The Best Manga of All Time
The essential manga every reader should know, across every genre.
By Web Admin
Any list of the best manga of all time is an argument, and this one is no exception. The medium is enormous, spans every genre, and includes some of the best-selling books ever printed. But a handful of series keep coming up whenever readers, critics and other cartoonists name the work that shaped them: stories that changed what comics could do and still read as essential decades later. We’ve spread these picks across shonen adventure, seinen tragedy, historical epic, thriller, sports and science fiction, because manga’s range is the point. For each one we’ve linked the best English edition to start with, usually volume 1 or the first omnibus, so you can try a series before committing to a shelf of it.
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How we chose: we weighed influence, craft and staying power (does it still hold up, and did it change what came after?) using our own reading of every series, then matched each one to an edition currently listed on Amazon. We favored official publisher editions that are in stock and noted when a bigger format is worth it. Prices and availability change, so the buttons show Amazon’s current price.
| Pick | Best for | Why | Price | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fullmetal Alchemist 3-in-1, Vol. 1 | Best overall |
| $11.89as of Nov 4, 2026 5:12 pm UTC | View on Amazon |
| Berserk Deluxe Volume 1 | Dark fantasy for adults |
| $32.78as of Nov 5, 2026 1:50 am UTC | View on Amazon |
| Monster: The Perfect Edition, Vol. 1 | Psychological thriller |
| See Amazon | View on Amazon |
| One Piece: East Blue 1-2-3 | Long-running adventure |
| $12.74as of Nov 4, 2026 1:55 pm UTC | View on Amazon |
| Vagabond VIZBIG Edition, Vol. 1 | Art and historical drama |
| $17.80as of Nov 5, 2026 1:48 am UTC | View on Amazon |
| Slam Dunk, Vol. 1 | Sports manga |
| $8.99as of Nov 4, 2026 11:38 am UTC | View on Amazon |
| Akira, Vol. 1 | Science fiction landmark |
| $17.71as of Nov 4, 2026 10:35 pm UTC | View on Amazon |
| Vinland Saga Deluxe 1 | Historical epic |
| $42.34as of Nov 4, 2026 12:58 pm UTC | View on Amazon |
Prices and availability change; check Amazon for today’s price. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
1. Fullmetal Alchemist (3-in-1 Edition), Vol. 1 — Best overall
The first three volumes of the most tightly plotted long shonen series ever finished.
Check price on Amazon$11.89as of Nov 4, 2026 5:12 pm UTCWhy we like it
- Planned story that sticks its ending
- Adventure that grows into a story about war
- Suits teens and adults equally
- 3-in-1 format keeps the shelf compact
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Creator | Hiromu Arakawa |
| Publisher | Viz Media |
| Collects | Volumes 1–3 of 27 |
| Pages | 576 |
| Format | Paperback omnibus |
| Reader age / content | Not stated in listing; war violence, teens and up |
Fullmetal Alchemist 3-in-1, Vol. 1 — Arakawa, Viz Media, volumes 1–3, 576 pages
Hiromu Arakawa's Fullmetal Alchemist (2001–2010) follows Edward and Alphonse Elric, two brothers who break alchemy's most basic law trying to bring their mother back and lose far more than they bargained for. The early chapters read like a monster-of-the-week adventure. By the midpoint it has become a story about a state that manufactures its own wars, about guilt and atonement, and about what people owe each other.
What puts it at the top is construction. Background characters return with purpose, mysteries pay off when they should, and the final volumes resolve every major thread. Very few long-running manga manage that, which makes it the safest recommendation we can give anyone who asks where to start. Our Fullmetal Alchemist review goes deeper.
The 3-in-1 edition collects the series in nine thick paperbacks, so this first book is a third of the way to knowing whether you're hooked. Viz also sells a hardcover Fullmetal Edition and a complete box set if you'd rather own it in one go.
Pros
- Complete, satisfying ending
- Almost no filler
- Three volumes in one book
Cons
- Omnibus pages are smaller than the hardcover edition
- Early chapters are lighter than what follows
- Some war-crime content in later volumes
Get Fullmetal Alchemist 3-in-1, Vol. 1 on Amazon
2. Berserk Deluxe Volume 1 — Best dark fantasy for adults
Kentaro Miura's grim, staggering epic in an oversized hardcover.
