The manga/anime industry is gifted with countless artists bursting with the right talents, skills, passion, and creative ideas to make a story come to life. It takes serious work to write and/or draw a great manga series, but the best manga artists have all stepped up and poured their passion onto the page with spectacular results.
While art is famously subjective, including for manga, there are still a handful of manga artists whom most fans agree are the best of the best. These artists are a cut above the rest because their illustrations have an original, refreshing style that breaks away from more cliched "anime" visuals while also having impeccable techniques for camera work, drawing fine details, making their characters highly expressive, and more. The best manga artwork is a treat to look at, especially when it's backed up by a strong, compelling story.
Updated on January 22nd, 2024 by Louis Kemner: This list of the best manga artists has been expanded to include five more people, and adheres to CBR's current publication standards.
15 Ken Akamatsu Draws Highly Detailed Fantasy and Romance Manga
Ken Akamatsu's Notable Works:
- Love Hina
- Mahou Sensei Negima!
- UQ Holder!
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Author Ken Akamatsu is probably obscure in the eyes of younger manga fans, but older fans will certainly know his name and know what he is capable of. Ken Akamatsu's drawing style may feel cartoony at times, but he and his team have drawn some truly dazzling manga, complete with excellent fight choreography and incredibly detailed backgrounds.
Mr. Akamatsu did a fine job with his earlier works, but Mahou Sensei Negima! is where his style truly shines. That manga combines the isekai genre with school life, romantic comedy, and fantasy into a single slick package, and the art easily brings it all to life. The manga's illustrations include sweeping vistas of the huge Mahora Academy campus, the breathtaking landscapes of the magical world, and much more. That said, Ken Akamatsu's style doesn't bring much new to the table and also does not feel that distinct, so it ranks a bit low among that of all the best manga artists out there.
14 Hajime Isayama Delivered Action and Horror With His Rough Drawing Style
Hajime Isayama's Notable Works:
- Attack on Titan
- The Killing Pawn
Author Hajime Isayama is mainly known for Attack on Titan so far in his manga career, and for his most dedicated fans, that's more than enough. Attack on Titan alone made him a superstar in the manga world, and his work was adapted into a thrilling, wonderfully animated anime by several different anime studios. It set a new bar for action anime production from the very start.
Still, dedicated Attack on Titan fans know not to skip the original manga and its gripping art. The art style may feel oddly rough at first, but then again, a brutal series like this calls for rough, raw art to capture the desperate energy of protagonist Eren Yeager's fight against the Titans and other foes. The manga also presents stunning panoramas and has an excellent sense of scale for scenes such as the Rumbling and the attack on Shiganshima.
13 Kohei Horikoshi Became a Shonen Icon Thanks to My Hero Academia
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Kohei Horikoshi's Notable Works:
- My Hero Academia
- Oumagadoki Zoo
- Barrage
Kohei Horikoshi is the author of My Hero Academia, a mega-hit shonen manga series that's been serialized since 2015, and he also wrote and drew shorter series such as Oumagadoki Zoo and Barrage. Horikoshi has cited Yuko Osada as a major influence and is a fan of American comic books as well as Dragon Ball, One Piece, and Naruto.
Kohei Horikoshi's drawing style is known for its lush and often rough-looking details, such as bloody, battered characters or torn, burnt outfits. This was especially true for the "Dark Deku" sequence, where protagonist Izuku Midoriya, or Deku, had a rough, animalistic look to his costume.
12 Rumiko Takahashi Defined an Era of Manga With Her Gorgeous Drawings
Rumiko Takahashi's Notable Works:
- Maison Ikkoku
- Urusei Yatsura
- Ranma 1/2
- Inuyasha
Author Rumiko Takahashi is a famed manga author and illustrator who has several major titles to her name, including the comedy series Urusei Yatsura, the satire series Ranma 1/2, and the popular fantasy isekai series InuYasha, which she is arguably best known for. Rumiko Takahashi also has shorter titles in her portfolio, such as Mermaid Saga and Maison Ikkoku.
Rumiko Takakashi's drawing style is famed for its beautiful and crisp illustrations, and her characters tend to have large, expressive eyes, almost like Osamu Tezuka's works. Fans are also immensely fond of Rumiko Takahashi's color illustrations, especially for InuYasha.
