Manga spinoffs can either be a smash-hit or a total miss in their fandoms. Though they intend to expand upon the main series' world-building or offer more insight into fan-favorite characters, some of them miss the mark. However, there are still plenty of outstanding ones that are worth reading.
Some of the most popular manga series have immersive spinoffs that satisfy the most avid fan's desire for more content. Others are easy, feel-good reads that are perfect for kicking back, relaxing, and having a good laugh after a stressful day.
10 Bungo Stray Dogs: Beast Takes Place In An Alternate Universe
Bungo Stray Dogs: Beast is the perfect spinoff to the seinen smash-hit. Starring Ryunosuke Akutagawa, the series takes place in an alternate universe where the Port Mafia's notorious leader goes down a different path. Dazai decided not to take Akutagawa in, and in this timeline, he winds up in the Armed Detective Agency.
However, he needs to rescue his sister from the Mafia. Interestingly, Atsushi is the villain organization's top dog in this universe. Fans love this spinoff series because it reimagines the main story if a few important events never happened or had a different outcome.
9 Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan Follows The Mangaka Through A Series Of Bizarre Adventures
Rohan Kishibe from Jojo's Bizarre Adventure is every bit as much of a flagship character as the iconic Jotaro Kujo. Rohan is featured in the Louvre, starred in the franchise's collaboration with Gucci, and has a few spinoff series. The best, however, is Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan.
The mangaka goes through a series of bizarre adventures in this collection of one-shots. From exploring plots of land haunted by yokai to competing on a treadmill against the Avatar of Hermes, Rohan certainly has no shortage of stories to tell.
8 Koro-Sensei Quest Takes Assassination Classroom's Cast Into An RPG
Koro-Sensei Quest is an Assassination Classroom spinoff that takes Kunugigaoka High's students into a competitive RPG. The stakes are high enough, but everybody in Class 3-E has a bug that makes them weaker than everyone else.
For example, Karma's bug is a play on his name. When he looks down upon another player, he gets weaker. The game's main objective is to take down Koro-Sensei. It's a short, fun read that avid fans of the main series will surely enjoy. It ran from 2015 to 2019, with an anime adaptation in 2016.
7 Haikyuu-bu Is A Glimpse Into The Other Volleyball Teams
Haikyuu! is primarily about Hinata's journey after he joins Karasuno High's volleyball team. However, many fans fell even harder for some of the series' other teams, thanks to their selection of lovable personalities, like Nekoma's Kenma Kozume or the infamous Miya Twins from Inarizaki High School.
Luckily, Haikyuu-bu! will definitely satisfy those who want more content featuring the series' side teams. This spinoff provides plenty of stories about Aoba Johsai, Nekoma, Shiratorizawa, and other fan-favorite teams in just seven volumes. Each chapter focuses on a different school, showing each member in a different light from how they're seen on the court.
6 Food Wars!: L'étoile Is A Canonical Throwback Starring Kojiro Shinomiya
Kojiro is one of the most interesting characters in Food Wars!. He grew up in France and wanted to become a chef worthy of receiving the Pluspol award. Unfortunately, he was mocked for being Japanese, and people told him to give up on his aspirations.
However, this only made him even more determined to achieve his goal, but he became uptight and arrogant. He's the protagonist of the series' spinoff, L'étoile. Fans can read about his past after attending Totsuki Culinary Academy and how his life turned out after attending the school's training camp.
5 Attack On Titan: No Regrets Gives Fans A Glimpse Into Levi Ackerman's Life Before The Survey Corps
Levi Ackerman is a fan-favorite Attack On Titan character. He's humanity's strongest fighter, but he has plenty of relatable qualities like his love for tidiness and an uncompromising call-it-like-it-is attitude. Fans already knew he came from the gritty Underground and resorted to a life of crime to get by, but many don't know the specifics.
Luckily, No Regrets is an immersive glimpse into his backstory before joining the Survey Corps. It's all about how he met Erwin and how he even got involved with the organization in the first place. It also parallels Levi's iconic quote when he warned Eren against regretting his choices.
4 Chibi Sasuke's Sharingan Legend Portrays The Series' Darkest Character In A Totally Different Light
Gag manga spinoffs can be pretty hit-or-miss. My Hero Academia's Smash! series wasn't well received because many of its jokes were just too on the nose for readers, which is a common pitfall for many similar spinoffs.
However, Chibi Sasuke's Sharingan Legend is a genius Naruto spinoff that makes readers see one of the series' darkest, most complex characters in a totally different light. It's a feel-good, lighthearted read in which fans see Sasuke become a Nintuber, become a detective trying to solve a nonsensical mystery, and get up to other hilarious antics.
3 Salaryman Exorcist Is All About Rin Okumura's More Responsible Brother, Yukio
Blue Exorcist's Yukio Okumura is a stark contrast to his brother, Rin. Though they're both Satan's offspring, Yukio is much more responsible than Rin, whose impulsive behavior often puts everybody in harm's way.
Unfortunately, Yukio was frequently sidelined in the main series. Luckily, he has his own spinoff. Salaryman Exorcist: The Sorrows Of Yukio Okumura shows his everyday life as a teacher at True Cross Academy. The series has a very ironic sense of humor, and each chapter proves that Yukio's work is never done.
2 Demon Slayer: Stories Of Water & Flame Is All About Giyu Tomioka & Kyojuro Rengoku
Demon Slayer: Stories Of Water & Flame is a one-volume spinoff about two of the strongest Hashira. Giyu is the silent but deadly Water Hashira, while Rengoku is the blazing Flame Hashira. Giyu's half of the manga covers an encounter with a demon shortly after meeting Nezuko and Tanjiro.
Rengoku's part is a flashback to when he first took over the role as the new Flame Hashira. It's an exciting read about two fan-favorite characters that provides new insight into their personalities and backstories.
1 Team-Up Missions Is The Best My Hero Academia Spinoff
My Hero Academia has had a few spinoffs throughout the main story's run. Vigilantes expands upon the series' world-building, while School Briefs is a series of light novels showing the day-to-day realities of being a student at U.A. High. Smash! is an ongoing gag series that makes a mockery of the main story. However, the best out of all of these spinoffs is Team-Up Missions.
It's a lighthearted look into the characters and allows fans to see character interactions they wouldn't otherwise have if not for the spinoff. Since the main plot has become so intense and gloomy recently, Team-Up Missions is a great contrast that shows random groups of heroes doing everything from cooking soba noodles to hosting a radio show where they give students advice.