Variations on Japanese manga date back to 12th-century scroll art, though the first serialized manga, Sazae-San by Machiko Hasegawa, was published back in 1946. Since then art form has evolved throughout Japan and has taken root in countries like Korea and the US as well. Manga fans value beauty and they can find gorgeous manga on any subject.
From Manga about American football, basketball, and tennis to manga about superheroes, aliens, and mystical powers, the art form has truly taken a life of its own. Behind all that are the humble mangaka who have dedicated their lives to perfecting their craft and telling incredible stories. This has given the world many beautiful works of art.
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Update on July 16th, 2023 by Louis Kemner: Manga changes quickly and many of the most beautiful works in the medium are still in progress. CBR also periodically updates its articles to make them more useful to readers and make them more accessible and informative. Manga varies from the idyllic to the disturbing and presenting a complete picture of the medium's most gorgeous creations is CBR's goal.
20 Vinland Saga
Makoto Yukimura, 2005-Present
Vinland Saga follows the story of a young Viking boy named Thorfinn. After Thorfinn sneaks onto his father’s warship to prove he’s a man ready for battle, Thorfinn lands them both in serious trouble after their ship is ambushed. It's an epic tale containing some of the best manga art on record.
With his father dead and the man responsible escaping, Thorfinn, gives chase, which is where Vinland Saga's story really begins. The series is filled with violent and haunting imagery, as well as some of the best art in manga, as the young Thorfinn grows up and becomes a cold-blooded killer, losing touch with the boy his father raised. Mangaka Makoto Yukimura puts some genuinely devastating moments to paper in an unforgettable art style that fans will not be able to get out of their heads.
19 Inuyashiki
Hiroya Oku, 2014-2017
In Inuyashiki, after a teenager named Hiro Shishigami and a fifty-eight-year-old man named Ichiro Inuyashiki are hit with an extraterrestrial explosion, their lives are changed forever. After discovering that their bodies have been altered with alien tech, the two branch down very different paths.
As one becomes a homicidal predator, the other begins to use his abilities for the good other the people in his community. Inuyashiki easily has some of the best art in manga and the series is both beautiful and devasting, joyful and sickening. Manga fans simply cannot afford to miss the beautiful art or the story of these two men on converging paths.
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18 Gantz
Hiroya Oku, 2000-2013
Taking place in a version of the world ravaged by horrible monstrosities, Gantz follows a group of people who have all died and been resurrected by a mysterious machine called Gantz in order to combat the monstrosities devouring Japan.
Gantz is filled with blood, violence, and some of the most horrifying creatures to have ever hit the page in manga or any other comic-related medium. The story needs to be read, but it's the uniquely beautiful manga art that truly brings Gantz to the next level. The fact that this manga is filled with some of the best manga art makes all the difference.
17 Goodnight Punpun
Inio Asano, 2007-2013
In Goodnight Punpun, artist Inio Asano tells the heartbreaking, dramatic story of a young man, Onodera Punpun, as he goes from a young boy in elementary school to a young man in his twenties. There are no wild interstellar fight scenes, no massive explosions, simply heartbreaking moments in a young man’s life, punctuated by brief instances of happiness in one of the best-drawn manga ever created.
Though Goodnight Punpun's writing is incredible, the beautiful art not only drives the manga but pushes readers to experience Punpun's world as more than just a story. Goodnight Punpun is a beautifully illustrated manga, a visual experience that will stay in readers’ minds long after they close its final volume.
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16 Akira
Katsuhiro Otomo, 1982-1990
No discussion of the best artwork in manga would be complete without Katsuhiro Otomo’s masterclass in manga artwork, Akira. Though Akira finished its final arc back in 1990, the series still has some of the best art in manga history.
In Akira, Otomo brilliantly illustrates some massive and hauntingly beautiful scenes of carnage and destruction. He also demonstrates the painstaking work he’s willing to force on himself in order to realize his artistic vision. Otomo crafts scenes, sometimes full splash pages, with unbelievable attention to detail, setting a standard that very few artists before or after have ever lived up to.
15 Vagabond
Takehiko Inoue, 1998-2015 (On Hiatus)
Vagabond, by mangaka Takehiko Inoue, is the quintessential samurai manga, and it's solid proof that Mr. Inoue reliably draws some of the best manga art in the medium. Beginning his work in 1998 and continuing through the present, Mr. Inoue tells the story of Shinmen Takezo, a young boy who is shunned by his village thanks to his violent and erratic nature.
After leaving his home at the age of seventeen, along with another boy from his village, Takezo and his companion join a battle they are simply not prepared for. Vagabond's art is both beautiful and powerful, the character designs are immaculate, and the story of Japan's greatest historical swordsman, Miyamoto Musashi, simply cannot be missed.
