Top 26 Best War and Military Manga Ever Created
In warfare, the ordinary becomes extraordinary as the ordinary gets replaced by violence and chaos. War is the ultimate test for the human psyche, where mistake leads to death. As the mind finds itself on a constant precipice, it reveals folds and corners usually tucked away during the day-to-day life of normal society. Thus, military geniuses are born, technology reaches new heights, and tactics and logistics evolve, but most of all: courage or cowardice are found. In this list, you'll find some of the best war and military manga ever made, where modern realistic wars unfold, intergalactic futuristic battles are fought, and medieval and antique combats lead to conquests and expansions. Each story with its own set of tactics and strategies is guaranteed to satisfy you if you’re looking for recommendations.
Below, you'll find 26 war and military manga recommendations. If you are both a military fan and a manga lover, consider customizing army challenge coins, military pins, and other merchandise to express your love for the genre.
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After hundreds of years of constant warfare during a time that will become known as the Chinese Warring States period, an orphan who dreams of becoming the greatest general in all of China accidentally becomes involved in a conflict surrounding the royal throne of the state of Qin. Eventually, he serves under the new king, who has one ambition: uniting all of China under a single banner. Kingdom is a manga of epic proportions, with warfare involving thousands of soldiers and military strategizing, meticulously depicted through tactical maps and detail-oriented pannels. It is based on true events and characters from Chinese history. It also depicts in-depth national politics and diplomacy between nations, but fear not: war and military take the front stage.
+Volumes: +60
+Chapters: +710
+Published: 2006 to Present
+Genres: Action - Drama -Historical
+Authors: Hara Yasuhisa [Story&Art]
+Serialization/Other work: Young Jump
2.Sidonia no Kishi
シドニアの騎士 - Knights of Sidonia
After barely escaping total annihilation from an alien invasion, humanity has taken refuge in deep space, constructing a home out of a giant spaceship: Sidonia. With limited resources, the population has focused on genetic manipulation, which has enabled its people to photosynthesize and create a third sex as well as new types of fuel. Above all else, warfare is given the highest budget in technological and human development, as the Gauna - a regenerating alien species - is capable of striking at any time. With the enemy able to take on any form and the constant weaponry improvements and terrain change, each battle in this manga is guaranteed to feel unprecedented. Plenty of adrenaline-pumping action occurs, supplemented by intelligent details on tactics and maneuvers as panels shift between the battlefront and Sidonia's bridge monitor system.
+Volume: 15
+Chapters: 78
+Published: 2009 to 2015
+Genres: Action - Drama - Sci-Fi - Mecha -Space
+Authors: Nihei Tsutomu [Art&Story]
+Serialization/Other work: Afternoon
3.Gate: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri
ゲート 自衛隊彼の地にて、斯く戦えり - GATE
One day, a gate suddenly appeared in Ginza, linking Tokyo to a strange world inhabited by supernatural creatures and militant empires. After losing 100 people to the carnage of soldiers from the other world, the government dispatches the Japanese Self-Defense Force to the Gate on a reconnaissance mission. If you like medieval fantasies and modern military warfare, this one won't disappoint. Although a match between a grenade launcher and a sword is easy to determine, it does not lack in entertainment.
+Volumes: +19
+Chapters: +112
+Published: 2011 to Present
+Genres: Action - Adventure - Fantasy - Isekai
+Authors: Yanai Takumi [Story] Sao Satoru [Art]
+Serialization/Other work: AlphaPolis Web Manga
4.BERSERK
ベルセルク - BERUSERUKU
When engaged in war, humans tend to show facets of their nature that usually lie dormant in their unconsciousness. Agony and despair open up the darkness of the mind, tinting the soul with new shades of black and grey where before only white resided. Now, apart from trying to be poetic, I aim to introduce one of the greatest manga to have ever been crafted: Berserk. A tale of vengeance, growth, pitfalls, and glory lies in its pages. It examines themes of isolation and friendship, the symmetry of good and evil, but most importantly, it illustrates human nature's worst and finest sides. Also, yes, obviously, military, war, and bloodshed are constantly recurring themes.
