From Pen and Paper to Blood and Guts - The Sabukaru Guide to Brutal Manga
If you’re just now getting into manga there are two big categories that will pop up everywhere you look: Shonen [少年] and Seinen [青年]. These two make up the majority of manga targeted at young males, while there are also counterparts suited best for the female audience divided into Shojo [少女漫画] and Josei [女性漫画].
Shonen [which can roughly be translated as “for boys”] mostly consists of topics like friendship, growing up, and venturing out to new worlds. Big magazines like Shonen Jump Weekly play a big role in this genre as their existence is the reason for the success of Manga like Dragon Ball and Naruto, stories that kids all over the globe know and love.
Scene from GANTZ by HIROYA OKU
Shonen Manga can be associated with growing up, but Seinen is a whole different world: translating to “Youth”, this genre deals with topics more suitable for an older and more mature audience ranging from around 18 to 30. While you can also find topics surrounding war, gore, and violence in Shonen Manga, in Seinen they can be seen in their purest, most graphic forms by the likes of Mangaka like Kentaro Miura [Berserk] or Junji Ito [Uzumaki, Tomie].
While you can trace Shonen Manga’s roots as far back as the early 20th century, Seinen can be found in the Gekiga-Movement [劇画] that occurred around the 1950s: Mangaka Yoshihiro Tatsumi and other pioneers wanted to differentiate themselves from regular manga and tell rather serious stories that often involved topics like violence and eroticism. Starting in the late 70s, more and more Magazines such as “Shukan Young Jump” [Elfen Lied, Gantz, Tokyo Ghoul] and “Young Magazine” [Akira, Ghost in the Shell] started to pop up and build the foundation for modern Seinen Manga.
In this guide, we present you a list of some of our favorite brutal and graphic titles, the dark, twisted stories, and the most disturbing manga that make you worry a bit about the author.
While we include some of the bigger names who already have their place in manga history, we also want to focus on the smaller, more low-key titles that definitely deserve the spotlight. This is in no way a ranked list - we want each manga to shine [not brightly] on their own. Enjoy.
Huvahh [Q Hayashida, One shot]
This very short one-shot by Q Hayashida, the mastermind behind “Dorohedoro” is rather overlooked, probably due to its 'plot', which is very hard to grasp. Incomprehensible language even strengthens the atmosphere as this lets the pictures speak more for themselves.
“Huvahh” achieves some of the most disturbing and dark imagery you will find in Manga reinforced by Q Hayashida’s almost sketch-like art style - and all that while only spreading over only 12 pages. This is one of those stories that will leave you questioning how someone could come up with something so graphic.
Dorohedoro [Q Hayashida]
Different from “Huvahh”, “Dorohedoro” is a thrilling story set in a world of magic. The protagonists Caiman and Nikaido spend their days in a Gyoza restaurant “Hungry Bug” when they‘re not out on the hunt for magicians. The lizard-headed Caiman is prepared to kill every single magician he crosses paths with to find the one that turned him into the reptile. What might sound like a Shonen fairytale full of magic at first, takes more and more dark turns - the world of “Dorohedoro” is gruesome, rough, and filled with devils. Q Hayashida’s famous fast-paced style perfectly tells this engaging story which concluded in its 23rd volume over 18 years, and even got a Netflix anime adaption in 2020 with the second season scheduled to release sooner than later.
Sun-Ken Rock [Boichi]
“Sun-Ken Rock” revolves around South Korea's toughest gang, Team Sun-Ken Rock, led by the protagonist Kitano-Ken. Even though it's a pretty funny story seen often in Shonen manga, illustrator Boichi doesn't shy away from picturing the Korean underworld the way it is - gruesome, violent, and brutal.
It’s the perfect gateway manga for people that want to get into the more mature stuff, but still love heroic stories built around charismatic characters.
Important disclaimer: This story intensively shows the dark sides of gang life, which not only includes violence between gang members but also very graphic sexual violence.
