Top 28 Most Terrifying Horror Manga Ever Created
What makes a good horror story? Is it the psychologically disturbing triggered by grotesque body parts and haunted mansions? The hopelessness we like to see portrayed by the characters in the story? Or the unsettling and suspenseful atmosphere created by the narrative and drawings that even make you look over your shoulder a couple of times? A good horror story frightens and disturbs, it is scary and induces dread, but most importantly, it fascinates us in the instinctive responses it provokes in us. I hope that these horror manga recommendations will invoke that fascination as they contain various themes of terror, from the occult to psychothrillers, from supernatural manifestation to natural deranged psychologies.
+Of Interest: Top 13 Horror Anime That Will Give You Nightmares - Or Chills At The Very Least
+In no particular order:
1.PTSD Radio
後遺症ラジオ - Kouishou Radio
A grandmother shaves off her granddaughter’s hair as the latter cries, a woman confronts her ex-lover as her bald head gets pulled pack, and an old stone idol sits on overgrown grass, waiting to accept offerings of the dead. The common denominator between these seemingly at first un-intertwined stories is hair, more precisely, old Japanese mythology surrounding hair traditions and curses. If you appreciate Japanese folklore-based horror, you will immensely enjoy this unsettling manga whose panels are often quite fear-inducing and downright scary.
+Volumes: 6
+Chapters: 97
+Published: 2010 to Present
+Genres: Horror, Seinen
+Author: Hiroaki Nakayama, Masaaki [Story & Art]
+Serialization/Other work: Nemesis
2.Ankoku Jiten
暗黒辞典 - Dark dictionary
Ankoku Jiten is an episodic-style horror manga, with one common thread linking the overall fabric together: every chapter begins with someone reading a chapter of a book called ‘The Dark Dictionary’, and the horror story it depicts unfolds. This is a very old-school treatment of the genre with no deep plot or character development. The short stories are freaky, and fans of horror are sure to appreciate them: expect ghost stories, gore, insects, and serials killers.
+Volumes: 4
+Chapters: 24
+Published: 1995
+Genres: Horror
+Author: Ochazuke Nori [Art&Story]
+Other work: Series Title
3.melvina's therapy
During her therapy sessions with a diverse array of people, psychiatrist Melvina helps to unlock the deep emotional trauma of her vict..erm, I mean patients. Her clients have some of the craziest scariest anxiety-inducing stories I’ve ever read about, and you will be scared at various points of your reading - I can almost guarantee this. At first, it seems like every patient story is different and that this manhwa is episodic, but if you’re careful in observing the details, and as you read the author’s explanation at the end of specific chapters, you will knit together the bigger story which itself is terrifying. Fans of horror: lookout for a sea of easter eggs referring to diverse horror books and movies throughout the pannels.
+Chapters: 81
+Published: 2017 to 2019
+Genres: Drama - Horror - Scifi - Psychological - Supernatural
+Authors: A.Rasen [Story & Art]
+Serialization/Other works: Webtoon
4.Blood on the Tracks
血の轍 - Chi no Wadachi
Mundane life turns into slow-paced dread and terror in this psychological horror manga. The premise is simple: Seiichi Osabe lives with his mother, who is often dubbed as overprotective. Her overprotectiveness is not that simple, as it is actually tinged with mental illness, manipulation, and moral decay. No ghosts or demons mark the pages of this work; instead, intricate facial details depicting contorted expressions emanate feelings of morbidity and eerie insidiousness.
+Volumes: 11
+Chapters: ~100
+Published: 2017 to Present
+Genres: Drama - Psychological - Seinen
+Author: Oshimi Shuuzou [Story & Art]
+Serialization/Other work: Big Comic Superior
5.Hideout
After the death of his son and a year of continuous downfalls, Seiichi Kirishima decides to take an island vacation with his wife with the ultimate plan of killing her to reclaim and restart his life. His scheme meets an obstacle (shockers) as he gets lost in a cave while attempting to assassinate her. Albeit the cliche-ridden plot, 'Hideout' is an intense story depicting a man's downfall into insanity. The real appeal of this manga is in its illustrations: sharp dark tones and landscapes of true terror that will make you tremble as you scroll down your screen or flip a page.
