Top Urban Fantasy 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 , Found Family , Work , Ensemble Cast , Memory Manipulation , Cult , Shounen , Heterosexual , Yandere , Guns , Assassins , 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 , Femdom , Amnesia , Mafia , Yakuza , Tsundere , LGBTQ+ Themes , Zombie , Chimera , Motorcycles , Yuri , Vore

Na Honjaman Level Up

Also known as Solo Leveling.

Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Fantasy

In a world where awakened beings called “Hunters” must battle deadly monsters to protect humanity, Seong Jin-U, nicknamed “the weakest hunter of all mankind,” finds himself in a constant struggle for survival. One day, after a brutal encounter in an overpowered dungeon wipes out his party and threatens to end his life, a mysterious System chooses him as its sole player: Jin-U has been granted the rare opportunity to level up his abilities, possibly beyond any known limits. Follow Jin-U’s journey as he takes on ever-stronger enemies, both human and monster, to discover the secrets deep within the dungeons and the ultimate extent of his powers.



Note: Chapter count includes a prologue and 21 side stories.

Tags: Dungeon , Male Protagonist , Super Power , War , Full Color , Magic , Necromancy , Urban Fantasy , Gods , Primarily Adult Cast , Politics , Post-Apocalyptic , Demons , Tragedy , Video Games , Foreign , Memory Manipulation , Anti-Hero , Time Manipulation , Bullying , Estranged Family , Age Regression , Assassins , Chimera , Heterosexual , Language Barrier , Time Skip , Long Strip

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

Tokyo Ghoul

Also known as Tokyo Ghoul.

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

Shy Ken Kaneki is thrilled to go on a date with the beautiful Rize. But it turns out that she’s only interested in his body—eating it, that is. When a morally questionable rescue transforms him into the first half-human half-Ghoul hybrid, Ken is drawn into the dark and violent world of Ghouls, which exists alongside our own.



Note: Includes 1 extra chapter.

Tags: Tragedy , Cannibalism , Urban Fantasy , Gore , Male Protagonist , Dystopian , Survival , Seinen , Philosophy , Coming of Age , Shapeshifting , Body Horror , Torture , Police , Cosmic Horror , Kuudere , Primarily Adult Cast , Heterosexual , Twins , Chimera , Mythology , Cute Boys Doing Cute Things , Demons

Boku no Hero Academia

Also known as My Hero Academia.

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

Middle school student Izuku Midoriya wants to be a hero more than anything, but he hasn’t got an ounce of power in him. With no chance of ever getting into the prestigious U.A. High School for budding heroes, his life is looking more and more like a dead end. Then an encounter with All Might, the greatest hero of them all, gives him a chance to change his destiny…



Note:
- Winner of the 1st Next Manga Award in the Print Category in 2015.
- Nominated for the 8th Manga Taisho Award in 2015.
- Nominated for the 40th Kodansha Manga Award in the Shounen Category in 2016.
- Chapter count includes a bonus chapter included in volume 10 “Tsuyu-chan no Kerokero Nikki“.

Tags: Superhero , Super Power , Shounen , Male Protagonist , Primarily Teen Cast , Boarding School , Ensemble Cast , Terrorism , School , Urban Fantasy , Cultivation , Coming of Age , Crime , Anti-Hero , Criminal Organization , War , Revenge , Primarily Male Cast , Urban , Tragedy , Politics , Gore , Drugs , Age Regression , Heterosexual , Body Horror , Fugitive , Animals , Guns , Tomboy , Bisexual , Yandere , Yakuza , Nudity , Robots , Memory Manipulation , Rescue

One Punch-Man

Also known as One-Punch Man.

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

In this new action-comedy, everything about a young man named Saitama screams "AVERAGE,” from his lifeless expression, to his bald head, to his unimpressive physique. However, this average-looking fellow doesn't have your average problem... He's actually a superhero that's looking for tough opponents! The problem is, every time he finds a promising candidate he beats the snot out of them in one punch. Can Saitama finally find an evil villain strong enough to challenge him? Follow Saitama through his hilarious romps as he searches for new bad guys to challenge!



