We all can agree that sometimes manga can be a bit surreal and away from reality, but it’s okay because it’s supposed to be that way. Also, sometimes it can hit so close to reality that it never feels like fictional work.
However, there are very few shounen mangas that weave in despair and tragedy, but there are quite many famous shoujo mangas that have quite realistic romances and also deal with things that are serious problems in real life.
If you are tired of headless optimism in some of the mainstream series and like to be bombarded by a huge wave of emotions, you have come to the right place.
We have made a list compromising both Shounen and Shoujo manga with the saddest stories or plots. So here is the list of the top 25 heartbreaking manga that will give you chills.
Solanin
Solanin by Asano Inio is a manga published back in 2005. This series keeps in notice the make or break period of people’s lives, their twenties.
People in their twenties experience an insane amount of ideas, sunshine, and hopeful lives, while on the other hand, for others, it marks a period of self-doubt or anxiety knocking through. Most people like us land somewhere between these two worlds, experiencing joy and pain.
We get to experience this story through the eyes of 23-year-old Meiko Inoue. Meiko is a college graduate with a lingering belief that there is a demon lurking in the dark parts of Tokyo.
This made her life aimless, boring, and lacking the experiences that a girl would experience in her youth, making her question her aim in life.
Solanin is a story that tells us about people in their twenties wondering about their purpose. A story centered around a group of people in their twenties trying to fit into society.
- Volumes: 2
- Chapters: 28
- Status: Finished
- Published: 2005 – 2006
- Genres: Drama, Slice of Life
- Author: Asano Info
Hotarubi No Mori E
Hotarubi No Mori E, also known as ‘The Light of a Firefly Forest,’ is a one-shot manga published back in 2012. It’s one of the most heartwarming yet heartbreaking manga there is. It’s sweet. The artwork is lovely, but the story just makes you feel bad for reading it.
The story is about a 6-year-old girl named Hotaru Takegawa enjoying vacations at her grandfather’s house. One day she gets lost in a forest rumored to be inhabited by spirits. After crying out for some time, a weird guy wearing what seems like a cat mask offers to help her.
Later we get to know that his name is Gin. Gin warned Hotaru to stay away from the forest, but she did exactly the opposite. She goes back to the woods when she is bored and starts to enjoy Jin’s company. As the years passed, Hotaru grew up and fell in love with Gin.
Sound’s like a sweet story, right? But there’s a catch, Hotaru can never touch Gin. Hotarubi No Mori E also got an anime adaptation by studio Brain’s Base in the form of a short movie in 2011.
- Volumes: 1
- Chapters: 4
- Status: Finished
- Published: 2002 – 2003
- Genres: Drama, Romance
- Author: Midorikawa and Yuki
Byousoku 5 Centimeter
Byousoku 5 Centimeter, also known as 5 Centimeter Per Second, is quite the famous one on this list, with an anime adaptation in the form of a movie. The movie was released back in 2007, and since then, it has been known as one of the saddest and most depressing movies in the anime community.
5 Centimeter per second is a story about two childhood friends named Takaki Toono and Akari Shinohara. After spending most of their time, they started to fall in love with each other gradually. As soon as their story starts, they are separated by the hurdle of distance.
This manga successfully depicts all factors of young love and the feelings they experienced during that time. It also gives a touch of realism to a long-distance relationship which is not shown very effectively in most of the series there is.
From confessions full of anxiety to the light-hearted joy of being close to the person you love and the pain of being far from your partner, this story has got it all. This manga is a fine artwork full of feelings and emotions that most of us can relate to.
It will make you value your partner more or make you think about that unrequited love of yours when you were young. Whatever the case, maybe this manga will make you rethink certain instances of your life.
- Volumes: 2
- Chapters: 11
- Status: Finished
- Published: 2010 – 2011
- Genres: Drama, Romance
- Author: Shinkai Makoto
Also Read: 33 Anime Like Erased That Are Thrilling To Watch
Three Days of Happiness
‘Mikkakan no Koufuku’ is the Japanese name for Three Days of Happiness, written by Sugaru Miaki. Three Days of Happiness was published back in 2013, and it’s one of the most mind-boggling manga out there.