11 Masashi Kishimoto Reinvented Ninjas in Mainstream Manga
Masashi Kishimoto's Notable Works:
- Naruto
- Naruto Shippuden
- Boruto
Author Masashi Kishimoto helped define the shonen "big three" in the 2000s thanks to his legendary work, the shonen manga series Naruto. It was an instant hit that still boasts a massive fanbase to this day, with or without the Boruto manga to keep the story going. The artwork in Naruto may not be groundbreaking, but it's still easy on the eyes and clearly conveys every little thing that happens in the story.
Over time, Masashi Kishimoto honed his style to create busy but clean pages that are remarkably easy to follow. His characters have relatively little detail compared to works like Berserk or Bleach, but they still look good, and most importantly, all that makes it easier to pick the characters out from the background. It also helps that the backgrounds of Naruto are wonderfully drawn, especially natural landscapes of trees, waterfalls, rocks, and more. It's a cleanly presented, immersive world that shonen fans can get lost in.
10 Hirohiko Araki Dazzles Manga Fans With His Unique Art Style
Hirohiko Araki's Notable Works:
- JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
- Baoh
Author Hirohiko Araki may be the subject of many internet memes, such as his apparent immortality and the running joke "Araki forgot," but he is still widely respected as a top-tier manga artist. He drew inspiration from works like Fist of the North Star and even got ideas from classic Italian art, such as statues making interesting poses.
Araki is best known for his lengthy, ongoing series JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, which has been serialized since 1987. At first, Araki's distinct drawing style was clearly based on Fist of the North Star, but over time, Araki has refined his technique and started drawing his characters in a more unique way, including slimmer, more effeminate builds. Mr. Araki's detailed, inventive, and memorable art style ensured that he is one of the best manga artists and storytellers out there, though a small handful still have him beat.
9 Tatsuki Fujimoto Redefined Shonen Manga With His Brutal Works
Tatsuki Fujimoto's Notable Works:
- Chainsaw Man
- Fire Punch
- Look Back
- Goodbye, Eri
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Author Tatsuki Fujimoto drew a popular, brutal action manga called Fire Punch, but he didn't become a manga superstar until he started serializing Chainsaw Man, which remains his most iconic work. Chainsaw Man is where Fujimoto allows his twisted, brilliant imagination to shine with graphic, creative scenes in one chapter after another.
Tatsuki Fujimoto's characters are off-beat and original, and they inhabit a manga world that seems both familiar and eerily different at the same time. This shonen artwork is always a marvel to behold, but when Fujimoto draws combat scenes or horror, that's when his blood-soaked, nightmarish art really comes to life.
8 Sui Ishida Has a Gritty, Unforgettable Art Style
Sui Ishida's Notable Works:
- Tokyo Ghoul
- Tokyo Ghoul:re
- Choujin X
The manga author Sui Ishida blended horror, action, and even romance in his hit manga franchise Tokyo Ghoul, which still stands as one of the best seinen manga works out there. Fans also enjoyed the anime adaptation, but the anime doesn't do the original Tokyo Ghoul manga justice, so fans are encouraged to read Mr. Ishida's original works to get the full experience.
Sui Ishida's drawing style is uniquely graphic and dark, using rough, thick lines to convey horror, action, and drama. Of course, his works may also include thinner, more elegant lines to help readers relax in between the horror and action scenes, and it helps fans see the lighter side of Tokyo Ghoul that's partly buried under the darkness.
7 Tite Kubo Made a Name For Himself With Action Manga and Stylish Characters
Tite Kubo's Notable Works:
- Bleach
- Burn the Witch
- Zombiepowder
Author Tite Kubo's career had a rough start when his first version of Bleach was rejected, but a kind letter from Akira Toriyama of Dragon Ball fame encouraged him to try again, and Bleach was born. To this day, Bleach is Kubo's best and most defining work, and throughout its 74 volumes, readers can watch Kubo's art style evolve and improve over time.
Kubo's manga uses a fascinating combination of elements, such as minimalistic backgrounds, dramatic closeups, razor-sharp timing, and a sharp contrast between black and white to make his art stand out. As a bonus, Kubo often depicts his characters in trendy urban outfits in bonus art, a trend that carried over into the Bleach anime's various credit sequences.
