What is this genre all about? Japanese for "transformation" (metamorphosis or disguise).A "henshin anime" is any anime, where the characters or their costumes transform, such as Sailor Moon. The henshin switches on the character's special powers, and is frequently accompanied by a costume change. Often the change of clothing is the only outward indicator that the character has changed and yet nobody seems to notice the hero's true self.Most henshin heroes have a special item which they use to change into their heroic form. These items are usually activated by a command phrase (which is often in Engrish, for some reason), triggering a transformation sequence.
We present you the list of Henshin manga you should read right now.
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Top 20 Henshin manga you should read right now. [2026 List]
- 20. Suicide Girl
- 19. Tai Sekaiyou Mahou Shoujo Tsubame
- 18. Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon
- 17. Sentai Red Isekai de Boukensha ni Naru
- 16. Mahou Shoujo♡Misoji
- 15. Sentai Taboo
- 14. Kamen Rider X
- 13. Gunbured x Sisters
- 12. Kill la Kill
- 11. Saint Seiya
- 10. Super Dragon Ball Heroes: Dark Demon Realm Mission!
- 9. Mushijo
- 8. Hero no Himitsu
- 7. Ore, Twintail ni Narimasu.
- 6. Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas - Meiou Shinwa
- 5. Shin Kamen Raidā
- 4. Ao ga Cool Nante Dare ga Kimeta!?
- 3. Saint Seiya: Next Dimension - Meiou Shinwa
- 2. Toujima Tanzaburou wa Kamen Rider ni Naritai
- 1. Nogi Wakaba wa Yuusha de Aru
20. Suicide Girl
A story where a girl of light fights against the darkness of the world.
Suicide Girl has finished publishing and it has 40 Chapters. It is also Known as: スーサイドガール, Suicide Girl
19. Tai Sekaiyou Mahou Shoujo Tsubame
The world is in danger! Who will rise to protect it? Introducing Tsubame, an ordinary high school student who dreams of becoming a magical girl. But if she has to choose between the world and her friends... A new adventure from Mapollo 3, the creator of PPPPPP! Buckle up for some passion, magical girls, and a dash of madness!
Magical Girl Tsubame: I Will (Not) Save The World has finished publishing and it has 42 Chapters. It is also Known as: 対世界用魔法少女つばめ, ! Anti-World Magical Girl Tsubame
18. Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon
Tsukino Usagi is 14 years old and in her second year of middle school. She's a bit of a crybaby and klutzy. However, she can transform into a warrior of justice, Sailormoon! An eternal classic that should be read by all.
Sailor Moon has finished publishing and it has 61 Chapters. It is also Known as: 美少女戦士セーラームーン, Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon, Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon
17. Sentai Red Isekai de Boukensha ni Naru
Asagaki Togo was the Red Ranger in a heroic Ranger squad. During their final battle against the ultimate evil organization, he suffers a crushing defeat and resigns himself to death... That is, until he finds himself reborn in an entirely different world! Embracing his new role as an adventurer, he transforms into Kizuna Red and continues his pursuit of justice, helping those in need. Enjoy this heroic tale of a Ranger becoming the protector of another world!
The Red Ranger Becomes an Adventurer in Another World is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: 戦隊レッド 異世界で冒険者になる, Sentai Red Isekai de Boukensha ni Naru
16. Mahou Shoujo♡Misoji
This is a story about a 35-year old office lady that turns into a magical girl one day.
Mahou Shoujo♡Misoji is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: 魔法少女♡三十路, Mahou Shoujo Misoji
15. Sentai Taboo
"In the face of justice, there are no taboos that should not be violated."
In the near future, humanity is in the depths of fear due to the onslaught of monsters. To protect world peace, the united Cross Rangers will enforce justice today! ...Or so it was supposed to be.
Cross Red, also known as Akama Retsuo, is a man who is passionate about justice. With an overflowing sense of justice, he commits a taboo one night with Cross Pink. And so begins the days of muddy, terrifying, immoral and ruinous...!
A suspenseful story of justice and immorality!
Sentai Taboo is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: 戦隊タブー, Sentai Taboo
14. Kamen Rider X
The tokusatsu TV superhero Kamen Rider franchise, which was overwhelmingly popular among children in the Showa era, has been made into a manga! "Kamen Rider X," serialized in the popular magazine "TV Magazine", is now available as a long-awaited reprint! Keisuke Jin tries to save his father Dr. Jin from an attack by G.O.D. and is shot and killed in the process. However, in exchange for his own life, Dr. Jin resurrects Keisuke as the cyborg Kaizorg! Learning of his mission from Dr. Jin's last words, Keisuke becomes Kamen Rider X and battles G.O.D.!