The story revolves around our main character named, Kusunoki. When Kusonoki was young, he was a very enthusiastic kid full of sunshine and hope, thinking that life had so many great things lined up for him.
Unfortunately, when he turned twenty, Kusonoki was a mediocre college student with no money, aim, or reason to move forward.
One day Kusonoki finds a way to sell his remaining living years. Seeing how little one’s whole life costs, he sells nearly 30 years of his life except the last three months. Has Kusonoki made a mistake? Has he lost his last chance of being happy, or did he find a path to it?
This manga deals with the remaining three months of Kusonoki, showing him going through an emotional roller coaster. The story shows him enjoying his life without any financial restrictions and facing some of his life problems and regrets.
This story is sensitive and deals with topics like loneliness, death, emptiness, etc. It’s a short manga, so make sure to give it a read. It will surely be worth your time but be prepared for the upcoming crying sessions.
Half & Half
This story was written by Kouji Seo and is a short manga dealing with supernatural occurrences. We witness the story of two strangers named Shinichi Nagakawa and Yuuki Sanada. One day these two strangers meet with an accident that ends up killing both of them.
Soon Shinichi and Yuuki find themselves in a place that is between life and the afterworld. God gives both of them a second chance. God gives them seven more days to live so they can decide who gets to continue living and who dies.
Also, god links their physical and emotional senses so that they don’t just go on killing each other and make it so that they cannot walk away from each other. If you are looking for a mixture of drama, comedy, and sadness, this short manga may do the trick.
- Volumes: 2
- Chapters: 14
- Status: Finished
- Published: 2012 – 2015
- Genres: Romance, Supernatural
- Author: Kouji Seo
Rainbow: Nisha Rokubou no Shichinin
Rainbow is a little different from the manga mentioned up until now on this list. While the other manga practically focused on the love side of a person’s life and the pain, one would suffer when facing problems with their partner.
Rainbow: Nisha Rokubou no Shichinin is a manga that deals with the imprisonment of 7 minors, approximately 16-17 years of age. This manga is not for faint-hearted people or for people who are reading for the feel-good factor.
This manga shows the story of seven kids who, on a daily basis, go through severe mental and physical trauma. They are trying to survive in a hellish environment with sociopathic and masochist officers accompanied by a paedophilic doctor.
Despite all these factors, the seven kids go on to survive these awful conditions deepening their bond of friendship.
Rainbow: Nisha Rokubou no Shichinin, back in its days, was quite popular and won the 51st Shogakukan Manga Award in the general category. It also has an anime adaptation by the studio Madhouse aired back in the Spring of 2010.
- Volumes: 22
- Chapters: 235
- Status: Finished
- Published: 2002 – 2010
- Genres: Drama, Psychological
- Author: George Abe
Hoshi no Koe
Hoshi no Koe, also known as the ‘Voice of a Distant Star,’ is a Sci-fi manga with more than just surrealism. It is a manga about the love story of two teenagers and is quite realistically told in terms of human feelings and emotions.
The story focuses on the two protagonists, namely Mikako and Noboru, who are in love with each other. Unfortunately, Mikako is expected to join the army in a fight and go off into the dark space. However, the two of them continue their relationship.
After a while, as time moves on, Mikako goes further and further away into space, taking the messages even longer to get back to Earth.
This short manga shows how delicate human feelings can be and tells the story of two lovers who are separated by distance through melancholic illustrations. Hoshi no Koe did get an anime short movie back in the year 2002 with the studio’s CoMix Wave films.
- Volumes: 1
- Chapters: 10
- Status: Finished
- Published: 2004 – 2004
- Genres: Drama – Romance – Sci-Fi
- Authors: Shinkai Makoto
Ayu no Monogatari
Deep Love, or Ayu no Monogatari, is a story following a 17-year-old high school student with a cynical outlook on life. This overly dramatic manga deals with the real horrors of the world, which most of us choose to ignore in our day-to-day lives.
While reading, you will stop mid-way and start questioning whether these things happen in the real world, too. And your consciousness will reply with a yes.
With this thought in mind, as you read this manga and see the events unfold one by one, you will realize it’s closer to reality than we expect it to be.