Check price on Amazon$32.78as of Nov 5, 2026 1:50 am UTCWhy we like it
- Some of the most detailed ink work in comics
- The Golden Age arc is a landmark tragedy
- Deluxe format suits Miura's art
- Three original volumes per hardcover
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Creator | Kentaro Miura |
| Publisher | Dark Horse Comics |
| Collects | Original volumes 1–3 |
| Pages | 696 |
| Format | Oversized hardcover |
| Reader age / content | Not stated in listing; extreme violence and sexual assault, adults only |
Berserk Deluxe Volume 1 — Miura, Dark Horse, original volumes 1–3, 696 pages
Berserk follows Guts, a mercenary carrying a sword the size of a door through a medieval world of demons, betrayal and religious horror. Kentaro Miura began it in 1989 and worked on it until his death in 2021; it has since continued under his studio with his longtime friend Kouji Mori supervising. Many readers consider it the peak of dark fantasy in any medium, and its influence on games and later manga is everywhere.
Dark Horse's Deluxe Edition is the version to own. Each hardcover collects three of the original volumes at a larger trim size, which matters with art this dense. This first book opens with the Black Swordsman chapters and heads into the start of the Golden Age arc, the stretch most fans point to as the series at its best. Our Berserk Deluxe Edition guide covers every volume.
Content warning: this is the most extreme book on the list, with graphic violence and sexual assault. It's for adults only.
Pros
- Unmatched artwork, printed large
- Sturdy hardcover built to last
- Strong value per original volume
Cons
- Very disturbing content
- Story is still continuing without its creator
- Heavy books to hold
Get Berserk Deluxe Volume 1 on Amazon
3. Monster: The Perfect Edition, Vol. 1 — Best psychological thriller
Naoki Urasawa's slow-burn manhunt across post-Cold War Europe.
Check price on AmazonWhy we like it
- Reads like a prestige crime series
- Complete in nine Perfect Edition books
- Grounded, no powers or fantasy
- Great crossover pick for non-manga readers
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Creator | Naoki Urasawa |
| Publisher | Viz Media |
| Collects | Opening of the series (Perfect Edition book 1 of 9) |
| Pages | 426 |
| Format | Paperback, Perfect Edition |
| Reader age / content | Not stated in listing; murder and child abuse themes, older teens and up |
Monster: The Perfect Edition, Vol. 1 — Urasawa, Viz Media, 426 pages
Naoki Urasawa's Monster (1994–2001) starts with a choice. Dr. Kenzo Tenma, a Japanese surgeon in Düsseldorf, operates on a shot young boy instead of the politically useful patient his hospital wanted saved. Years later he learns the boy has grown into a charming, untraceable killer, and sets out across Germany and Czechoslovakia to stop what he feels responsible for.
It is the gold standard for the manga thriller: patient, morally serious and full of side characters who get whole chapters of their own. Viz's Perfect Edition collects the 18 original volumes in nine larger books, so this first one covers a substantial opening stretch.
If you know someone who loves crime television but has never read manga, this is the book to hand them.
Pros
- Gripping, intelligent plotting
- Finished story in nine books
- Larger Perfect Edition format
Cons
- Slow by design; not an action read
- Ending divides some readers
- Dark subject matter throughout
Get Monster: The Perfect Edition, Vol. 1 on Amazon
4. One Piece: East Blue 1-2-3 — Best long-running adventure
The first three volumes of the best-selling manga ever, in one omnibus.
Check price on Amazon$12.74as of Nov 4, 2026 1:55 pm UTCWhy we like it
- Joyful, inventive pirate adventure
- World-building that pays off for decades
- Three volumes in one book
- Easy to continue with box sets
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Creator | Eiichiro Oda |
| Publisher | Viz Media |
| Collects | Volumes 1–3 |
| Pages | 608 |
| Format | Paperback omnibus |
| Reader age / content | Not stated in listing; cartoon violence, all ages |
One Piece: East Blue 1-2-3 — Oda, Viz Media, volumes 1–3, 608 pages
Eiichiro Oda's One Piece has run since 1997 and is the best-selling manga of all time, with more than 500 million copies in print worldwide. Monkey D. Luffy, a rubber-bodied boy who wants to be King of the Pirates, gathers a crew one misfit at a time and sails into a world that keeps getting bigger and stranger.
The length is the obvious objection, and it's fair: the series is past 100 volumes and still going. But the opening East Blue saga is a complete, satisfying run of adventures on its own, and this omnibus gets you the first three volumes in one book. If it clicks, Viz's One Piece box sets are the cheapest way to keep going.
Oda's early art is busy and cartoonish, and it takes a few chapters to settle. Stick with it.
Pros
- Huge heart and humor
- Fine for younger readers
- Omnibus is a good-value trial
Cons
- Enormous ongoing commitment
- Busy art takes adjusting to
- Early arcs are the series at its roughest
Get One Piece: East Blue 1-2-3 on Amazon
5. Vagabond (VIZBIG Edition), Vol. 1 — Best for art and historical drama
Takehiko Inoue's brush-and-ink life of swordsman Miyamoto Musashi.