Kamen Rider X has finished publishing and it has Chapters. It is also Known as: テレビマガジン版 仮面ライダーX, Kamen Rider X (TV Magazine)
13. Gunbured x Sisters
In a decaying gothic city, warrior nun Dorothy is tasked with hunting down and slaughtering supernatural creatures. A member of the elite Crimson Sisters, she seeks to rid the city of the vampire population that plagues it. One fateful night, she encounters a wounded woman, Maria, only to discover that she has fangs and a strange parentage. Dorothy offers the half-vampire her best and only chance at survival: become my pet. Together, Dorothy and Maria will dive into the secrets at the heart of the vampire scourge that threatens to overwhelm their home.
Note: Includes 1 extra chapter.
GUNBURED × SISTERS has finished publishing and it has 21 Chapters. It is also Known as: ガンバレッド×シスターズ, Ganbared Sisters, Ganbareddo Shisutaazu
12. Kill la Kill
The story centers around two fiercely fighting schoolgirls, Ryuuko Matoi and Satsuki Kiryuuin. On a campus ruled by force, a transfer student wielding a Basami sword brings about upheaval.
KILL la KILL has finished publishing and it has 17 Chapters. It is also Known as: キルラキル, KLK
11. Saint Seiya
Ages ago, the goddess Athena was served by fighters called Saints who channeled the power of the Cosmos within them. Now a youth named Seiya has trained to become a Saint himself by earning the mystical Cloth of Pegasus. He is joined by other Saints with Cloths of their own to fight for Athena.
Note: Chapter count includes an omake story "The Swan's Tale: Natassja of the Lands of Ice."
Knights of the Zodiac has finished publishing and it has 110 Chapters. It is also Known as: 聖闘士星矢, Zodiac Knights
10. Super Dragon Ball Heroes: Dark Demon Realm Mission!
The story follows Future Trunks soon after the defeat of Cell in his own timeline, becoming a Time Patroller and assisting the Supreme Kai of Time in confronting the Time Breakers, later known as the Dark Empire Forces from the Demon Realm.
Super Dragon Ball Heroes: Dark Demon Realm Mission! has finished publishing and it has 17 Chapters. It is also Known as: スーパードラゴンボールヒーロズ暗黒魔界ミッション！, Super Dragon Ball Heroes: Dark Demon Realm Mission!
9. Mushijo
The main character, Hinako Momotsuki, is a high school girl who loves the anime "Puri Puri" and devotes all her energy into otaku activities. However, in actuality, when she unites with a mysterious "Maji" centipede life form, she becomes a distorted hero who saves people. Now she fights both to save the town assailed by "Maji" and to protect her unrequited crush, Himoru-senpai.
Mushijo has finished publishing and it has 12 Chapters. It is also Known as: ムシジョ, Mushijo
8. Hero no Himitsu
In the near future, aliens from Bluto 'invade' the Earth. But what is their objective? To steal all of the timed sale groceries at rush hour and make perverted havoc among the citizens. Not the kind of aliens you would find every day. To counteract this 'terrifying' enemy, a special force of heroes, 'The First Star Heroes', has been sent out wearing dynamic colors. But, out of the five heroes, two of them have a secret. Momose Kaname, a 14 year old boy who has idolized these heroes, is transformed into the team's Pink Hero and now has to hide his identity. And 'he' finds out that the Red Hero of the team is actually a girl who has experienced the same gender-bending transformation as Kaname. What will happen to these Heroes, especially Kaname, as they face all kinds of odds during their 'heroic' days?
Hero no Himitsu has finished publishing and it has 12 Chapters. It is also Known as: ヒーローの秘密, The Secret of a Hero
7. Ore, Twintail ni Narimasu.
Mitsuka Souji is a first year high school student who greatly loves the "twintails" hairstyle. One day a beautiful girl, Thuearle, who comes from another world suddenly appeared in front of him and gave him the power to transform into the twintails warrior TailRed. Now Souji, with the help of his childhood friend Tsube Aika who can becomes the twintails warrior TailBlue, must fight in order to protect the peace on earth.