6 Tetsuo Hara Blended Martial Arts and a Post-Apocalyptic Wasteland on the Page
Tetsuo Hara's Notable Works:
- Fist of the North Star
- Fist of the Blue Sky
- Keiji
Artist Tetsuo Hara is best known for illustrating the 1980s action manga Fist of the North Star, a series written by author Buronson. Together, they helped launch a new era of manga. Tetsuo Hara decided in elementary school that he would be a manga artist, and he had personal favorites like Kamen Rider and Tiger Mask to fuel his passion.
Hara's illustrations in Fist of the North Star have aged perfectly, depicting a Mad Max-inspired hellscape dominated by cruel warlords and wandering martial artists, including protagonist Kenshiro. The art is highly detailed and properly gritty, and the characters are highly expressive, whether or not their expressions are exaggerated for dramatic effect.
5 Yusuke Murata Draws Intense Action and Comedy Equally Well in Manga
Yusuke Murata's Notable Works:
- Eyeshield 21
- One-Punch Man
Author Yusuke Murata is the one who helped the author known as ONE bring the story of One-Punch Man to life in an ultra-popular seinen manga series that is still going strong today. He also drew the action/comedy series Eyeshield 21, which focuses on American football, a rarity in sports manga. It's a fun way to take a break from mainstream baseball and basketball manga series.
Anime fans certainly enjoyed the subversive fun of the One-Punch Man anime adaptation, but fans felt that Season 2 didn't live up to the hype, and the manga doesn't cover the entire story, either. Anyone who wants the definitive One-Punch Man experience can try Yusuke Murata's original work. New readers will soon realize that Mr. Murata is equally adept at drawing hysterical, cartoony comedy and incredible, serious action sequences, so readers are treated to two art styles at once. That makes Yusuke Murata one of the industry's best artists, with only a select few being even greater.
4 Makoto Yukimura Brought the Viking Era to Life on the Page
Makoto Yukimura's Notable Works:
- Vinland Saga
- Planetes
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Makoto Yukimura's illustrations feature incredible details for science fiction and historical manga alike, but it never looks cluttered or confusing to read. Also, Yukimura's action scenes in Vinland Saga are drawn with incredible precision and timing, with a tangible sense of motion and balance among all the characters as they fight.
3 Takehiko Inoue Is Known For Historical and Basketball Manga
Takehiko Inoue's Notable Works:
- Vagabond
- Slam Dunk
- Real
Author Takehiko Inoue intended to enroll at an art university but ended up going to a different college, where he dropped out at age 20 to launch his manga career in Tokyo. Already, Inoue was drawing manga that got editors' attention, and his career quickly took off after that.
Inoue's first major work was the sports manga Slam Dunk, which ran from 1990 to 1996 and became an iconic basketball series, along with his later title, Real. Starting in 1998, Mr. Inoue started serializing the historic seinen series Vagabond, which remains the best example of his realistic, highly detailed art style that truly takes readers to another world.
2 Junji Ito Is the Undisputed Master of Horror Manga
Junji Ito's Notable Works:
- Uzumaki
- Tomie
- Gyo
- Remina
Author Junji Ito is widely considered the most iconic horror manga artist in Japan, and he has a substantial following. Ito began drawing early in life at age 4, and starting in the late 1980s, Ito began drawing his most popular and memorable stories, such as Tomie and many short stories.
To this day, Junji Ito is drawing and publishing some of the most iconic horror manga out there, and there's more to love about his art than the astonishing details and strong atmosphere. Ito's works are highly original in a nightmarish and memorable way, and his works also double as commentary on many aspects of Japanese society and history.
1 Kentaro Miura Drew the World's Finest Fantasy Manga
Kentaro Miura's Notable Works:
- Berserk
- King of Wolves
- Duranki
The late Kentaro Miura has become an icon of the seinen manga world, mainly because of his smash-hit dark fantasy mangaBerserk. Kentaro Miura wrote and illustrated Berserk from 1989 until the end of his life, pushing himself hard with a strenuous work schedule to produce one of fantasy's best manga of all time.
Kentaro Miura's art is legendary for its astonishing level of detail and creative designs for people, monsters, landscapes, and, at times, even buildings or weapons. Kentaro Miura's immense talent made it easy for manga fans to lose themselves in his gripping world of mayhem, carnage, horror, and even tender love stories. All this, and his sheer technical skill, marks him as the best manga artist of all time, and he's famous for it.
