Best Manga of All Time: Legendary Series Every Fan Should Read [2026 Updated]

From classic shōnen adventures to award-winning masterpieces, explore the best manga of all time. This essential reading list covers timeless favorites and iconic creators you don’t want to miss.

Walk into a manga shop in Japan and the first problem is not finding something to read. It is deciding where to begin when every shelf seems determined to swallow the rest of your day. The good news is that manga covers almost every mood and age group: action-heavy shōnen, emotionally sharp shōjo, more mature seinen and josei, gentle stories for younger readers, and enough romance, horror, sport and science fiction to keep your reading list mildly out of control.

In Japan, the word manga simply means comics. Outside Japan, we usually use it for comics created in Japan or strongly connected to the Japanese publishing tradition. Successful manga may later become an anime, a live-action film or television series, but the original manga often includes details, pacing and artwork that never make it into the adaptation.

We have been reading manga since the 1990s, so this 2026 guide mixes the titles that shaped the medium with newer series worth adding to your shelf now. You will find beginner-friendly manga, completed classics, romance picks, current hits, influential creators, legal reading platforms and the latest complete annual sales ranking from Japan. In other words, enough recommendations to start sensibly—and then immediately create a much larger backlog.

Last updated: July 2026. Publication schedules, regional availability and series status can change, so check the official publisher before buying a long collection or starting a subscription.

Interesting fact: Most manga is printed in black and white, which keeps production faster and printing costs lower. Chapters may first appear in weekly or monthly magazines—or on digital platforms—before being collected into paperback volumes called tankōbon. Some creators work alone, while others rely on assistants for backgrounds, screentones and production support.

Best Manga of All Time in 2026: Classics, New Hits and Beginner Picks

Manga Categories and Genres: What the Labels Actually Mean

Manga labels can look like genres, but the traditional categories below are mainly based on the target readership of the magazine in which a series is published. They do not dictate who is allowed to enjoy the story. Adults read shōnen, teenagers read seinen, and nobody at the bookstore checks your demographic credentials.

• Shōnen or shonen: traditionally marketed toward teenage boys, often with action, rivalry, adventure, comedy or sport. Good examples: One Piece, Dragon Ball, Naruto, My Hero Academia, Blue Lock and Kagurabachi.
• Shōjo or shojo: traditionally marketed toward teenage girls, with romance, friendship, fantasy and emotional character development appearing frequently. Good examples: Sailor Moon, Fruits Basket, Kimi ni Todoke, Yona of the Dawn and The Rose of Versailles.
• Seinen: marketed toward adult men, although the stories can range from brutal historical drama to quiet slice-of-life comedy. Good examples: Berserk, Monster, 20th Century Boys, Vagabond, Vinland Saga and Space Brothers.
• Josei: marketed toward adult women and often focused on adult relationships, work, family or more grounded emotional conflicts. Good examples: NANA, Chihayafuru, Nodame Cantabile, Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku and Princess Jellyfish.
• Kodomo: created primarily for children, usually with clear storytelling, humour and age-appropriate adventures. Good examples: Doraemon, Pokémon Adventures, Yo-kai Watch and Kirby Manga Mania.

Genre labels describe the story rather than the target audience. The most useful ones to know include:

• Romance and romantic comedy: from gentle first love to adult relationship drama.
• Slice of life: everyday stories where the pleasure comes from character, atmosphere and small moments.
• Sports: training, rivalry and teamwork—often far more gripping than the sport sounded before chapter one.
• Isekai: characters transported or reincarnated into another world.
• Mecha: giant robots, powered suits and the occasional philosophical crisis inside a cockpit.
• Historical or jidaimono: stories set in an earlier period of Japanese or world history.
• Horror, psychological and mystery: unsettling stories ranging from supernatural terror to slow-burn crime.
• BL and yuri: stories centred on romantic relationships between men or between women. Tone and age rating vary considerably.
• Ecchi and adult manga: sexualised or explicit content intended for older readers; check the age rating before buying.

The easiest way to choose is to start with the mood you already enjoy in films or books. Love tense thrillers? Try Death Note or Monster. Want something warm after a long day? Reach for Yotsuba&! or Spy x Family. Craving sporting drama with the emotional volume turned all the way up? Slam Dunk, Haikyu!! and Blue Lock are waiting.

Where to Read and Buy Manga Legally in 2026

You no longer need to rely on whatever three translated series happen to be sitting in the corner of a local comic shop. In 2026, official services offer simulpub chapters, subscription libraries, digital volumes and print editions—although the exact catalogue still depends on your country.

• MANGA Plus by SHUEISHA: one of the best places to follow current Shueisha series, including simultaneous chapter releases. Availability and subscription plans vary by region.
• VIZ and Shonen Jump: official chapters and a large subscription library, particularly useful in supported English-language markets.
• VIZ Manga: a separate library covering many non-Jump series from publishers including Shogakukan.
• Crunchyroll Manga: relaunched in late 2025 and available in the United States and Canada, with a growing catalogue from several publishers.
• Kodansha: useful for release dates and official digital or print editions of Kodansha titles.
• Kindle, Kobo and BookWalker: practical for buying complete digital volumes and keeping them in one library.

For digital reading, an 8-inch screen or larger is much more comfortable than a phone, especially when the artwork is detailed. Android-based e-readers such as BOOX models can run several official reading apps, while tablets offer colour pages and easier zooming. Before buying a device, check that your preferred app is supported in your country.

Weekly Shōnen Jump is still one of Japan’s most influential manga magazines, but its lineup changes constantly. In 2026, readers can follow major current titles through official services such as MANGA Plus and VIZ rather than relying on an old list of whatever happened to be running several years ago. One Piece, Sakamoto Days, Dandadan, Ichi the Witch and other current series are available digitally, while completed giants such as My Hero Academia and Jujutsu Kaisen remain in subscription archives and collected volumes.

Prefer paper manga? Independent comic shops, large bookstores and online retailers remain the best options. Box sets and omnibus editions can save shelf space and sometimes money, while deluxe hardcovers are lovely until you remember you must eventually carry them during a move. You can browse physical editions online at Amazon, but compare prices and edition details before ordering.

How to Read Japanese Manga from Right to Left

Most Japanese manga is read from right to left. Start at what would look like the back cover of a Western book, turn pages toward the left, and read each page from the upper-right area toward the lower-left.

