My Top 10 Japanese Comics I Read This Year (Flying Under the Radar).

As the manga industry continues its relentless expansion, it becomes a challenge to track every significant title. As always, the most popular series dominate conversations, but there's a plethora of undiscovered treasures waiting to be discovered.

A key pleasure for fans of the medium is unearthing a hidden series in the sea of new chapters and recommending it to friends. Here are some of the finest under-the-radar manga I've read in 2025, along with reasons why they're worth checking out before they gain widespread popularity.

A few of these titles are still awaiting a mainstream following, partly due to they haven't received anime adaptations. Others may be less accessible due to their publishing platforms. Sharing any of these grants you some impressive fan credentials.

10. The Ordinary Office Worker Who Was a Hero

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

This may seem like a strange choice, but bear with me. Manga can be silly, and that's perfectly fine. I confess that transported-to-another-world stories relax me. While this series diverges from the template, it follows many of the same tropes, including an unbeatable hero and a RPG-like world structure. The appeal, however, stems from the protagonist. Keita Sato is your typical overworked Japanese corporate man who relieves pressure by exploring strange labyrinths that emerged suddenly, armed only with a baseball bat, to defeat foes. He doesn't care about treasures, power, or ranking; he only wants to hide his pastime, protect his family, and finish work early for a change.

Superior genre examples exist, but this is one of the few published by a major house, and thus readily accessible to international audiences through a popular app. Regarding online access, this publisher is still dominant, and if you're in need of a short, lighthearted escape, The Plain Salary Man is an excellent option.

9. The Nito Exorcists

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

Usually, the word "exorcist" in a manga title turns me away due to the genre's overpopularity, but a pair of titles shifted my perspective this year. This series recalls the best parts of a popular supernatural battle manga, with its eerie vibe, unique visuals, and sudden violence. I started reading it by chance and became engrossed at once.

Gotsuji is a skilled spirit hunter who kills evil spirits in the hope of avenging his teacher's death. He's paired with his mentor's sister, Uruka, who is more interested in protecting Gotsuji than fueling his retribution. The plot may seem basic, but the character development is thoughtfully executed, and the visual contrast between the silly appearance of the spirits and the gory combat is an effective bonus. This is a series with great promise to become a hit — should it get the chance.

8. Gokurakugai

• Author: Yuto Sano
• Released by: Shueisha
• Available on: Manga Plus; Viz

When artistic excellence matters most, then search no more. Yuto Sano's work on Gokurakugai is spectacular, intricate, and one-of-a-kind. The story doesn't stray far from classic shonen conventions, with superpowered people fighting evil spirits (though they're not officially called "exorcists"), but the cast is wonderfully eccentric and the setting is intriguing. The protagonists, Alma and Tao Saotome, run the Gokurakugai Troubleshooter agency, handling issues in a poor neighborhood where two species live side-by-side.

The villains, called Maga, are created from human or animal corpses. In the former case, the Maga wields magic reflecting the circumstances of their end: someone who hanged themselves has the power to choke people, one who perished by suicide causes blood loss, and so on. It's a gruesome but interesting twist that adds depth to these antagonists. It might become a major title, but it's limited due to its monthly schedule. Since its debut, only a handful of volumes have been released, which challenges ongoing engagement.

7. Bugle Call: War's Melody

• Writing Team: Mozuku Sora, Higoro Toumori
• Released by: Shueisha
• Available on: Viz

This grim fantasy manga tackles the ubiquitous battle trope from a new viewpoint for shonen. Instead of centering on individual duels, it presents epic historical battles. The protagonist, Luca, is one of the Branched—people with distinct abilities. Luca's ability allows him to manifest sound as light, which helps him command armies on the battlefield, employing his instrument and background in a ruthless soldier group to become a formidable commander, fighting dreaming of a life beyond war.

The setting is somewhat generic, and the addition of advanced concepts occasionally doesn't fit, but this series still provided bleak developments and unexpected plot twists. It's a mature shonen with a cast of quirky characters, an engaging magic framework, and an pleasing blend of strategy and horror.

6. Taro Miyao: Unexpected Feline Guardian

• Creator: Sho Yamazaki
• Publisher: Shueisha
• Available on: Manga Plus

A calculating main character who idolizes Renaissance thinker Niccolò Machiavelli and believes in using any means necessary takes in a cute cat named Nicolo—allegedly because a massage from its small claws is his sole relief from tension. {If that premise isn't enough|Should that not convince you|If the setup doesn't grab you