My Top 10 Japanese Comics I Enjoyed in 2025 (Which Are Mostly Unknown).

As the manga industry continues its relentless expansion, it's increasingly difficult to keep up with every noteworthy release. Inevitably, the biggest series get all the attention, but there's a plethora of overlooked works ripe for exploration.

A key pleasure for a dedicated reader is stumbling upon a mostly obscure series amidst the weekly releases and then sharing it to friends. This list highlights of the finest under-the-radar manga I've read in 2025, along with explanations for why they're worth checking out before they gain widespread popularity.

A few of these titles lack a mainstream following, notably because they all lack anime adaptations. Some could be trickier to read due to where they're available. However, suggesting any of these provides some impressive fan credentials.

10. The Plain Salary Man Turned Out to Be a Hero

• Authors: Ghost Mikawa, Yuki Imano, Akira Yuki, Raika Mizuiro
• Publisher: Shueisha
• Find it on: Manga Plus

This may seem like a strange choice, but hear me out. Comics are often fun, and that's perfectly fine. I confess that isekai is my guilty pleasure. While The Plain Salary Man isn't strictly an isekai, it follows many of the same tropes, including an incredibly strong protagonist and a video-game-inspired fantasy framework. The charm, however, is found in the protagonist. Keita Sato is your typical overworked Japanese corporate man who relieves pressure by exploring strange labyrinths that materialized globally, armed only with a baseball bat, to defeat foes. He's indifferent to treasures, power, or ranking; he only wants to keep his hobby secret, protect his family, and clock out punctually for a change.

Superior genre examples exist, but this is a rare example published by a major house, and thus easily available to international audiences through a popular app. Regarding online access, this publisher remains a leader, and if you're seeking a few minutes of silly fun, the series is a great choice.

9. The Exorcists of Nito

• Artist: Iromi Ichikawa
• Publisher: Shueisha
• Find it on: Manga Plus

Usually, the word "exorcist" in a manga title turns me away due to the abundance of similar stories, but a pair of titles shifted my perspective this year. It reminds me of the finest elements of a popular supernatural battle manga, with its ominous tone, unique visuals, and sudden violence. I started reading it by chance and was immediately captivated.

Gotsuji is a formidable practitioner who purges ghosts in the hope of discovering his master's killer. He's paired with his mentor's sister, Uruka, who is concerned with his well-being than fueling his retribution. The storyline appears straightforward, but the portrayal of the cast is thoughtfully executed, and the artistic dichotomy between the silly appearance of the spirits and the gory combat is an effective bonus. This is a series with great promise to become a hit — provided it survives.

8. Gokurakugai

• Artist: Yuto Sano
• Released by: Shueisha
• Find it on: Manga Plus; Viz

When artistic excellence matters most, then search no more. Yuto Sano's work on this manga is stunning, intricate, and distinctive. The plot remains within to traditional battle manga tropes, with individuals with abilities combating monsters (though they're not labeled as exorcists), but the characters are all quirky and the backdrop is compelling. The protagonists, Alma and Tao Saotome, run the Gokurakugai Troubleshooter agency, resolving disputes in a working-class district where people and animal-human hybrids live together.

The villains, called Maga, are created from human or animal corpses. For those from people, the Maga possesses abilities connected to the way the human died: a suicide by hanging manifests as a choking force, one who died from self-harm can make people bleed out, and so on. It's a disturbing but creative twist that provides substance to these antagonists. Gokurakugai could be the next big hit, but it's held back by its infrequent release pace. From the beginning, only a handful of volumes have been released, which makes it hard to stay invested.

7. Bugle Call: War's Melody

• Authors: Mozuku Sora, Higoro Toumori
• Publisher: Shueisha
• Available on: Viz

This grim fantasy manga tackles the ubiquitous battle trope from a fresh perspective for shonen. In place of highlighting individual duels, it showcases massive army conflicts. The protagonist, Luca, is one of the Branched—those granted singular talents. Luca's ability enables him to convert audio into visuals, which helps him command armies on the battlefield, employing his instrument and background in a ruthless soldier group to become a formidable commander, fighting dreaming of a life beyond war.

The backdrop is a little plain, and the addition of advanced concepts occasionally doesn't fit, but it still delivered grim twists and unexpected plot twists. It's a mature shonen with a collection of odd personalities, an interesting power system, and an enjoyable mix of warfare and grim fantasy.

6. The Cat Parent Adventures of Taro Miyao

• Artist: Sho Yamazaki
• Publisher: Shueisha
• Available on: Manga Plus

A cold-hearted main character who reveres Renaissance thinker Niccolò Machiavelli and believes in using any means necessary takes in a cute cat named Nicolo—supposedly since a massage from its small claws is a unique cure for his aches. {If that premise isn't enough|Should that not convince you|If the setup doesn't grab you