Check price on Amazon$17.80as of Nov 5, 2026 1:48 am UTCWhy we like it
- Some of the finest brushwork in manga
- Character study as much as sword fights
- VIZBIG collects three volumes per book
- Based on a real historical figure
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Creator | Takehiko Inoue (from Eiji Yoshikawa's novel Musashi) |
| Publisher | Viz Media |
| Collects | Volumes 1–3 |
| Pages | 728 |
| Format | Paperback, VIZBIG Edition |
| Reader age / content | Not stated in listing; bloody swordplay, older teens and up |
Vagabond VIZBIG Edition, Vol. 1 — Inoue, Viz Media, volumes 1–3, 728 pages
Vagabond (1998 onward, on hiatus since 2015) is Takehiko Inoue's fictionalized life of Miyamoto Musashi, adapted from Eiji Yoshikawa's novel. It starts with a wild young man left for dead after the battle of Sekigahara and follows his slow, violent education in what strength actually means. Inoue's art shifts from pen to brush as the series goes on, and some of its later pages are as close to fine art as comics get.
Viz's VIZBIG Edition collects three volumes per book at a slightly larger size, which is the best way to see the artwork. The catch is the hiatus: the story stops without an ending, and there's no sign of when it might resume. We'd still put it on any all-time list.
Pros
- Breathtaking art
- Mature, reflective storytelling
- Big three-in-one format
Cons
- Unfinished, on long hiatus
- Slow pacing in places
- Graphic violence
Get Vagabond VIZBIG Edition, Vol. 1 on Amazon
6. Slam Dunk, Vol. 1 — Best sports manga
A delinquent joins the basketball team to impress a girl, and the genre is never the same.
Check price on Amazon$8.99as of Nov 4, 2026 11:38 am UTCWhy we like it
- Funny, then thrilling, then moving
- Complete in 31 volumes
- No basketball knowledge needed
- Template for modern sports manga
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Creator | Takehiko Inoue |
| Publisher | Viz Media |
| Collects | Volume 1 of 31 |
| Pages | 208 |
| Format | Paperback |
| Reader age / content | Not stated in listing; some fistfights, teens and up |
Slam Dunk, Vol. 1 — Inoue, Viz Media, 208 pages
Inoue's earlier series, Slam Dunk (1990–1996), proves a sports manga can be one of the greatest comics ever made. Hanamichi Sakuragi, a hot-headed delinquent with fifty failed confessions behind him, joins his high school basketball team to impress a girl and slowly falls for the game itself. It starts as a comedy and ends with one of the most gripping final matches in the medium.
It's complete at 31 volumes, and it's widely credited with a surge in basketball's popularity in Japan in the 1990s. If this list leans heavy, this is the warmest entry on it.
Pros
- Hilarious lead character
- Builds to an unforgettable climax
- Finished story
Cons
- Single volumes only, no omnibus here
- Early chapters lean on gag humor
- 31 books is a real shelf commitment
Get Slam Dunk, Vol. 1 on Amazon
7. Akira, Vol. 1 — Best science fiction landmark
Katsuhiro Otomo's cyberpunk epic, printed large enough to do the art justice.
Check price on Amazon$17.71as of Nov 4, 2026 10:35 pm UTCWhy we like it
- Opened Western readers to manga
- Staggering scale and detail
- Complete in six big books
- Far more story than the film
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Creator | Katsuhiro Otomo |
| Publisher | Kodansha |
| Collects | Volume 1 of 6 |
| Pages | 352 |
| Format | Large-format paperback |
| Reader age / content | Not stated in listing; violence and gore, older teens and up |
Akira, Vol. 1 — Otomo, Kodansha, volume 1 of 6, 352 pages
Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira (1982–1990) is set in Neo-Tokyo decades after an explosion leveled the old city. Biker gang leader Kaneda watches his friend Tetsuo fall into a secret military program and come out with psychic powers he can't control. It's the cyberpunk landmark that, along with the 1988 film, broke manga into the Western mainstream.
Kodansha's six large-format books are the standard way to read it, and volume 1 alone is longer than many full graphic novels. The manga goes far beyond what the film covers, so even if you've seen the movie, the second half of the story will be new.
Pros
- Landmark art and action
- Complete in six volumes
- Large trim size
Cons
- Characters can feel thin next to the spectacle
- Violent throughout
- Books are bulky to read in hand
8. Vinland Saga Deluxe 1 — Best historical epic
A Viking revenge story that turns into a meditation on violence and peace.
