Top 19 Samurai manga you should read right now. [2026 List]

19. MookHyang - Dark Lady

As the master of the School of Unholy Arts and as the undefeated Unmasked Demon, MookHyang unfortunately falls to a strange fantasy world by the magic of his enemies (School of Blood Arts). In the new world of elf, sorcerer, knight, and dragon, MookHyang’s adventure of finding a way back to his old world (Murim) unfolds.

Mookhyang: Dark Lady is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: Muk-Hyang: Dark Lady, Mukhyang Dakeureidi

18. Jigoku Raku

Gabimaru the Hollow is one of the most vicious assassins ever to come out of the ninja village of Iwagakure. He’s ruthlessly efficient, but a betrayal results in him being handed a death sentence. He has only one hope—in order to earn his freedom, he must travel to a long-hidden island and recover an elixir that will make the shogun immortal. Failure is not an option. On this island, heaven and hell are just a hair’s breadth away.

Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku has finished publishing and it has 127 Chapters. It is also Known as: 地獄楽, Jigokuraku, Paradition, Heavenhell, Jigoku Raku (KAKU Yuuji)

17. Vagabond

In 16th century Japan, Shinmen Takezou is a wild, rough young man, in both his appearance and his actions. His aggressive nature has won him the collective reproach and fear of his village, leading him and his best friend, Matahachi Honiden, to run away in search of something grander than provincial life. The pair enlist in the Toyotomi army, yearning for glory—but when the Toyotomi suffer a crushing defeat at the hands of the Tokugawa Clan at the Battle of Sekigahara, the friends barely make it out alive.

After the two are separated, Shinmen returns home on a self-appointed mission to notify the Hon'iden family of Matahachi's survival. He instead finds himself a wanted criminal, framed for his friend's supposed murder based on his history of violence. Upon being captured, he is strung up on a tree and left to die. An itinerant monk, the distinguished Takuan Soho, takes pity on the "devil child," secretly freeing Shinmen and christening him with a new name to avoid pursuit by the authorities: Musashi Miyamoto.

Vagabond is the fictitious retelling of the life of one of Japan's most renowned swordsmen, the "Sword Saint" Musashi Miyamoto—his rise from a swordsman with no desire other than to become "Invincible Under the Heavens" to an enlightened warrior who slowly learns of the importance of close friends, self-reflection, and life itself.

Vagabond has finished publishing and it has 327 Chapters. It is also Known as: バガボンド, Vagabond

16. Taiyou to Tsuki no Hagane

Kounosuke Ryuudo is a samurai who is stuck in perpetual poverty. Looking for a job is fruitless, as he cannot wield a blade. Quite literally, in fact. One day, after being accosted by some criminals and wishing to only reach the sweet embrace of death, he receives a marriage proposal from a mysterious woman...

Source: MU

Steel of the Celestial Shadows is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: 太陽と月の鋼, The Steel of Sun and Moon

15. Isekai Samurai

The time is the Warring States period. The strongest samurai in history wanders the land, in search of a good place to die — until suddenly she is transported to another world!?

An invincible samurai cuts her way through another world!!! An isekai samurai fantasy spun by Keigo Saito, in his brilliant, overwhelming style!

Samurai in Another World is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: 異世界サムライ, Isekai Samurai

14. Gamaran: Shura

It's been two years since the infamous Unabara Tournament, but things aren't over for Iori Sengoku—in fact, he's received a summons from the Tokugawa Shogunate. He's to join in battle against the Shogunate's top martial artists to determine the strongest of the lot. Not only that, he's accompanied by the sword-crazy Ran Ichinose.

Gamaran: Shura has finished publishing and it has 311 Chapters. It is also Known as: 我間乱―修羅―, Gamaran: Shura

13. Gintama

The samurai didn't stand a chance. First, the aliens invaded Japan. Next, they took all the jobs. And then they confiscated everyone's swords. So what does a hotheaded former samurai like Sakata "Gin" Gintoki do to make ends meet? Take any odd job that comes his way, even if it means losing his dignity.



