Top 20 Romance manga you should read right now. [2026 List]

20. Yaoshenji

In his past life, although too weak to protect his home when it counted, out of grave determination Nie Li became the strongest Demon Spiritist and stood at the pinnacle of the martial world. However, he lost his life during the battle with the Sage Emperor and six deity-ranked beasts.

His soul was then brought back to when he was still 13 years old. Although he's the weakest in his class with the lowest talent, having only a red soul realm and a weak one at that, with the aid of the vast knowledge which he accumulated from his previous life, he decided to train faster than anyone could expect. He also decided to help those who died nobly in his previous life to train faster as well.

He aims to protect the city from the coming future of being devastated by demon beasts and the previous fate of ending up destroyed. He aims to protect his lover, friends, family and fellow citizens who died in the beast assault or its aftermath. And he aims to destroy the so-called Sacred family who arrogantly abandoned their duty and betrayed the city in his past life.

Tales of Demons and Gods is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: Yaoshenji

19. Dandadan

Ghosts, monsters, aliens, teen romance, battles...and the kitchen sink! This series has it all! Takakura, an occult maniac who doesn't believe in ghosts, and Ayase, a girl who doesn't believe in aliens, try to overcome their differences when they encounter the paranormal! This manga is out of this world!

Dandadan is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: ダンダダン, Dan Da Dan, DAN DA DAN

18. Kaoru Hana wa Rin to Saku

This story takes place in a particular town with two infamous schools in constant dispute: Chidori High, a boys' school predominantly attended by low-class students with damning grades, and its neighbor Kikyo Girls' High, with most of its female students coming from wealthy and prestigious families. One day, high school second-year Rintaro Tsumugi, a fierce-looking but gentle-minded student at Chidori, is helping at his family's patisserie when he encounters a female customer by the name of Kaoruko Waguri. Rintaro enjoys his time with Kaoruko, as she doesn't judge him for his appearance, but this blissful peace is quickly disturbed when Rintaro makes the discovery that Kaoruko is actually a student at Kikyo. This revelation marks the beginning of the two's strenuous tale, as they fight against the limitations placed upon them by their schools and surroundings in an attempt to find their own path!

The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: 薫る花は凛と咲く, Kaoru Hana wa Rin to Saku

17. My Bias Gets on the Last Train

"Meeting her on the last train again today, if only I could talk to her!"

College student Lee Yeowoon works late and takes the last train every night. Each time, he runs into Shin Haein, a woman carrying a guitar. As if by chance, as if by fate, the two keep meeting and discover that their favorite artist is the indie musician "Long Afternoon." They gradually grow closer, and so the story begins.

My Bias Gets on the Last Train is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: My Bias Gets on the Last Train

16. My New Girlfriend Is Not Human?

My New Girlfriend Is Not Human? is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: Meine neue Freundin ist kein Mensch?, ¿Mi nueva novia no es humana?, Ma Nouvelle Copine N'est Pas Humaine ?, Pacar Baruku Bukan Manusia?, Moja nowa dziewczyna nie jest człowiekiem?, Minha nova namorada não é humana?, Yeni kız arkadaşım insan değil mi?, Моя нова дівчина — не людина?

15. Ao no Hako

Taiki Inomata is on the boys' badminton team at sports powerhouse Eimei Junior and Senior High. He's in love with basketball player Chinatsu Kano, the older girl he trains alongside every morning in the gym. One Spring day, their relationship takes a sharp turn ... And thus begins this brand-new series of love, sports and youth!

Blue Box is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: アオのハコ, Ao no Hako

14. Boku no Kokoro no Yabai Yatsu

Ichikawa Kyoutarou, a boy barely clinging to the bottom rung of his school’s social ladder, secretly believes he’s the tortured lead in some psychological thriller. He spends his days dreaming up ways to disrupt his classmates’ peaceful lives and pining after Anna Yamada, the class idol. But Kyotaro’s not nearly the troubled teen he pretends to be…and it turns out Anna’s a bit odd herself!



