When it comes to Martial Arts manga, we have seen quite some shows that have made a lot of memories. While the best of them usually ended up in anime adaptations.
We have quite a few of them yet to receive an adaptation. And despite their pending status, they still come off as good shows.
This time we will look at the top 10 martial arts manga you should check out if you are a manga fanatic, even though the anime fanbase has been growing exponentially.
We still have fans who want to stick to the traditional ways of following both the manga and anime, even though some of them are yet to be adapted.
Most of us have come to know about manga through anime. And if it weren’t for the anime adaptations, we would remain oblivious to some of the greatest manga shows.
Nonetheless, most manga fans would follow light novels and manhwa like Solo Leveling. So they are the kind of people who are always up to date with what is happening since manga and novels are always ahead of the anime adaptations. Let’s look at the top 10 martial arts manga dominating the manga world out there.
Top 10 Martial Arts Manga
We recommend you take a look at the following top 10 manga in case you are looking for recommendations.
We have tried to stray from manga with anime adaptations because most of them are already popular, and you can watch the anime to understand the story. The following manga is amongst the best you can come across in the manga world.
Shigurui
Shigurui story is set in the 1629s Shizuoka during the Tokugawa Tadananga’s rule. In this era, the Daimyo staged a tournament where the participants fought with real steel swords instead of wooden swords against his vassal’s strong objections.
We saw the first match where one-armed swordsman Fujiki Gennosuke and the blind samurai Irako Seigen dealt with the circumstances that led to the two participating in Tokugawa’s tournament.
Kengan Ashura
Kenga Ashura manga has gained a considerable fanbase and created an interesting story. It takes place in a world where gladiators’ arenas exist in various forms worldwide.
Wealthy business owners and merchants use these arenas to hire gladiators to fight in unarmed combat, where the winner takes all. The matches have become known as Kengan matches, where we see various forms of martial arts.
An average Japanese salaryman for the Nogi Group had witnessed a street fight between two mysterious fighters in an alley. One of the fighters, Tokita Ashura, was scouted by the Nogi group after he defeated their last fighter in a street fight.
Kazuo was roped into managing Ohma, who joined these arenas looking forward to devastating his opponents. His feats caught the attention of big business owners and led to his inclusion in the Kengan Annihilation Tournament under Hideki’s invitation.
Also Read: Best Selling Shoujo Manga of All Time That You Must Read
Blade of the Immortal
Even though this manga centers around a ronin, it has presented a good story to follow for the manga readers. Manji, a skilled ronin, has a special ability where no wound can kill him except for a rare poison.
His criminal actions once led to the death of 100 samurai, and he became immortal at the hands of an 800-year-old nun Yaobikuni. He was compelled by the death of his sister to accept the quest that would lead to the end of his agelessness.
So he vowed to make amends by killing 1,000 evil men, and only sacred bloodworms would keep him alive until he reached his goal.
The bloodworms allow Manji to survive any injury and reattach severed limbs even after hours of separation. The worms sacrificed themselves to seal the wounds as they were bred to be as close in chemical and physical composition as humans.
Even though they can not handle regrowth at large scales, they remained useful to Manji throughout his journey.
Souten no Ken
This manga is also known as Fist of the Blue Sky and follows the story of Kenshiro Kasumi, renowned as the king of hell.
He is a laid-back character and a chain-smoking Tokyo professor and is secretly the successor of the deadly Chinese assassin martial art known as Hokuto Shinken.
Kenshiro travels to Shangai after hearing that his Tria friend Pan Guang and love interest Pan Yu are in trouble.
While in Shangai, Kenshiro fought the three Hokuto families and helped Pan’s Qing Bang riad against their rivals, the immoral Hong Hua Hui, and gained territory influencing the whole of Shangai.
This is an interesting piece of work with an intense storyline. So it might be one of the top 10 manga to catch your attention from the list.
Teppu
The plot of this manga revolves around Natsuo Ishido, a freshman in high school. She possesses a natural talent for everything she puts her mind to and is usually bored.
Most times, she is praised for her incredible talent, and in reality, she feels a bit lonely because of this. She would go around looking for more and more things to occupy her time but failed to find anything that would be challenging for her.
One day when a volleyball practice ended, she met Yuzuko Mawatari, advertising for the Mixed Martial Arts club, and at first, she was not interested.
She kept it in her mind, though, and later when she learned that Yozuko and one other girl were the only members of the club, she ended up asking Yozuko to spar with her, and she managed to make Natsuo bleed.
She found Yozuko to be challenging, and this would lead to their frequent sparring leading to Natsuo gaining more interest in MMA.
Vagabond
It took place in 1600 in the aftermath of the decisive battle of the Sekigahara. Two 17-year-old teenagers joined the losing side, Takezo Shimen, and Matahachi Hon’iden, as they lay defeated and wounded on the battlefield.
Survivor hunters pursue them, but they manage to escape and swear to become invincible under the heavens. They found housing with two women but were later attacked by the Tsujikaze gang and separated in the chaos.
Takazo became a Vagabond while wandering the world and challenging strong opponents, while Matahachi decided to stay with the women.
Fist of the North Star
In a world devastated by nuclear war and the strong oppressing the weak. Strength is the only thing that will ensure survival.
This is a world where even close friends can betray each other for power. A lesson that ken, the Fist of The North Star, learned when he was nearly killed by his close friend and was left for dead.
He was persistent and ended up surviving and returned very angry. This made him seek revenge for everything that had been done to him.
Also Read: Top 10 Adult Romance Manga That You Should Read Alone
Holyland
Holyland manga follows the life of Yu, a high school kid who doesn’t fit anywhere. As he is looking for a place he can belong and be accepted, he seems desperate and would do anything it takes to make that happen.
But when one thing led to another, he was forced to fight to keep his place. He ended up finding his holy land.
Tokyo Revengers
Most of us came to know Tokyo Revengers manga through its anime. And now that the anime has finished its first season. Those who found it interesting and could not wait for season 2 had to go straight for the manga.
It follows the life of Takemichi Hanagaki, who has reached repair in his life. But everything changed when he discovered he could get revenge for his life by saving his girlfriend and changing himself.
History Strongest Disciple: Kenichi
Kenichi is your typical high school student and is frequently bullied and tends to run away when faced with his enemies.
But things changed when he met Furinji Miu, whose grandfather runs a dojo. So he signed as a disciple and had to do life-threatening training.
Also Read: Best Selling Manga Of 2022 That You Should Not Miss
