Horror manga to scare yourself silly
If you are a fan of the horrifying and grotesque, this list of must-read horror manga will definitely satisfy your creepy cravings. From killer goldfish to a human meat factory, our list of horror titles is definitely not for the faint hearted – you have been warned!
1. Mieruko chan
Image credit: Kadokawa Shoten
Yotsuya Miko is an ordinary high school student who, one day, gains the ability to see the terrifying creatures around her.
Although she is absolutely horrified by these supernatural creatures, she maintains her composure on the outside so as to not alert these creatures to the fact that she is able to see them.
Miko goes about her daily life trying to save her friend and herself from the dangers of these creatures, even if it means having to face them.
Artist: Tomoki Izumi
Genre: Comedy, Horror, Supernatural
Volumes: 6
Status of manga: Ongoing
2. Uzumaki
Image credit: Shogakukan
Uzumaki is set in Kurouzu-cho, a normal town where Goshima Kirie – our main protagonist – lives.
One day, as Kirie walks to the train station to meet her boyfriend Saitou Shuuichi, she spots her father staring intensely at a snail in a small alley.
Although Kirie thought it was a little strange, she didn’t think much of it. She mentions her father’s recent weird behaviour to Shuuichi, who proposes leaving the town as he suspects that something is wrong.
Kirie’s father and his obsession with spirals soon turns fatal and leads to a series of horrifying and mysterious events that cause the people in Kurouzu-cho to spiral into madness.
Artist: Junji Ito
Genre: Avant Garde, Drama, Horror, Supernatural
Volumes: 3
Status of manga: Completed
3. Shibuya Goldfish
Image credit: Square Enix
Never would we have thought that goldfish could be horrifying creatures, but Shibuya Goldfish managed to depict these typically adorable pets as giant man-eating monsters.
Tsukiyoda Hajime is your typical high school student who loves film. One day, Hajime travels to Shibuya to find inspiration for his next film, when numerous giant goldfish suddenly descend from the sky.
The mystery and wonder of these magical flying goldfish immediately dissipate when they start devouring everyone around Hajime.
Can Hajime survive the killer goldfish and find out the reason for their sudden appearance?
Artist: Aoi Hiromi
Genre: Drama, Horror, Supernatural
Volumes: 11
Status of manga: Completed
4. Tomie
Image credit: Asahi Sonorama
Tomie opens with the tragic death of Kawakami Tomie, a high school student who was found dismembered. Before her class could truly mourn for her unfortunate death, the spitting image of Tomie enters the classroom.
This new student seems to be Tomie, but that’s impossible as Tomie had already been cremated. However, the dental records of the new student matches Tomie’s, which complicates the whole situation.
As the truth behind Tomie’s death surfaces, the mysteries surrounding her “revival” and her nature are also revealed.
Like a succubus, the “new” Tomie easily attracts men with her beauty, but those who cross paths with her meet a tragic end.
Artist: Junji Ito
Genre: Drama, Horror, Supernatural
Volumes: 3
Status of manga: Completed
5.Starving Anonymous
Image credit: Kodansha
It was an ordinary day, just like any other, when high school students Ie and Kazu were on a bus that was suddenly filled with a mysterious gas.
The two students are knocked unconscious, and when Ie regains consciousness, he finds himself on a truck packed with human bodies.
Surrounded by a pile of what seemed to be human corpses, Ie is unable to process his current situation. As he looks over, he sees human corpses being processed like animal meat, with some bodies getting sawed clean in half.
What is this place, and why are they slaughtering human beings like animals?
Artist: Inabe Kazu
Genre: Horror
Volumes: 7
Status of manga: Completed
6. I am a Hero
Image credit: Shogakukan
I am a Hero follows Suzuki Hideo, a 35-year-old manga assistant who is dissatisfied with his life and feels that he is not even the main character of his own life.