Notes:
- Winner of the Tsugi ni Kuru Web Manga 2020 Award.
- Nominee for the 2020 Manga Taisho Award.

The Dangers in My Heart is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: 僕の心のヤバイやつ, The Bad Part of My Heart, BokuYaba, 我心里危险的东西, 내 마음의 위험한 놈

13. Kimi wa Yakamashi Tojite yo Kuchi wo!

Hiiragi Tsukino was born deaf. When she transfers to a new school, she meets a talkative boy named Enomoto Taiyou. Tsukino is slightly taken aback by Taiyou, who talks to her without regard to the fact that she can't hear.

You Talk Too Much, So Just Shut It Already! has finished publishing and it has 48 Chapters. It is also Known as: 君は喧し閉じてよ口を！, Kimi wa Yakamashi Tojite yo Kuchi wo!

12. Himaten!

High school home ec expert Tenichi earns extra money with a part-time job cleaning houses. But one day, Himari, the owner and model of the popular cosmetics brand Hima Riz, transfers into his class. Say hello to some company president girl x house-cleaner boy romantic comedy hijinks!

Hima-Ten! is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: ひまてん!, Himaten!

11. Kimi Dake ga Hontou

High school boy, Rikimaru, is unable to touch women due to childhood trauma. He has a pair of childhood friends who are siblings. The older sister, Kagami, and then the younger brother, Kyou. Between the two of them they share a similar height and appearance. Under these circumstances a unique twin love romance begins to bloom.

Kimi Dake ga Hontou has finished publishing and it has 13 Chapters. It is also Known as: きみだけがほんとう, Kimi Dake ga Hontou

10. Kininatteru Hito ga Otoko ja Nakatta

Kininatteru Hito ga Otoko ja Nakatta depicts the love story between a high school girl and her classmate who she mistakes as a guy outside of school. They eventually bond over their shared taste in rock music.



Note: Kininatteru Hito ga Otoko ja Nakatta began as a web comic released on the author's Twitter account since April 10, 2022, and published in print by Kadokawa since April 19, 2023.

The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn't a Guy At All is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: 気になってる人が男じゃなかった, The Person She Fell For Wasn't A Boy, Ki ni Natteru Hito ga Otoko Janakatta, Kinninaru Hito ga Otoko Jyanakatta

9. Yofukashi no Uta

One sleepless night, Ko slips out to walk the streets. Life after dark is a revelation! When flirtatious Nazuna invites Ko to spend the night at her place in an abandoned building, he’s stoked! But then he awakens to kisses on his neck with a little too much bite to them... Is it just the delicious taste of his blood that makes her meet him night after night for late-night adventures, conversation and...naps? Or something else? Then, when a cute girl from Ko’s past shows up and competes for his attention, his budding relationship with the undead is put to the test!



Notes:
-Seventh place of Tsugimanga 2020 Award in the Manga Category.
-First place of Daruma 2023 Award (France) in the new manga category (released in 2022 in France).

Call of the Night has finished publishing and it has 200 Chapters. It is also Known as: よふかしのうた, Song of the Night Walkers

8. Jitsu wa Ore, Saikyou deshita?

A guy is reborn into another world to have a promised peaceful life. A baby born of power and royalty, abandoned in the woods for having a power level that cannot be measured by modern radars (no, it's not even close to being over 9000). Just what will he have to do to attain the peaceful life he so desires?

Actually, Am I the Strongest? is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: 実は俺、最強でした?, Am I Actually the Strongest?, 其實，我乃最強?, Apakah Aku Sebenarnya Yang Terkuat?, ¿En realidad soy el más fuerte?

7. Horimiya

At school, Kyouko Hori is known for being smart, attractive, and popular. On the other hand, her classmate, the boring, gloomy Izumi Miyamura tends to get painted as a "loser fanboy." But when a liberally pierced and tattooed (not to mention downright gorgeous) Miyamura appears unexpectedly on the doorstep of secretly plain-Jane homebody Hori, these two similarly dissimilar teenagers discover that there are multiple sides to every story...and person!



