Who doesn’t love reading a creator’s best work? Goo Ranking asked the Japanese community to rank the top masterpieces in all of manga.
10. Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor
Mangaka: Nobuyuki Fukumoto
Genre: Drama / Psychological
Volumes: 65 (Ongoing)
Quick Pitch: Kaiji is good-for-nothing loiterer who wastes his life drinking and stealing hubcaps. Just when he thinks life couldn’t get worse, he is tricked into repaying a friend’s debt to the yakuza. Faced with choosing to work at a labor camp for 10 years or boarding an illegal gambling cruise, Kaiji decides to test his hand at gambling.
9. Otousan wa Shinpaishou
Mangaka: Okada Aamin
Genre: Comedy
Volumes: 6 (Complete)
Quick Pitch: A gag manga that centers around Outsan’s daily life.
8. Parasyte
Mangaka: Hitoshi Iwaaki
Genre: Action / Horror / Science Fiction
Volumes: 10 (Complete)
Quick Pitch: Parasitic aliens invade Earth and are able to blend into society by burrowing into the brains of human hosts. Once they gain full control, they are able to feed on unsuspecting humans. However, a parasite fails to invade teenager Shinichi’s brain and instead controls his right hand. The two are forced into an uneasy partnership as they fend off hostile parasites and avoid the gaze of society.
7. The Drifting Classroom
Mangaka: Kazuo Umezu
Genre: Horror / Science Fiction / Supernatural
Volumes: 11 (Complete)
Quick Pitch: Shou is a troublemaker in the sixth grade, but he’s about to mature fast. After arriving at a school, an earthquake teleports the campus to a wasteland. Faced with dangerous threats and internal conflict, Shou and his classmates must adapt to their new reality or die trying.
6. Chinyuki – Taro to Yukaina Nakama tachi
Mangaka: Gatarou Man
Genre: Comedy / Parody
Volumes: 6 (Complete)
Quick Pitch: A parody of Journey to the West. The story follows an assassin named Taro Yamada, who attempts to right his misdeeds by pooping on his victims’ graves.
5. Chibi Maruko-chan
Mangaka: Momoko Sakura
Genre: Slice of Life
Volumes: 15 (Completed)
Quick Pitch: The series follows Momoko Sakura’s daily life. She’s an elementary student who loves the popular idol Momoe Yamaguchi and manga.
4. Ghost in the Shell
Mangaka: Masamune Shirow
Genre: Action / Psychological / Science Fiction
Volumes: 3 (Completed)
Quick Pitch: In the future, cybernetic implants have become a normal part of life and robots roam among society, with consciousness being connected to a data stream. Yet, this new technological advancement has given way to cyber-terrorism and hackers that can control a person’s mind. Major Motoko Kusanagi and the Public Security Section 9 combat cyber-terrorism, but a hacker called The Puppeteer challenges Kusanagi’s view of the world.
3. Assassination Classroom
Mangaka: Yuusei Matsui
Genre: Comedy / Science Fiction
Volumes: 21 (Completed)
Quick Pitch: One day, a mysterious creature destroys 70% of the moon, and it claims that he will destroy the world in a year. He offers Earth a chance at survival: he’ll teach class 3-E of Kunugigaoka Junior High School. The students must find a way to kill him and collect ten billion yen for saving the world.
2. Attack on Titan
Mangaka: Hajime Isayama
Genre: Action / Dark Fantasy / Post-apocalyptic
Volumes: 25 (Ongoing)
Quick Pitch: Several hundred years ago, humanity was pushed to the brink of extinction by flesh-eating monsters called Titans. A small percentage managed to survive by enclosing themselves in a city protected by high walls, which led to a 100 year peace. However, Eren and his adopted sister Mikasa have their lives destroyed after the Colossal Titan destroyed one of the walls.
1. Hunter x Hunter
Mangaka: Yoshihiro Togashi
Genre: Adventure / Fantasy
Volumes: 35 (Ongoing)
Quick Pitch: Gon Freecss is a 12-year-old boy who is determined to become the greatest Hunter in hopes of finding his father. On his journey, Gon befriends the doctor-in-training Leorio, the vengeful Kurapika, and the rebellious ex-assassin Killua. They work together to become Hunters and to help each other achieve their dreams.
What manga do you think is a must-read masterpiece? Let me know in the comments