Given the amount of manga available to readers, there is no shortage of high-quality titles in virtually every genre. However, while family-friendly series geared toward younger audiences often receive plenty of fanfare, their more mature counterparts frequently go unappreciated thanks to their dark subject matter and graphic violence.

Although this type of manga may alienate some readers, there are plenty of others who enjoy the brutal nature of its presentation. In order to capitalize on this demand, plenty of series go above and beyond in their depictions of violence and savagery, resulting in some of the darkest manga series ever released.

Updated on January 24th, 2024 by Louis Kemner: Since manga is popular with people of all ages, some of the best series are definitely not suitable for younger audiences. However, these series still deserve recognition. This list of the darkest manga in the world has also been updated to adhere to CBR's current publication standards.

This article discusses sensitive topics, including abuse, torture, and sexual assault.

20 Blood On The Tracks Is an Edgy Story About a Mother and Son

Blood on the Tracks Scores:

• MyAnimeList: 7.99
• Anime Planet: 4.09/5

The horror genre often explores the relationship between mothers and their children, and when it comes to manga, few have done so as successfully as the 2017 title, Blood on the Tracks. This unsettling psychological thriller revolves around the relationship between two characters: Seiichi Osabe and his overprotective mother, Seiko.

While Blood on the Tracks' two main characters are hiking with other family members, their cousin makes an off-hand joke about pushing Seiichi off a nearby cliff. In response, Seiko inconspicuously shoves the cousin off a nearby ledge, opening her son's eyes to the deadly lengths that a mother will go to protect her children. It's a fine manga for any reader who enjoys intimate drama stories, but while Blood on the Tracks has some dark, grim moments, it doesn't go nearly as far as the darkest manga of all time.

19 Gunslinger Girl Follows Brainwashed Warrior Girls

Gunslinger Girl Scores:

• MyAnimeList: 8.08
• Anime Planet: 4.05/5

A classic series from Dengeki Daioh, Gunslinger Girl centers on the Social Welfare Agency, a governmental institution that employs girls as special operatives in secret. Whenever girls in need of welfare assistance arrive at the SWA offices, the institution brainwashes them into forgetting her old life, turns them into an assassin, and modifies their body with cyborg prosthetics.

Gunslinger Girl is a violent series about mercenaries. It depicts action-packed battles and plenty of blood. If this didn't deem the series a dark manga already, the backstories for all the girls at the WSA are incredibly bleak. Many of them became orphans due to horrible circumstances, and some are victims of sexual abuse.

18 The Promised Neverland Depicts Children Fleeing Their Deadly Home

Scores:

• MyAnimeList: 8.16
• Anime Planet: 4.33/5

Although The Promised Neverland's anime adaptation is one of the biggest flops in recent memory, many fans consider the show's source material to be one of the best shonen manga released in the 2010s. Written by debut author Kaiu Shirai, this dark fantasy series centers on a trio of orphans — Emma, Norman, and Ray — attempting to escape their demonic captors.

Despite The Promised Neverland's cute art style and child protagonists, it explores various mature topics. Solitude, violence, and even death threaten the heroes at every turn, leaving little time for readers to catch their breath. The anime has a theme of Emma and her friends losing their innocence and weakness, being forced to grow up and take control of their lives before they meet a grim fate as mere food for their true masters.

17 Death Note is the Ultimate Crime Thriller Manga Series

Scores:

• MyAnimeList: 8.69
• Anime Planet: 4.37/5

Very few series in anime and manga history have reached the same level of popularity as Death Note. Light Yagami, Ryuk, and the series' stellar cast of supporting characters are all enthralling. Similarly, their use of the Death Note, the murderous tool that provides the thrust of the narrative, makes for some of the most entertaining material of all time.

Given Light Yagami's primary tool in the series is mass murder, Death Note delves into some incredibly dark themes. This, coupled with Ryuk and the other Shinigami's desire to sow discord and misery throughout the human world, helps create an eerie ambiance that permeates the entire plot. In a way, this dark manga has no hero, since Light Yagami is a twisted antihero and his rival L, who claims to be trust justice, is equally ruthless. Death Note proves that the power to kill will always bring out the worst in people, no matter their intentions.