+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
5.Adolf ni Tsugu
アドルフに告ぐ - Message to Adolf
Anyone who is a fan of war must be a fan of history. If you are not a fan of history, you have not yet found the right way to learn it. I'm not saying that this manga is the best way to learn about World War II, but it is mostly historically accurate. It does not shy away from depicting the horrors of the conflict and offering commentary on battles that school history books barely give a sentence to. In Adolf Ni Tsugu, we follow the lives of three characters named Adolf: Adolf Kaufmann, a Japanese-German whose father intends to send him to join the Hitler Youth, his best friend, Adolf Kamil, an Ashkenazi Jew living in Japan, and Adolf Hitler, Germany's dictator. Through them, the underside of WWII is fully explored, as the author brilliantly depicts, criticizes, and sheds light on the atrocities of each country involved in the war in a haunting atmosphere cradled by the tragedy of inevitability.
+Volumes: 4
+Chapters: 36
+Published: 1983 to 1985
+Genres: Drama - Historical
+Authors: Tezuka Osamu [Story & Art]
+Serialization/Other works: Shuukan Bunshun
6.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 gathering 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. Attack On Titan is a war story of epic proportions.
+Volumes: 33
+Chapters: 137
+Published: 2009 to 2021
+Genres: Action - Drama - Fantasy - Horror - Supernatural
+Authors: Hajime Isayama [Story & Art]
+Serialization/Other work: Bessatsu Shounen Magazine
7.Gunka no Baltzar
軍靴のバルツァー - Baltzar Militarismus
''Peace exists simply as a time to prepare for the next battle.'' Set in the 19th century, somewhere in Central Europe, Gunka no Baltzar follows the story of Bernd Balzer, an officer who quickly rises through the ranks of his country's armed forces. His latest order sends him to an ally nation where he must help set up a military school to strengthen its army and increase his own government's influence in the region. Here, warfare tactics and weaponry are reminiscent of the Franco-Prussian war, involving different types of riffles and military formations. This manga also incorporates a refreshing mix of military school life and politics.
+Volumes: +8
+Chapters: +70
+Published: 2011 to Present
+Genres: Historical
+Authors: Nakajima Michitsune [Story & Art]
+Serialization/Other work: Comic Bunch
8.86
86―エイティシックス― - Eighty Six
Nine years ago, the Empire of Giad declared war on all neighboring countries using an army of autonomous drones known as the Legion. Threatened by the soulless killing machines, the Republic of San Magnolia, home to the silver-haired Alba race, evacuated its citizens inside 85 districts and developed supposedly unmanned drones known as Juggernauts to counter the Legion. Even after years of war, the Republic boasts that they have suffered zero casualties. However, the battlefield bathed in crimson recites a different melody.
+Volumes: +4
+Chapters: +18
+Published: 2017 to Present
+Genres: Action - Drama - Sci-Fi
+Authors: Asato Asato [Story] Shirabi [Art]
+Serialization/Other work: Ikki
9.Marginal Operation
マージナル・オペレーション
This manga might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I include it on this list because it gives an interesting perspective on one aspect of war we tend to overlook: the psychology of people making decisions that end up killing opponents and the debate on the 'acceptable' ratio of civilian casualties during military operations. Marginal Operation follows Ryouta Arata as he joins a private military security company and begins his training as a consultant mercenary with the title of 'operators of operators.'
+Volumes: 16
+Chapters: 88
+Published: 2013 to 2021
+Genres: Action
+Authors: Kimura, Daisuke [Art] Shibamura Yuri [Story]
+Serialization/Other works: Afternoon
10.Fullmetal Alchemist
After an alchemy experiment goes wrong, brothers Edward and Alphonse are left with missing limbs and bodies. Edward manages to bind his brother's soul to a giant armor and later on gets an Automail prosthesis. Intent on reconstructing their bodies, the brothers embark on a quest to find the Philosopher's stone: a powerful gem that grants alchemists the power to violate the laws of equal exchange. The central conflict of this manga revolves around the military, the brothers joining its ranks and encountering fellow armed forces constantly. War is only given from their point of view, and while not as many people participate in battles, they are grandiose in their own way.
