10 popular horror manga titles for spine-tingling reads

Horror manga, a popular subgenre of Japanese comic books, focuses specifically on frightening and unsettling stories. For fans who love a good scare, horror manga has many options spanning psychological thrillers, zombies, demons, and more.

Horror manga has seen a surge in popularity globally thanks to increased access and distribution networks. Committed online fan communities have also enabled titles to spread beyond Japan to earn recognition in mainstream media. Here are 10 of the most popular picks across horror manga subgenres that continue to scare and thrill new generations of fans.

Gantz, Tomie, and 8 best horror manga series

1. Uzumaki

Uzumaki by Junji Ito (Image via Shogakukan and Viz Media)

Hailed as one of the best horror manga series of all time, Uzumaki follows the story of citizens of Kurôzu-cho, a fictional city obsessed with spirals.

The manga spans 19 chapters and is divided into three sections: Spiral Obsession, Spiral into Madness, and Spiral into Ruin. Created by Junji Ito, the series still gives readers the chills with its bizarre visuals and psychological horror.

The black-and-white visuals, disfigured forms, and disturbing spirals make this classic horror manga worth several repeats. Readers looking for a truly unique horror with creative visual elements will love how Uzumaki unfolds.

2. Tomie

Tomie by Junji Ito (Image via Asahi Sonorama and Viz Media)

Another creation by the master of horror manga, Junji Ito, Tomie revolves around the titular character — a mysterious, ethereal, and stunningly beautiful high school girl who enraptures all the male students.

But Tomie has a horrifying secret — she cannot die. No matter how many times she is killed, Tomie always regenerates and comes back in full form. Spread across several volumes depending on the edition, this series features Tomie showing up in different places to unleash chaos.

The psychological horror manga has recurring themes of obsessive love, madness, and the fear of an immortal evil that just won't leave. Tomie remains a popular pick for horror fans who like their reads to be bizarre and intense.

3. The Drifting Classroom

The Drifting Classroom by Kazuo Umezu (Image via Shogakukan and Viz Media)

The Drifting Classroom begins with an entire elementary school disappearing, only to reappear, drifting through a post-apocalyptic nightmare dimension. The students and teachers trapped in the school must struggle to survive this chaotic realm with dwindling food and water and mysterious deadly insects waiting to prey upon them.

The Drifting Classroom set the tone for epic horror manga with its kid protagonists and bleak, eye-catching visuals. Umezu explores complex themes like adulthood and loss of innocence as the child characters face horrors that warp them physically and mentally.

Visually inventive, troubling, and sometimes gory, this series showed a whole generation the potential of horror in manga.

4. Parasyte

Parasyte by Hitoshi Iwaaki (Image via Kodansha and Del Rey)

A perfect pick for body horror fans, Parasyte chronicles the life of 17-year-old protagonist Shinichi Izumi, who wakes up to find worm-like creatures called Parasytes trying to take over human bodies and eat brains.

While trying to block an attack, Shinichi merges with a logical and pragmatic Parasyte named Migi in his right hand. What follows is a brilliantly woven psychological character drama focused on human identity and morality as Shinichi and Migi learn to co-exist while battling evil Parasytes.

Created by Hitoshi Iwaaki, Parasyte is often ranked among the best seinen horror manga for its incredible artwork, character growth, and emotional depth.

5. I Am a Hero

I Am a Hero by Kengo Hanazawa (Image via Shogakukan and Dark Horse Comics)

I Am a Hero follows protagonist Hideo Suzuki, a down-on-his-luck manga artist struggling with his career and personal life. His isolated nature makes him an unlikely hero when an epidemic unexpectedly spreads, transforming people into ravenous zombies hungry for human flesh.

Hideo, who is initially focused on escaping the undead and staying alive, slowly finds himself rescuing others while battling specially evolved zombies with unique abilities. The horror manga grabs you right from the start with fast-paced action rendered in crisp, detailed panels.

As the story progresses, readers slowly uncover snippets into the lives of different characters before the zombie world changed everything.

