Summary
Fantasy settings are extremely common in fictional media, andmanga is no exception. Most people may not immediately associate the Japanese comic book industry with the fantasy genre, but this would be an erroneous assessment, seeing as it has actually spawned a multitude of excellent fantasy series that had a huge impact.
Fantastical locations, terrifying monsters, impressive magical abilities, unique fictional races, etc. All these classic fantasy tropes have been utilized in fun and creative ways in the manga industry for decades, which has resulted in some really high-quality series that are beloved by many. Fortunately for fantasy fans interested in the medium, there are a lot of high-quality series they can choose from, but the following eight are the absolute best ones in the entire genre.
8Witch Hat Atelier
A Beautiful Story About Witches And Magic
There are a lot of fictional stories about magic, witches and wizards out there – especially in the manga industry – so it takes a lot to stand out nowadays. Kamome Shirahama’sWitch Hat Atelieris a noteworthy example, seeing as it quickly became one of the most celebrated fantasy manga in recent times.
Its main premise, about a normal girl named Coco who learns how to use magic after meeting a powerful witch named Qifrey, may seem generic at first, but it quickly evolves into a wonderful and expansive world that utilizes many classic tropes of the genre in unique and interesting ways.Witch Hat Atelier’s animated adaptation is set to premiere sometime in 2025, but the original manga is still worth checking out on its own, mainly because the author’s impeccable character design and beautiful illustration really elevate the story.
7Mashle: Magic And Muscles
A Clever And Hilarious Harry Potter Parody
The unreal nature of the fantasy genre lends itself to a lot of surreal comedies,andMashle: Magic And Musclesis one of them, since ittakes perfect advantage of this element to create one of the funniest parodies in the industry. Its premise is pretty simple: in a world full of people with incredible magic abilities, a boy named Mash Burnedead enters the Magic Academy despite possessing no magical powers and manages to trick everyone thanks to his immense physical strength.
In just a few chapters, this simple premise results in a lot of hilarious comedic scenes that also serve as a satire of popular fantasy stories with conventional magic systems, likeHarry PotterorLord of the Rings. Author Hajime Komoto has a knack for clever comedic writing, but, much to the surprise of readers, he was also able to unveil a fascinating world filled with creative and impressive magical abilities, which in turn led to a bunch of surprisingly cool fight scenes. WhileMashle: Magic And Musclesobviously focuses more on the humor, its action sequences are also quite solid, which explains why it quickly became one of the most beloved new shōnen manga of the 2020s.
6Black Clover
An Action-Packed Fantasy Shōnen Series
While most popular action shōnen series are set in worlds with a few fantastical elements, not many of them actually take place in a full-on fantasy setting. Fortunately for fans of the genre, there is one prominent exception:Black Clover, a fun and exciting action series with a unique magic-based power systemthat quickly became one of the best and most popular modern shōnen franchises.
Inspired by classic manga likeYu Yu Hakusho,Bleach, andBerserk,Black Clovertells the story of Asta, a young magicless boy who finds a rare grimoire that allows him to use anti-magic weapons, so he manages to become a Magic Knight and join the Black Bulls squad. Asta’s character and signature fighting style not only serve as a unique twist on the fantasy genre, but every single prominent character inBlack Cloveralso has their own set of incredible magic abilities they can use in battle. This combination results in a collection of exciting fight scenes that are always a joy to read and follow, meaning that this series is perfect for fantasy fans that are looking to read something with a lot of well-written and well-illustrated action.
5Delicious In Dungeon
An Inventive Culinary Adventure (With A Dark Twist)
Nowadays, a generic fantasy story about an adventuring party raiding a dungeon seems uninteresting, so authors need to come up with a unique idea if they want their series to stand out.This is exactly what Ryoko Kui did withDelicious In Dungeon, a fascinating manga about a party of heroes who have to go inside a dungeon with no food, so they learn how to hunt, cook and eat the various monsters residing within it.
Delicious In Dungeonseamlessly combines fantasy adventure with fantasy cooking in an inventive and interesting way, not to mention that it also features its own fantastical biology lessons that explain how each monster’s body works and how they can be cooked. However, what starts as a fun romp in the dungeon with a lot of comedic scenes eventually turns into a dark story with a few gruesome and mind-blowing twists, and yet it never abandons its signature culinary element. Studio Trigger’s recent animated adaptation ofDelicious In Dungeonwas praised by many, but the original manga by Ryoko Kui is still worth reading, not only because it has a beautiful art style, but also because the author included a lot of endearing drawings and one-shots of the main characters that were sadly not adapted into the anime.
4Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End
A Beautiful Fantasy Story That Takes Place After The End Of The Main Adventure
The main premise ofFrieren: Beyond Journey’s Endposes an intriguing question: What happens in a generic fantasy world after the big bad is defeated and the heroes’ adventure is over? Author Kanehito Yamada explores this concept by taking a classic fantasy trope (Elf characters that can live way longer than humans) and turning it into one of the best-written main characters in the entire genre, a wise elven mage called Frieren. On top of that, Tsukasa Abe’s beautiful illustrations elevate this unique story and its narrative even further.
After most of her adventuring partners pass away from old age, Frieren embarks on a new journey in order to learn more about humans and the connections she has with them. However, this manga quickly evolves into a thrilling adventure filled with monsters and demons that Frieren and her new partners have to defeat with their incredible magic abilities. This is a huge element ofFrieren: Beyond Journey’s End, so fantasy fans looking for a solid and well-written magic system will definitely enjoythis series and its expansive cast of characters with unique powers. Despite all the action and adventure, this is mainly a heartwarming story about life, friendship and human connection, all wrapped in a fascinating fantasy setting.
3Fullmetal Alchemist
Seamlessly Combines Magic With Science And Political Conspiracies
Alchemy is one of the most commonly utilized power/magic systems in fantasy media,andFullmetal Alchemistis arguably the most famous example of this practice. However, Hiromu Arakawa’s magnum opus is also extremely clever because she not only used alchemy as an excuse to create and write incredible fantastical battles, but also as an important part of the main character’s background and the thrilling adventure they partake in.
The story of Edward and Alphonse Elric begins when they attempt to use alchemy to bring their mother back to life, which results in a tragic accident that completely changed their lives. From that point onwards, they both explore a unique fantastical world with a mild steampunk aesthetic where alchemy is used for almost everything, including war and genocide. As a result of these shocking revelations,Fullmetal Alchemistinitially seems like a fun fantasy story with a focus on alchemy but it ends up becoming a dark political thriller with a lot of criticisms of real-world events. At the end of the day, Arakawa came up with a really clever way to transmit an important message via the fantastical elements of her work.
2One Piece
Takes Place In One Of The Biggest And Most Interesting Fantasy Worlds In Fiction
Eiichiro Oda’sOne Piecemay not be the first thing manga fans think of whenever they’re discussing fantasy stories, but this is actually one of the most interesting examples of the genre. Instead of taking place in a generic medieval fantasy setting, its expansive world is mostly inspired by old-school stories about pirates and Vikings, complete with terrifying aquatic creatures residing in the ocean and a collection of mysterious islands with their own geography, culture and politics, including a bunch of unique fantasy races.
One Piecesuccessfully combines many tropes from different genres (including some minor science fiction elements) to build one of the most ambitious and interesting fictional worlds in the medium of manga. The story of Monkey D. Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates is not only full of comedy and action,but it’s also part of a huge government conspiracy to hide the real history of this unique fantasy world. Surprisingly enough, the cartoony art style and goofy characters perfectly complement the world building and storytelling.
1Berserk
The Greatest Dark Fantasy Story Ever Told
Few fantasy manga have changed the game and influenced other popular works as much asBerserk, by the great late Kentario Miura. After all, Guts and his Dragon Slayer sword are the reason there are so many violent swordsmen in movies, anime and video games nowadays, which is a testament to this series’ legacy and influence. Of course, it would never have been able to achieve this just on the merits of its esthetics alone, since it also tells a dark, engaging and fascinating story that captivated the hearts of many manga fans around the world.
Berserkstarts off as a run-of-the-mill medieval story, but it quickly evolves into a gruesome and mature adventurefilled to the brim with disturbing monsters, like demons, trolls, ogres, dragons, fairies and a lot more. Despite all of its fantastical elements,Berserkstill has a big focus on humanity and personal growth, which is why Guts is such an interesting protagonist. Needless to say, this series also has a lot of violent and gorey (but thrilling) action scenes in which the cast gets to use their unique abilities (from sword fighting to actual magic) to annihilate the powerful creatures unleashing evil on their world. This manga is such an innovative take on the genre that the idea of combining reality with fantasy even serves as an important plot point during the Millennium Falcon Arc.