Beageruta/Die Wergelder [Samura Hiroaki]
“Beageruta” or “Die Wergelder”[English title] mainly stars the three charming, in their own ways charismatic women Nami, Je-Mao, and Shinobu Aza and their lives as the story lets you dive into the deepest pits of the underworld, leaving no stone unturned while exploring different paths from prostitution to gang wars and BDSM. We couldn’t find better words than MyAnimeList-User Pacmanyo: “It is a dark sci-fi mystery story [...] set in a world where everything and everyone is fucked - both literally and figuratively.” Samura’s storytelling feels like a weird mixture of a Tarantino movie combined with a fever dream but in every good way possible.
Disclaimer: Also includes heavy topics such as sexual violence.
Fraction [Kago Shintaro]
“Fraction” starts as your typical Junji Ito-esque short story; however, it soon develops its unique dirty twist.
The first story which also gives the book its name consists of two separate but still connected narrations: the slicing devil and the manga artist.
The addition of a story breaking the fourth wall as the mangaka starts to explain how the whole story develops and comes together just makes you rethink the entire narrative. That, plus a lot of unforgiving gory artwork.
Kago Shintaro’s other works such as “Dementia 21” or “Parataxis” are also worth reading, but they’re more on the surrealistic site of horror hence we chose Fraction for this list.
Gyo [Junji Ito]
Shortly after the release of Junji Ito‘s “Uzumaki”, he released the eco-horror masterpiece “Gyo” back in 2003. “Gyo” is the tale of a young couple finding themselves amidst a world of mutated zombie fish led by an odor called the “stench of death“. Sounds like your typical American trash film? Yeah, maybe, however, this is far from low quality. Ito is known for his mystical storytelling and beyond repugnant artwork which shapes the worlds of his many stories. Compared to his long list of usually shorter stories this is one of the longer ones spreading across 400 pages of pure gore.
Berserk [Kentaro Miura]
This list wouldn‘t deserve the name of goriest Manga without talking about its ultimate archetype: “Berserk” by Kentaro Miura. While going on for over thirty years since its initial debut in 1989, this is the ultimate brutal and relentless manga. It follows the life of the warrior Guts beginning with his birth into pure darkness until he finally finds light in the hands of a mercenary group, just to get thrown into the purest depths of despair and pain again, and now on his way to revenge through a path of total annihilation. I won‘t spoil anything story-wise, as this is the ultimate Manga one should fully experience on their own. Berserk is Miura’s biggest body of work spreading over 360+ Chapters and still yet to be finished - Unfortunately, it is unclear if the story will conclude due to Miura's heartbreaking passing this year.
Disclaimer: includes sexual violence & rape.
Fire Punch & Chainsaw Man [Tatsuki Fujimoto]
Two of Seinen’s biggest names releasing the last few years are “Fire Punch” and the more recent “Chainsaw Man”, both created by the mastermind Tatsuki Fujimoto. Both being his first larger bodies of work apart from a few great one-shots, they were well-received due to their heart-wrenching stories full of plot twists and hence quickly gained a cult following.
“Fire Punch” follows protagonist Agni’s journey through a world enveloped in snow by an evil force called the Ice Witch. His incredible self-healing powers turn out to be his nemesis as he gets lit on fire by never fading flames - leaving him to burn forever. Much like “Berserk” Agni’s main motive keeping him alive is revenge while on his path to vengeance.
While “Chainsaw Man” starts a bit less depressing, it quickly twists as half-human/half-devil Denji gets caught in the web of femme fatale Makima and her organization of Devil Hunters on their way to hunt down the most powerful devil ever: The Gun Devil. “Chainsaw Man” has a bit of everything: from protagonist Denji being a Shin-Chan-like [from the manga “Crayon Shin-Chan”] always-horny youngster, Makima creating the biggest following of thirsty manga fans since Misato from “Neon Genesis Evangelion”, and the classical Tsundere Girl [angry on the outside while loving on the inside] Power, the fun doesn’t come short in this story - but violence definitely doesn’t as well.
