Suspense & Thriller Manga That Will Make Your Blood Run Cold
Are you looking for heart-pounding, dread-inducing, thrilling tales of suspense and tension? Then you’re in the right place. Below we’ve gathered up some of our staff's favorite suspense and thriller manga.
If straight-up horror is more your speed, then make sure to check out: Chills, Thrills, & Super Bloody Spills: Horror Manga for the Masses.
These titles are intended for older teens and adults.
For the Kid I Saw in My Dreams
By Kei Sanbe; translation by Sheldon Drzka; lettering by Abigail Blackman
Recommended by Renee Scott and Joseph Pascullo
Senri Nakajou's twin brother was his everything, the one who protected him from their abusive father, the one whose pain he felt as his own. That is, until the day thirteen years ago when Senri's entire family was murdered before his eyes. He couldn't have cared less about his parents, but without his brother, his world ended. Ever since, finding the killer and making him pay has been Senri's only goal...and now-finally-he's caught a glimpse of a clue...!
Renee: From the creator of Erased (another amazing series), Senri is hellbent on avenging his family's murder but feels that his twin brother may still be alive. The twists and turns (classic traits of Kei Sanbe's work) keep you guessing, and just when you think you've figured it out, Sanbe throws another curve ball that destroys your theory.
Joseph: Thriller manga master Kei Sanbe is at it again with this title (a former NYPL Best Books for Teens honoree). Twin boys Senri and Kazuto have a special bond where they feel one another's pain and lines of vision during traumatic moments. When an encounter with a mysterious individual leaves Kazuto missing (or worse, dead), Senri will stop at nothing to get his brother back, taking readers on an exhilarating, white knuckle expedition that will leave you wanting more.
Ajin: Demi-Human
Story by Tsuina Miura; written and drawn by Gamon Sakurai; translation by Ko Ransom
Recommended by Amanda Pagan
Kei Nagai, a high-school student, should have died when the truck hit him. Instead, he comes back to life and his world is changed forever. Kei learns he is an Ajin or demi-human, a mysterious creature that cannot die. Frightened by the prospect of what might happen to him, Kei, helped by his friend, Kai, flee from civilization only to encounter a group of demi-humans who are hostile to humans. Who should Kei side with?
Amanda: I was hooked from the first volume and immediately ordered the whole series as soon as I finished it. I actually have to take a break between volumes because I get so agitated and tense from the heart-pounding action and suspense. The characters are fleshed out, the action scenes are clear and easy to follow, and the storyline leaves you on the edge of your seat shouting, “What’s going to happen next?!”. If you’re looking for a series that constantly keeps you guessing, then check this one out IMMEDIATELY.
Back When You Called Us Devils
By Takashi Sano
Recommended by Joseph Pascullo
Yusuke Saito is a normal high school kid...well, normal enough, except that he can't remember anything from his life except the last six months. But when he starts to get confronted by people who insist they're from his past, who allege that he did horrible things to them...suddenly Yusuke's missing memories become crucial to remember. Otherwise, the skeletons in his closet may just make him a skeleton, too…
Joseph: This story is a horrifying look at what happens when you undergo a spell of multi-month amnesia. What kind of atrocities would you commit when you have no control over your actions, or your memories? And what would you do when the people you've unconsciously harmed (both emotionally and physically) track you down to seek their revenge?
The Drifting Classroom
By Kazuo Umezz; translation by Sheldon Drzka; English adaptation by Molly Tanzer; lettering by Evan Waldinger
Recommended by Amanda Pagan
In the aftermath of a massive earthquake, a Japanese elementary school is transported into a hostile world where the students and teachers are besieged by terrifying creatures and beset by madness. Out of nowhere, an entire school vanishes, leaving nothing but a hole in the ground. While parents mourn and authorities investigate, the students and teachers find themselves not dead but stranded in a terrifying wasteland where they must fight to survive.
Amanda: Are you ready for 1970s science fiction weirdness? I thought so. This is actually a science fiction/horror title, but it kept me guessing and on the edge of my seat the entire time so I’m including it on this list. I’m interested to see what people’s thoughts on the ending are, but the rest of the series is top notch quality thrills.