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14 Berserk
Kentaro Miura, 1989, 2021
Berserk, by mangaka Kentaro Miura, is perhaps one of the most violent and haunting entries in manga history. Not only is its story absolutely devasting, the illustrations also take an incredible story and elevate it to a level that few mangaka have achieved. A Japanese Manga with the best art and a great story, like Berserk, is not to be missed.
Berserk's violence is visceral, the monsters are horrifying and grandiose, and the adventure itself is spellbinding. After joining Griffith and his Band of the Hawk, Guts is in for a truly terrifying and carnage-filled battle for his life. As hard as the tale is for Guts, this immaculately drawn story is a wonder to behold.
13 Uzumaki
Junji Ito, 1998-1999
Mangaka Junji Ito is a master of horrifying and unsettling artwork and stories that will likely leave any manga fan sleeping with the lights on. Uzumaki tells the story of Kirie Goshima and her boyfriend, Shuichi Saito. The couple lives in the supernaturally afflicted town of Kurōzu-Cho, which is surrounded by and infected with spirals.
Uzumaki's spiral curse changes the townspeople, transforming their bodies and forcing them to think about nothing but the vortex of spirals devouring their world. The story is unsettling in and of itself, but Ito’s incredible artwork is truly haunting, some of the best manga has to offer. Uzumaki is both one of the most famous horror manga and one of the best.
12 Kokou No Hito (Climber)
Shin-Ichi Yakamoto and Yoshiro Nabeda, 2007-2011
Created by mangaka Shinichi Sakamoto, Kokou No Hito (Climber) is about a young man named Mori Buntarō whose obsessive interest in solo mountain climbing begins after he's transferred to a new school. Buntarō is an introverted young man who finds his freedom in mountaineering and eventually dedicates his life to scaling the east face of K2, the second-tallest mountain on Earth.
Climber won multiple awards, and its beautiful and breathtaking manga artwork simply speaks for itself. Readers may never summit any mountains in their entire lives, but the artwork in this series will transform them through its horror and beauty all the same.
11 One-Punch Man
ONE and Yusuke Murata, 2009-Present
Fans of One-Punch Man might be surprised to see the series ranked among all manga with the best art, especially considering its webcomic origins. When Yusuke Murata, the artist responsible for the equally incredible Eyeshield-21, took the illustrating reins from the pseudonymous ONE, the incredibly popular series exploded across the face of manga and anime.
The art in One-Punch Man has evolved over time. With a hero too powerful for his universe, it still has the absurd sense of humor that made it popular. However, Murata's beautiful digital art has elevated the manga to new heights. ONE's storytelling and Murata's artwork have combined to create one of the definitive Japanese superhero comics, somehow raising the stakes despite its central character's status as a living deus ex machina.
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10 Kakegurui
Homura Kawamoto, 2014-Present
Kakegurui presents a new take on the "magical high school" trope. Hyakkou Academy is a private school for the sons and daughters of Japan's elite business leaders where the students learn how to evaluate the odds and stake it all in gambling matches. In one of the best-drawn manga, it's double or nothing every day.
Kakegurui's visual style is detailed and dynamic, and it uses outlandish and extreme facial expressions and character postures to add extra oomph to its gambling scenes, making the characters' feelings more visceral. Kakegurui's stylized storytelling isn't for everyone but in some ways, the series' art is as addictive as its topic.
9 Mahou Sensei Negima!
Ken Akamatus, 2003-2012
This exciting shonen series has very busy artwork, but it somehow never feels cluttered. Negima! features a huge cast of characters who all use different types of magic, weapons, or martial arts, and the creators outdid themselves with the manga's beautiful and unique visual effects from beginning to end.
Mahou Sensei Negima!'s characters' stylized look makes them stand out clearly from the manga's realistic, sometimes three-dimensional, backgrounds. The art ranges from incredibly detailed trees and natural scenery to the insides of cathedrals and temples. The creators somehow maintained this incredibly detailed, beautiful manga art style for 38 volumes, a massive achievement for any mangaka.
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8 Tokyo Ghoul
Sui Ishida, 2011-2014
The animated version of the seinen series Tokyo Ghoul is a visual treat, but Sui Ishida's original, 14-volume manga series is incomparable. Known for its intense characterization and for having some of the best manga art out there, it's a horror-action series, and every panel explodes with bloody, dynamic horror.
Ishida's backgrounds in Tokyo Ghoul are lushly detailed and realistic, and the characters are drawn elegantly but also roughly, to show the dual nature of the humans and ghouls populating the story. Generous use of shadows, jagged shapes, and wicked expressions really bring the tale's horror to life, making this manga series indispensable for fans of horror and gorgeous artwork.
7 The Way Of The Househusband
Kousuke Oono, 2018-Present
Way of the Househusband is relatively new, but both the manga and the accompanying anime have made waves in Japan and beyond with their eye-popping visuals and hilarious surprises. This series emphasizes visual gags and lush art over complex storylines, making it a lean, fun read. Manga with beautiful art has never been this cozy and hilarious, and The Way of the Househusband makes it seem so easy.