Jagaaan [Muneyuki Kaneshiro/Kensuke Nishida]
Police Officer Shintaro Jagasaki pretty much hates everyone around him but his life is about to change drastically as he nearly gets killed by an otherworldly looking murderer: his fingers get cut off, but they are now able to transform into various types of guns and serve Shintaro and his owl buddy Doku-Chan to kill super-humans controlled by mysterious frogs. Kaneshiro's weird but genius storytelling mixed with Nishida's overly detailed art style create the perfect harmony that is found in this wild Manga - and it really is as wild as it sounds.
Battle Royale [Koushun Takami]
The archetype of the popular video game genre that goes by the same name, “Battle Royale” revolves around a battle of life and death, where students who were chosen by the government have to fight until ‘last one standing’. It’s a gruesome tale of friends having to kill each other in a desperate attempt to survive. While those video games seem fun and playful, the world of “Battle Royale” is much darker and gruesome.
Ichi the Killer & Homunculus [Hideo Yamamoto]
Both “Ichi the Killer” as well as “Homunculus” count as all time classics you will find on each list when looking for brutal Manga. Hideo Yamamoto creates these microcosmic worlds with unique characters on the brink of sanity where every page is more disturbing and unsettling than the one before. While “Ichi the Killer” deals with the life of a mentally unstable killer, “Homunculus” tells the story of a homeless person getting caught in a horrific science experiment that involves drilling holes in his forehead. Both stories are way too complex to break down into single fragments, and both are classics for a reason.
Gantz [Hiroya Oku]
What happens after you die? Well, the story of “Gantz” has its very own way of interpreting this big question as protagonist Kei Kurono finds himself still alive in a mysterious apartment just seconds after getting hit by a train. Here he finds other survivors and a mysterious orb shaped entity called
Gantz which sends them on missions to kill alien refugees residing on earth. Just like in nearly any of Oku’s work [“Gigant”, “Inuyashiki Last Hero”] there’s lots of naked women, weird creatures and surreal imagery - pretty much everything needed for a great story.
Parasyte [Hitoshi Iwaaki]
Shinichi Izumi is a regular 16 year old living a normal life until parasites take over humans around him and are starting to devour others to survive. Shinichi is also on the brink of being infested with one, and manages to cut off blood flow to his arm just in time to stop further development - only to find the parasite Migi taking control over his hand, turning his life upside down in an attempt to protect his loved ones from getting killed. The two construct a rather unexpected partnership, and the story follows them through their sometimes, bright, sometimes dark, but always brutal story.
Uzumaki [Junji Ito]
“Uzumaki” tells the tale of a town haunted by the power of the spiral - a magical shape turning the heads of the town’s inhabitants and bringing them to the depth of despair. As Kirie seems to be one of the very few left still not blinded by the spirals power, she tries to find the source of this nightmare, stepping through the world of one of Ito’s probably scariest tales yet. While similar to “Gyo”, this manga is way longer than Ito’s usually shorter tales; it feels like the perfect compilation of different nightmarish happenings revolving around the form of the spiral.
Shiga hime [Sato Hirohisa]
The world of “Shiga Hime” feels similar to a classical vampire story as protagonist Osamu gets caught up in the fangs of vampire-like Miwako, making him her ‘familiar’. Now he must kill others and bring her their hearts if he wants to continue to live a semi-normal life, making him a slave who needs to hide his connections to the dark world. A story revolving around love, lust and slavery.
That wraps up our list for now - get started on one of the titles you found interesting. While these are some our favorites, they are still just the tip of the giant iceberg. If you really like manga, you know that reading one manga leads you to many new mangaka. Don’t just read the ones we listed, explore the rest of the iceberg too.
Welcome to the dark world of brutal manga.
