20th Century Boys is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoki Urasawa. The series follows a young man named Kenji Endo and his friends, who notice that a cult-leader known only as "Friend" is out to destroy the world, and that his cult icon bears a striking resemblance to a symbol developed during their childhoods.
Akira is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Katsuhiro Otomo. Set in the a post-apocalyptic and futuristic city of Neo-Tokyo, more than three decades after a mysterious explosion destroyed the city, the story centers on teenage biker gang leader Shotaro Kaneda, militant revolutionary Kei, a trio of Espers, and Neo-Tokyo military leader Colonel Shikishima, who attempt to prevent Tetsuo Shima, Kaneda's mentally unbalanced childhood friend, from using his unstable and destructive telekinetic abilities to ravage the city and awaken a mysterious entity with powerful psychic abilities named "Akira".
Attack on Titan is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hajime Isayama. Set in a world where humanity is forced to live in cities surrounded by three enormous walls that protect them from gigantic man-eating humanoids referred to as Titans, the story follows Eren Yeager, an adolescent boy who vows to exterminate the Titans after they bring about the destruction of his hometown and the death of his mother.
Black Clover is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yūki Tabata. Set in a world where people are born with the ability to use magic, the story follows Asta, a young boy without any magic power who is given a rare grimoire that grants him anti-magic abilities.
Bleach (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tite Kubo. It follows teenager Ichigo Kurosaki, who obtains the powers of a Soul Reaper—a death personification similar to a Grim Reaper—from another Soul Reaper, Rukia Kuchiki.
Chainsaw Man is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tatsuki Fujimoto. Chainsaw Man follows the story of Denji, an impoverished teenager who makes a contract that fuses his body with that of Pochita, a dog-like Chainsaw Devil, granting him the ability to transform parts of his body into chainsaws.
D.Gray-man is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Katsura Hoshino. Set in an alternate 19th century, it tells the story of a young Allen Walker, who joins an organization of exorcists named the Black Order.
Death Note (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata. The story follows Light Yagami, a genius high school student who discovers a mysterious notebook, the Death Note.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Koyoharu Gotouge. It follows teenage Tanjiro Kamado, who joins the Demon Slayer Corps after his family is slaughtered and the sole survivor, his younger sister Nezuko, is turned into a demon, in the hopes of turning her human again.
Dragon Ball is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama. The story follows the adventures of Son Goku, from childhood to adulthood, as he trains in martial arts and explores the world in search of the Dragon Balls, seven magical orbs which summon a wish-granting dragon when gathered.
Fullmetal Alchemist is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiromu Arakawa. Set in a fictional universe in which alchemy is a widely practiced science, the series follows the journey of two alchemist brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric, as they search for the philosopher's stone to restore their bodies after a failed attempt to bring their mother back to life via alchemy.
Haikyu!! (ハイキュー!!, Haikyū!!; from the kanji 排球, 'volleyball') is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Haruichi Furudate. It was serialized in Shueisha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from February 2012 to July 2020, with its chapters collected in 45 tankōbon volumes. The story follows Shoyo Hinata, a boy determined to become a great volleyball player despite his small stature. An anime television series adaptation produced by Production I.G, aired on MBS from April to September 2014, with 25 episodes. A second season aired from October 2015 to March 2016, with 25 episodes. A third season aired from October to December 2016, with 10 episodes. A fourth season was released in two split cours from January to December 2020, with 25 episodes. The anime film series titled Haikyu!! Final will be released in two parts, which serves as the finale of the series; the first part titled Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle, was released in February 2024, and the second and final part titled Haikyu!! vs. The Little Giant is set to be released in 2027. In North America, the manga has been licensed by Viz Media, while the anime series has been licensed for digital and home release by Sentai Filmworks and later Crunchyroll. Both the manga and anime have been met with positive responses. In 2016, Haikyu!! won the 61st Shogakukan Manga Award for the shōnen category. By December 2025, the manga had over 75 million copies in circulation, making it one of the best-selling manga series of all time.
Hunter × Hunter is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yoshihiro Togashi. It initially focuses on a boy named Gon Freecss and his quest to become a Hunter in order to find his father, Ging, who is himself a famous Hunter.
Jujutsu Kaisen is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Gege Akutami. The story follows high school student Yuji Itadori as he joins a secret organization of Jujutsu Sorcerers to eliminate a powerful Curse named Ryomen Sukuna, of whom Yuji becomes the host.
Kaguya-sama: Love Is War is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Aka Akasaka. It was first serialized in Shueisha's seinen manga magazine Miracle Jump from May 2015 to January 2016, and later transferred to Weekly Young Jump, where it ran from March 2016 to November 2022.
Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic (マギ, Magi) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Shinobu Ohtaka. Taking place in a fantasy world that borrows elements from One Thousand and One Nights, the story follows a young boy named Aladdin and his traveling companion Alibaba, who go on adventures conquering dungeons to obtain valuable items, metal vessels, and powerful hosts capable of harnessing magic known as djinns.
Monster (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoki Urasawa. The story follows Kenzo Tenma, a Japanese neurosurgeon in Düsseldorf, Germany, whose life unravels after encountering Johan Liebert, a former patient.
My Hero Academia is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kōhei Horikoshi. Set in a world where superpowers (called "Quirks") have become commonplace, the story follows Izuku Midoriya, a boy who was born without a Quirk but still dreams of becoming a superhero himself.
Naruto is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. It tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, a young, socially isolated ninja who seeks recognition from his peers and dreams of becoming the Hokage, the leader of his village.
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hayao Miyazaki. Taking place on a post-apocalyptic Earth ravaged by a toxic ecosystem, it tells the story of Nausicaä, the princess of the titular Valley of the Wind, who becomes embroiled in a war between kingdoms while an environmental disaster threatens humankind.
One Piece (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It follows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy and his crew, the Straw Hats, as he searches for the legendary treasure known as the "One Piece" to become the next King of the Pirates.
Slam Dunk (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Takehiko Inoue. The story follows Hanamichi Sakuragi, a brash and impulsive high school student who joins a basketball team at Shohoku High School, located in the Shōnan area of Japan.
Spy × Family is a Japanese web manga series written and illustrated by Tatsuya Endo. The story follows Agent Twilight, an enigmatic spy who has to "build a family" to execute a mission, not realizing that his adopted daughter is a telepath, and the woman he agrees to marry is a skilled assassin.
The Promised Neverland is a Japanese manga series written by Kaiu Shirai and illustrated by Posuka Demizu. The series follows a group of orphaned children in their plan to escape from their orphanage, after learning the dark truth behind their existence and the purpose of the orphanage.
Tokyo Ghoul is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Sui Ishida. The story is set in an alternate version of Tokyo where humans coexist with ghouls, beings who look like humans but can only survive by eating human flesh.