16 Vinland Saga Shows Thorfinn Karlsefni Struggling to Find His Purpose

Vinland Saga Scores:

• MyAnimeList: 9.06
• Anime Planet: 4.41/5

Thanks to the recent success of Vinland Saga's anime adaptation, the show's source manga — originally released in 2005 — is enjoying more success than ever. The Viking-filled series follows the life of Thorfinn, a young boy who is doing his best to survive in the brutish landscape of 11th-century Europe.

Since Vinland Saga explores the late stages of Viking culture, it spends much of its time exploring the relationships between violence, pillaging, and the human experience. Thorfinn's father is killed in front of him as a child, quickly establishing the deadly stakes that were ever-present in medieval Europe. In later arcs, Thorfinn does some painful introspection and struggles to figure out his real purpose in life, all while contending with his many inner demons — the memories of all the people he has ever killed.

15 I Am A Hero is a Grim, Realistic Take on the Zombie Genre

I Am A Hero Scores:

• MyAnimeList: 7.67
• Anime Planet: 3.89/5

While there are plenty of manga that explore the possibility of a zombie apocalypse, few do so with as much candid relatability as I Am a Hero. The horror-thriller was first released in 2009, and almost fifteen years later, its ability to provide a commentary on everyday life is still commendable. I Am a Hero follows Hideo Suzuki, an underpaid manga assistant, as he attempts to assert his own self-worth in the face of a pseudo-zombie apocalypse.

Every bit as charming as it is brutal, I Am a Hero perfectly blends the mundane aspects of life with the hyper-violent landscape of an undead outbreak. This sets the manga apart from the more comedic series Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead. It also makes I Am a Hero the ideal manga for anyone who wants a "serious" zombie story without gimmicks or subversive humor. It's one of the darkest manga series for sure, though some fans might appreciate the action more than the dark storytelling, and it's not exactly pure horror.

14 MPD Psycho is a Dark Manga Series About a Detective With Two Alters

MPD Psycho Scores:

• MyAnimeList: 7.67
• Anime Planet: 3.82/5

Yosuke Kobayashi is a detective who developed an alter after a dangerous criminal murdered and dismembered his girlfriend. Multiple Personality Detective Psycho tells his story as he delves into a mystery surrounding a serial-killer-making company in Japan.

MPD Psycho is a particularly dark manga, so much so that no anime studio has attempted to make an anime adaptation. It has a questionable depiction of DID, but additionally, it is unnecessarily violent at times, especially for a seinen. Among the many disturbing moments in this dark manga, there's a plant growing in a man's brain, a kid ripping his own face, and a man taking his victim's eyes.

13 Chainsaw Man Is a Highly Subversive, Bloody Shonen Manga

Chainsaw Man Scores:

• MyAnimeList: 8.73
• Anime Planet: 4.39/5

Most of Chainsaw Man's excessive violence is either tongue-in-cheek fun or a meta-commentary on the shonen genre as a vicious manga/anime subversion, but that doesn't change the fact that its material is among the most brutal of any major manga. Denji, its half-devil, half-human protagonist, spends a large part of his time carving through devils and fiends with reckless abandon throughout much of the series.

Similar to Evil Dead and other classic horror films, Chainsaw Man pulls no punches when it comes to showing graphic violence. Its combat is full of visceral gore and high-stakes circumstances — thankfully, this is often offset by well-placed bits of character development and legitimately funny comedic sequences.

12 Elfen Lied Involves a Dangerous Girl Trying to Find Her Place in the World

Elfen Lied Scores:

• MyAnimeList: 7.82
• Anime Planet: 4.09/5

The Elfen Lied anime series is infamous for its exploration of violence, sex, and social taboos; however, its source material somehow takes things a step further. Despite the cute appearance of its main character, Lucy, there is enough mature content in the Elfen Lied manga to make even the most experienced readers blush.

With over 100 published chapters, Elfen Lied's manga covers much more adult material than its 13-episode anime adaptation. This allows for an in-depth examination of the series' deadly race of humans, the Diclonius, and their deadly, oft-persecuted role within society.