+Volumes: 1
+Chapters: 9
+Published: 2010
+Genres: Action - Horror - Psychological - Seinen
+Author: Kakizaki, Masasumi [Story & Art]
+Serialization/Other work: Big Comic Spirits
6.Bastard
후레자식 - Hulejasig
Seon Jin's father is a successful businessman, a good samaritan, and an excellent parent. But that is just a facade he gives to the world, for, in reality, he is a deranged serial killer who uses his son as his unwilling accomplice. 'Bastard' is a master in suspense and unpredictability, mixing in genres not typically associated together - horror and romance, for example - and interlacing different aspects of the plot in a way that makes it almost impossible for the reader to get bored. This psychological horror is sure to induce an array of emotions, one of them being fear (because that's why you're here).
+Volumes: 5
+Chapters: 94
+Published: 2014 to 2016
+Genres: Mystery, Drama, Horror, Romance, Psychological
+Authors: Kim Carnby [Story] + Hwang Young-chan [Art]
+Serialization/Other work: Naver Webtoon
7.Dragon head
ドラゴンヘッド
The story outlines the aftermath of a violent train wreck which results in Teru - the main character - finding himself trapped in a dark tunnel alongside various dead bodies scattered throughout the premises. Survival culminates into madness as the stench of death and decay blends with hunger, sweat, and fear. This is a tale of palm-sweating horrifying tragedy, and induced claustrophobia.
+Volumes: 10
+Chapters: 89
+Published: 1994 to 1999
+Genres: Action - Drama - Horror - Psychological - Seinen
+Author: Mochizuki Minetaro [Story & Art]
+Serialization/Other works: Young Magazine (Weekly)
8.This Man: Death to Those Who See That Face
その顔を見た者には死を- This Man: Sono Kao wo Mita Mono ni wa Shi wo
This manga is based on an urban legend, which began when a woman told her psychiatrist that she had been seeing the face of a man she had never met before in her dreams. More than 3,000 people all over the world have claimed to see "This Man" while dreaming since. In present-day Japan, Hakaru Amano, an investigator who works with facial composites, is asked by a mother and daughter to draw the face of a man who illegally trespassed on their premises. He comes up with the face of "This Man." The story of a serial killer begins to unfold.
+Volumes: 5
+Chapters: 43
+Published: 2018 to 2019
+Genres: Mystery - Shounen - Thriller
+Authors: Karin Sora [Story]+ Megumi Kouji [Art]
+Serialization/Other works: Shounen Magazine (Weekly)
9.Mieruko-chan
見える子ちゃん
No absolute darkness, nor plot twists here! Begone depth-seeking readers, for this horror manga - while scary- mainly relies on jump-scare and humor for its charm. Mieruko-chan is a collection of chapters involving Miko, a typical high school student who can see monsters. Despite her utter terror and state of fear when encountering them in her day-to-day life, she chooses to put on a very flat and unimpressed face, deciding to pretend not to see them. What makes this series stand out is its unconventional approach to the paranormal and its spectacular drawings of ghosts and monsters, as they are some of the most horrifying on this list.
+Volumes: 5
+Chapters: 35
+Published: 2018 to Present
+Genres: Comedy - Horror - Supernatural
+Author: Izumi Tomoki [Story & Art]
+Serialization/Other works: ComicWalker
10.Karadasagashi
カラダ探し - Body Search
Karadasagashi is basically the manga version of hide-and-seek if the hidden entities were dismembered body parts and you were seeking them while being hunted down by a murderous girl covered in blood. At the stroke of midnights, a gang of high schoolers are teleported to their school and must search for eight pieces of their classmate’s body in order to leave. If they don’t find the pieces, they get murdered and must start all over again the next night. This isn’t the most original plot in the world, but it’s scary, it’s horror, it’s entertaining and well-drawn, and it might give you some lovely ideas for your next hide-and-seek game.
+Chapters: 17
+Chapters: 153
+Published: 2014 to 2017
+Genres: Horror - School - Shounen
+Authors: Welzard [Story] + Murase Katsutoshi [Art]
+Serialization/Other work: Shounen Jump+
11.I am a hero
アイアムアヒーロー
Zombie apocalypse fans gather hither. I don’t know about you, but for me, there is nothing quite as horrific and scary as an apocalyptic virus whipping half the earth’s population and the aftermath it entails. This is the premise of this manga, but what makes it particularly enthralling is the fact that our protagonist, unlike the title, is no hero. He’s an incredibly average (and I’m nice here) 35-year-old plagued by a pointless life that only heightens in its futility as the world succumbs to death. This is one of the most realistic zombie horror stories, and its realism only emphasizes its horror characteristics.