Within a page, begin with the panel furthest to the right on the top row. Read speech bubbles in the same general right-to-left order, then move down to the next row. Complex layouts may bend the rules slightly, but the artwork usually guides your eye—and after a few pages, it becomes automatic.

Many English editions print a small warning on the first page if you open the book from the wrong side. Consider it the manga equivalent of a polite staff member turning you around before you walk into the stockroom.

What Are the Most Popular Manga Genres?

Worldwide sales lists are dominated by large shōnen franchises, but “popular” does not mean one genre wins everywhere. Action-adventure, fantasy, romance, sport, mystery and slice of life all produce major hits. Anime adaptations can also push an older or quieter series back into the charts almost overnight.

Among the biggest long-running names are One Piece, Dragon Ball, Detective Conan, Naruto, Demon Slayer and Attack on Titan. Current and recent favourites include Dandadan, Blue Lock, Sakamoto Days, The Apothecary Diaries, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, Blue Box and The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity.

Shōjo and josei classics deserve equal attention: Sailor Moon, NANA, Fruits Basket, Kimi ni Todoke, Nodame Cantabile, Chihayafuru and Yona of the Dawn remain strong entry points. For darker adult stories, start with Monster, Berserk, Vagabond, Vinland Saga or 20th Century Boys.

For a broader historical comparison, Wikipedia maintains a useful list of best-selling manga. Treat lifetime circulation figures carefully, though: publishers do not always report them in exactly the same way, and a 100-volume epic naturally has more opportunities to sell copies than a six-volume masterpiece.

Best Manga for Beginners in 2026

Your first manga does not need to be the “most important” one ever published. It needs to make you want to turn the next page. We usually recommend a clear premise, readable artwork and either a completed story or a manageable number of volumes. Starting with One Piece is perfectly valid—but it is also the literary equivalent of choosing a continent for your first weekend walk.

• Want a finished story? Start with Fullmetal Alchemist, Death Note, Slam Dunk, Haikyu!!, Kimi ni Todoke or Monster.
• Want something light? Try Spy x Family, Yotsuba&!, My Love Story!! or The Way of the Househusband.
• Want a current series? Try Dandadan, The Apothecary Diaries, Blue Box, Sakamoto Days or The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity.
• Digital or paper? Sample the first chapters legally online, then buy the physical edition of the series you genuinely want to keep.

These are our strongest beginner-friendly recommendations:

1. Fullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa (completed): action, humour, grief and political intrigue in one tightly structured story. It is difficult to find a safer first recommendation.
2. Death Note by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata (completed): a brilliant student finds a notebook that can kill. Fast, tense and immediately understandable.
3. Slam Dunk by Takehiko Inoue (completed): a basketball classic with comedy, rivalry and some of the finest sports artwork in manga.
4. Haikyu!! by Haruichi Furudate (completed): energetic volleyball drama with a large cast you will somehow become emotionally invested in.
5. Kimi ni Todoke by Karuho Shiina (completed): a warm, patient high-school romance about shyness, friendship and being misunderstood.
6. Spy x Family by Tatsuya Endo (ongoing): a spy, an assassin and a telepath pretending to be a normal family. The premise does most of the convincing for us.
7. Dandadan by Yukinobu Tatsu (ongoing): aliens, ghosts, romance and spectacular action, often on the same page.
8. The Apothecary Diaries by Natsu Hyūga and its manga adaptation teams (ongoing): palace mysteries solved by an observant apothecary with no patience for nonsense.
9. Dragon Ball by Akira Toriyama (completed): foundational action-comedy that remains easy to read and hugely influential.
10. My Love Story!! by Kazune Kawahara and Aruko (completed): a charming romance led by a huge, kind-hearted boy who is not the usual shōjo hero.
11. Sweat and Soap by Kintetsu Yamada (completed): an unusual but surprisingly thoughtful adult workplace romance.
12. Yotsuba&! by Kiyohiko Azuma (ongoing): funny, gentle everyday adventures seen through the eyes of an endlessly curious child.
13. Great Teacher Onizuka by Tohru Fujisawa (completed): chaotic, dated in places and still extremely readable—the teacher is a disaster, but rarely a boring one.
14. Marmalade Boy by Wataru Yoshizumi (completed): a classic romantic drama with enough family complications to power several television seasons.
15. Teasing Master Takagi-san by Sōichirō Yamamoto (completed): a gentle school comedy built around teasing, embarrassment and an extremely obvious crush.

The Most Influential Manga Creators of All Time

Choosing a manga by creator is often more reliable than chasing a generic “best ever” list. Once you connect with an artist’s pacing, character design or particular flavour of emotional damage, their back catalogue becomes a ready-made reading plan.

A few landmarks in manga history:

• Katsushika Hokusai published the first volumes of his sketch collection Hokusai Manga in 1814. These books were not modern narrative manga, but they helped popularise the term.
• Post-war creators such as Osamu Tezuka and Machiko Hasegawa helped shape modern long-form manga through works including Astro Boy and Sazae-san.
• The influential Year 24 Group transformed shōjo manga in the 1970s. Key figures include Moto Hagio, Keiko Takemiya, Riyoko Ikeda, Yumiko Ōshima and Ryoko Yamagishi.
• Riyoko Ikeda began serialising The Rose of Versailles in 1972, creating one of the defining historical shōjo manga.

Influential mangaka and essential works:

• Osamu Tezuka (1928–1989): Astro Boy, Phoenix, Black Jack
• Machiko Hasegawa (1920–1992): Sazae-san
• Akira Toriyama (1955–2024): Dragon Ball, Dr. Slump
• Rumiko Takahashi (born 1957): Urusei Yatsura, Ranma ½, Inuyasha
• Moto Hagio (born 1949): The Poe Clan, The Heart of Thomas
• Riyoko Ikeda (born 1947): The Rose of Versailles
• Naoko Takeuchi (born 1967): Sailor Moon
• CLAMP: Cardcaptor Sakura, xxxHolic, Magic Knight Rayearth
• Katsuhiro Otomo (born 1954): Akira, Domu
• Hayao Miyazaki (born 1941): Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
• Takehiko Inoue (born 1967): Slam Dunk, Vagabond, Real
• Naoki Urasawa (born 1960): Monster, 20th Century Boys, Pluto
• Hirohiko Araki (born 1960): JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure
• Kentaro Miura (1966–2021): Berserk
• Hiromu Arakawa (born 1973): Fullmetal Alchemist, Silver Spoon
• Eiichiro Oda (born 1975): One Piece
• Masashi Kishimoto (born 1974): Naruto
• Yoshihiro Togashi (born 1966): Hunter x Hunter, Yu Yu Hakusho
• Inio Asano (born 1980): Goodnight Punpun, Solanin
• Tatsuki Fujimoto (born 1992): Chainsaw Man, Look Back, Goodbye, Eri

The Best Manga in History—and the Best Series to Read Now

No single ranking can compare every manga fairly. A surreal horror one-shot, a 30-volume historical drama and a cheerful school romance are trying to do completely different things. Instead, we have grouped strong recommendations by type so you can choose according to your mood, preferred length and tolerance for unfinished stories.

