Mangais bigger than ever across the world, with the best manga series of all time being so undeniably good that their influence can be felt in all corners of pop culture. From big series with even bigger anime adaptations to smaller stories that could only work in the world of manga, the medium is a diverse place with space for a wide variety of works to make their mark. If anything, the sheer volume of manga produced yearly makes picking a handful of series as the best a daunting task.
Ultimately, a variety of factors need to be employed to determine what can rank among the best manga of all time.Artistry, plot, and cultural impact are all paramountamong the criteria that can be used to determine which manga series reign supreme above their peers. While fans will debate which series deserves the top spot, there is no such thing as an objective measurement of quality. Still, it is difficult to deny that some manga stand out among the rest.
20Pink
Written & Illustrated By Kyoko Okazaki
Kyoko Okazaki’sPinkis a manga that is both a product of its time while also managing to be timeless. The manga follows a woman named Yumiko who moonlights as a sex worker so she can afford an apartment and food for her pet crocodile. Along with her sister and her love interest Haruo, Yumiko tries to find balance in a world where her way of life is always teetering on the edge of complete collapse.
Pinkwas written at the peak of Japan’s bubble era, a time period of tremendous economic growth that was, as the name suggests, doomed to burst. Though the bubble economy still had another handful of years left whenPinkwas released, the manga reads like a tribute to the era before it was even over.Pinkis a fun and breezy read with surprising depthsthanks to Okazaki’s unparalleled character writing. Manga fans looking for something funny and profound in equal measure should look no further thanPink.
Once one of the biggest anime/manga franchises in the world, Masashi Kishimoto’sNarutois a series that more than lives up to its status in Shonen Jump’s Big Three. Though the series starts off as a simple story about a young outcast ninja with big dreams, it eventually grows to tackle so much more than that. Through Naruto’s relationship with his rival Sasuke, the series explores how trauma molds people and can set them down wildly divergent paths.
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Ultimately, it is these deeper themes that makesNarutoemerge as one of Shonen Jump’s best. Through its wide and infectiously likeable cast,Narutois able to maintain a level of thematic consistency that is simply a marvel to look at. On a page-by-page basis,Narutois great, but when looking at the finished project, it’s clearly a masterpiece.
The Rose of Versailles
Cast
The Rose of Versailles is a historical drama anime set during the French Revolution, revolving around the complex life of Oscar François de Jarjayes, a female commander in the royal guard. The series explores themes of class disparity, gender roles, and political upheaval, while intertwining the personal lives of the French aristocracy with the nation’s tumultuous path toward revolution. The anime is notable for its richly detailed animation and compelling narrative.
Set during the French Revolution, Riyoko Ikeda’sThe Rose Of Versaillesfollows the fiction bodyguard of Marie Antoinette, Lady Oscar. Though Lady Oscar starts out as a supporter of the French Monarchy, the story chronicles her path to joining the revolution.
The Rose of Versaillesis one of the most influential Shojo manga of all time. Deeply political, the series deftly discusses themes surrounding gender roles, class, and how much someone is willing to sacrifice for their beliefs. There is this perception among those who are unfamiliar with the genre that Shojo manga is full of fluffy stories about high school romance, and though there’s nothing wrong with those stories,The Rose Of Versaillesproves just how diverse Shojo can be. There’s a reasonTheRose of Versailles’anime is considered one of the best anime ever.
One Piece
ThoughOne Piecemisses out on beingone the longest-running manga of all time, it’s not for lack of trying. Eiichiro Oda’sOne Pieceis a sprawling epic that truly captures everything good about manga. The adventures of Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat pirates may oscillate from goofy to deadly serious, but there is always a central heart to the story that makes it a complete ray of sunshine, even during its darkest chapters.
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At a time when Shonen manga was becoming increasingly dark,One Piecewent in the exact opposite direction with its fun-loving and frequently silly hero. It’s this mixture of hilarious comedy and thrilling action that makes fans stick with the series even after the series passed the 1000-chapter mark. There’s a good reason thatOne Pieceis often regarded asDragon Ball’strue successor.
Fruits Basket
Fruits Basket (2019) is an anime adaptation following Tohru Honda, a high school girl who ends up living with the mysterious Sohma family. She discovers that twelve members of the Sohma clan are cursed to transform into animals of the Chinese zodiac when embraced by the opposite sex. The series delves into the lives and challenges faced by the cursed members while exploring themes of acceptance, friendship, and personal growth.
When it comes to romance, few series are as iconic and impactful as Natsuki Takaya’sFruits Basket. The series is about a young woman named Tohru as she’s taken in by the eccentric Sohma family, who are all cursed toturn into an animal from the Zodiac when they experience extreme emotions.
