Summary
Horrorstories in manga are quite special. They give readers a chance to not only read creepy tales but see them visually enhanced by ghoulish imagery. Different art styles also allow manga fans to explore the medium in ways only an artist can render them.
The horror genre is home to plenty of unusual and unsettling concepts. Manga gives it a unique Japanese twist that takes inspiration from the culture as well as mixing up popular Western tropes. So what are the best horror manga? From deep sea terrors to spine-chilling ghost stories, these are the best horror manga.
10The Drifting Classroom
Kazuo Umezu
One of the creepiest horror manga takes children out of their comfort zone and shoves them into a desolate Earth, years into the future. With few resources and adults who are quickly losing what little humanity they have left, they struggle against the horrors outside their transported school and lurking within.
The Drifting Classroom is only 11 volumes long, but it packs in all sorts of horror tropes, including plagues, murder, monsters and so much more. Unlike other stories, children are in the same boat as the adults, where any of them could go at any time.
9Mieruko-Chan
Tomoki Izumi
If you love horrifying creatures but also don’t mind a little comedy mixed in, then Mieruko-chan might have the perfect combination. It follows a young teenage girl named Miko Yotsuya. On the surface, she lives a normal life, and she does her best to keep up that appearance.
In reality, Miko is gifted with the ability to see horrifying spirits that are not only cursing her but the people around her. Despite beinga comedy at heart, the terrifying apparitions that appear could only be conceived by someone who understands what makes a visual terrifying.
8Berserk
Kentaro Miura
Berserk has all the ingredients needed to make the faint of heart turn away. It has abusive characters, terrifying monsters, and some of the bleakest situations imaginable. Despite this, Berserk is truly a masterpiece of a manga with a compelling plot that keeps you pushing further through its pages.
At its core, Berserk is a story about the worst the world has to offer and those who constantly push back against it. Their resilience is what allows readers to get enveloped by the narrative.
7Parasyte
Hitoshi Iwaaki
Invasion of the Body Snatchers and The Thing are both horror staples about aliens who take over the human body. Parasyte has similar tropes witha group of alien invadersthat take over their host’s mind and bodies. However, one alien fails to assimilate its host, high schooler Shinichi Izumi.
Now residing in Izumi’s hand, both of them need to survive the onslaught of other invaders who want them both dead. The manga features heavy use of body horror, as those completely assimilated by the species can warp into grotesque forms.
6The Promised Neverland
Kaiu Shirai
What if you were an orphan waiting to be adopted but, secretly, you were being sold off to be eaten by demons? That’s the premise behind The Promised Neverland, as Emma discovers the horrible truth and does everything she can to save herself and the other orphans.
If you ignore the less-than-stellar anime adaptation, the manga is a good read and can offer you that kind of ‘monster under your bed’ type of horror. It also poses complex questions as to what constitutes a monster and if the things that appear horrific are simply common for other species.
5Gyo
Junji Ito
It is impossible to talk about horror manga withoutbringing up Junji Ito. With many horror stories under his belt, one of his most iconic is Gyo. It is one of the most intriguing nautical horror stories that follows a world slowly overrun by walking sea life.
From fish to sharks, they have all mysteriously sprouted legs and begun to come ashore. Where did these extra appendages come from? How can humanity stop the intoxicating and deadly stench from spreading? Like many of Junji’s tales, Gyo can be finished in one sitting but leaves you wanting to see what comes next.
4Doubt
Yoshiki Tonogai
Had this story taken place in the modern day, it would be based on Among Us. Doubt follows the mysterious disappearances of multiple teenagers. Forced to play a real-life version of an in-universe cell phone game called Rabbit Doubt, they must find the wolf among them or die.
This fuels their paranoia as they point fingers at each other and accuse themselves of being the sole wolf. All is not what it seems and as the manga progresses it reveals that not every character is as rabbit-like as they present themselves.
3Attack On Titan
Hajime Isayama
Known as the Walking Dead of manga, Attack on Titan makes man-eating giants scary again. With humanity seemingly on the brink of extinction, only the walls keep the Titans out. One day though, a Titan, never seen before, manages to breach it, causing humanity to fear the Titans once more.
The series is well known for killing off characters that seem otherwise important and creating an aura of suspense for first-time readers. Despite having human features, the Titans are also terrifying due to their overall disfigurements and facial expressions.
2Tokyo Ghoul
Sui Ishida
When Ken Kaneki’s date goes terribly wrong, he ends up in the hospital where he becomes a half ghoul. This leaves him with a craving for human flesh. Luckily, he has a few supportive ghouls that are willing to teach him the ropes of his new condition.
Tokyo Ghoul has plenty of horror elements, especially for those who enjoy twists in the zombie genre. It also satisfies that itch of becoming a monster in a world full of other terrible beings as Ken Kaneki manages to stand out among them.
1Fort Of Apocalypse
Yuu Kuraishi
Zombie stories can usually be hit or miss. Luckily, Fort of Apocalypse manages to keep the undead genre fresh. When Maeda Yoshiaki gets falsely accused of murder, he is sent to a juvenile detention center. However, being condemned to this fate might actually be his salvation.
Unknown to him or the other inmates, the world outside is quickly turning violent in a zombie apocalypse. Now, the inmates of Cell four must band together to survive or face their execution at the hands of the undead.