• The all-time list mixes influential classics, major bestsellers and personal favourites across several demographics.
• The romance section covers shōjo, josei, shōnen and seinen love stories rather than pretending romance belongs to only one audience.
• The 2026 current-reading section highlights ongoing or recently completed titles that still feel central to the conversation now.

Essential Manga Classics and Modern Masterpieces

These titles are widely read, influential or especially strong within their genre. Not every entry is a worldwide bestseller, and that is perfectly fine—quality is not a receipt total.

Series Manga Authors Category Summary

	Great Teacher Onizuka	Tohru Fujisawa	Shonen	Former biker Eikichi Onizuka becomes a teacher and uses extremely unconventional methods to help a class that has already driven several adults away.
	Slam Dunk	Takehiko Inoue	Shonen	Delinquent Hanamichi Sakuragi joins his school basketball team to impress a girl, then gradually discovers that he genuinely loves the sport.
	Hajime no Ippo	George Morikawa	Shonen	Bullied teenager Ippo Makunouchi discovers boxing and begins the long, demanding climb from complete beginner to professional fighter.
	Naruto	Masashi Kishimoto	Shonen	Who doesn’t know Naruto? A teenage orphan ninja wants to become Hokage (leader of his village).
	JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure	Hirohiko Araki	Shonen, seinen	You can love this series or you don’t want to touch it . But no one is left indifferent to the Joestar lineage, a British family that fights supernatural forces with their acquired powers.
	Dragon Ball	Akira Toriyama	Shonen	All children of the 80s have grown up with the Dragon Ball anime. The manga is just as good. Follow Goku’s adventures to become stronger every day. One of the best-selling manga of all time.

	One Piece	Eiichiro Oda	Shonen	Monkey D. Luffy sails in search of the legendary One Piece while assembling one of manga’s most memorable crews. Enormous, ongoing and still remarkably inventive.
	Detective Conan	Gosho Aoyama	Shonen	Teen detective Shinichi Kudo is transformed into a child and secretly continues solving crimes while searching for the organisation responsible.
	Vagabond	Takehiko Inoue	Seinen	A manga that takes us back to the time of the samurai and sword fighting. Violent and fascinating. You just can’t stop reading it.
	The Prince of Tennis	Takeshi Konomi	Shonen	Another sports manga, this time about tennis. Follow the adventures of Ryōma Echizen as he returns to Japan from the United States.
	Ranma 1/2	Rumiko Takahashi	Shonen	Another anime series we grew up with in the 90s. Genma and his son Ranma Saotome fall into some enchanted ponds in China and take the physical form of a panda and a red-haired girl when cold water is poured on them.
	Initial D	Shuichi Shigeno	Seinen	Takumi Fujiwara’s quiet delivery drives hide an extraordinary talent for mountain racing, pulling him into Japan’s street-racing world.
	Nodame Cantabile	Tomoko Ninomiya	Josei	A story where music transports us to another world. We will follow in the footsteps of Shinichi Chiaki from his piano studies to becoming an orchestra conductor.

	Kimi ni Todoke	Karuho Shiina	Shojo	Sawako is isolated because classmates think she resembles a horror-film character. Friendship—and a gentle romance—slowly changes her school life.
	One-Punch Man	One, Yusuke Murata	Seinen	Saitama can defeat any opponent with one punch, which turns superhero life into an unexpectedly funny crisis of boredom and purpose.
	Death Note	Tsugumi Ohba, Takeshi Obata	Shonen	The story is a bit scary, but it is sure to grab your attention: This notebook has the power to kill anyone by writing their first and last name on it, as long as the bearer mentally visualizes the face of the person he wants to kill.
	Fruits Basket	Natsuki Takaya	Shojo	Tōru Honda, a high school student, loses her mother in an accident and stays with her grandfather, but soon ends up living in the house of a very particular family: they all transform into animals.
	Captain Tsubasa	Yoichi Takahashi	Shonen, Seinen	Tsubasa Ozora dreams of becoming a world-class footballer, inspiring generations of readers—and quite a few real players—along the way.
	Space Brothers	Chuya Koyama	Seinen	A manga about the space race. Spectacular. Very technical. You have to read it slowly, but it will hook you.
	Haikyu!!	Haruichi Furudate	Shonen	Short but explosive player Shoyo Hinata joins Karasuno High and turns a former rival into the teammate he needs to reach the national stage.

	Akira	Katsuhiro Otomo	Seinen	Many of us discovered the world of manga with Akira in the 80s. A classic manga. The world is on the verge of absolute destruction. I won’t tell you more.
	Hunter x Hunter	Yoshihiro Togashi	Shonen	Gon always believed that his parents had died, but it is not so. His father is a hunter and Gon wants to follow in his footsteps.
	The Quintessential Quintuplets	Negi Haruba	Shonen	The excellent student Futaro Uesugi has money problems, but at one point he is offered the opportunity to tutor 5 sisters…
	Tokyo Ghoul	Sui Ishida	Seinen	We follow Ken Kaneki, who is nearly killed by a ghoul that has tried to eat him. After recovering, Kaneki discovers that he has been transformed into a half-ghoul. From now on he must consume human flesh to survive.
	20th Century Boys	Naoki Urasawa	Seinen	Essential. It tells the story of Kenji Endo and his friends, who realize that a cult leader known only as “Friend” is looking to destroy the world, and it has something to do with his childhood memories.

