Best Manga That I've Read

A list of the best manga I've read, ordered to the best of my ability. The favorite characters section is not ordered because that would take forever! Some good titles , like Jojo's Bizarre Adventures and Hunter X Hunter, are missing because I have not gotten around to reading them...yet. Essentially this is just a list of every manga I've ever read because I haven't disliked much of anything since I started reading manga a few years ago. Only thing missing from this list is the horror manga called "Ibitsu". I was unable to find it on here, but it is certainly a great story, if you like creepy supernatural slashers.

List items

  • Action/Adventure Dark Fantasy

    Favorite Characters: Guts(duh), Griffith, Casca, Pippen, Judeau, Shierke, Void, Skull Knight, Zodd

    I could write pages and pages about why I love Berserk, but to keep it brief it's the front runner as far as I'm concerned. The art doesn't get much better in this medium. Plus you've got to love the brutal stories and intense action. Don't even get me started on the antagonist. I'll just say that Griffith is one of the best antagonists in all of literature.

  • Action/Adventure Fantasy

    Favorite Characters: Ed, Al, Mei, Winry, Ling, Hughes, Alex Armstrong, Hawkeye, Mustang, Izumi, Olivier Armstrong

    The characters in this manga are almost unparalleled by anyone else. Ed and Al are the driving force of the story, but the other pieces in play elevate it to a whole new level. Especially the unique villains that are each modeled after one of the seven deadly sins. Almost every single character is memorable for several reasons.

  • Super Adventure Fantasy

    Favorite Characters(gonna be long): Luffy, Sanji, Nami, Zoro, Robin, Franky, Brook, Chopper, Usopp, Shanks, Vivi, Crocodile, Doflamingo, Rebecca, Sabo, Koala, Carrot, Nekomamushi, Buggy, Mr. 2, Aokiji, Ace, White Beard, Hancock, Mihawk

    This was my original favorite before i found Berserk and FMA. The story is so massive and involves so many moving pieces. Yet, the story never feels confusing because it is framed in a very simple way. There is a big pirate treasure somewhere out there and a bunch of pirate groups are forming to try and find it. Strength is measured in gold(bellies) and freedom. The more free you are, the closer you are to becoming the Pirate King

  • Action/Adventure Fantasy

    Favorite Characters: Kakashi,Rock Lee, Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, Tsunade, Shizune, Hinata, Shino, Zabuza, Kushina, Minato, Tenten, Neji, Kiba, Shikamaru, Choji, Ino, Itatchi, Orochimaru, Gara, Tenmari, Kankuro, Jiraiya, Asuma

    Incredibly deep story that gets better as you go. Another one with non-stop memorable characters. The story starts out really small and concentrated, but by the end it has expanded the stories for each person to the point that you really feel like you know the whole cast's motivations and personalities. Very consistent throughout

  • Action/Adventure Fantasy

    Favorite Characters: Natsu, Erza, Lucy, Gildarts, Gajeel, Juvia, Laxus, Gray, Maximoff, Jellal, Cana, Elfman, Lisanna, Mirajane, Happy, Pantherlilly, Wendy, Rogue, Sting, Aquarius, Leo, Hades, Mavis

    This one gets a really bad rep for not being as expansive as Naruto or One Piece. I don't think people give this one a fair chance. The art and characters are on par with the best of stories. It's also one of the only Shounen mangas i ever read that doesn't seem to focus on one single character. And it is all the better for it. The story follows a young girl named Lucy, but quickly shifts focus to an entire guild of wizards. Each of these characters gets a moment in the spotlight and carries his, or her, own importance to the story.

  • Action/Adventure Fantasy

    Favorite Characters: Chad, Ichigo, Ishin, Rukia, Renji, Orihime, Tatsuki, Karin, Yuzu, Rangiku, Grimjoww, Sosuke, Zaraki, Yachiru, Madarame, Urahara, Uryuu, Byakuya, Sui Feng, Retsu, Hinamori, Yajin, Shunsui, Nanao, Lucy, Mashiro, Nel, Shinji

    This is one that fluctuates for me. At it's peaks it has some of the best art and characters. At it's low points it feels like a character study that really only wants to flesh out one character, the main one. It's all well and good to see Ichigo grow into a dependable man, but i would have liked to see more of Chad and Rukia's journey. In this series all the other characters are just the reason Ichigo needs to grow stronger instead of growing stronger with him(see Naruto or Fairy Tail for better examples of this done right)

  • Action/Adventure Sci-Fi

    Favorite Characters: Vegeta, Bulma, Picollo, Krillen, Goku, Gohan, Tien, Cell, Frieza, Hercule, Android 18, Master Roshi

    Like most people this was the first manga I ever read because it was also the first anime i ever loved. Not much to say that hasn't been said already. The giant scale of the battles and characters that define the word 'iconic'. The reason Dragonball is this low for me is Goku. He isn't a very enjoyable character the later you get in the series. Especially post Cell Saga(bleh). I don't count Dragonball Super because if I did this would be way lower because Goku is the absolute worst in that.

  • Action/Adventure Fantasy

    Favorite Characters: Yuno, Asta, Noelle, Yami, Finral, Gordon, Vanessa, Magna, Luck, Charmy, Gauche, Klaus, Mimosa, Nozel, Fuegoleon, Leopold, Maron, Charlotte, Marth, Julius, Sister Lilly, Father Hage

    This one gets a bad rep too. Why don't people like fantasy manga that involves magic? It gets called 'cliche' and is said to not bring anything new to the table. I would disagree with that because, in my opinion, every manga brings something new when it tries to create its own set of rules. Even if that may be something small and insignificant or large and influential. To me it isn't about trying to change the game every time. It is about building a world with a set of rules that make sense and filling it with characters that I can care enough about to get invested. Black Clover does both of these very well.