Included one-shots:
Volume 1: Dandelion
Volume 2: Shirokuro
Volume 24: 13
Volume 38: Bankara-san ga Tooru
Volume 41: Special Lesson.

Gin Tama has finished publishing and it has 709 Chapters. It is also Known as: 銀魂, Dandelion, Shiro Kuro, Black and White, Shirokuro, 13, Thirteen, Bankara-san ga Tooru, Here Comes Mr. Uncivilised, Silver Soul

12. Yaiba

The light-hearted manga is about an adventuring samurai named Yaiba Kurogane (鉄 刃, Kurogane Yaiba?) who knows how to be a samurai, and little else. Yaiba lives with his father, Kenjurou, in the forest. One day, while Yaiba was eating, a troop of gorillas came to attack. Yaiba and his father escaped and hid inside a box, but they didn't know that the box was full of pineapples and was going to be transported into the city. In the city, Yaiba finds out that he is a legendary warrior and has to fight the evil of a demonic looking high-school student named Takeshi.
Yaiba adapted as an anime series that ran over 50 episodes, and encompassed the adventures Yaiba had in the first few runs of the manga. The show begins with Yaiba training to become a samurai in the jungle with his father and his two animal friends, Kagetora and Shonosuke. At a pivotal point, Yaiba's father announces that he is ready to return to Japan, and instructs him to find his old friend and rival, who just happens to be Sayaka's father.
The people that Yaiba meets along his journey to become a true samurai encourage him, train him, or inspire him to greatness, though at heart he is still a child, and his incredible skill with a sword is matched only by his kindness towards his friends. Though, he tends to leap before he looks, and his thick-headedness tends to turn potential allies into enemies, though his friends soon clobber him, and salvage the situation. This unlikely group embarks on a host of incredible adventures where they meet legendary figures from Japanese history, and finally overcome impossible odds, and put everything on the line, to save the entire planet from a threat not of this world. It's a story of love, friendship, hard work, and never giving up.

Yaiba has finished publishing and it has 255 Chapters. It is also Known as: Kenyuu Densetsu Yaiba

11. Tenkaichi: Nihon Saikyou Bugeisha Ketteisen

Battle tournament manga set in the Sengoku Era.

The year is 1600. Ten years have passed since Oda Nobunaga unified Japan. When Nobunaga realized that he was dying, he announced that he would hand over the country to the one who produced the strongest warriors. The warlords, whose dreams of unifying the country had been dashed, set up their own strongest warriors and set their sights on becoming the ruler of Japan

Tenkaichi: Battle to Decide Japan's Strongest Martial Artist is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: テンカイチ 日本最強武芸者決定戦, テンカイチ -日本最強武芸者決定戦-, 天下第一日本最强武士选拔赛

10. Kubikiri Asa

In a prison world, there are few good stories, and this is the world of Kubikiri Asa, the beheader and master samurai under the Shogun. It's a world full of vengeance, greed, and violence. A world of depravity and sin. One man can set things straight if he can keep his wits. This is a story of extreme proportions, of sword study thick in tradition and with grim purpose, of blood rivers, agonizing screams, bondage, torture, and the evil prevalent in human failure. Drafted by the confirmed masters of the international medium of manga, Samurai Executioner is a shocking combination of darkness and fire, fine lines, and a fine man in the face of human decline.

Samurai Executioner has finished publishing and it has 54 Chapters. It is also Known as: 首斬り朝, Kubikiri Asa

9. Gantz:E

A peasant named Hanbei asks a girl named O-haru for her hand in marriage, but O-haru confesses that she is already thinking of another man named Masakichi from a neighboring village. When Hanbei seeks out Masakichi, he finds that Masakichi possesses a sword and the skills to use it, despite being a peasant.

Gantz:E is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: GANTZ:E, Gantz:Edo

8. Vagabond: Saigo no Manga-ten

Telling the later life of Vagabond's Musashi Miyamoto, it was depicted through 140 hand-drawn drawings with ink and brush. It was released at the Ueno Royal Museum in Tokyo in May 2008, and since then it has been displayed at three other venues, Kumamoto City Museum, Suntory Museum in Osaka, and Sendai Mediatheque, with new paintings and productions.

