My Top 10 Manga I Read This Year (Flying Under the Radar).

As the manga industry continues its relentless expansion, it becomes a challenge to track every significant title. Predictably, the biggest series get all the attention, but there's a plethora of overlooked works waiting to be discovered.

A particular delight for fans of the medium is finding a largely unknown series in the sea of new chapters and spreading the word to friends. This list highlights of the top obscure manga I've enjoyed this past year, along with explanations for why they're worthy of attention ahead of the curve.

A few of these titles have not yet reached a large audience, especially as they are without anime adaptations. A few are harder to access due to where they're available. But recommending any of these will earn you some impressive fan credentials.

10. An Unassuming Salaryman Revealed as a Hero

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

Admittedly, this is a weird pick, but hear me out. Comics are often fun, and there's nothing wrong with that. I'll acknowledge that isekai is my guilty pleasure. While The Plain Salary Man isn't strictly an isekai, it follows many of the same tropes, including an overpowered main character and a RPG-like world structure. The unique hook, however, stems from the protagonist. Keita Sato is an archetypal exhausted salaryman who relieves pressure by entering fantastical portals that appeared in the world, 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 clock out punctually for a change.

There might be better isekai series, but this is a rare example from a top company, and thus easily available to international audiences on a digital platform. When it comes to digital availability, this publisher is still dominant, and if you're looking for a brief, enjoyable diversion, The Plain Salary Man is a great choice.

9. The Nito Exorcists

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

Typically, the word "exorcist" in a manga title turns me away due to the abundance of similar stories, but two series changed my mind this year. It evokes the strongest aspects of Jujutsu Kaisen, with its eerie vibe, unique visuals, and unexpected brutality. I started reading it by chance and was immediately captivated.

Gotsuji is a skilled spirit hunter who purges ghosts in the hope of avenging his teacher's death. He's paired with his mentor's sister, Uruka, who is focused on his safety than supporting his vengeance. The premise sounds simple, but the character development is thoughtfully executed, and the artistic dichotomy between the absurd look of the enemies and the bloody fights is a compelling layer. This is a series with real potential to go the distance — if it's allowed to continue.

8. Gokurakugai

• Artist: Yuto Sano
• Released by: Shueisha
• Available on: Manga Plus; Viz

When artistic excellence matters most, then look no further. Yuto Sano's work on Gokurakugai is breathtaking, detailed, and unique. The narrative hews close from classic shonen conventions, with individuals with abilities combating monsters (though they're avoiding that specific term), but the characters are all quirky and the world is fascinating. The protagonists, Alma and Tao Saotome, operate the Gokurakugai Troubleshooter agency, solving problems in a low-income area where humans and beast-men coexist.

The villains, called Maga, are created from human or animal corpses. When human-based, the Maga possesses abilities connected to the way the human died: a suicide by hanging can strangle others, one who perished by suicide causes blood loss, and so on. It's a gruesome but interesting twist that provides substance to these antagonists. Gokurakugai might become a major title, but it's held back by its infrequent release pace. From the beginning, only a limited number of chapters have been released, which challenges ongoing engagement.

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

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

This grim fantasy manga approaches the common conflict theme from a fresh perspective for shonen. In place of highlighting individual duels, it showcases epic historical battles. The protagonist, Luca, is one of the Branched—those granted singular talents. Luca's ability enables him to convert audio into visuals, which helps him command armies on the battlefield, using his trumpet and upbringing in a brutal fighter company to become a skilled strategist, fighting to eventually earn his freedom.

The setting is somewhat generic, and the addition of advanced concepts feels forced at times, but this series still delivered bleak developments and unexpected plot twists. It's a grown-up battle manga with a collection of odd personalities, an interesting power system, and an interesting combination of warfare and grim fantasy.

6. Taro Miyao: Unexpected Feline Guardian

• Author: Sho Yamazaki
• Publisher: Shueisha
• Available on: Manga Plus

A calculating main character who idolizes Renaissance thinker Niccolò Machiavelli and believes in using any means necessary becomes the owner of a cute cat named Nicolo—supposedly since 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