Erased
By Kei Sanbe; translation by Sheldon Drzka; lettering by Abigail Blackman
Recommended by Renee Scott
In the body of his boyhood self, Satoru encounters sights he never imagined he would see again—the smile of his mother, alive and well, his old friends, and Kayo Hinazuki, the girl who was kidnapped and murdered when he was a boy the first time around. To return to the present and prevent the tragedy that brought him back to his childhood in the first place, Satoru begins plotting a way to change Hinazuki's fate...But up against the clock and a faceless evil, does eleven-year-old Satoru even stand a chance?
Happy Sugar Life
By Tomiyaki Kagisora; translation by Jan Mitsuko Cash; lettering by Nicole Dochych.
Recommended by Renee Scott
Satou Matsuzaka doesn't seem to care about much, moving through boys and casting them aside like used candy wrappers. All that changes, though, when she meets Shio. The little girl changes everything for Matsuzaka. Is this love...? If it is, then it's love through a very warped prism as the high schooler demonstrates there's no atrocity beyond her when it comes to protecting the object of her deranged affection.
Renee: This series MESSED! ME! UP! The main character, Satou, is so enamored with Shio that she basically kidnaps the little girl and will kill anyone who dares to destroy their "happy sugar life." The concept of love gets skewed and lines get crossed in so many ways, it freaked me out.
Future Diary
By Sakae Esuno; translation byS tephen Paul; English adaptation by Clint Beckham; edited by Cindy Suzuki
Recommended by Renee Scott
When Yukiteru, a quiet boy who spends most of his time typing on his cell phone diary, realizes that the entries in his diary are from the future, he must face twelve opponents who all posses Future Diaries in a battle to the death.
Renee: This series introduced us to the most iconic yandere, Yuno Gasai. When forced into a battle royale, Yuno will do whatever it takes to defend her precious Yuki, who she is completely obsessed with. It blows my mind that mangakas try to create characters more psychotic than her! (see Happy Sugar Life).
*Only available through Interlibrary Loan
Gambling Apocalypse Kaiji
By Nobuyuki Fukumoto; translation by highstone, Inc.
Recommended by Joseph Pascullo
Ne'er-do-well Kaiji Itou's shiftless existence is suddenly rattled by a visit from the yakuza. Burdened by debt and resentment, Kaiji is coerced into gambling for his worthless life. As the stakes grow higher and the rules become increasingly more bizarre, Kaiji must finally take the future into his own hands!
Joseph: I loved reading how Kaiji's both gotten himself in some big trouble with some poor financial/life decisions, and also his cerebral and analytical approach to getting himself back out of the red. Fukumoto's writing will have you on the absolute edge of your seat, and readers will be hooked. A book that's an absolutely unpredictable thrill ride, and will have you hanging on Kaiji's every move.
Monster
By Naoki Urasawa; story co-produced with Takashi Nagasaki; translation and English adaptation by Camellia Nieh; lettering by Steve Dutro; cover and interior design by King Clovis; edited by Mike Montesa
Recommended by Anthony Murisco
Everyone faces uncertainty at some point in their lives. Even a brilliant surgeon like Kenzo Tenma is no exception. But there's no way he could have known that his decision to stop chasing professional success and instead concentrate on his oath to save peoples' lives would result in the birth of an abomination. The questions of good and evil now take on a terrifyingly real dimension. Years later, in Germany during the tumultuous post-reunification period, middle-aged childless couples are being killed one after another. The serial killer's identity is known. The reasons why he kills are not. Dr. Tenma sets out on a journey to find the killer's twin sister, who may hold some clues to solving the enigma of the "Monster."
Anthony: Dr. Kenmo Tezuka took an oath to save people, but what happens when you may have helped the wrong person? As more and more murders pile up around him, he's starting to suspect he may have saved a monster.
The Promised Neverland
Story by Kaiu Shirai; art by Posuka Demizu; translation by Satsuki Yamashita
Recommended by Amanda Pagan
Emma, Norman and Ray are the brightest kids at the Grace Field House orphanage. And under the care of the woman they refer to as 'Mom,' all the kids have enjoyed a comfortable life. Good food, clean clothes and the perfect environment to learn—what more could an orphan ask for? One day, though, Emma and Norman uncover the dark truth of the outside world they are forbidden from seeing.