	Bastard!!	Kazushi Hagiwara	Shonen, Seinen	Four centuries ago, the Earth suffered a cataclysm caused by the demon Anthrasax before being destroyed by the Dragon Knight, plunging the world into a new dark age.
	Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind	Hayao Miyazaki		A whole classic. All industrial civilization has been destroyed. Humanity barely survives because the earth is heavily polluted.
	Video Girl Ai	Masakazu Katsura	Shonen	The story begins when Yota Moteuchi finds out that the girl he likes, Moemi Hayakawa, is in love with his best friend, Takashi Niimai. Disappointed, he decides to rent a video from a mysterious video store.
	Astro Boy	Osamu Tezuka	Shonen	Astro Boy is one of the most successful manga and anime franchises in the world and is Tezuka’s most famous creation. Pretty much the precursor to modern manga. One of the best-selling manga of all time.
	Fist of the North Star	Buronson and Tetsuo Hara	Shonen	An 80s classic. Civilization was destroyed, and the world turned into a desert. Kenshiro is a master at killing by using hidden meridian points.
	Crayon Shin-chan	Yoshito Usui	Seinen	Who hasn’t seen Shin-Chan’s anime or movies? Follow the adventures of this clever boy, his family, and his friends.
Attack on Titan	Attack on Titan	Hajime Isayama	Shonen	Humanity shelters behind enormous walls from man-eating Titans, until one attack pushes Eren Yeager into a war that becomes far more complicated than simple survival.

	Uzumaki	Junji Ito	Seinen	Do you want to read a horror manga? This one will not leave you indifferent. The story takes us to a high school teenager, Kirie Goshima, her boyfriend, Shuichi Saito, and the citizens of the small and quiet Japanese town of Kurouzu-cho, which is cursed by supernatural events involving spirals.
	Cardcaptor Sakura	CLAMP	Shojo	It takes place in the fictional city of Tomoeda, which is located somewhere near Tokyo. Ten-year-old Sakura Kinomoto accidentally drops a set of magical cards known as Clow Cards. Each card has its own unique ability and can assume an alternate form when activated.
	Banana Fish	Akimi Yoshida	Shojo	It takes place in the United States in the mid-1980s in New York. Seventeen-year-old gang leader Ash Lynx cares for his older brother Griffin, a Vietnam veteran who is in a vegetative state.
	Ashita no Joe	Asao Takamori and Tetsuya Chiba	Shonen	Joe Yabuki is a young drifter who has a chance to meet with Danpei Tange, a former boxing trainer while wandering around San’ya. Joe is arrested for fraud and thrown into jail where he fights against Nishi Kanichi, the leader of a group of hooligans.
	Blame!	Tsutomu Nihei	Seinen	Science fiction manga that you cannot miss. The story takes place in what is known simply as “The City,” a gigantic megastructure that now occupies much of what used to be the Solar System.
	Chainsaw Man	Tatsuki Fujimoto	Shonen	Denji is a poor young man who has to pay off his late father’s debt to the yakuza by working as a devil hunter. One of the best-selling manga of recent times.

Best Romance Manga: Shōjo, Josei and Romantic Comedies

Romance manga deserves more than one neat demographic box. Some of the best love stories run in shōjo or josei magazines; others appear in shōnen and seinen publications. What matters is the relationship, the character writing and whether the misunderstandings feel human rather than manufactured solely to postpone a confession for another 80 chapters.

We have already included The Quintessential Quintuplets, Kimi ni Todoke, Fruits Basket and several other romantic titles above, so the tables below focus on additional school romances, adult relationships, comedies and slower emotional dramas.

Content note: age ratings vary widely. Some series are gentle enough for younger teens, while others contain sexual themes, coercive relationships or heavier material. Check the publisher’s rating before choosing a title for a child or teenager.

	Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-san	Nanashi	Shonen	Nagatoro repeatedly teases her shy art-club senpai, but the comedy gradually develops into a more sincere relationship.
	Grand Blue	Kenji Inoue, Kimitake Yoshioka	Seinen	It is irreverent and very funny. It’s not your typical romance, it’s not your typical manga. Kitahara moves to her uncle’s house in Izu and there he will find a couple of surprises.
	Komi-san wa, Komyushō desu	Tomohito Oda	Shonen	Komi struggles with severe communication anxiety, and her classmate Tadano helps her work toward the daunting goal of making 100 friends.
	Horimiya	HERO, Daisuke Hagiwara	Shonen	Hori and Miyamura are complete opposites. Will they manage to be friends and something more?
	ReLIFE	Yayoiso	Seinen	Kaizaki is 27 years old and has failed in his life. Suddenly they give him the opportunity to go back to school as if he were a teenager again taking a pill. For a year he has to relive his old life.
	Nisekoi	Naoshi Komi	Shonen	Raku belongs to a mafia family, but he wants to go to school and have a quiet life. He suddenly meets a somewhat violent student, Chitoge. How is he going to change his life?

	Toradora!	Yuyuko Takemiya, Zekkyō	Shonen	Taiga and Ryuuji agree to help each other pursue their respective crushes, a plan that predictably becomes much more emotionally complicated.
	Rent-A-Girlfriend	Reiji Miyajima	Shonen	You don’t have a girlfriend, but you realize that you can rent one by the hour and have a good time making everyone believe that she is your real girlfriend. Will love emerge in the end?
	Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible	Nene Yukimori	Shonen	Shiraishi-kun is practically an invisible boy at school, except for Kubo-san, who starts to show a lot of interest in him.
	To Be Next to You	Atsuko Nanba	Shojo	Nina has a crush on her handsome neighbor Kyosuke. Will he get her attention?
	Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku	Fujita	Josei	Two adult office workers reconnect and try dating while navigating work, gaming, cosplay and the awkwardness of being openly enthusiastic otaku.
	Masamune-kun no Revenge	Hazuki Takeoka, Tiv	Shonen	Masamune wants revenge, he wants revenge for how bad Adagaki treated him when they were little and he was a little fatter.
	Fly Me to the Moon	Kenjiro Hata	Shonen	After surviving an accident, Nasa reunites with the mysterious girl who saved him—and begins married life almost immediately.