  • Action/Adventure Dark Fantasy

    I love this story. Hunt monsters with stronger monsters. It's also pretty refreshing to see all these badass female characters. A typical Shonen manga might have a few tough women here or there, but they can't ever effect the story cuz that'd be yucky for whatever reason(see Sakura or Rangiku). So it's interesting to see a manga that flips that on it's head. Now you are hard pressed to find a man who can hold a candle to these women soldiers who slay monsters for a living.

  • Fantasy/Harem:

    A typical manga story about a school of something supernatural. This one is about a school of monsters who try to fit in with normal humans. It focuses on a young boy and his monster harem. I actually find harem manga to be a lot of fun so get ready to see a lot of it on this list. This however, was my first harem manga and probably will always be my favorite.

  • Sci-Fi/Action:

    This story combines Groundhog Day with Starship Troopers. I know that sounds strange, but it makes for an amazing science fiction tale. The two main characters have great chemistry. It inspired a great movie called Edge of Tomorrow as well.

  • Super Hero Action:

    A plain and simple plot set in a plain and simple world with plain and simple characters. Sounds kind of boring on the outside, but trust me it isn't. That's the whole point of One Punch: to tell a simple story,but have the art and characters be so good that you don't care how simple it all is. You just want to see Saitama go grocery shopping and then punch out a dude the size of a city.

  • Action/Horror:

    Imagine Arnold Schwarzenegger's Running Man meets A Great Escape, with a twist. Everyone has super powers. That's about all there is to say about this underrated gem.

  • Action/Horror:

    The art isn't great. In fact, sometimes it's just plain bad. However, the story is very good. It starts out as a mystery and slowly feeds you the history of everything. i like this manga because it speaks to the importance of history. The past in this story is just as important and influential as the present. In that way this manga is quite unique.

  • Super Hero Action:

    Not as good as One Punch, but very similar. The main drawback for me is the same as it is for most Shonen manga. The main character is not nearly the most interesting and I actually find myself rooting against him most of the time. It isn't as bad in the manga as it is in the anime because I despise Midoriya's voice actor. It also suffers from having very lousy villains. The villain Stain is great, but there is literally no one else of interest to me.

  • Most people would lose respect for this list when they see how low this manga is. But I find it to be very slow paced almost to the extent that it's boring. I haven't read every issue, but I am over 100 chapters in and I'm still waiting for a good fight. They are all one sided and seem to be leading somewhere, but it never gets there. So maybe it isn't about the fights then? If that is the case though I would put this even lower because the characters aren't very interesting either.

  • Romance:

    Okay, so I don't only read action manga. This is actually a pretty sweet story about 2 girls who try to secretly have a relationship. Of course it's not easy when you are step sisters that live together and have completely different personalities. Despite that Yuzu and Mei make for one of the most adorable couples I have ever seen in a manga.

  • Action/Espionage:

    If you are looking for something a bit more adult this is a great place to start. Imagine Cowboy Bebop, but with an itchy trigger finger. It's worth a read for Revi alone.

  • Action/Sci-Fi:

    Kind of a rip off of Claymore, but instead of a Fantasy world it takes place in a more Sci-Fi environment. Same concept though, women soldiers trained to fight mysterious monsters. Still very much worth a read.

  • Comedy/Harem:

    Not gonna lie, this anime is very near and dear to me for whatever reason. So of course I have read the manga. Some of the most realistic teenage behavior I have seen in a slice of life like this. Not to mention it's funny as hell.

  • Horror/Mystery:

    A genuine horror story. It's engaging, mysterious, unnerving, and frightening. Some of the most horrific imagery I've seen in a manga. Plus it is built around a pretty likable character. You really feel for her throughout the story.

  • Horror/Gore:

    Gory as hell and quite an interesting story. It's Youtube except in order to get viewers you have to commit unspeakable acts that appeal to the inner darkness of people.

  • Horror/Sci-Fi:

    body horror meets monster movies. The imagery in this manga is truly terrifying and will stick with you long after you've read it.

  • Harem/Action:

    I told you I like harem manga...

  • Horror/Harem:

    Bring this back! Please!

  • Action/Harem:

    Not the easiest story to follow because it jumps around to different times without telling you. Still has an enjoyable protagonist and a great support cast. Not to mention one of my favorite tsundere characters ever. Kodama is amazing.

  • Sci-Fi/Romance:

    Yeah I like SAO. I think their love story is really sweet. Two people who find each other in a world where it seems hopeless to make it out alive. I find it endearing that they find strength in one another. I'll admit that the story totally lost it's weight once the SAO arc stopped and they introduced that Elfheim crap. But i thought the Fatal Bullet story brought it back to it's high stakes roots.

  • Suspense/Sci-Fi:

    A weird one about a device that makes someone into your slave if you can beat them in an agreed upon competition. So many twists and turns that it's hard to keep track. But all the different motivations and moving pieces make it a very suspenseful read. You never know who will come out on top.

  • Comedy/Harem:

    Harem manga really likes monsters/mythical creatures

  • Harem/Comedy:

    See what I mean?!

  • Horror/Mystery

    A town is being invaded by giant monsters. Not too much more to the story, but it does make for some great panels. If monsters the size of buildings are your thing, then this is right up your alley.

  • Martial arts/Comedy:

    Being at the bottom doesn't mean it's bad. I still think there is a lot of good to be said about this manga. Some of the characters are a bit similar and thus hard to differentiate, but the fights are still fun and enjoyable.
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