrayal invalidate that moral code, and can the person still try to live up to that moral code? Can the person find redemption from their wrongs, and if so, how?



Originally serialized in 102 chapters, condensed then to 96 in the tankoubon release. Vol.8 contains 2 extra chapters: “FREED BIRD”; Young King Ours 1999-09, 10.

Tags: Guns , Seinen , Dystopian , Cosmic Horror , Religion , Aliens , Philosophy , Twins , Post-Apocalyptic , Steampunk , Male Protagonist , Body Horror , Assassins , Super Power , Desert , Tragedy , Primarily Adult Cast , Crime , Space , Transgender , Dissociative Identities , Gore , Environmental