What is this genre all about? Focus set on darker themes in a fantasy setting, sometimes leaning towards horror elements. Bleak and pessimistic tones often dominate. Dark supernatural beings like vampires may play a significant role.
We present you the list of Dark Fantasy manga you should read right now.
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Top 17 Dark Fantasy manga you should read right now. [2024 List]
- 17. Berserk
- 16. Boss-yeusseum
- 15. Claymore
- 14. Dungeon Defense
- 13. I Became a Dark Fantasy Villain
- 12. Made in Abyss
- 11. Kemono Jihen
- 10. Goblin Slayer
- 9. Bibliomania
- 8. Goblin Slayer Gaiden: Year One
- 7. ROLL OVER AND DIE: I Will Fight for an Ordinary Life with My Love and Cursed Sword!
- 6. I Played the Role of the Adopted Daughter Too Well
- 5. Totsukuni no Shoujo
- 4. Kuraki Kyuuden no Shisha no Ou
- 3. Goblin Slayer Gaiden 2: Tsubanari no Daikatana
- 2. Boroboro no Elf-san wo Shiawase ni Suru Kusuriuri-san
- 1. Yukashi Yuusha no Fukushuutan: Mizu wo Oyu ni suru Koto Shika Dekinai Yuusha dakedo, Subete wo Ubatta Omaera wo Korosu niwa Koitsu de Juubunda
17. Berserk
His name is Guts, the Black Swordsman, a feared warrior spoken of only in whispers. Bearer of a gigantic sword, an iron hand, and the scars of countless battles and tortures, his flesh is also indelibly marked with The Brand, an unholy symbol that draws the forces of darkness to him and dooms him as their sacrifice. But Guts won't take his fate lying down; he'll cut a crimson swath of carnage through the ranks of the damned—and anyone else foolish enough to oppose him! Accompanied by Puck the Elf, more an annoyance than a companion, Guts relentlessly follows a dark, bloodstained path that leads only to death...or vengeance.
Notes:
- Volumes 1-5 contain the 16 prequel chapters 0A - 0P.
- Chapter 83 was omitted from Volume 13 due to the author’s request.
- Volume 14 includes “Berserk: The Prototype”.
- Due to the author's passing, starting from Chapter 365, the manga is illustrated by Studio Gaga (Miura's assistants) and supervised by Kouji Mori (a close friend of Miura's).
Berserk is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: ベルセルク, Berserk: The Prototype
16. Boss-yeusseum
Baphomet is the ruthless, dispassionate lord of the Abyssal Tower, a mysterious, monster-filled dungeon plaguing the human world. Many Hunters seek to defeat him and bring the tower down to no avail. Despite his demonic power, Baphomet grows curious about humanity. One day, Baphomet is defeated by Raven, the strongest Hunter, and realizes that his true wish is to be just like the humans he previously looked down on. In death, he is granted his wish, as he awakens as a human – without his powers!
I Was the Final Boss is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: I Used to Be a Boss
15. Claymore
In a world constantly haunted by demonic predators known as "Youma", the everyday life of humans is full of fear and suspicion, as these monsters easily blend into human society to hunt their hapless prey. However, in this world, there is also a mysterious organization, employing half-human, half-Youma warriors to effectively track down and kill the demons. Called "silver eyed witches" or "Claymores" after the huge Claymore swords they carry, these female warriors are eyed with suspicion and distrust by most because of their inhuman powers.
But there are many currents flowing in the shadows, from the mysterious machinations of the Claymore "Organization" and the twisted ambitions of the powerful "Abyssal Ones" to the hopes and desires of each Claymore warrior. This story follows the fate of Clare, one of the Claymore operatives as she sails deeper and deeper down the currents of conspiracies and revenge.
Note: 4 Extra chapters are included in the chapter count on this page.
Claymore has finished publishing and it has 159 Chapters. It is also Known as: CLAYMORE [クレイモア], Claymore
14. Dungeon Defense
[Adapted from one of the top novels of all time!]
When his total scumbags of parents die, he finds himself with a mysterious inheritance of 500 million yen.
Deciding to do whatever he likes from then on, the boy enters the most challenging online game, “Dungeon Attack” , where he becomes the first to unlock the achievement of Defeating all the Demon Lords. However, when he answers a mysterious question that appears after completing the game, he suddenly finds himself sent into the game world.
He had been Reincarnated as “Dantalian,” the Lowest and Weakest Demon Lord, Ranked 71st in the game world! With nothing but his memory of defeating the strongest Demon Lord and his eloquence to rely on, he fights to survive in this Brutal World – This is a Story of Comeback and Revenge!
