Top Urban 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 , Gore , Male Protagonist , Body Horror , Cosmic Horror , Urban , Henshin , Female Protagonist , Psychosexual , Survival , Work , Monster Boy , Found Family , Cult , Heterosexual , Memory Manipulation , Shounen , Ensemble Cast , Guns , Assassins , Human Pet , Monster Girl , Revenge , Yandere , Terrorism , Shapeshifting , Philosophy , Meta , Slapstick , Afterlife , Primarily Teen Cast , Nudity , Necromancy , School , Delinquents , Cannibalism , Angels , Time Skip , Amnesia , Yakuza , Mafia , Tsundere , LGBTQ+ Themes , Zombie , Chimera , Motorcycles , Yuri

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.

Tags: Urban Fantasy , Super Power , Demons , Shounen , Tragedy , Male Protagonist , Monster Boy , Youkai , Martial Arts , Magic , Body Horror , Dissociative Identities , Gore , Death Game , Primarily Teen Cast , Cosmic Horror , Battle Royale , Ensemble Cast , Urban , Body Swapping , Sadism , Philosophy , School , Cult , Surreal Comedy , Anthropomorphism , Assassins , Slapstick , Time Manipulation , Swordplay , Time Skip , Nudity , Femboy , Transgender , Exorcism , Curses

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

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 , Male Protagonist , Heterosexual , Time Skip , Anti-Hero , Fugitive , School , Surreal Comedy , Cult , Meta , Work , Nudity , Gods , Body Horror , Love Triangle , Ghost

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 , Primarily Adult Cast , Male Protagonist , Meta , Slapstick , Ensemble Cast , Seinen , Cosmic Horror , Gods , Philosophy , Cyborg , Martial Arts , Swordplay , Urban , Gore , Aliens , Time Manipulation , Nudity

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:
- Includes 2 "Extra Missions" and 11 “Short Missions”.
- 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 , Surreal Comedy , War , Assassins , Female Protagonist , Adoption , Male Protagonist , Work , School , Shounen , Politics , Heterosexual , Ensemble Cast , Super Power , Slapstick , Orphan , Marriage , Guns , Terrorism , Parody , Episodic , Foreign , Fake Relationship , Iyashikei , Satire , Urban , Parenthood , Anachronism , Historical , Tsundere , Hikikomori , Gore

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 got released on July 18, 2023. This was 2 years after its original ending. This new volume included 10 extra 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 1 extra chapter.

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

Awards: - Nominated for the 14th and 15th Manga Taisho. - Winner of the 7th Next Manga Award in the print category. - Nominated for the 26th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize. - Nominated for the 67th Shogakukan Manga Award in general category. - Nominated for the 46th Kodansha Manga Award.

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

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

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

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 1 extra chapter.

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

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 , Gore , Aliens , Tragedy , Death Game , Urban , Guns , Cosmic Horror , Nudity , Philosophy , Super Power , Ensemble Cast , Heterosexual , Terrorism , Vampire , Assassins , Female Harem , Youkai , Dinosaurs , CGI , Trains

Ajin

Also known as Ajin: Demi-Human.

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

High school student Kei Nagai is struck dead in a grisly traffic accident, but immediately revives to learn that he may not be like every other human. Instead, he may be a mysterious almost immortal being granted not only the powers of rejuvination but the abilities to see super-natural beings. Scared, he runs away, and is aided in his escape from society by his friend. Unfortunately for Kei, the manhunt is on and he will soon be caught within a conflict between mankind and others like him as they prepare to fight a new war based on terror.



Notes:
Includes 13 extra chapters.

- Nominated for the 7th annual Manga Taishou Award.
- Nominated for the Readers Award in the 18th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize.
- Nominated for the 38th Annual Kodansha Manga Awards in the Seinen category.
- Nominated for the 40th Kodansha Manga Awards in 2016 in the General category.

Tags: Urban Fantasy , Fugitive , Seinen , Super Power , Terrorism , Crime , Suicide , Gore , Male Protagonist , Conspiracy , Guns , Anti-Hero , Torture , Military , Body Horror , Philosophy , Urban , Police , Revenge , Shapeshifting , Ghost , Bullying , Tragedy , Delinquents , Drugs , Cars , Satire

BLAME!

Also known as BLAME!.

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

Killy is a man of few words. He wanders, seemingly endlessly, through a lonely, gargantuan labyrinth of concrete and steel, fighting off cyborgs and other futuristic nightmares, searching only for something called Net Terminal Genes. And he has a very powerful gun, which he uses without hesitation whenever anything resembling danger rears its ugly head.