Tags: Urban Fantasy , Superhero , Super Power , Parody , Surreal Comedy , Kaiju , Satire , Primarily Adult Cast , Male Protagonist , Meta , Slapstick , Ensemble Cast , Cosmic Horror , Gods , Seinen , Philosophy , Urban , Martial Arts , Cyborg , Swordplay , Gore , Aliens , Time Manipulation

BLEACH

Also known as Bleach.

Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Supernatural

Ichigo Kurosaki has always been able to see ghosts, but this ability doesn't change his life nearly as much as his close encounter with Rukia Kuchiki, a Soul Reaper and member of the mysterious Soul Society. While fighting a Hollow, an evil spirit that preys on humans who display psychic energy, Rukia attempts to lend Ichigo some of her powers so that he can save his family; but much to her surprise, Ichigo absorbs every last drop of her energy. Now a full-fledged Soul Reaper himself, Ichigo quickly learns that the world he inhabits is one full of dangerous spirits and, along with Rukia— who is slowly regaining her powers— it's Ichigo's job to protect the innocent from Hollows and help the spirits themselves find peace.



Note: Chapter count includes the 12-chapter “Turn Back The Pendulum” side story and 8 extra chapters.

Tags: Shounen , Swordplay , Super Power , Ghost , Male Protagonist , War , Ensemble Cast , Afterlife , Large Breasts , Urban Fantasy , Tragedy , Conspiracy , Philosophy , Coming of Age , Henshin , Primarily Male Cast , Heterosexual , Anachronism , Time Skip , Delinquents , Primarily Teen Cast , Body Horror , Transgender , Gods , Exorcism , Full Color

HUNTER×HUNTER

Also known as Hunter x Hunter.

Status: Hiatus
Genres: Action , Adventure , Comedy , Fantasy

Gon might be a country boy, but he has high aspirations. Despite his Aunt Mito's protests, Gon decides to follow in his father's footsteps and become a legendary Hunter. The Hunter hopefuls begin their journey by storm-tossed ship, where Gon meets Leorio and Kurapika, the only other applicants who aren't devastated by bouts of seasickness.

Having survived the terrors of the high seas, Gon and his companions now have to prove their worth in a variety of tests in order to find the elusive Exam Hall. And once they get there, will they ever leave alive...?



Tags: Shounen , Super Power , Cultivation , Ensemble Cast , Travel , Male Protagonist , Primarily Male Cast , Urban Fantasy , Tragedy , Revenge , Assassins , Chimera , Battle Royale , Death Game , Politics , Anti-Hero , Crime , Philosophy , Coming of Age , Gangs , War , Martial Arts , Gore , Conspiracy , Lost Civilization , Ships , Video Games , Card Battle , Mafia , Animals , LGBTQ+ Themes , Time Manipulation , Transgender , Cannibalism , Amnesia , Virtual World , Demons , Reincarnation , Asexual , Kemonomimi

[Oshi no Ko]

Also known as [Oshi no Ko].

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

Gorou is a gynecologist and idol fan who’s in shock after his favorite star, Ai, announces an impromptu hiatus. Little does Gorou realize that he’s about to forge a bond with her that defies all common sense! Lies are an idol’s weapon!



Notes:
- Nominated for the 14th and 15th Manga Taisho.
- Nominated for the 26th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize.
- Nominated for the 67th Shogakukan Manga Award in the general category.
- Nominated for the 46th Kodansha Manga Award.
- Winner of the 7th Next Manga Award in the print category.
- Chapter count includes 2 extra chapters.

Tags: Revenge , Idol , Acting , Reincarnation , Tragedy , Female Protagonist , Male Protagonist , Seinen , Twins , Detective , Time Skip , Work , Otaku Culture , Age Gap , Love Triangle , Female Harem , Heterosexual , Anti-Hero , Suicide , Bullying , Educational , Urban Fantasy , Denpa , Tsundere , Primarily Female Cast , Primarily Teen Cast , Urban , Pregnancy , Filmmaking , VTuber , Cosplay

Dandadan

Also known as Dandadan.