Amanda: Please don’t judge this series by its anime. The Promised Neverland consistently delivers twists and turns along with mystery upon mystery. The first story arc is heart pounding enough, and just when you wonder if there is any steam left in the storyline it delivers another round of suspense and thrills.
Utsubora: The Story of a Novelist
By Asumiko Nakamura
Recommended by Amanda Pagan
Before her book can be published, promising young author Aki Fujino is found dead, and while some believe she commited suicide, others suspect her death may be related to her mysterious relationship with the author Mizorogi.
Amanda: I need more people to read this so we can all discuss that ending. Murder, mystery, obsessions beyond the grave—this is one of those titles that rewards a second reading.
Suspense and Thrillers!
Blood on the Tracks
By Shuzo Oshimi; translation by Daniel Komen
Ordinary middle school student Seiichi Osabe receives love and care from his mother Seiko. Until one summer an incident changes the family dynamic forever. This is a story of a mother, a love that has gone too far. This series of thriller comics centers on the theme of a toxic parent and it is a tale of a seemingly normal family suddenly swallowed up by the creeping horror of everyday life.
Death Note
Story by Tsugumi Ohba; art by Takeshi Obata
Light Yagami is an ace student with great prospects—and he's bored out of his mind. But all that changes when he finds the Death Note, a notebook dropped by a rogue Shinigami death god. Any human whose name is written in the notebook dies, and now Light has vowed to use the power of the Death Note to rid the world of evil. Will Light's noble goal succeed, or will the Death Note turn him into the very thing he fights against?
Devils' Line
By Ryo Hanada; translated by Jocelyne Allen
Tsukasa, a college student, is rescued from an attack by a devil, one of many vampires that can blend in among the human population. Anzai, her savior, is a half-devil who exploits his supernatural gifts as a member of a shadowy police task force that specializes in devil-related crime in Tokyo. As Anzai continues to keep guard over Tsukasa, the two quickly forge a tentative bond—one that Anzai fears will test his iron-clad rule of never drinking human blood…
Devil Survivor
Story by Atlus; manga by Satoru Matsuba; character design by Yasuda Suzuhito; translated by Alethea Nibley & Athena Nibley; lettered by Paige Pumphrey
After demons break through into the human world, Tokyo must be quarantined. Without power and stuck in a supernatural warzone, 17-year-old Kazuya has only one hope: he must use the COMP, a device created by his cousin Naoya capable of summoning and subduing demons, to defeat the invaders and take back the city.
Die Wergelder
By Hiroaki Samura; translated by Stephen Paul; lettering by Evan Hayden
Wergelder: in Germanic law, the money paid by a murderer or his family to the victim’s family in atonement. A mysterious deal goes down on a remote island known as a red-light pleasure district. An insane fight between a blonde sniper and an assassin in a Chinese dress brings up questions about who the players are in this deal. A group of misfit yakuza gets caught in the crossfire while trying to get in on the deal, or at least find out what’s being dealt. At the center of it all is a woman who has been wronged in the worst imaginable ways. She will have her revenge. Eisner award-winning creator of Blade of the Immortal Hiroaki Samura presents a new badass thriller with some very bad ladies!
The Flowers of Evil
By Shuzo Oshimi; translated by Paul Starr
The first combined edition of The Flowers of Evil features volumes 1–3 of this best-selling and acclaimed series. It follows the adventures of a lonely bookish teen struggling to find his identity through Baudelaire's poetry, until two girls—a beauty and a bully—help him find true love and friendship. Edgy, intense, and romantic, this new edition will give fans a chance to reconnect with Kasuga, Saeki, and Nakamura as it explores the issues of bullying, loneliness, individuality, and identity.
Happiness
By Shuzo Oshimi; translated by Kevin Gifford; lettering by David Yoo
Nothing interesting is happening in Makoto Ozaki’s first year of high school. HIs life is a series of quiet humiliations: low-grade bullies, unreliable friends, and the constant frustration of his adolescent lust. But one night, a pale, thin girl knocks him to the ground in an alley and offers him a choice. Now everything is different. Daylight is searingly bright. Food tastes awful. And worse than anything is the terrible, consuming thirst. The tiny shames of his old life have been replaced by two towering horrors: the truth of what will slake his awful craving and high school itself.