+Volumes: 22
+Chapters: 264
+Published: 2009 to 2017
+Genres: Drama - Horror - Psychological - Seinen
+Author: Hiroaki Hanazawa Kengo [Story & Art]
+Serialization/Other works: Big Comic Spirits
12.Kami no Kodomo
神の子供 - God's Child
Sensitive souls, begone! For this is one of the most monstrous tales I've ever read. Verging on Tim Burton-like bizarre and grotesque illustrations, this horror manga is not easily digestible - I have yet to put down my hand, shielding my mouth in disgust. It explores a plethora of themes, some of which are so straightforwardly violent and uncomfortable that I hesitated to include them in this list. 'God's child' won't' be the gruesomest read of your life, but it will definitely leave you uncomfortable. Be warned, however, that if you don't appreciate poetic-like narrating and heavy use of nightmarish unrealistic characters and scenes, you probably won't like this one.
+Volumes: 1
+Chapters: 11
+Published: 2009 to 2010
+Genres: Horror - Psychological
+Author: Nishioka Kyoudai [Story & Art]
+Serialization/Other works: Horror M
13.Homunculus
ホムンクルス
Susumu Nakoshi is offered 700,000¥ by a mysterious eccentric man in exchange for drilling a hole through his forehead. In need of money, he accepts and eventually gains a disturbing ability that enables him to see the world through repulsive and often quite disturbing ways. Absurdity meets the macabre, meshing with beautiful and unpredictable artwork, this manga is intelligent, entertaining, and very memorable.
+Volumes: 15
+Chapters: 166
+Published: 2003 to 2011
+Genres: Mystery - Drama - Horror - Supernatural -Psychological - Seinen
+Author: Yamamoto Hideo [Story & Art]
+Serialization/Other work: Big Comic Spirits
14.the drifting classroom
漂流教室 - Hyouryuu Kyoushitsu
"Mother, I learned then how terrifying true darkness was." The Drifting Classroom is often compared to the Lord of the Flies, in which it portrays a society of children transported to a wasteland where they end up living out their worst nightmares. This is a classic tale of horror and survival where giant centipedes, bleak darkness, and even aliens and mummies invade the pannels of the story. Told through the eyes of a flawed child, it is often over the top in its emotions and depictions but makes for a great read nonetheless.
+Volumes: 11
+Chapters: 44
+Published: 1972 to 1974
+Genres: Mystery - Horror - Sci-Fi - Shounen
+Author: Umezu Kazuo [Story & Art]
+Serialization/Other work: Shounen Sunday
15.Gannibal
ガンニバル
This story begins as police officer Daigo Agawa gets posted to Kuge, a mountainous village in a remote part of Japan. Although the community welcomes him and his family warmly, the mysterious death of an old villager raises doubts about the normality of this place. A series of strange events, feelings of exclusion, and a culminating permanent tension makes this manga a thriller rich in suspense, intrigue, and stress.
+Volumes: 7
+Chapters: 36
+Published: 2018 to Present
+Genres: Horror, Police, Psychological, Seinen
+Author: Ninomiya Masaaki [Story & Art]
+Serialization/Other work: Manga Goraku
16.You Will Hear the Voice of the Dead
死人の声を聞くがよい - Shibito no Koe o Kiku ga Yoi
Mix in slice-of-life, sitcoms, paranormal, gore, and violence, and you’ll end up with this manga. The story follows two childhood best friends, one of which can see ghosts, the other one who is very much dead, as they encounter daily supernatural events and try to solve the mysteries behind them. If I had to put it in one sentence: something disgusting and horrid happens, our two protagonists are either able to solve the enigma or narrowly escape with their lives (or life?) and then we move on to the next chapter—a nice digestible Horror series.
+Volumes: 12
+Chapters: 79
+Published: 2011 to 2018
+Genres: Action - Mystery - Horror - Psychological
+Authors: Sachiko Uguisu [Story & Art]
+Serialization/Other work: Champion RED
17.Sweet Home
스위트 홈
After losing his family, high school student Cha Hyun is forced to move into a new apartment by himself. As he gets to deal with solitary life and lack of money, he witnesses the inhabitants of his building slowly turning into horrifying monsters. And as the world around him plunges into apocalyptic madness, he notices that he himself is also gradually mutating into one. As his time runs out, he must uncover the cause of the outbreak and find a way to survive in this terrifying new reality.