+Volumes:
+Chapters:
+Published: to
+Genres: Drama - Romance - Slice of Life
+Authors: Obata Yuuki [Story & Art]
+Serialization/Other works: Betsucomi
11.Jormungand
ヨルムンガンド
Jormungand follows Koko Hekmatyar, a young arms dealer selling weapons under an international shipping and illegal smuggling corporation. Each volume of this series focuses on a different member of her crew, most of them former soldiers, but also primarily focuses on Jonah, an ex-child-soldier. Each of their stories sheds light on what brought them into the current position they occupy but also explores many of the following themes: the perpetuation of violence and modern war, intelligence warfare, political conflicts as well as the very obscure morality of certain choices.
+Volumes: 11
+Chapters: 70
+Published: 2006 to 2012
+Genres: Action + Drama
+Authors: Takahashi Keitarou [Art&Story]
+Serialization/Other work: Sunday Gene-X
12.Bokko
墨攻
This story also takes place in the warring states period of China (this is a list about war manga, after all, and China really liked to go to war back then), but unlike other manga set in a similar historical timeline, this one does not focus on invasion or offense, but instead, is solely dedicated to military defense. The manga begins as a small town is about to be invaded and requests the help of a member of the Bokk clan. This clan is known for its war strategies and defensive military tactics and, as a response, sends a single man to answer their plea: Kakuri.
+Volumes: 11
+Chapters: 107
+Published: 1992 to 1996
+Genres: Drama - Action - Historical
+Authors: Sakemi Kenichi [Story] Mori Hideki [Art]
+Serialization/Other work: Big Comic
13.NEON GENESIS EVANGELION
新世紀エヴァンゲリオン
Neon Genesis Evangelion is set in futuristic Tokyo after a cataclysmic event known as 'the Second Impact' took place. Years later, monstrous celestial beings known as 'Angels' started to appear, intent on destroying what was left of the Earth. To combat them, an organization called NERV developed bio machines named 'Evangelion' and started training their pilots to fight the Angels. The story centers around pilot Shinji Ikari and two other teenage girls recruited by NERV. The manga explores pseudo-religious and philosophical concepts and dives deeply into the characters' psyche and the dark truth of the origin of 'Angels.' There is also a heavily 'military' atmosphere prevalent, as well as plenty of intense combats to satisfy fans of the war-genre.
+Volumes: 14
+Chapters: 97
+Published: 1994 to 2013
+Genres: Action - Drama - Mystery - Sci-Fi - Psychological
+Authors: Sadamoto Yoshiyuki [Story & Art]
+Serialization/Other works: Young Ace
14.Break Blade
ブレイクブレイド - Broken Blade
Rygart Arrow lives in a world where the majority of the population is able to manipulate special quartz stones to power machinery and pilot mecha Golems used by the army. However, he and his brother are part of an unlucky few lacking in that ability. As political turmoil invades the land and war slips into the reality of his day-to-day life, Rygart is suddenly summoned to the capital to serve.
+Volumes: +18
+Chapters: +100
+Published: 2006 to Present
+Genres: Drama - Romance
+Authors: Midorikawa Yuki [Story & Art]
+Serialization/Other work: LaLa
15.All You Need Is Kill
Edge of Tomorrow
If you've watched the live-action movie 'Edge of Tomorrow,' this is the story it is based on. Aliens known as Mimics invade the Earth, igniting warfare throughout the planet as humanity struggles to survive. To combat them, countries form the United Defense Force, a joint military organization whose technology develops exoskeletons combat suits aiming to give their soldiers a fighting chance. Keiji Kiriya, a young Japanese soldier from the exoskeleton squad, is killed seconds after his first deployment, but to his surprise, he awakens one day before his unit is dropped into Mimic territory.
