Top Urban Manga Recommendations

Chainsaw Man

Also known as Chainsaw Man.

Status: Finished
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 , Psychosexual , Coming of Age , Male Protagonist , Dissociative Identities , Gore , Body Horror , Cosmic Horror , Henshin , Urban , Monster Boy , Survival , Found Family , Female Protagonist , Work , Memory Manipulation , Shounen , Anti-Hero , Unrequited Love , Alternate Universe , Heterosexual , Ensemble Cast , Cult , Politics , Guns , Assassins , Yandere , Monster Girl , Human Pet , Revenge , Shapeshifting , Terrorism , Femdom , Surreal Comedy , Philosophy , Slapstick , Meta , Primarily Teen Cast , Super Power , Afterlife , Nudity , School , Cannibalism , Delinquents , Angels , Necromancy , Amnesia , Time Skip , Yakuza , Mafia , Tsundere , Time Manipulation , Zombie , Chimera , Motorcycles , Vore , Denpa , Bisexual

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 , Battle Royale , Gore , Primarily Teen Cast , Urban , Exorcism , Ensemble Cast , Cosmic Horror , Sadism , Body Swapping , Cult , School , Anthropomorphism , Assassins , Amnesia , Slapstick , Time Skip , Time Manipulation , Swordplay , Transgender , LGBTQ+ Themes , Nudity , Primarily Male Cast

Oyasumi Punpun

Also known as Goodnight Punpun.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Psychological , Slice of Life

Meet Punpun Punyama. He’s an average kid in an average town.
He wants to win a Nobel Prize and save the world.
He wants the girl he has a crush on to like him back.
He wants to find some porn.
That’s what he wants, but what does he get…?



Tags: Coming of Age , Seinen , Tragedy , Philosophy , Denpa , Suicide , Psychosexual , Urban , Heterosexual , Male Protagonist , Anti-Hero , Time Skip , School , Surreal Comedy , Meta , Gods , Fugitive , Cult , Work , Nudity , Body Horror , Love Triangle , Religion

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.
- Includes one extra chapter.

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

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

SPY×FAMILY

Also known as SPY x FAMILY.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Action , Comedy , Slice of Life , Supernatural

The master spy codenamed <Twilight> has spent his days on undercover missions, all for the dream of a better world. But one day, he receives a particularly difficult new order from command. For his mission, he must form a temporary family and start a new life?! A Spy/Action/Comedy about a one-of-a-kind family!



Notes:
- Nominated for the 24th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 2020.
- Nominated for the 13th and 14th Manga Taisho Award in 2020 and 2021.
- Nominated for the 44th Kodansha Manga Award in the Shounen Category in 2020.

Tags: Family Life , Espionage , Found Family , War , Assassins , Surreal Comedy , Female Protagonist , Male Protagonist , Adoption , Work , Fake Relationship , School , Aliens , Politics , Orphan , Shounen , Heterosexual , Marriage , Super Power , Slapstick , Guns , Ensemble Cast , Episodic , Parody , Parenthood , Foreign , Terrorism , Hikikomori , Satire , Iyashikei , Urban , Historical , Anachronism , Tsundere , Urban Fantasy

Horimiya

Also known as Horimiya.

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

At school, Kyouko Hori is known for being smart, attractive, and popular. On the other hand, her classmate, the boring, gloomy Izumi Miyamura tends to get painted as a "loser fanboy." But when a liberally pierced and tattooed (not to mention downright gorgeous) Miyamura appears unexpectedly on the doorstep of secretly plain-Jane homebody Hori, these two similarly dissimilar teenagers discover that there are multiple sides to every story...and person!



Notes:
- Includes 20 extra chapters.
- The 17th volume was released on July 18, 2023, two years after the series' original ending. This new volume included 10 additional chapters.

Tags: Heterosexual , Female Protagonist , Male Protagonist , Primarily Teen Cast , Tsundere , School , Family Life , Coming of Age , Ensemble Cast , Slapstick , Episodic , Shounen , Love Triangle , Bullying , Urban , Time Skip

Tokyo卍Revengers

Also known as Tokyo Revengers.

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

Hanagaki Takemichi was once a low-life punk, but after biting off more than he could chew with a gang in middle school, he ran away from his old life. Now that he’s an adult, the gang that once terrorized him has grown into the largest gang in Tokyo, and they’ve started killing people–including his old girlfriend! After learning this news, a mysterious force on a train platform shoves Takemichi right in front of an approaching train. As his life flashes before his eyes, he blinks to find himself transported back to middle school, before he fled from the gang! Now he has the chance to right what went wrong all those years ago. Can he save his girlfriend’s life in the future–and what else might he change if he’s rewriting the past?



Notes:
- Winner of the Shounen Manga category of the 44th annual Kodansha Manga Awards.
- Includes one extra chapter.

