Top Wilderness Manga Recommendations

Vinland Saga

Also known as Vinland Saga.

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

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 , Environmental , Time Skip , Kingdom Management , Space , Primarily Male Cast , Tragedy , Espionage , Ships , Adoption , Food , Asexual , Bisexual , Time Manipulation , Guns , Wilderness

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 , Seinen , Tragedy , Travel , Mountaineering , Male Protagonist , Primarily Male Cast , Primarily Adult Cast , Survival , Hikikomori , Wilderness , 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 4-chapter "How Are You? Somewhere" side story.
- Nominated for the 11th Manga Taishou Awards (2018).

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

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 , Guns , Revenge , LGBTQ+ Themes , Language Barrier , Anti-Hero , Slapstick , Cute Boys Doing Cute Things , Crime , Male Harem , Snowscape , Trains , Prison , Male Protagonist , Nudity , Swordplay , Disability , Archery , Suicide , Tanned Skin , Boys' Love , Transgender , Twins , Cannibalism , Zoophilia , Heterosexual , Yakuza , Time Skip , Dissociative Identities , Crossdressing , Animals , Wilderness , Gender Bending

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 , Yakuza , Body Swapping , Time Manipulation , Economics , Gender Bending , Wilderness , 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 , Rural , Educational , Camping , School Club , Food , Seinen , Female Protagonist , Primarily Teen Cast , Environmental , Mopeds , 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: Seinen , Female Protagonist , Philosophy , Amnesia , Memory Manipulation , Nudity , Heterosexual , Coming of Age , Body Swapping , Time Manipulation , Environmental , 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 , Guns , Gore , Love Triangle , Lost Civilization , Mountaineering , Robots , Natural Disaster , Eco-Horror , Shrine Maiden , Desert , Nudity , Baseball , Aviation , Tsundere , Suicide , 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 , Transgender , Tragedy , Male Protagonist , Aliens , Alternate Universe , LGBTQ+ Themes , Adoption , Agender , Wilderness , Nudity

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 , LGBTQ+ Themes , Bullying , Surreal Comedy , Bondage , Environmental , Handjob , Pregnant , Irrumatio , School , Heterosexual , Seinen

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

Dai Kyochuu Rettou

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

New enemies, new bugs and an even bigger island.

Tags: Nudity , Wilderness , Survival , Yuri , Gore , Female Protagonist , Body Horror , Rural , Ensemble Cast , Tragedy , Environmental , Female Harem , Bullying , Idol , Guns , Scissoring , Group Sex , Sex Toys , Kaiju , Torture , Bondage , Pet Play , Cunnilingus , Handjob , Twins , Heterosexual , Irrumatio , School , Netorare , Masturbation

Kinoko Ningen no Kekkon

Also known as Mushroom Girls in Love.

Status: Finished
Genres: Fantasy , Slice of Life

Our story begins on an all-woman planet of intelligent fungi, where Ariella and Eriella are about to get married! But they've got a long road ahead of them: illness, surgery, and even a dastardly royal plot that seeks to split them apart. Is their love strong enough to weather any storm? This offbeat, adorable, and dramatic one-shot is sure to please fans of yuri, monster girls, and enduring romance!



Tags: Yuri , Seinen , Monster Girl , Royal Affairs , Primarily Female Cast , Wilderness

Gekkou no Arcadia

Status: Finished
Genres: Fantasy , Sci-Fi

Rashil lives with his grandfather in a mountain area. On a trip in the woods he sees an airship crash and finds a girl. She's been followed by soldiers, which want to capture her...

Tags: Shounen , Male Protagonist , Aliens , Wilderness , Super Power

1 Hagnyeon 9 Ban

Also known as Class 1-9.

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

In a twist and turn of events during a school trip to a rural, northernmost province of South Korea, Se-yeon and her classmates find themselves stranded on a remote island off the coast of North Korea. Extreme circumstances drive the youngsters to take extreme measures to survive. Who will live on, and who will fall victim to the harsh reality surrounding them?

This series contains mature themes and depictions of bullying, self-harm and suicide, and graphic violence. Viewer discretion is advised.



Tags: Female Protagonist , Outdoor Activities , Primarily Teen Cast , Survival , Tragedy , Full Color , Crime , Ensemble Cast , Guns , Cannibalism , Bullying , Time Skip , Wilderness

Banhyang

Also known as Banhyang: The Remote Island.

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

Se-Him’s field trip to Banhyang Island takes an ominous turn when a fierce storm leaves everyone stranded. As three students inexplicably vanish amidst the storm, Se-Him and his friends scramble to find out why. But, their desperate efforts only seem to drag them deeper into the island’s sinister secrets— every revelation intensifying the chilling forces lurking on the island, their chances of leaving the island seem uncertain by the day.



Tags: Full Color , Survival , Bullying , Male Protagonist , Primarily Teen Cast , Wilderness