11 Dead Tube Involves Filming Brutal Murders and Other Acts

Dead Tube Scores:

• MyAnimeList: 6.57
• Anime Planet: 3.49/5

Snuff films are generally considered to be the stuff of urban legend, but thanks to Dead Tube, the fear inspired by these fatal films feels more real than ever. The manga's protagonist, Tomohiro Machiya, lives a normal life as a student until he is forced to film his school's idol as she kills her boyfriend. This sets in motion a chaotic series of events that explore the dark underbelly of cinema culture.

Thanks to its seinen classification, Dead Tube is free to depict the graphic murders of its brutal characters. As Dead Tube's plot progresses, the characters slowly push the boundaries of their films, resulting in crueler and crueler circumstances for their victims.

10 Ijousha No Ai Stars One of Manga's Most Vicious Yanderes

Ijousha No Ai Scores:

• MyAnimeList: 6.07
• Anime Planet: 3.11/5

When Kazumi Ichinose was only a kid, he witnessed the murder of his first crush in the hands of another of her classmates, Saki Midou. This traumatic event made him isolate himself throughout his teenage years until he met Shino Yotsuya. Unfortunately for Kazumi, his new friendship with Yotsuya may be her death sentence too.

Ijousha No Ai is an incredibly dark manga because Saki Midou rivals the most disturbing yandere in anime. She doesn't just act violently, but she kills and tortures both humans and animals to intimidate her victims, further isolating Kazumi more and causing a claustrophobic feeling in the readers. Such twisted storytelling makes Ijousha No Ai an incredibly dark manga series. Yet, other manga manage to delve into even darker places.

9 Banana Fish Is a Mystery Story About a Strange Drug

Banana Fish Scores:

• MyAnimeList: 8.61
• Anime Planet: 4.36/5

Although shojo manga rarely delves into adult themes, series like Banana Fish prove the genre isn't completely devoid of gritty realism. This iconic 1985 title was one of the first manga to enjoy significant success in the United States, partially because its adult content appealed to readers of much older ages than most of its peers.

Banana Fish revolves around the story of Ash Lynx, a young street gang leader attempting to unravel the mystery behind a mysterious drug known as "Banana Fish." The series' literary references, realistic art style, and exploration of mature topics like homosexuality and sex trafficking helped break the conventions of the shojo genre. This resulted in a story that has rightfully earned a place in manga history.

8 Uzumaki Is a Twisted Horror Manga About Nightmarish Spiral Shapes

Uzumaki Scores:

• MyAnimeList: 8.17
• Anime Planet: 4.15/5

Author Junji Ito's talent as an author and illustrator of horror is well-documented, yet even with his extensive catalog, Uzumaki stands head-and-shoulders above the rest as a dark manga. Thanks to its eerie tone, suspenseful pacing, and creepy spiral imagery, the series contains several of the most iconic panels in the history of horror manga. It's set in an ordinary town that's soon "infested" with spirals, since those shapes keep warping everything and everyone around, sometimes with dangerous results.

Uzumaki originally ran from 1998 to 1999, and thanks to its massive popularity, it has been re-released and remastered multiple times since then. With a new anime adaptation of the series set to debut on Toonami soon, Uzumaki's popularity is higher than ever — especially after SDCC presented its trailer.

7 Kyosei Tensei Is a Brutal Isekai About Abuse and Crime

Kyosei Tensei Scores:

• MyAnimeList: 5.67/5
• Anime Planet:3.36/5

After his childhood friend was raped and murdered, Anezaki Satoru tracked down the criminals who did it and killed them, earning the death penalty. After his execution, he awakens in a parallel world where men are irrational creatures, only trying to abuse women around them.

Kyosei Tensei is a dark version of one of the most popular tropes out there: reincarnation. It doesn't do isekai in a wholesome way. Instead, it touches on serious topics, such as murder, death penalty, and sexual abuse, which is often depicted explicitly. This makes Kyosei Tensei an incredibly dark manga.

6 Monster Shows a Doctor Regretting Saving a Patient's Life

Monster Scores:

• MyAnimeList: 9.15
• Anime Planet: 4.44/5

When a series centers on the proclivities of a serial killer, its material is bound to be mature. Monster, written and illustrated by Naoki Urasaw, was first released in 1994. Since then, it has become known as one of the most engaging psychological thrillers in manga history.

