The best surrealist horror manga

Key things

  • Surrealist horror manga can offer readers a thrilling and terrifying experience, immersing themselves in a twisted and immersive narrative.
  • Iconic works like Uzumaki, The Drifting Classroom, and Gyo showcase the creativity and nature of horror mangaka that push the boundaries.
  • Fans of the genre should explore titles like Dementia 21 and Franken Fran for unique, grotesque and chilling stories that push the boundaries of body horror.



Horror manga is a lot of fun to read if the artist in question knows how to scare the reader with their twisted art. Flipping through these stories can be daunting at times, but those who don't mind being spooked by reading an unnerving and immersive story will love what these stories bring to the table. Of course, horror comes in all shapes and sizes, and many fans of the genre tend to love ghost stories that venture into surreal territory.

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Good can be hard to find surrealist horror manga worth the reader's time and money, but fans can rest assured that there are some amazing stories worth checking out if those hard-to-understand stories are what they're looking for. Horror stories that delve into the realm of surrealism are complex, so the mangakas who pulled off a gripping story in this genre are to be commended.



5 Uzumaki

The idea of ​​a spiraling city is as surreal as it gets

  • Mangaka: Junji Ito
  • Publisher: Shogakukan
  • Release date: January 19, 1998

Junji Ito has become a household name in modern times and one of his most popular stories that fans can't get enough of is Uzumaki. It's a perfect depiction of what makes Ito's horror work, with an entire city plagued by something otherworldly. This horror does not come in the form of a monster or a ghost, but in a form familiar to readers. Here, Ito flexes his creative muscles, turning something as simple as a spiral into one of the scariest things fans can find in a horror story.


Watching the inhabitants of Kurozu-Cho slowly lose their minds as they are consumed by the idea of ​​a spiral is enthralling and terrifying at the same time. It's easy to see why this horror story is as surreal as they come, with fans not understanding what's plaguing the town until the final chapters. Even so, the explanation is vague at best, and readers are left with a sense of descending dread after finishing one of the best horror stories of all time.

4 Drifting classroom

It is difficult to understand how the class was transferred to another world

  • Mangaka: Kazuo Umezu
  • Publisher: Shogakukan
  • Release year: 1972

An iconic manga that inspired many works, Drifting classroom it dissipates a lot of energy lord of the flies but is much more twisted, with the school transported to a post-apocalyptic future. As you might expect, children and adults alike slowly lose their minds in this harrowing story as the lack of social and legal boundaries causes people to channel their inner demons and engage in monstrous acts that are hard to fathom.


There is an element of surrealism in everything that happens Drifting classroomwith the biggest being the mystery surrounding the phenomenon that led to the school being relegated to this unknown future. Reading this manga can be quite disturbing at times and should only be read by readers who can understand the events that happen when people lose all sense of decency.

3 Dementia 21

A surreal horror story depicting a nursing home in the future

  • mangaka: Shintaro Kago
  • Publisher: Comiccloud
  • Release date: January 27, 2011


Shintaro Kaga's signature work can be a difficult task for readers unprepared for his grotesque work. However, this horror mangaka is still one of the most recognized names in the genre, and those who want to slowly enter the mind of this fascinating artist will find Dementia 21 be an easy starting point. The premise seems simple enough, the manga focuses on Yukie Sakai and her work as a nurse for the elderly.

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However, the manga wastes no time in putting its weirdness on display for all to see, and readers are whisked away on surreal adventures with terrifying elements that will surprise them. The fact that this series is one of Kago's tamer works makes it clear why this horror mangaka is known for pushing the boundaries of body horror and surrealism.

2 Gyo

Monsters taking over the world are hard to understand

  • mangaka: Junji Ito
  • Publisher: Shogakukan
  • Release date: November 12, 2001


The zombie apocalypse has been done to death in the realm of horror, and some people may unfairly categorize it Gyo in the same department. However, there is much more to this monster invasion than meets the eye. What looks like a gang of legless fish taking over the world turns into a surreal horror story about artificial machines that use the mysterious Death Odor to infect living organisms and turn them into fuel for these nightmarish machines.

Strange and surreal nature GyoThe monster invasion is hard to digest, especially when it turns out that Death Stink has demonic faces etched into his very being. IN GyoIto managed to turn a ridiculous concept into something chilling, with this page-turner enthralling fans until the very end.

1 Franken Fran

It features moments of surreal body horror that are twisted in every direction


  • mangaka: Katsuhisa Kigitsu
  • Publisher: Akita Shoten
  • Release month: September 2006

Body horror can be for people who find these gross depictions nauseating, and surreal body horror can be even harder to break into. However, readers who have the stomach to brave these sights should give it a go Franken Fran shot. It's a relatively easy horror story to get into once readers stop cashing in on the weird artwork on display.

The manga focuses on an artificial surgeon who is tasked with working on his patients, only to have them die because they leave worse than before. The surreal nature of the manga comes through in each individual story, culminating in a finale that flips the script to create one of the most memorable endings to a horror story.

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