It’s been a great year for manga. We’ve seen the releases of diverse new series both through digital releases and the phsyical ones as well that have taken readers well beyond just Shonen Jump. We’ve been covering the best manga of 2022 across demographics, and we’re happy to see shonen, josei, shoujo, and some series that don’t fit neatly into a demographic. We polled our writers to see which titles were their best manga of 2022 and after ranking their respective choices we’ve pulled together these top 15 choices.
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To make the top manga of 2022 list, the manga has to be officially released in Engish and in as a volume or one-shot.
15. Lost Lad London
Publisher: Yen Press
Mangaka: Shima Shinya
Volumes: 2 (on-going)
“The whole of London is shocked when the mayor is found dead on an Underground train, but perhaps none more than university student Al Adley. Though he took the Tube at the time of the fatal stabbing, he doesn’t remember seeing anything unusual—certainly nothing to explain how a bloody knife found its way into his pocket that night. However, in spite of this damning evidence, Detective Ellis believes Al’s claims of innocence. Now the two must work together to conceal Al’s involvement and clear his name in the face of shadowy forces working to see Al take the fall for a crime he didn’t commit…”
14. Run On Your New Legs
Publisher: Yen Press
Mangaka: Wataru Midori
Volumes: 3 (on-going)
“Shouta Kikuzato’s hopes of starting on his school’s prestigious soccer team are derailed when a terrible incident costs him his leg. Now in his first year of high school (again), Kikuzato has resigned himself to never reaching his athletic dreams. But when Chidori, a passing prosthetist, notices Kikuzato’s artificial limb— and speed—as he races through the train station, the specialist proposes a partnership: Chidori will build Kikuzato a brand-new leg designed solely for speed. All Kikuzato has to do is run!”
13. The Gay Who Turned Kaiju
Publisher: Yen Press
Mangaka: Kazuki Minamoto
Volumes: One-shot
“Bullied for being gay, teenager Takashi Arashiro wishes he could just be somebody else—but who could predict he’d morph into a giant-headed sci-fi creature?! Takashi’s tumultuous emotions become the catalyst for personal and social exploration of the LGBTQ experience in this quirky, profound manga from prolific BL author Kazuki Minamoto.”
12. Ima Koi: Now I’m In Love
Publisher: VIZ Media
Mangaka: Ayuko Hatta
Volumes: 4 (on-going)
“After missing out on love because she was too shy to confess her feelings, high school student Satomi blurts out how she feels the next time she gets a crush—and it’s to her impossibly handsome schoolmate Yagyu! To her surprise, he agrees to date her. Now that Satomi’s suddenly in a relationship, what next? Given how fast everything has happened, Satomi is still clueless about how dating is supposed to work. How will she forge ahead in her relationship with Yagyu?”
11. ZOM 100: Bucket List of the Dead
Publisher: VIZ Media
Mangaka:
Volumes: 8
“After spending years slaving away for a soul-crushing company, Akira’s life has lost its luster. But when a zombie apocalypse ravages his town, it gives him the push he needs to live for himself. Now Akira’s on a mission to complete all 100 items on his bucket list before he…well, kicks the bucket.”
10. Kowloon Generic Romance
Publisher: Yen Press
Mangaka: Jun Mayuzuki
Volumes: 2 (on-going)
“Welcome to Kowloon Walled City: a dystopian townscape where the people are brimming with nostalgia, and where the past, present, and future converge. Amid the hidden emotions and extraordinary daily lives of the men and women working in its confines, a tale of romance begins to unfold for real estate agent Reiko Kujirai—one that feels as familiar as Kowloon itself…”
9. I Want To Be A Wall
Publisher: Yen Press
Mangaka: Honami Shirono
Volumes: 1 (on-going)
“Any love story aficionado will say that the key to a successful couple is intense desire for one another—but what if the characters in question are an asexual woman with a passion for Boys Love stories and a gay man whose heart forever belongs to his oblivious childhood friend? Although romance will never be in the cards for newlyweds Yuriko and Gakurouta, the bond blossoming between them promises to be a wonderful relationship—the likes of which neither has ever experienced before…”
8. Kaiju No. 8
Publisher: VIZ Media
Mangaka: Naoya Matsumoto
Volumes: 4 (on-going)
“With the highest kaiju-emergence rates in the world, Japan is no stranger to attack by deadly monsters. Enter the Japan Defense Force, a military organization tasked with the neutralization of kaiju. Kafka Hibino, a kaiju-corpse cleanup man, has always dreamed of joining the force. But when he gets another shot at achieving his childhood dream, he undergoes an unexpected transformation. How can he fight kaiju now that he’s become one himself?!”