Ayu, a high school student devoid of any hopes and dreams, finds herself unable to enjoy all the basics of life. She finds no feelings of Happiness, sorrow, or even pain in her heart, for her money is everything. This leads Ayu to prostitution, and she sells her body to feel some sense of existence.
- Volumes: 2
- Chapters: 8
- Status: Finished
- Published: 2004 – 2004
- Genres: Drama
- Authors: Yoshi
Bitter Virgin
The story follows Daisuki Suwa, who is a high school student. Daisuki is a playboy in his school and would date any girl except one, Hinako Aikawa. He feels her shy girl personality annoying and her disinclination towards physical touch quite annoying.
This is until he finds out about the tragic past of Aikawa. He then feels a bit bad for her and starts to talk to her normally, and with such sudden interest and well behavior, Aikawa starts to like his company too.
This manga deals with the gruesome aspects of human nature as well as the better ones too. This manga has realistic parts of life intertwined with slice-of-life and romance, which makes it a good read. Be aware tho this manga will make your eyes swell.
- Volumes: 4
- Chapters: 32
- Status: Finished
- Published: 2005 to 2008
- Genres: Drama – Romance
- Authors: Kusunoki Kei
Ningen Shikkaku
‘No Longer Human’ or Ningen Shikkaku is a type of series that can be pretty relatable in today’s generation. It’s about a high school who wears different masks in front of different people in his life.
Ooba Youzou is the main character of this story. He wears a mask in front of his friend of being that happy and cheerful kid who is always fooling around and doing fun stuff.
Simply said, being the class clown. In front of the teachers, he had the mask of a studious child but not very bright to stand out from the crowd.
Ooba had a traumatic past. He faced difficulties and was mentally abused. This is the reason he is unable to be his true self around other classmates or teachers. He tries to be a people pleaser by putting on a mask that is accepted by everyone in a social setting.
All these acts lead him to think in a sociopathic way which gets worse as you continue through the chapters. This series is pure pain and sadness, and there is no such thing as a feel-good factor that you may expect to get at some point when you read this manga.
- Volumes: 3
- Chapters: 12
- Status: Finished
- Published: 2009 to 2011
- Genres: Action – Mystery – Horror – Psychological
- Authors: Furuya Usamaru & Dazai Osamu
Bokurano
This manga is one of the very few sci-fi/drama mangas on this list. In this story, middle schoolers are expected to pilot a large humanoid mecha to fight and save the city from monsters.
The twist is that this was introduced to them as a game, and they didn’t know what all the dark things were waiting for them.
Don’t be bummed up by the sci-fi background of the story. This manga, in comparison, is not inferior to any of the manga mentioned on this list in terms of emotions and feelings. The kids take turns one by one piloting the mecha we are dipped into their minds while changing key moments in their lives.
It goes over the aspects of how meaningless life can be at times, and if you feel depressed and lost after watching Neon Genesis Evangelion, wait to read this one. It also has an anime adaption in the form of a series of 24 Episodes long by the studio Gonzo.
- Volumes: 11
- Chapters: 66
- Status: Finished
- Published: 2003 to 2009
- Genres: Drama – Sci-Fi
- Authors: Kitoh Mohiro
Watashitachi No Shiawase Na Jikan
Our story starts with Juri Mutou, the daughter of a famous pianist. Although Juri didn’t have a precisely nice childhood, she had a traumatic incident as a teenager and had three failed attempts of suicide.
Her mother blames her for her career ending as a pianist, and Juri has started to hate her mother for this.
It’s when Juri is invited by her aunt Monica to visit a convict sentenced to death named Yuu. He was in charge of the murder of three people and tried to kill himself several times in the jail itself. Juri meets Yuu, and they start exchanging their opinions on how they view life differently.
The story perfectly captures the numerous aspects of life, like death, guilt, love, and pain. This short manga combines depression and emotional views through a strong depiction of the art style, and the lines said by the characters.
- Volumes: 1
- Chapters: 8
- Status: Finished
- Published: 2008 to 2008
- Genres: Drama – Romance – Slice of Life
- Authors: Yumeka Sumomo
Satuogashi No Danga Wa Uchinukenai
Have you ever felt like you have to act older than your age just because of the circumstances around you? If yes, then this series will hit close to home for you.
