A Curated List of 10 Manga I Enjoyed in 2025 (Which Are Mostly Unknown).

Given the ever-expanding scope of the manga market, it becomes a challenge to track every worthwhile new series. As always, the mainstream series get all the attention, however, countless gems of hidden gems ripe for exploration.

A particular delight for fans of the medium is finding a mostly obscure series in the sea of new chapters and recommending it to friends. This list highlights of the top obscure manga I've enjoyed this past year, along with motivations for they're deserving of your time ahead of the curve.

A few of these titles have not yet reached a large audience, notably because they haven't received anime adaptations. Others may be trickier to read due to their publishing platforms. But recommending any of these grants you some impressive fan credentials.

10. The Ordinary Office Worker Who Was a Hero

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

Admittedly, this is a weird pick, but hear me out. Comics are often fun, and it's part of the charm. I'll acknowledge that transported-to-another-world stories relax me. While the title doesn't fully fit the genre, it follows many of the same tropes, including an overpowered main character and a video-game-inspired fantasy framework. The unique hook, however, stems from the protagonist. Keita Sato is a standard overburdened office worker who relieves pressure by exploring strange labyrinths that materialized globally, armed only with a baseball bat, to pummel creatures. He's indifferent to treasures, power, or ranking; he only wants to keep his hobby secret, protect his family, and leave the office on time for a change.

More polished fantasies are out there, but this is one of the few from a top company, and thus readily accessible to international audiences through a popular app. For easy reading, this publisher remains a leader, and if you're in need of a few minutes of silly fun, The Plain Salary Man is a great choice.

9. The Nito Exorcists

• Creator: 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 genre's overpopularity, but two series changed my mind this year. The Nito Exorcists evokes the best parts of a popular supernatural battle manga, with its ominous tone, stylized art, and sudden violence. A random click got me hooked and got hooked instantly.

Gotsuji is a formidable practitioner who kills evil spirits in the hope of discovering his master's killer. He's accompanied by his mentor's sister, Uruka, who is concerned with his well-being than supporting his vengeance. The plot may seem basic, but the portrayal of the cast is thoughtfully executed, and the artistic dichotomy between the silly appearance of the spirits and the gory combat is a compelling layer. This is a series with real potential to go the distance — should it get the chance.

8. Gokurakugai

• Author: Yuto Sano
• Released by: Shueisha
• Find it on: Manga Plus; Viz

When artistic excellence matters most, then this is it. Yuto Sano's work on the series is breathtaking, meticulous, and one-of-a-kind. The narrative hews close of typical hero's journey beats, with heroes clashing with demons (though they're not officially called "exorcists"), but the protagonists are distinctly odd and the backdrop is compelling. The protagonists, Alma and Tao Saotome, operate the Gokurakugai Troubleshooter agency, resolving disputes in a working-class district where humans and beast-men coexist.

The villains, called Maga, are born from human or animal corpses. For those from people, the Maga wields magic reflecting the way the human died: someone who hanged themselves has the power to choke people, 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. Gokurakugai could be the next big hit, but it's limited due to its infrequent release pace. From the beginning, only a handful of volumes have been released, which can test a reader's patience.

7. Bugle Call: War's Melody

• Creators: Mozuku Sora, Higoro Toumori
• Released by: Shueisha
• Available on: Viz

This bleak fantasy manga approaches the ubiquitous battle trope from a novel angle for shonen. Instead of centering on individual duels, it depicts large-scale medieval warfare. The protagonist, Luca, is one of the Branched—individuals possessing a unique special power. 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 setting is somewhat generic, and the addition of advanced concepts occasionally doesn't fit, but The Bugle Call still provided grim twists and surprising narrative shifts. It's a sophisticated series with a group of eccentric individuals, an interesting power system, and an interesting combination of military themes and dark fantasy.

6. Taro Miyao: Unexpected Feline Guardian

• Author: Sho Yamazaki
• Released by: Shueisha
• Available on: Manga Plus

A cold-hearted main character who reveres Renaissance thinker Niccolò Machiavelli and subscribes to ends-justify-the-means becomes the owner of a cute cat named Nicolo—allegedly because a massage from its little feet is a unique cure for his aches. {If that premise isn't enough|Should that not convince you|If the setup doesn't grab you