My Top 10 Comics I Read This Year (That You've Probably Never Heard Of).

Given the ever-expanding scope of the manga market, staying on top to keep up with every worthwhile new series. Inevitably, the mainstream series dominate conversations, however, countless gems of undiscovered treasures ripe for exploration.

A particular delight for any manga enthusiast is finding a largely unknown series in the sea of new chapters and spreading the word to friends. This list highlights of the top obscure manga I've read in 2025, along with motivations for they're worthy of attention before they gain widespread popularity.

Some of these series are still awaiting a large audience, notably because they haven't received anime adaptations. A few are harder to access due to where they're available. However, suggesting any of these will earn you some serious bragging rights.

10. The Plain Salary Man Turned Out to Be a Hero

• Authors: Ghost Mikawa, Yuki Imano, Akira Yuki, Raika Mizuiro
• Publisher: Shueisha
• Find it on: Manga Plus

Admittedly, this is a weird pick, but hear me out. Comics are often fun, and that's perfectly fine. I admit that transported-to-another-world stories relax me. While the title isn't strictly an isekai, it embraces familiar conventions, including an incredibly strong protagonist and a RPG-like world structure. The appeal, however, lies in the protagonist. Keita Sato is an archetypal exhausted salaryman who unwinds by sneaking into mysterious dungeons that appeared in the world, armed only with a baseball bat, to pummel creatures. 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.

More polished fantasies are out there, but this is an accessible title from a top company, and thus easily available to international audiences on a digital platform. For easy reading, this publisher sets the standard, and if you're in need of a few minutes of silly fun, the series is an excellent option.

9. Nito's Exorcists

• Author: Iromi Ichikawa
• Publisher: Shueisha
• Available on: Manga Plus

Ordinarily, 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 a popular supernatural battle manga, with its ominous tone, unique visuals, and unexpected brutality. A random click got me hooked and got hooked instantly.

Gotsuji is a formidable practitioner who purges ghosts in the hope of finding the one that murdered his mentor. He's paired with his mentor's sister, Uruka, who is focused on his safety than aiding his quest for revenge. The plot may seem basic, but the treatment of the characters is as delicate as the art, and the visual contrast between the silly appearance of the spirits and the violent battles is a nice extra touch. This is a series with the capacity to go the distance — provided it survives.

8. Gokurakugai

• Author: Yuto Sano
• Publisher: Shueisha
• Available on: Manga Plus; Viz

When artistic excellence matters most, then search no more. Yuto Sano's work on this manga is stunning, detailed, and distinctive. The narrative hews close of typical hero's journey beats, with heroes clashing with demons (though they're not officially called "exorcists"), but the characters are all quirky and the backdrop is compelling. The protagonists, Alma and Tao Saotome, manage the Gokurakugai Troubleshooter agency, resolving disputes in a poor neighborhood where people and animal-human hybrids live together.

The villains, called Maga, are formed from human or animal corpses. For those from people, the Maga has powers relating to the way the human died: someone who hanged themselves manifests as a choking force, one who died from self-harm induces hemorrhaging, and so on. It's a macabre yet fascinating twist that gives weight to these antagonists. Gokurakugai might become a major title, but it's held back by its infrequent release pace. From the beginning, only a handful of volumes have been released, which makes it hard to stay invested.

7. The Call of War: A Bugle's Song

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

This grim fantasy manga approaches the ubiquitous battle trope from a new viewpoint for shonen. In place of highlighting individual duels, it depicts large-scale medieval warfare. The protagonist, Luca, is one of the Branched—individuals possessing a unique special power. Luca's ability lets him transform noise into illumination, which allows him to direct soldiers on the battlefield, employing his instrument and background in a brutal fighter company to become a powerful tactician, fighting to eventually earn his freedom.

The setting is somewhat generic, and the insertion of sci-fi elements can seem jarring, but this series still provided dark turns and surprising narrative shifts. It's a mature shonen with a collection of odd personalities, an compelling ability ruleset, and an enjoyable mix of strategy and horror.

6. Taro Miyao: Unexpected Feline Guardian

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

A cold-hearted main character who reveres Renaissance thinker Niccolò Machiavelli and believes in using any means necessary becomes the owner of a cute cat named Nicolo—reportedly for the reason that a massage from its small claws is the only thing that relieves his stiff shoulders. {If that premise isn't enough|Should that not convince you|If the setup doesn't grab you