With The Mandalorian, Disney+ plus has opened up an entirely new story for fans of the Star Wars franchise to better understand the galaxy far, far away.
Unlike with Netflix originals, however, the series airs only one episode a week, so fans are stuck waiting around like a bunch of peasants hoping for a few more scraps like they’re living in a Dickens novel. So, while fans of The Mandalorian are stuck waiting, they may as well pick up a book and fill the void left in the wake of a decidedly unbingeable series.
10 The Collected Star Wars Manga Adaptations
A no-brainer for any Star Wars fans looking to get into manga, the collected Star Wars manga is a natural entry point for fans of the franchise. These manga adapt A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, Return Of The Jedi and even The Phantom Menace.
Anyone who has been watching The Mandalorian and had the urge to jump back into the original trilogy can jump into this manga series and experience all the original trilogy had to offer in a different medium. Definitely something to be excited about.
9 Inuyashiki
Though Inuyashiki may take place almost entirely on Earth, there is still something for fans of The Mandalorian to be excited about. After a pair of men, a teenager named Hiro Shishigami and a fifty-eight-year-old man named Ichiro Inuyashiki, are hit with an extraterrestrial explosion, their lives are forever changed.
After discovering that their insides have been replaced by high-tech mechanical parts, the duo branch off in very different ways. One, quickly devolving into a homicidal sociopath and the other deciding to use his newfound powers for the good of those around him. Though the two find themselves on very opposite ends of the moral spectrum, they might just save the world.
8 Knights Of Sidonia
After Earth is attacked and destroyed by a species known only as the gauna, the scraps of humanity build giant arc-like ships out of what’s left of the planet and uses them to launch the remaining member of humanity deep into galactic space.
The Sidonia, perhaps the last surviving arc, could be humanity’s last hope in a lonely and dangerous galaxy. Fans of Star Wars will love the epic space battles, the brilliant writing and the iconic monsters that are set on destroying what’s left on humanity.
7 Space Dandy
Kinda like if Star Wars met Deadpool or Looney Tunes, Space Dandy tells the story of Dandy, a bounty hunter, his robot assistant QT and his feline-like companion Meow as they travel through space wreaked havoc and having a great time doing it.
While Space Dandy has a much looser continuity than Star Wars does, the series will have Star Wars fans caught up in some epic battles and a whole lot of laughs. It may just be the story of “a dandy guy in space”, but it’s something fans of The Mandalorian won’t want to miss.
6 Vagabond
Vagabond tells the story of Shinmen Takezō, a young boy that was shunned by local villagers due to his violent and wild nature. At the age of seventeen he, along with his friend, run away from the village in order to join to Toyotomi army and fight off the Tokugawa clan.
However, after being utterly dominated on the field of battle, Takezō and his friend survive and must go their separate ways in order to stay alive. Fans of The Mandalorian have already drawn many parallels between the unnamed Mandalorian and the ronin of japan. This series is a must for manga fans and The Mandalorian fans alike.
5 Pluto
Created by mangaka Naoki Urasawa, Pluto tells the story of Europol robot detective, Gesicht, who is dispatched to solve a string of murders following the deaths of several prominent humans and robots who have been found with what looks to be horns inserted into their skulls.
As Gesicht begins to discover more hints about the killer's identity he slowly realizes that it’s become more and more likely that the perpetrator of these crimes is not human at all, but a robot. Something that hasn’t happened in eight years. The Mandalorian fans will love this series because of its futuristic vibes, droids solving murders, and because it is genuinely a great story.
4 Ghost In A Shell
Ghost In A Shell, by mangaka Masamune Shirow, is a series that follows Major Mokoto Kusanagi, a member of the cyber-crime task force of public security section nine. After a mysterious villain known only as the puppeteer begins hacking into the brains of humans and using them to commit crimes, Kusanagi and the other members of section nine are dispatched to pick up the pieces and get to the bottom of the puppeteer’s plans.
Potential readers shouldn’t let the film adaptation deter them from diving into the amazing artwork and brilliant story as it was originally told.
3 Star Wars: Lost Stars
This is another no-brainer when it comes to fans of the Star Wars universe introduced to manga. Star Wars: Lost Stars, written by Claudia Gray and illustrated by Yuusaka Komiyma, follows the story of two young pilots as they join the empire. Though Thane Kyrell and Ciena Ree are both aware of the seductive nature of the empire, the pair nonetheless join the imperial academy in order to pursue their dreams of becoming pilots.
When Thane stumbles upon the darker aspects of the empire, however, he leaves the academy in order to join the rebellion and fight against the empire. A choice that will put him and Ciena at odds with each other. But will their relationship survive the turmoil?
2 Akira
While a manga like Akira should probably be featured on every single article recommending manga ever written, the reasons that Akira finds itself featured in this article are as follows: the series tells an incredible and expansive story that spans the destruction and creation of multiple governments, cities and multiple warring factions.
Mangaka Katsuhiro Otomo painstakingly created and illustrated one of the greatest works of art to have ever been put to the page and overlooking his work on the manga simply because readers may have watched the animated film from back in ‘89 is simply inexcusable.
1 Lone Wolf & Cub
Even from its first episode, the parallels between The Mandalorian and Lone Wolf And Cub are simply too numerous to avoid comparisons. Much like the unnamed Mandalorian, the protagonist of Lone Wolf And Cub, Ogami Ittō, is a man on the run with his infant son.
While the titular Mandalorian may not be the wee baby yodling’s father, they’ve certainly established a similar relationship. The wee baby Yoda may now even be considered a foundling himself. Regardless of their relationship, Lone Wolf And Cub is a series that all fans of The Mandalorian need to check out immediately.