The 10 Best Manga I Read This Year (Flying Under the Radar).
With the world of manga growing more vast by the day, staying on top to track every significant new series. Inevitably, the most popular series get all the attention, yet a treasure trove exists of undiscovered treasures just out of sight.
One of the greatest joys for fans of the medium is unearthing a largely unknown series amidst the weekly releases and spreading the word to friends. I present of the finest under-the-radar manga I've read in 2025, along with motivations for they're worth checking out before they gain widespread popularity.
A few of these titles have not yet reached a large audience, partly due to they haven't received anime adaptations. A few are trickier to read due to where they're available. Sharing any of these provides some notable geek cred.
10. The Ordinary Office Worker Who Was a Hero
- Authors: Ghost Mikawa, Yuki Imano, Akira Yuki, Raika Mizuiro
- Released by: Shueisha
- Find it on: Manga Plus
Admittedly, this is a weird pick, but hear me out. The medium embraces absurdity, and it's part of the charm. I admit that isekai is my guilty pleasure. While this series doesn't fully fit the genre, it embraces familiar conventions, including an overpowered main character and a game-influenced setting. The appeal, however, lies in the protagonist. Keita Sato is a standard overburdened office worker who vents his stress by sneaking into mysterious dungeons that emerged suddenly, armed only with a baseball bat, to smash monsters. He doesn't care about treasures, power, or ranking; he only wants to hide his pastime, protect his family, and leave the office on time for a change.
Superior genre examples exist, but this is an accessible title from a top company, and thus conveniently readable to international audiences via a free service. For easy reading, this publisher sets the standard, and if you're seeking a brief, enjoyable diversion, The Plain Salary Man is an excellent option.
9. The Nito Exorcists
- Artist: Iromi Ichikawa
- Released by: Shueisha
- Find it on: Manga Plus
Typically, the word "exorcist" in a manga title makes me hesitant due to the saturated market, but my opinion was altered this year. This series recalls the finest elements of a popular supernatural battle manga, with its ominous tone, stylized art, and sudden violence. A random click got me hooked and got hooked instantly.
Gotsuji is a powerful exorcist who kills evil spirits in the hope of finding the one that murdered his mentor. He's accompanied by 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 visual contrast between the comedic design of foes and the bloody fights is an effective bonus. This is a series with great promise to go the distance — should it get the chance.
8. Gokurakugai
- Creator: Yuto Sano
- Publisher: Shueisha
- Find it on: Manga Plus; Viz
When artistic excellence matters most, then search no more. Yuto Sano's work on Gokurakugai is spectacular, intricate, and distinctive. The narrative hews close from classic shonen conventions, with superpowered people fighting evil spirits (though they're avoiding that specific term), but the protagonists are distinctly odd and the setting is intriguing. The protagonists, Alma and Tao Saotome, run the Gokurakugai Troubleshooter agency, handling issues in a poor neighborhood where two species live side-by-side.
The villains, called Maga, are formed from human or animal corpses. For those from people, the Maga possesses abilities connected to the manner of death: a suicide by hanging manifests as a choking force, one who died from self-harm causes blood loss, and so on. It's a macabre yet fascinating twist that gives weight to these antagonists. It might become a major title, but it's limited due to its slower publication rate. From the beginning, only a limited number of chapters have been released, which can test a reader's patience.
7. The Bugle Call: Song of War
- Writing Team: Mozuku Sora, Higoro Toumori
- Publisher: Shueisha
- Find it on: Viz
This grim fantasy manga tackles the ubiquitous battle trope from a novel angle for shonen. Instead of centering on individual duels, it presents epic historical battles. The protagonist, Luca, is one of the Branched—people with distinct abilities. Luca's ability enables him to convert audio into visuals, which allows him to direct soldiers 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 insertion of sci-fi elements occasionally doesn't fit, but this series still delivered grim twists and shocking story pivots. It's a mature shonen with a cast of quirky characters, an interesting power system, and an enjoyable mix of strategy and horror.
6. The Cat Parent Adventures of Taro Miyao
- Creator: Sho Yamazaki
- Released by: Shueisha
- Find it on: Manga Plus
A calculating main character who follows the philosophy of Renaissance thinker Niccolò Machiavelli and believes in using any means necessary becomes the owner of a cute cat named Nicolo—reportedly for the reason that a massage from its small claws is the only thing that relieves his stiff shoulders. {If that premise isn't enough|Should that not convince you|If the setup doesn't grab you