Kenzo Tenma, Monster's protagonist, works as a neurosurgeon in Germany when the series begins, but after he is forced to choose between the lives of two different patients, a series of mysterious deaths begin occurring around him. To prove himself innocent of these murders, Tenma begins down a winding path he hopes will uncover the identity of the killer.

5 Fire Punch Is Like a Twisted Take on X-Men

Fire Punch Scores:

• MyAnimeList: 7.90
• Anime Planet: 3.84/5

Fire Punch's main character, Agni, might resemble a slew of other superhero manga protagonists, but in reality, he and his journey couldn't deviate more from the genre's norms. Author Tatsuki Fujimoto pushes Fire Punch's commentary as far as he can, resulting in a fourth-wall-breaking, ultra-violent story centered on the never-ending pain of its main character.

Born into a dystopian world where individuals are randomly born with superhuman "blessings," Agni benefits from one of the most powerful gifts in the series: rapid regeneration. Unfortunately, he is lit on fire by a never-ending flame as a child, resulting in the constant, excruciating struggle to survive that typifies his character. Such a grim struggle on Agni's part, combined with the worldbuilding, makes Fire Punch one of the darkest manga series ever, only edged out by a few others.

4 Attack On Titan Delves Into Horror, Violence, and Controversial Politics

Attack On Titan Scores:

• MyAnimeList: 8.55
• Anime Planet: 4.38/5

In a world where humans have to hide from man-eating giants, the Titans, Attack on Titan tells the story of the hero/antihero Eren Yeager. Eren, who saw a Titan eat his mother when he was younger, vowed to exterminate this race. However, he soon learned he was a Titan himself.

Attack on Titan was a cultural phenomenon since its first issue, especially thanks to its complex characters and action-packed battles. This dark manga deconstructed anime stereotypes, such as the Shonen hero, and made them mature, flawed characters, making their setting even bleaker. Besides this, the panels where the Titans devour people aren't for those faint of heart.

3 Vagabond Explores Medieval Japan Through One Swordsman's Eyes

Vagabond Scores:

• MyAnimeList: 9.25
• Anime Planet: 4.49/5

Seinen manga consistently rank among the medium's most popular titles, yet few series within the genre have ever demonstrated the same level of sustained success as Vagabond. The samurai-centric story was published from 1998 to 2015, and in its 327 chapters, the series provides a fictional retelling of the life of the 16th-century Japanese swordsman, Miyamoto Musashi.

Vagabond deals with a variety of mature themes and topics, including those surrounding loss, grief, and the role of violence in traditional Japanese society. This, coupled with the incredibly detailed art featured throughout the manga, makes Vagabond a riveting celebration of samurai culture. It's also the definitive work of author Takehiko Inoue, though his basketball series Slam Dunk comes in a close second.

2 Homunculus Shows a Man Seeing the Truth of Other People

Homunculus Scores:

• MyAnimeList: 8.35
• Anime Planet: 4.11/5

Whereas some manga are more mature or light-hearted than fans would expect, the tone of Homunculus is exactly as dark as one would expect a story about trepanation to be. Susumu Nakoshi, its protagonist, is homeless when the series begins. To make some quick cash, he allows a medical student to drill a hole in his head.

Unfortunately, this trepanation procedure is only the beginning of Nakoshi's problems. After the operation, he suddenly gains the ability to perceive the homunculi of other people, launching him down a path that explores the darkest corners of the human psyche.

1 Berserk is the World's Best and Darkest Fantasy Manga

Berserk Scores:

• MyAnimeList: 9.47
• Anime Planet: 4.59/5

Written by late author Kentaro Miura, Berserk follows the story of Guts, a stoic and proficient swordsman wandering through a world teeming with evil forces. The series debuted in 1989 and quickly earned a dedicated following, largely because of its brutal violence, mature storylines, and terrifying antagonists.

Berserk explores a wide variety of adult themes, and it leaves no stone unturned during its exploration of human depravity. Guts fends off friends, foes, and supernatural forces on his journey, including five of the most heinous characters in manga history — the God Hand. The Berserk manga combines its dark, brutal side with genuine romance and themes of hope and kindness thanks to its shojo roots. There's no denying that Berserk is the darkest, most gruesome manga series of all time — and one of the most beloved, too.