	Maid-sama!	Hiro Fujiwara	Shojo	Misaki Ayuzawa is the president of the school (where there are more boys than girls). She’s a role model… but she also works at a Maid Caffé Latte. Will they find out?
	My Love Story!	Kazune Kawahara, Aruko	Shojo	Takeo is huge, he’s strong, he’s kind-hearted, and he’s fallen in love with Yamato. Will he get her love?
	Yancha Gal no Anjō-san	Yuuichi Katō	Seinen	Once again we have an introverted guy who meets a stunning and very social girl. Will Seto be able to confess his love to Anna Anjō, who doesn’t stop making fun of him?
	Dengeki Daisy	Kyousuke Motomi	Shojo	Teru’s brother has died, and he has left her a cell phone that allows her to contact a character called Daisy, someone who will always help her.
	Mars	Fuyumi Soryo	Shojo	A whole classic. It follows the teenage romance between Kira Aso, an introverted artist, and Rei Kashino, a troubled playboy who is a professional motorcycle racer.
	My Little Monster	Robico	Shojo	It tells us about the relationship between Shizuku Mizutani, who is only studying, and a boy named Haru Yoshida, who sits next to Shizuku in class but rarely goes to school.

	Your Lie in April	Naoshi Arakawa	Shonen	Former piano prodigy Kosei meets free-spirited violinist Kaori, who pulls him back toward music while hiding painful truths of her own.
	Cheeky Brat	Miyuki Mitsubachi	Shojo	Yuki Machida is the manager of the basketball team, where she goes to meet Sho Naruse, a boy who seems to hate her.
	Skip Beat!	Yoshiki Nakamura	Shojo	Another of my favorite romantic manga. It tells the story of Kyoko Mogami, a sixteen-year-old girl who loves her childhood friend Shotaro Fuwa, but is betrayed by him. Will she get to be more famous than him by becoming an actress?
	Sweat and Soap	Kintetsu Yamada	Seinen	A self-conscious office worker and a product developer at a cosmetics company begin an unconventional but surprisingly mature adult relationship.
	Teasing Master Takagi-san	Sōichirō Yamamoto	Shonen	Takagi constantly outsmarts Nishikata in a gentle school comedy where the real joke is how long it takes him to recognise her feelings.

	Missions of Love	Ema Tōyama	Shojo	Yukina writes stories online, and now she wants to write love stories, but she has never experienced it. That’s why she will start to raise Shigure missions.
	Love’s in Sight!	Uoyama	Shojo	A delinquent and an almost blind girl. Can love emerge between this unusual couple?
	Mochizuki-san Chi no Yankee	Uzuki Miya	Shoujo	A family that has lost its mother. Nobody knows how to cook. You have to hire someone to take care of them. That person is Kuraku, the delinquent.
	The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity	Mikami Saka	Shounen	Rintaro and Kaoruko attend neighbouring schools with a bitter rivalry, but their quiet friendship grows beyond the assumptions surrounding them.
	Please Go Home, Akutsu-san!	Taichi Nagaoka	Seinen	Notorious girl Riko Akutsu takes an interest in Kota Ooyama because he lives alone… and never wants to leave his room!
	The Girl I Like Forgot Her Glasses	Koume Fujichika	Shonen	Komura sits beside the girl he likes, who repeatedly forgets her glasses and must lean very close to see anything at all.

	A Bouquet for an Ugly Girl	Roku Sakura	Seinen	Tabata is a shy and unpopular girl. Is it possible that Yousuke, the most handsome boy in class, falls in love with her?
	The Dangers in My Heart	Norio Sakurai	Shonen	A withdrawn boy with dark fantasies slowly discovers that the cheerful class idol is stranger, kinder and more vulnerable than he expected.
	The Klutzy Class Monitor and the Girl with the Short Skirt	Takuma Yokota	Shounen	Tougo is the prefect of his school, and he makes sure that everyone follows the rules. Will he get Poemu to follow them?
	365 Days to the Wedding	Tamiki Wakaki	Seinen	Two introverted co-workers pretend to be engaged so they can avoid a transfer abroad, then discover that maintaining a fake relationship is not remotely simple.
	Scary Girl, Cute Girl	Hamita	Romantic comedy	Tanaka-kun thinks that mean girls are attractive, especially Mizuno-san. Will they become friends?
	Binetsu Kūkan	Aoki Ume	Josei	Naoya’s mother just got married and they now live with her new family, who have a daughter the same age, Amane.
	Living-Room Matsunaga-san	Keiko Iwashita	Shoujo	High-school student Miko moves into a shared house and gradually grows closer to its oldest resident, the blunt but caring designer Matsunaga.

	Five Minutes With You at a Convenience Store	Nozomi Ichinaga	Shonen	A high school boy who works in a store falls in love with a customer who is a few years older than him. Will he be able to confess his feelings to Shibasaki-kun?
	It’s Not Meguro-san’s First Time	9°C	Shoujo	Makoto Soga, a third-year student, confesses his love to Saki Meguro, the most popular girl in school and she tells him that she wants to be his girlfriend, but that she is not a virgin… What will happen next?
	Blue Box	Kouji Miura	Shonen	A badminton player, a basketball player moving into her house, a lifelong friend. Will there be some love there?
	Love Hina	Ken Akamatsu	Shonen	Keitarō Urashima wants to enter Tokyo University because he promised a girl. He doesn’t get in and must move to his grandmother’s hotel, where he will meet a curious group of girls.

	Kaguya-sama: Love Is War	Aka Akasaka	Seinen	Miyuki Shirogane and Kaguya Shinomiya seem like the perfect couple, but neither wants to confess their love for the other because they think they are going to lose.
	Tomo-chan Is a Girl!	Fumita Yanagida	Seinen	Tomo and Jun have been friends since they were little, but now Tomo wants something more… The problem is that Jun only sees her as a friend.
	Peach Heaven!	Mari Yoshino	Shoujo	A high-school student secretly writes erotic novels to support her family, then a popular model discovers her hidden work and complicates her life.
	I Belong to the Baddest Girl at School	Ui Kashima	Seinen	Unoki assumes the intimidating Toramaru is bullying him, while she is convinced they are dating. Their misunderstanding powers the entire comedy.
	Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun	Izumi Tsubaki	Shounen	Chiyo confesses to her crush and accidentally becomes an assistant on the shōjo manga he secretly creates.
	Blue Flag	KAITO	Shonen	Taichi becomes caught between his feelings for Futaba, Futaba’s crush on his childhood friend Toma and the private emotions none of them can easily say aloud.
	Asoko de Hataraku Musubu-san	Taishi Mori	Shonen	Goro Sagami, a 24-year-old man, starts working at Shonan Rubber Industry Co., Ltd., a condom company. And he falls in love with Musubu Kondo. Curious situations on each page.
	Marriage Toxin	Joumyaku and Mizuki Yoda	Shonen	An assassin from a clan of poison users must find a partner to protect his family line, so he recruits a marriage swindler as his unlikely dating coach.

