Hole is a disorderly district that is dominated by magic users. With no way of fighting back, non-magic users are murdered, mutilated, and used for twisted experiments. Caiman is immune to most magic, but was transfigured into a lizard-man. The only way to find the magic user that did this is to hunt down various sorcerers and to eat their heads to read their minds.

Ichi is a psychologically disturbed man who acts like a child living in an adult’s body. Despite his cowardly personality, Ichi has a kill switch that turns him into a ruthless killer with a taste for sadism.

The end of the Civil War ushered in the Industrial Revolution in the United States. Immigrants from all over came to the country in search of the American Dream, but instead found poverty, discrimination, and hopelessness. Luke and Brad Burns are Irish immigrants living in Five Points, which is the most vicious slum in New York City. While Luke tries to maintain an optimistic look on life, his older brother Brad becomes a ruthless assassin for the biggest mob in Five Points.

Fran was created by Dr. Naomitsu Madaraki and has taken over the lab while he is away. Fran must take care the various work that crosses her path, which includes resurrecting the dead or performing “cosmetic” surgery.

35-year-old Hideo Suzuki works as a manga assistant after his own series fails to meet sales goals. His mundane life is filled with frustration due to unfulfilled goals, failed relationships, and hallucinations. However, Hideo’s life changes after learning about a disease that turns people into homicidal maniacs.

Kogami Kii is tired of his boring, normal life as a high school student. While looking out a window, he sees a little girl hit a teacher…which causes the teacher’s head to explode. He flees to the restroom to convince himself that he was just daydreaming, but upon returning to class, he finds his entire class being killed by the same little girl.

A pandemic kills 15% of the world’s population. The chaos allows a group called The Propater to topple the United Nations and seize control of the world. Elijah Ballard is on the run from The Propater and is forced to join a mercenary group, which is connected to his father’s drug empire.

Shinmen Takezō was shunned by his village due to his violent nature. After surviving a disastrous military campaign, Takezō becomes a legendary and wanted ronin.

Thorfinn is the son of one of the Viking’s greatest warriors, and is one of the best fighters in a band of mercenaries. However, Thorfinn is not a mercenary for love of battle or plunder, but instead so he can take revenge on their leader Askeladd. Despite all the planning, Askeladd hatches an ambitious plan that could affect England and drags Thorfinn into it.

Violent Manga To Read

Ryo Narushima was a talented student who was about to enter the prestigious Tokyo University. Before setting a path towards success, Ryo murdered his parents and was sent to a reformatory. Instead of being rehabilitated, he was gang raped and took up karate for self-defense. Now a free man, Ryo uses his martial arts skills to participate in death matches and to commit heinous crimes.

Akira Takashiro has a nice life. He has friends, an almost-girlfriend-but-not-quite, and lives in peace. Just when Akira’s dreams are about to come true, a shelf drops on his head and renders him unconscious. Upon waking up, he finds everyone getting eaten by giant monsters.

Tatsuo, Hide, Satoshi, and Aya work together to con marriage services and prey on people looking for love. One day, they con the wrong person and face an extremely violent “collection agency.” Before the sadistic torture begins, their torturer recognizes Tatsuo…which could end up being worse than torture.

Trepanation is the procedure of drilling a hole in the skull as a way to improve blood circulation and to improve skull pressure. It’s also said to bring out a person’s sixth sense. Susumu Nakoshi is a homeless man and agrees to let a medical student to perform the procedure in exchange for 700,000 yen.

Mai Mashiro, and she gets turned out being filmed while killing people. Tomohiro Machiya is her cameraman, and is always enthralled with Mai’s “beauty” while recording.

Wolfsmund is set to the backdrop of the rebellion led by the historical William Tell. The manga is a collection of vignettes that center around the Wolfsmund fortress in the St. Gotthard Pass and the unfortunate souls that cross the tyrant that rules it.

What are your favorite manga that are too gory to be adapted into anime?

Dark Manga to Read