Is there anything scarier than the unknown and unexplainable? Supernatural fiction introduces scary elements such as ghosts that science cannot explain, which is why it so frequently overlaps with the horror genre. Legendary manga artist Junji Ito is known for his works in the supernatural horror genre, as the horrific events in his works do not require a rational explanation.

However, Ito is not the only mangaka writing horror stories with supernatural themes. From ghosts and spirits to demons and the occult, there is a wide range of scary supernatural horror manga that will make even the bravest reader want to check under the bed before bed.

10 Yeeeeeeeee

Body Horror, which warns against thoughtlessly giving in to your desires

• Release date: 6 February 2017
• Creator: Muneyuki Kaneshiro (author) and Kensuke Nishida (artist)
• Number of volumes: 14

Yeeeeeeeee has everything a hardcore horror manga could want – transformation horror, gore, psychological thriller elements, and to top it all off, an extremely detailed art style. The manga is about mysterious frog-like parasites that give their hosts supernatural powers, but drive them insane in the process.

The protagonist, a disgruntled cop, is also infected by this parasite but retains his consciousness. The manga explores complex moral dilemmas, such as the price of suppressing one’s innermost desires or giving in to them.

9 Franconia Fran

Black comedy that examines the consequences of interfering with nature

• Release date: 12 September 2006
• Creator: Katsuhisa Kigitsu
• Number of volumes: 8

Don’t be fooled by the cover; Franconia Fran is primarily a body horror manga with a dash of supernatural horror. It follows Fran Madaraki, a Frankenstein-like creation of a renowned surgeon. Fran decides to take over his experiments and surgeries when he disappears, but unfortunately Fran’s methods of “helping” her patients are either extreme, bizarre, or downright cruel.

From girls who want to look like anime characters to people who self-harm just to be revived, Fran will do anything to solve her patients’ problems, even if it means horribly disfiguring them or giving them a fate worse than death. The results of Fran’s “surgeries” range from darkly comic to disgustingly gruesome, making the book the perfect read for those with a wry sense of humor.

8 The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service

Spirit mediums help the dead to fulfill their final wishes

• Release date: October 2000
• Creator: Eiji Otsuka (author) and Housui Yamazaki (artist)
• Number of volumes: 27

The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service can be considered a supernatural detective story with lots of blood and nudity. It is about a group of university students with supernatural abilities related to ghosts and the undead. They decide to create a company that will help the undead find peace, either by fulfilling their final wishes or by solving the mysteries behind their deaths.

Although it is a horror manga, The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service is full of comedy, especially when it comes to the interactions of the main characters and the ridiculous situations they get themselves into. The series is also a nice take on death and all the fuss that comes with it, such as funeral processions.

7 Ajin: Half-human

Immortal half-humans are exposed to government exploitation

• Release date: 7 March 2012
• Creator: Gamon Sakurai
• Number of volumes: 17

The idea that humans are more monstrous than real monsters is a theme that is often addressed in supernatural horror manga. Ajin: Half-human fulfills this premise. The series is about a race of half-humans called “Ajin”. Due to their immortality and ability to regenerate, they are highly sought after and are subjected to cruel experiments by the government.

The manga is not an easy read, no matter how hard you stretch your imagination, as it raises several difficult and thought-provoking questions about dehumanization, the moral and ethical limits of science, and government propaganda.

6 Devilman

An in-depth exploration of morality with occult themes

• Release date: 11 June 1972
• Creator: Go Nagai
• Number of volumes: 5

Younger anime and manga fans may be more familiar with the modernized Devilman: Crybaby Anime adaptation when it comes to the Devilman Franchise, but the original manga is also worth reading. It is about a high school student named Akira Fudou, who merges with the demon Amon and becomes a “Devilman”. Despite his new demonic powers, Akira retains his human feelings and empathy.

While DevilmanThe art of may seem dated and cartoonish by today’s standards, but it should be noted that the series introduced the “turn into a monster to defeat the other monsters” cliche, a premise found in manga published decades after DevilmanPublication, such as Attack on Titan And Tokyo Ghoul, This makes it one of the most influential mangas of all time.

5 The summer Hikaru died

A teenager’s missing best friend “comes back” as a supernatural being

• Release date: 7 August 2021
• Creator: Mokumokuren
• Number of volumes: Ongoing

The summer Hikaru died plays on a common human fear – that an imposter will replace one’s friend. Two teenage friends, Yoshiki and Hikaru, live in rural Japan. The action begins when Hikaru gets lost in the mountains and returns, but Yoshiki quickly realizes that his friend has been replaced by something supernatural.

The manga combines the genre of supernatural horror with the genre of boys’ love, with early parts of the story suggesting that Yoshiki’s feelings for his friend may be more than platonic. Unlike many other horror manga The summer Hikaru died does not contain any exaggerated scenes of blood and violence, but creates a scary atmosphere with its atmosphere and psychological elements.

4 The pet shop of horror

A pet shop sells exotic pets – at a terrible price

• Release date: March 1995
• Creator: Matsuri Akino
• Number of volumes: 10

How far are people willing to go to get what they want? The pet shop of horror follows a mysterious, androgynous man named Count D who runs the titular pet shop. But this shop doesn’t offer cute kittens or puppies; it houses supernatural creatures that can reflect the owner’s innermost desires – for a price.

As a josei manga, the story is more of a human drama than a pure horror series, focusing on the characters and their relationships in a supernatural setting. The pet shop of horror explores the concept of how far people are willing to go to fulfill their desires and delves into the darker aspects of human nature such as greed and jealousy.

3 homunculus

Psychological horror about the nature of the human psyche

• Release date: 17 March 2003
• Creator: Hideo Yamamoto
• Number of volumes: 15

homunculus is a little ambiguous with its supernatural themes. It is about a middle-aged homeless man named Susumu Nakoshi who, in exchange for money, agrees to participate in a medical student’s “trepanation experiment” that involves drilling holes into a person’s skull. Nakoshi is fine at first, but soon he begins to experience surreal and disturbing visions.

The manga’s ambiguity and morally complex characters are what make it such a compelling read. Are Nakoshi’s visions truly of supernatural origin or is he just hallucinating? homunculus is a fascinating exploration of the subconscious and therefore a must-read for fans of Freudian psychology.

2 Alice in Borderland

Deadly survival game in an alternate version of Tokyo

• Release date: 25 November 2010
• Creator: Haro Aso
• Number of volumes: 18

The genre of high stakes survival games has taken off thanks to shows like Squid Game. Alice in Borderland follows three friends who are suddenly transported to a parallel country that resembles a desolate version of Tokyo. They are forced to play deadly games to extend their “visas,” and when their “visas” expire, they die instantly.

Like many great Battle Royale series, Alice in Borderland explores the lengths people will go to survive. No matter how bored readers are with their lives or how much they crave adventure, reading this series will make them grateful for the normalcy of their own lives.

1 Uzumaki

The inhabitants of a small town are possessed and cursed by spirals

• Release date: January 1998
• Creator: Junji Ito
• Number of volumes: 3

No horror manga list is complete without at least one Junji Ito series, and Uzumaki is possibly his most famous work. It tells the story of a small coastal town that is obsessed with spirals and later driven mad by them. People’s bodies, buildings and the landscape twist into spirals, and the characters’ attempts to resist prove futile.

The most frightening aspect of Uzumaki is both the mystery of the Spiral Curse and its inevitability. The curse is never explained, and no matter how hard the characters try to escape it, the Spiral will eventually consume them.