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

Momo Ayase strikes up an unusual friendship with her school’s UFO fanatic, whom she nicknames “Okarun” because he has a name that is not to be said aloud. While Momo believes in spirits, she thinks aliens are nothing but nonsense. Her new friend, meanwhile, thinks the exact opposite. To settle matters, the two set out to prove each other wrong—Momo to a UFO hotspot and Okarun to a haunted tunnel! What unfolds next is a beautiful story of young love…and oddly horny aliens and spirits?



Notes:
- Includes 1 extra chapter.
- Nominated for the 15th Manga Taisho Award in 2022.

Tags: Youkai , Urban Fantasy , Aliens , Super Power , Ghost , Shounen , Female Protagonist , Male Protagonist , Surreal Comedy , Henshin , Tokusatsu , Ensemble Cast , Primarily Teen Cast , Heterosexual , School , Shapeshifting , Body Horror , Love Triangle , Terrorism , Conspiracy , Kaiju , Acrobatics , Gore , Chuunibyou , Super Robot , Tragedy , Cannibalism , Exorcism , Circus , Gods , Tsundere , Nudity , Bullying , Dissociative Identities , Suicide , Curses

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

Tokyo Ghoul:re

Also known as Tokyo Ghoul:re.

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

In Tokyo, an unchanging despair is lurking. Mysterious man-eating beings, ghouls, run rampant in Tokyo. Living hidden during everyday life, the existence of ghouls, whose true identities are shrouded in mystery, permanently terrorizes Tokyo's residents.

At CCG, the sole institution that investigates and resolves cases related to ghouls, Haise Sasaki has been assigned a certain mission. While dealing with the unruly four problem children known as "Quinx", Haise's days of suffering begin...?!

Note: Includes 1 extra chapter and the one-shot "Tokyo Ghoul: Joker".

Tags: Dissociative Identities , Tragedy , Body Horror , Amnesia , Seinen , Shapeshifting , Dystopian , Philosophy , Gore , Urban Fantasy , Conspiracy , Primarily Adult Cast , Police , Rehabilitation , Ensemble Cast , Male Protagonist , Heterosexual , Yandere , Suicide , Kuudere , Cosmic Horror , Meta , Crossdressing , Nudity , Mythology , LGBTQ+ Themes , Transgender , Gender Bending

DEATH NOTE

Also known as Death Note.

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

When Light Yagami finds a notebook giving him power over death, will he use it for good—or evil?

Light Yagami is an ace student with great prospects—and he’s bored out of his mind. But all that changes when he finds the Death Note, a notebook dropped by a rogue Shinigami death god. Any human whose name is written in the notebook dies, and Light has vowed to use the power of the Death Note to rid the world of evil. But will Light succeed in his noble goal, or will the Death Note turn him into the very thing he fights against?



Tags: Detective , Tragedy , Anti-Hero , Police , Urban Fantasy , Crime , Male Protagonist , Philosophy , Gods , Espionage , Primarily Male Cast , Time Skip , Shounen , Demons , Memory Manipulation , Amnesia , Politics

Fire Punch

Also known as Fire Punch.

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

Orphaned siblings Agni and Luna, like the Ice Witch who cursed their world, are two of the “blessed,” humans who hold special abilities. However, not all who are blessed are friendly, and after another of their kind attacks Agni and decimates the orphans' village, Agni fights to survive, vowing revenge.



Tags: Post-Apocalyptic , Suicide , Tragedy , Dystopian , Revenge , Philosophy , Cult , Anti-Hero , Super Power , Survival , Religion , Body Horror , Meta , Cosmic Horror , Gore , Male Protagonist , Coming of Age , Torture , Acting , Time Skip , Cannibalism , Urban Fantasy , Incest , Filmmaking , Transgender , Slavery , Surreal Comedy , LGBTQ+ Themes , Denpa , Gods , Memory Manipulation , Snowscape , Politics , Heterosexual , Shounen

Uzumaki

Also known as Uzumaki: Spiral into Horror.