+Volumes: 12
+Chapters: 141
+Published: 2017 to 2020
+Genres: Action, Drama, Horror, Thriller
+Authors: Kim Carnby [Story] + Hwang Young-chan [Art]
+Serialization/Other work: Naver Webtoon
18.Attack on titan
進撃の巨人 - Shingeki no Kyojin
Over a century ago, humanity was devoured by giant beings of unknown intelligence and origin known as Titans. The remaining population has managed to survive the last hundred years only by building a multi-walled city capable of keeping the Titans at bay, training military recruits to patrol the perimeter and gather intelligence about their mysterious foe. Eren and Mikasa have lived a relatively peaceful life behind the city's walls, but when a massive Titan appears, smashing the outer barrier and unleashing a wave of terror, their lives are brutally changed forever. I've debated whether or not I should ad this masterpiece here because it's not straightforward horror, but the truth of the matter is, if I were to wake up in one of the worlds of the mangas in this list, I would probably be the most horrified if it were Attack on Titan.
+Volumes: 33
+Chapters: 137
+Published: 2009 to 2021
+Genres: Action - Drama - Fantasy - Horror - Supernatural
+Author: Hajime Isayama [Story & Art]
+Serialization/Other work: Bessatsu Shounen Magazine
19.DRCL midnight children
DRCL Midnight Children is loosely based and inspired by Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and before you ask: no, don’t worry, the vampires don’t sparkle here. Sakamoto Shinichi is becoming known for his incredible depiction of ‘historical’ mangas and unique mystified art style. So while this manga is not the scariest on this list, it possesses a haunting and eerie atmosphere reminiscent of Lovecraftian horror. With lyricism and stirring metaphorical and symbolistic drawings, this is a hidden gem that is sure to please most of its readers.
+Volumes: 8
+Published: 2020 to Present
+Genres: Historical, Horror, Vampire, Supernatural, Seinen
+Author: Sakamoto, Shinichi [Story & Art]
+Serialization/Other work: Grand Jump
20.Starving anonymous
食糧人類 - Shokuryou Jinrui
One random day, high school students Ie and Kazu are riding the bus home from school when it suddenly floods with sleeping gas. When they wake up, they find themselves aboard a truck packed full of fellow human bodies. As they reach their destination, frozen nude corpses now surround them while a very much alive human staff seems to be sawing them into meaty geometric pieces.
+Volumes: 7
+Chapters: 64
+Published: 2014 to 2018
+Genres: Horror
+Authors: Yuu Kuraishi [Story]+ Kazu Inabe [Art]
+Serialization/Other works: e Young Magazine
21.Kami no Hidarite Akuma no Migite
神の左手悪魔の右手-God's Left Hand, Devil's Right Hand
The six volumes contain five horror stories related to a primary school kid named Sou. Sou has the ability to foresee supernatural events in his dream and even make changes that would eventually happen in reality. This is a very well-known classic horror manga depicting all different facets that you would expect from the genre, from ghosts to gruesome bodily horror.
+Volumes: 6
+Chapters: 77
+Published: 1986 to 1989
+Genres: Mystery, Fantasy, Horror, Supernatural, Seinen
+Author: Umezu Kazuo [Story & Art]
+Serialization/Other works: Big Comic Spirits
22.Fortress of Apocalypse
アポカリプスの砦 - Apokaripusu no toride
Murder convict Yoshiaki Maeda arrives at Shouran Academy Juvenile Detention Center as the prison is in the midst of a power struggle. The outside world is undergoing its first wave of zombie infection (Yes, you’ve read that correctly). This manga is often regarded as one of the best ‘zombie’ manga ever written. While the story is irrevocably intertwined with the undead, there is more to it than just gore, violence, and horror -although we would probably have settled for that.
+Volumes: 10
+Chapters: 49
+Published: 2011 to 2015
+Genres: Action - Mystery - Horror - Sci-Fi Psychological
+Authors: Yuu Kuraishi [Story] + Kazu Inabe [Art]
+Serialization/Other works: Kodansha
23.pigpen
돼지우리 - Dwaejiuri
Pigpen is another masterpiece by Kim Carnby. I won’t give away much of the plot as there is a literal plot twist in almost every single chapter of this manhwa. What you need to know is that our main protagonist essentially wakes up on an island with amnesia, and as he tries to untangle his memories, he comes across a house and a family who greets him. Expect to be incredibly entertained, thrilled, disturbed, chilled, and perhaps even slightly lose your mind with this darkly enthralling story.
