A manga is defined as the style of comic books and graphic novels made in Japan, usually aimed at adult and child readers. Mangas are usually the basis of your favorite animes.
The number of manga readers and fans is only growing daily. According to recent statistics, the global manga market is estimated to have a whopping, get this, over 600 million readers! Not just in Japan but all over the globe.
Furthermore, Polaris Market Research said the global manga market size and share are expected to surpass $53.5 billion by 2032. That’s huge. If you are just about to be a manga fan, this is the perfect place to start. Here are the highest-rated mangas of all time.
1. ‘Berserk’
Guts, an ex-mercenary now called the Black Swordsman, is seeking revenge. After a tumultuous childhood, he finally finds somebody he respects and can trust, only to find everything falling apart when this somebody takes away all things important to him so they can fulfill their own desires. Now marked for death, this manga’s hero is condemned to a destiny in which demons relentlessly pursue him.
So, he sets out on a perilous journey riddled with misfortune, with just his giant sword and monstrous strength with him. But he won’t let anything stop him, not even death, as he goes one step closer to his aim to take revenge.
2. ‘Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood’
Set in a fictitious universe where alchemy is widely practiced, the story follows the adventures of two alchemist brothers, Edward and Alphonse Eric. They are on a quest to look for the philosopher’s stone so they can restore their bodies after a failed mission to resurrect their mom using alchemy.
3. ‘Steel Ball Run’
The seventh story arc of another manga series titled “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure,” “Steel Ball Run” is set in the United States in 1890, featuring the characters Johnny Joestar and Gyro Zeppeli, a paraplegic ex-jockey who wants to regain the use of his legs, and a disgraced ex-executioner who intends to win amnesty for a kid on death row, respectively.
Both of them compete in Steel Ball Run, a cross-country horse race, hoping to win the $50 million grand prize. However, they find themselves amid a threat after realizing the hidden agenda of the race’s sponsor.
4. ‘Vagabond’
Occurring in Japan during the 1500s, when Europe was in the Renaissance period, a wild, rough young man physically and in his actions, Shinmen Takezou, is feared in their village. Together with his best friend, Matahachi Honiden, they run away from the village to seek something grander and more fulfilling than provincial life.
They then find themselves enlisting in the Toyotomi army, yearning for glory. However, when the army suffers a crushing defeat at the hands of the Tokugawa clan at the Battle of Sekigahara, they barely make it out alive.
Eventually, they separate paths, so Takezou returns home on a self-appointed mission to inform the Hon’iden family of his best friend’s survival. But, in a sudden turn of events, he instead finds himself a criminal being pursued by authorities, believed to be behind his friend’s supposed murder.
He gets captured, strung up on a tree, and left to die. Then, you have a distinguished and itinerant monk named Takuan Soho who secretly frees Takezou and christens him with a new name to escape the authorities’ wrath.
5. ‘Vinland Saga’
The story of “Vinland Saga” is the dramatization of the story of Thorfinn Karlsefni, an Icelandic explorer, and his expedition to seek Vinland, an area in North America, with the story telling his fictional counterpart’s transition from a revenge-stricken and bloodthirsty teenager into a pacifistic young guy, juxtaposed against King Canute’s rise to power. King Canute is king of England and Denmark in real-life.
6. ‘One Piece’
Created by Eiichiro Oda, “One Piece” follows the adventures of pirate-king Monkey D. Luffy and his crew, the Straw Hat Pirates, in their journey to explore the Grand Line to find the titular mythical treasure and be the next King of the Pirates.
7. ‘Monster’
The story starts with a renowned Japanese neurosurgeon named Kenzou Tenma, who works in post-war Germany. Now, he is faced with a difficult choice: to operate on orphaned boy Johan Liebert, who is on the verge of death, or Düsseldorf’s mayor. In the end, Tenma chooses to stake his reputation by saving Liebert, and the consequence is that the mayor dies.
As a result of his choice, Udo Heinemann, a hospital director, strips Tenma of his title with the director’s daughter Eva breaking off their engagement. Shunned and disgraced by his colleagues, Tenma loses all hope of having a successful career until Udo dies mysteriously.
Nine years later, Tenma becomes head of the hospital’s surgical department, almost the director, the position held by Udo. But, he becomes entangled in a chain of murders that have transpired throughout Germany. The culprit? The monster that Tenma saved nine years ago.
8. ‘Hunter X Hunter’
The story begins with Gon Freecss, a young boy who finds out that his dad, who abandoned him at a very young age, is actually a famous Hunter. Hunters are licensed professionals who specialize in the pursuit of rare and unidentified species, treasure hunting, hunting down lawless people, and surveying uncharted enclaves.
Now, he wants to become like his father, a Hunter, in the hopes that he’ll be able to find him again, too. Along his adventure, he meets other Hunters and even encounters the paranormal.
Other high-rated mangas that you should read are:
- “Slam Dunk”
- “Grand Blue”
- “Death Note”
- “Oyasumi Punpun”
- “Houseki No Kuni”
There are, of course, several others more. With literally thousands of impressive manga titles out there, with the addition of new ones published from time to time, it is hard to pick a winner and where to invest your free time. This list has highlighted the best of the best mangas in this generation, helping you find a good manga to spend your spare hours with.