Best Current Manga to Read in 2026

This section combines ongoing series with recently completed manga that are still shaping what readers are talking about in 2026. Publication status is correct as of July 2026, but long-running manga can pause, return or end with very little warning.

Our Top Current and Recent Picks for 2026

• Dandadan by Yukinobu Tatsu: supernatural action, aliens, ghosts and a surprisingly sweet central relationship. One of the easiest current series to recommend.
• The Apothecary Diaries: palace intrigue and medical mysteries led by the wonderfully observant Maomao. Multiple manga adaptations exist, so check which edition you are buying.
• The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity by Saka Mikami: a sincere school romance with thoughtful characters and very little patience for artificial drama.
• Kagurabachi by Takeru Hokazono: stylish sword action, revenge and sorcery from one of the most closely watched newer Shōnen Jump series.
• Ichi the Witch by Osamu Nishi and Shiro Usazaki: an inventive fantasy adventure with expressive artwork and a rapidly growing audience.
• Sakamoto Days by Yuto Suzuki: a retired assassin runs a convenience store, loves his family and remains alarmingly good at defeating professional killers.
• Blue Box by Kouji Miura: a gentle blend of sport and romance that gives both sides of the story room to breathe.
• Medalist by Tsurumaikada: figure skating, ambition and mentorship rendered with enormous emotional intensity.
• Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End by Kanehito Yamada and Tsukasa Abe: a reflective fantasy about memory, grief and what happens after the heroic quest is already over.
• Witch Hat Atelier by Kamome Shirahama: intricate fantasy artwork, magical craft and a story that becomes much deeper than its beautiful first impression.
• Vinland Saga by Makoto Yukimura (completed in 2025): one of the strongest historical manga of its generation, now available as a complete story rather than an ongoing commitment.
• My Dress-Up Darling by Shinichi Fukuda (completed in 2025): cosplay, craft and romance with an unusually enthusiastic interest in how creative work is actually made.

More Current and Recent Manga Recommendations

The larger tables below include ongoing series, recently completed favourites and older gems that remain easy to recommend. We have corrected several mistranslated titles and author names from the previous version.

	Juujika no Rokunin	Nakatake Shiryū	Shonen	The story of the revenge of the student Uruma Shun against the boys who bully him at school. This manga is not to be missed. Very popular in electronic format.
	Play It Cool, Guys	Kokone Nata	Josei	Some very peculiar friends who seem inaccessible, but are actually the nicest guys in the world. Charming.
	Bocchi the Rock!	Aki Hamaji	Seinen	Socially anxious guitarist Hitori “Bocchi” Gotoh joins a band and discovers that performing with other people is somehow even more terrifying than practising alone.
	The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten	Saekisan and Wan Shibata	Shonen	Amane lives alone in an apartment, and the most beautiful girl in school, Mahiru, lives right next door. They have never talked to each other until one day …
	The Way of the Househusband	Kousuke Ono	Seinen	A feared former yakuza applies his criminal-world intensity to cooking, cleaning, shopping and supporting his career-focused wife.
	The Fable	Katsuhisa Minami	Seinen	An elite assassin is ordered to spend a year living quietly in Osaka without killing anyone—a much harder assignment than it sounds.

	Baby Steps	Hikaru Katsuki	Shonen	Eiichiro Maruo, who only dedicates himself to studies, suddenly discovers tennis and realizes that he is beginning to play very well. Will he manage to become a professional?
	Domestic Girlfriend	Kei Sasuga	Shounen	Natsuo Fujii is in love with his teacher, Hina. He decides to go on a date with her friends and there he meets Rui Tachibana, who takes him to her house and asks him to have sex with her.
	Silver Spoon	Hiromu Arakawa	Shonen	After failing the entrance exams for the high school he planned to attend, student Yuugo Hachiken takes to the countryside and enrolls in the Ooezo Rural Agricultural School.
	Gantz	Hiroya Oku	Seinen	Imagine that you die and suddenly you are in a room with a sphere where you are told that you have to fight some horrible monsters to survive. This is what happens to Kei Kurono and Masaru Kato.
	Orange	Ichigo Takano	Shoujo	Naho, a 16-year-old girl, receives a letter from her future self, which accurately predicts everything that is about to happen to her. A sad story with a hopeful ending.
	Blue Exorcist	Kazue Kato	Shonen	The story of teenager Rin Okumura and his twin brother, raised by an exorcist. Both are children of Satan.

	Yotsuba&!	Kiyohiko Azuma	Seinen	Five-year-old Yotsuba explores ordinary neighbourhood life with such enthusiasm that cicadas, doorbells and shopping trips become small adventures.
	Sakamoto Days	Yuto Suzuki	Shonen	Legendary assassin Taro Sakamoto retires to run a neighbourhood shop with his family, but the criminal world refuses to leave him alone.
	Sun-ken Rock	Boichi	Seinen	Ken Kitano, a young Japanese man, moves to Korea to become a policeman just like the girl he loves… and ends up becoming the head of a local gang.
	Dandadan	Yukinobu Tatsu	Shonen	Momo believes in ghosts, Okarun believes in aliens, and both are forced to reconsider after discovering that the supernatural and extraterrestrial are equally real.
	My Home Hero	Naoki Yamakawa, Masashi Asaki	Seinen	What would a father do to save his daughter from a bully? Tetsuo Tosu has it very clear. Anything. And the good thing is that he writes murder mysteries and knows all the tricks.

	Spy x Family	Tatsuya Endo	Shonen	A spy, an assassin and a telepath form a fake family for a secret mission, while each hides the truth from the others.
	Blue Lock	Muneyuki Kaneshiro, Yusuke Nomura	Shonen	Japan gathers hundreds of young strikers in a ruthless training programme designed to create the world’s most ego-driven—and effective—goal scorer.
	PPPPPP	Mapollo 3	Shounen	7 brothers, all of them with tremendous talent for the piano, except one. Will Lucky get famous too?
	Wandance	Coffee	Seinen	A manga dedicated to dance. His musical recommendations are really good. Will Kotani be able to follow in Wanda’s footsteps?
	The Ancient Magus’ Bride	Kore Yamazaki	Shounen	Chise Hatori has spent her life moving from house to house since she lost her parents, until one day she is auctioned off to the highest bidder. Elias Ainsworth is the winner, and it turns out to be a magician who promises to make her his apprentice… but she has to marry him at some point.