Househusband's hero is Tacchan, a former Yakuza boss who settled down and mastered the domestic arts. His sinister scowls, grins, and cool poses contrast wonderfully with his missions to buy groceries, hang laundry, and avoid criminal entanglements in his now-mundane life. With its photo-realistic backgrounds and wry sense of humor, Way of the Househusband harnesses many of manga's most cliched heroic traits and turns them on their head.
6 Girls' Last Tour
Tsukimizu, 2014-2018
Girls Last Tour is a quiet post-apocalyptic tale that emphasizes visuals over verbal storytelling. The manga is contained within a brief six volumes, but it delivers its apocalyptic dieselpunk tale through beautiful manga artwork suffused with sadness.
Like Tokyo Ghoul, Girls Last Tour uses rough, sketchy drawings to depict its gritty world. It's a thematic choice, making the manga's visuals look stylish, not sloppy. There's no forgetting the sight of two girls in a Kettenkrad vehicle, trundling through a ruined dieselpunk city littered with beautifully rendered crashed airplanes, inert factories, and deserted warehouses. This is a quiet struggle for survival, contrasting the sound and fury of many shonen series.
5 All You Need Is Kill
Ryosuke Takeuchi, Takeshi Obata, 2014
Some of the most beautiful manga artwork can also be the most brutal and graphic, and that is what makes All You Need Is Kill so compelling. This manga also inspired the sci-fi movie Edge of Tomorrow, though most manga fans will agree that "the book was better" rings truer than usual in this instance.
All You Need Is Kill depicts a near-future war for humanity's survival against the vicious Mimic aliens. Protagonist Keiji Kiriya is a Japanese soldier who returns to the same day every time he dies, which allows him to figure out the best strategy to defeat the Mimics. Full of strange, sci-fi secrets, All You Need Is Kill is a glorious struggle for life, death, and survival rendered through the best manga art.
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4 Fist Of The North Star
Buronson, Tetsuo Hara, 1983-1988
Fist of the North Star is an iconic shonen manga series from the 1980s, and it features some of the best manga art from its decade. Artist Tetsuo Hara did a marvelous job drawing the Fist manga, though the art is also graphic and violent, with scenes including dismemberment and exploding bodies populating the entire manga.
Fist of the North Star is Mad Max with impossible martial arts, with protagonist Kenshiro wandering a post-apocalyptic world fighting off tough-guy goons and saving desperate townsfolk from raiders. The entire manga oozes 1980s machismo, but it has aged surprisingly well and is a great read for anyone who wants to check out modern shonen manga's earliest roots.
3 Aria: The Masterpiece
Kozue Amano, 2002-2008
The original Aria manga, released in the West as Aria: The Masterpiece, is filled with some of the best-drawn backgrounds and settings in manga. Aria takes place in a replica of Venice on a terraformed version of Mars, giving the series quaint Italian architecture, highly textured water, and fluffy white clouds to make this manga a visual treat.
Aria is a charming "cute girls doing cute things" story with a science fiction setting that sets it apart from the field. Protagonist Akari Mizunashi is a total deredere who's training to become a gondola rower in Neo-Venezia while marveling at the city's everyday sights and sounds.
2 Grand Blue Dreaming
Kenji Inoue, Kimitake Yoshioka, 2014-present
Grand Blue, published in the West as Grand Blue Dreaming, is a rowdy comedy series featuring some of the best manga art in the industry in its gorgeous backgrounds. This manga is all about college life and ocean diving, so it's filled with depictions of the gorgeous shallow seas around Japan and Palau. Even in black and white, these marine vistas are stunning.
Grand Blue Dreaming's visuals go beyond coral reefs and schools of fish. Its hilarious, expressive characters are lovingly illustrated, which is part of what makes the manga's story a wacky, PG-13 riot. Some of the best manga art juxtaposed with course, amusing, heartfelt dialogue makes Grand Blue Dreaming come alive.
1 Planetes
Makoto Yukimura, 1999-2004
Before he drew Vinland Saga, author Makoto Yukimura treated science fiction manga fans with Planetes. Like its Viking successor, Planetes features some of the best manga art a seinen fan could ask for, appealing to fans of movies like Interstellar, Gravity, and The Martian while providing lush artwork in every panel.
Planetes focuses on workaday astronaut Hachirota Hoshino, who dreams of exploring the deepest regions of space, not just cleaning up the space debris surrounding Earth. However, he also knows that if too much junk builds up, leaving Earth for space will be impossible. The results are stunning, space-based visuals relating a mundane but harrowing tale. Planetes has a strong environmental message as it engages with the junk that already surrounds Earth in reality even if, just like the plastic in the oceans, most people will never see or touch this dangerous pollution.
