My Top 10 Comics I Enjoyed in 2025 (That You've Probably Never Heard Of).

Given the ever-expanding scope of the manga market, it becomes a challenge to discover every worthwhile release. As always, the mainstream series get all the attention, however, countless gems of undiscovered treasures just out of sight.

A key pleasure for a dedicated reader is stumbling upon a largely unknown series in the sea of new chapters and spreading the word to friends. Here are some of the top obscure manga I've discovered recently, along with explanations for why they're deserving of your time prior to a potential boom.

Several entries here have not yet reached a large audience, especially as they are without anime adaptations. A few are trickier to read due to where they're available. However, suggesting any of these grants you some notable geek cred.

10. The Ordinary Office Worker Who Was a Hero

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

This may seem like a strange choice, but hear me out. The medium embraces absurdity, and there's nothing wrong with that. I admit that transported-to-another-world stories relax me. While the title doesn't fully fit the genre, it uses similar story beats, including an unbeatable hero and a video-game-inspired fantasy framework. The appeal, however, lies in the protagonist. Keita Sato is an archetypal exhausted salaryman who relieves pressure by sneaking into mysterious dungeons that materialized globally, armed only with a baseball bat, to pummel creatures. He's indifferent to treasures, power, or ranking; he only wants to hide his pastime, protect his family, and finish work early for a change.

There might be better isekai series, but this is one of the few published by a major house, and thus easily available to international audiences via a free service. When it comes to digital availability, this publisher remains a leader, and if you're looking for a few minutes of silly fun, this manga is an excellent option.

9. The Exorcists of Nito

• Artist: Iromi Ichikawa
• Publisher: Shueisha
• Available on: Manga Plus

Usually, the word "exorcist" in a manga title makes me hesitant due to the saturated market, but two series changed my mind this year. It recalls the finest elements of a popular supernatural battle manga, with its ominous tone, stylized art, and shocking ferocity. I started reading it by chance and became engrossed at once.

Gotsuji is a skilled spirit hunter who kills evil spirits in the hope of discovering his master's killer. He's joined by his mentor's sister, Uruka, who is more interested in protecting Gotsuji than fueling his retribution. The plot may seem basic, but the portrayal of the cast is subtle and refined, and the artistic dichotomy between the absurd look of the enemies and the gory combat is a nice extra touch. This is a series with real potential to go the distance — if it's allowed to continue.

8. Gokurakugai

• Author: Yuto Sano
• Publisher: Shueisha
• Available on: Manga Plus; Viz

When artistic excellence matters most, then this is it. Yuto Sano's work on this manga is stunning, meticulous, and distinctive. The narrative hews close from classic shonen conventions, with superpowered people fighting evil spirits (though they're not officially called "exorcists"), but the characters are all quirky and the world is fascinating. The protagonists, Alma and Tao Saotome, manage the Gokurakugai Troubleshooter agency, solving problems in a poor neighborhood where two species live side-by-side.

The villains, called Maga, are created from human or animal corpses. In the former case, the Maga possesses abilities connected to the way the human died: someone who hanged themselves manifests as a choking force, 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 constrained by its infrequent release pace. Starting in 2022, only a handful of volumes have been released, which makes it hard to stay invested.

7. The Call of War: A Bugle's Song

• Writing Team: Mozuku Sora, Higoro Toumori
• Released by: Shueisha
• Find it on: Viz

This grim fantasy manga examines the ubiquitous battle trope from a novel angle for shonen. Rather than focusing on individual duels, it depicts massive army conflicts. The protagonist, Luca, is one of the Branched—people with distinct abilities. Luca's ability allows him to manifest sound as light, which lets him guide troops on the battlefield, employing his instrument and background in a brutal fighter company to become a formidable commander, fighting to eventually earn his freedom.

The setting is somewhat generic, and the insertion of sci-fi elements can seem jarring, but this series still provided dark turns and surprising narrative shifts. It's a mature shonen with a cast of quirky characters, an engaging magic framework, and an pleasing blend of military themes and dark fantasy.

6. Taro Miyao: Unexpected Feline Guardian

• Creator: Sho Yamazaki
• Released by: Shueisha
• Find it on: Manga Plus

A calculating main character who idolizes Renaissance thinker Niccolò Machiavelli and subscribes to ends-justify-the-means takes in a cute cat named Nicolo—reportedly for the reason that a massage from its little feet is his sole relief from tension. {If that premise isn't enough|Should that not convince you|If the setup doesn't grab you