Hell's Paradise = Jigokuraku
Story and art by Yuji Kaku; translated by Caleb Cook; retouching and lettering by Mark McMurray
Gabimaru the Hollow is one of the most vicious assassins ever to come out of the ninja village of Iwagakure. He's ruthlessly efficient, but a betrayal results in him being handed a death sentence. He has only one hope--in order to earn his freedom, he must travel to a long-hidden island and recover an elixir that will make the shogun immortal. Failure is not an option. On this island, heaven and hell are just a hair's breadth away.
In/Spectre
Story by Kyo Shirodaira; manga by Chashiba Katase; translation by Alethea Nibley and Athena Nibley; lettering by Lys Blakeslee; editing by Ajani Oloye
The 17-year-old Kotoko has a unique situation. When she was a child, she was kidnapped by spirits called yōkai, and returned missing one leg and one eye. Since then, she has been able to communicate with other worldly forces, both benevolent and dangerous.
Inuyashiki
By Hiroya Oku; translated by Stephen Paul
Just when it seems things couldn’t get any worse, a blinding light in the night sky strikes the earth where Ichiro stands. He later wakes up to find himself unscathed, but he soon starts to notice that there’s something…different about himself. However, it turns out that these strange, new changes are just what Ichiro needs to take a new lease on life and now it seems like there’s nothing to stop him from being a hero worthy of the respect that he never had before…unless, that is, there was someone else out there with these same “changes”…
Phantom Tales of the Night
By Matsuri; translation by Julie Goniwich; lettering by Takeshi Kamura
Welcome to Murakumo Inn, a curious establishment that opens its doors to the troubled masses, human or otherwise. But the equally curious innkeeper takes compensation only in the form of one's deepest secrets...Who will come calling today?
Pluto. 001 Urasawa X Tezuka
By Naoki Urasawa and Osamu Tezuka; co-authored with Takashi Nagasaki; translation by Jared Cook and Frederick L. Schodt
In a world where man and robots coexist, the powerful Swiss robot Mont Blanc has been destroyed. Elsewhere a key figure in a robot rights group is murdered. The two incidents appear to be unrelated...except for one very conspicuous clue - the bodies of both victims have been fashioned into some sort of bizarre collage complete with makeshift horns placed by the victims' heads. Interpol assigns robot detective Gesicht to this most strange and complex case - and he eventually discovers that he too, as one of the seven great robots of the world, is one of the targets.
Real Account
Story by Okushou; manga by Shizumu Watanabe; translation, by Jonathan Tarbox and Kazuko Shimizu; lettering by Evan Hayden; editing by Ajani Oloye; Kodansha Comics edition cover design by Phil Balsman
Like many of his peers, Ataru Kashiwagi has found himself addicted to the newest social networking service, Real Account. But one day, Ataru and almost 10,000 other people, get sucked into the Real Account Zone, where they have become players in a series of deadly games. The basic rules of these games are simple—if you lose all your followers, you die in real life, and if you die, all of your followers die with you. As these depraved games decimate the players around him, Ataru must use quick thinking and his knowledge of Real Account to win each round and return to the real world. But when true friendship determines whether he lives or dies, can Ataru really survive when the only people he can count on are his Internet friends?
The Witch and the Beast
By Kousuke Satake; translation by Kevin Gifford; lettering by Phil Christie
Ashaf: a soft-spoken man with delicate features, a coffin strapped to his back, and an entourage of black crows. Guideau: a feral, violent girl with long fangs and the eyes of a beast. This ominous pair appear one day in a town in thrall to a witch—a ruler with magic coursing through her tattooed body, who has convinced the townsfolk she's their hero. But Ashaf and Guideau know better. They live by one creed: 'Wherever a witch goes, only curses and disasters follow'. They have scores to settle, and they won't hesitate to remove anyone in their way, be it an angry mob or army garrison.
Summaries provided via NYPL’s catalog, which draws from multiple sources. Click through to each book’s title for more.