Top 10 Best Japanese Manga You Need to Read Before You Die

It’s really sad that we have to say goodbye to the loudest ninja, as Naruto will conclude on Nov. 10. But Naruto is not all we have, here’s the list of Top 10 best Japanese manga you need to read before you die. Just pick another one, but remember to skip the second because that might make you feel more sad.

10. Hunter x Hunter

Here comes the first one of the top 10 manga you have to read. The main character, Gon, in order to meet his father whom he had never seen, becomes a Hunter which is a fictitious job set in the world of this story. A wide variety of enemies and allies with unique special abilities set in a vast yet detailed world have boosted the popularity of this series.

9. Berserk

Berserk is about dark fantasy. The setting is a medieval world full of massive swords, corrupt nobles, huge soldiers and much more.

8. Slam Dunk

In this basketball manga by Takehiko Inoue, delinquent high school student, Hanamichi Sakuragi is advised to join the school basketball team by Haruko Akagi. It’s a coming-of-age story which deals with the relationships between the teammates and rivals. This manga has had a big impact on basketball programs in middle schools and high schools across Japan. Even in Taiwan some students made a tribute video to the series. There have been rumors of a sequel but nothing has materialized yet. So it’s definitely one of the top 10 manga.

7. Fullmetal Alchemist

A manga that follows completely the idea of equal exchange, meaning that to get something you must give up something of equal value. The world is run by alchemy, with wonders ways to us it to fight and gain power and influence. The characters are loud, fun, and profound. Its main character are trying to fix a mistake they made and get redemption for trying to beat death. The villains are also as well developed and rick with inner-struggle. A true work of manga genius.

6. Fairy Tail

Fairy tail is about one of the mage guilds in the magical kingdom of ‘the earth land’. The story is mainly focused on the 4 mages Natsu, Gray, Lucy and Erza. All kinds of (bad) things happen in earth land which usually leads to some epic mage fights. The magical fights are quite awesome, combined with the music they are just epic. Just be ready the occasional fanservice, bouncing boobies etc.

5. Bleach

This story by Tite Kubo takes place in the world of the occult. It’s a world in the style of a Japanese Exorcist. This ongoing popular series follows Ichigo Kurosaki as he gains powers of a shinigami and fights evil. While this story deals with Asian mythology it has gained an audience in other countries as well.

4. Death Note

With a stroke of a pen you can kill anyone and how you want them to die. You could try to extinguish all evil in the world. Unless your smarter then Light Yagami, a super, SUPER, SUPA genius. This is a great story of cat and mouse with a dark and intense tone. This manga has everything and holds you throughout the story. The character interactions are strong and messages in everything they say. It is a smart manga that is a detective story where you are rooting for the bad guy. Go read it or your name might be found in a special book, and there are worse ways to die then a heart attack.

3. Dragon Ball

Dragon Ball was the first taste of manga to the western manga readers. Dragon Ball introduced us to Manga and started the craze. Dragon Ball had it all, a powerful youth with a mysterious past and an unquenchable appetite , a pervy teacher, and a quest for power namely the Dragon Balls. So is there any reason that Dragon Ball is not one of the top 10 best manga? Just name one.

Dragon Ball had iconic characters and Goku’s fighting skills partnered with his pure heart make him one of the most recognized and loved manga characters of all time. This is a mandatory read for everyone, not just manga lovers, I am gonna force my kids to read the one of the top 10 best manga.

2. Naruto

Naruto is a martial arts manga which deals with aspiring ninjas. It’s been popular from the get-go and can often be seen alongside One Piece as the current signature series. For a story revolving around oriental subjects it has found success in more than 30 countries around the world and its anime adaptation can be found in over 80 countries. It was also independently made into a live action short film which got attention worldwide.

1.One Piece

One Piece comes in the first place of the top 10 manga because it’s the best of the best.

This action adventure series follows the pirate Luffy and was created by Eiichiro Oda.  It needed something to escape the post-Dragon Ball depression. Despite its satirizing of complex issues like territorial disputes, religion, and war, it refrains from murder or graphic death, explicit sex, and the main hero doesn’t talk of killing. This allowed it to be well received as a young readers’ comic.