Tags: Delinquents , Gangs , Time Manipulation , Time Skip , Tragedy , Male Protagonist , Revenge , Conspiracy , Crime , Shounen , Age Regression , Urban , Ensemble Cast , Motorcycles , Suicide , Heterosexual , Espionage , Love Triangle , Gore , Mopeds , Age Gap , Guns , School , Adoption

[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, the 26th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize, the 67th Shogakukan Manga Award in the general category and the 46th Kodansha Manga Award.
- Winner of the 7th Next Manga Award in the print category.
- Includes "[Oshi no Ko]: interlude" and one extra chapter.

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

20 Seiki Shounen

Also known as 20th Century Boys.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Mystery , Psychological , Sci-Fi , Thriller

Humanity, having faced extinction at the end of the 20th century, would not have entered the new millennium if it weren't for them. In 1969, during their youth, they created a symbol. In 1997, as the coming disaster slowly starts to unfold, that symbol returns. This is the story of a group of boys who try to save the world.

For Kenji, a simple convenience store manager who once dreamed of becoming a rock 'n' roll musician, a host of memories from his past come rushing back when one of his childhood friends mysteriously commits suicide. Could this new death be related to the rise of a bizarre new cult that's been implicated in several other murders and disappearances? Determined to dig deeper, Kenji reunites with some of his old buddies in the hope of learning the truth behind it all.



Tags: Ensemble Cast , Coming of Age , Seinen , Politics , Dystopian , Achronological Order , Conspiracy , Cult , Fugitive , Pandemic , Time Skip , Post-Apocalyptic , Terrorism , Found Family , Male Protagonist , Detective , Philosophy , Cosmic Horror , Dissociative Identities , Tragedy , Historical , Musical Theater , Female Protagonist , Police , Robots , Augmented Reality , Urban , Rock Music , Cute Boys Doing Cute Things , Transgender , Time Manipulation , Homeless , Foreign , Nudity , Twins , Drugs , Bowling , Crossdressing

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

SAKAMOTO DAYS

Also known as Sakamoto Days.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Action , Comedy

Taro Sakamoto was the ultimate assassin, feared by villains and admired by hitmen. But one day...he fell in love! Retirement, marriage, fatherhood and then... Sakamoto gained weight! The chubby guy who runs the neighborhood store is actually a former legendary hitman! Can he protect his family from danger? Get ready to experience a new kind of action comedy series!



Tags: Assassins , Urban Fantasy , Family Life , Crime , Found Family , Primarily Adult Cast , Primarily Male Cast , Konbini , Male Protagonist , Gangs , Guns , Shounen , Espionage , Dissociative Identities , Conspiracy , Gore , Heterosexual , Triads , Mafia , Acting , Slapstick , Urban , Prison , Tragedy , Super Power , Survival , Motorcycles , Gambling , Crossdressing

Kaoru Hana wa Rin to Saku

Also known as The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Comedy , Drama , Romance

This story takes place in a particular town with two infamous schools in constant dispute: Chidori High, a boys' school predominantly attended by low-class students with damning grades, and its neighbor Kikyo Girls' High, with most of its female students coming from wealthy and prestigious families. One day, high school second-year Rintaro Tsumugi, a fierce-looking but gentle-minded student at Chidori, is helping at his family's patisserie when he encounters a female customer by the name of Kaoruko Waguri. Rintaro enjoys his time with Kaoruko, as she doesn't judge him for his appearance, but this blissful peace is quickly disturbed when Rintaro makes the discovery that Kaoruko is actually a student at Kikyo. This revelation marks the beginning of the two's strenuous tale, as they fight against the limitations placed upon them by their schools and surroundings in an attempt to find their own path!



Tags: Iyashikei , Heterosexual , Primarily Teen Cast , School , Male Protagonist , Coming of Age , Ensemble Cast , Female Protagonist , Shounen , Philosophy , Food , Urban , Delinquents , Work

Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-san

Also known as Don't Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro.

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

Nagatoro is a freshman in high school who loves teasing and torturing her older male classmate! What’s her motivation and why does Senpai put up with her? Does Nagatoro just want to create misery for Senpai? Or maybe she secretly likes him?



Note: Includes 34 extra chapters.

Tags: Bullying , Heterosexual , Female Protagonist , Tsundere , Male Protagonist , Tanned Skin , Primarily Teen Cast , School , Primarily Female Cast , Drawing , School Club , Shounen , Tomboy , Urban , Martial Arts , Slapstick , Judo , Gyaru , Nudity , Yandere , Time Skip

Aku no Hana

Also known as The Flowers of Evil.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Psychological , Romance

The story opens as middle school student Takao Kasuga receives an F on a math test. But he doesn't even seem to notice because he's too engrossed in surreptitiously reading Beaudelaire's The Flowers of Evil. And the day goes downhill from there. In a moment of weakness, he finds and takes home the gym clothes belonging to sweet, pretty Nanako Saeki on whom he has a major crush. Unfortunately for Takao, there's a witness to the theft: Nakamura, who has a huge chip on her shoulder and a sadistic streak.

As the saga unfolds, we see Takao struggling to decide whether to confess or cover up his misdeeds at the same time that he tries to win over the girl of his dreams, and avoid the blackmail attempts of Nakamura, his new ”BFF.”

Smart, funny, and emotionally engaging, The Flowers of Evil introduces a character who's not a hero, but just an ordinary teenager in search of true love and real friendship.