6. Gantz

Gantz by Hiroya Oku (Image via Shueisha and Dark Horse Comics)

What happens when you die? Are there multiple lives one can live? These are some of the questions subtly explored in this psychological sci-fi horror manga Gantz. It opens with friends Kei Kurono and Masaru Kato dying in a train accident and awakening in a room with a mysterious black sphere known as Gantz.

Kei and Kato must now fight and kill aliens, vampires, and monsters hiding as humans using futuristic tech weapons supplied by Gantz to earn back their freedom. Even after missions, Kei and others are often summoned back to the Gantz world after surviving complex scenarios.

Dark, violent yet layered with hidden philosophical questions on identity, conscience, and morality, Gantz took the manga community by storm upon debut for its sheer originality and depth.

7. Berserk

Berserk by Kentaro Miura (Image via Hakusensha and Dark Horse Comics)

Kentaro Miura's Berserk is a fantasy horror masterpiece chronicling lone warrior Guts' quest for vengeance in a high fantasy world overrun by demonic forces.

Guts equips himself with a massive sword and prosthetic arm to hack through gruesome monsters and human swine on his journey to confront the demon lord Griffith. The demon lord was Guts' former friend who sacrificed his comrades for power in the cataclysmic "Eclipse" event.

No horror manga matches Berserk for sheer impact, with Miura’s art depicting the most grotesque imagery, from demons to dismembered bodies. Yet the throughline of Guts' struggle and painful path to healing gives Berserk incredible emotional weight. This dark fantasy remains the horror manga’s blood-soaked magnum opus.

8. The Promised Neverland

The Promised Neverland by Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu (Image via Shueisha and Viz Media)

A brilliant psychological thriller series set in an isolated orphanage, The Promised Neverland keeps horror fans hooked with its themes of deception, mystery, and clever mind games.

The story follows child prodigy Emma, who discovers the sinister secret behind the orphanage along with her friends — all children raised as livestock to be harvested as food by demonic overlords.

Quickly racking up awards since its debut, this Weekly Shonen Jump series hits all the right notes with its tight plot, endearing characters, and nerve-wracking moments sure to satisfy horror and thriller fans.

9. Hellsing

Hellsing by Kouta Hirano (Image via Shonen Gahosha and Dark Horse Comics)

Kouta Hirano's dark fantasy Hellsing pits powerful vampire antihero Alucard and the Hellsing Organization against threats from the undead, Nazi remnants, and intrigue within the Vatican's ranks. Alucard is an immensely strong ancient vampire who relishes unleashing his monstrous powers against Hellsing's enemies.

Hellsing oozes the Gothic atmosphere and stylish action as Alucard confronts vampire clans, Nazi vampires, and other occult threats in his role as Hellsing's ace agent of destruction. Hirano's detailed art depicts jaw-dropping eruptions of violence and mayhem as Alucard lives up to his bloodthirsty reputation panel after panel.

Yet this horror manga succeeds through strong characterization, complex plotting, and extensive myth-building. Alucard steals the show as a charismatic, ever-enthusiastic ambassador of carnage. Dripping with blood, religious iconography, and occult mysticism, Hellsing is an unforgettable story.

10. Junji Ito's Cat Diary: Yon & Mu

Junji Ito’s Cat Diary: Yon & Mu by Junji Ito (Image via Kodansha and Vertical Inc.)

No list featuring Junji Ito is complete without mentioning Junji Ito’s Cat Diary. While not outright horror, this series showcases Ito blending horror elements with humor, focusing on the daily adventures of Junji Ito and his pet cat, Mu.

While retaining Junji Ito's signature art style, this manga fills pages with cutesy, silly moments likely to make even horror fans smile. The absurd depictions of normal activities like receiving mail or buying cat food, done in true Junji style, provide comedy gold for manga readers looking for something light-hearted from the master horror creator.

Final thoughts

The world of horror manga is rich and expansive, offering spine-chilling tales for fans of all kinds — gory, creepy, funny, and psychologically terrifying. Rich storylines blending action, mystery, and complex characters make horror manga a compelling read, which explains their immense popularity globally.

For die-hard horror fans looking for their next series or casual readers dipping their toes into this genre, the titles above offer the perfect introductions to some of the best hits horror manga has produced to date.

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Edited by Shreya Das