Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End

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.

Witch Hat Atelier

In a world where everyone takes wonders like magic spells and dragons for granted, Coco is a girl with a simple dream: she wants to be a witch. But everybody knows magicians are born, not made, and Coco was not born with a gift for magic. Resigned to her un-magical life, Coco is about to give up on her dream to become a witch … until the day she meets Qifrey, a mysterious, traveling magician. After secretly seeing Qifrey perform magic in a way she’s never seen before, Coco soon learns what everybody “knows” might not be the truth, and discovers that her magical dream may not be as far away as it may seem... (Source: Kodansha USA) Notes: - Nominated for the 11th Manga Taishou Award in 2018. - Won the Daruma d'Or at Japan Expo in 2019. - Won Best U.S. Edition of International Material - Asia at the Eisner Awards in 2020. - Won the Best Manga Award at the Harvey Awards in 2020.

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.

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.

Delicious in Dungeon

When young adventurer Laios and his company are attacked and soundly thrashed by a dragon deep in a dungeon, the party loses all its money and provisions...and a member! They're eager to go back and save her, but there is just one problem: If they set out with no food or coin to speak of, they're sure to starve on the way! But Laios comes up with a brilliant idea: "Let's eat the monsters!" Slimes, basilisks, and even dragons...none are safe from the appetites of these dungeon-crawling gourmands! (Source: Yen Press) Notes: - Nominated in the 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th Manga Taishou Award in 2016-2019. - Ranked first in the 2016 Kono Manga ga Sugoi! (Male Readers Division). - Includes 14 extra chapters.

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)

Akame ga KILL!

Teenage country bumpkin Tatsumi dreams of earning enough money for his impoverished village by working in the Capital--but his short-lived plans go awry when he's robbed by a buxom beauty upon arrival! Penniless, Tatsumi is taken in by the lovely Miss Aria, but just when his Capital dreams seem in reach yet again, Miss Aria's mansion is besieged by Night Raid--a team of ruthless assassins who targets high-ranking members of the upper class! As Tatsumi is quick to learn, appearances can be deceiving in the Capital, and this team of assassins just might be...the good guys?! (Source: Yen Press) Note: Volumes 5 and 8 each contain a bonus chapter.