The 10 Best Japanese Comics I Enjoyed in 2025 (Which Are Mostly Unknown).

Given the ever-expanding scope of the manga market, it's increasingly difficult to keep up with every significant new series. As always, the most popular series dominate conversations, but there's a plethora of undiscovered treasures waiting to be discovered.

A key pleasure for any manga enthusiast is stumbling upon a mostly obscure series amidst the weekly releases and then sharing it to friends. I present of the top obscure manga I've read in 2025, along with motivations for they're worth checking out ahead of the curve.

Several entries here are still awaiting a mainstream following, especially as they are without anime adaptations. Some could be less accessible due to digital exclusivity. Sharing any of these grants you some impressive fan credentials.

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 that's perfectly fine. I confess that transported-to-another-world stories relax me. While The Plain Salary Man doesn't fully fit the genre, it embraces familiar conventions, including an incredibly strong protagonist and a RPG-like world structure. The charm, however, is found in the protagonist. Keita Sato is a standard overburdened office worker who vents his stress by exploring strange labyrinths that appeared in the world, armed only with a baseball bat, to defeat foes. He has no interest in 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 a rare example from a top company, and thus conveniently readable to international audiences via a free service. When it comes to digital availability, this publisher is still dominant, and if you're seeking a brief, enjoyable diversion, this manga is an excellent option.

9. Nito's Exorcists

• Artist: Iromi Ichikawa
• Publisher: Shueisha
• Find it on: Manga Plus

Ordinarily, the word "exorcist" in a manga title is enough to deter me due to the saturated market, but two series changed my mind this year. This series reminds me of the finest elements of Jujutsu Kaisen, with its eerie vibe, distinctive artwork, and sudden violence. I started reading it by chance and became engrossed at once.

Gotsuji is a formidable practitioner who eliminates cursed beings in the hope of discovering his master's killer. He's accompanied by his mentor's sister, Uruka, who is concerned with his well-being than supporting his vengeance. The premise sounds simple, but the character development is as delicate as the art, and the stylistic juxtaposition between the silly appearance of the spirits and the violent battles is a nice extra touch. This is a series with great promise to run for a long time — if it's allowed to continue.

8. Gokurakugai

• Author: Yuto Sano
• Publisher: Shueisha
• Find it on: Manga Plus; Viz

For readers who value visual splendor, then this is it. Yuto Sano's work on Gokurakugai is stunning, detailed, and unique. The story doesn't stray far to traditional battle manga tropes, with heroes clashing with demons (though they're not labeled as exorcists), but the cast is wonderfully eccentric and the world is fascinating. The protagonists, Alma and Tao Saotome, manage the Gokurakugai Troubleshooter agency, solving problems in a low-income area where people and animal-human hybrids live together.

The villains, called Maga, are formed from human or animal corpses. For those from people, the Maga wields magic reflecting the manner of death: someone who hanged themselves manifests as a choking force, one who perished by suicide can make people bleed out, and so on. It's a gruesome but interesting twist that adds depth to these antagonists. This series could be the next big hit, but it's limited due to its slower publication rate. Since its debut, 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 dark fantasy manga tackles the ever-present fight narrative from a new viewpoint for shonen. Rather than focusing on individual duels, it showcases epic historical battles. The protagonist, Luca, is one of the Branched—those granted singular talents. Luca's ability allows him to manifest sound as light, which lets him guide troops on the battlefield, employing his instrument and background in a brutal fighter company to become a powerful tactician, fighting with the hope of one day stepping away.

The world feels a bit standard, and the addition of advanced concepts feels forced at times, but it still delivered bleak developments and surprising narrative shifts. It's a sophisticated series with a group of eccentric individuals, an compelling ability ruleset, and an enjoyable mix of military themes and dark fantasy.

6. Taro Miyao: Unexpected Feline Guardian

• Artist: Sho Yamazaki
• Released by: Shueisha
• Available on: Manga Plus

A calculating main character who reveres Renaissance thinker Niccolò Machiavelli and advocates for ruthless pragmatism becomes the owner of a cute cat named Nicolo—supposedly since a massage from its little feet is a unique cure for his aches. {If that premise isn't enough|Should that not convince you|If the setup doesn't grab you