If you like horror media as well as manga and anime, then there’s no way you haven’t heard about Junji Ito. He has been dubbed the horror king of Japanese manga. His works have received critical acclaim all over the world, including praise from important figures.
So if you haven’t started yet, we have listed down some of Junji Ito’s best horror manga that you should read right now.
Junji Ito Horror Manga That You Should Read
Uzumaki
Let’s get the most popular one out of the way. If you are a new fan of Junji Ito, then Uzumaki is the horror manga that you should read right now. But if you know nothing about his works and just stumbled into this article because you like horror, then buckle up.
If Cosmic Horror is something right up your alley, then Uzumaki is a work of horror that counts as essential reading. The story is set in a small town where eerie and unexplained occurrences occur as part of the daily routine.
But that is not all, turning through the pages, one can find that it’s not just the town but even the characters living there are acting in strange mannerisms. This opens up a plethora of sub-stories, each exploring a new genre of horror, which is sometimes silly and other times spine-tingling.
This aspect of the manga is no doubt influenced by the legendary American television show, Twin Peaks. It also has a premise that is very similar to a cast of interesting characters.
Gyo
What if cosmic horror or weird small towns are not your thing? Don’t worry, cause the master of horror manga has got you covered once again. If you are into creature horror and especially the bizarre ones like mutated sharks walking on land, then Gyo is for you.
It was written by Junji Ito around the early 2000s, when creature horror films were doing really well outside Japan. Also taking into consideration the Japanese philosophies behind Godzilla, of what happens when Nature strikes back.
Gyo has sea creatures that get mutated into flesh-eating land monsters. Fair warning, though, because the manga has a fair bit of gore, but that’s something normal with Junji Ito’s works. If this is something up your alley, then you should read it right now.
Frankenstein
The title may immediately take your mind to the classic work of Mary Shelly, because that’s what it is. If you really love authors picking up horror classics and molding them into their own version, then you need to see what Junji Ito can do.
Frankenstein is the horror manga author’s personal take on the story written by Mary Shelly. It was originally published along with a collection of short stories written by Junji Ito himself.
Short stories being released as a collection is very common for renowned authors. Junji Ito has a plethora of short horror manga that are mixed in with each other in complete collections.
Black Paradox
Black Paradox is probably one of the few manga of Junji Ito that has characters that readers really like and grow attached to. Most characters in Junji Ito’s works have a particular demeanor that they need to stick with, and it can border on hypocrisy.
Junji Ito is a master at creating characters who are flawed humans. This flaw does not come from a writing standpoint; instead, it feels very natural. Black Paradox is a manga with multiple main characters who come together to take their own lives.
Soon enough, we find that the plot has a much deeper layer to it, and all of the characters keep failing in their suicide attempts. The story slowly evolves into a play of horror mashed into an intriguing sci-fi thriller.
Junji Ito’s Cat Diary: Yon & Mu
We have been talking about how Junji Ito is a master horror manga creator and has such a good hold on so many different sub-genres. But we don’t really seek to know what scares the author himself, what his horrors are.
Fret not because Junji Ito had that covered as well, in his autobiographical work ‘Junji Ito’s Cat Diary: Yon & Mu.’ This manga has received critical acclaim throughout the world. It is a horror comedy depicting Junji Ito’s real-life fear of cats.
It may sound very trivial to the common reader. But if you are someone experienced with common world fears, such as the fear of roaches or spiders, this manga makes absolute sense.
The story provides a new perspective through the lens of Junji Ito, about why cats look and sound horrifying to the author.
Tomie
Aside from Uzumaki, Tomie is probably Junji Ito’s most popular work in the horror manga world. We don’t get to see works of horror involving a femme fatale as often these days, so if you are into that, then Tomie is definitely a must-read.
The plot of Tomie follows the titular young girl with extreme narcissistic tendencies, who is also gifted with incredible beauty. This leads to Tomie having an endless number of lovers that she can manipulate into causing violence and do her bidding.
Even beyond that, the actual horror of Tomie lies in a supernatural mystery that goes into body horror, and is worth reading to find out.
No Longer Human
No Longer Human or Ningen Shikkaku in Japanese, is another classic work that Junji Ito attempts to tackle through his personal vision. The original novel dates back to 1948 and was written by Osamu Dazai, who is a well-known Japanese author in the world of literature.
This is a work that tackles psychological horror, which is completely different from the kind of horror in Junji Ito’s usual works. This isn’t a story about supernatural manifestations but rather the protagonist’s own personal conflicts that come back to haunt him.
The story of No Longer Human follows the story of Oba Yozo. A man who carries a facade because he is incapable of coming to terms with his own nature.
The Enigma of Amigara Fault
If you are someone who spends an indefinite amount of time on the internet, then you have definitely come across a panel from this manga. The Enigma of Amigara Fault is an eerie short story that deserved its own spot on this list.
It has become a famous creepy pasta tier story on the internet because of the memes. Possibly making it a lot of people’s first interaction with Junji’s works of horror. Well, despite everything, if you still don’t know about it, then you should go read it right now.
The Engma of Amigara Fault follows the bizarre plight of individuals searching for a particular mountain with holes. Once it is discovered, people find that they can’t help but be drawn to these holes.
Remina
Remina is another massive work of Junji Ito, which is sadly not as much talked about. This is because most of the unexplained supernatural stories get more attention. Remina is a manga that deserves equal praise because it is once again him knocking it out of the park with sci-fi and cosmic horror.
The plot follows a genius, Professor Oguro, who has discovered a new planet and names it after his daughter, Remina. Soon enough, things take a bleak turn as everyone finds out that the Remina planet is a cosmic entity that devours other planets.
Now, Remina has to run for her life as she is being chased by the human populace, who believe that sacrificing her will fix everything.
The Thing That Drifted Ashore
We can’t just make a Junji Ito manga list without mentioning at least another one of his horror short stories. The Thing That Drifted Ashore is another really popular manga that is a part of his collected works in the book Tombs.
This is another story that has pretty much gotten the creepy pasta status in recent times. But beyond all of that, it should also be mentioned that Junji Ito tackles a new kind of horror in The Thing That Drifted Ashore.
Specifically, the horror of the deep-sea, because almost all of the world’s oceans still remain unexplored, even more than outer space.