After quarrelling with his girlfriend about her supposed affair, Hideo decides to visit her and apologise for his speculations.
However, when he gets there, he realises that his girlfriend is different from how she usually is. Affected by a virus, Hideo’s girlfriend attacks him as if she was a zombie.
Hideo now has to navigate this new horrifying world with his shotgun, meeting survivors along the way while struggling to survive on his own.
Artist: Hanazawa Kengo
Genre: Drama, Horror
Volumes: 22
Status of manga: Completed
7. Magical Girl Apocalypse
Image credit: Akita Shoten
Kogami Kii, an ordinary high school student, witnesses an oddly dressed little girl hitting a teacher at the school’s gate, causing the teacher’s head to explode.
Thinking that it was just a hallucination, Kii goes to the bathroom to freshen up. When he gets back to the classroom, however, he finds his entire class slaughtered by that same little girl.
Kii manages to knock the little girl unconscious with a baseball bat and finds that his childhood friend, Fukumoto Tsukune, has managed to survive.
The two of them now have to figure out what happened to their world, and how they can fight back and survive.
Artist: Satou Kentarou
Genre: Action, Horror, Mystery, Supernatural
Volumes: 16
Status of manga: Completed
8. Remina
Image credit: Shogakukan
In a Japan in the future, astronomer Professor Ooguro Tsuneo discovers a new planet from another universe. He then decides to name the planet after his beloved daughter, Remina.
Remina is suddenly thrown into the spotlight when the new planet named after her gains her much attention and love from the public.
However, upon closer inspection, the planet has really odd characteristics – it has no clear orbital path and any star that it approaches disappears soon after.
One day, the professor’s assistant proclaims that planet Remina is heading straight for Earth, before going mad soon after.
The love and adoration the public once had for the professor’s daughter Remina soon morphs into hatred as mass panic spreads. The two of them will have to find a way to alleviate this extinction level disaster while facing an angry mob.
Artist: Junji Ito
Genre: Horror
Volumes: 1
Status of manga: Completed
9. The Drifting Classroom
Image credit: Shogakukan
The Drifting Classroom is a 1972 horror manga classic that depicts an entire school that’s been transported to an unknown dystopian wasteland.
The students and teachers have to find a way to survive with the limited resources, amidst external threats and internal conflicts.
Despite the dangerous monsters lurking around, the greatest enemies that the students and teachers have to face are themselves.
The Drifting Classroom explores human nature in an apocalyptic situation, and depicts the horrors that can result from their desperate attempts to stay alive.
Artist: Umezu Kazuo
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Volumes: 11
Status of manga: Completed
10. Jagaaaaaan
Image credit: Shogakukan
Jagasaki Shintarou is a police officer who hates his job but continues joking around and putting on a fake smile even when dealing with difficult people.
Behind his wide grin, however, lies his secret fantasy of shooting up all those who annoy him with his gun.
Shintarou’s dull and tiresome life is suddenly transformed when a man on the train turns into a monster and brutally murders Shintarou’s fellow police officer.
Shintarou’s entire life flashes across his eyes, which makes him feel like he has wasted his years on Earth. He points a finger at the monster and pretends to shoot it, but a mysterious projectile actually fires from the tip of his finger and kills the monster.
What are these monsters, and are they related to Shintarou’s newfound abilities?
Artist: Nishida Kensuke
Genre: Drama, Horror, Mystery, Supernatural
Volumes: 14
Status of manga: Completed
Horror manga that will creep you out
What’s great about horror manga is that they can’t exactly jumpscare you, but they will definitely creep you out in more ways than one. With a wide variety of horror manga at your fingertips, there is sure to be one that will especially get under your skin.
Also check out:
- Japanese horror stories
- Horror anime series to watch
- Free Japanese horror games
- Terrifying Japanese urban legends
- Sadako from The Ring is now a YouTuber
Cover image adapted from: Shogakukan, Square Enix, and Kadokawa Shoten
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