Ore, Twintail ni Narimasu. has finished publishing and it has Chapters. It is also Known as: 俺、ツインテールになります。, Gonna be the Twin-Tail!!, Ore, Twin tails ni Narimasu.
6. Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas - Meiou Shinwa
This manga tells the story of the previous Holy war of the universe of Saint Seiya, taking place in the XVIII century, 250 years before the original manga. The story centers on the relation between Tenma, the Pegasus Saint and his beloved friend, Alone, who would eventually become his greatest enemy, Hades.
Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas - Meiou Shinwa has finished publishing and it has 223 Chapters. It is also Known as: 聖闘士星矢 THE LOST CANVAS 冥王神話, Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas - Meiou Shinwa
5. Shin Kamen Raidā
As Takeshi Hongo trains for a motorcycle race, he is suddenly swallowed by a fissure in the ground. He barely escapes danger by transforming into Kamen Rider, but he is attacked by the Shocker kaijin Worm Man, who created the fissure. Rider is tormented by Worm Man's attacks until he corners him with the Rider Jump and Undercut... Published in 1972, Mitsuru Sugaya's version of "Kamen Rider", which built the golden age of Bouken-Oh magazine, is fully released in e-book format!
New Kamen Rider has finished publishing and it has 10 Chapters. It is also Known as: 新 仮面ライダー, Shin Kamen Raidā
4. Ao ga Cool Nante Dare ga Kimeta!?
High school student Azusa Gujo is a magical girl. She makes a contract with Pollu, a Gem Setter with mysterious powers, to fight the powerful enemies that threatens the peace as the magical knight Pure Azurite... but!
Note: Chapter count includes an extra
Who Decided That Blues Had To Be Cool!? has finished publishing and it has 27 Chapters. It is also Known as: 青がクールなんて誰が決めた!?, Ao ga Cool Nante Dare ga Kimeta!?
3. Saint Seiya: Next Dimension - Meiou Shinwa
In 1990 (previously 1986), in Elysion; the five Bronze Saints Seiya, Hyōga, Shun, Shiryū and Ikki, having wreaked havoc in the Underworld's army and succeeding in resurrecting the God Cloths, engage the god Hades in a final duel to the death.
During the battle, Hades remembers that he has seen Seiya's face before and comes to the conclusion that he faced him before. He thus starts reminiscing about his previous host body, and the story starts 247 years prior, in the 18th century.
The protagonist, the Pegasus Saint of this era, is an orphan who is best friends with a boy named Alone, the host of Hades. Former Bronze Saints Dohko and Sion, two prominent characters in Kurumada's original manga as the sole survivors of the holy war of that century, have just been promoted to Gold Saints and eventually the two duos meet.
Note: The chapter count includes 118 regular chapters, 2 special chapters included in volume 10, and a prologue.
Saint Seiya: Next Dimension - Meiou Shinwa has finished publishing and it has 121 Chapters. It is also Known as: 聖闘士星矢 NEXT DIMENSION 冥王神話, Saint Seiya: Next Dimension - The Myth of Hades
2. Toujima Tanzaburou wa Kamen Rider ni Naritai
An older man aims to become a Kamen Rider.
Tojima Tanzaburo Wants To Be A Masked Rider is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: 東島丹三郎は仮面ライダーになりたい, Tanzaburo Tojima Wants To Be Kamen Rider, Tōjima Tanzaburō wa Kamen Raidā ni Naritai
1. Nogi Wakaba wa Yuusha de Aru
The story of Nogi Wakaba wa Yuusha de Aru takes place 300 years in the past, in 2018, the first days of the Divine Era. The six main characters form the first ever Hero Team: Nogi Wakaba, Nogi Sonoko's ancestor; Uesato Hinata, Takashima Yuuna, Koori Chikage, Doi Tamako and Iyojima Anzu.
Includes:
Chapter 0: Ni-satsu-me no Yuusha Gyoki (The Second Hero Diary)
Volume 1 extra chapter: Shiratori Utano wa Yuusha de Aru (Shiratori Utano is a Hero)
Volume 2 extra chapter: Takusareta Baton (The Passed Baton)
Nogi Wakaba wa Yuusha de Aru has finished publishing and it has 22 Chapters. It is also Known as: 乃木若葉は勇者である, Nogi Wakaba Is a Hero, Shiratori Utano is a Hero
