Even though the psychological mystery genre isn’t overly popular in manga, the ones that do stand out are always highly rated and recommended. They are also known for their disturbing or scary scenes and the constant twists and turns in the story that keep readers enthralled. One such manga is Monster by Naoki Urasawa.
It’s a psychological mystery, thriller, and drama manga with elements of serial killers, revenge, crimes, psychopaths, and conspiracies. It also contains themes and content that are intended for mature audiences. In manhwa, there are several psychological mystery stories with similar elements that fans of Monster would enjoy.
10 A Police Officer Seeks Revenge Against The Man Who Murdered The Love Of Her Life (Vengeance)
Vengeance is a mystery GL and drama manhwa from the author and artist, Aji, and is intended for mature audiences. Police detective Seolah is normally coolheaded and rational. However, after witnessing the murder of her secret girlfriend, she becomes obsessed with finding and getting revenge against the man that stole the life of the woman that she loved.
She doesn’t care if she has to break a few rules or the law to get her vengeance. This manhwa is heartbreaking, tragic, and a rollercoaster ride of a story that sucks readers in.
9 Five Former Bullies Are Locked In A Shipping Container To Repent For Their Sins (Banquet Box)
Banquet Box, by the author and artist, Hun, is a drama manhwa with elements of revenge. When a person has been bullied, seeking revenge isn’t always an option. For some, however, it’s all they can think about. Five former school students mysteriously wake up inside of a shipping container with no recollection of how they got there or how to get out.
They're confused until an unknown voice rings out inside the container telling them that they will be freed if they remember their sins and apologize for them. What they don’t know is who it is or what they want.
8 A Young Man Awakens On A Beach With No Memory And A Mysterious Family Who Are Willing To Take Him In (Pigpen)
Pigpen is a brilliant horror and drama manhwa from the creators Beomsik Cheon and Carnby Kim (who happens to be the author of Sweet Home and Bastard). A young man wakes up on a beach with no memory of how he got there or even who he is.
As he tries to uncover the mystery of his past, he meets a family who takes him in, but they’re not what they seem. This manhwa draws readers in from the very first chapter and is a thrilling read for mature audiences.
7 Yoseob Is Convicted Of Stabbing Eight People But No One Knows Why He Did It (An Uncomfortable Truth)
An Uncomfortable Truth, by the author and artist EErun, is a drama manhwa with explicit content and mature themes. Yoseob, a normally quiet and in-control high school student, is convicted at a police station for stabbing eight people.
No one knows if he committed the acts himself, or if his older brother had something to do with it. But the biggest question everyone is wondering is why he would do it. This manhwa is heartbreaking, dark, and painful to read at times, but it’s a captivating must-read.
6 Jia Is Haunted By A Strangely Familiar Woman In Her Dreams And The Real World (Strange Mirror)
Strange Mirror is a horror manhwa from the creators, One Finger and Jeong-eun Ahn (who is best known for his artistry in Jack: The American Ghost). This manhwa is dark and does contain explicit themes meant for mature audiences. On the outside, Jia Min seems like an average and normal woman.
However, she is haunted by the appearance of a woman both in her dreams and in the waking world. She doesn’t know the woman is or why she’s seeing her, but they have some form of connection as Jia paints the woman and titles it, “Self-Portrait.”
5 An Aspiring Journalist Interviews A Serial Killer Who Slowly Becomes Interested In Him (Interview With A Murderer)
Interview With A Murderer, from the creators Bbyong and Queensa, is a BL horror and drama manhwa. Jonathan is an aspiring journalist who gets the chance to report on one of the biggest serial killers--Kister the Slaughterer.
Kister has killed over 33 people, but he didn’t do it for himself--he did it for his brother. When Jonathan meets Kister, the killer's interest begins to shift to him, and things turn deadly. This is a thrilling and gritty manhwa with so many mysteries that it’s hard to put down.
4 Two Vastly Different People Wonder If They Can Overcome Their Differences To Be Together (340 Days)
340 Days is a fantasy and mystery manhwa from the author and artist, Michii, that contains explicit content and twisted love. Lin Hwa is known as a Shut, someone who is destined to live a life of unrequited love, while Dosung Yul is a Destroyer, someone with violent tendencies.
These titles are more than just genetics—it affects their personality and who they are down to their core. When Lin confesses to Dosung, who rejects her, a string of murders soon follows that threatens their lives. In a world where their differences are everything, Lin hopes that the two can become something.
3 A Demon Appears In A Small French Village Bringing Death, Chaos, And Truths (The Pale Horse)
The Pale Horse, from the author and artist, Hae-Yun Choo, is a historical drama manhwa with supernatural elements. In a French village, a demon reappears after many years to find something that he had once lost.
But his arrival brings death, chaos, and the truth to many secrets that shatter the lives of several families. At first, this manhwa seems to be a happy, smooth-sailing story. But after the plot twist, it goes downhill, fast, and is filled with tragedy and not an ounce of happiness.
2 A Male Courtesan Is Kidnapped By A Killer And Given The Chance For Revenge (The Pawn’s Revenge)
The Pawn’s Revenge is a BL drama manhwa from the author and artist, EVY, and is similar to Killing Stalking. Je-oh is a male courtesan and is at the bottom of the totem pole. He has tried to escape his fate, but he only ends up in worse situations. When he’s kidnapped by a serial killer, Seong-rok, he thinks that his situation has become even worse, but that doesn’t appear to be the case.
Seong-rok, on the other hand, is searching for his lover, who was once a male courtesan. Even though Je-oh has become a pawn in a dangerous and deadly game, he plans to help the serial killer and do whatever is necessary to get revenge and overthrow the people who’ve always stood above him.
1 A Team Must Figure Out Who Killed Three College Students From Inconclusive Evidence And Testimonies (Chasing Tails)
Chasing Tails, from the author and artist, Bashi, is a horror and drama manhwa about nine college students who were trapped under a collapsed building for fourteen days. Unfortunately, however, only six came out alive, and of those six, only four could speak. What the police discover are the mangled bodies of the other students who appear to have been murdered.
Detectives Jeongdo Kwon and Yeongchae Shin, along with a neuropsychiatrist, Dr. Yeongwha Ju, must wade through the inconclusive evidence and testimonies to find out what happened and who killed the other students.