Key things
- Shonen horror manga can be just as brutal and terrifying as seinen, with graphic content and chilling stories.
- Some shonen manga balance action with horror elements, showcasing violent themes and cute visuals.
- Like a series
Satanic
and
Claymore
offers a deep, dark narrative, unique characters and intense action scenes.
Those who think so shonen horror manga they are less brutal or scary than their more mature seinen counterparts would have you think again. While aimed at young boys, shonen series are no less capable of producing some of the most chilling imagery and stories ever to appear on the pages of manga.

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These series prove that shonen manga aren't all about tournament arcs, power fantasies, and mindless action. Some of these manga make one wonder how their graphic content made it into shonen magazine instead of seinen, while others perfectly balance shonen-style action with horror elements.
10 Happy Sugar Life
A seemingly cute series About a violent Yandere
- Release date: May 22, 2015 – June 22, 2019
- Creator: Tomiyaki Kagisora
- Number of bundles: 10
There are few things scarier than someone who looks cute and harmless on the surface, but has a terrifying and violent edge to them. Happy Sugar Life is about a high school girl named Satou Matsuzaka. He immediately falls in love with a young girl named Shio Koube, leading Sato to kidnap her, going to great lengths to keep their idyllic “happy sugar life” intact.
Happy Sugar Life it combines cute, moe visuals and character designs with disturbing themes, making for a pretty jarring contrast. Fans of the “yandere” trope should definitely check out this series.
9 Zombie loan
A darkly hilarious supernatural horror about hunting down zombie vagrants
- Release date: April 2002 – March 2011
- Creator: Peach-Pit
- Number of bundles: 13
Zombie loan is one of the funniest supernatural horror manga out there with plenty of clever plot twists to keep any reader interested. It's about a timid high school student named Michiru Kita who has 'Shinigami Eyes', the ability to see the impending death of people. A gray ring appears around the person's neck, turning black upon death.

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He soon finds himself in the world of zombie hunting when he teams up with two undead classmates with black rings around their necks. Zombie loan it's a bit lighter than a standard horror manga, but there's plenty of shonen-style comedy and action to keep readers entertained.
8 Doubt
The mobile survival game becomes terrifyingly real
- Release date: 26 December 2007 – 12 February 2009
- Creator: Yoshiki Tonogai
- Number of bundles: 4
The “survival game” genre has seemingly replaced the zombie apocalypse as the main horror subgenre. Doubtlike any good death game series, it explores themes of survival in extreme circumstances. It is a popular mobile game called 'Rabbit Doubt' in which players take on the roles of rabbits in a group. One of them secretly assumes the role of a “wolf” whose goal is to kill the rabbits without being detected.
Unfortunately for one group of friends, the game becomes terrifyingly real. After being drugged and waking up in an abandoned hospital, the group discovers that there is a real “wolf” in their ranks, killing the members one by one. They have to find out who it is before it's too late.
7 Fortress of the Apocalypse
Survival Horror about life in a prison during a zombie apocalypse
- Release date: September 7, 2011 – August 6, 2015
- Creator: Written by Yuu Kuraishi; Illustrated by Kazu Inabe
- Number of bundles: 10
It wasn't that long ago that zombies were all the rage (and for all intents and purposes still are) and Fortress of the Apocalypse is an underrated gem of zombie horror manga that fits right into that niche. It takes place in a juvenile prison, where the protagonist Yoshiaki Maeda is sent because of a false accusation.
Life in prison is tough as it is, but it takes a turn for the worse when zombies spread across the world. Maeda and his roommates are now trapped in a detention center and are forced to work together to defeat hordes of zombies and escape the facility.
6 Drifting classroom
Classic psychological horror about a time travel school
- Release date: 1972 – 1974
- Creator: Kazuo Umezu
- Number of bundles: 11
Drifting classroom is considered a masterpiece in the world of horror manga, with artists such as Junji Ito citing it and its creator Kazuo Umezu as inspirations. It's about an elementary school that suddenly finds itself in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, along with everyone in it.
Students and teachers struggle to survive in a bleak environment and try to solve the mystery of how their predicament came about. The contrast between the innocence of the child characters and the violence and brutality they face only heightens the horror.
5 Sankarea: Undying Love
A zombie-obsessed high school boy gets a zombie girlfriend
- Release date: 9 December 2009 – 9 September 2014
- Creator: Mitsuru Hattori
- Number of bundles: 11
The zombie genre has been mixed with every other genre of media under the sun and Sankarea: Undying Love provides a unique example of a romantic horror comedy with zombies on the side. It follows a high school student named Chihiro Furuya who is obsessed with zombies and dreams of having a zombie girlfriend one day.
While creating a resurrection potion for his dead cat, he meets a lonely girl named Rea Sanka who secretly drinks Chihiro's potion. After a series of unfortunate events lead to her death, she is revived by a potion she drank. Now a zombie, Rea must navigate her new life as well as her growing feelings for Chihiro.
4 Twilight Maiden Amnesia
A high school student helps uncover a ghost's tragic past
- Release date: April 2008 – November 2013
- Creator: Maybe
- Number of bundles: 10
Dusk Maiden of Amnesia is a paranormal horror manga with a dash of romance, portraying the ghost not as a vengeful entity, but as tragic and sympathetic. Yuko Kanoe, the ghost said to haunt the halls of Seikyou Private Academy, is playful, flirtatious, and lacks any memories of her death.
Infatuated with Yuko, the protagonist, Teiichi Niiya, forms the school's paranormal investigation club to investigate the circumstances behind her death. Little does she know that Yuko's forgotten memories hide a dark and painful truth.
3 Satanic
Raw, visceral horror that explores human morality and fragility
- Release date: 11 June 1972 – 24 June 1973
- Creator: Go Nagai
- Number of bundles: 5
Satanic is one of the most influential manga series of all time, inspiring countless works in the horror and dark fantasy genre, including Crazy and Attack on Titan. His story of an ordinary man who turns into a monster to defeat a race of similar monsters has been retold many times.
Protagonist Akira Fudo unexpectedly becomes embroiled in a war between demons and humans when he teams up with a demon named Amon. Now possessing the power of a demon while retaining his humanity, he fights to protect humans from the impending threat of demons.
2 Alice in the Borderlands
High school students are transported to an alternate world where survival games determine their fate
- Release date: November 25, 2010 – March 2, 2016
- Creator: Haro Aso
- Number of bundles: 18
Fans Squid game should definitely check Alice in Wonderland while waiting for the second season. It follows a disillusioned high school student named Ryohei Arisu who is transported to a parallel version of Tokyo along with his two best friends.

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1 Claymore
Fantasy Horror Set In A World Infested With Monsters
- Release date: May 6, 2001 – October 4, 2014
- Creator: Norihiro Yagi
- Number of bundles: 27
Claymore stands out from other shonen manga as it features a predominantly female cast. The story takes place in a world where humanity is terrorized by shape-shifting demons known as Yoma. To fight the Yoma, the organization creates Claymores – female warriors filled with the body of a Yoma who have superhuman abilities and strength.
Claymore is a must read for fans of dark fantasy series Crazy and Blood+ because it features dark and mature storytelling, deep character development, and action scenes. Its strong female cast and dark fantasy setting only add to its appeal.

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