Dungeon Defense is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: Dungeon Defence, ダンジョンディフェンス
13. I Became a Dark Fantasy Villain
Not impossible, but rejected...? I didn’t even give myself time to think, I opened my eyes in the middle of a swamp. As a trash character, I leveled.
A brutal and ominous world. Filled with those who worship chaos and abyss, rushing towards the brink of destruction in a dark age.
This is the story of a survival journey in the dark fantasy, the survival of a trash character.
(Source MU)
I Became a Dark Fantasy Villain is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: Doomed Character of a Dark Fantasy World, I Got Transmigrated to a Dark Fantasy MMORPG and Became the Ruined Character I Raised, Trash of a Dark Fantasy
12. Made in Abyss
The enormous cave system, known as the Abyss, is the only unexplored place in the world. Nobody knows how deep down goes this titanic pit, inhabited by strange and wondrous creatures and full of mysterious ancient relics which purpose in unknown to modern man. Generations of bold adventurers have been drawn by the cryptic depths of the Abyss. In course of time those bold enough to explore the dangerous pit came to be known as "Cave Raiders."
In Oosu, the town at the edge of the Abyss, there lives a little orphan named Rico, who dreams of becoming as great a cave raider as her mother was and solving the great mystery of the pit. One day exploring the murky depths she stumbles upon a little boy, who turns out to be a robot...
Made in Abyss is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: メイドインアビス, Made in Abyss
11. Kemono Jihen
Kemono Jihen is about a boy known as Dorota-bou who is avoided by the people who surround him, and Inugami, a detective who specializes in the occult. The story begins with Inugami arriving at the boy's town to investigate a case where many cattle are dying and their bodies rot in just one night.
Kemono Jihen is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: 怪物事変, Demon Incident, Demon Incidents, Kemono Incidents, Kaibutsu Jihen
10. Goblin Slayer
A young priestess has formed her first adventuring party, but almost immediately they find themselves in distress. It's the Goblin Slayer who comes to their rescue—a man who's dedicated his life to the extermination of all goblins, by any means necessary. And when rumors of his feats begin to circulate, there's no telling who might come calling next...
Goblin Slayer! is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: ゴブリンスレイヤー, Goblin Slayer
9. Bibliomania
Alice had woken up in Room 431 of a mysterious manor.
"You must not leave this room," warned the Serpent, but she paid it no heed and her body began to rot... Will she be able to escape the cursed manor?
Bibliomania has finished publishing and it has 12 Chapters. It is also Known as: ビブリオマニア, Bibliomania
8. Goblin Slayer Gaiden: Year One
Prequel series revealing Goblin Slayer's past and the events which led him to become an adventurer with the one and only purpose of annihilating all goblins from the world.
Goblin Slayer Side Story: Year One is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: ゴブリンスレイヤー外伝：イヤーワン, Goblin Slayer Gaiden: Year One
7. ROLL OVER AND DIE: I Will Fight for an Ordinary Life with My Love and Cursed Sword!
Flum Apricot was never meant to be a hero. Despite zero stats across the board and a power she can’t even use, she somehow finds herself included in a party of heroes. But Flum’s life hits rock bottom when the party’s renowned sage, Jean Inteige, decides that the useless girl is dead weight, and arranges to have her sold into slavery. Tossed to monsters to be feasted upon for her master’s entertainment, Flum makes the desperate choice to reach for a cursed weapon…and something new awakens within her. A grimdark tale about one woman’s blood-soaked quest to reclaim her life!
ROLL OVER AND DIE: I Will Fight for an Ordinary Life with My Love and Cursed Sword! is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: "Omae Gotoki ga Maou ni Kateru to Omou na" to Yuusha Party wo Tsuihou Sareta node, Outo de Kimama ni Kurashitai, 「お前ごときが魔王に勝てると思うな」と勇者パーティを追放されたので、王都で気ままに暮らしたい, ROLL OVER AND DIE: I Will Fight for an Ordinary Life with My Love and Cursed Sword!
6. I Played the Role of the Adopted Daughter Too Well
When I first came into the book, my goal was just to survive. ‘I have to live longer! And be happy!’ So I did my best. I am going to walk on my own flower path. “Wherever I go, the seat next to you is mine. You promised to pat my head for the rest of your life, isn’t that right?” The strongest male character, who was stabbed to death in the original novel, stared at me with obsessive eyes. If I say no, he will destroy the world. “Yes, I’ll kill him. Then you’ll be happy, too, right?” The fifth brother looked a bit crazy. “This is my land from here to here. And yours, too. I’m glad to be able to breathe with your grandest dreams.” The fourth oldest sister, who became the richest woman on the continent, opened the map and said that. If I say I don’t have such a grand dream like her, I think a catastrophe will happen. “I’m looking forward to the Winter Solstice that you’ll rule completely.” Laughter rose on the face of the butler who served me. “If you don’t connect to Verratoux, my heart will stop tomorrow morning. Are you sure you’re okay with that?” My first sister, who was supposed to be the original successor, threatened me with her life. And this is the biggest problem. Somehow, a faint smile raised my father’s mouth, which became stronger than the original father he was. “Independence? Try it then. I won’t even let a single ant live on this land.” “Did you think you could leave my arms and stand on your own…” He then stared at me obsessively. They are all acting weird. Everything went wrong. I only did my very best.