Note: Includes one extra chapter.

Tags: Coming of Age , Psychosexual , Denpa , Philosophy , Love Triangle , Rehabilitation , School , Classic Literature , Tragedy , Time Skip , Sadism , Male Protagonist , Bullying , Shounen , Suicide , Female Protagonist , Rural , Heterosexual , Writing , Blackmail , Urban , Crossdressing , Nudity

Homunculus

Also known as Homunculus.

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

Nakoshi Susumu, age 34, is living out of his car. Between spending his days with the homeless and his nights in his vehicle, he has little to his name–but not so little that he’ll agree to be the subject of a scientific experiment. An unnerving medical student is stalking him and offering to pay Nakoshi a significant sum to test trepanation: the ability to draw out a sixth sense by drilling into the skull. Nakoshi refuses. When Nakoshi’s beloved car is towed, though, he finally agrees to cash and the operating table. At first, the experiment seems to bear no fruit, and Nakoshi’s life is unchanged. That is, until Nakoshi realizes his vision has warped in his left eye…showing him the twisted homunculus inside every human.



Tags: Philosophy , Seinen , Psychosexual , Male Protagonist , Tragedy , Primarily Adult Cast , Denpa , Amnesia , Anti-Hero , Body Horror , Gore , Homeless , Transgender , LGBTQ+ Themes , Masturbation , Crossdressing , Heterosexual , Economics , Class Struggle , Urban , Suicide

GANTZ

Also known as Gantz.

Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Ecchi , Horror , Psychological , Sci-Fi , Supernatural

Tokyo teens Kei and Masaru are killed by a subway train but awaken in a room with an ominous black orb that gives them weapons, suits and orders. Fighting bizarre alien monstrosities in a deadly game, will they win their freedom or die for the final time?



Tags: Survival , Seinen , Aliens , Gore , Tragedy , Death Game , Urban , Guns , Cosmic Horror , Philosophy , Battle Royale , Nudity , Heterosexual , Ensemble Cast , Super Power , Terrorism , Vampire , Assassins , Clone , Female Harem , Youkai , Dinosaurs , CGI , Age Gap , Anti-Hero , Crime , Trains

Gokushufudou

Also known as The Way of the Househusband.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Comedy , Slice of Life

He was the fiercest member of the yakuza, a man who left countless underworld legends in his wake. They called him “the Immortal Dragon.” But one day he walked away from it all to travel another path—the path of the househusband! The curtain rises on this cozy yakuza comedy!



Tags: Parody , Episodic , Yakuza , Male Protagonist , Slapstick , Gangs , Family Life , Primarily Adult Cast , Seinen , Heterosexual , Food , Urban , Iyashikei , Animals , Marriage , Otaku Culture , Tanned Skin

Soul Eater

Also known as Soul Eater.

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

Maka is a scythe meister, working to perfect one particular scythe until it is good enough to become Death's Weapon -- the weapon used by Shinigami-sama, the spirit of Death himself. As if that wasn't unusual enough, her scythe is a demon scythe called Soul Eater, which can change form from a scythe to a human-looking boy. In order to make Soul Eater powerful enough to be Death's Weapon, he must eat the souls of 99 humans and 1 witch. Along the way, the two of them face many different challenges, including a cat witch named Blair (who happens to have a thing for Soul) and a teacher who's been turned into a zombie (and wants him to join her!). Her fellow students, like the shadow ninja weapon meister named Black Star who always needs to be the center of attention, aren't much help, either. It'll be a miracle if Maka even survives, let alone manages to make Soul Eater into the Death Scythe.



Note: Includes four extra chapters.

Tags: Ensemble Cast , Magic , Shounen , Henshin , Super Power , Female Protagonist , Gods , Guns , Witch , Shapeshifting , School , Swordplay , Male Protagonist , Twins , Foreign , War , Agender , Nudity , Travel , Urban Fantasy , Philosophy , Coming of Age , Human Experimentation , Alternate Universe , Assassins , Tragedy , Zombie , Werewolf , Body Horror , Urban , Gender Bending , Kemonomimi , Nekomimi , Tanned Skin , Unrequited Love , Space , Martial Arts , Heterosexual

Kagurabachi

Also known as Kagurabachi.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Action , Drama , Fantasy

Young Chihiro spends his days training under his famous swordsmith father. One day he hopes to become a great sword-maker himself. The goofy father and the serious son--they thought these days would last forever. But suddenly, tragedy strikes. A dark day soaked in blood. Chihiro and his blade now live only for revenge.



Note:
- Winner of the Tsugimanga 2024 Award in the Print Manga Category.
- Winner of the 4th Magademy Commitment Award.
- Nominee of the 70th Shogakukan Award.

Tags: Swordplay , Urban Fantasy , Shounen , Conspiracy , Revenge , Male Protagonist , Criminal Organization , Magic , Politics , War , Yakuza , Kuudere , Lost Civilization , Gore , Mafia , Gangs , Tragedy , Anti-Hero , Cult , Urban , Time Skip , Torture , Curses , Amnesia , Oiran , Memory Manipulation