Check price on Amazon$42.34as of Nov 4, 2026 12:58 pm UTCWhy we like it
- Revenge story with a real change of heart
- Meticulous Viking-age detail
- Deluxe hardcover format
- Among the most admired modern seinen
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Creator | Makoto Yukimura |
| Publisher | Kodansha |
| Collects | Opening of the series (volume range not stated in listing) |
| Pages | 688 |
| Format | Deluxe hardcover |
| Reader age / content | Not stated in listing; battlefield violence, older teens and up |
Vinland Saga Deluxe 1 — Yukimura, Kodansha, deluxe hardcover, 688 pages
Makoto Yukimura's Vinland Saga follows Thorfinn, a boy raised among the mercenaries of the man who killed his father, living for the day he can win a duel against him. The early volumes are some of the best battle manga around. Then the series does something rare: it turns away from the fighting and asks what a man who has only known killing can do with the rest of his life.
That shift loses some action fans and wins over almost everyone else. Kodansha's Deluxe hardcovers are the nicest way to own it.
Pros
- Thoughtful, ambitious story
- Great battle choreography early on
- Handsome hardcover
Cons
- Tone shift won't suit pure action fans
- Listing doesn't state which volumes are inside
- Long series to collect in full
Get Vinland Saga Deluxe 1 on Amazon
More all-time greats worth knowing
- Dragon Ball — Akira Toriyama's adventure is the root of modern battle shonen. Viz sells it in complete box sets; our Dragon Ball box set guide explains the split between Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z.
- Attack on Titan — Hajime Isayama's finished 34-volume story, sold in season-named box sets. See our Attack on Titan box set guide.
- Death Note — the classic gateway thriller, short and complete at 12 story volumes.
- Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind — Hayao Miyazaki's manga, much darker and denser than his film, collected by Viz in a two-hardcover deluxe box set.
The best manga by genre
| Genre | Our pick | Creator | Status | Best edition to start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shonen fantasy | Fullmetal Alchemist | Hiromu Arakawa | Complete (27 volumes) | 3-in-1 Vol. 1 |
| Dark fantasy | Berserk | Kentaro Miura | Continuing under his studio | Deluxe Volume 1 |
| Thriller | Monster | Naoki Urasawa | Complete (9 Perfect Edition books) | Perfect Edition Vol. 1 |
| Adventure | One Piece | Eiichiro Oda | Ongoing | East Blue 1-2-3 |
| Historical | Vagabond | Takehiko Inoue | On hiatus | VIZBIG Vol. 1 |
| Sports | Slam Dunk | Takehiko Inoue | Complete (31 volumes) | Vol. 1 |
| Sci-fi | Akira | Katsuhiro Otomo | Complete (6 volumes) | Vol. 1 |
How to start with the classics
If you're new to manga, begin with something finished. Fullmetal Alchemist and Monster show what the medium can do without asking for a decade of your life, and both end well. Then branch out by taste: fantasy readers toward Berserk (if they can handle it), history fans toward Vagabond and Vinland Saga, and anyone who wants pure fun toward One Piece or Slam Dunk.
Format matters more than people expect. Omnibus editions like the Fullmetal Alchemist 3-in-1 and One Piece's East Blue books are good value and save shelf space. Deluxe hardcovers like Berserk's are worth it for art-heavy series. And if you already know you love something, a box set is usually the cheapest way to own all of it; our best manga box sets guide covers the official ones.
Most English manga keeps the Japanese right-to-left reading order, starting from what looks like the back cover. It feels odd for about ten pages, then it doesn't. For gentler first picks, see best manga for beginners, or browse the full manga hub.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best-selling manga of all time?
One Piece by Eiichiro Oda, with more than 500 million copies in print worldwide. It's still running.
What is the best manga for a complete beginner?
Fullmetal Alchemist is our top pick: gripping, accessible and complete. Death Note is a shorter alternative, and Slam Dunk is the friendliest of the picks above.
Is Berserk finished?
No. Kentaro Miura died in 2021 with the story unfinished. It has continued under his studio, Studio Gaga, supervised by his friend Kouji Mori, who says he is following the ending Miura described to him.
Will Vagabond ever be finished?
Nobody knows. Takehiko Inoue put it on hiatus in 2015 and hasn't announced a return. The existing volumes are still worth reading for the art and character work alone.
Should I buy single volumes, omnibuses or deluxe editions?
Start with volume 1 or the first omnibus to test a series. Move to deluxe editions for art-driven series like Berserk, and to box sets once you know you'll finish it.
