The best Shonen horror manga

Key recommendations

• Shonen horror manga can be as brutal and gruesome as seinen, with graphic content and gruesome stories.
• Some shonen manga balance action with horror elements, featuring violent themes and cute visuals.
• Series like
  Devilman
  and
  Claymore
  offers deep, dark storytelling, unique characters and intense action scenes.

Those who believe this shonen horror manga are less brutal or gruesome than their more mature seinen counterparts should think again. Although shonen series are aimed at young boys, they are no less capable of producing some of the scariest images and stories ever put on the pages of a manga.

These series prove that shonen manga isn't all about tournament arcs, power fantasies, and mindless action. Some of these manga might make us wonder how they ended up in a shonen magazine instead of a seinen one due to their graphic content, while others perfectly balance shonen-esque action with horror elements.

10 Happy sugar life

Deceptively cute series about a violent Yandere

• release date: May 22, 2015 – June 22, 2019
• Creative: Tomiyaki Kagisora
• The number of volumes: 10

Few things are scarier than someone who seems nice and harmless on the surface, but harbors a terrifying and violent streak. Happy sugar life is about a high school girl named Satou Matsuzaka. She instantly falls in love with a young woman named Shio Koube, prompting Satou to kidnap her and go to terrible lengths to keep her idyllic “sugar happy life” intact.

Happy sugar life it combines cute visuals, moe and character designs with disturbing themes, creating a rather shocking contrast. Fans of the “yandere” trope should definitely check this series out.

9 Zombie loan

Darkly hilarious supernatural horror about hunting rogue zombies

• release date: April 2002 – March 2011
• Creative: Peach-Pit
• The number of volumes: 13

Zombie loan is one of the most entertaining supernatural horror manga out there, with plenty of clever twists to capture any reader's attention. It's about a shy high schooler named Michiru Kita who has “Shinigami Eyes”, the ability to see people's impending deaths. A gray ring appears around the person's neck and turns black when they die.

She soon finds herself in the world of zombie hunting when she teams up with two undead classmates with black rings around their necks. Zombie loan it's a little lighter than a standard horror manga, but there's plenty of shonen-style comedy and action to keep readers entertained.

8 Doubt

The mobile survival game becomes terrifyingly real

• release date: December 26, 2007 – February 12, 2009
• Creative: Yoshiki Tonogai
• The number of volumes: 4

The “survival game” genre has seemingly replaced the zombie apocalypse as the main horror subgenre. Doubtlike any good death game series, it explores themes of survival in extreme circumstances. It's a popular mobile game called “Rabbit Doubt” that involves players taking on the roles of rabbits in a group. One of them secretly takes on the role of a “wolf”, whose objective is to kill the rabbits without being discovered.

Unfortunately, for a group of friends, the game becomes terrifyingly real. After being drugged and waking up in an abandoned hospital, the group discovers that there is a real “wolf” in their ranks, killing the members one by one. He must discover who it is before it's too late.

7 Fort of the Apocalypse

Survival Horror about life in prison during a zombie apocalypse

• release date: September 7, 2011 – August 6, 2015
• Creative: Written by Yuu Kuraishi; Illustration by Kazu Inabe
• The number of volumes: 10

There was a time not long ago when zombies were all the rage (and for all intents and purposes, still are) and Fort of the Apocalypse is an underrated gem of a zombie horror manga that falls right into that niche. It takes place in a juvenile detention center, with the protagonist, Yoshiaki Maeda, being sent there due to a false accusation.

Life in prison is hard as it is, but it gets worse when a zombie outbreak spreads across the world. Now trapped in the detention center, Maeda and his cellmates are forced to work together to defeat hordes of zombies and escape the facility.

6 The drifting classroom

Classic psychological horror about a time traveling school

• release date: 1972 – 1974
• Creative: Kazuo Umezu
• The number of volumes: 11

The drifting classroom is considered a masterpiece in the world of horror manga, with artists such as Junji Ito citing its creator Kazuo Umezu as an inspiration. It's about an elementary school that is suddenly transported to a post-apocalyptic wasteland, along with everyone in it.

Students and teachers struggle to survive in the bleak environment while trying to solve the mystery of how their situation came to be. The contrast between the innocence of the child characters and the violence and brutality they face simply heightens the horror.

5 Sankarea: Immortal love

Zombie-obsessed high schooler has a zombie girlfriend

• release date: December 9, 2009 – September 9, 2014
• Creative: Mitsuru Hattori
• The number of volumes: 11

The zombie genre has been mixed with every other genre of media under the sun and Sankarea: Immortal love offers a unique example of a romantic horror comedy with zombies on the side. It follows a high school student named Chihiro Furuya who has an obsession with zombies and dreams of having a zombie girlfriend one day.

While creating a resurrection potion for his dead cat, he meets a lonely girl named Rea Sanka, who secretly drinks Chihiro's potion. After a series of unfortunate events lead to her death, she is revived by the potion she drank. Now a zombie, Rea must navigate her new life as well as her growing feelings for Chihiro.

4 Dusk Maiden of Amnesia

A middle schooler helps uncover a ghost's tragic past

• release date: April 2008 – November 2013
• Creative: May be
• The number of volumes: 10

Dusk Maiden of Amnesia is a paranormal horror manga with a dash of romance that presents a ghost not as a vengeful entity, but as a tragic and sympathetic one. Yuko Kanoe, a ghost said to haunt the halls of Seikyou Private Academy, is playful, flirtatious, and has no memory of her death.

The protagonist, Teiichi Niiya, intrigued by Yuko, forms the school's Paranormal Investigation Club to investigate the circumstances behind her death. Little does he know that Yuko's forgotten memories hide a dark and painful truth.

3 Devilman

Raw, visceral horror that explores morality and human frailty

• release date: June 11, 1972 – June 24, 1973
• Creative: Go Nagai
• The number of volumes: 5

Devilman is one of the most influential manga series of all time, inspiring countless works in the horror and dark fantasy genres, including Berserk and Attack on Titan. The story of an ordinary person who turns into a monster to defeat a race of similar monsters has been replicated many times.

The protagonist, Akira Fudo, unexpectedly becomes involved in a war between demons and humans when he merges with a demon named Amon. Now possessing the powers of a demon while maintaining his humanity, he fights to protect humans from the demon threat.

2 Alice In Borderlands

High school students are transported to an alternate world where survival games determine their fate

• release date: November 25, 2010 – March 2, 2016
• Creative: Haro Aso
• The number of volumes: 18

You have fans Squid game should definitely check it out Alice in the Borderlands waiting for the second season. It follows a disillusioned high school student named Ryohei Arisu who is transported to a parallel version of Tokyo along with his best friends.

The world, known as Borderland, is a dystopian city where people must participate in deadly games that determine whether they live or die. Each game forces participants to confront their deepest fears and weaknesses, setting the stage for a philosophical and emotional series.

1 Claymore

Fantasy horror set in a world full of monsters

• release date: May 6, 2001 – October 4, 2014
• Creative: Norihiro Yagi
• The number of volumes: 27

Claymore it stands out from other shonen manga as it features a predominantly female cast. The story takes place in a world where humanity is terrorized by shape-shifting demons known as Yoma. To combat the Yoma, an organization creates Claymores – female warriors infused with Yoma flesh who possess superhuman abilities and strength.

Claymore is a must read for fans of dark fantasy series such as Berserk and Blood+ as it features a dark and mature story, deep character development and action-packed scenes. Its strong female cast and bleak fantasy setting only add to its allure.