Akame ga KILL!

Berserk

Berserk is the towering dark-fantasy epic that half of modern manga is quietly built on. It follows Guts, a lone mercenary raised by the sword, and his fraught bond with the charismatic, ambitious Griffith, leader of the mercenary band Guts calls home. What begins as a story of brotherhood and battlefield glory curdles, across one of the most devastating turns in the medium, into a lifelong hunt for revenge against forces far larger than any human army. Kentaro Miura's artwork is the stuff of legend — pages so dense with detail they can stop you cold — and the story pairs that beauty with genuine horror and hard-won tenderness. It's a meditation on ambition, trauma, and the sheer stubbornness it takes to keep walking when the world has given you every reason to lie down. A word for newcomers: Berserk is long, unflinching, and firmly for adult readers. Following Miura's passing, the manga continues under his studio and closest friend. Start from the beginning and give the early arcs room to breathe — few stories reward patience like this one, and none quite feel the same afterward.

My Hero Academia

My Hero Academia asks a simple question in a world full of superpowers: what does it take to become a hero? In a society where roughly eighty percent of people are born with a "Quirk" — a unique superpower — Izuku Midoriya is one of the powerless few, and he wants to be a hero more than anyone alive. When the world's greatest hero sees that determination and passes his own power to Izuku, he earns a spot at U.A. High, the school that trains the next generation of pros. It's a love letter to superhero comics filtered through shonen sincerity, and its secret weapon is the cast — an entire class of aspiring heroes with distinct powers, dreams, and insecurities, plus villains who force the story to ask what "heroism" really costs. The best fights aren't just about winning; they're about who these kids choose to be under pressure. The manga's story is complete and the anime is the easiest, most energetic entry point. If you grew up on superheroes, this is the series that captures why they mattered — Go Beyond, Plus Ultra, and all.

Dorohedoro

In a city so dismal it's known only as "the Hole," a clan of Sorcerers have been plucking people off the streets to use as guinea pigs for atrocious "experiments" in the black arts. In a dark alley, Nikaido found Caiman, a man with a reptile head and a bad case of amnesia. To undo the spell, they're hunting and killing the Sorcerers in the Hole, hoping that eventually they'll kill the right one. But when En, the head Sorcerer, gets word of a lizard-man slaughtering his people, he sends a crew of "cleaners" into the Hole, igniting a war between two worlds. (Source: VIZ Media) Note: Includes 23 side stories titled "Extra Evil" and the side story "The Lizard Head and the Magic Whistle."

Fullmetal Alchemist

Alchemy tore the Elric brothers’ bodies apart. Can their bond make them whole again? In this world, alchemists are those who study and perform the art of alchemical transmutation—the science of manipulating and transforming matter. They are bounded by the Law of Equivalent Exchange: in order to gain something, one must sacrifice something of equal value. In an alchemical ritual gone wrong, Edward Elric lost his arm and his leg, and his brother Alphonse became nothing but a soul in a suit of armor. Equipped with mechanical “auto-mail” limbs, Edward becomes a state alchemist, seeking the one thing that can restore his and his brother’s bodies...the legendary Philosopher’s Stone. (Source: VIZ Media) Note: Includes eight extra chapters.

Claymore

In a world where monsters called Yoma prey on humans and live among them in disguise, humanity’s only hope is a new breed of warrior known as Claymores. Half-human, half-monster, these silver-eyed slayers possess supernatural strength but are condemned to fight their savage impulses—or lose their humanity completely. (Source: VIZ Media) Note: Includes four extra chapters.

Made in Abyss

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

Pandora Hearts

The air of celebration surrounding fifteen-year-old Oz Vessalius’s coming-of-age ceremony quickly turns to horror when he is condemned for a sin about which he knows nothing. He is thrown into an eternal, inescapable prison known as the Abyss from which there is no escape. There, he meets a young girl named Alice, who is not what she seems. Now that the relentless cogs of fate have begun to turn, do they lead only to crushing despair for Oz, or is there some shred of hope for him to grasp on to? (Source: Yen Press) Note: Includes two extra chapters and the pilot one-shot.

Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic

Deep within the deserts lie the mysterious Dungeons, vast stores of riches there for the taking by anyone lucky enough to find them and brave enough to venture into the depths from where few have ever returned. Plucky young adventurer Aladdin means to find the Dungeons and their riches, but Aladdin may be just as mysterious as the treasures he seeks. Together with the djinn Ugo and his friend Alibaba, Aladdin sets out to find his fortune in the depths of the endless dunes… (Source: Shogakukan Asia)

Goblin Slayer

A young priestess joins her first adventuring party but almost immediately encounters the most unspeakable horrors. Rescued by an enigmatic warrior called Goblin Slayer, she partners with her savior on his mission to exterminate all goblins-by any means necessary. When rumors of Goblin Slayer's feats begin circulating, there's no telling who might come calling next... (Source: Yen Press)