I Played the Role of the Adopted Daughter Too Well is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: I Acted As the Adopted Daughter Too Well
5. Totsukuni no Shoujo
In a world split between the Inside and the Outside, those living in both realms are told never to cross over to the other side, lest they be cursed. A young girl named Shiva lives on the other side, in a vacant village with a demonic guardian known only as “Teacher.” Although the two are forbidden to touch, they seem to share a bond that transcends their disparate appearances. But when Shiva leaves Teacher’s care to seek out her grandmother, the secret behind her mysterious living arrangement comes to light.
The Girl From the Other Side: Siúil, a Rún has finished publishing and it has 53 Chapters. It is also Known as: とつくにの少女, Foreign Girl, Walk, My Love
4. Kuraki Kyuuden no Shisha no Ou
...I don't want to die. I want to be free.
If a monster is what I have to become to be free, then that is what I will resign myself to.
Striking the infected with incessant pain that runs throughout the body, a strange, debilitating, and deadly illness. The life of the boy who had suffered several years with this affliction had come to end with little time for him to despair as he died without an attendant by his side. When he awoke again, he had been made into the lowest ranked undead by an evil necromancer. Though the boy rejoiced at having obtained a body that could not feel pain, he immediately realized that he was still at the mercy of others. There was no large difference between his present situation and being confined in bed. However, the world could not leave the boy alone when he wished to be at peace.
With freedom as his goal, what he needed was prudence and power. Occasionally running, fighting, fearful, and hesitant, this is the story of the cowardly King of Undead as he seeks to be free.
The King of the Dead at the Dark Palace has finished publishing and it has 13 Chapters. It is also Known as: 昏き宮殿の死者の王, Бессмертный Повелитель Дворца Тьмы, The Undead Lord of the Palace of Darkness, The King of Death at the Dark Palace
3. Goblin Slayer Gaiden 2: Tsubanari no Daikatana
Goblin Slayer Gaiden 2: Tsubanari no Daikatana is a spin-off series of the main Goblin Slayer! light novel. This is the manga adaptation of the light novel.
Set 10 years prior to the original series, the story centers around Sword Maiden's party of six adventurers on their journey to the Dungeon of the Dead to kill the Demon Lord.
Goblin Slayer Side Story II: Dai Katana is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: ゴブリンスレイヤー外伝2 鍔鳴の太刀, Daikatana: The Singing Death
2. Boroboro no Elf-san wo Shiawase ni Suru Kusuriuri-san
Story about an injured slave elf is saved by an apothecary.
The Apothecary Will Make This Battered Elf Happy has finished publishing and it has 64 Chapters. It is also Known as: ボロボロのエルフさんを幸せにする薬売りさん, The Apothecary Is Gonna Make This Ragged Elf Happy, Mr. Medicine Merchant Who Will Make Ms. Beaten-Up Elf Happy, A Pharmacist Saves a Dying Elf
1. Yukashi Yuusha no Fukushuutan: Mizu wo Oyu ni suru Koto Shika Dekinai Yuusha dakedo, Subete wo Ubatta Omaera wo Korosu niwa Koitsu de Juubunda
A Hero is someone chosen by God to receive a supernatural 'gift'. A unique existence, only one Hero can exist at a time, with a new one being chosen upon the former's death.
This generation's Hero is a ordinary villager girl named Kyrie whose gift is merely being able to boil water.
When her family and friends are slaughtered, Kyrie is backed into a corner and learns the true value of that boiling hot power, and how well it could be used to fan the flames of revenge that burned inside of her.
The Tale of the Teapot Hero's Revenge ~Although a Hero Was Only Capable of Boiling Water, That Was Enough to Kill All of Those Who Stole Everything from Her~ is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: 湯沸かし勇者の復讐譚〜水をお湯にすることしか出来ない勇者だけど、全てを奪ったお前らを殺すにはこいつで十分だ〜, Yukashi Yuusha no Fukushuutan, The Tale of the Teapot Hero's Revenge