Takya’s work onFruits Basketis a pillar of the shojo world for good reason. Balancing humor and legitimate drama quite well,Fruits Baskettells a deeply engaging story about people trying to overcome their own flaws by connecting with others. Tackling complex issues like abuse in a thoughtful way,Fruits Basketis a brave manga that will continue to be influential for a long time.
Written & Illustrated By Hirohiko Araki
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is a Japanese multimedia franchise created by Hirohiko Araki. It follows the adventures of the Joestar family, spanning generations, each with unique abilities and battling supernatural enemies. Known for its eccentric characters, distinctive art style, and creative battles, it includes manga, anime, games, and merchandise.
Few manga live up to their titles quite likeJoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. The plot technically is a multigenerational tale about members of the Joestar family battling great evil, but in practice it’s much more complicated (and weird) than that. What starts out as a fairly mundane, if a bit quirky, manga about a man in 19th century England battling his insidious adopted brother eventually turns into a story about a sleepy Japanese village haunted by a serial killer, a rogue group of mafioso trying to bring down their boss, and even a Western horse race.
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Tying all elements ofJoJo’s Bizarre Adventureis series creator Hirohiko Araki’s incredible artwork. Though the eccentric creator takes some time to find his unique style,JoJo’slater parts have some of the most stylish and expressive artwork in shonen and seinen history.Though sometimesJoJo’sportrayal of women fell flat, the series is boundary-breaking and forward-thinking in a way that only true revolutions are.
14Goodnight Punpun
Written & Illustrated By Inio Asano
Inio Asano is an enigmatic manga creator, and nowhere is that more clear than his most widely recognizable manga,Goodnight Punpun. The series is ostensibly just about a young mute boy named Punpun as he grows up in Japan. Setting Punpun and his family apart, however, are their strange designs that resemble some sort of ghostly bird.
Inio Asano made his anime debut in 2024 with the release of an anime adaptation ofDead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction.
Far from a typical coming-of-age story,Goodnight Punpunis a series of emotional gut punches that don’t let up until the very last page. While many manga tackle themes and subject matter that may be upsetting to readers, few manga are as emotionally exhausting asGoodnight Punpun. Far from sensationalized though, the many traumatic events that definePunpunare treated with a quiet sense of understanding.Punpunis a tough read, but it is ultimately a rewarding one.
Written & Illustrated By Hiromu Arakawa
Fullmetal Alchemist
Though fans will endlessly debatewhether 2003’sFullmetal AlchemistorBrotherhoodis better, the true answer has always been Hiromu Arakawa’s original manga.Fullmetal Alchemist’sincredible world-building and likable characters would already be enough to make the series an instant classic, but its handling of heavy topics is what sets the series apart and makes it truly exemplary.
Fans ofFullmetal Alchemistowe it to themselves to read Arakawa’s latest fantasy manga,Daemons of the Shadow Realm
Through Ed and Al’s journey to find the philosopher stone, Arakawa dives into deeper subjects like war, grief, and fairness. Even setting these themes aside,Fullmetal Alchemistis just a fun adventure story.Ed and Al are easily some of the best siblings in anime history, providing a template for future manga juggernauts likeDemon Slayer. In terms of straight up shonen manga, few series evolved the genre quite likeFullmetal Alchemist.
Delicious in Dungeon’sanime just concluded its first season on Netflix, which is why it’s never been a better time to read Ryoko Kui’s manga. Though the series has a goofy premise of following a group of adventurers who eat monsters to survive, there’s so much more going on. Kui’s world-building and character work are absolutely impeccable, with the mangaka efficiently working both elements into even the smallest of details.
At its heart,Delicious in Dungeonis just as strange and lovable as its core cast. The manga series is cozy while still giving its plot really stakes and weight. That’s a tough balancing act, and the fact thatDelicious in Dungeonmaintains it without fail for 97 chapters is nothing short of miraculous.
11Devilman
Written & Illustrated By Go Nagai
Though not as famous outside of Japan as other big series, any true manga fan knows thatDevilmanis one of the most important and influential manga ever created. The seminal manga’s influence can be seen in series as diverse asChainsaw Man,Berserk, andNeon Genesis Evangelion. Pretty much any piece of media featuring a gruff protagonist with dark hair going against a lighter-haired antagonist with a god-complex, it’s safe to say thatDevilmanwas an influence.
Beyond that though,Devilmandeserves the hype. It has all the hallmarks of Nagai’s work, such as graphic violence and sexual content, so it might not be for everyone. Those who are interested in how they’re favorite manga came to be owe it to themselves to readDevilman.
