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

Given the ever-expanding scope of the manga market, it's increasingly difficult to discover every worthwhile title. As always, the biggest series dominate conversations, however, countless gems of undiscovered treasures waiting to be discovered.

A key pleasure for any manga enthusiast is finding a mostly obscure series buried in publication schedules and recommending it to friends. This list highlights of the top obscure manga I've read in 2025, along with reasons why they're worth checking out before they gain widespread popularity.

Several entries here lack a large audience, notably because they haven't received anime adaptations. Some could be trickier to read due to their publishing platforms. Sharing any of these grants you some impressive fan credentials.

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

• Creators: Ghost Mikawa, Yuki Imano, Akira Yuki, Raika Mizuiro
• Released by: Shueisha
• Find it on: Manga Plus

I know, it's an unusual starting point, but bear with me. The medium embraces absurdity, and it's part of the charm. I admit that isekai is my guilty pleasure. While this series isn't strictly an isekai, it embraces familiar conventions, including an overpowered main character and a game-influenced setting. The unique hook, however, lies in the protagonist. Keita Sato is your typical overworked Japanese corporate man who relieves pressure by entering fantastical portals that materialized globally, armed only with a baseball bat, to smash monsters. He has no interest in treasures, power, or ranking; he only wants to hide his pastime, protect his family, and finish work early for a change.

More polished fantasies are out there, but this is a rare example published by a major house, and thus conveniently readable to international audiences on a digital platform. Regarding online access, this publisher sets the standard, and if you're in need of a brief, enjoyable diversion, the series is a great choice.

9. The Exorcists of Nito

• Artist: Iromi Ichikawa
• Released by: Shueisha
• Available on: Manga Plus

Typically, the word "exorcist" in a manga title makes me hesitant due to the abundance of similar stories, but two series changed my mind this year. This series reminds me of the best parts of a popular supernatural battle manga, with its eerie vibe, stylized art, and sudden violence. I started reading it by chance and was immediately captivated.

Gotsuji is a formidable practitioner who purges ghosts in the hope of finding the one that murdered his mentor. He's accompanied by his mentor's sister, Uruka, who is more interested in protecting Gotsuji than fueling his retribution. The storyline appears straightforward, but the portrayal of the cast is thoughtfully executed, and the visual contrast between the silly appearance of the spirits and the bloody fights is a compelling layer. This is a series with real potential to become a hit — if it's allowed to continue.

8. Gokurakugai

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

If breathtaking art is your priority, then this is it. Yuto Sano's work on the series is spectacular, intricate, and one-of-a-kind. The plot remains within from classic shonen conventions, with heroes clashing with demons (though they're avoiding that specific term), but the characters are all quirky and the world is fascinating. The protagonists, Alma and Tao Saotome, manage the Gokurakugai Troubleshooter agency, resolving disputes in a low-income area where people and animal-human hybrids live together.

The villains, called Maga, are born from human or animal corpses. For those from people, the Maga wields magic reflecting the circumstances of their end: a suicide by hanging can strangle others, one who ended their own life can make people bleed out, and so on. It's a gruesome but interesting twist that provides substance to these antagonists. This series might become a major title, but it's constrained by its slower publication rate. Since its debut, only a limited number of chapters have been released, which can test a reader's patience.

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

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

This dark fantasy manga approaches the ever-present fight narrative from a novel angle for shonen. Rather than focusing on individual duels, it showcases large-scale medieval warfare. The protagonist, Luca, is one of the Branched—those granted singular talents. 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 ruthless soldier group to become a formidable commander, fighting dreaming of a life beyond war.

The world feels a bit standard, and the addition of advanced concepts can seem jarring, but this series still surprised me with grim twists and shocking story pivots. It's a grown-up battle manga with a collection of odd personalities, an compelling ability ruleset, and an interesting combination of strategy and horror.

6. Taro Miyao: Unexpected Feline Guardian

• Artist: Sho Yamazaki
• Publisher: Shueisha
• Available 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—supposedly since a massage from its little feet is his sole relief from tension. {If that premise isn't enough|Should that not convince you|If the setup doesn't grab you