Anime and manga that focus on high school delinquents with grounded stories of gritty upbringing, but are limited to the school space, are a dying genre. Some of the recent popular works, such as Tokyo Revengers, did try to bring it back into fashion, but it’s still not enough.
So, while waiting for the right delinquent manga to hit us back, we took the time to list down the best works in this genre, spanning years of incredible stories.
Kyou Kara Ore Wa!
Starting off with Kyou Kara Ore Wa !, one of the oldest manga tackling the perfect enemies-turned-friends sort of story, with comedy sprinkled in.
The story of Kyou Kara Ore Wa ! follows two young guys, Takashi Mitsuhashi and Shinji Itou, getting into their first year of high school life as aspiring delinquents.
Both characters have separate agendas for their lifestyle. Itou wants to protect the weak and become famous, while Mitsuhashi wants to become one of the most feared individuals around.
Kyou Kara Ore Wa ! was written and illustrated by Nishimori Hiroyuki, and spans around 38 volumes worth of manga. It also received an anime adaptation for 10 episodes, which was never released outside Japan, and a live-action film recently.
Cromartie High School
Another anime that uses comedy really well in a high school setting with delinquents, and even goes overboard for the bit. Cromartie High School follows Takashi Kamiyama, who is a new attendee at Cromartie High, a place where all sorts of societal rejects meet.
Gags in anime and manga can completely miss the audience at times since some of these shows are written with the Japanese audience in mind. But this show does a very good job of playing with its absurd humor of having Freddie Mercury and robots in a classroom.
Cromartie High School was adapted from the manga written by Nonaka Eiji. It received an anime adaptation by Production I.G., which is very niche but still popular enough to appear in recommendations when talking about manga with a high school setting.
Hana no Asuka Gumi
A subgenre among the manga and anime that focuses on high school delinquent characters is the Sukeban genre, which comprises female characters in the main role of the delinquent.
Hana no Asuka Gumi is one of the most important series ever created in this sub-genre. It influenced a lot of modern tropes, empowering young female characters in the high school setting, most notably the Sailor Moon franchise.
The Hana no Asuka Gumi series follows the high school student Kuraku Asuka and her adventures as she encounters challenges in the street gang scenes of the city. The franchise also received a TV drama and live-action film adaptation.
Angel Densetsu
Angel Densetsu, or Legend of the Angel, is an original take on the high school delinquent anime genre, by placing its main character in the role of a misunderstood individual.
The story explores the myth about its main protagonist, Seiichirou Kitano, who is considered to be one of the most feared delinquents around. But as the story progresses, readers come to learn about his angelic and kind-hearted side, of just wanting to help others.
It was created by Norhiro Yagi, the creator of the legendary fantasy manga, Claymore. Although Angel Densetsu predates the latter in publication, while getting overshadowed by the more famous work, it still speaks volumes about the author’s ability to explore multiple genres.
Rokudenashi Blues
We believe that high school delinquent stories go hand in hand with the sports genre in anime and manga. One such example can be found in Rokudenashi Blues, written by the legendary Morita Masanori.
The word ‘Rokudenashi’ in the title of the series roughly translates to ‘good for nothing’, and follows the story of Taison Maeda from Teiken High School. An individual who is bursting with passion for the sport of boxing.
Rokudenashi Blues was published in the famous Weekly Shounen Jump magazine and later went on to receive movie adaptations, which were produced by Toei Animation in the early 90s.
Shonan Junai Gumi!
Shounan Junai Gumi! May not be a name that is familiar to many, but it is related to another series that is very famous in the anime and manga community, and that title is the Great Teacher Onizuka series.
The story follows Onizuka and his friend Ryuuji Danma in their younger high school days, getting into all sorts of trouble while also being a part of the notorious biker gangs named Oni Baku.
Unlike Great Teacher Onizuka, Shounan Junai Gumi! Never received a full-fledged anime adaptation, but it did receive a 5-episode mini OVA release. Events in this manga are what set the stepping stones towards the later, more popular series.
Worst
Worst can be considered as one of the newer series when it comes to the High School delinquent anime and manga. But it is still worthy enough to carry on the spirit of the genre through its well-written characters and settings.
Created by Hiroshi Takahashi, it was published in 2001 in the Shounen Monthly magazine, but has unfortunately not received an anime adaptation. But it did receive the license to be published in English-speaking countries, until that was also taken away.
It tells the story of Hana Tsukishima, a country kid turned delinquent, as he moves to a school in the city. Worst does not play around with unique ideas to appeal to the audience, and sometimes that is what the reader needs, a straightforward delinquent manga.
Crows
Crows was created by Hiroshi Takahashi, the same person who worked on Worst. His works are supposed to be in a connected universe. Although only one was super successful, the spirit of the delinquent genre lives on in both of his works.
Crows is potentially one of the most popular franchises when it comes to high school delinquent anime and manga. With adaptations spanning across live-action and video games. Not to mention the several spin-offs this series has produced.
The plot of Crows follows misfit high schoolers with the titular name for their gang in Suzuran High School. At the center of all of this is our main character Harumichi Boya, who has transferred into the school and has a lot to prove to his new peers.
Rokudo’s Bad Girls
Rokudo’s Bad Girls, also known as Rokudou no Onna-tachi, is an original take on the high school delinquent genre of anime and manga with a comedic angle. It was created by Yuji Nakamura and just recently received an anime adaptation.
The plot is going to be a bit bizarre compared to the rest of the shows on this list. It follows a high school student named Tousuke Rokudo who is frustrated from getting bullied by his classmates.
Tosusuke’s life takes for a complete turn when he discovers his family’s secret heirloom, which allows female deliquents at school to fall for him. Thus begins the weird story of Rokudo’s harem of bad girls.
Sukeban Deka
Since the list was lacking more recommendations from the Sukeban subgenre of Delinquent High School manga, we decided to end things with another of the more popular ones.
Sukeban Deka was written by Shinji Wada, who was known for his stories with strong female characters at the center. This one takes a detective mystery angle to the delinquent sub-genre, with the title literally translating to delinquent girl detective.
The story puts Saki Asamiya in the shoes of an undercover detective after she is released from the juvenile correction center. One of the geniuses of her character is that she was designed to fight with a yo-yo, which contrasts with the idea of a conventional weapon.
Sukeban Deka has had several anime adaptations, but the most popular one that can be found on the internet is an OVA adaptation that follows the first volume of the manga.
