My Top 10 Japanese Comics I Enjoyed in 2025 (Which Are Mostly Unknown).

As the manga industry continues its relentless expansion, staying on top to keep up with every significant new series. As always, the biggest series get all the attention, but there's a plethora of overlooked works waiting to be discovered.

One of the greatest joys for fans of the medium is finding a mostly obscure series buried in publication schedules and then sharing it to friends. I present of the top obscure manga I've read in 2025, along with motivations for they're deserving of your time before they gain widespread popularity.

Several entries here are still awaiting a broad readership, notably because they all lack anime adaptations. Others may be less accessible due to where they're available. Sharing any of these grants you some impressive fan credentials.

10. The Plain Salary Man Turned Out to Be a Hero

• Creators: Ghost Mikawa, Yuki Imano, Akira Yuki, Raika Mizuiro
• Released by: Shueisha
• Find it on: Manga Plus

I know, it's an unusual starting point, but let me explain. Comics are often fun, and that's perfectly fine. I'll acknowledge that transported-to-another-world stories relax me. While the title 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 relieves pressure by exploring strange labyrinths that materialized globally, armed only with a baseball bat, to pummel creatures. He's indifferent to treasures, power, or ranking; he only wants to keep his hobby secret, protect his family, and clock out punctually for a change.

Superior genre examples exist, but this is one of the few published by a major house, and thus easily available to international audiences on a digital platform. When it comes to digital availability, this publisher is still dominant, and if you're looking for a few minutes of silly fun, this manga is an excellent option.

9. The Exorcists of Nito

• Artist: Iromi Ichikawa
• Released by: Shueisha
• Available on: Manga Plus

Typically, the word "exorcist" in a manga title is enough to deter me due to the genre's overpopularity, but a pair of titles shifted my perspective this year. It reminds me of the best parts of Jujutsu Kaisen, with its eerie vibe, distinctive artwork, and unexpected brutality. 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 paired with his mentor's sister, Uruka, who is more interested in protecting Gotsuji than aiding his quest for revenge. The plot may seem basic, but the portrayal of the cast is thoughtfully executed, and the visual contrast between the absurd look of the enemies and the gory combat is a compelling layer. This is a series with great promise to become a hit — provided it survives.

8. Gokurakugai

• Artist: Yuto Sano
• Publisher: Shueisha
• Available on: Manga Plus; Viz

For readers who value visual splendor, then this is it. Yuto Sano's work on this manga is spectacular, intricate, and distinctive. The narrative hews close from classic shonen conventions, with heroes clashing with demons (though they're not officially called "exorcists"), but the characters are all quirky and the world is fascinating. The protagonists, Alma and Tao Saotome, run the Gokurakugai Troubleshooter agency, handling issues in a working-class district where humans and beast-men coexist.

The villains, called Maga, are formed from human or animal corpses. When human-based, the Maga possesses abilities connected to the way the human died: someone who hanged themselves manifests as a choking force, one who died from self-harm induces hemorrhaging, and so on. It's a macabre yet fascinating twist that adds depth to these antagonists. It has potential for massive popularity, but it's limited due to its slower publication rate. Since its debut, only five volumes have been released, which can test a reader's patience.

7. The Bugle Call: Song of War

• Authors: Mozuku Sora, Higoro Toumori
• Released by: Shueisha
• Find it on: Viz

This grim fantasy manga approaches the ubiquitous battle trope from a new viewpoint for shonen. In place of highlighting individual duels, it showcases massive army conflicts. The protagonist, Luca, is one of the Branched—those granted singular talents. Luca's ability enables him to convert audio into visuals, which allows him to direct soldiers on the battlefield, leveraging his musical skill and past in a ruthless soldier group to become a powerful tactician, fighting with the hope of one day stepping away.

The world feels a bit standard, and the insertion of sci-fi elements can seem jarring, but it still delivered dark turns and unexpected plot twists. It's a sophisticated series with a cast of quirky characters, an interesting power system, and an enjoyable mix of warfare and grim fantasy.

6. Taro Miyao: Unexpected Feline Guardian

• Creator: Sho Yamazaki
• Released by: Shueisha
• Find it on: Manga Plus

A calculating main character who reveres Renaissance thinker Niccolò Machiavelli and advocates for ruthless pragmatism adopts a cute cat named Nicolo—supposedly since a massage from its tiny paws 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