+Volumes: 8
+Chapters: 40
+Published: 2019 to 2020
+Genres: Action Horror - Mystery -Psychological -Thriller
+Authors: +Authors: Kim Carnby [Story] + Beom Sick Cheon [Art]
+Serialization/Other works: Webtoon
24.Jisatsu Houjo
自殺幇女 - Suicide Girl
The manga centers on a string of suicides by hanging that has been plaguing the town of Kongou for the past two years, with an urban legend that a girl supposedly appears before the victims to sign a suicide contract with them, pursuing them until the victims commit suicide. Saotome, a college student of folklore studies in Kongou, has recurring dreams for months of himself hung by a rope in a graveyard. He begins to see a woman named Koyomi Hirasaka, a therapist specializing in suicidal thoughts, but unbeknownst to him, he is misled into signing a suicide contract with her, and she begins to shadow him everywhere.
+Volumes: 2
+Chapters: 11
+Published: 2020
+Genres: Mystery, Horror, Shounen, Psychological
+Authors: Murase, Katsutoshi [Art] + Okita, Yoshito [Story]
+Serialization/Other works: Shounen Jump+
25.Chiller
Chiller is a collection of horror stories you should set aside for when you want to get spine-chilling, blood-curdlingly terrified. Horror as a genre merges various mediums to create dreadful and terrorizing atmospheres, but one medium that lacks when it comes to reading it in manga or manhwa form is sound. While some of us psychos like to go the extra mile and play chilling music as we devour a tome, the sound usually adds to the atmosphere to make us jumpier and rarely contributes to jump-scares or real fright. Lo and behold! Arrives ‘Chiller’: as you read this manhwa online on Webtoon, you have the option to turn on the sound incorporated into each story, programmed to terrify you to the depth of your existence as you scroll down the pannels.
+Volumes: 37
+Published: 2015
+Genres: Drama - Horror - Mystery - Psychological - Supernatural - Tragedy
+Authors: Various Artists
+Serialization/Other works: Webtoon
26.BERSERK
ベルセルク - BERUSERUKU
Berserk is one of the best manga to have ever been crafted by the manga gods and grace our earth. Berserk is a tale of vengeance, growth, pitfalls, and glory. It examines themes of isolation and friendship, the symmetry of good and evil - and all the grey areas in between - but most importantly, it illustrates the worst and finest sides of human nature.
+Volumes: 40
+Chapters: 383
+Published: 1989 to present
+Genres: Action - Adventure - Demons - Drama - Fantasy - Horror - Supernatural - Military - Psychological
+Authors: Kentarou Miura [Story & Art]
+Serialization/Other work: Young Animal
27.Gyo: Ugomeku Bukimi
ギョ うごめく不気味 - Gyo: The Death-Stench Creeps
Horror fans might ban me from what I say next, but I’m not a big fan of Gyo. I think it lacks the creepy atmosphere usually synonymous with Junji Ito’s works, but I include it here nonetheless because Gyo: Ugomeku Bukimi also consists of two other stories: The Sad Tale of the Principal Post and The Enigma of Amigara Fault - the latter being a wonderful short read. Gyo itself consists of a sort of apocalypse where sea creatures become able to walk on land and invade us (think of sushi with legs). I won’t tell you the plot of the other two as they are quite short, just read them, you’ll enjoy the art style for sure.
+Volumes: 2
+Chapters: 21
+Published: 2001 to 2002
+Genres: Mystery, Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi, Psychological, Seinen
+Authors: Ito, Junji [Story & Art]
+Serialization/Other work: Big Comic Spirits
28.Uzumaki
うずまき - The Spiral
Junji Ito depicts horror in the intimate and mundane, sometimes choosing unremarkable entities and distorting them into objects of terror. Here, spirals are the culprit as they begin to take over a small village and become a sick and creepy obsession. Everything spirals down into a horrific chain of events, from cognition to physical bodies and houses. Regardless of the plot, this manga could also probably just be enjoyed by the artwork alone: a sick and creepy style emanates from all panels.
+Volumes: 3
+Chapters: 19
+Published: 1998 to 1999
+Genres: Dementia - Drama - Horror - Supernatural - Seinen
+Authors: Ito, Junji [Story & Art]
+Serialization/Other work: Big Comic Spirits
