Is there anything scarier than the unknown and unexplainable? Supernatural fiction introduces spooky elements like ghosts that science cannot explain, which is why it overlaps with the horror genre so frequently. Legendary manga artist Junji Ito is well-known for his offerings in the supernatural horror genre, as the terrifying events in his works lack any rational explanation.
However,Ito is not the only mangaka writing horror storiesfeaturing the supernatural. From ghosts and spirits to demons and the occult, there is a vast array of spine-chilling supernatural horror manga to make even the bravest reader check under the bed before going to sleep.
10Jagaaaaaan
Body Horror That Warns Against Mindlessly Giving In to Your Desires
Jagaaaaaanhas everything a hardcore horror manga could ask for - transformation horror, gore,psychological thriller elements, and an extremely detailed art style to top it all off. The manga is about mysterious frog-like parasites that grant their hosts supernatural powers but drive them insane in the process.
The protagonist, a disgruntled police officer, also gets infected by this parasite, but he gets to keep his consciousness. The manga explores complex moral dilemmas, like the cost of either suppressing or giving in to your innermost desires.
9Franken Fran
Dark Comedy That Explores the Consequences of Tampering with Nature
Don’t be fooled by the covers;Franken Franis primarily a body horror manga with a dash of supernatural horror. It follows Fran Madaraki, aFrankenstein-esque creation by a renowned surgeon. Fran decides to take over his experiments and surgeries when he goes missing, but unfortunately, Fran’s methods to ‘help’ her patients are either extreme, bizarre, or utterly gruesome.
From girls who want to make themselves look like anime characters to people hurting themselves just so they can be revived, Fran will go to any lengths to solve her patient’s problems, even if it means horribly disfiguring them or giving them a fate worse than death. The results of Fran’s ‘surgeries’ range from darkly hilarious to disgustingly horrifying, making it the perfect read for those with a twisted sense of humor.
8The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service
The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Servicecan be seen as asupernatural detective story, with a ton of gore and nudity to go along with it. It’s about a group of university students with supernatural abilities related to spirits and the undead. They decide to start a business helping the undead find peace, either by fulfilling their last wishes or solving the mysteries behind their deaths.
Despite being a horror manga,The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Serviceis heavy on the comedy, especially when it relates to the main characters' interactions and the ridiculous situations they get into. The series is also a neat exploration of death and all the hoopla surrounding it, like funeral processions.
7Ajin: Demi-Human
Immortal Demi-Humans are Subjected to Government Exploitation
Humans being more monstrous than actual monsters is a trope often explored in supernatural horror manga, andAjin: Demi-Humandelivers on that premise. The series is about a race of demi-humans called ‘Ajin’. Because of their immortality and regenerative abilities, they are highly sought after and subjected to horrific experiments by the government.
The manga is not an easy read by any stretch of the imagination, posing several difficult and thought-provoking questions about dehumanization, the moral and ethical boundaries of science, and government propaganda.
6Devilman
A Deep Exploration of Morality with Occult Themes
Younger anime and manga fans may be more familiar with the modernizedDevilman: Crybabyanime adaptation when it comes to theDevilmanfranchise, but the original manga is worth a read too. It follows a high schooler named Akira Fudou, who merges with the demon Amon and becomes a ‘Devilman’. Akira retains his human emotions and empathy despite his new demonic powers.
WhileDevilman’s artmay seem dated and cartoonyby today’s standards, it should be noted that the series pioneered the ‘turn into a monster to defeat the other monsters’ trope. This premise can be seen in manga that debuted decades afterDevilman’s release, likeAttack on TitanandTokyo Ghoul,making it one of the most influential manga of all time.
5The Summer Hikaru Died
Teenager’s Missing Best Friend ‘Comes Back’ as an Otherworldly Being
The Summer Hikaru Diedplays into a common human fear - having an impostor replace one’s friend. Two teenage friends, Yoshiki and Hikaru, who live in rural Japan. The plot kicks off when Hikaru gets lost in the mountains and comes back, but Yoshiki quickly notices that his friend has been replaced by something supernatural.
The manga combines the supernatural horror genre with theBoys' Love genre, with early parts of the story hinting that Yoshiki’s feelings towards his friend may be more than platonic. Unlike a lot of other horror manga,The Summer Hikaru Dieddoesn’t feature excessive gore or violence; instead, it delivers the spooks with its atmosphere and psychological elements.
4Pet Shop of Horrors
A Pet Shop Sells Exotic Pets - For A Horrible Price
How far will people go to get what they want?Pet Shop of Horrorsfollows a mysterious, androgynous man named Count D who runs the titular pet shop. But this shop doesn’t offer cute kitties or puppies; it houses supernatural creatures that can reflect the owner’s innermost desires - at a price.
As a josei manga, the story is more of a human drama than a pure horror series, focusing on the characters and their relationships in a supernatural setting.Pet Shop of Horrorsexplores the concept of just how far people are willing to go to fulfill their desires, and delves into the darker aspects of human nature like greed and jealousy.
3Homunculus
Psychological Horror About the Nature of the Human Psyche
Homunculusis a little ambiguous with its supernatural themes. It’s about a middle-aged homeless man named Susumu Nakoshi, who agrees to be part of a medical student’s ‘trepanation’ experiment, which involves drilling holes in a person’s skull, in exchange for money. Nakoshi is fine at first, but soon enough, he begins to experience surreal and disturbing visions.
Themanga’s ambiguous nature and morally complex charactersare why it’s such an engaging read. Are Nakoshi’s visions truly of supernatural origin or is he just hallucinating?Homunculusis a fascinating exploration of the subconscious mind, making it a must-read for fans interested in Freudian psychology.
2Alice in Borderland
Deadly Survival Game in an Alternate Version of Tokyo
The high stakes survival game genre has risen to new heights of popularity, thanks to shows likeSquid Game.Alice in Borderlandfollows three friends who are suddenly transported to a parallel land resembling a barren version of Tokyo. They are forced to play deadly games to extend their ‘visas’ and if their ‘visa’ expires, they die instantly.
Like many great Battle Royale-style series,Alice in Borderlandexplores the lengths people will go to survive. No matter how bored readers are with their lives, or how deeply they might wish for some sort of adventure, reading this series will make them thankful for the normality of their own lives.
1Uzumaki
A Small Town’s Inhabitants Become Obsessed with and Cursed by Spirals
No horror manga list is complete withoutat least one Junji Ito series, andUzumakiis possibly his most famous work. Telling the story of a small coastal town that becomes obsessed with and later driven to madness by spirals. People’s bodies, buildings, and the landscape twist into spirals, and the characters' attempts to resist it prove to be futile.
The most terrifying aspect ofUzumakiis both the enigma of the spiral curse and the inevitability of it. The curse is never explained, and no matter how much the characters try to escape it, the spiral will eventually consume them.
