A Curated List of 10 Manga I Enjoyed in 2025 (Which Are Mostly Unknown).

As the manga industry continues its relentless expansion, staying on top to discover every noteworthy new series. As always, the mainstream series dominate conversations, but there's a plethora of overlooked works waiting to be discovered.

A key pleasure for any manga enthusiast is unearthing a hidden series amidst the weekly releases 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 ahead of the curve.

Some of these series lack a large audience, especially as they are without anime adaptations. Others may be less accessible due to digital exclusivity. But recommending any of these will earn you some serious bragging rights.

10. The Ordinary Office Worker Who Was a Hero

• Writing Team: Ghost Mikawa, Yuki Imano, Akira Yuki, Raika Mizuiro
• Publisher: Shueisha
• Available on: Manga Plus

Admittedly, this is a weird pick, but bear with me. The medium embraces absurdity, and there's nothing wrong with that. I'll acknowledge that fantasy escapism is my comfort read. While the title diverges from the template, it follows many of the same tropes, including an incredibly strong protagonist and a RPG-like world structure. The unique hook, however, is found in the protagonist. Keita Sato is an archetypal exhausted salaryman who unwinds 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 maintain his double life, protect his family, and finish work early for a change.

Superior genre examples exist, but this is an accessible title released by a leading publisher, and thus easily available to international audiences on a digital platform. For easy reading, this publisher is still dominant, and if you're seeking a few minutes of silly fun, this manga is an excellent option.

9. The Nito Exorcists

• Creator: Iromi Ichikawa
• Released by: Shueisha
• Find it on: Manga Plus

Ordinarily, the word "exorcist" in a manga title makes me hesitant due to the genre's overpopularity, but my opinion was altered this year. This series evokes the finest elements of Jujutsu Kaisen, with its creepy atmosphere, stylized art, and unexpected brutality. A random click got me hooked and became engrossed at once.

Gotsuji is a formidable practitioner who purges ghosts in the hope of finding the one that murdered his mentor. He's accompanied by his mentor's sister, Uruka, who is concerned with his well-being than supporting his vengeance. The plot may seem basic, but the character development is subtle and refined, and the stylistic juxtaposition between the silly appearance of the spirits and the bloody fights is a compelling layer. This is a series with the capacity 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 look no further. Yuto Sano's work on this manga is stunning, intricate, and distinctive. The narrative hews close from classic shonen conventions, with individuals with abilities combating monsters (though they're avoiding that specific term), but the protagonists are distinctly odd and the world is fascinating. The protagonists, Alma and Tao Saotome, operate the Gokurakugai Troubleshooter agency, solving problems in a poor neighborhood where two species live side-by-side.

The villains, called Maga, are born from human or animal corpses. When human-based, the Maga has powers relating to the manner of death: someone who hanged themselves manifests as a choking force, one who died from self-harm can make people bleed out, and so on. It's a gruesome but interesting twist that gives weight to these antagonists. It might become a major title, but it's held back by its infrequent release pace. Starting in 2022, only a limited number of chapters have been released, which can test a reader's patience.

7. Bugle Call: War's Melody

• Creators: Mozuku Sora, Higoro Toumori
• Publisher: Shueisha
• Find it on: Viz

This grim fantasy manga examines the ever-present fight narrative from a fresh perspective for shonen. Rather than focusing on individual duels, it presents massive army conflicts. The protagonist, Luca, is one of the Branched—individuals possessing a unique special power. Luca's ability allows him to manifest sound as light, which allows him to direct soldiers on the battlefield, leveraging his musical skill and past in a brutal fighter company to become a formidable commander, fighting with the hope of one day stepping away.

The backdrop is a little plain, and the insertion of sci-fi elements occasionally doesn't fit, but The Bugle Call still surprised me with bleak developments and shocking story pivots. It's a grown-up battle manga with a cast of quirky characters, an compelling ability ruleset, and an pleasing blend of warfare and grim fantasy.

6. Taro Miyao: Unexpected Feline Guardian

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

A calculating main character who reveres Renaissance thinker Niccolò Machiavelli and subscribes to ends-justify-the-means adopts a cute cat named Nicolo—allegedly because a massage from its small claws is the only thing that relieves his stiff shoulders. {If that premise isn't enough|Should that not convince you|If the setup doesn't grab you