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

Kurozu-cho, a small fogbound town on the coast of Japan, is cursed. According to Shuichi Saito, the withdrawn boyfriend of teenager Kirie Goshima, their town is haunted not by a person or being but by a pattern: uzumaki, the spiral, the hypnotic secret shape of the world. It manifests itself in small ways: seashells, ferns, whirlpools in water, whirlwinds in air. And in large ways: the spiral marks on people's bodies, the insane obsessions of Shuichi's father, the voice from the cochlea in your inner ear. As the madness spreads, the inhabitants of Kurouzu-cho are pulled ever deeper, as if into a whirlpool from which there is no return...



Notes:
- Includes the extra chapter "Uzumaki Tokubetsu-hen: Ginga", which was included in editions later released.
- Chosen by the American Library Association (ALA) as one of the Top Ten Great Graphic Novels for Teens 2009. (Vol. 1)

Tags: Tragedy , Body Horror , Cosmic Horror , Seinen , Survival , Female Protagonist , Gore , Episodic , Philosophy , Lost Civilization , Rural , Cannibalism , Urban Fantasy , Heterosexual , Suicide , Curses , Bullying , Demons , Unrequited Love , Cult , Yandere

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

Jumyou wo Kaitotte Moratta. Ichinen ni Tsuki, Ichimanen de.

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

A twenty-year-old with little hope for the future discovers a shop that buys lifespan, time, and health. This is a story dealing with the ensuing consequences.

Note: Includes 2 extra chapters.

Tags: Coming of Age , Tragedy , Philosophy , Male Protagonist , Primarily Adult Cast , Urban Fantasy , Heterosexual , Suicide , Shounen , Drawing , Photography , Mopeds

JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken: Stone Ocean

Also known as JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 6: Stone Ocean.

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

The story of Joutarou Kuujou's (Part 3) daughter, Jolyne Kuujou. She is framed for a murder and ends up in the Green Dolphin Street Prison. She is given an amulet inherited from her father, which cuts her hand and unlocks her Stand ability, Stone Free, which allows her to unravel her body into living string. The string can form a humanoid Stand within 2 meters of her body, and can extend further as string. In the prison, she soon becomes uneasy allies with fellow convicts and Stand users Hermes (Kiss) and Foo Fighters.

Tags: Super Power , Female Protagonist , Tragedy , Memory Manipulation , Prison , Urban Fantasy , Foreign , Time Manipulation , Alternate Universe , Gore , Crime , Body Horror , Primarily Female Cast , LGBTQ+ Themes , Shounen , Philosophy , Ensemble Cast , Transgender , Religion , Cosmic Horror , Amnesia , Disability

Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun

Also known as Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun.

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

"Hanako-san, Hanako-san... are you there?" At Kamome Academy, rumors abound about the school's Seven Mysteries, one of which is Hanako-san. Said to occupy the third stall of the third floor girls' bathroom in the old school building, Hanako-san grants any wish when summoned. Nene Yashiro, an occult-loving high school girl who dreams of romance, ventures into this haunted bathroom... but the Hanako-san she meets there is nothing like she imagined! Kamome Academy's Hanako-san... is a boy!


Tags: Youkai , Mythology , Ghost , Urban Fantasy , School , Afterlife , Twins , Tragedy , Female Protagonist , Heterosexual , Male Protagonist , Alternate Universe , Shounen , Revenge , Gore , LGBTQ+ Themes , Exorcism , Magic , Suicide , Slapstick , Survival , Body Horror , Yandere , Tsundere , Time Manipulation , Gods , Mermaid , Love Triangle , Shrine Maiden , Body Swapping

Sayonara Eri

Also known as Goodbye, Eri.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Psychological

With his mother dying, Yuuta attempts to capture her last days on his phone. After her death, Yuuta heads to the roof of the hospital to commit suicide, but a meeting with a strange girl leads him on the path to making a movie.



Note: The one-shot was compiled in a special volume, released on July 4, 2022.

Tags: Meta , POV , Filmmaking , Coming of Age , Tragedy , Male Protagonist , Acting , Female Protagonist , Urban Fantasy , Vampire , Family Life , Time Skip , School , Primarily Teen Cast , Shounen , Disability , Suicide