Nagisa Yamada, a simple middle schooler living in the remote villages of Japan, is already more mature than most of the kids her age because of the situations back at her home.
One day a transfer student by the name of Mokuzu Umino gets transferred to her school. Immediately Mokuzu shows interest in Nagisa soon. They become friends. As their friendship deepens, they start to share all the difficulties they have to face in their lives.
They both are from very different backgrounds with their pain and suffering, and neither of them knows how to get past them. Throughout this short manga, there is no unnecessary drama but the bitter truth and harshness of life.
- Volumes: 2
- Chapters: 13
- Status: Finished
- Published: 2007 to 2008
- Genres: Psychological – School
- Authors: Sakuraba Kazuki
LIFE
Have you ever felt betrayed by one of your close friends? If yes, then this manga can be quite relatable for you. This manga starts with Ayumu Shiiba trying to get into a prestigious high school with her best friend, Yuuko Shinozuka. Since she does not have very good grades, she studies hard to get in.
On the day of the results, it was Ayumu got in, but unfortunately, Yuuko couldn’t. Yuuko then reveals all the true feelings she had for Ayumu, and it was just resentment and nothing else.
This made Ayumu depressed and pushed her so much to the edge that she started self-harming herself to escape from this unpleasant feeling.
She stopped socializing and interacting with people, which immediately made her a social outcast at her new school. She then meets a girl named Manami Anzai, who befriends her, and as soon as things look a little bright for Ayumu, she doesn’t know all the horrors coming her way.
This manga is about an isolated, lonely girl having such traumatic experiences which push us, readers, to the brink of insanity. It feels as if the author googled the top 10 list of horrible things happening to a teenager and clumped them up in a story.
- Volumes: 20
- Chapters: 80
- Status: Finished
- Published: 2002 to 2009
- Genres: Drama – Slice of Life
- Authors: Keiko Suenobu
Koe no Katachi
Koe no Katachi or ‘A silent Voice’ is one of the most famous anime movies of all time and so goes for the manga as well. The manga is an award winner.
It ranked first on Kono Manga ga Sugoi! ’s top 20 manga for male readers in 2015, got nominated for the 19th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize, and later won the New Creator Prize.
Koe no Katachi is a story on how bullying can change a person, sometimes for good too. Shouya Ishida, a notorious elementary kid, used to pick on one of his classmates, Shouko Nishimiya.
Shouko had a hearing aid and couldn’t hear well. That’s the reason Shoya and his group found him annoying.
Shouya’s acts come to an end when Shouko drops out of school because of continuous bullying. The class put all the blame on Shouya, and then he became the new kid everyone picked on. This made his personality reclusive, and he had social anxiety.
In high school, after five years, Shoya meets Shouko again, and this time, he wants things to be different. He tries to befriend her and take accountability for his mistakes despite how difficult they may be.
- Volumes: 7
- Chapters: 64
- Status: Finished
- Published: 2013 to 2014
- Genres: Drama
- Authors: Ooima Yoshitoki
Shogatsu wa Kimi no Uso
Also known as ‘Your lie in April,’ It’s one of the most famous shoujo manga as well as anime out there. And let me tell you one thing. This series will tear your heart out, throw it against the wall, smash it, and give it back to you.
Personally speaking, this was one of the very first manga I’ve ever read, and I have never been the same again.
It has the perfect emotions and the characters have depth while the story keeps you engaged. This manga revolves around Kousei Arima, who has been a genius pianist from a young age.
He perfectly plays the song with people calling him the ‘Human Metronome”. Unfortunately, he became tone-deaf after the death of his mother and has never stepped on the stage since. After two years, Kousei was living a normal life with two of his childhood friend away from music.
It’s when a girl named Kaori Miyazono entered his life. Kaori was a violinist and played freely without caring about the music sheets or scores.
She helps Kaousei to step on the stage once again and overcome his trauma. This series is about friendship, love, and music with just a single lie.
- Volumes: 11
- Chapters: 44
- Status: Finished
- Published: 2011 to 2015
- Genres: Drama – Romance
- Authors: Arakawa Naoshi
Orange
Have you ever wondered about some of your past choices and wished that there was a way you could tell your previous self to make the right decision? Well, this manga is precisely that. The story starts with our main character Naho Takamiya receiving a mail from herself ten years from the future.
