Key findings

• The Way of the Househusband: A hilarious story about a Yakuza who becomes the perfect husband, with a mix of comedy and action in vivid imagery.
• JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Immerse yourself in a bizarre family saga with unique characters and epic battles brought to life in color.
• Parasyte: Explore a dark and bloody world full of body horror and philosophical themes, now enhanced by colorful graphics.

Color manga is hard to come by, but there are some series that are worth reading if fans know where to look. Across all genres and storylines, several series have incredibly good art, high-quality storytelling, and most importantly, great use of color for visual storytelling.

From a retired yakuza trying to make the most of his new life as a husband to an immortal classic that every manga fan should read at least once in their life, these full-color mangas are a visual feast for anyone who loves the eighth art.

1 The way of the househusband

A Yakuza becomes the perfect husband

• Date of first publication: 22.02.2018
• author: Kōsuke Ono
• Genres: Action, Comedy, Life

The most dangerous Yakuza to ever roam the streets of Japan, known as the Immortal Dragon, is about to meet his maker when he is found and nursed back to health by a clerk named Miko. Grateful for saving her life, he decides to take care of her, but since he knows nothing but violence and housekeeping, he chooses the latter and becomes the perfect househusband.

An incredibly funny story about a Yakuza trying to fit into the shopping cart-filled lives of ordinary Japanese housewives, with a masterfully crafted sense of humor and many, many misunderstandings to spice up the plot. The way of the househusband The full-color version is worth reading because it highlights the dynamic new lifestyle of the main character Tatsu, who takes on the role of a law-abiding citizen while maintaining his own personality and fashion sense (i.e. still dressing like a gangster).

2 JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure

The epic of a family and their fight for justice across generations

• Date of first publication: 1.1.1987
• author: Hirohiko Araki
• Genres: Shonen, Seinen, Action, Battle Manga, Fantasy

From the burly Hamon user Jonathan Joestar to the youngest Stand user Jodio Joestar, the JoJo family has evolved a lot over the course of the series. And that goes for the incredibly bizarre fight scenes too. So it’s only fitting that this manga is read in color. With an unprecedented composition and overwhelmingly charged backgrounds, the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure The series is a must for every fan of battle manga.

These series have some of the quirkiest characters fans have ever seen and carefully walk the fine line between satire and action drama in a unique and flamboyant style. Each JoJo Every fan has their favorite part of the series, and every new reader is sure to find their own as they browse through this nine-part, overarching saga.

3 parasite

They adapt to us, but are here to replace us

• Date of first publication: 22.11.1988
• author: Hitoshi Iwaaki
• Genres: Horror, Psycho, Action, Gore, Sci-Fi

If there was ever a more suitable manga to colorize, this is parasite. With a grim and dark background design and a heavy focus on body horror, this manga deals with some really gory themes. And while it is also quite philosophical and has deep and meaningful moments, it also relies heavily on its visual impact. It makes sense that a colored version of this series was made.

The strong bond between Shinichi (the MC) and Migi, a strange creature in his right arm, is now portrayed in all its glory, with soft pastels in the foreground and bold, grim shades in the background. And of course, there are plenty of splashes of crimson throughout, although the blood content is moderate considering there are far more brutal series in this genre. In other words: parasite is ideal for horror fans looking for a color read without sacrificing too much of the atmospheric doom and gloom that is so characteristic of horror manga.

4 Yu-Yu Hakusho

The story of a criminal with a strong sense of justice who becomes a supernatural detective

• Date of first publication: 10.12.1992
• author: Yoshihiro Togashi
• Genres: Shonen, Action, Supernatural, Adventure

A misunderstood Japanese school delinquent’s life ends abruptly when he tries to protect a young boy from a car accident. His new “unlife” begins as a spiritual detective and medium. Reimagined in color, this supernatural action shonen feels more vibrant than ever, with some of the best scenes from the Dark Tournament and Three Kings arc now truly showcasing the greatness of this timeless classic series.

Seeing Kurama’s transformation in color for the first time is breathtaking, showing the difference between his human and demonic sides. Kuwabara’s battle against the sacred beast Byakko is another great moment that is shown in a new light in color. Yu-Yu Hakusho There may already be a Netflix adaptation, but nothing beats reading the original work page by page and experiencing Togashi’s saga in full color.

5 Akira

In a dystopian future, a government experiment goes horribly wrong

• Date of first publication: 20.12.1982
• author: Katsuhiro Otomo
• Genres: Science fiction, dystopia, action, drama, tragedy, cyberpunk

Visually striking, breathtaking, eerie and a cautionary tale with a clear message: never lose your humanity or something will happen. Akira is one of the most iconic mangas of all time, depicting a dystopian cyberpunk future where humanity has lost its morals to the point of no return. In the midst of this corrupt society, a group of misfits fight for a lost cause, unaware that they are being manipulated by a sinister villain who desires only one thing: power beyond human limits.

Neo-Tokyo feels vibrant and dark at the same time. The use of abstract colors as a visual storytelling tool complements the cyberpunk-like construction of the story’s world, balancing the decay of society with the advancement of technology by harnessing the power of contrasting, bright tones with matte, darker shades. Akira is a timeless masterpiece and worth reading for all fans of science fiction, cyberpunk and transhumanism.