Summary
While Japan’s massive manga industry is really diverse, and avid readers havea large variety of genresto choose from, there’s no denying that theactiongenre is its undisputed king. After all, most people associate Japanese manga with exciting, over-the-top and creative battles, even those who have never had the pleasure of reading one in their lives.
Needless to say, there are a lot of excellent action manga (especially in the shōnen and seinen demographics) that have captivated audiences throughout the world with their memorable characters, their fascinating power systems, their high-stakes battles and their well-made sequences, but only the following eight series are considered the absolute best ones in the entire genre.
8My Hero Academia
One Of The Most Fun And Exciting Superhero Stories Out There
Action stories about superheroes are way more common in the western comic book industry, but they are still quite easy to find in the Japanese manga industry, with a lot of standout superhero stories to choose from. However,there’s no denying that Kohei Horikoshi’sMy Hero Academiais one of the best ones, since the author has managed to create a really intriguing and fascinating super-powered world that serves as both a love letter and a satire of common superhero tropes.
In the world ofMy Hero Academia, people are born with quirks, incredible supernatural abilities that allow them to either do crime as villains or fight crime as Pro Heroes. Thanks to this simple but effective premise, this story is filled to the brim with interesting characters with creative designs that are constantly engaging in some of the most awe-inspiring battles in the entire medium of manga. On top of that, Horikoshi’s excellent art and paneling improves the series' action, and it helps make it all flow better. Seasoned fans of comic books from western companies like Marvel and DC should definitely check this one out.
7Naruto
A Legendary Story About Ninjas With Amazing Powers
My Hero Academiawas obviously inspired by many other prominent action manga that came before it,andNarutois one of the most obvious examples. Masashi Kishimoto’s magnum opus became a worldwide phenomenon that is still celebrated to this day, and for very good reasons. After all, who doesn’t love ninjas? That’s the main selling point of this series: in a world of constant war, with complex superpowers and terrifying giant monsters, people choose to go to ninja school in order to learn how to be deadly warriors and spies from a very young age. Needless to say, this gruesome premise serves a purpose in both the actual plot and in its many excellent fight scenes.
The best part is that every single character inNaruto- from Naruto Uzumaki himself to some of his deadliest opponents, like Orochimaru or Pain – wields their own unique abilities and techniques that help them stand out. While the earlier battles inNarutowere more tactical and strategic, they slowly evolved into a cavalcade of bizarre and over-the-top superpowers that could easily destroy the world in an instant. Some longtime fans are not too fond of this change, but it can’t be denied that the action sequences never ceased to be amazing and really fun to witness.
6One Piece
A Perfect Balance Between Goofy Characters And Intense Battles
When compared to the other members of the “Shōnen Big Three”,Eiichiro Oda’sOne Piececlearlyputs a bigger focus on its world-building, its themes and its character development, and a lot less on its action. But this doesn’t mean that this part of the series isn’t good, because it’s the exact opposite:One Piecedoes feature some of the most exciting and memorable fight scenes in the entire manga industry.
One of the highlights of this series is its collection of power systems that give every single character an efficient method of fighting - like Devil Fruits, Haki, Rokushiki, Fish-Man Karate, etc. - not to mention that some of them can even wield more than one at the same time to become even deadlier combatants. Despite how goofy some of these characters and their abilities may seem at first, they often end up participating in some of the most intense and over-the-top battles ever made, not to mention that the cartoon-inspired art style and the exaggerated expressions makes them easier and more entertaining to read. Oda really knows how to combine hilarious comedy with exciting action sequences and high emotional stakes, which explains why he’s one of the most legendary manga authors out there.
5One Punch Man
A Brilliant Parody With A Lot Of High-Octane Action
Over the last few decades, shōnen manga and superhero comic books have been becoming more and more popular, so, naturally,there also exists a franchise that parodies both:One Punch Man. While it began its life as a charming web comic made by an artist simply known as One, it was eventually adapted into a long-running manga, written by the same author and illustrated by the talented Yusuke Murata.
One Punch Mantells the story of Saitama, a superhero so incredibly strong that he can’t enjoy any battles because he always beats his enemies with a single punch. But this hilarious premise is just an excuse to present an extravagant world full of other heroic characters, evil villains and deadly monsters. Even though the script needs Saitama’s fight scenes to be short, they are always incredibly well-made and hilarious, not to mention that all the other prominent heroes, like Genos, Tatsumaki, Metal Bat, Flashy Flash or Garou, often engage in long, exciting and suspenseful battles of their own. The original web comic was already very good in and of itself, but the manga adaptation is worth checking out just for Yusuke Murata’s beautiful art, flawless paneling and detailed action sequences.