At first, she thought it to be a prank, but the letter mentioned a transfer student Kakeru Naruse who ended up transferring to her school. This made Naho believe the letter. The letter mentioned some more regrets and expected Naho to make the right decision, but all these regrets were somehow connected to Kakeru.
This manga is the perfect blend of romance and depression. It is sweet and full of pain at the same time, so be prepared for some heartache. Orange also got an anime adaptation in 2016 by the studio Telecom Animation Film.
- Volumes: 7
- Chapters: 38
- Status: Finished
- Published: 2012 to 2022
- Genres: Drama – Romance – Sci-Fi
- Authors: Takano Ichigo
Fumetsu No Annata E
Fumetsu No Annata E or ‘To your Eternity’ has become quite famous after its anime adaptation. Currently, with the second season still airing as of writing this article, this series is loved by fans all across the globe.
It starts with an Artifact that can take the form of anything it comes in contact with. With this power, he continues his journey first as a rock, then as a wolf, and finally as a boy living alone in the icy tundra region.
The artifact has no feelings or conscientiousness of his own but feels them through the animals or people he takes the form of.
Throughout the series, he lives the story of all these people, along with writing his own. This manga will keep you engaged and depressed all the way through with the different interactions and how the artifact gains emotions. It is a pure heartache of a series, and you are sure to drop more than just a tear after reading it.
- Volumes: 21
- Chapters: 82
- Status: Ongoing
- Published: 2016 to Present
- Genres: Adventure – Drama – Supernatural
- Authors: Ooima Yoshitoki
My Girl
This manga will break your heart. It goes around the 23-year-old Masamune Kazama, who suddenly finds out that he has a daughter he didn’t know of. After his ex-girlfriend passed away, he decided to take her in and raise her as his own.
This manga is a nice blend of wholesomeness and feels. It is a bittersweet and realistic story that keeps you engaged as we continue to see how Masamune learns what it means to be a father.
Both of them go on with their daily life with their losses and consequences. This manga is a quick read, and you should give it a try.
- Volumes: 5
- Chapters: 44
- Status: Finished
- Published: 2006 to 2010
- Genres: Drama – Slice of Life
- Authors: Yumeka Sumomo
Also Read: Who Does Rock Lee End up with in Naruto & Boruto Anime Series?
Akame Ga Kill
Akame Ga Kill is one of the most famous series of all time. It is also one of the very few shounen mangas on this list because, come on, when we think about heartbreak, sadness, and depression, we think of a shoujo type of series, and an action series should be the last of our preferences. But it’s not the case for this one.
In this universe, a minister manipulates the young king of the land and controls the capital from the shadows with no regard for human life. Because of this, the capital is filled with corruption and criminals sucking the city like leeches.
However, there is an organization of the revolutionary army – Night Raid, a secret association consisting of assassins who murder all those who side with the minister or even turn a blind eye towards his cruel acts.
Akame Ga Kill is a series very close to reality. Basically, what it says is that if you want to change something, you have to make many sacrifices along the way to achieve your goal, and these sacrifices can be in the form of one’s ideal, freedom, or even life.
- Volumes: 15
- Chapters: 80
- Status: Finished
- Published: 2010 to 2016
- Genres: Action – Fantasy
- Authors: Takahiro
Oyasumi Punpun
First of all, don’t be weirded out by the different character designs of our main character Punpun Onodera. It’s a part of the psychological deconstruction of the character. Punpun is a normal 11-year-old kid who dreams of being just like any other salaried man.
Punpun is very idealistic and bright. He looks up to other adults and is very romantic, but sooner, he realizes how hard it can be to maintain relationships along with the surrounding setting up for something else. He also finds out that the people he looked up to aren’t that impressive, and they are flawed too.
This is a story about a small boy transitioning from boyhood to adulthood. With all his conflicting feelings, he becomes reclusive as there is no one to guide him through his transition to maturity and explain his feelings to him.
If you like to question the reality of things of how they are, this one is for you, but be ready with a lot of tissues while reading it. You will need them.