Note: The comic was compiled in two books: "Inoueno: Mikazuki-hen" (いのうえの 三日月篇) and "Inoueno: Mangetsu-hen" (いのうえの 満月篇).

Vagabond: Saigo no Manga-ten has finished publishing and it has 2 Chapters. It is also Known as: バガボンド 最後のマンガ展, Vagabond: The Last Manga Exhibition, いのうえの 三日月篇, いのうえの 満月篇

7. Kangibanka

This was the early Sengoku period. People suffered, starved and suffered from constant wars. The orphan Kyubei, who has lost his parents, is rescued by Tamon Maru, the leader of a band of robbers, where he is sold into slavery. When Tamon Maru talks about his desire to rise in troubled times and become a daimyo, Kyubei feels the heartbeat of his soul ... A new story of the hero of the Sengoku period, born from the masterpiece of historical novels "Jinkan"!

Source: MU

Kangibanka has finished publishing and it has 31 Chapters. It is also Known as: カンギバンカ, Kangibanka

6. Mugen no Juunin

Manji is an immortal swordsman, who has been cursed with eternal life. He has grown tired of living with all the death he has created. He has no skills other then those of killing, thus he forms a plan to regain his mortality: he shall kill one hundred evil men for each good one he has killed. The old witch who afflicted Manji with immortality agrees to Manji's proposition and Manji is set on his path to kill one thousand evil men. On his journey he meets a young girl, Rin, who has her own vengeance to seek against the sword school whose members slaughtered Rin's family. Rin and Manji journey together, each hoping to find some kind of peace. In their way are many varied enemies. Rin and Manji are almost constantly under attack and must learn to live their lives, avoiding being consumed by revenge.



Note: Originally published with 219 chapters, which were then recollected into 207 chapters in the tankoubons.

Blade of the Immortal has finished publishing and it has 207 Chapters. It is also Known as: 無限の住人, Mugen no Juunin, Inhabitant of Infinity

5. Tokugawa no Mashira

Tokugawa Monkeys has finished publishing and it has 22 Chapters. It is also Known as: 徳川の猿〈ましら〉, Tokugawa no Saru

4. Deadpool: Samurai

Marvel raids Shonen Jump + ?! The irresponsible hero "Deadpool," an extreme outlier even amongst American comic heroes, is finally serialized !!!! A super collaboration manga that involves both the Avengers and Shonen Jump characters!

Anyway, Deadpool lands in Tokyo with a bang! What could possibly go wrong when Iron Man invites Deadpool join the Avengers' new Samurai Squad? After all, Deadpool is just in it for the money…and the trip to Japan. This is fine, right?



Note: Includes 2 extra chapters.

Deadpool: Samurai has finished publishing and it has 17 Chapters. It is also Known as: デッドプール: SAMURAI, Deadpool: Samurai

3. Drifters

Shimazu Toyohisa, whilst involved at the Battle of Sekigahara, manages to mortally wound Ii Naomasa, but is critically wounded in the process. As he walks from the field broken and bleeding, Toyohisa finds himself transported to a corridor of doors, where a bespectacled man at a desk waits for him. This man, Murasaki, sends Toyohisa into the nearest door where he wakes up in another world. There, Toyohisa meets other great warriors like him who have been transported as well, to be part of a group known as "Drifters".

is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: ドリフターズ, Drifters

2. Totsuide kita Yome Aisouwarai bakari shiteru

A Samurai is worried about the fact that his wife always seems to wear a forced smile whenever she's with him.

My New Wife is Forcing Herself to Smile has finished publishing and it has 100 Chapters. It is also Known as: 嫁いできた嫁が愛想笑いばかりしてる, Totsuide kita Yome Aisouwarai bakari shiteru

1. Count Over

A mysterious mastermind single-handedly releases 206 of the most dangerous prisoners around the states. When the prisoners rampage New York City, the police helplessly watch as a young boy with a katana appears. His mechanical arm has a countdown from 206; what is his purpose?

Count Over has finished publishing and it has 1 Chapters. It is also Known as: COUNT OVER, Count Over