A Curated List of 10 Japanese Comics I Enjoyed in 2025 (Which Are Mostly Unknown).

With the world of manga growing more vast by the day, it becomes a challenge to track every worthwhile new series. As always, the mainstream series dominate conversations, however, countless gems of undiscovered treasures just out of sight.

A key pleasure for fans of the medium is stumbling upon a largely unknown 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 reasons why they're worth checking out ahead of the curve.

Several entries here lack a mainstream following, partly due to they haven't received anime adaptations. Others may be less accessible due to their publishing platforms. But recommending any of these provides some impressive fan credentials.

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

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

This may seem like a strange choice, but let me explain. Comics are often fun, and it's part of the charm. I'll acknowledge that isekai is my guilty pleasure. While the title diverges from the template, it uses similar story beats, including an unbeatable hero and a video-game-inspired fantasy framework. The unique hook, however, is found in the protagonist. Keita Sato is an archetypal exhausted salaryman who relieves pressure by entering fantastical portals 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 leave the office on time for a change.

Superior genre examples exist, but this is one of the few from a top company, and thus readily accessible to international audiences via a free service. When it comes to digital availability, this publisher remains a leader, and if you're seeking a short, lighthearted escape, the series is a great choice.

9. The Nito Exorcists

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

Usually, the word "exorcist" in a manga title turns me away due to the genre's overpopularity, but two series changed my mind this year. It evokes the strongest aspects of a popular supernatural battle manga, with its eerie vibe, stylized art, and shocking ferocity. A random click got me hooked and got hooked instantly.

Gotsuji is a powerful exorcist who purges ghosts in the hope of discovering his master's killer. He's accompanied by 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 treatment of the characters is as delicate as the art, and the artistic dichotomy between the comedic design of foes and the gory combat is a nice extra touch. This is a series with the capacity to run for a long time — if it's allowed to continue.

8. Gokurakugai

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

When artistic excellence matters most, then search no more. Yuto Sano's work on Gokurakugai is stunning, intricate, and one-of-a-kind. The plot remains within from classic shonen conventions, with heroes clashing with demons (though they're avoiding that specific term), but the cast is wonderfully eccentric and the setting is intriguing. The protagonists, Alma and Tao Saotome, run the Gokurakugai Troubleshooter agency, resolving disputes in a low-income area where people and animal-human hybrids live together.

The villains, called Maga, are created from human or animal corpses. For those from people, the Maga has powers relating to the circumstances of their end: someone who hanged themselves manifests as a choking force, one who ended their own life induces hemorrhaging, and so on. It's a macabre yet fascinating twist that gives weight to these antagonists. Gokurakugai might become a major title, but it's constrained by 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

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

This dark fantasy manga examines the common conflict theme from a novel angle for shonen. Rather than focusing 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, using his trumpet and upbringing in a cruel mercenary band to become a skilled strategist, fighting to eventually earn his freedom.

The backdrop is a little plain, and the inclusion of futuristic tech occasionally doesn't fit, but The Bugle Call still provided grim twists and surprising narrative shifts. It's a mature shonen with a collection of odd personalities, an compelling ability ruleset, and an pleasing blend of military themes and dark fantasy.

6. The Cat Parent Adventures of Taro Miyao

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

A calculating main character who reveres Renaissance thinker Niccolò Machiavelli and subscribes to ends-justify-the-means takes in a cute cat named Nicolo—reportedly for the reason that a massage from its little feet is the only thing that relieves his stiff shoulders. {If that premise isn't enough|Should that not convince you|If the setup doesn't grab you