The 10 Best Comics I Enjoyed in 2025 (Which Are Mostly Unknown).

Given the ever-expanding scope of the manga market, it becomes a challenge to discover every noteworthy new series. As always, the mainstream series capture the spotlight, but there's a plethora of undiscovered treasures just out of sight.

A particular delight for fans of the medium is finding a hidden series in the sea of new chapters and recommending it to friends. Here are some of the best lesser-known manga I've discovered recently, along with reasons why they're worth checking out prior to a potential boom.

Several entries here are still awaiting a broad readership, notably because they all lack anime adaptations. Others may be trickier to read due to where they're available. Sharing any of these will earn you some notable geek cred.

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. The medium embraces absurdity, and it's part of the charm. I confess that isekai is my guilty pleasure. While this series isn't strictly an isekai, it embraces familiar conventions, including an incredibly strong protagonist and a RPG-like world structure. The unique hook, however, lies in the protagonist. Keita Sato is a standard overburdened office worker who vents his stress by sneaking into mysterious dungeons that materialized globally, armed only with a baseball bat, to smash monsters. He has no interest in treasures, power, or ranking; he only wants to hide his pastime, protect his family, and clock out punctually for a change.

Superior genre examples exist, but this is an accessible title from a top company, and thus conveniently readable to international audiences via a free service. When it comes to digital availability, this publisher remains a leader, and if you're in need of a short, lighthearted escape, this manga is a great choice.

9. The Exorcists of Nito

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

Usually, the word "exorcist" in a manga title makes me hesitant due to the genre's overpopularity, but my opinion was altered this year. It evokes the finest elements of Jujutsu Kaisen, with its creepy atmosphere, unique visuals, and shocking ferocity. I started reading it by chance and was immediately captivated.

Gotsuji is a skilled spirit hunter who eliminates cursed beings in the hope of finding the one that murdered his mentor. He's joined by his mentor's sister, Uruka, who is more interested in protecting Gotsuji than fueling his retribution. The plot may seem basic, but the portrayal of the cast is subtle and refined, and the visual contrast between the silly appearance of the spirits and the bloody fights is a nice extra touch. This is a series with great promise to run for a long time — should it get the chance.

8. Gokurakugai

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

If breathtaking art is your priority, then search no more. Yuto Sano's work on the series is breathtaking, meticulous, and distinctive. The story doesn't stray far to traditional battle manga tropes, with superpowered people fighting evil spirits (though they're not officially called "exorcists"), but the characters are all quirky and the setting is intriguing. The protagonists, Alma and Tao Saotome, operate the Gokurakugai Troubleshooter agency, solving problems in a poor neighborhood where humans and beast-men coexist.

The villains, called Maga, are created from human or animal corpses. For those from people, the Maga wields magic reflecting the way the human died: a hanging victim manifests as a choking force, one who perished by suicide causes blood loss, and so on. It's a macabre yet fascinating twist that gives weight to these antagonists. It has potential for massive popularity, but it's constrained by its slower publication rate. From the beginning, only five volumes have been released, which challenges ongoing engagement.

7. The Bugle Call: Song of War

• Authors: Mozuku Sora, Higoro Toumori
• Publisher: Shueisha
• Available on: Viz

This grim fantasy manga examines the ever-present fight narrative from a fresh perspective for shonen. Instead of centering on individual duels, it presents epic historical battles. The protagonist, Luca, is one of the Branched—those granted singular talents. Luca's ability lets him transform noise into illumination, which lets him guide troops on the battlefield, employing his instrument and background in a cruel mercenary band to become a formidable commander, 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 this series still surprised me with grim twists and surprising narrative shifts. It's a sophisticated series with a collection of odd personalities, an interesting power system, and an interesting combination of strategy and horror.

6. The Cat Parent Adventures of Taro Miyao

• Artist: Sho Yamazaki
• Publisher: Shueisha
• Find it on: Manga Plus

A calculating main character who idolizes Renaissance thinker Niccolò Machiavelli and advocates for ruthless pragmatism adopts a cute cat named Nicolo—reportedly for the reason that 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