The Climber (Kokou no Hito)

Shin-ichi Sakamoto, Yoshio Nabeda

Seinen

If you like climbing, this is your manga. One day, a solitary Mori Buntarao is challenged to climb the facade of the school and… he does it! From there, his adventure begins- to climb the highest mountains.

How to Find the Best New Manga Each Year

Sales rankings tell us what people bought; awards often reveal the books critics, booksellers and fellow creators consider especially strong. For a useful yearly reading list, check both.

• Manga Taishō: particularly useful for discovering newer series before they become giant franchises.
• Kodansha Manga Awards: major annual awards covering several publishing categories.
• Shogakukan Manga Awards: long-running awards recognising manga across age groups and genres.
• Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize: one of Japan’s most respected manga awards.
• Japan Cartoonists Association Awards: honours manga and cartooning in multiple forms.
• Next Manga Awards: useful for spotting rising print and web manga with strong reader support.
• Seiun Awards: worth checking for science-fiction and fantasy manga.

You can also browse the list of manga magazines to see where series are published. Major publishers include Shueisha, Kodansha, Shogakukan, Kadokawa, Hakusensha, Square Enix, Akita Shoten, Futabasha, Shinchosha, Ichijinsha and Mag Garden.

For actual release dates, use publisher calendars rather than old roundup posts. VIZ and Kodansha both maintain current schedules, while MANGA Plus is useful for discovering newly launched serialisations as chapters appear.

Best-Selling Manga in Japan: Latest Complete Annual Ranking

Because 2026 is still in progress, there is no complete full-year 2026 sales ranking yet. The newest complete annual comparison is Oricon’s 2025 ranking, covering sales in Japan during its reporting year. It is a much stronger reference than a single retailer’s weekly chart, where one new volume can temporarily dominate the list.

Top 10 best-selling manga series in Japan for 2025:

1. One Piece — 4,211,363 copies
2. Jujutsu Kaisen — 3,921,875 copies
3. Dandadan — 3,517,870 copies
4. Blue Lock — 3,012,745 copies
5. Kingdom — 2,497,085 copies
6. Blue Box — 2,385,295 copies
7. Sakamoto Days — 2,344,740 copies
8. The Apothecary Diaries — 2,252,310 copies
9. My Hero Academia — 2,097,599 copies
10. The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity — 2,038,691 copies

The list shows how strongly anime exposure can affect manga sales. Dandadan, Blue Box, Sakamoto Days, The Apothecary Diaries and The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity all had major visibility, while the already completed Jujutsu Kaisen and My Hero Academia continued selling in large numbers.

What should you take from sales rankings? Use them to spot cultural momentum, not as a final verdict on quality. A quiet two-volume manga will never compete numerically with a franchise selling dozens of volumes, but it may still be the book you remember ten years later.

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Notable English Manga Releases for 2026

Release dates vary by country, format and retailer, so this is a selective guide rather than an attempt to list every volume arriving in 2026. Always check the publisher calendar before pre-ordering.

VIZ Highlights

• Hunter x Hunter, Vol. 38 — English release in January 2026.
• Sakamoto Days, Vol. 20 — English release in January 2026.
• Super Psychic Policeman Chojo, Vol. 1 — series debut in January 2026.
• Ichi the Witch, Vol. 2 and Dandadan, Vol. 18 — April 2026 releases.
• Hima-Ten!, Vol. 1 — English series debut in July 2026.
• One Piece, Vol. 112, Yona of the Dawn, Vol. 46 and Firefly Wedding, Vol. 7 — July 2026 releases.
• Alice in Borderland Retry and Taika’s Reason, Vol. 1 — notable July 2026 releases.

Kodansha Highlights

• Shugo Chara! 20th Anniversary Edition — a refreshed edition with new covers, an updated translation and colour artwork.
• Shugo Chara! Jewel Joker — the sequel series arrives in English in 2026.
• MARS Anniversary Edition — a new hardcover edition of Fuyumi Soryo’s influential shōjo romance.
• The Ghost in the Shell Legacy Edition Manga Box Set — a premium collection for readers prepared to surrender both shelf space and restraint.
• Spacewalking With You, Vol. 3, WIND BREAKER, Vol. 25 and Blue Summer Haze, Vol. 1 — among Kodansha’s July 2026 releases.

How to Track the Rest of the 2026 Calendar

For the most reliable dates, check the VIZ release calendar and the Kodansha calendar. Retailer dates can shift, and digital editions do not always arrive on the same day as print.

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Japan’s Top 100 Manga: The TV Asahi National Poll

In January 2021, Japanese broadcaster TV Asahi revealed the results of a large national poll asking 150,000 voters to choose their favourite manga. This is a popularity survey rather than a timeless critical ranking, but it remains a fascinating snapshot of which series Japanese readers placed closest to their hearts.

