Top Wilderness Manga Recommendations

Vinland Saga

Also known as Vinland Saga.

Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Drama

As a child, Thorfinn sat at the feet of the great Leif Ericson and thrilled to wild tales of a land far to the west. But his youthful fantasies were shattered by a mercenary raid. Raised by the Vikings who murdered his father, Thorfinn became a terrifying warrior, forever seeking to kill the band's leader, Askeladd, and avenge his father. Sustaining Thorfinn through his ordeal are his pride in his family and his dreams of a fertile westward land, a land without war or slavery … the land Leif called Vinland.



Notes:
- Won the Grand Prize at the Japan Media Arts Festival in 2009.
- Winner of the 36th Kodansha Manga Award in the General category in 2012.

Tags: Rehabilitation , Historical , Coming of Age , Vikings , Foreign , Philosophy , Seinen , Male Protagonist , War , Revenge , Tragedy , Travel , Found Family , Primarily Adult Cast , Primarily Male Cast , Slavery , Gore , Time Skip , Swordplay , Ships , Politics , Medieval , Rural , Parenthood , Class Struggle , Anti-Hero , Agriculture , Pirates , Environmental , Religion , Achronological Order , Language Barrier , Heterosexual , Adoption , Mythology , Indigenous Cultures , Nudity , Archery , Wilderness , Tomboy , Transgender , LGBTQ+ Themes

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 , Shounen , Male Protagonist , Lost Civilization , Travel , War , Environmental , Philosophy , Time Skip , Space , Kingdom Management , Primarily Male Cast , Tragedy , Espionage , Ships , Wilderness , Adoption , Food , Asexual , Time Manipulation , Guns

Kokou no Hito

Also known as The Climber.

Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Drama , Psychological , Sports

On his first day of transferring to a new high school, a loner named Mori Buntarou, is cajoled by a classmate into climbing the school building. Despite knowing that one misstep could send him spiraling to his death, he moves forward, and upon finally reaching the top, Mori experiences a sense of fulfillment. That feeling, which seems to be telling him, "You're alive!" gives birth to an adrenaline for rock-climbing.

Tags: Outdoor Activities , Coming of Age , Mountaineering , Seinen , Travel , Tragedy , Male Protagonist , Primarily Male Cast , Primarily Adult Cast , Survival , Hikikomori , Wilderness , Classic Literature , Time Skip , Fitness , Suicide , Anti-Hero , Dissociative Identities , Foreign , Delinquents , School , Nudity , School Club

Made in Abyss

Also known as Made in Abyss.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Adventure , Drama , Fantasy , Horror , Sci-Fi

In an age when the corners of the world have been scoured for their secrets, only one place remains unexplored–a massive cave system known as the Abyss. Those who traverse its endless pits and labyrinth-like tunnels are known as Cave Raiders. A young orphan named Riko dreams of following in her mother’s footsteps as a Cave Raider, and when she meets a strange robot when exploring the Abyss, she’s one step closer to achieving her goal!



Notes:
- Includes the 5-chapter "How Are You? Somewhere" side story.
- Nominated for the 11th Manga Taishou Awards (2018).

Tags: Survival , Tragedy , Primarily Child Cast , Travel , Lost Civilization , Body Horror , Female Protagonist , Wilderness , Chibi , Amnesia , Gore , Philosophy , Seinen , Male Protagonist , Robots , Twins , Food , Monster Girl , Curses , Nudity , Adoption , LGBTQ+ Themes

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

Dwaejiuri

Also known as PIGPEN.

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

A relaxing getaway in paradise, or a death trap? A young man wakes up on a breathtaking beach, but he has no idea who he is or how he got there. Try as he might to piece it all together, untangling this mind-bending mystery won’t be easy when every clue leads to more maddening questions... and the family that welcomes him into their home is not what they seem.



Note: Includes one extra chapter.

Tags: Amnesia , Anti-Hero , Body Horror , Male Protagonist , Achronological Order , Full Color , Rehabilitation , Survival , Alternate Universe , Gore , Primarily Adult Cast , Rural , Tragedy , Coastal , Software Development , Crime , Long Strip , Wilderness

Toriko

Also known as Toriko.

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

This is the great era of gourmet food! And only Toriko can hunt down the ferocious ingredients that supply the world's best restaurants. As a Gourmet Hunter, Toriko tracks and defeats the tastiest and most dangerous animals with his bare hands. But has he met his match with an eight-legged alligator the size of a tank?



Tags: Food , Primarily Adult Cast , Animals , Super Power , Shounen , Male Protagonist , Dinosaurs , Cosmic Horror , Survival , Travel , Kaiju , Environmental , Cultivation , Demons , Dragons , Martial Arts , Afterlife , Ghost , Henshin , Youkai , Gore , Time Skip , Aliens , Robots , Alternate Universe , Wilderness , Yakuza , Body Swapping , Time Manipulation , Economics , Gender Bending , Centaur , Samurai

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

Sasurai Emanon

Also known as Emanon Wanderer.

Status: Cancelled
Genres: Adventure , Psychological , Sci-Fi , Slice of Life , Supernatural

Emanon's wanderings across late-1960s Japan bring her across other lives in small country towns, with each encounter leaving people transformed in her wake. Yet when love once again leads to pregnancy and the start of a new cycle in Emanon's birth and rebirth, she is confronted with something she has never before borne: twins, one of them, for the first time, a boy. Will he too grow up to inherit her immortal memories, as all her daughters have before?