- Volumes: 13
- Chapters: 147
- Status: Finished
- Published: 2007 to 2013
- Genres: Drama – Slice of Life
- Authors: Asano Inio
Fullmetal Alchemist
Fullmetal Alchemist is one of the greatest manga and anime of all time, with the anime being one of the highest-rated anime on MAL for quite a long time until recently, with Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War taking over.
Alchemists are very powerful individuals with the power to manipulate and modify matter because of their art. The story revolves around the Elric Brothers. Human Transfusion is a concept strictly banned in this world, with severe consequences if someone attempts it.
This made the Elric brothers lose their bodies, Edward losing one of his arms and leg while Alphonse lost his whole body. They travel all around the continent to find a way to get back their body.
As their adventure continues, they find out the dirty secrets of the kingdom and are put in a situation threatening the whole country.
Particularly this manga doesn’t lie under the sad category, but as we continue through the series, we find all these incidents and plot twists that just make your heart filled with sorrow and pity.
- Volumes: 27
- Chapters: 116
- Status: Finished
- Published: 2001 to 2010
- Genres: Action-Adventure- Fantasy
- Authors: Hiromu Arakawa
Tokyo Revengers
Over the past two years, the Tokyo Revengers anime has gained a lot of love from fans all over the world. This is a perfect series consisting of sci-fi concepts like time travel and mixing them with emotions and insane world-building.
The story goes around Hanagaki Takemitchy, who is a normal guy working at a bookstore.
One day he finds that his ex-girlfriend from high school, Tachibana Hinata, was killed in a terrorist attack by an organization named Toman. After finding a way to travel back in time, Takemitchy makes his goal to save Hinata by changing the events of the past.
This manga has some of the most awesome side characters, as well as the main characters. The series goes around all of Takemitchy’s failed attempts of trying to save Hinata, and in the process, he gains friends, loses people, and overcomes all his fears to become the best version of himself who can protect the important people in his life.
This manga has recently finished, but let me tell you this, right until the end of this series, it’ll feel like someone is poking needles in your heart with so many plot twists. Even in the final chapters, it will be a lot to take in.
- Volumes: 31
- Chapters: 279
- Status: Finished
- Published: 2017 to 2022
- Genres: Action – Sci-fi
- Authors: Ken Wakui
Shingeki No Kyojin
Well, what to say about this series? You probably know everything about it, but still, let me tell you something. Attack on Titan will go down as one of the most goated series ever created in Animanga history.
No one gives a better plot twist and foreshadowing than Hajime Isayama, the writer of this series.
This series will seriously play with your mind while giving you an ocean of emotions. It goes from a simple little killing the giant manga to racism, genocide, and mass murder real quick, and you would never expect a thing it change so subtly.
I remember there were so many moments when I cried, especially at the deaths of some of my favorite characters. This manga is brutal and will leave you with a scar for the rest of your life, but it’s too good to ignore and be on the safe side.
- Volumes: 34
- Chapters: 141
- Status: Finished
- Published: 2009 to 2021
- Genres: Action-Drama
- Authors: Hajime Isayama
Chainsaw Man
For the last manga on the list, I saved the most traumatizing of all time Chainsaw Man. The first season of the anime is out, and if you think that ‘damn that was said’ after watching it, you are still on the good part. Yes, this manga does get that dark.
Nowadays, Mangaka feels like that dark type of thing is in trend, so they try to put as much as they can in their manga, but Tatsuki Fujimoto just puts it on a whole another level. It’s like he will make you fall in love with a character and kill them off just to make a point.
Proceed with caution while reading this series because it has some of the most emotional and heartbreaking fights I’ve ever encountered in any manga or anime.
Including one of my favorite but the most difficult to re-read, the ‘Snowball Fight.’ It may sound a bit funny but trust me. It’s nowhere close to anything like that.
Chainsaw Man is one of the highest-selling mangas of all time, and it seriously deserves it. Even though this will treat you with no mercy and break your heart over and over again, I still think all that pain and suffering will be worth it once you start getting indulged in it.
- Volumes: 13
- Chapters: 118
- Status: Ongoing
- Published: 2008 to Present
- Genres: Action-Supernatural
- Authors: Tatsuki Fujimoto