1. One Piece  (33,600 votes)
2. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba  (29,100 votes)
3. Slam Dunk  (26,700 votes)
4. Detective Conan  (25,400 votes)
5. Dragon Ball  (22,400 votes)
6. Attack on Titan  (21,900 votes)
7. Naruto  (19,800 votes)
8. Haikyu!!  (18,700 votes)
9. Fullmetal Alchemist  (18,500 votes)
10. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure  (17,100 votes)
11. Hunter X Hunter  (16,200 votes)
12. Gintama  (16,100 votes)
13. Kingdom  (15,200 votes)
14. World Trigger  (11,700 votes)
15. Doraemon  (11.300)
16. My Hero Academia (10,900 votes)
17. Yu Yu Hakusho  (8,600 votes)
18. Black Jack  (8,200 votes)
19. Jujutsu Kaisen  (8,000 votes)
20. Natsume’s Book of Friends (7,400 votes)
21. Glass Mask (7,100 votes)
22. Fist of the North Star (7,000 votes)
23. Bleach  (6,950 votes)
24. Touch  (6,900 votes)
25. Phoenix (6,700 votes)
26. Banana Fish  (5,800 votes)
27. The Rose of Versailles (5,600 votes)
28. Inuyasha  (5,300 votes)
29. Ashita no Joe  (5,100 votes)
30. Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai (4,950 votes)
31. Rurouni Kenshin  (4,900 votes)
32. Maison Ikkoku  (4,600 votes)
33. Zatch Bell!  (4,400 votes)
34. The Poe Clan  (4,100 votes)
35. KochiKame  (4,080 votes)
36. Golgo 13  (4,060 votes)
37. Sazae-san  (4,040 votes)
38. Star of the Giants (4,020 votes)
39. Astro Boy  (4,000 votes)
40. Golden Kamuy  (3,950 votes)
41. Tokyo Ghoul  (3,900 votes)
42. Dokaben  (3,850 votes)
43. The Quintessential Quintuplets  (3,800 votes)
44. Aim for the Ace! (3,600 votes)
45. Dobutsu no Oisha-san  (3,450 votes)
46. The Promised Neverland (3,400 votes)
47. Hajime no Ippo  (3,100 votes)
48. Ushio and Tora  (3,000 votes)
49. Master Keaton  (2,900 votes)
50. Kaguya-Sama: Love is War  (2,850 votes)
51. Assassination Classroom (2,800 votes)
52. Kuroko’s Basketball  (2,750 votes)
53. Black Butler  (2,700 votes)
54. The Prince of Tennis (2,650 votes)
55. Haikara-san: Here Comes Miss Modern (2,600 votes)
56. Candy Candy  (2,300 votes)
57. City Hunter  (2,290 votes)
58. Chainsaw Man (2,260 votes)
59. Nodame Cantabile  (2,230 votes)
60. Parasyte  (2,200 votes)
61. Urusei Yatsura  (2,000 votes)
62. CardCaptor Sakura (1,900 votes)
63. Kinnikuman  (1,850 votes)
64. Bungo Stray Dogs  (1,800 votes)
65. Fairy Tail (1,790 votes)
66. Tokimeki Tonight  (1,760 votes)
67. Reborn!  (1,730 votes)
68. Hoshin Engi  (1,700 votes)
69. Cyborg 009  (1,550 votes)
70. Boys Over Flowers (1,500 votes)
71. Tetsujin 28-Go  (1,300 votes)
72. H2  (1,250 votes)
73. Galaxy Express 999  (1,200 votes)
74. Devilman  (1,160 votes)
75. Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic (1,130 votes)
76. Oishinbo  (1,100 votes)
77. Abu-san  (1,050 votes)
78. Space Battleship Yamato (1,000 votes)
79. Basara  (990 votes)
80. Captain  (980 votes)
81. Barbaric Legend  (960 votes)
82. Hikaru no Go  (950 votes)
83. Major  (930 votes)
84. Fire Force  (920 votes)
85. Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun  (900 votes)
86. Karakuri Circus  (890 votes)
87. Fruits Basket  (860 votes)
88. Kaze no Daichi  (830 votes)
89. Yukan Club  (800 votes)
90. Aria  (780 votes)
91. Berserk  (760 votes)
92. Macaroni Spinach  (740 votes)
93. Princess Knight  (720 votes)
94. Rent-A-Girlfriend (700 votes)
95. D.Gray-Man  (690 votes)
96. Sket Dance  (660 votes)
97. Captain Tsubasa  (630 votes)
98. Tenshi Nanka Ja Nai  (600 votes)
99. March Comes in Like a Lion (580 votes)
100. Dr. Stone  (560 votes)

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FAQ — Best Manga of All Time

What are the best manga of all time?
There is no objective top ten, but enduring recommendations include Berserk, One Piece, Fullmetal Alchemist, Monster, 20th Century Boys, Vagabond, Akira, Slam Dunk, Death Note, Dragon Ball, Sailor Moon, NANA and Vinland Saga.

Which completed classics should beginners start with?
Fullmetal Alchemist, Death Note, Monster, 20th Century Boys, Akira, Slam Dunk, Haikyu!!, Sailor Moon and Vinland Saga are all complete.

Which ongoing manga are worth reading in 2026?
Strong current choices include One Piece, Kingdom, Dandadan, Blue Lock, Sakamoto Days, Blue Box, Spy x Family, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, Kagurabachi and Ichi the Witch. Hunter x Hunter returned with new chapters in June 2026 but follows an irregular schedule.

Are My Hero Academia and Jujutsu Kaisen still ongoing?
No. The main My Hero Academia manga ended in August 2024, and the original Jujutsu Kaisen manga ended in September 2024. Spin-offs and related releases may continue.

What is the best manga for adults?
Try Monster, 20th Century Boys, Vinland Saga, Vagabond, Berserk, Goodnight Punpun, NANA, Space Brothers or The Apothecary Diaries. Check content warnings for heavier titles.

Which short manga can I finish quickly?
Look Back, Goodbye, Eri, The Gods Lie, Solanin and The Walking Man deliver a great deal without asking for an entire bookcase.

Do I need to watch the anime first?
No. Reading first gives you the original artwork and pacing; watching first gives you music, voice acting and movement. Choose whichever version actually makes you start.

Where can I read manga legally?
Official options include MANGA Plus, VIZ Shonen Jump, VIZ Manga, Kodansha’s digital store and calendar, Kindle, Kobo, BookWalker and—within supported regions—Crunchyroll Manga.

How do I read manga panels?
Most Japanese manga is read from right to left, beginning at the upper-right panel and moving across and downward.

What are the best sports manga?
Slam Dunk, Haikyu!!, Ashita no Joe, Hajime no Ippo, Blue Lock, Real, Medalist and Chihayafuru are excellent starting points.

What are the best science-fiction or cyberpunk manga?
Akira, Ghost in the Shell, Blame!, Planetes, Pluto and Battle Angel Alita are genre landmarks.

What are the best romance, shōjo and josei manga?
Start with NANA, Fruits Basket, Kimi ni Todoke, Yona of the Dawn, Chihayafuru, Paradise Kiss, Nodame Cantabile, My Love Story!! or The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity.

How should I choose the best manga for me?
Match the genre to your taste, check the number of volumes, confirm whether the series is complete, sample the opening chapters legally and then commit. The “best” manga is the one you are still thinking about after you close it.

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