Who is this quiet, violent, determined man and what are these Genes he seeks? The small communities he finds tucked into the crevices of this towering, dystopic ruin hardly give him leads on his treasure, driving him to find larger enclaves of civilization where people can reveal more about the world he lives in and the quarry he seeks.



Note: Includes 1 extra chapter.

Tags: Seinen , Cyborg , Post-Apocalyptic , Cyberpunk , Robots , Lost Civilization , Body Horror , Survival , Dystopian , Travel , Cosmic Horror , Guns , Male Protagonist , Time Skip , Urban , Gore , Artificial Intelligence , Kaiju , Tragedy , Time Manipulation , Amnesia , Alternate Universe , Agender

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.
-First place of Daruma 2023 Award (France) in the new manga category (released in 2022 in France).

Tags: Vampire , Urban Fantasy , Age Gap , Male Protagonist , Monster Girl , Tragedy , Surreal Comedy , Coming of Age , Hikikomori , Heterosexual , Outdoor , Shounen , Female Protagonist , Urban , Monster Boy , Detective , Primarily Teen Cast , Philosophy , Gore , Maids , Suicide , Gyaru , LGBTQ+ Themes , Iyashikei , Boys' Love , Yuri , Femboy

Sweet Home

Also known as Sweet Home.

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

After an unexpected family tragedy, a reclusive high school student is forced to leave his home -- only to face something much scarier: a reality where monsters are trying to wipe out humanity. Now he must fight alongside a handful of reluctant heroes to try and save the world before it’s too late.



Note: Includes the prologue.

Tags: Post-Apocalyptic , Survival , Demons , Tragedy , Coming of Age , Full Color , Gore , Body Horror , Philosophy , Male Protagonist , Dissociative Identities , Suicide , Hikikomori , Bullying , Urban , School

NANA

Also known as Nana.

Status: Hiatus
Genres: Drama , Music , Romance , Slice of Life

Nana Komatsu is a young woman who's endured an unending string of boyfriend problems. Moving to Tokyo, she's hoping to take control of her life and put all those messy misadventures behind her. She's looking for love and she's hoping to find it in the big city.

Nana Osaki, on the other hand, is cool, confident and focused. She swaggers into town and proceeds to kick down the doors to Tokyo's underground punk scene. She's got a dream and won't give up until she becomes Japan's No. 1 rock'n'roll superstar.

This is the story of two 20-year-old women who share the same name. Even though they come from completely different backgrounds, they somehow meet and become best friends. The world of Nana is a world exploding with sex, music, fashion, gossip and all-night parties.



Note: Winner of the 48th Shogakukan Manga Award in the Shoujo Category in 2002.

Tags: Primarily Adult Cast , Female Protagonist , Band , Shoujo , Tragedy , Time Skip , Philosophy , Netorare , Found Family , LGBTQ+ Themes , Bisexual , Heterosexual , Achronological Order , Love Triangle , Age Gap , Urban , Rock Music , Nudity , Drugs , Bar , Mahjong

Solanin

Also known as Solanin.

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

College graduates struggle to cope with the real world. Music offers refuge in this modern manga with an American attitude. Meiko Inoue is a recent college grad working as an office lady in a job she hates. Her boyfriend Shigeo is permanently crashing at her apartment because his job as a freelance illustrator doesn't pay enough for rent. And her parents in the country keep sending her boxes of veggies that just rot in her fridge. Straddling the line between her years as a student and the rest of her life, Meiko struggles with the feeling that she's just not cut out to be a part of the real world.



Notes:
- The chapter count contains an epilogue published in October 2017 as part of the new Japanese volumes edition release.
- It was nominated for the 2009 Eisner Award for Best U.S. Edition of International Material - Japan.
- It was nominated for the 2009 Harvey Award for Best American Edition of Foreign Material.

Tags: Coming of Age , Band , Seinen , Tragedy , Heterosexual , Found Family , Primarily Adult Cast , Female Protagonist , Family Life , College , Urban , Rock Music , Office Lady , Nudity

Fumetsu no Anata e

Also known as To Your Eternity.

Status: Releasing
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 …



Tags: Tragedy , Shapeshifting , Coming of Age , Philosophy , Time Skip , Outdoor , Ensemble Cast , Dissociative Identities , Survival , Urban Fantasy , Ghost , Cosmic Horror , Denpa , Shounen , Agender , Travel , Gore , Yandere , Bullying , Suicide , Age Regression , Male Protagonist , Language Barrier , Animals , LGBTQ+ Themes , Nudity , Urban , Female Protagonist , Boys' Love