+Volumes: 2
+Chapters: 17
+Published: 2014
+Genres: Action - Sci-fi
+Authors: Sakurazaka, Hiroshi & Takeuchi Ryousuke [Story] Obata, Takeshi [Art]
+Serialization/Other work: Young Jump
16.Youjo Senki
幼女戦記 - The Saga of Tanya the Evil
After being pushed off a train platform, a cunning and manipulative businessman is brought face to face with God. Being a nonbeliever and deeming the existence of God as illogical in a world that would allow him to meet his death so easily, the businessman criticizes him and mockingly refers to him as ‘Being X.’ To teach him a lesson, God reincarnates him in the body of a small girl in a parallel world raging with constant war. Although given a presumably second chance at life, the businessman keeps his vile and ruthless personality and decides to embark on a feud with Being X: he joins the military and quickly rises through its ranks by using everyone around him as puppets to serve his grander plan.
+Volumes: +24
+Chapters: +58
+Published: 2016 to Present
+Genres: Action - Isekai
+Authors: Zen Carlo [Story] Toujou Chika [Art]
+Serialization/Other work: Comp Ace
17.Drifters
ドリフターズ
Military tactics and combat styles vary by historical period and geographical locations that humans inhabit. The samurais of Edo-period Japan fought differently than Napoleon did during the wars that bear his names. But, the art of war and its essence is not confined to a single individual or nation. In this fact lies the beauty of this manga: Drifters is set in a land where legendary warriors have been transported to in order to use their experience in combat and strategy to overtake a colossal empire. Think figures such as samurai Shimazu Toyohisa, warrior Jeanne d'Arc, and darker ones such as Hitler.
+Volumes: +6
+Chapters: +83
+Published: 2009 to Present
+Genres: Historical - Isekai - Samurai
+Authors: Hirano Kouta [Art&Story]
+Serialization/Other work: Young King OURs
18.Ad Astra: Scipio to Hannibal
アド･アストラ-スキピオとハンニバル-
In the 3rd century BC, after the First Punic War, Carthage suffered a devastating naval defeat at the hands of the Roman Republic. While the general of the Carthaginian army, Hamilcar, was forced to accede to a humiliating peace treaty, his son Hannibal Barca—an unemotive 6-year-old with an unmatched genius—was prophesied by the Carthaginians to be the destined conqueror of Rome. Years later, an adult Hannibal leads an army of 50,000 into Hispania—a peninsula under the protection of Rome—thereby triggering the Second Punic War.
+Volumes: 13
+Chapters: 81
+Published: 2011 to 2018
+Genres: Action - Historical
+Authors: Kagano Mihachi [Story & Art]
+Serialization/Other works: Ultra Jump
19.Vinland Saga
ヴィンランド・サガ
Vinland Saga is a brutal and mature manga set in 11th-century Europe: an era known for violence, sieges, invasions, manhunts, duels, madness, and inescapable injustice. These conditions provided a paradise for battle-crazed Vikings and other war-loving mercenary crews, killing becoming both a way to live and make a living. The many atrocities depicted in this manga are based in reality, following specific weaponry and psychology that people had at the time. Reflective of this is our protagonist, Thorfinn, both an observer and partaker in the savagery of the land, fueled with a rage of another kind: revenge.
+Volumes: +25
+Chapters: +193
+Published: 2005 to Present
+Genres: Action - Adventure - Drama - Historical
+Authors: Yukimura, Makoto ( [Story&Art]
+Serialization/Other works: Afternoon
20.Five Star Stories
ファイブスター物語 - Five Star Monogatari
Five Star Stories is set thousands of years into the future and unfolds over millennia across a cluster of four solar systems named the Joker System. There, three main feudal-like factions have been fighting for years over the control of resources and territories of inhabited space. On the frontlines, massive heavily-armed robots are flown by trained knights. But, due to their immense complexity, these robots need the additional mental input of bio-engineered computers that aid their pilots. These computers look like petite women and are called Fatimas.
+Volumes: +16
+Chapters: +28
+Published: 1986 to Present
+Genres: Sci-Fi - Mecha
+Authors: Nagano, Mamoru [Story & Art]
+Serialization/Other works: Newtype
21.Black Lagoon
ブラックラグーン
In the fictional city of Roanapur, Thailand, Yakuza meets Hong Kong Triad, Russian militants, and South American drug dealers. This town, tucked away near the sea of Southeast Asia, is a blend of cultures and a constant clash of criminals. A team of mercenaries known as the Lagoon Company takes base there, waiting for jobs from clients whose profiles range from political governments to wanted criminal leaders. Their missions vary in size and violence, from nautical battles, gun shootouts or hand-to-hand combats.