Volume 1:
- Sasurai Emanon, chapter 1-8, revised and colorized chapters from Emanon - Sasurai Emanon Episode: 1
- Sasurai Emanon '67, chapter 1-7

Volume 2:
- Sasurai Emanon '73, chapter 1-9
- Sasurai Emanon '80, chapter 0

Volume 3:
- Sasurai Emanon '80, chapter 1-2
- Sasurai Emanon '88, chapter 1-5
- Sasurai Emanon '90, chapter 1-4
- Epilogue

Tags: Female Protagonist , Seinen , Philosophy , Amnesia , Memory Manipulation , Heterosexual , Time Manipulation , Body Swapping , Coming of Age , Environmental , Nudity , Historical , Dinosaurs , 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 ,

Kanata no Astra

Also known as Astra Lost in Space.

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

Itʼs the first day of Planet Camp, and Aries Spring couldnʼt be more excited! She, along with eight other strangers, leave for Planet McPa for a weeklong excursion. Soon after they arrive, however, a mysterious orb appears and transports them into the depths of space, where they find an empty floating spaceship…



Notes:
Includes 4 sets of bonus pages, where each set is considered a chapter; Volumes 2 - 5 each contain a set.
Won the Manga Taisho Award 2019.
Nominated to the 23rd Annual Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize.

Tags: Space , Conspiracy , Survival , Found Family , Ensemble Cast , Coming of Age , Clone , Shounen , Tragedy , Male Protagonist , Aliens , Alternate Universe , LGBTQ+ Themes , Adoption , Agender , Transgender , Wilderness , Nudity

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 , Historical , Wilderness

Sounan desu ka?

Also known as Are You Lost?.

Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Comedy , Ecchi

Because of a plane crash … starting today, we’re spending the springtime of our lives on a desert island!! There’s nothing here, so we have to make everything!! And eat everything!! (Ugh!) Check out our high-school-girl survival story of courage and knowledge. We’re actually doing pretty well! Volume 1 includes: how to eat cicadas, how to build traps, a simple allergy test, how to eat hermit crabs, etc.



Tags: Survival , Primarily Female Cast , Female Protagonist , Tomboy , Wilderness , Coastal , Educational , Nudity , Seinen , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Fishing , Animals , Yuri , Swimming , Crossdressing

Monkey Peak

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

A group of company employees on an overnight hiking trip starts to get harassed by a murderous demon monkey.

Tags: Survival , Mountaineering , Outdoor Activities , Gore , Primarily Adult Cast , Wilderness , Revenge , Crime , Seinen , Tragedy , Conspiracy , Ensemble Cast , Animals , Torture , Guns , Archery , Swordplay , Drugs

Kyochuu Rettou

Also known as The Island of Giant Insects.

Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Ecchi , Horror , Mystery , Thriller

Mutsumi Oribe is a high school student who drifts ashore to an island after her plane crashes on its way to a field trip. However, the island has become a nest for giant, carnivorous insects. Can these high school students, who have now become prey to these monsters, escape the hell that is this island?!



Tags: Survival , Gore , Primarily Teen Cast , Ensemble Cast , Rural , Tragedy , Wilderness , Body Horror , Nudity , Yuri , Guns , Primarily Female Cast , Female Protagonist , Tomboy , Idol , Heterosexual , LGBTQ+ Themes , Bullying , Surreal Comedy , Bondage , Environmental , Handjob , Pregnancy , Irrumatio , School , Seinen

Walking Cat

Also known as The Walking Cat: A Cat’s-Eye-View of the Zombie Apocalypse.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Horror , Supernatural

Civilization is dead. Zombies roam the earth. When Jin, a young man trying to survive the chaos of this new reality, rescues a cat from certain death, the pair sets off on a quest to find Jin’s wife, who may yet be alive.



Tags: Zombie , Animals , Post-Apocalyptic , Survival , Seinen , Tragedy , Male Protagonist , Travel , Wilderness , Episodic , Disability , Coastal , Urban , Female Protagonist , Ensemble Cast

Zoumotsujima

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

Up and coming mixed-raced glamour model Alice accepts the job of a lifetime for a fashion shoot on an island unlike any other. Along with her cohorts, she must survive the family of freaks that terrorize them! The Prequel to Kichikujima.

Tags: Body Horror , Gore , Tragedy , Seinen , Coastal , Wilderness , Female Protagonist , Surreal Comedy

Ruri no Houseki

Status: Releasing
Genres: Adventure , Slice of Life

Mineral collecting is like a modern-day treasure hunt! Ruri, a high school girl who loves jewelry and accessories, gets into the world of mineral collecting, venturing into mountains, rivers, and caves. The first volume features numerous minerals, including quartz, garnet, pyrite, gold sand, and fluorite. The manga is full of fascinating scenes focusing on specialized tools such as a panning dish, hammer, and topographical maps. An authentic scientific adventure based on the author's solid knowledge of mineralogy!

Tags: Female Protagonist , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Environmental , Primarily Female Cast , Outdoor Activities , Wilderness , Episodic , Educational , Seinen , Work , Rural , College

Yama no Susume

Status: Releasing
Genres: Adventure , Comedy , Romance , Slice of Life , Sports

Aoi prefers indoor hobbies and is afraid of heights, but her childhood friend Hinata loves to show off her passion for mountain climbing. As young children they once watched the sunrise from the top of a mountain, and now they've decided to take up mountain climbing in hopes of seeing that sunrise again. They have cooking battles with mountaineering gear, climb small hills in their neighborhood, and meet new mountaineering friends as they learn the ropes of the hobby. When will they finally see that sunrise again?

Tags: Outdoor Activities , Mountaineering , Iyashikei , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Travel , Wilderness

Kotou Buchou

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

Komatsu, a 22-year-old woman who only recently graduated, gets stuck on an uninhabited island with her loathsome boss, Kotou. The two of them must work together to survive!

Tags: Survival , Primarily Adult Cast , Female Protagonist , Fishing , Heterosexual , Work , Outdoor Activities , Shoujo , Wilderness