Notes:
-Includes 20 extra chapters.
-The 17th volume got released on July 18, 2023. This was 2 years after its original ending. This new volume included 10 extra chapters.

Note: Chapter count includes 20 extra chapters.

Horimiya has finished publishing and it has 152 Chapters. It is also Known as: ホリミヤ, Horimiya

6. Koe no Katachi

Shoya is a bully. When Shoko, a girl who can't hear, enters his elementary school class, she becomes their favorite target, and Shoya and his friends goad each other into devising new tortures for her. But the children's cruelty goes too far. Shoko is forced to leave the school, and Shoya ends up shouldering all the blame. Six years later, the two meet again. Can Shoya make up for his past mistakes, or is it too late?

A Silent Voice has finished publishing and it has 64 Chapters. It is also Known as: 聲の形, The Shape of Voice

5. Shounen no Abyss

Reiji’s life is as miserable as the small town he can’t escape. The most interesting thing that’s ever happened there is a double suicide down by the river. Does Reiji have any power over his fate, or will he too fall into the abyss?

Boy's Abyss has finished publishing and it has 183 Chapters. It is also Known as: 少年のアビス, World End Boy Meets Girl

4. Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai: Tensai-tachi no Renai Zunousen

As leaders of their prestigious academy’s student council, Kaguya and Miyuki are the elite of the elite! But it’s lonely at the top… Luckily for them, they’ve fallen in love! There’s just one problem—they both have too much pride to admit it. And so begins the daily scheming to get the object of their affection to confess their romantic feelings first… Love is a war you win by losing.



Notes:
- The first 10 chapters were published in Monthly Miracle Jump. It switched to Weekly Young Jump starting with Ch. 11, with the chapter count being reset. This entry still includes the first 10 chapters from Miracle Jump.
- Winner of the 65th Shogakukan Manga Award for "Best General Manga" category in 2019.

Kaguya-sama: Love is War has finished publishing and it has 281 Chapters. It is also Known as: かぐや様は告らせたい～天才たちの恋愛頭脳戦～, Kaguya Wants to be Confessed To: The Geniuses' War of Love and Brains

3. Kaette kudasai! Akutsu-san

Timid Ooyama keeps to himself at school, and he certainly never gets involved with Akutsu Riko, a delinquent as buxom as she is notorious. But when she turns up at his apartment out of the blue, what’s he supposed to do, kick her out? She’s gorgeous! And scary! But things get complicated when Akutsu asks to stay the night, then starts turning up over and over again after school–reading Ooyama’s manga, sprawling out on his bed, and digging up his smut stash. Why exactly is she claiming his life as her hangout?! She makes it clear there’s no way she could possibly like him, but the teasing threatens to boil over into something more in this sexy yet adorable slice-of-life rom-com!

Please Go Home, Akutsu-san! is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: 帰ってください！ 阿久津さん, 求妳快走吧，阿久津！, Please Go Home, Akutsu-san!, Yankee Musume, ヤンキー娘

2. A Tsundere Gal Is Becoming Cuter Day by Day

A Tsundere Gal Is Becoming Cuter Day by Day is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: 徐々にデレ味が増してくツンデレギャル, Cô nàng gal tsundere ngày càng đáng yêu hơn, Jojoni Deremi ga Mashiteku Tsundere Gal, Jojoni Deremi ga Mashiteku Tsundere Gyaru, Tsundere Gal Günden Güne Daha Sevimli Hale Geliyor

1. My Unexpected Marriage

"Dirty wench! You stole my necklace!” “Unless I knew where your necklace was, I wouldn’t have been able to take it.” As an illegitimate child, Laritte’s biggest sin was being born. In the year she became an adult, she was sent to marry the ghost duke who was rumored to be dead. Her miserable life seemed to get worse and worse, however her life changed when the duke came back alive. “Madam, how do you like it?” Kind servants, “You have enough luxury to buy some residences in the capital.” “…no one will be able to look down on you anymore.” And the empire’s devoted and murderous duke. It was already too late for those who tormented Laritte to regret.

My Unexpected Marriage is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: When the Count's Illegitimate Daughter Gets Married