+Volumes: +12
+Chapters: +110
+Published: 2002 to Present
+Genres: Action - Drama
+Authors: Hiroe Rei [Story&Art]
+Serialization/Other works: Sunday Gene-X
22.Kidou Senshi Gundam: The Origin
機動戦士ガンダム THE ORIGIN - Amuro 0082
It is the year Universal Century 0079 and the eighth month of a vicious war between the Earth Federation and a breakaway nation of space colonists, the Principality of Zeon. The story follows the crew of the warship White Base as they fight to ferry the experimental RX-78-02 Gundam mobile suit to the Federation base at Jaburo.
+Volumes: 24
+Chapters: 112
+Published: 2001 to 2014
+Genres: Action - Drama - Sci-Fi - Space - Mecha
+Authors: Yasuhiko, Yoshikazu [Story&Art]
+Serialization/Other works: Gundam Ace
23.Historie
Alexander the Great is known for the vast number of military campaigns, wars, reforms, and territory expansions he carried out during a span of 13 years. This manga's story narrates part of his life told through the eyes of Eumenes, Alexander's right-hand general. Wars are obviously given a critical light, but this work primarily focuses on the personality and psychology of specific military leaders during the ~300 B.C. period of Greek, Persian, and Macedonian history.
+Volumes: +11
+Chapters: +121
+Published: 2003 to Present
+Genres: Action - Adventure - Drama - Historical
+Authors: Iwaaki Hitoshi [Story&Art]
+Serialization/Other works: Afternoon
24.Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch
コードギアス 反逆のルルーシュ - Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion
This manga takes place in an alternate history where the world is controlled by three distinct superpowers: Britannia, The European Union, and The Chinese Federation. The story begins after the conquest of Japan by the Britannian Empire, which renames it 'Area 11'. Lelouch Lamperouge, a citizen of area 11, finds himself caught in a crossfire of these two countries. As he struggles to survive, he meets 'C.C,' a mysterious girl who signs a contract with him: she grants him the power of the Geass, which allows him to control anyone and bend their will to his. Feeding on his hatred for Britannia and his natural intelligence, Lelouch crafts out an ingenious and mysterious military and psychological plan to eradicate the Empire.
+Volumes: 8
+Chapters: 40
+Published: 2006 to 2010
+Genres: Action - Drama - Sci-Fi - Supernatural
+Authors: Taniguchi Gorou&Ookouchi Ichirou [Story] Majiko! [Art]
+Serialization/Other works: Asuka (Monthly)
25.Arslan senki
アルスラーン戦記 - The Heroic Legend of Arslan
The Heroic Legend of Arslan is set in a fictional version of old Persia and follows the exploits of Arslan, the crown prince of the Kingdom of Pars. The manga explores different moments of his life, from his naive and gentle youth when he learns sword-wielding and various military strategies to his first battle, which ultimately ends in utter defeat and forced exile. Throughout his story, he is joined by philosophers, loyal servants, and tacticians, who will ultimately aid him in reconquering his land.
+Volumes: 24
+Chapters: 112
+Published: 2001 to 2014
+Genres: Action - Adventure - Drama - Fantasy - Supernatural - Historical
+Authors: Yasuhiko, Yoshikazu [Story&Art]
+Serialization/Other works: Gundam Ace
26.Hadashi no Gen
はだしのゲン - Barefoot Gen
To end this list of endless bloodshed, I thought I'd leave you with a manga depicting the perspective of civilians witnessing war and living under the military rule of an invader. Set in 1945, Japan, this work is based on the real-life experience of its author and his struggle to survive some of the worst aspects of the Second World War: the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, the destruction of his city, the witnessing of thousands of deaths, and the terrible conditions of life under American occupation and rehabilitation.
+Volumes: 10
+Chapters: 54
+Published: 1973 to 1974
+Genres: Drama - Historical
+Authors: Nakazawa, Keiji [Story & Art] [Art]
+Serialization/Other works: Shounen Jump (Weekly)
