A Curated List of 10 Manga I Read This Year (Flying Under the Radar).

With the world of manga growing more vast by the day, staying on top to keep up with every noteworthy new series. Inevitably, the most popular series capture the spotlight, however, countless gems of overlooked works just out of sight.

A key pleasure for any manga enthusiast is finding a largely unknown series amidst the weekly releases and recommending it to friends. I present of the best lesser-known manga I've read in 2025, along with motivations for they're deserving of your time prior to a potential boom.

Some of these series have not yet reached a mainstream following, notably because they haven't received anime adaptations. Others may be less accessible due to where they're available. But recommending any of these provides some impressive fan credentials.

10. The Ordinary Office Worker Who Was a Hero

• Creators: Ghost Mikawa, Yuki Imano, Akira Yuki, Raika Mizuiro
• Publisher: Shueisha
• Available on: Manga Plus

Admittedly, this is a weird pick, but hear me out. The medium embraces absurdity, and there's nothing wrong with that. I'll acknowledge that isekai is my guilty pleasure. While this series doesn't fully fit the genre, it uses similar story beats, including an unbeatable hero and a RPG-like world structure. The charm, however, lies in the protagonist. Keita Sato is a standard overburdened office worker who vents his stress by entering fantastical portals that materialized globally, armed only with a baseball bat, to defeat foes. He's indifferent to treasures, power, or ranking; he only wants to keep his hobby secret, protect his family, and finish work early for a change.

More polished fantasies are out there, but this is one of the few published by a major house, and thus conveniently readable to international audiences through a popular app. For easy reading, this publisher sets the standard, and if you're in need of a short, lighthearted escape, this manga is a great choice.

9. The Nito Exorcists

• Author: Iromi Ichikawa
• Publisher: Shueisha
• Find it on: Manga Plus

Ordinarily, the word "exorcist" in a manga title is enough to deter me due to the abundance of similar stories, but a pair of titles shifted my perspective this year. This series recalls the strongest aspects of a popular supernatural battle manga, with its eerie vibe, distinctive artwork, and sudden violence. A random click got me hooked and got hooked instantly.

Gotsuji is a skilled spirit hunter who purges ghosts in the hope of discovering his master's killer. He's joined by his mentor's sister, Uruka, who is concerned with his well-being than fueling his retribution. The plot may seem basic, but the portrayal of the cast is as delicate as the art, and the visual contrast between the absurd look of the enemies and the gory combat is an effective bonus. This is a series with great promise to go the distance — should it get the chance.

8. Gokurakugai

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

If breathtaking art is your priority, then this is it. Yuto Sano's work on Gokurakugai is stunning, meticulous, and one-of-a-kind. The plot remains within to traditional battle manga tropes, with superpowered people fighting evil spirits (though they're not labeled as exorcists), but the protagonists are distinctly odd and the backdrop is compelling. The protagonists, Alma and Tao Saotome, operate the Gokurakugai Troubleshooter agency, solving problems in a working-class district where humans and beast-men coexist.

The villains, called Maga, are created from human or animal corpses. In the former case, the Maga wields magic reflecting the way the human died: a hanging victim can strangle others, one who perished by suicide induces hemorrhaging, and so on. It's a gruesome but interesting twist that gives weight to these antagonists. Gokurakugai could be the next big hit, but it's limited due to its infrequent release pace. Since its debut, only a handful of volumes have been released, which makes it hard to stay invested.

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

• Writing Team: Mozuku Sora, Higoro Toumori
• Publisher: Shueisha
• Available on: Viz

This dark fantasy manga tackles the ever-present fight narrative from a new viewpoint for shonen. Rather than focusing on individual duels, it depicts epic historical battles. The protagonist, Luca, is one of the Branched—individuals possessing a unique special power. Luca's ability allows him to manifest sound as light, which lets him guide troops on the battlefield, leveraging his musical skill and past in a cruel mercenary band to become a powerful tactician, fighting to eventually earn his freedom.

The backdrop is a little plain, and the addition of advanced concepts feels forced at times, but it still surprised me with grim twists and unexpected plot twists. It's a grown-up battle manga with a group of eccentric individuals, an interesting power system, and an pleasing blend of strategy and horror.

6. Taro Miyao Becomes a Cat Parent?!

• Artist: Sho Yamazaki
• Released by: Shueisha
• Find it on: Manga Plus

A cold-hearted main character who follows the philosophy of Renaissance thinker Niccolò Machiavelli and advocates for ruthless pragmatism adopts a cute cat named Nicolo—allegedly because a massage from its small claws is his sole relief from tension. {If that premise isn't enough|Should that not convince you|If the setup doesn't grab you