4Chainsaw Man
A Fast-Paced Story About Violent Devils With Disturbing Powers
Back in 2022,a lot of avid manga readers were displeased with the first season of MAPPA’s animated adaptation ofChainsaw Man, despite its beautiful animation and complex cinematography. This can easily be chalked up to the fact that these positive qualities were detrimental to one of the best aspects of Tatsuki Fujimoto’s original manga: its breakneck pacing.
Chainsaw Manis one of the most over-the-top and violent action shōnen manga in Shueisha’s lineup, seeing as it takes place in a world of devils that embody a specific fear and, if that wasn’t enough, they get more powerful the more people are afraid of them.The entire story is brimming with dark, gorey and disturbing battles that the reader can never look away from, mainly because Fujimoto’s art style, paneling and pacing make everything very engaging, and it flows extremely well. TheChainsaw Mananime is still an absolutely incredible piece of art, but the original manga is a unique and innovative project that any fan of this industry and this genre should check out.
3Berserk
A Gripping Dark Fantasy Story With Gorey And Intense Action
But not every popular action manga belongs to the shōnen demographic, because there’s at leastone legendary seinen series that has changed the entire industry, and its title isBerserk. Ever since the late 80s, manga readers around the world have been amazed by the extreme levels of violence, intensity and maturity in Kentaro Miura’s influential magnum opus.
This is obviously a story for adults, so it tackles some really dark themes, but it never shies away from being heartwarming and comedic whenever it’s necessary.Berserk’s protagonist, Guts, is a really cool-looking character with a complex development that, with his massive Dragon Slayer sword and his durable Berserk Armor, frequently has to kill some of the most terrifying fictional monsters and demons ever created. This always results in some of the most raw, violent, epic and satisfying action sequences ever drawn in manga form, which greatly contributed to this series’ reputation. It’s important to point out that Guts is not the only efficient fighter in the series, because his friends and allies, like Skull Knight, Farnese, Serpico or Schierke, also participate in exciting battles of their own.
2Dragon Ball
A Legendary Action Manga That Changed The World
Dragon Ballis synonymous with the manga industry, so it is no surprise that it’s also one of the best and most beloved action franchises in the entire world. Curiously enough, Akira Toriyama used to prefer writing comedy and the originalDragon Ballstory even had more of a focus on adventure rather than action. But as he kept growing as both a writer and illustrator, he slowly began turning it into a martial arts series, complete with engaging fight scenes and interesting characters.
This was elevated even further in the second half of the series, better known asDragon Ball Z, since Toriyama took his cartoony retelling ofJourney to the Westand turned it into an almost endless collection of over-the-top action sequences in which powerful heroes (like Goku, Gohan or Vegeta) have to confront even stronger villains (like Frieza, Cell or Majin Buu) in battle. With its many exciting character moments, its incredible transformations and its simple but effective power system (which, in turn, is filled to the brim with iconic techniques, like Kamehameha or the Spirit Bomb),Dragon Ballquickly became the entire world’s favorite action manga, not to mention that it directly inspired many other beloved series that came after it, likeOne PieceandNaruto.
1Bleach
It Has So Many Characters And So Many Fights That There’s Never A Dull Moment
Truth be told,Tite Kubo’sBleachpales in comparison to most of its shōnen contemporaries in terms of writing, world-building or character development. But there’s one thing that this iconic supernatural series does better than any other, and it’s the action.Bleachhas just so many characters, types of powers, factions and fight scenes that it’s almost impossible to stop reading it, as it’s too entertaining, interesting, and addictive.
It starts off fairly simple: a group of spiritual warriors known as Soul Reapers have to hunt dangerous undead creatures known as Hollows. But it doesn’t take long for this supernatural world to keep expanding in order to unveil more of its key players, like the Gotei 13, the Arrancar, the Espada, the Fullbringers and the Quincy. Every single character has their own personalized ability in the form of a Zanpakuto, which can be enhanced even further with their evolved form, the Bankai and, since every arc is filled to the brim with a lot of exciting battles, almost everyone gets their chance to shine. This all culminates with the excellent final arc of theBleachmanga, the Thousand-Year Blood War, which features so many fun and interesting fight scenes between so many characters that it’s almost impossible to stop reading. With his great art, character design, creative ideas, impeccable paneling and unique stylization, Tite Kubo has successfully managed to create what’s possibly the best manga for anybody who just wants to read and enjoy high-quality action in large quantities.