7. Blue Box
Publisher: VIZ Media
Mangaka: Kouji Miura
Volumes: 1 (on-going)
“Taiki Inomata loves badminton, but he has a long way to go before he can reach nationals. When Taiki sees upperclassman Chinatsu Kano practicing her heart out on the girls’ basketball team, he falls for her hard. After an unexpected turn of events brings the two closer together, sports might not be the first thing on their minds anymore! Taiki admires Chinatsu from afar, but he doubts that she sees him in the same way. Yet somehow, he musters up the courage to tell her to never give up on her dreams! After such a bold declaration, will Taiki’s fleeting high school romance finally begin?”
6. My Love Mix-Up
Publisher: VIZ Media via Shojo Beat
Mangaka: Wataru Hinekure (Writing), Aruko (Ilustration)
Volumes: 6 (On-going)
“Aoki has a crush on Hashimoto, the girl in the seat next to him in class. But he despairs when he borrows her eraser and sees she’s written the name of another boy—Ida—on it. To make matters more confusing, Ida sees Aoki holding that very eraser and thinks Aoki has a crush on him! Aoki confesses his feelings to Ida and prepares for rejection, but in an unexpected turn of events, Ida asks him if they should try dating. Aoki wants to keep their new relationship under wraps, but Ida has already told all their friends!”
5. Sakamoto Days
Publisher: VIZ Media
Mangaka: Yuto Suzuki
Volumes: 4 (on-going)
“Time has passed peacefully for Sakamoto since he left the underworld. He’s running a neighborhood store with his lovely wife and child and has gotten a bit…out of shape. But one day a figure from his past pays him a visit with an offer he can’t refuse: return to the assassin world or die!”
4. Yakuza Lover
Publisher: VIZ Media
Mangaka: Nozomi Mino
Volumes: 7 (on-going)
“When feisty college student Yuri is attacked at a party, she’s saved by Toshiomi Oya, the underboss of a yakuza syndicate. Despite her obvious attraction to him, she convinces herself that she’s not in the market for a bad boy type. But when they meet again, she finds herself irresistibly drawn to him—kicking off a steamy and dangerous love affair that threatens to consume her, body and soul.”
3. Chainsaw Man
Publisher: VIZ Media
Mangaka: Tatsuki Fujimoto
Volumes: 11 (complete)
“Denji was a small-time devil hunter just trying to survive in a harsh world. After being killed on a job, he is revived by his pet devil-dog Pochita and becomes something new and dangerous—Chainsaw Man!”
2. Jujutsu Kaisen
Publisher: VIZ Media
Mangaka: Gege Akutami
Volumes: 18
“In a world where cursed spirits feed on unsuspecting humans, fragments of the legendary and feared demon Ryomen Sukuna were lost and scattered about. Should any demon consume Sukuna’s body parts, the power they gain could destroy the world as we know it. Fortunately, there exists a mysterious school of Jujutsu Sorcerers who exist to protect the precarious existence of the living from the supernatural!”
1. Look Back
Publisher: VIZ Media
Mangaka: Tatsuki Fujimoto
Volumes: One-shot
“The overly confident Fujino and the shut-in Kyomoto couldn’t be more different, but a love of drawing manga brings these two small-town girls together. A poignant story of growing up and moving forward that only Tatsuki Fujimoto, the creator of Chainsaw Man, could have crafted.”
With so many titles to fall in love with this year, My Hero Academia, Frieren Beyond Journey’s End, and Boys Run The Riot barely missed the cut. Did your favorite manga make the Top Manga of 2022 list? Let us know on social media which titles you’d add to the Top Manga of 2022 lists: @butwhythopc.
